James Clapper, the chief spy for the United States, issued a statement Friday explaining the recent change in opinion that the Libya attack was an act of terrorism linked to al Qaeda, rather than a spontaneous occurrence. The statement claims it only became clear afterwards that the strike was “a deliberate and organized terrorist attack.” A spokesman for Clapper clarified: “In the immediate aftermath, there was information that led us to assess that the attack began spontaneously following protests earlier that day at our embassy in Cairo.” Despite recent concerns, Clapper says the “intelligence community continues to work around the clock to gather details and understand exactly what happened in Benghazi.”

Syrian rebels had President Assad’s forces on the defensive Friday, with activists reporting heavy fighting in Aleppo as rebels attempted to push the military out. The rebel offensive on Aleppo began two months ago, and despite numerous attempts by both sides to gain control of the city, neither one has been able to make significant advances. Meanwhile in Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said intelligence reports indicate Assad has recently moved some of Syria’s chemical weapons to better secure them, though officials aren’t sure of their whereabouts.

Police have identified the Minneapolis man who shot dead five former colleagues before killing himself Thursday afternoon. Andrew J. Engeldinger, 36, had lost his job at Accent Signage Systems earlier on Thursday when he came back in the afternoon with a Glock 9mm and started shooting people in a loading-dock area. Police reported Friday that 10,000 rounds of ammunition and another gun were found at Engeldinger’s home. Two victims in serious condition and one critical.

As part of the $1 billion in aid pledged by the Obama administration after the fall of President Mubarak, the White House announced to Congress Friday it will give Egypt $450 in emergency assistance. The aid is intended to ease the country’s transition into democracy. The announcement was met with resistance from lawmakers critical of the ongoing unrest after protests that threatened the American Embassy in Cairo this month. Still, the Obama administration says it’s committed to the aid. “Our partnership must empower those who would see their nations emerge as true democracies,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the U.N. General Assembly this week.

What’s wrong with Mitt? “Lousy candidate; highly qualified to be president,” one top Romney official told Politico on Friday. “The candidate suit fits him unnaturally. He is naturally an executive.” Sources close to the presidential candidate added there’s nothing wrong with the campaign: it’s the candidate himself who doesn’t have what it takes as a political candidate. “He’s a great leader, but he’s not a great politician,” another top aide said. “As much as we complain about politicians, we like a good politician. He doesn’t have the hand-on-the-shoulder thing. He’s not quick-witted. He’s an analytical, data-driven businessperson.”

In a rare step forward for both gay and immigrant rights, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it’s planning a new policy that will allow illegal immigrants who have same-sex partners to have their deportations put on hold. “It will mark the very first time that lesbian and gay couples have been recognized with immigration policy for relief,” said a spokesman for Immigration Equality. The policy is part of a federal movement to unload resources from low-priority deportation cases. There is, however, a major caveat: the policy will not allow foreigners in same-sex marriages to become eligible for green cards or citizenship, the way spouses of citizens of the opposite sex are.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new tell-all memoir isn’t leaving any stone unturned. The former governor reveals that his wife, Maria Shriver, asked him not to run in California’s 2003 recall election for the sake of their family. But when she told her mother, Eunice, how she felt, the elder Shriver informed Maria that the women in their family “always support the men when they want to do something.” Schwarzenegger says his now ex-wife reversed her decision soon after. He also writes about a discouraging meeting with Karl Rove, during which he was told Condoleezza Rice was Rove’s first pick to run for California governor. A representative for Rice says she doesn’t remember a conversation like that.

Fox News’s Shep Smith apologized on Friday after the network aired a carjack suspect shooting himself in the head after a police chase west of Phoenix. “We really messed up,” Smith admitted after a hasty commercial break. “That didn’t belong on TV.” According to Mediabistro, studio crew members gasped as the suspect shot himself, and Smith said “get off, get off, get off” and asked the control room to cut away. The suspect had fired shots at pursuing officers along a dirt road, and then jumped out of the car, put the gun to his head, and slumped to the ground.

According to the New York Daily News, Sons of Anarchy actor Johnny Lewis was apparently involved with Scientology’s anti-drug program, Narconon, a few years before the alleged murderous rampage that left him and his 81-year-old landlady dead Wednesday. Earlier this year, a judge ordered the actor to undergo a drug and mental-health program, and a probation report stated he suffered “from some forms of chemical dependence...[and] will continue to be a threat to any community he may reside.”

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn kicked off its first day with a sold-out performance from Brooklyn-native and superstar Jay-Z. But not everyone was thrilled. Activists protested Friday night against the new $1 billion Center, which will be used as the new home for the Brooklyn Nets. Concerned residents are worried that the proposed $4.9 billion in developments will ruin the neighborhood and support big corporations. A spokesman for the developer replied to the protesters, saying, “We are 100 percent committed to the affordable housing, jobs, and other benefits of Atlantic Yards and welcome those who were against them at the start to work with us to achieve them going forward.”

Atlantic Media insisted on Friday that the company is still dedicated to its print edition, despite rumors that it will be moving strictly toward digital. Atlantic Media owner David Bradley told New York Times columnist David Carr in an interview published Monday that “it’s become very, very clear” that “digital trumps print, and that pure digital, without any legacy costs, massively trumps print.” But a spokesman for the company stated on Friday that “we have no intention of closing” the magazine, saying “its print revenue is quite healthy, especially compared to other print magazines, and it is profitable.”

Well that’s embarrassing. Iran’s official FARS News Agency ran a surprising story on its website Friday about a Gallup poll in which 77 percent of rural white Americans said they’d rather go to a baseball game or have a drink with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than with U.S. President Barack Obama. Additionally, the same poll revealed that 60 percent of rural whites said they at least respected that Ahmadinejad doesn’t hide the fact that he’s Muslim. The problem with all of this—the poll wasn’t real. It was part of a fake story published by satirical website The Onion. D’oh!

Michigan officials said they found no preliminary sign of human remains of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa in their latest investigation on Friday—but they are still awaiting more conclusive test results. The authorities, who drilled through concrete and removed wet soil samples, said they could have the test results as early as Monday. The search was organized after a tip from a man who said he witnessed a body being buried 35 years ago. Hoffa was last seen in July 1975 near Detroit, where he was planning to meet with a New Jersey Teamsters boss and a Detroit mafia captain.

What a missed bargain. Earlier this month, an auction house announced its intent to sell what it believed was a tiny Renoir painting bought for $7 at a flea market. Now that auction has been cancelled after investigation revealed that the painting is probably the same one that was stolen from the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1951. Now the FBI is investigating and museum officials are left trying to figure out how the painting didn't make it onto a national registry of stolen and lost art.

Sons of Anarchy actor Johnny Lewis was found dead outside his Los Angeles home Wednesday, with his elderly landlady dead inside. Now, L.A. police investigators are indicating that 81-year-old Katherine Davis was killed by “blunt head trauma and strangulation” and say they believe Lewis fell to his death in the driveway while trying to escape the police. The house had been ransacked, and neighbors reported hearing screams and glass breaking. Police suspect drugs were involved, but don’t have evidence yet. Today, Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter tweeted: “I wish I could say that I was shocked by the events last night, but I was not.”

The Supreme Court will revisit an issue next month that will no doubt spark heated discussion: affirmative action. The case being brought before the justices concerns a white student who claims she was denied admission to the University of Texas because she is white. The university has a policy of automatically admitting students in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, with race being a "plus factor" in admission. The question: when 9 out of 10 minority students at the school are there because of automatic admission, is affirmative action necessary? Stay tuned!

It's the procrastination enabler you never thought you needed! This week, Google premiered Street View Oceans, which can take viewers on a 360-degree virtual tour of six undersea locations, including Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Molokini Crater off Maui. The images collected for the project are actually intended for scientific purposes, to create a visual record of the ocean. But that original purpose isn't stopping anyone from using it just to take a virtual vacation.

A political advisor to George Soros announced Thursday that the billionaire plans to donate $1 million to Priorities USA, the major pro-Obama super PAC. Soros will also give $500,000 to two more super PACs supporting Congressional Democrats. Like many wealthy Democrats, Soros was against super PACs initially, but now Democrats hope his donation will inspire more wealthy donors. The announcement came at a luncheon for the Democracy Alliance, which supports liberal research institutes and grassroots organizations. In all, donors at the event are expected to give $10 million to Democratic super PACs.

Greece might get some more economic aid -- along with more riots. The country's coalition government agreed Thursday to extremely unpopular new austerity measures including $15 billion in budget cuts and $2.6 billion in taxes, comprising 6 percent of Greece's GDP. The government hopes this will be enough to wrangle $40 million in economic aid from the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. Farther west, France is also looking at a smaller budget, which aims to save $39 billion and looks to be France's toughest budget in 30 years.

It was hinted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday, and now U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed Thursday the attack on America’s consulate in Libya was perpetrated by a group of militants tied to North Africa’s al Qaeda faction. It’s suspected that two or three fighters from the terrorist group in the Islamic Mahreb region carried out the siege, but “it’s not so direct that you would say AQIM as an organization planned and carried this out,” a senior intelligence official said. Officials also don’t believe the attack was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. According to an Obama staffer, “extremists in the region had cased out and hoped to target U.S. facilities in Benghazi for some time. When they saw what was happening in Cairo, that influenced their timing.”

Move over, London Eye: there's about to be a new world-famous ferris wheel. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that Staten Island will be home to the world's tallest Ferris wheel. At 625 feet, the planned ride will best the current tallest, the Singapore Flyer, by 84 feet and the most famous, the London Eye, by a whopping 182 feet. The wheel will also be 75 feet taller than the last planned biggest wheel, Las Vegas's High Roller Wheel, which hasn't even been built yet. The ride, which will be three times bigger than the current tallest in the United States, is planned for a 2015 opening.

As the fight for Missouri’s seat in the U.S. Senate rages on, opponents Claire McCaskill and Todd Akin continue to throw insults at one another. On Thursday, Akin slammed McCaskill for being too aggressive in their debate, saying she was more “ladylike” when she ran for Senate in 2006. On Friday, McCaskill took to MSNBC’s Morning Joe to deride her opponent for his extreme conservativism. “If you look at some of the things that Todd Akin has said over the years, I mean, he’s said things like in the heart of liberalism is a hatred of God,” McCaskill said. “I mean this is somebody who kind of makes Michele Bachmann look like a hippie.”

Iraqi security forces have taken back control of a Tikrit prison Friday morning after Iraqi militants seized control on Thursday night and caused a riot. The attack began when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside Tasfirat prison, about 100 miles northwest of Baghdad, which soon led to clashes between militants and guards. In all, 12 guards were killed and 90 inmates were freed during the attack. The attackers reportedly made off with a police car and weapons taken from prison guards.

In the case of a Los Angeles chef who killed his wife and claims he disposed of the body by boiling it for four days, justice has been served. After five and a half hours of deliberation, the jury convicted David Viens of second-degree murder. Viens betrayed no emotion as the verdict was read, although he faces 15 years to life in prison. He will be sentenced in November. Viens had told investigators that he slow-cooked his wife in a 55-lb pot before draining her fat and then hiding her skull in the attic of his mother’s house. When he learned he was the chief suspect in his wife’s death, Viens jumped off an 80-foot cliff.

A Minneapolis man and shot and killed four former colleagues and himself on Thursday at what is believed to be his former company. Four other people were wounded, three critically. The victims' bodies were found shortly after officers arrived on Thursday afternoon, and Minneapolic Police Deputy Chief Kris Arneson said officers never fired at the shooter. A former employee said the gunman was an employee of the firm who had been laid off on Thursday morning. The shooter was known to police before the incident and, according to a source, police suspect he may have been targeting specific co-workers at Accent Signage in his shooting rampage.

Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been stricken from the country's ruling Communist Party, which has released a statement saying it would hand him over for investigation of the multiple crimes of which he stands accused. Bo was Communist Party leader in the southwestern city of Chongqing, where scandalous rumors have been flying around the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Bo's wife and former police chief have already been jailed for the scandal, and the new statement claims that the politician "abused his powers of office".

Even Apple thinks its new maps app sucks. Apple CEO Tim Cook released a statement to customers Friday admitting that the company “fell short” on its commitment to making superior products with its new map system. “We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better,” the letter reads. Cook explains that the company initially launched the application with the first version of iOS and had to “create a new version of Maps from the ground up” in order to add improvements to the product. Cook suggested users try alternative map apps while the company works on getting Apple Maps up to speed.

In the least-surprising development to come out of the news of a papyrus fragment suggesting a Holy Spouse, the Vatican said on Friday that the text is a fake. In a long analysis of the artifact published in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's newspaper, Alberto Camplani, a professor at Rome's La Sapienza university, details his doubts about the text's authenticity. In the same issue, the paper's editor voices his concerns that "the papyrus is indeed a clumsy forgery."

An abortion-rights group has bought the clinic that once belonged to the murdered abortion doctor derisively called “baby killer George Tiller” by some opponents. The group will continue to perform abortions, but not the late-term procedures that Tiller provided. The Wichita-based nonprofit group will reopen it as a health center for women and families, offering abortions and other services. Tiller, one of few American doctors who performed abortions in the last term of pregnancy, was shot to death in 2009 by an abortion opponent at Tiller’s longtime church. Due to tightened legal restrictions, the new clinic in Wichita will not carry out the same procedures, but it will offer abortions earlier in pregnancy.  

Bank of America announced on Friday that it will pay $2.43 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit with shareholders following its acquisition of Merrill Lynch in 2008. The $50 billion deal came within days of Merrill Lynch’s collapse, effectively preventing the bank from going bankrupt. Bank of America denied the lawsuit’s allegations that its executives made misleading statements about both firms’ financial health at the time, but has said it will institute new corporate governance policies as part of the settlement. The costly suit will result in a $1.6 billion blow to the bank’s third-quarter earnings, the results of which will be reported on Oct. 17.

Who says people don’t like George W. Bush? A Bloomberg News National poll released on Friday shows that the 43rd president has a higher favorability rating than Mitt Romney. Romney polled at a 43 percent favorable and 50 percent unfavorable, compared to a 46 percent favorable rating and a 49 percent unfavorable rating for former president George W. Bush. But don’t think it’s just unlikable Romney; Bush also polled better favorability ratings than former vice president Joe Biden (41 percent favorable, 46 percent unfavorable). It looks like Bush is moving up in the world, with his former press secretary saying the 43rd president is at his “best level in years.”

It’s called “the backlog.” More than 1.3 million claims were filed last year to the Department of Veterans Affairs, double the number from 10 years ago. Even though the organization has added nearly 4,000 new workers since 2008, less than 80 percent of those claims were completed. Because of this, hundreds of thousands of veterans are either not receiving or are being forced to wait punishing lengths of time for decisions on claims for disability, pension, and educational benefits. At the start of this week, 890,000 pension and compensation claims were pending, The New York Times reports.

This time the Internet really might break. A Danish magazine has released pictures of a fully nude Kate Middleton, in addition to topless shots of the duchess on her honeymoon. Buckingham Palace sued the French magazine that originally released the relatively tame topless pics of Kate. “We are a leading gossip magazine in Denmark, and it is my job to publish them,” Se og Hør editor Kim Henningsen told the Belfast Telegraph, adding that the magazine will just have to “deal with it” if the royal family sues.

A bit of good economic news for Spain on the heels of turmoil in Madrid earlier this week: according to a new stress test, the country’s banks need €53.75 billion in new capital—less than a €62 billion previous estimate—to survive the economic downturn. The European Commission welcomed the results of the commissioned tests, calling them “a major step” in restoring confidence in the country’s banking sector. The stress-test figure will serve as a benchmark to calculate how much Spain will need to dig into the €100 billion credit line obtained from the European Union.

Just one day after criticizing opponent Claire McCaskill for not being ladylike, the senatorial candidate from Missouri is taking on equal pay. Asked by a voter Friday why he opposed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Todd Akin insinuated that it’s really more the 1963 Equal Pay Act he has a problem with. “I don’t think the government should be telling people what you pay and what you don’t pay,” Akin said. “If someone wants to hire somebody and they agree on a salary, that’s fine, however it wants to work." Meanwhile, one of Akin’s consultants compared the candidate’s refusal to quit the race with the determination of cult leader David Koresh.