Pentagon may take action against author

Pentagon may take action against author

WASHINGTON

The Pentagon’s top lawyer has informed the former Navy SEAL who authored a forthcoming book describing details of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden that he violated agreements to not divulge military secrets and that as a result, the Pentagon is considering taking legal action against him.

The general counsel of the Defense Department, Jeh Johnson, wrote in a letter transmitted to the author Thursday that he had signed two nondisclosure agreements with the Navy in 2007 that obliged him to “never divulge” classified information. Johnson said that after reviewing a copy of the book, “No Easy Day,” the Pentagon concluded that the author is in “material breach and violation” of the agreements. Johnson said the department is considering pursuing against him “all remedies legally available to us.”

Man gets 99 years for assault of girl

LIBERTY, Texas

A man convicted of participating in the repeated group sexual assault of an 11-year-old Texas girl was sentenced Thursday to 99 years in prison — but he wasn’t in court to face his fate.

As the verdict and sentence were read in the Southeast Texas courtroom, authorities were searching for Eric McGowen, who fled a day earlier after the victim tearfully testified about the attacks. Prosecutors say the girl was sexually assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010 by 20 men and boys from her town, Cleveland, which is about 45 miles northeast of Houston.

2 more Yosemite visitors have virus

FRESNO, Calif.

Two more Yosemite National Park visitors have been found with a mouse-borne virus blamed for the deaths of two people, bringing the total number of infections to six, state health officials said Thursday.

Anita Gore, a spokeswoman for California Department of Public Health, said the discoveries were made through the agency’s investigation into cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome at the famed park.

The infections spurred park officials to close 91 tent cabins at Curry Village in Yosemite Valley, where f ive of the six infections occurred. Gore said one of the infected people may have been in another area of the park.

Pakistan confirms death of key militant

ISLAMABAD

Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed Thursday that a U.S. drone strike last week near the Afghan border killed the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network, a major blow to one of the most feared groups fighting American troops in Afghanistan.

Badruddin Haqqani, who has been described as the organization’s day-to-day operations commander, was killed last Friday in one of three strikes that hit militant hideouts in the Shawal Valley in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area, said two senior intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Coroner: Stallone died of heart ailment

LOS ANGELES

Sylvester Stallone’s son Sage died at age 36 from natural causes due to a heart condition, coroner’s officials said Thursday.

Sage Stallone’s death July 13 was attributed to a condition that causes blockage of the arteries, and no other factors were involved. It has been classified a natural death.

The actor and film director’s sudden death stunned his family and friends. Sylvester Stallone’s publicist described him as “devastated and grief-stricken.”

Associated Press