Libya approves U.S. operations to get Benghazi suspects
By Barbara Starr
The Libyan government has given the United States "tacit approval" to conduct missions inside Libya to capture suspects involved in the terror attack on the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, a senior U.S. official told CNN.
The official has direct knowledge of the arrangements but declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the information.
Approval for action against Benghazi suspects, which was granted in recent weeks, is the same type of agreement that allowed a U.S. raid this past weekend in Tripoli.
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U.S. suspends significant military aid to Egypt
By CNN Foreign Affairs Reporter Elise Labott
Washington (CNN) - In a dramatic shift toward a major Arab ally, the Obama administration announced a suspension of significant military aid to Egypt on Wednesday over the bloody crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
The move, involving hundreds of millions in U.S. assistance to the Egyptian military, is the culmination of months of debate within the administration about how to respond to the July 3 ouster of former President Mohamed Morsy, Egypt's first democratically elected leader.
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GOP senators: Bad decision not to put Al Libi in Gitmo
By Gabe LaMonica
Three Republican senators are accusing the Obama administration of compromising intelligence gathering by holding Abu Anas al Libi on a Navy ship instead of sending him to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay.
During a press conference Tuesday, Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the detainment of al Libi on a Navy vessel in the Mediterranean Sea a "huge mistake."
Graham commended the administration's use of "boots on the ground to capture people" as a "good change in policy," but said there are "fatal flaws" in the U.S. intelligence gathering system.
"It's hard to interrogate a dead man," he said, so it's good that the administration is no longer "killing everybody by drones." But the refusal to send al Libi to Gitmo and to hold him instead at sea is "not a proper way to gather intelligence in the war on terror," Graham added.
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On shutdown's 9th day, survivors of fallen troops take center stage
By Josh Levs and Tom Cohen
When Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visits Dover Air Force Base Wednesday, he won't just be honoring troops killed in Afghanistan. His presence will also send a message about the government shutdown.
Hagel will attend a ceremony for the return of soldiers' remains – at a time the families of those service members are not receiving the standard benefits typically given to them.
Due to the partial federal government shutdown, those benefits, which include a $100,000 payment, are being withheld.
It's the "worst nightmare" for military families, says Amy Neiberger-Miller of TAPS, a support network for families of the fallen.
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