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How to Make Your Garden Safe for Your Dog
Find food that fits your pet's needs
Find a dog food that fits your pet's needs
Find a cat food that fits your pet's needs
Your yard and garden should be a safe, fun haven for the whole family, and that includes your cuddly dog. Many commonplace garden products can be dangerous and sometimes fatal to dogs. Slug pellets are especially toxic, as are several weed killers, so please, read the instructions carefully and above all, keep these products well out of reach of your pet. If he is unlucky enough to come into contact with something harmful, or you only suspect he has, contact your vet immediately.
Your dog and plants
Many common plants can be poisonous to pets, and some are fatal. If your dog is tempted to root out a bulb, for instance and start chomping away, stop him; they're very dangerous. Here are some other plants that are toxic to dogs, in some cases severely so: foxglove, primrose, yew, ivy, rhubarb, wisteria, lupin, sweet peas, poppy, chrysanthemum, laburuheum.
Your dog and garden tools
If your dog is playing in the yard or garden, never use a lawnmower or weed eater as these can cause severe injuries. Never leave tools with sharp blades and points lying around; if your dog stands on one, he can be badly injured. And to protect you from getting a soaking, don't leave the hose out for him to chew on!
Your dog and water features
Make sure your water features and ponds are covered while your dog is young. He could have trouble getting out of the shallowest water and injure himself or drown.
Your dog and fencing
One of your yard and garden jobs should be to check that your fencing is dog-proof before he can be let out. The last thing you want is for your furry family member to get lost or injured on the roads. And if you are treating or staining the fence, keep your dog away until it is completely dry and remove the cans so he does not try to drink from them.


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My mom always told me it would be this way..that my life would pass before my eyes and one day I would turn around and wonder how I got there. Of course when you are young and living at home you can't wait to get to the next hurdle in life and always want to be older than you are, get a job, etc. Now that I am older I have complete understanding of what she was saying about life and children. My mom has always been a wise woman, but, when I was young it is not something I even comprehended. The young have not a care in the world...but then they do not see that either. Here it is Christmas Eve and the year has almost passed by. My mom was right of course and 2007 has gone by in a flash. Was 2007 a good year..you bet...did I learn anything over the course of a year?..you bet..will 2008 be a great year?...YOU BET!!!!
Christmas Eve has always been family time for us even as a child. I don't associate my childhood Christmas Eve's with any food in particular. I don't think we had traditions in that aspect. What was traditional was that we would sit down and watch "A Christmas Carol" with Allistair Sims as a family. This is a tradition that I still carry on to this day. We start with a lovely cheese fondue with artisan bread and parboiled vegetables and potatoes and move on to chocolate fondue with fresh fruit and banana bread or pound cake. You haven't lived until you have had luscious strawberries dipped into a mouthwatering fondue!!! One year I decided to try a tortiere and French Canadian Pea Soup for our Christmas Eve feast. I found out the next day that I had blown "tradition" , so, from that day forward we have always had cheese fondue and chocolate fondue. Our feast is on the coffee table and we eat leisurely in front of the television watching a DVD of "A Christmas Carol". Sometimes we have other guests but the food is always the same and they have to sit down and watch Allistair Sims and the cast of this black & white movie....the colourized version would be blasphemy!!!
What wine do I use for my Cheese Fondue.?????..I always go to St. Hubertus Winery down the road where the winemaker is Swiss. I buy a bottle of Chasselas which is the perfect grape for fondue in the pot and in a glass with the fondue. What I did discover this year was Oka cheese which is made in Quebec. It is indescribable what this cheese adds to the texture and flavour of the fondue. Tres excellent!!!!
Remember if you drop a piece of bread, vegetable, fruit or cake into the fondue pot you have to kiss the person next to you!!!
1 cup Italian dry white wine
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 cups imported Fontina cheese (or Oka- highly recommended!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
1-1/2 cups Swiss or Emmenthaler cheese
2-3 T. flour
½ cup pesto (optional)
2-1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
2-1/2 cups Emmenthaler cheese
½ cup Appenzeller cheese
1 T. kirsch
A few gratings of nutmeg
Toss grated cheeses with flour to coat. Add cheese, a handful at a time, to the wine, stirring constantly and waiting until each addition melts before adding the next. Check the consistency and add more cheese or wine if necessary.
Just before serving, swirl the pesto over the top of the fondue in a decorative pattern.
Serve with 1 inch pieces of cubed Italian bread, fried Italian sausage, cooked vegetables or small cooked potatoes
1 bar (400 g) Toblerone chocolate (in recent years I use Bernard Callebaut or other good quality chocolate)
1 bar bittersweet, milk or white chocolate
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 T. fruit juice concentrate or liqueur or fruit brandy
Seasonal fruit (strawberries, grapes, bananas, peaches, etc)
Pound cake
Melt chocolate with whipping cream over medium-low heat on stove top until chocolate is melted.
Add fruit juice concentrate or liqueur and stir.
Serve in fondue pot with fruit and cake dippers

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Many people believe that headaches are caused by loud noise, being tired, or being stressed. While these are all factors that can lead to headaches, the direct cause is tightness in the neck and shoulders. The tightness can cause misalignments in the vertebrae of your neck, resulting in pain. 80% of all headaches originate from the neck. With a typical cervicogenic (neck origin) headache, a person usually feels pain starting at the base of the skull which radiates into the temples, eyeballs, and forehead. Massage of the neck and shoulder muscles can release tension, and a chiropractic adjustment can realign the vertebrae in your neck. Chiropractic can help eliminate the cause of your headaches rather than offering a temporary relief from the symptoms.


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Title: TULSA
Author: S.L. Scott
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 3, 2018
Cover Design: RBA Designs
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/TulsaGR
From New York Times Bestselling Author, S.L. Scott, comes a hot new rock star romance that will sweep you off your feet and leave you with a smile.
The rumors are true. At least where I'm concerned.
Drummers hit it harder and do it better.
Women love me and I love them. But I like to think of myself as a sensitive soul trapped in a lady-killer's body. Not so surprisingly, I've been called cocky a time or two. What can I say? We can't all be boy scouts.
Nikki Faris has thrown off my rhythm. With her red lips, smart aleck mouth, short skirts, long legs, and blue-sky eyes, the beautiful lead singer has become a complete distraction on this tour.
She loves to give me a hard time when all I want to do is give her the pleasure of my hard—time right back.
Tulsa Crow can save his pick up lines, great eight-pack abs, and cute dimples to use on someone else. My band earned their spot on The Resistance's tour just like The Crow Brothers. I'm not going to blow it getting sidetracked by a cocky rock star that wants to sleep his way through the states. I've been called a name or two, but easy isn't one of them.
Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She's obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she's a pro.
Website: http://www.slscottauthor.com/
The Scott Scoop: http://bit.ly/2TheScoop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slscottpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/slscottauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.l.scott/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/slscott1
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/SLBookbub
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qjQ6x1
Book + Main Bites: https://bookandmainbites.com/slscott
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Slscottauthor
S.L. Scott FB Reader Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/slscottbooks
S.L. Scott GR Reader Group: http://bit.ly/SLScottGRGroup


text:
Jayco Seneca 37M Motor Home Class C - Diesel For Sale
Jayco Seneca Class C diesel motorhome 37M highlights:
- Hutch
- Jackknife Sofa
- Bunk Over Cab
- King Bed
- Fireplace
- Outside Entertainment
There is room for your small family to go on a country excursion together in this motorhome! The chef can prepare their best meals with the two burner induction cooktop, enjoy them at the booth dinette, and store any leftovers in the residential refrigerator, plus there is a hutch to store your dishes. The 50" LED Smart Fire TV is on a lift above the jackknife sofa and across from the theater sofa. You could even watch the big game outside with the exterior entertainment center that comes with outside speakers and a LED HD Smart TV mounted on a swivel bracket, plus you will be protected by the 23' electric awning!
Experience comfort and space with each one of these Jayco Seneca Class C diesel motorhomes! The unique front end diesel Freightliner S2RV chassis won't cramp the cabin, and the superior towing power allows you to tow a toy or car while keeping it at a lower weight point. You will find that these models are built sturdy with a powerful blend of precise handling and renowned stability with features like the StrongholdVBL lamination, the JRide Premium system, and the one-peice, seamless, fiberglass roof that will withstand all of your adventures. The Firefly total coach control system simplifies your camping experience with the ability to monitor and control key RV features in the palm of your hand on your phone or tablet. Come find the right model that meets your needs today!
Have a question about this floorplan?Contact UsSpecifications
Sleeps 7 Slides 3 Length 39 ft 4 in Ext Width 8 ft 5 in Ext Height 13 ft 4 in Int Height 7 ft Interior Color Denmark Exterior Color Axis, Marmot, Marten Hitch Weight 12000 lbs GVWR 31000 lbs Fresh Water Capacity 72 gals Grey Water Capacity 50 gals Black Water Capacity 50 gals Tire Size 275/80R 22.5 Furnace BTU 30000 btu Generator Onan 8,000 Watt Quiet Diesel Fuel Type Diesel Engine Cummins ISB 6.7L Chassis Freightliner S2RV Horsepower 360 hp Fuel Capacity 100 gals Number Of Bunks 1 Available Beds King Torque 800 ft-lb Refrigerator Type Residential Convection Cooking Yes Cooktop Burners 3 Shower Size 30" x 36" Number of Awnings 1 LP Tank Capacity 83 lbs AC BTU 30000 btu Basement Storage 157 cu. ft. TV Info LR LED TV, BR LED HD Smart TV, Ext. LED TV Awning Info 23' Electric with LED Lights Washer/Dryer Available Yes Gross Combined Weight 43000 lbs Shower Type Standard Electrical Service 50 amp Similar Motor Home Class C - Diesel Floorplans
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Manufacturer and/or stock photographs may be used and may not be representative of the particular unit being viewed. Where an image has a stock image indicator, please confirm specific unit details with your dealer representative.


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Everest Group PEAK Matrix™ Assessment for Life Sciences Clinical Trial Products Names Oracle Health Sciences as a Top Leader
Oracle Health Sciences Obtains Top Quartile Position and Receives High Commendation for its eClinical Platform
Redwood Shores Calif — Nov 14, 2017 – Oracle Health Sciences today announced that it has been identified as a Leader in the top quartile in Everest Group's PEAK Matrix™ Assessment of Life Sciences Clinical Trial Products 2017.
Oracle Health Sciences received superior marks in "clinical trials value chain coverage" which included pre-clinical, clinical trials, pharmacovigilance and regulatory affairs.
"We believe our being named a leader and in the top position is further validation of Oracle's continued momentum in the eClinical space," said Steve Rosenberg, general manager, Oracle Health Sciences. "We realized some time ago that the way technology was supporting clinical research had to change. The collections of point solutions you see on the market today are not serving the industry's needs. Our response to this problem is Clinical One. Our vision, resources and technology are designed to carry our customers into the future with a single cloud-based eClinical platform that unifies clinical teams, processes and data in a profound new way."
Unlike other reports and analyses that rank solution providers solely based on revenue, Everest Group assesses companies based on market impact (market adoption, value delivered and portfolio mix) as well as vision and capability (vision and strategy, functionality, flexibility and ease of deployment, engagement and commercial model and support) to evaluate marketplace success.
"After evaluating Oracle's vision and capability as well as market impact for their Clinical One Platform, which is approaching clinical technology in a new and innovative manner, we placed them as a Leader. In addition to their market penetration, Oracle's breadth and depth of capabilities represent what we consider to be a leading solution in the eClinical space," said Nitish Mittal, Practice Director, Everest Group.
About Oracle
The Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Oracle


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The 3 Most Common Types of Resumes:
As most of job hunters know, a resume is a brief document that highlights one's qualifications and experience. While not all resumes are befitting the requirements of all positions, below is a short explanation of the types of resumes and how each of them can be well structured and suited to ace that job.
- Chronological Resume
This specific type of resume is widely used and highly preferred by Recruiters and HR/ Hiring Managers. Strategically, you have to list down all the jobs you have held throughout your career wherein readers can see how you have progressed and grew in your profession or line of work. This type can also easily identify your flexibility and adaptability in working with different companies as you make your way into the career ladder. This type is best for people who have progressed in their field over a period of time or for people who were moving to a more popular and in demand company.
- Functional Resume
This type focuses on skills and experience, rather than the employment history. In this type, we highlight the 'Key Accomplishments' or 'Notable Awards' of a person to add depth to his/her qualifications. This is better done with a 'Profile Summary' where all skills, knowledge and experiences are mentioned in the most concise manner. A Functional Resume best suits people who have wide gaps in their employment or having too much experience of too little responsibilities.
- Combination or Hybrid Resume
Obvious in its name, a combination resume is a mix between a chronological resume and a functional one. Every relevant detail of your career has its own spotlight in utilisingthis type of document. The top most of this resume usually highlights one's skills and qualifications, making an impactful mark on the reader. Incorporating information through competencies can help connect the functional to the chronological order of the employment history. This kind of resume tailors how you are best fit for the job in giving the recruitment team all the information that they need.
We find that the Combination Resume provides applicants with the best results, during the initial selection process.
For all of your Professional Resume, Cover letter and Selection Criteria support, contact one of our Professional Resume Writers today!
If you need help with your resume, contact us today on 1300 174 435 or email [email protected], for all of your Professional Resume and Cover Letter writing needs.


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Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Standard Edition Xbox Series X/1 Game
Embark on this definitive version of the critically acclaimed Shin Megami Tensei V, massively expanded with a brand-new storyline featuring new locations, demons, and choices to make that will dictate the fate of all existence. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance consists of two complete story paths: experience a brand-new route, the "Canon of Vengeance" a dramatic tale of revenge by the fallen, centered around new characters and an enigmatic cohort of demons, the Qaditu, who plot their own dark designs apart from the war of those who fight to maintain order and those who seek to defy it. Or explore the original story told in Shin Megami Tensei V, the "Canon of Creation" an eternal conflict between angels and demons, in which the protagonist fights for the worlds fate. When a grisly murder scene in modern-day Tokyo blocks our protagonists walk home, an unplanned detour leaves him buried and unconscious. He awakens in a new Tokyo, a wasteland ravaged by apocalypse now called Daat but before bloodthirsty demons can claim his life, a savior emerges, and the two of them unite to become a mighty being, neither human nor demon: a Nahobino. With newfound power, the protagonist ventures through Da'at, an enigmatic realm filled with mythical deities and demonic tyrants in constant conflict for survival. Searching for answers, the protagonist must forge his own path in a battle between angels and demons to dictate the fate of the world. The Definitive Version of Shin Megami Tensei V - Fully evolved with stunning visuals for modern consoles, the dark lore, unnerving atmosphere, and beautiful and monstrous demons are back and better than ever. Massively expanded with new areas, demons, and music, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance features more accessible gameplay, an improved battle system, new demon experiences, and greater field exploration. A Tale of Vengeance or Creation - Which path will you choose? Experience a brand-new tale of revenge by the fallen or the original story of Shin Megami Tensei V, both filled with conflicting and tragic choices, forcing you to confront which ideologies you are willing to fight for. As order and chaos crumble around you, forge your own path to dictate the fate of humanity. Explore a Post-Apocalyptic World - Battle through a decimated Tokyo, reduced to an expansive wasteland and overrun by mythical demons. Roam across wide, open areas and explore new locations for life-saving items or encounter hundreds of familiar demons and dozens of new ones to battle or befriend as allies.


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Lookout Valley, Tenn.
To the Editor of the Portland Press:
I notice in the Eastern Newspapers a great deal of misconception relative to the operations of that part of the Army of the Cumberland (including the recent reenforcement from the Army of the Potomac), which undertook and accomplished the opening of the Tennessee River and thereby relieve the starving forces at Chatanooga.
The enclosed order from Gen. Thomas gives so clear a statement of the results combined with a complimentary mention of prominent parties engaged that I hope you will find space for its publication.
The accompanying characteristic order of Gen. Howard was received with unusual marks of gratification by the officers & soldiers of his Command.
Please insert in large type in some conspicuous place in your Paper that the Rebels still hold Lookout Mountain. If some of the Editors of Northern Newspapers or some Correspondents who furnish vivid accounts of scenes and operations here, though themselves never nearer than Bridgeport, (30 miles off), could pass along this Valley during any one of the Day-light hours and have one of these air rending, earth-shattering shells come swooping down from the Upper Regions, past his head – he would appreciate both what is meant by Lookout and the possession of it; at if the lesson is not too dearly learnt – he will be able to inform his readers that the River is in our possession all the way to Chatanooga with the exception of about a mile opposite Lookout Point commanded by the guns of the Enemy not yet dislodged from the Mountain. The Peninsula across from the Pontoon bridge at Brown's Ferry to that at Chatanooga is less than two (2) miles wide. Lookout Point is above three (3) miles from the city. So that there is an actual gain of distance in landing supplies at Brown's Ferry. But the "Suck" (or shallows) between Kelly's & Brown's doesn't permit <you> easy passage of the boats and so by crossing another peninsula formed by the Tennessee wagons can reach Kelly's in a distance of five (5) miles from Brown's, the boats usually leave their cargoes at Kelly's. The Rebels did hold all of this portion of the Tennessee as also twenty miles more of it towards Bridgeport.
This was adroitly wrested from them by Gen. Hooker's Command cooperating with forces from Chatanooga. The Southern papers say it is incomprehensible how the Federals got so complete possession of Lookout Valley in so short a time and not less so that Bragg should have suffered <there do so>.
Charles Henry Howard to Editor of the Portland Press [Charles Henry Howard Collection]


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Mario is a gaming icon, and whoever says otherwise deserves to be pelted by profanities from the many prepubescent online gamers on the COD. He has been around for decades, and while his games haven't&hellip
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Fast Five was a recently-released action flick starring Vin Diesel, the lead actor in the franchise. As the fifth instalment in the series, Fast Five is considered to be the best (so far) among the&hellip
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Both the iPod Touch and the iPhone offer a plethora of gaming opportunities, and both of them offer certain advantages over the other to prospective gamers. This article aims to guide you through their various&hellip
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People, or gamers, often go for the top of the shelf well looking up the best games possible. If you were to ask any of your friends which title you should buy today, the list&hellip


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Congress acts to reform the IRS, enhance taxpayer protections
August 7, 2019
The U.S. Senate has passed, and President Trump is expected to sign into law, a broad package of reforms aimed at the IRS. Among other things, the Taxpayer First Act contains several new protections for taxpayers, along with provisions intended to improve the IRS's customer service.
Stronger safeguards against identity theft
Several of the bill's provisions address tax-related identity theft. For example, the bill generally requires the IRS to notify a taxpayer as soon as practicable when it suspects or confirms an unauthorized use of the individual's identity. The IRS also must:
- Provide the taxpayer instructions on how to file a report with law enforcement on the unauthorized use,
- Identify any steps the individual should take to permit law enforcement to access his or her personal information during the investigation,
- Provide information regarding the actions the taxpayer can take to protect him- or herself from harm, and
- Offer identity protection measures, such as the use of an "identity protection personal identification number" (IP PIN).
The bill also requires the IRS to establish a program within five years that allows all taxpayers to request IP PINs to better secure their identity when filing their tax returns. This protection currently is available only to victims of tax-related identity theft.
The IRS must provide a suspected victim with additional notifications regarding whether it has initiated an investigation into the unauthorized use and whether the investigation has substantiated such unauthorized use. It also must notify the individual of whether any action has been taken against someone relating to the unauthorized use or whether any referral for criminal prosecution has been made.
And the IRS must ensure that victims of tax-related identity theft have a single point of contact at the agency throughout the processing of their cases. That contact must track the taxpayer's case to completion and coordinate with other IRS employees to resolve the taxpayer's issues as quickly as possible.
Greater appeals rights
The Taxpayer First Act codifies into law the IRS's already-existing, independent Office of Appeals. It also expands taxpayers' rights of appeal regarding tax matters.
For example, under the law, the IRS must provide certain taxpayers who request a conference with the Office of Appeals with access to the nonprivileged portions of the case file on the disputed issues no later than 10 days before the scheduled conference date. Currently, taxpayers must file a Freedom of Information Act request to gain access to their case files.
The resolution process available through the appeals office generally is available to all taxpayers. If a taxpayer's request to appeal an IRS notice of deficiency is denied, the IRS must give the taxpayer a written notice with a detailed description of the facts involved, the basis for the denial and a detailed explanation of how the basis applies to the facts. The notice also must describe the procedures for protesting the denial.
Customer service improvements
The bill gives the IRS one year to develop and submit to Congress a comprehensive customer service strategy. The strategy must include a plan to extend assistance to taxpayers that's secure and designed to meet reasonable taxpayer expectations. The plan must adopt appropriate customer service best practices from the private sector, including online services, telephone callback services and training of customer service employees.
Separately, the bill requires the IRS to supply helpful information to taxpayers who are on hold during a telephone call to any IRS help line. That information includes common tax scams, where and how to report tax scams, and additional advice on how taxpayers can protect themselves from identity theft and tax crimes.
Additional provisions
The Taxpayer First Act tackles many other areas, including:
Structuring. The bill establishes new protections from IRS enforcement abuses of so-called "structuring laws." Those laws let the agency seize taxpayer assets when a taxpayer appeared to make bank deposits in amounts just under the $10,000 trigger for bank reporting requirements.
Whistleblower reforms. The bill permits the IRS to disclose to a whistleblower tax return information related to the investigation of any taxpayer about whom the whistleblower has provided information (to the extent necessary to obtain information that isn't otherwise reasonably available). It also mandates certain updates to whistleblowers on investigations and adds antiretaliation provisions.
Electronic filing. The IRS generally must eventually require individuals filing 10 or more returns — down significantly from the current 250-return threshold — to file electronically. The lower threshold will be phased in, falling to 100 returns for 2021 and 10 returns in 2022. Special rules apply to partnerships.
And that's not all
The far-reaching bill will affect a variety of other areas, such as cybersecurity, innocent spouse relief, private debt collection and misdirected tax refund deposits. We'll keep you abreast of these and other relevant tax developments.
© 2019


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The question won't go away: Did President Obama and administration officials mislead the public when they initially claimed that the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi began "spontaneously" in response to an anti-Muslim video?
The question surfaced again on Oct. 25 — more than six weeks after the incident — when government emails showed the White House and the State Department were told even as the attack was going on that Ansar al-Sharia, a little-known militant group, had claimed credit for it.
We cannot say whether the administration was intentionally misleading the public. We cannot prove intent. There is also more information to come — both from the FBI, which is conducting an investigation, and Congress, which has been holding hearings.
But, at this point, we do know that Obama and others in the administration were quick to cite the anti-Muslim video as the underlying cause for the attack in Benghazi that killed four U.S. diplomats, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. And they were slow to acknowledge it was a premeditated terrorist attack, and they downplayed reports that it might have been.
What follows is a timeline of events that we hope will help put the incident into perspective. We call attention in particular to these key facts:
- There were no protesters at the Benghazi consulate prior to the attack, even though Obama and others repeatedly said the attackers joined an angry mob that had formed in opposition to the anti-Muslim film that had triggered protests in Egypt and elsewhere. The State Department disclosed this fact Oct. 9 — nearly a month after the attack.
- Libya President Mohamed Magariaf insisted on Sept. 16 — five days after the attack — that it was a planned terrorist attack, but administration officials continued for days later to say there was no evidence of a planned attack.
- Magariaf also said the idea that the attack was a "spontaneous protest that just spun out of control is completely unfounded and preposterous." This, too, was on Sept. 16. Yet, Obama and others continued to describe the incident in exactly those terms — including during the president's Sept. 18 appearance on the "Late Show With David Letterman."
- Matt Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, was the first administration official to call it "a terrorist attack" during a Sept. 19 congressional hearing. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did the same on Sept. 20. Even so, Obama declined opportunities to call it a terrorist attack when asked at a town hall meeting on Sept. 20 and during a taping of "The View" on Sept. 24.
Here is our timeline:
Sept. 11: The Attack
2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (8:30 p.m. Benghazi time): U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens steps outside the consulate to say goodbye to a Turkish diplomat. There are no protesters at this time. ("Everything is calm at 8:30," a State Department official would later say at an Oct. 9 background briefing for reporters. "There's nothing unusual. There has been nothing unusual during the day at all outside.")
3 p.m.: Ambassador Stevens retires to his bedroom for the evening. (See Oct. 9 briefing.)
Approximately 3:40 p.m. A security agent at the Benghazi compound hears "loud noises" coming from the front gate and "gunfire and an explosion." A senior State Department official at the Oct. 9 briefing says that "the camera on the main gate reveals a large number of people – a large number of men, armed men, flowing into the compound."
About 4 p.m.: This is the approximate time of attack that was given to reporters at a Sept. 12 State Department background briefing. An administration official identified only as "senior administration official one" provides an official timeline of events at the consulate, but only from the time of the attack — not prior to the attack. The official says, "The compound where our office is in Benghazi began taking fire from unidentified Libyan extremists." (Six of the next seven entries in this timeline — through 8:30 p.m. EDT — all come from the Sept. 12 briefing. The exception being the 6:07 p.m. entry, which comes from Reuters.)
About 4:15 p.m.: "The attackers gained access to the compound and began firing into the main building, setting it on fire. The Libyan guard force and our mission security personnel responded. At that time, there were three people inside the building: Ambassador Stevens, one of our regional security officers, and Information Management Officer Sean Smith."
Between 4:15 p.m.-4:45 p.m.: Sean Smith is found dead.
About 4:45 p.m.: "U.S. security personnel assigned to the mission annex tried to regain the main building, but that group also took heavy fire and had to return to the mission annex."
About 5:20 p.m.: "U.S. and Libyan security personnel … regain the main building and they were able to secure it."
Around 6 p.m.: "The mission annex then came under fire itself at around 6 o'clock in the evening our time, and that continued for about two hours. It was during that time that two additional U.S. personnel were killed and two more were wounded during that ongoing attack."
6:07 p.m.: The State Department's Operations Center sends an email to the White House, Pentagon, FBI and other government agencies that said Ansar al-Sharia has claimed credit for the attack on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. (The existence of the email was not disclosed until Reuters reported it on Oct. 24.)
About 8:30 p.m.: "Libyan security forces were able to assist us in regaining control of the situation. At some point in all of this – and frankly, we do not know when – we believe that Ambassador Stevens got out of the building and was taken to a hospital in Benghazi. We do not have any information what his condition was at that time. His body was later returned to U.S. personnel at the Benghazi airport."
About 10:00 p.m.: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issues a statement confirming that one State official was killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Her statement, which MSNBC posted at 10:32 p.m., made reference to the anti-Muslim video.
Clinton: Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.
11:12 p.m.: Clinton sends an email to her daughter, Chelsea, that reads: "Two of our officers were killed in Benghazi by an al Qaeda-like group: The Ambassador, whom I handpicked and a young communications officer on temporary duty w a wife and two young children. Very hard day and I fear more of the same tomorrow." (The email was discovered in 2015 by the House Select Committee on Benghazi. It is written to "Diane Reynolds," which was Chelsea Clinton's alias.)
Sept.12: Obama Labels Attack 'Act of Terror,' Not 'Terrorism'
Sept. 12: Clinton issues a statement confirming that four U.S. officials, not one, had been killed. She calls it a "violent attack."
Clinton: All the Americans we lost in yesterday's attacks made the ultimate sacrifice. We condemn this vicious and violent attack that took their lives, which they had committed to helping the Libyan people reach for a better future.
Sept. 12: CIA's Middle East and North Africa Situation Report says, "[T]he presence of armed assailants from the outset suggests this was an intentional assault and not the escalation of a peaceful protest." The report was transmitted at 7 a.m. EDT.
Sept. 12: Clinton delivers a speech at the State Department to condemn the attack in Benghazi and to praise the victims as "heroes." She again makes reference to the anti-Muslim video in similar language.
Clinton: Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our Embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear — there is no justification for this, none.
Sept. 12: Jake Sullivan, Clinton's deputy chief of staff, sends an email prior to Obama's Rose Garden address to Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor for strategic communications at the White House, and others that says, "There was not really much violence in Egypt. And we are not saying that the violence in Libya erupted 'over inflammatory videos.'"
Sept. 12: Obama delivers a morning speech in the Rose Garden to address the deaths of U.S. diplomats in Libya. He said, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for." He also makes reference to the anti-Muslim video when he says: "Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None." He uses the term "act of terror" later that night when talking about the attack at a campaign event in Las Vegas.
Sept. 12: After his Rose Garden speech, Obama tapes an interview for "60 Minutes." Obama says he didn't use the word "terrorism" in his Rose Garden speech because "it's too early to know exactly how this came about." Steve Kroft, the show's host, wonders how the attack could be described as a "mob action" since the attackers were "very heavily armed." Obama says "we're still investigating," but he suspects "folks involved in this . . . were looking to target Americans from the start."
Kroft: Mr. President, this morning you went out of your way to avoid the use of the word terrorism in connection with the Libya attack.
Obama: Right.
Kroft: Do you believe that this was a terrorist attack?
Obama: Well, it's too early to know exactly how this came about, what group was involved, but obviously it was an attack on Americans and we are going to be working with the Libyan government to make sure that we bring these folks to justice one way or the other.
Kroft: It's been described as a mob action. But there are reports that they were very heavily armed with grenades. That doesn't sound like your normal demonstration.
Obama: As I said, we're still investigating exactly what happened. I don't want to jump the gun on this. But you're right that this is not a situation that was exactly the same as what happened in Egypt. And my suspicion is, is that there are folks involved in this, who were looking to target Americans from the start.
Sept. 12: Senior administration officials, who did not permit use of their names, hold a briefing with reporters to answer questions about the attack. Twice officials characterize those involved in the attack as "extremists." In one case, an official identified only as "senior administration official one" is asked by Fox News reporter Justin Fishel if the administration had ruled out the possibly that the attack was in response to the anti-Muslim video. The official says, "We just don't know."
Senior administration official one: With regard to whether there is any connection between this Internet activity and this extremist attack in Benghazi, frankly, we just don't know. We're not going to know until we have a chance to investigate. And I'm sorry that it is frustrating for you that so many of our answers are "We don't know," but they are truthful in that.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell asks officials to address news reports that the attack has been "linked to a terror attack, an organized terror attack," possibly al Qaeda. The official refers to it as a "complex attack," but says it is "too early to say who they were" and their affiliation.
Senior administration official one: Frankly, we are not in a position to speak any further to the perpetrators of this attack. It was clearly a complex attack. We're going to have to do a full investigation. We are committed to working with the Libyans both on the investigation and to ensure that we bring the perpetrators to justice. The FBI is already committed to assisting in that, but I just – we're – it's just too early to speak to who they were and if they might have been otherwise affiliated beyond Libya.
Sept. 12, 3:04 p.m.: Clinton calls then-Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil and tells him, "We know the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack — not a protest." An account of that call was contained in an email written by State Department Public Affairs Officer Lawrence Randolph. The email was released by the House Benghazi committee.
Sept. 12, 4:09 p.m.: At a press briefing en route to Las Vegas, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is asked, "Does the White House believe that the attack in Benghazi was planned and premeditated?" He responds, "It's too early for us to make that judgment. I think — I know that this is being investigated, and we're working with the Libyan government to investigate the incident. So I would not want to speculate on that at this time."
Sept. 12: Libya's deputy ambassador to London, Ahmad Jibril, tells the BBC that Ansar al-Sharia was behind the attack. The little-known militant group issues a statement that says it "didn't participate as a sole entity," neither confirming nor denying the report.
Sept. 12, 6:06 p.m.: Beth Jones, the acting assistant secretary of state for the Near East, sends an email to top State Department officials that reads in part: "[T]he group that conducted the attacks, Ansar al-Sharia, is affiliated with Islamic extremists." (An excerpt of Jones' email was read by Rep. Trey Gowdy at the May 8, 2013, House oversight hearing.)
Sept. 12: Citing unnamed "U.S. government officials," Reuters reports that "the Benghazi attack may have been planned in advance" and that members of Ansar al-Sharia "may have been involved." Reuters quotes one of the U.S. officials as saying: "It bears the hallmarks of an organized attack."
Sept. 13: 'Clearly Planned' or 'Spontaneous' Attack?
Sept. 13: Clinton meets with Ali Suleiman Aujali — the Libyan ambassador to the U.S. — at a State Department event to mark the end of Ramadan. Ambassador Aujali apologizes to Clinton for what he called "this terrorist attack which took place against the American consulate in Libya." Clinton, in her remarks, does not refer to it as a terrorist attack. She condemns the anti-Muslim video, but adds that there is "never any justification for violent acts of this kind."
Clinton: Religious freedom and religious tolerance are essential to the stability of any nation, any people. Hatred and violence in the name of religion only poison the well. All people of faith and good will know that the actions of a small and savage group in Benghazi do not honor religion or God in any way. Nor do they speak for the more than 1 billion Muslims around the world, many of whom have shown an outpouring of support during this time.
Unfortunately, however, over the last 24 hours, we have also seen violence spread elsewhere. Some seek to justify this behavior as a response to inflammatory, despicable material posted on the Internet. As I said earlier today, the United States rejects both the content and the message of that video. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. At our meeting earlier today, my colleague, the foreign minister of Morocco, said that all prophets should be respected because they are all symbols of our humanity, for all humanity.
But both of us were crystal clear in this paramount message: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind. And we look to leaders around the world to stand up and speak out against violence, and to take steps to protect diplomatic missions from attack.
Sept. 13: At a daily press briefing, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland is asked if the Benghazi attack was "purely spontaneous or was premeditated by militants." She declines to say, reiterating that the administration did not want to "jump to conclusions."
Nuland: Well, as we said yesterday when we were on background, we are very cautious about drawing any conclusions with regard to who the perpetrators were, what their motivations were, whether it was premeditated, whether they had any external contacts, whether there was any link, until we have a chance to investigate along with the Libyans. So I know that's going to be frustrating for you, but we really want to make sure that we do this right and we don't jump to conclusions.
That said, obviously, there are plenty of people around the region citing this disgusting video as something that has been motivating. As the Secretary said this morning, while we as Americans, of course, respect free speech, respect free expression, there's never an excuse for it to become violent.
Sept. 13: Clinton meets with Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine Al-Othmani. She condemns what she calls the "disgusting and reprehensible" anti-Muslim video and the violence that it triggered. She says, "Islam, like other religions, respects the fundamental dignity of human beings, and it is a violation of that fundamental dignity to wage attacks on innocents. As long as there are those who are willing to shed blood and take innocent life in the name of religion, the name of God, the world will never know a true and lasting peace."
Sept. 13: At a campaign event in Colorado, Obama again uses the phrase "act of terror." He says: "I want people around the world to hear me: To all those who would do us harm, no act of terror will go unpunished."
Sept. 13: A CIA World Intelligence Review (WIRe) report, "Libya: Government Poorly Positioned to Address Attacks," says, "We assess the attacks on Tuesday against the US Consulate in Benghazi began spontaneously following the protests at the US Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the Consulate and a separate US facility in the city." (The Benghazi committee report later would say that the report was "rife with errors." It included, for example, a section that was mistakenly titled "Extremists Capitalized on Benghazi Protests," which the committee said should have been titled "Extremists Capitalized on Cairo Protests.")
Sept. 13: CNN reports that unnamed "State Department officials" say the incident in Benghazi was a "clearly planned military-type attack" unrelated to the anti-Muslim movie.
CNN: "It was not an innocent mob," one senior official said. "The video or 9/11 made a handy excuse and could be fortuitous from their perspective but this was a clearly planned military-type attack."
Sept. 14: White House Says No Evidence of Planned Attack
Sept. 14: A State Department public information official writes in an email: "[I]t is becoming increasingly clear that the series of events in Benghazi was much more terrorist attack than a protest which escalated into violence. It is our opinion that in our messaging, we want to distinguish, not conflate, the events in other countries with this well-planned attack by militant extremists." (The email was released Oct. 31, 2015, by the House Select Committee on Benghazi, and was contained in the Benghazi committee report issued June 28, 2016. The name of the person who sent the email and the person or persons who received the email were redacted. However, the person who wrote the email is identified in the committee report as a "public information officer from the Embassy in Tripoli," and the email says it reflects "our view at Embassy Tripoli." It also says, "I have discussed this with [name redacted] and he shares PAS's view." PAS stands for Public Affairs Section.)
Sept. 14: Clinton speaks at Andrews Air Force Base at a ceremony to receive the remains of those killed in Benghazi. She remarks that she received a letter from the president of the Palestinian Authority praising Stevens and "deploring — and I quote — 'an act of ugly terror.' " She, however, did not call it an act of terror or a terrorist attack and neither did the president.
Sept. 14: At a State Department press briefing, spokeswoman Nuland says the department will no longer answer any questions about the Benghazi attack. "It is now something that you need to talk to the FBI about, not to us about, because it's their investigation."
Sept. 14: At a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Carney denies reports that it was a preplanned attack. "I have seen that report, and the story is absolutely wrong. We were not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent. That report is false." Later in that same briefing, Carney is told that Pentagon officials informed members of Congress at a closed-door meeting that the Benghazi attack was a planned terrorist attack. Carney said the matter is being investigated but White House officials "don't have and did not have concrete evidence to suggest that this was not in reaction to the film."
Question: Jay, one last question — while we were sitting here — [Defense] Secretary [Leon] Panetta and the Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee. And the senators came out and said their indication was that this, or the attack on Benghazi was a terrorist attack organized and carried out by terrorists, that it was premeditated, a calculated act of terror. Levin said — Senator Levin — I think it was a planned, premeditated attack. The kind of equipment that they had used was evidence it was a planned, premeditated attack. Is there anything more you can — now that the administration is briefing senators on this, is there anything more you can tell us?
Carney: Well, I think we wait to hear from administration officials. Again, it's actively under investigation, both the Benghazi attack and incidents elsewhere. And my point was that we don't have and did not have concrete evidence to suggest that this was not in reaction to the film. But we're obviously investigating the matter, and I'll certainly — I'm sure both the Department of Defense and the White House and other places will have more to say about that as more information becomes available.
Sept. 14: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta meets with the Senate Armed Services Committee. Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, reports that Republicans and Democrats came away with the conclusion that the Benghazi attack was a planned terrorist attack.
The Hill: Senators spoke with Panetta about the response to the situation in Libya. Four Americans were killed in an attack Tuesday on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Senators said it has become clearer the attack was coordinated, although they would not say anything specific about any connection to the broader protests that came after an anti-Muslim video was released.
"I think it was a planned, premeditated attack," Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said. He added he did not know the specific group responsible for the assault on the complex.
[Sen. John] McCain expressed a similar view.
"People don't go to demonstrate and carry RPGs and automatic weapons," he said, adding that the facts suggest "this was not a 'mob' action [or] a group of protesters."
Sept. 15-16: Susan Rice Contradicts Libyan President
Sept. 15: Obama discusses the Benghazi attack in his weekly address. He makes no mention of terror, terrorists or extremists. He does talk about the anti-Muslim film and "every angry mob" that it inspired in pockets of the Middle East.
Obama: This tragic attack [in Benghazi] takes place at a time of turmoil and protest in many different countries. I have made it clear that the United States has a profound respect for people of all faiths. We stand for religious freedom. And we reject the denigration of any religion — including Islam.
Yet there is never any justification for violence. There is no religion that condones the targeting of innocent men and women. There is no excuse for attacks on our Embassies and Consulates.
Sept. 15: The CIA chief of station in Tripoli sends an email to senior CIA officers that states, in part, that the Tripoli station "assesses the 11-12 September attacks in Benghazi were not spurred by local protests." The email continues, "We lack any ground-truth information that protest actually occurred, specifically in the vicinity of the consulate and leading up to the attack. We therefore judge events unfolded in a much different manner than in Tunis, Cairo, Khartoum, and Sanaa, which appear to be the result of escalating mob violence." (The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's Nov. 21, 2014, report on Benghazi includes excerpts of the email on page 26. The report says that CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell read the email on the morning of Sept. 15.)
Sept. 16: Libya President Mohamed Magariaf says on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the attack on the U.S. consulate was planned months in advance. But Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, tells CBS News' Bob Schieffer: "We do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned." She says it began "spontaneously … as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo," and "extremist elements" joined in the protest. (It was later learned that Rice received her information from talking points developed by the CIA.)
Update, May 16, 2013: The talking points given to Rice were extensively revised, largely at the request of the State Department. The original CIA talking points said, "We do know that Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qa'ida participated in the attack." And they said that "[i]nitial press reporting linked the attack to Ansar al-Sharia." References to al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Sharia were removed. However, all of the drafts say the attack began "spontaneously" in response to the Cairo protest. Read our article "Benghazi Attack, Revisited" for more information on what changes were made to the talking points.
Update, May 2, 2014: Two days before Rice's appearance on the Sunday talk show circuit, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes sent an email to other administration officials, including White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, with the subject line "PREP CALL with Susan: Saturday at 4:00 pm ET." Rhodes' email outlined four "goals" for Rice's TV appearances. One of the goals: "To underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy." The email contained a mock Q&A session, and the third question asked whether the Benghazi attack was "an intelligence failure." The answer in the email parroted — nearly word for word — Rice's talking points when it said: "The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the US Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the US Consulate and subsequently its annex." The Rhodes email was released April 29 by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that obtained 41 State Department documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
Schieffer: Was this a long-planned attack, as far as you know? Or what– what do you know about that?
Magariaf: The way these perpetrators acted and moved … this leaves us with no doubt that this has preplanned, determined– predetermined.
Schieffer: And you believe that this was the work of al Qaeda and you believe that it was led by foreigners. Is that — is that what you are telling us?
Magariaf: It was planned — definitely, it was planned by foreigners, by people who — who entered the country a few months ago, and they were planning this criminal act since their — since their arrival. …
Schieffer: And joining us now, Susan Rice, the U.N. ambassador, our U.N. ambassador. Madam Ambassador, [Magariaf] says this is something that has been in the planning stages for months. I understand you have been saying that you think it was spontaneous? Are we not on the same page here?
Rice: Bob, let me tell you what we understand to be the assessment at present. First of all, very importantly, as you discussed with the president, there is an investigation that the United States government will launch led by the FBI, that has begun and —
They are not on the ground yet, but they have already begun looking at all sorts of evidence of — of various sorts already available to them and to us. And they will get on the ground and continue the investigation. So we'll want to see the results of that investigation to draw any definitive conclusions.
But based on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy — sparked by this hateful video. But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that– in that effort with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent.
Schieffer: But you do not agree with him that this was something that had been plotted out several months ago?
Rice: We do not– we do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned.
Schieffer: Do you agree or disagree with him that al Qaeda had some part in this?
Rice: Well, we'll have to find out that out. I mean I think it's clear that there were extremist elements that joined in and escalated the violence. Whether they were al Qaeda affiliates, whether they were Libyan-based extremists or al Qaeda itself I think is one of the things we'll have to determine.
Sept. 16: Magariaf says in an interview with NPR: "The idea that this criminal and cowardly act was a spontaneous protest that just spun out of control is completely unfounded and preposterous. We firmly believe that this was a precalculated, preplanned attack that was carried out specifically to attack the U.S. consulate."
Sept. 17: State Defends Rice and 'Initial Assessment'
Sept. 17: Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman, is asked about Rice's comments on "Face the Nation" and four other Sunday talk shows. Nuland says, "The comments that Ambassador Rice made accurately reflect our government's initial assessment." Nuland uses the phrase "initial assessment" three times when discussing Rice's comments.
Sept. 18: Obama Says 'Extremists' Used Video As 'Excuse'
Sept. 18: Obama is asked about the Benghazi attack on "The Late Show with David Letterman." The president says, "Here's what happened," and begins discussing the impact of the anti-Muslim video. He then says, "Extremists and terrorists used this as an excuse to attack a variety of our embassies, including the consulate in Libya." He also says, "As offensive as this video was and, obviously, we've denounced it and the United States government had nothing to do with it. That's never an excuse for violence."
Sept. 18: Asked about Magariaf's assessment that the video had nothing to do with the terrorist attack in Benghazi, the White House spokesman says Obama "would rather wait" for the investigation to be completed. "But at this time, as Ambassador Rice said and as I said, our understanding and our belief based on the information we have is it was the video that caused the unrest in Cairo, and the video and the unrest in Cairo that helped — that precipitated some of the unrest in Benghazi and elsewhere," Carney says. "What other factors were involved is a matter of investigation."
Sept. 18: After meeting with Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Patricia Espinosa, Clinton speaks with reporters and is asked if the Libyan president is "wrong" that "this attack was planned for months." Clinton says, "The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has said we had no actionable intelligence that an attack on our post in Benghazi was planned or imminent." She does not say if Magariaf is right or wrong.
Sept. 19: Olsen Calls It a 'Terrorist Attack'
Sept. 19: Matt Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, tells a Senate subcommittee (at 1:06:49 in the video) that the four State Department officials in Benghazi "were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy." It is the first time an administration official labeled it a "terrorist attack." But he also tells the senators that he has no "specific evidence of significant advanced planning."
Olsen: Yes, they were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy. … The best information we have now, the facts that we have now, indicate that this was an opportunist attack on our embassy. The attack began and evolved and escalated over several hours. … [I]t appears that individuals who were certainly well armed seized on the opportunity presented as the events unfolded. … What we don't have, at this point, is specific intelligence that there was a significant advanced planning or coordination for this attack.
Sept. 19: At a State Department briefing, the department spokeswoman is asked if she now believes that the attack was a "terrorist attack"? She says, "Well, I didn't get a chance to see the whole testimony that was given by Matt Olsen of the NCTC, but obviously we stand by comments made by our intelligence community who has first responsibility for evaluating the intelligence and what they believe that we are seeing."
Sept. 19: The White House spokesman does not call it a "terrorist attack" in his press briefing. Carney says, "Based on the information we had at the time — we have now, we do not yet have indication that it was preplanned or premeditated. There's an active investigation. If that active investigation produces facts that lead to a different conclusion, we will make clear that that's where the investigation has led."
Sept. 20: W.H. Spokesman Calls It a 'Terrorist Attack' — Not Obama
Sept. 20: Carney calls it a "terrorist attack" after being asked how the White House now classifies the attack. But he says the White House has no evidence that it was "a significantly preplanned attack" and blames the video for igniting the incident in Benghazi.
Carney: It is, I think, self-evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Our embassy was attacked violently, and the result was four deaths of American officials. So, again, that's self-evident. I would point you to a couple of things that Mr. Olsen said, which is that at this point it appears that a number of different elements were involved in the attack, including individuals connected to militant groups that are prevalent in Eastern Libya.
He also made clear that at this point, based on the information he has — and he is briefing the Hill on the most up-to-date intelligence — we have no information at this point that suggests that this was a significantly preplanned attack, but this was the result of opportunism, taking advantage of and exploiting what was happening as a result of reaction to the video that was found to be offensive.
Sept. 20: Obama, at a town hall meeting, says "extremists" took advantage of the "natural protests" to the anti-Muslim video to attack the consulate in Benghazi. He does not call it a "terrorist attack."
Question: We have reports that the White House said today that the attacks in Libya were a terrorist attack. Do you have information indicating that it was Iran, or al Qaeda was behind organizing the protests?
Obama: Well, we're still doing an investigation, and there are going to be different circumstances in different countries. And so I don't want to speak to something until we have all the information. What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests.
Sept. 21: Clinton Calls It a 'Terrorist Attack'
Sept. 21: Clinton, speaking to reporters before a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, calls it a "terrorist attack" for the first time. She says, "Yesterday afternoon when I briefed the Congress, I made it clear that keeping our people everywhere in the world safe is our top priority. What happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, and we will not rest until we have tracked down and brought to justice the terrorists who murdered four Americans."
Sept. 24-25: Obama Refuses to Call It a Terrorist Attack
Sept. 24: Clinton meets with the Libyan president and calls the Benghazi attack a "terrorist assault." She says, "As we all know, the United States lost a great ambassador and the Libyan people lost a true friend when Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the terrorist assault on our consulate in Benghazi."
Sept. 24: Obama tapes an appearance on "The View," and he's asked by co-host Joy Behar whether the Libya attack was an act of terrorism or caused by the anti-Muslim video. He does not call it a terrorist attack and says, "We're still doing an investigation."
Joy Behar: It was reported that people just went crazy and wild because of this anti-Muslim movie, or anti-Muhammad, I guess, movie. But then I heard Hillary Clinton say that it was an act of terrorism. Is it? What do you say?
Obama: Well, we're still doing an investigation. There's no doubt that the kind of weapons that were used, the ongoing assault, that it wasn't just a mob action. Now, we don't have all the information yet, so we're still gathering it. But what's clear is that around the world, there's still a lot of threats out there. That's why we have to maintain the strongest military in the world, that's why we can't let down our guard when it comes to the intelligence work that we do and staying on top of — not just al Qaeda, the traditional al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. …
Sept. 25: Obama speaks at the United Nations. He praises Chris Stevens as "the best of America" and condemns the anti-Muslim video as "crude and disgusting." He does not describe the Benghazi attack as a terrorist attack.
Sept. 26: 'Let's Be Clear, It Was a Terrorist Attack'
Sept. 26: Carney is asked at a press briefing aboard Air Force One en route to Ohio why the president has not called the Benghazi incident a "terrorist attack." He said, "The president — our position is, as reflected by the NCTC director, that it was a terrorist attack. It is, I think by definition, a terrorist attack when there is a prolonged assault on an embassy with weapons. … So, let's be clear, it was a terrorist attack and it was an inexcusable attack."
Sept. 26: Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, in an interview with Al Jazeera, is asked whether he agrees with the president of Libya that the Benghazi attack was premeditated and had nothing to do with the anti-Muslim video. He said: "It's clear that the attack which took the lives of Chris Stevens and three other colleagues was clearly choreographed and directed and involved a fair amount of firepower, but exactly what kind of planning went into that and how it emerged on that awful night, we just don't know right now. But I'm confident we'll get to the bottom of it."
Sept. 27: When Did Administration Know?
Sept. 27: At a press briefing, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that "it was a terrorist attack," but declines to say when he came to that conclusion. "It took a while to really get some of the feedback from what exactly happened at that location," he said. "As we determined the details of what took place there, and how that attack took place, that it became clear that there were terrorists who had planned that attack."
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same briefing addresses what the U.S. knew in advance of the Benghazi attack. He says there was "a thread of intelligence reporting that groups in … eastern Libya were seeking to coalesce, but there wasn't anything specific and certainly not a specific threat to the consulate that I'm aware of."
Sept. 27: In a report on "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees," Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush, says the administration knew early on that it was a terrorist attack. "The law enforcement source who said to me, from day one we had known clearly that this was a terrorist attack," she says.
Sept. 27-28: Intelligence 'Evolved'
Sept. 27: The White House spokesman is asked yet again why the president has refused to call the incident a terrorist attack. "The president's position [is] that this was a terrorist attack," Carney says.
Question: If the president does not call it, label it a terrorist attack as you and others have, is there some legal or diplomatic trigger that that brings? Why hasn't he said that?
Carney: I think you're misunderstanding something here. I'm the president's spokesman. When the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Matt Olsen, in open testimony in Congress answered a question by saying yes, by the definitions we go by — this is me paraphrasing — this was a terrorist attack — I echoed that, because this president, this administration, everybody looks to the intelligence community for the assessments on this. And it has been since I said so, the president's position that this was a terrorist attack.
Sept. 28: Shawn Turner, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, says in a statement that the office's position on the attack evolved. It was first believed that "the attack began spontaneously," but it was later determined that "it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack," he says.
Turner: 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. We provided that initial assessment to Executive Branch officials and members of Congress, who used that information to discuss the attack publicly and provide updates as they became available. Throughout our investigation we continued to emphasize that information gathered was preliminary and evolving.
As we learned more about the attack, we revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists. It remains unclear if any group or person exercised overall command and control of the attack, and if extremist group leaders directed their members to participate.
Oct. 2-3: Clinton Cites 'Continuing Questions'
Oct. 2: White House spokesman Carney at a press briefing in Nevada: "At every step of the way, the administration has based its public statements on the best assessments that were provided by the intelligence community. As the intelligence community learned more information they updated Congress and the American people on it."
Oct. 3: Clinton tells reporters after a meeting with Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov: "There are continuing questions about what exactly happened in Benghazi on that night three weeks ago. And we will not rest until we answer those questions and until we track down the terrorists who killed our people."
Oct. 9: 'Everything Calm' Prior to Benghazi Attack, No Protests
Oct. 9: At a background briefing, senior state department officials reveal there were no protests prior to the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi — contrary to what administration officials have been saying for weeks. A senior department official says "everything is calm at 8:30 p.m." (Libya time) when Stevens was outside the building to bid a visitor goodbye. The ambassador retired to his bedroom for the evening at 9 p.m. The calm was shattered by 9:40 p.m. when "loud noises" and "gunfire and an explosion" are heard. (The background briefing provided on Sept. 12 also said the attack began at about 10 p.m., or about 4 p.m. EDT, but it did not provide information about what happened prior to the attack.)
A senior official says it was "not our conclusion" that the Benghazi attack started as a spontaneous protest to the anti-Muslim video. He also said "there was no actionable intelligence of any planned or imminent attack."
Question: What in all of these events that you've described led officials to believe for the first several days that this was prompted by protests against the video?
Senior state department official two: That is a question that you would have to ask others. That was not our conclusion. I'm not saying that we had a conclusion, but we outlined what happened. The Ambassador walked guests out around 8:30 or so, there was no one on the street at approximately 9:40, then there was the noise and then we saw on the cameras the – a large number of armed men assaulting the compound.
Oct. 10: Administration Says It Gave Public 'Best Information'
Oct. 10: Carney, the White House spokesman, is asked at a press briefing why the president and administration officials described the anti-Muslim video as the underlying cause of the attack on Benghazi when the State Department "never concluded that the assault in Benghazi was part of a protest on the anti-Muslim film." He replied, in part: "Again, from the beginning, we have provided information based on the facts that we knew as they became available, based on assessments by the intelligence community — not opinions — assessments by the IC, by the intelligence community. And we have been clear all along that this was an ongoing investigation, that as more facts became available we would make you aware of them as appropriate, and we've done that."
Oct. 10: After testifying before a House committee, Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy is asked at a press briefing what the State Department should have done differently in releasing information about the Benghazi attack. He said, "We are giving out the best information we have at the time."
Kennedy: [T]his is obviously an incredibly complicated situation. We've always made clear from the very beginning that we are giving out the best information we have at the time we are giving it out. That information has evolved over time. For example, if any Administration official, including any career official, had been on television on Sunday, September 16th, they would have said the same thing that Ambassador Rice would have said. She had information at that point from the intelligence community, and that is the same information I had and this – I would have made exactly the same points. Clearly, we know more today, but we knew what we knew when we knew it.
Oct. 10: The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform releases State Department memos requesting additional security in Libya. Charlene Lamb, a State Department official who denied those requests, tells the committee that the State Department had been training local Libyans for nearly a year and additional U.S. security personnel were not needed. As reported by Foreign Policy: "We had the correct number of assets in Benghazi on the night of 9/11," Lamb testified. Others testified differently. "All of us at post were in sync that we wanted these resources," testified Eric Nordstrom, the top regional security officer in Libya over the summer, Foreign Policy reported.
Oct. 15: Clinton Blames 'Fog of War'
Oct. 15: Clinton, in an interview on CNN, blames the "fog of war" when asked why the administration initially claimed the attack began with the anti-Muslim video, even though the State Department never reached that conclusion. "In the wake of an attack like this in the fog of war, there's always going to be confusion, and I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence," Clinton says. "Everyone who spoke tried to give the information they had. As time has gone on, the information has changed, we've gotten more detail, but that's not surprising. That always happens."
Oct. 15: The New York Times reports that the Benghazi attack came "without any warning or protest," but "Libyans who witnessed the assault and know the attackers" say it was "in retaliation for the video."
Oct. 24: White House, State Department Emails on Ansar al-Sharia
Oct. 24: Reuters reports the White House, Pentagon and other government agencies learned just two hours into the Benghazi attack that Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamic militant group, had "claimed credit" for it. The wire service report was based on three emails from the State Department's Operations Center. One of the emails said, "Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripol." The article also noted, "Intelligence experts caution that initial reports from the scene of any attack or disaster are often inaccurate." (It should be noted that Reuters first reported on Sept. 12 that unnamed U.S. officials believed that Ansar al-Sharia may have been involved.)
Oct. 24: Clinton warns at a press conference that you cannot draw conclusions from the leaked emails because "cherry-picking one story here or one document there" can be misleading. She said, "The independent Accountability Review Board is already hard at work looking at everything — not cherry-picking one story here or one document there — but looking at everything, which I highly recommend as the appropriate approach to something as complex as an attack like this. Posting something on Facebook is not in and of itself evidence, and I think it just underscores how fluid the reporting was at the time and continued for some time to be."
Oct. 24: Carney, the White House spokesman, says that "within a few hours" of the attack Ansar al-Sharia "claimed that it had not been responsible." He added, "Neither should be taken as fact — that's why there's an investigation underway."
May 8, 2013: At a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, Rep. Trey Gowdy reads excerpts of a Sept. 12, 2011, email written by Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East Beth Jones. According to Gowdy, Jones wrote, "I spoke to the Libyan ambassador and emphasized the importance of Libyan leaders to continue to make strong statements," and "When he said his government suspected that former Qaddafi regime elements carried out the attack, I told him that the group that conducted the attacks, Ansar al-Sharia, is affiliated with Islamic extremists." Gowdy said the email was sent to several top State Department officials, including Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy. The committee did not release the full contents of the email. House Speaker John Boehner said the State Department did not allow the House to keep a copy of it.)
May 15, 2013: The White House releases 100 pages of emails regarding the CIA's original talking points that were developed for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and used by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice during her Sept. 16 Sunday talk show appearances. The emails show there were extensive changes made at the request of the State Department. (See "Sept. 16" in our timeline for more information.)
Update, Nov. 6, 2012: This article was updated to add the president's Sept. 12 interview with "60 Minutes," which did not release the video and transcript until Nov. 4.
Update, May 9, 2013: This article was updated to include testimony from the May 8, 2013, hearing of the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform.
Update, June 29, 2016: We updated this article to include material from reports issued by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
— by Eugene Kiely
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Night Vision Camera App Amazingly Lets You Take Pictures in the Dark
So, now not only can you be a night owl, you can record what you see as well.
The Night Vision Camera app lets you take photos of anything you want without light: that raccoon in the trashcan, the weird statue at night, even the rock you just tripped over because you decided to hike up a mountain in the dark.
Made by Fingersoft, the Night Vision Camera app gives your phone the ability to go infrared. Do you need this? If you are a spy, yes. If you are re-enacting a scene from 'Alias,' yes. If you just want to take weird looking pictures, obviously yes.
- Light sensitivity can be adjusted
- Clarity (for infrared) is fairly good
- Flash control
- Ability to take photos in lighted situations as well
- Free
- The image orientation can be funky, especially on tablets
- Can sometimes be twitchy with the quality of the picture, depending on the amount of light available
- The zoom can cause fuzziness in the photo, especially when light is at very low levels
Night Vision Camera is a great app to have when you want to take pictures at a bonfire on the beach. It's also just a fun way to make weird-looking pictures. In the end, it's an amusing addition to any smartphone or tablet.
Night Vision Camera app is available to download for Android platforms.