OBAMA CAMPAIGN FORCED TO FIND NEW VENUE FOR VISIT: CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — President Barack Obama was forced to find another venue for a Virginia campaign event next week after the University of Virginia declined a request to use the campus.
University officials had said Friday that they had met with the campaign about using one of its outdoor venues on Wednesday. But school officials determined that holding the event there would cancel or disrupt classes on the semester's second day and would shut down adjacent buildings for the entire day.
The Obama campaign subsequently announced that the president would be at the Charlottesville Pavilion on the city's downtown pedestrian mall. Gates open at 1 p.m.
Obama's Charlottesville stop is part of a swing of three college towns in toss-up battleground states.
US GENERAL: WE HACKED THE ENEMY IN AFGHANISTAN: The U.S. military has been launching cyberattacks against its opponents in Afghanistan, a senior officer says, making an unusually explicit acknowledgment of the oft-hidden world of electronic warfare.
Marine Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills' comments came last week at a conference in Baltimore during which he explained how U.S. commanders considered cyber weapons an important part of their arsenal.
"I can tell you that as a commander in Afghanistan in the year 2010, I was able to use my cyber operations against my adversary with great impact," Mills said. "I was able to get inside his nets, infect his command-and-control, and in fact defend myself against his almost constant incursions to get inside my wire, to affect my operations."
Mills, now a deputy commandant with the Marine Corps, was in charge of international forces in southwestern Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011, according to his official biography. He didn't go into any further detail as to the nature or scope of his forces' attacks, but experts said that such a public admission that they were being carried out was itself striking.
RNC: ANN ROMNEY TO ADDRESS CONVENTION TUESDAY: TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Republican National Convention officials say Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, will speaking during prime-time television coverage of the event.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising national figure in the party, gave up his Tuesday night speaking slot for Mrs. Romney, who was scheduled to speak on Monday, the convention's opening night. Broadcast television networks were not planning to cover Monday's proceedings in Tampa.
The presumptive Republican nominee said Friday that he was "disappointed" that the networks weren't planning to broadcast more on the convention.
"I know a number of the networks are looking to put money to the bottom line and they might not think that three hours or four hours of broadcasting a convention makes economic sense for them," Romney said. "But this is an important time for our nation."
RNC DEMONSTRATORS VOW TO PROTEST, RAIN OR SHINE: TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Just as Republicans are preparing for their convention next week, so are the protesters.
And just like the Republicans are making contingency plans in case Tropical Storm Isaac brings heavy rain and wind to Tampa, the protesters are making plans of their own.
On Friday, a small group of demonstrators at an encampment west of downtown said the rain might curtail their numbers and the ability to carry giant, papier-mache political puppets, large signs and other props. All are virtually guaranteed to fall apart in the rain and wind that is expected to hit Tampa on Monday, the first day of the convention.
However, that doesn't mean Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan won't have crowds of demonstrators outside. Groups including Code Pink, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the AFL-CIO union and Planned Parenthood have already started arriving, regardless of the forecast. And die-hards have vowed to move ahead with their plans, rain or shine.
