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Fmr. Penn State President Graham Spanier speaks with Jeffrey Toobin, says he was unjustly accused and wasn't aware of abuse
The former president of Penn State University is finally speaking out, addressing accusations that he concealed allegations against former football coach Jerry Sandusky.
Graham Spanier is not charged with a crime, but he was cited in a report by former FBI director Louis Freeh who says Spanier "empowered" Sandusky to attract victims to campus. Freeh's report asserted that ultimately, Spanier failed to protect children for more than a decade.
There are also a lot of questions about what Spanier knew and when he knew it, especially after an incident in 2001 when Sandusky was spotted in a shower with a child.
CNN senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin sat down with Spanier for an extensive interview, and he shares details from his piece on "Early Start" this morning.
He says Spanier's "mindset is: I am unjustly accused. He feels like, look, Jerry Sandusky was an evil, evil man, but I didn't know he was abusing children, and more to the point, it is not fair to assume I should have known."
Read more from Jeffrey Toobin's interview in his New Yorker piece "Former Penn State President Graham Spanier Speaks."
Pew study: Middle class falling behind
Christine Romans on a new Pew Research Center study showing the middle class has been falling behind for past 10 years.
Best Advice: Dane Dehaan
Actor Dane Dehaan shares the best advice he has ever received.
Worst-ever West Nile outbreak in US – Elizabeth Cohen on the latest CDC numbers
Elizabeth Cohen on CDC's report of a spike in deaths from the West Nile Virus, and people can do to protect themselves.
CBO: US could dive over 'fiscal cliff,' may improve debt outlook but cause recession
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - If the so-called fiscal cliff takes effect in 2013, the U.S. deficit outlook will improve, but scheduled tax increases and spending cuts would push the country into recession and unemployment up to 9%.
That's one of the main takeaways from an analysis Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office, which released its updated budget and economic projections for 2012 through 2022.
The fiscal cliff is made up of an enormous amount of tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect starting in 2013.
Among them, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the enactment of $1 trillion in automatic, across the board spending cuts that are being triggered because Congress has failed to come up with an alternative debt-reduction plan. If all the policies are allowed to go into effect, the CBO projects that the economy, as measured by GDP, will shrink by 0.5% between the fourth quarter of this year and the fourth quarter of next year. Unemployment, currently 8.3%, will rise to 9% in the second half of 2013.
This morning on "Early Start," Christine Romans explains the CBO report and it's dire warnings for the US economy.
READ MORE: Fiscal cliff to improve debt outlook but cause recession
Navy Seal writes book on Osama Bin Laden raid – Barbara Starr on safety concerns for other Seal team members
(CNN) - A book company said Wednesday that it will release on September 11 a firsthand account of the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Christine Ball, director of marketing and publicity for Dutton, a subsidiary of Penguin Group USA, said the book was written by a Navy SEAL under a pen name.
The book is entitled "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden."
A Department of Defense official said the SEAL is no longer on active duty.
U.S. Special Operations Command has not reviewed the book or approved it, the official said. Officials only recently became aware the former SEAL was writing a book but were told it encompasses more than just the raid and includes vignettes from training and other missions.
This morning on "Early Start," CNN's Barbara Starr looks at how the Pentagon was caught off guard by the book, and publicity concerns around the safety of other operatives involved in the operation.
READ MORE: Navy SEAL to release book on bin Laden raid, publishing company says
Abortion, Medicare hot topics before Republican National Convention – Peter Hamby on how voters could react
Peter Hamby looks at how discussion around abortion and Medicare could dominate at the Republican National Convention.
What's trending for Aug. 23rd, 2012
"Ultra" definition TV unveiled, iTypewriter taps your touchscreen and an elderly woman ruins Jesus fresco.
All eyes on Tropical Storm Isaac as storm gains strength, could hit Florida as hurricane by Monday
(CNN) - Not yet a hurricane, Tropical Storm Isaac has already delivered shock waves from the Caribbean to Florida, postponing terror trial hearings in Cuba and posing a potential threat to next week's GOP convention in Tampa.
Isaac's path remains uncertain, but some computer models show the storm slicing its way up Florida's peninsula. Others send it farther west, into the Gulf of Mexico.
Officials are taking the threat seriously.
This morning on "Early Start," meteorologist Rob Marciano details the latest track for the storm.
Best Advice: Tamela Mann
Actress and singer Tamela Mann shares the best advice she has ever received.
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