A daily dribble of leaks about what was found in Osama bin Laden's hideout compound in Pakistan is raising questions both about the al Qaeda founders lifestyle and behavior (in dramatic contradiction with strict Islamic law and the values bin Laden preached and supposedly practiced), and about the U.S. intelligence community's strategy of releasing information about the gunned down terrorist.
What a pathetic picture of a man who with no hesitation orders the deaths of thousands of people and the suicides of his own men while then, in the privacy of his own multi-wife home, ingesting herbs that boost his libido and sperm count.
Now we're learning that a "huge" (and we use that word advisedly in this situation) stash of pornography was found in bin Laden's bedroom, in a wooden box. The information was not officially released – American officials apparently believe that peeps would assume it was planted information to discredit bin Laden.
But it's out there, and ABC News, along with other news organizations, have confirmed it exists.
If it's some kind of discredit-in-death campaign, then it's pretty crafty. If the porn and the "herbal Viagra" are true, then it's a classic case of "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
Bin Laden as the Wizard of Oz would represent a bizarre coagulation of the terrorist and the fraud. Or come to think of it, how different is it, really, than those married lawmakers who come out so strongly against, say, gay rights or same-sex marriage, and then are found in illegal situations in, say, the men's restroom of a public airport?
And we know those kind of contractions and hypocrisies are all-too-frequent.
We'll have the latest on the bin Laden findings, at 11.
Also at 11, tough times everywhere, but the City of Yonkers is taking it especially hard. Today, more than 700 public school employees were given their walking papers today, and the City's Pre-K program was wiped out. The school district faces a $42 million budget gap. The fascinating issue is that cutting Pre-K means working parents will have to spend more for child care that is, if they have jobs.
We're also following reaction to the resignation of George Mitchell as Mideast Envoy. Mitchell, known as a brilliant negotiator, is leaving at a rather strange time, given that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is visiting the White House next Friday which happens to also be Mitchell's last day. Both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton sent public letters to Mitchell, each using the same language, namely, "thanking him for his remarkable service to the country."
Why he's leaving now – that's the big question.
And Nina Pineda tonight has a lesson for anyone who's in trouble with their mortgage: Before you give money to someone who promises to solve your problem, check them out, check them out, check them out.
There are scammers out there, preying on the vulnerable, taking money they don't have, and ripping them off. All the while, the primary problem houses in foreclosure remains a problem. Tonight the story of one local family that got ripped off, and turned to Nina and 7 On Your Side for justice.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Meteorologist Lee Goldberg's AccuWeather forecast, and Rob Powers with the night's sports, including game one of the three-game series between the Yankees and Red Sox in the Bronx.
I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11 right after 20/20.
