Notable events in Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s life

Notable events in the life of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former leader of the International Monetary Fund accused of trying to rape a hotel maid in New York:

_ April 25, 1949: Strauss-Kahn is born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Spends early years in Morocco.

_ 1981: Appointed deputy commissioner of the Economic Planning Agency.

_ 1986: Elected to Parliament in the Val-d’Oise district north of Paris. Goes on to become mayor of Sarcelles, a working-class immigrant suburb.

_ 1988: Chairs the Finance Commission of Parliament.

_ 1991: Serves as minister of industry and international trade. Participates in Uruguay Round of trade negotiations.

_ 1993: Works in the private sector as a corporate lawyer.

_ 1997: Serves as minister of economy, finance and industry of France through 1999. Manages launch of the euro and represents France on the board of governors for financial institutions including the International Monetary Fund.

_ 2000: Teaches economics at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and is named visiting professor at California’s Stanford University. Personal adviser to secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

_ 2006: Runs for the Socialist Party’s nomination for the French presidential election; finishes second in primary.

_ 2007: Novelist Tristane Banon claims that Strauss-Kahn had attempted to force sexual relations with her during a 2002 interview with him.

_ 2007: Assumes office as the 10th managing director of the IMF.

_ 2008: Apologizes to IMF staff after accusations of a sexual relationship with a subordinate but says he did not abuse his position. IMF board finds the relationship was consensual.

_ May 14, 2011: Is accused by a maid at a Times Square hotel of sexually assaulting her and is arrested at Kennedy Airport after boarding a flight to Paris.

_ May 16: Is denied bail by a Manhattan judge until next court date on attempted rape and other charges.

_ May 18: Resigns from the IMF. Investigators cut piece of carpet from hotel room in search for DNA evidence.

_ May 19: Judge sets bail at $1 million and orders Strauss-Kahn confined to private apartment monitored by armed guards.

_ May 20: Posts $1 million cash bail and is released from jail.

_ May 24: People familiar with the case tell The Associated Press that DNA taken from Strauss-Kahn matches material on maid’s uniform.

_ May 25: Moves to more permanent location in lower Manhattan for house arrest.

_ June 6: Formally says he is innocent of attempted rape.

_ June 30: People familiar with the case tell the AP that prosecutors are questioning the accuser’s credibility and are seeking to reduce Strauss-Kahn’s bail.

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Sexual Assault Case Against Strauss-Kahn on Shaky Ground

Former International Monetary Fund director Dominique Strauss-Kahn will appear before a New York judge Friday as the sexual assault case against him is reportedly in serious trouble due to credibility issues with his accuser.

The veteran French politician was arrested and charged in May for attacking a 32-year-old maid who came to clean his suite at a luxury New York City hotel.  

The New York Times says the accuser, an immigrant from Guinea, has repeatedly lied to prosecutors since making her initial allegations.  The Times says serious discrepancies have been uncovered about the woman's background, with issues involving her application for asylum, along with possible links to criminal activities such as drug dealing and money laundering. 

Strauss-Khan has pleaded not guilty to the charges.  His lawyers will ask the judge during Friday's hearing to reduce his $6 million bail and modify the conditions of his release.  He is under 24-hour home confinement and surveillance, including electronic monitoring, and is providing a security team at the rented house where he is staying.  

The conditions are costing him $250,000 a month.

Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director of the IMF days after his arrest.  His compatriot, former Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, was recently chosen by the IMF board to succeed him. 

Before his arrest, Strauss-Kahn was considered a leading contender to run as the Socialist party candidate against French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election.

READ MORE - Sexual Assault Case Against Strauss-Kahn on Shaky Ground

Tour de France green jersey guide

In the same way that the race organisers have tried to jazz things up with the polka dot jersey, they have also gone to lengths to make sure that the green jersey ends up on the shoulders of the Tour's best sprinter.

Britain's Mark Cavendish is clearly the fastest man on two wheels right now, but the HTC-Highroad sprinter has yet to wear the green jersey into Paris – something which may now change.

You see, as was the case in May's Giro, there will now be just one intermediate sprint during each stage, as opposed to the numerous showdowns on previous years. 20 points will be given to the first rider over the intermediate line, with a sliding scale of points up for grabs down to the 15th-placed rider.

At the finish of flat stages, 45 points will be pocketed by the winner, with 30 available on hilly stages and 20 in the mountains. Again, there will be a sliding scale down to 15th place.

It remains to be seen what such changes will have on the green jersey competition – but in May's Giro, which used a similar system, the overall winner of the red points jersey was in fact Alberto Contador.

Indeed, there wasn't a sprinter to be seen in the entire top 10 – although this may have something to do with the mountain-heavy nature of the race, which saw most sprinters withdraw a week before the finish in Milan.

The favourite:

If this were to be a sprinting-friendly Tour, Mark Cavendish (HTC) would be rubbing his hands in glee, for on paper the combination of extra points up for grabs on sprint finales and less intermediate sprints (never Cav's forte) suits the Manxman to a tee. And yet the opening week of the race contains a number of uphill finishes and just one out-and-out flat finish conducive to a mass bunch sprint, so Cavendish will have to keep patient and plug away. He may be the clear favourite to take his maiden green jersey in Paris, but the Manxman will have to take his chances when they come – and start contesting those intermediate sprints – if he wants the top prize.

The main contenders:

Standing in his way will be the usual suspects of Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo), Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre). World champion Hushovd has been in poor form this season and did not notch a win until the recent Tour of Switzerland. A two-time green jersey winner, Hushovd nevertheless knows how to win the competition and is an excellent tactician. The Norwegian's team-mate Farrar has been out of form all season, and was knocked psychologically and emotionally by the death of his best friend Wouter Weylandt in the Giro. On his day, he's a match for Cavendish; Farrar just needs to regain his confidence. Although 37, reigning green jersey winner Petacchi is still winning races and should feature highly in all the bunch sprints. He's not impartial to slightly uphill finishes, either.

The dark horse:

Not so much dark as peroxide blonde, Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) has dyed his hair for the occasion, but it will be perhaps green and not bright yellow that the Belgian will ultimately target. The opening week suits Gilbert to a tee and he could well be wearing either jersey through the Massif Central and towards the Pyrenees.

Other fast men to watch:

The 2007 green jersey Tom Boonen (Quick Step) has been out of sorts for the past few years, clearly suffering from injuries and the majestic rise of pure sprinter Cavendish. But if the Belgian finds some consistency, he could be a threat – especially given his strong team support. Cavendish's former team-mate Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto) is making a belated Tour debut but it remains to be seen if he can mix it with the best. Spaniard Francisco Ventoso (Movistar) has never made an impact on the Tour but he enters the race in good form and could prove a double handful with the help of fellow sprinting team-mate Jose Rojas.

Outsiders:

Young Russian Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) has made an impact this season, although it may be too early for him to have any huge say in the green jersey competition. Despite his initial promise, Gerald Ciolek (Quick Step) is yet to deliver on the Tour, but if things don't work out for Boonen, then the German and Gert Steegmans (Quick Step) will be there or thereabouts to pick up points. Leonardo Duque (Codifis) is a consistent top 10 finisher so will pick up points, while Vacansoleil, making their Tour debut, have three sprinters in Romain Feillu, Borut Bozic and new revelation Thomas De Gendt who can all make a splash.

Don't forget:

If Cavendish doesn't adjust to the uphill finishes, then HTC-Highroad lead-out men Matt Goss, Bernhard Eisel and Mark Renshaw are all capable of high finishes and even wins. Also, if no one sprinter asserts his authority on the green jersey, then one of the GC favourites – Alberto Contador or Andy Schleck – could climb the standings, particularly with all those points available on the four summit finishes.

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Tour de France draws record number of North Americans

Given the federal investigation of Lance Armstrong and the demise last year of the Tour of Missouri, you might assume that the state of cycling in North America was pretty sorry.

Given the record number of North Americans scheduled to start the Tour de France on Saturday, though, you'd have to reconsider. Ten Americans and a Canadian will line up at the Grand Depart in Normoutier, an island just off the northwestern coast, and spend three weeks on a long, tough route that ends in Paris. Perhaps more impressive is that four U.S. based-teams are represented in the field of 22: Garmin-Cervelo, BMC, HTC-High Road and Radio Shack.

As the English-speaking voice of the Tour de France for 39 years, Phil Liggett has seen the gradual rise of the Americans, starting with Davis Phinney and Olympic speedskating crossover Eric Heiden in the early 1980s, to the American 7-Eleven team, Greg Lemond's victories in the late 1980s and Armstrong's seven victories.

"Once you've got icons, kids want to be like them," Liggett said. "So, they start to come through the ranks."

Liggett added that the race structure here is extensive enough to provide lots of competition for young cyclists. Mentioning the Tour of California, the Philadelphia International Championship, the defunct Tour of Missouri and its replacement in Colorado, he said, "If you look at events held in pockets around the United States, the crowds are enormous. So, the support for young riders is there."

Garmin and Radio Shack also sponsor domestic development squads in the U.S., which serve as farm teams for their international programs. George Hincapie, riding for BMC in his 16th Tour, adds his name, his expertise and a portion of his bank account to the Hincapie Development Team. In addition, each of the American teams competing in France is led by former Tour riders, even Tour stage winners.

"All are handled by previous top cyclists. They've got good coaching systems and good teams," Liggett said. "The Americans really have arrived."

Each team arrives at the starting line with distinct goals.

Garmin-Cervelo's objectives include a victory in the team time trial Sunday, which could put one of the Garmin boys in the yellow jersey as overall race leader. Rider Ryder Hesjedal said the team also is "looking for sprint opportunities and overall having someone place high in the general classification."

Garmin's best sprinters include American Tyler Farrar, one of the few who can challenge Mark Cavendish in bunch sprints on wide, flat roads, and Thor Hushovd. The reigning world road race champion, Hushovd won the Tour's green jersey as best sprinter in 2005 and 2009 and has the power to outkick other sprinters in an uphill finish.

Hesjedal and Christian VandeVelde are Garmin's hopes in the general classification, bike lingo for the overall standings. Both have area ties. VandeVelde is a native of Lemont, Ill., finished fourth in France in 2008 and won the 2008 Tour of Missouri. Though Canadian by birth, Hesjedal is engaged to a St. Louisan, McCluer High grad Ashley Hofer, and finished seventh overall last year in France.

Combined with his other performances, a stage win in California and second place in the Amstel Gold race, he finished eighth in the rider season standings. His results haven't been as gaudy in his lead-up to France last year.

"But my form is even stronger this year," Hesjedal told the Post-Dispatch last week from his base in Girona, Spain. "Even though I didn't pick up a stage win in California, I was able to ride aggressively on the most decisive mountain days and in doing so was able to help my team race to 3rd and 4th overall and take the overall team classification."

Radio Shack has a dilemma: four riders who could finish in the top 10. Andreas Kloden and Levi Leipheimer have finished on the podium in Paris. Janez Brajkovic won last year's prelude to the Tour, the Criterium du Dauphine, and Chris Horner won this year's Tour of California.

"The race in the first 12 days is good with a little bit of climbing," Liggett said. "Radio Shack will learn then which one of those four will be the team leader when they come into the Alps."

In just its first year as a Pro Tour team, BMC has a strong contender for the podium in Cadel Evans, the 2009 world champion who finished second in Paris in 2007 and 2008.

HTC will look for stage wins from sprinter Cavendish, but more important, a lifeline for its future. HTC has 468 wins since the start of the 2008 season, more than any other team, but is losing sponsorship at the end of 2011. Owner Bob Stapleton told that if he doesn't find a title sponsor by the end of the Tour de France, "We will have to sit down and start considering how to wind down operations."

"It's such an irony," Liggett said. "Here we have the best team, not just because of performance, but because of the ambiance, from the management to riders to the mechanics to the directors. They are a true team from top to bottom. It's a travesty they can't find a sponsor to go forward."

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Schleck counts on fans' support to help win Tour de France

(Reuters) - Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, the Tour de France runner-up in 2009 and 2010, is counting on the support of fans at the roadside to help him beat Alberto Contador at last.

"Some riders don't need the fans but personally I need to have the public and the people behind me. It gives me extra motivation," Schleck told a news conference on the eve of the Tour on Friday.

Spaniard Contador was booed and whistled during the team presentation at the Puy du Fou theme park on Thursday, apparently because of his positive dope test for clenbuterol in last year's Tour, which he won with a 39-second lead over Schleck.

While the three-times Tour champion was cleared by the Spanish Federation, he faces an appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in August.

Schleck and his brother Frank, who will be his closest aide in the three-week race, called for fans to respect Contador.

"It was not nice for Alberto or his team, while you will always have fans supporting some riders and not others," Andy, 26, said.

"Supporters should support and not boo," said Frank. "The legal procedure is underway and should be respected. Alberto has a right to race."

German Jens Voigt, the oldest man in the peloton at 39, said he was confident that Schleck fans would not hassle Contador during the Tour, which starts from the Vendee region on Saturday.

"I'm not at all afraid. For sure people are smart enough. The situation is not optimal and everybody wished for a decision (on Contador's case) to be made before the Tour. But there is no chance of anything stupid happening," said Voigt, who will be one of Andy Schleck's bodyguards in the Leopard Trek team.

The animosity toward Contador was also fueled by an incident in last year's Tour when the Spaniard attacked after Schleck's chain had come off on a climb, a move widely considered unfair.

Contador earned 39 seconds in the process, which was exactly the time gap between the two at the finish in Paris.

"Last year was last year. It's completely over as far as I'm concerned and I just hope nothing happens this year," Schleck said.

One of the major differences between 2010 and this year is that the Luxembourg rider left his former team Saxo Bank - who then hired Contador - to form the Leopard Trek team with experienced riders such as Voigt, Swiss Fabian Cancellara, Australian Stuart O'Grady and good climbers such as Jakob Fuglsang and Maxime Monfort.

"Everything is just perfect with this team. Much better than ever before," Schleck said.

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Colbert May Get FEC Exemption To Launch SuperPac

Comedian Stephen Colbert's plan to launch a "SuperPac" moved one step closer to reality today, as the Federal Election Commission issued a pair of draft opinions allowing him to use his TV show's resources to promote the group.

The Comedy Central star has been a waiting the FEC's ruling on whether he could plug his group, "Colbert SuperPac" on the air under the "media exemption" to federal campaign finance law. 

Regardless of which draft opinion is adopted, Colbert would be allowed to create his SuperPac and use his show's resources to produce advertisements for the Committee as long as they are only used on the show, without parent company Viacom being required to reveal its donations to political campaigns.

The FEC drafts conflict over whether Viacom would have to disclose work its employees did on the SuperPac that are not explicitly for the broadcast.

The commission's ruling in this case has the potential to tear down the boundaries between entertainment and politics on TV. The FEC's ruling would also apply to any other media personality looking to promote independent expenditure groups on TV, for instance Karl Rove.

The FEC is accepting comments on the drafts until this upcoming Tuesday. The full commission will then consider them at its meeting on June 30.

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Colbert gets a Super PAC; So what are they?

(CBS News)  

Comedy Central's fake newsman Stephen Colbert scored a very real victory in Washington today. He was granted permission by the Federal Election Commission to form his own Super PAC.

You may have never heard of Super PACs but they're no joke. And they're going to play a major role in the next election, as CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes reports.

At the staid FEC, whose hearings normally come and go with little notice, Stephen Colbert became the proud founder today of the nation's 114th "Super PAC."

"There are some who say what will you do with that money," Colbert joked to a crowd of fans. "I say give it to me and we'll find out!"

Colbert has been on this quasi-comedic campaign for several months, quipping on his show that "this election, you, the Colbert nation could have a voice, in the form of my voice, shouted through a megaphone of cash."

Super PACs are the byproduct of the 2010 Supreme Court decision commonly known as "Citizens United," which granted corporations, unions and individuals the right to donate unlimited funds to outside groups to campaign for or against candidates.

Within a year, conservative Super PACs had raised $35 million and liberal Super PACs $28 million to spend on the 2010 midterms.

"This is a toe in the water definitely," said Sheila Krumholz, who runs the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics. "Corporations saw very little fallout for their election related activities and unlimited spending in 2010. And I think the gloves will be off in 2012."

Just last Friday, a former top aide to Mitt Romney formed three Super PACs called "Jobs for Florida," "Jobs for Iowa," and "Jobs for South Carolina" -- early voting states, all.

(graphic out)

But he'll have to move quickly if he wants to outraise Colbert, who left the hearing in an SUV joking "Is there any more cash? That's it, thank you! Ball it up and throw it to me!"

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