Friendly Fire: The White House revealed this morning that American hostage Dr. Warren Weinstein was inadvertently killed back in January during a CIA drone strike on an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan. Weinstein was an aid worker taken hostage in 2011.

Despite hundreds of hours of surveillance, the CIA didn’t know the hostages were in the camp.

Also killed in two separate strikes were an Italian hostage and two American members of al Qaeda. One of them was California-raised Adam Gadahn, who converted to Islam in the US. He had appeared in al Qaeda videos as a spokesman under the name “Azzam the American.”

Appearing on television this morning, President Obama said, “I profoundly regret what happened.” He said he declassified the information because the families had a right to know what happened. He said sometimes deadly mistakes happen “in the fog of war.”

The incident is likely to feed the debate about the use of drone strikes and cause soul searching within intelligence agencies.

Money and Power: The NY Times reports a potentially damaging story that says the State Department under Hillary Clinton signed off on a business deal that gave Russia control over one-fifth of American uranium production that may have been in exchange for millions of dollars worth of donations to the Clinton Foundation and a half million dollar speaking fee for former President Bill Clinton.

Uranium is considered a strategic asset. The Times reports that as Russia gradually bought 20 percent of a company called Uranium One, the company’s chairman engineered the donation of $2.35 million to the Clinton Foundation.

In its story, The Times says it built upon reporting in the soon to be released book, “Clinton Cash,” written by Republican operative Peter Schweizer. The Clintons have been under increasing scrutiny for accepting money from foreign interests both for themselves, and for their foundation.

Hard Knocks: A federal judge has approved the financial settlement between the National Football League and 5,000 former players who claimed they were never warned about the dangers of concussions. Some former players developed serious brain damage after repeated blows to the head playing the game.

The settlement provides up to $5 million for players who have severe neurological disorders and medical monitoring for all retired players. Payments could total a billion dollars. Some players say the list of medical conditions is not broad enough and their appeals could hold up actual payments of money for months, if not years.

Cop v. Cop: Baltimore police are focusing their investigation on what happened inside a police van that may have led to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who was being arrested for having a switchblade knife. Gray was struggling with police officers and was evidently healthy until the doors closed behind him. He died one week later with a nearly severed spine and crushed voice box. Baltimore police say five of the six officers involved have given voluntarily given statements.

The Obit Page: Mary Doyle Keefe, who was the model for Norman Rockwell’s 1943 painting of Rosie the Riveter, has died at age 92. “Rosie” presented the muscly image of women at work while the men were away at war. Keefe was actually petite and Rockwell added bulk. She never drove a rivet in her life.

Medicine Man: Television Dr. Mehmet Oz is defending himself against accusations that he’s a “quack” as a matter of free speech. A group of 10 doctors wrote a letter to Columbia University demanding that he be removed from the medical faculty. On his program to air today Oz says, “No matter our disagreements, freedom of speech is the most fundamental right we have as Americans, and these 10 doctors are trying to silence that right. So I vow to you right here, right now: We will not be silenced; we will not give in.”

The group of doctors did not demand that Oz be silenced, only that he be fired.

Shady Politics: The makers of Ray Ban sunglasses demanded that Presidential Candidate Rand Paul must remove their Wayfarer sunglasses from his online fundraising store. The glasses were labeled “Rand Brand,” which Ray Ban considered a trademark infringement and anyway, let’s face it, Rand Paul isn’t that cool.

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