In brief: Man admits hacking Johansson’s, others’ email

Jacksonville, Fla. – A Florida man said in a TV interview broadcast Thursday that he hacked into the email accounts of actress Scarlett Johansson and other celebrities and downloaded their private information, which led to nude photos of Johansson and other information appearing on the Internet.

Christopher Chaney told Jacksonville’s WTEV that he plans to plead guilty after he goes to Los Angeles to face federal charges. He is charged with 26 counts of identity theft, unauthorized access to a protected computer and wiretapping. If convicted, he faces up to 121 years in prison.

There were more than 50 victims in the case, including Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera and actress Renee Olstead, authorities said.

In the televised interview, Chaney, 35, said he began celebrity hacking out of curiosity and it quickly became addictive. He insisted that he never intended to blackmail anyone and that he had no part in posting the photos.

Obama raised more than $70 million this summer

Washington – President Barack Obama’s campaign said he raised more than $70 million combined for his re-election and the Democratic Party during the summer.

The amount exceeds a goal set by the campaign of $55 million combined for the July-September fundraising period but is about $16 million less than Obama raised during the first fundraising quarter of his re-election campaign.

The smaller fundraising haul shows the challenges Obama faces with declining poll numbers and a weak economy, which prompted the president to recently call himself the “underdog.”