MINNEAPOLIS

Former governor: Campaign for president not yet official

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty moved quickly Tuesday to knock down a CNN story that appeared to show him officially entering the race for president.

During an airing of “Piers Morgan Tonight,” taped earlier in the day, Morgan remarked on Pawlenty’s low standing in early polls. He asked if Pawlenty would consider being real estate tycoon Donald Trump’s No. 2 on a ticket. Pawlenty responded, “I’m running for president.”

Later in the interview, Morgan asked Pawlenty to clarify if that was an official announcement.

“I’ve got an exploratory committee up and running and we’ll have a final or full announcement on that in the coming weeks,” said Pawlenty.

After the show aired, Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant took issue with the way in which CNN promoted the interview. Morgan’s online blog. included a video clip of the portion of the interview. It was listed under the headline, “Tim Pawlenty says ‘I’m running for President’ and comments on Trump as possible opponent.”

Conant said that the quote was taken out of context and that a formal announcement by Pawlenty about running for president would come later this spring.

The host’s representative, Meghan McPartland, released this statement Tuesday night: “The quotes and video we released were not taken out of context, and we made it clear from the beginning that Pawlenty said he would make it official in the near future.”

NEW YORK

Ex-Mafia boss, breaking vow, testifies against mob family

A jailed former Mafia boss who once ordered a payback killing in the infamous “Donnie Brasco” case Tuesday became the highest-ranking member of the city’s five Italian organized crime families to break their sacred vow of silence and testify against one of their own.

Joseph Massino, 68, took the witness stand at the Brooklyn trial of Vincent “Vinny Gorgeous” Basciano, 50, who served as one of his captains in the Bonanno crime family.

Prosecutors say that Massino secretly recorded Basciano admitting he ordered a hit on an associate who ran afoul of the secretive Bonannos.

In his opening statement, defense attorney George Goltzer said Basciano took credit for the coldblooded murder to protect the real killer.

Testifying Tuesday, Massino gave the jury a colorful tutorial on the Mafia.

Asked about his duties as boss, he replied, “Murder. … Making captains. Breaking captains” – lingo for promoting and demoting capos. He said he also had to assess talent.

“It takes all kinds of meat to make a good sauce,” said Massino. “Some people, they kill. Some people, they earn, they can’t kill.”

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast

Five generals pledge loyalty to country’s elected leader

Five generals pledged their loyalty to President Alassane Ouattara on Tuesday following the capture of the country’s strongman leader after a four-month standoff, as French and Ivorian forces worked to eliminate the last pockets of resistance.

Ouattara’s spokesman Patrick Achi confirmed that the generals who had been fighting on Laurent Gbagbo’s side right up until his capture swore allegiance before Ouattara one by one at the Golf Hotel, where he set up his presidency after Gbagbo refused to acknowledge losing the November presidential election.

Doh Ouattara, a member of the security team at the hotel, said Gbagbo, his wife and entourage were in a suite there.

SEOUL, South Korea

U.S. calls for release of detained American citizen

The United States said Tuesday one of its citizens has been detained in North Korea and called on the government in Pyongyang to release the American.

“We would call on the government of North Korea to release this citizen on humanitarian grounds,”State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington, according to a transcript of his remarks.

Swedish officials visited the American on behalf of the U.S., which doesn’t have diplomatic relations with North Korea, Toner said. He didn’t provide the person’s name or further details.

North Korea’s state media has made no statement on the detainee.