SEDGWICK COUNTY-Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating recent protests in Wichita have made additional arrests, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

Police arrested Bryant Jacobs, 33, on requested charges of&nbsp;aggressive or harassing contact prohibited and defacement or damage of property by graffiti.

They arrested Marissa Gonzalez, 23, on requested charges of unlawful assembly, aggressive or harassing contact prohibited, assault, and defacement or damage of property by graffiti.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Charles Ellis II, 45,&nbsp; was jailed on requested charges of aggressive or harassing contact prohibited, battery, rioting, and criminal damage to property

For the second time in a week, police arrested 24-year-old Gabrielle Griffie. She was originally booked on a requested charge of unlawful assembly, according to officer Charley Davidson.  Griffie, the director of of Project Justice ICT, was jailed Thursday on requested charges of&nbsp; unlawful assembly and aggressive or harassing contact prohibited.

According to Davidson, the Wichita Police Department has always supported individual's right to demonstrate lawfully and has previously worked alongside other demonstration leaders to ensure their groups were able to share their views safely. However, the individuals protesting the past few days refuse to demonstrate lawfully.

"Police will continue to monitor any protest activities throughout Wichita. Illegal activity will not be tolerated, and criminals will be arrested and held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596975614114.png" alt="Jacobs photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Jacobs photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY-Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating recent protests in Wichita have made additional arrests, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.Police arrested Bryant Jacobs, 33, on requested charges of&nbsp;aggressive or harassing contact prohibited and defacement or damage of property by graffiti.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596974637275.png" alt="GONZALEZ -photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>GONZALEZ -photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>They arrested Marissa Gonzalez, 23, on requested charges of unlawful assembly, aggressive or harassing contact prohibited, assault, and defacement or damage of property by graffiti.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596975708950.png" alt="Ellis" />
 <figcaption>Ellis</figcaption>
 </figure>Charles Ellis II, 45,&nbsp; was jailed on requested charges of aggressive or harassing contact prohibited, battery, rioting, and criminal damage to property<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596455816022.png" alt="Griffie-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Griffie-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>For the second time in a week, police arrested 24-year-old Gabrielle Griffie. She was originally booked on a requested charge of unlawful assembly, according to officer Charley Davidson. Griffie, the director of of Project Justice ICT, was jailed Thursday on requested charges of&nbsp; unlawful assembly and aggressive or harassing contact prohibited.According to Davidson, the Wichita Police Department has always supported individual's right to demonstrate lawfully and has previously worked alongside other demonstration leaders to ensure their groups were able to share their views safely. However, the individuals protesting the past few days refuse to demonstrate lawfully."Police will continue to monitor any protest activities throughout Wichita. Illegal activity will not be tolerated, and criminals will be arrested and held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law."

Police make more protest arrests in Wichita

The state of the economy,
and our country as we know it, is crazy at the moment. But I don’t want you to
live in fear. I want you to take a deep breath, and know that you can control
your financial future. Here are three things you should do with your money
right now.&nbsp;

1. Write down your financial
goals

I recently read about a
Harvard study on written goals. They asked students if they had set clear,
written goals for their future and made plans to accomplish them. Only 3% of
them had written down their goals and plans. Thirteen percent had goals, but
hadn’t written them down. And 84% of respondents didn’t have any goals at all.

Ten years later they
followed up with the students. The 13% who had goals that weren’t written down
were earning twice as much as the 84% who had no goals at all. But here’s the
real kicker: The 3% who had written down their goals were earning 10 times more
than the other 97% combined.

That’s the power of a
written goal. I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is that you write down
your goals. Your goals can be anything from getting out of debt by the end of
the year, to making a plan for retirement. Even your budget counts as a written
goal for your money every month. 

When you write down a goal,
you’re motivated to stick to it. You’ll work harder, and move heaven and earth
to make it happen. 

An emergency fund turns a
crisis into nothing but an inconvenience. 

At Ramsey Solutions, we
teach the <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps">7
Baby Steps</a>. They help you get out of debt, and build a life you
love. Baby Step 1 is to save a $1,000 emergency fund as your cushion while
you’re getting out of debt. Then, pay off all debt using the debt snowball. In
this step, you list your debts from smallest to largest (regardless of interest
rate), and knock them out one at a time. Once you’re out of debt, save three to
six months of expenses as your fully-funded emergency fund.

Can you picture a life
with no debt, and a fully funded emergency fund in the bank? Not only are you
in a strong position financially, but you aren’t worried about a financial
crisis either. That peace of mind is priceless!

3. Change your mindset about
money

You get a credit card
offer in the mail with an amazing deal on points that you just can’t pass up. Your
friends invite you on vacation, and instead of missing out, you dip into your
emergency fund. It’s time to send your kids to college so you take out a Parent
PLUS loan. But none of these choices are going to set you (or your kids) up to
win with money.&nbsp; 

This is where self-awareness
is key. Don’t let an old habit or an “easy” out creep in and ruin your progress.
You’ve got to know yourself well enough to know what you’ll be tempted by, and
what to guard against. 

You’ve worked too hard to
let a momentary distraction take away what you’ve built. If you’re ready to
stop worrying, stressing and losing sleep about money for good, you’ve got to
say never again. Never again&nbsp;will you be at the mercy of a global
economic crisis.&nbsp;Never again&nbsp;will money keep you up at night.

Once you commit to your
goals, get out of debt, save your emergency fund, and change your mindset, nothing
can stop you!

As a #1 New York Times best-selling author, host of The Rachel
Cruze Show and The Rachel Cruze Show
Podcast, Rachel helps people learn the
proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three
best-selling books, including Love Your Life, Not Theirs and Smart Money Smart Kids, which she co-wrote with her father, Dave
Ramsey. You can follow Cruze on
Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rachelcruze.com">www.rachelcruze.com</a>, &nbsp;<a href="http://youtube.com/rachelcruze">youtube.com/rachelcruze</a> or&nbsp;<a href="http://facebook.com/rachelramseycruze">facebook.com/rachelramseycruze</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596976282095.jpeg" alt="Rachel Cruze" />
 <figcaption>Rachel Cruze</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL CRUZEThe state of the economy,
and our country as we know it, is crazy at the moment. But I don’t want you to
live in fear. I want you to take a deep breath, and know that you can control
your financial future. Here are three things you should do with your money
right now.&nbsp; 1. Write down your financial
goalsI recently read about a
Harvard study on written goals. They asked students if they had set clear,
written goals for their future and made plans to accomplish them. Only 3% of
them had written down their goals and plans. Thirteen percent had goals, but
hadn’t written them down. And 84% of respondents didn’t have any goals at all.Ten years later they
followed up with the students. The 13% who had goals that weren’t written down
were earning twice as much as the 84% who had no goals at all. But here’s the
real kicker: The 3% who had written down their goals were earning 10 times more
than the other 97% combined.That’s the power of a
written goal. I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is that you write down
your goals. Your goals can be anything from getting out of debt by the end of
the year, to making a plan for retirement. Even your budget counts as a written
goal for your money every month. When you write down a goal,
you’re motivated to stick to it. You’ll work harder, and move heaven and earth
to make it happen. 2. Save up an emergency fund An emergency fund turns a
crisis into nothing but an inconvenience. At Ramsey Solutions, we
teach the <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps">7
Baby Steps</a>. They help you get out of debt, and build a life you
love. Baby Step 1 is to save a $1,000 emergency fund as your cushion while
you’re getting out of debt. Then, pay off all debt using the debt snowball. In
this step, you list your debts from smallest to largest (regardless of interest
rate), and knock them out one at a time. Once you’re out of debt, save three to
six months of expenses as your fully-funded emergency fund. Can you picture a life
with no debt, and a fully funded emergency fund in the bank? Not only are you
in a strong position financially, but you aren’t worried about a financial
crisis either. That peace of mind is priceless! 3. Change your mindset about
moneyYou get a credit card
offer in the mail with an amazing deal on points that you just can’t pass up. Your
friends invite you on vacation, and instead of missing out, you dip into your
emergency fund. It’s time to send your kids to college so you take out a Parent
PLUS loan. But none of these choices are going to set you (or your kids) up to
win with money.&nbsp; This is where self-awareness
is key. Don’t let an old habit or an “easy” out creep in and ruin your progress.
You’ve got to know yourself well enough to know what you’ll be tempted by, and
what to guard against. You’ve worked too hard to
let a momentary distraction take away what you’ve built. If you’re ready to
stop worrying, stressing and losing sleep about money for good, you’ve got to
say never again. Never again&nbsp;will you be at the mercy of a global
economic crisis.&nbsp;Never again&nbsp;will money keep you up at night. Once you commit to your
goals, get out of debt, save your emergency fund, and change your mindset, nothing
can stop you!As a #1 New York Times best-selling author, host of The Rachel
Cruze Show and The Rachel Cruze Show
Podcast, Rachel helps people learn the
proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three
best-selling books, including Love Your Life, Not Theirs and Smart Money Smart Kids, which she co-wrote with her father, Dave
Ramsey. You can follow Cruze on
Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rachelcruze.com">www.rachelcruze.com</a>, &nbsp;<a href="http://youtube.com/rachelcruze">youtube.com/rachelcruze</a> or&nbsp;<a href="http://facebook.com/rachelramseycruze">facebook.com/rachelramseycruze</a>.

Three steps to avoiding financial crisis

By RON WILSON Kansas State University

“Let’s go one lap around.” That sounds easy. But what if that one lap didn’t refer to the local walking track? What if it referred to one lap – around the entire globe? This week, we’ll meet a young Kansas couple who took on the amazing goal of circumnavigating the globe by themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Heidi Plumb and Kale Dankenbring are the remarkable young couple who made this amazing journey. Heidi grew up near Dallas. Kale grew up at St. Francis, Kan. He studied information technology at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, a rural community of 4,489 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

After graduation, Kale’s IT career took him to Phoenix where he met Heidi. The two shared lots of interests, including nutrition, coffee and travel. They had an incredible idea: What if they could travel around the world on a shoestring budget? &nbsp;

They got married, prepared their travel plans, finished up their jobs and sold their belongings. On May 17, 2011, they left to visit family in Kansas and Texas before flying to New York for the transcontinental flight to Ireland.&nbsp;

This trip would ultimately include the proverbial planes, trains and automobiles, plus buses, boats, bicycles, scooters, hitch-hiking, rickshaws and even camels.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In Ireland, they did sight-seeing around Dublin, Cork and Killarney. They found that the private hotel room which they had booked online was no longer available, so they ended up sharing a room with another couple – who snored. Later conditions would be much worse. They did see magnificent cathedrals, beautiful countryside, lots of sheep, and fascinating people.&nbsp;

They took the ferry to Wales and stayed in London for a month, sightseeing and traveling to Scotland.&nbsp;

From London, they flew to Luxor, Egypt. They spent a week in Cairo, saw the pyramids and walked along the Nile River before flying to Mumbai. They stayed on the beach and then moved to the Himalayan region.&nbsp;

Kale suggested they find some sort of volunteer service which they could perform while in the country. They found such an opportunity through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">www.workaway.info</a>. On this site, they learned about a remote school near the Himalayas where they could teach classes for room and board. Heidi taught English, and Kale taught math and science to kids ages four to 10. The students were from very poor, rural families. Heidi and Kale would teach there for about a month.&nbsp;

Heidi wrote in their blog: “This experience makes me think of how fortunate our kids (are) in America and other western societies as a whole … . The kids here got extremely excited when we brought out a basketball during playtime. Even though there was no hoop, just the chance at kicking or throwing a ball around was pure happiness to them. They are so grateful for such simple offerings … for every drawing we make, for every game we play, for every song we sing and for every word we teach them.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

One day while at a coffee shop in Pushkar, India, Kale and Heidi got to talking about having a coffee roastery of their own. One thing led to another, and they learned about an abandoned building which was for sale in Kale’s hometown. It could serve as a site for their motorcycle shop and apartment as well as a base for their coffee roastery trailer. They bought the building sight unseen and made plans to return to the United States.&nbsp;

First, they went to Nepal and flew over Mount Everest before stopping in Bangkok and having a layover in Japan on their way home. By the date of Heidi’s birthday in December 2011, they were back in the USA.&nbsp;

They went one lap around – not just the track, but around the world. We commend Kale Dankenbring and Heidi Plumb for making a difference by teaching in an impoverished region of the world. As Heidi wrote of her students: “Their confidence, happy smiles and genuine laughter is proof that the school is changing these children’s lives for the better and expanding their opportunities by providing an excellent education.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

And there’s more. What about that roastery back home? We’ll learn about that next week.&nbsp;

Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasprofile.com/" target="_blank">http://www.kansasprofile.com</a>. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huckboydinstitute.org/" target="_blank">http://www.huckboydinstitute.org</a>.

Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592753893213.jpeg" alt="Ron Wilson. Photo courtesy KSRE" />
 <figcaption>Ron Wilson. Photo courtesy KSRE</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Kansas State University“Let’s go one lap around.” That sounds easy. But what if that one lap didn’t refer to the local walking track? What if it referred to one lap – around the entire globe? This week, we’ll meet a young Kansas couple who took on the amazing goal of circumnavigating the globe by themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Heidi Plumb and Kale Dankenbring are the remarkable young couple who made this amazing journey. Heidi grew up near Dallas. Kale grew up at St. Francis, Kan. He studied information technology at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, a rural community of 4,489 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;After graduation, Kale’s IT career took him to Phoenix where he met Heidi. The two shared lots of interests, including nutrition, coffee and travel. They had an incredible idea: What if they could travel around the world on a shoestring budget? &nbsp;They made it happen.&nbsp;They got married, prepared their travel plans, finished up their jobs and sold their belongings. On May 17, 2011, they left to visit family in Kansas and Texas before flying to New York for the transcontinental flight to Ireland.&nbsp;This trip would ultimately include the proverbial planes, trains and automobiles, plus buses, boats, bicycles, scooters, hitch-hiking, rickshaws and even camels.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Ireland, they did sight-seeing around Dublin, Cork and Killarney. They found that the private hotel room which they had booked online was no longer available, so they ended up sharing a room with another couple – who snored. Later conditions would be much worse. They did see magnificent cathedrals, beautiful countryside, lots of sheep, and fascinating people.&nbsp;They took the ferry to Wales and stayed in London for a month, sightseeing and traveling to Scotland.&nbsp;From London, they flew to Luxor, Egypt. They spent a week in Cairo, saw the pyramids and walked along the Nile River before flying to Mumbai. They stayed on the beach and then moved to the Himalayan region.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596932067637.jpeg" alt="Heidi Plumb and Kale Dankenbring. Photo courtesy KSRE" />
 <figcaption>Heidi Plumb and Kale Dankenbring. Photo courtesy KSRE</figcaption>
 </figure>Kale suggested they find some sort of volunteer service which they could perform while in the country. They found such an opportunity through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">www.workaway.info</a>. On this site, they learned about a remote school near the Himalayas where they could teach classes for room and board. Heidi taught English, and Kale taught math and science to kids ages four to 10. The students were from very poor, rural families. Heidi and Kale would teach there for about a month.&nbsp;Heidi wrote in their blog: “This experience makes me think of how fortunate our kids (are) in America and other western societies as a whole … . The kids here got extremely excited when we brought out a basketball during playtime. Even though there was no hoop, just the chance at kicking or throwing a ball around was pure happiness to them. They are so grateful for such simple offerings … for every drawing we make, for every game we play, for every song we sing and for every word we teach them.”&nbsp;&nbsp;One day while at a coffee shop in Pushkar, India, Kale and Heidi got to talking about having a coffee roastery of their own. One thing led to another, and they learned about an abandoned building which was for sale in Kale’s hometown. It could serve as a site for their motorcycle shop and apartment as well as a base for their coffee roastery trailer. They bought the building sight unseen and made plans to return to the United States.&nbsp;First, they went to Nepal and flew over Mount Everest before stopping in Bangkok and having a layover in Japan on their way home. By the date of Heidi’s birthday in December 2011, they were back in the USA.&nbsp;They went one lap around – not just the track, but around the world. We commend Kale Dankenbring and Heidi Plumb for making a difference by teaching in an impoverished region of the world. As Heidi wrote of her students: “Their confidence, happy smiles and genuine laughter is proof that the school is changing these children’s lives for the better and expanding their opportunities by providing an excellent education.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And there’s more. What about that roastery back home? We’ll learn about that next week.&nbsp;Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasprofile.com/" target="_blank">http://www.kansasprofile.com</a>. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huckboydinstitute.org/" target="_blank">http://www.huckboydinstitute.org</a>.Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

Now That’s Rural: Kale Dankenbring and Heidi Plumb, Part 1 - travelers 

Today is Sunday, Aug. 9, the 222nd day of 2020. There are 144 days left in the year. 

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed 18-year-old Black man, was shot to death by a police officer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri; Brown's death led to sometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, spawning a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

In 1814, the Treaty of Fort Jackson, which ended the Creek War, was signed in Alabama.

In 1842, the United States and Canada resolved a border dispute by signing the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

In 1910, the U.S. Patent Office granted Alva J. Fisher of the Hurley Machine Co. a patent for an electrically powered washing machine. 

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay. 

In 1942, British authorities in India arrested nationalist Mohandas K. Gandhi; he was released in 1944.

In 1944, 258 African-American sailors based at Port Chicago, California, refused to load a munitions ship following a cargo vessel explosion that killed 320 men, many of them Black. (Fifty of the sailors were convicted of mutiny, fined and imprisoned.) 

In 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress code-named Bockscar dropped a nuclear device ("Fat Man") over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people. 

In 1969, actor Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally slain at Tate's Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime. 

In 1974, Vice President Gerald R. Ford became the nation's 38th chief executive as President Richard Nixon's resignation took effect. 

In 1982, a federal judge in Washington ordered John W. Hinckley Jr., who'd been acquitted of shooting President Ronald Reagan and three others by reason of insanity, committed to a mental hospital. 

In 1985, a federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, found retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union. (Walker, who was sentenced to life, died in prison in 2014 at the age of 79.) 

In 2004, Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, addressing a court for the first time, asked victims of the blast for forgiveness as a judge sentenced him to 161 consecutive life sentences. 

Ten years ago: Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was killed in a plane crash in the southwestern part of his state while on his way to a fishing trip (four others died in the crash outside Dillingham). A fed-up JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, cursed out a passenger he said had treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency chute of an Embraer 190 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Five years ago: A year after the shooting that cast greater scrutiny on how police interacted with Black communities, the father of slain 18-year-old Michael Brown led a march in Ferguson, Missouri, after a crowd of hundreds observed 4½ minutes of silence.

One year ago: President Donald Trump said he had received a "beautiful" three-page letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and predicted there would be more talks to try to resolve the standoff over that country's nuclear weapons program. (Negotiations remain stalled; Kim entered 2020 vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in the face of what he called "gangster-like" sanctions from the U.S.)

Today's Birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 92. Actor Cynthia Harris is 86. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 82. Jazz musician Jack DeJohnette is 78. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 78. Actor Sam Elliott is 76. Singer Barbara Mason is 73. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player John Cappelletti is 68. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Doug Williams is 65. Actor Melanie Griffith is 63. Actor Amanda Bearse is 62. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 61. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 56. TV host Hoda Kotb is 56. Actor Pat Petersen is 54. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 53. Actor Gillian Anderson is 52. Actor Eric Bana is 52. Producer-director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 52. NHL player-turned-coach Rod Brind'Amour is 50. TV anchor Chris Cuomo is 50. Actor Thomas Lennon is 50. Rock musician Arion Salazar is 50. Rapper Mack 10 is 49. Actor Nikki Schieler Ziering is 49. Latin rock singer Juanes is 48. Actor Liz Vassey is 48. Actor Kevin McKidd is 47. Actor Rhona Mitra is 45. Actor Texas Battle is 44. Actor Jessica Capshaw is 44. Actor Ashley Johnson is 37. Actor Anna Kendrick is 35.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Sunday, Aug. 9, the 222nd day of 2020. There are 144 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed 18-year-old Black man, was shot to death by a police officer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri; Brown's death led to sometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, spawning a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.On this date: In 1814, the Treaty of Fort Jackson, which ended the Creek War, was signed in Alabama.In 1842, the United States and Canada resolved a border dispute by signing the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.In 1910, the U.S. Patent Office granted Alva J. Fisher of the Hurley Machine Co. a patent for an electrically powered washing machine. In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay. In 1942, British authorities in India arrested nationalist Mohandas K. Gandhi; he was released in 1944.In 1944, 258 African-American sailors based at Port Chicago, California, refused to load a munitions ship following a cargo vessel explosion that killed 320 men, many of them Black. (Fifty of the sailors were convicted of mutiny, fined and imprisoned.) In 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress code-named Bockscar dropped a nuclear device ("Fat Man") over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people. In 1969, actor Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally slain at Tate's Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime. In 1974, Vice President Gerald R. Ford became the nation's 38th chief executive as President Richard Nixon's resignation took effect. In 1982, a federal judge in Washington ordered John W. Hinckley Jr., who'd been acquitted of shooting President Ronald Reagan and three others by reason of insanity, committed to a mental hospital. In 1985, a federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, found retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union. (Walker, who was sentenced to life, died in prison in 2014 at the age of 79.) In 2004, Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, addressing a court for the first time, asked victims of the blast for forgiveness as a judge sentenced him to 161 consecutive life sentences. Ten years ago: Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was killed in a plane crash in the southwestern part of his state while on his way to a fishing trip (four others died in the crash outside Dillingham). A fed-up JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, cursed out a passenger he said had treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency chute of an Embraer 190 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.Five years ago: A year after the shooting that cast greater scrutiny on how police interacted with Black communities, the father of slain 18-year-old Michael Brown led a march in Ferguson, Missouri, after a crowd of hundreds observed 4½ minutes of silence.One year ago: President Donald Trump said he had received a "beautiful" three-page letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and predicted there would be more talks to try to resolve the standoff over that country's nuclear weapons program. (Negotiations remain stalled; Kim entered 2020 vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in the face of what he called "gangster-like" sanctions from the U.S.)Today's Birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 92. Actor Cynthia Harris is 86. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 82. Jazz musician Jack DeJohnette is 78. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 78. Actor Sam Elliott is 76. Singer Barbara Mason is 73. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player John Cappelletti is 68. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Doug Williams is 65. Actor Melanie Griffith is 63. Actor Amanda Bearse is 62. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 61. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 56. TV host Hoda Kotb is 56. Actor Pat Petersen is 54. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 53. Actor Gillian Anderson is 52. Actor Eric Bana is 52. Producer-director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 52. NHL player-turned-coach Rod Brind'Amour is 50. TV anchor Chris Cuomo is 50. Actor Thomas Lennon is 50. Rock musician Arion Salazar is 50. Rapper Mack 10 is 49. Actor Nikki Schieler Ziering is 49. Latin rock singer Juanes is 48. Actor Liz Vassey is 48. Actor Kevin McKidd is 47. Actor Rhona Mitra is 45. Actor Texas Battle is 44. Actor Jessica Capshaw is 44. Actor Ashley Johnson is 37. Actor Anna Kendrick is 35.

Today in History -- Aug. 9

Today is Saturday, Aug. 8, the 221st day of 2020. There are 145 days left in the year. 

On August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon, facing damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal, announced he would resign the following day. 

In 1814, during the War of 1812, peace talks between the United States and Britain began in Ghent, Belgium.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile. 

In 1911, President William Howard Taft signed a measure raising the number of U.S. representatives from 391 to 433, effective with the next Congress, with a proviso to add two more when New Mexico and Arizona became states.

In 1942, during World War II, six Nazi saboteurs who were captured after landing in the U.S. were executed in Washington, D.C.; two others who cooperated with authorities were spared. 

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed the U.S. instrument of ratification for the United Nations Charter. The Soviet Union declared war against Japan during World War II. 

In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew branded as "damned lies" reports he had taken kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland, and vowed not to resign — which he ended up doing. 

In 1994, Israel and Jordan opened the first road link between the two once-warring countries.

In 2000, the wreckage of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which sank in 1864 after attacking the Union ship Housatonic, was recovered off the South Carolina coast and returned to port. 

In 2003, the Boston Roman Catholic archdiocese offered $55 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits stemming from alleged sex abuse by priests. (The archdiocese later settled for $85 million.) 

In 2006, Roger Goodell was chosen as the NFL's next commissioner. 

In 2008, China opened the Summer Olympic Games with an extravaganza of fireworks and pageantry. 

In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the U.S. Supreme Court's first Hispanic and third female justice. 

Ten years ago: Flooding in Gansu province in China resulted in mudslides that killed more than 1,400 people. Academy Award-winning film star Patricia Neal died in Edgartown, Massachusetts, at 84.

Five years ago: Several rivals of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized his treatment of a debate moderator; Trump refused to apologize for saying on CNN that Megyn Kelly, who had aggressively questioned him during the primary debate on Fox News, had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever" when she asked him about his incendiary comments toward women.

One year ago: Just days after a shooting at a Texas Walmart killed 22 people, a man carrying a rifle and wearing body armor walked around a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri, causing panicked shoppers to flee; police said the man told them he was testing whether Walmart would honor his right to bear arms. (Dmitriy Andreychenko later pleaded guilty to making a false report after initially being charged with a more serious terrorism-related felony.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor Nita Talbot is 90. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 83. Actor Connie Stevens is 82. Country singer Phil Balsley (The Statler Brothers) is 81. Actor Larry Wilcox is 73. Actor Keith Carradine is 71. Movie director Martin Brest is 69. Radio-TV personality Robin Quivers is 68. Percussionist Anton Fig is 67. Actor Donny Most is 67. Rock musician Dennis Drew (10,000 Maniacs) is 63. TV personality Deborah Norville is 62. Former actor Harry Crosby is 62. Rock musician The Edge (U2) is 59. Rock musician Rikki Rockett (Poison) is 59. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 58. Rock musician Ralph Rieckermann is 58. Middle distance runner Suzy Favor Hamilton is 52. Rock singer Scott Stapp is 47. Country singer Mark Wills is 47. Actor Kohl Sudduth is 46. Rock musician Tom Linton (Jimmy Eat World) is 45. Singer JC Chasez ('N Sync) is 44. Actor Tawny Cypress is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Drew Lachey (98 Degrees) is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marsha Ambrosius is 43. Actor Lindsay Sloane is 43. Actor Countess Vaughn is 42. Actor Michael Urie is 40. Tennis player Roger Federer is 39. Actor Meagan Good is 39. Rock musician Eric Howk (Portugal. The Man) is 39. Actor Jackie Cruz (TV: "Orange is the New Black") is 36. Britain's Princess Beatrice of York is 32. Actor Ken Baumann is 31. Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is 31. Pop singer Shawn Mendes is 22. Actor Bebe Wood (TV: "The Real O'Neals") is 19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Saturday, Aug. 8, the 221st day of 2020. There are 145 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon, facing damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal, announced he would resign the following day. On this date: In 1814, during the War of 1812, peace talks between the United States and Britain began in Ghent, Belgium.In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile. In 1911, President William Howard Taft signed a measure raising the number of U.S. representatives from 391 to 433, effective with the next Congress, with a proviso to add two more when New Mexico and Arizona became states.In 1942, during World War II, six Nazi saboteurs who were captured after landing in the U.S. were executed in Washington, D.C.; two others who cooperated with authorities were spared. In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed the U.S. instrument of ratification for the United Nations Charter. The Soviet Union declared war against Japan during World War II. In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew branded as "damned lies" reports he had taken kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland, and vowed not to resign — which he ended up doing. In 1994, Israel and Jordan opened the first road link between the two once-warring countries.In 2000, the wreckage of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which sank in 1864 after attacking the Union ship Housatonic, was recovered off the South Carolina coast and returned to port. In 2003, the Boston Roman Catholic archdiocese offered $55 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits stemming from alleged sex abuse by priests. (The archdiocese later settled for $85 million.) In 2006, Roger Goodell was chosen as the NFL's next commissioner. In 2008, China opened the Summer Olympic Games with an extravaganza of fireworks and pageantry. In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the U.S. Supreme Court's first Hispanic and third female justice. Ten years ago: Flooding in Gansu province in China resulted in mudslides that killed more than 1,400 people. Academy Award-winning film star Patricia Neal died in Edgartown, Massachusetts, at 84.Five years ago: Several rivals of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized his treatment of a debate moderator; Trump refused to apologize for saying on CNN that Megyn Kelly, who had aggressively questioned him during the primary debate on Fox News, had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever" when she asked him about his incendiary comments toward women. One year ago: Just days after a shooting at a Texas Walmart killed 22 people, a man carrying a rifle and wearing body armor walked around a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri, causing panicked shoppers to flee; police said the man told them he was testing whether Walmart would honor his right to bear arms. (Dmitriy Andreychenko later pleaded guilty to making a false report after initially being charged with a more serious terrorism-related felony.) Today's Birthdays: Actor Nita Talbot is 90. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 83. Actor Connie Stevens is 82. Country singer Phil Balsley (The Statler Brothers) is 81. Actor Larry Wilcox is 73. Actor Keith Carradine is 71. Movie director Martin Brest is 69. Radio-TV personality Robin Quivers is 68. Percussionist Anton Fig is 67. Actor Donny Most is 67. Rock musician Dennis Drew (10,000 Maniacs) is 63. TV personality Deborah Norville is 62. Former actor Harry Crosby is 62. Rock musician The Edge (U2) is 59. Rock musician Rikki Rockett (Poison) is 59. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 58. Rock musician Ralph Rieckermann is 58. Middle distance runner Suzy Favor Hamilton is 52. Rock singer Scott Stapp is 47. Country singer Mark Wills is 47. Actor Kohl Sudduth is 46. Rock musician Tom Linton (Jimmy Eat World) is 45. Singer JC Chasez ('N Sync) is 44. Actor Tawny Cypress is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Drew Lachey (98 Degrees) is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marsha Ambrosius is 43. Actor Lindsay Sloane is 43. Actor Countess Vaughn is 42. Actor Michael Urie is 40. Tennis player Roger Federer is 39. Actor Meagan Good is 39. Rock musician Eric Howk (Portugal. The Man) is 39. Actor Jackie Cruz (TV: "Orange is the New Black") is 36. Britain's Princess Beatrice of York is 32. Actor Ken Baumann is 31. Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is 31. Pop singer Shawn Mendes is 22. Actor Bebe Wood (TV: "The Real O'Neals") is 19.

Today in History -- Aug. 8

I’m single, and I’ll be a pilot in the military for
the next 10 years. I’m also debt-free, have a fully funded emergency fund, and
I’m saving 15% of my income for retirement. After my military days are over, I
plan to work as a commercial pilot. I’ve done the math, and I have about
$20,000 a year to give, have fun with and build wealth. My question is about
wealth building. When it comes to rental properties, I know you don’t like the
idea of a long-distance landlord. Being in the military, there’s a good chance
I’ll move around a bit. What should I do?&nbsp;


First, thank you for your service to our country. And,
wow! You’re in a tremendous position financially and career-wise. You’ve got a
great future ahead of you as a pilot in the military and after, plus
you’ve followed my plan item by item. You’ve got so many options, and you can
make a difference in your community and in the lives around you right now by <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/give-a-little-until-you-can-give-a-lot">giving.</a>

When it comes to wealth building, I hope you’ve
already taken advantage of the TSP, or Thrift Savings Plan, which is kind of
the military version of the 401(k). For wealth building beyond that, I’d get
with a good investment pro—one with the heart of a teacher—and dive into some
growth stock mutual funds. You could have a lot of money piled up just by the
end of your military career. Who knows? You may even be able to <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/mortgage-questions">buy
a nice home</a> with cash when you leave the service.
Beyond that, you may be able to settle into some real estate and pay cash for
those investments.

You are one cool, smart lady, Rachel. Congratulations
on setting yourself up for a wonderful life—one where you can live and
give like no one else!

Dave Ramsey is CEO of
Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The
Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 16 million listeners each week on 600
radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/">daveramsey.com</a>
and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596845065840.jpeg" alt="Dave Ramsey" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey</figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,I’m single, and I’ll be a pilot in the military for
the next 10 years. I’m also debt-free, have a fully funded emergency fund, and
I’m saving 15% of my income for retirement. After my military days are over, I
plan to work as a commercial pilot. I’ve done the math, and I have about
$20,000 a year to give, have fun with and build wealth. My question is about
wealth building. When it comes to rental properties, I know you don’t like the
idea of a long-distance landlord. Being in the military, there’s a good chance
I’ll move around a bit. What should I do?&nbsp;
RachelDear Rachel,First, thank you for your service to our country. And,
wow! You’re in a tremendous position financially and career-wise. You’ve got a
great future ahead of you as a pilot in the military and after, plus
you’ve followed my plan item by item. You’ve got so many options, and you can
make a difference in your community and in the lives around you right now by <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/give-a-little-until-you-can-give-a-lot">giving.</a> When it comes to wealth building, I hope you’ve
already taken advantage of the TSP, or Thrift Savings Plan, which is kind of
the military version of the 401(k). For wealth building beyond that, I’d get
with a good investment pro—one with the heart of a teacher—and dive into some
growth stock mutual funds. You could have a lot of money piled up just by the
end of your military career. Who knows? You may even be able to <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/mortgage-questions">buy
a nice home</a> with cash when you leave the service.
Beyond that, you may be able to settle into some real estate and pay cash for
those investments. You are one cool, smart lady, Rachel. Congratulations
on setting yourself up for a wonderful life—one where you can live and
give like no one else!—DaveDave Ramsey is CEO of
Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The
Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 16 million listeners each week on 600
radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at <a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/">daveramsey.com</a>
and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.

DAVE SAYS: This lady’s getting it done!

Today is Friday, Aug. 7, the 220th day of 2020. There are 146 days left in the year. 

On August 7, 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces. 

In 1782, Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers. 

In 1789, the U.S. Department of War was established by Congress. 

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was nominated for president by the Progressive Party (also known as the Bull Moose Party) in Chicago. New Jersey Gov. Woodrow Wilson accepted the Democratic presidential nomination at his summer home in Sea Girt.

In 1942, U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. (Japanese forces abandoned the island the following February.) 

In 1957, Oliver Hardy, who starred for decades in popular film comedies with partner Stan Laurel, died in North Hollywood, California, at age 65.

In 1959, the United States launched the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back images of Earth. 

In 1971, the Apollo 15 moon mission ended successfully as its command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. 

In 1989, a plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 14 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage of the plane was found six days later; there were no survivors.) 

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq.

In 1998, terrorist bombs at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. 

In 2000, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore selected Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate; Lieberman became the first Jewish candidate on a major party's presidential ticket. 

In 2017, medical examiners said the remains of a man who'd been killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 had been identified, nearly 16 years after the attacks. 

Ten years ago: Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. A healthy-looking Fidel Castro appealed to President Barack Obama to stave off global nuclear war in an address to parliament that marked his first official government appearance since emergency surgery four years earlier. Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Five years ago: Colorado theater shooter James Holmes was spared the death penalty in favor of life in prison after a jury in Centennial failed to agree on whether he should be executed for his murderous attack on a packed movie premiere that left 12 people dead. Former Food and Drug Administration employee Dr. Frances Kelsey, credited with preventing the U.S. distribution of thalidomide, a drug blamed for serious birth defects in the early 1960s, died in London, Ontario, Canada at age 101. Louise Suggs, 91, an LPGA founder and Hall of Famer, died in Sarasota, Florida.

One year ago: President Donald Trump and his wife visited the Dayton, Ohio hospital where many of the victims of a weekend shooting attack had been treated; they then flew to El Paso, where a shooting at a Walmart had killed 22 people. Cyntoia Brown was released early from the Tennessee Prison for Women, where she'd been serving a life sentence for killing a man who had picked her up for sex at the age of 16; Brown, who was now 31, had been championed by celebrities as a symbol of unfair sentencing. In his most aggressive attack yet on the character of the man he hoped to replace, Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of "fanning the flames of white supremacy." Puerto Rico's Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez became the island's new governor, just hours after Puerto Rico's Supreme Court declared that the swearing-in of Pedro Pierluisi a week earlier had been unconstitutional.

Today's Birthdays: Magician, author and lecturer James Randi is 92. Singer B.J. Thomas is 78. Singer Lana Cantrell is 77. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is 76. Actor John Glover is 76. Actor David Rasche is 76. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 70. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 70. Actor Caroline Aaron is 68. Comedian Alexei Sayle is 68. Actor Wayne Knight is 65. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 62. Marathon runner Alberto Salazar is 62. Actor David Duchovny is 60. Country musician Michael Mahler (Wild Horses) is 59. Actor Delane Matthews is 59. Actor Harold Perrineau is 57. Jazz musician Marcus Roberts is 57. Country singer Raul Malo is 55. Actor David Mann is 54. Actor Charlotte Lewis is 53. Actor Sydney Penny is 49. Actor Greg Serano is 48. Actor Michael Shannon is 46. Actor Charlize Theron is 45. Rock musician Barry Kerch is 44. Actor Eric Johnson is 41. Actor Randy Wayne is 39. Actor-writer Brit Marling is 38. NHL center Sidney Crosby is 33. MLB All-Star Mike Trout is 29. Actor Liam James is 24.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Friday, Aug. 7, the 220th day of 2020. There are 146 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 7, 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces. On this date: In 1782, Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers. In 1789, the U.S. Department of War was established by Congress. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was nominated for president by the Progressive Party (also known as the Bull Moose Party) in Chicago. New Jersey Gov. Woodrow Wilson accepted the Democratic presidential nomination at his summer home in Sea Girt.In 1942, U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. (Japanese forces abandoned the island the following February.) In 1957, Oliver Hardy, who starred for decades in popular film comedies with partner Stan Laurel, died in North Hollywood, California, at age 65.In 1959, the United States launched the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back images of Earth. In 1971, the Apollo 15 moon mission ended successfully as its command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. In 1989, a plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 14 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage of the plane was found six days later; there were no survivors.) In 1990, President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq.In 1998, terrorist bombs at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. In 2000, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore selected Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate; Lieberman became the first Jewish candidate on a major party's presidential ticket. In 2017, medical examiners said the remains of a man who'd been killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11 had been identified, nearly 16 years after the attacks. Ten years ago: Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. A healthy-looking Fidel Castro appealed to President Barack Obama to stave off global nuclear war in an address to parliament that marked his first official government appearance since emergency surgery four years earlier. Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Five years ago: Colorado theater shooter James Holmes was spared the death penalty in favor of life in prison after a jury in Centennial failed to agree on whether he should be executed for his murderous attack on a packed movie premiere that left 12 people dead. Former Food and Drug Administration employee Dr. Frances Kelsey, credited with preventing the U.S. distribution of thalidomide, a drug blamed for serious birth defects in the early 1960s, died in London, Ontario, Canada at age 101. Louise Suggs, 91, an LPGA founder and Hall of Famer, died in Sarasota, Florida.One year ago: President Donald Trump and his wife visited the Dayton, Ohio hospital where many of the victims of a weekend shooting attack had been treated; they then flew to El Paso, where a shooting at a Walmart had killed 22 people. Cyntoia Brown was released early from the Tennessee Prison for Women, where she'd been serving a life sentence for killing a man who had picked her up for sex at the age of 16; Brown, who was now 31, had been championed by celebrities as a symbol of unfair sentencing. In his most aggressive attack yet on the character of the man he hoped to replace, Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump of "fanning the flames of white supremacy." Puerto Rico's Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez became the island's new governor, just hours after Puerto Rico's Supreme Court declared that the swearing-in of Pedro Pierluisi a week earlier had been unconstitutional.Today's Birthdays: Magician, author and lecturer James Randi is 92. Singer B.J. Thomas is 78. Singer Lana Cantrell is 77. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is 76. Actor John Glover is 76. Actor David Rasche is 76. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 70. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 70. Actor Caroline Aaron is 68. Comedian Alexei Sayle is 68. Actor Wayne Knight is 65. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 62. Marathon runner Alberto Salazar is 62. Actor David Duchovny is 60. Country musician Michael Mahler (Wild Horses) is 59. Actor Delane Matthews is 59. Actor Harold Perrineau is 57. Jazz musician Marcus Roberts is 57. Country singer Raul Malo is 55. Actor David Mann is 54. Actor Charlotte Lewis is 53. Actor Sydney Penny is 49. Actor Greg Serano is 48. Actor Michael Shannon is 46. Actor Charlize Theron is 45. Rock musician Barry Kerch is 44. Actor Eric Johnson is 41. Actor Randy Wayne is 39. Actor-writer Brit Marling is 38. NHL center Sidney Crosby is 33. MLB All-Star Mike Trout is 29. Actor Liam James is 24.

Today in History -- Aug. 7

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest and most influential pro-gun organization in the nation. 

Attorney General James charges the organization with illegal conduct because of their diversion of millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty. The&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/final_nra_summons_complaint_08.06.20.pdf" target="_blank">suit specifically charges the NRA as a whole, as well as Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre, former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Wilson “Woody” Phillips, former Chief of Staff and the Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer with failing to manage the NRA’s funds and failing to follow numerous state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA</a>.

In the complaint, Attorney General James lays out dozens of examples where the four individual defendants failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA and used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel. In addition to shuttering the NRA’s doors, Attorney General James seeks to recoup millions in lost assets and to stop the four individual defendants from serving on the board of any not-for-profit charitable organization in the state of New York again.

“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” said&nbsp;Attorney General James. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”

Since 1871, the NRA has operated as a New York-registered 501(c)(4) not-for-profit, charitable corporation. Under state law not-for-profit, charitable corporations are required to register and file annual financial reports with the Charities Bureau in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The assets are required to be used in a way that serves the interests of NRA membership and that advance the organization’s charitable mission. However, as today’s complaint lays out, the NRA is alleged to have fostered a culture of noncompliance and disregard for internal controls that led to the waste and loss of millions in assets and contributed to the NRA reaching its current deteriorated financial state. The NRA’s internal policies were repeatedly not followed and were even blatantly ignored by senior leaders. Furthermore, the NRA board’s audit committee was negligent in its duty to ensure appropriate, competent, and judicious stewardship of assets by NRA leadership. Specifically, the committee failed to assure standard fiscal controls, failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers, affirmatively took steps to conceal the nature and scope of whistleblower concerns from external auditors, and failed to review potential conflicts of interest for employees.

NRA’s Culture of Self-Dealing, Mismanagement, and Negligence

The lawsuit alleges that the four men instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent. They overrode and evaded internal controls to allow themselves, their families, favored board members, employees, and vendors to benefit through reimbursed expenses, related party transactions, excess compensation, side deals, and waste of charitable assets without regard to the NRA’s best interests.

When board members challenged LaPierre and others over their financial governance and leadership of the NRA, LaPierre retaliated and turned the board against those who attempted to challenge the illegal behavior.

The complaint lays out numerous other instances in which LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, Frazer, and other executives and board members at the NRA abused their power and illegally diverted or facilitated the diversion of tens of millions of dollars from the NRA. These funds were in addition to millions of dollars the four individual defendants were already receiving in grossly excessive salaries and bonuses that were not in line with the best practices and prudent standards for evaluating and determining compensation.

Wayne LaPierre – Executive Vice-President

In his nearly three decades as executive vice-president, Wayne LaPierre ran the day-to-day operations of the NRA and exploited the organization for his and his family’s financial benefit, and the benefit of a close circle of NRA staff, board members, and vendors. Of note, LaPierre:

The complaint alleges that as executive vice-president, LaPierre handpicked individuals in senior staff positions at the NRA that have shown themselves to be loyal to LaPierre as an individual, rather than to the organization. Time and time again, LaPierre has shown that loyalty, more than competence and responsibility, is integral to his staffing picks, which led him to personally hire Phillips, Powell, and Frazer — some chosen despite failing to meet the necessary skills or experience for their respective roles and responsibilities.

Wilson “Woody” Phillips – Former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

Woody Phillips — the former treasurer and CFO, who was responsible for managing the books and financial operations of the NRA — engaged in practices that violated NRA policy, lied on financial disclosure forms, and set up a deal worth more than $1 million that benefitted his girlfriend. Just before his retirement in 2018, Phillips obtained a contract for himself worth $1.8 million, purportedly for monthly consulting services to the incoming treasurer, even though the current treasurer knew nothing about this contract and has confirmed that “Woody [Phillips] never consulted for me.” Phillips, having served in the capacity as the chief steward of the organization's finances, also oversaw the financial practices that allowed millions of dollars in entertainment and travel expenses incurred by NRA executives to be fraudulently billed to the NRA as disbursements by the NRA’s largest vendor: Ackerman McQueen, an Oklahoma-based advertising and public relations firm. Furthermore, the complaint asserts that Phillips consistently eschewed his fiduciary duties time and time again, as evidenced by his failure to seriously respond to whistleblower complaints about alleged fiscal improprieties and his readiness to unilaterally authorize payments and contracts outside of the NRA adopted purchasing and contracting policies and procedures.

Joshua Powell – Former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General Operations

Joshua Powell, the chief of staff to LaPierre, was terminated after just 3.5 years for, among other things, misappropriating NRA funds during his tenure. Powell, who is known as a LaPierre loyalist, received sudden and substantial salary increases almost immediately after starting his position. Within a month, his salary was doubled retroactively to the beginning of his tenure with the NRA to $500,000. After less than a year, Powell’s salary increased to $650,000. A little over two years into the job, Powell’s salary more than tripled from the original $250,000 to $800,000, despite numerous complaints of abusive behavior and evidence of illegal conduct and inappropriate spending. Further, Powell abused the NRA’s policy on housing and relocation reimbursements, pocketing in excess of $100,000 more than NRA rules allowed.

Powell’s tenure was marked by nepotism. LaPierre, Phillips, and Powell also signed off on the hiring of fundraising consultant McKenna &amp; Associates outside of the NRA’s contract process and without going through any approval process. The NRA paid the company more than $5 million over the course of five years. For all of 2018, Powell’s wife was hired as a consultant by McKenna &amp; Associates, and her entire $30,000 monthly consulting fee was passed through the NRA. The hiring of Powell’s wife was hidden from the NRA’s general counsel, in an effort to not draw attention to and affirmatively hide the conflict of interest, and her role was not pre-approved by the NRA board, as the organization’s policy requires. Additionally, Powell requested an NRA vendor to add his father to a rotation of paid photographers, resulting in more than $90,000 in compensation for his father, an expense which was completely passed through to the NRA.

John Frazer – Corporate Secretary and General Counsel

John Frazer was chosen by LaPierre to serve as general counsel and also served as corporate secretary at the NRA. Between 2014 and 2018, Frazer repeatedly failed to comply with board governance procedures, make necessary changes, or advise others that governance changes needed to be made; failed to ensure that financial transactions were being addressed by NRA officers and directors in accordance with law; failed to enforce compliance with the NRA’s conflict of interest policy; and failed to ensure that the NRA was in compliance with laws and policies governing whistleblowers. Additionally, Frazer repeatedly certified false or misleading annual statements.

Ackerman McQueen – NRA’s Public Relations and Advertising Firm

A practice decades-old between LaPierre and Ackerman McQueen’s co-founder — that would continue until the two companies severed ties in 2019 — ensured that Ackerman McQueen would pay for a variety of non-contractual, out-of-pocket expenses for LaPierre and other NRA executives and pass those expenses through to the NRA. The NRA leadership regularly used this pass-through arrangement — where expenses would be paid for by the NRA without written approvals, receipts, or supporting business purpose documentation — to conceal private travel and other costs that were largely personal in nature. Ackerman McQueen would aggregate the expenses into a lump sum amount and provide no details on the nature or purpose of the expenses when billing the NRA for them. The invoices only typically included a one-line description that read “out-of-pocket expenses” and included an invoice total amount. The expenses billed to the NRA for out-of-pocket expenses did not comply with IRS requirements, and, as a result, all such expenses should have been included by the NRA in taxable personal income for LaPierre and other recipients.

Ackerman McQueen was paid more than $70 million in just 2017 and 2018 for “public relations and advertising” services and for “out-of-pocket expenditures” that really went to entertainment and travel incurred by NRA executives and associates without scrutiny from within the organization, including millions for private planes, luxury hotels, memberships to private clubs, special events, fancy meals, and even personal hair and makeup services for LaPierre’s wife.

Under New York law, the NRA’s audit committee is responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes of the organization and the audit of its financial statements, but the culture of noncompliance and disregard for the internal controls is evident within the audit committee. The committee failed to serve as an independent check on LaPierre, his senior staff, and the NRA as a whole, and basically served as a rubber stamp for the organization’s illicit behavior, when it did review finances.

For example, the audit committee is charged with reviewing any contract that has the appearance of a conflict of interest, such as a contracts with insiders referred to as related-party transactions, and must not only perform certain considerations, but also document its deliberations. The committee routinely approved related-party transactions after LaPierre or senior staff entered into such agreements. In fact, in 2018, the audit committee approved seven related-party transactions after the fact, including a contract between the NRA’s then incoming president and Ackerman McQueen. At the time this contract was executed, the terms were known to LaPierre and Phillips, but the audit committee had no knowledge of it. Then, again in 2019 and 2020, the audit committee purportedly approved, retroactively, many other existing NRA contracts, some of which dated back 15 years.

The audit committee’s chair testified during a deposition with the OAG that he had no knowledge of New York law governing audit committees, whistleblowers, or conflicts of interest, and that he could not recall the last time he had seen the audit committee charter that specifically states the audit committee “overs[ees] the integrity of financial information” at the NRA. In fact, the committee chair testified that, in his view and contrary to the charter, the audit committee had no role in oversight of internal controls and that “there is no internal auditing” within the NRA and there hadn’t been one in the whole 19 years he served on the NRA board.

Unsurprisingly, during numerous occasions, the audit committee failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers, failed to appropriately review and approve related-party transactions and conflicts of interest, and failed to adequately oversee external auditors.

Extensive Violations of Fundamental Not-for-Profit Law

Attorney General James alleges in her complaint that the NRA violated multiple laws, including the laws governing the NRA’s charitable status, false reporting on annual filings with the IRS and with the OAG’s Charities Bureau, improper expense documentation, improper wage reporting, improper income tax withholding, failure to make required excise tax reporting and payments, payments in excess of reasonable compensation to disqualified persons, and waste of NRA assets; in direct violation of New York’s Estates, Powers &amp; Trusts Laws; New York’s Not-for-Profit Corporation Law; the New York Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act; and New York’s Executive Law. The illegal nature of the four individual defendants’ action also violated multiple rules of the NRA’s bylaws, the NRA’s employee handbook, and the NRA’s policy manual.

The failure of the NRA to comply with multiple fiduciary responsibilities and state and federal laws resulted in the NRA seeing substantial losses on its balance sheet: going from a surplus of $27,802,714 in 2015 to a net deficit of $36,276,779 in 2018 — contributing to a total loss of more than $64 million in just three years.

As a result of all the allegations mentioned above, Attorney General James seeks to dissolve the NRA; asks the court to order LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, and Frazer to make full restitution for funds they unlawfully profited and salaries earned while employees; pay penalties; recover illegal and unauthorized payments to the four individuals; remove LaPierre and Frazer from the NRA’s leadership (Phillips and Powell are no longer employed by the NRA); and ensure none of the four individual defendants can ever again serve on the board of a charity in New York.

Attorney General James began her inquiry into the NRA in February 2019.

The matter was led by Bureau Chief James Sheehan and Bureau Co-Chief of the Enforcement Section Emily Stern, with a team of attorneys, legal assistants, and accountants, including Assistant Attorney General and Special Counsel of the Litigation Bureau Monica Connell; Assistant Attorneys General William Wang, Sharon Sash, Jonathan Conley, Stephen Thompson, and Erica James — all of the Charities Bureau; with additional assistance from Chief Accountant Judith Welsh-Liebross, Associate Accountant Darren Beauchamp, and Associate Accountant Charles Aganu; in addition to numerous other individuals at the OAG.&nbsp;The Charities Bureau is part of the Division for Social Justice, which is supervised by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596729533353.png" alt="New York Attorney General Letitia James during Thursday's announcement&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>New York Attorney General Letitia James during Thursday's announcement&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA), the largest and most influential pro-gun organization in the nation. Attorney General James charges the organization with illegal conduct because of their diversion of millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty. The&nbsp;<a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/final_nra_summons_complaint_08.06.20.pdf" target="_blank">suit specifically charges the NRA as a whole, as well as Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre, former Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Wilson “Woody” Phillips, former Chief of Staff and the Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell, and Corporate Secretary and General Counsel John Frazer with failing to manage the NRA’s funds and failing to follow numerous state and federal laws, contributing to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: I filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association for years of self-dealing and illegal conduct. The <a href="https://twitter.com/NRA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NRA</a> is fraught with fraud and abuse. No organization is above the law.&mdash; NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1291397976200548353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the complaint, Attorney General James lays out dozens of examples where the four individual defendants failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA and used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including trips for them and their families to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel. In addition to shuttering the NRA’s doors, Attorney General James seeks to recoup millions in lost assets and to stop the four individual defendants from serving on the board of any not-for-profit charitable organization in the state of New York again.“The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,” said&nbsp;Attorney General James. “The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law.”Since 1871, the NRA has operated as a New York-registered 501(c)(4) not-for-profit, charitable corporation. Under state law not-for-profit, charitable corporations are required to register and file annual financial reports with the Charities Bureau in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The assets are required to be used in a way that serves the interests of NRA membership and that advance the organization’s charitable mission. However, as today’s complaint lays out, the NRA is alleged to have fostered a culture of noncompliance and disregard for internal controls that led to the waste and loss of millions in assets and contributed to the NRA reaching its current deteriorated financial state. The NRA’s internal policies were repeatedly not followed and were even blatantly ignored by senior leaders. Furthermore, the NRA board’s audit committee was negligent in its duty to ensure appropriate, competent, and judicious stewardship of assets by NRA leadership. Specifically, the committee failed to assure standard fiscal controls, failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers, affirmatively took steps to conceal the nature and scope of whistleblower concerns from external auditors, and failed to review potential conflicts of interest for employees.NRA’s Culture of Self-Dealing, Mismanagement, and NegligenceThe lawsuit alleges that the four men instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent. They overrode and evaded internal controls to allow themselves, their families, favored board members, employees, and vendors to benefit through reimbursed expenses, related party transactions, excess compensation, side deals, and waste of charitable assets without regard to the NRA’s best interests.When board members challenged LaPierre and others over their financial governance and leadership of the NRA, LaPierre retaliated and turned the board against those who attempted to challenge the illegal behavior.The complaint lays out numerous other instances in which LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, Frazer, and other executives and board members at the NRA abused their power and illegally diverted or facilitated the diversion of tens of millions of dollars from the NRA. These funds were in addition to millions of dollars the four individual defendants were already receiving in grossly excessive salaries and bonuses that were not in line with the best practices and prudent standards for evaluating and determining compensation.Wayne LaPierre – Executive Vice-PresidentIn his nearly three decades as executive vice-president, Wayne LaPierre ran the day-to-day operations of the NRA and exploited the organization for his and his family’s financial benefit, and the benefit of a close circle of NRA staff, board members, and vendors. Of note, LaPierre:<ul>
 <li>Spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of the NRA’s charitable assets for private plane trips for himself and his family, including extended family when he was not present.</li><li>Visited the Bahamas by private air charter at least eight times in an approximate three-year period with his family, at a cost of more than $500,000 to the NRA. On many of those trips, LaPierre and his family were gifted the use of a 107-foot yacht owned by an NRA vendor.</li><li>Traveled to Africa with his wife for all-expense paid safaris, gifted by an NRA vendor.</li><li>Spent millions on unwarranted travel consultants for decades, including for the booking of luxury black car services — spending more than $3.6 million in the last two years alone.</li><li>Secured a post-employment contract for himself with the NRA, without board approval, currently valued at more than $17 million.</li><li>Allotted several millions of dollars annually in NRA funds for private security costs for himself and his family without sufficient oversight on their use.</li><li>Received more than $1.2 million in expense reimbursements in just a four-year period for expenditures that included gifts for favored friends and vendors; travel expenses for himself and his family; and membership fees at golf clubs, hotels, and other member clubs.</li><li>Secured lucrative consulting contracts for ex-employees and board members worth millions.</li>
 </ul>The complaint alleges that as executive vice-president, LaPierre handpicked individuals in senior staff positions at the NRA that have shown themselves to be loyal to LaPierre as an individual, rather than to the organization. Time and time again, LaPierre has shown that loyalty, more than competence and responsibility, is integral to his staffing picks, which led him to personally hire Phillips, Powell, and Frazer — some chosen despite failing to meet the necessary skills or experience for their respective roles and responsibilities.Wilson “Woody” Phillips – Former Treasurer and Chief Financial OfficerWoody Phillips — the former treasurer and CFO, who was responsible for managing the books and financial operations of the NRA — engaged in practices that violated NRA policy, lied on financial disclosure forms, and set up a deal worth more than $1 million that benefitted his girlfriend. Just before his retirement in 2018, Phillips obtained a contract for himself worth $1.8 million, purportedly for monthly consulting services to the incoming treasurer, even though the current treasurer knew nothing about this contract and has confirmed that “Woody [Phillips] never consulted for me.” Phillips, having served in the capacity as the chief steward of the organization's finances, also oversaw the financial practices that allowed millions of dollars in entertainment and travel expenses incurred by NRA executives to be fraudulently billed to the NRA as disbursements by the NRA’s largest vendor: Ackerman McQueen, an Oklahoma-based advertising and public relations firm. Furthermore, the complaint asserts that Phillips consistently eschewed his fiduciary duties time and time again, as evidenced by his failure to seriously respond to whistleblower complaints about alleged fiscal improprieties and his readiness to unilaterally authorize payments and contracts outside of the NRA adopted purchasing and contracting policies and procedures.Joshua Powell – Former Chief of Staff and Executive Director of General OperationsJoshua Powell, the chief of staff to LaPierre, was terminated after just 3.5 years for, among other things, misappropriating NRA funds during his tenure. Powell, who is known as a LaPierre loyalist, received sudden and substantial salary increases almost immediately after starting his position. Within a month, his salary was doubled retroactively to the beginning of his tenure with the NRA to $500,000. After less than a year, Powell’s salary increased to $650,000. A little over two years into the job, Powell’s salary more than tripled from the original $250,000 to $800,000, despite numerous complaints of abusive behavior and evidence of illegal conduct and inappropriate spending. Further, Powell abused the NRA’s policy on housing and relocation reimbursements, pocketing in excess of $100,000 more than NRA rules allowed.Powell’s tenure was marked by nepotism. LaPierre, Phillips, and Powell also signed off on the hiring of fundraising consultant McKenna &amp; Associates outside of the NRA’s contract process and without going through any approval process. The NRA paid the company more than $5 million over the course of five years. For all of 2018, Powell’s wife was hired as a consultant by McKenna &amp; Associates, and her entire $30,000 monthly consulting fee was passed through the NRA. The hiring of Powell’s wife was hidden from the NRA’s general counsel, in an effort to not draw attention to and affirmatively hide the conflict of interest, and her role was not pre-approved by the NRA board, as the organization’s policy requires. Additionally, Powell requested an NRA vendor to add his father to a rotation of paid photographers, resulting in more than $90,000 in compensation for his father, an expense which was completely passed through to the NRA.John Frazer – Corporate Secretary and General CounselJohn Frazer was chosen by LaPierre to serve as general counsel and also served as corporate secretary at the NRA. Between 2014 and 2018, Frazer repeatedly failed to comply with board governance procedures, make necessary changes, or advise others that governance changes needed to be made; failed to ensure that financial transactions were being addressed by NRA officers and directors in accordance with law; failed to enforce compliance with the NRA’s conflict of interest policy; and failed to ensure that the NRA was in compliance with laws and policies governing whistleblowers. Additionally, Frazer repeatedly certified false or misleading annual statements.Ackerman McQueen – NRA’s Public Relations and Advertising FirmA practice decades-old between LaPierre and Ackerman McQueen’s co-founder — that would continue until the two companies severed ties in 2019 — ensured that Ackerman McQueen would pay for a variety of non-contractual, out-of-pocket expenses for LaPierre and other NRA executives and pass those expenses through to the NRA. The NRA leadership regularly used this pass-through arrangement — where expenses would be paid for by the NRA without written approvals, receipts, or supporting business purpose documentation — to conceal private travel and other costs that were largely personal in nature. Ackerman McQueen would aggregate the expenses into a lump sum amount and provide no details on the nature or purpose of the expenses when billing the NRA for them. The invoices only typically included a one-line description that read “out-of-pocket expenses” and included an invoice total amount. The expenses billed to the NRA for out-of-pocket expenses did not comply with IRS requirements, and, as a result, all such expenses should have been included by the NRA in taxable personal income for LaPierre and other recipients.Ackerman McQueen was paid more than $70 million in just 2017 and 2018 for “public relations and advertising” services and for “out-of-pocket expenditures” that really went to entertainment and travel incurred by NRA executives and associates without scrutiny from within the organization, including millions for private planes, luxury hotels, memberships to private clubs, special events, fancy meals, and even personal hair and makeup services for LaPierre’s wife.NRA Audit Committee’s Failure to AuditUnder New York law, the NRA’s audit committee is responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes of the organization and the audit of its financial statements, but the culture of noncompliance and disregard for the internal controls is evident within the audit committee. The committee failed to serve as an independent check on LaPierre, his senior staff, and the NRA as a whole, and basically served as a rubber stamp for the organization’s illicit behavior, when it did review finances.For example, the audit committee is charged with reviewing any contract that has the appearance of a conflict of interest, such as a contracts with insiders referred to as related-party transactions, and must not only perform certain considerations, but also document its deliberations. The committee routinely approved related-party transactions after LaPierre or senior staff entered into such agreements. In fact, in 2018, the audit committee approved seven related-party transactions after the fact, including a contract between the NRA’s then incoming president and Ackerman McQueen. At the time this contract was executed, the terms were known to LaPierre and Phillips, but the audit committee had no knowledge of it. Then, again in 2019 and 2020, the audit committee purportedly approved, retroactively, many other existing NRA contracts, some of which dated back 15 years.The audit committee’s chair testified during a deposition with the OAG that he had no knowledge of New York law governing audit committees, whistleblowers, or conflicts of interest, and that he could not recall the last time he had seen the audit committee charter that specifically states the audit committee “overs[ees] the integrity of financial information” at the NRA. In fact, the committee chair testified that, in his view and contrary to the charter, the audit committee had no role in oversight of internal controls and that “there is no internal auditing” within the NRA and there hadn’t been one in the whole 19 years he served on the NRA board.Unsurprisingly, during numerous occasions, the audit committee failed to respond adequately to whistleblowers, failed to appropriately review and approve related-party transactions and conflicts of interest, and failed to adequately oversee external auditors.Extensive Violations of Fundamental Not-for-Profit LawAttorney General James alleges in her complaint that the NRA violated multiple laws, including the laws governing the NRA’s charitable status, false reporting on annual filings with the IRS and with the OAG’s Charities Bureau, improper expense documentation, improper wage reporting, improper income tax withholding, failure to make required excise tax reporting and payments, payments in excess of reasonable compensation to disqualified persons, and waste of NRA assets; in direct violation of New York’s Estates, Powers &amp; Trusts Laws; New York’s Not-for-Profit Corporation Law; the New York Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act; and New York’s Executive Law. The illegal nature of the four individual defendants’ action also violated multiple rules of the NRA’s bylaws, the NRA’s employee handbook, and the NRA’s policy manual.The failure of the NRA to comply with multiple fiduciary responsibilities and state and federal laws resulted in the NRA seeing substantial losses on its balance sheet: going from a surplus of $27,802,714 in 2015 to a net deficit of $36,276,779 in 2018 — contributing to a total loss of more than $64 million in just three years.Proposed ResolutionAs a result of all the allegations mentioned above, Attorney General James seeks to dissolve the NRA; asks the court to order LaPierre, Phillips, Powell, and Frazer to make full restitution for funds they unlawfully profited and salaries earned while employees; pay penalties; recover illegal and unauthorized payments to the four individuals; remove LaPierre and Frazer from the NRA’s leadership (Phillips and Powell are no longer employed by the NRA); and ensure none of the four individual defendants can ever again serve on the board of a charity in New York.Attorney General James began her inquiry into the NRA in February 2019.The matter was led by Bureau Chief James Sheehan and Bureau Co-Chief of the Enforcement Section Emily Stern, with a team of attorneys, legal assistants, and accountants, including Assistant Attorney General and Special Counsel of the Litigation Bureau Monica Connell; Assistant Attorneys General William Wang, Sharon Sash, Jonathan Conley, Stephen Thompson, and Erica James — all of the Charities Bureau; with additional assistance from Chief Accountant Judith Welsh-Liebross, Associate Accountant Darren Beauchamp, and Associate Accountant Charles Aganu; in addition to numerous other individuals at the OAG.&nbsp;The Charities Bureau is part of the Division for Social Justice, which is supervised by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

NY attorney general files lawsuit to dissolve NRA

Today is Thursday, Aug. 6, the 219th day of 2020. There are 147 days left in the year. 

Today's Highlight in History: On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths. (Three days later, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki; five days after that, Imperial Japan surrendered.)

In 1809, one of the leading literary figures of the Victorian era, poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. 

In 1911, actor-comedian Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, New York. 

In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, arriving in Kingsdown, England, from France in 14 1/2 hours. 

In 1930, New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Force Crater went missing after leaving a Manhattan restaurant; his disappearance remains a mystery.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. 

In 1973, entertainer Stevie Wonder was seriously injured in a car accident in North Carolina.

In 1978, Pope Paul VI died at Castel Gandolfo at age 80. 

In 1986, William J. Schroeder died at Humana Hospital-Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky, after living 620 days with the Jarvik 7 artificial heart. 

In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet. TV newsman Harry Reasoner died in Norwalk, Connecticut, at age 68. 

In 1993, Louis Freeh won Senate confirmation to be FBI director.

In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice by a Senate vote of 68-31. John Hughes, 59, Hollywood's youth movie director of the 1980s and '90s, died in New York City.

In 2013, U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan went on trial at Fort Hood, Texas, charged with killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 attack. (Hasan, who admitted carrying out the attack, was convicted and sentenced to death.) 

Ten years ago: In a stunning announcement, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it had ousted CEO Mark Hurd after an investigation of a sexual harassment complaint found that he had falsified expense reports and other documents to conceal a relationship with a contractor.

Five years ago: The first Republican presidential debate aired on Fox News Channel; when the 10 candidates were asked whether any of them would not pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, only Donald Trump raised his hand, saying, "I will not make the pledge at this time," angering Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who accused Trump of "hedging his bets." Jon Stewart bade an emotional goodbye after 16 years as host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." "Hamilton," the hip-hop flavored biography about Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first treasury secretary, opened on Broadway.

One year ago: Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, prompted to act by the weekend shooting in Dayton, proposed measures to address mass shootings, including required background checks for nearly all gun sales in Ohio and allowing courts to restrict firearms access for people perceived as threats. In a strong rebuke to President Donald Trump, the four living former leaders of the Federal Reserve said that the head of the nation's central bank should be able to make decisions on interest rates without political pressure or the threat of being removed.

Today's Birthdays: Children's performer Ella Jenkins is 96. Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 82. Actor Louise Sorel is 80. Actor Michael Anderson Jr. is 77. Actor Ray Buktenica is 77. Actor Dorian Harewood is 70. Actor Catherine Hicks is 69. Rock singer Pat MacDonald (Timbuk 3) is 68. Country musician Mark DuFresne is 67. Actor Stepfanie Kramer is 64. Actor Faith Prince is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Randy DeBarge is 62. Actor Leland Orser is 60. Actor Michelle Yeoh is 58. Country singers Patsy and Peggy Lynn are 56. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 55. Actor Jeremy Ratchford is 55. Actor Benito Martinez is 52. Country singer Lisa Stewart is 52. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is 50. Actor Merrin Dungey is 49. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner is 48. Actor Jason O'Mara is 48. Singer-actor David Campbell is 47. Actor Vera Farmiga is 47. Actor Ever Carradine is 46. Actor Soleil Moon Frye is 44. Actor Melissa George is 44. Rock singer Travis McCoy is 39. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 39. Actor Romola Garai is 38. Rock musician Eric Roberts is 36.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Thursday, Aug. 6, the 219th day of 2020. There are 147 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths. (Three days later, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki; five days after that, Imperial Japan surrendered.) On this date: In 1809, one of the leading literary figures of the Victorian era, poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. In 1911, actor-comedian Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, New York. In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, arriving in Kingsdown, England, from France in 14 1/2 hours. In 1930, New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Force Crater went missing after leaving a Manhattan restaurant; his disappearance remains a mystery.In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. In 1973, entertainer Stevie Wonder was seriously injured in a car accident in North Carolina.In 1978, Pope Paul VI died at Castel Gandolfo at age 80. In 1986, William J. Schroeder died at Humana Hospital-Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky, after living 620 days with the Jarvik 7 artificial heart. In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet. TV newsman Harry Reasoner died in Norwalk, Connecticut, at age 68. In 1993, Louis Freeh won Senate confirmation to be FBI director.In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice by a Senate vote of 68-31. John Hughes, 59, Hollywood's youth movie director of the 1980s and '90s, died in New York City.In 2013, U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan went on trial at Fort Hood, Texas, charged with killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 attack. (Hasan, who admitted carrying out the attack, was convicted and sentenced to death.) Ten years ago: In a stunning announcement, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it had ousted CEO Mark Hurd after an investigation of a sexual harassment complaint found that he had falsified expense reports and other documents to conceal a relationship with a contractor.Five years ago: The first Republican presidential debate aired on Fox News Channel; when the 10 candidates were asked whether any of them would not pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, only Donald Trump raised his hand, saying, "I will not make the pledge at this time," angering Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who accused Trump of "hedging his bets." Jon Stewart bade an emotional goodbye after 16 years as host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." "Hamilton," the hip-hop flavored biography about Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first treasury secretary, opened on Broadway.One year ago: Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, prompted to act by the weekend shooting in Dayton, proposed measures to address mass shootings, including required background checks for nearly all gun sales in Ohio and allowing courts to restrict firearms access for people perceived as threats. In a strong rebuke to President Donald Trump, the four living former leaders of the Federal Reserve said that the head of the nation's central bank should be able to make decisions on interest rates without political pressure or the threat of being removed.Today's Birthdays: Children's performer Ella Jenkins is 96. Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 82. Actor Louise Sorel is 80. Actor Michael Anderson Jr. is 77. Actor Ray Buktenica is 77. Actor Dorian Harewood is 70. Actor Catherine Hicks is 69. Rock singer Pat MacDonald (Timbuk 3) is 68. Country musician Mark DuFresne is 67. Actor Stepfanie Kramer is 64. Actor Faith Prince is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Randy DeBarge is 62. Actor Leland Orser is 60. Actor Michelle Yeoh is 58. Country singers Patsy and Peggy Lynn are 56. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 55. Actor Jeremy Ratchford is 55. Actor Benito Martinez is 52. Country singer Lisa Stewart is 52. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is 50. Actor Merrin Dungey is 49. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner is 48. Actor Jason O'Mara is 48. Singer-actor David Campbell is 47. Actor Vera Farmiga is 47. Actor Ever Carradine is 46. Actor Soleil Moon Frye is 44. Actor Melissa George is 44. Rock singer Travis McCoy is 39. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 39. Actor Romola Garai is 38. Rock musician Eric Roberts is 36.

Today in History -- Aug. 6

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two men on felony charges after a traffic stop

Just after 6p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 5400 block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to a deputy Abigail Christian.

 During the traffic stop, a K9 unit was deployed and located a loaded firearm inside the vehicle. Deputies determined the firearm belonged to Jeremy W. Taylor, 31, of Burlingame. He is a multi-convicted felon. 

Taylor was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated felon in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The driver of the vehicle, Lance E. Fox, 42, of Topeka, was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on&nbsp; requested charges of driving while license revoked, insurance violation and vehicle registration violations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596710075148.png" alt="Jeremy Taylor&nbsp; has previous convictions that include theft, forgery, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement and an aggravated weapons violation-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Jeremy Taylor&nbsp; has previous convictions that include theft, forgery, flee or attempt to elude law enforcement and an aggravated weapons violation-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two men on felony charges after a traffic stopJust after 6p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 5400 block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to a deputy Abigail Christian. During the traffic stop, a K9 unit was deployed and located a loaded firearm inside the vehicle. Deputies determined the firearm belonged to Jeremy W. Taylor, 31, of Burlingame. He is a multi-convicted felon. Taylor was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated felon in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596710176691.png" alt="Fox-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Fox-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver of the vehicle, Lance E. Fox, 42, of Topeka, was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on&nbsp; requested charges of driving while license revoked, insurance violation and vehicle registration violations.

K9 unit helps deputies catch Kan. felon with gun, drugs

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 5, the 218th day of 2020. There are 148 days left in the year. 

On August 5, 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI's Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon's resignation. 

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama. 

In 1914, what's believed to be the first electric traffic light system was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue.

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals. 

In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom. 

In 1961, the amusement park Six Flags Over Texas had its official grand opening day in Arlington. 

In 1962, movie star Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from "acute barbiturate poisoning." South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment. 

In 1964, U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr. became the first American flier to be shot down and captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973. 

In 1966, the Beatles' "Revolver" album was released in the United Kingdom on the Parlophone label; it was released in the United States three days later by Capitol Records. (Songs included "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine," which were also issued as a double A-side single on Aug. 5 and 8.)

In 1981, the federal government began firing air traffic controllers who had gone out on strike. 

In 1984, actor Richard Burton died in Geneva, Switzerland, at age 58.

In 1991, Democratic congressional leaders formally launched an investigation into whether the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign had secretly conspired with Iran to delay release of American hostages until after the presidential election, thereby preventing an "October surprise" that supposedly would have benefited President Jimmy Carter. (A task force later concluded there was "no credible evidence" of such a deal.) 

In 2002, the coral-encrusted gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised from the floor of the Atlantic, nearly 140 years after the historic warship sank during a storm. 

Ten years ago: The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan, 63-37, as the Supreme Court's 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history. BP finished pumping cement into the blown Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Thirty-three workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in (all were rescued after being entombed for 69 days). Ten members of a Christian medical team from the International Assistance Mission were gunned down in Afghanistan by unknown attackers.

Five years ago: In a speech at American University in Washington, President Barack Obama assailed critics of his Iran nuclear deal as "selling a fantasy" to the American people, warning Congress that blocking the accord would damage the nation's credibility and increase the likelihood of more war in the Middle East. Actor Jennifer Aniston secretly married actor-director Justin Theroux at their home in Bel Air, California.

One year ago: In the wake of deadly shootings in Texas and Ohio, President Donald Trump called for bipartisan solutions to gun violence and said he wanted legislation providing "strong background checks" for gun users. The online message board 8chan was effectively knocked offline after two companies cut off technical services; the gunman responsible for a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas had been linked to the site. The Trump administration froze all Venezuelan government assets in a dramatic escalation of tensions with Nicolás Maduro. Cesar Sayoc, a Florida amateur body builder who had sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a judge who concluded that the bombs were not designed to explode. The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator after China pushed down the value of its yuan in an escalating trade conflict with the United States. Toni Morrison, the first Black woman to receive the Nobel literature prize, died at 88 in New York; her novels included "Beloved," and "The Bluest Eye."

Today's Birthdays: College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Roman Gabriel is 80. Country songwriter Bobby Braddock is 80. Actor Loni Anderson is 75. Actor Erika Slezak is 74. Rock singer Rick Derringer is 73. Actor Holly Palance is 70. Pop singer Samantha Sang is 69. Rock musician Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) is 65. Actor-singer Maureen McCormick is 64. Rock musician Pat Smear is 61. Author David Baldacci is 60. Actor Tawney Kitaen is 59. Actor Janet McTeer is 59. Country musician Mark O'Connor is 59. Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 58. Actor Mark Strong is 57. Director-screenwriter James Gunn is 54. Actor Jonathan Silverman is 54. Country singer Terri Clark is 52. Actor Stephanie Szostak is 49. Retired MLB All-Star John Olerud is 52. Rock musician Eicca Toppinen (Apocalyptica) is 45. Actor Jesse Williams is 40. Actor Brendon Ryan Barrett is 34. Actor Meegan Warner (TV: "TURN: Washington's Spies") is 29. Actor/singer Olivia Holt is 23. Actor Albert Tsai is 16. Actor Devin Trey Campbell is 12.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Wednesday, Aug. 5, the 218th day of 2020. There are 148 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 5, 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI's Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon's resignation. On this date: In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama. In 1914, what's believed to be the first electric traffic light system was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue.In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals. In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom. In 1961, the amusement park Six Flags Over Texas had its official grand opening day in Arlington. In 1962, movie star Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from "acute barbiturate poisoning." South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment. In 1964, U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr. became the first American flier to be shot down and captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973. In 1966, the Beatles' "Revolver" album was released in the United Kingdom on the Parlophone label; it was released in the United States three days later by Capitol Records. (Songs included "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine," which were also issued as a double A-side single on Aug. 5 and 8.)In 1981, the federal government began firing air traffic controllers who had gone out on strike. In 1984, actor Richard Burton died in Geneva, Switzerland, at age 58.In 1991, Democratic congressional leaders formally launched an investigation into whether the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign had secretly conspired with Iran to delay release of American hostages until after the presidential election, thereby preventing an "October surprise" that supposedly would have benefited President Jimmy Carter. (A task force later concluded there was "no credible evidence" of such a deal.) In 2002, the coral-encrusted gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised from the floor of the Atlantic, nearly 140 years after the historic warship sank during a storm. Ten years ago: The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan, 63-37, as the Supreme Court's 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history. BP finished pumping cement into the blown Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Thirty-three workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in (all were rescued after being entombed for 69 days). Ten members of a Christian medical team from the International Assistance Mission were gunned down in Afghanistan by unknown attackers.Five years ago: In a speech at American University in Washington, President Barack Obama assailed critics of his Iran nuclear deal as "selling a fantasy" to the American people, warning Congress that blocking the accord would damage the nation's credibility and increase the likelihood of more war in the Middle East. Actor Jennifer Aniston secretly married actor-director Justin Theroux at their home in Bel Air, California.One year ago: In the wake of deadly shootings in Texas and Ohio, President Donald Trump called for bipartisan solutions to gun violence and said he wanted legislation providing "strong background checks" for gun users. The online message board 8chan was effectively knocked offline after two companies cut off technical services; the gunman responsible for a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas had been linked to the site. The Trump administration froze all Venezuelan government assets in a dramatic escalation of tensions with Nicolás Maduro. Cesar Sayoc, a Florida amateur body builder who had sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a judge who concluded that the bombs were not designed to explode. The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator after China pushed down the value of its yuan in an escalating trade conflict with the United States. Toni Morrison, the first Black woman to receive the Nobel literature prize, died at 88 in New York; her novels included "Beloved," and "The Bluest Eye."Today's Birthdays: College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Roman Gabriel is 80. Country songwriter Bobby Braddock is 80. Actor Loni Anderson is 75. Actor Erika Slezak is 74. Rock singer Rick Derringer is 73. Actor Holly Palance is 70. Pop singer Samantha Sang is 69. Rock musician Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) is 65. Actor-singer Maureen McCormick is 64. Rock musician Pat Smear is 61. Author David Baldacci is 60. Actor Tawney Kitaen is 59. Actor Janet McTeer is 59. Country musician Mark O'Connor is 59. Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 58. Actor Mark Strong is 57. Director-screenwriter James Gunn is 54. Actor Jonathan Silverman is 54. Country singer Terri Clark is 52. Actor Stephanie Szostak is 49. Retired MLB All-Star John Olerud is 52. Rock musician Eicca Toppinen (Apocalyptica) is 45. Actor Jesse Williams is 40. Actor Brendon Ryan Barrett is 34. Actor Meegan Warner (TV: "TURN: Washington's Spies") is 29. Actor/singer Olivia Holt is 23. Actor Albert Tsai is 16. Actor Devin Trey Campbell is 12.

Today in History -- Aug. 5

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 217th day of 2020. There are 149 days left in the year. 

On August 4, 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years inside a building in Amsterdam. (Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.) 

In 1792, English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was born at Field Place near Horsham, England. 

In 1914, Britain declared war on Germany for invading Belgium; the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the mushrooming world conflict. 

In 1916, the United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million.

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him. 

In 1964, the bodies of missing civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi. 

In 1972, Arthur Bremer was convicted and sentenced in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to 63 years in prison for his attempt on the life of Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace (the sentence was later reduced to 53 years; Bremer was released from prison in 2007). 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 217th day of 2020. There are 149 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On August 4, 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years inside a building in Amsterdam. (Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.) On this date: In 1792, English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was born at Field Place near Horsham, England. In 1914, Britain declared war on Germany for invading Belgium; the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the mushrooming world conflict. In 1916, the United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million.In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him. In 1964, the bodies of missing civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi. In 1972, Arthur Bremer was convicted and sentenced in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to 63 years in prison for his attempt on the life of Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace (the sentence was later reduced to 53 years; Bremer was released from prison in 2007). In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a measure establishing the Department of Energy. In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present balanced coverage of controversial issues. In 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating Rodney King's civil rights. In 1996, on the final day of the Atlanta Olympics, Josiah Thugwane became the first Black South African to win a gold medal as he finished first in the marathon.In 2001, thousands of admirers turned out in London for what would prove to be the last birthday celebration for Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth, who had turned 101. (The Queen Mother died in March 2002.)In 2009, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for entering the country illegally and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Ten years ago: BP PLC reported the broken well head at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was plugged up with mud; President Barack Obama said the battle to contain one of the world's worst oil spills was "finally close to coming to an end." Eight days after turning 35, Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run, becoming the youngest player to attain the milestone. (A-Rod's two-run, first-inning drive off Toronto's Shaun Marcum put New York ahead, and the Yankees coasted to a 5-1 victory over the Blue Jays.)Five years ago: President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made dueling appeals to the American Jewish community as they sought to rally support for their opposing positions on the Iranian nuclear deal; Netanyahu made his case against the agreement in a live webcast with more than 10,000 participants, according to the U.S. Jewish groups that organized the event, while Obama held a private meeting at the White House with Jewish leaders.One year ago: A masked gunman fired on revelers enjoying summer nightlife in a popular entertainment district of Dayton, Ohio, leaving nine people dead and 27 wounded; police said officers shot and killed the shooter within 30 seconds of the start of his rampage. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered a fractured shoulder in a fall outside his Louisville, Kentucky home.Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Tina Cole is 77. Actor-comedian Richard Belzer is 76. Football Hall of Famer John Riggins is 71. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is 65. Actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 65. Actor Kym Karath (Film: "The Sound of Music") is 62. Hall of Fame track star Mary Decker Slaney is 62. Actor Lauren Tom is 61. Former President Barack Obama is 59. Producer Michael Gelman (TV: "Live with Kelly &amp; Ryan") is 59. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 58. Actor Crystal Chappell is 55. Author Dennis Lehane is 55. Rock musician Rob Cieka (Boo Radleys) is 52. Actor Daniel Dae Kim is 52. Actor Michael DeLuise is 51. Former race car driver Jeff Gordon is 49. Rapper-actor Yo-Yo is 49. Country singer Jon Nicholson is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer-actor Marques Houston is 39. Britain's Duchess of Sussex, the former actor Meghan Markle, is 39. Actor Abigail Spencer is 39. Actor/director Greta Gerwig is 37. Country singer Crystal Bowersox (TV: "American Idol") is 35. Rock singer Tom Parker (The Wanted) is 32. Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 28. Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: "American Idol") is 25.