Harvard University's president acknowledged Thursday that the school accepted nearly $9 million in donations from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from 1998 to 2007.

The school will review all gifts from Epstein, the largest of which was $6.5 million donated in 2003 to aid the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, President Lawrence S. Bacow said in a letter to the Harvard community. Epstein provided the school with about $2.4 million in additional donations, Bacow said.

"Let me start by emphasizing the obvious: Epstein's reported criminal actions were utterly abhorrent," Bacow said in the letter, which first appeared in the Harvard Crimson. "They flagrantly offend the values of our society and this institution, and we condemn them. We also recognize the profound pain that Epstein caused to his victims and their families, and we commend their courage in coming forward to bring his crimes to light."

While Bacow noted that most of the gifts were spent years ago and not meant for current use, he added that a balance of $186,000 would be dedicated to organizations assisting survivors of human trafficking and sexual assault.

"I profoundly regret Harvard's past association with him," Bacow said of Epstein. "Conduct such as his has no place in our society. We act today in recognition of that fact."

Harvard was not the only prestigious Cambridge school to accept donations from Epstein; earlier Thursday, Massachusetts Institute of Technology President L. Rafael Reif acknowledged signing a letter thanking Epstein for a 2012 donation to the school.

"Although I do not recall it, it does bear my signature," Reif said in a letter posted to MIT's website.

That acknowledgement came after Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab, resigned last week following public outcry over his extensive fundraising relationship with him. Two top researchers left the lab in protest of Ito last month.

In Rhode Island, Brown University put fundraising director Peter Cohen on administrative leave Monday. Formerly the MIT Media Lab's director of development and strategy, Cohen allegedly helped cover up Ito's connections to Epstein.

Epstein, a billionaire financier who had counted President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton among his high-profile friends, was indicted this summer on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage victims in incidents dating between 2002 and 2005. His death weeks later by hanging in prison was ruled a suicide.

Epstein is alleged to have run an underage sex ring consisting of dozens of girls. In 2006, Palm Beach, Florida, police sought to have him charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor and lewd and lascivious molestation; two years later, he pleaded guilty to a charge involving a single victim in a highly controversial non-prosecution agreement, allowing him to leave a Florida jail almost daily during his 13-month sentence.

Bacow said Harvard "specifically rejected a gift from Epstein following his conviction in 2008."

The FBI and the New York State Department of Labor are investigating allegations that a payroll company diverted millions of dollars in employee pay to its own bank account, officials said Thursday.

NBC News reported that an FBI spokesperson confirmed the investigation after the bureau's Albany, New York, office tweeted that it was "seeking information from business owners who may have suffered financial loss due to the alleged activity of MyPayrollHR and its affiliates."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor said New York state labor officials are also investigating.

MyPayrollHR, based in Clifton Park, New York, apparently ceased operations last week after direct-deposit company Cachet Financial Services claimed it diverted as much as $26 million in small-business employee paychecks to one of its bank accounts. Cachet handles direct deposit transactions for numerous payroll firms.

The New Britain Common Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting smoking on some city-owned properties.

The council said the issue is one of public health, and they’re moving to make public spaces in the city more enjoyable for everyone.

“I ask people before I light up a cigarette or if it’s okay if I smoke,” said Yvette Gilbert of New Britain.

Gilbert is a smoker who from time to time lights up outside, but she said she wouldn’t have a problem getting on board with a new city plan that prohibits smoking in many public spaces.

“It might be good,” she said. “I don’t have to have a cigarette. It’s just a habit. It’s just to have something in my hand.”

The Common Council voted Wednesday to pass an ordinance banning smoking in all Park and Recreation controlled spaces in the city. It also includes public school grounds and other designated city-owned areas.

“We’ve got this concern, people are complaining. Some parents are not happy,” said Councilmember Iris Sanchez.

Sanchez, who represents Ward 3, said the health of children and the ability of all residents to freely enjoy city spaces free of smoke are the drivers for the ordinance.

“Kids usually come and play and then they go home. But it was a lot of people smoking in the area,” Sanchez said. “We’re trying to create awareness for the people.”

The ordinance covers cigarettes, pipes, e-cigarettes, vape pens and chewing tobacco, as well as marijuana products.

At Jimmy’s Smoke Shop, where tobacco products are the main source of revenue, even the clerk said the new rule might not be so bad.

“I think it’s actually pretty good. Because for some parents. Kids don’t like to be breathing in those carcinogens and tobacco that’s in the air,” said employee Justin Filipkowski.

Exactly when the ordinance will go into effect has yet to be determined. The council and other city leadership are still working on exactly which spaces will allow smoking.

The week is ending with cool fall-like weather. 

We will have sunshine and temperatures in the low 70s this afternoon and it will be a great night for Friday night football or to head to a local fair. 

Fairs happening this weekend include the Four Town Fair in Somers, the Big E in West Springfield, Mass, the Berlin Fair and the Cheshire Fall Festival. See a list of local fairs and festivals here. 

The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival is also underway in New London.  

Beer & Oysters on the Sound is happening at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. and the Milford Irish Festival starts today. 

Temperatures will be around 70 at 5 p.m. and in the low 60s by 7 p.m. It will get cooler as the night goes on, dipping down to 57 degrees by 10 p.m. 

Saturday will be partly cloudy with showers that will fly through later in the evening and overnight into Sunday. 

Sunday is the pick day of the weekend, with sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s.

A day after the attorney for a man known as "James Doe" claimed that disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert backtracked on his admitted molestation of her client, new details are emerging about how, and why, Hastert made thousands of dollars in payments to the unnamed man. 

It was in either 2009 or 2010 that Hastert says a young man from his past appeared at his office. 

In excerpts of a sworn deposition filed in a civil lawsuit, obtained by NBC5, Hastert said he couldn’t remember for sure exactly what year it was. But he did remember what transpired during that first meeting. 

“He was telling me that he had a lot of problems, he was just fired from his job, that he was drinking, that he had problems with his wife,” Hastert said. “And he also said that I had inappropriate contact with him in a motel room in Colorado.”

(Later, Hastert would clarify that the incident in question happened in Virginia).

That man’s allegations would eventually destroy Hastert’s one-time stellar reputation. When a payoff scheme was discovered by the FBI, it was revealed that the former speaker had been sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to his former student to guarantee his silence about an alleged sex abuse incident when Hastert was the man’s wrestling coach in the '70s. Others came forward with similar allegations. 

Hastert would eventually plead guilty to financial violations related to the payoffs, and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. 

In the deposition, which counsel has said was mistakenly left unsealed as part of a motion filed in Kendall County Circuit Court, Hastert said he had known his accuser, known in court proceedings as James Doe, “in excess of 40 years,” since the time he was a wrestler at Yorkville High School. He said knew the man’s parents, and had even vacationed with them and hosted them at a Super Bowl party. 

In that first meeting, Hastert suggested his accuser was blunt. 

“'I’m a greedy little bastard,'” he says the man told him. “He said, well, I want three-and-a half million dollars.”

After that initial meeting, Hastert said he met with the man again about 10 days later. 

“He made a demand for three-and-a-half million dollars,” Hastert said. “He asked if my son, who had just run for Congress, whether he was going to run for Congress again.” 

“He asked me if I was afraid of – afraid of going to jail, those types of insinuations,” Hastert continued. “As far as the money goes, I said I don’t have three-and-a-half million dollars. He said he wanted it in a briefcase or in a satchel, cash.” 

But Hastert said he wanted to make sure the allegations were not aired in public. 

“I was concerned about my son’s political career, if he wanted to pursue it,” Hastert said. And he indicated that he was aware that Doe’s brother had already been told of the allegations. 

“I think from my understanding, it was he and his brother that thought this thing up,” Hastert said. “That’s what he told me.” 

According to Hastert, the meetings between the two continued. The third time, in the parking lot outside Hastert’s office. 

“He wanted money,” Hastert said. “And I said it’s probably I could give him $50,000.” 

Hastert said the next time the two met, some six weeks to two months later, it was in the parking lot of a Menard’s home store. During that meeting, he says he paid Doe another $50,000:  

Kristi Browne, Doe's lawyer: “Why did you pay him anything?” 

Hastert: “Because I was afraid he was going to go public."

Browne: “Go public with what?” 

Hastert: “Accusations. That—his claim, his accusation that I molested him in a motel room.” 

Browne: “At that time, did you believe those accusations to be accurate?” 

Hastert: "No. He told me he had a groin pull and asked me to work on it, and I did.” 

That apparent denial, Hastert’s contention that he never molested Doe, is the focus of the new motion to be heard Friday in Kendall County Circuit Court. And it comes in stark contrast, to the contrition he expressed when he was sentenced in federal court. 

“I wanted to apologize for the boys I mistreated when I was their coach,” Hastert said during that 2016 hearing. “What I did was wrong and I regret it. They looked to me, and I took advantage of them.” 

Browne says she wants to take Hastert’s new denials back to that very court. To do so, she is asking for permission to expand a current protective order to transmit the former speaker’s new denials to federal prosecutors, probation officials, and the court. 

“If it was your conclusion that his accusations were not true, why did you pay him?” Browne asked during her questioning of Hastert. 

“I think there was a political issue there,” Hastert replied. “I watched the circus around Blagojevich. I saw the circus around Ryan. I saw the circus around Ted Stevens. I saw the circus around Scooter Libby.” 

Hastert said he didn’t want to expose his family to that type of scrutiny, “I was under stress, and I agreed to pay him.” 

The deposition indicates that while Hastert maintained that he could not afford the young man’s demand for $3.5 million, that eventually became the accepted number. 

“I said I would pay three and a half million,” Hastert said. “I would pay incremental amounts up to three and a half million dollars.” 

The meetings continued, Hastert said, approximately every six weeks. Then Doe told him he didn’t want to travel from where he was in another state, and the rotation changed to every three months. 

Hastert said during that period, at least one payoff occurred at Doe’s house. “That was because I couldn’t contact him on his phone.” 

And he indicated that in his mind, he was being blackmailed. 

“He implied that this could go public if I didn’t pay him.” 

While Hastert was charged with a crime of “structuring” withdrawals to avoid attracting the attention of banking regulators, Doe was never charged with any crime. 

There came a point where the payments increased to $100,000. Hastert said he could not recall how many times he paid that amount. At one time there was even a discussion of payments in stock.

“But the stock had no value,” he said. “So we couldn’t do it.” 

It all changed, Hastert said, in 2014. 

“I said I couldn’t do it anymore,” he said, after the FBI approached him, asking about his excessive withdrawals from area banks. Indeed, agents were listening in during that conversation. 

“They kept handing me notes, and I read whatever they gave me,” he said. 

At that point, Hastert had paid Doe in excess of $1.7 million. 

Now, Doe is demanding the balance of the $3.5 million he says the disgraced former speaker agreed to pay. The lawsuit stemming from that demand, is set to go to trial Nov. 18. 

A man has been arrested on suspicion of hacking "world-famous recording artists," stealing their unreleased music and selling it for cryptocurrency. 

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. and City of London Police Commissioner Ian Dyson announced the arrest of the 19-year-old suspected hacker in Ipswich, England, Friday in a joint press release.

The man allegedly accessed artists’ websites and cloud-based accounts illegally to steal unreleased songs, before selling the stolen music in exchange for cryptocurrency. The artists were not named in the press release.

The Manhattan D.A.’s Office said it launched the investigation after receiving referrals from the recording artists’ management companies. It then identified one of the alleged perpetrators, which led to Friday's arrest through its partnership with the City of London Police.

Police said they targeted people involved with streaming the illegally obtained music, with the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) executing searches of a property in North London and a property in Ipswich. 

PIPCU Detective Inspector Nick Court said the arrest marked a significant point in their investigation into those who steal music and stream it illegally. "This sort of crime causes significant financial loss to those who work so incredibly hard to produce, write and make music for their fans to love and enjoy," he said.

The arrest comes after hackers reportedly stole unreleased music from English rock band Radiohead and asked for a $150,000 ransom earlier this year. 

Band-member Jonny Greenwood took to social media June 11 to tell fans that, instead of paying the ransom, the band would make the 18 hours of music available for download.

Friday promises a beautiful start to high school football season.

The day is looking sunny with low humidity, with temperatures near 70. You may want to grab a sweatshirt if you're heading to a game, with temperatures dipping down into the 60s through the evening.

It will be a cool start Saturday, mostly cloudy with lows in the upper 40s and 50s. It will be a cloudy day, with highs in the low to mid 70s and a chance for some late day showers.

Get the latest forecast anytime by clicking here.

Get ready to pay more for prepared meals in the state.

Come October the sales tax for certain food items and drinks goes up 1 percent at grocery stores and restaurants.

Republicans are raising concerns about how many things will be hit with the higher rate.

“Not happy. Connecticut is really taxed already,” said Pat Charon of Manchester.

On October 1, the sales tax for those items will go up that 1 percent to a total of 7.35 percent.

“I do a lot of cooking. But we do like to sometimes be lazy, just buy already cooked meal,” said Nathan Penn of Hartford.

“It seems like it’s not that much. But when you spend a lot on groceries like I do. I have five children. It adds up,” Penn said when presented with the list of things he’ll pay more for, which includes cooked chicken, the hot buffet, and sandwiches.

When the list was revealed by the Department of Revenue Services, concerns were raised by Republicans.

Their state party vice chair Sue Hatfield took to Facebook.

“Items such as chickens will be taxed an extra 1 percent. So I’m going to refer to this new tax as the chicken tax,” said Hatfield.

Republicans argued the tax will also target items most people consider groceries that should be tax-free. They blasted the plan to also apply the roughly 7 percent tax to meal replacement bars, individual frozen desserts and snack bags weighing less than five ounces.

“Anywhere they can hit you in the wallet they’re going to hit you in the wallet,” said Pat Charon.

Democrats pointed out the change was part of a budget that required closing a multi-billion dollar deficit.

In a statement, the governor’s spokesman wrote:

“On the day the Governor took office, he was tasked with closing a massive $3.7 billion deficit and his budget closed it without an increase to tax rates all while ensuring that the safety net remains intact for the most vulnerable in our communities. The Governor has consistently said that due to years of instability in the state’s finances along with slow growth and volatility in our economy—we had to adopt solutions such as modernizing our sales tax and leveling the overall playing field. Why should the price of a bagel vary from Stop & Shop to your local neighborhood Dunkin? It’s apparently easier for the GOP to criticize rather than do the work of presenting their own budget. Connecticut will have the largest rainy day fund in history and this budget maintains and grows our reserves, providing reliability and predictability for our taxpayers, businesses, and those looking to invest in our state well into the future.”

When the budget was being debated, Democrats argued Republicans couldn’t criticize it since they hadn’t come up with an alternative.

To see a full list of affected items, click here.

Waterbury police have arrested a Waterbury Arts Magnet School student who is accused of threatening Instagram posts and officials said there will be an extra police presence at the school today. 

Police said they received several complaints around 7:47 p.m. Thursday about posts made on Instagram that were interpreted as threats toward students attending the Waterbury Arts Magnet School and they started investigating.

Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Shy’rese Eastwood, a resident of Waterbury and student at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School.

Police said Eastwood and his mother cooperated with the investigation and Eastwood had no immediate access to weapons.

All Waterbury Schools opened at the normal time today and uniformed officers, school resource officers and detectives will have an extra presence at Waterbury Arts Magnet School today to help reduce any fears this incident caused to students, staff and parents, according to police.

Eastwood was arrested and charged with breach of peace in the second degree and threatening in the first degree.

He was held on a $25,000 bond.

A Trinity College student was carjacked in Hartford Thursday night.

Police said two males approached a student just before 9:45 p.m. at 240 New Britain Ave., at the college, and one had one appeared to be a gun. 

The student gave the keys to the carjackers, ran to a dorm and called police. 

The car flipped over in the area of 500 New Britain Ave. and the two males who were inside it were taken to Connecticut Children’s. 

Police said one of the suspected carjackers had a black pellet gun.

Police will be meeting with the victim to determine whether the people in the car were the two who stole the car.

Wilton police have arrested a juvenile after investigating a social media post involving a possible school threat.

Police said they were notified around 11:30 p.m. and started investigating a group chat in which a juvenile suggested the threat of violence directed toward a Wilton school, according to police.

Investigators identified a juvenile suspected of sending the post, contacted his parents around 1 a.m. and they brought the boy to the police department.

Police said they interviewed the boy and the post wasn’t meant as an actual threat and it was never meant to be carried out.

They said the juvenile appeared remorseful and understood the consequences of his actions.

The boy was arrested, charged with threatening in the first degree and released into the custody of the parents. He is scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court in Stamford later this month.

Police said that there never appeared to be a viable threat to the public or school community and there is no active threat to the public or school community.

Police have increased their presence and visibility in the school areas.

One person is in critical condition after a domestic dispute at a Cheshire home Wednesday night and another resident has been arrested, according to police. 

Police said they received a 911 call at 8:38 p.m. Wedneday from a cell phone on Mountain Road and found two residents suffering from lacerations. 

Both were treated and transported to separate local hospitals. 

One resident, identified only as an adult, is still in critical condition at a local hospital, police said. 

After being released from the hospital, 31-year-old Emanuel Dominguez-VillaGomez was taken into custody. Police said he was charged with assault in the first degree, risk of injury, reckless endangerment and unlawful restraint.

Police said this is an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the public. The Cheshire Police Detective Bureau and State Police Major Crime were called to assist with the investigation. 

VillaGomez is being held on a $750,000 bond and is due to appear at Meriden Superior Court today.

A suspicious package has been reported at the federal courthouse at 915 Lafayette Boulevard in Bridgeport, according to Bridgeport police.

They said state police and federal marshals handling are handling the incident and Bridgeport police and firefighters are at the scene to assist.

No additional information was immediately available.

Police are investigating reports of a man approaching an 11-year-old child at a bus stop in Thompson Friday morning and telling the child to get in the car.

Police said a man between 18 and 30 years old approached the child at a bus stop at the corner of Poulin Road and Route 131 at 6:40 a.m. and told the child to “get in the vehicle.”

The child then ran home and the driver of a vehicle described as a silver four-door “Pontiac” style car headed toward Massachusetts, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call State Police Troop D barracks at 860-779-4900.

An advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration will vote Friday on whether to recommend a peanut allergy treatment for FDA approval, NBC News reported.

The drug, called Palforzia, would be the first FDA-approved drug for treating food allergies.

Palforzia is a type of oral immunotherapy. The treatment involves exposing children with peanut allergies to increasing doses of peanut protein, in order to build up tolerance over time. The goal of the treatment is not to get rid of a peanut allergy entirely, but to reduce a person’s risk of severe reactions in case of accidental exposures.

The vote from advisory committee does not mean the drug is approved, however most drugs recommended by advisory committee do go on to win FDA approval.

The first three Democratic debates of the 2020 presidential election are in the bag and the fourth takes place Oct. 15 (perhaps a second night on Oct. 16, too).

When and How to Watch the 2020 Democratic Presidential Debates

The Democratic National Committee has approved up to 12 debates, with six scheduled for 2019 and six more set for 2020. 

The New York Times and CNN will co-host the fourth presidential debate in Westerville, Ohio, at Otterbein University on Oct. 15 and possibly Oct. 16, depending on how many candidates qualify. This will be the second primary debate of the cycle hosted by CNN and the first for the Times in more than a decade, the newspaper reported.  

ABC News' hosted the third debate on Sept. 12 at Texas Southern University in Houston. The debate was harder to qualify for than the first two (more on that below), and that higher threshold combined with a winnowing candidate pool meant this was the first of the 2020 Democratic debates to feature all the highest polling candidates on stage at the same time.

CNN hosted its debate on July 30 and 31 from Detroit, Michigan. Qualifying rules were the same as for the first debate.

The first debate, sponsored by NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo, took place on June 26 and June 27 at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida. Watch everything each candidate said on night one and night two. 

The 10 Democrats Who Have Qualified for the Fourth Presidential Primary Debate in Ohio So Far Are

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
• Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
• South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
• Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
• Former Vice President Joe Biden
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• Sen. Kamala Harris of California
• Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
• Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas
• Former housing secretary Julián Castro
• Billionaire activist Tom Steyer

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard needs hit at least 2% support in two more qualifying polls to make the cut, while self-help author Marianne Williamson needs the hit that threshold in three more polls, the Times reported. Candidates have an Oct. 1 deadline to qualify, the Times reported. 

It's unclear how many qualifying candidates would trigger a return to a two-night debate format. 

The 10 Democrats Who Made the Third Presidential Primary Debate Lineup in Detroit Were

ABC News said the following podium order (left to right) was set by polling averages, with the highest polling candidates closest to the center of the debate stage:

• Sen. Klobuchar 
• Sen. Booker
• South Bend Mayor Buttigieg
• Sen. Sanders 
• Former Vice President Biden
• Sen. Warren
• Sen. Harris 
• Entrepreneur Yang
• Former Rep. O’Rourke
• Former HUD Secretary Castro

Here is a look at the top moments. 

The 20 Democrats Who Made the Second Presidential Primary Debate Lineup in Detroit Were

CNN held a live drawing on July 18 to determine the debate order for each night.

The first group of 10 on Tuesday, July 30, were:
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Mayor Buttigieg, Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Klobuchar, former Rep. O’Rourke, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, Sen. Sanders, Sen. Warren and Williamson, the author.

The second group of 10 on Wednesday, July 31, were:
Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, former Vice President Biden, Sen. Booker, former HUD Secretary Castro, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Gabbard, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Harris, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Yang.

Here are a few more things to know about the CNN debate.

• Night one included Sanders and Warren, who have each staked out aggressive, progressive policy positions. They did not go after each other as some predicted they might. 
• Night two featured a rematch of Harris and Biden. During the first debate, Harris went after Biden over his record on race, in a moment that led the news in the days afterward.
• Montana Gov. Steve Bullock made the debate stage for the first time, having secured his spot after Rep. Eric Swalwell of California exited the race.

The 20 Democrats Who Appeared in the First Presidential Primary Debate in Miami Were

The first group of 10 who appeared on Wednesday, June 26: Sen.Booker, Sen. Warren, former Rep. O’Rourke, Sen. Klobuchar, former Rep. Delaney, Rep. Gabbard, former HUD Secretary Castro, Rep. Ryan, New York City Mayor de Blasio and Washington Gov. Inslee.  

NBC News has a full transcript here.

More coverage from night one: 

The second group of 10 who appeared on Thursday, June 27: Sen. Harris, former Vice President Biden, South Bend Mayor Buttigieg, Sen. Sanders, Sen. Gillibrand, Sen. Bennet, Williamson, Rep. Swalwell, Yang and Gov. Hickenlooper of Colorado.

NBC News has a full transcript here.

More coverage from night two:

At NBC's debate candidates were allowed closing statements but no openers.

Three candidates who failed to make the cut for the first debate were Gov. Bullock, Rep. Moulton, and Miramar Mayor Messam. 

Here is more information about all the candidates.

How Candidates Qualified for the First Two Democratic Presidential Primary Debates

In February, the DNC published specific debate guidelines spelling out what  candidates have to do to participate. 

Democratic candidates could qualify for the first and second debates by meeting one of the two following sets of criteria:

Criteria 1- Polling Method: Participants must register 1% or more support in three polls (which may be national polls, or polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada) publicly released between Jan. 1, 2019, and 14 days prior to the date of the debate. Qualifying polls will be limited to those sponsored by one or more of the following organizations/institutions: Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Des Moines Register, Fox News, Las Vegas Review Journal, Monmouth University, NBC News, New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), Quinnipiac University, Reuters, University of New Hampshire, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Winthrop University. Any candidate’s three qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations, or if by the same organization, must be in different geographical areas.

Criteria 2 - Grassroots Fundraising Method: Candidates may qualify for the debate by demonstrating that the campaign has received donations from at least (1) 65,000 unique donors; and (2) a minimum of 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 U.S. states.  

If more than 20 candidates qualified, here is how a tiebreaker would work, according to NBC News. Candidates who meet both the polling and fundraising criteria would get preference. If that still doesn't winnow the field, then preference goes to candidates with the highest polling average.    

How Candidates Were Selected for the Third and Fourth Debates

For the third and fourth debates, the DNC essentially doubled the polling and fundraising thresholds set for the first two debates — and required candidates to meet both standards, instead of just one or the other, NBC News reported.

Candidates needed to register at least 2 percent in four major polls conducted this summer and receive donations from at least 130,000 individual donors, including at least 400 in 20 states.

Since only 10 candidates qualified for ABC News' debate under the new standards, they all appeared on stage together for one night.  

Who Will Moderate the 2020 Presidential Debates?

CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett will co-moderate the fourth debate with the Times' national editor, Marc Lacey.

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, David Muir and Linsey Davis and Univision's Jorge Ramos moderated the third debate.

CNN's Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper moderated the second debate on July 30 and 31, the network reported.

There were five moderators for the first debate: "TODAY" co-anchor and NBC News chief legal analyst Savannah Guthrie, "NBC Nightly News" and "Dateline" anchor Lester Holt, "Meet the Press" moderator and NBC News political director Chuck Todd, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and "Noticias Telemundo" and "NBC Nightly News Saturday" anchor José Diaz-Balart. 

Holt moderated for both hours. Guthrie and Diaz-Balart co-moderated for the first hour, while Todd and Maddow joined Holt for the second hour.

The DNC has said it will have at least one female and non-white moderator at each Democratic presidential debate.

"The DNC is committed to an inclusive and fair debate process," DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill told Refinery29, which first reported the debates would have at least one female moderator. "That means that all 12 DNC sanctioned debates will feature a diverse group of moderators and panelists including women and people of color, ensuring that the conversations reflect the concerns of all Americans."

HuffPost later reported that the debates will also include at least one person of color as a moderator, who could also be the same person as the female moderator. 

Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine for unlawfully paying $15,000 to improve her daughter's SAT scores. 

The "Desperate Housewives" actress pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy and fraud connected to a wider college admissions scheme that set the nation ablaze when it was uncovered earlier this year. 

Read Huffman's full statement on the sentencing, below: 

I accept the court’s decision today without reservation. I have always been prepared to accept whatever punishment Judge Talwani imposed. I broke the law. I have admitted that and I pleaded guilty to this crime. There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period.

I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.

I have learned a lot over the last six months about my flaws as a person. My goal now is to serve the sentence that the court has given me. I look forward to doing my community service hours and making a positive impact on my community. I also plan to continue making contributions wherever I can well after those service hours are completed.

I can promise you that in the months and years to come that I will try and live a more honest life, serve as a better role model for my daughters and family and continue to contribute my time and energies wherever I am needed.

My hope now is that my family, my friends and my community will forgive me for my actions.

Electric Boat employees joined state, local and federal officials today at the company’s Groton Shipyard to mark the groundbreaking of a new facility dedicated to the construction of the Columbia-class of submarines.

The South Yard Assembly Building (SYAB), a 200,000 square-foot building, will eventually be home to 1,400 shipbuilders who will deliver the Columbia-class to the U.S. Navy. The SYAB is the centerpiece of an $850 million expansion at the company’s Groton Shipyard.

The company will also expand and update other manufacturing spaces and build a floating dry dock to launch Columbia submarines.

U.S. House Rep. Joe Courtney (D) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) both worked to help bring the expansion to the region.

“Men and women not yet born will be working here producing ships that are necessary for our national defense,” Blumenthal said. “It will enable people have skills, careers, families in this part of the state and throughout Connecticut.”

“We hope to continue to hire and train thousands of new employees and will help grow our supply base of more than 3,000 companies to ensure the successful execution of the Columbia program,” said Jeffrey S. Geiger, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat.

In total, General Dynamics Electric Boat will invest more than $1.7 billion to modernize and upgrade its facilities over the next decade.

In addition to the facilities in Groton, the company is investigating $700 million at its location in Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

Rolling Tomato is one of several businesses set to benefit from the latest expansion at Electric Boat.

David Santacroce is a manager at Rolling Tomato and is excited about the opportunities.

“It’s good for the area, it’s good for local businesses,” said Santacroce. “It means more taxes, more revenue for the town and us.”

All incentives for Groton as construction continues for the South Yard Assembly building.

Nearly one-third of the work force is set to retire and the goal is to focus to make sure the first Columbia-class is finished by 2027 for the Navy.

Mayor Keith Hedrick is focusing on the next generation of workers.

“There’s a forecasted work at Electric boat for the next 30 years,” Hedrick said . “It’s tremendous for high school students who want to immediately start their careers.”

Construction is underway and set to be completed in early 2023.

A Simsbury man who switched cell phone service providers and decided to cancel still found himself stuck with a bill. He reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds to tackle the problem and get it resolved.

Last October, Gianni Zunino contacted Sprint to switch his cell phone service over from AT&T. A few days later, Zunino changed his mind and cancelled his new account, opting to stay with AT&T.

Zunino told NBC Connecticut Responds he mailed back the two new iPhones he received from Sprint.

He said Sprint sent him a “number transfer request” that confirmed his cancellation.

Despite that cancellation, Zunino said that he kept receiving a bill from Sprint with no dollar amount stating, “Thank you for your payment.”

He then got a collection notice for $139, but Zunino couldn’t get a clear answer from customer service as to why.

Stuck, he reached out to NBC Connecticut Responds. Our team contacted Sprint who sent a statement:

“Our Executive care team reached out to Mr. Zunino to discuss the issues with his account. After reviewing the details, we were able to remove the balance on the customer’s closed account.”

That action resulted in a zero balance for Gianni Zunino.