If at first you don't succeed, spread some money around. The Financial Times reports that the US State Department is offering cash bribes to captains of Iranian ships if they sail those ships into ports where the US government can seize them.

More than a year out from the 2020 presidential election, we're already starting to see "spoiler" fear-mongering from supporters of America's two largest political parties and their candidates. Will formerly Republican congressman Justin Amash of Michigan run for president as a Libertarian or independent in 2020? How about formerly Republican, formerly Democrat, formerly independent, former Rhode Island governor and US Senator, now Wyoming Libertarian Lincoln Chafee?

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (August 28, 2019) — The African-American Museum of Iowa will recognize Dr Simon Estes with a Lifetime Achievement Award and four statewide leaders during its 2019 History Makers Gala. Honorees Lorinda Ampey (Marion), Marie Christian (Davenport), Dr Raynard Kington (Grinnell), and Bridget Saffold (Waterloo) were nominated by their peers and selected by a Museum committee based on their professional and community impact as leaders.

The US Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the New York Times reports, fears "ransomware" attacks against America's voter-registration systems in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. In response, it's launching a program that "narrowly focuses" on protecting those systems.