(CNN) -- Miep Gies, who ensured the diary of Anne Frank did not fall into the hands of Nazis after the teen's arrest, has died. She was 100.
Gies was among a team of Dutch citizens who hid the Frank family of four and four others in a secret annex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, during World War II, according to her official Web site, which announced her death Monday. She worked as a secretary for Anne Frank's father, Otto, in the front side of the same Prinsengracht building.
The family stayed in the secret room from July 1942 until August 4, 1944, when they were arrested by Gestapo and Dutch police after being betrayed by an informant. Two of Gies' team were arrested that day, but she and her friend, Bep Voskuijl, were left behind -- and found 14-year-old Anne's papers.
DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent –WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sought to slam the book shut Monday on a controversy stemming from remarks about President Barack Obama's race and dialect, and a string of forgiving statements from prominent blacks made clear his leadership post is not in immediate jeopardy.
"I've apologized to the president," he said, and to everyone "within the sound of my voice that I could have used a better choice of words." He spoke in Apex, Nev., his first public comments since the issue flared over the weekend.
"I'll continue to do my work for the African-American community ... I'm not going to dwell on this any more," he added.
By Michael Winter
The ousted former Democratic governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, has backpedaled for saying in Esquire magazine that he is "blacker" than President Obama.
"It was a very stupid thing to say," Blagojevich told Chicago station CBS 2 this morning. "Obviously, I'm not blacker than President Obama."
Here's a taste of what Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office last year, said in his Esquire interview: