What to Know
- Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is scheduled to learn his sentence for tax and bank-fraud charges
- Sen. Martha McSally, the first female Air Force fighter pilot to fly in combat, said she was sexually assaulted by a superior officer
- R. Kelly was taken back into custody just after he appeared at a child support hearing in Chicago, The Cook County Sheriff's office said
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Paul Manafort to Learn Sentence for Tax, Bank Fraud
When former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is sentenced for tax and bank fraud, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III will likely issue the same lecture he gives to drug dealers and bank robbers. Manafort's choices leave the 69-year-old with the very real possibility that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Manafort could receive a 20-year sentence, though most observers expect he will receive something less than that. Last year, a jury in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, convicted Manafort on eight felonies related to tax and bank-fraud charges for hiding foreign income from his work in Ukraine from the IRS, and later inflating his income on bank-loan applications. Prosecutors have said the work in Ukraine was on behalf of politicians who were closely aligned with Russia, though Manafort has insisted his work helped those politicians distance themselves from Russia and align with the West. After his conviction, Manafort pleaded guilty to separate charges in the District of Columbia related to illegal lobbying. He faces up to five years in prison on each of two counts to which he pleaded guilty.
Martha McSally Says a Superior Officer Raped Her When in Air Force
Sen. Martha McSally, the first female Air Force fighter pilot to fly in combat, said she was sexually assaulted by a superior officer, and later, when she tried to talk about it to military officials, she "felt like the system was raping me all over again." The Arizona Republican, a 26-year military veteran, made the disclosure at a Senate hearing on the military's efforts to prevent sexual assaults and improve the response when they occur. Lawmakers also heard from other service members who spoke of being sexually assaulted and humiliated while serving their country. McSally said she did not report being raped because she did not trust the system, and she said she was ashamed and confused. She said she was impressed and grateful to the survivors who came forward to help change the system. She was in the ninth class at the Air Force Academy to allow women, and said sexual harassment and assault were prevalent. Victims mostly suffered in silence, she said.
R. Kelly Taken Into Custody After Child Support Hearing
Local
R. Kelly was taken back into custody just after he appeared at a child support hearing in Chicago. The Cook County Sheriff's office confirmed Kelly was in custody and would be taken to the Cook County Jail. It remained unclear how long Kelly would be held or why he was taken into custody. Meanwhile, in Detroit, another woman has come forward claiming Kelly had sex with her when she was just 13, NBC affiliate WDIV reports. Detroit police tell the station they are aware of the allegation. Kelly's next court appearance on the child support matter is set for March 13. The amount he needs to pay is $161,633, according to the sheriff's office. Kelly was seen being escorted out of court as lawyers continued to argue, according to reports from inside the courtroom. The R&B singer who is out on bail in a criminal case accusing him of sexually abusing four women years ago, including three who were underage at the time, didn't appear to say anything as he walked past a throng of reporters into the courtroom.
'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Reveals Cancer Diagnosis
"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek said he has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer but intends to fight the disease and keep on working. In a video posted online, the 78-year-old said he was announcing his illness directly to "Jeopardy!" fans in keeping with his long-time policy of being "open and transparent." He's among 50,000 other Americans who receive such a diagnosis each year, Trebek said. Normally, the "prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working." Trebek said he plans to beat the disease's low survival rate with the love and support of family and friends and with prayers from viewers. He lightened the difficult message with humor: He said he must beat the odds because his "Jeopardy!" contract requires he host the quiz show for three more years.
