| Disgraced Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is going to prison | + Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday, following his September conviction on 11 counts of corruption.
+ The sentence was actually much shorter than what prosecutors sought and many expected, according to the Washington Post. U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer said McDonnell's military service and support from his daughters moved him to lighten the load.
+ McDonnell and his wife Maureen faced a combined 14 counts of corruption for their dealings with former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams.
+ The company was selling an anti-inflammatory drug called Anatabloc, and the couple hosted an Anatabloc launch at the governor's mansion, attended other product events and put Williams in touch with government officials, according to the Associated Press.
+ In exchange, Williams provided the McDonnells with many expensive gifts. Those included $15,000 for their daughter's wedding reception, $20,000 in designer clothes and a $6,500 engraved Rolex, plus thousands upon thousands more in vacations, golf trips and loans. | | | President Obama has a welcome-to-Congress present for the new GOP leadership: A veto threat | Republicans took complete control of Congress for the first time in eight years Tuesday, then ran straight into a White House veto threat against their top-priority legislation to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
+ Republicans condemned the unexpected announcement, "which came at the same time they were savoring the fruits of last fall's elections and speaking brightly about possible bipartisan compromises in the two years ahead," the Associated Press reports.
+ According to Reuters, Republicans aren't completely sweating the White House's veto threat.
+ Rep. John Boehner was easily reelected as House Speaker despite vocal dissent by GOP conservatives.
+ On a lighter note, Vice President Joe Biden killed it at the Senate's swearing-in ceremony.
+ The new Congress is the most diverse in U.S. history — but it's still overwhelmingly white and male. | | Opinion: Why the Boston Marathon bomber shouldn't receive the death penalty | Mic's Zak Cheney-Rice argues that despite his heinous crimes and the assurance of his guilt, 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whose trial began Monday, shouldn't face the death penalty for the 2013 bombings in Boston.
"Over the past few months — centuries, even — our criminal justice system has proven consistently unworthy of deciding when someone deserves to live or die," writes Cheney-Rice. "It proved this last fall when it facilitated the non-indictments of police Officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, both of whom killed unarmed black men and faced no repercussions. It proves this whenever it applies its powers asymmetrically — criminalizing blackness, brownness, poverty and mental illness, among other things. In fact, it proves this each and every year, when an average of three to five inmates are released from death row evidence proves their innocence."
"Overall, it's a shaky foundation on which to build the moral superiority required to kill people in the name of 'justice,'" he writes. "Tsarnaev's trial is a chance to do so in the face of one of the most horrific crimes in recent years. We have the opportunity to prove ourselves better than the death penalty. We should not take it lightly." | | | Introducing MicCheck, our brand new iOS app | Mic has officially launched our new iOS app, MicCheck!
MicCheck is the best way to stay informed about the world with a few simple swipes. Mic’s expert editors will be curating the best stories from Mic and across the Web, showcasing the most interesting and important selections that will help you stay on top of the conversation in real time.
With everything from breaking news and politics to science, music and culture, MicCheck offers a beautifully designed, single feed of conversation starters, perfect for anyone who’s on the go and wants to catch up in a hurry.
Download MicCheck, share it with friends, and then send an email to appfeedback@mic.com to let us know how we can make it better! | | |
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