Ex-congressman gets 13-year sentence reduced to time served

A former congressman convicted nearly a decade ago on bribery charges had his sentence reduced Friday to time served, knocking nearly eight years off a prison term in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling make it tougher to convict public officials of bribery.

The resentencing ended a 12-year legal saga for William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, whose case made headlines in 2005 after he was caught with $90,000 stashed in his freezer.

Jefferson walked out of an Alexandria courtroom a free man Friday, now facing only a year of post-release supervision after serving five years and five months of his original 13-year-prison sentence.

"I'm going to go back home and get a Christmas dinner," a smiling Jefferson told reporters after Friday's hearing.

Jefferson, 70, was convicted on 10 bribery-related counts in a 2009 trial. In October, though, the judge who sent him away ordered him freed. He said that a 2016 ruling by the Supreme Court overturning the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on corruption charges changed the law as to what constitutes an "official act" for which a public official can be charged with bribery.

The judge, T.S. Ellis III, tossed out seven of ten counts of conviction against Jefferson, and said Jefferson was entitled to a new sentencing hearing on the three counts that held up.

The new landscape prompted prosecutors and Jefferson's lawyers to negotiate, and this week they jointly proposed a universal settlement in which Jefferson's sentence would be reduced to time served plus a $189,000 fine, which amounts to what has already been collected on a $470,000 judgment entered at the time of his conviction.

At Friday's hearing, Ellis had the option to impose a stiffer sentence, but said the negotiated deal represented a reasonable conclusion to the case.

[SOURCE]

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver: John Conyers will make the 'right decision' and step down

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) predicted on Saturday that Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) would make "the right decision" and resign in the face of sexual misconduct allegations.

"I can tell you that John Conyers right now, at this very moment as we are on this air, is contemplating his future and his legacy," Cleaver, a Congressional Black Caucus member, said on Fox News.

"And I can almost assure you that John Conyers is going to make what I would think is the right decision for his own legacy, and that is to step down and try to enjoy the rest of his life," he added.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Colin Kaepernick Is Recipient of 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award

Steadfast in his fight for social justice and committed to his beliefs no matter the cost, Colin Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.

Colin Kaepernick made his truth known when he first decided not to stand for the national anthem. He had a lot of football left to play and a lot more money to make when he made his decision. It was late August, 2016. People who were anonymous in life had become famous in death. Philando Castile. Eric Garner​. Alton Sterling. Freddie Gray. They were tragic symbols of a society that had taken a terribly wrong turn. As the anthem played ahead of the 49ers' preseason game against the Texans, Kaepernick, San Francisco's 28-year-old quarterback at the time, quietly took a seat on the bench.

It took two weeks for anyone from the media to ask him about it. Kaepernick explained that he was making a statement about inequality and social justice, about the ways this country “oppresses black people and people of color.”

“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he added. “There are bodies in the street,” he said then, “and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

In the last 16 months, Kaepernick’s truth has been twisted, distorted and used for political gain. It has cost him at least a year of his NFL career and the income that should have come with it. But still, it is his truth. He has not wavered from it. He does not regret speaking it. He has caused millions of people to examine it. And, quietly, he has donated nearly a million dollars to support it.

For all those reasons—for his steadfastness in the fight for social justice, for his adherence to his beliefs no matter the cost—Colin Kaepernick is the recipient of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. Each year SI and the Ali family honor a figure who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy and has used sports as a platform for changing the world. “I am proud to be able to present this to Colin for his passionate defense of social justice and civil rights for all people,” says Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s widow. “Like Muhammad, Colin is a man who stands on his convictions with confidence and courage, undaunted by the personal sacrifices he has had to make to have his message heard. And he has used his celebrity and philanthropy to the benefit of some of our most vulnerable community members.”

Previous Legacy winners—including Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jim Brown, Jack Nicklaus and Magic Johnson—were deserving. But no winner has been more fitting than Kaepernick. Ali lost more than three years of his career for his refusal to serve in the military in opposition to the Vietnam War. Kaepernick has lost one year, so far, for his pursuit of social justice.

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Board approves plan for LeBron James' 'I Promise' school in Akron

The school board in LeBron James' Ohio hometown has approved the plan for a public school being created in partnership with the NBA star's foundation.

The LeBron James Family Foundation says the "I Promise" School in Akron will be geared toward educating students who are at risk of falling behind. It will have longer days and begin classes in the summer - weeks before other district schools - to encourage information retention.

It's scheduled to open next fall for third- and fourth-graders and add more grade levels in future years.

The idea is based on the foundation's existing "I Promise" programs that encourage struggling students to stay in school.

Supporters cheered after the Akron School Board approved the school's plan Monday.

New York-based production company Warrior Poets says it will soon begin filming a documentary series centered on the school in partnership with LeBron James' production company SpringHill Entertainment.

Congressional Black Caucus members press Conyers to resign

A group of Democrats including members of the Congressional Black Caucus is privately urging Rep. John Conyers to resign after a third former staffer went public with allegations of sexual harassment against the longtime Michigan Democrat, according to congressional sources.

Members of the CBC are pressing Conyers to step down after 53 years in office, telling him that fellow Democrats are expected to come out and publicly demand he resign. Reps. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) have already done so, and additional Democratic lawmakers were expected to join them as the House returned from the week long Thanksgiving break on Tuesday night.

Conyers was meeting with CBC members late Tuesday afternoon to discuss his future, according to several lawmakers who attended. The CBC was expected to issue a statement on the matter Tuesday night.

"I'm going to let him make his decision," said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the CBC chairman. "We had a lengthy discussion."

When asked whether he pushed Conyers to resign, RIchmond said, "I did not ask him to resign." Richmond.

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) said, "Only he can determine his future."

Conyers did not attend the House votes on Tuesday night, although he was in Washington. Reporters later tweeted a phote of Conyers taking a flight back to Detroit.

There is a divide within the CBC over Conyers, a longtime friend and ally to many of the lawmakers. Some want Conyers to resign immediately, believing that the harassment allegations are credible and the Michigan Democrat can no longer represent his constituents.

Others are upset the Conyers' allegations were first passed to BuzzFeed by a conservative activist who has been involved in ugly conspiracy theories. And still other CBC members feel the Ethics Committee should be allowed to undertake its investigation and report to the House what it turns up before any further steps are taken.

Read more: Black Caucus members press Conyers to resign