Quick take: Manafort — whose legal team pointed to his poor health and low likelihood for committing future crimes — presented letters of support earlier on Friday as well as a 40-page document, appealing to Jackson to avoid a life sentence for conspiracy and witness tampering. He will be sentenced by a judge in Virginia federal court next Thursday for crimes including tax fraud, bank fraud and lying on federal financial documents, followed by a second sentencing hearing in Jackson's courtroom March 13.
Australia's scorching and widespread heat waves throughout this summer propelled the national average temperature to a new all-time high for the season, according to its weather bureau.
Why it matters: Australia is one of the countries most impacted by climate extremes, suffering from heat waves, bushfires and coral bleaching events tied to long-term, human-driven increases in greenhouse gas concentrations. However, this summer brought unprecedented heat to every part of the country — part of a trend consistent with what scientists predict as global warming continues.
Chelsea Manning, who had her sentence commuted by President Obama in 2017 after leaking classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks as an Army intelligence analyst, has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury, the New York Times reports.
What to watch: Her lawyers have been speaking with an assistant U.S. attorney who argued that any charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should remain secret. Manning's subpoena was issued in the same district where Assange was charged. In an interview with NYT, Manning said she did not know why she was being subpoenaed and plans to fight it.
U.S. critics of renewable energy and other climate-friendly policy often cite Australia’s woes — expensive and sometimes unreliable electricity — as evidence their arguments are sound. That ignores one of America's most important natural resources.
Driving the news: At a Capitol Hill event Wednesday opposing the Green New Deal, Rep. Paul Gosar (R.-Ariz.), said "Aussies' obsession with renewables has destroyed their electric grid. … Let's learn from Australia’s mistakes, not repeat them."
Tesla is finally launching that long-promised $35,000 Model 3, but to meet its target price, the company is closing all of its 378 stores worldwide, laying off retail employees and shifting all sales online.
Why it matters: That $35,000 price tag enables CEO Elon Musk to fulfill his 2006 secret master plan to deliver a mass-market electric vehicle, but he told reporters today "there's no other way" to produce it than by closing all its stores and eliminating jobs. Even so, he says the company won't be profitable this quarter.
Electric carmaker Tesla unveiled the long-awaited $35,000 Model 3 sedan on Thursday, and the company is only taking orders online, while closing most of their stores.
Our thought bubble: Per Axios Future editor Steve LeVine, the optics of the move are not terrific — Musk looks like he is acting in haste. The Tesla stores have been a hallmark of the brand's coolness and, regardless of the argument for finally getting a promised $35,000 version of the Model 3 on the road, there is a marketing price to closing stores. As proof, Tesla shares were down 3% in after-hours trading.
