Oct 22, 2019

Actress Lori Loughlin and 10 others face bribery charges

Marisa Fernandez

Actress Lori Loughlin exits the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse after appearing in Federal Court on April 3 in Boston, Mass. Photo: Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Eleven defendants in the college admissions scandal, including "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, now face bribery charges in addition to their indictments of conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering, NBC News reports.

Why it matters: The parents could now be looking at even more serious sentences. Loughlin and Giannulli have been accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits, despite neither having previously participated in the sport.

Go deeper... Timeline: The major developments in the college admissions scandal

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Axios

Timeline: The major developments in the college admissions scandal

Actress Lori Loughlin exit the Boston Federal Court house after a pre-trial hearing with at U.S. courthouse in Boston on Aug. 27. Photo: JOSEPH PREZIOSO / Getty Images

In what Department of Justice prosecutors have called the biggest admissions scam in U.S. history, parents allegedly bribed coaches and paid for forged standardized tests in a conspiracy to get their children into elite American colleges.

Driving the news: A former college exam proctor accused of accepting bribes to allow cheating on college entrance exams pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 to a racketeering charge. Prosecutors claimed Igor Dvorskiy accepted about $200,000 in bribes to assist 20 students. That same day, Toby Macfarlane, a California-based insurance executive, was sentenced to six months in prison after admitting to conspiring with Rick Singer on behalf of his two children.

Go deeperArrowUpdated Nov 13, 2019
Shane Savitsky

Mayor Pete's twist on college debt

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg, who recently rocketed to the top of polls in Iowa, released a $500 billion college affordability plan today, which would make public college tuition free for households earning under $100,000 and inject $120 billion into federal Pell Grants.

The big picture: It contrasts with more expansive proposals from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who want to wipe out all college tuition and debt — though nearly every 2020 contender has their own ideas.

Go deeperArrowNov 18, 2019
Sara Fischer

Scoop: NBC News adding digital jobs, but laying off some staffers

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

NBC News Digital is expanding its staff by 20% over the next year, an addition of roughly 70 jobs across multiple departments — focused on growing its digital streaming service, Axios has learned.

The big picture: The changes are meant to refocus NBC News' video and reporting teams around daily news and custom content.

Go deeperArrowOct 29, 2019