Prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller said in a new court filing that President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort should serve between 19.5 and 24.5 years in prison for the financial crimes for which he was convicted in a Virginia court last August.
"In the end, Manafort acted for more than a decade as if he were above the law, and deprived the federal government and various financial institutions of millions of dollars. The sentence here should reflect the seriousness of these crimes, and serve to both deter Manafort and others from engaging in such conduct."
Why it matters: This would essentially be a life sentence for the 69-year-old Manafort. He is also facing a separate case in D.C., where a judge recently ruled that he had violated his plea agreement with Mueller and could therefore lose out on any potential leniency he might be offered.
Alibaba, China's e-commerce behemoth, is making new inroads in the U.S. and Canada, adding its mobile payment system to thousands of stores — convenience, drug stores and other shops — frequented by Americans of all income levels.
What's happening: Alipay insists that it is not after American customers, instead seeking to serve Chinese tourists, students and business people who come in droves to North America every year.
A federal judge on Friday issued a gag order in the Mueller investigation's case against longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone, restricting the attorneys for both parties from making statements to the media or the public that could influence the outcome of the trial.
Why it matters: The gag order also restricts Stone from making comments within the vicinity of the courthouse. Stone, who filed a response opposing the gag order last week, is a notoriously brash and theatrical political operative who frequently posts on social media about his view that the Mueller investigation is a partisan "witch hunt." The judge did not say she would impose additional restrictions on Stone at this time, but may reconsider in the future.
U.S. policy toward Iran hardened further in Poland this week, as U.S. officials demanded that Europe abandon the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and suggested that Iranians rise up and overthrow their government.
The volume of digital information produced in China is vastly outstripping that of the U.S., according to new research from Seagate and technology research group IDC.
The big picture: This includes financial records, photos and other documents stored on the internet. By 2025, China will hold 27.8% of the world's data, compared to 17.5% that will reside in the U.S. China's data is growing 3% faster than the global average every year.
Vice President Mike Pence today called on America’s European allies to exit the Iran deal and chastised them for what he called "an effort to break American sanctions against Iran’s murderous revolutionary regime."
