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Keith Raniere, founder of cult-like group NXIVM, sentenced to 120 years in prison ALBANY, N.Y. –  NXIVM founder Keith Raniere  was sentenced Tuesday to 120 years in prison for his role in leading a criminal enterprise that included a cult-like sorority where women were sexually exploited and branded with his initials. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the sentence in a  tweet. Prosecutors were seeking a life sentence for  Raniere, 60, who was convicted of seven felonies last year  after a wild six-week trial where jurors heard explicit testimony about his polygamous sexual preferences and the many ways he manipulated his devoted followers into performing sex acts or forced labor. For more than 15 years, Raniere led the Albany, New York, company he founded, NXIVM, which was a purported self-help organization whose participants paid thousands of dollars for various classes and coursework. But prosecutors alleged NXIVM was in actuality a crimina

Sen. Schatz: Barrett confirmation "the most rank hypocrisy I've ever seen" "We're not the world's greatest deliberative body. We're just a little factory that approves federal judges," Schatz said. "And that's how [Republican Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell wants it." There's "no legislating going on," the senator said. "But it's especially egregious when so many people need so much help," he added, describing the lives and jobs and businesses lost due to the health crisis. "And the highest priority for Mitch McConnell is stacking the courts." "It's not a trivial thing that you held up Merrick Garland," Schatz said, referring to the refusal by Senate Republican to take up President Barack Obama's nominee for the high court in 2016. "Inside of this body, we're supposed to care about stuff like that. Inside of this body, your word is supposed to count for stuff like

Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett, heralding new conservative era for Supreme Court WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate voted narrowly on Monday to confirm  Amy Coney Barrett  to the Supreme Court, ending an  acrimonious confirmation process  and handing President Donald Trump a political victory days before the election. The 48-year-old appeals court judge will fill the seat left vacant by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal icon who died Sept. 18, and is expected to propel a sharp ideological turn on the court. Democrats made numerous unsuccessful attempts to slow down or derail the vote but ran headlong into a GOP determined to cement a 6-3 majority. Some legal experts say it will be the  most conservative Supreme Court  since before World War II. The addition of Barrett could solidify the right’s advantages on issues like campaign finance and gun rights while threatening progressive issues like abortion rights, voting rights and health care regulations. The  vote  was 52-48