Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a member of the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in illegally directing millions of dollars in foreign funds into Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Michel, 52, declined to make a statement before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly announced the sentence on Thursday.
He was convicted in April 2023 after a federal jury found him guilty on 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial, held in Washington, D.C., included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Independent reported.
Justice Department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence, asserting that Michel “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.”“His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed,” they wrote in court filings.
Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg said the 14-year sentence imposed on his client was “completely disproportionate to the offense,” and confirmed that Michel plans to appeal both his conviction and sentence.
Zeidenberg had urged the court to impose a three-year prison term. In a prior filing, Michel’s legal team argued that a life sentence — which prosecutors had indicated was possible — would be an “absurdly high” penalty, noting that such terms are typically reserved for individuals convicted of deadly terrorism or major drug cartel activity.
“The Government’s position is one that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil and, if anything, simply illustrates just how easily the Guidelines can be manipulated to produce absurd results, and how poorly equipped they are, at least on this occasion, to determine a fair and just sentence,” the defense team wrote.
Meanwhile, the former president said earlier this month that Democrats should embrace socialists as an important part of their political coalition.
Speaking on the “Pod Save America” podcast, Obama urged party leaders not to impose “litmus tests” on members with differing views and described newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, as “part of a vision for the future.”
“Tuesday was nice, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. And your task is going to be not to impose litmus tests,” Obama said. “We had [Democratic Virginia Gov.-elect] Abigail Spanberger win and we had Zohran Mandani win and they are all part of a vision for the future. Our job is to say that we want everybody engaged.”
He added: “And we want to have a conversation about how to make sure that every person in this country is treated with dignity and respect, and there are ladders of opportunity, and that there’s the possibility of community, and that we’re getting along not in some cliché, phonied way, but in a genuine, deep way where we recognize, yeah, we have differences, and yes, there are fights that are going to have to be fought, but that deep down there is something core in us that we have in common that is extraordinary.”
Mamdani won the mayoral race on a left-wing socialist platform that included raising taxes on corporations and wealthy residents, implementing a citywide rent freeze, providing free bus service and childcare, and establishing city-owned grocery stores.
A recent Gallup poll released Sept. 8 found that only 42% of Democrats viewed capitalism positively, while 66% expressed a favorable opinion of socialism. The following day, NewsNation political contributor Chris Cillizza cautioned on his YouTube channel that the Democratic Party’s growing embrace of socialism could jeopardize its chances in the 2028 election.“I guess it’s not terribly surprising, but I do think if I am a Democrat who wants to win the 2028 election … That would worry me candidly because socialism broadly will not sell,” Cillizza said. “You can call it democratic socialism. You can call it whatever you want. But the idea of socialism will not sell in the country.”
Senator John Kennedy is once again cutting through Washington’s theatrics with brutal honesty.
The Louisiana Republican accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of staging political drama instead of doing his job to reopen the government.
In an interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Kennedy described the shutdown as a “political performance,” not a genuine policy disagreement.
He said Schumer is more concerned with keeping up appearances for his party’s radical wing than with serving the American people.
“It will end eventually,” Kennedy said, “when Senator Schumer goes to six or eight of his members and Democrats and says, ‘Do me a favor. Vote to open it back up. I may have to criticize you. I’m not going to vote with you, but I need a way out of this.’”
Kennedy made clear that Schumer’s priority isn’t compromise — it’s saving face.
“He’s gonna tell ‘em, ‘Now, look, I gotta vote no. And I gotta dogcuss you a little bit. We gotta have some play acting and make this look good. And then we come out of the shutdown,’” Kennedy said, describing how Schumer will secretly orchestrate the outcome he publicly opposes.
According to Kennedy, the government shutdown is less about real disagreements and more about political optics. Schumer, he said, is acting out a script to appease the far-left members of his caucus — what Kennedy calls the “moon wing” of the Democratic Party.
“I know him. Well, this shutdown is not about policy. It’s about politics,” Kennedy said.
“And Senator Schumer, this is what’s going on. He is trying to get the moon wing, the socialist wing of the Democratic Party, which is in control, to love him. And they will never love him.”
That blunt assessment paints a damning picture of the Democratic leadership. Schumer, Kennedy argues, is beholden to extremists who refuse to compromise, even at the expense of the country.
The Louisiana senator said Schumer’s strategy is simple: keep the government closed until Republicans and President Trump agree to hand over billions in new spending — spending that Democrats will control. “What he’s saying,” Kennedy explained, “is we’re going to keep government shut down until you Republicans and President Trump give the Democrats $1.5 trillion, and they’re going to tell us how to spend it.”
Kennedy ridiculed the idea that Schumer is fighting for “the people.” In his view, Schumer is fighting for power, money, and media attention — and the shutdown is just another stage for him to perform on.