expect a federal judge to sentence rob blagojevich any time now. today for his crimes when he spoke before the court. a jury convicted him last june. you may recall, of corruption including wire fraud and attempted extortion. and the most notorious charge was the attempt to sell the senate seat held by president obama. >>> all right. tis the season to spend. we explain in this edition of smart is the new rich. >> the debt danger signs are flashing everywhere. in europe, in washington, and in our own bank accounts where incomes are falling and americans are dipping into savings to pay the bills. yet everywhere you're being encouraged to spend money for the holidays. the national retail federation says you will spend probably $704. where is that money coming from and have we learned nothing? >> you see these numbers about how much money people are spending and it reminds you of when people suddenly had expensive cars in their driveways and boats you wonder how are they affording all of this? and we seem to be back in that situation. real income after

rob blagojevich was in office when that happened. his sentence is more than twice that.essage sent that political corruption doesn't pay for george ryan was not learned between now and then and some of the analysis we're hearing is that this may send a message with it being a harsh sentence for rob blagojevich. the interesting part, a number of the jurors who presided over the trial were here and they wanted to see this through. they listened to rob blagojevich in the courtroom when he spoke for 20 minutes asking for leniency, apologizing. one of the things they didn't hear from him was a real accepting of the fact that he did something wrong. he talked about how he agreed the jury found him guilty and apologized and that they didn't sense the true coptrition from him. -- contrition from him. it will be interesting to see how this plays out over facebook and twitter as people sound off on this. >> and apparently the judge didn't hear that contrition either. thank you for theup date from chicago. we appreciate it. >>> the faa has a new leader. the number two official is n

rob blagojevich ran on a platform of cleaning up corruption in politics.it to an art form. hopefully now a 14-year stencil send a message loud and clear to other people that it's time for a change now. politics as uche in illinois cannot continue. voters can't put up with it anymore. our economy can't put up with it anymore. >> all that true. but he, you know, he -- you heard his apology the other day. he admitted that he had done something wrong. he said i didn't think so at the time. it was sort of the first time he really admitted it. it was a plea to spend time with his family. you weren't won over at all? >> when you're up there for the first time that you actually accept any responsibility for your actions, is that the sentencing phase? i think it's too little too late. this is somebody that went on to the media constantly to take on the judge, take on the prosecution, and was very defiant until the end. if he believed he was innocent, then he was innocent. for him to think like you have a revelation today, too little too late. now that being said, i

apologized to two of the men making claims against fine. >>> former illinois governor rob blagojevichyear sentence for political corruption. he was sentenced yesterday after making a long string of apologies to a federal judge. paul meinke has the details. >> reporter: rob blagojevich's plea for mercy built around his family, two daughters, amy and annie, ages 15 and 8. the judge made clear the ex-governor's situation is not extraordinary and does not deserve special treatment. the judge saying i see case after case where good parents are bad citizens. then he added -- if it is any consolation to your children you do not stand here being convicted of a bad father. the judge then said blagojevich had ripped apart the fabric of faith in government and sentenced him to 14 years in federal prison. blagojevich earlier accepted responsibility for his actions saying i made terrible mistakes they were my mistakes my actions i am responsible, i caused it all. and much of his 18-minute speech to the judge was spent in apology. the ex-governor's deepest lament focused on his wife and two daughte

rob blagojevich ran on a platform of cleaning up corruption in politics.ough, he wound up taking it to an art form. hopefully a 14-year sentence will send a message loud and clear to other people that it's time for a change now. politics as usual in illinois cannot continue. voters can't put up with it anymore. our economy can't put up with it anymore. >> all that true. but he, you know, he -- you heard his apology the other day. he admitted that he had done something wrong. he said, i didn't think so at the time. it was sort of the first time he really admitted it. it was a plea to spend time with his family. you weren't won over at all? >> i've got to tell you what, when you're up there and for the first time that you actually accept any responsibility for your actions, is that the sentencing phase? i think it's too little too late. this is somebody that went on to the media constantly to take on the judge, take on the prosecution, and was very defiant until the end. if he believed he was innocent, then he believe he was innocent. for me to think that he

. >> former illinois governor rob blagojevich has more time before he has to report to prison. more on that on the other side of the break. >> annie yu is hanging out with a unique team in college park annie. >> maureen we will find out more about these competitions that the racing team participates in. three every year, three for each car we will find out what it is like to be in the drivers seat and more impurer pantly, who get -- importantly who gets to drive it. maybe me i don't know. >> looking good. first off today's trivia question, how tall is sesame street's big bird? is he 7'6", 8'2", 8'6", or 9'0" tall. the answer coming up fox 5 morning news back after this short break  >>> the search for answers as to why a man in belgium threw grow fades into a group of holiday shoppers and opened fire. four people including the gunman killed more than 120 injured, all in the city of lege. police found the body of a woman in the suspect's home the suspect had spent time in jail for previous gun and drug offences he was under investigation in a sex abuse case. >

first we want to tell you about the former illinois governor rob blagojevich.cted on corruption charges including trying to sell president obama's senate seat. we do have ted rollins in illinois. as soon as we can get to him we will bring more to you. he doesn't have to report to prison for 90 days. >>> another breaking story that we're following, jerry sandusky, we are getting word about additional charges and word that he was arrested yet again. susan is joining us live on the telephone with details, we hope. susan? >> the new information involves two additional victims now known by as victim nine and victim ten. this comes from new information and testimony before the grand jury that has been investigating this case for at least a couple of years. and so, after the initial charges, the grand jury continued to hear testimony and that's how these additional charges came about. this information coming to us from pennsylvania's attorney general office. in this case they said it was similar to the other alleged victims and a pattern of grooming victims on the par

. >>> the sentencing phase begins today for former illinois governor rob blagojevich. most legal experts say he'll get about ten years in prison for corruption charges including attempting to sell president obama's former senate seat. blagojevich is expected to learn his fate as soon as tomorrow. >>> another member of the fourth world is being accused of sexual abuse. two men are accusing the boston red sox's club manager, donald fitzpatrick, of abusing them back in the 1990s. one victim said fitzpatrick assaulted him twice at fenway park. the statue of limitations has expired for seeking criminal charges against fitzpatrick. fitzpatrick died in 2005. both men are still asking for $5 million in settlement. >>> the u.s. postal service is unveiling some big cuts. >> starting next spring, the cash-strapped agency will slow down delivery of first class mail. alison harmelin explains. >> reporter: it is going to take longer for your mail to get to its destination. for the first time in 40 years, the u.s. postal service says it will slow down first class mail starting this s

. >>> today disgraced former illinois governor rob blagojevich will speak before receiving his sentenceerday he admitted he was guilty on all charges. blagojevich was found guilty on all 18 counts of corruption. prosecutors are asking for 15 to 20 years in prison, which will be harshest punishment for corruption in state history. >>> today two of the most prominent candidates in virginia's u.s. senate race will square off in their first debate. democrat tim kaine and george allen will debate in richmond. they're not the only candidates in the race. they are, however, the only candidates to do well enough in polls and raise enough money to qualify for the debate. both are looking to succeed jim webb, who announced he's not running for re-election. >>> candidates campaigning in fairfax county can no longer litter streets with their campaign signs. last month many of the 99 candidates in fairfax county blanketed roadsides with their advertisements. a virginia code allows authorities to remove the signs along vdot right of ways, except for fairfax county. it was exempt from the code until n

former illinois governor rob blagojevich expected to plea for leniency at his hearing today.g hearing, i should say. we're live in chicago this morning. >>> a little later on in the program, we're going to be hearing from the parents of the florida college drum major killed in a suspected hazing incident. our jason carroll has an exclusive interview with the parents. >>> and caught on tape. a car smashes into the front of a restaurant, right into the dining room, as people watch in horror. >>> you're watching "american morning." it's 12 minutes past the hour. h♪ ♪ my hair is gone ♪ cheap cologne ♪ motor home ♪ i'm the rocket man! [ both ] ♪ rocket man ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone? ahh. [ male announcer ] crystal clear fender premium audio. one of many premium features available on the all-new volkswagen passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. ♪ and i think it's gonna be a long, long time ♪ and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3%

rob blagojevich will be in court this morning as the sentencing phase of his corruption trial begins. he was convicted of 17 counts including corruption and bribery. a judge should hand down his sentence tomorrow. >> american airlines is not letting a thing like bankruptcy get in the wake of an expensive upgrade to its fleet. the have opted for it high and interior for 10 new jets. there will have mod -- they will have mood lighting. if your name is jim, today is your lucky day. more jobless dads are playing a bigger role in the household. jane king has the bloomberg business report. >> good morning. more out of work fathers are playing mr. mom because of the depressed economy. one in three. investors in europe are taking center stage said. the credit rating of 15 european countries may be cut. stocks were higher yesterday. german and france push for a new treaty to face the debt crisis. the bloomberg maryland index was up. fewer teenagers are hitting the open road. your young people are getting their driver's licenses. older people are holding on to them as long as possible. they're

ordeal was scarring for robert and his family as today rob blagojevich acknowledged the pain inflicted on his siblings told the court want to apologize to my brother a good man apologize to his family getting him involved. happy quiet successful life helping little brother statement shocked robert >> apologizing no need for public apology but i thought that was a buried generous magnanimous think for him to do >> have not seen one another before the date gets there try to put bad blood behind them to get focused on the children. >> of course i want to see him and do whatever i can to support him. surely appeals for brother. robert blagojevich got the all but one who thinks 14 years is over the top. ever-changing guidelines simply giving judges too much bemba viewed these days the judges are thinking of using them as a cover for the exercise of their own discretion. judges can go overboard and i think that 14 years simply not the case for somebody who did not make a nickel of the deals who did not even make the deals for that matter >> the big question sentenced to prison what he is doi

i have to ask jack abramoff the author of "capitol punishment" about rob blagojevich who got 14 years scandal louse sentence. 14 years is prep pos trous. i think it's truly and unusual punishment. what do you think about what blagg go is going down for the count. you got 6 you did 3 and a half. he got 14 he did a 10. never got a dime. you got rich. >> well he unfortunately didn't have the best strategy for handling this in terms of going out and having a reality show and writing a book and putting him out there. in our system that's not what you have to be able to do, you have to face what you have done. >> good luck with the book. one of the reasons i bernie ker the convicted imprisoned new york city police commissioner who is one of my friends. jack thanks. now to the political gentlemen governor, you first give me 30 seconds on your man and why he is going to pull this out. >> look, i think the public is going to understand why tom coburn and susan molinari and peter king think the former alially they have and newt gingrich is a rad dick. they need somebody stable when the 3:00 pho

. >>> right now, former illinois governor, rob blagojevich could face more than ten years behind bars. that would be the stiffest sentence for corruption in the state's history. >>> this is day two of jury deliberations against an aid to robert ehrlich. he is accused of approving robocalls. they got automated calls saying the race was over. >>> prosecutors say little was killed because he gave a poor test. >>> and then spotted driving the wrong way, and a white house spokeman said babbitt waited until monday morning before he told them the arrest. they are discussing his employment status. and babbitt is on leave at his own request. >>> a fashion model is recovering after accidentally walking into a propeller of a small plain. she was coming back from a flight to view christmas lights on saturday night, and she had got off the plain and went to thank the pilot, and she did not realize the propeller was powering down. she is making progress in her recovery. >> she's just discovering now that she is hurt and injured. she is feeling it all over now. >> we don't know if she remembers the

and rob blagojevich could soon be learning his fate. i want to begin at the pentagon with you, chris lawrence. we know that cnn has learned that this unmanned drone is a classified plane for the cia. how are they trying to get this back? >> at the moment that it crashed, the u.s. considered all potential options to get it back or to bomb it. retrieval above ensued using some sort of proxy team to air lift it out or get it back over the board from afghanistan. bombing from the air is something that they routinely do in afghanistan or at the border in pakistan. both of those options were considered i considered impractical to try to do in iranian land. >> so assuming that they have this damaged, albeit in tact rb-170, what can iran do with this piece or pieces of equipment? >> by itself iran probably can't do all that much with it. they just don't have sort of the capabilities to reverse engineer it to any degree. but some of the folks that i've been talking about is that the iran will give or sell this technology to russia or much more l

. >>> this morning, disgraced former illinois governor rob blagojevich will speak before he learns his fate. it's the last chance to try and reduce his sentence after admitting he is guilty of all charges. blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts of corruption when trying to sell obama's senate seat. >>> we could get a taste of december with some snow tonight, but for now be glad that all we are dealing with is rain. this storm has brought havoc across the midwest. the system started out as snow in west texas on sunday and monday night, and temperatures in the teens. the snow then turned to ice as the snow moved across the midwest. a light dusting along with super cold temperatures made for a difficult commute in missouri. the highs never made it above freezing. >>> meanwhile to the north, the storm brought two days of heavy rain to ohio. downpours along with the storm drains clogged by leaves caused flooding in low lying areas on the streets of columbus, ohio. speaking of weather, let's talk to tom kierein about our weather and see if we can expect any changes including snow. >> in the

. >> covering the nation tonight, a 14-year prison sentence for rob blagojevich. before his sentencing, he apologized for his crime and asked the judge for mercy. he was convicted of 18 corruption counts including trying to sell president obama told a senate seat. with his wife in tears at his side, he spoke briefly on his way out of the courthouse accurate clocks this is a time to be strong. this is a time to fight their adversity. this is a time for me to be strong for my children. be strong for patti. but his legal team says that they will appeal, but as it stands right now he must serve a least 85% of his sentence which would be more years behind bars. >> take it or leave it -- that is what the state of indiana is saying about the victims of the state's collapse spurred their offering settlements to over half of the injured. as a result of the state's clout on august 13. the 5 million liability fund is aimed at compensating the most seriously injured beginning with those who died. however, there is no admission of responsibility. by accepting the offer, the vi

. >>> former illinois governor rob blagojevich is going to prison for 14 years.e has 71 days until he has to turn himself in. a chicago judge sentenced blagojevich on 18 charges including trying to sell president obama's vacated senate seat. he is now the second illinois governor in a row to go to prison and could end up in the same prison ad former governor george ryan who is also serving time for corruption. >>> american airlines is fighting back chaining why flight attendants booted alec baldwin from yesterday's flight after refusing to turn off his cell phone. in a statement released on facebook of course the company said baldwin wads slamming bathroom doors appear was, quote, extremely rude. the 30 rock star apologized for fellow passengers on the flight but he is not saying sorry to the airlines. baldwin claims a flight attendant reamed him out for playing a game on his phone while sitting at the gate. >>> coming up next, how one military family is exposing the truth about life for some of our troops in afghanistan. >>> the latest on today's weather forecas

. >>> it didn't take spirit airlines long to capitalize on rob blagojevich 14 year prison sentence.e airline is offering a slammer sail. it features $14 one way air fares. the adds show an illinois license plate with abraham lincoln in the center. the ad says you don't have to live in the big house for these fairs. and hurry up you don't want to get convicted for missing this seat sale. >>> last night was a big night. the 2011 class was honored. they include the beach boys. california supreme court justice roger trainer. astronaut buzz aldrich. and of course nba legend magic johnson. pam cook should have been there too. >> i have seen the beach boys. they are san diego's band. >> i see. a proud san diego. >> yes. >>> good morning, we don't have a good morning for the nimitz freeway this morning. it will be very slow coming up past high street because of late running road work. yesterday you may have seen me on the evening news talking about how this could cause traffic problems. guess what, it is causing traffic problems. use 580. coming up the next hour we will run it all down for

and -- >> well, i believe rob blagojevich with the -- look what happened to him.an't take the debates seriously. it's very much showmanship. >> i'm going to make a prediction and i may be wrong, but i'll make a prediction. i bet this will be a debate of substance. i think donald trump knows what the expectation would be, as you are saying. and i've spent too much time with him. he's serious about solving the problems of the country. i don't think he's taking this campaign, this election lightly. and i think he really cares that this country is going down the sewer. >> so do a lot of people but i don't think they should be the moderator. >> why not? is nbc news, cnn better? >> how many debates do we need? >> look, i think he's a super interesting, smart, and certainly very entertaining guy and great on tv. he has suggested that he might enter this very coest. that puts him out-of-bounds as a moderator. >> no, no, but he said he's toying with the idea. >> he said that and said it on this show. i was here. second, anything that makes the pros ses look less serious is

. >>> so far on our legal guys list of big legal cases of 2011, rob blagojevich, lindsay lohan, dominiquetrauss-kahn. what are top two cases? richard and avery next. why did we build a 556 horsepower luxury car with a manual transmission? because there are those who still believe in the power of a firm handshake. the cadillac cts-v. manual or automatic, that's entirely up to you. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. multigrain cheerios... what is it about taking a first step that we find so compelling? is it because

. >>> now for a quick look at tomorrow's news today, let's fast forward beginning with rob blagojevichas convicted of a fraud charge. he t was recommended he get between 15 and 20 years in prison. >>> 9 the president is in kansas talking about the economy. he is talking about teddy roosevelt who also spoke that there. >>> and more than five months after her death, the new amy winehouse album goes on sale, it is going to feature songs never heard before. all of that happening tomorrow. >>> meantime, herman cain suspended his campaign, just over this past weekend, and in doing so dropped a couple lines from the pokemon movie in the process. have you heard about this? this had political pop written all over it. joe john says here. joe, what got me, this isn't the first time he's quoted this. >> no, absolutely not. and i have to say, watching the speech was kind of stunning. it was down toward the end of the speech and you're thinking, he's going to wrap up his campaign quoting pokemon the movie. a lot of people couldn't believe it. he dropped out oifr the weekend. once again, quoting the

. >>> rob blagojevich will try to convince a judge not do give him a long prison sentence.dge will announce how long blagojevich has to spend behind bars for 18 corruption counts. including an attempt to sell off president obama's old senate seat. blagojevich could receive up to a 20 year sentence. >>> today a judge will hear testimony whether va tech will be fined for a shooting rampage on campus. they fined the school $55,000 for not notifying students faster about the threat. the university waited more than two hours after two students were killed in their dorm before sending an e-mail alerting students. the gunmen eventually chained a building killing 30 people and then skilling himself. >>> penn university plans to give more money to child abuse charities. last week the school promised to donate $1.5 million to raise awareness about child abuse. now the university is pledging $500,000 more. penn state decided to donate the money following the molestation allegations against jerry sandusky. >>> back to sal to check on the morning commute. >> we are looking at news chopp

the former illinois governor rob blagojevich's wife asked the judge to please be merciful when he sentences husband on multiple corruption convictions. prosecutors say our blago should serve between 15 and 20 years in the jail. and there are signs that the judge will not go easy on the disgraced lawmaker. at a pre-sentencing hearing today in chicago, the judge said it is clear the governor new what he was doing when he tried to sell president obama's former senate seat, among other things. poor blago. the judge referring to portions of the fbi wiretaps that helped seal our blago's fate. >> i'm left with gridlock a [bleep] speaker. potential impeachment and a [bleep] president who is all take and no give. >> >> shepard: certainly guilty of potty mouth. today for the first time i mentioned the lawyers acknowledged that he did indeed was a crime but does not justify 20 years in prison. far from it. mike tobin is live with the news in chicago. it was certainly a change in defense tactics and they have quite a request. >> it was pretty interesting. they certainly changed tactics, the defense tea

. >>> this morning former illinois governor rob blagojevich will speak. this is an effort to get the judge to reduce his sentence after admitting yesterday he is guilty of all charges. blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts of corruption for trying to sell president obama's former senate seat. prosecutors are asking for 15 to 20 years in prison, which would be the harshest punishment for corruption in state history. >>> jerry sandusky may face some of his users next week in a preliminary hearing after a lawyer for one of the alleged victim says his client and five other victims plan to testify. this comes after one of the alleged victims says he was abused by the former penn state football coach when he was 12. he also met sandusky through the second mile charity. sandusky is accused of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years. he denies the charges. the hearing is set for tuesday. >>> penn state is trying to revamp its image in the wake of the child abuse scandal. newly appointed president rodney erickson wants them to house a center for children to hel

. >>> a two-day sentencing hearing begins today for illinois governor rob blagojevich. he was convicted on 18 counts of corruption, including trying to sell president obama's senate seat. he could face the stiffest sentence for corruption in the state's history. the judge will announce the sentence tomorrow. >>> ratings agency standard & poor's is warning it may carry out an unprecedented mass downgrade of euro zone countries if eu leaders cannot come up with an agreement on how to solve the region's debt crisis at a summit. they placed the leaders of euro zone countries on warning for credit negative, including germany and france. it prompted the leaders of germany and france to assure they would take all necessary measures to improve the european economy. that message sent stocks down around the world, including asian and european stock markets. meanwhile, u.s. futures at this time are up. >>> two women are disputing what happened in a crash involving detroit lions football player ndamukong suh. the crash happened this past saturday. the defensive tackle is currently

former illinois governor rob blagojevich has few days of freedom left despite a final plea for mercy. a federal judge sentenced blagojevich to 14 years in prison. he has been ordered to surrender to police on february 16th but he can still appeal. blagojevich's sentence is the longest ever given to former governor in illinois state history. >>> with just 26 days until the iowa caucuses, republican rivals are sharpening their attacks on front-runner newt gingrich. in his new tv ad mitt romney notes he has been married to the same woman for 42 years, an apparent jab at gingrich's three marriages. and texas governor rick perry, competing with gingrich for evangelical support, is emphasizing his own christianity in a new ad running in iowa. >>> the obama administration has blocked a move by the fda to make the plan b morning after pill available to girls under 17 without a prescription. health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius said she overruled fda scientists because there is not enough evidence that younger girls can understand the label instructions. meantime, there is som

. >>> rob building blagojevich is headed to prison for 14 years. he said he was sorry. he was convicted of trying to sell president obama's old senate seat and a long list of other corruption charges. blagojevich starts his prison term february 16th. >>> questions are being raised after a d.c. city official admitted to using his personal e-mail for work to avoid having his e-mails become public record. chief financial officer ghandi admitted in a deposition he does this to avoid including his e-mail in freedom of information requests from the media and the public. the d.c. attorney general says while it is not a crime, it is not good policy to follow. >> it doesn't have the effect of avoiding disclosure under freedom of information act or in litigation. >>> dorothy brazil, executive director of d.c. says some city staffers have gone to private cell phones and personal e- mails to avoid the several federal probes of council members and the mayor. >>> lightning fast internet access in d.c. will be up and running in a little over a year. the nation's first 100 gig ga bite

. >>> new developments in the corruption trial of ousted illinois governor rob blagojevich.the case saying sentencing to take two days. the prosecutors qud a sentence of to years. >> we just want to present the full picture. he is doing fine. nervous and appearance prehensive but he is doing fine and he is with his family. rod blagojevich is his own man and he can say what he feels. >> blago's defense team also filing a motion for unheard sections of federal wiretap to be played in court. >> and the debate in congress over extending a payroll tax cut creating a divide now among republicans. meanwhile, president obama is pushing to extend the tax cuts for the middle class that expires at the end of the month. peter doocy reporting from washington. >>> gop leaders laid out for members a pathway to a payroll tax holiday but some members broke rank saying there is no way they are going to go for that unless entitlements are reformed first. >> unless we have the courage right now to address entitlement reform we shouldn't be extending the payroll tax holiday. >>> while republican