ex-illinois governor rob blagojevich is out of president -- prison after being granted clemency by president trump. the list of others that mr. trump is setting free and who could be next. >>> buried alive. a woman is dug out of deep snow after an avalanche. the frantic search to find her the frantic search to find her friend. captioning funded by cbs >>> good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs headquarters here in new york. i'm anne-marie green. >>> there will be a new face on stage tonight as the democratic candidates for president debate in las vegas. former new york city mayor mike bloomberg qualified and will take part in his first presidential debate. he'll go head to head with five other candidates, pete buttigieg, bernie sanders and elizabeth warren as well as amy klobuchar along with former vice president joe biden. bloomberg's on stage debut shows a poll rising to second place nationally behind sanders. laura podesta is here. no doubt his rivals will be going after him. >> reporter: a lot of the debate will be focused on money. bernie sanders, elizabeth warren have accused

rob blagojevich also says he had his freedom stolen from him. he spent nearly 3,000 days in prison and his oldest daughter was in high school when he left and now she's in graduate school. he said prison is like a tomb and its squalor. the former governor directly addressed voters who elected h him. >> i'm returning home today from a long exile, a freed political prisoner. i want to say again to the people of illinois who twice elected me governor, i didn't let you down. i would have let you down if i had given into this. >> he says he's no longer longer a democrat but a trump oak rat. blagojevich says the criminal justice system is a racist and broken, it primarily incarcerates people of color and some of those people he claims he met in prison. patty blagojevich, the wife of the former governor who held a very long campaign to get him out of prison was joined today by their two daughters. she did not directly address the media and the former governor did not take any direct questions from the press. >> melissa: thank you. for more on this, let

pardons to almost a dozen felons many of them are high-profile including former illinois governor rob blagojevich and former new york city police commissioner bernard kerik. those granted clemency had been convicted on charges ranging from defrauding the federal government to theft. >>> a new case of coronavirus has surfaced in napa, california. a second case is also under investigation there. patients were evacuated from the quarantined cruise ship in japan. 14 american passengers tested positive after they were allowed to leave the ship. there's now at least 29 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the u.s. >>> the ongoing war in syria is taking a terrible toll on the people who live there. since december 900,000 civilians have been forced to flee syria and russian bombs in the northwest. most are women and children. a top u.n. official calls the situation cruel beyond belief.

>>> we have commuted the sentence of rob blagojevich. he served eight years in jail. long time, and i watched his wife on television. i don't know him very well, i've met him a couple of times. he was on for a short while on "the apprentice" years ago. seemed like a very nice person, don't know him. but he has served eight years in jail. he has a long time to go. many people disagree with the sentence. he's a democrat, he's not a republican. it was a prosecution by the same peop people, the same group. he's very far from his children. they're growing older, they're in high school now, and they rarely get to see their father outside of an orange uniform. i saw that and i did commute his sentence. so he'll be able to go back home with his family after serving eight years in jail. that was a tremendously powerful, ridiculous sentence, in my opinion. and in the opinion of many others. yes? >> do you have confidence in your attorney general? >> total confidence in my attorney general. >> do you agree with his statement that you should stop speaking to the justice departmen

call rho tonight, and rob blagojevich back home. his lead attorney is here live. positive for the virus and she will explain what it's like to live with. that and everything else that moves this afternoon coming up tonight on "bill hemmer reports." >> our political system is not designed for people like us, not designed for working people to succeed, young people or women of color. our entire political system revolves frankly around at rich men. and at rich men are not the center of my universe, working families are. >> dana: new york congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez talking about why she triggers people. joining me now is jerry baker composed of "wall street journal" at large on fox business. it's interesting. she is an effective spokesperson for the people who follow her and she does irritate others. >> i find it interesting, she's always harping on the theme of women and people of color, people like her can't get ahead in america but she has a tremendous story of someone who was a bartender who faced economic hardship and who has risen to become a very pr

i do think it's sincere that he knows rob blagojevich. i support and there's plenty of people in federal prison serving excessive sentences and a hope the president will look at a lot more of these folks. i have represented people in federal court 20 years. there's a lot of people that need to come home and that's something rob blagojevich wants to talk to president trump about if he gets the chance. >> bill: he'll be on martha. >>> after being stuck in japan on a cruise and we'll speak to an american facing two more weeks in quar teen and reports -- quarantine and a report a.g. bill barr is talk resignation. (announcer) ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. there's no increased risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you hav

rob blagojevich is a free man this morning. the former illinois democratic governor one of nearly a dozen to have his sentence pardoned or commuted. back home in illinois and thanking president trump for cutting his sentence short. >> i'm julie banderas. the now white-haired democrat returning to his home in chicago overnight. he was convicted in 2011 as you all remember on more than a dozen counts including attempting to sell president elect obama's vacant u.s. senate seat. now blagojevich says he is a grateful trump supporter. >> everlasting gratitude for president trump for doing what he did. he didn't have to do this. republican president. i was a democratic governor. my fellow democrats don't treat him very good. so all i can say is i think that this is the ending of the first act of a two-act play. i think there is a lot that needs to be done in the second half so that wrong that's have been done can be righted. >> matt finn is live in chicago with the details. >> julie, this is the former governor's home where his wife a

ex-illinois governor rob blagojevich is out of president -- prison after being granted clemency by presidentrump. the list of others that mr. trump is setting free and who could be next. >>> buried alive. a woman is dug out of deep snow after an avalanche. the frantic search to find her the frantic search to find her friend. captioning funded by cbs

. >> tucker: so illinois governor rob blagojevich has been in jail for 8 years.night thanks to theli president. we will tell you what happened and why.or plus, an increasingly misery grips middle america, some are pushing a solution. if you are sad, just kill yourself and don't burden the rest of us. we will discuss the rise of the assisted suicide law just ahead. ♪ good morning! oh no, here comes the neighbor probably to brag about how amazing his xfinity customer service is. i'm mike, i'm so busy. good thing xfinity has two-hour appointment windows. they have night and weekend appointments too. he's here. bill? karolyn? nope! no, just a couple of rocks. download the my account app to manage your appointments making today's xfinity customer service simple, easy, awesome. i'll pass. ithat car is one of mine. and soon, it's going to be one of theirs. but they would have never even known it existed. if it weren't for the power of targeted tv advertising. it's smart. it grabs people's attention. it works. it's why comcast spotlight is changing its name to effectv. b

have commuted the sentence of rob blagojevich. he served eight years in jail. that's a long time. i watched his wife on television. i don't know him very well. i've met him a couple of times. he was on for a short while on the apprentice years ago. >> served eight years, was supposed to serve 14 years, that was his sentence on corruption charges, including attempting to sell the senate seat left open when, wait for it -- barack obama was elected president. blagojevich caught on tape in a four letter filled rant. >> i've got this thing, and it's [ bleep ] golden. and i'm just not giving it up for [ bleep ] nothing. >> well, that has been one sure fire way to get the president's attention. mention barack obama. he is this president's clryptont te. even fox allies are not down with commuting blagojevich's sentence. >> that was at the time the definition of the swamp. >> you try to sell a senate seat and then got caught. i think he probably got his sentence commuted because he was on celebrity apprentice. he was one of the worst kind

in congress issued a joint statement saying history will not judge rob blagojevich well. can want the president's move could depress republican turnout at the polls are important election year is a concern about state of illinois for next november. newly installed senate president donna hartman had a major hand in the blagojevich impeachment, the democrats said one key thing still bothers him to this day. it would be a lot easier to stomach is the former governor shown any contrition at any point along the way. >>but i think. >>donald trump the behavior where you never apologize or show contrition for anything and seems he is rewarding people who behave the way he behaves. >>governor pritzker did not meet the media to discuss this decision but did tweet out that he condemns the commutation saying it condones corruption and sends the wrong message to the public at the wrong time when federal prosecutors are still digging in looking for corruption here in illinois. senator dick durbin had previously said that 14 year prison sentence was pretty steep and he almost empathize

. >> tucker: so illinois governor rob blagojevich has been in jail for 8 years.anks to the president. we will tell you what happened and why. plus, an increasingly misery grips middle america, some are pushing a solution. if you are sad, just kill yourself and don't burden the rest of us. we will discuss the rise of the assisted suicide law just ahead. ♪ ♪ how we worship, or who we love. and the 2020 census is how that great promise is kept. because this is the count that informs where hundreds of billions in funding will go each year for things like education, healthcare, and programs that touch us all. shape your future. start here. learn more at 2020census.gov the end might not be as happy as ayou think.end. after all, 4 out of 5 people who have a stroke, their first symptom is a stroke! but the good news is you can rewrite your ending and get screened for stroke and cardiovascular disease. life line screening is the easy and affordable way to make you aware of undetected health problems before they hurt you. we use ultrasound technology to literally look insi

we have commuted the sentence of rob blagojevich. i watched his wife on television. >> what would be your pitch to pardoning your husband? >> the laws, the fbi and power hungry overzealous prosecutors like patrick fitzgerald who prosecuted both my husband and scooter libby to go after anyone they don't like. >> it was a prosecution by the same people who told me fitzpatrick, the same group. >> in this long running debate in america right now, over whether this president is totally clueless or brilliantly strategic or somewhere in between, the actions that impact his own interests, his own well being, his own legal liability can often be the most telling. as we've reported this novice to government who has seemed so interested in filling so many positions, he's been laser focused on two offices with jurisdiction over him and his businesses, new york and washington. personally meeting with those candidates for office including preet bharara. he removed one prosecutor and saw four more resign on yes, roger stone. it all comes down to hi

among them is disgraced democratic illinois governor rob blagojevich.e was set free when president trump pardoned him last night. they were all convicted of charges that included fraud, corruption and lying. paula reed is at the white house with more on this story. what's the back story here, why did the president do it? >> reporter: good morning. the president says he is relying on personal recommendations when deciding where to apply his vast pardon power. the justice department has a vetting process for pardons and the president's approach is raising concerns that in this administration clemency is mostly going to those with connections. >> every lasting gratitude for president trump for what he did. >> the former governor of illinois thanked the president and maintained his innocence. >> i followed the law every step of the way. >> reporter: rob blagojevich was convicted in 2011 of trying to sell then barack obama's vacated senate seat and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. >> he served 8 years in jail. it was a long time to go. many people disagr

. >> reporter: president trump tonight flexing his presidential muscle, releasing rob blagojevich from prison, four years before the disgraced illinois governor was expected to go free. >> he'll be able to go back home with his family after serving eight years in jail. that was a tremendously powerful ridiculous sentence in my opinion >> reporter: blagojevich was convicted in 2011, caught on tape trying to sell barack obama's vacated senate seat. >> i've got this thing and it's [ bleep ] golden and i'm just not giving it up for [ bleep ] nothing. >> reporter: and was also a former contestant on "celebrity apprentice." >> i have great respect for your tenacity, for the fact that you just don't give up. but rod, you're fired. >> good morning, mr. milken >> reporter: also pardoned today michael milken, the former wall street titan and so-called junk bond king who became the face of insider trading in the 1980s >> he suffered greatly. he paid a big price. paid a very tough price. but he has done an incredible job. >> reporter: one of milken's biggest advocates throwing the president a $580

. >> pardons from president trump included rob blagojevich, the former nypd commissioner bernard kerikcier michael milken. one of today's names hit close to home. trump pardoned edward debartolo jr. for his fraud conviction. >> chris has that part of story. >> reporter: outside the white house tuesday morning, a makeshift celebration of sorts for multiple nfl greats eddie debartolo jr. tell fanlt in the room is, we

where were these same public servants attacking this president for 5 pardons, one of them being rob blagojevichhe was a democrat. this was heavy handed sentencing. this was way above. he should have gotten a one or two-year sentence for those crimes. he was convicted. 8 years was plenty. this president who has done the first step act letting people out for these non-violent offenses. this is have much right in that theme that he's been doing the last three years. trish: it's wild. no matter what he does, they flip out. >> we have seen it for three years. trish: i think people are getting tired of it. they will go to the ballot box and say enough of these democrats. they will vote themselves right out of their majority in the house. >> i hope so. can you imagine what these people are going to be doing november 4 after president trump wins reelection because of the actions of nancy pelosi and chuck schumer? because of those two leading their party down this road, this primrose path. whoever is their nominee, whether it's billionaire mini mike more washed up socialist bernie sanders. we'll take on

profile pardons and commutations for one time governor and "celebrity apprentice" contestant rob blagojevich. when you shop with wayfair, you spend less and get way more. so you can bring your vision to lif. for small prices, you can build big dreams. spend less. get way more. shop everything home at wayfair toda. >>> president trump today issued high profile pardons and commuted sentence of one time illinois governor and "celebrity apprentice" contestant rod blagojevich. he has the authority to do it, but is it sending the message? >> well, it is good to be the king, right? he has the mauthority to do so, but case by case, if you have rubbed the elbows with the president or rudy giuliani or someone that you know, you may get the grace of the pardon. the overall umbrella is clemency and the president can say as the head of the executive branch what he would like to excuse and lessen as a sentence, but the theme is lying, tax fraud, and the idea of people trying to sell a senate seat and all of the things around the integrity of the office and he is emboldened to say that it does not matter a

the president said he's going to commute the sentence of rob blagojevich. he has been serving in federal prison since 2012. he was convicted of trying to sell the senate seat of then senator barack obama. >>> jury deliberations in the harvey weinstein trial begin today. they deliberated about five hours before leaving for the day. they will return tomorrow morning. new york prosecutors have charged the former movie mogul with sexual assault charges. >> i see it as an act of desperation to try to appeal to the jury, that i glad the prosecutionht it to the court's attention. >> weinstein pleaded not guilty. his defense maintains the sexual activities with the women were consensual. >>> the boy scouts of america bankruptcy protection. it comes after a number of lawsuits from thousands of abuse victims. it could be forced to sell-off some vast property >>> major u.s. stock indeces mo erasing some of the market's gains. the dow lost 165 points. the nasdaq was the only index in the green and just by a point. the s&p lost almost ten in trading today. >>> a bay are

. >> bret: combination was already served, that will go over the former governor rob blagojevich, it had been batted around, talked about in white house circles again, a democratic governor of illinois, his wife, blagojevich's wife made a personal appeal to the president, the president, in that seminews conference on the tarmac, as he often likes to do said that he likes rely on the recommendations, those are specific written out recommendations from various different people on behalf of each one of these people he is either pardoning or commuting the sentence. the other one we saw was the former owner of the san francisco 49ers. >> dana: there's also bernie kerik, he was a commissioner for the nypd. got into a little bit of trouble, had to pay some fines. he will actually be pardoned. the connie tatian on the pardon is different. the commutation says you don't have to serve the time, or that you don't have to finish out the rest of your term, but sometimes you can be given a commutation even before you go to jail. the pardon allows you to basically wipe the slate clean, and that was

. >> newly freed former governor rob blagojevich speaking out hours after president trump commuted hisut of prison yesterday after serving eight years on corruption and other charges for trying to solve former president obama's senate seat, but he has maintained his innocence to this day. a short time ago the former democratic governor join his family outside of the house calling himself a freed political prisoner. expressing gratitude to president trump for commuting

at least the governor of illinois, rob blagojevich had at least done some time. of -- what does that send, yes, he has the power to do it but it's also in the way you do it. >> i don't expect it to happen before he actually serves some time. the framers of the constitution put this into effect. the only constraint for presidential overreach is public opinion and the president and the administration recognizes that public opinion, an early pardon of roger stone would be damaging. so i do expect stone will serve some time and then when the president is reelected, he will be pardoned. >> okay. let's put this up. i was trying to help you out there, alice. i wasn't cutting you off. >> i know. >> i want -- this is a list of people, and look at this list of people that the use of damaged property fire damage, premeditated murder, racketeering, mail fraud, cocaine and marijuana possession, conversion of government property, interstate theft, conspiracy to violate the -- i mean, wow. i mean, listen, this is all kinds of things that we have the offenses, obstruction of jus

. >> pardons from president trump included rob blagojevich, the former nypd commissioner bernard kerik, and financier michael milken. one of today's names hit close to home. trump pardoned edward debartolo jr. for his fraud conviction. >> chris has that part of story. >> reporter: outside the white house tuesday morning, a makeshift celebration of sorts for multiple nfl greats eddie debartolo jr. tell fanlt in the room is, we all make mistakes. today the president cleared that mistake. >> this after president trump signed an executive order pardoning the former 49ers open here in 1998 pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony in a bribery case. despite this, many 49ers fans still appreciate him. highlighting the five super bowl championships under his championship. >> bay area sports consultant andy dolish said it leaves open another possibility. >> ultimately it gives eddie a clearer path if in fact he's interested in purchasing a team or being part of a group that will buy a team he in pro sports. >> leadership experts say pardoned when used judiciously can be a valuable part of a

. >>> president trump pardoned former illinois governor rob blagojevich. he arrived home he was originally sentenced to 14 years in prison for several charges including wire fraud and extortion. he was also accused of trying to sell president obama's senate seat in illinois after president obama won the white house. >>> san francisco mayor london breed says she has learned a hard lesson about keeping her personal and professional life separate. the mayor admitted to gifts from muhammad nuru. she does not have to disclose gifts from close friends. breed says she and nuru were friends long before either of them were high level officials. however, city law forbids government officials from accepting bids more than $2,500. >> the celebration of the 50th anniversary of san francisco's pride parade is officially under way. mayor london breed kicked off yesterday's celebration and this year's theme is generations of hope. organizers said there are reasons to be hopeful in the future. 150,000 people are expected to be at this year's celebration and parade. >>> one

president trump just anu announced that he has commuted the sentence of former illinois governor rob blagojevich who was ordered to serve 14 years in prison. the president, by the way, also pardoned former new york police commissioner bernard kerik who served time for tax fraud and lying to officials and the president just spoke about blagojevich moments ago. >> we have commuted the sentence of rod blagojevich. he served eight years in jail. that's a long time, and i watched his wife on television. i don't know him very well. i've met him a couple of times. he was on for a short while on like a very nice person., seemed don't know him but he served eight years in jail. he has a long time to go. many people disagree with the sentence. he's a democrat. he's not a republican. >> got a lot of folks to talk to. shimon prokupecz is here, elie honig is here, our cnn legal analyst, kaitlyn, let me start with you, kaitlan collins at the white house. >> reporter: blagojevich is someone the president has been considering commuting his sentence for months now. he was fairly close to doing so in august but h

president trump pardoning and commuting the sentences of former nypd commissioner bernard kerik and rob blagojevichs about to speak to the press. >>> senator bernie sanders surges nationally. will he be unstoppable after super tuesday. jeff weaver joining us right here in las vegas ahead on "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. i like liberty mutual. they get that no two people are alike and customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. what do you think? i don't see it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ a clear plan for retirement to help cover the essentials, as well as all the things you want to do. because when you have a retirement partner who gives you clarity at every step, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward. leadership that makes a difference.ep, vo: a great president and an effective mayor. obama: he's been a leader throughout the country for the past twelve years, mr. michael bloomberg is here. vo: together they worked to combat gun violence, and again to improve education for every child. obama: i want to thank the mayor

tonight don't miss cnn's anderson cooper as he sits down with the former governor of illinois, rob blagojevichs commuta tirks arkcommut president trump. >>> why trump used his campaign rally to talk about the oscar-winning film "parasite." >>> a new look inside the windsors and their dynasty. that's on sunday night at 10:00 p.m. pacific. when you're not able to smile you become closed off. the meaning of a smile to me is the beginning of a conversation. the best advice i can give anyone... ...is don't wait. at aspen dental, we're all about yes. like yes to free exam and x-rays for new patients without insurance. yes to flexible hours and payment options. and yes, you'll start smiling more too. don't wait, book at aspendental.com or call today. a general dentistry office. aveeno® with prebiotic striple oat complex balances skin's microbiome. so skin looks like this and you feel like this. aveeno® skin relief. get skin healthy™ my grandfather had an but ancestry showed me so much more than i could have imagined. my grandfather was born in a shack in pennsylvania, his father was a miner, they wer

. >> and also, we should point out as rod blagojevich, the president tweeted that rob blagojevich didd he served prison and served years in prison and so with the -- and first of all, he didn't, but he tried to. >> he could not find a buyer. >> and so the criminal complaint is quote, conspiring to sell the senate seat, and second of all, this idea, and we heard it from the president's defenders, the ukraine scandal that the idea that somebody attempts to commit a crime and fails and therefore it is not a crime. >> right. there is no question here what he tried to do here. and so when he rolled out the first batch of pardons is that he relishes that pardon power, because it is kind of the singular power, this authority that the president has that he is virtuallin chey unchecked an congress can't do anything, and he can commute and pardon all of the sentences he wants, and that is why he is enjoying the power. you can see the influence of fox news can have over, you know, illinois republicans who know him, and his crime well, and they had been pleading with him for a bert patter part of

here you have people -- what -- rob blagojevich, a total sleaze of a governor who took money in officeho disgraced new york city in multiple ways, but who is a very close associate or has been, of rudy giuliani. you know, blagojevich was on "the apprentice." his wife was pleading for him on fox all the time. >> that's what the president says, explained his thought process in terms of commuting blagojevich's sentence. here's the quote. i watched his wife on television. >> do you think there are other people in federal prison whose spouses are sad that they're in prison? i think there probably are. >> like every single one. >> like every single one of them. but they don't have access to fox. and so they don't get clemency. it is an example of how, you know, sort of when you individualize justice in this way, it leads to results that are really just appalling. >> jeffrey toobin, good to talk to you. >>> now to this, the chinese government is revoking the press credentials of three "wall street journal" reporters. the unusual move comes after the journal published an opinion piece earlier

including the former governor of illinois rob blagojevich who was released from prison tonight. >> we have commuted the sentence of rod blagojevich. he served eight years in jail. that's a long time. i watched his wife on television. i don't know him very well. i've met him a couple of times. he was on for a short while on "the apprentice" years ago. >> served eight years, ease just said. but he was supposed to serve 14 years. that was his sentence on corruption charges. including attempting to sell the senate seat left open when, wait f for it, barack obama was elected president. blagojevich caught on tape in a four-letter word-filled rant. >> i've got this thing, and it's [ bleep ] golden. and i'm just not giving it up for [ bleep ] nothing. >> well, that has been one surefire way to get the president's attention. mention barack obama. he is this president's kryptonite. and this is interesting. even some of trump's fox news allies are not exactly down with commuting blagojevich's sentence. >> that was at the time the definition of the swamp. >> yeah. you try to sell a senate seat an

trump today granting clemency to some high-profile figures including commuting the sentence of rob blagojevich is serving the eighth year of a 14 year prison sentence for trying to sell president obama's senate seat. also pardoning bernie kerik, who served three years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to tax fraud and lying to the government. here's the president earlier. >> we have communed the sentence of blagojevich. he served eight years in jail, he has a long time to go. many people disagree with the sentence. he is a democrat, he is not a republican. it was a prosecution by the same people, comey, fitzpatrick, the same group. >> dana: there was a tweet from bernie sanders. "today trump granted clemency to wall street crooks, corrupt government officials. meanwhile thousands of poor and working-class kids sit in jail for nonviolent drug convictions. this is what a broken and racist criminal justice system looks like." i'm sure this is going to be a topic tomorrow at the debate. it may be what you could do from a legal point of view was explained to people the difference between a

. >>> rob blagojevich had his 14-year prison sentence commuted by president trump this week. governor of illinois was convicted of several public corruption charges in 2011 including trying to solicit money for president obama's senate seat. last night on cnn the former governor claimed he had been unjustly imprisoned. anderson cooper pushed back. take a look. >> well, i don't think they've looked carefully because i am a political prisoner, i was put in prison for practicing -- >> wait a minute, you are a political prisoner? nelson mandela was a political prisoner. they have no undue process and are ungistly nailed. you had a jury convict you. you had appeals courts look at your sentencing and you even appealed to the supreme court twice and they refused to hear you. so you're hardly a political prisoner. >> well, first of all, nelson mandella went before a court, he was convicted in a court of law. >> by a racist segregationist -- that's right, by a racist after par tied government. >> that's correct, but i think if you were to -- >> not by a jury of his peers. >> i bet you

rob blagojevich is a free man this morning.ump for cutting his sentence short. >> i'm julie banderas. the now white-haired democrat returning to his home in chicago overnight. he was convicted in 2011 as you all remember on more than a dozen counts including attempting to sell president elect obama's vacant u.s. senate seat. now blagojevich

. >> former illinois governor rob blagojevich has been vocal behind bars. >> nelson mandela was a political prisoner. political prisoners have no due process. you had a jury convict. >>> homes and roads were buried under 20 feet of snow. >>> fans are officially reuniting. >>> all that -- >> okay we got a drink problem. >> talk about a loaded tray. who knocked that over? >> the official. >> official has to pay. >> one of the largest beverages throw in history. >> a bear spotted in a neighborhood in southern california caused quite a scene. >> don't come in here. >> we'll keep an eye on it and assign one of our cub reporters. >> on "cbs this morning: saturday". >> this will be women's basketball team not missing around. they make the first one. how about three in a row? can she make four in a row? no, not at all. how about five in a row? >> announcer: >>> this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by toyota. morning" sponsored by toyota. let's go places. captioning funded by cbs >>> welcome to the weekend, everybody. i'm michelle miller along with dana jacobson and jeff glor. coming up this

saying he's commuting a prison sentence for rod blagojevich as well as offering pardons for police commissioner kerik and former football team owner. >> rob, you're fired. >> reporter: blagojevich who once appeared on the trump reality show was convicted of trying to sell the senate seat of barack obama after he became president. a crime the fbi caught on tape. >> you know what i mean. >> reporter: the president took a jab at james comey claiming he had some sway over the blagojevich quick conviction. that's not true as comey became director years after the case. >> he was on for a short while of the apprentice years ago. seemed like a very nice person. don't know him. he served eight years in jail. it was a prosecution by the same people, comey, fitzpatrick, the same group. >> reporter: as for pardons for stone and flynn, the president said he's nowhere near a decision. >> these are unrelated situations where people have done a strong job but we haven't thought about that yet. >> reporter: the president is hinting he's ready to punish more of his enemies like the writer of a scathing op-ed known as anonymous. >> it's not so much. i know

after the hour, former illinois governor rod blagojevich thanking supporters and the president after his sentence is commuted. >> i appreciate them and love them. robort from outside his chicago home. stay tuned. ♪ jillian: rod blagojevich is opening up at home with his newfound freedom, arriving at his house overnight after donald trump granted him clemency. >> i want to kiss my wife and daughter. serving a little over half of his 14 year sentence. >> reporter: good morning to you. we are outside the raven would manner home of former governor rod blagojevich and his wife patty and two daughters and this is the first night he has spent in that house in 2890 days. he is excited. we saw him walk into a crowd of people in support of him being back here. a poster thanking the president for commuting the sentence, balloon and flowers and the former president, former governor said he would speak to the media later today. this was around midnight, he arrived in chicago from denver international. he did not have a lot of say and was rushed through the terminal to a waiting car to take him home thanks to an appeal by his wife patty plug leverage who pleaded

among them, former illinois governor rob mccoy of edge, who was -- rod blagojevich.so part of the former san francisco 49ers owner convicted in a fraud scandal. the president has issued more than two dozen pardons or commutations since taking office. slappingd states is sanctions on a unit of russian oil giant rosneft. campaignt of the u.s. leader nicolas maduro to step down. >> it began weeks ago and continues to mount. i would not say that any individual step can be calculated to bring an end to the crisis, but i think this is a very significant step and i think you will see companies all over the world in the oil sector now moving away to dealing with rosneft training. mark: senior administration officials warned today that anyone in the world doing business could also be sanctioned. saysnited nations government forces must allow humanitarian aid into conflict areas in northwest syria. speaking in geneva, the u.n. human rights chief added that it was cool beyond belief that civilians are living under plastic sheeting in freezing -- it was cruel beyond belief that

rob bragojevich. >> this was earlier this morning. blagojevich arrived home in chicago. he was also accused of trying to sell president obama's senate seat when mr. obama moved on to the white house. >>> eleven people were pardoned by president trump yesterday, including former new york police commissioner bernard carric who served three years for tax fraud. president trump also pardoned financier michael fieldman. several political leaders have criticize z these pardons but president trump says he believes it was the right thing to do. >> the president also granted a pardon to the former owner of the san francisco's 49ers. ktvu's jesse gary reports on the guilty plea more than 20 years ago to an extortion plot. but he never served prison time. >> reporter: tuesday, president trump followed through with pardons of subordinates. former players hail. >> this man has done so much in this community and so much in nfl football and today it's a great day for him. >> debartolo bought the team in the 70s. capturing five super bowl titles along the way. >> those guys were who the