JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced
to 23 years in prison. The 67-year-old faced a maximum of 29 years, after being convicted
of raping a woman in 2013, and sexually assaulting another in 2006.
In the New York courtroom today, Weinstein said he was -- quote -- "genuinely confused."
Gloria Allred, who represented one of the victims, said the sentence sends a strong
message.
GLORIA ALLRED, Attorney: If you are a sexual predator, and you are confused, all you have
to do is remember this, 20 plus three years. This is a new day. It's a new day for women
to know that, if you have courage, there will be consequences for the predators who hurt
you.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Weinstein's defense insisted the sentence was too harsh, and accused the
judge of caving to public pressure.
DONNA ROTUNNO, Attorney For Harvey Weinstein: That number was obnoxious. There are murderers
that will get out of court faster than Harvey Weinstein will. That number spoke to the pressure
of movements and the public. That number did not speak to the evidence that came out at
trial.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Three more sexual assault cases against Weinstein are under investigation
in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, raising the possibility that he could face additional
charges.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said today that he will remain in the race
for the White House. That is despite suffering a series of losses in yesterday's primary
races to former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden now leads the delegate count with 864,
compared to Sanders' 710.
We will take a closer look at the state of the race, later in the program.
The U.S. Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a win on its immigration policy today. It
will allow asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until their claims are adjudicated.
The move overturned a lower court order that put a partial block on the administration's
policy. Some 60,000 people have already been sent back to Mexico to await their U.S. court
hearings.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to extend controversial surveillance tools.
The bipartisan bill renews parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes
monitoring of suspected spies and terrorists. The provisions were set to expire March 15.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is more uncertain.
A rocket attack killed three soldiers, including two Americans, in Iraq today. It happened
northwest of Baghdad at a military camp in Taji. U.S. officials say that at least 10
coalition members were injured.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the base has been hit before by Iranian-backed
militias.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban rejected a plan by the Afghan government to stagger the release
of prisoners ahead of potential peace talks. An initial deal signed by the U.S. and Taliban
last month called for 5,000 Taliban prisoners to be freed.
Kabul said that it will let out 1,500 of the prisoners as a goodwill measure, and urged
the Taliban to halt their fighting.
SEDIQ SEDDIQI, Afghan Presidential Spokesman (through translator): The process and conditions
for the Taliban's prisoner release is very clear in the deal, but the implementation
depends on the actions of the Taliban and their visible commitment to reduce violence
and to negotiate directly with the Afghan government.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The Afghan government said the remaining prisoners would be released
after the negotiations begin. But the Taliban says it wants all the prisoners to be freed
at once.
And the Russian Parliament today backed new constitutional reforms to keep President Vladimir
Putin in power beyond the year 2024. That would mean that Putin could rule until he
is 83 years old. The bill easily passed through both chambers of Parliament, but it still
must be approved by Russia's Constitutional Court and a nationwide vote in April.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": we talk to the head of the DNC about Joe Biden's commanding
lead in the Democratic presidential primary; COVID-19 causes nationwide school closures,
as administrators work to contain the spread of the virus; a nuclear weapons expert from
the State Department discusses a potential new arms race with Russia.