oh, no. also ahead, the latest from the war in ukraine where both sides are preparing for the next major battle among fears of a false-flag attack that could end up flooding 80 towns. plus, hospitals across the country have reported a surge in cases of a virus that s making infants severely ill. it s not covid, but covid has a big role in why the kids are getting so sick. we ll explain that just ahead. willie, our top story this morning. we begin in washington where moments ago former trump adviser steve bannon arrived in a d.c. courthouse to hear his sentencing for contempt of congress after he refused to comply with a subpoena from the house select committee investigating january 6th. the justice department has asked the judge to sentence him to six months in prison and to fine him $200,000. bannon s lawyers argue he should get only probation. they also have asked bannon be allowed to remain free until his lawyers are able to appeal the sentence. nbc news justice an
convict him of these two counts of contempt of congress. and now he faces the music. as you mention, the justice department is really arguing to throw the book at steve bannon. they re arguing for the max here. in a new filing this morning, they take on directly this argument you need to get probation, saying that the law clearly states there s a mandatory minimum here of 30 years in jail. they also say this sentence should not be stayed pending appeal because they saban nonhas little success on appeal. but that is a real possibility that this judge will sentence bannon but stay that sentence and allow him to go free while he appeals, the question of whether he could have relied on defense of counsel defense. the justice department is calling for a $200,000 fine. that would be the max. they re doing that because steve bannon refused to provide any financial information to the probation office as part of the sentencing investigation as a normal defendant would.