| 'I'm sorry it took this long' | | It was a remarkable seven-day hearing that concluded Wednesday with Judge Rosemarie Aquilina telling Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar, "I just signed your death warrant." Aquilina, who sentenced Nassar to up to 175 years in prison on charges of sexual assault , had opened up her courtroom to more than 150 women and girls, including Olympic gymnasts, who gave statements against him. Aquilina let each survivor say their piece, then she encouraged them to place blame firmly on their abuser. "Leave your pain here," Aquilina told one woman, "and go out and do your magnificent things." Here are some of Aquilina's most powerful quotes: | | • | "You may find it harsh that you are here listening but nothing is as harsh as what your victims endured for thousands of hours at your hands, collectively," Aquilina, said in response to Nassar's letter questioning if he could "mentally." handle multiple days of victim-impact statements. | | • | "The monster who took advantage of you is going to wither," Aquilina told one victim. | | • | "With suicide, he wins," Aquilina told Annette Hill, who said she became suicidal following Nassar's abuse. | | • | "I'm an adult, and I'm listening, and I'm sorry it took this long. ... You were never the problem, but you are so much the solution," Aquilina told Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman. | | | Jeff Sessions is raising the threat level against 'sanctuary cities' | | The Justice Department is threatening 23 so-called sanctuary cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, with subpoenas if they fail to provide documents to show whether local law enforcement officers are sharing information with federal immigration authorities. The demand, outlined Wednesday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, represents a new escalation by the Trump administration to punish local jurisdictions that do not fully comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts. USA TODAY's Kevin Johnson has the rundown. | | Our TV binge habit might cost us more money | | Didn't we just go through this a couple months ago? With Netflix riding high on new subscriber additions, it's possible our "Stranger Things" or "Orange is the New Black" marathons will be more expensive. Wall Street analysts suggest Netflix could raise prices again without sweating any lost subscribers. It worked last time, when it raised the price of its most popular plan by $1 a month in October. During that quarter, Netflix added more than 8 million members. And we thought cutting cable would save us cash. | | Botox scandal rocks camel beauty pageant. (Yes, camels — you read that right) | | Twelve camels reportedly were disqualified from a Saudi Arabia "camel beauty contest" after judges found out the animals were given Botox. According to Reuters , camels are judged not only on their size and hump, but also their "droopy lip and large features." That's why some "cheaters" turn to fillers, according to the United Arab Emirates newspaper "The National." "They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, son of a top Emirati breeder, told The National. "It's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose'." What is it they say about the eye of the beholder? |  | | What else we're reading: | | • | Toys R Us is closing up to 182 stores. Since we were speaking of animals, pour one out for Geoffrey the Giraffe while you skim through the list. | | • | We remain heartbroken over Tuesday's school shooting in Kentucky. A nearby community was also stunned 20 years ago when a gunman opened fire on a prayer circle, killing three. For the sister of one of those victims, the pain is still fresh: "I couldn't believe this could happen again." | | • | Dilly, dilly, indeed. America's favorite beers are: 1) Bud Light, 2) Coors Light, 3) Miller Light. Budweiser used to come in at No. 3, but the king of beers has been dethroned. Overall beer trends for 2017 suggest people are drinking less beer. | | • | Are you watching 'This is Us'? We got more clues into Jack's death, and a promise that all will be revealed. Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched Tuesday night's episode, don't read this. | | • | Let us count the Waze. When turn-by-turn directions go horribly wrong, your car somehow ends up at the bottom of Lake Champlain. | | | This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY. | |
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