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about attack in Streeterville Jussie Smollett Jussie Smollett participates in an "Empire" panel during the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Aug. 8, 2017. (Willy Sanjuan/AP) Jeremy Gorner, Megan Crepeau, William Lee, Tracy SwartzChicago Tribune “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has been charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report about an attack he said occurred as he walked to his apartment building in Streeterville last month. The charge, a felony, was announced by the Cook County state’s attorney’s office Wednesday evening, hours after police called Smollett “a suspect in a criminal investigation...

Authorities have issued subpoenas to obtain records from Empire’s Jussie Smollett amid reports the actor-singer allegedly staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself last month, according to a report Wednesday. MORE: @ABC7Chicago has also learned subpoenas have been issued to obtain records from Jussie Smollett.— Rob Elgas (@RobElgasABC7) February 20, 2019 The report comes as lawyers for Smollett meet with prosecutors and police investigators. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said he did not know if Smollett was attending the meeting or the specifics of what was being discussed. He declined to confirm reports that subpoenas had been issued for the...

Jussie Smollett is now officially in the crosshairs of law enforcement, because Chicago PD said he's now "officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation ... for filing a false police report." The cops say detectives are currently presenting evidence to a Cook County Grand Jury. If Smollett is charged the felony carries a maximum 3-year prison sentence. We're told the 2 brothers are at the courthouse now and are expected to testify ... most probably today.

Yes, Trump Derangement Syndrome does exist, and it has manifested itself in a very evident manner. I normally do not delve into the realm of culture, but this Jussie Smollett case is rather revealing of something deep, sinister, mentally disturbing.

Wait, I owe the IRS? The first tax filing season under the new federal tax law is proving to be surprising, confusing - and occasionally frightening - for some Americans, especially those accustomed to getting money back from the government. Take Andy Kraft and Amy Elias of Portland, Oregon. The couple had grown comfortable getting a small refund each year, a few hundred dollars or more. Then they found out they owe $10,160 this year. "I will never forget the moment, I thought 'We look good' and then we added in the next W-2 and my jaw hit the floor,"...

Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker, campaigning in New Hampshire on Monday, said it’s a “lie” for critics to say the Green New Deal is too expensive to implement. “This is the lie that’s going on right now,” Booker told Fox News in Nashua, N.H., as he campaigned in the first-in-the-nation primary state. **SNIP** The Wall Street Journal recently reported it cost nearly $2,000 per apartment for the New York City Housing Authority to switch to LED lighting, which lasts longer and consumes less energy than incandescent bulbs. Asked about that report, Booker said it’s possible to “revive your economy, and...

Left-wing Hollywood wasted no time in politicizing and blaming President Donald Trump and his supporters for an alleged hate crime attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett — an encounter that police now reportedly believe to have been staged. CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz reported Saturday, “Chicago Police believe Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate the assault. The sources tell CNN that the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement."Left-wing Hollywood, of course, used the alleged attack to cast blame on President Trump and the United States in general. Empire co-creator Lee Daniels said, “We have to love each other...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kamala Harris’ effort to make lynching a federal crime received new life Thursday when the Senate unanimously passed her bill to outlaw it. The bill, which is co-authored by the two other African Americans in the Senate, Democrat Cory Booker of New Jersey and Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina, unanimously passed the Senate late last year. But the House did not take it up before the congressional session ended, and the bill died. The Senate passed Harris’ legislation unanimously again Thursday. With Democrats now in control of the House, it stands a strong chance of making...

Bad news for environmentally conscious pet owners: cats’ and dogs’ eating habits are responsible for dumping as many as 64 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year — roughly the equivalent of driving over 13 million cars. That’s due to all the meat our furry friends gobble down, according to new research. There are more than 163 million dogs and cats in the US, and they just love to eat. In fact, cats and dogs in the US consume about 19 percent as many calories as people do in the US, or about as much as 62...

Here's a skit that SNL won't produce. It's because they're chicken, but to me, it's comedy GOLD!

Legendary department store Bloomingdales has been forced to apologize and pull a T-shirt with the words "fake news" emblazoned on it, after the top triggered a number of journalists.

"The agreement reached tonight would include: -$1.375b for border barriers (55 new miles of bollard fencing) -Dems drop call for new cap on ICE beds for detentions in interior -Overall cap on detention beds drops from 49,057 to 40,520 Per congressional official."

Last year was Earth's 4th-warmest year on record, coming in behind 2016, the planet's warmest recorded year, as well as 2015 and 2017, according to information released Wednesday by NOAA, NASA and the U.K. Met Office. Why it matters: The yearly rankings don't tell the whole story of long-term climate change, since natural variability can still push or pull an individual year up or down the rankings. However, the overall picture is growing starker with each passing year. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record since reliable data began in 1880 have occurred since 2005. At the same time,...

Using an open records request during a general inquiry, The Washington Post obtained Elizabeth Warren’s registration card for the State Bar of Texas, revealing Warren identified as an “American Indian.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently addressed the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities conference in Washington, DC, and a reporter from Slate decided to investigate her repeatedly referencing Biblical scripture that does not exist.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) called an unscheduled senior staff meeting Sunday night just before the start of the Super Bowl, as the governor considered resigning after two days of defiance amid a controversy over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook. People familiar with the meeting said the governor had not reached a decision. It was unclear who was present, but the group included senior staffers of color. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who would become governor if Northam resigned, was not there, the people said. Calling the Sunday night meeting was a clear signal of Northam’s effort...

**SNIP** “As the minimum wage went up, we saw massive job growth, a stronger economy, and the biggest drops in unemployment in the communities where the most people, some 30 or 40 percent of workers, benefited from the increase,” Farnitano said. Farnitano added that, rather than shutting down or downsizing, many employers had a hard time filling available positions. “In Massachusetts, there’s places where low-wage workers can’t survive on $11 an hour,” Farnitano said, referencing 2017′s minimum wage. “So they move somewhere else, and then those businesses can’t find people to fill those jobs after.” Christopher Carlozzi, state director for...

Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, on Sunday accused reporters of spreading fake news about Hillary Clinton during her 2016 bid for the White House. **SNIP** “I’d do a better job than you did against Hillary Clinton — don’t make up news,” Dean said. The retort elicited raised eyebrows from Stelter, CNN’s chief media correspondent, and his other guests, including The Daily Beast’s Washington bureau chief, Jackie Kucinich, who replied: “Oh, come on, Howard. Come on.” “What news was made up, Howard?” Stelter asked. “News, for example, of the Canadian nickel mine that was supposedly being pushed by...

SNIP “The most important thing I can say is ’thank you so much, and I’m OK,” said the “Empire” actor and R&B singer from the stage at the Troubadour in West Hollywood in his first public appearance since he reported to police in Chicago on Tuesday that two masked men had assaulted him and put a rope around his neck while using homophobic and racial slurs. “I’m not fully healed yet,” said Smollett, who is black and openly gay, “but I’m going to be, and I’m gonna stand strong with y’all.” The concert had been planned long before the incident,...

FULL TITLE: Donald Trump, Jr. will be indicted by Mueller, former prosecutor says, and will help to ensnare his father Donald Trump Jr. will be indicted and used by special counsel Robert Mueller to ensnare his father President Donald Trump, a former prosecutor predicted. During a segment on MSNBC’s AM Joy on Saturday, Paul Butler, a former Department of Justice public corruption prosecutor, and host Joy Reid discussed the latest developments in Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Trump’s campaign team and Moscow officials. “Does Mueller have to indict Trump in order...