https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_December_4,_2021
A total solar eclipse will occur on Saturday, December 4, 2021. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2021-december-4
December 4, 2021 Total Solar Eclipse
https://apnews.com/article/jussie-smollett-trial-charged-with-lying-about-faked-attack-c92dcb748d41bd1d7e07c060678c4352
Trial set to start on charges Smollett faked racist attack
By DON BABWIN today
CHICAGO (AP) — A popular actor steps out onto the street and is brutally reminded that, despite his fame and wealth, places still exist where the color of his skin and sexual orientation put him in danger.
That was the story that ricocheted around the world after Jussie Smollett, a Black and openly gay actor, reported to Chicago police that he was the victim of a hate crime.
Nearly three years later, Smollett is about to stand trial on charges that he staged the whole thing.
He was charged with felony disorderly conduct after law enforcement and prosecutors said he lied to police about what happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2019, in downtown Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. Disorderly conduct, a class 4 felony, carries a sentence of up to three years in prison but experts have said it is more likely that if Smollett is convicted he would be placed on probation and perhaps ordered to perform community service.
Smollett told police he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop at 2 a.m. when two men he said recognized him from the TV show “Empire” began hurling racial and homophobic slurs at him. He said the men struck him, looped a makeshift noose around his neck and shouted, “This is MAGA country,” a reference to then-President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
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Reaction to his reported assault underscored the increasingly polarized political landscape; Democratic politicians and others called it a shocking example of Trump-era bigotry and hate, while Republicans accused liberals of rushing to paint the president’s supporters as racists.
Just weeks later came the stunning announcement that Smollett was charged with staging the attack to further his career and secure a higher salary. And, police said, he hired two brothers from Nigeria, to pretend to attack him for $3,500.
This made the spotlight on Smollett shine even brighter, but this time he was vilified as someone willing to use one of the most potent symbol of racism in the U.S. to further his career.
“The most vile and despicable part of it, if it’s true, is the noose,” Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr., who is Black, said during Smollett’s first court appearance. “That symbol conjures up such evil in this country’s history.”
Smollett also became a national punch line. He was the subject of a “Saturday Night Live” skit and a host of Black celebrities, from NBA analyst Charles Barkley to comedian Dave Chappelle, took turns poking fun at him.
Then came the anger that Smollett’s fame accorded him influence that is out of reach for most. Reports indicated Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, at the request of former first lady Michelle Obama’s onetime chief of staff, communicated with a member of Smollett’s family early in the investigation. Foxx recused herself from the case then her office suddenly dropped the charges, and Foxx found herself at the center of a media firestorm as she refuted the suggestion that her office gave the television star a break.
All that set the stage for what turned a simple question of Smollett’s innocence or guilt into a convoluted legal saga that has dragged on for nearly three years.
Trial was delayed in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought cases around the country to a halt for months. But also, charges were filed, dropped and filed again by a special prosecutor who was brought in to take over the case.
Smollett — whose career has since faded — will this week return to the glare of the media spotlight, but this time as he passes the forest of news cameras as he makes his way to and from court.
The producers of “Empire,” on which he starred for four years, renewed his contract for the sixth and final season in 2019, but he never appeared in an episode. Nor has he released any music or given significant musical performances.
He has, however, directed an independent film, funded by his own production company, that is premiering at the American Black Film Festival this month. The movie, “B-Boy Blues” is an adaptation of a 1994 novel, the first in a series, about the lives of gay Black men in New York.
But once in court, what will unfold will be what may sound like a bad movie for the simple reason that a short movie is exactly what authorities have long maintained Smollett was trying to create.
Key witnesses will be the brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who say Smollett wrote them a check to stage the attack. They are expected to characterize Smollett as the star and director of an “attack” in full view of a surveillance camera that he mistakenly believed would record the whole event.
And, according to their lawyer, the brothers will also describe how Smollett drove them to the spot where the incident was to play out for a “dress rehearsal.”
“He was telling them ‘Here’s a camera, there’s a camera and here’s where you are going to run away,’” said their lawyer, Gloria Rodriguez.
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Associated Press reporter Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles.
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Check out the AP’s complete coverage of the Jussie Smollett case.
https://apnews.com/hub/jussie-smollett
Key moments since Jussie Smollett reported Chicago attack
today
CHICAGO (AP) — Jussie Smollett goes to trial Monday on charges that he lied to Chicago police when the former “Empire” actor and R&B singer reported being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack nearly three years ago. Some key moments in the story:
Jan. 22, 2019
— Smollett receives a racist and homophobic threatening letter at the studio in Chicago where “Empire” is filmed. Police later say they believe Smollett sent the letter himself.
Jan. 29, 2019
— Jussie Smollett tells police he was attacked by two men in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m. The actor says the men used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an “unknown substance” on him. Police say Smollett, who is Black and gay, told detectives the attackers also yelled he was in “MAGA country,” an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan that some Trump critics call racist and discriminatory.
Jan. 30, 2019
— Chicago police say they’ve reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, including of Smollett walking downtown, but none shows the attack. Police obtain and release images of two people they want to question, calling them “persons of interest.”
— Reports of an assault on Smollett draw outrage and support for him on social media from some politicians and celebrities.
Jan. 31, 2019
— Smollett’s family issues a statement calling the attack a hate crime and disputing claims that he changed his story.
Feb. 1, 2019
— Smollett issues a statement saying he’s OK, that he’s working with authorities and has been “100 percent factual and consistent on every level.”
Feb. 2, 2019
— Smollett opens a concert in West Hollywood, California, with an emotional speech, saying he had to play the show because he couldn’t let his attackers win.
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Feb. 13, 2019
— Chicago police pick up two Nigerian brothers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after police learn at least one worked on “Empire.” Police question them and search their apartment.
Feb. 15, 2019
— Chicago police release the brothers without charges after arresting them on suspicion of assault and holding them for nearly 48 hours. A police spokesman says they’re no longer suspects.
Feb. 16, 2019
— Police say the investigation has “shifted” after detectives questioned the brothers, and request a follow-up interview with Smollett. His lawyers say he feels “victimized” by reports that he played a role in the assault.
Feb. 17, 2019
— Chicago police reach out to Smollett’s attorney saying they still want to interview him again because new information has “shifted” their investigation.
Feb. 19, 2019
— Chicago’s top prosecutor, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, recuses herself from the investigation. Her office says the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution … to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case.”
Feb. 20, 2019
— Prosecutors charge Smollett with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report about the alleged attack.
Feb. 21, 2019
— Chicago police say Smollett surrenders to face a felony charge of disorderly conduct, punishable by up to three years in prison.
— Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted publicity. Investigators say they have a $3,500 check that Smollett used to pay the two brothers to help him.
Feb. 22, 2019
— “Empire” producers say Smollett’s character to be removed from the final two episodes of the season.
March 7, 2019
— A Cook County grand jury returns a 16-count indictment charging Smollett with falsely reporting an offense.
March 26, 2019
— Smollett’s attorneys say charges alleging he lied to police have been dropped.
March 28, 2019
— A city official says Chicago is seeking $130,000 from Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into his reported beating, which police say was staged.
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April 11, 2019
— The city of Chicago files a lawsuit seeking to recoup the investigation costs.
April 15, 2019
— The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office releases thousands of documents in the Smollett case in response to open records requests, including a text from Foxx calling Smollett a “washed up celeb” who was overcharged.
April 23, 2019
— The brothers who said they helped Smollett stage the attack file a defamation lawsuit against the actor’s attorneys.
Aug. 23, 2019
— Judge names former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb as special prosecutor to investigate why charges against Smollett were dropped.
Feb. 11, 2020
— Webb says grand jury returns six-count indictment against Smollett, accusing him of lying to police.
Feb. 24, 2020
— Smollett pleads not guilty to restored charges.
Oct. 15, 2021
— Judge James Linn denies a last-ditch effort to dismiss the criminal case against Smollett and sets his trial for Nov. 29.
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https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2019/02/18/awkward-moment-candidate-kamala-harris-asked-about-her-jussie-smollett-modern-day-lynching-tweet/
Awkward Moment – Candidate Kamala Harris Asked About Her Jussie Smollett "Modern Day Lynching" Tweet…
February 18, 2019 | Sundance | 224 Comments
''Against revelations that actor Jussie Smollett has fabricated a hate-crime attack, including his payments to actors to stage the events, Presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris was asked about her prior tweet calling the fake attack a “modern day lynching”. Her response is rather, well, awkward:''
https://youtu.be/l2-hKqhTNiw
https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1090361495119187969
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@JussieSmollett
is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery.
This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.
4:30 PM · Jan 29, 2019·Sprout Social