After responding to a call, a police officer played dolls with the kids

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After responding to a call, a police officer played dolls with the kids

By Amanda Jackson | CNN Newsource

This Virginia police officer’s motto: To protect and serve — and then play dolls. South Hill Police Cpl. C.B. Fleming is being praised by the community after a video emerged showing him laying on the ground playing with children.

On Valentine’s Day, Fleming was responding to a report of a gas leak at an apartment complex, and once the area was deemed safe, he took a moment to play with the kids before heading back out.

“I was telling him that my daughter, my niece, and some of the other children here were afraid of cops,” Iesha Roper-Boswell, who recorded the video, told CNN affiliate WTVR. “So when he came and played with them, I captured that moment, not because I thought it would go viral, but it was amazing that my niece didn’t break out into tears.”

Officer Fleming showed off his art skills by coloring with some boys and even played dolls with the girls.

“When I got into this job, I knew there was something different, other than just writing tickets and being the bad person all the time,” Fleming, a 15-year veteran in the department, told WTVR. “I figured if I could be that bright spot in someone’s day, then that’s all that mattered.”

CNN affiliate WTVR went out to the apartment complex to speak to Fleming and the neighborhood kids immediately swarmed him.

“He’s awesome. That’s the only word you can really use to describe C.B.,” said Roper-Boswell. “It’s just amazing, the bond he has with the children.”

CNN’s Connor Spielmaker contributed to this report.

 

Regina King aims to give us all the feels

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Regina King aims to give us all the feels

By Sandra Gonzalez | CNN Newsource

In one way, we all owe thanks to Sally Field for the wonder that is Regina King.

You see, it was Field’s work in “Sybil” and “Norma Rae” that started King on a path toward acting.

King remembers watching Field in those two projects and thinking that the roles, so vastly different, didn’t even feel like they were being played by the same person. But they were one magical performer.

“She made you laugh. She made you cry. She was sexy, she was charming,” King says. “I felt so many emotions watching both of those movies, and I just was like, ‘I want to make people feel like that.'”

These days, it’d be hard to find a person in film or television who hasn’t at least once been thrown into an emotional blender because of King’s work.

She can make you laugh; she can make you cry. She can be sexy and charming.

In her latest role in Barry Jenkins’s “If Beale Street Could Talk,” King plays Sharon Rivers, a matriarch whose spirit is as strong as her love for her family.

“I guess being a mother, having a mother that I love so much, understanding all the sacrifices that my mother made, some of her dreams she didn’t follow so that my sister and I could follow ours, I have in a lot of ways probably been preparing for this role all my life,” King says.

She’s the emotional undercurrent in the film and illuminates the material born from the novel of the same name by James Baldwin.

We’re not the only ones who think so. King is nominated for best supporting actress at the Academy Awards and has already won a Golden Globe for the role.

It was on the latter stage that King let her own determination guide her words as she vowed to, for the next two years, produce projects with a goal of 50/50 gender parity on set.

She challenged others to do the same.

“I got off of that stage feeling like, ‘Okay, this is going to be a challenge,'” she admits.

But she’s found support — both from other artists and organizations that have long called for gender parity in Hollywood.

“I’m excited,” she says. “I feel like I will walk out of 2019 having achieved that goal.”

Michael B. Jordan makes us all look lazy

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Michael B. Jordan makes us all look lazy

By Sandra Gonzalez | CNN Newsource

It’s late November and Michael B. Jordan is preparing to head overseas. He leaves on Thanksgiving for an international leg of press for his film “Creed II.” His travels were going to take him to places like London and Africa. Then his schedule had him diving into award season here in the states. March, he said, would bring a breather.

Hard work has, of course, never scared Jordan.

Born in California, he was raised in Newark, New Jersey, with his older sister and younger brother among self-described humble beginnings.

He loved books and “Dragon Ball Z,” especially Goku.

His parents loved knowledge and were tenacious, working multiple jobs.

A recognizable talent since his breakout TV role on HBO’s “The Wire,” Jordan says he got his “motor” from them.

It makes sense, of course, why Jordan, thoughtful and focused in person, has become the man filmmakers turn to for roles that demand things of an actor — be they physical, mental or both.

In “Black Panther,” he plays antagonist Killmonger, who seeks to overthrow his cousin T’Challa to become ruler of Wakanda.

Jordan not only physically pushed himself to embody the imposing figure but occupied a mental space that challenged his own limits.

“[Killmonger] was a really lonely guy. I just spent a lot of time by myself, isolated, didn’t speak that much to my family for a while,” Jordan says.

For every character, Jordan also creates a journal filled with backstory not found in the script pages. This process, he explains, helps him stay on track and provides subtext to fuel his performances.

It’s a level of discipline and work that you don’t often find in actors twice his age. But at 31, Jordan seems to have no interest in the status quo. In fact, he’s actively working to change how business is done in Hollywood.

Last year, his production company, Outlier Society Productions, adopted an inclusion rider, which is a contract clause that requires filmmakers to employ a diverse cast and crew.

Months later, Jordan helped Warner Bros. write and adopt its own policy, which will be put into practice on an upcoming legal drama he’s producing with the company. (CNN, like Warner Bros., is owned by WarnerMedia.)

“It was a milestone victory for everyone,” Jordan said. “It’s the first step of many steps, but in the right direction.”

As he’s proved with his acting roles, Jordan is willing to put in the work.

“Hopefully, it will set a precedent going across the board, that other studios and other producers and other production companies will follow that lead and continue to make strides towards change.”

Jussie Smollett paid $3,500 to stage his attack, hoping to promote his career, police allege

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Jussie Smollett paid $3,500 to stage his attack, hoping to promote his career, police allege

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, Amanda Watts and Brad Parks  |  CNN Newsource

Jussie Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 to stage an attack on him last month, taking “advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson alleged Thursday.

The revelations necessary to charge Smollett came during the 47th hour of a 48-hour holding period for the brothers, who eventually confessed to the alleged plot, Johnson said. Had they waited another hour, the superintendent said, authorities would have been forced to release them.

“We just didn’t have the total package to support that it was a hoax,” he said. “This investigation didn’t turn in the direction of Mr. Smollett being a defendant until the 47th hour that we had those two individuals in custody.”

The “Empire” actor was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of filing a false report about the Jan. 29 incident and appeared in court in the afternoon. He paid a bond later and was released.

Smollett then went to work on the “Empire” set to shoot some scenes, CNN contributor Nichelle Turner said. The company behind “Empire,” 20th Century Fox Television, has previously backed the actor. On Thursday, it said it was “evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.”

With his family members standing throughout the proceeding, Smollett wore the same puffer jacket he wore in his police mugshot. He shook his head and closed his eyes as prosecutors outlined their case against him: that the actor directed the brothers on what to say and do — including uttering a racial slur, employing a noose and making a reference to “Make America Great Again.”

Smollett texted one of the brothers, his friend Abimbola Osundairo, on Jan. 25 and said, “Might need your help on the low. You around to talk face-to-face?” prosecutors alleged.

After laying out the plan and rehearsing it, prosecutors said, Smollett then gave Abimbola Osundairo and his brother, Olabinjo, a $100 bill to buy clothing and rope for a noose, prosecutors allege. He also instructed them not to bring their mobile phones to the attack, according to prosecutors.

A statement released Thursday night on behalf of the actor said the bail hearing was an “organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system.”

“Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing,” the statement said.

Smollett is due back in court on March 14.

Judge sets bail at $100,000; Smollett is released

Smollett spoke in court only to confirm his name to the judge. His defense team told the court that Smollett was not a flight risk and cited his philanthropic work in making his case for bail.

The judge granted a $100,000 bail, and Smollett paid a $10,000 bond. He was ordered to give up his passport and will remain under supervision until his case is adjudicated.

Smollett faces a felony charge of disorderly conduct for falsely claiming he was attacked by two men on January 29 in Chicago, police say.

The attackers yelled racist and homophobic slurs, tied a rope around his neck and poured an unknown substance on him, Smollett alleged.

Flipping the brothers

The attack took place but was staged, Johnson said. The brothers punched Smollett a little, wearing gloves, according to Johnson.

“As far as we can tell, the scratching and bruising that you saw on his face were most likely self-inflicted,” said Johnson.

Investigators believe Smollett staged the attack “because he was dissatisfied with his salary,” Johnson said, citing information that the brothers gave to police.

Police initially treated the attack as a hate crime and were able to track down the men, in part, through cabs and rideshares that they took after the attack, Cmdr. Edward Wodnicki told reporters. They learned the men were in Nigeria.

Investigators met the brothers at customs when they returned to the country, Wodnicki said. Phone records indicate Smollett talked to the brothers about an hour before the alleged attack, an hour afterward and after they had left the country, authorities say.

According to Johnson, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo asked for an attorney once in custody. After their lawyer explained to police that “something smelled fishy,” the men told officers that Smollett, who is black and gay, first “attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language. When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack,” the police superintendent said.

Seven days before the alleged attack, a letter was sent to the Chicago set of “Empire.” It contained white powder and a drawing of a “stick figure hanging from a tree,” police have said.

Authorities determined the powder to be aspirin, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. According to prosecutors, Smollett told Abimbola Osundairo that he was disappointed in the “Empire” team’s reaction to the letter.

Investigators have the check Smollett used to pay Abimbola Osundairo, prosecutors say. The brothers’ motive for helping was money, Johnson said.

“There was never a thought in their mind that we would be able to track them down,” he said.

After cooperating with police, the Osundairo brothers were released without being charged last week and went before a grand jury Tuesday, Johnson said.

At one point, Smollett’s legal team asked that the grand jury proceeding be postponed so he could provide new details, but “essentially they gave us no new information,” Wodnicki said.

The grand jury heard the evidence, and on Wednesday, police said, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a felony disorderly conduct charge against the actor.

Under Illinois law, filing a false police report is disorderly conduct and punishable by one to three years in prison.

Brothers no longer suspects

During Thursday’s news conference, Johnson repeatedly chastised the media for devoting more attention to the Smollett case than to other alleged victims of violence in the city.

“I am offended by what’s happened and I’m also angry,” Johnson said. “Bogus police reports cause real harm. They do harm to every legitimate victim.”

As details emerged, police said they wanted to conduct a follow-up interview with the actor based on “some developments.”

They did not elaborate, but surveillance video from a beauty supply store captured the day before the assault, appears to show the brothers purchasing a ski mask, sunglasses, a red hat, and other items.

The two are no longer suspects, Chicago police say. The brothers’ attorney, Gloria Schmidt, told reporters Wednesday that her clients had not accepted a plea deal.

“You don’t need immunity when you have the truth,” she said.

Asked why Smollett chose the brothers, who prosecutors say both appeared as extras on “Empire,” Johnson said it was probably because he had a previous relationship with them and “knew that he needed somebody with some bulk.”

Selfies posted on Instagram showed the muscular brothers with their shirts off, flexing, and prosecutors allege that Abimbola Osundairo, with whom Smollett has been friends since 2017, had previously worked out with, socialized with and provided recreational drugs for Smollett.

Smollett angered by allegations, lawyers say

Smollett, who plays a gay character on the Fox drama “Empire,” told detectives two men attacked him near the lower entrance of a Loews hotel in Chicago, police said. The men yelled, ” ‘Empire’ fa***t” and ” ‘Empire’ n***er,’ ” while striking him, police were told.

The actor also confirmed reports that one of the men shouted, “This is MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, police said.

Prosecutors allege Smollett directed the brothers to utter the remarks and epithets while attacking him. The attack was supposed to go down at 10 p.m. on Jan. 28, but was postponed until 2 the next morning because Smollett’s flight was delayed, prosecutors say.

Smollett took the brothers to the site where he wanted the incident to occur on Jan. 27 and pointed out a surveillance camera on the corner he thought would record the attack, prosecutors say. They say the plan was changed so bleach would be used during the incident instead of gasoline.

After the brothers were released from custody, Smollett’s attorneys maintained their client was the victim of a hate crime and said he was cooperating with police.

“Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with,” their statement said. “He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack.”

CNN’s Faith Karimi, Ryan Young, Bill Kirkos, Steve Almasy, Joe Sutton, Sandra Gonzalez, Chuck Johnston, Nick Watt. Rosalina Nieves and Sheena Jones contributed to this report.

Judge sets R. Kelly’s bond at $1 million in sexual abuse case

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Judge sets R. Kelly’s bond at $1 million in sexual abuse case

By Sara Sidner, Nick Watt, Madeline Holcombe and Dakin Andone | CNN Newsource

A judge in Chicago set bond for R. Kelly at $1 million Saturday on charges the singer sexually abused four females from 1998 to 2010.

Under the terms of his bond, Kelly must surrender his passport and may not have contact with anyone under 18.
The singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, was arrested and indicted Friday on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four alleged victims.

A Cook County judge set bond at $250,000 for each case. Kelly, one of the most successful R&B acts in history, needs to put forth $100,000 to make bail.

Prosecutors also revealed additional graphic details about the accusations against him.

Among the revelations was that Kelly allegedly spit on two the victims. And one of the alleged victims provided authorities with a shirt she wore during an alleged encounter with Kelly, which later tested positive for his DNA.

At the time of the alleged abuse, two of the victims were 16 years old, one was between 14 and 16, and the fourth was 24, according to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s description of the evidence.

The indictment says Kelly used force or the threat of force.

Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg said Kelly and his defense team are “very happy” with the bond and that it seems “fair and reasonable given the allegations.”

“Right now he’s presumed innocent,” he said. “We haven’t seen any reason to believe that these allegations are credible.”

Greenberg said Friday that he thinks “all the women are lying.”

“Mr. Kelly is strong, he’s got a lot of support and he’s going to be vindicated on all these charges — one by one if it has to be.”

Kelly turned himself in Friday night, just hours after Chicago police issued a warrant for his arrest. He arrived in a large, black van wearing a hoodie under an electric blue puffer jacket.

He waded through a sea of reporters asking questions such as “What do you have to say to the fans?” and “What do you have to say to the black women of Chicago?”

Kelly did not respond. Once he entered the building, he was handcuffed and led away by police. His arraignment is set for March 8.

A grand jury was convened in Cook County this month in connection with new allegations against Kelly, two sources close to the case told CNN.

Greenberg told CNN this month that he had not been notified of a grand jury. Days before, attorney Michael Avenatti announced he had given the State’s Attorney’s Office a videotape that he said showed Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

“This tape leaves no question as to whether R. Kelly is guilty of multiple sexual, illegal acts against a 14-year-old girl,” he told reporters Friday. He said Foxx’s investigation was “very thorough … dedicated and methodical.”

CNN has seen the VHS tape, which is 42 minutes and 45 seconds, clear and explicit. It appears to show Kelly having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.

Homeland Security Investigations is involved in an investigation of Kelly, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said. The official did not provide any details.

In a news conference Friday, his attorney told reporters he did not know what was on the tape.

Greenberg brought a point of contention to one of the cases in the indictment.

“One of the charges appears to involve the same alleged victim from the earlier case and double jeopardy should bar that case,” he said.

But the charges in the 2008 case were child pornography charges, and different from the aggravated sexual abuse charges Kelly currently faces.

Kelly has been associated with accusations of abuse, manipulation and inappropriate encounters with girls and young women for more than two decades. He has strongly denied the accusations.

What is on the latest video mirrors some of the alleged acts for which Kelly was arrested in a child pornography case in 2002 when he was 35 and then acquitted six years later.

He has been sued by multiple women accusing him of having sex with them when they were underage. Most cases, with the exception of the trial where he was acquitted, have been settled out of court.

There has been a growing movement against him, including the #MuteRKelly campaign to stop his music being played. His hits include “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition.”

In January, the release of a docuseries called “Surviving R. Kelly” on Lifetime television helped boost the public campaign against him.

In that series, women said they were kept in abusive sexual relationships.

CNN’s Sara Sidner and Nick Watt reported from Chicago, and Madeline Holcombe and Dakin Andone reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN’s Steve Almasy, Brad Parks and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.

Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing Comes to Nashville

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Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing Comes to Nashville

By Claudia Libow

This March, the Frist Museum of Art welcomes the distinguished exhibition, Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing. During a time of political conflict, Lange’s 20th century photographs are strikingly relevant. Frist Museum curator, Katie Delmez, categorizes the work as “activism through photography,” stating, “it’s not just about a beautiful photograph. It’s about awakening people’s awareness.”

Once a studio portraitist capturing San Francisco’s elite, Dorothea Lange made a dramatic shift in 1933 as she began highlighting the impoverished and maltreated rather than the city’s upper-class. Perhaps her most famous photograph, Migrant Mother, is just one representation of her extensive exploration of depression-era life throughout America.

Featuring vintage prints and negatives, the collection lures visitors with Lange’s iconic images but also reveals unseen photographs. Delmez worked closely with the exhibition’s original curator, Drew Heath Johnson of the Oakland Museum of California. Delmez carefully customized the exhibition for the museum’s “space and audience,” yet remained faithful to Johnson’s vision, generated from his intimacy with the archive.  Lange’s husband gifted the entirety of her collection as well as personal belongings to the Oakland Museum.

Katie Delmez summarized, “this is a great opportunity to shine a light on a female artist as we are so often overlooked. It is an ideal time to revisit this iconic photographer who really is one of the most important documentary photographers of all time.”

For the first time in nearly a century, Beijing’s Forbidden City opens at night

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For the first time in nearly a century, Beijing’s Forbidden City opens at night

By Lily Lee, CNN

(CNN) — For the first time in 94 years, Beijing’s Palace Museum, commonly known as the Forbidden City, opened its doors to the public after dark — and with spectacular results.

The special event, taking place February 19-20, forms part of Beijing’s Lantern Festival celebration, which marks the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Forbidden City normally closes to tourists at around 4:30 p.m. in the winter and 5 p.m. in the summer. Until this week, few — save for VIP state guests, such as US President Donald Trump in 2017 — have been granted the privilege of seeing this incredible landmark at night.

On Tuesday night, about 3,000 lucky visitors entered the Forbidden City’s gates to take in the dramatic displays, which include lantern shows, symphony orchestra performances and projections of ancient Chinese paintings.

Among them was Zhang Zhifu, a 77-year-old public security volunteer who received a free ticket from the government as a token of gratitude for her volunteer work.

“I grew up in Beijing and I visit the Forbidden City every year, but I’ve never got to see it at night until today,” Zhang tells CNN Travel.

Holding a Chinese national flag in her hand, Zhang says she appreciates the government’s gesture.

“Not everyone can come. I heard it is extremely difficult to get the ticket. It is truly an honor to be granted this special privilege.”

Zhang says her family and friends were anxiously waiting for her to update her social media account.

“My grandchildren are interested in the pictures their boring old grandma will take for a change.” laughs Zhang.

‘There will be more events like this’

Despite the chilly winter night — and not having a ticket — visitors crowded the perimeter of the ancient imperial palace to get a glimpse of the light show on its first night.

“For 2,000 years there’s been the tradition featuring lights during the Chinese Lantern Festival, which is an extension of the Lunar New Year,” Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, tells CNN Travel.

“We want to pass on that tradition and light up the ancient architecture to give people more festival experiences. Tonight is a trial. If the feedback is positive, there will be more events like this.”

The feedback has been quick. Discussion of the Forbidden City’s new look lit up social media following Tuesday’s display. And, unsurprisingly, there’s been some criticism, too.

“The LED show is too tacky. Is the emperor having a disco night?” says one comment on Weibo.

“I’m so disappointed. I had such high hope of the Palace Museum’s aesthetical standard. The dazzling LED lights don’t fit the atmosphere of the elegance of the Forbidden City,” says another.

Completed in 1420, the Forbidden City was the home of emperors and served as the political center of China for over 500 years.

Back in the day, celebrating the Lantern Festival in the Forbidden City was a tradition reserved for Imperial families.

But concerns about protecting the landmark’s ancient architecture — which is mostly made of wood — from fire hazards arose and the tradition died out.

Festival organizers planning this year’s Lantern Festival event are using LED lights rather than traditional paper lanterns and red candles, reports local media.

With the museum being a cultural icon featured countless times in Chinese TV series and novels, news of the evening visits led some enthusiastic fans to let their imaginations run wild.

“I wonder if people will come across exciting ghostly shadows on the ancient walls.” one person jokingly wrote on Weibo.

Tickets for the tour — which were available free online — were snapped up almost immediately. The Palace Museum’s official website temporarily crashed at midnight on Sunday due to the overload of visits.

Only certain sections of the Forbidden City are open to the public during this week’s nighttime tour.

These include the Meridian Gate exhibition hall, the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the East Wall and the Gate of Divine Might.

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Chicago police want to talk to Jussie Smollett, but they don’t know when that’ll happen

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Chicago police want to talk to Jussie Smollett, but they don’t know when that’ll happen
By Ryan Young, Brad Parks and Dakin Andone, CNN

(CNN) — Chicago detectives want to speak to actor Jussie Smollett — but it’s not clear when, or if, that will happen.

Police want to ask Smollett additional questions about the attack he reported on January 29, but as of Tuesday morning, Smollett’s attorneys had not indicated when their client will be available to talk to police. Smollett told authorities that two men attacked him, putting a rope around his neck and pouring an unknown chemical substance on him.

Two brothers, who were arrested and released in connection with the attack, met with police and prosecutors at a Chicago courthouse on Tuesday, Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern said. The county’s top prosecutor, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, has recused herself from the investigation, according to a spokeswoman from her office.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the decision to recuse herself was made to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case,” said the spokeswoman, Tandra Simonton.

The men — who attorney Gloria Schmidt identified as Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo — were arrested February 13 but released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of “new evidence.” The two are no longer suspects at this time, Chicago police have said.

In a joint statement issued to CNN affiliate WBBM, the men said: “We are not racist. We are not homophobic, and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens.”

On Monday, Anne Kavanaugh with Media Pros 24/7, a firm representing Smollett, released a statement saying in part, “Smollett’s attorneys will keep an active dialogue going with Chicago police on his behalf.”

Smollett charged with providing false information to law enforcement in 2007 misdemeanor case

More than a decade ago, Smollett pleaded no contest to providing false information to law enforcement in a 2007 misdemeanor case, according to Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

The case stems from a DUI stop in which Smollett gave police the wrong name.

Smollett also pleaded no contest to driving with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit and driving without a valid driver license.

He was sentenced to two years of probation and paid a fine, according to Mateljan.

Police looking into whether Smollett paid the brothers

Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that Chicago Police believe Smollett paid the brothers to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month.

Smollett denies playing a role in his attack, according to a statement from his attorneys.

The sources told CNN the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement and that there are records that show the two brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett’s neck at a hardware store in Chicago.

Smollett’s attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, issued a statement to CNN Saturday night saying Smollett was angry about these latest developments.

“As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with,” the statement read. “He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

Smollett identifies as gay and since 2015 has played the gay character of Jamal on the Fox TV drama “Empire.”

Letter addressed to Smollett before alleged attack included the word ‘MAGA”

Seven days before the alleged attack, a letter containing white powder was sent to the Chicago set of “Empire,” Chicago police have said. Authorities determined the powder to be aspirin, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

The image of the letter and envelope, shared with CNN by a person close to Smollett, includes a message apparently cut from magazine clippings, and a stick figure drawing. Smollett told ABC News the drawing was of a “stick figure hanging from a tree which had a gun pointing towards it.” The letter, addressed to Smollett, includes the word “MAGA” on the outside of the envelope in place of the return address.

What happened

According to to Guglielmi, the actor told detectives he was attacked by two men near the lower entrance of a Loews hotel in Chicago. Police were told the two men yelled “‘Empire’ fa***t” and “‘Empire’ n***er'” while striking him.

In a supplemental interview with authorities, Smollett confirmed media reports that one of the attackers also shouted, “This is MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

The day after the incident, police released surveillance images that showed two silhouetted individuals walking down a sidewalk, and police said they were wanted for questioning.

Police on Friday said the men were being viewed as “potential suspects” then. But by Friday night they had been released, Guglielmi said.

One of the men has appeared on “Empire,” Guglielmi said. A police source also told CNN on Friday night that the men had a previous affiliation with Smollett, but did not provide additional details.

Smollett has expressed frustration about not being believed

Smollett gave his first detailed account last week of what he says was a hate crime against him, and the aftermath, in the interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more,” Smollett said. “And that says a lot about the place where we are as a country right now.”

Smollett stated that one of the attackers shouted “this is MAGA country” before punching him in the face. But he refuted reports that said he told police the attackers wore “Make America Great Again” hats.

“I never said that,” he told ABC’s Robin Roberts. “I didn’t need to add anything like that. They called me a f****t, they called me a n****r. There’s no which way you cut it. I don’t need some MAGA hat as the cherry on some racist sundae.”

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Man discovers 30 year old Apple computer still in working order

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Man discovers 30 year old Apple computer still in working order
By Amanda Jackson, CNN

(CNN) — A New York professor has Gen Xers reminiscing about their childhood after he posted images of his decades old Apple lle computer on Twitter Saturday night.

John Pfaff dusted off the old computer that has been sitting in his parent’s attic for decades, and to his surprise it still turned on.

“Put in an old game disk. Asks if I want to restore a saved game. And finds one!,” he tweeted. “It must be 30 years old. I’m 10 years old again.”

Apple IIe was the third model in the Apple II series and released in 1983. This version touted features such as the ability to use both upper and lower case letters and full functionality of the Shift and Caps Lock keys. All models of this computer were discontinued in 1993.

Pfaff restored the saved game of Adventureland, a text command game released for microcomputers by Scott Adams in 1978.

“What shall I do next,” reads the prompt on the screen.

“This is tricky, because three decades later I can’t quite remember where I left off this round of Adventureland.”

Pfaff found floppy disks with several different games of the time including; Millionware, Neuromancer and Olympic Decathlon.

Besides finding games on the floppy disks, Pfaff came across saved copies of his high school assignments and a note from his late father.

“Just found this letter my dad typed to me in 1986, when I was 11 and at summer camp,” he tweeted. “My dad passed away almost exactly a year ago. It’s amazing to come across something so ‘ordinary’ from him.”

Pfaff showed off the vintage system to his own children and their reaction is what you’d expect from a generation that has moved on to an iPhone X.

“My oldest, who is 9, exclaimed “that’s a computer?!” in genuine surprise, and then pointed at the floppy drives and asked “what are those?” My younger twins just kept laughing at how silly it seemed to them.”

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IN MEMORIAM: Don Newcombe was symbol of past baseball greatness

Ron Wynn
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IN MEMORIAM: Don Newcombe was symbol of past baseball greatness

By RON WYNN | Nashville Voice

There was a time when baseball, not football or basketball, dominated the nation’s sports pages and attention. Baseball players were celebrities, cultural heroes in the manner that a Lebron James or Michael Jordan is today.

When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line in 1947 he made front page headlines, not just sports news.

It was exactly two years later, in 1949, that Don Newcombe became a Dodger. Robinson, Roy Campanella and Newcombe all signed with the Dodgers in 1946, but Branch Rickey wasn’t going to speed things up THAT quickly and bring up all three at the same time.

Newcombe came two years later and made an immediate impact. That first season he was an All-Star, the first Black pitcher to achieve that feat.

Over his 10-year career, he would have many other firsts. First black starting pitcher to win 20 games. First to win both Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards in the same season (1956). First black pitcher to start a World Series game.

Newcombe roomed with Robinson his first two seasons, and the trio of Robinson, Newcombe and Campanella were a major part of Brooklyn’s domination of the National League during the ’50s.

But Don Newcombe, who died last Tuesday at 92, accomplished so much more after his career ended. He might have pitched longer than a decade but encountered major alcohol problems that shortened his career.

For the remainder of his life, Don Newcombe had two careers. One was as an ambassador for MLB and the Dodgers. The other was as a counselor, mentor, advocate and friend to countless people inside and outside sports with drug addiction problems of any kind, especially alcoholics.

If asked, Newcombe would talk about his days in the Negro leagues, and also his time with the Dodgers, but he preferred working to help others avoid the career-ending mistakes he made. He was always ready to help anyone who needed it at any time.

Newcombe repeatedly urged MLB to do more outreach to the black community, and do more to keep the interest of young people and young African-American athletes in the sport.

Newcombe wanted to be a manager, but that was well before the folks at MLB began to realize they had a problem. He could have been a great one, because he knew what it took to succeed, and also knew what real hardships were about, and how to handle physical and mental adversity.

Today, 70 years after Newcombe broke into the majors, baseball has ONE (that’s one) Black manager, the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts.

There are no signs of any more being hired any time soon, especially with the sport now in the grip of analytics-driven GMs, most of them young white Ivy League grads who didn’t play ball and don’t value the importance of practical experience. They rely on charts, graphs, stats and breakdowns, often disregarding or downplaying the human element.

Not that any of that’s necessarily bad, but it works against career baseball players, many of them black, who could be great field managers but depend more on what they see and what they feel than on computer charts. More importantly, anything that keeps a Don Newcombe and people like him out of a sport are, at best, problematic.

The greatness of Don Newcombe as a player and person is unquestioned. What remains to be answered is what will MLB do to really honor him besides acknowledge his accomplishments and perhaps have a day in his honor?

A much better tribute would be to improve and increase opportunities for blacks in positions outside of playing and to have far more interaction in black sporting communities than at present.

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