Drag Chicago News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Smollett paid $3500 to stage this and drag chicago's reputation. he was dissatisfied about his salary. >> jussie smollett is fighting back. good morning to you. i hope the truth gets the same amount of attention as the hoax, end quote. let's see if that's the case. if smollett is going to mount a defense, which all signs indicate he will, what would his defense be, sir? >> you are already seeing some signs of it, bill, this morning. when defense attorneys don't have any facts, they go to process. they are trying to throw enough smoke up there to establish reasonable doubt in the minds of the p...

Most of the information. when you have two young men that are giving you a statement and you can corroborate that statement with all the evidence you just mentioned in addition to the documentary evidence and the electronic evidence, you have video evidence. you can see them moving around, going to the places, that's very, very powerful. they will attack the only people they can attack, the accusers, the police. that's playing itself out. we are used to that. there is enough evidence to move forward without a doubt. >> last question here. the prosecutor yesterday from chicago talked about esta...

And john cornyn of texas, you understand, the president has put himself in a very tenuous position. >> juan is right, it will have no problem in the house. we have heard a number of republican senators speak out against the national emergency declaration, the question is whether they would break with their party and vote with the democrats. this is holding their feet to the fire. the president is likely to veto it. sis a symbolic vote. it is not necessarily mean it will do anything. now, they are on the record saying we oppose or support it. it will be interesting to see. >> let's go back to c...

Telling the judge in a packed courtroom that smollett gives to and is involved in charities and because fox studios is still standing by him. the latest statement from 20th century fox reads, we understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. we are evaluating the situation and considering our options. that is a slight bit of change in tone from 20th century fox that in previous statements really stood by jussie smollett. they now say they are considering their options. in court, the judge publicly chastised smollett saying if the part about the noose is true, it is...

It's 11 here in new york. the producers of empire are writing smollett out of the final two episodes to avoid further disruption on set. matt finn is watching that story from chicago. the tip of the ice burg is what prosecutors call initial charges against a coast guard officer accused of plotting domestic terrorism. it is a friday. i am bill hemmer live. >> heather: i'm heather childers in for sandra smith. a federal judge ruling that christopher hassan will be behind bar force the next two weeks after he was arrested last