Jussie Smollett's trial is coming to a close. This is how we got here
CNN
Closing arguments are set to begin today in the trial of former "Empire" star Jussie Smollett, who is accused of making false reports to authorities that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in 2019.
Smollett, 39, was indicted on six counts last year by a Cook County, Illinois, grand jury, but the actor has insisted on his innocence, repeatedly denying he orchestrated the attack. His attorney pleaded not guilty on his behalf. The six-count indictment -- the most recent twist in a case that gripped the nation from the start -- came after 16 felony disorderly conduct counts Smollett was previously facing were unexpectedly dropped.
Judge James Linn said during an October hearing no cameras will be allowed in court. On the same day attorneys for the actor made a final push to have the case dismissed. The judge denied the motion.
The murder trial of Brian Walshe, who is accused of killing and dismembering his wife in 2023, continues. Follow for live news updates
The Justice Department’s mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James is on life support after a grand jury, for the second time, rejected an indictment that would have revived charges against her.
A little-known civil rights office in the Department of Education that helps resolve complaints from students across the country about discrimination and accommodating disabilities has been gutted by the Trump administration and is now facing a ballooning backlog, a workforce that’s in flux and an unclear mandate.
The Indiana state Senate’s rejection of President Donald Trump’s redistricting push is one of the most significant GOP rebukes of Trump to date, and at a particularly inauspicious time for him.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday he is granting Tina Peters a full federal pardon, which is likely to increase the pressure campaign to free the former Colorado clerk from state prison even though he cannot erase her state charges.
Jean Leising spoke at a breakfast this fall at her 8th grade grandson’s school. Hours later, when she was set to give him a ride home from basketball practice, he bashfully told her that his entire team had received text messages about her that day — “and they were all bad.”
The US says it is sanctioning three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, among others, as it ramps up its pressure campaign on the South American country.
The Indiana Senate on Thursday voted down a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts to produce two more GOP-friendly seats, rejecting President Donald Trump’s months-long campaign to pressure the Republican supermajority in the deep-red state to bend to his will.
White House officials abruptly postponed the final meeting of a Trump-created task force charged with shaping the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, roughly two hours before it was set to begin on Thursday, according to three sources familiar with the decision.
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of fatally shooting conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, appeared in a Utah court Thursday for the first time in-person since his arrest.
The US Navy has submitted its recommendations on potential punishments for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over his participation in a video that reminded US troops they have a duty to refuse illegal orders, a Pentagon official told CNN on Thursday.
A grand jury, for a second time, declined to bring a new indictment against Letitia James, the New York attorney general who defeated President Donald Trump and his company in court, according to multiple sources.
More than 1.4 million Sao Paulo residents had no electricity on Thursday after strong winds caused several trees to collapse onto the Brazilian metropolis’ grid the day before. Local authorities said there were no injuries, but almost 400 flights were canceled.