
Jurors set to begin second day of deliberations in the trial of actor Jussie Smollett
CNN
Jurors in Chicago will begin the second day of deliberations Thursday in the trial of actor Jussie Smollett, who has been charged in connection with allegedly staging a fake hate crime and falsely reporting it to police nearly three years ago.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated for more than two hours to end court proceedings Wednesday and are due back in at 9:15 a.m. CT.
Evidence being considered includes testimony from Smollett as well as two acquaintances he knew from the set of the television show "Empire," who stated in court last week that Smollett had recruited them to participate in the scheme.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.











