>> have a great day. making news in america this morning, new details in the case against actor jussie smollett. charged with making up that story about a racist and homophobic attack. why his lawyers now claim he is the victim and what smollett did after leaving court. his message to his co-stars on the set of "empire" and his salary now in the spotlight. what he earns per episode on the show. also this morning, staying in syria. a new white house plan to keep some american troops on the ground despite u.s. withdrawal plans. the shocking scene on the street. a suspected drunk driver speeding down this busy sidewalk. the terrifying end to a wild ride. plus, the tv doctor and cable news personality now facing sexual misconduct allegations. his new response. countdown to the oscars. meet the mystery man behind

freddie mercury's voice in "bohemian rhapsody.". and snow on the strip. the rare move in las vegas after the second snowstorm? one week. good friday morning, everyone. we begin with actor jussie smollett now gearing up to fight the charges against him. >> the "empire" star is out on bond after facing a judge saying i did not do this. in a new statement overnight, his legal team insisted smollett is the victim. they blame political timing and what they describe as overzealous law enforcement. this morning jussie smollett is dealing with a growing legal and media firestorm ignoring that crush of cameras after his bond hearing inside a chicago courthouse. the actor is forcefully denying any wrongdoing in the alleged hate crime attack that he's accused of orchestrating on himself. after posting the 100,000 bond smollett was seen heading to the

chicago set of his show "empire." tmz says the crew waited for 30 minutes for an emotional smollett to arrive. once there he reportedly apologized and denied the allegations saying i swear to god i did not do this. >> do you believe your brother's story? >> reporter: as smollett made his first appearance in court chicago's police superintendent had blistering words for the actor. he detailed what investigators call an elaborate lie that started weeks ago when they say smollett sent this homophobic and racist letter to himself. >> smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language. when that didn't work, smollett paid $3500 to stage this attack and drag chicago's reputation through the mud in the process. >> reporter: at the center of the case, two brothers police say were first seen in grainy surveillance video. smollett is accused of enlisting the brothers to carry out the attack allegedly telling them to

pour gasoline on immolator changing it to bleach. the star paid the brothers $3500. >> we have the check that he used to pay them. >> reporter: police say smollett's facial injuries were likely self-inflicted. for weeks the actor insisted he was the victim. >> who the [ bleep ] would make something like this up or add something to it or whatever it may be? you do such a disservice when you lie about things like this. >> reporter: but police say that's exactly what he did. >> the stunt was orchestrated by smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary. >> reporter: that salary while not public is reportedly in the ballpark of $100,000 per episode according to a source familiar with his deal. >> i'm left hanging my head and asking why. why would anyone especially an african-american man use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations. i'm offended by what's happened, and i'm also angry. >> reporter: overnight smollett's legal team criticized chicago police writing, today we witnessed an organized law

enforcement spectacle that has no place in the american legal system. the presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of mr. smollett and notably on the eve of a mayoral election. and mr. smollett fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing. "variety" reports fox has not made a decision whether to keep smollett on "empire." studio and network executives are said to be considering their options. we turn now to president trump's longtime friend and adviser roger stone silenced by a federal judge. the judge rejected stone's apology for what appeared to be a threatening instagram post. she slapped a broader gag order on him. it comes as we await robert mueller's final report on the russia investigation and some highly anticipated testimony next week from former trump fixer michael cohen. abc's mona kosar abdi has more. mona, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, janai. from his twitter account to his state of the union address,

president trump has taken every chance to condemn the mueller investigation while bracing for the final report. for two years -- >> russian witch-hunt. >> reporter: -- the president attacking the investigations shadowing his administration and maintaining his innocence. >> an economic miracle is taking place in the united states. and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. >> reporter: trump's target, special counsel robert mueller, who has remained virtually silent for the past 21 months. but mueller's actions speaking volumes amassing evidence handing down 37 indictments and 7 guilty pleas involving the president's closest allies including his personal attorney michael cohen. >> and i will do anything to protect mr. trump. >> reporter: cohen pleading guilty to lying to congress then implicating the president in a separate investigation on campaign finance violations.

cohen making an appearance on capitol hill thursday before his highly anticipated testimony next week. the legal trouble also mounting for the president's former campaign adviser roger stone. stone getting reprimanded by the judge overseeing his case for posting an instagram picture with crosshairs next to her head. stone repeatedly apologized calling it a stupid lapse of judgment, but the judge didn't buy it telling stone, there's nothing ambiguous about crosshairs then issuing a gag order on the case. and that gag order barring stone from speaking publicly about this case to anyone, period. and also, kenneth and janai, the judge warning stone that there won't be a second chance. so, she's not messing around. >> all right, mona, a lot coming up in the next week on capitol hill. thank you. the white house has modified plans to pull u.s. troops from syria now saying a small contingent will stay to act as peacekeepers. about 200 troops will make up that group. they'll be there indefinitelily

but it's unclear where exactly they'll be stationed. president trump drew some heat even from republicans after declaring victory over isis and announcing a full troop withdrawal. the second day of the vatican sexual abuse summit is now under way. pope francis is calling on nearly 200 church leaders to adopt concrete measures to deal with offenders. an american man abused at age 11 by a boston priest will share his story at that meeting along with several other survivors. he spoke with abc's david wright. >> you feel finally heard. >> i do feel heard, yeah. promises were made, but you really have to wait and see what actually happens. >> that survivor said he's been to the vatican to discuss abuse before, but this is the first time he feels that someone was actually listening. pope francis has offered 21 proposals for dealing with the issue including steps to better communicate and report abuse. critics say the proposals are not enough. for the second time this week significant snowfall hit las vegas. about half an inch fell along the strip, enough to build a

reasonably solid snowman. skies will be clear today but vegas area schools will be closed as cleanup gets under way. in southern california wildlife as well as people are making the most of their little conditions are on tap there today. now let's get a look at your friday morning forecast. that rare snow in the southwest is causing big problems on the roads. this suv near phoenix skidded then traveled across four lanes of traffic smashing into that hillside and rolling over. the driver was not injured in that crash. looking at today's high temperatures, 60s in los angeles, 30s and 40s for most of the country and things looking good in florida. a hotter than usual february. record highs for the keys and today in miami, 86 degrees. it's going to be warm down there. cool pretty much everywhere else.

coming up, the tv doctor facing serious accusations of sexual misconduct. also ahead, the annual rankings are out. the best new cars on the market and the one car company now at the top of the rankings for the very first time. plus, the huge lottery

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we're back with this terrifying moment on this street in new jersey. police say a drunk driver lost control and went speeding down the sidewalk missing a man by inches before plowing down a light pole. witnesses say the neighborhood looked like a war zone after the driver was finally taken into custody. and just across the river in new york city, surveillance video shows a wood beam piercing a driver's windshield.

the beam fell from an elevated subway track and barely missed the driver. transit officials now will inspect all beams on all elevated tracks. a psychiatrist and former talk show host is accused of exploiting three of his patients. they're suing dr. keith ablow for sessions that included beatings and offers of free sessions in exchange for sex all while he was treating them for depression. ablow denies the allegations. >> a male, a public person and a trump supporter and so am i surprised? yeah, but shocked, no. >> ablow is not facing criminal charges. he says he'll fight the claims for as long as it takes. federal regulators want to toughen up the rules for the makers of over-the-counter sunscreens. the fda has proposed regulation changes aimed at improving safety and effectiveness. they include raising the maximum sun protection factor or spf from 50 to 60.

regulators also want to make sure ingredients are more clearly displayed on labels. "consumer reports" is out with its list of best cars and this year subaru tops the rankings. the japanese automaker was rated best overall followed by luxury brands genesis, porsche, audi and lexus. two of subaru's suvs were rated best in class. a once furloughed federal park ranger has hit the jackpot. judith smith won $29.5 million in the new jersey lottery. she bought the ticket just before the government shutdown. smith will split $14 million after taxes with her two adult children. all three say they plan to keep working and travel a lot more. italy is up first on their list. >> good for them. coming up, how a great grandmother took on a burglar and won hands down. but first a surprise twist in the voter fraud case in north carolina. a new election is ordered after testimony from the candidate's son brings him to tears.

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...it's making them do hard work... ...and getting paid for it. (vo) snap and sort your expenses to save over $4,600 at tax time. quickbooks. backing you. this morning israel is on its way to becoming the fourth nation to land on the moon. a spacex rocket sent a private israeli lunar lander into orbit from cape canaveral, florida, last night. it's expected to reach the moon in seven weeks. we turn now to that election fraud scandal in north carolina and a stunning new twist. >> the gop congressional candidate who was ahead in the vote count is now supporting a new election after his own son gave damaging testimony bringing him to tears. abc's mary bruce has the latest. >> reporter: after days of dramatic testimony about his campaign's alleged election fraud, a stunning announcement from republican candidate mark harris. >> i believe a new election should be called. >> reporter: at the center of

the controversy, harris' political strategist mcrae dowless accused of tampering with more than 500 absentee ballots to help harris win. at the board of election hearing harris insisted he saw no red flags, but his own son testified that he warned his father that dowless was, quote, shady. >> i love my dad, and i love my mom. i certainly have no vendetta against them, no family scores to settle, okay. they knew they made mistakes in this process. >> reporter: his testimony bringing his father to tears. harris admitted his son was right but said at the time he didn't take him seriously. >> i'm his dad, and i know he's a little judgmental and has a little taste of arrogance. >> reporter: and then this surprising twist. >> i experienced two strokes from which i'm still recovering and i struggled this morning reportearthen callingon

for north carolina voters to get a do-over, and the state board of elections has now voted unanimously to call for a new election meaning the voters of north carolina will get another chance to cast their ballot, but we don't know yet when exactly that election will be, and despite our repeated requests, it is unclear whether mark harris will be on that ballot. mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >> our thanks to mary. police in syracuse say they do not expect criminal charges against syracuse basketball coach jim boeheim after a deadly crash. police say boeheim struck and killed a man on an icy highway wednesday night while trying to avoid the victim's disabled vehicle. boeheim's sobriety test came back negative. the coach said he's heartbroken over the crash. nike says it's looking into the failure of a duke star's sneaker, and that was zion williamson's shoe, and they are calling this an isolated incident. williamson suffered a mild knee sprain when his shoe ripped apart. in the meantime, the nba has

now proposed lowering the minimum age for players from 19 to 18. that would mean more players li straight fm high schooto the nba. the players union must agree to the change. anyone out there thinking of breaking into a great grandmother's house in georgia should think again. gwenmdolyn agard is 79 years old. she lives alone, but she is more than capable of taking care of herself. when a burglar broke into her home, she wasted no time calling 911, pulled out her gun, fired it and issued a strongly worded warning. >> [ bleep ] if you come in here, i'm going to blow your damn brains out. oh, you finally got the message o my goodneyou didn't o cletntice arrived si up next in "the pulse," the largest bee in the world. the photo getting all the buzz.

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our broccoli cheddar is made with aged melted cheddar, simmered broccoli, and no artificial flavors. enjoy 100% clean soup today. panera. food as it should be. ♪ time to check "the pulse" on this friday, and there's news to make "space jam" fans cheer. >> is it flashback friday? >> it must be. >> because warner brothers has now set a july 2021 release date for "space jam 2." the movie will be lebron james' first lead role in a feature film. >> the original 1996 live action cartoon hybrid starred nba players like michael jordan with looney toon characters. >> a lot of people try to compare jordan and lebron. >> they try.

>> and this will continue that. >> yeah, i guess you're right. >> especially with those acting skills. who is better? >> we'll see. "bohemian rhapsody" is up for five oscars on sunday night and rami malek could win for best actor. >> but malek can't take any credit for the vocals he's belting out. in his portrayal of freddie mercury, that voice belongs to marc martel, a former gospel singer from canada, who sounds exactly like the late queen front man. ♪ mama, ooh, ooh, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry ♪ ♪ if i'm not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on ♪ >> wow. spot-on. >> the producers also used original queen recordings in the film, but they're not saying when it's mercury and when it's martel, and nobody seems to know the difference. >> i really thought that the actor was singing there. >> you did? >> they fooled me.

well, the world's largest bee thought to be extinct has reappeared after nearly 40 years. >> buzzing around, buzzing around. the wallace bee named after the man who discovered it can grow as big as a human thumb with a 2 1/2-inch wingspan. >> oh, my gosh. it was found in indonesia. it's been nicknamed the flying bulldog. >> oh, my goodness. quite a graphic we've got back here too with the bee hive. so finally a canadian man's world record attempt which he called a generally awful experience, and here's why. ted hastings put on 260 t-shirts at the same time. >> and the worst part was taking them off. he says when he had on 150 t-shirts he thought the stunt was done, but he kept going. >> so those 260 t-shirts were three times the previous record. he did it to raise money for his kids' schools. for a good cause. >> dumb stunt, good cause. >> but all those t-shirts. >> i know, and you have to take off one at a time, time consuming.

>> it really is. >> and look at that. how did they find one big enough? more news after this. big enough? more news after this.

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good morning south bay. this is abc 7 mornings. hi, welcome to friday, february 22nd. thanks for joining us. >> so glad we made and glad you're here with us. mike nicco has a look at the friday forecast. >> lot of sunshine if you liked yesterday, i think you'll really like today. still breezy in spots. outside of the north bay where the calm conditions is leading to freezing cold temperatures in ukiah and cloverdale and santa rosa at 33. the 40s in oakland and san francisco. los gatos up in the hills about 34 degrees. here's a look at our high temperatures today. even with total sunshine and a lighter breeze. it will feel warmer. up to 57 degrees. planning out your friday, i'll have your 12-hour planner next. let's turn over to jessica for traffic. >> let's take a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. the cash lanes are stacking up.

there is a high-wind advisory issue for the bridge right now. the metering lights are not flipped on. that should happen in about one hour. if you are able to go through those lanes, those look pretty good right now. drive times overall are in the green right now. walnut creek to dublin, 14 minutes. santa rosa to san francisco 50 minutes and highway 1 to los gatos, 23 minutes. amy hollyfield is live at oakland tech this morning for us with the latest on the teacher strike. >> reporter: good morning. there was tense moments at a meeting between the superintendent and parents. parents were shouting and a frustrated superintendent walked out of the meeting without saying a word. she just got in her car and drove away. she had asked that parents break into small groups to discuss merging schools to save money. they did not want to do that.

that's why they were shouting. superintendent kyla johnson stunned parents. >> she's not interested in listening to what we, as parents have to say. >> little frustrated. it was shocking that they high tailed it out of there. we were in disbelief. >> today will be the second day of the teacher strike in oakland. teachers yesterday told us they were impressed with the turnout and felt a boost of confidence from all the support on the picket line. they are not happy with the current offer from the district. the district said it would be financially difficult to offer more than they offer right now. the two sides are going back to the negotiating table at 9:00 this morning. reporting live in oakland, amy hollyfield, asbc 7 news. the first day of the strike left parents struggling to find child care while teachers walked the picket lines.

many parents dropped their kids off at recreation centers and churches instead of school to support the teachers. those facilities have been set up for special curriculum based on the responses and requests of teachers. >> stand with oakland teachers. >> i stand with oakland teachers. >> oakland teachers. >> the producer of the movie blind spotting who is an oakland native post thd video on social media in support of the teachers strike. it featured stefen-- seven curry and others. >> you can download our abc 7 news app. we'll let you know when an agreement is reached. we have resources for parents and students affected on our website. 4:30 right now on the dot. let's get a check of weather and traffic. >> ys