what is ellen degeneres about, what's the game?ards are conspiring to rehabilitate kevin hart because they are out of options they don't have a host. >> regardless, words like second chances, forgiveness, words we don't often hear in our culture it sounds an awful lot like the gospel to me. i encourage everyone to watch this interview in a twitter and sound bite culture it was refreshing, it reminded me of oprah's interview, he got that long conversation with somebody, i think there may be too much heated conversation here. if that is the case i believe the oscars have an opportunity to go in a fresh direction. if it doesn't end up being kevin hart and ellen is making a big push here, i say connect with middle america, connect with the average person. we've long said hollywood is out of touch and i would make the case that you have some people that could work -- how about chris pratt? a box office star and somebody who talks openly about his faith, may be reese witherspoon who feels like the girl next door and someone we could be f

i think she should take it. >> all right. >> what about ellen degeneres? to say when i was watching heir beg kevin thoort take the job, i had to say ellen, you talk the job. i mean she's hosted twice. she was fantastic. who can forget that epic selfie she took? i mean i think she'd be fantastic. if not kevin hart, my first choice is whoopee goldberg, my second choice, ellen degeneres. what are you guys doing? >> no, they don't want us. >> i would tune in. >> we would get ourselves in trouble at some point, i'm sure. >> we've always said we should have a late night show because of the conversations we have during the break. >> share them with the world in february. >> should ib have shared that? >> too late now. thank you. >> thank you. >>> we really cannot resolve this until we open up government. >> i'm proud of doing what i'm doing. >> we told the president we needed the government open, he resisted. in fact he said he'd keep it closed for a very long period of time, months or years. >> absolutely i said that. i don't think it will but i'm prepared. >> al

>>> ellen degeneres is pushing comedian kevin hart to host the oscars despite the backlash over his past remarks. so will he host after all? we'll have more. >>> i don't have a homophobic bone in my body. i know i've addressed it. i know that i've apologized. hey, thomas. if you were choosing a network, would you want the one the experts at rootmetrics say is number one in the nation? sure, they probably know what they're talking about. or the one that j.d. power says is highest in network quality by people who use it every day? this is a tough one. well, not really, because verizon won both. so you don't even have to choose. why didn't you just lead with that? it's like a fun thing. (vo) chosen by experts. chosen by you. get six months apple music on us. it's the unlimited plan you need on the network you deserve. now buy the latest galaxy phones, get galaxy s9 free. our because of smoking.ital. but we still had to have a cigarette. had to. but then, we were like. what are we doing? the nicodermcq patch helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. nicodermcq. you know why, we know how.

. >>> plus, ellen degeneres facing backlash for supporting kevin hart after that oscar firestorm.s the academy want him back? >>> and a former major league baseball performance coach shares his secrets for turning your life around in the new year. we'll be right back. you're watching "gma." >>> "good morning america" is sponsored by state farm neighborhood of good. visit neighborhoodofgood.com to volunteer in your community. ♪ oh no. are you okay, mike? yeah, had a pretty big fender bender here. don't worry, state farm's got you covered. elium voice] ahhh, that's great to hear...robyn? what's going on? are you sure you're okay? yeah, yeah, i think so. ahhhh... ahhhhhh... we're gonna get you a tow truck, mike. thank you. real fender bender going on. fender bender. ♪ fender bender everybody remain calm! there's no reason to panic! go with the one that's here to help life go right. state farm. the cold and flu fightings. machine. you put in your machine. press the button to brew up powerful relief. to defeat your toughest cold and flu symptoms fast. new theraflu powerpods. press. sip

by ellen degeneres is coming under fire for coming to his defense.o hundreds of fans line up for the steph curry party i what'with coverage havinthroughout your home? how about having internet that can help you save on wireless phone service? xfinity gives you the fastest speeds from america's best internet provider to stream on all your devices. plus, with xfinity mobile included, you can switch your wireless carrier and save hundreds of dollars a year. now that's simple, easy, awesome. get started for $29.99 a month for 12 months. plus, ask how you can get xfinity mobile included so all you pay for is data. switch today. >>> ellen degeneres is facing backlash this morning for coming to the defense of kevin hart. he stepped down from hosting the oscars following backlash to his past homophobe upper backic comments. abc's reporter has the story. >> reporter: comedian kevin hart talking openly about his dramatic exit at this year's host on abc after the string of homophobic comments he made years ago resurfaced sitting down with ellen degeneres. >> i'

. >> ellen degeneres said she wantinwan wants him back in. we want yourp opinion. get out your phone and go to abc7news.com to answer the question on your screen. should kevin hart host the show? also -- >> stocks soar to end the week and a new report on the economy is getting the credit for that. >> the reason a third of bart's station agents, train operators and supervisors did not show up to >>> the pg&e board of directors launched and looking to sell their natural gas division. according to national public radio, proceeds are used to set up a fund to pay billions in potential claims from wildfires. state investigators blame pg&e for causing the fires in 2017. pg&e's stock was down 26% in after hours trading on the news. the utility issued a statement to abc 7 news saying the board is reviewing options to best position them to meet changes while meeting customer and operational needs. >> stocks soared due to a robust jobs report and it may be flexible in hikes. tech stocks led the charge and apple up 4% after the worst loss in six years and netflix rose 10%. the

what the comedian is telling ellen degeneres in this new interview. that's next. place, the xfinity xfi gateway. and it's strengthened by xfi pods, which plug in to extend the wifi even farther, past anything that stands in its way. ...well almost anything. leave no room behind with xfi pods. simple. easy. awesome. click or visit a retail store today. >>> russia charged american, paul whelan, with espionage. he has applied for bail. sam is live in moscow with more. what is the latest? >> his lawyer, alisyn, is saying he is in good spirits and he had a visit from the u.s. ambassador here, which is unusual, and because he's a joint british u.s. citizen, the brittain foreign ministry is getting involved here. according to local media reports, we have not been able to confirm he was caught allegedly red-handed with some kind of electronic device containing sensitive material handed to him by a long-term contact or friend of his when the hotel next to the kremlin was raided. he does not fit the description as a spy, and he was perhaps maybe used in a spy s

on the interview on "the ellen degeneres show" she called the academy and wants him to host.rilled to have him back. this comes after he backed out after the outcry of the homophobic tweets and reluctance to apologize. >> i had to apologize and say i understand what the words are doing and how they hurt. i understand why people were upset. that's why i made the choice to not use them anymore. i don't joke like that anymore. that was wrong. that was a guy looking for laughs and stupid. i don't do that anymore. i'm on social media every day. i have over 40,000 tweets. to go through 40,000 tweets to get to 2008? that's an attack. that's a malicious attack on my character. that's an attack to end me. that's not an attack to just stop the oscars. somebody has to take a stand against the quote/unquote trolls. you have to. >> right, but they're going to win if you don't host the oscars. you know? >> hart tells ellen he has regrets and will reevaluate. >>> the stars are out for the golden globe awards. ♪ watch as i dive i'll never leave the ground ♪ >> "a star is born" starring bradl

ellen degeneres is facing backlash for coming to the defense of kevin hart.stepped down to hosting the oscars after black backlash on past homophobic compensates. >> kevin hart talking openly about his dramatic exit at this year's oscar host on abc after the string of homophobic comments he made years ago resurfaced sitting down with ellen degeneres. >> i'm upset because i know who i am. i don't have a homophobic phone are bone in my body. i don't want it step on that stage and make that night about me and my past. >> degeneres who has hosted the academy awards twice herself, then went on to defend hart. >> i think it's perfect that all this happened. because there has to be a conversation about homophobia. and whatever brought up -- whatever any did and whoever is trying to hurt you, it brought up you reminding people that you're a bigger person, that you've already apologized. you're apologizing again. as a gay person. >> what? >> yes. i'm so sorry to break this to you. >> ellen then revealing he she personally calmed the academy to vouch for hart. >> so i

why ellen degeneres is coming under fire for come to his defense. >>> plus, hundreds of fans line up steph curry's party in oakland. how it went despite earlier confusio what'with coverage havinthroughout your home? how about having internet that can help you save on wireless phone service? xfinity gives you the fastest speeds from america's best internet provider to stream on all your devices. plus, with xfinity mobile included, you can switch your wireless carrier and save hundreds of dollars a year. now that's simple, easy, awesome. get started for $29.99 a month for 12 months. plus, ask how you can get xfinity mobile included so all you pay for is data. switch today. of your tooth surface. the thing that's really important to dentists is to make sure that that enamel stays strong and resilient for a lifetime. the more that we can strengthen and re-harden that tooth surface, the whiter their patients' teeth are going to be. llwa tend pronamel strong and bright. and re-harden that tooth surface, it helps to strengthen and re-harden the enamel. it also has stain lifting action. it's

the comedian who walked away from hosting the oscars amid armay return to the gig after ellen degeneres steps in and negotiates with the academy. but we begin this morning with a look at today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >>> i'm very proud of doing what i'm doing. i don't call it a shutdown. i call it doing what you have to do for the benefit and the safety of our country. >> the government shutdown continues with no nepd sight. >> he said he'd keep the government closed for months or even years. >> i just want to check, did you say that? >> absolutely i said that. i don't think it will, but i congresswoman rashida tlaib is facing major backlash after saying this about president trump. >> we're going to [ bleep ]. >> use that language, i don't think it's anything worse than what the president has said. >> my god, look. >> we learned the names of the victims of that fiery accident in florida. >> five of the deceased are children. they were on their way to disney world. >> oh my lord. father, god, be with every one of these individuals. >>> investors cheering, stocks roaring

(vicki) talk show host ellen degeneres wants kevin hart to host this year's oscars.he stepped down last after tweets from nearly 10 years ago resurfaced with derogatory language he used while referring to gay people.in an interview on the ellen degeneres show... ellen reveals she called the academy to personally ask them to reconsider having hart host the awards show next month. hart tells ellen he has regrets-- and will evaluate re-taking the oscar host role. (grant) and -- beyonce's company is facing a class action lawsuit. a new york woman who is blind is suing 'parkwood entertainment'. she says it violated the americans with disabilities act. mary conner specifically targets beyonce-dot-com in her impaired equal access to products and services. in the suit-- conner alleges she could not browse the site or make online purchases on her own. the lawsuit wants an injunction from the court so the company can make the website accessible for the blind. she is also asking for compensatory asking for compensatory damages... including the costs of attorney fees. (grant) that wraps up kron 4 n

now we are learning that harlt may host after all after he sat down with ellen degeneral russ, one ofhe explained not only has he grown as a comedian but said he already apologized for the homophobic tweets multiple times. he said it was casting a dark cloud of what was supposed to be a bright moment, which is why he chose to walk away. >> either my apology is accepted or it isn't. but you can't grow as a person without mistakes. i don't know the perfect individual that society is now looking for. it's not me. >> he said his interview was the most raw and honest he has ever done about the oscar controversy. degeneres even called the academy. up to this point, no formal announcement has been made. back to you. >>> thank you, or mark. no matter who the host ends up being, we are 51 days out from oscars sunday. >>> the new year brings new goals. we talked about operation cease-fire. it's a program that identifies violent criminals and works with community organizations to find a way to put the guns down. a new crime report shows a decrease in car burglaries by 25%. other property crime i

ellen degeneres goes to bat for kevin hart. >> and the original cohost of uber driver?>> and what president trump just said about the cursing congresswoman. >> then look at all of these people in line for salad.

reconsidering his decision to histep down as year's oscars host, thanks to encouragement from ellen degeneres. tonight, ellen is taking heat for supporting her friend and comedian. hart backed of the oscars' ig two days after he was named host. homophobic tweets and standup h joke made about a decade ago, ellen aired an interview on her talk show today. sh a calleddemy and they want hart back. >> i don't want to step on that stage and make that night about me and my past,hen you have people that have worked hard to step on that stage for the first ti and receive an award. >> some critics say ellen took it too easy on hart. he says he has apolorazed se times for his past during his career, even before they resurfaced last month. the oscars still needs a host. the show is 51 days away. >>> just two days away from another one of hollywood's biggest nights. the golden globe awards, honoring the best in tv and movies. you'll catch it here on nbc 4. as mark ports, aouple of trst-timers are taking ov hosting duties. the way that andy sandberg figures it, getting to host the golden globes with sdra o

comedian kevin kevin hart's making his academy awards hosting gig back and ellen degeneres is taking heat for giving him a pass on an old lg bt joke or two. the internet it's loaded with people griping of netflix new interactive film black mirror i had been hyped as a choose your own adventure experience for your choices can lead to unexpected and incredible story storylines. let me describes what happened to the late character. suffice to say, and matter what options you choose, as you watc the film, he basically get the same ending. the more novel choices i made the more frustrated i became with preordained for now is tha in this is what the american voter has been going through fo decades. every couple of years ago to th polls thinking we will control the new narrative. where going to change things. now we are going to get the ending that we want. in 2016, donald trump ran on a couple of key issues. reviving thee economy, reading imbalances.ce it will build a wall. like those fevers, people made their choice. in this case, trump because he was a change agent who was goin to finall

if kevin hart's plan to get back on the oscar stage was to have fellow comedian ellen degeneres smoothr the controversy with past homophobic jokes and tweets, might have had the opposite effect. appeared for the full hour yesterday where she enthusiastically lobbied for hart where he should be rehired for host of the oscars. >> you have grown, apologized. you're apologizing again. don't let those people win. host the oscars. >> ellen even called the academy on his behalf. this all prompted more outrage, naturally. for some, particularly those in the black lgbt community, ellen's was presumptuous. for others, hart didn't seem authentically apologetic and looked too darn staged. it's unclear what it accomplished for kevin hart's oscar hosting chances but did accomplish one thing. sparked a national debate. joining me to discuss this thorny issue, my friend and comedian judy gold. what did you make of the ellen/kevin four year show? >> i don't think it was supposed to be him for the entire hour. >> really? >> i don't know. i think -- >> ahead the call mid way through? >> don't quote me bu

now he is talking to ellen degeneres after the ordeal. >> either my apology is accepted or it isn't. but you can't glow as a person without mistakes. so i don't know the perfect individual that society is now looking for. it's not me. >> hart told ellen he is a better man today because mistakes in the past. she is calling the academy to ask him to be rehired. she is getting some backlash but she said she believes in second chances and forgiveness. we are 51 days out from the oscars. the big question, will we see hart take the stage. as always, abc 7 is the only place you can watch the oscars on sunday, february 24th. >>> hundreds of lucky warriors fans will be partying at a free concert tonight hosted by warriors star steph curry. fans lined up his pop-up shop to get a free ticket at the event at fox theater. the first 225 fans received two tickets. >> i'm ecstatic. overhappy. >> i'm going. i'm going to party with steph curry. >> it is about the community. >>> some people are craigslist for 100 dollars apie apiece. >>> the home featured on "bird box" is drawing crowds in real life. f

he sat down with ellen degeneres for an interview for an upcoming episode of her show.d she called the academy on his behalf. listen to this. >> so i called them. i said kevin is on. i have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts? they were like, oh, my god. we want him to host. we feel like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong or maybe we said the wrong thing, but we want him to host. whatever we can do, we would be thrilled. and he should host the oscars. >> our entertainment reporter joins me now. so? >> well, look, to have ellen degeneres and out and endorse you, it doesn't get much bigger than that. that's like having oprah come out and endorse you. she's like the oprah for the lgbtq community. kevin hart hasn't said whether or not hide's going to host the oscars, but here's a little bit of what he had to say. >> i got over 40,000 tweets to go through 40,000 tweets to get back to 2008, that's an attack. that's a malicious attack on my character. >> there are so many haters out there, whatever is going on in the internet,

he stepped down, remember, because of his past homophobic tweets, but now ellen degeneres is encouraging him to reconsider. you will hear her perspective next. right now go to you might or joints.hing for your heart... but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish, prevagen has been shown in clinical trials to improve short-term memory. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. what does help for heart fait looks like this. entresto is a heart failure pill that helped keep people alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. yeah! snoeft >>> live where you live, this is "abc 7 news". >>> we want to make a difference and we want to do the right thing. >> she's doing the right thing and helping to build a better bay area, despite the federa

. >>> more, now, on kevin hart, his past anti-guy remarks, the oscars and ellen degeneres. lot to talk about. i'm so glad you are on. this is a sensitive and important subject. michelle, i'm going to start with you. this started out in hollywood and that's your beat. there's significant backlash against ellen for advocating kevin to host the oscars. no one person speaks for a community as a whole. many in the community look up to her. does she give kevin hart a pass? >> in some ways, yes. i think she did give kevin hart a pass. what she felt she was doing, was standing beside her friend and rying to right a wrong and trying to use her platform as a way to do it. whether or not she succeeded, i'm not sure. there was backlash against her, especially on social media. people saying, i'm going to pass on this one. >> and people are writing about it. about homophobia in the black community. >> absolutely. there was an interesting article written in "the hollywood reporter" saying, he doesn't believe that ellen degeneres was the one that should have had the conversation with kevin

you know it's big when u-s talk show host ellen degeneres does her own version of baby shark.or whenjames corden sings his interpretation on "the late late show".no one really knows why this is one of the most watched videos in youtube history.what we do know is you'll probably be humming it for the rest of the day.paula hancocks, cnn, seoul.hancocks, cnn, paula day.the rest of the humming it for probably be humming it for the rest of the day. paula hancocks, cnn, seoul. time now for a final look at weather with chief meteorlogist lawrence karnow. lawrence karnow: there were plenty of clouds today as high pressure continues to weaken. doppler radar is showing a few showers in northern california. more clouds will move in tonight but that will keep it from being as cold. lows will be in the 40s and 50s. on the satellite high pressure continues along the west coast but will finally give way to a few passing storms. rain chances increase during the week with a bigger storm expected on friday. that wraps up kron4 news at 6. we'll see you tonight at 8.... on your bay area's local news sta

. >>> coming up, ellen degeneres backing up kevin hart despite those homophobic comments he made yearsgo on social media. why she says hart should still host the oscars. >>> plus, experience gilda radnor in her own words love gilda the cnn film airs tonight at 9:00 here on cnn. [deep breath] i receive travel rewards. i visualize travel rewards. going new places! going out for a bite! going anytime. rewarded! learn more at the explorer card dot com. be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or

also, ellen degeneres.ght down to that hand placement. >> yeah. >> to jessica biel who somehow got like younger looking in the past ten yearn. incredible. even sports teams the celtics showing how jason tatum and lebron james' relationship has gotten a bit more competitive over the last ten years and cardi b also posted a video in which high school cardi was covering a lady gaga song. [ music playing ] >> still has that party flavor. >> a little party flavor. she's got a future. yes. . >> but since everyone else is doing it, cardi, jessica biel, ellen degeneres. >> we should. >> get in on the act. i'm so excited for this. first up, i have my own grow-up challenge. the bang, the glasses the braces. >> that's a good one. >> yes, that is that is. >> life has been great to me. >> that was only ten years ago? >> can you believe? we have jenay's as well. let's see. >> oh, look at the baby face. i love it. >> ah, those cheeks. >> but my favorite has to be kenneth's. >> oh god. >> why so serious? >> oh my goodness.

nbc's ellen degeneres now leading the charge for what many hope is a change of heart. now, that is to reconsider kevin hart there for the upcoming oscars. >> we are a huge group of people who love you, and want to see you host the oscars. [ cheers and applause ] >> to go through 40,000 tweets to get back to 2008, that's an attack. that's a malicious attack on my character. >> now, on today's "ellen" hart opens up about being chose on it host the oscars and backing out after backlash over old and insensitive tweets. ellen is a two-time oscar host and says she called the academy to bridge the divide. catch kevin hart on "ellen" at 4:00 p.m. on nbc bay area. >>> fans are calling last night's warriors games one of the most exciting of the season. the problem is the warriors wound up losing in the end. >> down to three, down to three, it's good! >> ugh. james harden's dramatic three-pointer from downtown gave houston a one-point win over the warriors at the oracle. this is the end of overtime after the warriors seemed to have the game won in regulation. final score 135-134.

nbc )s ellen degeneres .. now >>> northbound 808 just opened after that deadly crash and investigation. we have fremont traffic moving here. we have a backup but look how quickly the traffic is starting to move. mission boulevard is that curve that you see. we'll show you the backup and show you how quickly and why this is able to happen. >> thanks, mike. 6:44 for you this morning. >>> nbc's ellen degeneres leading the charge for what many hope is a change of heart, that is to reconsider kevin hart as the host of the upcoming oscars. >> we are a huge group of people who love you, and want to see you host the oscars. [ cheers and applause ] >> to go through 40,000 tweets to get back to 2008, that's an attack. that's a malicious attack on my character. >> on today's "ellen," hart opens up about being chose on it host the oscars and backing out after backlash over old and insensitive tweets. ellen is a two-time oscar host and says she called the academy to bridge the divide. watch kevin hart on "ellen" today at 4

. >>> plus, the backlash against >>> plus, the backlash against ellen degeneres after her >>> it is dry outside right now. but a storm is on the way. we have not a lot a live look at the embarcadero. but i can tell you with this animation it is looking dry outside. >> that is not going to last. we are expecting self days of rain to hit the bay area. >> good morning. it is friday, january 4th. off to a good start. >> oh, yeah. never more than 7 minutes away from the accuweather forecast. hey, mike nicco. >> hey, guys.

last week on her talk show ellen degeneres said that she should return to host the oscars.esterday, hart said he's not homophobic and has never been. he also said he doesn't have time to properly prepare for the oscars which airs in about two on february 24th. >>> and the sacramento bee said california governor gavin newsom's 2-year-old son dutch stole the show during the inauguration speech. newsom held him for part of the speech, then he put him down and dutch just didn't want to leave. the governor continued his speech as his wife and 7-year-old son tried to coax him to come down. finally newsom's wife picked her son up and carried him off the stage. >> still ahead, amazon's rise on wall street. the online retailer takes over a coveted title from microsoft. ailer takes over a coveted title from microsoft. (cat 2) purr-adise? really? (vo) feed their fantasy. friskies. but one blows them all out of the water. hydro boost from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. neutrogena® so it bounces back. it looks like emily cooking faildinner for

talk it might be him again after an interview with the most out member of the lgbtq community, ellen degeneresi've taken ten years to put my apology to work. i've yet t b gok to that version of the immature comedian i once was. i've moved on. >> in december, harte withdrew as oscars host in the middle of a controversy over those old anti-gay tweets. harte appears on ellen's daytime talk show thi afternoon. you can watch and decide for all, and if time heals he's deserving of host again. we'll see. >> a serious mood for him there. >> serious topic. >> just ahead, a true chrtmas miracle. the dramatic rescue after a toddler was found unconscious in hi you're watching "early today." at walgreens, we want you, to keep doing you... and we'll take care of medicare part d. by helping you save up to $5 on each prescription... so you can get back to doing the things you love. stop in and start saving on your medicare part d prescriptions today... walgreens. trusted since 1901. whether you were borne for more dance-offs... more travels... or more touchdowns. get the immune support that gives you more. ai

tomorrow you can watch as two sists from our area receive a sweet surprise from ellen degeneres.wright last thek. pair from prince george's county are furloughed federal workers withs. famil our corey smith took you inside the kitchen where the ladies created their bakery, the furloughed cheesecake to make ends meet. len got wind of their project and decided to lend a hand. catch thee ent surprise tomorrow at 3:00. and then stick around for more news with leon and pat on news 4 at 4:00. tomorrow at 3:00 on "ellen." >> that's [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- rachel brosnahan,

. >> reporter: smollett coming out publicly on "the ellen degeneres show."-- ♪ told me it was love but it wasn't ♪ >> reporter: his character is a gay man who struggles to please his powerful black music executive father. lee daniels, smollett's director and the creator of "empire," a black gay man himself, posting this emotional message on social message. >> you didn't deserve nor anybody deserves to have a noose put around your neck. >> reporter: investigators hoping security cameras in this swank corner of downtown chicago where the alleged attack happened will be helpful. smollett was treated at a local hospital. the company that produces "empire" now saying all of its actors will have armed guards. kenneth and janai. >> our thanks to danya. >>> to a tragedy in new york city, a young mother falling to her death at a subway station. 22-year-old malaysia goodson was holding her baby daughter and her stroller when she fell down the stairs. the baby was not harmed. the medical examiner will determine whether she had a medical issue that caused the fall or sh

but in a new interview released overnight ellen degeneres revealed she called the academy and asked themo bring hart back as host. she says the academy agreed. hart says he stepped down last month even though he apologized for the ten-year-old jokes several times in the past. >> i said i would much rather step down and apologize again while stepping down. once again i'm sorry if these words hurt. i'm sorry. but either my apology is accepted or it isn't. either i can move forward or i can't. but you can't grow as a person without mistakes. >> everything that you just said, i just have to say -- >> as to whether hart will agree to return as host, he says he's thinking about it. >>> time now for a look at your weather for this friday morning. >>> good morning. that same storm bringing snow to oklahoma moves east and brings some heavy rain from northern florida to the carolinas. we're watching for the risk of flooding as the storm system pushes its way to the east.re sothyells anoranges avy in th even up into the carolinas we'll get that heavy rain. drier then for the weekend and speaking of

. >> reporter: with millions of people watching, popular comedian and openly gay tv host ellen degeneresat down with kevin hart to say she was advocating for him to get the oscars job back, despite his past homophobic remarks. >> the academy is saying, "what can we do to make this happen?" >> reporter: within 48 hours of being named oscar host last month, hart resigned after being blasted on social media for using the word "gay" as a slur and telling homophobic jokes on stage years ago. >> every kid has a gay moment, okay, every kid. but when it happens, you have to nip it in the bud. you have to stop it right then. hey, stop, that's gay! >> reporter: hart is adamant that he apologized several times, including 2012, and repeated that to ellen. >> i'm sorry, but either my apology is accepted or it isn't. >> reporter: ellen claimed the academy would welcome him back. >> they were like, "oh, my god. we want him to host. we feel like that maybe he misunderstood or it was handled wrong." >> reporter: social media immediately called out ellen for giving hart a past. and critics say ellen doesn

kind of song that makes a man love a man ♪ >> reporter: in real life, he came out publicly on ellen degeneres show. >> it was really important to me to get across that there is no closet. there's never been a closet, that i've been in. >> reporter: authorities believe this may be a hate crime, and are looking into a letter delivered a week and a half ago, threatening the actor's life. on monday, the actor was on social media, inadvertently sharing his flight schedule, saying he was traveling to #chicago. >> hold your head up, jussie. i'm with you, i'll be there in a minute. >> reporter: the actor's director and series creator, lee daniels, a gay black man himself, got emotional, speaking online today. >> you didn't deserve nor anybody deserves to have a noose put around your neck. to have bleach thrown on you. to be called die [ bleep ] or whatever they said to you. >> so, let's get to steve osunsami with us live tonight. we know authorities are really hoping the cameras in that area picked up something. they are combing through surveillance tonight? >> reporter: that's right, david. investig

an attempt by the american television presenter ellen degeneres to convince kevin hart to host the oscars, with both now facing intense criticism. hart had been due to host the ceremony next month, but pulled out when homophobic tweets he had posted in the past resurfaced. don't forget you can find more on all of the stories we are covering on our website. there is the latest on president trump and the partial us shutdown, and a call for peace from brazil's new far—right leader, following an upsurge in violence on the streets of fortaleza. just go to bbc.com/news, or you can also download the bbc news app. more now on that partial us shutdown. live now to atlanta, and heather long, economics correspondent at the washington post. thank you very much for your time. first of all, do you see any end in sight for this shutdown? nine. there is absolutely no hope right now. we are on day 15 of this shutdown, and the talks are going nowhere this weekend. the house and the senate, they don't even come back to washington until tuesday, so even though the talks are continuing, we are seeing no movem

sitting down with ellen degeneres. >> i'm not upset. i know who i am.now i don't have a homophobic bone in my body. i know that i've addressed it. i know that i've apologized. i don't want to step on that stage and make that night about me and my past. >> reporter: degeneres, who has hosted the academy awards twice herself, then went on to defend hart. >> i think it's perfect that all this happened because there has to be a conversation about homophobia. and whatever brought up -- whatever they did and whoever is trying to hurt you, it brought up you reminding people that you're a bigger person. that you've already apologized. you're apologizing again. [ applause ] as a gay person, as someone who actually -- >> what? >> yes, i'm so sorry to break this to you. >> reporter: ellen then revealing she personally called the academy to vouch for hart. >> so i called them and said, kevin's on. i have no idea if he wants to come back and host, but what are your thoughts? and they were like, oh, my god. we want him to host. we feel like maybe he misunderstood. or

the actress sat down with ellen degeneres to a talkut her work on "the crown." oh, my god. >> valley girl. >> okay, i'd loveo have a coffee. [ laughter ]. >> okay a i'd like coffee. where am i in? i >>'t o the lavatory? >> is that french? >> yes. >> oh, man. it's raining out, it's just -- what was that? >> surfer dude. >> pretty good for being put on the spot there. >>> up next, gwyneth paltrow. last night on "the tonight show" the business woman behind the company goop sat down with jimmy fallon and found out how goopy he is. turns out not so much. >> have you ever foam rolled? >> i'mg assumhat's what this is. >> what is foam rolling. >> do you want to do it? >> wow. >> now roll back that way. releasing your back. keep going, keep g kngp going. you're going to lift. >> oh, my god. ou! oh,y god. make some scissor kicks. >> i can't hear you. all the fat from my neck -- >> a little tough. but a for effort. it's tough today. >>> finally lindsay lohan, in 1998 she starred as annie in the remake of "the parent trap." last night on "watch what happens live" she steps b

. >>> ellen degeneres tries to play peacemaker. harvey levin tells us that can lead to a big change on oscar night. >>> we did have some sunshine today but things are changing. we are going to be soaked for part of the weeken >> those umbrellas out, especially if you're heading to the game at levi stadium. you've got it all. >> tomorrow could be tricky. rain in the morning and then some breaks. all of a sudden, a downpour. >> we will be watching the skies closely. you will see it clearly on the satellite. that well-defined circulation. rainfall between one quarter of an inch to one half-inch. winds will be a factor. 40 to 50 miles per hour. look at all of this action out there in the pacific. multiple storms of the developing within the jet stream. the first one is approaching for tonight. you can see the winds increasing out of the south in advance of this front that you would expect. this will be in the good poio we have clouds working their way back into the area for tonight. increasing clouds, but let's talk about the storm. we

this comes after a raw conversation today with talk ow host ellen degeneres who said she belves she post i called the academy today. i really want to you host oscars. i was really excited when they asked you. >> she said she wants them to oreconsider. ned up about how he's changed since the tweets several years ago. and why it so hard now to step on that stage. >> it's taken ten years to put my apology to work to go back to that version of the immature comedn that i was. i don't want to make that night about my past when you have people who have worked hard to stepgen that s for the first time and receive anar awd. >> so far no word on if the academy officially wants him back >>> folks are talking about this, too. cameras always rolling. >> we're going to go in there -- >> that's talib speaking out last night talking about the moment when she won her election. becoming one of the first muslim women in congress. several house leaderay said they're not focused on impeachment and some went so far as to criticize the language she used. but on twitter she said she will always speak truth to p

talk show, ellen degeneres does her own version or when james cordon does his version.s you will probably be humming it for the rest of the day. pau pau paula hancox, cnn, seoul. >> thank you for being with us this hour of the "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell in cnn headquarters in atlanta. >>> our news continues live from london. you are watching cnn, the world's news leader. welcome to the place where people go to learn about their medicare options before they're on medicare. come on in. you're turning 65 soon? yep. and you're retiring at 67? that's the plan! it's also a great time to learn about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. here's why...medicare part b doesn't pay for everything. this part is up to you. a medicare supplement plan helps pay for some of what medicare doesn't. call unitedhealthcare insurance company or go online for your free decision guide about the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. selected for meeting their high standards of quality and service. this type of plan lets you s

explaining to ellen degeneres why he refused to give into the mob mentality and apologize for tweets >> this is not new. i addressed it. now the headlines are starting to change. the headlines are kevin hart refuses to apologize for homophobic tweets from the past. to go through 40,000 tweets to go back to 2008. that's a malicious attack on my character. that's an attack to end me. somebody has to take a stand against the trolls. you have to! >> right, but they will win if you don't host the oscars. >> [cheers and applause]. >> then they win. >> ellen went on to profusely praise him. gave him a lot of praise and said he should host. she is a leading voice in the lgbtq community. i like kevin hart. do you think there is a chance he will host now? >> the bigger store here, how envy on social media wed itself to the mob. we talked about this with so many people. the consequence here. it's the fear of the back lash. it's not just the initial outrage. that's that ellen is facing a backlash. it was in the hollywood reporter. it was just a handful of people on twitter. the problem is the me

the actress sat down with ellen degeneres to talk about her work on "the crown" and latest film "firstee how she did. >> oh, my gosh, so -- >> valley girl. >> okay, i want to have coffee. [ laughter ] okay, i'd like a coffee possibly with -- where am i from? >> i don't know. >> excuse me, do you know the way to the lavatory? >> is that french? >> the toilet? yes. oh, man. it's raining out. i don't know. it's just too rad. oh, sugar. >> what was that? >> surfer dude. >> i love it. her italian may need some work, but her surfer dude, she nailed it. pretty good for being put on the spot. >>> up next, gwyneth paltrow last night on the "tonight show," she sat down with jimmy fallon and quizzed how goopy he is. turns out, not much, especially when it comes to foam rolling. take a look. >> have you ever foam rolled? >> no. i'm assuming this is what this is here. >> oh, yes. >> i've never roam rolled. are you hitting me over the head with this? what is foam rolled? >> do you want to do it? >> wow. >> roll back that way. >> yeah. something cracked, yeah. >> keep going? >> keep going. >> all rig

. >>> despite the best efforts of ellen degeneres, it does not appear kevin hart will be hosting the hart did reconsider hosting and the academy would have been open to it, but hart was concerned he would be a distraction and would not have enough time to prepare. he backed out in december after old homophobic tweets came to light. this past week, he made an appearance on the "ellen" show, and she urged him to host. we do know the oscars are on february 24th and you don't want to miss them. abc 7 is the only place you can watch. >>> 9:41 is the time and this is what it looks like up in the sierra. the first hit of a series of storms. mountain passes expected to get 2 to 3 feet of new snow. chains required on all vehicles from baxter to the nevada state line. skiers and snowboarders are welcoming the weekend snow. this is video from vail resort. the area saw several inches of new snow. i'm sure they love that fresh pow up there. >> certainly. and the storm warning through 4:00 tomorrow. we have quite a storm on the way today, a level 3. look at the flag there, over five-hour delays. w

.♪ ♪ >> and miley cyrus sings as ellen degeneres celebrates her 61st birthday today.ch all the phone beginning a, 3: followed by news 4 at 4:00. stay wh us. this i anot a bed. itevolution in sleep. the sleep number 360 smart bed, from $999, intelligently senses your movement and automatically adjusts.ak so youup ready to train for that marathon. save up to $500 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. ednesday. and the army taught melot . i'm a veteran which i apply to my life and my work. at comcast we're commited to delivering the best experience possible, by being on time erytime. and if we are ever late, a we'll give yutomatic twenty dollar credit. my name is antonio and i'm a technician at comcast. we're working to make things simple, easy and awesome. test results to come back, appointments to open up, or treatment plans to start. at cancer treatment centers of america, we make time for cancer patients. time to answer questions, relieve worries, because cancer wont, into good decisions. w and we don't think you should either. call or go online anytime itto set up

heart has apologized but he stepped away to avoid controversy but ellen degeneres is urging him to take, again. >> there are so many haters out there, whatever is going on, on the internet, don't pay attention to them. that is a small group of people and we are a huge group of people that love you and want to see you host the oscars. [ cheering & applause ] >> she also reported that she called the academy about the job. they reported to her that they are open to kev hart's return. >> h when accidentally calling 911 from space? cleared harris >>> sit back and enjoy some of the video i got last night! with the ladies taking over. >>> good morning everybody! can't get through the rest of the day without telling you what happened last night! it was ladies night and pac-12 play! overtime game! cal went to the inside straight, punching through 32 points but not enough touches at the finish. here is the key moment: no foul is called. and it ended up a turnover for ucla. the 18th-ranked cows, upset, 19 turnovers in the game. stanford better get going, set to host usc's third period, stanford pl

what he told ellen degeneres about his decision to quit and if he would reconsider. >>> and the guy who is suing burger king claiming the fast food company owes him free food for life. >>> all right. good friday morning to you. could kevin hart still end up hosting the oscars? ellen reveals she called the academy because she wants hart to host. she learned they would be thrilled to have him back. it comes a month after he backed out amid oscar host over homophobic tweets and reluctance to apologize. >> i had to address it and apologize and say i understand what those words were and what they were doing and why they hurt. i understood that to not use them. i don't joke like that anymore. that was wrong. that was a guy looking for laughs and stupid. i'm on social media every day. i got over 40,000 tweets. to get back to 2008? that's an attack. that's a malicious attack on my character. that's an attack to end me. that's not an attack to stop the oscars. somebody has to take a stand against the quote/unquote trolls. you have to. >> but they're going to win if you don't host the oscars. you

ellen degeneres is 51, rocker eddie van hailen is 64. now take final look at your choices.ing editor for marie claire magazine? allen cumming whoers are turning 64. >> kelly clarkson. in the middle of the madness. all the momentess you didn't see monday on "e.t. waets >> we're almost out of time this weekend but you know ewhere to go, our website. >> but first check out this video from singers jack and sgrjack for the duo single you and you. >> it's racked up over 5 and a half million views. >> this is my good friend. insdwloi re insdwloi ---ing enjoy the rest of your weekend, everybody. ♪ ♪ nobody hurts no ♪ every time i think i found somebody ♪ ♪ i the latest innovation from xfinity isn't just a store. it's a save more with a new kind of wireless network store. it's a look what your wifi can do now store. a get your questions answered by awesome experts store. it's a now there's one store that connects your life like never before store. the xfinity store is here. and it's simple, easy, awesome. we're in memphis, ♪tennessee, a city with one of the highest increases of wome

. >> ellen degeneres tells kin ha she is fighting for his return as oscar host amid new reports the academy wants h back. what he has to say about possibly taking the stage on hollywood's biggest night. >>> the suspect sketch released in the death of a 7-yr-old texa girl. the latest on the massivet manh just ahead. >>> s.a.t. scandal. a student fighting back after she was accused of cheating to improve her score. >> i worked so hard and did everything that i could do to get ready and prepared. >>> wildcard weekend. after a regular season ratings spike,he nfl gears up for the start of heplayoffs. today is friday, january 4th, 2019. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with santa ana and ho - with savannah and hoda kotb live from studio 1a. >>> thank you for joining us on a friday morning. i know what we are doing allen we watching football. how about you? >> yes,th indeed. is a huge weekend. you are pulling for your eagles. i'm pulling for my saints. >> we have plenty of time to work that out. >> to our top story. >>> this power shift on capitol hill and howt's impacting the governme