. >>> the trial of jesse smollett begins in ernest this morning. he is accused of lying to police in 2019, that he was assaulted in a hate crime. nbc news' megan fitzgerald has more. >> reporter: actor jesse smollett on trial that he staged a racist and homophobic attack three years ago. a jury of 12 in a packed courtroom. he said he was attacked by two men who threw a noose around his neck and yelling homophobia slurs and support for president trump. they allege he paid two brothers to carry out the attack. chicago police calling it a pub lissity stunt in 2019. >> "empire" actor jesse smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. >> reporter: investigators say he was unhappy with his salary on the tv show "empire," setting up the scheme to secure more money. >> smollett paid $3500 to stage the attack and thrash chicago's reputation through the mud in the process. >> reporter: smollett and his team continue to maintain his innocence. >> i have been truthful on every single level since day one. >> reporter: prosecuto

. >>> up next, opening statements begin in the trial of the actor jesse smollett.o be the victim of a hate crime. >> man: what's my safelite story? my truck...is my livelihood. so when my windshield cracked... the experts at safelite autoglass came right to me... with service i could trust. right, girl? >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list event. >>> opening statements have just begun in the trial of actor jesse smollett, accused of falsely claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. cnn's omar jimenez is working this story for us. >> reporter: surrounded by cameras, actor jesse smollett arrived for the first day of jury selection in a case he thought was over in 2019. >> i like nothing more than to just get back to work and move on with my life. >> reporter: whether he can will, soon, be in the hands of the newly-chosen jury. sel selected in a little over six hours before moving right into opening statements. smollett had been best known for his scenes in the fox-tv sh

jury selection starting in the trial of actor jesse smollett.ttacked in 2019. david lee miller has more. >> actor jesse smollett was silent this morning as he walked in. a jury will decide if he's a victim of a perpetrator of a scam that prosecutors say he hope would raise his public pro fault. he said he was assaulted by two men that shouted racist slurs and yelled "this is maga country" in reference to president trump. he said the attackers placed a noose around his neck. two weeks later, his story crumbled. two men that worked as extras on his tv show told police that they were paid $3,500 by the actor to stage the assault. he denied it was a hoax. >> i'm an advocate. i respect too much the people that i'm now one of those people that have been attacked in any way. you do such a disservice when you lie about things like this. >> additional criminal charges against smollett were dropped after he agreed to perform public service and agreed to $10,000 bond. but following public outrage, a special appointed. the judge today was asking perspective

. >>> jury selection will begin today in the trial of actor jesse smollett. he's accused of lying to police when he reported he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack in downtown chicago nearly three years ago. mall isset was charged with smiling a false police report after investigators allege he staged the attack. the actor has pleaded not guilty. >>> after months of mulling a run for texas governor, actor matthew mcconaughey says he's sitting this one out. he posted a video saying running for office is not something he's choosing to do, quote, at the moment. instead, mcconaughey said that he'll focus on another issue that's important to him. >> i'm going to continue to work and invest the bounty i have by supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, and foundations that i believe are leaders, establishments that i believe are creating pathways for people to succeed in life. >> next year's race for governor of texas is shaping up to be a heated one. republican governor greg abbott is seeking a third term. and democrat beto o'rourke e th month. are pouring i

the trial of empire star jesse smollett started today in chicago. the santa rosa native is accused of staging a racist and homophobic assault against himself in 2019. two men actually say that smollett paid them to attack him. his lawyers say police and prosecutors rushed to judgment in charging him. the actor faces six disorderly conduct charges for making false reports to the police. he could spend up to three years in prison. >>> all right. following up on a story we first brought you as breaking news last night. we now know the name of a suspect accused of driveling a truck the wrong way on the bay bridge. his name is martin callatano of oakland. charged with assault with a deadly weapon, felony assault on a police officer. police say he argued with a cal trans employee, then drove his truck the wrong way through the toll plaza. you can see him slam into a chp patrol car in one of these videos that we have been showing you backward. he actually drove the wrong way several times on the bridge hitting two other cars. the officer did suffer some mi

and jesse smollett the victim of a hate crime? multiple officers wrongly accused and charged.f all. the steele dossier and much more. we welcome to the program again ari fleischer and lara trump. lara trump, your take, it's always the same people and you lived through 5 years of a never ending one voice media mob lie about your father in law? >> you are right. people ask are the mainstream media really lying to us to further a political narrative. you named a dozen plus champs. -- examples. the answer is yes. they had kyle rittenhouse convicted as a murderer from day one and a white supremacist. they have been somewhat successful. you go out to the street and talk to anybody. a lot of people will tell you this trial is about a white guy shooting two black people. that's so far from the truth. it's all white people involved in this case. we want due process to play out and want the jury to come to their own decisions, but the media made it about race like they do about everything. you have to realize that is in the interest of the democratic party. that's what they want. they w

jesse smollett made headlines three years ago when he reported that two masked men attacked him. small let who was eventually charged with a crime. he's pled not guilty to felony disorderly conduct. jury selection begins tomorrow, and the trial is expected to last a week. plenty of people hit the stores this weekend, trying to take advantage of post thanksgiving deals. ktvu elissa harrington checked out some bay area shopping centers today to see how the holiday shopping season is starting out. in walnut creek barriers stop cars from pulling into broadway plaza near nordstrom, where last weekend a large group of about 80 people stole more than $100,000 in merchandise. shoppers say there's a noticeable increase in police and security. they say it's important to support businesses both big and small during the holidays, trying to do it early and get it done as quickly as possible and find what we need. i'm buying all this cookware right now, and that's like that's the stuff that all my friends have wanted shoppers we talked to said this weekend they have taken advantage of some ext

. >>> jury selection getting under way in the trial of former empire star jesse smollett.ts to police claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. smollett paid two men to stage the attack for publicity. he is charged with six counts of disorderly conduct. he is facing a maximum sentence of three years. >>> the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell begins in a few hurries of under. she is accused of grooming girls for sex with her late partner jeffrey epstein who died in jail two weeks ago. kara scannell here with the latest. a lot of people watching, hoping for a refuse hraeugdz. >> that's right. jury selection will get under way. a panel of 60 pre-screened jurors will return. we will get down to a pool of 12 and alternates and then opening statements will get under way. she has been charged with helping epstein recruit, groom, and sexual assault girls some as young as 14 years old. it took place in new york, florida, new mexico and london. prosecutors say we are going to hear from at least four of the accused victims of epstein and maxwell. they will testify using ps

. >>> the jury selection gets underway in the trial of jesse smollett.ed with making false accusations to police. they have accused the former "empi "empire" star for staging the attack for publicity. >>> a global chip shortage is showing production of tons of products like cars, electronics and appliances. >>> actor matthew mcconaughey not running for gov noor as he previously hinted. he will focus on the private sector. >> the first jewish spouse of a president or vp dedicated the lighting to ending hate. >>> the world is facing two weeks of uncertainty before scientists think they'll have the answers they need about the coronavirus omicron variant. it's not yet known whether omicron leads to more severe disease, but there are concerns it could be resistant to current vaccines. >> how transmissible is this variant? how severe is it? and will the antibodies that are produced in response to the current vaccines affect it? we won't know that last answer for a couple of weeks. >> overnight the w.h.o. said the overall risk is assessed at very high. it's bec

. >>> another high profile trial starting later today with jesse smollett. hate crime. the former "empire" actor pleaded not guilty to charges and has repeatedly denied making up or orchestrating the attack. he faces up to three years in prison if convicted. >>> as december approaches, people are scrambling to get what they need to make their holidays bright. people looking to deck the halls with a real christmas tree are in the same situation. >> they had, oh, my goodness, maybe 1/3 of the supply that we've seen in past years and they're tiny. they're cute but they're like charlie brown trees. >> we do wholesale but we've cut it back a little about 10% to each customer. we're not taking on any new customers because we just don't have the trees. >> and if you're thinking you'll wait for a bargain, think again. christmas tree association says shoppers should be ready to spend $80 for a live tree. >>> sunday marked the start of hanukkah right around the world. doug imhoff hit the first candle of the national menorah. he's the first jewish spouse of the preside

opening statements have now wrapped up for the day in chicago and the trial of actor jesse smollett. the jury was seated earlier today and they're opening remarks, prosecutors said the former empire tv show star developed a secret plan for a hate crime on himself. the defense said that smell it was the victim of a tremendous rush to judgment that ruined his career and reputation. still it is accused of making false reports to police after hiring two brothers to help him stage a fake, racist and homophobic attack nearly three years ago. that trial is expected to last about a week. san francisco based twitter has a new leader tonight ceo jack dorsey, leaving his job as the head of the social media company, which he co founded 16 years ago. the company's chief technology officer, perak artery wall, will take over as ceo fox news. susan lee tells us why dorothy decided to leave his post and what's in store for twitter down the line. a big announcement at a big tech with twitter ceo jack dorsey stepping down dorsey co founding twitter back in 2000 and six serving as ceo until 2000 and eig

that jesse smollett actually reported to the chicago police department that a hate crime occurred. and that he knew there was no real hate crime. defense will be up next, wolf. >> all right, omar, thank you very much. and to our viewers, thanks for watching. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> outfront next. u.s. health officials bracing for a new coronavirus variant. strengthening booster recommendations, tonight, as president biden tries to reassure weary americans the new strain is not a cause for panic. >>> plus, anger boiling over on capitol hill. congresswoman ilhan omar, congresswoman lauren boebert, blasting one another after boebert's anti-muslim comments in a tense call that was meant to diffuse tensions. >>> and opening statements today in the sex-trafficking trial for jeffrey epstein's longtime companion. what prosecutors and glhislaine maxwell's defense are claiming tonight. let's go out front. >>> good evening, everyone. i'm kate bolduan in for erin burnett. outfront tonight, the cdc's new booster strategy. the agencies tasked with protecting the health of a

opening statements have wrapped up for the day in chicago in the trial of actor jesse smollett.rlier today and in their opening remarks, prosecutors said the former empire tv show star developed a secret plan for a hate crime on himself. but events said small. it was the victim of a tremendous rush to judgment that has ruined his career and reputation small it is accused of making false reports to police after hiring two brothers to help him stage a fake, racist and homophobic attack. nearly three years ago. the trial is expected to last about a week or so to come tonight. bottle rock announces dates for next year's festival. plus, we saw some rain last month, but boys from mostly dry ever since what that could mean for our states agriculture industry and take a look at this , the fog slowly rolling in over the golden gate bridge around sunset tonight, creating this beautiful glow. chief meteorologist. bill martin is back right after the break with back right after the break with your five day forecast. enjoy the gift of being together. the binaxnow covid-19 antigen self test ha

. >>> back in 2019 actor and singer jesse smollett told police he was the victim of a racist and anti-gayter: that was actor jesse smollett in 2019 celebrating after prosecutors made the controversial decision to drop criminal charges against him. instead, ordering him to perform community service. >> i've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. >> reporter: that agreement later overruled after special prosecutor reinvestigated the case and found abuse of discretion and operational failures by the state's attorney. in february 2020 a new grand jury indicted smollett on six felony disorderly conduct charges for lying to police. the bizarre case began in chicago. smollett told police he was coming home from subway around 2 a.m. when he says two men attacked him while yelling slurs, threw bleach on him and put a noose around his neck. >> do you want to take it off? >> i do. >> reporter: after putting hundreds of hours into investigating the case, they say the attackers were two brothers that smollett paid to stage the attack. the brothers have expressed regret for t

. >>> in chicago, jury selection began in the trial of actor jesse smell -- jussie smollett. he is accused of staging his own homophobic attack in 2019. two men admitted to have taken part in the attack say jussie smollett plan the entire thing and paid them to do it. the trial is expected to last week. >>> still ahead on kpix 5 and streaming on cbs and bay area, the port of oakland says is ready former cargo as other ports see big backups. what is keeping ships away? >>> plus how the president says he is working with businesses to make sure's shelves are stocked from the holidays. >>> you probably noticed it is starting to look hazy out there in the sky. we will talk about air quality. i will show you the actual readings and we will talk more about how long we stay sunny and near 70 like this. coming up. >>> a reminder as we get into the holiday season, you can help neighbors in need by donating time or money in our few food four bay area families >>> new at 3:00, the port of oakland says it's all 20% less in total cargo last month because of declining vessel traffic. the po

this was jesse jussie smollett on steroids. people are getting tired. they are sick of it. after the virginia elections and this popular backlash against the woke, people have had enough. i think that the left has no idea of the anger they have unleashed and people are sick of it because this was such a farce. >> yeah. so contrary to the whole system of american justice in its very indictment and arrest that people are going to say we have no choice. the system is unsustainable if we go down that trajectory. whether it's the border or whatever is going on with the biden administration and this an exemplar of what they are doing to our country and we can't let it begin continue, i think they created their own destruction coming up in a year in the midterms and beyond. >> jesse: i think you are right about that. victor davis hanson, thanks for coming on the show. >> thank you. >> jesse: now, we have to remember that when the shooting took place in kenosha, we were in the middle of this heated presidential race. and joe biden took full advantage of the situation. he wasted no

brett kavanaugh is a rapist or in virginia white supremacists elected glenn youngkin or jesse smollettked by maga supporters. i could go on and on as far as conservatives or republicans or in this case 17 or 18-year-old kid is attacked because of the perceived ideology. so will defamation suits are coming. we saw covington catholic and the success nick sand man had settling $250 million lawsuit against cnn. i think they are coming here some examples particularly on one network you just played msnbc as far as putting their thumb not only on the scale but their whole bodies on the same this white supremacist and guilty before proven innocent. will: i don't think they be granted that goodwill. looking at blatant lies. lies that continued after the verdict as well. continued to triple down on white supremacy. just blatant factual errors or lies. i want to ask you this, joe. i don't know that you saw this but i believe it was on cnbc a couple days ago. a guy named john malone. the chairman of liberty media. the primary shareholder shareholder of "discovery." "discovery" is the owner of cnn.

. >> jesse: we will be booking a flight later tonight. two huge trails for hate crime jussie smollett♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list event. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have $100,000 or more of life insurance, you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit coventrydirect.com to find out if your policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance. ♪ limu emu... & doug ♪ ♪ superpowers from a spider bite? i could use some help showing the world how liberty mutual customizes their car insurance so they only pay for what they need. (gasps) ♪ did it work? only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ spider-man no way home in theaters december 17th ♪ ♪ >> dagen: two high-profile trials startin

opening statements are underway in chicago for the trial of actor jesse smollett.s seated earlier today. the former empire tv show star was indicted last year. he is accused of making false reports to police that he was the victim of a racist and a homophobic attack. nearly three years ago. two brothers a small it hired them to take part in the incident that made headlines around the world. they are both expected to testify. the trial is expected to last for four or five days. unseasonably warm weather around the bay area once again this afternoon, with little change expected in the forecast. we are going to remain dry, at least for the next several days, giving you a live look here of the east based shore where we do have a lot of sunshine out. there are quality good to moderate around the region at this time. and we'll continue that way. as we get into the coming days. here's a look at the current air quality you can see from the north base with the central bay and down through the south bay. everybody reporting moderate air quality at this time closer to santa c