police in chicago have opened a hate crime investigation of to jussie smollett and acts in the u. s. tv series empire reported that he'd been verbally abused and beaten up by two men in mosques. they also allegedly pulled an unidentified liquid onn smalall it's face before wrapping a rope around his neck. the actor told investigators that his attackers had shouted that he was in magga country. a reference to us president donald trump's make america greaeat again slogan. cicivil r rights activist al sharptonon to condemn the factions if theyy had on making ameririca great again hat or said that verbally. the president ought to come out and say. if h his brand does not represenent these k kind of alleged attacksks thatt he stands to say that is brandd represents somethingng else his silence is deafening. investigators say they have not yet succeeded in identifying any witnesses in the case. and that despite going through hundreds of hours of private surveillance footage they've not found significant leads. the chicago police department announcing they've now expanded the search area

the target, the actor from the tv show "empire," jussie smollett. he told police he was brutally attacked by two men with covered faces who shouted racial and homophobic slurs. police say then pouring a chemical on him and putting a rope around his neck. here's abc's steve osunsami. ♪ good enough >> reporter: police say that actor and singer jussie smollett, from the popular drama series "empire," was attacked around 2:00 a.m. this morning in this swank corner of downtown chicago, where hotel security cameras are everywhere. >> he's supposed to be well-known. requesting a report. said a noose was placed over the friend's neck. >> reporter: he was in chicago getting a late-night snack when police say he was approached by "two unknown offenders" whose faces were covered, "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him." police say they beat him up, poured an "unknown chemical" over him and "at some point during the incident, wrapped a rope around the actor's neck. in a later interview, he told them they were yelling "maga country" as they beat hi

police say actor jussie smollett told him he was assaulted by two men who allegedly yelled racial and nbc's steve patterson is joining me live now. where are we in the investigation right now? >> reporter: right now chicago police say the investigation is largely at a standstill. at least as far as new leads is concerned but that they're doing everything they possibly can in this case. here's what smollett says happened. he tells police he was grabbing something to eat at 2:00 a.m. tuesday morning and that's when two men approached yelling racial and homophobic slurs. he said two men jumped him with repeat blows to the face. he says one of them wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on the actor before they both took off. smollett took himself to the hospital for treatment. here's what police say they're working on right now, they've announced they have extensively canvassed the area near the crime. reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance video and even expanded the search to the chicago riverfront and beyond and found nothing. you see the statement

new details about jussie smollett. the "empire" star telling police he was assaulted by two masked men yelling racial and homophobic slurs, pouring a chemical on him and putting a rope around his neck. a dozen detectives and the fbi on the case. what his "empire" co-star is saying this morning right here on "gma." >>> daring rescue. the father and son driving down the highway when all of a sudden this jeep slams into a semi erupting into flames then barrels right toward them. those two men then rushing out to save the 18-year-old trapped inside. >>> facetime flaw. the 14-year-old who says he discovered that major eavesdropping glitch on his iphone while trying to play fortnite saying he told apple more than a week ago. could he be in for a big payday? ♪ >>> and sour note. what maroon 5 is not doing before the halftime show that's getting backlash this morning. >>> we do say good morning, america, and it is wonderful to have you with us on this wednesday morning. want to get right to that life-threatening arctic air bla

jussie smollett.....co-star of the fox television show "empire"......says "nothing is more important ribe you....."but chicago police are investigating a possible hate crime against the actor- singer.smollett told police that he was assaulted early tuesday morning.nat sound of smollett singing"this is the kind of song that makes a man love a man, man love a man....."smollett plays a gay character on the show and is gay in real life.police say smollett told them that his attackers yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him. smollett also said he was hit, had an unknown chemical substance poured on him and a rope placed around his neck. lee daniels/co-creator & director, "empire""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 fáááát, náááa or whatever they said to you."chicago police have released pictures of two persons of interest wanted for questioning because they were in the area around the time of the incidentso far police haven't found images of the alleged assault, but they áhaveá found video showing sm

the actor, "empire" star jussie smollett, telling two men attacked him, put a rope around his neck, poured a chemical on him. and just moments ago, authorities now revealing they may now have possible persons of interest and are now pointing to surveillance. here's abc's steve osunsami tonight. >> reporter: chicago police tonight say they found surveillance video that shows potential persons of interest in the alleged attack on actor and musician jussie smollett. police say they poured over hundreds of hours of video from early tuesday morning. >> he's supposed to be well-known. requesting a report. said a noose was placed over the friend's neck. >> reporter: the actor was in town shooting seens for "empire." he told police he was heading home to his apartment when he was jumped by two masked men yelling out racial and ho homophobic slurs. then beat him up and poured an unknown chemical substance on him -- possibly bleach. he said one wrapped a rope around his neck and that his attackers yelled "maga country." online, an outpouring of support has come from fellow actors, like viola davis,

empire star jussie smollett is in the fest. :20 seal screeching there's a baby boom of northern elephantseals! they expanded their breeding grounds in a matter of weeks.. between drake's beach and chimney rock in point reyes. and because of the shutdown.. no park workers were there to deter them. :42 "now we have some 35 or 40 pups that have been born on the beach that have been nursing their mothers for the next couple of months." park rangers will now have to protect the pups who are right near a park visitor center at point reyes. tonight *could set a record.. as one of the coldest nights *ever for parts of the midwest. this live picture is from chicago.. where wind chills could make it feel colder than parts of antarctica. don dahler reports. (aerial above clouds) (narr) from above, the polar vortex <> <> <> wake up with our team: mary lee and gianna franco -- for the latest on weather and traffic, starting at 4--30. <> (((break))) (((break))) (((break))) <> <> <> <

interview two people they are calling persons of interest on the alleged attack of "empire" actor, jussie smollett they were near the area where smallette said they were attacked on tuesday. >> surveillance cameras show most of his route. so far, no video shows him being attacked by two masked men. smollett's music manager told police he was on the phone with smollett during the alleged attack and he heard some of what happened including the use of racial slurs. >> we are still working to verify his phone records. it's crucial those images are back out to the public. >>> coming up, getting into our inner zen. >> and doing it as three boa constrictors wrap themselves around your body. that's next on "world news now." constrictors wrap themselves around your body. that's next on "world news now." themselves around your body. that's next. you are watching "world news now." ♪ >>> many of us know the value of a massage and how it can reduce tension, reduce stress -- >> not around here. >> improve your sleep. >> what do i look like, giving you a massage? this morning we are checking out a very different

actor and singer jussie smollett is best known for his television series empire where he plays jama jamalis also black and gay, which may have been the motivation for an attack against him in chicago. police are investigating a possible hate crime against the actor with the help of the fbi. the empire actor reported the crime happened about 2:00 in the morning tuesday when two men got his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs, smollett told police. the men then began hitting him in the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on him. one of the offenders wrapped a rope around his neck. during the interview, police say that smollett told them something new, that during the attack the attackers uttered "this is maga country." in a place with a high number of private surveillance cameras, they cannot find any images of the two alleged attackers after comi combing through hundreds of hours of videos. the only image of smollett they obtained was in this subway sandwich shop near the location of the attack and he was standing alone. >> you didn't deserve, nor anybody deserve

say they are looking for two people of interest in the possible hate crime attack against actor jussie smollettre's dean reynolds. >> reporter: late today after screening hundreds of hours of security camera footage, police are now focussing on two persons of interest captured in what authorities called an encounter early tuesday with the actor jussie smollett. police sources say it is unclear what may have transpired, but 12 detectives on the case are trying to identify thedividuals cameras and want to question them. ♪ you look so good when you walk about ♪ >> reporter: a gay cast member of the fox hit show "empire" told police two white men shouting racial epithets, beat him up and doused him with unkno unknown chemical and tied a rope around his neck when he left a restaurant after 2:00 a.m. and sources say the video that identifies the persons of interest shows smollett with a rope around his neck. smollett told the police the attackers also allegedly yelled, "this is maga country," a reference to the president's campaign slogan. his account prompted waves of support and outrage from the wo

we are now hearing publicly for the first time from the family of jussie smollett.tement about the reported attack on him in chicago. i'll read just part of it for you. we want to be clear, this was a racial and homophobic hate crime, jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. his story has never changed and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice. jussie is a warrior who's light cannot be dimmed. we want people to understand these targeted hate crimes are happening to our sisters, brothers and our gender nonconforming siblings, many who reside within the intersection of multiple identities on a monthly, weekly and sometimes even daily basis all across our country. we, as a family, will continue to work for love, equity and justice until it reigns supreme in our nation and all over the world. >>> subzero temperatures absurdly, bitter windchills. the american deep freeze is now to blame for deaths of at least 12 people. in some states people are going without power and heat. of course, the most vulnerable of these, the ho

the alleged racially motivated attack on empire star jussie smollett. ere's a lot of misinformation out there swirling around this story. now, let's go through the facts as we kno them at this point. smollett who is openly gay tells chicago police two masked men yelled racial and slurs on him, doused him with some kind of chemical and put noose around his neck. today they confirmed there is surveillance video of smollett at the subway restaurant he went to, but they haven't found video of t attack itself and haven't entified any suspects. smollett right now is out of the hospital and we understand he's doing okay. the lgbtq community, celebrities, ordinary folks, lots of folks are stepping up and giving him their support. saying? your listeners >> our listeners are sending their heartfelt condolences tom they want a full and thorough investigation, no stone unturned. their very happy to know the fbi is on the case. and they're also concerned not only the fact that a homophobic slur was used during the attack but aacl slur, called the n' word during the a

they call persons of interest or possible witnesses to the attack reported by actor and singer jussie smollett abc the footage shows the pair walking along new street between 1:30 and 1:45 a.m. in the area where smollett says he was assaulted. adding, the video did not capture the actual attack. smollett, a star in "empire," told police it started around 2:00 a.m., soon after he landed in chicago from new york. a trip he chronicled on instagram. the 36-year-old telling authorities he was walking home alone in the frigid 9-degree weather after buying food from the subway sandwich shop in downtown chicago when two masked people yelling racial and homophobic slurs jumped him and poured an unknown liquid substance on him and one wrapped a rope around his neck before running off. >> he's supposed to be well known. >> reporter: at around 2:40 a.m. police get a 911 call. when they arrive at smollett's apartment, they say he still had a white rope wrapped around his neck. detectives say they again reached out to him and he then told them his attackers also yelled maga country, make america great again

actor and singer jussi smol slet be smollett is best known for his role in empire where he plays a singer is gay. smollett is also black and gay, which may have been the motivation for an alleged attack against him in chicago. police say they are investigating a possible hate crime against the actor with the help of the fbi. authorities say the empire actor reported that the crime chapphad at about 2:00 in the morning when two men got his attention by yelling racial and homophobic slurs. he then told police the ninmen began hitting him in the face and poured and unknown chemical substance on him indicating at one point during the attack one of them wrapped a rope around his neck. he also during the attack the offenders uttered this is maga country. they say they're expanding the search area for surveillance video of the alleged attackers because in a place so far with a high number of surveillance cameras they cannot find any images of the two alleged attackers. after comb through hundreds of hours of videos, the only image they obtained was inside the subway sandwich shop near the locati

jussi smollett, star of "empire" told officers he was assaulted by two men who called racial slurs andophobic remarks and tied rope around his neck and threw stuff in his face. miguel almaguer has the details on this. >> reporter: jussie smollett on "empire" police say he was brutally beaten on this chicago street in a possible hate crime. at 2:00 a.m., investigators say two men approached him and may have recognized the actor yelling racial and homophobic slurs. after the assault the police say the attackers threw an unknown chemical on his face and tied a noose around his neck. he took himself to a hospital, where he is recovering. >> that man is doing nothing but minding his own business and you feel it's necessary to go after him like that. why? >> in a statement, chicago police say they have not identified any suspects and are looking for under surveillance video of the assault. an advocate for the gay communities smollett came out to ellen in 2015. >> we cannot allow people to just spew hate. >> reporter: outrage on social media, including a post from lee daniels, creator of "emp

gear has more. >> reporter: jussie smollett, a star on the hit television show empire is recovering from multiple injuries after pol he sa was brutally beaten on this chicago street in a possible hate crime. at 2:00 a.m., investigators say two men approachedmamollett who have recognized the actor yelling racial and homophobic slurs. after the assault police say the attackers threw an unknown chemical on his face and tied a noose around his neck. >> the noose was place the over the friend's neck. >> reporter: smollett took himself to a hospital where he is recovering. >> that man is doingothing but minding his own business and you feel it's necessary to go after him like that. why? >> reporter: in a statement, chicago police say they have not identified any suspects and are looking for surveillance video of the assault. t>> an advocate for the gay community, smollame out to ellen in 2015. >> you cannot allow people t just, just spew hate. >> reporter: outrage on social media, including a post from lee daniels, creator of empire, who shared, then deleted this photo of smollett. >> you didn

davis, abc news, new york. >>> a dozen detectives are pursuing new leads in the attack against jussie smollett. chicago police released these surveillance photos showing two persons of interest. smollett said two men yelled racial and homophobic slurs and poured a substance on him and put a rope around his neck. that was early tuesday morning. >> so far investigators have not been able to find video of the attack. >>> senator kamala harris will be the first major democratic presidential candidate to get an official fundraiser. sources tell them this saturday harris will attend an event with a popular l.a. restaurant owner. she will then go to a fundraiser, universal's chairman is hosting. harris officially kicked off her presidential run this past weekend in her hometown of oakland. while she's accepting money from donors, she will not accept money from corporate political action committees. a political documentary could soon be coming to netflix. according to variety magazine, los gatos-based company is in final negotiations to win rights to knock down the house. the acclaimed documentary deb

. >>> this morning, the latest on the attack on jussie smollett. releasing video of persons of interest and now his manager is speaking out. plus an exclusive. the woman who sur vivived a terrifying hippo attack. how she escaped the deadly animal's jaws and swam back to safety. >>> serena williams is here live. she'll be talking tennis and motherhood and her new campaign for women. it's all coming up only on gma. it's going to be 50 here by monday. i highly doubt anybody knows what they've been dealing with up there. it was 55 below with the windchill in minneapolis. they haven't done that since 1985. >> what made me feel bad, but not that bad. >> almost. >> almost. i almost had that human emotion. didn't go there. >> thanks, ginger. >> next, lost in translation. ariana grande showing off her >>> here's a look at the storl. heavy rain and damaging winds. a chance of thunderstorms that increases as we head towards saturday. my main concern, this is during the evening hours tomorrow is the hydroplaning from the heavy rain and the flooding on roads. w

new clues tonight in the possible hate crime attack on empire star jussie smollett.hicago police have released photos of 2 people they want to question. they were captured on a neighborhood surveillance camera... the night smollett says he was attacked. smollett -- who is gay -- says 2 people attacked him early tuesday... "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs"... they "poured an unknown chemical" on him.... and put a rope around his neck. smollett was born in santa rosa. it's a haunting case that s never been solved. tonight juliette goodrich show us: loved ones are still keeping ilene misheloff's memory alive.. after she vanished on her way home from school.. 30 years ago today. eng_juliette looklive and broll for 10p 11p juliette intro: 19:19:09-19:19:22 out= the day she disappeared 5p_misheloff 30 year anniv_pkg 1-30 "how do you give up on your baby ... you don't " it s been 30 years to the day since maddie and mike misheloff's daughter ilene disappeared jan 30 - 1989 - "sometimes it's like yesterday some days it's like30 million years . " ilene's parents keep

jussie smollett came out as gay three years ago.cago police say he was walking down the street when two people approached him and began yelling slurs. >> people say two men jumped him and they were wearing ski masks and they started punch him, broke several ribs but they also had bleach that they doused him in and also had a rope they put around his neck. >> chicago police say they have obtain add surveillance image of smollett inside a subway moments before the incident. now to oakland where the city's first tuff the homeless is no more. they were first put up about a removed and the reaction from the people in the community. >> im don't worry about them stepping on broken glass, getting attacked by dogs or, you know, stepping on needles. it's so much better, a much more pleasant place to come. are the owner of kinetic arts center says once the tuff sheds went in a year ago the city cleaned up the homeless encampment area surrounding them. we don't have a rot problem anymore. i feel bert knowing there were so many people who were l

. >>> coming up next, breaking news out of chicago and a possible hate crime against jussie smollett.ce just revealed next? fact is, every insurance company hopes you drive safely. but allstate helps you. with drivewise. feedback that helps you drive safer. and that can lower your cost now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? >>> there is now new information coming in about the reported attack against "empire" star jussie smollett. sara sidner is our correspondent. what have you just learned from police? >> new and important information coming out from chicago police, our ryan young, got some of these details for us. he said police do have the rope and smollett's sweater, the rope we're talking about is the one that he says was put around his neck in this alleged attack. the sweater because they are testing it for an unknown substance that jussie said was thrown on him or poured on him. we have some sense of where this happened as well. the police now saying that -- but they weren't called, though, until 30 to 40 minutes after the attack happened and they said, when they

. >>> actor and musician jussie smollett from the hit show, "empire," was attacked and beaten early thisorning in chicago according to chicago police. officials are investigating the alleged assault as a hate crime. in a statement, the police say two people attacked the actor, beat him, and poured an unknown chemical substance on him. they used racial and homophobic slurs and one of the offenders wrapped a rope around with smollett's neck. the actor is openly gay and spoke about it in "attitude" magazine. he said, "i get tired of the idea of someone telling me who my truth is. i said from the beginning of my journey, i do not hide who i am. no one is going to tell me that somehow that is going to be my disability. i am told so many times that i should not walk truly in my blackness, that i should not walk truly in my sexuality, i should not walk truly in who i am. i say thanks, but no thanks. f you and good-bye. i honestly think that me being myself has actually helped my career move forward." i'm joined now by nbc's steve patterson. steve, what do we know? >> aliing we're getting a litt

actor jussie smollett is from santa rosa. he was attacked by two people early this morning. police say the suspects yelled racial and homophobic slurs as they beat smollett. they also poured an unknown chemical on him and put a rope around his neck before fleeing the scene. smollett was able to take himself to the hospital, where he is in good condition. the actor identifies as gay and plays a gay character on the show. the incident is now being investigated as a possible hate crime. (vicki) a deaf couple from southern california is accusing delta air lines of discrimination. it happened on sunday at the detroit metro airport. the couple says they tried to communicate with a gate agent by writing on a piece of paper . they were asking about getting seats next to each other on their flight to l-a. the say the agent threw the paper away and rolled her eyes. the man then tried to get the paper back-- but the agent called police and accused him of assaulting her. the couple was ultimately denied boarding. delta responded saying the agent felt threatened because the man aggressiv

this morning jussie smollett is recovering from an attack where men were shouting and calling him homophobic an awful story. police are treating it as a possible hate crime. here is danya bacchus. >> reporter: police say the actor was filming and out getting a snack when he was attacked by masked men around 2:00 in the morning. the star of the popular drama series "empire" telling police he was approached by two unknown offenders yelling out racial and homo phobic slurs towards him and they beat him up, poured an unknown chemical over him and wrapped a rope around his neck. he told investigators the attackers were yelling. investigators believe this might be a hate crime. they are look into a letter delivered over a week ago threatening the actor's life. in real life -- >> there is no closet. there's never been a closet that i have been in. >> reporter: smollett publicly coming out on the ellen degeneres show, and his character is a gay man that wants to please his powerful father. the director, a black, gay man himself, posting this message on social media. >> you did not deserve, nor does

empire actor jussie smollett were attacked. he said two men beat him and yelled racist and homophobic slurs. they alsohr t a substance and put a rope around his neck. >>> seven people are in the hospital after a fire in maryland. three people were found in the basement have life-threate ng injuries. one of them is a child. it's not clear how that fire started. but the flames are now out. >>> two a men found shot to death next to a running car in bladensburg. this happened last night. the car that was running was towed and is being examined for evidence. it's not clear if the men were inside the car when they were shot. > congress has less than three weeks to reach a deal over the border wall or we could see another partial government shutdown. a bipartisan group of 17 lawmakers is trying ind common ground on the very issue that led to the longest shutdown in u.s history. president trump warned members they are just wasting their tim if thealks do not include a wall or physical barrier thalon southern border. we'll get the lates

." >> new developments on that alleged hate crime and beating of "empire" star jussie smollett. >> peopled out photos that show potential persons of interest. >> for the first time, n.f.l. commissioner roger goodell acknowledged the missed call in the n.f.c. championship game.