Feb 21, 2019 - Economy & Business

Chicago police say Jussie Smollett staged racist attack as publicity stunt

Photo: Chicago Police Department via Getty Images

Actor Jussie Smollett paid two men $3,500 to stage an assault he says was racist and homophobic because he was unhappy with his "Empire" salary, police said Thursday.

What they're saying: "[He] took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to advance his career," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson said at a news conference.

Johnson said Smollett came up with the stunt for publicity one week after writing himself a threatening letter.

  • “I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention,” Johnson said.

Smollett, who is charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, denies staging the attack, which President Trump tweeted about Thursday morning.

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Axios
4 hours ago - Podcasts

Facebook boycott organizers share details on their Zuckerberg meeting

Facebook is in the midst of the largest ad boycott in its history, with nearly 1,000 brands having stopped paid advertising in July because they feel Facebook hasn't done enough to remove hate speech from its namesake app and Instagram.

Axios Re:Cap spoke with the boycott's four main organizers, who met on Tuesday with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other top Facebook executives, to learn why they organized the boycott, what they took from the meeting, and what comes next.

Sara Fischer
6 hours ago - Technology

Boycott organizers slam Facebook following tense virtual meeting

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Civil rights leaders blasted Facebook's top executives shortly after speaking with them on Tuesday, saying that the tech giant's leaders "failed to meet the moment" and were "more interested in having a dialogue than producing outcomes."

Why it matters: The likely fallout from the meeting is that the growing boycott of Facebook's advertising platform, which has reached nearly 1000 companies in less than a month, will extend longer than previously anticipated, deepening Facebook's public relations nightmare.

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Hans Nichols
7 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Steve Scalise PAC invites donors to fundraiser at Disney World

Photo: Kevin Lamarque-Pool/Getty Images

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise’s PAC is inviting lobbyists to attend a four-day “Summer Meeting” at Disney World's Polynesian Village in Florida, all but daring donors to swallow their concern about coronavirus and contribute $10,000 to his leadership PAC.

Why it matters: Scalise appears to be the first House lawmakers to host an in-person destination fundraiser since the severity of pandemic became clear. The invite for the “Summer Meeting” for the Scalise Leadership Fund, obtained by Axios, makes no mention of COVID-19.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow