January 1, EMPIRE’ ACTOR CHARGED WITH MAKING FALSE POLICE REPORT AFTER MAGA ATTACK CLAIMS

AP – “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was charged Wednesday with making a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said prosecutors charged Smollett with felony disorder conduct, an offense that could bring one to three years in prison and force the actor to pay for the cost of the investigation into the Jan. 29 beating.

Coast Guard Officer Planned ‘Terror Attack’

USA Today – A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant and self-described white nationalist planned a domestic terrorist attack targeting politicians and journalists, federal prosecutors say in court papers.

Christopher Paul Hasson was arrested last week on gun and drug charges, but intended “to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country,” according to court documents filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Maryland.

Hasson has been stockpiling weapons since 2017, the government said, and created a list of targets including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

CNN: Justice Department Preparing to Say it Has Received Mueller Report

After the expected announcement, U.S. Attorney General William Barr will review Mueller’s findings and submit his own summary to Congress, CNN reported.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on the CNN report. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, also declined to comment.

Democrats have been concerned that Barr, who has discretion over what is ultimately made public, will choose to limit disclosure, although the new attorney general has said he would seek to make public as much of Mueller’s findings as he can.

Trump, responding to the CNN report on Wednesday, noted that decision would be up to Barr.

Bookies Agree: Trump Favorite to Win 2020 Race

President Donald Trump is a 3-2 favorite to win the 2020 presidential election, with his odds unchanged following Sen. Bernie Sanders’ official bid announcement, says sportsbook brand manager Dave Mason of BetOnline.ag.

“There were no changes to Sanders’ odds following the announcement,” Mason said. “We had it as a foregone conclusion that he will be in the Democratic mix.”

Sen. Kamala Harris sits behind Trump in the bet count at 8-1 odds and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, is third with 10-1 odds. Former Vice President Joe Biden is fourth at 12-1 odds and Sanders fifth at 14-1.

O’Rourke and Biden have yet to announce a presidential bid but have hinted at entering the race.

Google Hides Secret Microphone in Nest Home Security System

Business Insider – Google says the built-in microphone was ‘never supposed to be a secret’.

In early February, Google announced that its home security and alarm system Nest Secure would be getting an update. Users, the company said, could now enable its virtual-assistant technology, Google Assistant.

The problem: Nest users didn’t know a microphone existed on their security device to begin with.

The existence of a microphone on the Nest Guard, which is the alarm, keypad, and motion-sensor component in the Nest Secure offering, was never disclosed in any of the product material for the device.On Tuesday, a Google spokesperson told Business Insider the company had made an “error.”