Jussie Smollett Faces Felony Charges for Alleged Attack; Coast Guard Lieutenant Arrested on Terror Charges
JUSSIE SMOLLETT, ACTOR, "EMPIRE": Who the</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Chicago Police say you did. Jussie Smollett accused of staging a racially motivated attack.</s>BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, a domestic terrorist on active military duty, a Coast Guard officer with a political and media hit list had 15 guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.</s>ROMANS: The Mueller report could be in the attorney general's hands by next week. What Bill Barr does with it, well, that's the big question.</s>SANCHEZ: And 3,000 teachers walk off the job today in Oakland. What they're demanding for themselves, and 36,000 students who still have class today. Good morning, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Dave Briggs.</s>ROMANS: Nice to have you here today. Big, busy news day. I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, February 21st. It's 4:00 a.m. exactly in the East, and here we go. That hashtag #justiceforjussie has an entirely different meaning this morning. "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett facing a felony charge for allegedly filing a false police report claiming two men attacked him last month. Chicago Police tells CNN they hope Smollett will turn himself in overnight. Right now they don't know where he is.</s>SANCHEZ: And a class four felony, the kind Smollett is charged with, carries a prison sentence of one to three years. The actor himself has passionately insisted that he didn't stage any attack.</s>SMOLLETT: Who the</s>SANCHEZ: Assuming he's in custody, a bail hearing for Smollett would be expected later today. CNN's Nick Watt is outside Chicago Police headquarters. He has more.</s>NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Christine, Jussie Smollett has gone from victim to suspect, and he now faces a felony charge, a class four felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. The "Empire" actor, of course, claimed he was attacked in the early hours of January 29th, on a cold, frigid morning here in Chicago, by two men who threw racial and homophobic epithets at him, hung a noose around his neck, and poured an unknown chemical on him. Now two men were arrested last week. They were questioned by police then they were released on Friday night. Smollett's lawyers released a statement to us last night and they say that, "Like any other citizen Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information both true and false has been repeatedly leaked." This story is far from over. In fact, the fallout from this story is really only just beginning -- Christine and Boris.</s>SANCHEZ: Nick Watt, thank you. A spokesperson for 20th Century Fox, the company that produces "Empire," said the studio has no comment at this time.</s>ROMANS: All right. A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant under arrest this morning as a suspected domestic terrorist. Authorities say 49-year- old Christopher Paul Hasson of Silver Spring, Maryland, is a white supremacist who had a hit list that included several high-profile Democrats, among them presidential candidates. Prosecutors filing a draft e-mail in which they say Hasson wrote, "I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth." Ryan Browne at the White House -- at the Pentagon, rather, with more.</s>RYAN BROWNE, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Good morning, Christine and Boris. The Department of Justice charging an active duty Coast Guard officer with gun and drug charges, and for being an alleged domestic terrorist who was plotting attacks on senior Democratic officials and senior members of the media, both from MSNBC and CNN. Now he's also charged with adhering to a manifesto of a Norwegian terrorist, Anders Breivik, who in 2011 killed some 77 people in a series of domestic terror attacks. Now as part of that manifesto, he is being charged with using drugs as part of an effort to bolster his ability to carry out these attacks. Now some 15 weapons and 1,000 rounds of ammunition were discovered in his home, according to the official charge documents provided by the Department of Justice. And again, he was posted here in Washington, D.C. at the Coast Guard headquarters. It remains unclear how someone could have such high- level access with all these links to domestic terrorist groups, white supremacists organizations, and in possession of so many weapons and so much ammunition. Back to you.</s>SANCHEZ: Ryan, thank you. The completion of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation could be announced as early as next week. Sources familiar with Justice Department plans tell us that soon after that, Attorney General Bill Barr will submit a confidential summary to Congress. But that does not mean we'll get to see Mueller's report quickly or potentially ever.</s>ROMANS: Right now the scope and contours of what the attorney general will send to Capitol Hill are unclear. Barr was noncommittal at his confirmation hearing last month.</s>WILLIAM BARR, THEN-ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: I am going to try to get the information out there consistent with these regulations. And to the extent I have discretion I will exercise that discretion to do that.</s>ROMANS: The special counsel regulations instruct Mueller to submit a confidential report to the attorney general, but those regulations don't require that it be shared with Congress or the public. Yesterday the president said he's leaving the entire matter up to Barr.</s>KAITLIN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Should the Mueller report be released while you're abroad next week?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That'll be totally up to the new attorney general. That'll be totally up to him. The new attorney -- the new attorney general, yes.</s>TRUMP: Now I guess from what I understand that will be totally up to the attorney general.</s>SANCHEZ: Of course, depending on what is or is not released, months of wrangling between Congress and the Justice Department may follow. The precise timing of Barr's announcement is subject to change. CNN is told that Justice officials don't want to interfere with White House diplomatic efforts. Recall that late next week President Trump is set to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But on the other hand, don't forget that 12 Russians were indicted last year while the president met with Queen Elizabeth. That was just days before his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin.</s>ROMANS: All right. While Trump is overseas next week, former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will testify in public. He is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee February 27th. He will be questioned about President Trump's finances, his business practices, but not the Russia investigation. Cohen's first scheduled appearance was canceled due to threats against his family.</s>SANCHEZ: Yes, and on Wednesday, he tweeted this out, quote, "Looking forward to the American people hearing my story in my voice. #truth." The next day, he'll testify privately to the House Intelligence Committee. Cohen had been scheduled to report to prison on March 6th, but a federal judge agreed to delay the start of his prison term for two back, moving it back to May. Cohen was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to charges that included campaign finance violations related to payments that he arranged to women who claimed they had affairs with Donald Trump.</s>ROMANS: All right. The White House seems determined to prove climate change does not threaten national security. According to the "Washington Post" the Trump administration is assembling a panel to scrutinize intelligence findings that have repeatedly concluded global warming does pose a national security threat. Heading up the proposed Presidential Commission on Climate Security, William Happer. Now he is on the National Security Council and he believes carbon emissions linked to climate change should be viewed as an asset, rather than a pollutant. And that's not all.</s>WILLIAM HAPPER, TRUMP NOMINEE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE PANEL: The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler. Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews.</s>SANCHEZ: Quite a comparison there. The White House is not commenting on the "Washington Post" report. Just a few weeks ago, the director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, delivered a worldwide threat assessment that identified climate change as a significant security risk. CNN has since learned that White House officials are discussing replacements for Coats. They're concerned that President Trump may be prepared to fire him.</s>ROMANS: Much of the eastern U.S. cleaning up this morning after a big winter storm rolled through. Thunder snow caught on a doorbell camera in Cumberland, Maryland, yesterday. Major flooding in Giles County, Tennessee. That's just south of Pulaski. And the front stalled over the south bringing on some high water. And that flooding threat won't abate with another winter storm taking shape out west. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has more.</s>PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Boris and Christine, good morning, guys. Yes, the northeast here watching the snow showers around Boston, a wintry mix just south of town, and go to the north there, it's all about the snow. And of course it was a winter wonderland across Central Park as well in the past 24 or so hours. But you cross over into the airports it was an entirely different story. Major disruptions as far as cancellations and delays across portions of the country. And a lot of this activity now going to begin to improve quickly, at least for the northeast. In fact, by 11:00 a.m., noon, much of the showers exit the picture. And then you draw the attention back down toward the south because the southern fringe of all of this, that's where the frontal boundary has stalled and that's where not only thunderstorms are prevalent this morning. As much as 1,000 strikes since midnight across portions of the south. But extensive flood watches and warnings and a lot of river flooding taking place in northern Alabama and northern Mississippi and western Tennessee. And frankly, with that front that's really not moving much, notice the rainfall amounts are going to be significant. Four to six inches around Memphis. Two to three inches around Nashville over the next 24 or so hours. And then back towards the west, another system right on its heels here is bringing in additional rainfall and additional storms going in towards this weekend for much of the country -- guys.</s>ROMANS: All right. Thank you.</s>SANCHEZ: Big one-two punch headed our way.</s>ROMANS: Yes.</s>SANCHEZ: Duke sensation Zion Williamson down and out. Literally. The freshman actually tore his own shoe off when he was hurt. Duke fans and Knicks fans now holding their breath. We'll tell you how it happened next.