A Coast Guard officer's plot to 'kill almost every last person'
You made it to Thursday. That's practically Friday: You did it. It's Ashley, and today's Short List lands on the ‘not-so-good news' end of the spectrum.
So first, the good news: A dog was reunited with his family after being lost during the California wildfire for 101 days. The family thinks the dog, Kingston, survived by eating skunks.
A Coast Guard officer who planned to ‘kill almost every last person’
A Coast Guard lieutenant was planning a domestic terrorist attack targeting politicians and journalists, the government said. Among his targets: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic lawmakers as well as CNN's Chris Cuomo. A self-described "long-time White nationalist," Christopher Paul Hasson had been stockpiling weapons for years. Authorities found 15 guns and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his Maryland home, along with 30 bottles of human growth hormone. "I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth," he wrote, according to court documents. He was arrested last week on gun and drug charges.
Jussie Smollett turns himself in
What (and I can't stress this enough) the actual hell is going on with Jussie Smollett?The latest: Police arrested the “Empire” actor, saying he choreographed a homophobic, racist attack against himself "to promote his career" and increase his salary. Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct, a felony, for filing a false police report Wednesday, three weeks after telling police he was assaulted near his Chicago home. Police say the actor paid two men $3,500 to stage the attack. Smollett turned himself in on Thursday morning and could face up to one to three years in prison and substantial fines.
Nike blew up on national TV
🏀: A star crumpled to the court Wednesday as Duke freshman phenom Zion Williamson injured his knee in the opening minute of a massively hyped NCAA game against North Carolina, seemingly as his left shoe split apart. (Carolina went on to trounce the top-rated Duke, 88-72.)
👟: “His shoe broke." That's what cameras caught former President Barack Obama saying while pointing at Williamson's blown-out Nike PG 2.5 PE sneaker, which soon became the focus after the presumed No. 1 NBA pick left the game early due to the injury.
😬: Nike (and me) right now. The shoe company, in hot water after the incident, says the mishap was an isolated occurrence and is "working to identify the issue."
Real quick
Michael Jackson's estate is suing HBO over its 'Leaving Neverland' documentary about sex abuse claims.
Thanks to a judge’s ruling, a 21-year-old college student blocked from a lifesaving surgery will finally get her medical records.
Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim hit and killed a pedestrian while driving.
North Carolina’s election board ordered a new election after evidence that it was tainted by absentee ballot fraud.
The Pentagon's fraudulent bonuses
Bonuses? Sweet. Fraudulent ones? Not so much. A Pentagon official apparently gave out $280K in fraudulent bonuses to seven officials preparing to leave the department. Ellen Ardrey, director of human development at the Pentagon's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, let senior officials downgrade their positions for one pay period, which in turn let them leave the agency with a $40,000 early-retirement buyout incentive. She told investigators that she believed she was acting legally.
Oscars are this Sunday
It's go time: Awards season draws to a close Sunday with the biggest awards of all, the Oscars. The show will feature three major box office hits in the mix for best picture – "Black Panther," "A Star Is Born" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" – and Rami Malek is favored for best actor for his performance as Freddie Mercury. No one movie has taken the lead as the Oscars' front-runner for best picture this awards season, but here's the thing: One of them's got to win on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
The show airs this Sunday, 8 ET/5 ET on ABC.
Who is hosting? Nobody, for the first time in a long time.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will sing together. ⭐️
Winners get 90 seconds to hit the stage, get emotional and exit.
Placing bets before the show? Here's the list of nominees.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A Coast Guard officer's plot to 'kill almost every last person'
