The nation has been gripped by a terrible and repugnant scandal as of late, as actor Jussie Smollett has become Hollywood’s latest persona non grata. Smollett’s alleged crime is an abhorrent and grotesque one.  The actor stands credibly accused of hoaxing a series of hate crimes against himself for the stated purpose of inflating his net worth. Obviously, the American people are furious with Smollett, despite the mainstream media’s overtly tepid coverage of the vile events conjured by the Empire actor. Now, in a stunning turn of events, ABC News has obtained primary source information regarding Smollett’s disgusting cry for attention, and they are just as damning as one would imagine.  ABC News has obtained a copy of a $3,500 check apparently written by “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to Abimbola Osundairo, one of the two brothers who police say helped stage an attack on Smollett in Chicago last month. Meanwhile, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, appearing exclusively on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday, doubled down on his contention that the ‘Empire’ star fabricated the account. The check’s memo line reads, “5 week Nutrition/Workout program (Don’t Go),” which police have corroborated. The check was dated Jan. 23, six days before Smollett claims he was attacked in a hate crime. A copy of the check was first published online by TMZ. The bizarre memo line is explained further: Sources close to Smollett told ABC News the actor was starting to train for an upcoming music video titled “Don’t Go,” in which he had to appear shirtless. ABC News obtained a calendar entry of Smollett’s that indicates the video was scheduled to be filmed Feb. 23. Smollett has recently claimed that his repeatedly hoaxed hate crimes were committed due to his use of the party drug ecstasy; a purely pathetic attempt at an excuse and…

For many, pondering on the subject of the Central Intelligence Agency usually conjures up images of stealthy spooks and James Bond-esque, behind-the-scene heroics. Like their brethren at the FBI, the CIA is one of the few agencies in the nation that We The People have unofficially chosen to be hands-off about.  We understand perfectly well that the CIA isn’t always playing by the rules, (or even playing fair at all), but we mostly understand why they do what they do. What happened during The Oscars, however, has many people second guessing their nonchalance about the intelligence agency. Some Twitter users were a bit confused during the Oscars on Sunday as the Central Intelligence Agency tweeted about the fictional technology behind the Marvel superhero film “Black Panther.” The agency sent out a dozen or so tweets about the science featured in the Oscar-winning film and even asked for advice on which “Black Panther” technology its 2.5 million followers would like to see used in “the real world.” It also tweeted a series of photos and poll questions “to get your views on the feasibility of Wakandan technology today,” referring to the fictional African nation where much of the film takes place. The agency, which has received backlash for meddling in African affairs in past, also linked to press release from a CIA scientist named Rebecca, who it said had researched “Black Panther” communication technology. There is little doubt that the actions were meant to reach a younger crowd, possibly for the sake of the agency’s public relations team. Unfortunately, due to that reality, the tweets were seen as little more than youth-pandering.