Early Addition: Jussie Smollett Allegedly Staged Noose Attack Because He Was 'Dissatisfied With His Salary'

Feb. 21, 2019, 11:12 a.m.

Because Eminem has a bone to pick with Netflix, check out today's midday links: Jussie Smollett charged, Sandy fraud, final days of Theranos, niche pasta shapes, North Carolina election fraud, and a peaceful dog dad.

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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/severalseconds/47158904811/in/pool-gothamist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several seconds' flickr</a>

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  • Police say that Jussie Smollett has been charged with felony disorderly conduct for staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself; Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett "took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," and that he did it because he was "dissatisfied with his salary" on the show.
  • A New Jersey man will spend six months in jail after he and his wife admitted to stealing $152,820 in Superstorm Sandy relief funds.
  • Zach Woods will star opposite Hugh Laurie in Armando Iannucci's new HBO space comedy Avenue 5.
  • A possible election fraud case in North Carolina took a dramatic turn when the son of Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris testified that he warned his father repeatedly about a political operative using illegal tactics to win votes.
  • Eminem is NOT happy about Netflix cancelling The Punisher.
  • How are so many violent felons allowed to keep illegal guns?
  • Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man walking outside a vehicle on Interstate 690.
  • Watch a new trailer for the Elton John biopic Rocketman.
  • Nick Bilton takes a look back at Elizabeth Holmes' final months at Theranos, which apparently included a lot of dog poop everywhere.
  • The Ringer writes about how a Tracy Morgan storyline on 30 Rock turned the EGOT from esoteric joke into real-life goal.
  • Human smuggling is thriving under Trump.
  • Firefighters rescued two very lucky dogs from a burning UWS building.
  • Here's a primer on all the niche pasta shapes now popping up on menus in the city.
  • And finally, this looks peaceful: