The New York Court of Appeals overturned a 2020 sex crime conviction against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday, citing procedural errors.
What’s the issue? The court found that the judge presiding over the 2020 trial had inappropriately allowed testimony from women who alleged Weinstein had sexually assaulted them in incidents unrelated to the cases at hand. The higher court ruled that doing so had unfairly prejudiced the jury.
The improper testimony comes from blurry lines around the use of “prior bad acts” witnesses. Generally speaking, courts don’t allow testimony to simply portray the defendant as having a low character. But in certain cases, prosecutors can call witnesses of a defendant’s past behavior to establish a motive or intent in another incident.
What’s next? Weinstein will stay behind bars, as he is still under a 16-year prison sentence from a separate case in California, which could amount to a life sentence for the 72-year-old. New York prosecutors, meanwhile, indicated they would pursue a new trial.1,170: The number of high-rise buildings in Kyiv that were left without heating following a barrage of Russian attacks last night on Ukraine’s capital and its energy facilities, per Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hold up signed documents regarding securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, at a bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, October 28, 2025.
Representatives from the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, and others will meet in Washington this week to discuss a strategic alliance on critical minerals.
80,000: The number of people estimated to be in the streets of Czechia on Sunday to show their support for President Petr Pavel after he blocked the nomination of an environmental minister who performed the Nazi salute and posted Nazi memorabilia.
The US has started handing $1,000 to the bank accounts of newborn babies. But can policies like this one help boost sagging birthrates in advanced democracies?