New York's top court allows Harvey Weinstein to appeal rape conviction

US court decision offers the disgraced former Hollywood mogul a slim chance of being granted a new trial.

Weinstein is jailed in California, where he was extradited last year and awaits trial on 11 charges of misconduct toward five women between 2004 and 2013. (Mark Lennihan / AP)

New York state's highest court has agreed to allow Harvey Weinstein to appeal his rape and sexual assault conviction, offering the disgraced former movie executive a chance of being granted a new trial. Chief Judge Janet DiFiore "granted leave to appeal" on August 19, the court wrote in a letter dated on Monday that was sent to Weinstein's lawyers and reviewed by the Reuters news agency on Wednesday. The letter did not detail what grounds may have led to the decision and it has no bearing on further rape charges against him in California. Upon weighing arguments from Weinstein's lawyers and prosecutors, the court can uphold the conviction or order a new trial. Last June, a lower appeals court upheld the conviction, rejecting arguments that the Manhattan trial judge made several errors that tainted the trial. The bar for ordering a new trial is high, but Weinstein was "relieved at this decision," said one of his lawyers, Arthur Aidala, after speaking with his client in prison. "He's hopeful that the court is going to find that he did not receive a fair trial and reverse his conviction. And, as he has consistently, he maintained his innocence," Aidala said. READ MORE: Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California to face rape charges Weinstein, 70, a Hollywood power broker who produced "Pulp Fiction," "Shakespeare in Love" and "Gangs of New York," became one of the most prominent targets of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that alleged sexual abuse at the highest levels of corporate America, entertainment and the media. In February 2020, a Manhattan jury found Weinstein guilty of raping a former aspiring actress and sexually assaulting a production assistant. A judge sentenced him to 23 years in prison. Weinstein is jailed in California, where he was extradited last year and awaits trial on 11 charges of misconduct toward five women between 2004 and 2013. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles. Source: Reuters

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Rep. Jerry Nadler will win the Democratic nomination for New York's 12th District

Democrats in Florida on Tuesday picked Rep. Charlie Crist, left, to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis in the fall, CNN projected. (Getty Images)

The final pieces of the midterm puzzle are coming into focus as Tuesday primaries in New York, Florida and Oklahoma lock in key parts of the November election slate.

Democrats in Florida on Tuesday picked Rep. Charlie Crist to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis in the fall, CNN projected. Crist's challenge comes as DeSantis seeks both a second term and a boost ahead of a rumored presidential bid in 2024. CNN also projected that Democratic Rep. Val Demings would take on Republican Sen. Marco Rubio in November.

Here are the some of the key takeaways so far:

Crist looks to derail DeSantis in the fall

For the second time in eight years, Democratic voters elected Crist as their nominee for governor, choosing the seasoned veteran over Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who was vying to become the state's first female governor. Crist now has just 11 weeks to unite his party, energize the Democratic base and convince independent voters that the state needs a new direction.

The stakes for Democrats are high, and not just in Florida, where DeSantis has already pushed through an aggressively conservative agenda, vowing that a second term will bring new action to further restrict abortion and to make it easier to carry a gun in public. But national Democrats are also now looking for Crist to slow DeSantis' rise before an anticipated campaign for the White House in 2024. 

Florida's latest contentious Senate race formally takes shape

The Senate race between Rubio and Demings is on.

Demings won her primary on Tuesday and Rubio was unopposed, setting up a race that Republicans believe they should easily win but one that offers Democrats yet another chance to show they can win statewide in a place that has crept right for years.

The two have been focused on each other for months — their primaries were not competitive — but on Tuesday night, the contours of the race were clear: Rubio plans to brand Demings a "Pelosi Puppet" who is inextricably linked to President Joe Biden, while Demings plans to attack Rubio as ineffective, selfish and wedded to a Republican Party dominated by Trump.

Read more takeaways.

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