A Pennsylvania Superior Court panel is set to hear Bill Cosby's appeal in what became the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.
The review of Cosby's sexual assault conviction comes as movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and other accused predators await trial.
Scott Berkowitz, the president of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, says victims will be closely watching the outcome of the high-profile appeal Monday.
FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2018 file photo Bill Cosby is escorted out of the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, in Eagleville, Pa., following his sentencing to three-to-10-year prison sentence for sexual assault. A Pennsylvania appeals court will hear arguments, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, as Cosby appeals his sexual assault conviction. The 82-year-old Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison term. (AP PhotoJacqueline Larma, File)
Cosby's lawyers are fighting the judge's decision to let five other accusers testify at last year's trial. They say prosecutors used them to "promote hysteria."
Judge Steven O'Neill says the testimony is allowed because it demonstrated Cosby's "signature" crime pattern.
The three-judge appeals panel includes two female jurists.
FILE - In this April, 26, 2018 file photo Bill Cosby accuser Andrea Constand, center, and supporters embrace after Cosby was found guilty in his sexual assault retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. A Pennsylvania appeals court will hear arguments, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, as Cosby appeals his sexual assault conviction. The 82-year-old Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison term. (Mark MakelaPool Photo via AP, File)
The 82-year-old Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison term.
FILE-In this Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 file photo, Attorney Gloria Allred, at podium, speaks with members of the media during a recess in Bill Cosby's sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, in Norristown Pa. A Pennsylvania appeals court will hear arguments, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019, as Cosby appeals his sexual assault conviction. The 82-year-old Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison term. (AP PhotoMatt Rourke, FILE)
SHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking with local government officials in Shanghai.
Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Chen Jining, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. He also planned to speak to students and business leaders before flying to Beijing for what are expected to be contentious talks with national officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday shortly before President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements likely to anger the Chinese, including $8 billion to counter China’s growing aggressiveness toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. It also seeks to force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform.
China has railed against U.S. assistance to Taiwan, the self-governing island that it regards as a renegade province, and immediately condemned the move as a dangerous provocation. It also strongly opposes efforts to force TikTok’s sale.
Still, the fact that Blinken made the trip — shortly after a conversation between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a similar visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a call between the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs — is a sign the two sides are at least willing to discuss their differences.
“I think it’s important to underscore the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out our differences, which are real, seeking to work through them,” Blinken told Chen.
“We have an obligation for our people, indeed an obligation to the world, to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly,” he said. “That is the obligation we have, and one that we take very seriously.”
Chen agreed with that sentiment and said the recent Biden-Xi call had helped the “stable and healthy development of our two countries’ relationship.”
“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries, and the future of humanity” he said.
Chen added that he hoped Blinken was able to get a “deep impression and understanding” of Shanghai.
Shortly after arriving, Blinken attended a Chinese basketball playoff game between the local Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, with the home team losing in the last seconds in 121-120 nailbiter.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, center, with U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai Scott Walker, left, while attending a basketball game between the Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, center, with U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai Scott Walker, right, while attending a basketball game between the Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, and U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, far right, arrive at the Grand Halls to meet with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hans with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining as they meet at the Grand Halls, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining at the Grand Halls, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Grand Halls, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining at the Grand Halls, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, talks with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining at the Grand Halls, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, watches U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, left, shake hands with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining at the Grand Halls, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
