NEW YORK (AP) — A jury of seven women and five men has been picked for Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo rape retrial, a more female panel than the five women and seven men who convicted the onetime Hollywood honcho at his first trial five years ago.
Opening statements aren't expected until Wednesday, as prosecutors and defense lawyers still need time to finish picking the last of six alternate jurors — those who step in if a member of the main panel can't see the trial through.
Drawn from Manhattan's jury pool, the 12 members of the main jury include a physics researcher, a photographer, a dietician, an investment bank software engineer, a retired city social worker, and more.
After nine jurors were picked last week, three others and five alternates were tapped Monday during a marathon fourth day of jury selection. They and other prospective jurors were quizzed about their backgrounds, life experiences and various other points that could relate to their ability to be fair and impartial about the highly publicized case.
"You may hear sexual allegations here of a salacious nature — graphic, perhaps. Would hearing that indicate that … Mr. Weinstein must be guilty?” defense attorney Mike Cibella asked one prospective juror. The woman, who ultimately was chosen, answered no.
Potential jurors had been questioned privately about their knowledge of the case and opinions about Weinstein, and some people were excused after those queries behind closed doors.
Still, when the questioning moved into open court, prosecutor Shannon Lucey sought assurances that prospective jurors could put aside any position or feelings they had about the #MeToo movement. It was catalyzed in 2017 by a raft of sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein, then a high-flying movie producer and one of the most powerful people in his industry.
“Is there anyone who is going to think of the movement and think, ‘OK, that’s just something that I have to keep in the back of my mind when I’m deciding this case’? Everyone can put that aside?” Lucey asked a group of 24 possible jurors. All indicated they could do so.
Weinstein is being tried again on rape and sexual assault charges after New York’s highest court last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence. The Court of Appeals found that his trial had been tainted by improper rulings and prejudicial testimony.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone.
The retrial involves charges that he raped an aspiring actor in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and committed a criminal sex act by forcing oral sex on a movie and TV production assistant in 2006.
He also is charged with another criminal sex act count, based on an allegation from a woman who was not a part of the original trial. She alleges that Weinstein forced oral sex on her at a Manhattan hotel.
Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jury selection continues in his retrial on Monday, April 21, 2025 in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)
Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jury selection continues in his retrial on Monday, April 21, 2025 in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)
Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jury selection continues in his retrial on Monday, April 21, 2025 in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.
Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.
Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”
He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”
Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.
In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.
Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.
“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.
The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.
In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)
In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)
