What you need to know for Friday and the weekend.
Harvey Weinstein Trial: What Happened This Week |
Weather: Sunny, with a high in the mid-30s, but wind chill will make it seem like the 20s. Warmer air moves in this weekend. |
Alternate-side parking: In effect until Ash Wednesday. |
 | | Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times |
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After listening to weeks of testimony, the jury in Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial began deliberations this week. For reporters, as well as stakeholders in the case, the waiting began. |
By yesterday afternoon, the jury of seven men and five women had not reached a decision. |
Mr. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty in State Supreme Court in Manhattan to five felony counts, including two charges of predatory sexual assault. |
Though six women testified at the trial, the charges hinge on allegations made by two women, Jessica Mann and Miriam Haley. In deciding the predatory sexual assault charges, however, the jury was asked to consider the testimony of the actress Annabella Sciorra, who said Mr. Weinstein raped her in the early 1990s. (Her accusation is too old to qualify as a crime under state law.) |
Mr. Weinstein’s lawyers say that the encounters between their client and his accusers were consensual, and that the women used him to advance their careers. |
I talked to my colleague Jan Ransom, who is covering the trial for The Times, about the recent developments in the courthouse. This is a condensed version of our conversation. |
What happened in court this week? |
Jurors began deliberating on Tuesday. Soon after, they rang a bell to alert the court that they had a question. The first three days of deliberations continued this way. |
At the end of each day, Mr. Weinstein typically responds to reporters’ questions, even if sarcastically, as he shuffles with a walker toward the elevators outside of the courtroom. But since the deliberations began, he has been quiet — opting to just crack a slight smile, keeping moving without a word. |
What questions has the jury asked? |
The jury has sent seven notes with multiple questions; it wanted, for instance, an explanation of the charges and legal terms such as “consent” and “forcible compulsion.” It also requested to hear the testimony of Annabella Sciorra and Miriam Haley, as well as to review emails and communications related to the women. |
Ms. Sciorra was the prosecution’s strongest witness. On Tuesday, the jury asked for an explanation as to why they could not convict on Ms. Sciorra’s allegation and for clarification on the statute of limitations. |
It seemed the jury was assessing the credibility of the accounts provided by Ms. Sciorra and Ms. Haley, and trying to determine whether the evidence supports a conviction on the predatory sexual assault charge. |
What other news has come out? |
The lead prosecutor, Joan Illuzzi, accused Mr. Weinstein’s lead lawyer, Donna Rotunno, of jury tampering after she wrote an op-ed in Newsweek telling the jury to do “the right thing.” |
When should we expect a verdict? |
Those of us covering the trial have labored over this question, knowing an answer does not exist. It’s all a guessing game that no one can resist. |
We can assume what might happen, and when, based on the jury’s questions, but it is hard to know. At the end of the day, only 12 people — the jurors — really know when a verdict will be reached. |
Alternate-side parking fines are now $65 across the city. [NY1] |
Happy, the elephant who has been living alone at the Bronx Zoo, is not “unlawfully imprisoned,” a judge ruled. [Gothamist] |
A construction worker died in Queens after a wall collapsed, the authorities said. [New York Post] |
The violinist Sita Chay and the percussionist Jihye Kim perform in “SaaWee: New Ritual” at Flushing Town Hall in Queens. 8 p.m. [$18] |
Celebrate the graphic memoir “Big Black: Stand at Attica” with a discussion at the Grand Central Library in Manhattan. 3 p.m. [Free] |
“Navigating Gentrification” is a discussion among business owners and community leaders at Sincerely, Tommy in Brooklyn. 1 p.m. [Free] |
— Alex Traub and Melissa Guerrero |
Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages. |
The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes: |
Polar bears are formidable, and both terrifying and adorable, gatekeepers of the Arctic. |
But like many animals, they’re vulnerable to climate change. An event on Sunday at the American Museum of Natural History aims to celebrate them and bring attention to their plight. |
The event, which is free with museum admission and runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., features a show-and-tell presentation; stations where visitors can learn more about the bears; and an obstacle course to teach children about conditions in the Arctic. |
In a Times article, the climate reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis noted that to maintain their stores of fat, polar bears must venture onto sea ice to catch seals to eat. But global warming is making sea ice more scarce, making the bears search farther and wider for food. The more they search, the more fat they burn — putting them at risk for starvation. |
No actual bears will be at the museum, but a life-size polar bear puppet named Quak will roam the event. Quak means “snowflake” in Yupik, a language spoken in parts of the Arctic Circle, said Alonso Dominguez Sanchez Teruel, the museum’s assistant director of public programs. (Quak, as well as biologists, will be answering visitors’ questions.) |
“All of the polar-bear-studying research is spearheaded by the Inuit nations up north,” Mr. Teruel said. “So we’re trying to bring in some of that knowledge, as well.” |
It’s Friday — bear with it. |
Metropolitan Diary: Rescue mission |
I had just finished ballet class, and I was headed to the subway. As I waited for the light to change at Broadway and 55th Street, I noticed an overflowing garbage can. |
Looking closer, I saw an empty soda bottle, and inside the bottle a bee fluttering around. It had obviously found its way in but seemed unable to find its way out. |
The light changed several times as I continued to watch. I was torn about what to do. The bee definitely could not figure out how to exit the bottle. Should I reach in to help? I didn’t want to stick my hand in the garbage. |
Certain that people passing by were wondering what I was standing there looking at, I picked up the bottle with the fewest fingers possible and quickly shook it upside down. |
Just like that, the bee got out and flew away. I pulled out some hand sanitizer, scrubbed up and went on my way. |
I had saved a bee, and I was thrilled. |
New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. You can also find it at nytoday.com. |
We’re experimenting with the format of New York Today. What would you like to see more (or less) of? Post a comment or email us: nytoday@nytimes.com. |
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