Jury convicts Harvey Weinstein of top charge in retrial

NEW YORK (AP) — Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted Wednesday of one of the top charges in his sex crimes retrial but acquitted of another, and jurors were as yet unable to reach a verdict on a third charge. The split verdict meted out a measure of vindication to his accusers and prosecutors — but also to Weinstein — after the landmark case was thrown into limbo. The partial verdict came after an extraordinary day in which the jury foreperson indicated he felt bullied and Weinstein himself urged the judge to halt the trial, declaring: “It’s just not fair.” “My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair,” the former Hollywood heavy-hitter declared after making an unusual request to address the court. “It’s time, it’s time, it’s time, it’s time to say this trial is over.”

EPA set to roll back rules that limit greenhouse gases and mercury from US power plants

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to eliminate rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. It’s part of a wide-ranging rollback of environmental regulations EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says will remove trillions of dollars in costs and “unleash” American energy. The EPA under President Donald Trump also plans to weaken a regulation that requires power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants. The planned rollbacks being announced Wednesday are meant to fulfill the Republican’s pledge to “unleash American energy” and make it more affordable for Americans to heat their homes and operate businesses. Environmental groups vow to challenge the rules in court.

Police detain more than 20 people on first night of curfew aimed at protests in LA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles. Officials said Wednesday that the police used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. But there were fewer clashes between police and demonstrators than on previous nights. By daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble after five days of protests, which have mostly been concentrated downtown.

US reduces the presence of people not deemed essential to work in the Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is drawing down the presence of people who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East due to the potential for regional unrest. The State Department said it has ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the American Embassy in Baghdad. The department also is authorizing the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait, giving them an option to leave those countries. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also “has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations”