A judge has signed off on changes to the legal team representing Harvey Weinstein in his rape and sexual assault case.
Weinstein appeared briefly in a New York City courthouse Friday to get Judge James Burke to approve the changes.
The fallen film mogul is replacing defense attorney Benjamin Brafman with four new lawyers.
Attorney Benjamin Brafman arrives at New York Supreme Court, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in New York. Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to appear before a New York judge for a hearing transferring his case to a new legal team.(AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
They include Jose Baez, who won an acquittal for Florida mom Casey Anthony on charges she killed her young daughter.
Other members of the legal team are Ronald Sullivan, Pamela Robillard Mackey and ex-Manhattan prosecutor Duncan Levin.
Weinstein didn't comment as he entered the courthouse with his new lawyers.
FILE- In this Dec. 20, 2018 file photo, Harvey Weinstein, left, arrives at New York Supreme Court with his attorney Benjamin Brafman in New York. Brafman filed court papers on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, asking to withdraw as Weinstein's lawyer. The high-profile criminal defense lawyer is leaving the movie producer's rape case weeks after failing to get the charges dismissed. (AP PhotoSeth Wenig, File)
Weinstein is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on another woman in 2006. He denies the allegations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the 119th Congress is sworn in Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson will fight for his political life — again.
While the Louisiana Republican has the support of President-elect Donald Trump, it will be House Republicans who will decide whether to reelect him to his post as Speaker of the House. Far-right Republicans have at times grown frustrated with Johnson’s leadership and are prone to demanding concessions when their votes become essential.
A flop by Johnson could throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker.
Here's the latest:
President-elect Donald Trump called the U.S. House speaker “a fine man of great ability” and wished him good luck on Friday, when the new Congress convenes and Republican lawmakers will decide whether to reelect Mike Johnson to lead their party.
Trump endorsed the Louisiana Republican earlier this week, but whether that support will be enough is unclear. Trump said Johnson “is very close to having 100% support,” but some members of the far right have grown increasingly frustrated with Johnson’s leadership and his handling of funding fights such as the recent short-term spending bill.
“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but Trump’s ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to power in Washington.
A flop by Johnson could throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil if there is no Speaker.
Johnson commands one of the slimmest majorities in modern times, having lost seats in the November election, leaving him relying on almost every Republican for support and with nearly no votes to spare.
Electing a speaker is the first order of business for the U.S. House after a new session of Congress begins at noon. It’s a vote that members take even before being sworn into office.
The House cannot organize until it has a speaker because that person effectively serves as the House’s presiding officer and the institution’s administrative head. The House can elect a new speaker at any time if the person occupying that role dies, resigns or is removed from office.
FILE - Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., takes the oath to be the new House speaker from the Dean of the House Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
