One of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers broke down in tears and swore on the witness stand as a sexual abuse trial continues.

Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault

Miriam Haley claims the former Hollywood mogul forced oral sex on her in July 2006.

The case is being retried after the appeals court overturned his conviction last year.

She was working as a production assistant at the time.

Weinstein has strenuously denied all allegations, and Ms Haley also testified at Weinstein’s initial trial.

The 48-year-old was testifying in a Manhattan court when Weinstein’s defence lawyer Jennifer Bonjean questioned her account of the incident.

In court, Ms Bonjean asked why Ms Haley would agree to Weinstein’s invitation to his apartment after testifying about his previous behaviour, including her alleging that he barged into her home.

Ms Haley then became emotional after being asked how her clothes came off before Weinstein allegedly pulled out a tampon and performed oral sex on her.

She said Weinstein took off her clothing, but she didn’t recall the details, before Ms Bonjean asked: “You removed your clothes, right?”

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Ms Haley then told jurors that Weinstein “was the one who raped me, not the other way around” – to which his lawyer said: “That is for the jury to decide.”

She then started crying and said: “No, it’s not for the jury to decide. It’s my experience. And he did that to me.”

Sky’s US partner network NBC News reported that Ms Haley said during the exchange: “Don’t tell me I wasn’t raped by that f*****g asshole.”

Judge Curtis Farber then halted questioning and sent jurors on a break. Ms Haley’s eyes were red and her face was glistening as she left the witness stand.

In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually assaulting Ms Haley – along with raping former actor Jessica Mann in a New York hotel in 2013 – and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

His conviction for the two crimes was overturned in April after an appeals court ruled the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that weren’t part of the case.

After the appeal ruling, Weinstein was charged with raping one woman and forcing oral sex on two others.

Two of the charges are those he faced during the original trial, while the third – one of the charges of forcing oral sex on Kaja Sokola – was added last year.

Weinstein denies all allegations, and his lawyers argue his accusers had consensual sexual encounters.

Regardless of the outcome of the retrial, he will remain in prison over a 2022 conviction in Los Angeles for a separate count of rape. His lawyers are also appealing this sentence.

Timing’s everything for Donald Trump.  

The time for sacking Mike Waltz was, clearly, not before the 100-day milestone – the measure of his performance in office.

The national security adviser had his card marked from the day the ‘Signalgate’ scandal broke.

Trump latest: Waltz ‘leaving White House’ hours after TV appearance

In any other government, at any other time, political expediency would have demanded his immediate sacking.

To have shared sensitive military information on a group chat is a most reckless error of judgement.

Bad enough that the information reached the inbox of a US journalist – who knows who else might have accessed the information in what is a commercially available app? China, Russia? Iran, the very country that backs the Houthi rebels who were under attack?

Initially, Donald Trump defended Waltz as a “good man” who had “learned a lesson”. The president will have known, though, that he’s a man who has fundamentally weakened him.

Waltz’s mistake put the lives of US service personnel at risk and called into question the credibility of his ultimate boss.

The emoji-laden group chat read like the stuff of excited youngsters breathlessly sharing gossip.

It was recklessness over responsibility at the heart of government, and it reflected on the commander-in-chief and his judgement in appointing Waltz in the first place.

To keep him in post for weeks following the scandal looked like an acceptance, of sorts, and it didn’t look good. If there are questions about the circumstances surrounding Waltz, there are, too, about Trump’s defence secretary, Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth was also part of the Signalgate group chat and more.

Separately, he shared messages on Signal with his wife and brother about military strikes. Both are involved with the Pentagon, but are nowhere near the security clearance typically required to access that kind of detail.

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If Waltz committed a sackable offence, why didn’t Hegseth?

It’s a question that won’t go away.

The answer, I suspect, is that Donald Trump invested considerable political capital in forcing Hegseth into position, in spite of strong opposition.

In a story that acknowledges weakness at the heart of government, Donald Trump has his limits.

The US Treasury has announced it has agreed to establish an American-Ukrainian reconstruction investment fund.

For Ukraine, the economic deal was seen as possibly key to ensuring its access to future US military aid in its war against Russia.

President Trump had previously called for Kyiv to compensate Washington for billions of dollars in assistance to help repel the Kremlin’s forces.

A senior Ukrainian official said on Wednesday the US will make “direct financial contributions” to the fund and “may also provide new assistance” such as air defence systems for Ukraine.

In return the US is set to get preferential access any new deals concerning Ukraine’s mineral resources.

Trump latest: Deal shows Trump ‘committed to free Ukraine’

The US Treasury said “in recognition of the significant financial and material support” the US has provided to the “defence of Ukraine… this economic partnership positions our two countries to work collaboratively and invest together to… accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery”.

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said: “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”

He also said “this partnership allows the US to invest alongside Ukraine, to unlock Ukraine’s growth assets, mobilise American talent, capital and governance standards that will improve Ukraine’s investment climate and accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery”.

Donald Trump indicated in February he wanted access to Ukraine’s rare earth materials, describing it as reimbursement for the billions of dollars in aid the US has given to Kyiv.

But talks stalled after a heated Oval Office meeting between him and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and reaching an agreement since then has proven difficult amid strained relations between Washington and Kyiv.

Why is US interested in Ukraine’s raw materials?

The US is seeking access to over 20 raw materials seen as strategically critical to its interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas.

Among them are Ukraine’s deposits of titanium, which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, that is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons.

Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said she had signed the agreement in Washington DC to create the investment fund.

She wrote on X: “Together with the United States, we are creating the fund that will attract global investment into our country.

“Its implementation allows both countries to expand their economic potential through equal cooperation and investment.

“The United States will contribute to the fund. In addition to direct financial contributions, it may also provide new assistance – for example air defence systems for Ukraine.”

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The announcement comes as the Trump administration is pushing to stop the war, which erupted in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin backs calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, “but before it’s done, it’s necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Mr Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.

On Monday, the Russian leader declared there would be a three-day ceasefire from 8 May to 10 May.

Mr Zelenskyy wants an immediate ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.