Good morning! Trump pauses Mexico tariffs, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul protects doctors prescribing abortion medication, and #MeToo is going strong in Europe.
- Still going strong. In the U.S., it can feel like the #MeToo movement has hit a wall. Donald Trump is president, despite a bevy of allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct and even being found liable in civil court for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll. Weeks of headlines and confirmation-process outrage from Democrats couldn't stop Trump's defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, from getting confirmed. (Both men have denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.)
But in Europe, the #MeToo movement has picked up steam. French director Christophe Ruggia was found guilty yesterday of the sexual assault of actor Adèle Haenel in the early 2000s, when she was between 12 and 15 years old. (His attorney says he plans to appeal.) Haenel is known in the U.S. for her starring role in the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire; she was the first actor to voice concerns about sexual abuse in the French film industry in public and walked out at the César Awards in 2020 when Roman Polanski won best director. The case is France's first major #MeToo trial about sexual abuse in the workplace. Its verdict arrives after the country was captivated last year by Gisèle Pelicot and the trial against her husband and rapist Dominique Pelicot.
