Trump campaign sues New York Times for libel over Russia opinion piece - as it happened
(The Guardian Russia)

Lawsuit relates to opinion piece published in March 2019Biden wins crucial endorsement ahead of South Carolina contestBoston Globe endorses Warren as best `to lay bare Trump´s weaknesses´Support the Guardian´s independent journalism. Make a contribution 1.29am GMT A quick look back at news of the day before we close out the blog for the afternoon: 1.13am GMT On Wednesday a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can withhold millions of dollars from law enforcement agencies in so-called sanctuary cities that don´t cooperate with immigration enforcement agencies. The New York Times reports that the decision by United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan makes it the first to side with the administration on whether it can withhold money to enforce cooperation. 12.40am GMT This week a jury in New York toppled Harvey Weinstein when it convicted the former movie titan of rape. A jury of 12 at the New York supreme court took five days to reach their verdict: guilty of a criminal sex act in the first degree for forcing oral sex on the former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.Mr. Vance, who leads one of the most storied district attorney´s offices in the country, was the first prosecutor to bring charges against Mr. Weinstein, and the verdict marked a triumphant moment in the career of a liberal who first ran as a champion on women´s issues.Yet, as much as the prosecutor wanted to turn the page, he remained embattled, still struggling to regain the support of feminists and victims´ advocates who have faulted his office´s handling of sex crimes. 12.20am GMT Former president Barack Obama asked TV stations in South Carolina to pull an ad by a pro-Trump super PAC, saying that it takes Obama´s words out of context to create a misleading attack on Joe Biden. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that The Committee to Defend the President reported to the Federal Election Commission that it had spent more than $2 ...