JUDY WOODRUFF: There are many
ways the MeToo movement began
before the allegations about

former Hollywood mogul Harvey
Weinstein were revealed in
2017, but there is no question

that the Weinstein investigation
was a milestone moment for what
would become an international

movement.

And, as Amna Nawaz tells us,
Weinstein's conviction today on
two felony sex counts is seen as

another important milestone.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's right, Judy.

Six women testified during
the trial that Weinstein
assaulted them, but it was cases

involving two of those women,
Jessica Mann, a former actress,
and Miriam Haleyi, a former

production assistant, that
led to the convictions.

Now, Weinstein was found
guilty by a jury of seven men
and five woman -- five women,

rather -- on charges of
rape in the third degree and
criminal sexual assault. He was

acquitted of the most
serious charges, rape
in the first degree and
predatory sexual assault.

Elizabeth Wagmeister was in
the courtroom today. She has
been there through the entire

trial. She reports for
"Variety." And she joins me now.

Elizabeth, welcome
to the "NewsHour."

You were in that room. Everyone
has been watching that courtroom
from the outside. When the

verdict was read, what
was the reaction in the
room, and specifically
from Harvey Weinstein?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, "Variety":
It's interesting, because, after
covering this since January

6 -- it has obviously been a
very long trial - - everyone
that has been in that courtroom

every day, we have just been
waiting for this moment.

And when the moment finally
came, it almost seemed surreal.
I'm telling you, there were

no loud audible gases, there
was no screaming. It felt like
nobody in there was breathing

when they were just waiting
to hear what the verdict was.

Now, I looked directly at
Harvey Weinstein, as I had done
throughout this entire trial,

and his face looked just stone
cold. It looked like there was
no reaction really whatsoever.

But I have got to be honest,
it was hard to see Harvey
because he was surrounded by a

swarm of court officers. Of
course, every day, there are
officers inside the courtroom,

but the second that that bell
rang and they said, the jury
has reached a verdict, double

the amount of officers that
are usually in there came.

And they surrounded Harvey.
Now, he didn't do anything that
would signal that he needed

the court officers to be
there, but, of course,
it's typical that they do
surround the defendant.

And they certainly did today.

AMNA NAWAZ: Now, as we
mentioned, that he was
found guilty on those
two counts, right?

Those related to the
cases involving two
women whose testimony you
heard in great detail,

Jessica Mann and Miriam Haleyi.

We haven't heard from jurors
yet, so we don't know why they
decided the way that they did.

But from what you heard in the
courtroom, what do you think
was most compelling in their

testimony that may have led
to those guilty charges?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER: You know,
what is really interesting
is, particularly with Jessica

Mann, she had a
grueling testimony.

It took three days. She had to
be taken off the stand numerous
times because she was crying.

At one point, we overheard her
in the courtroom saying that
she felt like she was having a

panic attack.

And there was a lot of
conversation about how complex
her testimony was. Would jurors

believe her? Of course, the
defense, they brought up a lot
of evidence of phone records,

texts, e-mails from these women,
but particularly Jessica Mann.

She had about five years of
communication with Harvey
Weinstein. She admitted on the

stand, she said, yes,
part of this relationship
was consensual, but
it was complex, he was

abusive, and that does not
change that he raped me
on the day in March 2013.

So that was really the most
surprising part of the jury's
verdict, that they did decide

to convict Harvey on rape
in the third degree, which
came from Jessica Mann.

So I would imagine that
something of her testimony
was very compelling to
them. Maybe, actually,

what his defense was thinking
would not be credible with
her, the fact that it was so

complex, that could have
actually worked in her
favor, that the jurors
said, this is clearly

so complex, that there's
something here. We believe this
woman. She seems so credible,

even though she almost
seems uncredible.

AMNA NAWAZ: Elizabeth, this is
the thing everyone is wondering,
we may not know in this moment,

but it is what this
moment now means.

You were in there every
day watching the testimony,
hearing what people
had to say, hearing the

defense attorneys.

Do you think you can say, OK,
this is the significance of
this verdict right now? What's

your biggest takeaway
from the trial?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER: I think
the biggest takeaway is that
Harvey certainly is in was

emblematic of a big, powerful
figure, certainly in Hollywood,
but, also, this stretches across

to numerous
different industries.

Now, this is something that his
defense brought up from day one,
in their way of saying, this

is why this trial isn't fair.
He is Harvey Weinstein. He's
been the poster boy, basically,

of a whole movement. That's
why this isn't fair, and that's
why he should be found not

guilty.

Now, clearly, that's not what
the jury came to. But I think
that's the big takeaway. That

is the significance, that, for
all of these years, certainly
in Hollywood, which is the

industry that I cover, that
Harvey Weinstein has been seen
as a big, powerful figure that

could never, ever be
taken down, so to speak.

And now that has shown that, in
a court of law, that women can
be heard. These are allegations.

Everyone is innocent until
proven guilty, but, today,
we saw he was found guilty on

two different charges.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's Elizabeth
Wagmeister, reports from
"Variety," joining us
from New York tonight.

Thank you.