Names and faces

Jeffrey Toobin attends FX Networks upfront premiere of "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" at the AMC Empire 25 on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Jeffrey Toobin attends FX Networks upfront premiere of "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" at the AMC Empire 25 on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

• Jeffrey Toobin, CNN legal analyst, returned to the network Thursday for the first time in seven months after getting caught masturbating on a Zoom call with former colleagues at The New Yorker. In an interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota, he said he was grateful to the network for another chance and that he was "trying to become the kind of person that people can trust again." Camerota asked him bluntly, "What the hell were you thinking?" "Obviously, I wasn't thinking very well or very much," said Toobin, who was fired from The New Yorker after working there for 27 years, following an investigation into October's Zoom call. He said he has no excuse for his conduct, but that he mistakenly thought he was off camera. Being fired from the magazine was heartbreaking, he said: "I thought this punishment was excessive. But that's why they don't ask the criminal to be the judge in his own case." Toobin said he's been in therapy, apologized personally to those he let down and has been doing community service at a food bank. He also apologized to CNN viewers. "I've got a lot to rebuild," he said. "But I feel very privileged and very lucky that I have the opportunity to do that." Following the in-studio interview, Toobin launched into legal analysis of the California court decision overturning an assault weapons ban and forthcoming events at the U.S. Supreme Court. "Many of us have really missed having your legal analysis on our programs," Camerota said, "so let me be the first to welcome you back."

• Dina Manzo, a former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member, would have much to talk about if she were still on the Bravo reality series. A reputed mobster who assaulted her then-boyfriend and now-husband in exchange for a deeply discounted lavish wedding reception has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison. John Perna, 44, of Cedar Grove, N.J., must also pay $17,816 in restitution as part of the 30-month sentence he got Thursday, according to federal prosecutors. He had pleaded guilty in December to committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. Prosecutors allege that Manzo's former husband, Thomas Manzo, hired Perna to assault his ex-wife's then-boyfriend. Perna is part of the Lucchese organized crime family and carried out the assault with a member of his crew in July 2015, prosecutors said. Authorities said that a month later Perna held a wedding reception for 330 guests at Thomas Manzo's Brownstone Restaurant in Paterson, N.J., for "a fraction of the price." Many of the guests were members of the Lucchese crime family, according to prosecutors. Thomas Manzo has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. He's awaiting trial. Dina Manzo left "Real Housewives" in 2015 and married Dave Cantin in 2017.

Dina Manzo attends "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" White Party at the Woodbury Country Club on Monday, July 21, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
Dina Manzo attends "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" White Party at the Woodbury Country Club on Monday, July 21, 2014 in New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

Upcoming Events