♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, "that '70s show" star danny masterson on trial. >> how are you feeling about the trial? >> accused of rape. charges that could land him in prison for decades. a lifelong member of the church of scientology now accused of sexually assaulting three former members. >> my job as his girlfriend was to give myself to him whenever he wanted. i cannot say no. i lay there and take it. >> why the women say they were initially hesitant to go to law enforcement. and how the prosecution is bringing scientology into the trial. >> this morning with the opening statements, it was all about scientology. plus chelsea manning.

the transgender soldier who leaked classified documents to wikileaks. some see as a hero, others a vil villain, now setting the record straight. >> i think people need to know what's being done in their name. >> sharing her story of being raped in admit tale pierpy report it. >> her troubled childhood and transgender activism. transgender activism. now her new role as a deejay. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the tightness, stinging... the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®... ask your doctor about tremfya® today.

♪ thanks for joining us. actor danny masterson's trial began today. the famous scientologist who once starred in "that '70s show" has been accused of raping three women decades ago when they were all members of the church of scientology. and while the church is not on trial, questions are being raised about it. >> morning, danny. >> good morning. >> reporter: few words from danny masterson as he and wife beju philips walked to court. masterson's trial officially begins today. the actor facing three charges of rape. >> anything at all you want to say? >> this has escalated into an incredibly serious case. this will all be determined in a

court of law. everybody is innocent until proven guilty, but as it comes to the court of public opinion or certainly the people that could hire danny masterson in hollywood, he really has not worked ever since these allegations came forward. >> reporter: this somber scene a far cry from how most people know masterson. >> man, this is why i didn't want to tell you, you get all "after school special" on me. >> reporter: as the wise-cracking best friend on "that '70s show" alongside topher grace, mila kunis, and ashton kutcher. >> it's okay. you're home now. >> get off me, man. >> you let me love you, orphan boy! >> that was an iconic show that tons of people watched. when you're on a show that has that level of popularity, you have this months stall yeah factor that for the rest of your career in hollywood, people associate you with that role and with that show. and they love you. >> reporter: but now masterson stands accused of three counts of felony rape.

the charges come from three women who accused him of assaulting them in separate incidents between the years 2001 and 2003 while they were all members of the church of scientology. and while the church is not on trial today, it will be a part of the case. >> what did you make of the trial so far? >> well, i have to say this morning with opening statements, it was all about scientology. the judge said earlier in the case, "this is not a trial about scientology." someone needs to tell that to the deputy d.a. and the defense lawyers, that's what they're talking about. at least the opening statements, which is one part of the trial. >> reporter: jane doe one is the first witness for the prosecution. she pointed to masterson, crying as she told the jury about a drunken night, the first of two rapes, shouldn't, claiming she woke up to him raping her and felt a sharp pain in her back side. at the time of the accusations in the early 2000s, danny masterson was at the height of his fame and was one of the most

visible celebrity scientologists. one of his accusers, jane doe number one, testified she'd seen masterson at the church of scientology's celebrity center. >> celebrities have great importance in scientology because l. ron hubbard, the founder of scientology, originally stated that celebrities are important, that celebrities set the trends in society, celebrities give you credibility. >> reporter: mike render is a former scientology official who has become one of the church's most vocal critics and the author of a recent memoir about his time in the church, "a billion years." he's also cohost along with leah remini of the a&e show "scientology and the aftermath." >> the church says render as liar. the accusations against masterson came to light in 2017. more than a decade after the alleged assaults. by then, the actor was starring in a hit netflix show "the ranch" alongside ashton kutcher.

>> what's up? >> who's that? >> heather, you used to date tip. >> reporter: masterson was dropped from the show. >> when rape allegations came against masterson, he denied them but he was still fired from "the ranch," one of the most popular and successful shows on the streaming service at the time. danny masterson in his initial statement, he said he was disappointed that netflix fired him and he equated it to this age of cancel culture. he essentially said that everybody is assuming that i am guilty, but these are just accusations. >> reporter: in 2020, the actor was arrested and charged. he pleaded not guilty and has always maintained that the sex was consensual. if convicted on all charges, he could face 45 years to life in prison. >> he brought me to the jacuzzi and said, take off your clothes now. i don't remember after that.

>> reporter: our los angeles station kabc obtained evidence presented at a preliminary hearing which included recorded conversations between masterson's accusers and law enforcement. >> i remember trying to go to sleep, and him being on top of me. and, like, trying to push him off. >> reporter: one accuser is chrissy bixler, a former girlfriend of masterson's. she talked about what she says she experienced on a 2019 episode of "scientology and aftermath." >> my job as his girlfriend was to give myself to him whenever he wanted. i cannot say no, i lay there and take it. >> reporter: one of the women said the church's policies state, if you have a legal situation, you may not handle it externally from the church. you will be excommunicated. another saying she feared she would be declared a suppressive person if she went to the lapd

and her parents would have to disown me. she says in 2004 she wrote to scientology's chief justice about the alleged rape and received this letter in reply. the chief justice allegedly writing, you'll have to decide for yourself whether to bring a civil case. the three women say they were subjected to years of harassment from masterson and the church. the church denies that, saying they will not comment on a pending criminal matter. we know the women's slanderous allegations about the church are completely and utterly false. moreover, the women appear to be changing their story yet again. >> the prosecution wanted to make it very clear these women's stories have some kernels of similarities. >> the first thing you see in any of these "me too" cases is m.o. is what people look at, similar patterns of behavior and alleged assault. you keep hearing the same story over and over again, it's going to be hard for the jurors to ignore. >> reporter: all the women say they were initially hesitant to speak to law enforcement about

their alleged assaults because they say church teachings tell them not to. >> there is a sense within scientology that it is not only better to keep things internal and handled within the organization, it is tantamount to assigning someone to hell to turn them over to law enforcement and the court system. >> reporter: all the women eventually left the church. in a response to abc news, the church said it has, quote, no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of scientologists or of anyone to law enforcement, quite the opposite. church policy explicitly demands scientologists abide by all laws of the land. in addition to arguing that the sex was consensual, masterson's lawyers have argued that the statute of limitations to charge him in california have run out. but the prosecutor successfully argued that felony rape falls

untds the state's one strike rule, which means the alleged crime is serious enough that there is no time limit. >> the fact of the matter is they need to lay out a case that is clear and concise, which sometimes you find hard for the l.a. county district attorney's office when it comes to celebrity cases. masterson's lawyer once again called for a mistrial, which the judge denied. the battle over how much scientology should be involved is still ongoing. their criminal trial is expected to last two months and the prosecution's witness list includes some major stars. >> big names, people like lisa marie presley. >> i've done a nob of celebrity trials, witness lists from former presidents to janitors and everyone in between and it looks like it's going to be the academy awards red carpet, and it often isn't. >> reporter: this is just one of several hollywood cases currently in motion. >> danny masterson is one of four "me too" cases currently playing out with hollywood

players. literally across the hall from danny masterson is harvey weinstein's case. so five years after the "me too" movement kicked off in hollywood, we are now just seeing many prominent cases from the world of entertainment play out in a court of law. >> our thanks to zohreen. up next, chelsea manning, the infamous wikileaks leaker, now setting the record straight. moderate to severe eczema still disrupts my skin. despite treatment it disrupts my skin with itch. it disrupts my skin with rash. but now, i can disrupt eczema with rinvoq. rinvoq is not a steroid, topical, or injection. it's one pill, once a day, that's effective without topical steroids. many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin while some saw up to 100% clear skin. plus, they felt fast itch relief some as early as 2 days. that's rinvoq relief. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections,

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♪ you know, there's a lot more to chelsea manning than what you think you know.

tonight she's telling her whole story. the woman convicted under the espionage act for leaking classified material to wikileaks. her trauma-filled life, including the abuse she says she suffered in the military. now her role as a trans pioneer. >> i feel like my voice in this story has been either overlooked or left out. >> reporter: chelsea man has long been a lightning rod. a cybersecurity expert, a whistle-blower to some, a traitor toonble for leaking the largest trove of classified documents in u.s. history. to wikileaks. why do you think that issue of transparency is so important to you? >> i think that people need to know what's being done in their names, for sure. >> reporter: sentenced to 35 years in prison, but granted leniency by president biden. now five years after her release, chelsea manning is setting the record straight in her new memoir "readme.txt."

>> the height of your fame and notoriety, you were behind bars, you weren't allowed to speak. >> right. i think a lot of people either projected on their idealisms or fears or anxieties. i would say surface level understanding of me as a person. >> reporter: manning opening up about childhood abuse. dark military traumas. multiple suicide attempts which led to what she describes as complex ptsd. >> my brain and my body body don't seem to be able to relax. so it's almost like relaxing or feeling less tense is itself anxiety-inducing. because i don't know if i'm going to let my guard down. >> reporter: manning's memoir offers a glimpse into what she describes as a traumatic childhood. >> my relationship with my father, that was one of the drivers that drove me into the military in the first place.

you know. trying to fit within the mold of what he expected out of me, but it was never enough. >> reporter: the abuse that followed after she left home. the thing you share in candid account is sexual assault that you say occurred while you were in the military? >> yeah, that was hard too. because i haven't shared that before. my sense of safety -- you know, in that time frame, was altered. >> you say you never reported it? >> i didn't report it. i mentioned it to a friend once in passing. that this had happened. and they just sort of seemed, you know, like, that's just what happens whenever you're dealing in the military. don't ask, don't tell was still in effect. >> yet you describe a somewhat robust queer culture in the military, even back then? >> especially in the intelligence field that we were in. >> reporter: while working as an intelligence analyst in iraq,

manning says she saw the horrors of war unfold in classified material that she later leaked to the public. >> this disclosure is not just an attack on america's foreign policy interests, it is an attack on the international community. >> reporter: convicted of 20 charges including espionage and theft, acquitted of the most serious charge, treason. after serving seven years, then-outgoing president biden commuted her sentence in 2017. we first sat down with her shortly after her release. so many people call you a traitor. many call you a hero. who is chelsea manning? >> i'm just me, it's simple as that. >> reporter: staging a five-day hunger strike, demanding hormone treatment, she would become the first person in the military prison system granted access to such care. you fought. by literally laying your life on

the line for gender-affirming care. >> yeah. >> yet there are dozens of states looking at banning gender-affirming care for trans youth. what goes through your heart when you hear that? >> i think back in the 1980s. i think back to the last reactionary wave that the queer trans community faced. the hiv epidemic spreading. the queer community thrived despite all of this. the queer community found it in the ballrooms, they found on it the dance floors, they found it in the clubs, and i look to my elders today in the queer and trans community and i just remember what they went through. and that we can make it through again. >> what's making you emotional right now? >> i mean, that connection. that historical connection to, you know, a community that has been through so much and has so much more in front of it. >> you make it clear in the book that your motivations for leaking had, contrary to popular

belief, had nothing to do with being trans? >> i think it's conflated, mostly for political gain. especially lately there's been this reactionary wave against trans people existing in any space whatsoever. >> reporter: sent to prison gae again for refusing to testify in a wikileaks investigation, now 34, she's living in brooklyn using her tech prowess to channel her real passion. tell me about what you're doing in cybersecurity. >> i try to keep it mostly within the realm of activism, journalism, ngos that i care about. >> what do you do for them? >> i give them a broad assessment, and i try to find any evevulnerabilities from mor sophisticated actors. >> reporter: the analyst, leaker, activist, now also a deejay in brooklyn. ♪ >> i was reading in the new york times about your show. the compliment was, she's really good, major queen. that's a pretty good review. >> what i really like about

de deejaying, my favorite thing is you're essentially almost like a conductor. and actually i use my hands in sort of the conductor motion. because i feel like you are directing the crowd. there is a relationship between the deejay and the crowd that is unspoken and is often overlooked. >> what does your music say about you, if anything? >> well, i'm very into technology, as always. >> if you're struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. call or text the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. when we come back, princess anne steps in for her mother to help honor daniel craig. to help protect from hiv, i prep without pills. with apretude a prescription medicine used to reduce the risk of hiv without daily prep pills. with one shot every other month, just 6 times a year. in studies,

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♪ finally tonight, actor daniel craig may have had his last appearance as james bond -- >> the name's bond. james bond. >> but he now has something else in common with britain's most

famous fictitious spy. princess anne filling in for her late mother made craig a companion of the order of st. michael and st. george, an honor the fictional james bond already holds. the late queen had named craig to the order, but she died before she could make it official. pretty soon, sir daniel craig. that's "nightline." watch all our full episodes on hulu. see you back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america. hey guys, detect this: living with hiv, i learned that i can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. detect this: no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: