(NEW YORK) — Three Jewish students at New York University have filed a lawsuit alleging the school has failed to protect them from escalating antisemitism, which they say has worsened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court by NYU juniors Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi and Saul Tawil, invokes Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
“The age-old virus of antisemitism is alive and well at New York University,” their lawsuit states. “This case arises from NYU’s egregious civil rights violations that have created a hostile educational environment in which plaintiffs and other Jewish NYU students have been subjected to pervasive acts of hatred, discrimination, harassment and intimidation.”
The students claim the “antisemitic behavior” at the university has been “ongoing,” and they allege NYU has shown “at best, deliberate indifference.” The students claim in the lawsuit that the school has fostered “an environment in which students and faculty members are permitted to repeatedly abuse, malign, vilify and threaten Jewish students with impunity.”
“Even though every instance of antisemitic behavior alleged herein is prohibited by one or more of NYU’s policies, the university has done nothing to enforce these policies to remedy or prevent that behavior, and certainly nothing approaching the manner in which NYU has enforced them with respect to misconduct not involving antisemitism,” the lawsuit states. “NYU selectively enforces its own rules, deeming Jewish students unworthy of the protections it readily affords to non-Jewish students victimized by discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.”
In a statement to ABC News, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the allegations “do not accurately describe conditions on our campus or the many steps NYU has been taking to fight antisemitism and keep the campus safe.”
“Antisemitism violates our rules; we take the issues of antisemitism and any other forms of hate extremely seriously, and we are committed to safeguarding our community and providing an environment in which all students can live and learn in peace,” Beckman said.
The three plaintiffs in the case said they have each “been the target of repeated verbal and physical threats, and made to feel unsafe on campus, as they are forced to confront angry mobs of students and faculty members extolling the Hamas massacre, and calling for the deaths of Jews and the annihilation of Israel.” They claim the situation has “traumatized” them, impacting their coursework, and limiting their ability to go out for fear of harassment in places that include the university library.
In a statement to ABC News regarding the alleged verbal and physical threats, Beckman said: “First, the lawsuit is replete with false claims and paints a bogus picture of conditions on NYU’s campus. Second, antisemitic language, violence and threats of violence all violate NYU’s rules and are not tolerated; we take such incidents extremely seriously, respond to and investigate each one, and violators are referred to our student disciplinary office.”
Additionally, as a result of being confronted by what the students call “genocidal chants,” they argue they “have been deprived of the ability and opportunity to fully and meaningfully participate in NYU’s educational and other programs” and are at risk for “extreme emotional and physical injury.”
Beckman said NYU was one of the first universities in the United States to publicly condemn Hamas’ terror attack on Israel.
“NYU maintains what is arguably the largest academic presence in Israel of any major U.S. university, our NYU Tel Aviv program, and has flatly rejected all calls to close it,” Beckman continued. “NYU has communicated repeatedly to our community about our efforts to ensure safety (including increased Campus Safety Officer and NYPD presence), about our expectations for proper conduct, and about the fact antisemitism violates our rules and transgressors will face discipline; and NYU has promptly reviewed and opened investigations into reported complaints of antisemitism and related misconduct.”
According to the suit, the students say they and others have asked for help and protection at NYU, but the university “has continued to do nothing.” They included numerous reports of antisemitism from over the last several years — including through social media posts — that they claim were not addressed.
“NYU looks forward to setting the record straight, to challenging this lawsuit’s one-sided narrative, to making clear the many efforts NYU has made to combat antisemitism and provide a safe environment for Jewish students and non-Jewish students, and to prevailing in court,” Beckman added.
The lawsuit demands NYU take measures to prevent antisemitism, terminate responsible administrators and faculty, and suspend or expel students engaged in such conduct. They are also asking for damages and attorneys’ fees.
Law enforcement officials and advocates have noted a dramatic rise in hate speech and threats in the U.S. against the Jewish community, as well as against the Muslim and Arab communities, since Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7 killed at least 1,200, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Gaza have killed more than 11,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York in a $250 million civil lawsuit that could alter the personal fortune and real estate empire that helped propel Trump to the White House.
Trump, his sons Eric Trump and and Donald Trump Jr., and other top Trump Organization executives are accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of engaging in a decade-long scheme in which they used “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” to inflate Trump’s net worth in order get more favorable loan terms. The trial comes after the judge in the case ruled in a partial summary judgment that Trump had submitted “fraudulent valuations” for his assets, leaving the trial to determine additional actions and what penalty, if any, the defendants should receive.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing and his attorneys have argued that Trump’s alleged inflated valuations were a product of his business skill.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Nov 15, 3:27 PM EST
Trump adequately disclosed accounting methods, expert says
The defense’s accounting expert could not identify any departures from generally accepted accounting principles — known as GAAP — in Donald Trump’s statements of financial condition that were not disclosed, according to his testimony.
“I don’t believe I have identified any additional discrepancies with GAAP that were not covered by those disclosures,” Jason Flemmons testified toward the end of his direct examination.
Flemmons also testified that the statements appropriately cited their use of appraisals, challenging the state’s assertion that Trump ignored vital appraisal information.
“Was the use of appraisals accurately described in the statements?” defense attorney Jesus Suarez asked.
“I believe so. I don’t believe there was anything that contradicted the use of appraisals but also other bases for evaluating the properties,” Flemmons responded.
Suarez concluded his lengthy direct examination, setting up state attorney Kevin Wallace’s cross-examination of Flemmons.
Nov 15, 2:06 PM EST
Accounting expert says he’s attesting to methodology, not results
After Jason Flemmons, the defense’s expert accounting witness, had testified at length about how Donald Trump’s financial statements included adequate disclaimers to explain his departure from normal accounting standards, Judge Engoron interjected to push back on the testimony.
That prompted Flemmons to confirm he is attesting largely to the general accounting methods used by the Trump Organization — not the specific numbers they provided for each of their assets.
As Flemmons gets further into his second day on the stand, Judge Engoron’s initial enthusiasm regarding his testimony appears to be on the wane, with the judge sustaining more of the state’s objections and asking increasingly skeptical questions.
Nov 15, 12:44 PM EST
Trump warned lenders statements may be unreliable, expert says
Donald Trump disclosed that 95% of the assets listed in his 2014 statement of financial condition departed from generally accepted accounting principles — known in the industry as GAAP — according to the defense’s expert witness Jason Flemmons.
The testimony from the defense’s accounting expert bolsters Trump’s argument that the departures from GAAP in his statements were adequately disclosed to lenders, making the lenders themselves responsible for drawing their own conclusions about the valuations listed in the documents.
It also supports the defense’s position that Trump’s statements fell within the regulations on personal financial statements, thus shielding him from allegations of fraud.
Nov 15, 12:03 PM EST
Judge delays ruling on mistrial after Trump claims bias
Judge Arthur Engoron did not issue a ruling on the defense’s motion for a mistrial in court, opting to give the New York attorney general time to determine if the state wants to respond to the request.
“I would ask if we could have until tomorrow to determine if we want to put in anything,” state attorney Kevin Wallace said after Engoron’s asked if the state plans to file a response.
The testimony of expert witness Jason Flemmons is now resuming.
Nov 15, 11:49 AM EST
Motion accuses judge of ‘predetermining’ trial’s outcome
In their motion for a mistrial, lawyers for Donald Trump and his adult sons argue that Judge Engoron has “predetermined the outcome of this proceeding and is merely going through the motions before it ultimately doles out punishment.”
Writing that the actions of both Engoron and his clerk create an appearance of impropriety that has resulted in “biased rulings,” Trump’s lawyers warn of wide-reaching implications.
“Left unchecked, the introduction of such demonstrable pro-Attorney General and anti-Trump/big real estate bias into a case of worldwide interest involving the front-runner for the Presidency of the United States impugns the integrity of the entire system,” they write.
Their three-pronged motion argues that the extrajudicial conduct of Engoron, the political activity of his clerk, and their rulings — including their gag order and fines — are each irreparable harms that can only be remedied by scrapping the entire trial.
“Only the grant of a mistrial can salvage what is left of the rule of law,” they write.
Nov 15, 10:50 AM EST
Trump is ‘trying to dismiss the truth,’ NY AG spokesperson says
A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James described Donald Trump’s motion for a mistrial as an effort “to dismiss the truth and the facts.”
“Donald Trump is now being held accountable for the years of fraud he committed,” the spokesperson said. “He can keep trying to distract from his fraud, but the truth always comes out.”
Trump’s motion for a mistrial takes aim at Judge Engoron as well as his law clerk, who frequently collaborates with the judge before he rules on objections, the admissibility of evidence, and other legal matters.
The judge imposed a limited gag order prohibiting statements about his staff after Trump posted about the clerk on social media.
Nov 15, 10:31 AM EST
Trump moves for mistrial, claiming bias on part of judge, clerk
Donald Trump and his co-defendants have filed a motion seeking a mistrial on the grounds that the trial has been “tainted” by the appearance of bias on the part of Judge Arthur Engoron and his law.
“This appearance of bias threatens both Defendants’ rights and the integrity of the judiciary as an institution,” Trump’s attorneys say in the filing. “As developed herein, in this case the evidence of apparent and actual bias is tangible and overwhelming.”
“Specifically, the Court’s own conduct, coupled with the Principal Law Clerk, Allison Greenfield’s unprecedented role in the trial and extensive, public partisan activities, would cause even a casual observer to question the Court’s partiality,” they write.
“Such evidence, coupled with an unprecedented departure from standard judicial procedure, has tainted these proceedings and a mistrial is warranted,” the filing says.
Nov 15, 9:23 AM EST
Expert witness to resume testimony for defense
Donald Trump’s lawyers are scheduled to resume their direct examination of expert witness Jason Flemmons this morning, continuing a line of questioning yesterday that largely placed responsibility for Trump’s financial statements on Trump’s external accountants.
Flemmons, who was qualified as an expert on accounting, explicitly criticized the testimony of Donald Bender, Trump’s accountant at Mazars USA who was the New York attorney general’s first witness, disputing Bender’s claim that he would have wanted to see any appraisals that the Trump Organization conducted.
Flemmons also testified that Trump’s financial statements should have sent a “buyer beware” signal to lenders due to the “highly cautionary language” in their disclaimer, which allowed Trump to make claims that significantly departed from generally accepted accounting principles.
To the extent that the statements and the Trump Organization’s representations about the statements were inaccurate, Flemmons placed responsibility on Bender and his colleagues at Mazars, rather than the Trump Organization.
Nov 14, 5:56 PM EST
Expert calls Trump CPA’s testimony ‘not professionally plausible’
Expert witness Jason Flemmons cast doubt on the testimony of the Trump Organization’s former external accountant Donald Bender, who said he would have wanted to review any appraisals that the Trump Organization conducted.
“That’s not something that is required by professional standards,” said Flemmons, testifying for the defense. “His testimony was not professionally plausible.”
That prompted a strong objection from state attorney Kevin Wallace.
“Is he trying to say the witness is lying?” Wallace said.
“Not to put too fine a point on it,” Judge Engoron quipped.
Asked to confirm what he meant by “professional plausible,” Flemmons said it would be “highly unusual” for Bender to request appraisals outside what was mentioned in the statement of financial condition.
“Accountants in the industry do not go seeking records for things that are not in the four corners of the statement of financial condition,” Flemmons said.
Court was subsequently adjourned for the day, with Flemmons scheduled to continue his testimony tomorrow.
Nov 14, 4:07 PM EST
Trump’s disclaimer told bankers to ‘beware,’ expert says
Defense expert Jason Flemmons described the disclaimer included in Donald Trump’s financial statement as the “highest level disclaimer” that could have been provided to bankers reviewing the document.
Flemmons said that the disclaimer, which he said includes “highly cautionary language,” would allow a user to make claims that significantly departed from generally accepted accounting principles, known in the industry as GAAP.
“Was that language present in a substantially similar form in the compilation statements issued by Mazars for Donald Trump?” defense attorney Jesus Suarez asked.
“Yes,” Flemmons said, adding that the disclaimer was “effectively saying ‘user beware.'”
During his testimony and in statements to the media, Trump has claimed that the disclaimer shields him from liability in the case.
Suarez also used Flemmons’ testimony to suggest that Trump’s external accountants were responsible for understanding the methods used in the financial statement and determining their appropriateness.
That appeared to conflict with testimony of former Trump accountant Donald Bender of Mazars USA, who described his role as akin to plugging numbers provided by the Trump Organization into a template.
Nov 14, 2:49 PM EST
Expert says property valuations can be ‘wildly different’
Taking the witness stand as an expert witness for the defense, accountant Jason Flemmons offered testimony in support of Donald Trump’s approach to valuing his Mar-a-Lago property, which has been the subject of debate throughout the seven weeks of the trial.
In his summary judgment decision, Judge Engoron found that Trump overvalued the estate by at least 2,300% because the Palm Beach County Assessor appraised the property’s market value between $18 and $27.6 million after Trump signed a deed that restricted its use to a social club, potentially limiting its resale value as a residence but ensuring a tax cut. Trump, in contrast, listed its value in his financial statement between $426 million and $612 million, and during his appearances in court and online he has repeatedly attacked Engoron’s finding.
Flemmons argued that Trump’s approach to valuing his assets gave him latitude to consider his property’s future revenue streams. That approach, according to Flemmons, could result in “wildly different values” between the numbers listed on a personal financial statement and a tax assessed value.
“Tax assessed values are typically on the lower end of the spectrum,” Flemmons said, while Engoron looked on attentively.
While he never mentioned Mar-a-Lago by name, Flemmons was asked by defense attorney Jesus Suarez about a hypothetical property assessed at $18 million but valued closer to $500 million using a comparable sales approach — the same approach used to value Mar-a-Lago.
“It would not be unusual to have a value in the hundreds of million using projected cash receipts,” Flemmons said.
Engoron then turned his chair toward Flemmons and began asking his own questions.
“I am trying to get to the order of magnitude we are talking about here,” Engoron said. “What is the highest value you have ever seen legitimately placed on such a property?”
Flemmons could not provide a specific example to answer Engoron’s question but reiterated that a massive discrepancy could be appropriate.
Nov 14, 2:04 PM EST
House Republicans call for probe of Cohen after his testimony
House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Michael Turner and House GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik have requested that the Department of Justice investigate Michael Cohen for perjury following his testimony in the trial last month.
During his trial testimony, Cohen said that he lied to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2019 when he said that Donald Trump and Allen Weisselberg did not ask him to inflate Trump’s personal statement.
“So, you lied under oath in February of 2019? Is that your testimony?” defense attorney Alina Habba asked in court.
“Yes,” Cohen responded.
Shown his 2019 testimony in court, Cohen subsequently reversed himself and said that his 2019 testimony was truthful, explaining the contradiction by clarifying that Trump speaks like a “mob boss” and that he indirectly asked for his statement to be inflated.
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland sent today, Stefanik and Turner requested that the Department of Justice open an investigation into Cohen potentially committing perjury.
“That Mr. Cohen was willing to openly and brazenly state at trial that he lied to Congress on this specific issue is startling,” they wrote. “His willingness to make such a statement alone should necessitate an investigation.”
Last week, Stefanik sent a separate judicial complaint to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct related to the conduct of the judge overseeing Trump’s trial. In a statement to ABC News, a court representative said in response that the judge’s actions “speak for themselves.”
Nov 14, 1:18 PM EST
Judge stops expert’s testimony following state’s objection
Donald Trump’s lawyers abruptly stopped the testimony of their first expert witness — who was expected to testify for a full day or two — after Judge Engoron limited the topic areas of his testimony.
Steven Witkoff, a real estate investor and longtime friend of Trump’s, was brought into court by the defense team to testify that Trump’s Doral golf club was undervalued in Trump’s financial statements.
But Judge Engoron sustained an objection from the state barring any testimony about the valuation of Doral, significantly limiting Witkoff’s testimony and appearing to hamper the defense strategy proposed by Trump’s attorney Chris Kise.
Kise argued that the inaccuracies in Trump’s statement of financial condition can cut both ways: Even if some properties were overvalued, other properties like Doral were significantly undervalued and balanced out the statement, according to Kise.
“It is highly, extraordinarily relevant if there are assets that are undervalued substantially on those same statements,” Kise said. “They can’t look at this one-sided.”
State attorney Andrew Amer fiercely rebutted that argument, telling Engoron he should not take the defense’s position that the inconsistencies “come out in the wash.”
That argument appeared to convince Engoron, who said that overvaluations would not “insulate” a false valuation. He promised to sustain any objection that related to the value of Doral — an approach Kise described as “lunacy.”
“The reader of the financial statement has the right to know whether each particular number was accurate,” Engoron said. “They are looking for accuracy.”
Nov 14, 10:26 AM EST
Judge doesn’t address post Trump shared calling for his arrest
As court got underway this morning, Judge Engoron — who has said he has received harassing messages regarding his role in the trial — did not address Trump’s sharing of a post on his Truth Social platform calling for his arrest.
The former president yesterday shared a user’s post calling for the “citizens arrest” of Engoron and Attorney General Letitia James “for blatant election interference and harassment.”
When he expanded the case’s limited gag order earlier this month, Engoron said that his chambers had received hundreds of “harassing and threatening phone calls, voicemails, emails, letters, and packages” since the start of the trial.
The gag order does not prohibit attacks against Engoron himself or the New York attorney general.
Nov 14, 9:40 AM EST
Defense to call first expert witness
Donald Trump’s defense team plans to call their first of several expert witnesses to the stand today.
Steven Witkoff, a New York-based real estate investor and developer, is set to testify about his expert opinion that the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami was undervalued in Trump’s financial statement, despite the attorney general’s claim to the contrary.
The expert report Witkoff prepared for the case also criticized the finding from the state’s expert regarding the value of Trump’s 40 Wall Street property.
During a 2018 roundtable on tax reform, Trump called Witkoff a “pal” who he inspired to enter the real estate industry.
“You know, people don’t realize Steve started out as a lawyer — a very good lawyer, a top lawyer in New York. And then he said, ‘I’m going to go into the real estate business because I can do this, too,” Trump said. “He saw me do it, and he said, ‘If Trump can do it, I guess I can do it, right?'”
Nov 14, 9:02 AM EST
James, Trump respond as defense begins its case
In a video statement posted to social media, New York Attorney General Letitia James said that the testimony of Donald Trump Jr. yesterday failed to refute any of her case against Donald Trump and his adult sons.
“After spending a full day walking through a marketing presentation to sell us all on the greatness of the Trump Organization, the defendants did not make a single point to refute the case we brought against them,” James said of Trump Jr., who led off the defense’s case.
Trump’s eldest son, an executive VP with the family firm, functionally served as a summary witness to explain the history and notable assets of the Trump Organization, repeatedly using words like “spectacular” and “incredible” to spell out the details of Trump’s properties.
James, meanwhile, drew the ire of Donald Trump for appearing to smile in court.
“A.G. Letitia James is smirking all day long from her seat in Court, as New York continues to set records in murder and other violent crimes, and businesses flee to other States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning, despite murders in New York City being down nearly 10% this year, according to the NYPD.
Nov 13, 5:55 PM EST
Court adjourns for day after tax lawyer’s testimony
The defense wrapped up the first day of its case with testimony from Donald Trump’s former external tax lawyer, Sheri Dillon, who returned to the witness stand to clarify her actions related to conservation easements at Trump’s properties.
Dillon previously testified during a lengthy and combative portion of the state’s case.
“Welcome back. I feel like I am at a reunion — Trump trial reunion,” Judge Engoron joked when Dillon returned to the courtroom.
Dillon, explaining a potential gap in email communications about specific deals, testified that she often communicated with Eric Trump over the phone.
“If I picked up the phone and talked to him, I would know he knew what he needed to know,” Dillon testified.
She also said she advised Trump’s appraiser, David McArdle, that the company could add 40 additional residential units at Trump National Golf Club in New York’s Westchester County by filing a new offering plan, according to an email shown in court. The clarification challenges the New York attorney general’s allegation that a $101 million increase in the value of undeveloped land was based on an unfounded plan by Eric Trump to add units to the property.
During a short cross-examination, state attorney Louis Solomon attempted to challenge Dillon’s authority to provide such legal information to McArdle.
“Do you know if a sponsor has a right to have an offering plan accepted for filing merely because the development meets the requirements for zoning?” Solomon asked.
“No, I do not,” she responded.
Dillon concluded her testimony, and court then adjourned for the day.
Nov 13, 5:41 PM EST
Trump Jr. acknowledges positive rapport with judge
Speaking outside the courthouse following his testimony for the defense, Donald Trump Jr. told ABC News that he seems to have a positive relationship with Judge Engoron.
“Perhaps there’s a New York personality there, but no I think he understood,” Trump Jr. said when ABC News suggested he and the judge appeared to get along. “I can’t help myself even in this very serious situation. If you take yourself too seriously the world sort of sucks. You got to have a little bit of fun with it, so I did.”
His relationship with the judge appears to stand in contrast to that of his father, who has accused Engoron of bias and insulted him from the witness stand.
“We had some quips in the courtroom the first time I was here,” Trump Jr. said of Engoron. “Sort of gave me a fist bump on the way out. I guess I had a rather snappy response to something that was — I can’t even remember what it was right now. He said, ‘That was really funny.'”
Asked by ABC News whether Trump Jr. shared his father’s views about the judge being biased, the son demurred.
“Listen, I don’t even know how far the gag order applies, so I don’t need to do that and put myself — I’m in enough crosshairs, guys,” he said.
Nov 13, 4:56 PM EST
Trump Jr. says aunt’s death made for a ‘rough day’
Following the completion of his testimony, Donald Trump Jr. made the first family comments acknowledging the death of his aunt, Maryanne Trump Barry, calling it “a rough day.”
“Obviously, a little bit of a rough day, but I’ve still got to deal with this stuff. We’ve got to keep doing it. That’s the nature of all of this. But no, it’s a rough day for myself and my family,” Trump Jr. said of the news that former President Trump’s sister had passed away at 86.
Trump Jr. also slammed New York Attorney General Letitia James for bringing the civil fraud case despite what Trump Jr. said was “no actual person complaining other than the attorney general herself.”
“Hopefully, one day the people of this great city will realize what’s going on. They’ll realize the destructive practices here. They’ll realize just how insane that is. And they’ll be begging for guys like Donald Trump to come back to New York City to reshape the skyline as he’s done for decades,” Trump Jr. said.
He said he does not plan to return to court for the continuation of the defense’s case tomorrow.
Nov 13, 3:43 PM EST
Donald Trump Jr. concludes testimony
Donald Trump Jr. stepped off the witness stand after roughly three hours of testimony.
His own attorney, Clifford Robert, concluded his direct examination by asking Trump Jr. about the fate of the Trump Organization.
“I guess a lot of that depends on what happens next November,” Trump Jr said, speculating that the company might be “sued into oblivion.”
Assistant New York Attorney General Colleen Faherty cross-examined Trump Jr. for less than ten minutes about the deterioration of Trump’s assets, including financial problems at 40 Wall Street and Trump’s licensed hotel in Hawaii. Trump Jr. appeared unfamiliar with the 40 Wall Street issues and said he was happy with the Hilton’s deal to buy out the Trump Organization’s Hawaii hotel licensing deal.
Nov 13, 2:54 PM EST
Trump Jr. says golf course site was ‘old-school New York mob job’
Donald Trump Jr., in testimony for the defense, touted the work of the Trump Organization to convert a landfill in the Bronx, New York, into a “absolutely incredible” golf course.
“It was raw dirt. It had been that way for a long time,” Trump Jr. said of the original site of Trump Links Ferry Point near the Whitestone Bridge.
“People were supposedly trying to build a golf course for years,” Trump Jr. said about previous efforts to build the facility, describing it as an “old-school New York mob job” where people got paid to move dirt around but not build anything.
Trump Jr. said that once his father got involved in the project, the site was successfully transformed in a matter of months.
Nov 13, 1:42 PM EST
Trump Jr. to get new and improved sketch
When he was last in court, Donald Trump Jr. took a particular interest in his courtroom sketch.
“He said, ‘Make me look sexy,'” the sketch artist Jane Rosenberg told ABC News. By some accounts, the result was underwhelming.
Rosenberg has another opportunity to draw Trump Jr. with his return to court, and she thinks the new iteration is coming along well.
“I think they get better every time,” she told ABC News.
Earlier in his testimony, Trump Jr. joked about a photo of his brother Eric Trump.
When the slideshow Trump Jr. was narrating displayed a professional headshot of his brother, Trump Jr. took a job at his younger sibling.
“A lot of Photoshop,” Trump Jr. joked.
Nov 13, 1:12 PM EST
Trump Jr. assails judge’s finding on Mar-a-Lago
In presenting a slideshow chronicling the Trump Organization’s properties, Donald Trump Jr. highlighted many of their luxury features and iconic views — implicitly suggesting their value.
That’s particularly true of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, which Judge Engoron in a pretrial ruling determined was worth only a fraction of the amount claimed by Donald Trump, because Trump signed a deed that restricted its use to a social club, thereby limiting its resale value.
Describing how he took “umbrage” to the judge’s determination that Mar-a-Lago was worth between $18 and $28 million, Trump Jr. highlighted specific features to challenge that finding. Showing an aerial photo of the property, Trump Jr. said that a nearby home whose size was dwarfed by the social club has been on sale for $50 million.
“You couldn’t build that atrium for $18 million today,” Trump Jr. said while presenting a photo of the building’s historic atrium.
Nov 13, 12:53 PM EST
With glossy slides, Trump Jr. recounts firm’s story
Donald Trump’s testimony in the defense’s case has so far centered around a slide show being presented by the defense, entitled “The Trump Story,” that paints a timeline of Donald Trump’s real estate acquisitions. When state attorneys objected to the glossy presentation — which Trump Jr. acknowledged was created by his marketing team — the judge allowed the slides, and thus permitted Trump Jr. to testify unrestrained about the company’s properties.
“He’s an artist with real estate. He sees the things other people don’t,” Trump Jr. said at one point when describing his father.
As he narrates the slide show, Trump Jr.’s testimony resembles a lecture on real estate, sprinkled with details about his family’s properties — such as the individual stones used to construct the Seven Springs estate or the bank safes at 40 Wall Street, which he said once stored gold from the Federal Reserve.
“They’re actually spectacular … it’s truly a mechanical work of art,” Trump Jr. said of the safes.
Referencing broken down historic properties that the company has transformed back to their former glory, Trump Jr. called such properties the “canvas” for his his “father’s art.”
“He understands and has an incredible vision that other people don’t,” Trump Jr. said.
After a particular lengthy response, Trump Jr. referenced his father’s own tendency to speak in prolonged monologues, joking, “I got half the genes.”
Nov 13, 11:06 AM EST
Trump Jr. details history of Trump Organization
Testifying for the defense, former President Trump’s eldest son described his father as a real estate “visionary” who “sees the sexiness in a real estate project,” creating value for the family business that cannot be captured on paper.
Donald Trump Jr. began his testimony with a quip after Judge Engoron welcomed him back to the stand following his testimony earlier in the month.
“I’d say it’s good to be here, but the attorney general would probably sue me for perjury,” Trump Jr. joked.
In his testimony, Trump Jr. described the Trump Organization as “a large family business,” with Trump and his eldest children at the top and other executives handling many of the details.
“If there were numbers and things, I would rely on them to give me that,” Trump Jr. said.
He recounted the history of the Trump Organization, beginning with his great-grandfather who he said built hotels in the Yukon Territories of Canada. His grandfather, Fred Trump, “started working on job sites around Queens, learned the trades” and eventually “created an incredible portfolio, by the time of his passing, of rental apartments in Brooklyn and Queens.”
A state attorney jokingly objected that references to the 1800s were outside the statute of limitations — then more seriously objected to the history lesson’s relevance.
“I think it is relevant to get the historical perspective — I find it interesting,” Judge Engoron said in overruling the objection. “Let him go ahead and say how great the Trump Organization is.”
Trump Jr. obliged.
“My father learned a lot of the business from him, but had some flair and saw New York City and Manhattan as the ultimate frontier,” he said. Speaking of Trump Tower, he said, “I think it would have been one of the first, I think great, ultra-luxury real estate emerging in Manhattan.”
Nov 13, 10:20 AM EST
Donald Trump Jr. takes the stand for the defense
“Would you like to call your first witness, defense?” Judge Arthur Engoron asked to begin court this morning.
“The defense calls Donald Trump Jr. to the stand,” defense attorney Clifford Robert responded.
Like his last time on the witness stand when he was called by state attorneys, Trump Jr. appears comfortable on the stand, punctuating his testimony with lighthearted remarks.
Robert began his direct examination with some questions about Trump Jr. ‘s biography, starting with his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania.
“Was a bartender for about 18 months,” Trump Jr. said about his first job out of college.
“Did you enjoy that?” Robert asked.
“I did,” said Trump Jr., joking that he had a challenging conversation with his father when he began that job.
Nov 13, 9:45 AM EST
Trump Jr., arriving in court, met with chants of ‘crime family’
Donald Trump Jr. and his defense lawyers arrived at the New York State Supreme Courthouse this morning to be met with a small crowd of protestors chanting “crime family.”
Trump Jr. did not make a statement before entering the courthouse, but offered a brief response to a question about his expected testimony.
Asked what he plans on saying today on the stand, he replied, “We’ll see what I’m asked.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James arrived at court shortly after Trump Jr. and took a seat in the courtroom with her staff.
Nov 13, 9:06 AM EST
Donald Trump Jr. attends UFC event ahead of testimony
Donald Trump Jr. took in some ultimate fighting ahead of his scheduled return to the witness stand this morning.
Trump Jr. attended a UFC doubleheader at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night with his father, in addition to Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock, and UFC president Dana White.
“I legitimately can’t think of a better squad to roll with,” Trump Jr. posted on social media.
Earlier that day while speaking at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Donald Trump appeared to joke about appointing White to a position in a potential future administration.
“He’s a guy I’d like to make my Defense Chief. I wouldn’t call him my defense chief. I’d call him my ‘Offense Chief.’ He’d be my Offense Chief,” Trump said.
Nov 13, 8:32 AM EST
Defense to begin presenting its case
As Trump’s legal team prepares to begin presenting its case this morning, defense attorney Alina Habba says responsibility for the financial statements that the New York attorney general says are fraudulent lies with Trump’s external accounting firm.
Previewing the defense’s case during an appearance on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Habba also said the banks that loaned money to the Trump Organization were responsible for conducting their own due diligence regarding Trump’s financial statements.
The state rested its case last week in the sixth week of the trial. The defense has said they expect their case to wrap up by Dec. 15.
Habba also suggested that Donald Trump plans to file a motion seeking a mistrial.
While Habba declined to comment on alleged misconduct by Judge Arthur Engoron’s clerk — which she is prohibited from doing due to the limited gag order handed down by the judge — she said the issue would be addressed in their mistrial motion “very soon.”
“I actually can’t tell you why, because I am gagged. I can tell you that we will be filing papers to address all of those issues,” Habba said.
However, Habba downplayed the chance the motion would be favorably decided Engoron.
“The problem we have is the judge is the one who is going to make those decisions, and he has proven himself to be quite motivated by the other side,” Habba said.
Nov 11, 1:51 PM EST
Court administrator responds to Stefanik’s complaint
In response to Rep. Elise Stefanik’s letter of complaint against Judge Engoron that she filed Friday with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, a spokesperson for New York State Office of Court Administration has issued a statement.
“Judge Engoron’s actions and rulings in this matter are all part of the public record and speak for themselves,” said Office of Court Administration communications director Al Baker. “It is inappropriate to comment further.”
Nov 10, 8:17 PM EST
Rep. Stefanik files complaint against Judge Engoron
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York has filed a judicial complaint against Judge Arthur Engoron.
The letter, addressed to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, largely concerns the judge’s rulings in the case and his public statements, and is unlikely to impact the proceedings of the trial.
“Judge Engoron’s bizarre and biased behavior is making New York’s judicial system a laughingstock,” Stefanik, a staunch Trump supporter, wrote.
The lengthy letter echoes some of Trump’s attacks on the trial, criticizing Engoron’s limited gag order in the case, the actions of his legal clerk, his summary judgment ruling, and his comments during Trump’s testimony this week.
“Simply put, Judge Engoron has displayed a clear judicial bias against the defendant throughout the case, breaking several rules in the New York Code of Judicial Conduct,” Stefanik wrote.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping on Wednesday were holding their first face-face meeting in more than a year amid tensions in the U.S.-China relationship.
Fort security reasons, the two leaders were holding talks at a private location in the San Francisco area near where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being held this week.
The two men smiled and shook hands after Biden walked out to greet his Chinese counterpart and then the leaders immediately walked inside.
With the delegations seated around a large conference table, Biden said, “I value our conversation because I think it’s paramount that you understand each other clearly leader-to-leader with no misconceptions or miscommunication. We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”
Noting their personal history, Biden expressed his appreciation for their “straightforward and frank” discussions in the past.
“We haven’t always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone, but our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful. I’ve never doubted what you’ve told me in terms of your candid nature in which you speak,” Biden said.
He ended his remarks by telling Xi, “Welcome back.”
“For two large countries like China and United States, Turning our back on each other is not an option,” Xi told Biden in return, according to translation. “It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides,” Xi continued, according to translation.
“It is an objective fact that China and the United States are different in history, culture, social system, and development paths,” he said. “However, as long as they respect each other, coexist in peace, and pursue win-win cooperation they will be fully capable of rising above differences, and find the right way for the two major countries to get along with each other. I firmly believe in a promising future of the bilateral relationship.”
“I look forward to to an in-depth exchange of views,” Xi said.
Cameras and reporters were then led out of the room.
Before leaving Washington, Biden said his goal was “to get back on a normal course of corresponding, being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another when there’s another crisis, being able to make sure our militaries still have contact with one another.”
Officials have said a key objective was to restore military-to-military communication that the Pentagon has said has essentially stopped amid incidents involving the nations’ ships and planes, with tensions around Taiwan especially concerning.
Other items on the summit agenda, U.S. officials say, include Biden expected to press China to use its leverage with Iran to persuade Tehran to stop its proxies from attacking U.S. forces in the Middle East and escalating the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Biden has also called on China not to supply weapons to Russia to aid in its invasion of Ukraine — and to press North Korea not to do so.
The talks, officials say, also may yield promises of cooperation in areas such as climate change and combatting the fentanyl trade.
President Biden was scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. EST after the meeting ends.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(HONG KONG) — The view from China on Wednesday’s meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden is somewhat upbeat, despite signs that the bar for success is low and the meeting is broadly seen as only another chance to install “guard rails” to prevent relations from sliding even further.
Some observers hope that getting relations back on track will help China get its economy back on track too.
“China will need to convince the United States that China does not want to be the next top dog in the world, Victor Gao, a former Chinese diplomat who translated for the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, told ABC News.
State news agency Xinhua is touting “Xiplomacy” and the need to “build bridges” and “coexist peacefully,” but Gao said he is “moderately optimistic” about the chances the meeting will thaw China-U.S. relations.
“China has no desire, no interest, no capability to impose its way of life and its political system onto the United States,” he said. “Meaning your God for you, my God, for me. Let us live and let live. Let’s engage with each other for mutual benefit rather than for mutual destruction.”
The meeting is expected to take place midday in San Francisco, where Pacific Rim leaders are meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Here are a few key policy points Xi and Biden are expected to discuss.
Taiwan
Looming large over this meeting is Taiwan’s presidential election in just two months. Xi will likely seek a firm pledge that the U.S. will not encourage Taiwan to pursue formal independence, especially with “troublemaker” William Lai, whom China despises, as the front-runner.
“I’m sure President Xi Jinping will reiterate China’s policy about Taiwan, emphasizing that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China,” Gao said. “And he will also urge the US president and the US government at large that don’t hollow out the one-China policy because there will be a point of no return if the United States continues to promote Taiwan separatism or Taiwan independence and go beyond the point of no return.”
He said he hopes Biden “will listen very carefully” as Xi restates “China’s firm, stern position about Taiwan.”
China’s economy
Xi will be going into this meeting with his economy front of mind. China is growing frustrated by what it sees as the U.S. refusing to relax trade restrictions on export controls, sanctions and tariffs.
Chen Dongxiao, head of Shanghai intentional relationship research center, said in Shanghai online news outlet, The Paper, that even though American domestic political ecology is “complex and turbulent,” the U.S. has made adjustments that show it has “a more rational and pragmatic view on how to maintain stable and healthy economic and trade relations with China.”
Gao added, “This is the one area that President Biden and President Xi Jinping can really gather together to talk about cooperation rather than manhandling each other.”
Wars in Ukraine and Israel
Wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East have complicated international relations, including those between the U.S. and China.
China claims to be neutral in both conflicts — and is walking a cautious line on both — but the West has criticized Xi’s Xi’s coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his calls for changes to the liberal world order and China’s growing ties with Hamas-supporter Iran.
Ways to work together
Observers, including Gao, say they’re hoping the meeting may push the two countries into a place where they allow each other “greater convenience.”
“The two leaders can talk about and make decisions to achieve, for example, opening up U.S. consulate general in Chengdu and allowing the Chinese consulate in Houston to open up,” Goa said.
Doing so may enable American journalists operating in China and their counterparts working in the United States “to do their job better with greater convenience, rather than hurdle them with all the hassles and all the inconveniences,” Gao said.
(NEW YORK) — Three Jewish students at New York University have filed a lawsuit alleging the school has failed to protect them from escalating antisemitism, which they say has worsened since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court by NYU juniors Bella Ingber, Sabrina Maslavi and Saul Tawil, invokes Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin.
“The age-old virus of antisemitism is alive and well at New York University,” their lawsuit states. “This case arises from NYU’s egregious civil rights violations that have created a hostile educational environment in which plaintiffs and other Jewish NYU students have been subjected to pervasive acts of hatred, discrimination, harassment and intimidation.”
The students claim the “antisemitic behavior” at the university has been “ongoing,” and they allege NYU has shown “at best, deliberate indifference.” The students claim in the lawsuit that the school has fostered “an environment in which students and faculty members are permitted to repeatedly abuse, malign, vilify and threaten Jewish students with impunity.”
“Even though every instance of antisemitic behavior alleged herein is prohibited by one or more of NYU’s policies, the university has done nothing to enforce these policies to remedy or prevent that behavior, and certainly nothing approaching the manner in which NYU has enforced them with respect to misconduct not involving antisemitism,” the lawsuit states. “NYU selectively enforces its own rules, deeming Jewish students unworthy of the protections it readily affords to non-Jewish students victimized by discrimination, harassment, and intimidation.”
In a statement to ABC News, NYU spokesperson John Beckman said the allegations “do not accurately describe conditions on our campus or the many steps NYU has been taking to fight antisemitism and keep the campus safe.”
“Antisemitism violates our rules; we take the issues of antisemitism and any other forms of hate extremely seriously, and we are committed to safeguarding our community and providing an environment in which all students can live and learn in peace,” Beckman said.
The three plaintiffs in the case said they have each “been the target of repeated verbal and physical threats, and made to feel unsafe on campus, as they are forced to confront angry mobs of students and faculty members extolling the Hamas massacre, and calling for the deaths of Jews and the annihilation of Israel.” They claim the situation has “traumatized” them, impacting their coursework, and limiting their ability to go out for fear of harassment in places that include the university library.
ABC News reached out to NYU regarding the alleged verbal and physical threats.
Additionally, as a result of being confronted by what the students call “genocidal chants,” they argue they “have been deprived of the ability and opportunity to fully and meaningfully participate in NYU’s educational and other programs” and are at risk for “extreme emotional and physical injury.”
Beckman said NYU was one of the first universities in the United States to publicly condemn Hamas’ terror attack on Israel.
“NYU maintains what is arguably the largest academic presence in Israel of any major U.S. university, our NYU Tel Aviv program, and has flatly rejected all calls to close it,” Beckman continued. “NYU has communicated repeatedly to our community about our efforts to ensure safety (including increased Campus Safety Officer and NYPD presence), about our expectations for proper conduct, and about the fact antisemitism violates our rules and transgressors will face discipline; and NYU has promptly reviewed and opened investigations into reported complaints of antisemitism and related misconduct.”
According to the suit, the students say they and others have asked for help and protection at NYU, but the university “has continued to do nothing.” They included numerous reports of antisemitism from over the last several years — including through social media posts — that they claim were not addressed.
“NYU looks forward to setting the record straight, to challenging this lawsuit’s one-sided narrative, to making clear the many efforts NYU has made to combat antisemitism and provide a safe environment for Jewish students and non-Jewish students, and to prevailing in court,” Beckman added.
The lawsuit demands NYU take measures to prevent antisemitism, terminate responsible administrators and faculty, and suspend or expel students engaged in such conduct. They are also asking for damages and attorneys’ fees.
Law enforcement officials and advocates have noted a dramatic rise in hate speech and threats in the U.S. against the Jewish community, as well as against the Muslim and Arab communities, since Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7 killed at least 1,200, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Gaza have killed more than 11,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
(NEW YORK) — The estranged wife of Gilgo Beach, New York, murder suspect Rex Heuermann attended one of his court appearances for the first time on Wednesday.
Asa Ellerup filed for divorce six days after Heuermann’s July arrest for the murders of three sex workers. He has pleaded not guilty.
Heuermann’s routine court appearance on Long Island on Wednesday was to allow attorneys to work out scheduling matters.
Ellerup, who recently visited Heuermann in jail, is under contract with a production company, according to her attorney.
Ellerup’s attorney has signaled she plans to attend every court date going forward so she can see the evidence for herself.
Ellerup told ABC News in July after the arrest, “[My children] have been crying themselves to sleep and I’ve been crying myself to sleep, too.”
Heuermann was arrested in July for the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found on Long Island in 2010.
Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who vanished in 2007, though he has not been charged in that case. Prosecutors said the investigation into Brainard-Barnes’ murder is ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — Veterinarians are sounding the alarm as they see a growing number of coughing dogs.
Wendy Brown’s three golden retrievers — Bridge, Dooley and Lulu — are among the dogs who started showing symptoms earlier this November.
“Dooley started doing kind of this huffing and also seemed to feel quite lethargic,” Brown recalled to “Good Morning America.” “Not too long after, Bridge began to exhibit the symptoms. But his were louder, more boisterous. I thought it was his stomach because he made like a retching sound.”
Initially, Brown thought her pets had a typical kennel cough but when their symptoms didn’t subside, she knew it was something more serious.
“The vet started him on a 10-day cycle of doxycycline. Today was day 10 and he is not a lot better,” Brown said.
Brown, an Idaho resident, said she’s still not sure what could have caused her dogs’ illness in the first place.
While research is underway, veterinarians say the mystery illness is highly contagious and can be fatal. Reported symptoms so far have also been typical of a kennel cough and they include coughing, sneezing, nasal and/or eye discharge and lethargy.
“Instead of that dry cough where the dog felt good, it was now this wet cough where the dog felt sick,” Amanda Cavanagh, the section head of the urgent care service at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, told “GMA.”
Experts like Cavanagh said any dogs showing signs of consistent coughing should be brought to a vet to be examined.
“We can ultrasound the lungs to see if there is a problem that is related to pneumonia or the contagious pneumonia that seems to be going around,” Cavanagh said.
Cavanagh also recommends keeping any coughing dogs away from other dogs and for two weeks after the cough goes away.
(NEW YORK) — A proposed amendment in Florida that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution is currently at the center of a battle that could be taken up by the state’s Supreme Court.
State Attorney General Ashley Moody and other groups have asked Florida’s highest court to prevent the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion from being put on the ballot for a vote in the 2024 election.
The proposed amendment reads, in part, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”
Floridians Protecting Freedom, the initiative’s main sponsor, and the ACLU of Florida filed response briefs to the attorney general’s challenge, arguing that the ballot initiative’s language is clear and does not mislead voters, as opponents have claimed.
The effort to include the initiative on the Florida ballot comes on the heels of Ohio voters approving a constitutional amendment during last week’s election that guarantees access to abortion and other aspects of reproductive health care.
Currently, abortion is banned at 15 weeks or later in Florida, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that studies sexual and reproductive rights.
Patients seeking abortion are required to make two trips: the first for an in-person appointment, and the second 24 hours later for the abortion itself.
Additionally, only physicians are allowed to perform abortions and not other qualified health care professionals, the Guttmacher Institute says.
As of Monday, Floridians Protecting Freedom has collected more than 491,000 signatures of the 891,523 required to place the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion on the ballot. However, the number of signatures collected is already enough to qualify it for ballot summary review by the Florida Supreme Court.
If the amendment makes it onto the ballot and is subsequently passed by a majority of voters, it would protect abortion up until the fetus can survive outside the womb, which is generally considered to be between 24 and 26 weeks’ gestation. It would also make Florida the eighth state to protect abortion rights or prevent further restricting those rights, via a ballot imitative, since the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022
There is no language in the proposed Florida amendment addressing what type of health care professional is or is not allowed to perform an abortion, or whether there is a mandatory 24-hour wait period between requesting an abortion and receiving one, as the law currently requires.
If the amendment doesn’t make it on the ballot, or if it does but isn’t passed by a majority of voters, that failure could help clear the way for a six-week abortion ban to be enacted.
In April 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban into law, replacing the previous 15-week ban. The legislation makes exceptions for when a woman’s life or health is at risk and for cases of rape or incest, under certain conditions.
Two physicians currently must certify in writing that an abortion is necessary to save the woman’s life or to avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman. If two physicians are not available, one physician must certify in writing the above, as well as that a second physician is not available to consult.
For abortions in the case of rape or incest, the exceptions allow the procedure to be performed up to 15 weeks into the pregnancy, and if the woman provides a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record or other court order or documentation proving that she’s a victim of rape or incest.
Currently, the 15-week ban is on hold while the Florida Supreme Court decides whether it’s constitutional, following challenges by the Center for Reproductive Rights and other groups. If the 15-week ban is upheld, then the six week-ban will be allowed to go into effect.
(NEW YORK) — Delivering on long-awaited improvements, the Department of Education will soon release a streamlined version of its widely used college financial aid form, known as the FAFSA, to less than 20 questions that could take some people just 10 minutes to fill out, officials told ABC News.
The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which was reviewed exclusively by ABC News ahead of its launch date, will go live by Dec. 31, according to the Department of Education.
The current application includes over 100 questions and hasn’t been significantly updated since the Reagan administration, but it has been under review for the last two years after Congress passed bipartisan legislation calling for it to be improved.
Education Department officials said the overhaul is an attempt to make the form more approachable so that more low-income and middle-income families can apply for and receive the college financial aid they qualify for — which the complicated, burdensome questions on the current FAFSA can be a barrier to.
“The new FAFSA is going to be streamlined, simplified, faster, and it’s going to be easier than ever for students to get the help that they need to pay for college,” Department of Education Undersecretary James Kvaal said in an interview.
“The FAFSA is the first step in that journey for most students, and the form is going to be easier to fill out,” he said.
The new application has been pared down to the fewest number of questions possible, officials who worked on the redesign said, and it pulls from information the government already has through the IRS to automatically input family income details.
The form will range from 18 questions, which could take about 10 minutes, to around 50 questions for more complicated financial situations, which could take around an hour, the Education Department officials estimated.
Those improvements to the form’s accessibility, as well as changes to the formulas to allow more students to qualify for financial aid, will ultimately result in 610,000 new Pell grants being awarded to students from low-income households, the Department of Education predicted.
Pell grants are given to low-income students that do not need to be repaid, unlike a loan.
“A lot of students who are eligible for Pell grants never fill out the FAFSA, or they fill it out and are asked for supporting documentation like a tax return and fall out of the process,” Kvaal said.
“So we think by simplifying the form, we are actually going to make it a lot easier for students to get those Pell grants and pay for college,” he said.
More than one million students are enrolled in college and eligible for a Pell grant but haven’t applied for one, Department of Education surveys have found.
The bureaucratic barriers that can be created by FAFSA have long been a thorn in the side of advocates attempting to get more aid to the students who need it, said Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a nonprofit that serves financial aid employees at schools around the country.
“We know the No. 1 barrier that students and families cite for not attending college is affordability — that it’s too unaffordable,” Draeger said.
“The entryway to all of that is the FAFSA, and so we want to make this form accessible to as many students and families as we can,” he said.
Draeger and other advocacy groups were hoping to see the Department of Education roll out the new form earlier in the academic year, in line with the October launch date for the FAFSA in recent years, giving families a chance to take advantage of the promised improvements in the college application process for the 2024-2025 school year.
“Generally speaking, the earlier we can get financial aid information to students and families, the earlier they can start to plan for how they’re gonna pay for college,” Draeger said.
Students who already applied to schools under early decision processes, for example, might not now be able to use the new form to apply for their financial aid packages.
But for young people applying for colleges with later deadlines, including in January, the new form will still be available to them in time, Draeger said.
The downside to submitting aid forms later, however, is that it can mean there’s less money available from the institutions and that families have less time to plan their finances.
“Our advice would be to do your FAFSA as soon as possible,” Draeger said.
(NEW YORK) — Annual heat-related deaths worldwide for people over 65 are projected to increase by 370% through the middle of the century if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius, a new report says.
The projection comes as heat-related deaths of adults over 65 have increased by 85% since the 1990s, according to the annual Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report.
The hottest global temperatures in over 100,000 years were recorded in 2023 with the planet currently at 1.14°C of global heating, the report says.
Increasing global temperatures are linked to environmental changes like melting Arctic ice caps, drought and heat waves, and more intense hurricanes and wildfires. These stark changes are more than just ecological concerns; they also significantly impact human health, the report stressed.
This new Lancet report comes the same day as the new White House climate report, which flagged that climate-related hazards such as extreme heat, drought and wildfires will continue to grow and directly impact human health.
There were on average 86 days of health-threatening high temperatures in 2018-2022, according to the Lancet report. Human-caused climate change made more than 60% of those days more likely to have happened, the analysis showed.
“We’re already seeing climate change claiming lives or livelihoods in every part of the world. The impacts are happening here and now,” said Marina Romanello, the executive director of the Lancet Countdown and a climate change and health researcher at University College London, during a press briefing.
Droughts and heatwaves are increasing globally, leading to food insecurity and water scarcity, according to the researchers. There has been a 29% increase in areas of extreme drought since the 1950s. Around 127 million more people said that they experienced significant food insecurity in 2021 than annually between 1981 and 2010.
The report also warned that warming ocean temperatures are enabling the spread of the Vibrio bacteria, which can cause serious illness and death if people swim in water with open wounds or eat raw or contaminated seafood.
The coastline area suitable for Vibrio bacteria around the world has increased every year by 329 square kilometers since 1982, putting around 1.4 billion more people at risk of diarrheal disease, severe wound infections and sepsis by 2022.
“Climate breakdown has begun, and humanity is staring down the barrel of an intolerable future. We are already seeing a human catastrophe unfolding with the health and livelihoods of billions across the world endangered by record-breaking heat, crop-failing droughts, rising levels of hunger, growing infectious disease outbreaks, and deadly storms and floods,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in response to the Lancet report.
The Paris Agreement, the international treaty on climate change, calls for the world to keep global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, with the aim of limiting the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The new report found that under the 2-degree warming scenario, there would be 525 million additional people experiencing significant food insecurity by 2031-2060. There would be 23–39% more cases of infection with Vibrio bacteria under the 2-degree warming scenario. There would also be a 37% increase in the spread of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that can be life threatening, the report says.
“Continued warming could lead to those patterns spiraling out of control,” Romanello said to the projections outlined in the report.
The researchers behind the report say that there needs to be urgent action on climate change to mitigate the health impacts.
