(SAN FRANCISCO) — Bob Lee, Cash App founder and current executive at cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin, has died, the company told ABC News. He was 43 years old.
A longtime tech executive, Lee was the first chief technology officer at Square, a digital payment company founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
“Bob was a dynamo, a force of nature,” Joshua Goldbard, the CEO of MobileCoin, told ABC News in a statement.
“He was made for the world that is being born right now, he was a child of dreams, and whatever he imagined, no matter how crazy, he made real,” Goldbard added.
During the 2000s, Lee worked at Google, where he helped develop Android.
Cash App and the San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lee is survived by his wife, Krista, and their two children.
“Bob’s real resume is the hearts and minds he touched in his time on earth,” Goldbarb said. “Bob’s legacy is the feeling that you can make a difference if you try, and of course his amazing children.”
(NEW YORK) — Communities across the United States — from small towns to big cities — were on alert for tornadoes on Wednesday, as a major storm system sweeps through areas still reeling from devastating twisters.
There were an unspecified number of injuries and fatalities confirmed in Missouri’s Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Detroit were included in the watch areas, where forecasters said conditions will be favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. People were warned to seek shelter.
As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area — from western Texas to western New York. Cities in the bull’s-eye for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes on Wednesday include Memphis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, according to the latest forecast.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the country, killing at least 32 people and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 81 tornadoes touched down in 14 states on March 31 and April 1. It was the largest single tornado outbreak to hit the U.S. in a year, since the one that spawned 140 twisters in southeastern states — from Texas to Maryland — on April 12-13, 2020.
(SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas) — Victims of the 2017 mass shooting at a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church have reached a tentative agreement with the Justice Department to settle their yearslong legal battle with the government for $144.5 million, according to an attorney for the victims and the Justice Department.
Twenty-six were killed and 22 were injured in the Nov. 5, 2017, massacre at the small, rural First Baptist Church.
The Sutherland Springs families “have gone through so much pain and loss in the most horrific way,” trial attorney Jamal Alsaffar said in a statement to ABC News. “But despite that, these families fought for justice, endured and won two trials against the Federal Government, and made this country safer as a result.”
The agreement is “not final,” Alsaffar said, and will require final signoff from Attorney General Merrick Garland, but if approved, it would bring to a close a complex and uncomfortable process for the DOJ as it sought to appeal a judge’s ruling that found the government largely responsible for the shooting.
In July 2021, a judge ruled that the U.S. Air Force was 60% responsible for the church shooting because it failed to alert the FBI that the shooter, Devin Kelley, was previously investigated and court martialed for assaulting his then-wife and her stepson on an Air Force base, which would have flagged him as barred from purchasing a weapon under the NICS background check system.
The DOJ’s appeal of the ruling was roundly criticized by gun control advocates and survivors of the attack who accused the Biden administration of undermining its own positions on the importance of the national background checks system.
District judge Xavier Rodriguez had ordered the government to pay victims more than $230 million in damages, saying that evidence presented at trial “conclusively established that no other individual — not even Kelley’s own parents or partners — knew as much as the United States about the violence that Devin Kelley had threatened to commit and was capable of committing.”
After the government expressed its intent to appeal, many of the survivors, still struggling with expensive medical care to treat the injuries they suffered, spoke out in excruciating detail how the delays in receiving settlement money left them essentially in limbo.
“No words or amount of money can diminish the immense tragedy of the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement Wednesday. “Today’s announcement brings the litigation to a close, ending a painful chapter for the victims of this unthinkable crime.”
The DOJ added in a statement, “The NICS plays a critical role in combatting gun violence, and the federal government is always striving to improve the functioning of that system. The Department continues to work actively to combat gun violence as part of its comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy.”
(ATLANTA) — As fears of a “tripledemic” die down, health officials say they are seeing an uptick of a particular strain of the flu: influenza B.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of tests that are positive for influenza B has increased from 0.12% the week ending Jan. 7 to 0.36% the week ending March 25.
Meanwhile, over the same period, the percentage of tests positive for influenza A — the most common flu strain — has declined from 8.58% to 0.58%.
Meanwhile, states are showing similar trends. In New York, as of the week ending March 25, of the 2,013 samples subtyped, 64.16% were identified as influenza B, state health department data shows.
Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, told ABC News that it’s not surprising to see an uptick of influenza B towards the end of the flu season.
However, due to few to no cases of influenza reported during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, people may have forgotten how the flu normally behaves.
“We have to remember that, overall, we’re returning to a somewhat normal respiratory virus season,” said Brownstein, an ABC News contributor. “Influenza B is often later in the season…It’s not a surprise at all that we’re seeing flu B and, as part of our return to normal, we have to remember that flu still has an impact on population health.”
Since the beginning of the year, hospital admissions for flu have been declining, from 12,883 the week ending Jan. 7 to 1,222 the week ending March 25.
Brownstein said the decline of other viruses as helped prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed but advised Americans to stay vigilant.
“Right now, the hospitals are benefiting from a little bit of a break,” he said. “We do have more breathing room in our hospitals than we have in the past, and that’s thankful, because that means that we can perform elective procedures, that means that our frontline health care workers are getting a little bit of a breather.”
Brownstein added, “We still have COVID circulating, there’s still other viruses that are still creating capacity challenges. A bad flu B peak could bring us right back to some of those capacity concerns.”
There are four types of influenza – A, B, C and D – however, A and B are the most common and cause seasonal epidemics in people, what we refer to as “fu season.”
However, flu activity across the U.S. remains in the “low” category and there Is currently no evidence that influenza B is more dangerous or more worrisome than Influenza A or any other strain.
“It just highlights the fact that, we still need to be vigilant about respiratory viruses, to being vaccinated against flu is still important,” said Brownstein.
According to the CDC’s weekly flu vaccination dashboard, about 48.3% of U.S. adults reported receiving a flu shot as of mid-February, higher than the 45.1% who reported doing so the same time last year.
Meanwhile, about 54.9% of all children in the U.S. are currently vaccinated against flu by the end of March, about the same as March 2022.
The federal health agency said flu vaccines are still very effective at preventing hospitalization and death. Flu vaccines administered this season reduced the risk of influenza A-related hospitalization among children by nearly three quarters and among adults by nearly half, the CDC said.
Brownstein said while it’s never too late for someone who hasn’t gotten the flu vaccine yet to be immunized, there will be availability issues as pharmacies and doctors’ offices give out their final doses.
“You will be challenged by availability and, of course, the longer you wait, the further the value of that vaccine is diminished,” Brownstein said. “The value keeps going down the longer you wait.”
ABC News’ Emma Egan and Youri Benadjaoudi contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Israeli police officers stormed a mosque in Jerusalem overnight, raising tensions during a high holiday and prompting clashes that continued into Wednesday morning.
Video from the scene released by the Israeli Police Force showed officers entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where worshipers were celebrating Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
Israeli police said they’d entered the mosque to remove “masked and law-breaking youths,” who they accused of taking over the mosque “in a painful manner.” Police accused them of “disturbing and desecrating the order inside the mosque.”
Israeli officers fired rubber bullets and stun guns inside the compound, they said. Palestinian worshipers returned fire with fireworks. More than 350 were arrested after they’d barricaded themselves inside, police said.
“These hooligans harm, first of all, the mass of Muslims who come to pray in the mosque,” Israeli officials said in a statement.
At least 12 people were injured, along with an Israeli officer, officials said. Police released a video of people with zip-tied hands being marched away from the mosque in the early hours of Wednesday.
“We warn the occupation against crossing red lines at holy sites, which will lead to a big explosion,”Nabil Abu Rudeineh, deputy prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority, said in a statement.
In the hours after the raid began, clashes erupted throughout the region. About nine rockets were launched, Israel Defense Forces said.
Four rockets from Gaza Strip were detected as they traveled into Israel, officials said, adding that they’d been intercepted. Another four landed in “open areas,” they said.
“In response to rocket fire from Gaza into Israel earlier, the IDF struck weapon manufacturing sites and a storage site belonging to Hamas, in addition to a military compound used for training terrorist operatives,” security officials said. “IDF tanks also struck military posts along the security fence.”
The Jordanian foreign minister in a statement condemned in the “strongest terms the Israeli occupation police storming the blessed mosque.”
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti, William Gretsky, Bruno Nota, Kerem Inal and Nassar Atta contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that the company has agreed to pay $8.9 billion over 25 years to settle “all current and future” claims that the company’s baby powder and other cosmetic talc products allegedly caused cancer.
The company announced in the securities filing that its subsidiary LTL Management, Inc. will be re-filing for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy to resolve the allegations. The filing is not an admission of wrongdoing and the company maintains its position that the talcum powder products are safe, according to the release.
Johnson & Johnson and its other affiliates did not file for bankruptcy protection and will continue to operate their businesses as usual, the release added.
“The Company continues to believe that these claims are specious and lack scientific merit,” Erik Haas, vice president of litigation at Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement, in part. “However, as the Bankruptcy Court recognized, resolving these cases in the tort system would take decades and impose significant costs on [the company] and the system, with most claimants never receiving any compensation.”
The announcement comes months after a federal appeals court ruled in January that the company could not use the bankruptcy court to resolve some 38,000 lawsuits that alleged the talc in its products caused ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, ABC News reported. At the time, the company said it planned on challenging the ruling.
Critics had urged the court to reject the legal maneuver, fearing it could prompt other big companies to avoid bringing mass tort lawsuits before juries.
In 2019, Johnson & Johnson recalled a shipment of baby powder when a sample tested positive for a trace amount of asbestos, according to an advisory from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sales of the talc-based product ended in North America the following year.
The company announced last year that it would stop using talc in its baby powder worldwide in 2023 and that the ingredient would be replaced with cornstarch.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Max Zahn contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A tornado warning was issued on Wednesday in a region that included parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, the National Weather Service said.
“A couple tornadoes possible,” the service said. “Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5 inches in diameter possible.”
The warning came after a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” struck down near Canton, Illinois, Tuesday evening, according to the service.
The tornado warning is in effect until 8:00 p.m., local time and NWS has warned people to seek shelter.
Heavy tornado activity is forecast in regions in the U.S. still reeling from a line of devastating tornadoes that killed dozens of people.
A major storm moving east on Tuesday is expected to produce another severe weather outbreak in the Midwest, mid-South, and Great Lakes, bringing strong, long-track tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. More than 95 million Americans are on alert for these severe weather conditions.
Cities in the bull’s-eye include Little Rock, Arkansas, Springfield, Missouri and Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa, forecasts show.
As the storm moved through the Rocky Mountains and Southwest overnight, places like Utah saw wind gusts up to 135 mph and up to 17 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Severe storms could even reach as far south as Austin, Texas, and Dallas and as far north as Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The inclement weather is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon and last overnight into Wednesday, with nocturnal tornadoes possible from Arkansas to Illinois and Iowa. A tornado watch was issued until 10 p.m. CT for parts of Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.
The threats of damaging winds and tornadoes will continue east on Wednesday into the Great Lakes, Ohio and Tennessee River Valley.
A severe threat area is expected through Wednesday night from Louisiana all the way to western New York. Enhanced risk for damaging winds and tornadoes will affect cities from Memphis and Nashville to Chicago again, Cincinnati, and Detroit.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed a line of violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across 14 states. At least nine EF3 tornadoes — wind speeds ranging from 136 to 165 mph — were confirmed to have touched down in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and Delaware on Friday and Saturday.
The damage was especially extensive near Little Rock, Arkansas, where an apartment complex was left in ruins following the strong twisters. At least five people were killed in Arkansas as a result of the storms.
At least one EF4 tornado — with winds ranging from 166 to 200 mph — was confirmed in Iowa on Friday.
At least 32 people in nine states were killed in the storms.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.
He is the first former U.S. president to be indicted.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 04, 10:58 PM EDT
Read the full transcript of Trump’s arraignment hearing
Former President Donald Trump’s first court hearing following his indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records lasted 57 minutes, according to court records.
Apr 04, 8:52 PM EDT
Trump: ‘Very dark cloud over our beloved country’
In his closing remarks, former President Donald Trump said there is a “very dark cloud over our beloved country.”
He addressed the crowd for about 25 minutes.
Apr 04, 8:35 PM EDT
Trump begins speech from Mar-a-Lago
Former President Donald Trump has started his address at his Mar-a-Lago estate, hours after he was arraigned on criminal charges.
“God bless you all. I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” were Trump’s first words.
Trump claimed the “fake case” was brought “only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election” and said it should be “dropped immediately.”
Apr 04, 8:10 PM EDT
Some Trump family members at Mar-a-Lago for speech
Some members of Donald Trump’s family just entered the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for the former president’s remarks.
Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., with Kimberly Guilfoyle, and his daughter Tiffany Trump entered the room to loud applause from the crowd.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 4:47 PM EDT
Prosecution claims conflict of interest with Trump attorney
Prosecutors alleged during Tuesday’s hearing that one of former President Donald Trump’s attorneys, Joe Tacopina, has a conflict of interest in the case because of prior communications with Stormy Daniels.
Tacopina pushed back on that aggressively, telling Judge Juan Merchan that he “never met, never spoke” with Daniels, and said that an associate from his office did send Daniels a document and held preliminary conversations with her.
Trump said “yes,” when the judge asked him if he understood he had a right to conflict-free counsel.
Judge Merchan did not make any decision on this today.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Laura Romero
Apr 04, 4:24 PM EDT
Trump en route to Florida
Donald Trump’s plane left New York Tuesday afternoon to head back to Florida where the former president is expected to address the public from Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night.
Apr 04, 4:22 PM EDT
Bragg: ‘We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg claimed former President Donald Trump “repeatedly made false statements” on New York business records and made others do the same during a press briefing following Tuesday’s arraignment.
“These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are,” Bragg said. “We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.
“Bragg said the case, “like so many of our white-collar cases,” alleges that “someone lied again and again to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable.”
Bragg claimed Trump and his associates attempted to withhold negative information about him in a “catch-and-kill scheme” meant to bolster his candidacy for president.
“The evidence will show that Trump lied … to cover up crimes related to the 2016 presidential election,” Bragg said.
The payments to Michael Cohen were meant to “hide damaging information from the voting public,” he added.
When asked why his office was pursuing the case now, Bragg said there is more evidence in hand than his predecessor had.
Apr 04, 4:18 PM EDT
Dispute over possible trial date
Prosecutors asked for a trial date in January 2024.
Donald Trump’s legal team called that timeline “too aggressive” and suggested spring 2024 as an alternative.
Judge Juan Merchan did not weigh in.
Trump’s next in-person court appearance is set for Dec. 4. The defense counsel asked the judge to waive Trump’s appearance.
The judge acknowledged that Tuesday’s hearing was a “huge undertaking,” but said he would not immediately excuse Trump’s appearance, and said he would deny for the time being the defense counsel’s request “in the interest of transparency.”
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Laura Romero
Apr 04, 3:44 PM EDT
Indictment unsealed
The indictment against former President Donald Trump has been unsealed.
Prosecutors allege Trump “employed a ‘catch and kill’ scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects,” and “went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”
Prosecutors allege, “In one instance, American Media Inc. (‘AMI’), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock,” though the story wasn’t true.
“The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “The trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws.”
Apr 04, 3:29 PM EDT
Trump leaves courtroom
Former President Donald Trump left the courtroom at 3:25 p.m., nearly one hour after entering the room at 2:28 p.m.
Apr 04, 3:28 PM EDT
Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to a source in the courtroom. Trump entered the not guilty plea himself, sources said.
Trump waited in the courtroom for at least five minutes before Judge Juan Merchan arrived, and rose when the judge said, “all rise.”
“Let’s arraign Mr. Trump, please,” Merchan said.
Trump spoke quietly when he addressed the judge, including when he entered his not guilty plea.
Prosecutors asked for a protective order on the discovery materials, which would prevent Trump from disseminating those records.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s new defense attorney, at one point said, “I didn’t realize we were going to be giving opening statements.”
Blanche said Trump was “frustrated” and “upset” and had a right to express his views publicly.
The judge said he was not going to enact a gag order.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Olivia Rubin, Laura Romero and John Santucci
Apr 04, 2:41 PM EDT
Photo released of Trump at arraignment
A photo has been released of former President Donald Trump sitting between his attorneys at the defense table.
Still cameras were permitted to take photos in the courtroom before the hearing began, but Judge Juan Merchan barred video cameras from the proceedings.
Former President Donald Trump has entered a Manhattan courtroom for an unprecedented arraignment.
Trump didn’t speak to the press as he headed into the courtroom at 2:28 p.m., nearly one hour after he entered the courthouse at 1:23 p.m.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was brought into the courtroom before him, escorted in under the protection of officers.
Apr 04, 2:16 PM EDT
Trump processed, fingerprints taken
Former President Donald Trump has been processed as a criminal defendant, including having his fingerprints taken.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Apr 04, 1:38 PM EDT
Trump posts while en route to court: ‘Can’t believe this is happening’
Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social while on his way to the Manhattan courthouse, saying that it “seems so SURREAL.”
“WOW, they are going to ARREST ME,” he wrote. “Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 1:35 PM EDT
Trump surrenders
Former President Donald Trump has surrendered at court in lower Manhattan for arraignment on criminal charges.
He traveled in a black SUV with his Secret Service detail. His two lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, were in another SUV.
The motorcade passed a man holding a sign reading, “No one is above the law.”
Although the document remains sealed, sources familiar told ABC News that Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies.
Still cameras will be permitted inside the courtroom to take photos before the hearing begins, but Judge Juan Merchan has barred video cameras from the proceedings.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to address the media after Trump’s arraignment.
Apr 04, 1:09 PM EDT
Trump en route to courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has left Trump Tower and is now in a motorcade to a lower Manhattan courthouse to be arraigned.
Apr 04, 12:49 PM EDT
George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene outside courthouse
Protesters from both sides are gathering outside at Collect Pond Park, some with flags reading “Trump or Death.” Hundreds of people are inside the barricaded park, with pro-Trump supporters outnumbering the anti-Trump protesters and competing voices trading barbs and shouts.
Republican Reps. George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the 50 to 60 Trump supporters at the scene.
Greene spoke outside the courthouse calling Trump’s indictment “election interference.”
She accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of being a “tool for Democrats” to “hijack the 2024 presidential election.”
“Every single American should be concerned. They’re coming after President Trump today, they will come after you tomorrow. President Trump did nothing wrong,” she said.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who was also outside the courthouse, pushed back, shouting at Greene, “She should not be here.”
The streets surrounding the New York Criminal Court are largely blocked off. A robust police presence is busily shepherding onlookers past a row of television cameras.
Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., plan to attend Trump’s Tuesday night speech at Mar-a-Lago, aides told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Lauren Peller, Will Steakin and Jay O’Brien
Apr 04, 12:13 PM EDT
Trump spends morning working phones, speaking to aides and allies: Sources
Former President Donald Trump spent Monday night and Tuesday morning huddled with his legal team at Trump Tower preparing for his arraignment, sources told ABC News.
Trump was up early Tuesday morning working the phones and speaking to aides and allies ahead of his Tuesday afternoon arraignment, sources said.
Trump is expected to enter his not guilty plea himself, not through his lawyers, sources said. Trump’s legal team has still not seen the indictment or been informed of the charges, according to sources, who told ABC News the legal team expects to see it just minutes before the arraignment begins.
One person described Trump as “upbeat” and “relatively excited.” Another person said Trump is “not angry” and is resigned to the fact that this day has finally come.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Apr 04, 11:21 AM EDT
Trump slams judge ahead of arraignment
Former President Donald Trump lashed out at the judge expected to preside over his arraignment in a Tuesday morning post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump attacked the judge and his family, without naming them, claiming they are known Trump haters, and claiming a potential trial would not be fair.
The former president has repeatedly gone after the judge and the Manhattan district attorney on social media in the days leading up to Tuesday’s arraignment.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 11:02 AM EDT
George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene outside courthouse
Former President Donald Trump isn’t expected in lower Manhattan for another few hours, but the circus outside the courthouse is well underway.
Protesters from both sides are gathering outside at Collect Pond Park, some with flags reading “Trump or Death.”
Republican Reps. George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the 50 to 60 Trump supporters at the scene.
The streets surrounding the New York Criminal Court are largely blocked off. A robust police presence is busily shepherding onlookers past a row of television cameras.
Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., plan to attend Trump’s Tuesday night speech at Mar-a-Lago, aides told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Will Steakin and Jay O’Brien
Apr 04, 7:36 AM EDT
‘There will be no guilty plea,’ Trump’s lawyer says
Just hours before Donald Trump was expected to turn himself in to New York City authorities to face criminal charges, his lawyer Joe Tacopina insisted Friday that the former president will not be pleading guilty.
“Really, there’s a lot of mystery here because we’re doing something that’s never been done before,” Tacopina told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“One thing I can assure you as I sit here today is there will be no guilty plea in this case,” he added. “That is one thing I can guarantee you.”
Tacopina said Trump won’t be put in handcuffs but “he’ll be processed the way anyone else would be, to a degree — again, with Secret Service involvement.”
“I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long — 20, 30 minutes,” he said. “And then we’ll appear before a judge, you know, deal with a couple issues right off the bat and it won’t be a long day in court.”
That’s when authorities will unseal Trump’s indictment, revealing the exact charges against him.
“They have not shared it with us, won’t share it with us until it’s unsealed,” Tacopina said. “But we know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment.”
Trump’s defense team plans to make “a lot of motions” once they see the indictment, according to Tacopina.
“I don’t think this case is going to see a jury. I think it’s going to go away on papers,” he said. “I think there’s a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.”
When asked about speculation that the judge might impose a gag order, Tacopina said there was “no indication” of that.
“It can’t happen in this case,” he added. “The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning. Hard to put a gag order when he’s going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.”
After court, Trump plans to travel back to Palm Beach, Florida, where he will make a statement at his Mar-a-Lago estate, according to Tacopina.
Trump’s attorney talks how he will fight criminal charges
Following Donald Trump’s unprecedented indictment by a Manhattan grand jury last Thursday, the former president begins the first steps in the criminal justice process.
Trump surrenders to authorities
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it has been in contact with Trump’s lawyers to arrange his surrender to authorities in order to begin criminal proceedings.
Trump, a Florida resident, traveled to New York City on Monday and spent the night at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan before his arraignment in lower Manhattan on Tuesday. The former president must adhere to the court’s deadline and be processed by authorities before heading to court for the unsealing of the indictment.
Trump is processed by authorities
Processing typically involves being fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot, but experts say those may not occur in Trump’s case because the former president is not a flight risk. Similarly, Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina told ABC News last Friday that the former “president will not be put in handcuffs.”
It is also unlikely that Trump will be publicly transported to the courtroom by police, according to Cheryl Bader, an associate clinical professor of law at Fordham University in New York City.
“With white-collar crime, we see that a lot of [suspects] have the privilege of being able to turn themselves in instead of being arrested and put in handcuffs,” Bader told ABC News during a recent interview.
Trump appears in court, makes plea
During the court appearance, which typically takes place in a courtroom without cameras in New York state, the former president will be read his charges and ordered to make a plea. Trump and his lawyers have indicated they intend to fight the indictment in court.
Following his plea, the judge will have the right to remand Trump on bail or release him on his own recognizance before adjourning for a future date. Bader said that judges rarely order suspects in white-collar crimes to be held in jail before their trial, and she expected that the judge will release Trump after the hearing.
In some cases, especially if the suspect is a flight risk, a judge may place restrictions on the suspect such as holding onto their passport, but Bader said it is unclear if the judge will go that far.
Judge hears motions, sets next court date
Following the judge’s order, Trump’s lawyers will have the opportunity to review the indictment charges and make motions regarding the case, including seeking to have the charges dismissed or evidence suppressed, or requesting a change of venue.
Several pre-trial hearings and motions are expected in the case, as Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly made claims that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation is a political attack, according to Bader.
“I’m sure the case is going to be very litigated and take a lot of time to wind its way through the system,” Bader told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Ivan Pereira and Will Steakin
Apr 03, 10:16 PM EDT
Judge issues decision on cameras in court Tuesday
Judge Juan Merchan will allow five pool still photographers to snap for several minutes before the arraignment formally starts, according to a decision issued Monday night.
No video cameras will be allowed, though Judge Merchan conceded, “That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges.”
The judge said he needed to balance other interests.
No electronic devices will be allowed in either the main or overflow courtrooms, the judge ruled.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Apr 03, 4:25 PM EDT
Trump arrives at Trump Tower
Former President Donald Trump has arrived at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan where he’ll spend the night Monday before his arraignment in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Trump briefly waved as he departed his motorcade and walked into the side entrance of the building on 56th Street Monday afternoon.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 03, 3:41 PM EDT
Biden says he has faith in legal system, not worried about unrest
President Joe Biden said Monday he has faith in the legal system as he made his most extensive comments yet on former President Donald Trump’s indictment.
While touring a manufacturing facility in Minnesota, a reporter asked Biden if he was worried about unrest, and the president replied, “No. I have faith in the New York Police Department.”
Asked if he has faith in the legal system at this point, the president responded, “Yes.”
On Friday, in an exchange with reporters outside the White House, Biden repeatedly declined to comment on the indictment.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Apr 03, 3:37 PM EDT
Trump lands in New York City
Former President Donald Trump has just touched down in New York, ahead of his arraignment Tuesday.
Trump’s plane landed at LaGuardia Airport, and is now expected to head to Trump Tower.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 03, 1:50 PM EDT
Trump opposes cameras in court
Former President Donald Trump on Monday opposed the presence of cameras in the courtroom for his Tuesday arraignment.
“It will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence,” Trump’s attorney Susan Necheles said.
A coalition of news organizations, including ABC News, has filed motions with the court, seeking access to cover and record the hearing Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to take a position on the matter.
Judge Juan Merchan has not yet ruled.
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
Apr 03, 1:18 PM EDT
Trump expands legal team with top white-collar defense attorney
Former President Donald Trump is expanding his legal team, hiring a former federal prosecutor and white-collar defense attorney to lead his defense ahead of Tuesday’s arraignment, sources said.
Todd Blanche, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, recently resigned from his law firm to take on this new role, according to sources. Blanche has represented high-profile clients like Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, and Igor Fruman, an ex-associate to Rudy Giuliani.
Blanche is expected to travel with Trump from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan to the courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, the sources said. Blanche didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
-ABC News’ John Santucci and Katherine Faulders
Apr 03, 1:00 PM EDT
Trump en route to New York
Former President Donald Trump has departed Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport bound for New York City.
Dozens of Trump supporters lined the streets to cheer the former president on as his motorcade headed to the airport.
Some wore shirts saying, “Trump did nothing wrong.”
“People want to support [Trump] because, basically, they see him as an underdog at this point, and which he is,” Whit Taylor told ABC News as he watched the motorcade. “He’s being harassed and pushed around by people who are just haters. I mean that’s the bottom line — they just hate people.”
Trump is expected to stay in Manhattan Monday night before appearing in court for an arraignment on Tuesday.
Apr 03, 12:38 PM EDT
No specific credible threat in NYC, mayor says
As New York City gears up for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said “there has been no specific credible threat.”
“All New Yorkers should go on with their regular activities” on Tuesday, Adams said at a news conference Monday, adding that New Yorkers should expect “some disruptions,” including traffic and street closures.
New Yorkers may also see an additional police presence, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. She encouraged people to use mass transit when possible.
Sewell said any protests should be peaceful and orderly.
The mayor warned that violence and vandalism won’t be tolerated, and said anyone caught participating in violence will be arrested.
Adams called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who said she’s planning to come to New York to support Trump, urging her and others to “be on your best behavior.”
Apr 03, 6:32 AM EDT
Poll shows plurality of the public supports Trump indictment
A plurality of Americans think former President Donald Trump should have been charged by a Manhattan grand jury with a history-making indictment.
According to the poll, 45% think Trump should have been charged with a crime in this case, whereas 32% don’t think so and 23% say they don’t know.
Democrats are, unsurprisingly, rallying behind the grand jury’s decision.
Almost nine in 10 Democrats (88%) think Trump should have been charged in the investigation by the Manhattan D.A., which has been probing a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels who alleges the two had an affair. Trump has long denied these claims.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Apr 03, 6:01 AM EDT
‘I just don’t know what to expect to see,’ Trump’s lawyer says
Donald Trump’s lawyer doesn’t know what to expect when the former president is arraigned on Tuesday in New York City given the historic nature of Trump’s indictment, he said on Sunday.
“This is unprecedented. I don’t know. I’ve done a million arraignments in that courthouse with celebrities and whatnot. But this is a whole different thing. We have Secret Service involved. I understand they’re closing the courthouse for the afternoon. I just don’t know what to expect to see,” Joe Tacopina told ABC This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it’s, at the end of the day, a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say ‘not guilty,’ we set schedules to file motions and whatnot or discovery, and we move forward and get out of there,” Tacopina said.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Apr 03, 5:26 AM EDT
Trump expected to travel to New York on Monday
Former President Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday at the earliest, the sources said, on what is expected to be around two dozen counts – including felonies.
The exact charges are unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci
Apr 02, 11:09 AM EDT
Trump to speak at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night
Following his expected arraignment on Tuesday in New York City, former President Donald Trump announced he would speak that evening from Mar-a-Lago.
The former president is slated to give remarks at 8:15 p.m., according to a press release.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 02, 10:33 AM EDT
America split on Trump indictment: Poll
While 45% of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should face charges in an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, 32% say he shouldn’t have been indicted, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Another 23% of American say they don’t know whether the nation’s 45th president should face charges.
While the charges have not been announced, a Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump had been hearing evidence in a $130,000 hush money payment Trump allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair. Trump has denied the allegations.
The poll showed a split in opinions along party lines. While 88% of Democrats said Trump should face charges, 62%, of Republicans said the former president should not have been charged while 16% said he should be charged, and the remainder was uncertain.
About 47% of Americans polled say the charges are politically motivated, echoing the sentiment from top GOP figures. About 79% of Republicans hold that view.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Mar 31, 6:08 PM EDT
Why Trump indictment might hinge on a ‘novel legal theory’
As legal experts speculate on what charges lay inside the sealed indictment ahead of former President Donald Trump’s expected surrender on Tuesday afternoon, many predict that prosecutors could try out a new legal theory to justify bringing the charges.
“This could be a novel legal theory,” said Kate Shaw, a law professor at Cardozo and ABC News contributor, speculating on what charges the public could see against Trump while stressing it’s unknown until the indictment is unsealed.
-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
Mar 31, 5:31 PM EDT
Trump faces around 2 dozen counts, including felonies, sources say
Former President Donald Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies, sources familiar with the sealed indictment told ABC News.
The exact charges remain unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court on Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
Mar 31, 4:51 PM EDT
Senate sergeant at arms warns of potential demonstration activity
The Senate sergeant at arms is warning of potential demonstration activity related to the indictment of former President Donald Trump.
“While law enforcement is not tracking any specific, credible threats against the Capitol or state offices, there is potential for demonstration activity,” an email obtained by ABC News said.
Capitol Police “is working with law enforcement partners, so you may observe a greater law enforcement presence on Capitol Hill,” the email said, adding that there could be “nationwide impacts to Senate state offices.”
The Capitol Police declined to comment and the sergeant at arms didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
Mar 31, 12:56 PM EDT
Ivanka Trump speaks out
Former President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, reacted to the indictment on Instagram Friday, writing, “I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both.”
She added, “I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.”
Mar 31, 12:30 PM EDT
How DA could use hush money payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal to bolster Trump case
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also investigating a $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who, like Stormy Daniels, claimed to have had an affair with Donald Trump.
The former president has denied having an affair with either woman and has called the investigation a witch hunt.
McDougal was paid for the rights to her story in August 2016 by American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer, which did not publish it, a practice known as catch and kill.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, has said he recorded Trump discussing reimbursement to American Media for the payment to McDougal, but the payment was never made.
Trump has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment but in a 2018 interview with Fox News, he claimed he wasn’t aware of any payment made to AMI to facilitate the alleged hush agreement.
Mar 31, 12:27 PM EDT
Judge signs order allowing DA to publicly acknowledge indictment
Judge Juan Merchan has signed this order allowing the Manhattan district attorney’s office to publicly acknowledge the indictment.
The People v Donald J Trump. This is the order allowing the DA to publicly acknowledge the indictment pic.twitter.com/leg9vDascr
(NEW YORK) — A tech start-up CEO once considered a preeminent American entrepreneur has been arrested and charged with fraud for allegedly lying to J.P. Morgan Chase, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
Charlie Javice, previously featured as a Forbes magazine “30 Under 30” honoree, was arrested Monday night in New Jersey for lying about the number of customers her company serviced with its student loan assistance program, according to DOJ.
“She lied directly to JPMC and fabricated data to support those lies — all in order to make over $45 million from the sale of her company,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “This arrest should warn entrepreneurs who lie to advance their businesses that their lies will catch up to them, and this Office will hold them accountable for putting their greed above the law.”
A spokesperson for Javice said she denies the allegations and her lawyer declined to comment.
The company, Frank, had been billed as a way to simplify the student loan application process. Javice is accused of fabricating data to make it appear as though the platform had millions more users in order to sell the company for $175 million.
She is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, one count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution and one count of bank fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. She also faces one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Javice enlisted the help of a data scientist to create a fake database that was used to convince JP Morgan Chase the platform had more than 4.25 million users, according to charging documents. The tech CEO also allegedly purchased real data on 4.25 million college students that she tried to pass off as her user data.
Javice made an initial appearance in court on Tuesday, and she was released on a $2 million bond that restricts her to certain parts of New York and southern Florida.
ABC News’ Luke Barr and Lisa Sivertson contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Spring has sprung and summer is around the corner which means long strolls and rolling strides outside during the warm weather months.
Ahead of National Walking Day, Good Morning America tapped Dr. Liz Weinandy, lead dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, to explain what to watch out for if dehydration hits, as well as the best things to drink and eat to keep your body nourished.
Symptoms of dehydration
“There are several signs a person might be dehydrated,” she said. “Headache or confusion, extreme thirst, very dark urine, infrequent urination, fatigue, muscle cramping and lightheadedness. In extreme cases of dehydration, it can lead to heatstroke or hyperthermia (abnormally high body heat).”
When it comes to preventative measures and staying hydrated, Weinandy said, “the best way to avoid dehydration is to drink before you get thirsty.”
“In some situations, it is easier to get dehydrated, like being active in hot temperatures,” she continued.
Best drinks for hydration besides water
While some supplements like hydration packets that are added to water can be helpful for some, Weinandy said H2O still reigns supreme for staying hydrated.
“Water is usually best and suitable for most people unless they are excessively sweating, then replacing electrolytes like potassium and sodium start to become more important,” Weinandy explained. “Sports drinks and electrolyte replacement solutions are very appropriate in this situation, although keep in mind most people do not need them.”
“As for food, most fruits and vegetables have a higher water content compared to other foods,” she said. “Melons, strawberries, pineapple, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce are especially high in water and can help prevent dehydration.”
Who’s at-risk for dehydration?
Weinandy said another factor to keep in mind is that “some groups are at a higher risk of becoming dehydrated.”
“Infants, elderly and people who cannot communicate clearly” can all be more prone to dehydration, she said. “Also, being dehydrated increases the risk of developing kidney stones because urine is more concentrated.”
How much water to drink to stay hydrated
ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said the amount of water you should consume daily depends on your age, height and where you live.
Most guidelines call for the average woman to drink around 2.7 liters per day, and 3.7 liters for men.
One liter is equivalent to 33 ounces.
“Your body’s own systems will tell you when you need more water and it’s called thirst,” Ashton said. “A lot of times people think they’re hungry and they’re actually thirsty. See how it works for you.”
