(WASHINGTON) -- Boeing's safety culture came under scrutiny during a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, where a Boeing whistleblower was among those who testified about the company's production methods in the wake of the Alaska Airlines door plug blowout.
Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour, who first spoke out earlier this month on the company's production of the 787 and 777 jets, was among four witnesses who testified in front of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs' Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
"I have analyzed Boeing's own data to conclude that the company is taking manufacturing shortcuts on the 787 program that may significantly reduce the airplane safety and the lifecycle," Salehpour testified.
Salehpour claimed that since 2013, there have been serious issues in the 787 program, describing those issues as "gaps in its assembly of the fuselage" of the 787. Salehpour said Boeing pushed pieces of the fuselage together with "excessive force" to make it seem like the gaps in the fuselage didn't exist. Salehpour said that 98.7% of the time, the gaps that were supposed to have shims did not have shims.
"I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align," said Salehpour about the 777 production line. "I call it the Tarzan effect."
Salehpour claimed he was sidelined and told to "shut up" and that his boss told him that he would have "killed someone" who said what Salehpour said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Salehpour's claims regarding the 787 and 777 production.
Boeing has refuted Salehpour's claims regarding the structural flaws of the jets and said it is "fully confident" in the safety of both.
"In 13 years of service, the global 787 fleet has safely transported more than 850 million passengers on more than 4.2 million flights," Boeing said in a statement Wednesday prior to the hearing. "A 787 can safely operate for at least 30 years before needing expanded airframe maintenance routines. Extensive and rigorous testing of the fuselage and heavy maintenance checks of nearly 700 in-service airplanes to date have found zero evidence of airframe fatigue. Under FAA oversight, we have painstakingly inspected and reworked airplanes and improved production quality to meet exacting standards that are measured in the one hundredths of an inch."
The 777 fleet has "safely flown more than 3.9 billion passengers around the world" and "remains the most successful widebody airplane family in aviation history," Boeing added.
Following the hearing, the company said "retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing."
Boeing has come under intense scrutiny after a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board found that the plane, a 737 Max, was missing four bolts when the door was installed.
Boeing has not turned over records documenting the work on the door plug, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told the Senate Commerce Committee last month, saying that Boeing informed them that they are unable to find the records.
Ed Pierson, executive director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety and a former Boeing manager, testified during Wednesday's Senate hearing that a whistleblower provided him with the records, and that he then turned them over to the FBI.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat this. This is a criminal cover-up," Pierson said. "Records do, in fact, exist. I know this because I personally passed them to the FBI."
Pierson said the records have been available "for months." He has not publicly produced the documents.
An FBI Seattle spokesperson declined to comment to ABC News on Pierson's claim that he turned Boeing records over to the FBI.
Boeing referred ABC News to Homendy's comments at the Senate hearing on April 10, in which she characterized the lack of records as an "escape from normal process" and said that Boeing has provided the NTSB with "all the documents that we've asked for that exist, they are aware that this record does not exist. They are equally concerned about the process here and the escape. And we are all working together to figure out what happened to rectify the situation and anything else going forward.”
In response to Pierson's testimony, the NTSB said in a statement that during the hearing on April 10, Homendy "reiterated that Boeing indicated to the NTSB that it did not have documentation detailing the work on the opening, closing, and securing of the door plug that blew out during a January 5 passenger flight operated as Alaska Airlines flight 1282."
"The NTSB has not received any such documentation from Boeing or any other entity," the statement continued.
Pierson, who has not worked at Boeing in six years, also testified Wednesday on the safety culture at Boeing, telling senators, "The manufacturing conditions that led to the two 737 Max disasters also led to the Alaskan blowout accident, and these conditions continue."
The crashes of two Boeing 737 Max jets -- Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019 -- killed 346 people. Investigators found that both crashes involved a flawed flight control system. The Max was grounded for 20 months before being cleared to fly again in December 2020.
"The world is shocked to learn about Boeing's current production quality issues. I'm not surprised because nothing changed after the two crashes," Pierson said. "Government authorities ignored Boeing's manufacturing problems until the Alaska accident. Passengers shouldn't have to rely on whistleblowers to provide the truth."
Joe Jacobsen, an aerospace engineer and technical adviser to the Foundation for Aviation Safety and former FAA engineer, testified that since the 737 Max went back into service in 2020, "we have a long list of unsafe conditions for manufacturing defects. We also have a long list, equally long list of design defects. So what that tells me is it's a company-wide problem."
Shawn Pruchnicki, professional practice assistant professor of integrated systems engineering at Ohio State University, said that Boeing's issues, including the two Max crashes, were "100% about money."
"It leads me to wonder, have we even gone backwards at Boeing? The Alaska Airlines event strongly supports that," he said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, called the testimony "shocking."
"There are mounting serious allegations that Boeing has a broken safety culture and a set of practices that are unacceptable," he said.
Blumenthal said at the conclusion of the hearing that the record will remain open for 15 days for any questions or documents to be submitted.
"We hope that there will be others who will come forward," he said.
The senator also said they hope to be in touch with the Department of Justice "to indicate our interest in cooperating with them," as the agency also investigates Boeing.
The hearing lasted just over 90 minutes, as senators said they had a hard out for impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Following the hearing, Boeing said that since 2020, it has "taken important steps to foster a safety culture that empowers and encourages all employees to raise their voice."
"We know we have more work to do and we are taking action across our company," Boeing said. "Since January 2024, there has been a more than 500% increase in employee reports through our 'Speak Up' portal compared to 2023, which signals progress toward a robust reporting culture that is not fearful of retaliation."
"We continue to put safety and quality above all else and share information transparently with our regulator, customers and other stakeholders," the statement said.
The hearing comes two days after Boeing held a press tour of its factory in North Charleston, South Carolina, during which it laid out its engineering process following allegations from Salehpour.
The company said it ran extensive fatigue testing on the 787 Dreamliner, running the test to 165,000 flight cycles and saying it was "the longest fatigue test of any commercial airplane that's ever been run." Boeing said the testing took five years to complete and at the end of the testing, there were no findings of fatigue in the 787's composite structure.
Lisa Fahl, the vice president of engineering for airplane programs at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, also told reporters they encourage employees to speak out.
"We're on a continuous improvement journey on ensuring that our teammates' opinions and questions get answered," Fahl said. "We hear from them, we create processes, we continue to evolve on this process as we go forward and just welcome the feedback and encourage it and want it from our team, that's how we make us better, that's the foundation of the Safety Management System and aerospace safety in general, is people speaking up."
(HONOLULU) -- Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez on Wednesday released the first set of findings from an independent investigation into the deadly wildfires that erupted on the Hawaiian island of Maui last year, the deadliest natural disaster in state history.
At least 101 people died in connection with the wildfires. Much of the historic town of Lahaina was destroyed by the blaze that burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground. Thousands were left seeking temporary housing and faced unemployment.
According to Lopez's office, the report analyzes how the fire incidents unfolded and what happened in the aftermath -- spanning a 72-hour period.
The report does not address the cause of the wildfires.
The report details the timeline of events that took place on August 8, 2023, from the initial Olinda Fire breaking out at approximately 12:22 a.m. to the first Lahaina fire around 6:34 a.m. and the second Lahaina fire that broke out later that day around 2:55 p.m. and was uncontained and active for more than a week.
Four fires began on August 8, according to the report, including the Kula fire and the Pulehu fire.
High winds and low relative humidity set the stage for the immense scale and scope of the wildfires, according to the report.
Amid the Maui Fire Department's efforts to combat the wildfires trucks and teams became trapped and entangled by the fire and downed power lines, the report notes.
The Lahaina Bypass, the town's primary evacuation route, was impacted by the fire, according to the report, with smoke, low visibility and downed lines trapping civilians evacuating.
Local agencies, like the county fire department, and local companies, like Hawaiian Electric, have been under scrutiny for their involvement in fire preparation, wildfire mitigation and the response to the wildfires. However, the many agencies and companies involved have continued to point fingers at one another in the aftermath.
"We must come to a complete understanding of how this disaster started to ensure Hawaii and other states are prepared to prevent and stop other deadly wildfires," the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce stated in a recent letter about the hearing. "To that end, we seek a fuller understanding of the role, if any, of the electric infrastructure in this tragic event."
President & CEO of Hawaiian Electric Shelee Kimura defended the company after the wildfires, saying that allegations of fault were "factually and legally irresponsible" and claimed the company's investigation showed it responded to both fires promptly. The company is facing several lawsuits connected to the wildfires.
In response to the lawsuits, a spokesperson for the company told ABC News, "Our primary focus in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy has been to do everything we can to support not just the people of Maui, but also Maui County."
Separately, the father of a woman who died in Maui's wildfires filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Maui County and the state of Hawaii accusing them of negligence and wrongful conduct in allowing the fires to ignite or spread without being contained or suppressed.
County and state representatives have not responded to ABC News' requests for comment.
Maui officials have said the blazes spread rapidly due to very dry conditions, such as dry brush stemming from a drought combined with the powerful winds. In the days before the Aug. 8 wildfire, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency issued a red flag warning of "gusty winds and dry fuels" creating a risk of "extreme fire."
State officials estimated there were more than $5.5 billion in damages.
The Maui Fire Department released its after-action report on Tuesday. The report did not mention the cause and origin of the wildfires, as it is still under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura. So far, the report contained "recommendations and considerations" for future fire response efforts, including the need for more firefighting equipment such as trucks and water tankers.
"While I'm incredibly proud of our department's response, I believe we can always improve our efforts," Ventura said in the press conference.
A statewide mutual aid program and evacuation plan for residents, including those who speak different languages, was also recommended.
When the bureau's investigation is complete, the after-action report will be rereleased, according to officials.
(NEW YORK) -- ABC News has learned the Justice Department and attorneys for 100 victims of Larry Nassar are in the final stages of negotiating a deal that would pay tens of millions of dollars to resolve claims the FBI failed to investigate allegations of abuse by the former women's U.S. gymnastics team doctor, according to sources familiar with the matter.
No deal has been finalized and negotiations remain at a sensitive stage, according to the sources.
Once finalized, the settlement would resolve a series of tort claims filed against the Justice Department and the FBI in 2022 by the long list of athletes and patients who reported abuse by Nassar, including Maggie Nichols, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
The claims, which in total sought roughly $1 billion in damages, were filed after the department said it was declining to pursue criminal charges against agents whom the DOJ's inspector general found failed to properly investigate allegations of abuse by Nassar.
The IG's report found the FBI was notified of Nassar's behavior but failed to act for more than 14 months, a period where Nassar is alleged to have abused at least 40 more girls and women.
Nassar pleaded guilty in 2017 in connection with crimes against several victims and was sentenced to 60 years behind bars for child pornography and other charges. He again pleaded guilty in 2018 and was sentenced to an additional 40 to 175 years for multiple counts of sexual assault of minors.
Attorneys representing the victims declined to comment on the reported settlement, as did the FBI and Justice Department.
(WASHINGTON) -- Calling 911 is meant to save lives. But the emergency service, and others like it, are also viewed as ripe targets for criminally minded cyber-attackers, according to a new federal assessment – and any vulnerability in those critical networks can expose victims to a multitude of dangerous ripple effects.
The analysis, compiled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and obtained by ABC News, outlines concerns that the Emergency Service Sector can be exploited and mined for sensitive data, in turn hampering medical and law enforcement services and posing an ongoing threat to personal information and public safety.
"Cybercriminal exploitation of data stolen during ransomware attacks against the Emergency Service Sector (ESS) likely poses a persistent criminal threat due to the exposure and availability of victims’ personal information," according to the April 10 bulletin.
Ransomware attacks have “disrupted the networks of police department and 911 call center operations,” the bulletin continued, putting computer-aided dispatching services out of commission and forcing emergency services “to revert to manual dispatching to sustain their operations.”
Once stolen, potentially sensitive personal information and police records can be leaked, sold or otherwise used by the attackers “to facilitate additional crimes — including extortion, identity theft, and swatting,” the DHS bulletin said.
“Whereas cyberattacks were once considered to be a technology issue, today they’re considered a threat to the very operations of law enforcement and other public safety agencies,” said John Cohen, the former intelligence chief at the Department of Homeland Security, now an ABC News contributor.
“Imagine the impact on local public safety if jail management systems were inoperable because of a cyberattack, that police communication capabilities were disrupted, that the public was unable to contact local police in an emergency, that detectives and investigators were unable to access sensitive case data,” Cohen added. “If a foreign terrorist group, or a nation state, can tie up law enforcement responses by targeting their 911 call center, or police departments can't gain access to investigative or other important information – that will hamper their emergency response, and aid a threat actor in achieving their operational objectives.”
And because of how fundamental and highly sensitive emergency systems are, and the availability of personally identifiable information they include, they may strike cyber criminals as particularly attractive targets to extort, the DHS bulletin said, due to "the possible perception that ESS entities are motivated to pay ransoms to ensure continuity of services."
“For a police department, or fire department, or any emergency service to be hijacked in any way, it’s a big problem for public safety and, additionally, you have to have a lot of resources devoted to addressing it. And it can also prevent us from doing investigations,” said Robert Boyce, an ABC News contributor and retired chief of detectives in the New York Police Department.
The new federal analysis punctuates an already volatile moment in America, as partisan tensions seethe ahead of a high-stakes presidential election, multiple wars are being waged abroad, and political violence has already broken out overseas.
Meanwhile, domestic extremists that remain emboldened to attack are also adopting more blended ideological grievances, intelligence analysts have found, making it increasingly difficult for authorities to identify the motivations behind attacks.
“As we’re going into election season, there is increasing concern that local communities will experience a combination of cyber information operations and physical attacks simultaneously. The physical activities, to disrupt the election process, and the cyber activities to disrupt the ability of local officials to respond,” Cohen said.
In the 21st century, such threat actors are aided by a mushrooming array of technological advances that offer new, creative tools – like cyberattacks.
In January, a cyberattack hit the department of emergency communications in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, affecting its computer-aided 911 system – forcing dispatchers to use pen and paper to take information from callers, according to ABC station WPVI.
The same month, the computer system in Fulton County, Georgia, was hacked, paralyzing many government services and causing aftereffects that persisted for weeks.
State, local, tribal and territorial governments “manage the majority of ESS networks and are among the groups ransomware actors most often victimize, yet most do not have the resources to independently improve their cybersecurity posture," according to the DHS bulletin.
Further, emergency services “often rely” on state, local, tribal and territorial government networks that “use legacy information and operational technology systems – the replacement of which can be prohibitively expensive or disruptive to operations—and lack sufficiently trained and resourced information technology and cybersecurity personnel,” the bulletin said. It urged a “collaborative, cross-jurisdictional approach to cybersecurity and prioritizing cyber hygiene best practices” to shore up the vital networks against “unsophisticated network intrusions.”
“Good preparation is good prevention,” Cohen told ABC News. “The threat environment is volatile and complex, and the level of preparation that’s taking place at the state and local levels far exceeds anything that I've seen in my 40-plus years.”
(NEW YORK) -- Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Jury selection could take up to two weeks, with the entire trial expected to last between six and eight weeks.
Here's how the news is developing:
Apr 17, 3:39 PM Prosecutors want to question Trump about civil cases
If former President Trump opts to testify in the trial, prosecutors want to question him about all the times he has been held liable in civil court, according to a new court filing in the case.
Prosecutors have asked Judge Juan Merchan to hold a hearing, known as a Sandoval hearing, to determine the scope of what they can ask Trump on cross-examination.
"We are prepared to do a Sandoval hearing now, later or whenever the court desires," Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass said on Monday.
The judge has not set a date for the hearing but suggested it could be Friday.
In their filing, prosecutors outlined the civil cases they'd like to bring up during the criminal trial, including the $464 million judgment in Trump's civil fraud case, the defamation and battery cases brought by E. Jean Carroll and a lawsuit Trump filed against Hillary Clinton claiming she conspired to rig the 2016 election, for which Trump and his lawyers faced legal sanctions after the case was thrown out as frivolous.
Prosecutors also want to question Trump about a criminal case his company lost in 2022, when the Trump Organization was convicted of tax evasion by providing non-cash compensation to top executives.
They also want to bring up a civil case the New York attorney general won against the Trump Foundation for misusing charitable donations to further Trump's political interests.
Apr 17, 12:06 PM Trump criticizes jury selection process
On his day off from his New York criminal trial, Donald Trump is complaining about the jury selection process on his social media platform.
The former president is claiming that in the process of picking the jury, he doesn't have enough strikes -- i.e., allowances to remove prospective jurors that his legal team objects to.
"I thought STRIKES were supposed to be 'unlimited' when we were picking our jury?" Trump wrote on his social media platform. "I was then told we only had 10, not nearly enough when we were purposely given the 2nd Worst Venue in the Country."
Trump does get unlimited strikes to remove a juror for cause, which means for a specified reason -- but both the defense and prosecutors have a limited number of preemptory challenges, which allow for the removal of a juror for any reason.
-Soo Rin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Peter Charalambous
Apr 17, 8:27 AM Court is in recess today
Court is not in session today in former President Trump's criminal hush money trial, as the trial schedule has a full-day recess every Wednesday.
Yesterday saw the first seven jurors in the case seated. Eleven more jurors -- six of them alternates -- remain to be chosen.
The selection of the first jurors was one of the four big takeaways from Day 2 of the trial Tuesday.
Apr 16, 5:58 PM Trump vows to continue fight against judge
Former President Donald Trump vowed to continue his effort to have the judge overseeing his case removed, as he exited the courtroom after a lengthy trial day.
"We are going to continue our fight against this judge," Trump told reporters, acknowledging he is having a "hard time with the New York state system."
Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump's second recusal motion on Monday, and an appellate court denied his effort to have the case delayed over the recusal effort last week.
"We have a very conflicted, highly conflicted judge. He shouldn't be on the case. He's rushing this trail, and he's doing as much as he can for the Democrats," Trump said, without evidence, before his motorcade departed the courthouse.
Apr 16, 5:50 PM Day ends with seven jurors selected, 11 more to go
After seating the seventh juror in the case, Judge Juan Merchan reiterated his hope that opening statements could commence Monday if the remaining jurors are selected by then.
Until then, "put the case out of your mind," Merchan told the seventh juror. "Don't think about it, don't talk about it."
The judge then concluded the proceedings for the day. Court will be in recess on Wednesday, and jury selection will resume Thursday with the fresh batch of 96 prospective jurors.
With seven jurors now seated, 11 more jurors -- six of them alternates -- remain to be chosen.
Apr 16, 5:40 PM Judge swears in seventh juror
Judge Juan Merchan has sworn in and seated a seventh juror, selecting the North Carolina-born civil litigator who now resides on the Upper East Side, after neither party challenged his selection.
Prosecutors used two preemptory strikes on the real estate developer and former police photographer, who had both made it to the final round of questioning.
Merchan excused them both before swearing in the seventh juror.
The trial's first six jurors were sworn in and seated earlier Tuesday.
Apr 16, 5:30 PM First six jurors represent cross-section of New York
The first six jurors selected to serve in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial represent a diverse cross-section of New York City, according to their biographical information. Here's a brief sketch of each juror, whose identities are being kept private for security reasons:
Juror No. 1 is a middle-aged salesman who immigrated to the United States from Ireland. He lives in West Harlem and said he normally gets his news from the New York Times, Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC. In his spare time, he said he enjoys doing "anything outdoorsy."
Juror No. 2 works as an oncology nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She lives with her fiancé and enjoys taking her dog for walks in the park. She said she gets her news from The New York Times, CNN, Google, and Facebook.
Juror 3 is a corporate attorney who moved to New York from Oregon five years ago. He has worked at two major white-shoe law firms in New York. He said he normally gets his news from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Google. In his spare time, he said he enjoys hiking and running.
Juror No. 4 said he finds the former president to be "fascinating and mysterious." Originally from Puerto Rico, he has lived in the Lower East Side for the last 40 years. He is a self-employed IT consultant who attended one year of college and has been "married for a long time." He normally gets his news from the Daily News, The New York Times, and Google.
Juror No. 5 was the only potential juror who raised her hand when lawyers asked if they had ever heard of Trump's other criminal cases. A life-long New Yorker, she currently works as an ELA teacher in a charter school and lives in Harlem. She normally gets her news from Google and TikTok but said that she "doesn't really care for the news."
Juror No. 6 is a software engineer who works for the Walt Disney Company, which is the parent company of ABC News. She grew up in New York City and lives in Chelsea with three roommates. She said she gets her news from The New York Times and TikTok. In her spare time, she said she enjoys plays, restaurants, dancing, and watching TV.
Apr 16, 5:21 PM Three prospective jurors remain from original 96
Three prospective jurors now remain from the first group of 96, and they're facing questions from Trump attorney Todd Blanche after fielding questions from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger regarding their jury questionnaire.
The three are a civil litigator, a real estate developer, and a retired New York Police Department photographer.
Asked what he thought about Trump's book The Art of the Deal, which he previously stated that he had read, the real estate developer said, "I felt it was entertaining." He added that, as a developer, he was "an admirer from afar of some of the work" Trump has done, but he has no opinion on "how he conducts himself."
The civil litigator claimed to know "virtually nothing" about criminal law.
Trump, watching from the defense table, leaned back in his chair slightly and alternated looking ahead and in the direction of the prospective jurors as they read aloud their answers from the questionnaire.
Apr 16, 5:10 PM Handful of jury prospects remain from initial group of 96
Four of the six remaining prospective jurors from the initial batch of 96 have ticked through their jury questionnaire, after which two were excused, leaving two still in the running to be selected.
A fifth prospect, a retired New York Police Department photographer, was going through his questionnaire.
A prospective juror who is a real estate developer advanced to the next round. He said he read The Art of the Deal a "long time ago" and alerted the court to tangential relationships with the former president.
"There are people that I know that know the president," he said. "It wouldn't in any way influence my thinking ... but I just wanted to state for the record that that's out there."
Among prospective jurors who were excused in the latest round was a North Carolina-born civil litigator and a doctor who asked to be excused to care for her patients. A history teacher at an all-girls' school was excused after she said her opinions about Trump might interfere with her ability to serve impartially.
Apr 16, 4:20 PM Judge swears in second group of 96 prospective jurors
With six seats filled on the jury that will determine the outcome of Donald Trump's first criminal trial, a new group of 96 New Yorkers was ushered into the courtroom and sworn in as prospective jurors.
Many of them craned their necks to get a look at the defendant.
"Ma'am, ma'am, put your cellphone away," a court security officer told one woman who tried to pull out her phone after spotting Trump.
One man and woman were seen whispering feverishly to one another.
After members of the group were sworn in, Judge Merchan told them he was sending them home for the day.
"I know that you've been sitting around all day, waiting for something to happen, and I want you to know that that wasn't lost on us," Merchan said, telling them the proceedings would start right away when they return Thursday morning following Wednesday's day off.
Before the new panel was brought in, the judge asked Trump's defense team to confirm that the social media posts it's been digging up are all are public. Trump attorney Todd Blanche confirmed they were.
Apr 16, 4:01 PM Judge suggests arguments could begin early next week
After selecting and swearing in the first six jurors, Judge Juan Merchan asked them to return on Monday unless they hear otherwise from the court -- suggesting that opening statements could happen as soon as early next week.
The judge, however, cautioned that seating the remaining jurors may not happen by then.
"We don't know exactly how long that will last," Merchan said.
Apr 16, 3:48 PM Six jurors now seated
Judge Juan Merchan has now seated and sworn in six jurors to sit in judgment of former President Trump, after each side used several preemptory strikes and other prospective jurors were stricken over politically-charged social media posts.
"You are the first six jurors selected for this trial," Merchan said.
Juror No. 1, the foreperson, is a man born in Ireland who works in sales and lives in West Harlem.
Juror No. 2 is an oncology nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering who lives on the Upper East Side.
Juror No. 3 is an attorney who lives in Chelsea.
Juror No. 4 is an IT consultant who lives on the Lower East Side and is originally from Puerto Rico.
Juror No. 5 is a charter school teacher from Harlem.
Juror No. 6 is a software employee who works for Disney and lives in Chelsea.
Apr 16, 3:42 PM First 3 jurors seated
Three jurors from the first batch of 96 prospects have been selected for the jury.
After the defense raised a series of motions to remove jurors for cause, citing their social media posts, Judge Juan Merchan formally approved three jurors:
- an Irish-born salesman;
- an oncology nurse; and
- an attorney who lives in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.
The selections came after Judge Merchan blocked one other motion from the defense to strike a juror for cause and granted another.
The juror Merchan agreed to remove was an Upper West Side bookseller who recently re-posted an AI video to social media mocking Trump, which included a fake Trump saying, "I'm dumb as f---."
"I thought it would be funny," the juror said.
The government then used three of its ten preemptory strikes and the defense used four.
Apr 16, 3:18 PM Judge removes juror whose post said 'lock him up'
After declining to strike a potential juror for her Facebook content, Judge Merchan granted a defense motion to strike another juror for a social media post.
"Good news!!" the post read. "Trump lost his court battle on his unlawful travel ban!!!"
If the post ended there, Judge Merchan said, he would allow him to remain in contention. But the post didn't stop there.
"Get him out and lock him up," the post continued.
Those post shows the prospective juror expressing "the desire that Trump be locked up," Merchan said. "Everyone knows that if Mr. Trump" is found guilty, he could face prison time.
"I don't think I can allow this juror to remain," the judge said, before agreeing to strike the juror.
Judge Merchan declined to strike for cause the prospective juror who posted what the defense called "hostile" Facebook videos, explaining that he believed the juror when she told the court that she would follow the facts of the case.
"I don't want a juror on this panel who lies to us. I don't want a juror on this panel who misleads us," he said. "And for this reason, I did want to hear from the juror."
Ultimately, Merchan found her assurances to be honest.
"I was able to see her demeanor, I was able to hear her voice," he said. "That juror looked me right in the eye, and when she said she could be fair and impartial, she meant it."
"I find her to be credible," Merchan concluded, before denying the defense motion to remove her from the jury.
Apr 16, 2:54 PM Judge scolds Trump for 'muttering' at prospective juror
As jury selection resumed for the afternoon session, Judge Juan Merchan scolded former President Trump over his audible "muttering" while a prospective juror was speaking.
"Your client was audibly muttering something," the judge told Trump's attorneys. "He was speaking in the direction of the juror. I will not tolerate that. I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom. I want to make that crystal clear. Take a minute and speak to your client."
The interaction occurred after Trump's defense attorney sought to immediately strike potential jurors for cause based on social media posts that he said contradicted their assertions of fairness.
"There's a number of the jurors that we have social media posts for very much contrary to the answers that they gave," defense attorney Todd Blanche said.
Blanche pointed to a woman who he said has a "series of extraordinarily hostile Facebook posts."
One of the posts read, "So I've been in the middle of the ocean for the last few weeks. What's going on?"
Another post included a video of people celebrating near Manhattan's 96th Street and the words, "Full-on dance party at 96 Street."
Judge Merchan seemed baffled. "Show me the bias," the judge said. "I'm trying to understand. How does this call into question what the juror said when that juror was answering questions?"
Blanche insisted the post, a day after the 2020 election, was a celebration of Trump's loss.
"This is ridiculous," prosecutor Josh Steinglass said.
The judge determined "there are enough questions here" to allow the defense to question the woman about her posts.
"I think I went to the car to alternate-side parking or something like that and there were people dancing in the street," the woman said, adding that it reminded her of the pandemic-era cheer for health workers.
"I understand that bias exists," the woman said. "The job of the juror is to understand the facts of the trial."
When the woman left the room, that's when the judge scolded Trump.
Apr 16, 2:41 PM Jury selection resumes after break
Former President Trump is back at the defense table as court resumes after the lunch break.
While on break, Trump shared on his social media platform a newspaper opinion piece calling his former attorney Michael Cohen a "serial perjurer" and a "legal thug."
The former president, who is under a limited gag order prohibiting him from targeting witnesses in the case, did not add any comment of his own.
Apr 16, 1:24 PM 'Feelings are not facts,' prospective juror says
Defense attorney Todd Blanche finished questioning the first group of potential jurors, including asking them to think about their social media usage and whether it affects their opinion of Trump.
Blanche asked a man born in Mexico who became a U.S. citizen when Trump was president if that would color his jury experience.
"I think the media and the opinions of my Facebook friends are inconsequential to this trial," the man said. "Feelings are not facts."
A woman who had said she had been living in a WiFi-free lake house for much of February and March said she didn't know much about the case, but she knew about Trump's policies. She said she had "very little agreement policy-wise" with Trump, but told Blanche she "didn't sleep last night" because she was thinking so hard about fairness and impartiality.
"You want your client to have a fair shake. I will do my level-headed best to make sure that happens," she said.
This part of the day clearly interested Trump. He turned his body in the direction of the jury box, shifting his gaze from his lawyer to the people who may sit in judgment of him.
Judge Juan Merchan subsequently recessed the court for a lunch break.
Apr 16, 1:14 PM Prospective jurors asked how they see Trump
What do you make of Trump?
In answering that question from attorneys, prospective jurors are painting a portrait of the man seated at the defendant's table -- complete with his complexities and his merits.
"President Trump speaks his mind," said one juror, a young black woman who teaches at a charter school. "And I'd rather that than someone who's in office who you don't know what they're thinking."
"He walks into a room, and he sets people off -- one way or another," the juror said. "I find that really interesting. Really -- this one guy can do all of this. 'Wow' -- that's what I think."
Trump smirked when another prospective juror said, "He stirs the pot."
"He speaks his mind," she said. "You can't judge him because he speaks his mind."
Apr 16, 12:56 PM 'I find him fascinating,' prospective juror says of Trump
Trump attorney Todd Blanche sought to "test" jury candidates on their assurances that his client would "get a fair shake" as he began his questioning of the first group of prospective jurors.
"This isn't a baseball game," Blanche said, referring to a sports reference Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass had made during his questioning of jurors. "This is extraordinarily serious."
Blanche pressed jurors on their opinion of Trump, asking each of them whether they harbored any views about him in any capacity -- political or otherwise.
"If we were sitting in a bar, I'd be able to tell you," said the bookseller from the Upper West Side. But in the courtroom, he continued, that opinion has "absolutely no bearing on the case."
"I walk in here, and he's a defendant," he said. "That's all he is."
When another juror indicated that her awareness of Trump comes in part through the lens of her gender -- "I'm a female," she said -- Blanche asked her to elaborate.
"I know that there have been opinions on how he doesn't treat females correctly, stuff like that," she said. "I honestly don't know the story. So I don't have a view on it."
Another juror, an older male, drew laughter from courtroom when he said Trump "makes things interesting."
"I find him fascinating. He walks into a room, and he sets people off," the juror said. "I find that really interesting."
"Um, all right," Blanche said. "Thank you."
Apr 16, 12:35 PM Defense begins its questioning of prospective jurors
Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass has finished questioning the current group of prospective jurors, with defense attorney Todd Blanche now beginning his questions.
Steinglass wrapped up his questioning by asking the prospective jurors to "look inside yourselves" to make certain they could return a guilty verdict against the former president.
"Bottom line is, there are people who for a variety of reasons feel uncomfortable about returning a verdict of guilty in a criminal case," Steinglass said. He sought to make sure these prospective jurors could do it.
"If we do prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, you have to be able to come back in here after deliberations, look the defendant in the eye," Steinglass said. "Look at the defendant and take a look inside yourselves. Will you be able to render a verdict of guilty?"
Trump appeared to be looking at the prospective jurors in the jury box as they each answered "Yes" to Steinglass's question. Trump tilted his head once or twice as they were answering.
Apr 16, 12:25 PM 'I'm going to listen to all the facts,' juror tells court
Under questioning from Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass, prospective jurors agreed to weigh the evidence before them and nothing else -- vowing to set aside any personal feelings toward the former president or outside influences, in order to deliver a fair verdict.
"The particulars of this case -- it doesn't really have anything to do with my political inclinations," said the IT professional who earlier elicited a smile from Trump. "I can judge this case on the merits."
"I'm going to listen to all the facts," one woman said.
A retired MTA official who lives in the Lower East Side pledged to "give this man a fair shake." She described the judicial system as "great," but added that it could "use some tweaking in some places."
Trump, meanwhile, has been craning his neck, trying to look past his attorney Todd Blanche to get a view of the jurors as they field questions from Steinglass.
Apr 16, 12:15 PM 'I'm not 100% sure I could be fair,' says juror who is excused
A woman who works for New York City told the court, "I'm a public servant and I've built my entire career trying to serve the city I live in and I see this as an extension of that," as individual questioning of prospective jurors continued.
She had signaled she had strong views about campaign finance, but said "I don't believe so" when Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass asked whether that would affect her ability to judge the case fairly.
Earlier, a self-employed woman who has lived on the Upper East Side for 25 years let out an audible sigh.
She had reached the part of the questionnaire that asked whether she can decide the case solely on the evidence and whether she had strong beliefs about Trump that would inhibit her from being fair.
"I'm not 100% sure I could be fair," the woman said, and was excused.
When a school teacher from Harlem who is in her late 20s answered the same question, she spoke about the 2020 election.
"There was a divide in the country and I can't ignore that," she said. "However, I never equated that to one individual." She remained in the jury pool.
Apr 16, 12:07 PM Lawyer asks for 'honest answers' as individual questioning begins
Jury selection is moving into a new phase with lawyers beginning the individual questioning of prospective jurors who made it through Judge Merchan's initial cuts.
Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass, up first, reminded prospective jurors that the case is not a referendum on their politics.
"Really give us the most honest answers you can," Steinglass said. "No one is suggesting you can't be a fair juror because you've heard of Donald Trump." He added, "We don't expect you to have been living under a rock for the last eight years or the last 30 years."
Steinglass first asked whether anyone felt like the district attorney's office had to prove more than the law requires "because of who he is."
Not a single hand went up.
"I think the job of the jury is to understand what's facts," one woman said. "I don't think it matters what my political views are. We listen to the facts of the case."
Trump is engaged with some of the responses at times, and at other times he leans back in his chair with his eyelids heavy.
A prospective juror who went through questioning but was ultimately excused from the case told ABC News outside the courthouse that she didn't like the former president, but that it was important he get a fair trial.
"I don't like him, I don't approve of what he did as president," said Kara McGee, when asked by ABC News about her feelings on Trump. "But the right to a fair trial is extremely important. And if this would serve to uphold that, then that would be my priority."
McGee was excused from the case because of scheduling conflicts with her job.
"No matter what you think about someone as a person, or what other things they may have done, what he is on trial for is a very specific thing that even he deserves the right to a fair trial," she said.
Asked about the sentiment of the other prospective jurors on their opinions of Trump, McGee said it "seemed pretty even, surprisingly."
"I thought because this is Manhattan it might be a little bit more liberal, but there were a number of people who said 'Yes, I listen to Fox, I watch Fox, I have been on Trump mailing lists in the past,'" she said. "So not really leaning towards one side or the other, that I can tell."
"You got a sense that people were really trying to put anything that they had brought to this aside, and step in and do their civic duty," she said. "And that people really were being honest."
Apr 16, 11:41 AM Prospective juror who read 'Art of the Deal' gets a smile from Trump
Several more prospective jurors have moved on to the next round of the screening process after some were excused after saying they could not serve impartially.
Among those who remain following the initial questionnaire are a senior living professional from the Upper West Side, a native Mexican who became a U.S. citizen in 2017, a corporate lawyer who lives in Chelsea, and a Disney employee.
A twice-married man who lives in Battery Park earned a tight smile from former President Trump when he said he had read some of his books, including "The Art of the Deal." He said he read that book, as well as "How to be Rich" and a third title that he couldn't quite remember, prompting a chuckle from Trump.
The man said his daughter was the victim of a violent sexual assault that he described as "traumatic," but he said it left him with a "generally favorable view of the legal system."
He said that relatives on his wife's side lobby and fundraise for the Republican Party, and that he followed Trump on Twitter during his presidency.
"I don't think there's anything that would prevent me from being a fair and impartial juror," the man said. "I feel that no one is above the law."
He said, however, that he "would be lying" if he said he would promise not to discuss the case "to some degree" with his wife. When the judge said he could say nothing of substance, the man replied, "That would be tough."
Apr 16, 10:27 AM Questioning of prospective jurors resumes
A prospective juror who was feeling under the weather was excused before jury selection resumed this morning.
The proceedings resumed when Judge Merchan returned to the bench after a 15-minute absence, which he said was prompted by a few tardy prospective jurors.
The judge said that one prospective juror was experiencing flu-like symptoms and asked to be removed from consideration. The parties did not object.
As the prospective jurors filed in, Trump appeared to be motionless in his seat, staring straight ahead.
Questioning of the jurors has resumed, with one prospective juror -- a finance professional -- being excused after he said his "unconscious bias" might prevent him from being an impartial juror.
Apr 16, 10:12 AM DA files formal request to hold Trump in contempt
The Manhattan district attorney's office has filed its formal request to hold former President Trump in contempt over a series of recent social media posts that, among other things, call witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels "sleaze bags."
Prosecutors said yesterday that three of Trump's social media posts this month "plainly violate" Judge Merchan's limited gag order because they target known witnesses who will testify at the trial.
"And defendant's violations were knowing and willful -- indeed, they are the latest in what this Court has already recognized as a deliberate strategy to impede this criminal trial," prosecutors wrote in Tuesday's filing. "To be sure, defendant has loudly and repeatedly complained that the order is unlawful, in both court filings and other public statements. But no court has agreed with his objections, and a defendant's mere disagreement with a court's order is no defense to criminal contempt."
Defense attorneys have insisted Trump was responding to "repeated, salacious, demon attacks" by Daniels and Cohen.
The judge has scheduled a hearing on the matter next Tuesday.
Apr 16, 10:00 AM Trump seated at defense table as court gets underway
Former President Trump has reclaimed his seat at the defendant's table, Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench -- and the second day of the criminal trial of the former president is underway.
Trump greeted court officers upon arrival, mouthing to one, "How are you?" as he made his way down the aisle accompanied by lawyers Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles and Emil Bove.
Trump is once again seated between Blanche and Bove.
The three men appeared to be in and out of conversation as they awaited the judge, with Trump periodically looking down at the desk or at the monitor in front of him.
Apr 16, 9:52 AM Trump says Cohen payments were 'legal expense'
Former President Trump, addressing reporters on his way into court, defended the way payments were made to his former attorney Michael Cohen, pushing back on the crux of the DA's case that they were improperly labeled as legal expenses.
"I was paying a lawyer and I marked it down as a legal expense, some accountant," Trump said. "I didn't know. That's exactly what it was."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has accused Trump of improperly labeling the money as legal expenses to Cohen in order to hide that the funds were to repay hush money paid to Stormy Daniels to boost Trump's electoral prospects.
"Legal expense -- that's what you're supposed to call it," Trump said.
"This is a trial that should never happen, it should have been thrown out," he said.
Apr 16, 9:00 AM Trump arrives at courthouse
Former President Trump has arrived at the courthouse for the second day of jury selection.
Unlike Monday when a small group of supporters and protesters greeted the former president, there were essentially none at the courthouse this morning.
Apr 16, 8:24 AM Jury selection to continue on Day 2 of proceedings
Jury selection will continue today on Day 2 of former President Trump's hush money trial.
Attorneys on Monday began the process of narrowing down the first group of 96 juror prospects, but none were seated by the end of the day.
Attorneys today will continue their questioning of the remaining juror prospects from that group, with a new group of prospective jurors scheduled to arrive in court this morning.
(NEW YORK) -- As Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska clean up from the more than 20 reported tornadoes that ripped through the region, the tornado threat moves east on Wednesday to Michigan and Ohio.
The strongest tornado so far was an EF-2 with 118 mph winds in Greenwood County, Kansas.
In Smithville, Missouri, an EF-1 tornado with 95 mph winds forced a family to flee for their lives.
We’re on scene at the Smithville tornado… the shooting range lodge got hit hard this morning. No one was inside. No one was hurt. pic.twitter.com/8j6JbmjlbM
On Wednesday, the tornado threat moves into the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes, including Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect in Michigan while a tornado watch has been issued for eastern Indiana and much of Ohio through Wednesday evening.
A new storm could also bring another round of severe weather to Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
On Thursday, that new storm will move east and south, impacting states from Texas to Indiana.
The biggest threat for tornadoes will be from Louisville, Kentucky, to St. Louis. Damaging winds and hail are the biggest threat for Dallas.
(NEW YORK) -- All Frantzy Saintelus wanted was to visit the country where he was born, and that he has kept in his heart for more than 40 years.
But once he got there, he ended up risking his life trying to escape.
Saintelus, 56, was born in Haiti but moved when he was 14 to the United States, where he rejoined his mother, who had already settled there. Despite raising his family in New Hampshire, where he works as a truck driver, he always considered the Caribbean country he left as a child his true home.
“I’ve been wanting to go back home because I was missing it,” he said.
So, in February, Saintelus returned to Haiti, where many of his extended family still live and where he owns rental property and some vehicles. But right away, he knew something was very wrong.
Starting in late February, criminal gangs had taken over the capital of Port-au-Prince. Through large-scale attacks, they burned police stations, took control of the city’s international airport and seaport, disrupted the country’s supply chain of food and humanitarian aid, and freed about 4,000 inmates from the country’s two biggest prisons.
The United Nations reports that more than 1,550 people were killed across Haiti and more than 820 injured between early January and March 22.
“You couldn’t buy anything because nothing was moving. The country was shut down,” Saintelus said. “And then they start shooting everywhere.”
He and some cousins tried to travel, but it was immediately clear that the situation had become dangerous. “You walk around see people with guns everywhere. It’s like a cowboy place,” he said.
Back in Virginia, Alex Saintelus, Frantzy’s eldest son, watched the chaos unfolding on the island and realized his father “might die.” He started communicating with his father via WhatsApp, the encrypted text-message application, but because internet service was sporadic, hours and sometimes days would go by without hearing from him.
“I was very afraid,” Alex, 31, said.
So Alex took two days off from his job as a middle-school history and civics teacher and started working the phones to get someone to listen. “I basically took the knowledge that I had as a teacher about how our government has constituents that they are supposed to represent and take care of and thought, ‘let’s see if it really works’,” he said.
Through hours of calling, Alex ended up getting local media coverage – but more importantly, he connected with the offices of U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as the Bureau of Consular Affairs within the U.S. State Department, which started to update Alex about efforts underway to evacuate his father, and other American citizens, by helicopter from the U.S. Embassy just outside Port-au-Prince.
Meanwhile, Frantzy Saintelus was trapped inside his family’s home, 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, afraid to go outside. Every five or six blocks were men with large guns. He had learned that anywhere he traveled, he was at risk of being caught in crossfire.
“We can hear the shootings. You just didn’t know where the shootings were coming from. The further I got, the worse it got,” he said.
Finally, on March 25, the Bureau of Consular Affairs told Alex that his father was on a list of people to board a helicopter at the U.S. Embassy the next morning at 7 a.m. Normally, the early-morning ride would take 45 minutes, but Frantzy said it took much longer because, every 20 minutes, gangs stopped the public bus on which he was traveling on to demand bribes from the driver. Finally, when the bus could go no further, Frantzy convinced a motorcyclist to accept money to take him on the final leg of his journey.
When he got to the embassy, Frantzy still wasn’t safe. He arrived early and so had to wait outside, which once again made him a potential target.
“There could be any shooting anytime. I was worried more at that time. You got no time to be scared anymore. Whatever happens, is gonna happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, Alex had gone to bed the previous night feeling helpless.
“There was absolutely nothing I could do," he said. "So, I just made a prayer. And I said, ‘I'm going to pray that my dad’s going to get into the embassy, and when I wake up in the morning, I'm going to see the text message that says he’s there.’”
Alex awoke two minutes before 8 a.m. the next morning to his father’s text saying just that: That he was safe within the embassy compound.
While being airlifted from Haiti, Frantzy said he felt relief that he was safe, but at the same time watched with profound sadness as the island grew smaller in the distance.
“This is the country I grew up in. This is a place I love,” he said. While he said he hopes to one day return, he isn’t optimistic because conditions there are getting “worse and worse.”
As for Alex, he said he will likely draw from the experience in his classroom next fall.
“Civics can get very messy because there are so many emotions attached to it, especially when you watch the news nowadays. The perception is the government does horrible things and hurts people. But that isn’t the case,” he said.
“I could never get my dad out of that situation. I can't fight the gangs. I can't fly a helicopter. But there are people in our government who can. And if you know the system enough to know who to call and who to talk to, and you can use the system correctly, it has the power to create miracles," he noted.
“At the end of the day,” Alex said, “the government is just made up of people, and if you find good people, then a lot can be achieved.”
(PHILADELPHIA) -- A 16-year-old boy was shot multiple times when answering the door in Philadelphia, police said, while two younger children who were sleeping inside avoided any injuries.
The gunman came to the door around 11:53 p.m. Monday, and when the 16-year-old opened it, "At least one male entered the property and fired six shots, striking the 16-year-old in the abdomen and the arm," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters.
The teen was listed in stable condition, police said.
Two children ages 5 and 7 were inside the home at the time and escaped the hail of bullets, Small said. The 16-year-old was babysitting his two younger cousins, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI.
"We're very, very lucky that those two children, ages 5 and 7, were not struck by gunfire, because that's where the shots were fired," Small said. "There's multiple bullet holes in the living room wall right near where those children were sleeping on the couch."
No arrests have been made and no weapons have been recovered, police said.
ABC News' Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) -- With the close of the second day of Donald Trump’s criminal trial, seven jurors have been selected to sit in judgment of the former president.
Below is everything you need to know about the jurors:
Juror 1
Juror 1 -- a middle-aged salesman from Ireland -- will serve as the case's foreman.
He lives in West Harlem and said he normally gets his news from the New York Times, Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC. In his spare time, he said he enjoys doing "anything outdoorsy."
He once worked as a waiter but has worked in sales for the last three decades.
When asked if he was aware of Trump's other criminal cases, he responded, "I've heard of some of them."
Juror 2
Juror 2 did not realize that she could be a juror in Trump's criminal trial when she reported for jury duty on Monday.
"I didn't know I was walking into this," she said on Tuesday.
She currently works as an oncology nurse at a major hospital in New York. A native New Yorker, she currently lives on the Upper East Side with her fiancé and enjoys taking her dog for walks in the park.
She said she gets her news from the New York Times, CNN, Google and Facebook.
"I don't really have one," she said about her opinion of Trump.
"No one is above the law," she added.
Juror 3
Juror 3 is a corporate attorney who moved to New York from Oregon five years ago. He has worked at two major white-shoe law firms in New York.
He said he normally gets his news from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Google. In his spare time, he said he enjoys hiking and running.
When asked about the case, he suggested that he could infer the former president's intent without "reading his mind;" however, he was embarrassed to admit he was not very familiar with all the allegations against the former president.
"I am actually not super familiar with the other charges. I don't really follow the news that closely – a little embarrassing to say," he said.
Juror 4
Juror 4 said he finds the former president to be "fascinating and mysterious."
"He walks into a room, and he sets people off one way or another," the juror said. "I find that really interesting. Really, this one guy can do all of this. 'Wow,' that's what I think."
Originally from Puerto Rico, he has lived in the Lower East Side for the last 40 years. He is a self-employed IT consultant who attended one year of college and has been "married for a long time." He has two grandchildren.
"I have no spare time," he said when answering the questionnaire. "My hobby is my family."
He previously served on a jury trial in a civil case but could not recall if he reached a verdict.
"It was so long ago," he said.
He normally gets his news from the Daily News, The New York Times, Google.
Juror 5
Juror 5 was the only potential juror who raised her hand when lawyers asked if they had ever heard of Trump's other criminal cases.
"President Trump speaks his mind," she said. "And I'd rather that than someone who's in office who you don't know what they're thinking."
A life-long New Yorker, she currently works as an ELA teacher in a charter school and lives in Harlem. She has a master's in education and lives with her brother, who works as a basketball coach. In her spare time, she enjoys writing and theater.
She normally gets her news from Google and TikTok, listens to inspirational podcasts, and sometimes listens to the Breakfast Club radio show. She said that she "doesn't really care for the news."
She has two family members who worked in law enforcement, including a godfather who worked as a homicide sergeant with the NYPD.
Juror 6
Juror 6 is a young software engineer who works for the Walt Disney Company.
She grew up in New York City and lives in Chelsea with three roommates. She said she gets her news from the New York Times and TikTok. In her spare time, she enjoys plays, restaurants, dancing, and watching TV.
"I will be fair and impartial," she said in response to a question about whether Trump's candidacy for presidency would impact her ability to serve as a fair juror.
Juror 7
Juror 7 is the second white-shoe lawyer to serve on Trump's jury.
He currently lives on the Upper East Side and enjoys spending time outdoors and with his children. He gets his news from the New York Times, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
He has never served on a jury. He said he supported some of Trump's policies as president but disagreed with others.
"I don't know the man and I don't have opinions about him personally," he said.
(NEW YORK) -- The Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner’s Office announced Tuesday it had positively identified the two deceased persons found in Texas County, Oklahoma as missing Kansas women Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones, along with everyone throughout their community," the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
Butler and Kelley have been missing since March 30, when they were driving in Oklahoma to pick up Butler's children for a birthday party in Kansas and never arrived.
Authorities later found their vehicle abandoned in rural Oklahoma, near the Kansas border.
On April 13, Oklahoma police announced four people were arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree in connection with Butler and Kelley's disappearance.
The four individuals are Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Tifany Machel Adams, 54; Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44. All four remain in custody.
On April 14, police recovered two dead bodies in Texas County amid the investigation into the disappearance of Butler and Kelley. Identification was the responsibility of the medical examiner’s office, which made the announcement Tuesday.
On Monday, the affidavit of probable cause for the arrest warrants of the four suspects was released, detailing the alleged motive in the murder-kidnapping.
In the court documents, investigators state they discovered Butler was in a "problematic custody battle" with suspect Tifany Adams' son for the custody of Butler’s two children.
Adams is the grandmother of Butler's children and mother of the kids' father, Wrangler Rickman, who has legal custody, according to the documents.
Amid the investigation into Butler and Kelley's disappearance, authorities say they found their vehicle abandoned in rural Oklahoma, near the Kansas border.
An examination of the vehicle and the area surrounding found evidence of severe injury, according to the affidavit, which notes, that blood was found on the roadway and edge of the roadway.
Butler’s glasses were also found in the roadway south of the vehicle near a broken hammer, and a pistol magazine was found inside Kelley’s purse at the scene, but no pistol was found, according to documents.
Adams, her boyfriend and fellow suspect Tad Callum, and the two other suspects, married couple Cole and Cora Twombly, are allegedly members of the anti-government group "God's Misfits," according to the affidavit.
Adams was elected last year as the chair for the Cimarron County Republican Party. The chairman of the Oklahoma GOP said Adams was unknown to the state party. Adams was "previously elected by a handful of people to the role of Chair in her county," the chairman said.
All four suspects are scheduled to make their initial court appearance on Wednesday, according to officials.
(NEW YORK) -- One man is dead, and three others were injured after men on scooters allegedly opened fire on them at a street corner in the Bronx, police said Tuesday night.
Four men were at a street corner at the intersection of Mount Eden and Townsend Ave in the Bronx when four people approached them -- also four men with two on each scooter -- NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley said at a media briefing.
The rear passenger of each scooter opened fire on the group, Gurley said, shooting 10 rounds.
Three of the men on the corner were shot in the leg, and one, who died from his injuries at a local hospital, was shot in the chest, according to Gurley. The deceased victim was 29 years old. The victims' ages range from 23-37 years old, according to the authorities.
After the shooting, the suspects, who were wearing masks, fled northbound on the scooters.
One male is in custody, but authorities are "unsure" if he is connected to the incident, Gurley said.
Police said they will continue to search for other suspects.
At Tuesday night's media briefing, a deputy commissioner said that as a result of the incident, they will bring back their community response teams who have been dealing with crimes that involve dirt bikes, ATVs and illegal scooters
(NEW YORK) -- A former financial counselor for the United States Army pleaded guilty to defrauding the families of fallen servicemembers out of life insurance payments, the U.S. attorney's office announced Tuesday.
Gold Star family members are the immediate beneficiaries of servicemembers who have died in active-duty military service and are entitled to a $100,000 payment and the servicemember's life insurance of up to $400,000, according to the organization.
Caz Craffy, from Colts Neck, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to obtaining more than $9.9 million from several Gold Star families to invest in accounts managed by Craffy in his private capacity without the families' authorization, according to prosecutors.
Craffy was a civilian employee of the U.S. Army, working as a financial counselor with the Casualty Assistance Office, but he was also a major in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he has been enlisted since 2003, prosecutors said.
From May 2018 to November 2022, the Gold Star family accounts suffered more than $3.7 million in losses and Craffy made more than $1.4 million in commissions, according to prosecutors.
"Those who target and steal from the families of fallen American servicemembers will be held accountable for their crimes," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the press release.
"Nothing can undo the enormous loss that Gold Star families have suffered, but the Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to protect them from further harm," Garland said.
On Tuesday, Craffy pleaded guilty to 10 counts, including six counts of wire fraud and one count each of securities fraud, making false statements in a loan application, committing acts affecting a personal financial interest and making false statements to a federal agency, according to the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office's press release.
"Caz Craffy admitted today that he brazenly took advantage of his role as an Army financial counselor to prey upon families of our fallen service members, at their most vulnerable moment, using lies and deception," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in the press release.
"These Gold Star families have laid the dearest sacrifice on the altar of freedom. And they deserve our utmost respect and compassion, as well as some small measure of financial security from a grateful nation," Sellinger said.
Craffy entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton, New Jersey and is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 21.
Craffy's plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of eight to 10 years, according to prosecutors, and the restitution amount will be announced during his sentencing.
Sen. Bob Graham attends Miami Book Fair on Nov. 19, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Aaron Davidson/WireImage)
(NEW YORK) -- Bob Graham, a former senator, Florida Democratic governor and one-time presidential candidate, has died at 87, his family announced Tuesday night.
"We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a visionary leader, dedicated public servant, and even more importantly, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather: Bob Graham," read a statement from the family on X.
The Bob Graham Center for Public Service also confirmed the former senator's death, sharing a photo gallery of his life. The center also posted a statement on X, reading "The Bob Graham Center community is deeply saddened by the death of our beloved founder, former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham. We honor his historic legacy and life of service."
The family said Graham, the son of a state senator who served three terms as senator in the U.S. Senate himself, "devoted his life to the betterment of the world around him. The memorials to that devotion are everywhere -- from the Everglades and other natural treasures he was determined to preserve, to the colleges and universities he championed with his commitment to higher education, to the global understanding he helped foster through his work with the intelligence community, and so many more."
Graham's love of nature began early. He was brought up on a cattle and dairy farm in the Everglades, according to the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.
He studied at the University of Florida and later received a law degree from Harvard, starting his political career locally a short time after, serving in the Florida House of Representatives.
His next political move was to Florida's Governor's mansion, where he served three terms, from 1979-1987.
Graham then headed to Washington, D.C., serving as one of the state's two senators from 1987 to 2005.
After leaving Washington, Graham became a senior fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
In 2010, then-President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.
He was also chairman of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, per the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, per the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.
"While he valued his opportunities to represent others in public office, the jobs Bob Graham most loved were those he spent working alongside everyday Floridians," his family said in their statement Tuesday.
One of his greatest joys in life was also being a grandfather.
"Bob Graham would tell people his favorite title was not Governor or Senator," the family's statement read. "It was the name his grandchildren gave him: Doodle. 'When I'm really good, they call me Super Doodle,' he liked to say. For 87 years, Bob Graham was so much more than really good."
His family called him "unforgettable."
"As his family, we will never forget his love for us, the love he had for Florida, the United States, and the world, and the love so many people showed him. We thank God for the gift of his life," their statement concluded.
He is survived by his wife, Adele Khoury Graham, four children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
(NEW YORK) -- The voting tech company Smartmatic has entered into a settlement with the right-wing news outlet One America News to resolve its lawsuit against the network for peddling lies about the 2020 election, according to a new statement from the company.
"Smartmatic has resolved its litigation against OANN through a confidential settlement," Erik Connolly, Smartmatic's lead attorney said in a statement to ABC News.
Both parties notified a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Tuesday of their intent to drop the case, according to a court filing, without further explanation of the details of the settlement.
Smartmatic filed the lawsuit in November of 2021, accusing the network of "knowingly and deliberately" spreading "a continuous stream of falsehoods that harmed Smartmatic and negatively impacted the company’s business."
The lawsuit was just one among a number of defamation suits filed by companies and individuals targeted by backers of former President Donald Trump in their sweeping campaign to spread false conspiracy theories undermining the integrity of the 2020 election.
In April of last year, Dominion Voting Systems entered into a massive $787.5 million settlement with Fox News over falsehoods spread about the company's role in the 2020 election.
Smartmatic similarly sued both Fox News and the far-right media organization Newsmax in addition to its lawsuit against OAN, and those cases still remain unresolved as of Tuesday.
ABC News reached out to an attorney for OAN Tuesday but did not immediately receive a response.
(NEW YORK) -- The University of Southern California has canceled a student valedictorian's commencement speech out of safety concerns concerning her pro-Palestinian views.
"After careful consideration, we have decided that our student valedictorian will not deliver a speech at commencement," Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman said in a letter to students on Monday. "While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety."
USC said the decision was based on potential threats regarding the selection of the valedictorian.
The student, Asna Tabassum, is a first-generation South Asian-American Muslim who majored in biomedical engineering and minored in resistance to genocide, according to a statement published through the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Tabassum was open about her pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel views on social media.
The discussion around her selection took on an "alarming tenor," according to Guzman.
"The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement," Guzman said.
Tabassum criticized the university for canceling her speech, saying in a statement that she learned through her studies that "ordinary people are capable of unspeakable acts of violence when they are taught hate fueled by fear."
"And due to widespread fear, I was hoping to use my commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope," Tabassum said. She added that by canceling her speech, "USC is only caving to fear and rewarding hatred."
Tabassum was criticized by some on social media for a website linked on her social media profile that calls Zionism a "racist settler-colonial ideology that advocates for a Jewish ethnostate built on Palestinian land."
The site later continues, "One Palestinian state would mean Palestinian liberation, and the complete abolishment of the state of Israel. This way is the only way towards justice; both Arabs and Jews can live together without an ideology that specifically advocates for the ethnic cleansing of one of them. Palestinians would be allowed to return home, and millions of Palestinians would not have to live under occupation and apartheid."
Tensions have been high on college campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, in which Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip in what Israeli forces say was to address the Hamas threat.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 33,000 people have been killed and more than 76,000 others have been wounded by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
In Israel, at least 1,200 people have been killed and 6,900 others have been injured by Hamas and other Palestinian militants since Oct. 7, according to Israeli officials.
"This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation – including the expectations of federal regulators – that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe," Guzman said.it.
USC -- which expects a crowd of 65,000 for the commencement festivities on May 10 -- said the focus of the ceremony should be "on the tremendous accomplishments of our 19,000-plus graduates, their friends, their families, and the staff and faculty who have been such a critical part of their journeys."
