Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the U.S. and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

Citizens React to Communist Cuba in Crisis

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

Federal Agencies Announce ‘Summer Surge’ of Law Enforcement into DC Ahead of 250th Anniversary

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Trump Administration Reports Zero Border Releases

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

US to Host First Ever World Cup Final Halftime Show, Featuring Shakira, Madonna

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Californians React as Trump Calls for Gas Tax Suspension

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

China’s Broken Promises Loom Over New Trade Deals

Chris Bob is a reporter for NTD and a host of "Profiles of Service." He is also a small business owner. Chris graduated from Union College with a concentration in politics and religion in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Chris Bob

House Passes First Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Bill

Dave Martin is NTD's Senior Sports Reporter and sports analyst. He also hosts "Data Hub" segments during NTD's special election coverage, "The Nation Decides."

Dave Martin

Cavs, Spurs Can Clinch as NBA Playoffs Resume

Savannah Pointer is a politics reporter for The Epoch Times. She can be reached at savannah.pointer@epochtimes.us

Savannah Hulsey Pointer

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's National Security Correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

Health News

Texas Children's Hospital to Open First-Ever Detransition Clinic Under Deal With DOJ

Citizens Honor Police for Their Service and Sacrifice

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 15)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 14)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 11)

Don Ma is an anchor and senior business correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Don is the anchor and producer of NTD's "Business Matters," which airs weekdays at 4:30 pm ET.

Don Ma

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 10)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 9)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 8)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 7)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (May 6)

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

China Sends Warships to Pacific Drill as Tensions With Japan Rise

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

2 US Embassy Personnel Assigned to Cartel Case Killed in Car Accident

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Gunman Kills 8 Children, Including 7 of His Own, in Louisiana Mass Shooting

Flora Hua is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers China news, U.S.-China relations, and human rights issues. Flora primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus."  

Flora Hua

Trump: Seized Iranian Ship May Have ‘A Gift From China’

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Have Destroyed Nearly 50 Homes and Are Forcing Evacuations

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

The state attorneys and defense team in former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial will present closing arguments in a lower Manhattan courtroom on Jan. 11. President Trump will also attend the hearing, his second court appearance this week mere days before the Iowa caucuses. The New York attorney general is seeking $370 million in damages and to bar President Trump from doing business in the state. Follow here for live updates.

---
<h2>AG James: Case Not a Personal Vendetta</h2>
Ms. James spoke to reporters after leaving the courthouse, saying the "personal attacks" don't bother her.

"This is our last day in our case against Donald Trump for persistent and repeated fraud, illegality. This case has never been about politics, personal vendetta, or name-calling," she said.

"This case is about the facts and the law, and Mr. Donald Trump violated the law. And as you know, the judge has already found that he violated the law for repeated fraud for a period of years."

Ms. James said she was proud of the case the state presented and argued the evidence was in the state's favor.

"The fact is this trial has shown and we have produced evidence about the scope, the scale, the depth, the breadth of the illegality, the fraud, that personally enriched Donald Trump and his family," she said.

"I want to thank the judge, I want to thank my team, and I want to thank opposing counsel. But at the day the point is simple: No matter how powerful you are, no matter how rich you are, nobody is above the law, and that the law applies to all of us, equally and fairly," she added. "I trust that justice will be done and I'm confident in that. And I'm extremely proud of the case that we've put on."

---
<h2>AG Says Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. Are as Liable as Trump</h2>
Mr. Amer pulled up testimony from Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., both trustees and executive vice presidents of Trump Organization, and argued they took on the responsibility of ensuring accurate SFCs after President Trump transfered his authority of the organization over to the trust.

"The court should find they were fully aware Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney schemed to inflate values," he said.

---
<h2>AG: Trump Organization Misrepresented Properties</h2>
Mr. Amer argued that Mr. McConney had intentionally misrepresented several properties, thus enhancing their value.

A number of rent stabilized units in Manhattan had been represented with market price valuations in the SFCs.

"Now, defendants argue that just because a unit is subject to rent stabilization laws doesn't mean it can't be sold. What we all know as New Yorkers is that no one gives up a rent stablized apartment for free, it comes at a cost," Mr. Amer argued.

He also pointed to Mr. McConney's testimony that he had represented Mar-a-Lago as a private residence, even though he knew the deed had conditions that it be maintained as a club.

"The court should conclude that there was only one explanation, McConney intended to inflate the value," Mr. Amer said. "All as part of his overall intent to defraud."

Mr. Amer said Mr. Weisselberg similarly inflated values by mischaracterizing properties, such as with the triplex penthouse at 30,000 square feet.

"$327 million for 2016. Your honor, that screams of intent to defraud," Mr. Amer said.

The court paused for a break after Mr. Amer’s statement.

---
<h2>AG Argues Materiality Is 'What the Reasonable Banker Would Think'</h2>
State attorney Andy Amer said during the trial the state established a pattern that was sufficient to show intent to defraud.

"Was there a pattern of fraud? Does the defendant exercise day to day control over the fraudulent conduct? Have a motive to engage in the fraud? Has the defendant engaged in acts of concealment to cover up the fraud? Has the defendant engaged in acts of deception, which can include being on the stand and being evasive?" Mr. Amer said. "During the trial we established that the defendants engaged in fraud that checks all these boxes."

He argued the evidence toward intention was "beyond even clear and convincing, it is overwhelming and conclusive."

He pointed to Mr. McConney's testimony on intentionally including Vornado's stake in a Trump Organization property, effectively cash that Trump Organization could not dispense.

"There was nothing innocent about this," Mr. Amer argued. He added that Mazars accountant Donald Bender had told Mr. McConney not to do it but he did it anyway.

"Mr. McConney absolutely knew that he couldn't include cash he didn't control, he did that anyway," Mr. Amer said. "The defendants want you to believe that it was OK to include cash that he didn't control. He absolutely knew that what he was doing was wrong."

Justice Engoron asked for clarification in the sequence of events that showed the statements were made before the inclusion of Vornado's stake.

"I asked him, were there any mistakes that made cash go in the opposite direction from being inflated," Mr. Amer said. He showed a chart tracking the cash balances, where Vornado's cash exceeded $14 million every year.

"That is material in anyone's book," Mr. Amer said.

Mr. Amer argued materiality was objective, not subjective.

"It's not what these banks thought was material or immaterial, it's what the reasonable banker would think based on the evidence," he said.

The cash issue is key, Mr. Amer argued, because it speaks to President Trump's liquidity.

"And both these underwriters testified taht the cash figure was important to their underwriting analysis precisely because it reflected liquidity," Mr. Amer said, without mentioning that Trump Organization opened up President Trump's bank statements to the lenders as well.

---
<h2>Trump Says He'll Attend Criminal Trials</h2>
President Trump said he will also attend his federal criminal cases and maintained he has done nothing wrong.

"Well the documents case, just here they're trying to exonerate Biden, and he didn't have the Presidential Records Act, I do," he said, referencing a statute that governs records kept by presidents.

"I did nothing wrong," he said. "What [President Biden] did, a lot of people say is substantially wrong. You can't have two tiers of justice here in this country.

"I want to go to all of my trials," he said. "These were all set up by Biden and the Democrats. This is their new form of cheating. Like last time, this is their new form of cheating. So far, I think it's gone very much against him."

He ended the press conference as reporters continued to ask questions, and was greeted by cheers from a crowd that had gathered to watch the conference near the entrance of 40 Wall Street. Pool cameras showed a crowded lobby and overflow crowd behind barricades on the sidewalk.

---
<h2>Trump Says He'll Attend Next Civil Trial</h2>
Next week, President Trump faces yet another civil trial in New York, in a case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, and he said during his new conference he plans to attend.

In 2019, Ms. Carroll accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman in the mid 1990s.

President Trump claimed the case was sponsored by Democrat operatives.

"I never saw this woman in my life other than I have a picture with her and her husband," he said. "I have no idea who this woman is. I have absolutely no idea. The whole thing is ridiculous, that this is actually a case."

"It's a demeaning kind of a thing, and that's what they want to do," he said. "It's election interference."

"And yeah, I'm going to go to it, and I'm going to explain I have no idea who the hell she is," he said.

"They called me up years ago and they said, 'Do you know this woman?'" he said. President Trump had been in office when Ms. Carroll made her public accusation about the alleged incident from years ago. After he denied it in a public statement and accused her of trying to increase her book sales, Ms. Carroll sued him for defamation.

"She doesn't even know the date, the time, the month, the season," President Trump said. "We've been given an unfair trial there too, I don't get many fair trials in New York."

---
<h2>AG Says Fraud Funded White House Run</h2>
Mr. Wallace claimed the multiple loans Trump Organization got spoke to its lack of cash.

"They couldn't afford to spend more on the borrowing for the properties, there wasn't enough cash to do it all," he argued.

"By 2017, Trump's generating cash flows of just $2 million, obviously below the Deutsche Bank threshold [requirement for the loan]. As you can see, the cash position would have remained negative," Mr. Wallace argued.

"Of course, the Trump Organization could have found other ways, they could have cut costs or sold assets" but they wanted to "develop these properties to the level that Donald Trump desired and also fund his run for president," Mr. Wallace claimed.

He argued the size of the loans given to Trump Organization meant potentially "more catastrophic results."

"That's why it's important for the court to take steps to protect the marketplace," he said.

---
<h2>AG: Fraud 'Central' to Trump Business</h2>
Defense attorney Chris Kise objected to state attorney Kevin Wallace comparing the defendants to being on "murderer's row."

Justice Engoron asked Mr. Wallace if he was accusing the defendants of being murderers and moved on from the turn of phrase.

Mr. Wallace sought to rebut the defense's argument that the SFCs and disclaimers indicated transparency rather than intent to defraud.

"Why would the defendants do this? Why go to these lengths? Why put together false financial statements?" he asked. "Across time, it becomes clear that fraud was central to the operations of the Trump Organization's business."

"Those low interest rates, those statements were critical to the success of the business," Mr. Wallace said.

Mr. Kise objected. "I don't recall any testimony from any expert that this is what kept them afloat. That's not a fair comment."

Justice Engoron agreed with the defense, saying there was no testimony that Trump Organization "had to use discounts" and said he would "give leeway in that regard."

Mr. Wallace said he could still argue that these savings supported Trump Organization, which had to spend "hundreds of millions" to renovate several properties to "the highest luxury standards."

Mr. Wallace argued Trump Organization was low on cash and "dropping even lower," which was why they needed false financial statements to obtain favorable loans. Mr. Kise objected, saying Mr. Wallace isn't an expert and didn't understand the source of the cash.

---
<h2>Trump Says Legal Cases Now Part of His Campaign</h2>
President Trump responded to a question about how his time was split between campaigning and legal cases saying the cases were politically motivated.

"Well see my legal issues, every one of them, every one, are all set up by crooked Joe Biden, every one of them," he said.

"They're doing it for election interference," he said. "And in a way I guess you can consider it part of the campaign. They are doing this. It's never been done like this in this country."

He touted his numbers in early primary states and said the indictments against him weren't hurting his chances of reelection.

---
<h2>Trump Says Biden Needs Presidential Immunity Too</h2>
He took questions from reporters about other cases; in Washington, he is being prosecuted for actions on Jan. 6, and is appealing to dismiss the case based on presidential immunity.

"On immunity, very simple, if a President of the United States does not have immunity, he will not be very effective, because he wouldn't be able to do anything," he said.

"It'll mean he'll be prosecuted, strongly prosecuted perhaps, as soon as he leaves office, by the opposing party. So a president of the United States—I'm not talking about just me, I'm talking any president—needs to have presidential immunity," he added.

"As an example, Biden could come out and you could get him on the border, you could get him on what happened in Afghanistan, horrible, most embarrassing moment that ever happened in this country, you could get him on a lot of things," he said.

"You could get him on taking money from other countries," he added, referencing investigations into Hunter Biden and the Biden family's business dealings that has led to an impeachment inquiry.

“You have to have immunity for the president, and I think a lot of people are seeing that,” President Trump said.

---
<h2>'Already Lost': Trump Holds News Conference</h2>
"Let's remember that before I walked into court, we had already lost—before witnesses, before experts, and do I think any of it mattered? I certainly hope so," said Trump attorney Alina Habba, referencing a summary judgment Justice Engoron issued a week before the trial that found President Trump liable for fraud.

"For anyone that has been in the courtroom the last 11 weeks, you heard that there was not one fact against President Trump," she said. "There was not one piece of paper that showed anyone committed fraud."

She said a consumer fraud statute was "wrongfully used" against President Trump and every one of his employees.

President Trump accused the attorney general and judge of political bias.

"We've proven this case so conclusively," he said. "We've asked for directed verdict many times. They don't have any evidence against us. Millions and millions of pages, years of litigation, and all politically motivated."

President Trump repeated several of the points he made at the courthouse, and emphasized the attorney general had brought no evidence against him because he had done nothing wrong.

"It's a shame to have gone through this for years and years and years, and now we'll see if we're going to get an honest verdict," he said. "We didn't get a jury, we didn't get the rights to a jury."

He accused the Biden administration of coordinating with prosecutors to hamper his campaign, but that "the people of the United States really get it, they get it better than anybody else."

---
<h2>AG Says Defense Case Completely Irrelevant</h2>
Mr. Wallace argued that several of the defense's expert witness testimonies were "simply not relevant at this point" because President Trump was ruled liable for fraud before the trial begin.

"This is the problem with all the defense testimony in this case: not relevant," he said.

Five minutes away, Trump attorney Alina Habba said much the same, blaming the summary judgment.

---
<h2>SFC's 'False Every Year': AG</h2>
Mr. Wallace said the Trump Organization SFCs were "false every year" from 2011 to 2021, as the judge affirmed in a summary judgment, and "that was the baseline" from the beginning of the trial.

"They cannot argue ... that unsold units at Trump Park Avenue weren't rent stablized, or that he didn't have appraisers for 40 Wall Street," Mr. Wallace said.

"Every individual defendant was acting knowingly and intelligently," he said. "There was no suggestion this was a mistake. To the contrary, Donald Trump says he approves of what they did. If anything, the valuations they came up were too low for it. We certainly do not hear that the numbers they used were accurate."

"The statements were clear on their face that they were the responsibility of Donald Trump or his trustees, the defense cannot argue their way out of this," Mr. Wallace said.

Defendants had argued that Mazars USA, a third party accounting firm, had prepared the SFCs and had full access to the company. Mr. Wallace argued that the accuracy of these statements was still the responsibility of Trump Organization.

"Let's not forget, Mazars told the Trump Organization the statements could no longer be relied upon in 2022," Mr. Wallace said.

After the attorney general contacted Mazars about the investigation and charges to come, Mazars had dropped Trump Organization as a client in 2022. Mazars did not independently investigate the attorney general's claims.

---
<h2>State Begins Closing Arguments</h2>
State attorney Kevin Wallace began closing arguments by saying the state would not structure their arguments to counter the defense.

"Some of the defense arguments have already been rejected by this court," Mr. Wallace said. "We have not heard from the defense any new facts because the most important facts are undisputed."

---
<h2>Trump to Hold Conference During AG's Closing Arguments</h2>
President Trump is set to hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. at 40 Wall Street, also known as the Trump Building, about five minutes from the courthouse.

State attorneys will give closing arguments from 2:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., closing out the trial.

Justice Engoron said the earliest he would issue judgment is the end of January.

---
<h2>Trump Says NY Doesn't Want His Tax Dollars</h2>
President Trump summarized his courtroom remarks to the press after the court went on break.

"They owe me damages for what they've done," he said. "We have a great company, we're an innocent company, we did everything right."

"They have no witnesses against us other than Michael Cohen, who's a discredited felon, and no witnesses against us whatsoever," he said. "They only have one piece of paper. What we run is a great company, that's been proven, very highly successful company."

"This is a disgraceful situation, this is why businesses are fleeing New York, like Exxon," he said. "They paid billions and billions in taxes, and I've paid millions and millions over the years."

He said he paid $300 million over "a very short period of time."

"They don't want me to pay it anymore," he said.

"This is a very serious problem because companies are fleeing New York. They ought to focus on the crime, the violent crime, that's one of the reasons they're fleeing. The other reason is because of attorney generals like this that just want to get elected," he said.

"I don't know if we're going to get a ruling, but everyone knows what I just said. This is a sham, and this a shame."

Latest

trump

New York

Videos

Politics

01_Lead Story

04_Top Stories

fraud

Latest Clips

Management

Catherine Yang is a reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York.

Catherine Yang

Michael Washburn is a New York-based reporter who covers U.S. and China-related topics for The Epoch Times. He has a background in legal and financial journalism, and also writes about arts and culture. Additionally, he is the host of the weekly podcast Reading the Globe. His books include “The Uprooted and Other Stories,” “When We're Grownups,” and “Stranger, Stranger.”

Trump Addresses Court for Closing Arguments in NY Civil Fraud Trial