In other news: Trump secures $1.6 billion in Trump Media shares; Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year

Published 12:00 am Friday, May 3, 2024

By The Associated Press

Trump awarded 36 million more Trump Media shares worth $1.6 billion after hitting price benchmarks

Former President Donald Trump has secured another $1.6 billion worth of shares in Trump Media. That’s according to a regulatory filing this week. Based on the company’s stock hitting certain price benchmarks, Trump was awarded an additional 36 million shares in the company that owns his social media platform Truth Social. That brings his total ownership to more than 114 million shares, which based on Tuesday’s closing price, are worth $5.1 billion. For now, the value of those shares is considered “paper wealth.” Trump is prohibited from selling any shares for six months after Trump Media went public without securing a waiver from the company’s board.

Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, an FBI report says

The FBI says scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year. An FBI report released Tuesday shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings. Investigators are warning of a rise in brazen schemes to drain bank accounts involving sending couriers in person to collect cash or gold from victims. The FBI says investigators are seeing organized, transnational criminal enterprises targeting older Americans through a variety of schemes, like romance scams and investment frauds. Authorities say earlier this month an 81-year-old Ohio man fatally shot an Uber driver he thought was trying to rob him after receiving scam phone calls.

George W. Bush’s portraits of veterans are heading to Disney World

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Walt Disney World will host dozens of portraits of service members and veterans from the nation’s Painter-in-Chief. The George W. Bush Institute is loaning the 60 color portraits by the former U.S. president to the Florida theme park resort. The paintings of service members and veterans will be displayed for a year starting next month at Epcot’s American Adventure pavilion. Accompanying each painting is a veteran biography written by the former president. The exhibit also will include information and resources created to support veterans and their families.