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Earlier this week, Donald Trump sent The New York Times an email. In it, he claimed that he was very rich – pointing to a "June 30, 2014 Statement of Financial Condition" that said he was worth $5.8 billion in the year before he started running for president.

But, as the Times noted, when Trump declared his candidacy in 2015, he said that a "Summary of Net Worth as of June 30, 2014" put his total wealth at $8.7 billion. A month after that, Trump's campaign put out another statement on his wealth. It read, in part:

"Real estate values in New York City, San Francisco, Miami and many other places where he owns property have gone up considerably during this period of time. His debt is a very small percentage of value, and at very low interest rates. As of this date, Mr. Trump's net worth is in excess of TEN BILLION DOLLARS."

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Pinning down how much Trump is actually worth is a bit of a moving target, largely because the former president often exaggerates.

As far back as 2012, when Trump was considering a run for president, he spent time making sure everyone knew he was very wealthy.

"I mean, part of the beauty of me is that I'm very rich," Trump told ABC. "So if I need $600 million, I can put $600 million myself. That's a huge advantage. I must tell you, that's a huge advantage over the other candidates."

When he eventually did announce for president in June 2015, he did so with his wealth front and centre. "I'm really rich," Trump told the crowd. "I have total net worth of $8.73 billion. I'm not doing that to brag. I'm doing that to show that's the kind of thinking our country needs."

How rich is Trump, really? It's a question that has been asked all of his adult life – and one that remains the subject of much debate. The news earlier this week that Mazars, Trump's former accounting firm, was distancing itself from the veracity of all Trump financial statements between 2011 and 2020 has reignited the conversation over how much the billionaire businessman has – and how much he owes.

That's sort of hard to tell – primarily because the former president, in a break with tradition, refused to publicly release any of his previous tax returns, insisting that they don't actually reveal all that much about a person's financial status.

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That said, Forbes has been closely monitoring Trump's wealth for a long time now. And, as of September 2021, they say that Trump's net worth is actually $2.5 billion. The bulk of that wealth is tied up in real estate ($1.1 billion) with his golf clubs and resorts accounting for another $650 million.

According to Forbes' calculations, Trump's net worth peaked in 2015, when he was worth $4.5 billion. It steadily declined during his years in the White House, a fact Trump regularly talked about.

"I said to one of my friends, a very wealthy friend, I said, 'You know, I'll bet you it cost me $2 or $3billion and it's worth every penny of it,'" Trump told Fox News in 2018.

"I don't need the money and it's worth every penny because I'm doing so much for the country."

And there was this in 2020: "[It] cost me billions of dollars to be president of the United States."

He's not wrong!

The other thing you have to consider when trying to calculate Trump's actual wealth is his debt obligations. We know, thanks to amazing reporting from The New York Times, which got their hands on years of Trump's tax returns, that he owes a massive sum – and those debts are coming due in the not-too-distant future.

As David Leonhardt noted in September 2020:

"In the 1990s, Mr. Trump nearly ruined himself by personally guaranteeing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans, and he has since said that he regretted doing so. But he has taken the same step again, his tax records show. He appears to be responsible for loans totaling $421 million, most of which is coming due within four years."

Trump is also in the midst of a dispute over a $70-million-plus refund he received from the IRS in 2010. (In 2011, the IRS began looking into whether or not Trump actually merited that refund for business losses. The case remains unresolved.)

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The extent of Trump's wealth, like so much in his life, appears to be, at least in part, made up. Or at least heavily exaggerated.

Perhaps the best way to understand Trump's approach to his wealth — and to life in general – comes from his 1987 book "The Art of the Deal." Wrote Trump: "The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to people's fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. That's why a little hyperbole never hurts. People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular. I call it truthful hyperbole. It's an innocent form of exaggeration—and a very effective form of promotion."

Truthful hyperbole indeed.

A tiger snake has been spotted slithering out of a car wheel in Tasmania.

The metre-long serpent glided out of a Jeep wheel as the car parked at Wynyard Wharf in Tasmania's north-west coast.

The footage shows the snake slipping and sliding along the wharf away from the car.

READ MORE: What we know about shark attacks off NSW and around Australia

A passerby spotted the snake as it emerged from being coiled up in the alloy.

A snake catcher was soon called in to remove the serpent.

However, the snake catcher could not locate the snake and believed it slivered off onto the wharf.

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Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said tiger snakes are common throughout the state.

Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning said his thoughts are with the family and friends of Sydney shark attack victim Simon Nellist.

Mr Nellist was fatally mauled by a great white off Little Bay, a popular swimming spot in the south-eastern suburbs, on Wednesday afternoon.

His death marked the city's first fatality in almost 60 years.

Witnesses who saw the incident unfold said the shark attacked "vertically" and little could be done to save the 35-year-old.

READ MORE: Sydney shark attack victim remembered

Fanning, a three-time world champion surfer, infamously had a televised run-in with a great white shark in 2015.

He was competing in Jeffreys in South Africa when he fended off a three-metre beast.

READ MORE: What we know about shark attack occurrences off NSW and around Australia

Speaking to Today, Fanning said his thoughts are with the friends and family of the dive instructor.

"I'm just really sad for the family and the friends of the man. I tried not to watch too much, to be honest," he said.

"It's just one of those things, we know the power of them."

READ MORE: What happened in Sydney's last fatal shark attack 59 years ago

Fanning, a three-time world champion surfer, infamously had a televised run-in with a great white shark in 2015.

He was competing in Jeffreys in South Africa when he fended off a three-metre beast.

READ MORE: What lured a great white shark to shore before fatal attack?

Fanning said he still deals with the trauma of the near-attack.

"You always get flutters, for sure," he said.

"I did a lot of work when it all first happened.

"So, I'm personally fine, but, yeah, you definitely get things run through your mind."

A man caring for a teenage girl under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been charged with sexually assaulting her, then allegedly paying her to stay quiet.

The 28-year-old from Australind, north-east of Bunbury in Western Australia is accused of having a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old between March and November 2020.

It will be alleged that the man was being paid under the NDIS program to support the victim.

READ MORE: Diving instructor killed in Sydney shark attack remembered

It will also be alleged he paid her $10,000 in December 2020 to cover up the offences.

He has been charged with three counts of sexual penetration of a child between 13 and 16 years old, and one count of having a sexual relationship with a child between 13 and 16.

The 28-year-old is next due to appear before the Bunbury Magistrates Court on February 18.

An Adelaide pizza shop owner has been fined $10,500 for food safety breaches at an eatery described in court as "grubby and disgraceful".

Mahdi Al Haiery today admitted breaching safety standards 18 times over four months in late 2020 for his Valley View pizza shop.

Council inspectors found mouldy, uncovered food and dirty equipment, describing the shop as "grubby and disgraceful".

READ MORE: Diving instructor and ocean lover killed in Sydney shark attack

One customer also found shards of glass in their pizza.

The Port Adelaide Enfield Council told 9News "previous action and food safety education were not acting as a deterrent.

"Prosecution was necessary to change current habits," it said.

The 21-year-old owner blamed the bad state of his shop on a manager who was there for the first of many council inspections but allegedly didn't inform Mr Al Hajery about the full extent of the issues flagged.

Mr Al Hajery also said a worker making the pizza that was found to have glass in it failed to report the obvious risk.

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Both the manager and worker have since been fired.

Mr Al Hajery has also replaced any glass items, such as drinks and containers, with plastic or stainless steal to avoid future problems.

He says he has spent $30k to make sure there is no repeat of the poor conditions in his pizza shop.

All his staff are now undergoing training courses online.

The moment a towering wall of water crashed through the window of a German ferry has been filmed by a terrified commuter.

The vessel was sailing across the Elbe River to the Airbus factories in Hamburg when it was hit by the wave.

The windows are seen buckling under the water as the boat rocks from side to side, lashed by winds of up to 150km/h.

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Passengers flee as glass and water are sent flying down the ailes.

One person was injured in the incident.

Large ships have been banned from sailing up the Lower Elbe River that connects the port of Hamburg to the sea.

Meteorologists on Thursday warned that northern Europe could be battered by a series of storms over the coming days.

Strong winds swept across the region overnight, killing at least four people, downing power lines and causing widespread travel delays.

Meteorologists said they measured wind speeds of up to 135 kilometres per hour in low-lying areas of Germany.

– WITH AP

Nearly 50 years after she vanished without a trace, Victoria Police had released new pictures of a missing teen in a bid to elicit information about the case.

Sherrlynn Mitchell, from Ballarat, was last seen at her home on Eyre Street on Thursday 22 November 1973 when she left to meet a friend at a bus stop.

However the 16-year-old never turned up. She never returned to her workplace at Ballarat Woollen Mills and did not collect her wages.

Sherrlynn's mother passed away in 2016. Her two brothers are her only surviving relatives.

READ MORE: Diving instructor and ocean lover killed in Sydney shark attack

Victoria Police has released an age progression photo of the teen showing what she may look like now.

Investigators said they've "exhausted all known avenues of inquiry".

READ MORE: What lured a great white shark to shore before fatal attack?

"We are determined to find out what happened to her so we can end the trauma for her family and loved ones," Detective Acting Sergeant Andrew Barnes of Ballarat Crime Investigation Unit said.

"While there is nothing at this time to indicate Sherrlynn's disappearance was suspicious, police are keen to speak to anyone who has more information about her movements over the years or where she may be now.

"Sherrlynn, if you are out there – it is not a crime to disappear and police will not disclose your whereabouts to anyone if that is your wish – we just want to know that you are safe."

At the time of her disappearance Sherrlynn was 165cm tall with a medium build, red hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion.

Body of woman found in US

In 2010 Victoria Police used DNA testing to determine if a body of a woman found in the US could be Sherrlynn.

The body was found seven years after the 16-year-old vanished.

However the body proved to be someone else.

"In 2020, Ballarat detectives received samples of both Sherrlynn's and her now deceased mother's hair. The samples were sent to the Victoria Police Forensics Unit and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine for examination, and a partial DNA sample was obtained," Victoria Police said in a statement.

"Detectives followed up a number of possible DNA matches in Australia, however no matches were found."

Anyone with information about Sherrlynn is asked to contact either Ballarat Police Station on 03 5336 6000, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.