Category Archives: Transhuman News

By Clark D. Cunningham, Georgia State University

A court filing by the Justice Department just minutes before midnight on Aug. 30, 2022, was a sharply worded attack on former President Donald Trumps request for a so-called special master a neutral arbiter to review the documents the FBI seized at his estate, Mar-a-Lago, earlier in the month.

Bottom line: The Justice Department says the documents dont belong to Trump and says someone has deliberately concealed documents marked classified from a federal grand jury investigation. The department has not yet publicly stated who they believe is guilty of this crime whether Trump himself, members of his team, or both.

In the filing, the Justice Department wrote, The government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the governments investigation.

This latest revelation has prompted observers to say that obstruction of justice charges are at stake. But thats a broad term that covers many wrongful acts. The specific crime at issue here is obstructing a federal investigation.

The Conversation asked Georgia State University legal expert Clark Cunningham, an authority on search warrants, to describe the meaning of obstruction, and why Trump may be charged with this crime.

There are 21 different federal crimes that involve obstruction of justice. One of the obstruction laws, called Section 1519, is violated if someone knowingly conceals any document with the intent to obstruct or block a federal investigation. Thats obstruction of a federal investigation, and conviction for this crime can result in up to 20 years of prison.

For example, Jesse Benton, who managed Ron Pauls 2012 presidential campaign, was convicted of violating Section 1519 when he concealed improper campaign payments from the Federal Election Commission. Trump later pardoned Benton in December 2020.

The FBI cites Section 1519 in its Mar-a-Lago search warrant and in the recently unsealed affidavit submitted to a Florida court to obtain the warrant. But until the Department of Justices Aug. 30, 2022, midnight court filing, the public did not know what kind of concealment and what kind of obstruction the department was alleging Trump committed.

A federal grand jury subpoena demanded on May 11, 2022, that Trump turn over all documents with classified markings to the government.

The FBI was informed by Trump representatives in a sworn statement at Mar-a-Lago on June 3 that all documents marked classified were being turned over that day. This statement has now been proved to be false.

Trump was aware of the FBIs June 3 visit to Mar-a-Lago. In his own court filings he has said that he personally met the FBI agents when they arrived.

Despite the sworn statement that no more documents marked as classified remained at Mar-a-Lago, the FBI found 76 documents marked classified in a storage room during its subsequent Aug. 8, 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago. They also found documents marked Top Secret in a container in Trumps private office. The agents also seized a desk drawer in that office containing documents marked classified that were mixed in with other items, including Trumps passports.

The government believes that the false statement made to the agents on June 3, as well as other evidence they have not yet disclosed, shows there was a deliberate plan to conceal documents that should have been given to the grand jury.

Before the Aug. 30 filing, it appeared that Trumps most serious risk of criminal liability involved violating the Espionage Act by willfully retaining documents relating to national security after he left office. Revelation of these new details emphasize another offense to be added to the list of his possible crimes: obstruction of a federal investigation.

Clark D. Cunningham, W. Lee Burge Chair in Law & Ethics; Director, National Institute for Teaching Ethics & Professionalism, Georgia State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

SUBSCRIBE

Link:
Trump faces possible obstruction of justice charges for concealing classified government documents - Ohio Capital Journal

fizkes / Shutterstock.com

Like it or not, some fees are unavoidable.

But others are excessive, egregious and just plain obnoxious. You certainly dont have to like them and you dont have to pay them either.

Heres a look at fees you should never need to pay.

As paying with cash has become less common, its gotten more expensive to turn your change into bills.

Many banks used to have coin-counting machines that account holders could use for free. Now, those that have them generally charge for the service. (However, a coin shortage caused by the pandemic led Regions and perhaps other banks to waive those fees temporarily.)

And, of course, many of us dont physically visit banks anymore so the only coin counters we encounter are the ones operated by Coinstar in grocery stores.

Coinstar charges a whopping 11.9% service fee plus a 25-cent transaction fee for the pleasure of sitting through all that whirring, clanking and feeding of a few stubborn coins through the machine multiple times.

However, you can avoid this fee in two ways. First, you can redeem your change for an eGift card from a wide variety of retailers and services including Amazon, DoorDash, Home Depot and Southwest Airlines.

Second, you can do the coin sorting yourself. Your bank might still give you coin wrappers for free, or you can find them at the dollar store.

If sorting and rolling coins doesnt sound worth your time but you still hate the fee, you can strike a middle ground by buying your own coin sorter this one's a bargain for the one-time, flat fee of about $27 on Amazon.

Want the privilege of accessing your own money? Thatll be $4.66, please.

Thats the average amount for fees on a transaction through an ATM not run by your bank, according to recent research. It accounts for the fees both the ATM owner and your bank hit you with.

The good news, from the same study, is that banks have been increasingly ditching the practice of charging customers who use out-of-network machines. So keep complaining, and use one of the roughly 40% of banks standing on the right side of history. We name several in 6 Banks That Waive or Refund ATM Fees.

If youre not willing to make the switch, you can make liberal use of your debit card to get small amounts of cash back alongside many retail transactions or be sure to always use your own banks ATMs.

Few industries are more fee-happy than credit cards. Annual fees, late fees, cash advance fees and foreign transaction fees are just a few of the most common.

Many can be avoided with a little diligence. For instance, be sure to compare fees when you choose a credit card they dont all charge the same types. (We can help find a credit card that works for you.)

You should also always know how close you are to your credit limit, what your full statement balance is and the due date thatll avoid three of the big fees we lay out in 6 Credit Card Costs You Should Never Pay.

Mutual fund sales charges, also called load fees, are like commissions, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. You can be charged this type of fee in various situations, depending on the fund:

Theyre a load of something, all right these fees are a percentage of the amount you invest. That means theyre proportionate to the amount of work you put into making the money, not the amount of work some broker puts into moving it.

One way to get around paying these hefty fees is to invest in no-load funds. Money Talks News founder and former stockbroker Stacy Johnson explains how to do it in How Do I Invest in a Mutual Fund?

Paying to use something many airports, coffee shops and other businesses give you for free seems a little unreasonable, doesnt it?

Sometimes joining a hotels loyalty program provides free in-room Wi-Fi as a perk. You can also bring your own Wi-Fi hotspot although that might mean youre just paying a fee to your phone provider instead.

We have more ideas in 11 Tips for Avoiding Ridiculous Hotel Fees.

Most overdraft fees are paid by people living paycheck to paycheck the very people who can least afford to pay them. Theyre a blight, and thankfully, some banks are doing away with them.

So one way to avoid this kind of fee, also called an insufficient funds fee, is to switch banks.

Another is to tell your bank youre not interested in paying about $35 every time you dont have $1 to spare federal law allows you to opt out of this kind of protection from banks. Just be aware that opting out means your card will be declined at the register if you dont have enough money in your account to cover a charge.

When we fly somewhere, its pretty much a given were going to pay for where we park our car, our luggage and our rear. But airlines have also started trying to charge for the privilege of picking whichever remaining corner of the plane you want to cram yourself into when you book a flight.

The way seat selection is presented in the process may make these charges seem inevitable but theres generally a link or button somewhere on the page to skip picking a seat and simply let the airline assign one for you.

Another option is to fly on an airline that doesnt mess around with assigned seating, like Southwest.

Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.

See original here:
7 Fees You Should Never Pay And How to Avoid Them - Money Talks News

Hillary Clinton recently hawked a line of hats with a mocking logo But her emails. The taunt was directed at Donald Trump, who faces a real possibility of a criminal charge after the FBIs search of his Mar-a-Lago residence.

While Clinton considers her prior conduct a subject of mirth, the FBIs handling of her case will cast a long shadow over any potential prosecution of the former president, including the recent focus on an obstruction charge. There likely would be an assortment of but her emails objections to a charge that could have been made as readily against Clinton or her associates.

The appointment of a special master to examine materials seized in the Trump investigation has occupied much of the attention in the past week. Trumps legal teams belated request for a special master could help bring greater clarity to the raids scope and seizures. Yet it will not likely alter the trajectory of the case, which the Department of Justice (DOJ) has repeatedly stressed is an active criminal investigation.

What is notable is the governments obvious effort to focus public attention on obstruction as a potential crime. Emphasizing obstruction, instead of the improper retention of classified material, could be seen as a way to navigate a political minefield to get to a prosecution. The reason, once again, is Hillary Clinton, who remains a complicating factor in Attorney General Merrick Garland showing the public that this is not about pursuing Trump but enforcing the law.

In its filings in the last two weeks, the most worrisome line for Trump came in the DOJs36-page oppositionto a special masters appointment when it declared that obstructive conduct occurred at Mar-a-Lago in themonths leading up to the Aug. 8 search.The DOJ also said it has developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the governments investigation.

Those types of statements never bode well for a target, since they reflect a certain commitment to the prosecutorial path.

The value of shifting toward an obstruction case is that it would reduce the complications of any Trump claims on declassification or executive privilege to remove documents while he remained president. (The three cited statutes do not require classified status for a crime but two deal with the unlawful possession or handling of defense or sensitive information.) Trump has not fully explained how he allegedly declassified all of this material. Under Section 1519, the government can prosecute someone who knowingly conceals any document with the intent to obstruct their investigation.

The filings do not indicate that the government has evidence of knowing concealment by Trump, but it cited various representations made by lawyers on his behalf.

Trump might be familiar with such cases because he pardoned Jesse Benton in the final days of his administration. Benton, who managed Ron Pauls 2012 presidential campaign, was convicted of violating Section 1519 by concealing campaign payments from the Federal Election Commission. Ironically, Trump signed that pardon as his staff was preparing to leave the White House, including having these boxes packed for transport to Mar-a-Lago.

While the released evidence would clearly support a charge of obstruction, it is unclear what acts were knowingly taken and by whom.

A criminal charge of obstruction against Trump would offer certain political benefits for Garland.As previously discussed, the government has routinely elected not to prosecute high-ranking officials for improperly removing classified material or has sought mere misdemeanor charges in the most egregious cases.

Prosecuting Trump for a misdemeanor for possessing or removing classified documents would seem gratuitous, while prosecuting him for a felony would raise questions of biased or selective prosecution. After all, in 2016, Hillary Clinton had not just 113 documents containing classified material but some documents classified at the Top Secret/Special Access Program level on her private email servers. (In Trumps case, the government allegedly found roughly 100 documents in the Mar-a-Lago raid in addition to roughly 150 handled over by the Trump team under an earlier subpoena.)

Clintons documents were even more vulnerable to being compromised via her unclassified email account and, according to the FBI, hostile actors gained access to some of the information. Yet she was never subjected to a raid, let alone a charge.

Yet,whileless glaring as a contradiction than the charges on the possession or handling of classified information, an obstruction charge would allow up to a 20-year sentence and could be brought with misdemeanor charges on the mishandling or retention of classified information.

Thus, an obstruction charge against Trump would be prosecuted in the shadow of Hillary Clintons case. In addition to the transfer of top-secret and other classified documents to her private server, Clinton and her staff did not fully cooperate with investigators. During the investigations of her conduct, some of usmarveled at the temerity of the Clinton staffin refusing to turn over her laptop and other evidence to State Department and DOJ investigators. The FBI had tocut deals with her aidesto secure their cooperation.

Later,more classified material was foundon the laptop of former congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin 49,000 emails potentially relevant to the Clinton investigation.

After Congress sought these emails, Clintons staffunilaterally destroyed thousands of emailswith BleachBit. Clinton was aware that Congress and the State Department wereseeking the emails in 2014. Her lawyers turned over about 30,000 work-related emails to the State Department and deleted 33,000 others while insisting they unilaterally deemed them personal.

Garland may be able to make a case against Trump and show that it is indeed distinguishable from the Clinton case and others. What has been alleged is undeniably serious, including the alleged failure to comply with an earlier subpoena and false statements. However, Garland must address the legitimate concerns of millions of Americans that the same office involved in past Trump investigations with documented instances of false or misleading statements is leading this new effort. There also is the great concern over the Biden administration charging a prior and possibly future political opponent.

Any criminal case should be based not only on unassailable legal theories and facts but on clear consistency with past cases.That case will turn on still undisclosed evidence of what was known about the contents of the boxes found at Mar-a-Lago and how the documents were handled after the Trump team learned of the FBIs investigation.

With Hillary Clintonselling But Her Emails hatsat $30 a pop, Merrick Garland will have to explain the prospect of one politician going to jail while the other goes retail.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University.Follow him on Twitter@JonathanTurley.

Go here to read the rest:
Hats off to Hillary: Prosecuting Trump in the shadow of Clintons emails - The Hill

If youre looking for bargain fun this weekend, more than 3,000 movie theaters have it.

Those theaters with a total of 30,000 screens will celebrate National Cinema Day with showings for no more than $3 per ticket on Sept. 3.

Sponsored by the Cinema Foundation, the event is intended to celebrate the return of moviegoers to theaters following the pandemic. In a press release, Jackie Brenneman, Cinema Foundation president, says:

After this summers record-breaking return to cinemas, we wanted to do something to celebrate moviegoing. Were doing it by offering a thank you to the moviegoers that made this summer happen, and by offering an extra enticement for those who havent made it back yet.

Just note that the $3 admission price does not include tax or fees for online and/or third-party ticketing.

The Cinema Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit that promotes the essential cinema exhibition industry by developing future diverse workforces and growing moviegoing communities through research, education and philanthropy.

If you love movies, check out:

Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.

Read more:
Visit Your Favorite Theater and Watch a Movie for $3 on Sept. 3 - Money Talks News

hedgehog94 / Shutterstock.com

Washing your car regularly keeps it looking its best and gives a longer life to the finish on your favorite ride. And youve probably spent a good bit of the summer riding and enjoying the dropping gas prices.

Unfortunately, many of us make foolish decisions when cleaning our vehicles. Following are some common mistakes you likely make when washing the car.

Using a standard cleaning sponge to wash your car can create untold damage, says professional auto detailer Larry Kosilla.

He says such sponges can be devastating to your paint because dirt and contaminants get pushed along the surface as you wipe. By contrast, car mitts made for washing a car grab these contaminants and trap them in the mitts fibers until they are released when you dip the mitt into a bucket of water.

For example, the Chemical Guys brand boasts that its MIC498 Black Microfiber Wash Mitt contains fibers that act like a piece of Velcro to hook and loop material, trapping and holding abrasive dirt and filth deep within the pile of the premium wash mitt.

Dish soap may do a fantastic job on plates and cutlery, but it is not meant to clean your cars exterior.

This type of soap contains chemicals that can oxidize the paint job, strip the clear coat, and make the paint dull looking, according to NuWash, a mobile car care service based in Austin, Texas.

Instead, use a car shampoo specially made for washing vehicles. Doing so will help guard your cars paint, rubber and metal surfaces from moisture and debris.

One of the best parts of cleaning your car is looking through glass that is sparkly clean. But it is best to avoid using ammonia-based glass cleaners when wiping windows.

If the ammonia drips inside the car, it can damage upholstery and the dashboard, according to the On All Cylinders automotive blog.

So, look for ammonia-free glass cleaners. Mothers, Windex and Glass Plus all sell them.

Its easy to miss a spot or two when cleaning that shows up after your work is done. When this happens, dont grab a dry towel and try to quickly rub out the dirt spot.

Doing so simply grinds the dirt in, scratching the paint, warns On All Cylinders.

Similarly, never use a dirty towel to clean your car. According to the Car Care Hacks website:

When you drop your towel on the ground, it picks up all types of debris, including little rocks which will put a nice scratch in your cars paint. So, once you drop the towel on the ground, that towel is done.

It is natural to start washing your car at the top and work your way down. But washing the wheels and tires last is a mistake, because much of the gunk and grime you spray off will end up on the surface of the car that you just cleaned.

The folks at Reliable Detailing in Virginia Beach, Virginia, urge you to clean your wheels and tires first, then turn to the rest of the car, working from the top down.

Car wax helps protect your cars exterior. However, applying too many coats of wax is wasteful, and simply leads to over-buffing and the removal of earlier coats, according to the experts at Simoniz, which makes car cleaning products.

Stick to one to two coats of wax. That should be plenty to do the job right.

Taking a bottle of car shampoo or car wax and squeezing it directly onto the cars surface is unwise. Doing so can make it look messy or cause damage to the paint color, according to the experts at Motor Biscuit.

Instead, always follow the product directions. That typically means using a foam applicator, Motor Biscuit notes.

The suns powerful rays quickly evaporate the soap and water you apply to your car. That can make it difficult for those suds to do their job of removing dirt and grime, say the folks at AvalonKing, which sells ceramic coating for vehicles.

They recommend washing your car in the shade and planning your washes for early in the morning or close to sunset.

Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.

Link:
9 Big Mistakes You're Likely Making When Washing the Car - Money Talks News

The Best Tom Hanks Movies, Ranked.

Everett Collection

Take a gander at the last 40 years of cinema, and youll find at least one universal truth: The people love Tom Hanks.

The 66-year-old actor is known around Hollywood and the world as an affable everyman, with as much capacity for heady drama as he has a knack for quippy comedy. Hanks most famous roles range from the light and whimsical (see flicks like Money Pit, Turner & Hooch, and Larry Crowne) to the darkly complex (The Green Mile, Charlie Wilsons War, and The Post). Hes also responsible for delivering lines in some of cinemas most quotable movies, including A League of Their Own (Theres no crying in baseball!) and Apollo 13 (Houston, we have a problem).

Hanks cut his teeth as a stage actor, performing Shakespeare and other plays in his hometown of Lakewood, California for much of the late 70s. At 24-years-old, Hanks made his first movie appearance as a flirty jogger in the slasher He Knows Youre Alone before starring opposite Daryl Hannah in Ron Howards romantic comedy Splash four years later (which ranks at No. 3 on IndieWires guide to the best mermaid movies).

Hanks was known for his rom-coms for some time, famously pairing up with Meg Ryan for both Sleepless in Seattle and Youve Got Mail. His broader comedies were similarly well-received, with Toy Story becoming a franchise (to which Hanks voice remains essential) and Big snagging the actor his first Oscar nomination (for his performance as a 12-year-old trapped in an adults body).

That said, the best Tom Hanks roles have largely been dramatic. Philadelphia would earn Hanks his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 1994. Hed immediately follow it up with a second Best Actor win for Forrest Gump in 1995. Teaming up with director Steven Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan, Hanks was nominated again in 1999. The actor topped off his turn of the century success streak with one more nomination for Robert Zemeckis 2000 survival epic Cast Away. Hanks wouldnt be honored by the Academy again until 2020, when he played beloved childrens show host Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Following Hanks performance in Baz Luhrmanns Elvis and ahead of the actors reunion with Zemeckis for the live-action Pinocchio on Disney+ September 8, here are the 15 best Tom Hanks movies of all time. Plus: A list of his characters best lines from those titles.

Note: For the purpose of this ranking, the Toy Story franchise has been regarded as a single body of work.

Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

Go here to read the rest:
The 15 Best Tom Hanks Movies, from 'Cast Away' to 'Toy Story' to 'Big' - IndieWire