Month: August 2022

First Thing: FBI was seeking classified presidential records at Trump’s home | usnews

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on First Thing: FBI was seeking classified presidential records at Trump’s home | usnews

Buenos dias.

Federal investigators searched Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Monday bearing a warrant that broadly sought presidential and classified records that the justice department believed the former president unlawfully retained, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The criminal nature of the search warrant executed by FBI agents, as described by the sources, suggested the investigation surrounding Trump is firmly a criminal inquiry that comes with potentially far-reaching political and legal ramifications for the former president.

And the extraordinary search, the sources said, came after the justice department grew concerned – as a result of discussions with Trump’s lawyers in recent weeks – that presidential and classified materials were being unlawfully and improperly kept at the Mar-a-Lago resort.

Meanwhile, Republican and rightwing groups have swiftly used the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago to raise money from their supporters by bombarding them with fundraising emails and appeals for donations.

could the Mar-a-Lago raid benefit Trump politically? Trump is widely believed to be pursuing a presidential run in 2024. Some suggested that it would fuel his supporters’ suspicion of federal law enforcement officials, whom Trump and his allies have long fired as corrupt and biased.
Why didn’t the FBI just use a subpoena? The fact that the FBI sought a search warrant rather than a subpoena implies it did not trust Trump to hand over or preserve official documents in his possession.
What else has the FBI done? Federal investigators seized the cellphone of the Republican congressman Scott Perry on Tuesday, his office said. Perry is a close ally of Trump.

Biden administration ends Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

Hundreds of migrants cross the US-Mexico border in Yumaepa10026783 A US Border Patrol officer looks at migrants lining up against 'the wall' before processing them as hundreds cross the border between Mexico and the US in Yuma, Arizona, USA, 20 June 2022 ( issued June 21, 2022). Coming from all over the world, most of the migrants who cross the border where the wall ends at the limit of the Cocopah Indian Reservation, willingly turn themselves to US Border Patrol officers who will process them as they ask for asylum. EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET — A US border patrol looks on as people wait to have their identities checked and taken to a processing center in Yuma, Arizona, in June. Photograph: Etienne Laurent/EPA

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it had ended a Trump-era policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration court, hours after a judge lifted an order, in effect since December, that the so-called Remain in Mexico rule will be reinstated.

The timing had been in doubt since the US supreme court ruled on June 30 that the Biden administration could end the policy.

Homeland security officials had been largely silent, saying they had to wait for the court to certify the ruling and for a Trump-appointed judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, in Amarillo, Texas, to then lift his injunction.

The supreme court certified its ruling last week and critics of the policy had been increasingly outspoken about the Biden administration’s reticence on Remain in Mexico, calling for an immediate end to it.

What will happen now? The program now will be unwound in a “quick, and orderly manner”, DHS said in a statement. No more people are being enrolled and those who appear in court will not be returned to Mexico when they appear in the US for their next hearings.
Why did the Biden administration decide to end the policy? The policy “has endemic flaws, imposes unjustifiable human costs, and pulls resources and personnel away from other priority efforts to secure our border”, the department said.

‘This is about striking fear’: China’s Taiwan drills the new normal, analysts say

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, an air force pilot from the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) looks as they conduct a joint combat training exercises around the Taiwan Island on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. China said Monday it was extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict in a region crucial to global trade. (Wang Xinchao/Xinhua via AP) — Chinese People’s Liberation Army warplanes conduct what it describes as a combat training exercise around Taiwan on Sunday. Photograph: Wang Xinchao/AP

China’s military drills targeting Taiwan have set a new normal, and are likely to “regularise” similar armed exercises off the coast or even more aggressive action much closer to the island, analysts have said.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been conducting live-fire exercises and other drills in the seas around Taiwan’s main island for almost a week, in a purported response to the controversial visit to Taipei by the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi.

Beijing claims Taiwan as a province. It has not ruled out taking it by force and objects to any and all foreign shows of support for its sovereignty. Taiwan has accused Beijing of using Pelosi’s visit as an excuse to prepare for an invasion.

While some drills are continuing, the big show put on last week has ended, and observers are now trying to assess how the dynamics of the region have changed, and what the future holds for cross-strait relations.

What does Taiwan think? Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said yesterday there was concern the PLA would “routinize” crossing the median line. He urged the international community to push back, saying Beijing clearly aimed to control the strait.

In other news…

Serena Williams waves to the Center Court crowd as she leaves the court following her first round defeat to Harmony Tan on day two of the 2022 Wimbledon tennis championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on June 28th 2022 in London, England (Photo by Tom Jenkins ) — In an article for Vogue, Serena Williams explained her intention to further expand her family was one of the main reasons she was retiring. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time and a 23-time grand slam singles champion, has announced that she is retiring from professional tennis, indicating she could step away after the upcoming US Open. Here’s how Serena Williams became a rare legend.
Elon Musk has sold $6.9bn (£5.7bn) worth of shares in Tesla after admitting that he could need the funds if he is forced to buy the social media platform. The Tesla chief executive walked away from a $44bn deal to buy Twitter in July but the company has launched a lawsuit demanding that he complete the deal.
China is racing to stamp out Covid-19 outbreaks in the tourist hubs of Tibet and Hainan, with the authorities launching more rounds of mass testing and closing venues to contain the highly transmissible Omicron variant as Beijing presses ahead with its Covid zero strategy.
A former Twitter employee has been found guilty of spying on Saudi dissidents using the social media platform and passing their personal information to a close aid of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A jury found Ahmad Abouammo had acted as an unregistered agent of the Saudi government.

Don’t miss this: A rebel fighter who risked his life for love was murdered, and part of me died too

Members of Naxalites — Naxalite fighters in the forests of Chhattisgarh in 2007: Korsa Joga had been a member of the revolutionary group for many years. Photograph: Mustafa Quraishi/AP

“As a journalist in a conflict zone I was used to cover deaths. But then a young insurgent who had laid down his weapons and became a friend was killed,” writes Ashutosh Bhardwaj. “I was sent photographs on WhatsApp, of his body lying on a road in a puddle of blood. In that moment a man deep inside me, who loves, who years for love, a part of that man was also murdered. A journalist often lives in bewildering haste, in a frenzied endeavor to locate news in every element around… Imperceptibly, but profoundly, reporting begins to mutate your being. You find yourself ineligible for writing on topics that don’t involve blood or sorrow.”

Climate check: Can citizen scientists turn the tide against America’s toxic algal blooms?

Photo by Mote Marine Laboratory's Manatee Research Program showing aerial view of red tide off Florida's Southwest coast. — An aerial view of red tide off Florida’s south-west coast. Photograph: Mote Marine Laboratory’s Manatee Research Program

As climate change heats the oceans, predictions of a dangerous phenomenon known as “red tides” are on the rise. Red tides occur a type of rust-colored alga known as Karenia brevis grows, which produces toxic compounds that are harmful to humans as well as dolphins, manatees and other sea life. In an effort to address the threat, the Red Tide Respiratory Forecast was launched. It’s an online map that shows the presence and severity of red tide at select locations, which community of citizen science volunteers contribute to.

Last Thing: The transatlantic battle over a 7ft Frankenstein figure

Photograph students up-close with Frankenstein's Monster (c) Getty (2) — Schoolchildren get up close with Frankenstein’s monster. Photograph: Getty

Measuring almost 7ft tall, a Frankenstein’s monster mannequin and costume is one of the largest – and strangest – costumes owned by the V&A museum in London. The only problem? The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) thinks it owns it too. The NHM said it was given the monster, and the costume, by Universal Studios in 1935. It in turn slowed it down to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where it was reported as being destroyed in 1967. So the NHM was a bit surprised when it showed up in London.

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Technology

Apple Is Getting Called Out Over the Worst Thing About the iPhone–By Google

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Apple Is Getting Called Out Over the Worst Thing About the iPhone–By Google

The blue and green bubble controversy is real. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably don’t use an iPhone–or, you don’t use one to send text messages to anyone else who doesn’t use an iPhone. If you did, their messages would appear in little green bubbles, a sign that even though you’re using the Messages app, many of the features you get when you send iMessages to another iPhone user aren’t available.

A lot has been written about the whole green bubble situation, including claims that Apple uses the green bubbles in order to flag non-iPhone users as second-class messaging partners on its platform. If that sounds ridiculous, consider that the stigma is real.

Mostly that’s because sending messages from an iPhone to any other device is a really bad experience. Your messages are sent and received as basic text messages, instead of using Apple’s encrypted protocol, which is called iMessage. I know, it’s confusing–iMessage is the service, and Messages is the app where you send messages, both text and iMessages.

When you send messages in the Messages app that aren’t iMessages, many of the features you might be used to aren’t supported–or at least, not supported well. You can’t reply in threads if someone in the group is on Android. You can’t add someone to a group. Tap backs–the feature that lets you “like” or “heart” a message–still don’t quite work right. They’ve gotten better but only because Google has made an effort to improve the experience–not Apple.

The point is that sending messages to someone with green bubbles is just a poor overall experience. Considering that sending text messages, in general, is something most iPhone users do a few dozen, or a hundred times a day, that’s a big problem.

The alternative, according to Google, is RCS, which stands for Rich Communications Services. It’s supposed to be the successor to the antiquated SMS protocol that made text messaging possible–in 1992.

The problem–again, according to Google–is that Apple isn’t playing nice and won’t adopt RCS, thereby forcing us all to live with a far worse messaging experience. The company even created a website to encourage people to “send a message to Apple” to “fix texting.”

“It’s not about the color of the bubbles,” the website says. “It’s the blurry videos, broken group chats, missing read receipts and typing indicators, no texting over Wi-Fi, and more. These problems exist because Apple refuses to adopt modern texting standards when people with iPhones and Android phones text each other.”

Except, and this is important, it’s not really worse if you only send messages to people with iPhones. If everyone you send text messages to uses iMessage, everything is great.

Of course, in the real world, there are a little more than 1.5 billion iOS devices and something like 3 billion Android devices. That means there’s a good chance you’ll eventually have to send a message to a coworker, or a friend, or a random family member who bought the least expensive smartphone they could find at the Verizon store.

When that happens, the experience is really terrible.

Although, now that we’ve mentioned Verizon, it’s interesting that Google doesn’t mention the nation’s largest wireless carrier. Verizon wasn’t exactly championing RCS–none of the major carriers were. Google basically took over the initiative to make it happen. It mostly worked, even Samsung now uses Google’s Messages app as the default option.

Of course, iMessage isn’t just a better experience for iPhone users. It’s also better for Apple since–as the company has previously acknowledged–it creates lock-in. Parents spend more money buying their high school student an iPhone since they want them to have iMessage. Friends feel peer pressure if their text messages show up in green bubbles. There are even stories that people are intentionally left out of group chats because they aren’t using an iPhone.

All of that pressure is a real reason people buy iPhones, which means Apple’s incentive isn’t to change–it’s to keep people buying iPhones. Apple could absolutely fix the things that are wrong with Messages, but that would require giving up some of its competitive advantages.

Here’s the thing: RCS basically includes all of the best features of the iMessage service–with the exception that it’s not end-to-end encrypted. It is, however, substantially better than SMS with the added benefit that it would also be agnostic towards the specific messaging app you use.

There’s a powerful lesson here, which is that sometimes doing the best thing for your customers means giving up a little control. It means making the experience better, even when it means you give up some of your competitive advantage.

Sports

Wallabies forced into more changes for Argentina Test, Hunter Paisami injury, Quade Cooper, video

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Wallabies forced into more changes for Argentina Test, Hunter Paisami injury, Quade Cooper, video

The Wallabies will be forced to go to the well again, with Hunter Paisami expected to be ruled out of their second Rugby Championship Test against Michael Cheika’s Los Pumas in San Juan.

It’s understood the center, who laid on the Wallabies’ bonus point win with a sublime run and offload in the final play of the game, has suffered a head knock.

His injury will see yet another backline reshuffle, with Lalakai Foketi expected to be named in the No.12 jersey. Irae Simone, who was a late call-up to the squad and will head to Clermont following the two-Test tour of Argentina, is firming for a remarkable return via the bench.

Foketi won’t be the only change either.

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The change at inside center could see the Wallabies opt for the experienced head of James O’Connor to fill the No.10 jersey following Quade Cooper’s devastating season ending injury.

Should Dave Rennie indeed turn to O’Connor, the Test shapes as a crunch one for the 32-year-old, who lost some backers following his poor second half against England in Brisbane last month. Never mind that he was under done and playing away from his preferred position and the lack of time in the saddle showed.

Part of the thinking could be that in Bledisloe III, 2020, Rennie was forced to select the uncapped duo of Noah Lolesio and Simone at 10 and 12 and their inexperience showed as the All Blacks smashed the Wallabies at the Olympic Stadium. Rolling out Lolesio, who is still growing as a player at 22, and Foketi, who will play his second Test, could leave them short of experience and leadership in the backline.

Wallabies bag late, late bonus point try | 00:43

Utility Reece Hodge, who stepped into the hot seat at No.10 early in the second half and was assured and kicked his goals, all but confirmed he wouldn’t start when he indicated on Wednesday that either O’Connor or Lolesio would start in the role.

“Rabs (O’Connor) has got his body in really good shape and he’s been training well the last month and really pushing for selection,” Hodge said.

“Whether it’s him or Noah who get the nod heading into this weekend, we’re confident that both of them are in great physical shape and both training really well, so whoever steers us around will have the full confidence of the squad.”

Meanwhile, Allan Alaalatoa’s (personal reasons) return to Australia has opened the door for Pone Fa’amausili to make his debut off the bench.

The Rebels tight-head prop has long been knocking on the door and been a part of the Wallabies’ squad since 2020.

But stuck behind Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou, who will start against Los Pumas, and plagued by injuries, the giant wrecking-ball, who was compared to the ‘Tongan Thor’ before the series by Rennie, he has been forced to bide his time and get himself into physical shape.

The potential of Fa’amausili is immense, but the weekend’s Test will be his moment of truth.

Elsewhere, Rennie could yet be swayed to return to Rory Arnold – one of Rennie’s international picks – and having been eased back into the squad following a minor injury, he could yet start.

The Test shapes as a significant one for the Wallabies.

Hunter Paisami is expected to be ruled out of their second Rugby Championship Test.Source: Getty Images

If they pull off back to back wins it will leave them in great shape to give The Rugby Championship a real shake.

The rejigged format of the competition, which includes tours for the first time, will see the Wallabies have the luxury of playing three of the next four Tests on home soil, including consecutive matches against the world champion Springboks.

For the first time in years too, the All Blacks are vulnerable and down on confidence having lost three straight Tests. A fourth consecutive loss to the Springboks could force a coaching change, with Ian Foster on the chopping block.

Cheika’s Pumas will be out for revenge, however, noting their second half disaster, where they were penalized out of the game and smashed at the rolling maul, killed them.

With an inexperienced, lighter front-row to come off the bench for the Wallabies though, the Pumas have the chance to go after their opposition.

Australia

Djirringanj man pleading guilty to possessing abalone says native title defense for cultural fishing unaffordable

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Djirringanj man pleading guilty to possessing abalone says native title defense for cultural fishing unaffordable

Close up portrait of young man with serious expression with the sky and mountains in the foreground.

A Wollongong man says he feels relieved after spending almost three years wondering if he would be put behind bars for practicing his culture on his traditional lands.

Djirringanj man Anthony Mark Henry, 21, was today fined $8,300 in Bega Local Court, handed a 12-month community corrections order and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to possessing 1,093 shucked abalone on the NSW South Coast in 2019 .

He was also fined $3,000 after being found with 58 abalone at Black Head Reserve at Gerroa in May the following year.

Outside court, Henry said he felt “relieved” after spending years afraid to go back into the water and the thought of a possible $50,000 fine looming over his head.

A serious young man and older woman sitting on a large rock by the ocean. — Djirringanj elder Aunty Marilyn Campbell says her nephew, Henry, was diving for cultural purposes.(ABC South East NSW: Vanessa Milton)

“This has been going on since I was 18, and I’m nearly 22, so I’ve had three years wondering if I was going to jail,” he said.

Henry was one of four people initially charged with fisheries offenses after being stopped by NSW fisheries officers on April 2, 2019, north of Tathra.

Two of the people with Henry at the time were underage and had their charges thrown out, while the other man, 21-year-old Walbunja man Brent Gordon Wellington-Hansen from Batehaven, was also fined $8,300 and also handed a 12-month community corrections ordered and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service.

Magistrate Doug Dick told the court he believed the abalone would have been split equally between the four divers to later feed family members for a cultural event and estimated the market value of the catch at around $94,000.

He told the court the charges were “very serious”, adding the marine species must be protected.

“I have to be very careful not to trivialize things,” he told the court.

Henry’s lawyer Tony Cullinan said prosecutors had conceded there was no evidence supporting their claim the abalone was intended for sale when they drew charges of trafficking the species.

A wooden sign with Mimosa Rocks National Park and walks direction in front of a forest. — The four were caught with the catch inside Mimosa Rocks National Park, north of Tathra, in 2019.(ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

He also said prosecutors had made a last-minute decision not to cross-examine Henry over the cultural significance of the event being fished for on the day.

“This is a high caliber young man on the cusp of his life, and he has a great future ahead of him,” Mr Cullinan told the court.

Under current NSW regulations, an Indigenous Australian can legally possess 10 abalone for cultural purposes each day unless a permit is obtained.

Henry grew up in Moruya and is a registered member of the South Coast native title claim currently before the Federal Court of Australia. As a native title holder, Henry is entitled to take fish and shellfish according to traditional law and custom, without limits.

However, Henry said he did not raise or rely on the “native title defence” during the court proceedings due to the costs involved.

“I took out a bank loan for $10,000 for my lawyer, and I had to plead guilty,” Henry said.

“If I had wanted to plead not guilty, it would have cost 30 to 40 grand to fight it out the whole way.”

He said the onus should not be on traditional custodians to claim native title defense when confronted by fisheries officers.

“Fisheries should ask the question at the time because if we don’t bring it up, then we have to provide it through the courts,” he said.

“I had to show my genealogy to prove who I am.”

Henry said in a submission to the court he should have applied for a permit, but navigating the bureaucracy involved was difficult.

Outside court Henry’s grandmother and Djirringanj elder, Aunty Marilyn Campbell, said cultural fishing permits should be made easy to get and supported Henry’s view that alleged traffickers should be given a chance to claim native title.

“This is a white system trying to change our black system,” she said.

“He wasn’t trafficking. He was diving for cultural purposes.”

Fisheries NSW officers standing outside a courthouse on a sunny day. — Fisheries NSW officers were at the Bega Local Court for the sentencing.(ABC South East: Keira Proust)

A parliamentary inquiry into cultural fishing is currently underway in NSW, looking at why legislation passed in 2009 to protect cultural fishing has not been enacted.

An inquiry hearing was held in Narooma on the South Coast last month, with a second hearing set to take place in Sydney on August 19.

The NSW government has told the inquiry that it does support cultural fishing but that it cannot enact legislation until fishing catch limits are agreed on.

Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders told the ABC that there had been an agreement around “looking at a moratorium on prosecutions” while the inquiry was ongoing.

However, he said it would mostly focus on low-level prosecutions.

“In many cases, things are only prosecuted when they are at the severe end of the scale,” Mr Saunders said.

“It’s not for taking a couple of extra fish or a couple of extra abalone. It’s for taking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of extras, not a couple.”

An elderly man standing outside court, looking serious. — Walbunja man Keith Nye was also sentenced for fisheries offenses in early August.(ABC News: Nakari Thorpe)

Last week, Walbunja man Keith Nye was sentenced to a 26-month intensive corrective order for two offenses of trafficking indictable quantities of abalone in NSW.

In July, a district court judge dismissed an appeal by Walbunja man John Carriage to overturn his conviction on fishing-related offenses.

Mr Carriage was convicted last year on six fishing offenses after he was found in possession of abalone at South Durras, also on the NSW South Coast, in 2017.

Both men were ordered not to dive for or possess abalone for two years as part of their sentence.

Tags abalone, bust, court, cultural fishing, fisheries, tatra

Trump to Testify in New York Investigation: Live Updates

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Trump to Testify in New York Investigation: Live Updates

Former President Donald J. Trump’s legal jeopardy appeared to intensify significantly on Monday with the stunning revelation that federal agents armed with a warrant had searched his Mar-a-Lago club and home in Palm Beach, Fla.

It was not immediately clear what investigators might have seized, but the search took place after federal agents visited the Palm Beach estate in the spring to discuss materials Mr. Trump took with him improperly when he left the White House, including numerous pages of classified documents .

The mere fact that the federal authorities had taken the remarkable step of searching the private residence of a former US president was a reminder of just how much legal scrutiny Mr. Trump is under as he considers running for president again in 2024.

He and his family have criticized the various investigations swirling around him as partisan or vindictive, and they have denied wrongdoing.

Federal prosecutors investigating attempts to reverse Mr. Trump’s loss in the 2020 election have asked witnesses directly about his involvement in those efforts. In Georgia, a criminal inquiry is focused on his push for him to have the election results altered there.

More immediately, Mr. Trump is scheduled to be deposed on Wednesday by lawyers from the New York State attorney general’s office as part of a long-running civil inquiry into whether he and his family’s real estate business fraudulently inflated the value of his hotels, golf courses and other assets to obtain favorable loans.

The status of other investigations into the former president is harder to fathom, although one — a criminal inquiry by the Manhattan district attorney’s office — appeared to lose steam in the spring. (A matter that had receded into the background re-emerged on Tuesday, when a federal appeals court ruled that the House could gain access to Mr. Trump’s tax returns.)

Here is where the notable inquiries involving Mr. Trump stand.

New York State Civil Inquiry

Mr. Trump fought for months to avoid the high-stakes deposition he is scheduled to sit for on Wednesday, which could shape the outcome of the civil inquiry by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, into him and his family business, the Trump Organization . (The deposition was to have been in July; it was delayed after the death of his first wife, Ivana.)

Ms. James’s investigation, which is in its final stages, is focused on whether financial statements in which Mr. Trump valued his assets reflected a pattern of fraud, or were simply examples of his penchant for exaggeration.

Ms. James said in a court filing this year that the Trump Organization’s business practices were “fraudulent or misleading,” but that her office needed to question Mr. Trump and two of his adult children, Ivanka and Donald Jr., to determine who was responsible for the conduct.

The two sat for depositions recently after the judge overseeing the case ordered them to do so. Their brother Eric was interviewed in 2020 as part of the inquiry and repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to a court filing.

The former president’s deposition follows a protracted legal battle that resulted in a state judge ruling in April that Mr. Trump was in contempt of court. That ruling came after Ms. James filed a motion asking that Mr. Trump be compelled to produce documents sought in eight previous requests.

His lawyers said they had searched for, and could not find, any documents the attorney general did not already have. The judge nonetheless fined Mr. Trump $10,000 a day until he filed affidavits describing the search. The contempt order was lifted in May after he paid a $110,000 fine and submitted the affidavits.

The same month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mr. Trump that sought to halt Ms. James’s inquiry because, the former president’s lawyers argued, she had violated his rights, and her inquiry was politically motivated.

Because Ms. James’s investigation is civil, she can sue Mr. Trump but she cannot file criminal charges. She could also opt to pursue settlement negotiations in hopes of obtaining a swifter financial payout rather than file a lawsuit that would undoubtedly take years to resolve.

If Ms. James were to sue and prevail at trial, a judge could impose steep financial penalties on Mr. Trump and restrict his business operations in New York.

Mr. Trump’s lawyers would most likely argue in any such suit that valuing real estate is a subjective process, and that his company simply estimated the value of the properties in question, without intending to artificially inflate them.

Manhattan Criminal Case

Despite its civil nature, Ms. James’s inquiry and Mr. Trump’s deposition still carry the potential for criminal charges. That’s because the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation was also focused on the valuations of Mr. Trump’s properties before it appeared to flag in the spring. It could gain new life depending on Mr. Trump’s performance of him on Wednesday.

Alvin Bragg, the district attorney, said in April that the inquiry, which began under his predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., was continuing but he did not offer a clear sense of its direction.

Mr. Bragg’s comments came after two prosecutors who had been leading the investigation left. One of them, Mark F. Pomerantz, said in a resignation letter published by The New York Times that he believed the office had enough evidence to charge Mr. Trump with “numerous” felonies. Mr. Pomerantz criticized Mr. Bragg for not pursuing an indictment in the case.

In his April remarks on the matter, Mr. Bragg said new witnesses had been questioned and additional documents had been reviewed, although he declined to provide details. Later in April, The Times reported that at least three witnesses considered central to the case had not heard from Mr. Bragg’s office for several months or had not been asked to testify.

The investigation has yielded criminal charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg.

Last July, before Mr. Vance’s tenure ended, the district attorney’s office charged the company with running a 15-year scheme to help its executives evade taxes by compensating them with fringe benefits that were hidden from authorities. Mr. Weisselberg was charged with avoiding taxes on $1.7 million in perks that should have been reported as income.

The case has been tentatively scheduled to go to trial later this year.

Georgia Criminal Inquiry

Mr. Trump is also under scrutiny in Georgia, where Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, is investigating whether the former president and others criminally interfered with the 2020 presidential election.

Mr. Trump and associates had numerous interactions with Georgia officials after the election, including a call in which he urged the secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to “find 11,780 votes,” the number he would have needed to overcome President Biden’s lead in the state.

It is the only known criminal inquiry that focuses directly on Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results. In January, Fulton County’s top judge approved Ms. Willis’s request for a special grand jury in the matter.

On Tuesday, a different judge in Fulton County said Rudolph W. Giuliani, a lawyer for Mr. Trump and a central figure in the Georgia inquiry, needed to travel there to appear before the grand jury. Mr. Giuliani, who had two coronary heart stents implanted last month, had prosecutors told he was not healthy enough to fly to Georgia.

But the judge, Robert CI McBurney, tentatively ordered him to show up to deliver in-person testimony on Aug. 17. (Judge McBurney said he might reconsider the date if Mr. Giuliani’s doctor produced an adequate medical excuse.)

“Mr. Giuliani is not cleared for air travel, AIR,” Judge McBurney said. “John Madden drove all over the country in his big bus, from stadium to stadium. So one thing we need to explore is whether Mr. Giuliani could get here without jeopardizing his recovery and his health. On a train, on a bus or Uber, or whatever it would be,” he said, adding, “New York is not close to Atlanta, but it’s not traveling from Fairbanks.”

Judge McBurney also said on Tuesday that prosecutors should let Mr. Giuliani, 78, know whether he is a target of the criminal investigation. Ms. Willis’s office has already told at least 17 people that they are targets.

Westchester County Criminal Investigation

In Westchester County, Miriam E. Rocah, the district attorney, appears to be focused at least in part on whether the Trump Organization misled local officials about the value of a golf course to reduce its taxes. She has subpoenaed the company for records on the matter.

Washington DC Lawsuit

In January 2020, Karl Racine, the attorney general for the District of Columbia, sued Mr. Trump’s inaugural committee, saying he had overpaid his own family business by more than $1 million or space at the Trump International Hotel during the January 2017 inaugural.

The lawsuit, which names the inaugural committee, the hotel, and the Trump Organization as defendants, is scheduled to go to trial in September, after a judge ordered that it could move forward.

Mr. Racine’s office has subpoenaed a range of parties, including Melania Trump, the former first lady, and has questioned Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Thomas J. Barrack Jr., who chaired the inaugural committee.

Jan. 6 Inquiry

A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol — aided by more than a dozen former federal prosecutors — is examining the role Mr. Trump and his allies may have played in his efforts to hold onto power after his electoral defeat in November 2020 .

While the committee itself does not have the power to bring criminal charges, it could refer the matter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, to prosecute them through the Justice Department.

Jonah E. Bromwich, Rebecca Davis O’Brien, Michael Rothfield and Ashley Wong contributed reporting.

Technology

‘Two Point Campus’ gross sex bed has raised questions I never want answered

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on ‘Two Point Campus’ gross sex bed has raised questions I never want answered

I need to talk about Two Point Campus‘sex bed.

To be clear, I don’t want to. I think we would all be better off not thinking about this video game’s plasticine-looking people in the throes of passion. But society cannot progress unless we tackle the hard questions, and I aim to leave this world better than I found it.

Developed by Two Point Studios, Two Point Campus is a university management game that allows you to build and run a hallowed institution of higher learning. Running courses such as Knight School, Internet History, and Virtual Normality, your task is to create the optimal conditions for students to thrive. It’s an enjoyable game that will scratch an itch for any management simulation fan.

Providing classrooms and teachers isn’t the only thing you have to look after, though. You’re also in charge of their wellbeing, having to provide food, shelter, and entertainment for the entire student body.

Unfortunately, this includes supplying a designated bed for them to bang in.

From scrubs to schools

If you’ve played its 2018 predecessor Two Point Hospital, Two Point Campus will be very familiar. From its Wallace and Gromit-esque character design to Two Point Radio’s eclectic DJs, much of Two Point Campus is instantly recognizable. The majority of the gameplay is largely identical as well, with both Two Point Campus and Hospital requiring you to build specialized facilities, hire skilled personnel, and cater to numerous clients with differing needs.

Even so, there are some notable changes, one of the most significant being Two Point Campus‘timeline. While Two Point Hospital does have an end of year award ceremony, Two Point Campus has a clear class schedule throughout the entire year, which runs from August to July.

Once you hit summer break, school doesn’t resume until you allow it, giving you time to build new rooms, hire new staff, and plan for the coming year. Two Point Campus also doesn’t let you take on new scholars until the start of the new school year, and they stay for several years (unless they’re expelled or drop out).

The Sex Bed (aka the Double Jump Bed)

No shoes, no shirt, no jumping, no privacy.
Credit: Mashable

To be fair, this plush pink monstrosity it isn’t explicitly marketed as a sex bed. Called the “Double Jump Bed,” it’s ostensibly for Sweethearts to jump on together, which upgrades their relationship from level 3 to 4 and turns them into Soulmates.

But, look. It’s pretty clear what the Double Jump Bed is really there for. It’s bright pink and covered in hearts. There’s an equally pink trunk at the foot of the bed, which is also covered in hearts. It’s designed for two people to bounce on. We all get the euphemism.

There’s a lot going on here, but one of the main issues is that the setup of this place is a bedroom. So unless you build an entirely separate room just for the sex bed, you end up having all these normal single beds in this room, then this one bright pink sex bed as the focal point like the setup of an incredibly uncomfortable experimental theater piece.

For the record, students do not appear deterred from using the sex bed even when it’s placed in a row with many other, non-sex beds.

This could be my own fault. A less utilitarian university administrator might create dozens of tiny dorms to circumvent such situations, rather than cramming all the beds into one big room like an army barracks. however Two Point Campus‘students tend to prefer communal sleeping arrangements, meaning mitigating the potential for exhibitionism would only be for my own comfort.

Students even share beds, with one bed required for every five students. This makes sense from a game design perspective — it wouldn’t be much fun to have an entire campus building dedicated to hundreds of beds. Unfortunately, the result is that I’m running a university with over 100 students and one sex bed. This is not maths that I want to contemplate.

I know that this is not what Two Point Campus wanted me to focus on. But at the same time, if you orchestrate the situation such that I’m compelled to put a bright pink heart-adorned sex bed in the middle of a grubby student dorm, you can’t be surprised if I fixate on that a little bit .

Requesting permission to bang

A screenshot of a student's request for a Double Jump Bed in "Two Point Campus."

Fuzzy duck, ducky fuzz.
Credit: Mashable

An interesting aspect of the sex bed is that, if you do not have one of these without mattresses on campus, students have absolutely no qualms formally requesting one. Personally, I cannot conceive of a situation where asking your university’s dean for furniture on which to bang wouldn’t immediately result in devastating psychic damage to all involved. Yet the Two Point universe appears to be free of such shame, for better or for worse.

The Double Jump Bed is one of many items students may request to achieve personal goals or complete assignments, along with Scientography Bookcases, entire Ramen Kiosks, or even the ostentatiously decorated Lover’s Bench. Just as a sex bed is required for intimate moments, apparently some students can’t confess their love unless seated on a bench adorned with pink hearts. (I’ve spent about 15 hours in the game, but have yet to unlock any emotional maturity courses.)

However, many of these items need to be unlocked with in-game currency Kudosh. Not to be confused with your money, which you earn from tuition fees and use to build and staff your university, Kudosh is a separate currency which you earn by completing objectives and challenges. Such challenges range from leveling up students, to developing new romances, to earning $1 million in rent from your students. Who, I will remind you, all share one big room with a designated bang bed.

Australia captain Meg Lanning takes indefinite break from cricket | australian cricket

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Australia captain Meg Lanning takes indefinite break from cricket | australian cricket

Australia’s long-serving women’s cricket captain, Meg Lanning, is taking a break from cricket, with no timeline for her return. The announcement comes days after Lanning led her all-conquering national team to the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham.

“After a busy couple of years, I’ve made the decision to take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself,” said the 30-year-old Lanning in a Cricket Australia statement. “I’m grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time.”

Lanning will miss the upcoming edition of The Hundred in England where she was due to represent the Trent Rockets, but the Australian team is not due to play again until December when they make a Twenty20 tour of India. CA said Lanning would take a period of indefinite leave effective immediately.

CA head of performance, women’s cricket, Shawn Flegler, said: “We’re proud of Meg for acknowledging that she needs a break and will continue to support her during this time. She’s been an incredible contributor to Australian cricket over the last decade, achieving remarkable feats both individually and as part of the team, and she has been a brilliant role model for young kids.

“The welfare of our players is always our number one priority, and we’ll continue to work with Meg to ensure she gets the support and space she needs.”

Lanning has been a mainstay of the national team since her debut in 2010 and took over as captain in 2014. She has been on two winning World Cup squads (2013 and 2022) and four successful World T20 squads 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020) .

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Lanning’s decision comes five days after the long-serving national rugby team captain Michael Hooper began an indefinite break for personal reasons, returning home from the Wallabies trip to Argentina.

Other Australian players to have stepped away for personal reasons in recent times have included Sophie Molineux and Amanda-Jade Wellington and, in the men’s game, Glenn Maxwell, Will Pucovski and Nic Maddinson.

Australia

Family lost in outback NSW drank from puddles to stay alive

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Family lost in outback NSW drank from puddles to stay alive

A young family reported missing to police between Queensland and NSW on Monday have been found safe after two days of searching between three states.

Darian Aspinall, 27, her children Winter Bellamy, 2, and Koda Bellamy, 4, along with their grandmother Leah Gooding, 50, were traveling from the Noccundra Hotel in Queensland to a planned destination of Packsaddle in far west NSW on Sunday.

The children’s father Linny Bellamy told of his family’s actions to ensure they’d survive while stuck alone in the outback for two straight days.

He said they relied on roadside puddles for sustenance and used a mirror to attract the attention of a police search aircraft.

“I can’t believe they managed to stay as strong as they did,” Mr Bellamy said.

“They looked after each other and just tried to ration everything out.”

He said other than looking tired, his family seemed themselves.

The family had made plans to travel to Adelaide, where they were originally from, police were told.

Darian Apsinall went missing with her family in the NSW outback before being located by police helicopter on Tuesday. NSW Police Credit: News Corp Australia

But when the four never arrived at their planned location in NSW and were unable to be contacted, Barrier police were alerted and the investigation into their whereabouts began.

The family, who were traveling in a Hyundai Tucson, were found inside their vehicle, off track, about 4.15pm on Tuesday afternoon by helicopter.

The aircraft confirmed it was the missing family, and they were assessed by an on-board paramedic.

They were then flown to Tibooburra for further assessment and care.

“Could not feel more relief,” Mr Bellamy said in a Facebook post sharing the good news.

“My family has been found safe.”

Police officers involved extended their thanks to the community for their support and assistance.

Tags Australia, News, NSWNews, QLDNews, TAS News, Travel

Woman in Emmett Till killing not indicted by Mississippi grand jury

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Woman in Emmett Till killing not indicted by Mississippi grand jury

Comment

Five people were sifting through dusty files in the basement of a Mississippi courthouse two months ago when they laid eyes on a document that hadn’t been seen for decades.

It was a warrant from August 1955 for the arrests of those involved in the kidnapping of the Black teenager Emmett Till. Two of the names on the documents had checks beside them. A third did not — “Mrs. Roy Bryant, ”now Carolyn Bryant Donham, the White woman whose accusations against Till led to his lynching of him.

But a grand jury in Leflore County — where Till was lynched and tossed into a river by Bonham’s then-husband and his brother — decided not to indict her, District Attorney Dewayne Richardson said in a news release Tuesday.

The grand jury found that there was not sufficient evidence to indict Donham on charges of kidnapping and manslaughter after hearing seven hours of testimony from investigators and witnesses last week.

In the weeks since the unserved warrant was found, Till’s family and the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation urged Richardson to serve the warrant that was never executed nearly 70 years ago.

In September 1955, Mamie Till-Mobley, Till’s mother, had an open-coffin funeral for her son, whose body was so badly beaten it was only recognizable by a ring he wore. Till-Mobley’s decision of her and fervent telling of her son’s story of her to reporters reignited the civil rights movement.

That same month, Donham’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his brother, JW Milam, were acquitted of murder by an all-White, all-male jury after deliberating for a little more than one hour.

Till’s cousin, the Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr., who is the last living witness of the kidnapping, told the Associated Press in a statement that the decision to not indict Donham was “unfortunate, but predictable.”

“The fact remains that the people who abducted, tortured, and murdered Emmett did so in plain sight, and our American justice system was and continues to be set up in such a way that they could not be brought to justice for their heinous crimes, Parker said in the statement.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation said on Facebook that it would “Never Give Up” trying to hold Donham accountable, to keep its promise to Till-Mobley.

“Carolyn Bryant Donham’s actions, and the unserved warrant proves her culpability,” the organization’s post said. “There was probable cause for her arrest of her.”

The discovery of the warrant also ignited a search for Donham, who is now in her late 80s and whose whereabouts have been kept secret by her family. When author Timothy Tyson interviewed her in 2008 — the only known interview Donham has given outside of investigations — she was staying in Raleigh, NC

Donham said her testimony in court that Till had made sexual advances was not true, according to Tyson’s book “The Blood of Emmett Till.” During a news conference in 2018, the author said he believed Donham’s family de ella wanted her to do the interview so that she could speak about what happened in 1955 before she died.

Donham, 21 at the time, accused the 14-year-old Till of improper advances at a family store in Money, Miss. Four days later, her husband de ella and Milam kidnapped Till from a relative’s home, lynched him and tossed him into a river. Till’s body was found attached to a 75-pound fan.

In Donham’s unpublished memoir, which was obtained by reporters last month, she said she pleaded with her husband and his brother not to hurt Till, calling herself “a victim.”

Lawyers and Till’s family have disputed the claims in her memoir, titled, “I Am More Than a Wolf Whistle: The Story of Carolyn Bryant Donham.”

When a federal case was presented in 2007, another Leflore County grand jury decided not to indict Donham on a charge of manslaughter. Last year, the state of Mississippi and the Justice Department closed a second investigation that began after information came out that Donham had recanted her statements from her from the previous case during her interview with Tyson.

The lack of indictment this month is a letdown for Till’s family and activists across the country who have advocated for Donham to be prosecuted.

“The murder of Emmett Till remains an unforgettable tragedy in this country and the thoughts and prayers of this nation continue to be with the family of Emmett Till,” Richardson said in the news release.

Technology

TCL introduces new display technology, reducing blue light by 73%

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on TCL introduces new display technology, reducing blue light by 73%

A 10-inch, 4G tablet under $200 from GeekBuying

At Australia EduTech 2022, TCL unveiled its next proprietary NXTPAPER display technology for the first time. This new display will make it into their upcoming TCL NXTPAPER 10s tablet, aimed for the education sector to deliver affordable technology and significant eye health and wellness benefits.

As mentioned earlier, the display can reduce the blue light through the screen by a whopping 73% (as certified by TÜV Rheinland), which is huge. The reduction is achieved through both the hardware and software on the NXTPAPER 10s, with its paper-like display design utilizing 10 layers of protection to retain natural colors and great viewing angle.

The TCL NXTPAPER 10s also has an easily accessible PC Mode built-in so if you use it with the Folio Keyboard, it can become a great device for learning, working, or entertainment. Plus, the tablet has an 8,000mAh battery so it should last for a long time.

The tablet is launching in Australia in September 2022 and has a recommended retail price of A$499. We’ll let you know if we can secure a review device for a review here at Craving Tech.

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