Mitri Shatara

To stop FBI agents from reviewing specific materials without outside oversight as part of a criminal investigation into papers retrieved from the White House, Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the US government over the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago residence.

The former president claimed that the seizure of various boxes of documents, including two of his passports, had violated his Fourth Amendment rights. He filed the suit in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

It happens as a Florida magistrate gets ready to decide whether or not to unseal the search warrant that sparked the raid two weeks ago.

Justice Department officials have tried to keep the entire document sealed because they believe releasing even a small section of it could compromise an ongoing criminal investigation by exposing witness information or investigative methods.

Investigations are being conducted into Mr. Trump’s alleged handling of classified documents.

The FBI is investigating whether Mr. Trump inappropriately handled records by transferring them from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after he left office in January 2021.

US presidents must submit all of their papers and emails to a government organization called the National Archive.

He claims the items were declassified and has denied any wrongdoing.

‘Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice. President Donald Trump is the clear frontrunner in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary and in the 2024 General Election, should he decide to run’, the lawsuit reads.

Sources said that the suit argued, “that the court should appoint a special master – usually a retired lawyer or judge – because the FBI potentially seized privileged materials in its search and the Department of Justice should not itself decide what it can use in its investigation.”

According to reports, the search was conducted per the Espionage Act, and part of the information was related to nuclear weapons.

The legal team for Mr. Trump accuses the justice department of conducting the search as “simply wanting the camel’s nose under the tent so they could rummage for either politically helpful documents or support efforts to thwart President Trump from running again” in the 27-page document submitted to a Florida court.

“President Donald J Trump is the clear frontrunner in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary and in the 2024 General Election, should he decide to run,” it says.

“Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans,” it continues. “It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes.”

The “shockingly aggressive move” on Mar-a-Lago by about two dozen FBI agents took place “with no understanding of the distress that it would cause most Americans,” said Mr. Trump’s lawyers.

Prosecutors were informed of Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, the Department of Justice (DoJ) stated in a brief statement, and they will respond in court.

According to spokesman Anthony Coley, the “search warrant at Mar-a-Lago was authorized by a federal magistrate judge upon the necessary finding of probable cause.”

This information comes as the New York Times reported on Monday that investigators had retrieved over 300 documents marked with a classified classification from Mr. Trump, including records from the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the FBI.

Mr. Trump’s legal action was filed in West Palm Beach, Florida, before a federal judge who had been nominat4ed to the bench by Mr. Trump in 2020.

The search for classified material has widely been considered to have considerably increased Trump’s legal risks.

A criminal election-fraud investigation in Georgia, two New York investigations into the tax and accounting practices of his real estate empire, and the promotion of the Trump brand are among the additional legal risks he faces. Other legal threats include the DOJ investigations into the attempted reversal of the 2020 presidential election and civil lawsuits over the violence that took place at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump refused to concede Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, blaming massive electoral fraud—a fabrication that fueled his followers’ murderous attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

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References:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/22/trump-sues-us-government-fbi-mar-a-lago

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62640448

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11135837/Trump-files-lawsuit-against-FBI-Mar-Lago-raid.html

Anthony Fauci, NIAID director, announced that he plans to retire from the government service on Monday. 

He plans to leave in December to pursue the next chapter of his career.

Many public health experts applauded Anthony Fauci’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic even as Donald Trump and many Republicans vilified him.

Fauci directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose job, in part, is to manage infectious disease threats.

As an infectious disease expert, Fauci is also the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and leads a lab studying the immune system.

Millions of Americans first heard of him during the COVID-19 epidemic, but he has spoken candidly to the public about many other outbreaks, such as the pandemic flu, Ebola, and HIV/AIDS.

“I’ve gone into this campus and into the labs and into the hospital every day, including most weekends, for 54 years. The idea of walking away from it obviously is bittersweet,” Fauci conveyed to The Associated Press.

Fauci has served as a significant advisor to seven presidents, beginning with Ronald Reagan. He is known for his candor and ability to interpret complex medical facts into understandable terms. conveyed

Fauci was often marginalized by the Trump administration and many in the media during the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but it didn’t deter him.

Prior to the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, he continued to advocate for social distancing and wearing masks in public settings in talks with the media.

“I definitely feel it was worth staying as long as I have. It is unfortunate, but it is a fact of life that we are living in a very, very divisive society right now,” Fauci told Reuters on Monday.

The threats against him never caused him to consider resigning. 

“I don’t like the idea that I have to have armed federal agents with me. That’s not a happy feeling. It’s reality. And you’ve got to deal with reality,” Fauci said.

According to Fauci, the country’s disagreements on how to combat the pandemic continue to irritate him.

“If ever there was a situation where you wanted a unified approach and everybody pulling together for the common good, it would be when you’re in the middle of a public health crisis,” he said.

“As a physician and a scientist, I and my colleagues have the responsibility to do what’s correct, what is science-based.”

“As he leaves his position in the U.S. Government, I know the American people and the entire world will continue to benefit from Dr. Fauci’s expertise in whatever he does next,” President Joe Biden said.

“The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.”

Fauci plans to continue working after leaving his federal government position.

Fauci said staying on until December allows the government to search a pool of talented scientists for the next director of NIAID.

It will also allow for the appointment of an acting chief medical advisor.

Fauci also stated that with the upswing in COVID-19 infections expected this fall, he wanted to be able to help address the situation.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

References:

https://www.axios.com/2022/08/22/fauci-stepping-down-in-december

https://apnews.com/article/anthony-fauci-announces-retirement-7efdacac6a9ff7aa6e2f870b551fe508

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fauci-step-down-president-bidens-chief-medical-adviser-2022-08-22/

The polio virus has been discovered in the wastewater of New York City.

This is just another sign that the disease, which hadn’t been seen in the United States in a decade, has quietly started to spread among unvaccinated people.

Health officials from New York City, New York state, and the federal government say that the fact that the poliovirus was found in the city’s wastewater shows that the virus is likely spreading in the area.

Officials now believe the virus has been in the wastewater since May of this year.

City and state health departments didn’t say where in New York City the virus was found, but they did say that the six positive samples were taken in June and July.

Although rare, Polio can lead to paralysis and even death.

Authorities are advising parents to vaccinate their children as soon as possible against the potentially deadly disease.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said, “For every one case of paralytic polio identified, hundreds more may be undetected.”

“The detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in New York City is alarming but not surprising. Already, the State Health Department – working with local and federal partners – is responding urgently, continuing case investigation and aggressively assessing the spread. The best way to keep adults and children polio-free is through safe and effective immunization – New Yorkers’ greatest protection against the worst outcomes of polio, including permanent paralysis and even death.”

“The risk to New Yorkers is real, but the defense is so simple — get vaccinated against polio,” city Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said in a statement.

“With polio circulating in our communities, there is simply nothing more essential than vaccinating our children to protect them from this virus, and if you’re an unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated adult, please choose now to get the vaccine. Polio is entirely preventable, and its reappearance should be a call to action for all of us.”

Overall, 86 percent of children ages 5 and under in New York City have been vaccinated against polio.

Most adults in the United States were also vaccinated against polio as children.

Still, in some city ZIP codes, less than two-thirds of children under 5 have had at least three doses. This is a worrying number for health officials.

The announcement in New York City comes three weeks after a man in Rockland County, N.Y., just north of the city, was diagnosed with polio that left him paralyzed.

Officials from the CDC said that the virus found in wastewater samples from New York City did not have enough genetic information to tell if it was linked to the patient in Rockland County.

The news that the polio virus was found in New York City comes soon after British health officials found evidence that the virus had spread in London, but they haven’t any cases in people.

Children aged 1 to 9 in London are eligible to get a second dose of a polio vaccine.

Based on past outbreaks, there’s a possibility that hundreds of people in New York have gotten polio and don’t know it, officials said.

Before vaccines, Polio was one of the most feared diseases in the United States. The virus was most likely to infect children and caused thousands of people to become paralyzed every year.

In 1955 a vaccine became available, and a national campaign spread encouraged people to get vaccinated. In the 1960s, less than 100 people were infected yearly, which dropped to less than 10 people in the 1970s.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

The legal team at Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys releases regular blogs on the latest news; check back often!

References:

https://apnews.com/article/health-new-york-city-wastewater-climate-and-environment-8df014e9b38a70606c04234492bb3fb4

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/08/12/polio-wastewater-nyc-rockland-orange-county/

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2022/nysdoh-and-nycdohm-wastewater-monitoring-finds-polio-urge-to-get-vaccinated.page

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/12/nyregion/polio-nyc-sewage.html

Soaring rent prices used to be a big city problem.

But now, with 1 million more renter households today than there were at the end of the second quarter of 2020, rents are an everywhere problem.

It’s not far-fetched to say that there is a housing crisis in the U.S. and affordable housing is a thing of the past.

Due to sky-high housing costs and mortgage rates, many Americans are forced into a competitive rental market.

This is making it hard for people to afford to live.

The Issue with Rental Prices

These higher rents put people at the lower end of the income spectrum at risk of homelessness.

And, the last of the pandemic rental assistance relief is running out in many states.

This has forced many renters to move, take on more debt to pay rent, or face eviction if they can’t pay.

Average rents were up 14% in December 2021 relative to December 2020.

A study by RedFin found that the median monthly rent in the U.S. went up 17% from March 2021 to March 2022, to $1,940.

Several metro areas have seen rent increases of more than 30%. In many of these metro areas, over 20% of the renters are behind on their payments.

Census data released earlier this month shows that rents were 23% higher in the second quarter of 2019 than in the same quarter of 2018.

These are the rents for new tenants, not renewal rents.

But those are going up as well, just not as much.

Landlords haven’t hesitated to capitalize on the strong demand for housing, especially in the places where folks migrated because of remote work.

Rental Rates Increases

But this isn’t a brand new problem.

It’s been building for a while.

The rent-to-income ratio nearly doubled in 35 years ending in 2020, according to a new study.

This means Americans spend significantly more of their earnings on rent than 40 years ago.

National median rent prices rose 149% during the studied period, while overall income grew just 35%.

It’s simple to see that there is a serious issue with that.

Over 5.5 million renters are worried about their ability to pay next month’s rent.

Rental Prices and Inflation

On a broader level, soaring rental prices contribute to inflation.

Inflation has caused the Fed to raise rates and put the brakes on the economy. 

But even if inflation were to subside in every other aspect of the consumer price index, rising rents alone could keep inflation levels elevated through the year, said Frank Nothaft, chief economist at real estate data firm CoreLogic.

Rent prices are a bit recession-proof because people are less likely to buy homes when the economy isn’t doing well, keeping the demand for rental housing high.

Experts say that the lack of affordable rentals will likely worsen in the coming months since mortgage interest rates are rising to highs that haven’t been seen since 2011.

This is forcing people who want to buy a home to rent instead.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

Our personal injury attorneys understand the hardships that inflation and rental costs have done to families. During this difficult time, if you are being harassed by debt collectors, we can help you. Call our law firm for a free consultation.

References:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/may/21/rents-soaring-across-us

https://www.axios.com/2022/08/16/rent-increases-nyc-california-us

https://www.mpamag.com/us/news/general/us-rent-prices-rising-four-times-faster-than-income/407606

Looking out over the Hoover Dam today, you could get a true sense of how climate change is affecting the West.

Aside from the extreme heat, the “bathtub rings” surrounding Lake Mead are an unsettling reminder of how high the water level was before the region’s historic drought started.

The changes are “stunning to see,” said Kristen Averyst, senior climate advisor for Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak.

“If people don’t think that climate change is impacting them here and now, just go to Lake Mead and have a look around because that paints a pretty clear picture of what we’re up against when it comes to climate change.”

The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are good examples of how the planet is slowly getting too hot.

The top of Hoover Dam is 45 feet thick, and the bottom is 660 feet thick. The dam stands as tall as a 60-story building.

In the middle of the Great Depression, when it was being built, it was a source of national pride.

So much so that thousands of people traveled through the harsh desert to see what has become a lasting monument of working together for the common good.

Colorado State University’s climate and water expert, Brand Udall, stated, “We bent nature to suit our own needs. Now nature is going to bend us.”

Michael Bernardo is in charge of river operations at the US Bureau of Reclamation.

After surveying the dam’s sloping face from its curved parapet, he admits the lack of water is not like it has been in the past.

Even though the Colorado River doesn’t have a “typical” year, Bernardo and his coworkers were always able to estimate its flow within a specific range.

But scientists say that since 2000, the river’s flow has decreased by 20% compared to the average of the last 100 years.

Only a quarter of what would be considered normal is flowing into Lake Mead, as this is the second driest season on record.

“These are scenarios that aren’t necessarily where we expect to be in our models,” said Bernardo.

Forty million people, including dozens of tribes, depend on the river’s water and the power the dam generates.

“We’re getting those years that are at the extreme ends of the bell curve. We’ve seen extremes we haven’t seen before. We now have scenarios that are very, very dry.”

Droughts caused by climate change and overuse of the Colorado River’s water are lowering Lake Mead and putting the dam’s ability to make electricity at risk.

As of June, the dam could only make about 1,076 megawatts of electricity, which is almost half of what it could do before.

A very challenging water supply situation exists in much of the West.

The current water elevation in Lake Mead is around 1,040 feet above sea level.

The Hoover Dam will be at its lowest point where it can produce power at 950 feet according to the US Bureau of Reclamation.

Without the dam’s electricity, Southwest energy suppliers must look to fossil fuel energy to fill the void.

The Bureau of Reclamation says there is a 1 in 5 chance that the lake will drop to 1,000 feet by 2025, only 50 feet above the minimum level needed for Hoover Dam to make electricity.

“We have already seen the power generation at Hoover Dam decrease about 30 to 40% from its maximum capability over the past ten years,” said the manager of power operations and planning with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, John Jontry.

“The amount of water now available across the US west is well below that of any time in modern civilization,” said Park Williams, a hydroclimatologist at Columbia University.

Williams and his colleagues researched tree rings last year and found that the current dry period is second only to one in the late 1500s in the history of drought, which goes back to around 800.

The climate crisis is making the current drought twice as bad as it was in the 1500s.

The country’s second-largest reservoir, Lake Powell, is facing similar challenges.

The water level at Lake Powell is only about 44 feet from falling to the point where Glen Canyon Dam could no longer generate hydroelectric power.

Storage levels are decreasing due to the drought, making it harder for hydropower to work and raising concerns that Glen Canyon Dam may soon reach its minimum power pool, the level below which no power can be made.

For Legal Needs Contact Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

The personal injury lawyers at Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys publish recent imporant news blogs to keep you up to date on information. Check out our blogs on recent news regularly at https://shunnarah.com/category/latest-news/.

References:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/16/us/hoover-dam-hydropower-drought-climate/index.html

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/07/a-severe-drought-is-threatening-the-hoover-dam-reservoir-and-water-throughout-the-west/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/13/hoover-dam-lake-mead-severe-drought-us-west