What are target letters?

+ what comics can teach us about U.S. politics; Rastafarian celebration US Edition - Today's top story: What is a target letter? 3 things to know about how the Justice Department notifies suspects, like Donald Trump, ahead of possible charges [View in browser]( US Edition | 19 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Controlling, not eliminating, bias in AI]( - [The tragic premature deaths of many hip-hop artists]( - [Can retailers make product returns more sustainable?]( Lead story When I read that Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he received a “target letter” from the Department of Justice, I figured I was not the only person who thought, “Huh?” Luckily, University of California, Davis criminal law scholar Gabriel J. Chin was on hand to explain what these official letters mean and why the Justice Department sends these warnings to people ahead of likely criminal charges. Turns out, target letters can benefit both prosecutors and defendants, giving a signal of justice in an investigation. Chin spells out [what they tell us about the ongoing criminal case]( regarding Trump’s alleged involvement in the Capitol attack. “Advising an individual that they are a target might induce cooperation, and it promotes the appearance of fairness,” Chin writes. [ [Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up for our weekly science email newsletter.]( ] Amy Lieberman Politics + Society Editor Former President Donald Trump appears at a campaign event in Florida for his reelection in July 2023. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images [What is a target letter? 3 things to know about how the Justice Department notifies suspects, like Donald Trump, ahead of possible charges]( Gabriel J. Chin, University of California, Davis The Justice Department issues target letters to people who are about to be charged with crimes, giving them a warning and a chance to get legal counsel. Politics + Society - [Holy voter suppression, Batgirl! What comics reveal about gender and democracy]( Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University Comic book depictions of superheroines as politicians illustrate how sexism weakens democracy and why comics history is relevant to contemporary politics. - [Targeting Trump for prosecution - 4 essential reads on how the Jan. 6 investigation laid the groundwork for the special counsel]( Naomi Schalit, The Conversation Before there was Jack Smith, there was the House January 6 committee. Its work and findings may provide a hint about what new charges Smith might lodge against former President Donald Trump. Ethics + Religion - [Rastafarians gathering for the 131st birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie are still grappling with his reported death in 1966]( Charles A. Price, Temple University The first Rastafarian communities emerged around 1931 in eastern Jamaica. Today, there are over 700,000 Rastafarian communities located on almost every continent. Health + Medicine - [How does the new over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill, work to prevent pregnancy? 5 questions answered]( Sarah Lynch, Binghamton University, State University of New York The new over-the-counter pill is highly effective at preventing pregnancy but must be taken at the same time daily, which can be a limitation for some people. - [Global diabetes cases on pace to soar to 1.3 billion people in the next 3 decades, new study finds]( Lauryn Stafford, University of Washington; Liane Ong, University of Washington Diabetes rates across the world have been rising steadily since the early 1990s, when this data was first estimated. That trend is only going up. Science + Technology - [First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don’t learn from history]( David Delgado Shorter, University of California, Los Angeles; Kim TallBear, University of Alberta; William Lempert, Bowdoin College Three Indigenous studies scholars draw from colonial histories and explain why listening for alien life can have ethical ramifications. - [Eliminating bias in AI may be impossible – a computer scientist explains how to tame it instead]( Emilio Ferrara, University of Southern California Creating bias-free AI systems is easier said than done. A computer scientist explains how controlling bias could lead to fairer AI. Economy + Business - [Just in time for back-to-school shopping: How retailers can alter customer behavior to encourage more sustainable returns]( Christopher Faires, Iowa State University; Robert Overstreet, Iowa State University Returns cost companies billions of dollars in lost sales. They also generate emissions and packaging waste. Two logistics experts offer some tips from psychology for more sustainable returns. Arts + Culture - [Women’s World Cup will highlight how far other countries have closed the gap with US – but that isn’t the only yardstick to measure growth of global game]( Adam Beissel, Miami University; Andrew Grainger, Western Sydney University; Julie E. Brice, California State University, Fullerton ; Verity Postlethwaite, Loughborough University The US national team is the favorite going into the tournament in New Zealand and Australia. But growth in the global game has seen others catch up. - [Hip-hop and health – why so many rap artists die young]( A.D. Carson, University of Virginia As hip-hop turns 50, an unfortunate reality is that so many of its pioneering artists never live to see much more than 50 years themselves, a professor of hip-hop writes. Environment + Energy - [Solving water challenges is complex – learn how law, health, climate and Indigenous rights all intersect in developing solutions]( Andrea K. Gerlak, University of Arizona; Burke Griggs, Washburn University; Gabriel Filippelli, Indiana University; Rosalyn R. LaPier, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A webinar hosted by The Conversation brings together experts in law, health, policy and Indigenous affairs to explain some of the most pressing problems related to water in the US. Trending on site - [Why people tend to believe UFOs are extraterrestrial]( - [America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave]( - [As a summer heat wave pummels the US, an expert warns about the dangers of humidity – particularly for toddlers, young athletes and older adults]( Today's graphic [As temperatures rise, the intensity of storms increases, the IPCC's latest assessment report shows. The chart shows how much wetter heavy one-day storms that historically occurred about once every 10 years are likely to become as temperatures rise.]( From the story, [How climate change intensifies the water cycle, fueling extreme rainfall and flooding – the Northeast deluge was just the latest]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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