Month: May 2018

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Opening Arguments - OA172: Private Prisons, Judge Ellis & More

It's time for another SUPER-SIZED Rapid Response Friday, which means we get to break down Judge Ellis's statements in the Paul Manafort criminal trial (amongst many, many other issues)! We begin, however,  with a brief Andrew (well, mostly ABC and NBC) Was Wrong. After that, the guys discuss a recent 10th Circuit opinion regarding the treatment of detainees in private prisons.  What does it mean for the future of class action litigation?  Listen and find out! After that, it's back to Yodel Mountain, where we break down not only Judge Ellis, but all the developments in or connected to the Mueller investigation, including Michael Flynn and Michael Cohen's "follow the money" report.  Phew! Finally, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #75 about a contract and a subsequent oral modification that Andrew admits he would have muffed.  If you'd like to play along and show Andrew you're the better lawyer, just retweet our episode on Twitter or share it on Facebook along with your guess.  We'll release the answer on next Tuesday's episode along with our favorite entry! Recent Appearances None!  If you'd like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links
  1. Here's the link to a Washington Times story covering the correction regarding Michael Cohen's supposed "wiretap" (that turned out to be a pen register).
  2. The case we discussed in the main segment was Menocal v. GEO Group (10th Cir., Feb. 9, 2018).
  3. Click here to read the 2016 Obama directive on ending privatized prisons, or (if you're a masochist) here to read the 2017 Trump directive rescinding it.
  4. If you only read one thing from this show, please do read the transcript of the May 4 hearing before Judge Ellis.  It's great.  I love this guy.
  5. The opposition to Michael Avenatti's pro hac vice motion is here; it also contains the "Executive Summary" laying out Avenatti's "follow the money."  If you prefer to see it in chart form, click here (H/T Washington Post).
  6. The TPM article suggesting that Avenatti must have had access to SARs is here.
  7. To understand bribery, we highly recommend this primer by Randall Eliason.
  8. Finally, please click here to check out Thomas's May 19 talk in New Orleans.
Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/law Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/ Don't forget the OA Facebook Community! And email us at openarguments@gmail.com  
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The Gist - The Long, Long Road of Tiger Woods

On The Gist, torture is torture, and the news media should call it that.

Tiger Woods dominated his sport like perhaps no other athlete. But that success came at a price. Woods’ almost military upbringing as a golfing machine lead to a lack of interpersonal connections and, years later, numerous scandals in the public eye. Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian are out with the eponymous biography Tiger Woods, and talk about the golfer's struggles, successes, and chances at redemption.

In the Spiel, more thoughts on the awful practice that is torture.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Bay Curious - This S.F. Fortress Is Full of Money That Will Never Be Spent

The prettiest pennies are made in San Francisco. Take a trip inside the S.F. Mint.


Reported by Amanda Font. Editing by Jessica Placzek and Julia McEvoy. Hosted by Ryan Levi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Ryan Levi, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly and Julia McEvoy. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

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African Tech Roundup - Boomplay Music’s Chinasa Udeala on delivering Africa-relevant music streaming services

Chinasa Udeala is Regional Director for East Africa at Boomplay Music. The music streaming platform is a subsidiary of the Chinese firm Transsnet Ltd which also owns TECNO Mobile. In this quick chat with Andile Masuku, Chinasa explains how Boomplay is attempting to outsmart the likes of Spotify and Apple Music to deliver localised digital downloads and streaming service offerings that are relevant to key consumer markets on the continent. Listen in to hear Chinasa unpack Boomplay’s revenue streams and speak to some of the challenges they have to overcome in terms of building a solid catalogue of local music and delivering on differentiated curation.
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The NewsWorthy - Prisoners Released, Trump Talks Tech & Lyft “All Access” (+ Interview with Dana Malstaff, Boss Mom) – Thursday, May 10th, 2018

All the news to know for Thursday, May 10th, 2018! 

Today, we're talking about the prisoners released from North Korea, the tech talk happening at the White House and the big win for solar power.

Plus: more Boy Scouts news, Lyft's 'All Access' plan and pizza with beer delivery.

All that and much more in less than 10 minutes!

Award-winning broadcast journalist and former TV news reporter Erica Mandy breaks it all down for you. 

 Then, hang out after the news for the bonus Three Question Thursday interview. This week we're talking about how 1 in 4 Americans reportedly make money on a digital platform, and we're putting a Mother's Day twist on it.

We're hearing from Dana Malstaff. She's CEO and Founder of Boss Mom. She's a mother, author, speaker, business strategist, podcaster, blind spot reducer, and movement maker. She launched the Boss Mom brand with her first book Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro and quickly grew to a six-figure business within a year. Now she's helping women all over the world raise their businesses and babies at the same time.

For more info and links to all the stories referenced in today's episode, visit https://www.theNewsWorthy.com and click Episodes.