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My elderly aunt has recently split from her partner. Her long-term savings (retirement savings) was somehow under his control and he is not returning it now that they’ve split. Obviously she needs a lawyer, but she is reluctant to spend a lot of money as she is extremely freaked out about money now, for good reason. Do you know what the options are? What kind of lawyer, and how to find this person, and if there are low-cost options? This is Maryland. [more inside]
posted by Ollie at 5:40 PM - 10 answers

As a home buyer or seller, do I qualify for getting some of my money back? [more inside]
posted by Toddles at 7:27 AM - 1 answers

Is there anyone/any platform that is keeping a running tally of how Trump cuts are impacting states across sectors? [more inside]
posted by brookeb at 10:03 PM - 2 answers

Ernest inquiry for those seasoned in running a political campaign. [more inside]
posted by abhardcastle at 7:57 PM - 3 answers

According to many news and opinion pieces I’ve recently read, when the US president defies court orders, that means a “constitutional crisis” is underway. What does this actually mean? [more inside]
posted by rodneyaug at 9:53 AM - 17 answers

I read a long time ago (pre 2015 at least) about a state that did not allow you to legally change your gender. Therefore, a cis woman and a trans woman were permitted to marry. I can't find any sign of this on the Internet. Help? [more inside]
posted by wnissen at 7:30 AM - 7 answers

I'm trying to find immigration records for some ancestors who emigrated to Canada from Eastern Europe somewhere around 1910. Might they be online? [more inside]
posted by Admiral Viceroy at 5:53 PM - 5 answers

I am curious about how practicable "revert gender marker" orders are, such as the one issued by the Texas attorney general? How trivial/non-trivial would it be for a state ID database, for example, to find these cases? [more inside]
posted by Well I never at 11:17 AM - 6 answers

What and how exactly do I follow anti money-laundering laws in moving 40-60k from a US bank to a UK bank? [more inside]
posted by droomoord at 12:33 PM - 14 answers

Please help me locate the most definitive resource to fill in the blanks: "In the last US election, Trump received ___M votes, which represents ___% of all registered voters in 2024, and is ___% of the total US population." [more inside]
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 9:42 PM - 6 answers

Providing that the USA is able to get out of its slide into authoritarianism -- what might be done to prevent such slides in the future?
posted by NotLost at 9:32 PM - 25 answers

What would a constructive, humane populism under the banner of the Democratic Party look like? (I am not looking here just for a platform about socialism or Bernie-ism or post-neoliberalism. Those are my favored policies but I am really thinking post-Bernie and more about a rhetoric that could be picked up by people who aren't socialists.) [more inside]
posted by kensington314 at 10:47 AM - 31 answers

My family belong to a lot of groups whose safety the current administration are threatening and/or who generally do poorly under fascism. We aren't leaving the country for the moment. But we do want to make sure we leave before it's too late — and we don't really trust our own amateur understanding of politics and the law to let us make the right decision. Is this something we could hire an expert to do? Like, are there lawyers who monitor this sort of legal risk? Or political scientists for hire? [more inside]
posted by Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes at 12:27 PM - 33 answers

I am a non-UK citizen who will be leaving the UK soon when my visa expires. I want to keep the possibility of returning to the UK on a new visa, on a path to citizenship, open for the future. I have one personal account and one joint account with my UK citizen spouse. Is there any reason, bank-wise or immigration-wise, why I should not keep these accounts active indefinitely? [more inside]
posted by cabbage raccoon at 6:56 AM - 13 answers

Basically I'd like to help get in the fight against all the terrible things that are happening in US politics but the place I'd like to help is creating messaging or media that is directed towards conservatives that are part of the MAGA base to start changing their minds. [more inside]
posted by Jerico at 1:38 PM - 14 answers

I may be going on a local podcast next week. The host is a moderate conservative who live-streamed a local anti-Musk rally last week. He complained that many of the protestors he talked to didn't have a clear or coherent explanation of what they were protesting. (I happen to agree that a lot of the people he talked to didn't make a good case for the protest, but were also probably not expecting to be put on the spot.) [more inside]
posted by Reverend John at 9:57 AM - 22 answers

I have seen a couple of plausible articles that suggest this, links below. I would appreciate more analysis, links, etc. [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 5:25 AM - 9 answers

I smoked cigarettes from age 18 - 23. At my peak it was a pack a day. I have always lied on medical and insurance forms and said I never smoked. This is stupid, obviously. Is there any reason for me to continue lying? I'm in the US. I smoked my last cigarette twenty years ago.
posted by anonymous at 3:13 PM - 24 answers

The Trump Administration is targeting national parks and public lands for private sale. What efforts are underway to protect against this, and what can be done to support these efforts, protest, and push back? [more inside]
posted by glaucon at 7:09 AM - 4 answers

I have an idea for an app that, assuming it takes off, will help allow for people in the US to have a stronger voice in influencing how elected officials make decisions. I am concerned, however, that the new administration won't like this idea and that I might be faced with negative consequences for starting this even though I will be doing everything in accordance with the law. Am I overthinking this? I would be doing everything legally so I'm hoping that I'll be okay if I do this from the US but am worried enough by news such as a senator introducing a bill that would criminalize downloading the DeepSeek app with 20 years in prison and what things like this imply about our new federal government.
posted by dhahngh-dhahngh at 3:02 PM - 7 answers