You asked, we answered: Smithsonian vs USPS, 'hostages' vs 'prisoners'

We pulled some of your best comments and questions from our YouTube videos this week

and we're putting them to the test. This is Straight From You, where we fact-check claims

separate fact from fiction, and add context to what's murky. So here's what stood out this week

Let's clear up a viewer's question who said this, I thought the Smithsonian was self-sufficient

Why are tax dollars funding it? And why does the post office stay open? All right, so here's how it

works. The Smithsonian runs 21 museums, the National Zoo, and a network of research centers

About 60 percent of its funding comes from Congress, so when the government shuts down

it does too. Once the leftover funds run out, the door is closed. Exhibits go dark

and the zoo's animal cams switch off. However, caretakers and security still report for duty

The U.S. Postal Service, on the other hand, is not taxpayer-funded. It's an independent agency

that runs on sales from postage and shipping, so your mail keeps moving, shut down or not

So the difference comes down to who pays the bills. Smithsonian? Federal dollars

Post office? Self-funded. That's why you can still get your mail, but cannot visit the museums

All right, number two. There's confusion over the federal indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James

Her supporters call the bank fraud charges baseless, but the indictment documents clearly exist

So what does baseless mean? In the James case it a political and legal claim Her team argues the motive for the federal prosecution is baseless that it a vindictive or selective case stemming from President Trump desire for revenge

But factually baseless charges are also a technical legal tool used in some state courts

as detailed in the Marquette Lawyer. This is an intentional plea bargain, where a defendant pleads guilty to a lesser crime

that the evidence doesn't support to avoid conviction on a more serious charge that the

evidence does support. The key distinction, the Letitia James case is federal, where that state

level plea tactic is banned. On to number three. A viewer commented that the terms hostage and

prisoner are biased. The distinction is legal, but also a hotly debated topic. Under international

law, taking a hostage is a war crime. It means seizing someone to compel a third party to do

something. Those taken by Hamas on October 7th are legally considered hostages because they were

captured as bargaining chips. The status of Palestinians in Israeli captivity is more complex

Some are prisoners convicted of crimes in court, but NPR reports thousands were administrative

of detainees and held for long periods without charges or a trial. Some U.N. experts argue these

detainees also meet the legal definition of hostages, claiming they are used as leverage

Other groups strongly reject this, calling it a false equivalency