The Clay Edwards Show

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) office said Tuesday it won’t oppose delaying former President Trump’s July 11 sentencing even as they disagree with his new attempt to set aside his hush money verdict on immunity grounds. 

Following the Supreme Court’s decision carving out criminal immunity for former presidents, Trump on Monday sent a letter to his judge insisting prosecutors at the trial introduced evidence that is precluded under the Supreme Court’s test.

“Although we believe defendant’s arguments to be without merit, we do not oppose his request for leave to file and his putative request to adjourn sentencing pending determination of his motion,” Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass responded in a letter filed Tuesday. 

Trump’s sentencing is currently scheduled for July 11, just days before he is set to officially accept the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention the following week. But the prosecutors’ response raises a strong possibility it will be pushed for at least a few weeks.

The former president’s lawyers have asked for a July 10 deadline to file their written brief explaining their immunity arguments. Their schedule, if accepted, would likely necessitate a delay. 

Steinglass requested prosecutors be provided two additional weeks to respond, agreeing to delay the sentencing in the meantime. That would mean Trump’s sentencing wouldn’t take place until at least July 24 — after the convention. 

Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records for disguising reimbursements to his then-fixer, Michael Cohen. Cohen had paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, an affair he denies. 

Unlike his three criminal cases that have not yet gone to trial, where Trump argues his actual charges must be tossed because of presidential immunity, he has not claimed immunity from the hush money charges themselves. 

Instead, Trump asserts some of prosecutors’ trial evidence was official conduct that is immunized and could not be shown to the jury. The evidence, among other things, includes tweets Trump sent during his presidency. 

“[T]his official-acts evidence should never have been put before the jury,” Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, the former president’s attorneys, wrote in their Monday letter. 

Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the recent trial, previously ruled that Trump waited too long to raise a presidential immunity defense. 

Matthew Bishop, host of the Full Story on WYAB 103.9, joins me to break down the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity, along with the left's total meltdown and the right's premature celebration.

Kingfish from Jackson Jambalaya joins the show to discuss the outright shenanigans involving the lease and lack of rent payments between the management team at Smith-Wills Stadium and the city of Jackson. Is it incompetence or corruption?

I don't want to sound too negative because I think we're winning, but we still need to enjoy every last moment of what resembles what we consider "normal times" here in America. Enjoy this Independence Day with your friends and family, enjoy this upcoming football season, and don't let the left steal your joy as they drive our country off a cliff.

Stop calling what's happening to Joe Biden "elder abuse." There's zero abuse happening to that evil, old man. He wanted to be president, and that's exactly what he is. Nobody is making him remain the most powerful, pampered man on the planet.

1- Matthew Bishop, host of the Full Story on WYAB 103.9, joins me to break down the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity, along with the left's total meltdown and the right's premature celebration.

2- Kingfish from Jackson Jambalaya joins the show to discuss the outright shenanigans involving the lease and lack of rent payments between the management team at Smith-Wills Stadium and the city of Jackson. Is it incompetence or corruption?

3- Stop calling what's happening to Joe Biden "elder abuse." There's zero abuse happening to that evil, old man. He wanted to be president, and that's exactly what he is. Nobody is making him remain the most powerful, pampered man on the planet.

4- I don't want to sound too negative because I think we're winning, but we still need to enjoy every last moment of what resembles what we consider "normal times" here in America. Enjoy this Independence Day with your friends and family, enjoy this upcoming football season, and don't let the left steal your joy as they drive our country off a cliff.

5-In the fallout from the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity, Joe Biden's paid campaign surrogates are out here calling for the assassination of Donald Trump and high-level MAGA operatives. Never underestimate the left's ability to be hateful, murderous monsters.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - House Bill 1020, one of the more controversial bills passed during the 2023 Legislative session, is now in effect. “We’re all excited about working with more law enforcement because any time you see blue lights, you’re gonna not quite commit the crime,” said Wendell Watts. Previously, the Capitol Complex Improvement District spanned over 8.63 square miles. Now, that coverage area has doubled, giving Capitol Police primary jurisdiction in 15% of Jackson. “We’ve been building our police force, too,” said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “We were granted up to 150 officers a year ago, and we’ve reached that goal. We actually have a couple more than that. So we built that foresight, [and] we’ve been preparing, and we’re ready for the expansion.” So what happens if you call 911 in the new CCID? “911, right now, will go through all of us, Watts explained. “[It] will go through the Jackson Police Department. Now once AT&T is done with the 911 system for Capitol [Police], they will be routed to their dispatch system at that point.” When it comes to the new court system where judges and prosecutors are appointed rather than elected, construction on the new court house and holding facility is still in the works. “I think there were certain aspects of it that was struck down,” Tindell said. “But one of the things that did remain was having the CCID court, which is focused on misdemeanors, preliminary hearings, and bond hearings. Every municipality across the state has one of those.” However, Chief Justice Mike Randolph has yet to appoint a CCID judge at this time, which means the Jackson Municipal Court judges will continue to handle Capitol Police cases. Despite the coordination overlap in dispatch, court hearings, and cases, DPS and JPD feel the transition will be smooth. “I haven’t seen that type of collaboration in a very long time,” Watts said. “I think we’re going do a lot for the city.” “This is by no means a takeover,” Tindell said. “This is a force multiplier, and law enforcement agencies working together to create a safer city.”

_________________________________________________________________

HINDS COUNTY, Miss. — The Hinds County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with Capitol police to launch the "4th of July Holiday Blitz." The operation, which kicks off Wednesday, July 3, and goes through Sunday, July 7, is aimed at enhancing safety and promoting “responsible celebrations during the holiday weekend,” according to a news release from the sheriff. The operation will include saturation patrols across Hinds County to deter criminal activity and enforce traffic laws. Residents can also expect to see traffic safety checkpoints that will target impaired drivers and seat belt violations, among other safety concerns. “Let’s celebrate safely,” Sheriff Tyree Jones said. “Designate a sober driver, buckle up and enjoy the holiday responsibly.”

___________________________________________________________________

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A former Pearl police chief who was the subject of a 3 On Your Side investigation into possible misuse of Rankin County tax dollars now has a high-ranking role at one state agency while he’s being investigated by another. The Department of Public Safety confirmed Dean Scott started working for Capitol Police on July 1. Spokesperson Bailey Martin said Scott was hired as a lieutenant and will be over communications and dispatch but did not disclose his salary. The average annual pay for a lieutenant with Capitol Police is approximately $70,000, according to records WLBT obtained from the Mississippi State Personnel Board. “With the growth of Capitol Police, the department is continuing to build its team and seeking experienced law enforcement officers to meet the demands of the expanding district,” Martin said in a statement to WLBT. “Dean Scott’s former experience in communications will be an asset as a Dispatch Supervisor.”

From Magnolia Tribune- The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi has granted an injunction in the case challenging the new law known as the “Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act.”

Mississippi lawmakers passed the legislation this year in unanimous bipartisan votes in both chambers. It requires social media platforms to make reasonable efforts to prevent or mitigate children’s exposure to potentially harmful content while using the platforms. Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the bill in late April and it was set to take effect on Monday, July 1.

The case – NetChoice v. Fitch – stems from the trade association’s challenge to the new Mississippi law that claims the legislation violates citizens’ constitutionally protected rights, endangers their online privacy and security, and thwarts their rights to make decisions for their family as they deem appropriate.

The U.S. District Court granted the preliminary injunction as the case moves forward, stating that NetChoice’s challenge has “carried its burden of showing a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of it claim.”

“In sum, because the Court finds that Plaintiff NetChoice, LLC has carried its burden of showing a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of its claim that the Act is unconstitutional under a First Amendment facial challenge and, alternatively, a Fourteenth Amendment vagueness challenge, it will grant the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction without requiring security,” wrote Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden.

Judge Ozerden went on to write that it is not lost on the Court the seriousness of the issue the legislature was attempting to address, “nor does the Court doubt the good intentions behind the enactment of H.B. 1126.”

“But as the Supreme Court has held, ‘[a] law that is content based on its face is subject to strict scrutiny regardless of the government’s benign motive,” Ozerden states. “That is a high bar, which at this preliminary stage of the proceedings, Plaintiff has shown the Act likely does not meet.”

As such, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and her office is preliminarily enjoined from enforcing the new law against NetChoice and its members, which include Amazon; Google, owner of YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of SnapChat; Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram; Netflix; X; and other prominent online platforms.

Chris Marchese, Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, expressed his pleasure with the injunction, saying an “unconstitutional law will protect no one.”

“We’re pleased the court sided with the First Amendment and stopped Mississippi’s law from censoring online speech, limiting access to lawful information and undermining user privacy and security as our case proceeds,” said Marchese. “We look forward to seeing the law struck down permanently.”

Marchese said if the law was to take effect, it would mandate age and identity verification for digital services which undermines privacy and stifles the free exchange of ideas.

Attorney Fitch told Magnolia Tribune late Monday that her office will continue to fight for the commonsense law.

Several new Mississippi laws are going into effect on July 1 of 2024.

These are laws that were passed during the 2024 regular legislative session.

Here are a few of the most notable ones:

1- Squatted trucks banned

2- New education funding formula

3- Medicaid presumptive eligibility for pregnant mothers

4- Protecting women in vulnerable spaces (SAFER ACT)

5- Driver’s Ed for schools

6- Runoff elections moved back a week

7- Sign language now a foreign language option

8- Protecting minors from online predators (Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act)

9- PERS employer rate increase phase-in

10- Increased penalties for vehicle theft, shoplifting

11- CCID expansion in Jackson, Mississippi

I'm joined today by Russ Latino & Shaun Yurtkuran (political analyst with Magnolia Tribune in Mississippi) to discuss the potential fallout of Joe Biden either stepping down or staying in the presidential race. We hit this from a bunch of different angles, I think you will enjoy the discussion.