In this episode of The Clay Edwards Show, recorded on FAFO Friday, August 29, 2025, host Clay Edwards kicks off with a safety reminder amid flash flooding in Central Mississippi, sharing a personal close call on the road.

 

The show dives into local crime news, covering a double murder in Brandon over two days. Clay details the targeted homicide on Highway 80 and the subsequent killing of Christopher Story, noting the suspect, Matthew Brian Kidd, was apprehended after being on the run. He discusses the case as involving white suspects with face tattoos, critiquing "white thuggery" and cultural appropriation, emphasizing that he calls out bad behavior in his own community without excuses like systemic issues. Clay addresses backlash over a photo of the sheriff smiling post-arrest, defending it as relief over removing a threat from the streets. He offers condolences to the victims' families and speculates on motives like drugs or disputes, while touching on stereotypes and profiling based on appearance and records.

 

Shifting to national news, Clay reacts to reports of Donald Trump revoking Kamala Harris's Secret Service detail, questioning if it's pettiness or tied to potential legal actions related to the 2020 election, and notes that former vice presidents typically receive lifelong protection unless declined or revoked.

 

Marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Clay shares his survival story: riding out the storm in downtown Jackson with his dad during Category 1 winds, witnessing flooding and debris, and later helping evacuees by cooking and donating food to the Coliseum shelter. He discusses the influx of people from New Orleans' 9th Ward contributing to cultural shifts and crime in Jackson. Clay harshly critiques a recent Netflix Katrina documentary as a "dumpster fire" focused on New Orleans' systemic racism narrative, ignoring Mississippi's self-reliant response and the Gulf Coast's predominantly white communities that rebuilt without heavy federal aid. He praises Mississippi's handling under Governor Haley Barbour as a model of boots-on-the-ground action, contrasting it with Louisiana's issues.

 

Listeners call in with their Katrina experiences, including a military veteran deployed for relief efforts who describes convoying from Texas, sitting idle on a Louisiana airfield despite resources like FEMA plywood going unused, and the inefficiencies in search-and-rescue operations. Another caller explains DMORT (Disaster Mortuary Recovery Team) activations, body recovery protocols (including autopsies to rule out murders disguised as storm deaths), and Mississippi's proactive response without waiting for federal direction.

 

The episode wraps with reflections on judging modern governors by Barbour's Katrina standard, emergency management successes like MEMA, and ironic parallels between Katrina complaints about government inaction and current debates over federal involvement in urban crime.