Q & Trey: What We Know Vs. What We can Prove
Plus, Trey gives listeners a peak into the world of his debut novel The Color of Death.
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Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tennessee judge gives state leeway on deactivating inmate's heart-regulating device before execution
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge ruled on Tuesday that the state can deactivate a death-row inmate's implanted heart-regulating device at a hospital on the morning of his execution, rather than bringing a doctor or technician into the execution chamber. The ruling comes after Deputy Attorney General Cody Brandon told the judge they could not comply with an earlier order requiring Byron Black's implanted cardioverter-defibrillator to be turned off just prior to the injection of a lethal dose of pentobarbital on Aug. 5. In the Friday order, Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Russell Perkins agreed with Black's attorneys that not deactivating the device could cause Black to suffer needlessly as it continuously shocks him in an attempt to restore his heart's normal rhythm during the execution. At a Tuesday hearing on the issue, Brandon said Black's physicians at Nashville General Hospital are unwilling to come to the execution chamber. That means the Friday chancellor's order is, in effect, an order to stay the execution, which only the Tennessee Supreme Court has the power to do, he argued. Brandon asked the judge to either overturn his Friday order or allow the Tennessee Department of Correction to take Black to the hospital for the deactivation on Aug. 4. Kelley Henry, who represents Black, argued that the state should not be allowed to deactivate the device prematurely because doing so could result in Black's death while he still has the possibility of a last-minute reprieve. ' On August 4, we will still be in other courts seeking a stay of execution,' Henry said. She also said state officials had not really tried to find a doctor willing to come to the prison. She first brought the issue up with the Tennessee Department of Correction in early June, but it was not until the Friday order that they began to look into it, and then they only contacted Nashville General Hospital. 'It's like when you tell a teenager to clean up their room, and they pick up one sock,' she said. The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is a small, battery-powered electronic instrument, surgically implanted in the chest, that serves as a pacemaker and an emergency defibrillator. Perkins noted in court on Tuesday that during a two-day hearing last week on the issue, a doctor testifying for Black said that deactivating the device is quick and doesn't require surgery, only a handheld machine. Meanwhile, the state did not present any testimony at the time that deactivation would be an administrative or logistical burden. In modifying his own order on Tuesday, Perkins wrote that it is obvious the state has 'taken only minimal steps' to comply with his Friday order. However, Perkins said he also wants to ensure that his ruling can't be construed as an attempt to interfere with the execution. 'I've lost sleep over this because I want to do the right thing,' Perkins said at the hearing. 'I want to honor the memories of these victims' while also making sure the execution is properly carried out. Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya, 9, and Lakeisha, 6. Prosecutors said Black was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting and wounding Clay's estranged husband. 'Had she not been killed, Lakeisha would be in her 40s today,' Brandon told the judge on Tuesday. 'Justice has waited 37 years. It should not wait any longer.' Black's motion related to his heart device came within a general challenge he and other death row inmates filed against the state's new execution protocol. The trial isn't until 2026.
Forbes
19 minutes ago
- Forbes
Critics Say Trump's Distracting From Epstein Scandal: Here's How
Topline President Donald Trump on Tuesday said 'it's time' for the Justice Department 'to go after people' and accused former President Barack Obama of treason, among a series of moves widely viewed as efforts to distract from the Epstein backlash. President Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand ... More Marcos Jr. in the Oval Office at the White House on July 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by) Getty Images Key Facts Trump said 'I don't follow it too much' when asked Tuesday about the Epstein backlash, and claimed he 'didn't know' about the Justice Department's announcement earlier in the day that it would seek an interview with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump said the public should instead focus on findings from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released Friday claiming Democrats includingObama staged a 'yearslong coup' to manufacture Russian interference in the 2016 election she claims didn't exist, contradicting bipartisan findings. Among other apparent Epstein deflection efforts: On Monday, the Justice Department released files related to its probe into the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and said it had amended findings in its probe of Hillary Clinton's private email server. Trump on Sunday went on a Truth Social posting spree that did not mention the Epstein documents controversy, but touched on several issues that appeal to his base, including artificial intelligence images and videos of Obama being arrested and a threat to block construction of the Washington Commanders football stadium in Washington, D.C., if the team doesn't change its name back to the Redskins. The Justice Department has announced a series of moves in recent days stopping short of Trump supporters' demands to release the Epstein documents: Earlier Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced his office was seeking an interview with Maxwell, and the GOP-led House Oversight Committee also voted to advance a subpoena to depose Maxwell. Last week, Trump instructed the Justice Department to release grand jury testimony in its Epstein probe as he sought to quell the backlash to the agency's decision announced earlier this month not to release any additional documents on its Epstein investigation. Chief Critics King's daughter, Bernice King, called out Trump for releasing files related to his administration's investigation into her father's death in a tweet that said 'Now, do the Epstein files.' Some Republicans in Congress have also accused Trump of a diversion attempt. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Monday, without mentioning Trump, warned 'the base will turn and there's no going back' in a tweet that also said 'dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies. They want the whole steak dinner and will accept nothing else.' Greene, along with several other Republican co-sponsors, is also charging ahead with an effort to compel Congress to vote on whether to release the Epstein files, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to call an early recess to avoid voting on the motion. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., accused Republican House leadership of 'stalling' on the bill, tweeting 'the American people deserve action, not excuses.' Key Background Trump's personal life has been the latest casualty of the fallout surrounding his administration's handling of the Epstein files, with a series of new reports about his ties to the convicted sex offender. The Wall Street Journal last week revealed Trump allegedly sent Epstein a sexually suggestive birthday card in 2003 that referenced a 'wonderful secret,' prompting Trump to sue the paper and deny he wrote the letter. The New York Times unearthed new details about accusations Epstein accuser Maria Farmer made against Trump to the FBI, alleging she had a disturbing encounter with Trump in Epstein's Manhattan office in 1995. Further Reading Here's Every Known Link Between Trump And Epstein: From 'Little Black Book' To Plane Rides (Forbes) Marjorie Taylor Greene Issues Warning To Trump Over Epstein — Here's What Other Republicans Are Saying (Forbes) Republicans Take Steps To Depose Ghislaine Maxwell (Forbes)
New York Times
19 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump's Accusations Against Obama Are ‘Ridiculous' and ‘Weak,' Spokesman Says
A spokesman for former President Barack Obama issued on Tuesday a rare rebuke of President Trump, calling Mr. Trump's pledge to use the Justice Department to go after his predecessor for treason 'ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Mr. Trump, facing criticism over his administration's handling of the files related to the accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, worked to deflect reporters' questions Tuesday, accusing Mr. Obama of betraying his country and declaring: 'It's time to go after people.' A spokesman for Mr. Obama condemned Mr. Trump's comments as 'bizarre allegations.' During an extended rant at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Trump rattled off a list of enemies he wanted his Justice Department to target, including his former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, as well as former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (There are already F.B.I. inquiries into some targets of Mr. Trump, including Mr. Comey and Mr. Clapper.) 'It would be President Obama,' Mr. Trump said. 'He started it, and Biden was there with him, and Comey was there, and Clapper, the whole group was there.' Mr. Trump, speaking of Mr. Obama, added: 'He's guilty. This was treason. This was every word you can think of.' Mr. Trump was referring to a report issued on Friday from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, that attempted to undermine the eight-year-old assessment that Russia favored his election in 2016. Ms. Gabbard's report, which claimed that top Obama administration officials carried out a 'treasonous conspiracy' against Mr. Trump, contradicted a lengthy study by the Senate Intelligence Committee — and was signed by every Republican member of the committee, including Marco Rubio, now the secretary of state. In fact, the Obama administration never contended that the Russians had manipulated votes; instead, his administration, and the Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, concluded that Russia mounted a major effort to influence voters. 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesman for Mr. Obama, said in a statement in response to Mr. Trump's claims. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.' Mr. Rodenbush continued: 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.'
