Mississippi

Mississippi Republicans embrace Donald Trump: no matter what

Published

1 year ago

June 11, 2024

Mississippi Republicans embrace Donald Trump: no matter what

Shuwaski Young
| Special to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger

I have never seen a politician that has such loyalty with his base of supporters like Donald J. Trump, particularly among Mississippi Republicans.

The United States of America is the greatest country in the world. Yet, because Trump is now convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a case related to hush money paid to an adult film star, according to Donald Trump and some Republicans, [we] Americans are now turning into a “fascist” country. I’m sure that is not true.

One thing is for sure: Mississippi Republicans clearly support and embrace Trump: No Matter What. To that end, I have never seen a politician that has such loyalty with his base of supporters like Donald J. Trump, particularly among Mississippi Republicans. And honestly, it’s very concerning and troubling.

Once upon a time in America, political leaders supported the rule of law irrespective of political beliefs or alliances — an authentic country first mentality. But, then came Trump — a recently convicted felon, 2024 presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States, and certified Mississippi “good ole boy” favorite.

I must admit: Trump is a smart man with an uncanny skill and ability to shape his own narrative in the media, effortlessly circumventing the legal, moral and political standard(s) of the times.

Republicans’ propensity to liken Trump’s trials and tribulations in comparison to Jesus Christ himself is also entertaining to dissect as a political connoisseur even in today’s political environment. But, as a Christian, it seems to be nothing short of a blasphemous declarative.

Sadly, Gov. Tate Reeves and the entire Missississippi GOP have bought into the Trump savior theme and are now selling Trump’s narrative at market value to all Mississippians who will listen.

What happened to the Republican Party being the party of law and order? What happened to Christian values in our politics? Is the answer Trump?

OK — it’s 2024 and I’ll give Republicans credit on the assignment of spin effort, but our criminal justice system literally just found Trump guilty on 34 Class E Felonies.

And, once announced, Mississippi Republicans quickly shunned the entire American idea of law and order for the sake of their savior: Trump.

Again, to be clear: Although somewhat complex and complicated, Trump was proven guilty by 12 of his peers.

Yet, representing a stunningly brazen example of complacency and a blatant effort to paint the Trump conviction as a sham trial, Republican leaders like Shad White, Michael Guest, Michael Watson, Reeves and Delbert Hosemann quickly cracked the whip at the entire American judicial system for convicting Trump.

Seriously, minutes after the Trump verdict announcement, Mississippi Republican leaders wasted no time dismissing the sanctity of our criminal justice system for the Make America Great Again Savior: Trump.

Why is that? Why does Trump have so much loyalty from Bible-thumping Mississippi conservatives?

Maybe the MS-GOP’s loyalty is concreted in something else. I’ll leave those unsaid points to your imagination. Bottom line: Trump was convicted of 34 felonies on May 30, 2024. The case wasn’t rigged, and it wasn’t handled at the prosecutorial direction of President Joe Biden. The legal system spoke, and justice prevailed.

Let’s be clear: The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, who prosecuted the case against Trump, is an independent law enforcement elected official. He is not answerable to the Biden Administration or the New York Attorney General. Bragg is an elected official charged with prosecuting cases in the name of justice for the State of New York in the Manhattan District.

Yet, Trump and Mississippi Republicans believe a miscarriage of justice took place on May 30 when 12 jurors convicted him on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — somehow all at the direction of the Biden Administration.

I do agree with Trump and Hosemann that Nov. 5 will be the real verdict, but it is sobering to know what our magnolia state leaders actually think in the wake of Trump’s felonious conviction.

In conclusion, Mississippi is a beautiful place stricken by a Republican governmental leadership that is undoubtedly loyal to Trump despite his conviction on 34 felony charges, a city slicker background and proven allegations of promiscuity and lack of character.

I honestly don’t know what Mississippi Republican leaders actually stand for today other than Trump. I sit and wonder what happened to Southern values? I wonder what happened to character standards in politics? I ponder what happened to honest Mississippi beliefs? And, if these are the real beliefs of our leaders being presented then we are in serious trouble.

Eighteen years ago, I started my career working for the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office under Democratic and Republican administrations. As a newly minted political science major from Jackson State University, working at 401 Mississippi Street directly across from the Mississippi State Capitol gave me a deeper, sincere respect for our state government, the rule of law and order, and an earnest pride and commitment to our state and country. Democrats and Republicans taught me these values.

To this day, I am forever grateful for this bipartisan mentorship, especially as I think about the leadership we need in Mississippi now more than ever.

In the final analysis, Mississippi Republican leaders stand in allegiance to Trump — no matter what. For this reason, I remain deeply concerned about the future of Mississippi and the general welfare of our residents.

— Shuwaski Young is a former Democrat Party candidate in statewide elections.

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Mississippi

Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica

Published

18 hours ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi mother is searching for answers after not being able to get in contact with her daughter who is trapped in Jamaica from Hurricane Melissa.

Lori Washington, an Ocean Springs native, told 3 On Your Side that she has not heard from her daughter since Monday.

“Now my mind is flashing back to the phone call that I got when my soldier was killed,” Washington said. “My oldest boy was killed in 2014 and now I’m scared that I’m going to get another phone call.”

She shared that her daughter, Lasha Thornton, travels frequently for work and the last location she knew of her whereabouts was Trelawny, Jamaica.

Washington says Thornton just turned 26 and must’ve been in Jamaica for her birthday.

In a text from her daughter Monday, Washington shared that she informed her the airports were shut down, and she would have to wait out the storm.

It has now been two days since hearing from her daughter, and Washington is doing all that she can to find answers.

“Once some reporter over there can hear this and make sure that my daughter is either at the convention center, where they have some of the tourists, or if they can check, I just want to know she’s okay and that she’s eating and she’s hydrated,” Washington said. “And I want her to come home, it’s time to come home.”

According to a post Tuesday on the country’s government website, there were around 6,000 people in shelters.

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Mississippi

Lab monkeys on loose after Mississippi crash were disease-free, university says

Published

2 days ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

Lab monkeys on loose after Mississippi crash were disease-free, university says

A group of monkeys being transported on a Mississippi highway that escaped captivity on Tuesday after the truck carrying them overturned did not carry a dangerous infectious disease, a university has said.

The truck was carrying rhesus monkeys, which typically weigh around 16lb (7.7kg) and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet.

Video shows monkeys crawling through tall grass on the side of Interstate 59 just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi, with wooden crates labeled “live animals” crumpled and strewn about.

The local sheriff’s department initially said the monkeys were carrying diseases including herpes, but Tulane University said in a statement that the monkeys “have not been exposed to any infectious agent”.

All but one of the escaped monkeys were killed, the Jasper county sheriff’s department said in a post on Facebook, warning that the monkeys were “aggressive”.

They were being housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university.

The crash happened about 100 miles (160km) from the state capital of Jackson. It was not clear what caused the truck to overturn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Mississippi

What oddsmakers predict will happen when Mississippi State faces Arkansas

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2025

Press Room

What oddsmakers predict will happen when Mississippi State faces Arkansas

Mississippi State’s hope of reaching six wins and going to a bowl game this season are on life support.

The Bulldogs have lost their last four games, all SEC games, and in heart-breaking fashion, too. Two of those losses were overtime games and another was lost on last minute interception.

Mississippi State needs a win, not just for its bowl game aspirations, but also to give the fanbase something to cheer about instead of calling for a coaching change.

“One, thank you for the support, the atmosphere and the energy. And Saturday was as good as it gets,” Bulldogs’ coach Jeff Lebby said Monday when asked about what his message to the upset fans. “You’ve all heard me talk about how much I appreciate our community and our connection and the passion, the love that people have for Mississippi State. I love that. That’s one of the greatest things about our university.

“I hate that (the fans are) not getting to enjoy (wins). My hope is that we have the ability to go take care of business and go get a tough, hard win on the road on Saturday. And then come back home to another great crowd.”

Fortunately, Mississippi State’s opponent this week represents the most winnable SEC game left on its schedule, even if Lebby won’t admit that’s what Arkansas is.

“No, not in the least bit,” Lebby said. “We’re playing the best two and six football team in the country this week. They’ve got a quarterback that is elite at everything that he does. They have played really well offensively. Auburn did a really good job defensively the other day, creating some turnovers. Arkansas struggled in the red zone a little bit.

“But their ability to score and play great offensively is very well documented. And then defensively, they’ve played better. They haven’t been great against the run, but they were better this past week.”

But that doesn’t change the fact the odds for the Bulldogs this week are the best they’ll be the rest of the season.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook