Alec Baldwin's trial is underway for his role in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust, Breitbart reported. The 66-year-old is charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Attorneys for Baldwin will plead his case before a New Mexico judge after a gun the actor was using in the movie discharged a live round, fatally wounding Hutchins and striking director Joel Souza. The actor is charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and faces up to 18 months in prison.
The trial follows the conviction of the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, for the same charge. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison but has filed an appeal.
In a Hollywood twist, Court TV began broadcasting the trial on Wednesday to turn proceedings into a television spectacle. Viewers watched live as the prosecutors and Baldwin's attorneys presented their conflicting versions of the case at the Santa Fe County District Courthouse.
Prosecutors against the 30 Rock actor claimed Baldwin "violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety" while on the set of Rust, ABC News reported. Baldwin allegedly committed "numerous breaches" of weapons safety that led to the 42-year-old's death.
On that fateful day in 2021, Baldwin was on set at a Santa Fe church practicing his cross-draw with the Colt .45 revolver being used as a movie prop. Somehow, the gun was loaded with at least one of the five live rounds found on set after the investigation.
The prosecution contends that regardless of the fact that the gun had live rounds, Baldwin is at fault as he recklessly mishandled the firearm. Prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson said in her opening statement to the jury that the "prop" weapon was a real gun that was supposed to be loaded with blanks.
Baldwin was known to "do his own thing" between takes, including keeping his finger on the trigger while practicing his draws, which contradicts gun safety policy. "The evidence will show that that third and fatal time, he takes it out once again, fast. He cocks the hammer, points it straight at Miss Hutchins, and fires that gun, sending that live bullet right into Miss Hutchins' body," Johnson told the jury.
"After the shooting, the defendant began to claim he didn't pull the trigger. The evidence will show, ladies and gentlemen, that's not possible," Johnson said, adding another layer to the damaging assertions.
Baldwin's attorney, Alex Spiro, laid the blame at the armorer's feet in his opening remarks. "On this set, there was a real bullet, something that should never be on a movie set, something which has nothing to do with making a movie," Spiro told the jurors.
"You will hear no evidence, not one word that Alec Baldwin had anything to do with that real bullet being brought onto that set. No one had any idea that this venomous, toxic element had been inserted into this magic they were creating," Spiro continued.
"But it did," he added. "It entered that place. It killed an amazing person, it wounded another, and it changed lives forever." Spiro insinuated that Gutierrez-Reed was to blame as Baldwin was handed a safe for prop use "cold gun" but "shocked" everyone when a live round came out.
"Alec is startled. He immediately says, 'I didn't mean to shoot. I didn't pull the trigger,'" Spiro added, underscoring the claim about his lack of responsibility.
The jury will get to decide Baldwin's fate after hearing from witnesses on both sides of the issue. It's unfortunate that this happened at all, and someone will have to pay for the cinematographer's untimely death.
President Joe Biden's administration opposed a bill requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, Breitbart reported. The legislation, dubbed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, was introduced by GOP Texas Rep. Chip Roy and garnered widespread Republican support.
Over 100 House Republicans co-sponsored the legislation that would add a measure of security to bar illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections. "Federal law has been interpreted to prohibit states from checking to see if you're a citizen even though, technically, the law says you must be a citizen," Roy said in an exclusive to Breitbart.
This is a commonsense measure that would make elections more secure by keeping illegal voters from casting a ballot. However, the White House predictably released a statement Monday vowing to block the legislation should it make it to the president's desk.
The statement claimed that measures are already in place to prevent ineligible voters from casting a ballot. Moreover, the Biden administration pushed for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would allow felons to vote and implement automatic voter registration.
The White House Office of Management and Budget statement downplayed the need for such safeguards for elections. "It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections — it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines," the document said.
"The alleged justification for this bill is based on easily disproven falsehoods. Additionally, making a false claim of citizenship or unlawfully voting in an election is punishable by removal from the United States and a permanent bar to admission," the statement went on.
"States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters' eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls. This bill would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls," the document added.
"The evidence is clear that the current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working as intended — it is extraordinarily rare for noncitizens to break the law by voting in Federal elections," the administration claimed. It's unclear how they would know how many fraudulent ballots are cast.
BREAKING.🚨
The White House issues statement *OPPOSING* the SAVE Act stopping ILLEGAL ALIENS from voting in U.S. Elections.
"The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act... The alleged justification for this bill is based on easily… pic.twitter.com/f8abvUkekk
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 8, 2024
Most Americans understand that requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote is a good idea. A 2022 poll revealed that 65% of all voters favored the requirement.
Republicans were the most enthusiastic, with 88% supporting the measure while just 48% of Democrats agreed with that measure. Among swing voters, 65% support the requirement.
Former President Donald Trump, the presumed presidential GOP nominee, hit back at Democrats who oppose the SAVE Act and urged Republicans to pass it. In a post to Truth Social Tuesday, Trump told GOP lawmakers to pass it "or go home and cry yourself to sleep," Fox News reported.
"The Dems can't win on their policies, the only way they can win is to CHEAT. They do it at every level of government, and they do it well. That's how they get an incapacitated moron like Joe Biden elected," Trump explained. "The Justice Department is CORRUPT and won't do a thing to help. They have no shame!"
There's no good reason to oppose the SAVE Act except that it makes cheating more difficult. The Democrats are showing their hand by objecting to the legislation that should be a slam dunk.
President Joe Biden's handlers provided photos and instructions on how to enter and exit the venue stage during his fundraising events, Fox News reported. The cards even included instructions such as "Walk to podium" in large print.
The images were from a five-page document were leaked to Axios. They were part of a template used to prepare Biden for these types of events down to the most minute detail.
Some believe the images, which include the official White House logo, were part of an effort to help the 81-year-old conceal his deteriorating cognitive function. "I staffed a simple fundraiser at a private residence, but they treated it like it was a NATO summit with his movements," one informant who worked at an event in the previous year and a half told Axios.
BREAKING: Leaked documents show that for his events, President Biden's staffers prepare a short document with large print and photos that include his precise path to a podium, reports AXIOS.
READ: https://t.co/1sPiDfrW0F pic.twitter.com/Y2GLOSQP7N
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) July 7, 2024
The images from the president's briefing materials reveal just how much help Biden needed to carry out the simplest functions in the event spaces. He was provided with images labeled "View from podium" and "View from audience" to orient himself in the space.
While honest observers have sounded the alarm about Biden's cognitive decline for years, the establishment media only recently began to admit the truth. There was no denying it after his debate performance on June 27 against former President Donald Trump.
Still, the White House has attempted to explain away the proof of just how far gone Biden is in his mental function. Andrew Bates, White House senior deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to the president, responded with a statement to Fox News Digital that it is routine to hand these to officials.
"High levels of detail and precision are critical to presidential advance work – regardless of who is president – and these are basic approaches that are used by any modern advance team, including the Vice President’s office and agencies," Bates said. "And then-Vice President Biden’s team did the same, as did other principals, during the second term of the Obama-Biden Administration."
Kirsten Allen, communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, similarly claimed there's nothing to see here. "These documents are standard logistical briefing materials and photos for any principal, including the Vice President," Allen said.
Still, it's clear Biden's aides were attempting to hide the severity of the president's mental deficiencies. This only worked so long because of his accomplices in the media. Of the myriad news outlets that likely knew the truth but hid it, none is so egregious as Morning Joe's Joe Scarborough, who said "this version of Biden" was the "best ever" in March, according to The Hill.
"He’s better than he has ever been, intellectually, analytically. F you if you can’t handle the truth," Scarborough said into the camera. "This version of Biden … is the best Biden ever."
Scarborough had a brief moment of sanity after the debate but soon doubled down on his endorsement of the president. He blamed the "media elites and billionaire donors" who want to replace him as the Democratic nominee, the Washington Examiner reported.
It's undeniable that Biden is in the throes of a cognitive breakdown. Continuing to cover for him is a threat to national security as America's enemies are watching.
MSNBC guest and former New York Times Magazine’s chief national correspondent Mark Leibovich suggested during an appearance on "Inside With Jen Psaki" that there could be "high-level resignations" around President Joe Biden coming soon after he bombed the CNN debate against former President Donald Trump and doubled down with several more press appearances that made him look feeble and confused.
Biden has had a low number of appearances of any kind lately, and they all seem to be going badly for him. Leibovich thought that might give aides pause and make them think about abandoning ship.
“Joe Biden has given very, very few opportunities to be seen, and I think that — another thing I would point out in the next coming days as we go into the week — is not so much Capitol Hill, but I mean, there could be some pretty high level resignations around Biden, whether on the campaign or maybe in the White House or the administration or something,” he said.
.@MarkLeibovich: "There could be some pretty high level resignations around Biden." pic.twitter.com/2oGjsQ7aBs
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) July 7, 2024
“I mean, that quote in the New York Times piece that you alluded to, and again, people like us look closely at the criminology of this,” he continued. “But … this is … the walls seem to be coming in very closely, and I think after the debate he had one really good thing going for him, which was time. He seems to have wasted almost two weeks at this point.”
Pressure has begun from some Democrats for Biden to step down and be replaced, but so far Biden has held firm and said he's staying in the race.
While it could be a relatively easy process to replace Biden if he agrees to step down in the next few datys, it will be extremely difficult to force him out against his will.
This is because he won enough votes in the primaries to become the nominee, so it would look like Democrats were ignoring the will of the people if they removed him and installed a different candidate.
For her part, former press secretary Psaki said she wasn't sure exactly what should happen with Biden at this point.
“The questions I’m getting the most are: What’s going to happen? And what is the best path forward? I won’t tell you I know the answer to either question. No one does,” she said.
The most logical replacement for Biden would be Vice President Kamala Harris, but she's even less likely to win than he is according to current polling.
Democrats would have a conniption if party leadership threw aside a Black woman candidate in favor of someone else--no matter how bad that Black woman candidate is.
It's so satisfying to see the Democrat Party between a rock and a hard place because of their own ridiculous adherence to political correctness and equity politics.
It would be great if they dump Biden and run with Harris--great for America to be back in Republican hands again before she is too far gone to save.
The left's lawfare against former President Donald Trump continues to hit roadblocks at every turn, and Jack Smith's team just suffered yet another setback with potentially significant implications.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday granted a temporary delay in the classified documents case brought by Smith against Trump so that she could assess the matter in the context of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision on presidential immunity, as the Washington Examiner reports.
As the New York Post reported, it was on Friday that Trump's legal team made its request for a halt in the classified documents proceedings in light of the high court's recent decision.
According to Trump's attorneys, the Supreme Court's ruling “guts” prosecutorial claims that their client enjoyed no immunity regarding claims that he mishandled sensitive national security documents.
Trump lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and Christopher Kise contended that Smith is now unable to make use of evidence stemming from “official acts,” which they argue was a key tactic of the prosecution in the case at issue.
Adding further meat to their request, the lawyers for Trump referenced a concurrence penned by Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting that Smith's appointment to his current role by Attorney General Merrick Garland may well be unconstitutional and therefore, invalid.
Specifically, the former president's legal team requested that Cannon issue a partial stay in the case and to take steps to resolve “threshold questions” about the SCOTUS ruling and how it impacts the documents matter.
They added that a briefing schedule related to the immunity ruling would need to stretch into September, making it increasingly unlikely that a trial would occur any time prior to the November election.
Unsurprisingly, Smith's team reacted by opposing the request for a stay and by asking for an opportunity to submit a formal response.
As the Washington Examiner later reported, it was on Saturday that Cannon went ahead and granted the request for a delay in the matter, pending review of the Supreme Court's decision and its potential implications for the case.
Cannon implemented a two-week halt on a trio of upcoming deadlines facing the parties, a decision that was surely welcomed by the president and his team.
The judge declared a July 18 deadline for Smith to respond to Trump's motion for a stay and a July 21 deadline for all other replies.
Cannon's move was as partial win for Trump, in that he wanted a full pause on the case with the exception of the ongoing dispute over a gag order in the case, but only received a halt on certain aspects of the proceedings.
Even so, any delays can rightly be viewed as detrimental to what has long seemed to be Smith's overarching goal, namely, to secure convictions on as many counts against Trump as possible ahead of Nov. 5.
The fallout from President Joe Biden's poor debate showing on June 27 continues as Democrats consider replacing him before November's election, Tulsa World reported. Former Obama White House Van Jones said discussions are underway behind the scenes that could put Vice President Kamala Harris in Biden's place.
Jones spoke to CNN’s Jim Sciutto Wednesday in the aftermath of the president's first debate with former President Donald Trump, Fox News reported. The former Obama adviser said there is "full-scale panic" now that it's clear Biden is unfit to run for reelection.
"I just got to be honest, everybody comes on the air and says all this great stuff, but behind the scenes, it’s full-scale panic. People are passing around legal memos, PDFs are flying back and forth on WhatsApp, trying to figure out, what are the options? How can you replace Biden? How do you get him to do it in a way where he feels respected, as he should be respected?" Jones said.
Van Jones on CNN: “Behind the scenes, it’s full scale panic. People are passing around legal memos trying to figure out what are the options. How can you replace Biden? The conversation on air and the conversation off air are completely different.” pic.twitter.com/umvvvgVD7b
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 4, 2024
Jones said that many are suggesting Harris should replace Biden on the ticket. "Who should Kamala Harris’s vice president be? The conversations on air and the conversations off-air are completely different," Jones went on.
"We have a great candidate, we have a beautiful man, we have someone who loves this country. We have someone who has given his all – I mean, his all, to the last drop – for this country, but he may not be able to get across the finish line," Jones said.
"And a mature party has to take that into account, and that is what’s happening," he added. What even Jones is afraid to say is that Harris is no better than Biden when it comes to electability.
It's true Biden has slipped three points since before the debate in The New York Times and Siena College poll. Trump is now leading Biden 49% to 43% among likely voters, which spells trouble for the Democrats.
However, things go from bad to worse with Harris as the alternative. Earlier this month, Politico admitted that two-thirds of voters didn't believe Harris could win the election if she were the nominee, while only three out of five Democrats believed she could, and just a quarter of independents were convinced of her electability.
As pundits discuss the challenges of a Harris candidacy, it seems they're looking at the problem all wrong. Even the ones who admit she's problematic blame it on her gender instead of the fact that she's supremely unlikable and comes across as unintelligent and unserious.
"She’s done an admirable job on reproductive health and issues important to the Black community and related to youth. But at the same time, she’s falling into the same spot that many vice presidents fall into, which is that she doesn’t have a very public role outside of her lane," RL Miller, a climate activist and former Democratic National Committee member, explained.
Miller is a "longtime fan of Kamala Harris," but she admits that Harris's chances of getting elected are slim. "I am afraid Democrats have internalized the Hillary Clinton lesson: That a woman can’t win," Miller said.
"And I think it’s sad," she added. What's sad is that they learned the wrong lesson after running an equally unlikeable and radical candidate in 2016 with the former Secretary of State.
Democrats have a major problem on their hands with Biden's cognitive decline. What's worse for them is that there's nobody in the Democratic Party able to take his place who won't get pummeled in the general election by Trump.
Embattled Associate District Judge Brian Lovell has been suspended over allegations he engaged in sexual activity and other misconduct at the courthouse during working hours, the Daily Caller reported. Lovell, 58, was previously implicated in a pair of drive-by shooting incidents.
The judge was given an immediate suspension for allegedly "exchanging sexually graphic messages and images with court staff during courthouse hours and engaging in sexual intercourse with court staff inside the courthouse during courthouse hours." The suspension is temporary, and Lovell has until July 8 to respond.
Lovell's troubles date back to 2011, when he was hired. The judge did not disclose his romantic relationship with bailiff Natalie Marshall at the time, which came to light after Marshall revealed it upon her exit from the job.
The judge then engaged in sexual activity "during courthouse hours" with Cynthia Tubbs, who was hired as bailiff in 2011 to replace Marshall. Tubbs and Lovell exchanged explicit messages and images, including one sent just as the judge was about to record a defendant's plea.
Aside from the romantic trysts, Lovell has also allegedly engaged in corruption during his tenure with the Garfield County, Oklahoma, court, Fox News reported. He favored one attorney in particular, who was able to hammer out advantageous deals for his clients through text messages with Lovell.
The judge congratulated the attorney on his "brilliant" decision not to cross-examine one of the witnesses in a case while complimenting him on his technique with another. Lovell called the attorney's professional work "excellent" but failed to compliment any other lawyers.
Lovell was so enamored with this attorney that the judge admitted he gave his client a better bond arrangement because of him. He even went out of his way for one of the attorney's other clients by granting a protective order to a funeral home that the favored lawyer represented.
When all of this was about to come to light during an investigation, Lovell attempted to cover it up. He allegedly "seal[ed] a court file with no justification" before he "attempt[ed] to persuade an attorney to give false testimony to the Council on Judicial Complaints."
The council concluded that the judge "has demonstrated a lack of respect for the judicial office with which he is entrusted and an ongoing pattern of misconduct and dishonesty." Its petition said that Lovell's "lack of temperament to serve as a judge, undermining public confidence in the independence, integrity, impartiality, and competence of the judiciary."
The most sensational of Lovell's alleged misdeeds include drive-by shootings in two states. In September 2023, Lovell racked up eight felonies after allegedly unloading five shots from his Glock 23 .40-caliber pistol while driving in Austin, Texas, the New York Post reported.
After leaving bullet holes in several vehicles, Lovell allegedly turned up an hour later and rear-ended a woman's vehicle in a road rage incident. He was accused of trying to force her vehicle into the oncoming lane during this twisted rampage.
Then, in March of this year, Lovell was charged with a similar crime in Oklahoma, this time for allegedly shooting up his brother-in-law's home. He's accused of using the same weapon as the other incident but claimed the gun was stolen just two days after the crime.
Lovell's attorney, Stephen Jones, who is defending him in the Oklahoma case, claimed that there was no proof. "As far as the merits of the charge and the defense, we do not at this time have the discovery material which, in due course, will be made available to us. From our own investigation, the evidence is insufficient to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt," Jones said.
If these allegations are true, this judge must have believed he was above the law. Perhaps he was able to operate as such for a long time, but now it appears to be catching up to him.
Political analyst Doug Schoen said President Joe Biden could be "out of the race in a couple of weeks" following his abysmal first debate with former President Donald Trump, Fox News reported. The former Clinton adviser said this on the network's The Faulkner Focus program Wednesday.
Biden is facing calls to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race after his poor debate performance last week. Moreover, there have been reports that Biden admitted to a "key ally" that he's aware he has all but blown his chances of reelection.
However, the White House disputed this claim through spokesman Andrew Bates. "That claim is absolutely false," Bates said shortly after the New York Times published the story.
"If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment, we would have told them so," he added. Still, even the staunchest supporters are calling for him to step aside as Biden digs in his heels.
Schoen believes Biden has no choice but to "drop out" now that the truth is apparent. Schoen noted that "if the Democratic establishment, the congressional leadership, the grassroots of the party say he can't handle a campaign, he's not up to the job, he's too old...Joe Biden will have no choice but to drop out."
The author noted that powerful Democrats such as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are also beating the same drum after watching Biden stammer, freeze, and look confused during the debate. "He cannot sustain a campaign if the party turns against him," Schoen said.
"And everything I'm seeing now is that is both happening and happening with great rapidity. States that were not in play are now in play," Schoen said.
"And the seven swing states all show comfortable leads. If that continues, it will be impossible, in my judgment, for Joe Biden to stay in the race politically," he added.
"And if the cognitive issues appear as serious as they did during the debate, I can tell you he will be out of the race within a couple of weeks." There are many who believe the fallout from the debate is impossible to overcome, but Biden still has supporters in high places.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is among the Democrats who are still standing behind Biden. On June 28, just a day after Biden's disastrous performance on the debate stage, Clinton took to social media to show her continued support.
"The choice in this election remains very simple. It's a choice between someone who cares about you—your rights, your prospects, your future—versus someone who's only in it for himself," Clinton said on X, formerly Twitter. "I'll be voting Biden," Clinton added.
The choice in this election remains very simple.
It's a choice between someone who cares about you—your rights, your prospects, your future—versus someone who's only in it for himself.
I'll be voting Biden. https://t.co/mxkpLIOEux
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 28, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris has similarly continued to back Biden in the face of almost certain defeat. "It was a slow start; that’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that point. I’m talking about the choice in November," Harris told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, according to The Hill.
Biden can't hide from the truth even if the powerful Clintons or his vice president are behind him. Schoen is correct that Biden's days in the 2024 presidential race are numbered after Americans witnessed the age-addled commander-in-chief bomb spectacularly against Trump.