| Tuesday, June 30, 2026 |
| Mississippi State, Southern Miss partner to give swimming lessons to children with special needs | |
 | Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi are partnering to teach children and adults with special needs how to swim. The two schools will hold a joint swim camp in Hattiesburg between July 13-17, offering those with special needs an opportunity to learn the foundations of swimming and more about water safety. The event will be held at the Family YMCA of Southeast Mississippi on Veterans Memorial Drive. Under the direction of Gregg Twietmeyer, Mississippi State professor of kinesiology, certified adapted aquatics instructors will help participants develop confidence in the water and learn basic swimming skills. The camp requires swimmers to attend one 45-minute or 60-minute session per day in a five-day period, depending on age. "We are thrilled to be working with Dr. Alana Turner and the USM School of Kinesiology and Nutrition to bring an adapted swim camp to Hattiesburg," Twietmeyer said. "Expanding aquatics opportunities for people with special needs across the state of Mississippi is a primary objective of the MSU Adapted Swim Camp." |
| Some kinds of insider trading are perfectly legal -- and they offer useful signals about a company's health | |
| Mississippi State University's Brian Blank and two colleagues write for The Conversation: It's a mantra among business executives that slashing their workforce will streamline operations and increase productivity -- a strategic boost to the bottom line. And recent downsizing announcements have been no different, especially at tech companies citing massive disruptions caused by artificial intelligence. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for example, stated in May 2026 that "this is the most dynamic I have seen our industry" as the company was starting its announced cull of 8,000 workers. He added: "I'm optimistic about everything we're building. But success is not a given." For affected workers, of course, downsizing is brutal. And growing fears over diminishing job security in white-collar fields once thought of as safe are a key driver behind Americans' growing pessimism about the economy. But for two other groups -- the workers still employed at downsizing companies, as well as investors -- there's a source of clarity amid the chaos. To see whether job cuts will actually help turn a business around, they can find a valuable signal in the buying and selling of the company's stock by its own employees, especially in its senior ranks. This type of insider trading, which is perfectly legal, was the focus of our research as finance professors. |
| Justices give Fed a shield against Trump as potential rate hikes loom | |
 | New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh got a big boost for his job security from the Supreme Court at a crucial moment, with investors increasingly betting that he'll defy President Donald Trump and raise interest rates this year. The high court on Monday upheld the constitutionality of the Fed's structure, including that its board members are shielded from removal by the president except for cause. The ruling protects the Fed's independence across the institution, which is responsible for both monetary policy and bank regulation, despite the court's simultaneous decision to reject such independence for other federal regulators. Scott Alvarez, who served as the Fed's general counsel for more than a decade, highlighted the importance of that move, which he said would help prevent presidents from using the Fed's regulatory powers as a backdoor to removing central bankers. "The independence of the Fed, I don't think that's in doubt as a constitutional matter," Alvarez said. The ruling comes as inflation has surged back above 4 percent, leading multiple Fed officials to entertain the idea of raising rates this year to combat rising prices. |
| Housing bill sent to Trump, starting countdown to enactment | |
 | Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Monday formally transmitted to the White House the bipartisan housing package that President Donald Trump refused to sign last week. That triggers a 10-day clock, excluding Sundays, for Trump to either sign or veto the bill; if he does neither, it will become law without his signature by July 10. The House cleared the bill on Tuesday after Senate passage a day earlier, both with veto-proof majorities. Even so, Trump had previously given the bill his ringing endorsement, and Johnson and other congressional leaders anticipated a high-profile signing ceremony Wednesday in Statuary Hall. But Trump abruptly canceled the event about 90 minutes beforehand, saying he would not sign the housing legislation until the Senate clears a separate election security measure that would require voters to prove citizenship to register and bring photo ID to the polls. The election bill does not have the necessary 60 votes to pass the Senate, though other options are under consideration, which could assuage Trump and the measure's House backers, such as attaching it to a must-pass bill like the annual defense authorization bill. |
| Supreme Court says police need a warrant to obtain Google location data | |
 | The Supreme Court on Monday said that police must generally obtain a warrant to gather detailed location data tracked by smartphones, in a case that brings into sharper relief the Constitution's protections for Americans' digital privacy. In a 6-3 vote that scrambled ideological lines, the majority found that a request by police officers for Google to turn over a robbery suspect's location history constituted a search protected by the Constitution's guarantee to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures. "An individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in records about his cell phone's location, and police intrude on that constitutionally protected interest when they demand the information -- even though for only a limited time, and from a third-party tech company." Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the majority. The court, however, declined to answer another major question in case: whether the "geofence" warrant in the suspect's case -- used to locate everyone who was within a specific geographic area at a particular time -- was reasonable. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., as well as Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined Kagan's opinion. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch filed an opinion concurring with the outcome but not its reasoning. |
| Mississippi financial aid programs face a $7.3 million shortfall, putting college grants at risk for more than 27K students | |
| Mississippi financial aid officials say almost 27,000 college students could receive less state financial aid for the spring semester in 2027, and a student loan repayment program for teachers will not make awards this fiscal year, because of a budget shortfall. The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid needs $7.3 million more to account for growing demand for its college aid programs. The funding gap could force the financial aid office to cut programs that help low-income students, as well as hundreds of foster youths and future teachers pay, for college. In 2025, Mississippi financial aid officials expanded eligibility for state aid programs, reducing the number of credit hours required for students to be considered full time from 15 to 12. As a result, 4,520 more students qualified for state-funded grants. State lawmakers also raised the income eligibility for the Higher Education Legislative Plan, or HELP, the state's only need-based grant that covers up to four years of college, from $39,500 to $42,500. Demand for state aid has risen faster than anticipated, said Jennifer Rogers, executive director of the state aid office. |
| New logos, new leaders and more pest control: UNO prepares to join LSU system | |
 | LSU New Orleans banners already lined Elysian Fields Avenue on the way to campus last week as three workers plastered a new purple and gold decal across the University of New Orleans' library windows. In the bookstore, merchandise with UNO logos had big markdowns as racks were being readied for new gear. In the administration building nearby, a slew of new hires, including an interim chancellor, had taken charge. The liberal arts building, deemed unsafe with $20 million of needed repairs, had been shuttered. And exterminators were back on campus to remove raccoons that had made their home in the library's ceiling. Signs of change were spread across the University of New Orleans campus this month ahead of its highly anticipated move to the LSU system. The transition from the University of Louisiana system, which has overseen UNO since 2011, will officially take place on Wednesday, when political leaders and dignitaries are set to arrive on campus for a ceremony to mark the occasion. For now, LSU officials are banking that the purple-and-gold makeover will bring a new sense of optimism to the lakefront campus. |
| Board of trustees approves $1.9M settlement with Shirinian over Charlie Kirk comment | |
| Former University of Tennessee at Knoxville anthropology professor Tamar Shirinian is to receive $1.9 million from the university to settle her contentious wrongful termination case. Shirinian's attorney, Robert Bigelow, said the settlement "will resolve this matter in its entirety." Bigelow filed the notice of settlement June 29, eight months after Shirinian's lawsuit was first filed on Oct. 29. UT Chancellor Donde Plowman began termination proceedings against Shirinian in September after her private online comment about the assassination of political influencer Charlie Kirk surfaced on social media, drawing the attention of state politicians and the UT community. "The world is better off without him in it," Shirinian said in the comment. The board's Audit and Compliance Committee sanctioned the settlement after its annual meeting June 29 in a separate, nonpublic meeting. The settlement must now be approved by Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. Despite expressing desire to return to the classroom throughout her case, Shirinian's agreement with the university does not include being reinstated. |
| Nancy and Les Juneau make $5 million commitment to UGA Engineering | |
| he University of Georgia's College of Engineering has received what they are describing as a historic commitment. Nancy and Les Juneau are investing $5 million dollars to advance the college's priorities and provide need-based scholarship support for engineering students beginning in fall 2026. $4 million will support the college, while the remaining $1 million will fund the Juneau Construction Engineering Scholarship Fund to offer need-based assistance to undergraduate students. The UGA Foundation will contribute a $1million match to the scholarship fund. UGA alumna Nancy and her husband Les are co-founders of the Atlanta-based Juneau Construction Company. The company has partnered with UGA Engineering since its founding in 2012. It has assisted students through activities including guest lectures, career fairs, and student organizations. "We are beyond grateful to the Juneaus for their steadfast support of the UGA College of Engineering," said Dean Alex Orso. |
| U. of Texas taps Oklahoma secretary of education as new College of Education dean | |
| Daniel Hamlin, Oklahoma's secretary of education, will be the next University of Texas College of Education dean, the university announced Monday. UT Provost William Inboden said Hamlin's "strong academic leadership" makes him poised to navigate an evolving time in education and lead the college to future success. U.S. News & World Report ranks the college fourth nationally among public colleges for education. It annually enrolls more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students, according to the college's website. Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Hamlin, a University of Oklahoma professor who founded and led the school's Oklahoma Center of Education Policy, to the state secretary position in October 2025. His appointment came about a month after the September resignation of State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a right-wing educator who worked to infuse Christian conservatism into K-12 schools. Part of Hamlin's role was to stabilize Oklahoma schools after Walters' resignation as part of the state's turnaround team, created by Stitt to propel the low-performing state to the top of national education rankings. |
| Mizzou sunsets PAWS program after three years | |
 | The Preparing Adults for Work and Society program, also known as PAWS, is coming to an end after three years. The PAWS program is a post-secondary opportunity for students with intellectual disabilities. Students in the program live on the University of Missouri's campus, take classes and join student organizations for four semesters. The Mizzou College of Education & Human Development started PAWS in fall 2023. In a statement, Mizzou spokesperson Travis Zimpfer said the College of Education & Human Development ended PAWS primarily due to enrollment levels below what is needed to continue the program. Students currently enrolled will still be part of PAWS until they have completed the program, Zimpfer said. There will not be a new cohort for fall 2026. PAWS faculty coordinator and professor Erica Lembke said in an email that there is one student in the program right now who will finish next year. Lembke said low enrollment led to financial difficulties for PAWS. |
| NEH, Beaten in Court, Asks Grant Recipients if They Still Want Awards | |
 | The National Endowment for the Humanities -- after losing in court over the termination of more than 1,400 grants, totaling over $100 million -- began offering this month to reinstate those awards. But first, the agency has a basic question for the grant recipients it previously cut off: "Do you want NEH to reinstate this award?" "Evaluate your organization's intent and capacity to determine whether you want to resume the project," the agency says on its website, in a step-by-step explanation telling organizations and individuals how to fill out the "Reinstatement Assurances Form" to revive their grants. The six-question form includes other basic inquiries, including one pertinent for projects that, by now, have been moribund for a year. "Have there been any changes in key personnel?" the agency asks. It says it "permits a three-month restart period that you may use to reassemble staff, re-engage partners, or reestablish project infrastructure." Such grant reinstatements are what educators and researchers across the country have hoped for -- and, in some cases, won -- as they and the groups representing them have legally battled the Trump administration to restore thousands of canceled science and humanities grants. |
| Federal money for workforce training begins, but few programs qualify | |
 | In a night class at St. Paul College here in Minnesota, students are practicing the nursing skills they'll need to pass the state exam in a few weeks. A few are emptying catheter bags filled with fake urine. Some rehearse using a bedpan -- placing it in the right spot, cleaning out the imaginary contents. It's a Certified Nursing Assistant program, and at the end of the non-credit course, students will be ready for in-demand jobs at long-term care facilities, nursing homes and hospitals. This type of course was exactly what members of Congress were targeting when they opened up federal Pell Grants --- free money for low-income students --- to help pay for short-term workforce training programs. Part of the One Big Beautiful Bill passed in 2025, it's an expansion of the federal Pell Grant program that colleges have been advocating for for more than a decade, and estimates from the U.S. Department of Education and from the Congressional Budget Office say the benefit could help 100,000 or more students by the fall of 2027. To qualify, programs must meet length and time parameters (between eight and 14 weeks and between 150 and 599 instructional hours), train for an in-demand field and demonstrate earnings and job placements. But like thousands of existing workforce training programs, this CNA class at St. Paul College doesn't quite meet those qualifications: It is only 112 hours. |
| The War for Sociology: Should scholars be activists? A famously left-leaning field is divided | |
 | When Melissa J. Wilde, a sociology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was nominated to run for president of her field's professional organization, her first reaction was surprise. Her second was to act like a sociologist. "I decided if I was going to lead the American Sociological Association," she said, "I needed to study the discipline." Over six months starting last fall, she asked dozens of sociologists around the country for their thoughts on the association's past, present, and future. It was a fractious time for the group -- and for sociology. In Florida, where Republicans have been pushing to reform what they call higher education's "woke" ideology, the head of the state's public universities was citing sociology's "political advocacy" to justify stripping it from campuses' general-education curricula. Around the same time, the ASA itself became embroiled in a debate over activism. In the spring, a faction called Sociologists for Palestine submitted a petition calling for an organization-wide vote to boycott Israeli academic institutions. ASA leaders declined on procedural grounds. A number of scholars saw the decision as the association trying -- rightly, in their view -- to course-correct a yearslong drift toward becoming an advocacy group for left-wing causes. Should the production of knowledge be separated from the act of agitating for social change? |
| How New Federal Earnings Test Could Affect Higher Ed | |
| All undergraduate programs will have to prove their graduates earn more than an adult with only a high school diploma in order to access federal student loans, according to a new federal accountability measure signed into law last summer and finalized Monday evening. "Today's final rule delivers on one of the most significant higher education accountability reforms in a generation," said Rep. Tim Walberg, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee. "For too long, taxpayer dollars flowed to programs that left too many students worse off financially than if they had never enrolled in the first place. That is unacceptable for students, families, and taxpayers." The earnings test measures whether the average salary of a program's graduates is higher than that of adults with only a high school diploma, for the undergraduate level, or those with a bachelor's degree, for the graduate level. Programs that fail in at least two out of three consecutive years will lose access to federal student loans for the next two years. (Undergraduate earnings are measured four years after graduates complete a program.) The 641-page rule was largely unchanged from what the department initially proposed, though the Trump administration delayed any penalty for programs "that prepare students for employment in occupations where a majority of workers receive tipped income." |
SPORTS
| Supreme Court lets states ban transgender athletes from female sports teams | |
 | States can ban transgender women and girls from competing on female sports teams, the Supreme Court ruled June 30 in addressing a major cultural and political flashpoint before adjourning for the summer. The decision is another setback for the LGBTQ+ community from the high court, which has issued a series of recent rulings against transgender Americans. The court said West Virginia's and Idaho's bans on female transgender athletes do not violate either the Constitution or a federal law barring sex discrimination in education. Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said schools "may determine eligibility for women's and girls' sports based on biological sex." "Separate sports teams for biological males and biological females are reasonable," he wrote. In partial dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she would have given the student challenging West Virginia's law a chance to show that the ban should not apply to her. Polls show broad public support for requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams that match their sex assigned at birth. |
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