| Tuesday, May 12, 2026 |
| Inflation Soared to 3.8% in April, Driven by Gasoline Prices | |
 | Consumer prices rose 3.8% in April from a year earlier, a clear impact of higher gas prices since the start of the war with Iran. The figures, reported Tuesday by the Labor Department, surpassed the previous month's reported increase of 3.3%. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had expected inflation of 3.7%. The April increase was the highest in three years. Prices excluding food and energy categories -- the so-called core measure economists watch in an effort to better capture inflation's underlying trend -- rose 2.8%. That compared with forecasts for a 2.7% increase, and was a pickup from 2.6% the previous month. "The American economy has entered a new chapter where inflation appears to have stepped up," says Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM. He predicts the headline rate moving to 4% later this year. "Median American families are going to find it very challenging to adjust going into the second half of the year." The April report is the latest sign that the rate cuts that markets were pricing in at the start of the year are no longer a 2026 story. |
| Hantavirus risk low in Mississippi, health officials say | |
 | State health leaders are reassuring Mississippians that the risk of contracting a rare hantavirus variant remains low after cases linked to a cruise ship led to evacuations and monitoring of passengers. Officials with the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) said the Andes variant is unusual, because it can spread from person to person, unlike most hantavirus strains that are typically spread through rodents. However, experts stress the virus does not spread easily. State Epidemiologist Dr. Renia Dotson said people who were not aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship or in close contact with an infected person should not be concerned. There are currently no confirmed cases or exposures in Mississippi, and no cruise passengers linked to the outbreak have been identified as Mississippi residents. |
| Federal appeals court vacates order requiring Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court map | |
 | A federal judge's order requiring Mississippi lawmakers to redraw the state Supreme Court voting map has been canceled. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday approved a motion to vacate a 2025 ruling by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock that Mississippi had to draw new lines, alleging that the current map dilutes Black voting power. The judge ordered local lawmakers to redraw the map this past legislative session, but the order was appealed and a decision regarding the appeal was delayed until the U.S. Supreme Court voted on the Louisiana v. Callais case. The nation's high court, in a 6-3 vote last month, ruled that race cannot be the "predominant factor" in drawing voting districts. With a ruling from the Fifth Circuit and a precedent set by SCOTUS, Mississippi lawmakers can now choose to keep the Supreme Court the same as it has existed since 1987 or still redraw it if they wish. |
| House Ethics chairman Guest, ranking member DeSaulnier give update on Mills investigation | |
| U.S. House Committee on Ethics chairman Michael Guest (R), Mississippi's 3rd District Congressman, and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier (D) from California, released a statement on Monday regarding the investigation into alleged campaign finance violations, domestic assault and dating violence by Florida Congressman Cory Mills (R). It is rare for the two committee leaders to release a statement on the work of the Ethics Committee while an investigation is ongoing. Mills' alleged actions took place last fall and earlier this year against ex-girlfriends who came forward. The congressman has not been charged with any crimes to date. In November 2025, the Ethics Committee established an Investigative Subcommittee (ISC) to review the various allegations relating to Mills. To date, Guest and DeSaulnier said more than 20 subpoenas have been issued. The ISC has also collected thousands of documents and contacted dozens of witnesses. Sexual misconduct and ethics violations led two House members -- Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX) -- to resign last month. |
| 'A bad look': Republicans want more details on ballroom security funding request | |
 | President Donald Trump and his deputies have a major sales job ahead of them on Capitol Hill as multiple GOP lawmakers questioned a proposed $1 billion in Secret Service security spending that could be used at least in part for Trump's controversial White House ballroom project. The provision, which gives $1 billion to the Secret Service for "security adjustments and upgrades," has threatened to overshadow what Republicans wanted to make the main focus of the package -- tens of billions of dollars in new immigration enforcement funding. But the White House and many lawmakers argue the funding is necessary after the shooting at last month's White House Correspondents Dinner. Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended the funding's inclusion Monday and predicted that most GOP senators will ultimately vote to support what the Secret Service says it needs. "They have a job to do, and we want to make sure they're able to do their job effectively so that we keep the president of the United States safe," Thune said. "So I think most of our members are -- if they are getting briefed on what the money is going to be used for -- are probably going to be in a good place." |
| Federal gas tax holiday sees growing support amid pain at the pump | |
 | Federal gas tax holiday proposals were making the rounds on Capitol Hill on Monday after President Donald Trump expressed his support for such an effort, with one new bill already introduced in the Senate and intentions for another announced in the House. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Monday introduced a bill to suspend the federal gas tax for three months. Hawley's measure, dubbed the Gas Tax Suspension Act, would pause the tax for 90 days from enactment with the option for the president to extend the holiday by an additional 90 days. It also would suspend the gas tax on diesel fuel. "President Trump has proposed to suspend the federal gas tax and he's exactly right," Hawley said in a press release. "American workers and families deserve immediate relief and this legislation will do just that." In the House, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., plans to also introduce a bill to "suspend the federal gas tax." The federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon and on diesel is 24.4 cents a gallon. |
| Senate Republicans warn Trump against Cuba military attack | |
 | Senate Republicans are cautioning President Trump against ordering military strikes against the socialist regime in Cuba, arguing the U.S. military already has its hands full with Iran. The Trump administration, these Republicans say, should not be thinking about opening another front for the military in a midterm election year where voters are already showing their displeasure with the war in Iran. They say finding a conclusion to the Iran war should be the nation's, and the administration's, priority. Asked about the prospect of a U.S. military operation to topple Cuba's regime, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday said the conflict with Iran is a top national security priority. "I think right now we're focused on where we are and that is trying to get the Strait of Hormuz opened up," he said. Members of the Trump administration have long had Cuba in their sights, and officials have repeatedly made statements indicating action could come against Havana. |
| In war with Iran, China sees a familiar pattern of U.S. mistakes | |
 | The Trump administration has repeatedly framed the war in Iran as a quick, winnable fight, vowing to defeat the Islamic Republic "totally and decisively" -- incomparable to the "dumb" wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But from China's perspective, the parallels are clear. "You can blow everything up -- destroy it all," one Chinese official told The Times, describing the Americans, "but you don't have a strategy." President Trump arrives in Beijing this week for talks with a Chinese government that is confident as ever in its ascendance on the world stage, taking stock of its leverage and still baffled the U.S. administration chose yet another costly war in the Middle East. China has watched as the United States, over seven weeks of fighting an outmatched enemy, has depleted nearly half of its stockpiles of high-end munitions -- including its THAAD and Patriot batteries -- and fired its Army chief of staff, among other Pentagon leaders, who had warned of critical shortages. Marco Rubio, Trump's national security advisor and secretary of State, has said the military operation that started the war known as Operation Epic Fury "is over." But the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most vital commercial waterways, remains effectively shuttered. Iranian attacks in the region continue. And talks between Washington and Tehran have failed to reach a diplomatic agreement to bring a definitive end to the conflict. |
| Trump Faces an Emboldened China in Return to Beijing | |
| When President Trump returns to China nearly a decade after his last visit, he will find a country that is more self-sufficient, militarily assertive and economically insulated from the tools the president has sought to use to stymie China and its ambitions. China has caught up to or surpassed the U.S. in technologies such as batteries, robotics and advanced manufacturing. Its naval fleet is now the world's biggest, while its nuclear arsenal keeps growing. It knows it has the capacity to respond to the many threats that Trump issues, with restrictions on rare-earth minerals or with other moves. All of this has altered the balance of power between the U.S. and China, making it more likely that Beijing digs in on core issues of contention, say analysts and diplomats. Expectations are low for the summit, which will likely include plenty of feel-good atmospherics and possibly some pledges by China to purchase more American products, but not a lot more. It is possible Chinese leader Xi Jinping is overestimating his strength. The country faces deep-rooted economic challenges. |
| The Deadliest Drug: Alcohol is wreaking havoc on U.S. public health. American society looks the other way | |
| It is a drug that kills nearly 500 Americans every day, and causes more deaths in a typical year than every infectious disease combined. It is manufactured abroad and domestically, then sold by powerful multinational organizations with a vast network of distributors. Its promoters can appear indifferent to its addictive and ruinous properties. For decades -- for centuries, really -- it has destroyed lives, torn apart families, stunted the economy, and caused millions of deaths. Yet alcohol, by far the most popular and most harmful mind-altering substance in the U.S., is not seen as a public health emergency. Alcohol is central to American life because of its social and cultural benefits to the many people who drink without issue. But alcohol's ubiquity persists in the face of mountains of research linking heavy drinking to cancer, heart disease, stroke, cognitive decline, developmental disorders, gun violence, injuries, and countless other consequences. Alcohol-related injuries, disease, and fatalities have spiked in recent years, starting in 2020. Older adults, women, and young people have been especially harmed, including by a sharp rise in liver-related deaths. |
| AccelerateMS, MCC launching new automotive technology program | |
| Meridian Community College is launching a new automotive technology program made possible through support from AccelerateMS. MCC students will receive hands-on training in core automotive systems and emerging technologies. Instruction will meet Automotive Service Excellence standards and emphasize safety, employability skills, and work-based learning to prepare graduates for successful careers. The investment supports a new two-year Associate of Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology developed in response to regional employer needs. The program offers flexible one-year and two-year exit points, allowing students to enter the workforce or continue toward advanced credentials. Once fully scaled, the program will add up to 15 new student seats per year, resulting in up to 30 additional seats. MCC was awarded more than $300,000 from AccelerateMS specifically to fully outfit its automotive labs with essential, up-to-date instructional equipment. |
| Selections made to 2026-27 Mississippi Agriculture Youth Council | |
| 10 rising seniors have been selected to serve on the 2026-27 Mississippi Agriculture Youth Council, a hands-on opportunity to learn more about the state's largest industry and the best ways to make a career in it. "We are proud to welcome these outstanding young leaders to the Mississippi Agriculture Youth Council," Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson said. "Each of these students has demonstrated a strong interest in agriculture and a commitment to leadership. This program gives them a firsthand look at the many opportunities within Mississippi's agriculture industry while helping them develop the skills needed to become future advocates and leaders." Over the course of one year, council members will visit local agricultural companies and organizations, learn about the legislative process as it relates to the industry, hold discussions with industry professionals, and get a chance to develop career skills. |
| Georgia's new DREAMS Scholarship helps low-income students | |
 | Next fall, Georgia students attending one of the state's public colleges and universities will have a chance at financial aid if they come from a low-income family. Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday signed legislation that establishes a need-based financial aid program. The amended budget for fiscal year 2026 already included $325 million for the DREAMS Scholarship. Senate Bill 556 establishes the rules for spending it, placing the program under the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which oversees the HOPE scholarships. Kemp had pledged to create the scholarship during his State of the State address in January. He said his signature on SB 556 will "endow the largest investment in a need-based scholarship the state has ever seen." Georgia was, until now, one of only two states in the nation without such a program to help students in need. |
| Mizzou Racing Club set to take the track in the Formula SAE race | |
 | University of Missouri students have the opportunity to compete in the annual Formula SAE competition from Wednesday to Saturday in Brooklyn, Michigan. Formula SAE is a student design competition endorsed by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Mizzou Racing, a student-run club established in 1985, builds a formula style car every year and competes in trials against other universities all over the country. The cars' mechanisms are designed by students almost entirely from scratch, from things like circuit boards, to the braking, shifting and steering. The group of students work in six teams, each with different jobs ranging from the aerodynamics of the car to the finances and logistics of building a vehicle. Anshu Giliyaru is an electrical engineering student and the head of the Electric Vehicle systems team. He said this year, the entire team is completely dedicated to building a winning car. |
| U. of Oklahoma, state leaders announce five-year initiative to recruit 200 top researchers | |
| On Monday, OU announced Project 200, an initiative to recruit 200 of the nation's leading researchers to OU over the next five years. OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said Project 200 is the largest hiring initiative in the country for research talent. "Project 200 is the most ambitious research faculty recruitment effort in the history of our state. It is finding 200 world class faculty across our nation and world to bring to Oklahoma, to lift us up in those four areas, so we create the future that our state deserves," Harroz said. A press release states Project 200 is a cornerstone of the "Lead On, University" strategic plan. Harroz said within the last few years, OU has seen its fastest growth in 50 years. "Six years in (to the strategic plan), at this point of the announcement, where do we stand? Because of all of this hard work, (OU is) the fastest growing research university at any university of this state's history," Harroz said. According to Harroz, this growth includes a 70% increase in the university's research enterprise as a whole, which he predicts will continue to increase. |
| UT-Austin defends its handling of pro-Palestinian protest in federal trial | |
| A University of Texas at Austin student is asking a federal district judge to strike a suspension from his academic record over his participation in the pro-Palestinian protests in April 2024. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman will rule this week on whether the state's flagship university's handling of the protest was a violation of free speech rights or lawfully managed. Ammer Qaddumi, a student organizer with the Palestine Solidarity Committee, was among the first to be arrested at a protest in April 2024. He was later suspended for three semesters. Qaddumi is set to graduate from the school this month, but the suspension could still threaten his employment, Pitman has said. The protest at the center of the suit was a chaotic scene where state troopers used horses and riot gear to get protesters to disperse. The protesters were calling for UT-Austin to divest its multibillion dollar endowment from manufacturers supplying Israel weapons in its strikes on Gaza. |
| Family of FSU shooting victim files lawsuit naming gunman and OpenAI | |
| Attorneys for the family of one of the victims killed in last year's mass shooting at Florida State University have officially announced a federal lawsuit. They're taking the chatbot company OpenAI to court. Tiru Chabba was one of two people killed in the shooting on FSU's campus. Bakari Sellers is one of the attorneys representing Chabba's family. "We are not going to allow the American public to have clinical trials run on them by open AI and chat GPT," he said. During the announcement for the lawsuit, Sellers said the accused gunman used ChatGPT, an AI chatbot owned by OpenAI, to get advice on how to carry out his actions. "ChatGPT has decided they wanted to place revenue streams, they decided they wanted to place income, they decided they wanted to place the dollar above the lives of everyday, average Americans," he said. Sellers said logs show the suspect asked the chatbot about what firearms to use and about the best way to get media attention from the school shooting. When asked about the lawsuit, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the company is not responsible for the shooting. |
| Adult Learners Are the New Norm | |
 | As institutions nationwide navigate the enrollment cliff, new research from the University of Kansas and Florida International University suggests that older, working and commuting students may exhibit characteristics linked to stronger persistence and completion---suggesting ways that colleges can engage with adult learners. The study examined institutional data from the 2023–24 academic year at Florida International, including for more than 7,000 undergraduates in the engineering and computing programs. Researchers found that students older than 25, those working full-time, commuters and students with dependents demonstrated better academic outcomes, including retention, six-year graduation rates and cumulative GPA. The findings suggest that characteristics often viewed as barriers may not necessarily hinder student success. Haiying Long, a professor of educational psychology at Kansas and a co-author of the study, said many institutions still structure academic programs around the schedules and needs of traditional students. But she noted that the engineering students at Florida International -- a Hispanic-serving institution with a large commuter population -- reflect the increasingly diverse demographics colleges nationwide are encountering. |
| Even as AI Use Spreads, Graduates Maintain Their Degree Was Worth It | |
| Despite growing fears about how artificial intelligence will disrupt the job market, American college and university alumni say that earning a college degree is still as important as it was 20 years ago, according to a new poll released today. Seventy-one percent of all surveyed alumni -- and 83 percent of those who graduated before 1996 -- said their education was worth the price they paid for it. Asked if they would do it again, 93 percent said yes. For the annual report about alumni perspectives on higher education, Lumina Foundation and Gallup surveyed 5,934 two- and four-year degree-holders in November and December of last year. Respondents were asked about their experiences in college, their career and financial outcomes, and thoughts about how AI might impact their job. More than three-quarters of bachelor's degree holders and 52 percent of associate degree holders said their degree was "critical" or "important" to reaching their financial goals. Eighty percent of bachelor's degree holders and 55 percent of associate degree holders said the same regarding their career goals. |
| Deal reached with hackers to delete data stolen from the Canvas educational platform | |
 | The company that operates online learning system Canvas said it struck a deal with hackers to delete the data they pilfered in a cyberattack that created chaos for students, many of them in the middle of finals. Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, said in an online post that it "reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident." The company didn't provide any details on the agreement, including whether it involved a payment, and didn't elaborate who was behind the hack. Instructure temporarily took the system offline while it investigated, locking out students and faculty. A hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for last week's breach, threatening to leak data involving nearly 9,000 schools worldwide and 275 million individuals if schools did not pay a ransom by May 6. The group then extended the deadline, indicating some schools had engaged with them to negotiate. As part of the deal, the data was returned to Instructure. The company said Monday that it also received "digital confirmation" that the hackers destroyed any remaining copies, in the form of "shred logs." |
SPORTS
| College Baseball Notebook: NCAA urges coaches to not cancel games to protect position for tournament | |
| The NCAA has issued what's becoming an annual appeal to Division I baseball coaches to not cancel nonconference midweek games to protect their teams' positioning for the national tournament. Scheduling hijinks allow teams to avoid no-win situations this time of year, so games against mid- or low-major opponents sometimes are called off because a win wouldn't help the RPI and a loss would hurt it, perhaps badly. In a memo sent to coaches last week, the Division I Baseball Oversight Subcommittee said it was concerned with the practice of canceling games for reasons other than inclement weather. "It is not the intent or spirit of the game to adjust scheduled games in an attempt to strategically impact selection data or metrics," the memo said. The subcommittee warned it would track cancellations and that games called off to avoid the impact on metrics "will be discussed and could have a negative impact on the subcommittee's evaluation of a team." |
| Women's Golf: Bulldogs In Fourth After Round One Of Chapel Hill Regional | |
| After firing off a 2-over round in the opening day of the Chapel Hill Regional, the 17th-ranked Mississippi State women's golf team sit in a tie for fourth place entering the second round of action on Tuesday. The Dawgs were led by junior Avery Weed in the opening round, who shot 1-under on the par-70 course at UNC Finley Golf Club. This was Weed's 20th par or better round this season, tying her single season best that she set during her sophomore campaign. Weed recorded a team-leading four birdies on the round. Weed was one of 11 golfers to shoot an under-par round in the opening day and is T5 individually entering the second round. State sits eight strokes back of the leaders, North Carolina, entering Tuesday's second round. The Bulldogs will look to stay consistent on Tuesday to position themselves to record a top five finish in Wednesday's concluding round, which would see them advance to the NCAA Championship. Live scoring for the Chapel Hill Regional is available at scoreboard.clippd.com. |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stands firm on 16-team CFP, details challenges amid 24-team push | |
| Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey stood firm behind a 16-team College Football Playoff expansion Monday, indicating that a disagreement with the Big Ten -- which backs doubling the current bracket to 24 teams -- is lingering deep into the offseason. "That focus hasn't changed," Sankey said at the APSE Southeast Region meeting at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. "We're open to the conversation, but there are a lot of ideas out there that have to be supported with analysis and information, not speculation." Sankey said all changes in college athletics must come with appropriate research -- something he believes the SEC has provided in support of a four-team expansion to 16. To Sankey, the Big Ten-backed plan and whether it would offer much difference from 16 teams, is an unknown. A decision on the 2027 format would need to be made later this year. |
| Coach Lane Kiffin Explains Why He Ditched Ole Miss for LSU -- and Doesn't Mind Being the SEC's Biggest Villain | |
| Lane Kiffin looked like a fugitive. He was standing in a scrubby field divided by a chain-link fence, shifting his weight anxiously from one foot to the other. He'd just been followed down a country highway by an angry mob, which screamed cusses and gave him the finger. Kiffin had spent six years building a powerhouse football team at the underdog University of Mississippi and turning himself into a local hero. Now here he was, captured in videos that quickly went viral, fleeing to a regional airport for a private flight out of dodge, the final act in a circus that had consumed a governor, three major universities, and the wider sports world at the end of the 2025 season. For a seven-year contract worth $91 million and the top gig at one of the school's most bitter rivals in the Southeastern Conference, he is now the most controversial and among the most fiercely hated coaches in college football, the second-most popular sport in the country, behind the NFL. Which puts Kiffin in the brightest of spotlights, the place he somehow always seems to find himself -- and which he clearly enjoys. ... One reason Kiffin was drawn to LSU was that the school and its allies could pump what he calls “adult money” into the football program. ... Kiffin also seems willing to indirectly invoke Ole Miss's struggle to distance itself from symbols like the Confederate flag, Colonel Rebel, and the nickname "Ole Miss" itself. |
| Arbitrator upholds ruling denying NIL deals of 18 Nebraska football players | |
 | In a much-anticipated ruling in college athletics, an arbitrator upheld a College Sports Commission decision denying the NIL deals of 18 Nebraska football players worth millions of dollars. The case was the first major test of an NIL enforcement process that the Power 4 conferences established following last summer's House vs. NCAA settlement. It involved PlayFly Sports, a multimedia rights company that has partnerships with Nebraska and dozens of other athletic departments. The CSC, which reviews all major third-party NIL deals, denied the Nebraska players' deals because it considers PlayFly an "associated entity" of the school, much like an NIL collective. Attorneys for the players subsequently took the case to arbitration, as required by the House settlement. The CSC announced Monday that the arbitrator affirmed its interpretation of PlayFly as an associated entity, and that the deals did not satisfy a "Valid Business Purpose." The CSC said the deals amounted to "warehousing," where a company purchases an athlete's NIL rights without having secured a specific brand deal for which the athlete must perform services. |
| CSC wins NIL arbitration case brought by Nebraska football players | |
| The College Sports Commission won the first major test of its authority to enforce a salary cap in college sports Monday when an arbitrator upheld the fledging agency's decision to deny a set of deals involving Nebraska football players. The case concerned millions of dollars in payments to a group of 18 Cornhuskers players from Playfly Sports, a marketing firm that secures sponsorship opportunities for Nebraska and dozens of other high-profile athletic departments. The College Sports Commission, which was created last July to police how college athletes are paid, blocked the deals in March and defended its decision at an arbitration hearing in late April. "This process shows the system is working as intended: a decision we made was challenged and a neutral arbitrator assessed the facts to inform a final decision," CSC CEO Bryan Seeley said in a statement Monday evening announcing the arbitrator's decision. Nebraska's players have the option to resubmit new contracts from Playfly that comply with the rules, and Seeley said he expects them to do so. |
| Risky business: College sports' new enforcement entity remains on shaky ground despite a costly arbitration victory | |
| On Monday afternoon, as the first day of annual ACC spring meetings concluded, the College Sports Commission got a sweeping victory in its first serious challenge in this new era of college athletics. And it just so happened that moments after news broke of the big win, the commission's own CEO, Bryan Seeley, was here speaking before coaches and athletic directors. Around 6:30 p.m. Monday, minutes after the news emerged, he rounded the corner of a hallway in this beachside resort hotel glowing as he approached a group of reporters. "Today's decision shows the arbitration system works," he told the group. If you're confused, it's OK. There's a lot to learn about this new era of college athletics, where schools can directly compensate athletes -- as long as they play within rules agreed upon in the NCAA and power leagues' landmark House settlement. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
