| Tuesday, July 21, 2026 |
| MSU faculty member's research helps inform Congressional debate on private equity's impact on national defense industry | |
 | A Mississippi State faculty member's research is helping inform federal lawmakers as they discuss how private equity impacts one of America's most important public services: national security. Last month, a 2022 study coauthored by MSU'S Benjamin Tkach was cited by members of the U.S. Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Senate Subcommittee last month as Congress looks to develop better guidance for future acquisitions of companies working in the public sector. "Just like with any other new industry, regulation oftentimes trails it," said Tkach, MSU Department of Political Science and Public Administration associate professor. "Nothing in our research says private equity is bad or shouldn't be involved, but we, as a country, need to recognize that the game has changed over the last decades and should update how we review these transactions." |
| MSU faculty member's research helps inform Congressional debate on private equity's impact on national defense industry | |
 | According to an MSU press release, a Mississippi State faculty member's research is helping inform federal lawmakers as they discuss how private equity impacts one of America's most important public services: national security. Last month, a 2022 study co-authored by MSU's Benjamin Tkach was cited by members of the U.S. Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Senate Subcommittee last month as Congress looks to develop better guidance for future acquisitions of companies working in the public sector. While defense contractors historically were either publicly traded corporations or privately owned companies, private equity firms have emerged as significant industry players in the last 20 years. Private equity takeovers, Tkach explained, are typically done with groups eying profit by repackaging and selling off parts of the company or the whole business, sometimes within three to five years of purchase. In their work, Tkach and research colleagues Charles Mahoney and Craig Rethmeyer from California State University, Long Beach attempt to address the possible quandaries of these specific business models and how they affect national defense by tracking real-world data from companies after their purchase. |
| MSU expands global partnerships with new Universidad ORT Uruguay MOU | |
 | A new Memorandum of Understanding between Mississippi State and Universidad ORT Uruguay highlights the significance of research and global exchange between the two partners. The MOU enhances educational and research exchange opportunities for both students and faculty at each institution; identifies commonalities to grow the relationship and develop cooperative endeavors; promotes the exchange of educational and cultural materials; and provides new study abroad options. MSU's Lourdes Cardozo Gaibisso, assistant professor of Teaching English as a Second Language, or TESOL, and linguistics, has been instrumental in the collaboration, along with partners for her MSU Global Development Seed Grant. GDSG projects are organized and funded by the International Institute, continuing MSU's commitment to building impactful international partnerships and positioning faculty for competitive external funding. MSU Associate Vice President for International Programs and International Institute Executive Director Dan Reynolds said this MOU is an illustration of the scaling work intended through the GDSG funded projects. |
| EPA Announces New Members to the Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee | |
| Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the appointment of 21 new members to the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC). The FRRCC provides independent policy advice and recommendations to the Administrator on crucial environmental issues affecting agriculture and rural communities. The committee will focus on several key priorities, including improvements to the technical assistance EPA provides to rural communities, outreach and education on advancing artificial intelligence for precision pesticide application and reduced chemical use in U.S. agriculture, and the critical balance between agricultural conservation, nutrient pollution reduction, and long-term farm viability. The members of the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee include Dr. Whitney Crow, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi. |
| Starkville schools begin year with optimism, new high school project on horizon | |
| As students returned to classrooms for the first day of school, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Superintendent Tony McGee said the district is entering the new year with optimism. McGee spoke to the Starkville Rotary Club about the current state of the district heading into the 202627 school year, offering high praise for its staff. "You've got a tremendous group of educators in your school district here," he said. "Your teachers are doing a tremendous job each and every day in the classroom." The district has earned an A rating from the Mississippi Department of Education for the past two years. However, McGee said state officials have increased the scoring thresholds used to determine accountability ratings, meaning fewer districts are expected to receive an A this year. While the district's rating may be in some jeopardy, he emphasized that a lower rating would not necessarily reflect a decline in student performance. Final accountability ratings are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Mcgee also highlighted one of the district's largest initiatives: the construction of a new high school. "We're excited about where we're headed with a new high school," McGee said. |
| Ask The Dispatch: What all is included in the new Starkville High School build? | |
 | Bids for construction of primary educational facilities at the new Starkville High School site off Highway 182 open this month, according to the district's timeline. Projected to open summer 2028, the estimated $127 million project will mark the first traditional public high school built on a college campus, specifically on the north edge of Mississippi State University's campus. The high school, which will sit just next to the district's Partnership Middle School, will be completed in three phases, with the first including tree removal and earth work needed to prepare the site. This phase, which is underway, will cost about $7.9 million. Phase 2, which bids open for this month, will include the primary academic space on campus, including a 227,000 square-foot facility with classroom wing and common lab spaces, administrative offices, two gymnasiums, a cafeteria with an outdoor patio and a courtyard connecting the classroom wing with common spaces. |
| Tropical Storm Bertha in the Gulf of Mexico is moving toward the Florida Panhandle and Alabama | |
 | Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico and was moving slowly toward the Florida Panhandle and Alabama, causing a tropical storm warning and storm surge watches, forecasters said. The storm was about 110 miles (177 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, and 170 miles (274 kilometers) southeast of Mobile, Alabama, and moving northwest at 5 mph (8 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Tuesday morning. The wind speed increased by 10 mph (16 kph) since Bertha formed Monday night. A tropical storm warning, meaning the conditions are expected within the warning area within 36 hours, was in effect early Tuesday from the Florida and Alabama border to the Jefferson and Plaquemines parish line in Louisiana. A storm surge watch, indicating rising, possible life-threatening water moving inland from the coast within 48 hours, was issued from the Alabama and Florida border to the mouth of the Mississippi River, the hurricane center reported. |
| Carroll named editor of Meridian Star | |
 | Veteran journalist William Carroll was recently named regional editor of the Meridian Star. Carroll, who has over 14 years of experience in community journalism has served mostly as an editor for publications throughout the eastern U.S. Most recently he served as the editor of the Warrenton Record in Warrenton, Mo. A Pearl, Miss. native, Carroll said he is very excited about the opportunity to live and work in Meridian. "While I am not originally from Meridian, I have been to the city many times, especially when I was younger in the 1980s and 1990s," Carroll said. "Seeing all the exciting new growth and activities in the city, I am ready to be part of telling all the stories here." As part of Carroll's role as the regional editor of the Meridian Star, Carroll will also help provide guidance for reporters at other sister newspapers, including reporters in Picayune, Brookhaven and Prentiss, Miss., and La Place and Bogalusa, La. |
| Warren County residents protest new data center | |
| A protest against the coming Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center was held in downtown Vicksburg on Saturday morning. Warren County resident Stuart English, co-organizer of the event, said the main reason he is concerned about the data center is its location. "The decision makers may have agreed that this was the best location with whatever they're working with, but I don't agree with that decision because it's right next to Dana Road Elementary School," Stuart said. The group of more than 40 protestors gathered in front of the Old Gym on Clay Street before marching to Washington Street, then on to the Vicksburg City Hall before dispersing over the course of about an hour. "I think we had a pretty good turnout: close to 40, 50 people. We had several people driving around showing their support and honking. I know not everybody who wanted to be here could make it though, just with different conflicts of events and schedules. Of course, it's hard to get everybody's schedules to align. Everybody has busy lives," Stuart said. |
| Mississippi Band of Choctaw celebrate 76th Choctaw Indian Fair | |
 | This past week, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians celebrated the 76th anniversary of the Choctaw Indian Fair. The annual multiday event celebrates the tribe's heritage through song, dance, arts and crafts and sports. Stacey Biloy works with the tribe's cultural affairs office. For him, the fair is especially an opportunity for the younger generation to be immersed in their heritage. Just earlier this month, he was in Jackson for the city's Independence Day celebration of America at 250. Sharing his culture in the capital was exciting for Biloy, but he also emphasized the need to recognize the tribe's deep roots in Mississippi. "It is America's 250, but we'd like to say we we've been here a little bit longer than that," said Biloy. "But we're a part of Mississippi, or Mississippi's a part us, however you want to look at that and we're glad to share the experience." Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben echoed those sentiments, saying that Choctaw heritage is best remembered as part of American history through remembering the tribe's resilience in the face of things like the Indian Removal Act. "We're still in the red clay hills of East Central Mississippi, we're part of community where," Ben said. "With America 250, we were here before America was ever founded, but we're a part of that, and our history of culture is a part of that story." |
| Former Mississippi Sen. John Polk dies at 77 | |
| Former Mississippi Sen. John Polk has passed away at the age of 77, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann announced Monday afternoon. During a special session last week, senators were informed that Polk was receiving hospice care. Sen. Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, shared the news after Polk's wife, Jan, had asked that his former colleagues be made aware of his condition. "John has been a man of humility, integrity, and quiet strength throughout his service," Harkins said. "He's carried himself with dignity, always treating others with respect – regardless of differences in opinion. ...Sen. Polk, we thank you for your faithful service to Mississippi, for your friendship, and for the example you have set. You have earned the respect and admiration of this chamber, and we will always remember you with gratitude and affection. May God bless Sen. Polk and his family." Upon announcing his intent to retire in April 2025, Polk was honored with a pair of resolutions and told other members of the Senate that his time in the legislature was "the best 14 (years) of my life." |
| Former State Senator John Polk has died | |
| Former State Senator John Polk has died. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann shared the news on Facebook Monday afternoon, saying, "The Senate and I have lost a close friend, confidant, and outstanding person in former Senator John Polk of Hattiesburg." "We will always remember him for his unwavering dedication to Mississippi, his strong convictions, and his willingness to say what needed to be said even when it was difficult," Hosemann said. "As chairman of the Senate Business and Financial Institutions Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he was always a steady leader and a voice of reason. We are prayerful for Mrs. Jan and his entire family during this difficult time." During the special session last week, it was announced on the Senate floor at Polk had been placed on hospice care. Polk was born in Columbia, graduated from Prentiss High School and then went on to study at the University of Southern Mississippi. He entered the family business – Polk Meat Products – and had a successful career as an executive with the company. He was named among the 2011 Alumni of the Year by the College of Business at his alma mater. |
| Former state Sen. John Polk dies at 77 | |
| Businessman and former state Sen. John Polk of Hattiesburg died, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said in a social media post on Monday. Polk was 77. During a special session last week, Sen. Josh Harkins had announced to his colleagues that Polk had entered hospice care for his illness, and Harkins praised Polk's service, saying "he's carried himself with dignity ... and was a genuinely kind man." Polk, a Republican served as District 44 senator for Lamar County from 2012 to early 2026. The Legislature redrew the district in 2025, a move Polk had said played into his decision to not seek reelection. "Serving district 44 as your Senator has been the honor of my life," Polk said, announcing his decision to his constituents last year. "I know there were times I didn't vote the way you individually wished I had, but I always had the people of the district and state's best interest when I voted." |
| Trump Imposes Additional 50% Tariffs on Certain Canadian Goods | |
 | President Trump imposed an additional 50% tariff on certain goods from Canada, including wine, hockey sticks and cement, the White House announced Monday. The White House said that the tariffs were a response to the country's "discriminatory treatment of American products." Some sectors and goods, including energy, potash and fish or critical minerals, will be exempt from the new tariffs, the White House said. The tariffs will take effect 30 days after they are signed and affect about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. The U.S. imported a $383 billion of goods from Canada in 2025, and the newly announced tariffs would only affect a small slice of that total. Even so, the announcement is the latest flashpoint in a tense relationship between the U.S. and Canada amid the struggle to renegotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade pact Trump signed in his first term and which is under renegotiation this year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the new tariffs represented "the latest in a series of unilateral U.S. trade actions" to violate the USMCA, and that Canada had made several detailed proposals to resolve bilateral trade issues, according to statement released by his office. |
| 'A persistent dark cloud': Trump faces a bleak new phase in Iran as GOP midterm anxiety grows | |
 | The war in Iran has entered a bleak new phase. After weeks of fragile peace and stalled negotiations, the weekend deaths of multiple U.S. service members -- coupled with new reporting showing there may be more previously undisclosed injuries -- have left White House allies afraid the president is rapidly running out of ways to extricate the U.S. from an unpopular, expensive conflict ahead of the midterms. "This is what a quagmire looks like," said one person close to the White House, who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. "People, generally, are concerned," said James Jeffrey, a former ambassador who served in the Middle East in three presidential administrations, including the first Trump administration. "I mean, Americans are dying. It's very serious. This is a real war." Republicans close to the White House are also distressed about the war's economic impact on everyday Americans in an election that is expected to hinge on cost-of-living issues. The average price for a gallon of gas surpassed $4 for the first time since mid June, up 13 cents in the last week. And Iran's demonstrated ability to survive punishing U.S. bombardments while inflicting casualties on American troops and allies and choking off the Strait of Hormuz underscores the challenges Trump faces in trying to win a war against an adversary that is merely trying to survive it. |
| Darline Graham says she will be running for late brother Lindsey Graham's seat in US Senate | |
 | Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline, says she intends to run for a full term to replace her late brother in the U.S. Senate. In a takeout of an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that was posted online July 20, Graham, the former head of the S.C. Carolina Commission for the Blind, said simply, "I'm in," when asked about the prospect of running for the seat. "I feel like I can do it," she said in the interview, adding she dealt with "a tremendous amount of pressure" in making the choice. "I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes. Absolutely." The announcement comes several days after a post by President Donald Trump encouraging now-Sen. Darline Graham to enter the race, saying she would have his "complete and total endorsement" should she enter her name at the start of filing on July 21. With her announcement, Graham joins an increasingly crowded field that includes S.C. Congress members Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, Upstate businessman Mark Lynch, and perennial candidate Duke Buckner. She would also enter the race an immediate player, with upwards of $2.3 million in cash still sitting in her deceased brother's campaign accounts available for transfer to a new committee as of June 30. Another potential candidate is former Gov. Mark Sanford, who recently filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission signaling his intent to run for the post. |
| Top American AI Execs Sound Alarm on Chinese Models | |
| Silicon Valley and Washington are debating a multibillion-dollar question: Should American companies be able to use Chinese artificial-intelligence models? OpenAI and Anthropic executives are sounding the alarm about the rise of cheap AI, particularly powerful new models produced in China, suggesting they will lead to a "dystopian" AI future and present unacceptable security risks without regulation. Some analysts who study the AI industry say the two companies, which are preparing for public listings in the next year, just want to eliminate the competition. The emergence of highly capable, open autonomous AI systems -- including Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 model and Alibaba's Qwen 3.8 Max, which were released in recent days and viewed favorably by investors and users---has turned the AI race on its head once again. Kimi K3 also was competitive with U.S. models on some benchmarks. The debate over the new models, which are "open weight," allowing users to download and customize them with company data and for specific tasks, coincides with division in the Trump administration about whether to take steps to limit the use of the models in the U.S. Use of Chinese models, which are far cheaper than U.S. counterparts, is surging at U.S. companies, prompting some investors to question the staying power of top model-makers such as Anthropic and OpenAI. |
| 90% of students use AI in the classroom, Instructure poll finds | |
| A large majority of college students -- 90% -- report using artificial intelligence in class at least occasionally, according to new survey data from ed tech provider Instructure. Nearly two-thirds of college instructors, 61%, said the same. But the survey, released Tuesday, also found that only 11% of higher ed instructors received comprehensive AI training, while 41% said they had not received any formal training on AI. Educators are looking for support in the form of hands-on training, clear guidance from their institutions about AI use, and ongoing professional development on the topic, according to Instructure. Higher education has been grappling with AI use in college classrooms and boardrooms since late 2022 when ChatGPT first launched. Much of the notoriously staid -- and, at times, slow-moving -- sector has been left to play catch-up in the four years since, as the technology has progressed in staggering leaps and bounds. |
| Former Ole Miss employee contends in appeal of dismissed lawsuit that Chancellor Glenn Boyce caved to hecklers | |
| A former University of Mississippi employee is arguing in a federal appeal that a judge's dismissal of her lawsuit against Chancellor Glenn Boyce would allow a government employer to punish a worker for protected political speech because of backlash from outside critics. Lauren Stokes, the former Ole Miss employee, is asking the appeals court to reverse the dismissal and allow the lawsuit to proceed. The brief, filed Thursday in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, contends that firing a public employee over protected political speech violates the First Amendment. Stokes' appeal also contends that if the ruling dismissing her lawsuit stands, it would have important and risky implications for free speech. "If the district judge is correct, a government employer may terminate an employee for no better reason than external hecklers disagree with her political point of view. No other facts matter," the appeal states. "The First Amendment itself has nothing at all to say about it. That is not the law, but the district judge's orders set a dangerous precedent that affects everyone, whatever their politics." |
| UM gets another $4.5M for winter cleanup | |
| The University of Mississippi has received $4.5 million in federal funding to reimburse costs associated with recovery from the severe winter storm in January. The funding was part of a $26 million distribution to counties affected by the storm. This brings the total reimbursement to the state of almost $94 million in the last 120 days. The reimbursement helps offset costs incurred during cleanup following the January ice storm, which caused widespread damage, hazardous road conditions and extensive debris throughout the region. Other area reimbursements include approximately $2.8 million for Yalobusha County and about $1.7 million for the city of Batesville, both for debris removal efforts. The FEMA funding is one of several reimbursement rounds related to the January storm cleanup. In addition to federal assistance, local governments are also receiving reimbursements through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to help cover eligible recovery costs. |
| Ole Miss researchers study barriers to GLP-1 insurance coverage | |
| Despite growing evidence that GLP-1 medications improve health and are worth their cost, many insurance plans still limit coverage. University of Mississippi researchers are examining why, and where that leaves patients. A recent report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, an independent nonprofit that evaluates the value of medical treatments, found that GLP-1s such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound are cost-effective, meaning the medication's health benefits justify their price. In a study published in the Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy, Sujith Ramachandran, associate professor of pharmacy administration, said that "cost-effective" does not necessarily mean "cost-saving" for insurance companies. "The ICER report shows that GLP-1s, at the cost that they are currently being sold, provide tremendous value to society," he said. "But the impact they create on the budget is still massive. That is happening because the patient population eligible for this medication is so large. So even if the medications themselves represent good value for society, that does not mean we, as a society, can take the impact of how many individuals would use this." |
| Shrinking student populations cause spike in public school closures across U.S. | |
 | School closures have spiked 35 percent across the country over the past four years, propelled by a shrinking youth population and the end of covid-19 relief funds that had propped up education funding in some places. For the fourth year in a row, the number of school closures rose nationally last year, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics released last week. Districts closed more than 1,000 schools in 2025-26, compared with 755 in 2021-22. And more closures are planned, including districts in Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Broward County in Florida. "We call it the big shrink," said Marguerite Roza, who tracks school funding as director of Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab. "Enrollment at public schools is declining, partly because there are fewer kids in the U.S." Public school closures temporarily slowed during the pandemic as administrators focused on dealing with the fallout from covid and tapped relief funds to balance their budgets. But now that the funds have run out, experts say administrators often must close schools to deal with reduced enrollment, which in turn reduces the amount of money they receive from states. |
| Amid nurse shortage, a university rolls out the welcome mat for men | |
 | Men are largely missing out on one of the hottest professions in the U.S. right now: nursing. For registered nurses alone, the Labor Department projects there will be 189,000 job openings each year for the next decade. But only 1 in 8 nurses are men. There have long been efforts to rewrite the script around nursing -- to push back on the idea that it's women's work. Now, the economy is helping, too. With diminishing opportunities in male-dominated industries like manufacturing and software engineering, nursing has emerged as a stable alternative and a solid pathway to a middle-class life. Nursing students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are already experiencing what it's like to be in demand. For years, the nursing school has been intentional about creating a welcoming environment for men. It features male students on all its marketing materials. It sends male and female nurses into high schools to recruit students. There's an employee resource group for men in nursing at the university hospital. Professor Curry Bordelon says all of this makes a difference. |
| Hiring of U. of Kentucky law dean opens path for Trump to appoint conservative federal judge | |
 | An expected vacancy on Kentucky's federal bench after the hiring of the University of Kentucky's new law school dean makes way for President Donald Trump to further cement the state's conservative judiciary. Gregory Van Tatenhove is still a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, according to the court's website and the Federal Judicial Center, but UK's administration appointed him in March to be dean of its College of Law and he started the role Monday, according to him and Jay Blanton, a university spokesperson. Van Tatenhove, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2005, is expected to resign from his lifetime bench appointment due to restrictions on outside employment for federal judges. Van Tatenhove, his office and Blanton denied the Herald-Leader's requests for comment on whether he is still serving as a judge and who might succeed him. Officials with Trump's administration did not respond. The president has the constitutional authority to appoint federal judges, who must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. |
| Texas border surveillance scholar exceeded tenure standards. UT's president denied him | |
| By all performance measures, professor Iván Chaar López was a shoo-in for tenure at the University of Texas. Chaar López, who investigates how border surveillance technologies are tied to history and race, was praised by the College of Liberal Arts dean, his colleagues in UT's American Studies department and external reviewers from universities across the nation. When he went through tenure review last year, they said he exceeded the high bar for tenure and produced foundational work in his field, according to records obtained by the Statesman. More than 30 scholars recommended him for tenure throughout the process, pending approval by UT President Jim Davis, a presidential committee and the UT System Board of Regents. But in February, Davis' tenure committee -- whose members are not publicly listed -- unexpectedly denied Chaar López's application. When asked for clarification, Davis and the committee declined to give Chaar López a reason or change the decision. Because of an "up-or-out" policy at UT with tenure-track professors, Chaar López must leave UT at the end of this school year, leaving him to restart his tenure journey somewhere else. It could take several more years to get to the same place at a different school. Chaar López said he fears the university decided not to give him tenure because of his area of study, which may be controversial among Texas conservatives. |
| Trump administration opens investigation into Harvard's financial aid for international students | |
| The Justice Department is investigating whether Harvard University is allowing Chinese donors to create scholarships that exclude American students, adding to the barrage of federal inquiries the Trump administration has opened in its battle against the Ivy League school. Justice Department officials announced the new review Monday, saying Harvard's foreign funding disclosures "raised concerns" about possible discrimination against U.S. students. The agency did not specify which scholarship programs are being targeted and emphasized it "has not reached any conclusions." The investigation is aimed at Harvard's "China-based financial aid programs," the Justice Department said. The agency said Chinese donors have given money to Harvard to support financial aid programs limited to students from certain countries. That restriction could amount to illegal discrimination based on country of origin, the department said. "Schools cannot take federal dollars and then turn around and accept money from foreign sources to give financial aid that deliberately excludes American citizens -- doing so is illegal, and we will stop it wherever we find it," said Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the department's Civil Rights Division. |
| How new Trump administration rules could affect international students | |
| New visa restrictions could make it harder for international students to study in the U.S., in another example of how the Trump administration's goals for cutting immigration are at odds with the aims of American higher education. The Department of Homeland Security says it's cracking down on foreign students who intentionally take a long time to earn their degrees. It's adding strict time limits to student visas and restricting how international students transfer schools or change their study plans. The rule announced last week could have a big impact on college campuses, where international students can make up as much as a fifth of the student body. Foreign students bring diversity and alternative worldviews, and they contribute heavily to colleges' financial health -- they don't qualify for federal aid, so many pay full tuition. They also help fuel American innovation in a countless number of fields, in graduate programs, Ph.D. programs and research positions. "What is at stake is frankly the preeminence of American higher education," says Fanta Aw, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. She called the move misguided and unnecessary bureaucracy. "At a time when there's increased competition, we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot every single time." |
| Trump Administration Can't Cite Changed Priorities to Terminate Grants | |
 | When university researchers started to receive notice last year that the Trump administration was canceling their grants, they often didn't get a clear explanation why beyond that their project "no longer effectuates agency priorities." But federal agencies can't use that language, which stemmed from earlier federal guidance, to cancel grants based on changed priorities, a judge ruled last week, taking away one of the administration's tools for terminating previously awarded grants. The court order only applies to the 23 states that sued. U.S. District Court of Massachusetts Judge Indira Talwani's Friday ruling largely concerned the meaning of a White House Office of Management and Budget clause that says a "federal award may be terminated in part or its entirety" for reasons "including, to the extent authorized by law, if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities." Looking at semantics of the clause, its regulatory scheme and history, and the Constitution, Talwani concluded that while the termination clause may allow for ending grants that no longer fulfill the priorities in place when they were awarded, it can't be used to ax them based on an administration's new goals. |
| Trump proposal will turn federal grants into a system of political favors, Democrats warn | |
| Democrats in Congress are pushing back against a proposed Trump administration rule introduced by the Office of Management and Budget that would substantially change the way federal grants are reviewed and distributed. Over the past few weeks, several groups of lawmakers have written public comment letters to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought expressing strong opposition to the new draft rule, which would give political appointees the power to decide what institutions receive grant funding, among other revisions. A summary of the rule cites the Biden administration as to why it is needed. "Federal awards were often used during those years to promote a 'woke' policy agenda that did not reflect the values of the vast majority of the American public," it says, pointing to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies. Democrats said the proposal exceeds the office's authority, will make it harder for grant recipients to carry out funding priorities established by Congress and would turn federal grants into a tool for President Donald Trump to "unilaterally advance his partisan agenda and punish political rivals." The draft rule would allow Trump to "terminate or suspend any grant at any time for any reason and without any notice," they said. |
SPORTS
| Hometown hero: Former SHS basketball star Tootie Lockett making the jump to MSU | |
| There was only one thing that was going to get Tootie Lockett to leave junior college after one season: the call to come home. It's a call that didn't come after her freshman season at Itawamba Community College. She said there was interest from DI schools after her first year with the Indians where she averaged 12 points and four rebounds, but she didn't feel ready, and stayed for her sophomore season. "I was just being patient," Lockett said. "I was just waiting on the right things." She elevated her game as a sophomore, averaging nearly 15 points and five rebounds. Lockett was named the MACCC Women's Basketball Player of the Year and a NJCAA All-American honorable mention. The jump in play put Lockett on the radar of multiple DI programs, but one stood out above the rest. Director of women's basketball recruiting operations Jimmy Wu contacted Lockett after her second visit to Alabama A&M in Huntsville. Lockett said she wasn't expecting a call from MSU, but soon after, the Starkville High School alum was on campus and had cancelled all her other visits. The decision came quickly. |
| Roster Review: Mississippi State offensive line | |
| Mississippi State's offensive line room is a good representation of college football's current era. Of its projected starters, just one has spent his entire career in Starkville. Of MSU's forecasted starters and backups, eight played elsewhere before coming to State, five transferring to MSU in the 2026 portal cycle. MSU quarterback Kamario Taylor brings a lot of hype into this season, but who'll be protecting him? According to OurLads.com, here is MSU's offensive line projected depth chart. |
| Sankey tackles CFP expansion, NIL reform, and future of college sports to open SEC Media Days | |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey opened the conference's annual football media days on Monday by tackling some of the biggest issues facing college athletics, from College Football Playoff expansion and NCAA eligibility rules to federal legislation and the future of the NCAA itself. While Sankey stressed during his podium appearance in Tampa that the SEC remains committed to helping shape the future of college sports, he acknowledged that league leaders have held "real" discussions about the possibility of breaking away from the NCAA if meaningful reforms are not made. Sankey's roughly 45-minute session with reporters covered several topics that continue to reshape college athletics, including congressional efforts to regulate name, image, and likeness compensation, litigation surrounding a new NCAA eligibility standard, and the future format of the College Football Playoff. SEC Media Days continue through Thursday at the Tampa Marriott Water Street. Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding will appear Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CT alongside players Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy, and Will Echoles. Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby is scheduled to take the podium Thursday at 12:30 p.m. CT with players Kamario Taylor, Kelley Jones, and Anthony Evans. |
| Sankey: SEC breakaway talk over college bill 'honest conversations' | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday that he continues to have conversations with congressional leaders about the Protect College Sports Act but stopped short of saying whether all the conference's suggested changes need to be implemented for it to support the bill. During wide-ranging comments to open SEC media days, Sankey spent a large portion of his remarks discussing the bill, spearheaded by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), which aims to reshape college sports. The SEC does not support the bill in its current form, and Sankey confirmed there have been "real" conversations about whether the league should break away -- as Georgia president Jere Morehead suggested earlier this year. "People have talked about that," Sankey said. "The frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different. I do not believe that is a leverage point. I think that's honest communication." |
| SEC commissioner says talks about breaking away are 'real' but that's not what the league wants | |
| Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday that leaders of the powerhouse league -- some of them frustrated over the changes upending their industry -- are having "real" conversations about breaking away from the rest of college sports, though that is not the preferred solution. "They're real," Greg Sankey said Monday of talks with school presidents involving the SEC separating itself from the rest of the NCAA. "They've opined about the frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different." Sankey's 45-minute meeting with reporters to kick off SEC football media days detailed the several issues that college sports is trying to find solutions for: Congressional legislation, litigation stemming from the new five-year eligibility rule, the future of the College Football Playoff and an overall lack of transparency regarding name, image and likeness payments to players. Sankey acknowledged the conference's unhappiness with the handling of all those issues, but also touted the league's 13 national championships won last season across a variety of sports as a key reason it's in no rush to move away from the current framework. |
| Commissioner Greg Sankey insists SEC breakaway threat is real as rules frustrations linger | |
 | SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated Monday that talk of the conference breaking away is "real," and not a leverage play. The idea of an SEC breakaway from the NCAA -- ranging from making its own rules to staging its own playoff -- has been simmering within the conference for a while, then became a talking point at SEC spring meetings in late May. Sankey did not directly address the possibility during his opening comments Monday, at the start of SEC football media days, but the first question was about how real the breakaway talk was. Notably, Sankey did not downplay it. Sankey also said federal legislation remains a "needed path" for college sports as a whole and that the conference is committed to getting a bill to the finish line. But he also cited "ongoing dialogue" and four broad changes the SEC is promoting to the Protect College Sports Act: legal protections, clear national standards, transparency and accountability with name, image and likeness rules and "fair and consistent standards" for conferences that also preserve institutional choice. On Playoff expansion, Sankey's stance has not changed much, if at all. He continued to stress the need for leaders to understand the interest fans and broadcasters have in a 24-team bracket along with the impact it would have on the regular season. |
| While conference expansion serves as a shiny object, a more important issue looms with Senate bill still in limbo | |
| Within a private room here on the opening day of SEC media days, Eli Drinkwitz took a few seconds to imagine a different world: one in which college sports operates under a harder athlete compensation cap with a separate pool of money dedicated to retaining current players on his roster. "It could be a solution," the Missouri coach said. Perhaps that day isn't as far away as many think. In fact, as Drinkwitz and other coaches paraded through the media circuit at this downtown Tampa Marriott hotel, lawmakers in Washington, D.C., continued negotiations over revisions to the Protect College Sports Act -- the groundbreaking legislation that, if passed, stands to regulate the college athletics industry. The latest and most notable possible changes -- much of it an effort to gain support from the SEC and Big Ten -- would alter the all-important athlete compensation framework by providing schools with more flexible spending, according to those briefed on the talks. That includes a proposed idea to establish a separate pool of money for schools to use to retain current athletes on their rosters. This "retention pool," as some refer to it, would be in addition to the $21.3 million revenue-share cap for the 2026-27 academic year. |
| A look at changes the SEC and Big Ten would like to see in college sports legislation | |
| Federal legislation that could reframe the way college sports operates in the United States has the backing of many key players, except for possibly the two most important: The Southeastern and Big Ten conferences. The leagues are negotiating with lawmakers for changes in the Protect College Sports Act, which has bipartisan support in the Senate but almost certainly can't become a law without changes supported by two conferences whose footprint covers 26 states (52 senators) and no fewer than 220 House districts. "The SEC and its member universities have been vocal and collaborative with the senators throughout the bill drafting process," Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman, the chair of the SEC presidents, said in a statement Monday. "And over the course of several weeks (we) have provided feedback from the perspective of university leaders who are trying to navigate the current state of college athletics." The leagues put out a memo with a 10-point list of provisions they'd like to see changed. They fall into two categories: Fixes they'd like for Title I of the bill, which has to do with the details of what gets regulated and how. And fixes for Title II, which has mostly to do with leagues pooling broadcasting rights and preventing the creation of a super league that would largely blow up the NCAA. |
| Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz says 'there shouldn't be committee' for CFP | |
| The College Football Playoff field size came up while Eli Drinkwitz was on the SEC Media Days stage again. Like moths and porch lights, are the Mizzou football head coach and the talkin'-season topics du jour. Drinkwitz made headlines from the SEC Media Days stage in 2025 when he suggested an expanded College Football Playoff format that added play-in games to fill out the field that would, in essence, expand the field from 12 to 30 teams. That caused somewhat of a stir last July. Now, a significantly larger playoff field doesn't seem quite so outlandish. Actually, although there is a standoff to determine exactly how large, it seems inevitable. Drinkwitz's issue, however, is that the decision-makers in college football didn't quite listen to one of the crucial points in his proposal. "I was one of the first to come up with an idea," Drinkwitz said Monday, "and somebody totally screwed it up." The SEC is at the heart of a national conference-on-conference squabble on how to expand the CFP. |
| ESPN expected to lay off Karl Ravech after three decades on air: Sources | |
| Karl Ravech, one of the lead voices on ESPN for more than three decades, is expected to be let go as part of a new round of layoffs, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic. On Monday, ESPN laid off NFL analyst Ryan Clark as part of the latest round of layoffs, which will also affect behind-the-scenes personnel, as most of the dismissals are expected at NFL Network, according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. ESPN declined comment. Reached by phone on Tuesday morning, Ravech had yet to be told, as ESPN is planning to inform employees later in the morning. Ravech, 61, has been the lead play-by-play voice on ESPN's Major League Baseball coverage, hosted "Baseball Tonight," called college hoops and was a longtime "SportsCenter" anchor. Ravech, who joined the network in 1993, called Monday's Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia. While Ravech is the biggest-name on-air personality expected to be let go, the most severe layoffs are expected behind the scenes at NFL Network. ESPN officially purchased the network in late January in a series of agreements with the NFL that gave the league a 10 percent stake in ESPN. ESPN has spent the past six months sorting out how to make all the pieces from its bases in Bristol and New York coordinate with NFL Network's Los Angeles operation. ESPN's parent company, Disney, is also expected to conduct a round of layoffs. |
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