| Tuesday, September 29, 2026 |
| MSU aerospace engineering instructor Calvin Walker dies | |
 | Calvin Walker, a longtime instructor in Mississippi State University's Department of Aerospace Engineering, died Sunday morning, according to emails sent to students, faculty and staff. Rani Sullivan, the head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, informed students of Walker's death in an email Sunday afternoon. "For so many of you, Mr. Walker was not simply an instructor," Sullivan wrote. "He was a teacher who cared about you, believed in you, and took time to help you succeed. He made a lasting impression on the students he taught, and his kindness and presence were an important part of our community." David Ford, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, notified the college Monday afternoon, describing Walker as a longtime aerospace engineering instructor who invested himself in helping students and colleagues. The department said it will share information about memorial services and other opportunities to remember Walker as details become available. |
| Bluemuda Turfgrass Could Reduce Sports Field Irrigation | |
| Researchers at Oklahoma State University and Mississippi State University are evaluating whether combining two turfgrass species can help playing fields stay green through summer heat and winter freezes. Known as bluemuda, the system pairs warm-season bermudagrass with cool-season Kentucky bluegrass. The research explores whether the combination could improve year-round turf quality while reducing irrigation needs and maintenance costs in transition-zone climates. "A common practice for maintaining green turf year-round in Oklahoma and surrounding states is to overseed bermudagrass with perennial ryegrass each year," said Mingying Xiang, assistant professor in OSU's Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and project leader. "For a typical 1.3-acre football field, our estimates indicate that bluemuda turfgrass could reduce initial seed costs up to 45% compared to the traditional system. If the Kentucky bluegrass persists for multiple years, the long-term savings could be even greater." That persistence could also help Mississippi field managers avoid the annual expense of overseeding, according to Barry Stewart, an MSU professor in plant and soil sciences. |
| Former Rep. Nick Bain shares plan to tackle state auditor backlog | |
 | A few years after losing his state House reelection bid by just over two dozen votes, Nick Bain is touting that loss in his run to fill the state auditor's seat next November. "I've been in a position to where you've had to make a call for your political future. I've been in a position where you've had to decide, do I make this vote, which potentially will cost me my seat, or do I do what I need to do to get reelected?" Bain said. "You make the vote. And that's the type of person that you want in an auditor's office: somebody who goes in, who's not afraid of the political fallback." Bain spoke at the Monday, Sept. 28 edition of the monthly Stennis Press Forum in Jackson, which connects politicians, candidates and government officials to an audience in the capital city. He talked about his tenure in the state legislature, legal experience in white-collar crime defense and goals for the auditor's office. Bain is one of two candidates in the running as of September 2026, alongside Sen. Daniel Sparks. |
| Mississippi lawmaker calls for ban on kratom products | |
| Following the death of two Ole Miss students, two men were arrested by Oxford Police last week for illegally selling kratom products out of a local convenience store. A connection between the deaths, arrests and kratom has not been announced by law enforcement. The State Medical Examiner has sought expedited toxicology testing from both student deaths. "Law enforcement is currently conducting two separate death investigations. At this time we have no confirmed evidence indicating that the two deaths are connected," read a statement from the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics unit. "However, packaged Kratom sold from a retail store was found during both investigations." In the wake of the deaths and subsequent arrests, one state lawmaker is calling for the Mississippi Legislature to once again consider a statewide ban on kratom. "Those deaths were so tragic and convenience stores have been peddling unregulated drugs for some time now," State Rep. Lee Yancey (R) told Magnolia Tribune on Monday. "It is beyond past time to take that seriously and demand that these products be tested." |
| Hosemann cites chronic absenteeism, unavailable workforce as area's key challenges | |
 | Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday he expects to decide by January whether he will seek the governor's office, but he has not yet made up his mind. Hosemann was at Natchez Coffee Co. Monday afternoon to take questions and talk with constituents. About 25 people showed up, listened and asked questions on a variety of topics. Hosemann said he has received lots of encouragement from others to run, but the decision is a difficult one. Hosemann, who is entering the final year of his second term as lieutenant governor, said the decision involves more than political considerations. "It's a harder decision than you would think," he said. "It's not a sole decision. You know, you've got to carry your own precinct first." Hosemann said he and his wife, Lynn, are weighing family considerations, including their two special-needs grandchildren. "We really have to consider where our priorities are for the next few years," he said. "And we're going through that process. And it's a difficult balance." Hosemann spent most of his hour-long discussion focusing on education, workforce development and what he described as positive changes Mississippi has made during his seven years as lieutenant governor. |
| SpaceXAI offering to buy homes affected by noise in Southaven | |
 | SpaceXAI has sent residents who live near their Southaven facility a letter offering to purchase their homes if they agree not to join a class action lawsuit against the company, which accuses them of causing a nuisance and inflicting emotional distress due to the noise coming from their power plant. The letter is a response by parent company MZX to a class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi by three residents -- Jason Haley, Preston Herrington, and Taylor Logsdon -- who live near the plant and say the noise from the company's turbines has negatively affected their quality of life, caused health issues, and lowered property values. The lawsuit describes the noise as a combination of "high-pitched squealing, continuous engine roaring, low frequency rumbling, or tonal humming whining that travels across property lines and into area homes." They further allege that SpaceXAI's noise mitigation efforts have been insufficient. The gas-fired turbines have been the subject of numerous complaints and lawsuits. |
| Scott Colom and Cliff Johnson joint campaign rally highlights key campaign promises | |
 | U.S. congressional candidates Scott Colom and Cliff Johnson reestablished campaign promises of higher wages and lower costs at their campaign rally at The Lyric Oxford on Sept. 25. Colom and Johnson will be running in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Colom is the Democratic candidate for the junior U.S. senate seat for Mississippi, running against Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Colom currently serves as the district attorney for the 16th Judicial District of Mississippi. Johnson is the Democratic candidate for the 1st Congressional District of Mississippi, running against Republican incumbent Trent Kelly. Johnson is a Civil Rights lawyer and professor at the University of Mississippi's School of Law. The rally was hosted in collaboration with UM College Democrats, whose goals included increasing both voter registration and student participation in local politics. Mike Cavanaugh, the president of UM College Democrats, said that the event was a way for all students to learn about the candidates. Both Colom and Johnson are running on campaign promises to increase the minimum wage in Mississippi. Johnson and Colom also promised to create more restrictions for data center construction in Mississippi. |
| Appropriators seek ways to curb Trump's spending cancellations | |
 | Senate appropriators began plotting ways to defend their power of the purse Monday after President Donald Trump announced plans to cancel $810 million in appropriated funding without the approval of Congress. The so-called pocket rescission to claw back funding, announced Friday night, drew immediate condemnation from appropriators of both parties, who denounced the move as illegal. With the current fiscal year set to end Wednesday, Trump allowed virtually no time for Congress to vote on the rescissions request to block it. But with no clear solution at hand, Senate GOP appropriators began reviewing their options as they returned to the Capitol Monday night for a few final days before the October recess. Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters that lawmakers were "already looking at language" targeting pocket rescissions as part of a fiscal 2027 funding deal. The effort, if successful, would be a notable rebuke to a White House that has repeatedly attempted to find creative ways to exert greater control over spending decisions. "We do not have a line-item veto available to the president, [and] this is almost the same thing," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., an appropriator. "So, for me, I think it's wrong, and I think it makes it very difficult for Congress to do their job. ... Now we'll have to find a way to resolve the issues." |
| At the White House, Trump will pitch an AI 'golden age' to a wary nation | |
 | After weeks of Washington being gripped by a new wave of fear about artificial intelligence gone awry, the Trump administration will take a sharply different take Tuesday, seeking to convince a skeptical public that the nation is instead about to embark on a tech-powered "golden age." President Donald Trump will deliver a speech launching America.gov, a new portal for accessing public services, part of a day-long event featuring members of his Cabinet and tech executives. AI company leaders are also set to meet with the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). The events come at a pivotal moment for the technology. AI firms say their latest systems have become increasingly powerful, showing signs of being able to design their own more-potent successors. But companies have struggled to keep control of the technology, as rogue AI agents have hacked into company and government systems, and a roster of top industry figures have warned that the end result could be catastrophic for humanity. Tuesday's events are a chance for the administration to focus on the upsides of the technology, propelling a different narrative than the warnings introduced by company CEOs in recent weeks. |
| President Donald Trump announces $15 billion steel mill in Iowa | |
| President Donald Trump announced Monday the company Mesabi Metallics plans to build a $15 billion steel mill in Iowa, and said he'll soon visit the state for a rally ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, election. Joined by Iowa Republicans, Mesabi Metallics leaders and members of his cabinet, Trump said the project will be the largest steel plant in the U.S., and one of the largest in the world. According to the White House, the mill will create 1,750 permanent jobs paying $49 per hour as well as 6,000 construction jobs as the facility is built in Lee County. The president linked the company's decision to build the new facility in Iowa with his tariff policies. Democrats have been critical of Trump's tariff policies, which they say contribute to rising costs and particularly hurt Iowa's agriculture economy, but the president argued Monday they encourage businesses to grow the U.S. manufacturing industry. Though Iowa currently has an all-Republican federal delegation, the state is expected to host several highly contentious elections in 2026. |
| Hegseth says national security, military cyber forces will guard US election systems during midterms | |
 | The U.S. National Security Agency and other military intelligence and cybersecurity forces will guard election systems during the November midterms, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. Military cybersecurity experts have routinely helped monitor systems and deter potential hackers since election equipment was designated " critical infrastructure " in 2017. But Hegseth's announcement comes after President Donald Trump gutted the civilian agency specifically created to safeguard election infrastructure, a division of the Department of Homeland Security called the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. That agency last week released an election infrastructure security plan that lays out potential threats to election systems and lists services it would offer to election officials to protect the vote. Both announcements come just weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3 and with early voting already underway. The short timeline "suggests this is just theater," said David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department attorney who leads the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research. |
| GOP senators push back on Trump's taxpayer-funded ad | |
 | President Trump's new government-funded ads pledging to "cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists" are getting strong pushback from Senate Republicans who are warning the president not to use taxpayer money to promote himself in such a brazenly political way. While Republicans generally approve of Trump's political message, they say using taxpayer dollars to fund a series of ads that closely resemble Trump's past campaign advertising right before the midterm elections is inappropriate. "It's a great message, I like the message, but it shouldn't be paid for by taxpayer dollars," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Monday. The White House, however, argues the ads -- which ran over the weekend during "Fox News Sunday" and several college and NFL football games -- are "very clearly not campaign ads" and instead "a reminder for Americans to love their country and know why it's worth defending." Republican senators are not buying that argument, and warn that it creates an improper appearance to be using taxpayer money to pay for television ads that could easily be confused with regular campaign ads, even though Trump himself is not on the ballot. Republican Sen. John Curtis (Utah) said constituents "are worried about affordability and they don't want to be worried about how their taxpayer dollars are being spent." |
| Adobe forecasts record U.S. spending online this holiday season | |
| Can you hear the faint twang of an electric guitar -- or perhaps those jingling bells? Though we haven't even hit October, holiday shopping season (or, as we like to call it, "Jingle Bell Rock season) is rapidly approaching. And Adobe predicts it'll be a doozy: Today, the company released its online holiday shopping spending forecast, which expects U.S. online sales to hit $275 billion this year. That's up 6.7% from last year. But to get billions of dollars of online sales to actual customers, you need a heck of a lot of fuel. On a high-spending, high-delivery, high-travel kind of season, how does an energy crisis factor in? As far as consumer sentiment goes, Americans are not in the jolliest of spirits right now. But just because consumers are cranky doesn't mean they've stopped spending. "Discretionary categories still remain strong, said John O'Trakoun a senior policy economist at the Richmond Fed. "The thing that's really surprising is how resilient spending has been in categories that should be really sensitive to high fuel prices." O'Trakoun says consumers are still splurging on things like foreign travel, vehicles and eating out -- and that bodes well for holiday spending. Though there's a caveat for low-income consumers. Their budgets are getting tighter. |
| AI Agents Are About to Flood the Workforce. No One's Ready for It | |
 | In the coming months, hundreds of thousands of brand-new coworkers will be entering the workforce. You'll learn their names and recognize their profile pictures. They'll get added to your email chains and Slack channels. They'll become chiefs of staff, engineers, and marketing gurus. But these coworkers aren't human: They are all artificial intelligence agents. The rise of AI agents -- systems, based on large language models, designed to complete tasks autonomously -- has launched a tsunami of companies selling the services of digital employees. These agents are supposed to be the perfect worker bees: available 24/7, never complaining, and providing superhuman intelligence. Yet there has been curiously little discussion of what these agents are like as actual coworkers. Julie Bedard, a Boston Consulting Group partner, noticed the murky nature of how people talked about AI at work three years ago, as rapid adoption of ChatGPT convinced executives the technology could bring exponential improvements in productivity. "People didn't have language for it," Bedard tells WIRED. "Is it a tool? Is it a teammate? Is it a colleague? Is it a coworker?" The success of AI agents depends not only on their ability to provide financial returns, but also to work harmoniously alongside the existing workforce. That means companies have crafted agents that boast the benefits of AI, packaged in a human-like bundle of traits to encourage employees to anthropomorphize their new colleagues. |
| Children's lit collection at U. of Southern Mississippi hits 60 and still growing | |
| Katie Herndon, curator of the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, opens a box and pulls out several original illustrations of "Curious George." They are as fresh and captivating as the little monkey's mischief in the classic books by H.A. and Margret Rey. Inside a folder, she carefully thumbs through pages to find letters between H.A. Rey and Albert Einstein, and a receipt of Rey's contribution to the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists. In McCain Library's de Grummond Manuscript Room, Herndon pulls down another box from towering stacks, lifts its lid and reveals Ezra Jack Keats' brilliant collage art that illustrated his 1962 classic "The Snowy Day." The book's prestigious Caldecott Medal win, top prize for an illustrator in the U.S., was a first for a picture book with an African American main character and a breakthrough for minority representation in mainstream children's publishing. "The Snowy Day" remains the most checked-out book of all time from the New York Public Library. Charm and history often nestle side by side in the de Grummond Collection, which marks its 60th anniversary this year. |
| President Mohler, campus leaders speak on Future-Ready Flagship at Fall Campus Assembly | |
| University President Peter J. Mohler, University provost Lesley Reid and SGA President Samantha Simmons spoke at the Fall Campus Assembly Tuesday about Mohler's "Future-Ready Flagship" initiative and plans for the remainder of the school year. Mohler spoke for the majority of the assembly, reflecting on the first year of his presidency and the changes made across the University that align with the Future-Ready Flagship. "Last spring, we talked about where we wanted to be as a university. Today, you've seen some of the progress we've made of the last five months," Mohler said "Now, the question is, 'What difference are we making for Alabama, for leaders and for the future?'" He also announced the development of three new "future-ready" hubs in Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile. "Each new hub will reflect the needs and the economy of its region, helping us recruit Alabama students, strengthen industry partnerships, expand internships and workforce development and bring our research and expertise directly to communities," Mohler said. "That is what it means to be Alabama's flagship. Our reach and our responsibility must extend well beyond Tuscaloosa, and that responsibility begins even before students arrive on campus." |
| From growing up in Golden Meadow to hiring Lane Kiffin: The story of LSU President Wade Rousse | |
 | LSU President Wade Rousse stood in the center of a horseshoe of desks in a business school classroom, cracking jokes to coax sleepy undergraduates into participating. "Are monopolies good or bad?" he asked. "It depends," the class chorused back. "It depends. Thank you for that. It depends. If you're a Rockefeller, were monopolies good?" "Yes." "If you're a Cajun in Golden Meadow, were monopolies good?" "No." Rousse may be the new leader of the $4.1 billion LSU System, with more than 78,000 students and 17,000 employees. But his mind often returns to his hometown of Golden Meadow, population less than 2,000, deep in Louisiana bayou country. With the Cajun accent, the purple suits and a politician's flair, Rousse's unabashed Louisianan demeanor and unconventional academic background in business and economics are a marked departure from recent leaders of LSU. Nationally, Rousse has perhaps drawn the most attention for a string of explosive events in the athletics department. He says the push for superior athletics is inextricable from his larger educational goals for the state. |
| LSU Chief of Staff Jason French announces intention to step away after a year in position | |
| LSU's Chief of Staff Jason French has announced his upcoming departure from the university. French, who has served as LSU's chief of staff and senior vice president of external relations under LSU President Wade Rousse for almost a year now, made the announcement via LinkedIn on Thursday. In the post, he explains how his agreement with Rousse was to serve as chief of staff for only one year to help lead the team through the presidential transition and build a stronger external affairs operation. "November 5 will mark the one-year anniversary of my first day on campus. It will also mark my final day working at LSU," French's LinkedIn post reads. As chief of staff and SVP of external affairs, French acted as senior adviser to Rousse, handled government and external affairs and oversaw much of the administrative restructuring under Rousse, including launching the search for a chancellor. |
| How the AI 'tidal wave' is transforming LSU: 'Not just something we can ignore' | |
| At 9:30 a.m. on a recent Wednesday, LSU English instructor MJ Weerts gave only one instruction to his composition class: Put the phones and computers away. He displayed an aphorism on the board, his preferred style of short writing to teach students nowadays rather than the essay. "'A great photographer insists on writing poems,'" one student read aloud to the class. "'A brilliant essayist insists on writing novels. A singer with a voice like an angel insists on singing only her own, terrible songs.'" The students spent the rest of the hour pondering what the short quote meant and how it applied to their lives. There were no laptops with quiz questions to answer, no phones to take notes on. "I don't do anything more than they can read or write on a single notecard in a single day," Weerts said. Though he doesn't suggest every class go analog, Weerts said the approach works for his students to "get them into their own minds," particularly in the age of artificial intelligence tools. As AI becomes ubiquitous on campus, more classes at LSU may follow Weerts' lead. His approach is one of many among faculty to weather the revolution in higher education brought by powerful tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. |
| Vanderbilt Places Divinity School Into Receivership | |
 | Vanderbilt University has placed its divinity school into receivership, a move that officials told The Nashville Banner is intended to improve its finances and will last for at most two years. Officials told divinity school employees that receivership is "a temporary administrative arrangement in which the university oversees a school's operations in order to return it to independent, healthy standing," according to a copy of an email obtained by the news outlet. "The goal is to position the divinity school for renewed investment and growth." In the process of receivership, university administrators assume greater control over academic units, typically those that are struggling with financial, operational or governance issues. Such arrangements are intended to be temporary measures intended to stabilize academic units. The Nashville Banner reported that the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education is also currently in receivership. Vanderbilt is currently expanding its national footprint with active or planned campuses in California, Florida and New York. Some sources, speaking anonymously, told the news outlet that they questioned the university's funding commitment to the divinity school and Peabody, which they suggested officials are leaving "to die on the vine." |
| U. of South Carolina's Dawn Staley launches leadership program for students | |
| University of South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley is lending her time and name to a new leadership program at the state's flagship university. This fall, the Dawn Staley Leadership Academy welcomed its first group of 110 students studying for careers in sports, entertainment, tourism, retail and fashion merchandising. "When I connect myself to things, it takes over my heart," said Staley, head coach at USC since 2008. "I want to share the things that I've learned throughout my life with young people. If it resonates with them, I think it's a great thing," said the three-time NCAA national championship head coach and former Olympian. Students participate in an eight-week introductory course with regular appearances by Staley herself. The course provides students one credit hour. Classes cover topics including leadership, personal values, recovering from difficulties and managing emotions. "For me, leadership starts now," Staley said, adding they need to learn the skills before being thrown into a leadership position. |
| As U. of Oklahoma enrollment climbs, faculty find different ways to manage bigger classes | |
| As the University of Oklahoma grows toward its goal of 40,000 students, faculty are grappling with how to teach more students without diminishing the college experience. This fall, 1,806 students are enrolled across four sections of Intro Biol: Molecule/Cell/Phys., according to OU's ClassNav -- three sections capped at 552 students each, and a fourth at 168. Jeffrey Kelly, director of the School of Biological Sciences, wrote in an email to the Daily that the course opened with three lecture sections when enrollment began last spring, and a fourth was added over the summer to meet demand. Few, if any, individual lecture sections at OU rival Intro Biol: Molecule/Cell/Phys., but this course isn't OU's largest by total enrollment. That distinction belongs to Principles-English Composition with over 2,000 students spanning 94 sections. "Our freshman class has increased over the last six years, in size, by 45%, ..." said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. at the 2026 State of the University address. "We are going to hit 40,000 students this time next year." But the university isn't done growing once it hits the 40,000 mark, Harroz said in an exclusive interview with the Daily. Across campus, departments have taken different approaches to managing that growth -- from redesigning entry-level courses to automating grading almost entirely. |
| U.Va.'s Larry Sabato weighs in on midterms, issues warnings for Democrats ahead of 2028 | |
| Larry Sabato, director and founder of the University's Center for Politics, joined community members Saturday at the Virginia Guesthouse Hotel for his annual Crystal Ball lecture. Sabato shared his insights into how the country's 2026 midterm elections are unfolding heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Overall, he indicated that he believes Democrats are on track to make Congressional gains this year -- the question is how many. Sabato began by reminding listeners that this year marks President Donald Trump's sixth in the White House. "Sixth year elections," he noted, usually yield unflattering results for the party that holds the presidency. "Normally, the sixth year election is the really bad election for a president because by the sixth year, people are sick to death of you," Sabato said. Like other University experts who have weighed in on the 2026 elections, Sabato predicted that only the most motivated voters will cast a ballot this year, something he said will benefit the Democratic Party. Another group which Sabato said swung towards Trump in 2024 but is now solidly trending Democratic is young people. Sabato said he believes this demonstrates how the issue of affordability remains central to their political preferences -- Democrats are now perceived as being more trustworthy on the economy, according to the Strength in Numbers polling. |
| What are BORGs? The college drinking trend taking over TikTok | |
 | Students decorate these alcohol-filled jugs with names like "BORG to be wild" and "Teach me how to Borgie." A BORG, short for "blackout rage gallon," typically consists of a 1-gallon plastic water jug filled with a mixture of hard alcohol, water and flavor enhancement. It's a drinking trend that has taken TikTok and colleges by storm in recent years, with controversial claims BORGs help reduce drink contamination and hangovers. But a new study, the first to examine BORG use and its consequences among college students, offers a look at the trend's dangers. Nearly one-third of BORG drinkers report blacking out, according to a study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, published by Rutgers University. Another 59% report embarrassing behavior and 17% reporting vomiting. "The thought is, 'great, you control your own beverage, risk contamination, especially in a post-pandemic world, and nobody could alter your beverage,'" says lead researcher Andrea C. King, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. "That's not really what it is." |
| College Leaders Are Using A.I. Students Call It Hypocrisy. | |
 | College professors and administrators have been busting students for cheating with artificial intelligence for several years. Now, the professors and administrators are getting in trouble, too. Dartmouth College last week announced it was investigating its provost, Santiago Schnell, after the college's student-run newspaper found that some of his published writing appeared written by A.I. Dr. Schnell, a mathematical biologist, is perhaps the most prominent in a growing cast of college professors and administrators who have been accused of using A.I. in a way that crosses ethical lines. There have been instances of opinion articles, research papers and even campuswide messages to students showing traces of A.I. influence. He issued a statement apologizing. Administrators wring their hands, and sometime issue punishments, when students outsource writing assignments to a robot to save time or avoid the hard work of thinking. Some students are calling out the examples of faculty doing the same thing as hypocritical. "It just goes against all the values of our institution and the concept of academia," Eli Moyse, a Dartmouth senior, said in an interview. |
| Is AI killing jobs for college grads? Not yet, new study says. | |
| Amid fears that artificial intelligence will devastate entry-level hiring, there has yet to be an AI-powered spike in unemployment for recent college graduates, according to a new working paper by two professors at the University of California at Los Angeles. Over June, July and August, the unemployment rate for college graduates age 22 to 25 was 7.3 percent -- higher than the same period last year but within the normal range of variation, the paper said. Unemployment rates for college graduates tend to spike in June and then dip over the course of the summer. The authors did not find statistically significant evidence that unemployment rates for recent college graduates rose for jobs supposedly vulnerable to AI, like customer service workers and computer programmers. An expanded metric they called "sidelined unemployment" -- young graduates who want jobs but may not be actively looking -- also did not see statistically significant effects. |
| High School students fear AI's impact on future careers and college | |
 | Logan Fanene uses ChatGPT to fix his car, but homework is a different story. The Bay Area high school senior tries to avoid using artificial intelligence to help with schoolwork, he says. His concern? That the technology could undercut his ability to get a job. "I'm not so worried as a student, I'm more worried about my career," Fanene, 17, said at a recent California State University fair for prospective students in downtown Oakland. Fanene hopes to study architecture at Cal Poly next year, but he has concerns about how AI is affecting that field. Recent, alarming AI developments have spurred lawmakers and experts into further debate about putting controls on the burgeoning industry. But for high schoolers looking to the future -- applying to college and a job -- the questions around this technology are more personal: What will this mean for me? |
| How colleges are responding to Trump administration's 'call to action' | |
 | Two months after the Department of Education called on colleges and universities to publicly state their commitment to principles the Trump administration accuses them of abandoning, a pair of major state university systems have complied, while many more institutions remain wary. Even that limited response is vastly different from the uniform rejection from nine leading universities last year of the administration's previous initiative, the Compact for Academic Excellence. That effort tied compliance to federal research and grant funding. This time, the U.S. government has not issued an overt threat of consequences. Still, college leaders worry their answers could become grounds for punishment or that not answering could draw its own wrath. They question whether complying risks institutional independence. Complicating the decision: The questions themselves deal with subjects that colleges wrestle with constantly and feel to many like they are already addressing. The National Call to Action issued by Education Secretary Linda McMahon in August asked colleges and universities to respond publicly by the end of the year. |
SPORTS
| SEC Nation Returns To Starkville For Top-20 Matchup | |
| SEC Network's weekly, traveling pre-game show, SEC Nation Presented by Regions Bank, is heading to back to Starkville for the weekend's festivities that are headlined by No. 16 Mississippi State taking on No. 7 Alabama. The show will broadcast live from the Junction from 8-11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 3, on SEC Network. Now in its 13th season, SEC Nation has expanded into a three-hour program. The weekly broadcast kicks off SEC Network coverage at 8 a.m. CT, featuring hosts and analysts Matt Barrie, Chase Daniel, Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Tim Tebow and Marion Crowder delivering pre-game insights and analysis. Following the pre-game coverage, Marty & McGee will broadcast live from the Junction from 11-11:45 a.m. CT. Marty Smith and Ryan McGee will bring viewers the latest headlines and a unique blend of southern lifestyle and college football culture from across the SEC. MSU will also host The Paul Finebaum Show, with #FinebaumFriday broadcasting live from the Junction from 2-6 p.m. CT. |
| SEC Nation announces Week 5 destination: 'There is no better atmosphere' | |
 | SEC Nation, the SEC Network's traveling pregame show, will broadcast from Starkville, Mississippi ahead of No. 16 Mississippi State hosting No. 7 Alabama. "There is no better atmosphere in the SEC than Starkville for an 11 a.m. kickoff," Paul Finebaum told AL.com of the announcement. "We have done it several times and having the Dog Walk live literally right behind us about 9 a.m. is exhilarating - especially with about 40,000 screaming." The show will air Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. (9 a.m. – noon ET/6 a.m. -9 a.m. PT) on SEC Network. Matt Barrie, Chase Daniel, Finebaum, Roman Harper, Tim Tebow and Marion Crowder will preview the conference's games. |
| SEC Nation heads to Starkville on Saturday | |
| For the second season in a row, SEC Nation is heading to Starkville for the highly anticipated matchup between No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs and No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday. SEC Nation came to Mississippi State last season for the University of Georgia game on Nov. 8. This year's matchup between the Bulldogs and the Tide is arguably the biggest game in college football this week, particularly in the Southeastern Conference. A top-20 showdown in Starkville at 11 a.m., with Hardy performing the night before and SEC Nation at 9 a.m. that morning; what more could a fan ask for? This game is expected to come down to the performance of both quarterbacks, Kamario Taylor and Keelon Russel. Russel, Alabama's quarterback, has thrown for 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns this season, while Taylor has thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns. Taylor has led the Bulldogs to become one of the most talked-about teams in the nation, and this week will put the Dawgs to the ultimate test and reveal what kind of team they truly are. |
| Depth being tested for Mississippi State as Alabama looms | |
 | This is the part where something that Mississippi State has prided itself on faces real challenges. The Bulldogs are 4-0, including 2-0 in the SEC, and ranked No. 16 in both the latest AP and Coaches polls. However, the Bulldogs are a little banged up as the calendar turns to October. Kamario Taylor was sacked four times against Missouri and hurried twice. Defensively, Isaac Smith left that game midway through with what appeared to be an upper body injury. No update has been given on his health, and coach Jeff Lebby said in Monday's weekly press conference that Wednesday's availability report will tell the story. Much was made of MSU's depth heading into the season, which Lebby felt was the best it's been in his time as head coach. He acknowledged the team's bumps and bruises, but says the focus remains on No. 7 Alabama and leaving everything out there on Saturday at 11 a.m. "For our guys right now, it's about going all in, going all the way in and doing a great job taking care of our bodies," he said. "Understanding what we've got coming down the pike from the standpoint of Saturday morning at 11, and then we get to reset." That reset is the bye week, followed by a three-game stretch that includes road trips to No. 11 LSU and No. 1 Texas. |
| Lebby's lectures: Isaac Smith availability unknown early in the week | |
 | Safety Isaac Smith's availability for Saturday's game against Alabama will be made clear on Wednesday. Smith, MSU's standout senior safety, exited last Saturday's game against Missouri in the first half and spent the rest of the game in street clothes with his right arm wrapped up. Head coach Jeff Lebby did not comment on Smith's status during his Monday press conference, electing to let Wednesday evening's availability report speak for Smith's condition ahead of Saturday. MSU's defense has caught the injury bug through four games. Defensive linemen Diesel Moye and Trevion Williams are out for the season, and linebacker Zakari Tillman was available for the first time this season against Missouri. "We're banged up. For our guys right now, it's about going all in... doing a great job taking care of our bodies, understanding what we've got coming down the pipe from the standpoint of Saturday morning at 11," Lebby said of his team's state as the calendar flips to October. "That's going to be us and everybody else from a dinged-up standpoint. That's part of playing in this league, but I like where we're at." |
| Mississippi State's Anthony Evans III reveals wardrobe change that led to huge second half | |
| Mississippi State football top wide receiver Anthony Evans III learned a wardrobe lesson during the 31-24 win against Missouri on Sept. 26. "You'll never see me in tights again," he said. Evans revealed he took his compression tights off at halftime because he wasn't pleased with how he was playing. A huge second half from Evans ensued, which included a 48-yard diving catch that set up the game-winning touchdown for the No. 16 Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 SEC). "I felt like there was some bad juju going on," Evans said Sept. 28. "I had my tights on. I never wore tights in a game before, so I took everything off and then everything good happened from there." Evans finished with eight catches for a team-high 114 yards. But in the first half, he had just one catch for zero yards. Kamario Taylor's interception in the first half also came on a pass targeted for Evans. In the second half, Evans caught 7 of 8 targets with four of the receptions going for over 10 yards. Taylor threw the 24-yard go-ahead touchdown to Sanfrisco Magee with 3:57 left, two plays after Evans' diving catch along the left sideline. Evans enters Mississippi State's Week 5 game against No. 7 Alabama (4-0, 2-0) at Davis Wade Stadium on Oct. 3 (11 a.m., ABC) tied for first in the SEC in receptions (28) and fourth in receiving yards (408). |
| Jake's takes: Kamario Taylor battles through adversity in biggest moment of the season | |
| Kamario Taylor got up, hobbling. He had been sacked for the third time against the Missouri Tigers, rolled up by two Tigers for a loss of 7 yards. He got up and finished the drive, but limped off the field, and right into the tan medical tent on the sideline. Taylor started hot, going 6-8 with 96 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, but the injury was another addition to a rough stretch. He went 5-12 with an interception in the second quarter, and led a drive into the red zone in the third quarter, but got held to a field goal. When he walked off the field limping, MSU trailed 24-17, and was punting the ball back to the Tigers. Backup quarterback Billy Puckett put his helmet on, walked out to the field, and started to get loose under the flashing red lights during the fourth-quarter hype video. The high-energy clip perhaps acted as a distraction from Taylor's impending absence. But Taylor emerged from the tent just before the fourth quarter started, walking much better than he had before. He grabbed his helmet, said something to his offense, took Puckett's place and got loose. He was powering through, something that wasn't a big deal for someone with his background. "Growing up in Noxubee County, you get bumps and bruises all the time," Taylor said. |
| After Senate passes Protect College Sports Act, does it have a chance in the House? | |
| The Protect College Sports Act is halfway home. U.S. senators on Monday overwhelmingly voted to pass legislation intended to bring regulation to an unruly industry -- a historic moment in NCAA history but one expected after lawmakers advanced the bill through multiple procedural steps over the last week. The bill, mainly authored by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Eric Schmitt and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, garnered 77 supporting votes in the 100-member chamber -- a considerable margin in such a divided Congress and a result that now sends the legislation toward the House of Representatives in an authoritative way. "We wanted a big bipartisan vote," Cruz said earlier Monday. "We got a big bipartisan vote." But as supportive lawmakers celebrate their thundering victory, a question continues to loom: Will the legislation pass the House? "That bill is dead," said one Democratic House staff member. "We have no intention to return to take up this bill before the midterm elections," said another. Even the most ardent supporters of the legislation believe a stiff challenge awaits in the 435-member House, which historically operates in a more unpredictable manner. |
| Mississippi Senators Wicker, Hyde-Smith back Protect College Sport Act | |
| Mississippi's two U.S. Senators were among the 77 in the chamber Monday night to vote to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a sweeping measure overhauling college athletics. Both Senator Roger Wicker (R) and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) backed the legislation sponsored by Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R). Cruz has promoted the bill as protecting athletes, college athletics, and "a great American tradition for our kids and grandkids." "This bill puts an end to the chaos plaguing college athletics," said Cruz in a floor speech ahead of Monday's vote. "The system we have today is not sustainable, plain and simple." Praise for the bill's passage rolled in from the conferences supporting the legislation, including the Southeastern Conference (SEC), of which Mississippi's two biggest university athletic programs -- Ole Miss and Mississippi State -- are members. "The bipartisan Senate passage of the Protect College Sports Act represents an important step toward establishing a clear and durable national framework for college athletics," the SEC said. "We look forward to working with members of the House of Representatives to advance legislation that protects student-athletes, provides consistent national standards for universities and conferences, supports women's and Olympic sports, and strengthens the long-term future of college athletics. |
| Senate passes college sports bill that would rein in athlete payments and transfers | |
| The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill on Monday that would regulate college sports, an attempt to end "chaos" in an industry that has been upended by skyrocketing athlete payments and near-unrestricted transfers between schools. The overwhelming 77-22 vote to pass the legislation is the strongest effort yet by Congress to set national regulations governing payments to college athletes for their name, image and likeness and how often they can transfer. It would give the NCAA new authority over those rules and limited antitrust protections to enforce them. The bill is the product of years of Senate negotiations that intensified after a 2025 lawsuit settlement uprooted the college sports landscape by allowing colleges to pay their players. The legislation, which would still have to pass the House, would codify the settlement into law but also establish new guardrails around the system in an attempt to rein in the runaway costs for colleges. President Donald Trump praised the bill in a social media post after the late night passage. "This is a really big deal," he said. "It will not only save college sports, it will save the colleges themselves." |
| Senate passes 'Protect College Sports Act' with sweeping bipartisan vote | |
| The Senate on Monday passed a landmark piece of legislation that aims to address growing concerns about fairness and equity in college sports, bolstering the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) power to enforce its rules and potentially reshaping the future of collegiate athletics for years to come. The "Protect College Sports Act" (PCSA), a bill championed by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), cleared the upper chamber 77-22 after months of tense bipartisan negotiations and vocal pushback from critics of the NCAA and senators in both parties. The bill, among its top priorities, hands the NCAA sweeping federal antitrust protection shielding it from lawsuits around the enforcement of its rules and caps the amount of money student athletes can be paid for their name, image and likeness. "It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it," Cruz said during a recent floor speech promoting the bill. "Now I know some argue that college sports are doing just fine. They point to high television ratings, enthusiastic fan bases, and packed stadiums. But popularity does not demonstrate that the system is healthy. It simply proves that the system is worth saving. " |
| Senate passes bipartisan bill to overhaul college sports | |
 | The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill Monday that would overhaul the multibillion-dollar college sports industry -- a major legislative victory shared by members of both parties and President Donald Trump, who wants to sign the package as soon as possible. A high priority for Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz of Texas and the panel's top Democrat, Maria Cantwell of Washington, the Protect College Sports Act would replace a patchwork of state laws governing student athlete compensation, transfers and eligibility with one overarching federal rulebook. "Today the Senate has the opportunity to protect the half million college athletes and the millions more who follow in their footsteps," said Cruz in a floor speech Monday. "Students are transferring three or four times. Pros are trying to play ball against college kids. Conflicting court decisions have created a fragmented system -- one that no one intended. And young men and women are losing opportunities to compete and receive an education." But while the 77-22 vote would ordinarily present itself as a welcome glimpse of cross-party unity, it is now being overshadowed by a murky outlook in the House, where Republicans oppose multiple provisions of the Senate package. Democrats, meanwhile, are smarting from a highly-charged debate over whether the legislation would exploit college athletes of color --- and some are questioning why their colleagues would split from the AFL-CIO and the NAACP, two organizations core to the party's base that oppose the legislation. |
| Senate laterals college sports bill to House, but forward progress uncertain | |
| The Senate on Monday approved sweeping bipartisan legislation to create the first federal framework governing college athletics amid an era of transfer chaos, skyrocketing costs and the growth of name, image and likeness. The final tally was 77-22, a rare bipartisan outcome on a major piece of legislation during a time of political division after the chamber took a series of procedural votes in recent days, as well as on an unexpected slate of amendments on Monday evening before passage. The measure's fate in the House, however, remains unclear. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., earlier this month was still pushing for his chamber's version, however, and arguing that the Senate will need to agree to changes. Like other House Republicans, he has been adamant about keeping a version of his bill's prohibition on granting employee status to college athletes, for instance. |
| U.S. Senate votes 77-22 to pass Protect College Sports Act | |
| The federal bill aimed at reshaping the college sports industry took a major step toward becoming law Monday night when the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted 77-22 to pass it. The Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) moves next to the House of Representatives, where it will face some opposition from both sides of the political spectrum and a narrow window to earn support. House representatives are not scheduled to vote on any bills until after November's midterm elections. If the bill doesn't get through the House during a lame-duck legislative session before a new Congress takes over in January, the full process would have to start from the beginning. As NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement Monday night, "Student-athletes from across the country and all three NCAA Divisions worked hard to get this legislation moving and thanks to their advocacy, the bill just received a massive, bipartisan vote in the Senate. "Now the bill moves to the U.S. House of Representatives and there is much work left to do to ensure student-athlete benefits are codified into federal law and future generations of young people can access those benefits and use college sports as the launching point for their careers." |
| The Senate just passed a historic bill to federally regulate college sports. What happens now? | |
| The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate on Monday by a vote of 77-22, a landmark legislative step toward unprecedented federal regulation of intercollegiate athletics. Senate approval is a massive win for the NCAA and its conferences, which have spent years and millions of dollars lobbying for a federal law to help create and enforce rules. But in order to be signed into law by President Donald Trump, a vocal supporter of the bill, the Protect College Sports Act must also pass the House of Representatives by a simple majority. That vote could still be weeks away and may face additional challenges, which means this historic day for the governance of college sports is not even close to the end of the story. Let's start with the biggest problem: The House is currently out of session after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) abruptly sent members home last week to campaign for midterm elections after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That means no votes on anything until after Nov. 3. Things change on Capitol Hill frequently, but it's unlikely the House will reopen, and if it does, the Protect College Sports Act probably won't be the priority. |
| Senate passes a sweeping college sports bill. Here's what it would change. | |
| A sweeping bill that aims to remake college sports and impose order on a system transformed by athlete payments, frequent transfers and years of litigation cleared a major hurdle Monday night, passing the Senate with bipartisan support. The Senate approved the Protect College Sports Act by a vote of 77-22. The bill now heads to the House, which is divided over how Congress should intervene in college athletics and is not expected to return to Washington until after the November election. Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) made an impassioned plea to postpone the vote, citing the impact on athletes, especially Black athletes, and saying the Senate should focus on more pressing issues. "Is this really what we should be spending our time on?" he asked. "I beg my colleagues not to do this. It's wrong." The Protect College Sports Act is the first comprehensive college sports bill to receive a full floor vote in either chamber of Congress. |
| College Football Playoff 24-team expansion talks continue with meetings in Chicago | |
| Talks around College Football Playoff expansion are set to continue this week. The CFP management committee, which is made up of 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, has a regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday in Chicago. The agenda will include further discussion of potential expansion. When decison-makers decided to stay with the 12-team field at meetings in Miami in January, the Big Ten backed a 24-team model, while the SEC -- and the other eight conferences, along with Notre Dame -- wanted a 16-team playoff. Those conversations have shifted in the ensuing eight months. Momentum is behind a 24-team field, with the ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame now supporting the expanded field. The SEC has expressed willingness to move to a 24-team field, but commissioner Greg Sankey has been open about wanting to see the full financial breakdown before making any final decisions. Steps have been taken to see those financials. Earlier this month, the management committee triggered the 30-day negotiating window between the CFP and ESPN to determine the media value of a 24-team field, which could begin as early as the 2027 season. It's a key move as leaders try to get answers on financials before the Dec. 1 deadline with ESPN, when CFP leaders must decide if the 12-team field will expand for the 2027 playoff. A year ago, ESPN granted an extension to that deadline. |
| Greg Byrne, 6 Alabama head coaches get new contracts | |
| Alabama athletics is holding onto its leader for the near future. The UA board of trustees compensation committee approved a new contract for athletics director Greg Byrne during its Monday meeting. Byrne's new deal runs through June 30, 2033. He will make $2.675 million per year under the approved contract. Alabama president Peter Moeller praised Byrne when presenting the deal to the committee. "Greg's tenure at UA has consistently yielded significant academic and athletic success for our student-athletes," Moeller said. "He's also established himself as a premier leader in collegiate athletics. Greg provides stable force that is pivotal in helping UA navigate the current environment and chart a course for our future." Byrne made $2.09 annually under his previous contract, which he signed in 2024. That deal was set to run through June of 2031. |
| As top talent slowly leaks from SEC territory, the league looks to stop a three-year title slide | |
| When thinking about bragging rights between conferences as the 2026 season rolls along -- who has them, and who doesn't -- the Big Ten's three straight national titles during a stretch when the Southeastern Conference didn't land a team in the championship game flies to the top of the list. There are dozens of ways to explain that gulf between the nation's two top conferences and even more ways to excuse it, with almost all the reasons embedded somewhere in the world of name, image, likeness payments that have turned college athletics upside down. An Associated Press analysis of recruiting found one steady trend: The percentage of top high school recruits from states with SEC schools who stay home to play at one of those schools has dropped from 72% in 2022 – the first recruiting year after NIL rules as we know them were fully established – to a projected 53% for the still-developing 2027 signing class. That translates to 99 players staying close to home in 2022 down to 78 for 2027. Big Ten schools picked up nine of those players in 2022, a number projected to rise to 22 next year. This is not necessarily a Big Ten raid of five-star studs in the SEC's traditional recruiting hotbeds. But it does suggest a slow drain of talent that includes well-known players. |
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