Tuesday, July 5, 2022   
 
Mississippi: Extension Irrigation Specialist Receives National Award
An irrigation specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has gained national recognition for his outreach related to water conservation practices. Drew Gholson received the Early Career Award in Extension, Engagement and Outreach from the Universities Council on Water Resources during the organization's annual national conference in June. Gholson, the state Extension irrigation specialist, is based at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. He is a scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and serves as the MSU coordinator for the National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research. Gholson developed a program that trains county MSU Extension agents to conduct on-farm demonstrations of soil moisture sensors for growers. More than 25 of the demonstrations offer a season-long learning experience to the grower. Participants reported 100% increased knowledge about reading sensors and making irrigation timing decisions. Jason Krutz, director of the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute at MSU, said Gholson recently received the Outstanding Extension Grantsmanship Award from MSU Extension in recognition of his success in gaining grant funding through various agencies. "Dr. Gholson is a skillful team leader who effectively engages and interacts with a broad range of county Extension agents, specialists, farmers and agencies," Krutz said.
 
Cotton acreage increases, exceeding early estimate
Early May delivered favorable weather conditions for most of Mississippi's cotton producers, allowing them to get their crops in the ground at the ideal time. "We're getting close to having 100% of the crop planted," said Brian Pieralisi, Mississippi State University Extension Service cotton specialist and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. "I'd say we're between 90% and 95% planted. "We haven't seen that in the last few years because of the weather. But we had two or three weeks of good weather during that optimal planting window between May 1 and 10. A lot of growers were finished by May 10," he said. Some acreage in the far north, far south and the Delta account for the unplanted acres as of May 23. Areas in the north and south were a little too dry, while a sandblasting event destroyed some young plants north of Highway 82 in Bolivar and Coahoma Counties. Pieralisi said he expects those areas to be planted and replanted within the next two weeks. Overall, the crop looks good, he said. Will Maples, Extension agricultural economist, said prices are good. December futures, which represent the price for the new crop, are currently trading around $1.25 per pound. USDA estimates the farm price at 90 cents per pound for the 2022--2023 marketing year. However, prices could go higher if drought conditions in the U.S. Southern Plains worsen.
 
A play on mythology: Curtain rises on another year of Summer Scholars camp
Picture this. Coffee House on Fifth is booming with business on a Friday afternoon. A glance to the left gives a grand view of the street traffic. A glance to the right provides a shocking surprise. In the corner, cryptic monsters sit around a few tables for their weekly support group meeting and discuss their feelings about being misunderstood. Summer Scholars camp members, such as 16-year-old Anthony Kirkland, dream of scenarios like this and make them real during camp. Originally a Starkville native, Kirkland has attended Summer Scholars camp since 2019. After recently moving to Carrollton, Texas, his attachment to the camp was so strong that he came back this year. "It has been a way for me to stay in touch with the friends I had to leave," Kirkland said. "I also love theater, so it is something I enjoy doing and benefit from. This camp provides me with long-lasting friendships and more theater experience and ways to learn about something I love doing." Officially founded in 1978, the Summer Scholars camp has been a refuge and learning experience for kids in 7-12 grade who have a knack for theater, music and creative writing. This year, the camp has a total of 37 campers working to produce three one-act musical comedies. The general theme of the summer is Myth. Hence, the support-group meeting full of cryptic monsters. The camp will host its final production at 6 p.m. Friday, July 8, and noon Saturday, July 9, in the McComas Hall at Mississippi State University. Admission is free to the public.
 
Jones selected as Mississippi Main Street president
Michelle Jones of Starkville has been selected as the Mississippi Main Street Association's board president for 2022-23. Jones has extensive experience in historic preservation and economic development, including a 25 year career with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as a certified local government coordinator. She has been a board member for MMSA for the past three years, also serving as board vice president. "It seems like every organization I've been involved with, when I've had the opportunity to lead, it's been at a turning point or a beginning point," Jones said. "We've contracted with someone to help us develop a strategic plan -- and that will deal with the board, Main Street managers, local governments -- and what they need from the Main Street program so that we can set a path to be not just relevant but crucial to economic development and historic preservation, all across Mississippi and in all communities that are Main Street members." Jones is owner of The Cottage Industry in Starkville and is also conference planner for the Vernacular Architecture Forum. She helped establish the Starkville Main Street Program in 2010. "I'm really so fortunate to have great staff who work with communities across the state," she said. "We've seen an increase in interest from communities and we've got some funding from the Legislature that's really going to make some difference in Main Street communities."
 
United Furniture laying off 300 as it converts Amory plant to warehouse
One of the largest furniture employers in the state, United Furniture Industries Inc., is laying off about 300 workers in Mississippi and North Carolina. United, which is privately held and operates under the Lane Home Furnishings brand, said that in the next two months it will close one production facility and transform two others exclusively for use as warehouse and distribution center space. Lane will switch the manufacturing facility in Amory to warehouse only, while it will close its metal stamping plant in High Point, North Carolina, and transition its Winston-Salem, North Carolina, operation to an east coast distribution center. "We were saddened to hear of the United Furniture facility closure in Amory. United is our largest employer in Monroe County, and we hope that this is just a depiction of the economy and market change. We have offered to assist them via the community college with retraining employees from that facility to help them transition into other employment opportunities. Our main goal is to increase and maintain jobs because we love our community and anytime there are jobs lost, it feels like a gut punch," said Monroe County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chelsea Baulch. The company employs more than 3,000 workers at 18 plants, offices and distribution centers in California, Mississippi and North Carolina in the U.S. and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. After the changes, the company expects to employ just over 2,700 at its 17 operations in the United States.
 
Falling Commodity Prices Raise Hopes That Inflation Has Peaked
A slide in all manner of raw-materials prices -- corn, wheat, copper and more -- is stirring hopes that a significant source of inflationary pressure might be starting to ease. Natural-gas prices shot up more than 60% before falling back to close the quarter 3.9% lower. U.S. crude slipped from highs above $120 a barrel to end around $106. Wheat, corn and soybeans all wound up cheaper than they were at the end of March. Cotton unraveled, losing more than a third of its price since early May. Benchmark prices for building materials copper and lumber dropped 22% and 31%, respectively, while a basket of industrial metals that trade in London had its worst quarter since the 2008 financial crisis. Many raw materials remain historically high-price, to be sure. And there are matters of supply and demand behind the declines, from a fire at a Texas gas-export terminal to better crop-growing weather. Yet some investors are starting to view the reversals as a sign that the Federal Reserve's efforts to slow the economy are reducing demand. "Moderating commodity prices are clear evidence that inflation is cooling," said Louis Navellier, chief investment officer at Reno, Nev., money manager Navellier & Associates. Improved growing weather in the U.S., Europe and Australia is raising hopes that bumper crops can make up for the wheat, corn and vegetable oil stranded in Ukraine since Russia invaded. Grain and oilseed prices shot up after the incursion but have fallen back to or below where they were before the late-February attack.
 
Consumers dialed back their spending in May, thanks to rising prices and interest rates
The federal Bureau of Economic Analysis has reported that in May -- for the first time this year -- consumer spending declined on a month-to-month basis after accounting for inflation. Real personal consumption expenditures were down 0.4% from April. Consumer sentiment is down in the dumps. Personal financial anxieties are mounting -- driven by persistently rising prices as well as interest and mortgage rates. That's making consumers even more worried about covering their basic monthly expenses. So they're cutting discretionary spending and delaying or canceling big-ticket purchases like homes, cars and appliances. More people are dipping into savings or charging up their credit cards to make ends meet. "We're spoiled because we haven't seen explosive inflation in quite a few decades. Many, many Americans are young enough not to have any experience with this," said Mark Cohen, who directs retail studies at Columbia Business School. As consumers adapt to higher prices, he added, they'll keep pulling back their spending accordingly.
 
Governor sets special election for north Mississippi legislative seat
Gov. Tate Reeves on Friday announced he has set a special election for Nov. 8 to fill a vacant legislative seat that covers portions of Lowndes, Clay and Oktibbeha counties. House District 34 became vacant when Rep. Lynn Wright, R-Columbus, died earlier this month from Lou Gehrig's disease. "We were all saddened by the passing of Representative Wright," Reeves said in a statement. "I pray for his friends and family, during this continued difficult time. Whoever is elected in this district will undoubtedly have large shoes to fill." This will be the second special election for this particular legislative seat during the current four-year term. Former Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, was elected to the seat in Nov. 2019 but resigned from office in 2020 because of health issues with his wife, which triggered the first special election. Since the governor has declared another special election for the legislative district, candidates will appear without a party affiliation on the ballot. The election will coincide with the general midterm election for U.S. House members.
 
Mississippi judge sets hearing on challenge to abortion law
A Mississippi judge has set a Tuesday hearing in a lawsuit by state's only abortion clinic, which seeks to block a law that would ban most abortions. A temporary restraining order would allow the clinic to remain open, at least while the lawsuit is pending. The law is set to take effect two days after the hearing. The clinic's lawsuit cites a 1998 Mississippi Supreme Court ruling that said the state constitution invokes a right to privacy that "includes an implied right to choose whether or not to have an abortion." The suit was filed Monday in Hinds County Chancery Court, three days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a case that originated in Mississippi. All four Hinds County chancery judges recused themselves from the case. They cited rules that say judges should not handle cases that might present a conflict, but they did not specify what the conflicts would be. Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Randolph late Thursday appointed another chancery judge, Debbra K. Halford, to hear the case. Halford is from a chancery court district in the southwestern part of the state. The hearing Tuesday is scheduled to take place in Hinds County Chancery Court. If Halford grants the clinic's request for a temporary restraining order to block the new law from taking effect, that decision could be quickly appealed to the state Supreme Court.
 
Judge sets Tuesday hearing in Mississippi abortion challenge
A state judge has scheduled a Tuesday hearing in a lawsuit filed by Mississippi's only abortion clinic, which is trying to block a law that would ban most abortions from going into effect. The clinic's leaders are trying to block a 2007 "trigger law" that only allows physicians to conduct abortions when a mother's life is at stake or when the pregnancy resulted from a rape that has been reported to law enforcement. The trigger ban is set to go into effect just days after the Tuesday hearing. The clinic's challenge hinges on a 1998 Mississippi Supreme Court ruling that said the state constitution contains a right to privacy that "includes an implied right to choose whether or not to have an abortion." Attorneys with the Mississippi Attorney General's Office are defending the trigger law in court. Michelle Williams, the chief of staff for the office, previously told the Daily Journal that she believes the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade was clear. Williams said the AG "will fight to sustain that victory for Mississippi." The hearing Tuesday is scheduled to take place in Hinds County Chancery Court. If the judge agrees with the clinic's request for an order freezing the new law from taking effect, that decision would likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court for review.
 
Abortion drug maker says Mississippi can't ban pill despite Supreme Court ruling
The maker of a drug used in medication abortions has told a federal judge that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling eliminating the nationwide right to abortion does not allow Mississippi to stop it from selling the pills in the state. GenBioPro Inc, which makes a generic version of the drug mifepristone, said in a Thursday filing in Jackson, Mississippi federal court that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the drug should override any state ban. The Las Vegas-based company sued the state in 2020 to challenge regulations that restricted medication abortion specifically. Mississippi is now set to ban nearly all abortions under a 2007 "trigger law" following the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, which overturned its landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade establishing a constitutional right to abortion. GenBioPro said that law will create a "that-much more direct and glaring conflict" with the FDA. It cited U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland's statement last week that states "may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA's expert judgment about its safety and efficacy." Mississippi said in an opposing filing that "the legal landscape following Dobbs has shifted overwhelmingly in favor of the state's authority to regulate or prohibit abortion," and that there was no evidence that Congress ever intended the FDA to restrict states' ability to regulate abortion. The U.S. Department of Justice has not intervened in the case, and declined to comment on it Friday.
 
Mississippi's governor: Full speed ahead with new abortion restrictions
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Sunday his state intends to press forward with its efforts to make abortion exceedingly rare in Mississippi, even as complex questions associated with its law -- and others around the nation -- continued to bubble up. "This entire court battle was never about winning a court case; it was always about creating a culture of life, and that's exactly what we are doing here in Mississippi," said Reeves, a Republican, on "Fox News Sunday." It was Reeves' state that was at the heart of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the June ruling in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The five-member majority, led by Justice Samuel Alito, went beyond upholding the Mississippi law, overturning the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationally. "We have to prove that being pro-life is not simply about being anti-abortion, and, in our state, we are enacting policies to do exactly that," Reeves told host Mike Emanuel, without specifying what policies he meant or how they would be implemented. Mississippi is facing a fresh challenge from the Jackson Women's Health Organization, which is arguing that a prior Mississippi Supreme Court ruling had said that the right to have an abortion was found in the state's Constitution. "Unless there is an injunction which forces us not to enforce it, then, of course, we're going to enforce the law," Reeves said. He said he expects Mississippi's law to be upheld within the state. Emanuel also asked the governor about the state potentially using surveillance of email and cellphones to guarantee Mississippi residents were not obtaining abortions, something that was clearly not an issue before the Roe v. Wade ruling. "I have no reason to believe that there will be any surveillance of mail or phones," Reeves said.
 
Northeast Mississippi lawmakers remain split on postpartum Medicaid extension
Under the cover of a historic courthouse, bluegrass twangs and a century of local political tradition, every Republican lawmaker from Alcorn County praised the recent Supreme Court decision eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion. But those same legislators remained divided about what should happen next in a post-Roe Mississippi. "By promoting life, we have to sustain life," Republican Rep. Nick Bain of Corinth said. "It's up to us now to put our money where our mouth is." But other lawmakers at the annual Jacinto 4th of July Festival either remained vague or noncommittal about what policies should be advanced to improve the lives of children and new parents in a state with abject poverty and poor maternal and infant health outcomes. One way the Mississippi State Medical Association and other groups have claimed the state could improve health outcomes is by extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for a longer period of time. But Rep. Bubba Carpenter, R-Burnsville, said that providing more coverage for new mothers would be a "slippery slope" because it is one step closer to expanding Medicaid to the working poor -- something he opposes. "I feel like with the (Children's Health Insurance Program) covering children and giving two months of Medicaid for the mothers, we're doing enough," Carpenter said. Bain remains more open to postpartum care, but he was still noncommittal on his position on the proposal. Sen. Rita Potts Parks, R-Corinth, gave a blunt response when asked if she would support postpartum expansion again in the future. "Absolutely," Parks said.
 
Republicans divided in support for a policy response to Roe
Speaking at an event Monday, Mississippi Republican state lawmakers were divided in their support of new policies to improve health care outcomes for children and new parents. At a 4th of July Festival in northeast Mississippi, some lawmakers remained unsupportive of extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for mothers, The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. In a statement responding to the Supreme Court's decision, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch wrote that lawmakers should "weave a safety net that helps women in challenging circumstances." When asked about the attorney general's statement, Rep. Steve Hopkins, a Republican from Southaven, remained unswayed. "I would not support any government intervention or policies," Hopkins told The Associated Press in an email. "This is an area for the community and the Church to step up and develop programs to help these women. We are called as Christians to help each other and that's what we should do, but we should do it in the private sector alone."
 
Doctors weren't considered in Dobbs, but now they're on abortion's legal front lines
Historically, doctors have played a big role in abortion's legality. Back in the 1860s, physicians with the newly-formed American Medical Association worked to outlaw abortion in the U.S. A century later, they were doing the opposite. In the 1950s and 1960s, when states were liberalizing abortion laws, "the charge for that actually came from doctors who said, 'This is insane, we can't practice medicine, we can't exercise our medical judgment if you're telling us that this is off the table,' " explains Melissa Murray, law professor at New York University. The Supreme Court ruled in doctors' favor in Roe v. Wade in 1973. The majority opinion spoke of "the right of a woman in consultation with her physician to choose an abortion," Murray says. Yet doctors and patients are all but absent from the latest Supreme Court majority opinion on abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In fact, in the opinion, Justice Samuel Alito uses the derogatory term "abortionist" instead of physician or doctor or obstetrician-gynecologist. Legal experts say that signals a major shift in how the court views abortion, and creates a perilous new legal reality for physicians. In states where abortion is restricted, health care providers may be in the position of counseling patients who want an abortion, including those facing pregnancy complications, in a legal context that treats them as potential criminals. "Alito's framing is that abortion is and was a crime – that's the language he uses," says Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. There's no dispute, she says, that "the result of a decision overruling Roe in the short term is going to be the criminalization of doctors."
 
Mississippi justices block more DNA tests in death row case
A Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that a death row inmate will not be allowed to seek additional DNA testing on crime scene evidence from the shooting deaths of two college students nearly 30 years ago. Willie Jerome Manning, now 54, remains in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. He was convicted in 1994 on two counts of capital murder in the December 1992 killings of Mississippi State University students Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller in Oktibbeha County. In 2013, shortly before Manning was scheduled to be executed, the U.S. Justice Department said there had been errors in FBI agents' testimony about ballistics tests and hair analysis in the case. Manning's attorneys asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to stop the lethal injection, and justices voted 8-1 to delay the execution to allow the testing of evidence. Manning's attorneys said they hoped DNA testing would exonerate their client, who has maintained his innocence. In 2014, they sent a rape kit, fingernail scrapings and other items to a laboratory. One of the attorneys, Rob Mink of Jackson, said the objective of the testing was to answer whether any DNA was attributable to Manning. In the ruling Thursday, a majority of state Supreme Court justices wrote that Manning received "allegedly inconclusive results" after six years of fingerprint analysis and DNA testing.
 
With no deal reached between UMMC, Blue Cross, Chaney announces network adequacy review of insurer
The 90-day grace period that allowed Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi customers to receive in-network rates at University of Mississippi Medical Center despite the hospital being outside the insurer's network expired on Friday, leaving patients with no options other than seeking their care elsewhere or taking on exorbitant out-of-pocket costs. UMMC, the state's safety net hospital, went out of network with the state's largest private insurer on April 1 due to disagreements over reimbursement rates and Blue Cross' quality care plan. The two parties agreed to enter mediation proceedings in late April, and had agreed on a mediator, Walter Johnson, by May 9, but Mississippi Insurance Commissioner says both parties are being "unreasonable," indicating they are nowhere close to a deal. When Blue Cross and UMMC used the mediation process to settle their contract dispute in 2018, it only took around 10 days to strike a deal. On Friday, Chaney sent a letter to Blue Cross, informing him that the Mississippi Insurance Department will be conducting a targeted market conduct examination of the insurer to determine whether it is in compliance with the state's network adequacy regulations. He also released a statement saying he has received many emails and calls from Mississippians caught in the middle of the dispute, and that he is disturbed by the impact the dispute is having on them.
 
The lore of 'CODELs': How foreign travel helps Congress at home
Thom Tillis and Chris Murphy's work on a once-in-a-generation gun safety bill began thousands of miles away from the Capitol, in the Western Balkans. The North Carolina Republican and the Connecticut Democrat barely knew each other at the time and had no predetermined reason to link up, especially on an issue as vexing as gun violence. They don't sit on the same Senate committees. They're from different regions. And less than two years ago, Murphy was even fundraising on behalf of Tillis' Democratic opponent. Their swing through Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo in April changed all of that. Known as a congressional delegation and abbreviated in Hill-speak to CODEL, the trip took Tillis and Murphy away from the Capitol's often vicious partisan culture and built them a relationship that proved, as the Republican explained, pivotal to the gun deal. On CODELs, "we're working 12- and 14-hour days, we're sometimes traveling two or three hours from country to country," Tillis said in an interview from Spain's capital, the site of another overseas delegation to this year's NATO summit. "And that just gets you into a position where ... you build that trust and you build that familiarity, [and] that serves as a basis for getting accomplished what we did." Many facets of official Washington can look impenetrably bureaucratic to the voters who send lawmakers there, and in some ways CODELs are no exception. But there's a reason the trips are referred to as a "secret weapon" in a gridlocked capital: For more than a half-century, visits intended to reassure allies about goings-on in the U.S. have also helped members of Congress foster rare human connections that can shape future policy -- even on issues unrelated to foreign affairs.
 
Biden Faces Fresh Domestic Challenges After Europe Summits
President Biden returned from Europe with a deal to expand the NATO alliance and plans for the biggest U.S. military footprint in the continent since the Cold War. But awaiting him back home was a host of domestic challenges, including intraparty frustration with his response to the Supreme Court's ruling overturning abortion rights, continuing economic worries and questions about the fate of his legislative agenda. Ahead of the midterm elections, Mr. Biden has to contend with a charged political environment and a raft of economic problems, including high prices for food and gasoline. Heading into the July Fourth holiday weekend, the Republican National Committee emphasized that the staples of a holiday barbecue would cost more because of inflation. Some 85% of U.S. adults say the country is on the wrong track and 79% consider the economy to be poor, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Wednesday. Only 39% of Americans approve of Mr. Biden's leadership, the poll showed, and 69% disapprove of his handling of the economy. Mr. Biden also faces challenges internationally. This month he will travel to the Middle East with stops in Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to encounter Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Mr. Biden has repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia for its human-rights record and for the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Biden also called the kingdom a pariah when he was running for president. Facing pressure over gasoline prices, Mr. Biden has tried to avoid appearing as though he is backtracking on his stance for more oil production.
 
Kamala Harris could break a record. Democrats wish she didn't have to
Vice President Kamala Harris is on pace to set an unusual record, breaking the most tie votes in the U.S. Senate. But many Democrats and progressives don't see the distinction as much of an honor. As vice president, Harris has only a few jobs prescribed in the Constitution -- succeeding the president if necessary, presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes there. The latter requirement enabled Democrats in January 2021 to take control of the evenly split Senate, raising their hopes that they might be able to eke out legislation expanding voting access, guaranteeing family leave to new parents and pouring money into combating climate change. Instead, they have been largely left frustrated by the party's inability to pass such key components of President Biden's agenda, including a bill that would legalize abortion to counter last month's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade. Harris' tiebreaking votes, in fact, have mostly been needed to unclog procedural gridlock over nominations, highlighting the limits of the Biden administration's governing power in the face of stiff partisan resistance in Congress. Harris has broken 23 tie votes since taking office and has a strong shot at surpassing the record in coming months. The only vice presidents who have broken more ties are John Adams (29) and John C. Calhoun (31), each of whom served two terms in the 17th and early 18th centuries, respectively, when the Senate was less than half its current size.
 
Cassidy Hutchinson testimony prompts reassessment of Trump legal culpability
The Jan. 6 committee's accumulating evidence against former President Trump, including testimony from White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, has strengthened a potential criminal case against him and chipped away at his most likely defense arguments, legal experts say. Hutchinson, a former special assistant to Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as the president, offered explosive testimony Tuesday, filling in gaps about officials' concerns over Trump's speech and determination to get to the Capitol that day -- and how the former president pushed ahead on both fronts. It's far from clear that the Justice Department is considering any criminal charges against Trump, even as its Jan. 6 investigation gets closer and closer to those in his orbit. One of the biggest hurdles is that most prosecution pathways against Trump require proving he acted with corrupt intent, an element the select committee has focused on proving in its own investigation. Experts say Hutchinson's testimony fleshed out the grounds for a possible case against Trump by supplying details about the president's mindset around Jan. 6 and raised important questions for follow up by prosecutors. "Assuming her evidence is corroborated, I'd say that it does add significantly to his criminal exposure almost across the board because it shows a particular state of mind that would be evidence the prosecution could submit to a jury for a number of different types of offenses," Ryan Goodman, co-director of the Reiss Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law, told The Hill.
 
Multiple criminal referrals of Trump possible, Cheney says
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection could make multiple criminal referrals of former president Donald Trump over his role in the U.S. Capitol attack, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the committee's vice chair, said in an interview that aired Sunday. "The Justice Department doesn't have to wait for the committee to make a criminal referral," Cheney said on ABC's "This Week." "And there could be more than one criminal referral." Cheney emphasized that the committee's aims were not political, but also that the Justice Department should not refrain from prosecuting Trump out of concerns about political optics if the evidence warrants criminal prosecution. "I think it's a much graver constitutional threat if a president can engage in these kinds of activities, and the majority of the president's party looks away, or we as a country decide we're not actually going to take our constitutional obligations seriously," Cheney said. Cheney went on to express grave concerns about the idea of Trump running as the GOP presidential nominee for a third time. "I think there's no question, I mean, a man as dangerous as Donald Trump can absolutely never be anywhere near the Oval Office ever again," Cheney said. The Republican Party, she said, could not survive if Trump were its 2024 presidential nominee. "Millions of people, millions of Republicans have been betrayed by Donald Trump. And that is a really painful thing for people to recognize and to admit, but it's absolutely the case," Cheney said. "And they've been betrayed by him, by 'the big lie,' and by what he continues to do and say to tear apart our country and tear apart our party."
 
The Christian Right is winning at the Supreme Court, but not in public opinion
There's an influential minority of Americans who envision the United States as a Christian nation. Lately, this group has been making significant progress in its mission. Recent rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court reversing Roe v. Wade and protecting prayer in schools are chief among these victories. These legal wins for the Christian Right, though, are happening at a time when a growing majority of Americans are strongly opposed to their views. "This is the most disproportionate power that the Christian Right has had in my lifetime," says Robert Jones, CEO and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute -- a nonpartisan group that conducts research on the intersection of politics, culture and religion. More and more white evangelical Christians are now talking about the U.S. as a Christian nation in ways that verge on or outright embrace Christian nationalism -- the idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation and its laws should be rooted in the Bible. Jones said even though the Christian Right is currently as emboldened as it's ever been in a long time, it is not winning over public opinion. "White evangelicals in particular have lost a lot of ground," Jones said. Amelia Fulbright, a progressive pastor at the Congregational Church of Austin, said religious communities should not expect to see their particular theology reflected in the country's laws. "I don't think it is the role of faith communities to use politics to impose their worldview on others," she says.
 
Highland Park shooting: 6 dead and 2 dozen others shot at parade; suspect arrested
On an idyllic summer morning, from a rooftop high above the Highland Park Independence Day parade, a gunman aimed down at the floats and lawn chairs and strollers and opened fire. The high school marching band's members sprinted for their lives, still carrying their flutes and saxophones. Bystanders scooped up young children and fled. In all, six people were killed. Some two dozen others were injured, either by rifle fire or in the stampede away from the scene. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 85. It was the Fourth of July, and the North Shore suburb of Highland Park became the latest American community to be terrorized by a mass shooting. On Monday evening, after an hourslong search, authorities arrested a person of interest: 22-year-old Robert "Bobby" Crimo III. North Chicago police spotted him and gave chase; he was ultimately arrested without incident in Lake Forest, according to the Highland Park police chief. Crimo was taken back to Highland Park as the investigation continued. Police recovered a rifle from the crime scene, and federal authorities are performing a trace to try to determine its origin. Highland Park is an affluent suburb nearly 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. In 1998, Vanity Fair magazine said the largely white and Jewish community "has the feel of a gated community without the actual gates." Michael Jordan made his home there for a time when he was with the Bulls.
 
Mississippi IHL board names interim president for Southern Miss
Joe Paul, Ph.D., will take the reigns as Interim President of The University of Southern Mississippi on July 16 to replace President Rodney Bennett, who announced his plans to step down from the position earlier this year. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning approved the transition plan for The University of Southern Mississippi at the meeting held earlier this month in Jackson. Earlier this year, Bennett announced his plans to step down from the university before the end of his contract. At the meeting, the board approved a transition plan that includes Bennett, Ph.D., continuing to serve as president of Southern Miss through July 15, 2022. Beginning July 16, Paul will begin serving as Interim President of The University of Southern Mississippi. "The Board appreciates Dr. Bennett's service to The University of Southern Mississippi," said Trustee Tom Duff, President of the Board of Trustees. I encourage all of our constituencies to join me in thanking President Rodney D. Bennett for his leadership at Southern Miss," said Dr. Paul. In addition, the Board appointed the members of the search committee for The University of Southern Mississippi President Search: Tommy Duff, co-chair; Gee Ogletree, co-chair; Jeanne Luckey; Dr. Alfred McNair Jr.; Dr. Steven Cunningham.
 
Southern Miss announces Dr. Joseph Paul as interim president
Southern Miss President Dr. Rodney Bennett's last day as the school's executive officer will be on July 15, according to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. Bennett, who has served as Southern Miss's president since 2013, will be replaced by Dr. Joseph S. Paul on an interim basis while the search for a permanent president is underway. Paul, a well-known name around the Southern Miss community, previously served 40 years as a student affairs administrator for the school before retiring in 2015. He's held multiple positions including assistant director of student activities, assistant vice president, and dean of student development. Bennett originally announced in January that he would be stepping down as president in at the end of June 2023.
 
Embry-Riddle researchers receive federal grant to improve drone safety
Researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently received a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve drone safety. The $371,000 grant will be used to study the detection systems of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), or drones, to improve the safety of their operation. "The research will inform the development of standards and requirements for the accuracy of detect-and-avoid systems, which will improve safety, especially in scenarios where there are multiple UAS operating in the same airspace," said Dr. Richard Prazenica, principal investigator of the project, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The project, which will continue through March of 2024, is a collaboration between Embry-Riddle, Mississippi State University, Ohio State University, University of North Dakota and CAL Analytics.
 
Tutwiler Hall implosion: Watch the dorm demolition at U. of Alabama
The Fourth of July fireworks kicked off early in Tuscaloosa, as the University of Alabama imploded the old Tutwiler Hall Monday at 7 a.m. Media caught the excitement from the northwest upper deck of Bryant-Denny Stadium, while UA let others view from atop the Magnolia Parking Deck at 800 Paul W. Bryant Drive. Others gathered in Evergreen Cemetery across the street from the stadium. At 7 a.m., a loud charge sounded, as a string off fireballs blew across the top floor windows and the dynamite brought the structure down in a matter of seconds. A thick cloud of dust hovered north, as the pile of rubble finally appeared in the site which UA said will become green space on campus. The implosion resulted in 30,000 tons of concrete, which UA said will be hauled to a recycling center where it will be crushed and then used for future campus projects. Built in 1968, Tutwiler Hall was the second incarnation of the girls' residence hall. The first was built in 1914 and was located on the land where Rose Administration now stands. The building was named for Julia Tutwiler, daughter of the first professor of ancient languages Henry Tutwiler, who in 1892 persuaded the 11th president of the university (Richard Channing Jones) to allow women as students. The implosion was handled by D.H. Griffin Wrecking Company from Birmingham and Dykon Explosive Demolition Corporation from Bixby, Okla. UA said about 2,000 holes were drilled in the structural columns of the building where about 675 pounds of dynamite were placed. The building came down in about 20 seconds.
 
First look: Restored east wing rises at U. of Alabama's historic Bryce Main building
Renovations at the historic Bryce Main building entered a new phase with construction on the building's east wing now underway on the University of Alabama campus. The stair and elevator towers have been erected and the steel beams and girders will begin going up soon. The east wing was so badly damaged because of time and exposure to the elements that it had become structurally unsound and had to be torn down. According to project manager Ashton Fisher and Tim Leopard, senior associate vice-president of campus development, the work is going well on the $83,750,000 Bryce Main renovation project. "The building will open up at the end of 2023. The first floor, the welcome center, and the second floor where the Alabama Department of Mental Health Museum will be in the central pavilion will be open then," Fisher said. The second and third floors of both the east and west wing will house the school of theater and dance. Leopard said he expects to move those schools into the building by around September 2026. The building will have 117,352 square feet of space when it is completed. "The east wing, we are replicating what was there and putting it back precisely as it was. The team took detailed drawings and photographs and measurements. We are putting it back exactly like it was on the exterior so the east wing will match the west wing with respect to the window openings and the finish materials and all that," Leopard said. One thing the construction crews have not encountered during their work is the ghosts said by some to inhabit the old mental health hospital. "I've been in this building all hours of the day and night and I have never seen anything, but Steve Davis with the Alabama Department of Mental Health may differ with me," Leopard said, smiling at the notion of the legendary apparitions.
 
'Going to eat it up': Rane Culinary Science Center will offer dining and lodging for community as well as training for students
The Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center is scheduled to open as Auburn students return for the fall semester on Aug. 16. The facility includes the Hey Day Market and rooftop lounge and gardens, which will open on Aug. 15. The teaching restaurant, 1856, will open Aug. 17, while The Laurel Hotel and Spa, a luxury hotel, will open on Aug. 29. Todd Scholl, director of sales and marketing at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center, said the culinary center is a public-private partnership: the building, which is owned by the university, will house the hospitality management program in the college of human sciences. "But for the building to work, there's commercial pieces to it," he said. "Every one of those pieces includes teaching opportunities for the students within the hospitality program." After an orientation at the beginning of the semester, students in these programs will be placed alongside professionals who are operating the culinary center to learn from them. Scholl said students will be assigned based on their track within the hospitality management program. On the rooftop of the Rane Center is an infinity pool available to guests of the hotel and its residents. There is also a bar and 4,000 square feet of garden space, which will provide herbs, vegetables and edible flowers to be used in 1856's kitchen. "It's going to be a spectacular venue to enjoy the sunset," Scholl said. "The highest point in Auburn, obviously, overlooking Jordan Hare Stadium and Samford Hall."
 
Changing campus culture: LSU interviews 3 for key civil rights, Title IX position
LSU is closer to having an expanded office dedicated to equal rights issues after conducting interviews with three outside candidates for a new upper-level post. After a scathing review in 2021 of how LSU handled claims of sexual harassment and abuse, LSU followed up by hiring several more employees to investigate those types of complaints and addressing them under the umbrella of the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX. The goal is to "change the culture" at Louisiana's flagship institution, its interim director said at the time. While LSU's previous Title IX investigations have happened under the general counsel's office, experts argued it was a bad model because university attorneys may square off against Title IX representatives in certain cases. The new leader will be a campus vice president instead. None of the finalists interviewed late last month currently work in Louisiana. They are: Tanya Lowery, chief compliance officer and the interim chief diversity officer at The University of Texas Permian Basin; Todd Manuel, an LSU graduate with a law degree from Southern who is currently the vice president of diversity-related issues at the Edison Electric Institute; and Nicole Roberson, director of equal opportunity and diversity at the Texas A&M system. Following upcoming campus visits, the search panel will make a recommendation to LSU President William F. Tate IV. The school has not released a timetable for when the position should be filled.
 
Kappa Alpha house at U. of Arkansas up for sale
The owner of the Kappa Alpha fraternity house built on University of Arkansas-owned land is advertising an "income stream" for sale to investors at an $8.56 million asking price. Built in 2016, the house belongs to KAAO Inc., university spokesman Mark Rushing said. It's never been assessed for taxation, according to the Washington County assessor's office. An investor would gain what's called the leasehold interest and receive an annual "net operating income" starting at $492,275, according to an online advertisement with a posting date of June 8. "The leasehold is just an income stream," said Marvin DeLaura with Fortis Net Lease, who is fielding inquiries from prospective buyers. "They don't really own anything at the end of the day." Such a deal -- described as unusual by an attorney who often works with fraternal organizations -- would involve an investor not vetted by the university, or, perhaps, the university itself. Rushing said the UA would not receive any proceeds from the deal but has the right to purchase the leasehold interest at the same financial terms offered to an investor. The type of deal being sought is unusual compared to the typical house corporations behind fraternity or sorority housing, said attorney Sean Callan, a partner with the Cincinnati, Ohio-based Manley Burke law firm who works with fraternal organizations but is not involved with the sale being advertised.
 
Hillsdale leader's comments on teachers spur Tennessee controversy
Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee has come under fire from teacher groups and education leaders in his state for sitting by as the president of Hillsdale College -- who is advising him on education policy -- referred to teachers as being trained "in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges." Lee is among the Republican governors who are turning to Hillsdale and its president, Larry Arnn, for advice on education policy. As an institution that describes itself as a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college that shuns federal funding and "social justice," Hillsdale has built a national network of charter schools and has become influential with conservative politicians such as Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida. In Tennessee, Lee has planned for Hillsdale to help it expand the role of charter schools, which has led civil liberties groups in the state to question the Michigan institution's strong religious orientation and other critics to cite Arnn's controversial past statements about race. With that backdrop, a local television station's published last week edited video footage from a private event at which Arnn, with Lee seated and listening quietly at his right, describes teachers as being trained "in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country." (Teacher education programs have come under criticism for having lower academic standards than many other programs at their institutions.) Elsewhere during his talk, Arnn said that teachers "are taught that they are going to go and do something to those kids ... Do they ever talk about anything except what they are going to do to these kids?" Criticism came fast and furious from teacher education groups and college leaders in the state.
 
U. of Missouri professor Wilson Majee to visit South Africa on grant project
A 10-month project in South Africa will give Wilson Majee a chance to pay forward some of the opportunities he received as a poor child in Zimbabwe. Majee, an associate professor in the University of Missouri School of Health Professions, is the recipient of a federal grant from the United States Fulbright Program. The grant amount is $72,950. Majee's struggles as a youth motivated him to get an education to emerge from poverty, he said. His brother and others helped him get a university education. Now he wants to help others in his situation. "I would say a hopeless way of thinking can be frustrating as a young person," Majee said. Getting an education and a good job is a way to emerge from the hopelessness, he said. "We need to find ways to create opportunities for young people to get an education and job training," he said. He will conduct community engagement research to boost community development initiatives for young people. In a 2019 study Majee authored, his research found strong mentorship programs can help connect vulnerable youth with opportunities and resources to improve their lives. A lack of higher education and employment opportunities compound challenges for disengaged youth in rural areas, found a 2021 study he wrote.
 
More Students Are Taking Optional SAT and ACT, Hoping to Stand Out
An increasing number of high-schoolers are opting to take college-entrance exams amid surging competition for admission, despite the fact that most colleges aren't requiring applicants to take them. About 1.7 million students in the high school class of 2022 took the SAT at least once, up by 200,000 from the previous cohort. The ACT was taken 2.71 million times in 2021-22 by students across all grades, slightly up from the previous year's 2.69 million, preliminary data show. Rising seniors gearing up for college applications said they are choosing to take the SAT and ACT to gain an advantage in an admissions landscape that was upended when most colleges decided to make the tests optional after the pandemic hit. More districts and states are also requiring students to take at least one standardized test as a graduation requirement or to receive state-sponsored merit scholarships. Whether an applicant should take a test in the first place, let alone send their scores, largely depends on their college list, said Joanne Lewis, director of the College Career Center at Palos Verdes High School in California. She said she always recommends students take a practice test to see how they score, then discuss those results with a counselor. Some test-optional advocates have long argued that the SAT and ACT are a barrier to admission for low-income students who can't afford exam tutors or expensive materials, and that the tests are biased against students of color.
 
Professors are leaving academe during the Great Resignation
Plant scientist Elizabeth Haswell, professor of biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute–Simons Faculty Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, is leaving at the end of the fall term for something outside academe -- she's not sure what yet. She'd been thinking about making a change for a "really long time," she said, though in retrospect, "a lot of it was subconscious." "When you get tenure, it's kind of like Stockholm syndrome," Haswell mused. "You have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get it that then you cannot let yourself admit that it's actually not worth it. And so you just keep telling yourself that there are these parts of the job that are great, which is of course true -- there are parts of the job that are fantastic. And you just focus on those and downplay all the rest of it." Then, she said, "Maybe the pandemic just made it impossible to keep up that story anymore." It's still too soon to determine to what extent the COVID-19–era Great Resignation has impacted the higher education faculty: there's no national survey to reflect current faculty departures or the reasons behind them. Bureau of Labor Statistics data do show a decline in postsecondary instructor employment between May 2020 and May 2021 (1,369,930 versus 1,340,560, respectively), but 2022 data aren't yet available. The American Association of University Professors' annual faculty salary survey report shows a slight 0.6 percent dip in overall faculty head counts between fall 2019 and fall 2021, with bigger declines at associate and master's degree–granting institutions, but of course this doesn't reflect faculty departures happening now.
 
Notes from the Brain Drain forum
The Daily Journal's Sam R. Hall writes: The Brain Drain panel discussion Thursday night was lively and -- oddly enough -- refreshing. Yes, talking policy can be refreshing, particularly when you have smart people in positions of influence who aren't afraid to speak hard truths and call out long-held notions. The smart people on the panel were David Fernandes, president of Toyota Mississippi; Scott Waller, CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council; and Rob Hairston, projects director for the Community Development Foundation. It was my honor to moderate this discussion, which was heightened by an engaged audience that asked some good questions and followed up with interesting conversations after the event concluded. ... If there was a single thread that ran throughout the evening, it would be this: Listen and adapt. Listen to what younger generations are telling us they want. Listen to what workers truly desire. And once you've heard them, take action to adapt current situations to meet these growing needs. Waller, more than once, said that those in older generations --- he would say as he pointed to his graying hair -- have to learn to change their perceptions to better understand and relate to the generations that are coming up and starting to fill roles in our communities, businesses and organizations. "Those who can adapt will survive," Waller said, leaving unsaid the reality that "those who can't adapt will not." That goes not only for businesses but for our communities and our state as a whole.
 
Supreme Court could assure abortion ban in Mississippi, or people could vote
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: For abortion to be banned in Mississippi, a 1998 Supreme Court ruling -- that "abortion is protected" under the state Constitution -- must be reversed. The most obvious way for that reversal to occur is for the same Mississippi Supreme Court, but with different judges than in 1998, to write a new decision saying abortion is not a protected right under the state Constitution. The state Supreme Court most likely will have a chance to make that reversal thanks to a lawsuit filed claiming a Mississippi trigger law banning most abortions upon the repeal of Roe v. Wade cannot go into effect because of the 1998 state Supreme Court ruling. A very conservative Supreme Court can simply reverse that 1998 decision and the trigger law can go into effect banning most abortions in the state. But another way to reverse that 1998 decision is to let the people vote. Gov. Tate Reeves could call a special session of the Mississippi Legislature for the purpose of passing a constitutional resolution. That resolution -- presumably to ban abortion or most abortions in Mississippi -- would then go before the voters. If the voters approved it, presto -- abortion would be banned. The election could take place on Nov. 8 -- the date of the already scheduled general election. But if legislators wanted, they could schedule a special election earlier to vote on the constitutional amendment to ban abortions. In the past, legislators have scheduled votes on constitutional amendments for dates other than the date of the regularly scheduled general election.


SPORTS
 
Starkville's Richardson wins Green Street Mile
Slater Richardson misses competitive running now that his days at Mississippi State are through. So he gladly made the effort to be on the starting line at 7 a.m. Monday for Tupelo's annual Green Street Mile. After all, he's been here before. At the finish line, the 22-year-old Richardson, who also ran at Starkville High School, was first in 4 minutes and 31 seconds. He won the 2020 race in 4:30 and also won here in 2017. "I miss racing," he said. "We used to run here in high school and sometimes in college. I just came here to run." Close behind was Tupelo High School runner Taylor Brown in 4:35. The top female finisher was also a Golden Wave athlete, Sophie Santucci, in 5:45. Bright sun, temperatures in the high 70s and high humidity greeted the runners who turned out for the July 4 tradition. Runner-up Brown, 15, had gone through "a long run" while training on Sunday. How long? "Thirteen miles," he said. "I ran the same time today I would run in a 1600," said Brown, who finished in 4:35. "It felt good out there." Santucci, 16, said she'd rather be running after sundown. But she was pleased with her effort in her first Green Street Mile, which followed a long layoff after suffering a broken foot.
 
USM AD Jeremy McClain talks revenue, facilities outlook after Sun Belt Conference move
Southern Miss is officially a member of the Sun Belt as of Friday morning, and Athletic Director Jeremy McClain has three items on his medium-term agenda. Level-up USM's athletic facilities. Increase fundraising. Win games. "I think all of those things are tied together," McClain told The Hattiesburg American on Friday. "We have to make sure that, in the changing landscape of college athletics, we're doing the things we need to do to remain competitive," he added. Southern Miss has seen an uptick in donation funds since the university announced its intent to join the Sun Belt last October, McClain said. He'll know the total impact later this year. McClain believes that has resulted from a reinvigorated Southern Miss donor base that can now travel more easily to games and, perhaps more importantly, envision rivalries with any number of local programs. Six Sun Belt institutions are placed within a 350-mile radius of Hattiesburg. Conference USA offered only two such universities. Southern Miss' financial position will, of course, influence its ability to complete facilities projects. The university will announce a strategic facilities plan in the coming weeks, said McClain, who signed a four-year contract extension last month. The established plan for a renovation of Reed Green Coliseum remains near the top of the athletic department's list of priorities, according to McClain. "Our focus is on trying to move the needle there and get it where we need it to be," he said.
 
Hakim McClellan ready for Mississippi Valley AD job after decade of learning from Ashley Robinson
About a decade ago, Hakim McClellan was fresh off of winning a SWAC title in the 200- meter dash and dreaming of breaking into the business of college athletics. That's when the Gulfport native met Jackson State athletic director Ashley Robinson while working a work-study job at Mississippi Valley State. Robinson, who was MVSU's athletic director at the time, saw McClellan's drive and determination early on. "He has a vision. He's very aggressive and he asks a lot of questions," said Robinson, who was named Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year on Tuesday. "He has a big vision for what he wants to do. He loves athletics, being a former athlete. His determination, drive, character, and integrity are all huge. He has a very big heart and he loves to see student athletes and coaches be very successful." Robinson and McClellan stayed in touch after McClellan graduated, and it kicked off a mentorship that helped jump start McClellan's career in working compliance. They worked together at MVSU, Prairie View, and Jackson State. "He's a mentor, a brother, all the above," McClellan said. "All of that, with the attributes to show how to be a leader. He's given me so much advice, I can't even begin to tell you." Now, they're set to compete against each other in the SWAC. McClellan was named Athletic Director at Mississippi Valley State last month.
 
After a year of NIL compensation for Texas colleges, questions still remain about its future
Beginning on July 1 last year, college athletes in Texas took to social media to peddle their "brand" for some extra pocket money, letting businesses know that they open for deals. That day Texas Senate Bill 1385 took effect, legislatively firing up the engine that is name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation for student-athletes across the state. Fast forward a year and almost every Power Five conference program in the country has a limited liability company managing NIL rights for its athletes worth reported millions of dollars, while head coaches have been taking verbal shots at each other on the legality of their players' deals. The disjoined way in which NIL has been installed has created questions of its future sustainability. For now those questions will continue to be answered at the state level. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick placed the state's NIL bill on a legislative monitoring charge while the state legislature is out of session. The charge asks that the Senate Higher Education Committee look at the implementation of the legislation and make recommendations for improvements or enhancements. Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-District 5), who represents the Bryan-College Station area, was a co-sponsor of the NIL bill. For him, it was necessary to keep the state of Texas in the mix for championships. "It's about competitiveness and maintaining that," Schwertner said. "Football is important in Texas. In addition, it's fairness to those athletes. To allow laws for students to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness, I think it's appropriate and right that we pass a law that is fair and appropriate for those student athletes."
 
'There's So Many Questions': Sports-Realignment Shocker Could Mean a Sea Change for Higher Ed
Two California universities announced Thursday they are leaving the Pac-12 athletic conference to join the Big Ten. The move is poised to send shockwaves through higher education -- with revenue gains, athletes' well-being, and the organization of college athletics as a whole at stake. The University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California will become the 15th and 16th members of the Big Ten, effective 2024, the conference announced Thursday. The move comes less than a year after the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas at Austin announced their plans to leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. According to Karen Weaver, who teaches at University of Pennsylvania about the business of college sports, the two recent moves were made with seemingly the same motivation in mind: money. She estimated that UCLA and USC each stood to make as much as $30 million more per year as members of the Big Ten, thanks to far more lucrative payouts from the conference's TV deal, which is expected to be finalized in the coming months. "Simply, they bet on something that just didn't pan out," Weaver said of the two universities' membership in the Pac-12. "Their revenues are so far behind what the Big Ten is projected to get in their next round, and what the SEC is already getting and will continue to get with Texas and Oklahoma. They had no hope that the Pac-12 would ever be able to close that gap." Experts say other colleges might feel similar financial pressure to join the Big Ten and SEC, shifting the college-athletics landscape from the "Power Five" conferences to two super conferences -- and leaving institutions that can't make the switch struggling to keep up.
 
USC, UCLA and the Big Ten: How and why the stunning move went down
Inside one of college football's cathedrals last September, Oregon swarmed the Ohio Stadium field in a joyous postgame celebration after stunning the Buckeyes in a rousing early-season upset. It was a signature win for then coach Mario Cristobal, a rare victory by the West in the East and a crowning moment for new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. High above the field that day within the Ohio State press box, Kliavkoff and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren strode side by side through the hallways -- seemingly fast friends, business partners and likeminded men whose collective interest was calming the college sports landscape after the SEC's big splash. In fact, in one of his first moves as the league's leader, Kliavkoff had struck what seemed like a landmark deal on the heels of Texas's and Oklahoma's moves from the Big 12 to the SEC. He convinced the Big Ten and ACC to form an alliance where they collectively agreed not to poach each other's members, a pact that featured no binding contract but was termed a "gentleman's agreement." Now, less than 10 months later, the Alliance is dead. The Big Ten is expanding. The Pac-12 is scrambling. And for a second straight summer, a pair of blueblood sports programs -- this time, UCLA and USC -- have delivered a seismic move that will have far-reaching impacts on the college sports landscape. "This is a sea change," says an administrator in the Big 12. "This is two founding members of the league that's won the most national championships in the nation." The news crashed through college sports like a tidal wave, shocking administrators and fans.
 
Conference realignment makes another seismic shift
Conference realignment in college sports has been going on since 1984, when the Supreme Court invalidated the NCAA's national television contract for football. The conference juggling has gone through ebbs and flows through the years since, from small schools bumping up to bigger leagues to power programs switching to other major conferences. The latest move, Southern California and UCLA bolting the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, could be part of a tectonic shift. Not just because of the marquee schools involved, but because it happened at a time when the NCAA is looking to take a more decentralized approach to governing college athletics, handing more power to schools and conferences. "You might think this is more seismic because it's involving wealthier schools -- and arguably it is -- but also it's seismic because of the underpinnings of the system, the foundations of the system, are being challenged at a time when the financial structure is exploding," Smith College economics professor Andrew Zimbalist said Friday. "It may have larger ramifications, but it is a process that's been ongoing." At the core, it's all about the TV. The SEC has a $3 billion deal with ESPN that's set to kick in in 2024 and the Big Ten is currently negotiating a massive media rights deal. The Pac-12 has floundered when it comes to TV as the conference's network has struggled to gain footing while many of its games are played late at night. With costs to run college athletic programs have climbed in recent years, exacerbated by the pandemic, moving to an even bigger conference provides more financial stability. For the Big Ten, adding UCLA and USC gives the conference a foothold in the nation's second-largest media market.
 
Title IX, transgender athletes to be considered separately
Last month the Biden administration proposed a new set of Title IX rules that would expand protections for transgender students in college. However, it still remains unclear how the department will address transgender students' participation in athletics. The department will conduct a separate rule-making process that is expected to focus heavily on transgender students' participation in sports. Laws around transgender students' participation in sports are swiftly changing around the nation as political divides on the issue grow. So far 20 states have passed legislation barring transgender students from participating in sports that align with their gender identity. The laws, however, typically focus on students in K-12 schools and do not apply to colleges. The new proposal released last week on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 -- the law that prohibits discrimination based on sex at all federally funded schools and colleges -- would explicitly bar discrimination and harassment against students based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The separate rule-making process on athletics, with a focus on transgender athletes, is the first to be issued in the history of the Education Department. Both advocates and critics of transgender athletes are upset that the department will be issuing a separate set of rules around transgender athletes. Advocates would prefer the administration to extend blanket protections for transgender athletes through Title IX as opposed to extensive regulations, while critics argue that protections for transgender athletes should be scrapped.



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