| Wednesday, July 20, 2022 |
| Record Numbers: Mississippi universities preparing for larger than usual participants going through rush | |
 | Mississippi's universities are expecting large numbers of students to participate in rush this year, which will make it more competitive. However, both the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University are adding Alpha Chi Omega to their Panhellenic community, which will add another option for students. Mississippi State's Panhellenic President Lindsey McCurdy said they are planning to have about 900 students participate. "The number of students who register for recruitment every year typically increases, especially as the number of incoming students increases," McCurdy said. McCurdy said MSU has undergone an expansion and added a brand new chapter to the campus, which will provide students with nine chapters to meet and get to know throughout the recruitment process. "Our community is really growing and this can be seen by the addition of our ninth Panhellenic sorority," McCurdy said. "This happens when you have continued growth and interest in our Greek community. We are excited about this addition, and our newest chapter Alpha Chi Omega has already seen growth and involvement in our community during their first year on-campus and rich engagement of students on many college campuses across the country. We are looking forward to seeing them continue to grow as well as build a new house in our Greek houses." |
| Mississippi adds mill capacity | |
 | Mississippi has gained new timber mills over the last 18months, and producers have seen timber prices rise since last year. In 2021, the timber industry, which is one of the state's top five most valuable agricultural commodities, ranked third with an estimated production value of nearly $1.29 billion. "Other than pine pulpwood, prices for all major stumpage products are up from the first quarter of 2021," said Shaun Tanger, forestry economics specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Tanger said new sawmill construction and expansions by existing mills seems to be fostering optimism despite the caution around prices. Tanger said more mills and conservative price increases indicate that the next five to seven years could bring more positive changes for landowners. "The silver lining for landowners is that wood is moving and should continue to move with all the added mill capacity," he said. "Prices are up from last year. They are also up for loggers, but so too are costs. The logging workforce is really being pinched right now due in part to high fuel costs." Some wood mills are increasing the price they pay in some circumstances to help loggers with this issue. But mills may not continue to do this if fuel prices continue to rise, Tanger said. The same may not be true for timber prices. "I'm not sure prices are going to continue to rise for stumpage as the markets have seemed to pause in response to the recent interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve Board," Tanger said. |
| Food Briefs: Catfish producers struggle despite high market prices | |
 | Catfish producers in Mississippi are receiving good prices for their products, but their continued profitability faces challenges from high heat and high costs for feed and fuel. Mississippi has 34,100 acres of catfish ponds found mostly in the Delta, with some scattered in Noxubee, Lowndes and Chickasaw counties in east Mississippi. This figure is down 600 acres from 2021, but pond acreage has stabilized in the last few years. At its high point, the state's catfish industry had 112,700 acres in production. According to Jimmy Avery, Mississippi State University Extension aquaculture professor at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, the catfish industry is confronted with many challenges. "Farmers are receiving record prices for their fish, but this increased income is being eroded by high feed prices and high fuel prices," Avery said. There are only eight catfish processing plants in the state, which has led to some delays in getting fish scheduled for processing this year. Continuing strong demand for catfish is helping keep prices high, which is a bright spot. Ganesh Kumar, an aquaculture economist in Stoneville, said catfish producers were receiving between $1.25 and $1.35 a pound in mid-July for their fish. |
| Starkville eyeing tax increase for salaries | |
| The Starkville board of aldermen is considering a 1-mill property tax increase for Fiscal Year 2023. It voted at Tuesday's meeting to advertise for a public hearing on the budget that would include the increase. The proposed increase would primarily help fund $1.1 million in salary increases across general fund departments, of which the police and fire departments are the largest. Any tax increase would be approved for the budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. "This year, the impetus for this really came from the vacancies that we're seeing in the police department and the fire department, and the difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees --- particularly in those departments but across the board in all departments," Ward 2 Alderwoman and Budget Chairwoman Sandra Sistrunk said. Sistrunk explained that while the city has seen increased revenue and expects to continue to see increased revenue, it isn't enough to cover expenses and avoid a tax increase. Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp explained that while he is in favor of salary increases, he is not in favor of increasing taxes. "The amount we're talking about is just little over 2 percent of the budget, and I think we can find that somewhere else," he said. "On principle, I'm against tax increases. ...I think we can find another way to pay these guys." |
| Lowndes facility to aid in launching future Virgin Galactic spaceships into orbit | |
| A Lowndes County aerospace manufacturing facility will assist in designing and manufacturing a unique aircraft, which will help launch spaceships into orbit. Virgin Galactic, a space travel company, offers commercial space flights to clients wishing to experience weightlessness and to see Earth from orbit. A flight costs $450,000; potential customers must first put down a $150,000 deposit according to Virgin Galactic communications specialist Jeff Michael. They announced a partnership with Aurora Flight Sciences, which maintains a facility near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, to design and manufacture its next-generation motherships. Aurora is owned by Boeing. Virgin Galactic's mothership is a large aircraft that carries the company's spaceship to an altitude of 50,000 feet before releasing it. The spaceship then uses its own thrust to continue the journey into outer space. Aurora will build two of these motherships at its facilities in Columbus and Bridgeport, West Virginia. Final assembly will be completed at the Virgin Galactic facility and headquarters in Mojave, California. The two-vehicle contract will enable Aurora to immediately begin development. The new motherships are expected to start flying missions in 2025. |
| Topgolf announces plans to open in Ridgeland | |
 | There will soon be two golf entertainment companies in Madison County. After GolfSuites announced its foray into Madison The City recently, Topgolf has now announced its plans to locate off Interstate 55 in Ridgeland, northeast of the Renaissance at Colony Park. "We are thrilled to be joining the Greater Jackson community and look forward to welcoming those in and around the capital city," said Topgolf Chief Development Officer Chris Callaway in a statement. "As a company focused on enabling more people to play the game of golf, we feel the Jackson area is a perfect place to kick off our growth within the region." It is expected that GolfSuites will build off Galleria Parkway in Madison and that construction will be complete by spring 2023. According to a press release, the two-level Topgolf venue will feature 60 climate-controlled outdoor hitting bays, chef-driven menu items, top-shelf drinks, music and year-round programming. The Topgolf venue will be fully equipped with Topgolf's proprietary Toptracer technology to accurately trace the flight path of golf balls. Topgolf's Ridgeland venue will employ approximately 200 people. |
| La-Z-Boy finalizes closure of Newton upholstery plant | |
| More than two years after it was first announced, La-Z-Boy announced on Monday it had finalized the closure of its upholstery plant in Newton. La-Z-Boy said the plant closure will be effective Sept. 16, with approximately 180 employees being affected by the closure. An additional 235 employees working in integrated internal supply and other positions will continue to work at the Newton location. The company first announced the closure in June 2020 as part of a global reduction in staffing across all its divisions. At the time, La-Z-Boy said production would shift to its plants in Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. After the initial announcement, a surge in demand prompted the furniture manufacturer to temporarily reopen the facility in October 2020. Since first announcing the closure, the company said it had added manufacturing capacity and rebalanced its production in North America to be more efficient. La-Z-Boy's Newton location accounts for less than 5% of the company's upholstery production, the company said in an announcement. That number is down from 10% of upholstery production cited in the initial closure announcement. |
| Homebuilders' confidence in housing market plummets | |
| The July survey from the National Association of Home Builders saw the largest decline in confidence among homebuilders in the nearly four-decade history of the index except for the early days of the pandemic. Rising materials costs. A supply chain mess. A labor shortage. Those were the big challenges Birmingham, Alabama, homebuilder Alicia Huey said she was already up against. "We're living every day trying to keep our head above water because it takes so much longer to build a house these days," Huey said. Huey, who's also NAHB's first vice chair, said with Federal Reserve interest rate hikes pushing mortgage rates higher, "that has kicked a lot of people out of the market." Confidence fell from a reading of 67 to 55 in the NAHB survey, in which 13% of builders reported cutting prices to encourage sales. As the housing market shows signs of softening, some builders are considering putting projects on the rental market. And the U.S. needs more affordable rentals, said Barbara Fields, a vice president at Abt Associates. "We simply, since the last recession, have not gotten up to building at the level we need to be," Fields said. About 10% of single-family homebuilding is dedicated to rentals, said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz, "whether that's the builder holding the home and renting it or selling it to an investor. That's about triple the historical market share. And we expect that part of the industry to grow as interest rates remain elevated." |
| McLean: State must do more for women, children | |
| If District 39 Rep. Dana McLean leaned into one message Tuesday at the Columbus Rotary Club, it was doing more for women. McLean is serving her first term in the legislature. She was elected in 2019. McLean works as a Realtor and is also a lawyer. In the wake of the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, she said the state must do more for women and children. In June the court used a Mississippi lawsuit, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, to strike down the federal right to an abortion, instead turning the issue over to states. In the wake of the decision many states, including Mississippi, have partially or wholly banned abortions. "There are so many single mothers, and we must do more for the education of their children," McLean told Rotary club members at Lion Hills Center. "We need to see more of a pre-kindergarten program and more affordable child care. We also need to improve the foster care program, make adoption more affordable and vet those future parents very well." Child care for new mothers also needs to be extended, she said. In other action, McLean highlighted the passage of Buddy's Law, which has to do with the torture of animals. "Buddy is a dog that was burned severely by a child," she said. "... There was nothing that could be done to the child. Buddy's Law will require psychiatric evaluation for any child charged with 'the intentional torturing, mutilating, maiming, burning, starving to death, crushing, disfiguring, drowning, suffocating or impaling' of a domesticated dog or cat." The dog survived the encounter and was treated at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary medicine. Buddy attended the signing, McLean said. |
| Hulum wins special election for Mississippi House seat | |
 | Voters in south Mississippi have filled an empty seat in the state House of Representatives. Military veteran Jeffrey Hulum III won a special election Tuesday in House District 119 in Harrison County. He defeated Gary Fredericks, president of the Gulfport branch of the NAACP. Candidates run without party labels in Mississippi special elections, but Hulum and Fredericks both previously ran for office as Democrats. Hulum will finish the four-year term that expires in January 2024. He succeeds Democrat Sonya Williams-Barnes of Gulfport, who resigned in May to become Mississippi policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Williams-Barnes had served since January 2012. Hulum unsuccessfully challenged Williams-Barnes in the 2019 Democratic primary. |
| As Dennery's Restaurant in Jackson tumbles, master plan for state fairgrounds moves forward | |
| Once a popular place to dine in the Capital City, Dennery's Restaurant has now been torn down. Its demolition comes as part of a decade-long plan to expand and clean up the state fairgrounds. "We're going to create some beautiful landscaping and iconic imagery that when people look into downtown Jackson, Mississippi, they'll say, 'This is a really nice place to visit,'" Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson said. Dennery's is only the first building to go along Greymont Street. Next up is the OYO hotel. The Dennery's property will open up a total of 300 additional parking spaces for the state fairgrounds prior to the state fair in October. Another 300 spaces will become available after the OYO comes down, but Gipson doesn't expect that to happen until after the fair. Third in line is the Regency Hotel and Conference Center if the state manages to acquire it. Last month, Gipson explained that the Department of Finance and Administration and the owners of Regency both have to submit their own appraisals for the property. Nearly five weeks later, he couldn't say whether that's been done on Regency's end. "I do know that the state has made a good faith offer, and I think that they'll probably get together within the next few weeks," he said. |
| Mississippi clinic drops challenge of near-ban on abortion | |
| Mississippi's last abortion clinic on Tuesday dropped its lawsuit that sought to block the state from enforcing a law that bans most abortions. The action came a day after clinic owner Diane Derzis told The Associated Press that she had sold Jackson Women's Health Organization, the facility that was at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade. Derzis also said she had no intention to reopen the clinic, even if a state court allowed her to do so. "If the clinic is not in a position to reopen in Mississippi, it no longer has a basis to pursue this case in the courts," Rob McDuff, a Mississippi Center for Justice attorney who was among those representing the clinic in the lawsuit, said in a statement Tuesday. Derzis said the furniture and equipment from Jackson Women's Health Organization have been moved to a new abortion clinic she will open soon in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Jackson clinic is best known as the Pink House because of its bright paint job. Because the clinic is dropping its lawsuit, the Mississippi Supreme Court will not issue a new ruling that might contradict its own 1998 decision. |
| Mississippi abortion clinic drops lawsuit asking courts to let it reopen | |
 | Mississippi's only abortion clinic is dropping its lawsuit against state officials that sought a court order granting it permission to reopen, according to a press release from the clinic's attorneys. Attorneys with the Mississippi Center for Justice, who represented the clinic, said in a statement they were dropping the legal challenge because state judges had declined to consider the case quickly and because the clinic's owner recently sold the clinic building. "If the clinic is not in a position to reopen in Mississippi, it no longer has a basis to pursue this case in the courts," said Rob McDuff, a Mississippi Center for Justice attorney. Michelle Williams, the chief of staff at the AG's office, told the Daily Journal in a statement that the office is "pleased that the laws enacted by the people of Mississippi through their elected legislators can go into effect unimpeded by this litigation." Now that the clinic has dropped its legal challenge, there is no major legal challenge to the state's abortion ban, a 2007 law adopted by the Legislature, that prohibits doctors from performing abortions unless the life of the mother is at stake or unless the pregnancy was the result of a rape that's been reported to law enforcement. |
| Longtime Jackson businessman looking to buy the Pink House | |
| Jackson's last abortion clinic closed its doors this week following the Supreme Court's controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. While the clinic was operating, people for and against abortions were often seen and heard expressing their beliefs outside the Pink House. However, with the clinic now closing its doors, things will look and sound a lot different in the neighborhood. "The whole neighborhood has been waiting for this day," said Mike Peters, a longtime Jackson businessman who's looking to buy the building. Peters also owns Fondren Corner, which is directly across the street from the abortion clinic, and said he knows just how challenging things have been for businesses in the area. "This has hurt them, not from a political standpoint or any of that, but just all of the turmoil has hurt, and so I felt a need to try to buy it," he said. "Hopefully, put something else in here that's noncontroversial, and that will give them a chance just to do business in peace." Peters said the idea of buying the building started becoming a reality when he realized the possibility of the clinic being shut down due to Roe v. Wade being overturned. "She (the owner of the clinic) reached out to me and said would you be interested in buying it," Peters recalled. "We'd been talking about it for a month, and finally, we put the deal together." |
| Abortion clinic drops its lawsuit, leaving legality of abortion in Mississippi in limbo | |
| Attorneys for Jackson Women's Health Organization announced Tuesday it was dropping its legal efforts to continue to perform abortions in Mississippi. Rob McDuff, an attorney for the Mississippi Center for Justice who represented the clinic, said the failure of the state Supreme Court to hear the case "on an emergency basis" led to the decision for Jackson Women's Health Organization to drop the lawsuit and to relocate to another state where abortions are not banned. The clinic was the last abortion provider in the state. With the decision to drop the lawsuit, left unresolved is the 1998 state Supreme Court decision in Pro-Choice Mississippi v. Kirk Fordice that recognized the right to abortion as part of the Mississippi Constitution. After that decision was issued, the state Legislature in 2007 passed a law saying most abortions would be banned in Mississippi if the U.S. Supreme Court ever stripped away the right to an abortion as part of the federal Constitution. And in 2019 the state Legislature passed a ban on all abortions after six weeks except in cases of medical emergencies. State officials said those laws took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in late June overturned Roe v. Wade, which granted the right to an abortion, in a case involving Jackson Women's Health Organization. |
| Crowd protests relocation of abortion clinic to New Mexico | |
| Anti-abortion activists from across the country converged in southern New Mexico on Tuesday to protest relocation plans by the Mississippi clinic at the center of the court battle that overturned Roe v. Wade, but New Mexico's governor vowed not to back down from her support for access to abortions. Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is running for reelection, tweeted hours before the protest that access remains legal and safe in her state. "New Mexicans understand the right to make personal decisions about one's own reproductive health care -- and we won't go back," she wrote. The crowd gathered in triple-digit temperatures near the location where Jackson Women's Health Organization plans to open its new clinic next week. Some held signs that read "Pray to End Abortion" and "Vote Your Values." They heard from the leader of a local Catholic parish, a university student group and activists from Texas and Mississippi who talked about their experiences shutting down abortion clinics elsewhere. "We're just trying to tie up loose ends," Diane Derzis, owner of Las Cruces Women's Health Organization, told The Associated Press on Monday. Derzis was not bothered by Tuesday's gathering, saying she has seen protests for years at other abortion clinics she has owned in Mississippi and elsewhere. "It's not a big deal," she said. "That's life at an abortion clinic." |
| Women Face Risks as Doctors Struggle With Medical Exceptions on Abortion | |
 | Each of the 13 states with bans on abortions allows for some exemption to save the life of the mother or to address a serious risk of "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function." But making that determination has become fraught with uncertainty and legal risk, doctors in several states said, with many adding that they have already been forced to significantly alter the care they provide to women whose pregnancy complications put them at high risk of harm. Last week, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued the Biden administration over federal guidelines that required doctors to perform an abortion, even in states with abortion bans, if they determined it was necessary to treat dangerous pregnancy complications. Amid the legal wrangling, hospitals have struggled with where and how to draw the line. Some have enlisted special panels of doctors and lawyers to decide when a pregnancy can be prematurely. ended. Others have required multiple doctors to sign off on any such decision and document in detail why an abortion was necessary. The result has delayed treatment and heightened risk, doctors said. "It's like you bring lots of people to the top of a high rise and push them to the edge and then catch them before they fall," said Dr. Alireza A. Shamshirsaz, an obstetrician and fetal surgeon who practiced in Houston until last month. "It's a very dangerous way of practicing. All of us know some of them will die." |
| Embryonic Research Could Be the Next Target After 'Roe' | |
 | Two weeks after the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion, Ye Yuan heard from a woman who wanted to reverse her decision to donate her embryos to scientific research. The woman -- who contacted Yuan anonymously through a fertility counselor -- was fearful that if the law in Colorado changed to make it illegal to discard or experiment on human embryos, then she would be forced to have hers frozen indefinitely. In a year, or five years, might a law change to stop her from having the final say over what happened to them? In states where human embryonic research is legal, people undergoing IVF are often given the choice to donate any excess fertilized embryos to scientific research. These are sometimes used to search for potential treatments for diseases such as diabetes or, as in Yuan's case, to research ways to make IVF more successful. "Those discarded embryos are really one of the key pieces for us to maintain the high quality of our platform here," says Yuan, who is research director at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM). But in the wake of the Dobbs verdict, he is worried that people will be less likely to donate their spare embryos for research and, down the line, that embryonic research could become the next target of antiabortion campaigners. The majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito doesn't single out IVF or human embryonic research, but his choice of words to describe abortion could be seen as also being applicable to embryos outside the body, says Glenn Cohen, a bioethicist and professor of law at Harvard Law School. |
| Hospital system says it's hurt by lack of Medicaid expansion | |
| A county-owned Mississippi hospital system that wants to put itself up for sale says one of its main financial challenges is the decision by the state's elected officials not to extend Medicaid to provide insurance coverage for the working poor. "Mississippi is one of 12 states that did not adopt a Medicaid expansion, which means the amount of income that would have gone to health systems in our state is slated to decrease, significantly impacting hospitals like Singing River that provide significant care for underinsured and uninsured populations," Singing River Health System says in a website that promotes its reasons for seeking new ownership. Singing River Health System is owned by coastal Jackson County. The system operates hospitals in Pascagoula, Gulfport and Ocean Springs. It also has about three dozen clinics and more than 3,500 employees. Trustees of the system announced June 1 that they had voted to put it up for sale or to seek a merger with another health system. For years, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and leaders of the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature have killed proposals to expand Medicaid, a government health insurance program funded by the federal and state governments. Although the federal government would pay most of the tab for expansion and that would put billions of dollars into the state, Reeves and others have said repeatedly that they don't want to enroll more people in the public program. |
| Senate Votes 64-34 to Advance Chips Bill | |
 | A bipartisan bill subsidizing domestic semiconductor production cleared its first procedural hurdle on Tuesday in a 64-34 vote, even as the details of the legislation were still being worked out. The legislation would provide roughly $52 billion in subsidies to encourage chip companies to boost production in the U.S., seen by the White House and leaders of both parties as a critical national-security need. Lawmakers worked until late Tuesday to negotiate other elements in the competitiveness package, dubbed USICA. The vote paves the way for a larger package that would include additional funding for scientific research. Ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he would use the result to gauge whether there was enough Republican support for the additional funding, which has been under negotiation for more than a year. Tuesday's motion needed only 51 votes to pass, but Mr. Schumer said because it received more than 60 votes, enough to comfortably overcome a Senate filibuster and advance, he would move forward with adding the science funding. That would back early-stage research using technology in water systems, technology and behavioral health, precision agriculture and other sectors. It would also bolster technology education. |
| Army tells House panel of enormous personnel shortfalls | |
 | The U.S. Army is hemorrhaging people. The Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Joseph M. Martin, confirmed at a House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness hearing on Tuesday that the regular Army is poised to fall nearly 19,000 soldiers short of its staffing target, or end strength, in fiscal 2022. Looking ahead to fiscal 2023, Martin essentially said the service will be lucky to fall only 18,000 short of its goal. Shortfalls in recruiting and retaining National Guard and Army Reserve personnel were not specified at the hearing. But similar shortfalls in hitting a target of 525,000 Army reservists would come on top of the missing regular Army soldiers. "That's alarming," said Rep. Jackie Speier, who chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, referring to the end strength shortfalls at Tuesday's hearing. On top of those gaps, the Army may soon discharge another 20,000 soldiers, in both the regular and reservist forces, who have refused to get the coronavirus vaccine. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has yet to announce a decision on those cases. The reasons abound behind the shrinking pool of those willing and able to join the Army and to stay in it. The factors range from a challenging post-pandemic recruiting environment to signs of declining morale among those currently in the service to a population of potential recruits that has shrunk due to factors such as obesity and lack of education. |
| House Passes Bill to Protect Same-Sex and Interracial Marriages | |
| The House passed a bill that would provide protection for same-sex and interracial marriage under federal law, with Democratic lawmakers saying the recent Supreme Court ruling ending abortion rights could endanger other precedents. The 267-157 vote on the Respect for Marriage Act comes the same week the chamber is also set to vote on the Right to Contraception Act. Both pieces of legislation would enshrine into law rights not enumerated in the Constitution but that the court has recognized in recent decades. Senate Democrats haven't said if they will schedule votes on the House bills. With these votes, Democrats are challenging Republicans to line up behind rights favored by most Americans. On the marriage bill, 47 GOP lawmakers joined with all Democrats in support, while other Republicans dismissed it as a political stunt to protect rights that don't need protecting. Rep. Mike Johnson (R., La.) said that Democrats proposed the legislation so they could run ads in an election cycle. "This bill is just another superfluous exercise, this bill is completely unnecessary," he said on the House floor. Democrats are seen as the underdogs in November's midterm elections in the House, and they have been rolling out a series of votes related to hot-button social issues. Many of the Republican "yes" votes came from lawmakers representing competitive districts, while other support came from some conservative members who are from coastal, populous states such as New York, California and Florida. |
| Jan. 6 panel chairman has COVID, prime-time hearing still on | |
| Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee, has tested positive for COVID-19, but the panel will still hold its prime-time hearing on Thursday, according to a spokesman for the panel. Thompson, D-Miss., announced Tuesday that he tested positive for the virus on Monday and is experiencing mild symptoms. Thompson, 74, said he will be isolating for the next several days, but Jan. 6 committee spokesman Tim Mulvey said the committee's eighth hearing this summer will proceed. He did not say if Thompson will participate virtually. The news of Thompson's diagnosis comes as the nine-member panel is preparing for the hearing, which is expected to focus on what President Donald Trump was doing in the White House on Jan. 6, 2021 for several hours as his supporters were breaking into the Capitol and interrupting the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory. Two White House aides who resigned immediately afterward are expected to testify, according to a person familiar with the hearing's lineup. Matthew Pottinger, former deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, a former deputy press secretary, are expected to testify, according to the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and requested anonymity. |
| Secret Service cannot recover texts; no new details for Jan. 6 committee | |
 | The U.S. Secret Service has determined it has no new texts to provide Congress relevant to its Jan. 6 investigation, and that any other texts its agents exchanged around the time of the 2021 attack on the Capitol were purged, according to a senior official briefed on the matter. Also, the National Archives on Tuesday sought more information on "the potential unauthorized deletion" of agency text messages. The U.S. government's chief record-keeper asked the Secret Service to report back to the Archives within 30 days about the deletion of any records, including describing what was purged and the circumstances of how the documentation was lost. The law enforcement agency, whose agents have been embroiled in the Jan. 6 investigation because of their role shadowing and planning President Donald Trump's movements that day, is expected to share this conclusion with the Jan. 6 committee in response to its Friday subpoena for texts and other records. The agency, which made this determination after reviewing its communication databases over the past four days, will provide thousands of records, but nearly all of them have been shared previously with an agency watchdog and congressional committees, the senior official said. None is expected to shed new light on the key matters the committee is probing, including whether Trump attacked a Secret Service agent, an account a senior White House aide described to the Jan. 6 committee. |
| As Biden eyes 2024, one person weighs heavily: Trump | |
| President Biden for most of his life has engaged in a near-quadrennial regimen of deciding whether he can, should or will run for president -- giving perhaps more thought, over a longer period of time, to that question than anyone in American history. He's about to undertake a similar process in the coming months, one that will involve discussions with his wife, Jill -- perhaps in quiet moments during their upcoming vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Del. -- along with considerations of how a run would affect his family, including potential congressional investigations of his son. But as the president weighs his options, according to those close to him, one person looms largest over his decision: the man he's often tried to ignore, the one whose legacy he's worked to erase, the one he's simply called "the former guy." Biden was motivated to run for office in large part because he saw himself as best positioned to defeat President Donald Trump. He still considers knocking Trump out of the White House one of his major contributions to America's welfare. And with Trump looming as the potential Republican nominee -- he's eyeing a September announcement -- Biden maintains that he is still best positioned to beat him. The dynamic creates an odd codependency between the two septuagenarians. For Trump, a rematch would give him an opportunity to underline his false claims that he was the real winner in 2020. For Biden, it would be a chance to put an exclamation point on his unseating of Trump and show that his win was no fluke. |
| Covid cases are skyrocketing again. States have no new plans. | |
 | State health officials are out of ideas. They've told people to wear masks, socially distance and avoid crowds. They've reminded people about the availability of life-saving therapeutics. They've pleaded with people to get vaccinated and boosted. As the latest and most transmissible Covid-19 variant has sent case numbers skyward, with hospitalizations and deaths also rising, the response from state officials has been largely muted, a concession to the reality that their messages rarely resonate and that most people -- even, and sometimes especially, politicians -- are ready to move on. "When you've said the same thing over and over about being vaccinated, being boosted, that if you're vulnerable and you're indoors with people who are not part of your household and you can't distance, you need to wear a mask -- I mean, the message hasn't changed since the very beginning," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, told POLITICO. "But the receptivity to the messaging, I mean, there's only so much of that people are going to consume, and it becomes a diminishing return at some point, too." The fear, expressed in both red and blue states, is that if state officials sound the alarm on this Covid surge too early, the public won't listen later if hospital capacity becomes strained, or the number of daily deaths starts to rapidly increase. |
| Microsoft is adding video stories to Teams to liven up the chat app | |
| Microsoft on Tuesday announced Viva Engage, a new portal coming to the Teams communication app that will let co-workers share video stories documenting their activities. It might inject more life into Teams. The chat app had more than 270 million monthly active users as of January. It's the centerpiece of Microsoft Office, which contributes almost 23% of the company's $49 billion in quarterly revenue. Similar capabilities came earlier to Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and even Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. Twitter and LinkedIn both discontinued their stories features in 2021. But inside companies and governments, communication is not always colorful. Workers tend to communicate through emails, documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Microsoft's change may make things a bit more lively, especially for younger people who are accustomed to finding out what's happening using short-form videos. The stories feature will come to Teams for no additional charge on top of Office subscriptions later this summer. It will eventually launch in Microsoft's Outlook and Yammer applications, the company said. |
| Ole Miss alumna named Marshall-Motley Scholar | |
| University of Mississippi alumna Arielle Hudson, the university's first female African American Rhodes Scholar, plans to draw upon her experience in an inequitable primary education system as a Marshall-Motley Scholar. The Marshall-Motley Scholars Program, named for NAACP Legal Defense Fund founder and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and civil rights litigator Constance Baker Motley, is developing a corps of 50 civil rights attorneys over the course of five years. Hudson is part of the second cohort and is the first UM alumnus to become a Marshall-Motley Scholar. The future litigators receive full scholarships to law school, living expense stipends, special training opportunities, summer internships and a two-year postgraduate fellowship with a civil rights organization in the South. The program was established and is administered by the Legal Defense Fund. Hudson plans to enroll at Yale Law School in August after graduating from Oxford University in July. She earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from UM in 2020 and is the school's 27th Rhodes Scholar. |
| OPD, UPD partner with FBI and Attorney General in search for missing UM student | |
| The Oxford Police Department and University Police Department have partnered with the Oxford Field Office of the FBI and the Mississippi Attorney General's Office for additional resources and assistance in the search for missing Ole Miss student Jimmie "Jay" Lee. Lee, 20, was last seen leaving Campus Walks Apartments at 5:58 a.m. on July 8 wearing a silver robe or housecoat, gold sleeping cap and gray slippers. The joint investigation is ongoing. The OPD asks the public for any tips, information, potential persons of interest or any other information that will lead to the whereabouts of Lee. As of July 19th, officers are continuing to follow up on all tips, reviewing data from returned digital warrants, awaiting numerous other digital warrants, conducting area searches, and obtaining and reviewing additional video footage. The OPD said it will continue to update as developments occur. Please contact OPD at 662-232-2400, UPD at 662-915-7234, and CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8477, or you can direct message us on any of our social media accounts. Information and tips also can be shared via social media: Facebook: @OxfordMSPolice or @OleMissPolice or Twitter: @OxfordPolice or @OleMissPolice. |
| Joe Paul lays out plans for tenure as interim president at Southern Miss | |
| When Rodney Bennett announced in January his plans to step down as president of the University of Southern Mississippi, it sent somewhat of a shockwave through the university and the community. But for Joe Paul -- who has more than 40 years of service to the school in several capacities -- it wasn't such a surprise when officials from the Institutions of Higher Learning gave him a ring to gauge his interest on becoming interim president. With his love for the university, Paul knew that if he could help the school in any way, he would -- and has been preparing for ways to do just that since even before taking over officially on July 18. "I think presidential leadership's always important, particularly when you're in transition, so my intention won't be to just be a placeholder," Paul said. "I think there's some things we can do to make this place even better, and to really have it ready and energized and positive when that new, permanent leader does come along." To that end, Paul will look to make an impact immediately, whether his tenure as interim be only one semester, two semesters, or even longer than that. First and foremost, Paul will concentrate on the area of student recruitment, especially since the university's enrollment has somewhat stalled recently and the country overall is seeing fewer high school graduates. "But those are just reasons -- excuses, if you will," Paul said. "So you've got take what the market bears, and you've got to aggressively market this place. |
| USM expands Teacher Residency Program | |
 | This summer, the University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) School of Education launched a graduate-level component with support from a $2 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and added a director of teacher residency to oversee both pathways for aspiring educators. Andrea Krell, who was hired for the new role, will help USM scale up both residency programs to supplement ongoing initiatives addressing the state and national teacher shortages. "We are thrilled to bring Andrea on board as we increase opportunities for pre-service teachers to enter local K-8 classrooms and work alongside mentor teachers to put their textbook learning into practice," said Dr. Trent Gould, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. "Her passion for mentoring in-service teachers, as well as teacher residents, coupled with her educational leadership experience make Andrea a great fit to lead our programs during this exciting season of growth." Under guidance from the National Center for Teacher Residencies and supervision of faculty in the USM School of Education, three cohorts of undergraduate students have served as teacher residents while completing their bachelor's degrees at Southern Miss to date. |
| 'Liftoff' takes off with first session | |
| Though the calendar hasn't turned to August yet, some 35 new Meridian Community College students got a jump ahead on their Fall Semester 2022 start thanks to the College's first Liftoff event held on campus Tuesday. The Liftoff orientation sessions are geared to help future MCCers get their wings. "Today is designed to familiarize you with our campus, our offices, and how we do things; this is for you. Plug into it, and we'll give you the best information you can get," said Brandon Dewease, associate dean of student engagement for MCC and coordinator of Liftoff. Students met with college personnel and Ivy League Recruiters, learned of student life opportunities, found their classrooms and instructors' offices, and finalized their academic schedules for the fall. MCC President Tom Huebner said he looks forward to seeing the students in the upcoming weeks and encouraged them to invest in their future. "The success you get out of anything in life is comparable to the investment you make into that. If you put a lot into this experience, you'll get a lot out of this experience," he told the students. |
| Popeyes coming to LSU: 'You spoke, we listened,' university says in spicy Twitter video | |
 | Popeyes is set to open a location on the LSU campus later this fall. The Popeyes will be located in The 5 residential dining hall and will offer take-out and dine-in service, along with a walk-up window. The university announced the news in a video posted on Twitter. "Popeyes has been one of the most requested restaurants by our students here at LSU," said Margot Hsu Carroll, assistant vice president for auxiliary services. "We are excited to welcome one of Louisiana's largest restaurant chains to campus and add another dining option for our students." Students will be able to use multiple forms of payment at the Popeyes location, including TigerCASH and the Paw Points meal program, along with credit cards and cash. Popeyes isn't the only fast food chain coming to the LSU campus. Sonic recently announced it would open a location in the LSU Student Union late this year, moving into a space that had been occupied by McDonald's. LSU officials said this will be the first Sonic on a college campus. |
| How U. of Tennessee is meeting workforce demands for manufacturers with no-cost training | |
 | The United States is facing a severe manufacturing workforce shortage. To tackle the nation's skills gap, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is bringing the technology and training directly to the people who need it. Teachers and instructors in East Tennessee and beyond are learning essential machining skills at the University of Tennessee and America's Cutting Edge machine training program. "We're bringing together research, manufacturing machine technologies and workforce development, and it's working to improve the economy of our state and our nation," said Matthew Mench, dean of the Tickle College of Engineering. The goal of the no-cost program? Preparing the next generation of much-needed skilled manufacturing engineers and machinists. To do that, professionals have to get more people interested in the world of manufacturing and bring that mindset to young adults and students of all ages. The training program, developed by UT professor and Oak Ridge National Lab joint faculty member Tony Schmitz, helps participants understand the fundamentals of machining and enables them to train others. On Tuesday, educators from Knox County Schools, Tennessee's junior, community and applied technology colleges, out-of-state universities and Oak Ridge National Laboratory participated in an in-person training session at UT. Local state leaders, such as Lt. Governor Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, and Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, observed the hands-on demonstration. |
| Georgia universities aim to support freshman class upended by pandemic | |
| Some public colleges and universities in metro Atlanta are offering extra help this summer to prep first-year students for the fall semester amid concerns that the pandemic left many high school students unprepared for higher education. Georgia Gwinnett College is offering expanded orientation sessions to help students adjust to campus life. Kennesaw State University offers a two-week summer program so freshmen complete an economics class before the fall start. The pandemic "left an indelible mark," according to Sonny Perdue, the University System of Georgia's recently named chancellor. "Many of our students lost ground during the pandemic, and we are seeing the consequences of that in our entering classes," he told faculty in a May letter. Michelle Rosemond, Georgia Gwinnett College's vice president for student engagement and success, has read about falling test scores in high school English and math. "What I'm seeing is the probability that the first-year experience will be tougher than normal," she said. |
| From health care to business, here are 10 most popular majors at the U. of Kentucky | |
 | Majors related to health care and business were among the most popular at the University of Kentucky last school year. Students will return to UK in the coming weeks, with classes for the fall semester starting on Aug. 22. UK had more than 31,500 students enrolled last fall, and has more than 200 academic programs at the university. Looking back to the previous school year, here were the most popular majors at UK. Enrollment information for each major is from the fall 2021 semester, and was provided by UK. UK's nursing major is its most popular degree. The first class graduated from the College of Nursing in 1964, and since then, the program has grown and now includes thousands of graduates, according to UK's website. Nurses are in high demand across Kentucky as the state faces a nursing shortage. For the fall 2021 semester, there were 1,360 nursing students enrolled at UK. Students looking at a career in the medical field may choose to major in biology for their undergraduate degree. The second-most popular major at UK is biology with 1,152 students enrolled last year. Students choosing UK's third-most popular major, psychology, have a wide variety of careers to choose from, including as a psychologist, counselor or researcher. |
| Michaelis named Corps of Cadets commandant at Texas A&M University | |
 | Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Michaelis has been named the next commandant of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, according to the university. Michaelis will begin leading the Corps on Oct. 1, following his retirement as commanding general of the U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson, South Carolina, according to a press release. Michaelis is a Texas A&M graduate, earning a history degree in 1993. He earned his master's degree in public administration from Harvard, and a master's in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. His Army career included serving in command roles at Fort Hood; Fort Lewis, Washington; and Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He served as deputy commanding general (operations) for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky; deputy commanding officer (maneuver) for the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas; executive officer to the undersecretary of the Army; and chief of staff to the commander of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command in Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Michaelis commanded operations in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and served in leadership roles in operations in Iraq, according to the release. Michaelis thanked A&M President M. Katherine Banks and Brig. Gen. Joe E. Ramirez Jr., A&M's vice president for student affairs, in the release, and expressed his support for the Corps' goal to increase the number of cadets to 3,000. |
| U. of Missouri professor: New COVID variants less deadly and more contagious | |
 | The variants and sub-variants of COVID-19 continue to mutate and have become expert in evading protective antibodies, says University of Missouri professor Kamlendra Singh. Singh is a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and principal investigator in the Bond Life Sciences Center. He has worked with Hickman High School student Saathvik Kannan and MU undergraduate student Austin Spratt to analyze protein sequences from more than 10 million coronavirus samples collected from around the world since November 2021. "Many of them don't survive," Singh said of the virus variants and sub-variants when they face the body's defenses. Those that do survive, however, become better at finding weaknesses in the defenses. Omicron has become a champion at adaptation, Singh said. "It has so many adaptations," Singh said. He recently determined there were 115 sub-variants of the omicron variant and he suspects there are probably 130 by now, he said. The adaptations, combined with the availability of vaccines and boosters, have some positive aspects, he said. "It is not as deadly as it used to be," Singh said. "It looks like it is less lethal." Although less lethal, many people still die from the virus, he said. |
| What UNC Agreed To in Its Settlement With Nikole Hannah-Jones | |
 | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will take steps to diversify faculty and staff hiring as part of a settlement with Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was initially hired last year without an offer of tenure. Under the settlement, Chapel Hill officials will train 20 faculty and staff members as paid advisers in the search-and-selection process at Chapel Hill. The arrangement appears similar to the search-advocate model created 14 years ago at Oregon State University and since expanded to other colleges. Search advocates are trained to ask questions and challenge assumptions of search-committee members, with the goal of testing their thinking and minimizing the effects of implicit bias. Chapel Hill also agreed to post a position for a "trauma-informed" therapist in the counseling center's Multicultural Health Program by the end of this month, and to reserve $5,000 each year until June 30, 2025, to cover expenses for meetings, events, and symposia sponsored by the Carolina Black Caucus, which advocates for Black faculty and staff members on the campus. The settlement, which was for less than $75,000, was first reported on Friday by The News & Observer. Then Hannah-Jones said on Tuesday that the agreement "was about much more than" the money and shared additional details. |
| Clemson joins Space Force in new university program to enhance research and recruitment | |
| The Space Force made its way to South Carolina as Clemson University became an official member of the branch's University Partnership Program on Monday. The sixth and newest branch of the military was founded in 2019 and established the program to identify, develop and retain a diverse, STEM-capable workforce to further its mission to protect U.S. and allied interests in space. Clemson President Jim Clements said that the university has the ability to be a part of cutting-edge research and advancements that are critical to the Space Force's core mission requirements. "Partnering with the Space Force will provide our students with the opportunity to engage in a new frontier of military service," Clements said. "As a research one university, we have a strong focus on STEM. We know the importance of innovation, finding creative solutions." Universities are selected based on four criteria: the quality of its STEM degree offerings and space-related research laboratories and initiatives; its ROTC program; a diverse student population; and degrees and programming designed to support military, veterans and their families in pursuing higher education. |
| From the college dorm trenches: What to bring, leave at home | |
| For the uninitiated, outfitting a college dorm room can be a dizzying experience. Doing it at a time of high inflation can make it even more daunting. The first step: Meticulously go over what the school allows and provides. If you want a microwave and minifridge, are the energy-saving combo models required? Do you need foam pool noodles to avoid hitting your head under an upper bunk, and if so, might the school provide them? Exactly how thick can a mattress topper be? "You can see the look of terror on parents' faces," said Marianne Szymanski, an independent product researcher who has sent two kids to college. "You know, did I get the right mattress pad? It's crazy." Etsy's trend expert, Dayna Isom Johnson, said self-expression is top of mind for dorm-bound kids in such things as faux headboards and unique dresser knobs. "Two of my favorite dorm trends right now are mood-boosting hues that incorporate bright and energetic colors like neon tones, and heritage styles, a nostalgic trend that embodies the traditional collegiate look with items like plaid linens, wood-toned furniture and monograms," she said. There's no end to help out there, from parents swapping tips in social media groups to seasoned college students offering hacks on TikTok. |
| Broke Colleges Resort to Mergers for Survival | |
| When Covid-19 first tore through the nation, hundreds of college presidents sent students home, looked across their empty campuses and wondered how they were going to pay their bills. Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun saw an opportunity. On May 15, 2020, he called six senior managers to his office. "Colleges and universities will be challenged," he told his cabinet, he recalls. "This may be the time to start looking at mergers and partnerships." Over the next few weeks, Northeastern created a specialized M&A team to assess the value and vet the balance sheets of dozens of flailing colleges in the U.S. and abroad. His directive came to fruition on June 30 when Boston-based Northeastern absorbed Mills College, a 170-year-old women's school on a 135-acre campus not far from Silicon Valley. In exchange for the land, worth perhaps $1 billion, the school's roughly $191 million endowment and an art collection that includes works by Diego Rivera and Winslow Homer, Northeastern is absorbing $21 million in Mills's liabilities, putting $30 million toward an institute designed to continue the school's feminist scholarship -- and keeping open a college that planned to close. Dr. Aoun called the deal a once-in-a-generation opportunity to expand Northeastern's footprint, prepare students for careers in Silicon Valley and amplify Mills' tradition of women's leadership and social justice. Some Mills alumni are calling their school leaders dupes, given the deal's lopsided nature. Higher-education experts see the event as emblematic of a sectorwide shakeout. |
| HBCU students disproportionately affected by Roe's reversal | |
| Many of the country's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are scattered across the South, in states where Black Americans, in the wake of the Civil War, pooled their resources and finally gained access to higher education. Now, however, their descendants are disproportionately losing their right to reproductive health, students at those schools say. The Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide, will have a outsize effect on students at HBCUs due to their concentration in states that are restricting access to the procedure. Nearly three-quarters of HBCUs recognized by the Department of Education are in states that have banned or mostly banned abortions. Those 72 schools enroll more than 166,000 students. Meanwhile, 21 HBCUs are located in states where abortion is currently legal but could be under threat. Maryland, D.C. and Delaware -- where abortions are legal and likely to stay that way -- have seven historically Black schools between them. But the Supreme Court's abortion decision is also energizing student-led movements for more sexual wellness education and wider access to contraceptives on campus. Student leaders at Dillard University in New Orleans want to make sure students maintain access to contraceptives, said Marissa Pittman, 20, a rising junior and student body president. Paige Hawkins, a rising senior at Clark Atlanta University, runs the school's chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action and said the group plans to host more educational events when the school year starts. |
| GOP ramps up efforts to rein in Biden on student debt | |
 | Republicans have been ramping up efforts to rein in the Biden administration's ability to cancel student loan debt, arguing such plans are "wildly inflationary" and would only contribute to climbing prices. Since the Biden administration extended a nationwide pause on federal student loan payments and interest accrual in the spring, Republicans in both chambers have been introducing legislation targeting the president's authority on student loans. Legislation introduced in recent weeks includes multiple measures seeking to keep Biden from greenlighting mass cancellation of student debt without buy-in from Congress, as well as a bill codifying that the president lacks the authority to "blanket cancel federal student loans." The bills face an uphill climb in the Democratic-led Congress, but Republicans behind the effort say it's necessary to combat what they argue will be an unfair burden on taxpayers. "My constituents are worried about the fact that the government runs heavy deficits every year and borrows the money to cover it," Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said. "So, you're running a deficit when you're not paying for it, and so it is something that at least Hoosiers, who I represent, are worried about the fiscal health of our country." The efforts also coincide with an ongoing push by progressives and advocates for widespread debt cancellation, which has gained steam as the Biden administration has signaled it is closing in on a decision on student debt cancellation. |
| Bill proposes making Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver permanent | |
 | Some members of Congress are trying to codify changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that would make it easier for teachers, social workers and other public service workers to get debt relief. The Simplifying and Strengthening PSLF Act would codify many of the changes made through the temporary PSLF waiver that streamlined the application process for borrowers while also shortening the length of time a borrower must work in public service from 10 to five years. The waiver was announced by the Biden administration in late 2021 and was designed to eliminate bureaucratic red tape that made the program confusing and inaccessible to eligible borrowers working in public service jobs like teaching, nursing or military service. The waiver is only temporary, however, and is set to expire at the end of October. "With a ticking clock on the waiver program, there should be, in my opinion, a growing concern and receptivity to extending the benefits of the [waiver] for people to get the discharge that they qualify for under the law," said Representative Joe Courtney, a Democrat of Connecticut and the sponsor of the House companion bill, in an interview with Inside Higher Ed. The original bill was introduced by Democratic senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island in May. Courtney introduced his identical version of the bill in the House Education and Labor Committee on July 12. |
| Mississippi farmers are still wary of international impacts on exports, market conditions | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: For both U.S. and Mississippi farmers, China is the primary export market for their crops and current forecasts anticipate record sales --- if conditions in the forecast models hold. That's a big "if." The most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts from the quarterly "Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade" from the agency's Foreign Agricultural Service and their Economic Research Service predict overall U.S. agricultural exports Fiscal Year 2022 exports of $191 billion (a $7.5 billion hike) with increases expected in corn, cotton and soybeans. ... At $36 billion, China remains America's largest single agricultural export customer. With one-fifth of the world's population at 1.4 billion, China buys food and feedstuffs on global markets to offset the nation's limited arable lands and the dual impacts of pollution and climate change. ... Agricultural import-export markets are actively impacted by inflation. U.S. and Mississippi farmers have seen production costs soar along with fuel prices. Those market forces are at work in China and other global markets as well. ... But economic forecasts of increased ag exports should be good news for Mississippi's $8.33 billion ag industry. China is the third leading trading partner for Mississippi exports behind Canada and Mexico, with $759 million in value in 2020 -- with that number representing a 63.8% increase over the previous year. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers never had 'that stage fright' | |
| It's Year Three of the Air Raid offense in Starkville, and Mississippi State coach Mike Leach has a lot to be excited about. He also knows there are plenty of things to work on. Mississippi State scored more than a touchdown more per game in 2021 than it did in 2020. Much of that jump can be attributed to the development of quarterback Will Rogers. Rogers threw for 4,739 yards, 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a true sophomore. The Brandon native showed unique leadership qualities as a freshman in 2020, Leach said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. Leach said he expects Rogers to keep improving. "Will stepped in and had great leadership qualities, wasn't afraid to talk to the locker room as a freshman, which I think is one of the more impressive, courageous things that he did. It allowed him to excel early," Leach said. "It allowed him to focus in on playing because he didn't have some of that stage fright that initial freshmen do. I think it allowed him to progress quicker. Also, I think it allowed the team to draw from him and kind of unify things. I think that was very impressive. I think Will's going to get better and better. The better he synchronizes with the other offensive players, the better everybody is." |
| Why Will Rogers is competing for starting QB despite Mike Leach calling him Heisman candidate | |
| Mike Leach was quick to check boxes off his SEC Media Days bingo card Tuesday. The Mississippi State football coach expressed his hatred for ties and the creator of the accessory, he declined to make an opening statement and he went on a tangent about Netflix recommendations. But among his viral moments, he didn't mince words when it came to Will Rogers -- particularly when asked if the Mississippi State quarterback is a Heisman candidate. "I think so," Leach said. "He led the SEC in passing. If that was so easy, everybody would do it. Of course, he played in the toughest conference." Yet four minutes later in his meeting with local reporters before taking the main stage, Leach said sophomore Sawyer Robertson could be Mississippi State's starter. "You always have a chance," Leach said. "You've got to earn it, go out there and battle away. That's why they have camp, and that's why they have competition." There's plenty of coach-speak within those comments. Rogers will be under center for the Bulldogs just as he was last season after allegedly competing with Chance Lovertich in the preseason. But his comments bode well for the future at a position pivotal to Leach's success in Starkville. Wide receiver Austin Williams echoed Leach's belief that Rogers, his roommate, was worthy of taking the Heisman Trophy from Alabama's Bryce Young. As a sixth-year player, though, Williams knows the value of Leach not naming a starter in July. |
| Leach pleased with defensive coordinator Zach Arnett's move to coach safeties | |
| Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was pleased to see the spring progress in the move of defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to coaching the safeties. An original Leach hire at Mississippi State, Arnett coached linebackers in his first two seasons, the same position he coached at San Diego State from 2014-2019. He was defensive coordinator his last two seasons at San Diego State. "It's starting to blend together. Him being at safety is good because that's a position with a lot of communication," Leach said. Leach rewarded Arnett with a three-year contract in late June reportedly worth $3.9 million. The Bulldogs lost starting DOG safety Fred Peters but return free safety Collin Duncan and other experience. They also add West Virginia transfer Jackie Matthews. |
| Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach on SEC realignment: 'They oughta let me handle that' | |
| With Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC in two years, questions have circled regarding how the conference will restructure itself. Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach -- who spent a decade in the Big 12 with Texas Tech and eight seasons in the Pac-12 with Washington State -- believes he has the answer. "They oughta let me handle that," Leach said Tuesday before taking the main stage at SEC Media Days. "I'll have that done by lunch. I think it would be brilliant to let me handle it." Leach joked there are about 500 configurations for how things will pan out, but a simple one would be keeping the East vs. West structure. Alabama and Auburn would shift to the SEC East while Oklahoma and Texas would join Mississippi State in the SEC West. "You knock those guys off and send them to the East and we have to play Texas and OU, tell me how I've lost on that deal," Leach said. "I have a lot of respect for those guys, but in this conference they can just go ahead and get in line with everybody else." Leach said he has no issue with the two schools joining the SEC but believes the definitions a conference and league are being clouded. The growing conferences create concern of when cross-divisional teams would face off, which is already an issue to Leach. Mississippi State hasn't faced Florida since 2018 and the next matchup is in 2025. |
| Mississippi State players recall what tipped the scale during epic comeback against Auburn | |
 | Nathaniel Watson recalls the moment he knew Mississippi State would beat Auburn last season, even after the Bulldogs fell behind by 25 points early in the second quarter. Watson was on the sideline when cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath confidently approached him and started to speak a comeback into existence. McBath's message to the linebacker was simple, even if it seemed farfetched in the moment -- the Bulldogs down 28-3 on the road against an offense that was seemingly rolling: "We're going to win this game no matter what," he told Watson. "Keep your head high." McBath's premonition turned into reality, as Mississippi State erased that deficit with a barrage of 40 unanswered points and went on to win, 43-34 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The win made the Bulldogs bowl eligible, while the loss was the second of five straight to close the season for the Tigers, who experienced the biggest blown lead in a game program history. "I'll never forget him believing in the whole team and just taking a chance with us," Watson said Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. McBath's words of encouragement provided a bit of a morale boost for Mississippi State's defense. It energized Watson, who then pumped up his teammates on the sideline, many of whom were hanging their heads after Auburn raced out to the big lead early in the game. Things changed for Mississippi State coming out of halftime thanks to a rejuvenated locker room that had a renewed sense of confidence. |
| Mississippi State's Mike Leach combats turbulent college football atmosphere with humor | |
| Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach is no stranger to rough environments. On the plane ride to the Southeastern Conference Media Days, he regaled his players with stories of three wildlife attacks near his hometown of Cody, Wyoming, all of which happened recently during the same week. According to Leach, two people were gored by buffalo and one person was "mauled" by a grizzly bear, he said. "Hopefully everybody went unscathed, but don't go pet buffaloes," Leach advised. As the 2022 college football season approaches, the sport's future looks a bit grizzly with uncertainty surrounding the future of name, image and likeness compensation, the NCAA transfer portal and conference realignment. Leach's became the raspy, monotone voice of reason Tuesday when asked about these perilous times. "The biggest surprise in college football would be if there's no surprises," Leach said. Self-admittedly Leach is a curious soul with a penchant for research. In his mind, the jury is still out on if the current issues are making college football better or worse in the long run, he said. "Right now, what we have is unsustainable," he said. "There will be changes. We're probably in the biggest transition period that we've been in since I've been coaching. I mean, shoot, we're changing everything." |
| Mike Leach on tough Mississippi State schedule, which includes Georgia | |
| In addition to the tough SEC West opponents that Mississippi State must face in its division, the Bulldogs also host defending champion Georgia in Starkville on Nov. 12 this season. It's no wonder that ESPN's college football power index, which ranks FBS teams' strength of schedule, ranks Mississippi State at No. 2, behind Auburn at No. 1. This will mark Leach's third season at the helm, with the Bulldogs going 4-7 in his first season and improving to 7-6 in his second. From Leach's perspective, though, there's not much adjusting to do year in and year out, he said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. "You just try to get better," Leach said. Amid conference realignment and expansion, the landscape of college football is shifting, and that includes the SEC with Texas and Oklahoma set to join the conference in 2025. Leach is especially familiar with those teams, having coached Texas Tech in the Big 12 from 2000-09. The Mississippi State coach said their addition will raise the level of competition, though the Bulldogs already have a difficult schedule on their hands. But, he added, Texas and Oklahoma will experience a dramatic change in joining the SEC. "I think they're kind of already acclimated from the standpoint good teams play as hard as they can and try to improve their skills along the way," Leach said. "So I think they're certainly ready to do that. I think the competition level raised. Then from my standpoint, and I get asked that especially from the Texas and the Oklahoma people, from their standpoint I think it's going to change things quite dramatically." |
| SEC Media Days Report: Leach likes addition of Big 12 teams | |
| Mississippi State Coach Mike Leach zinged Oklahoma and Texas when asked how he thought the SEC would change with their additions to the league. Leach said the Bulldogs have been widely judged to have the toughest schedule in the country, so adding Oklahoma and Texas can't make it any more difficult. "I get asked that especially from the Texas and the Oklahoma people, [and] from their standpoint I think it's going to change things quite dramatically," Leach said. "From our standpoint, I mean, you guys have us as having the toughest schedule in the country. So that being the case, we can't play everybody. So knock two of those guys off and add OU and Texas, and I probably gained about half a step I would think. "I mean, the two most eastern teams in the West are the two Alabama schools, so send them east, and we have to play Texas and OU, and I probably gained a little on that." |
| Mike Leach says Pac-12 exoduses caused by 'mismanagement at the top' | |
| Mississippi State football head coach Mike Leach appeared as a guest on "The Paul Finebaum Show" during Southeastern Conference Media Days on Tuesday. One of the topics that Leach and Paul Finebaum discussed was that USC and UCLA announced in June that they are leaving the Pac-12 Conference for the Big Ten Conference in 2024. Leach had some pointed comments that seemed to blame former Pac-12 Conference commissioner Larry Scott for the Pac-12's marquee programs departing. "There was definitely some conference mismanagement at the top," Leach said to Finebaum. Scott was the Pac-12 commissioner from 2010-21. Leach was the Washington State football coach from 2012-19. Finebaum asked Leach, "Since you were most recently in the Pac-12, at a school that takes a long time to get to in Washington State. And now, you see what's happening out there. And you don't see any blowback, any pushback. It's just, 'That's a good brand move for the Big Ten and the money they're going to make.' And I just wonder because you were at one of the schools that's sitting there going, 'What's happening here?' And where do we go from here?" Leach responded, "Well it's horribly tragic. I mean it's completely tragic. And I hope the Pac-12 and they assemble some other teams together because that would be what's best for college football." |
| Mississippi State's Mike Leach shares his Netflix suggestions at SEC Media Days | |
| The beauty of Mike Leach at the podium during SEC Media Day is you really never know what you are going to get. Such was the case Tuesday when the Mississippi State coach to the mic. In all fairness, Greg Sankey started it. The SEC commissioner introduced Leach as someone with "outstanding Netflix recommendations, although he's never shared those with me." So the SEC media -- asking the hard-hitting questions -- was up to the task Tuesday. Would Leach, the always-entertaining, coach be willing to share such suggestions? You know it. "I wish I'd watched more Netflix lately." Lead admitted. "And I haven't." His first suggestion was something he hasn't watched. "Somebody said I need to watch "The Terminal List," he said. "The Terminal List," starring Chris Pratt, is actually on Amazon Prime. It follows Navy SEAL James Reece (Pratt) as he investigates why his entire platoon was ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission. "I guess the hidden gem, which I think I said it last year, 'Operation Odessa,' that documentary, you need to watch that about these international criminals that try to buy a submarine for Pablo Escobar. That's worth watching." "During the season, it's good to watch to kind of get your head straight," he admitted. "I'm up to date on 'Better Call Saul,' and I'm up to date on 'Yellowstone.'" And, of course, there is “Stranger Things.” “The kids got me into ‘Stranger Things,’” he explained. “I’m certainly not ready for this season. I’m about halfway through. I don’t know. |
| SEC Media Days winners and losers: Mike Leach steals the show from Alabama on Day 2 | |
 | Even when SEC Media Days aren't in Alabama, the Crimson Tide's day at the podium still draws huge crowds. Fans and media gathered at the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday to watch Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and South Carolina preview their seasons. Coaches and players discussed the normal slate of college football realignment talks, NIL deals and quarterback battles. But Tuesday was also a showcase in the odd, confusing and controversial. Here are some winners and losers from Tuesday's events. Winner: Netflix. Netflix has had a bad year. Stock has been down about 70% this year. The streaming service is losing subscribers for the first time in more than a decade. But the digital giant evidently hasn't lost Mississippi State coach Mike Leach as a subscriber yet. Leach was asked his favorite Netflix shows and he rattled off nearly a half dozen series and documentaries. Then Leach solicited suggestions and was recommended Apple TV+ show "Severance" and a series about Pearl Harbor by various media members. It might be a bad year for Netflix, but it was a good day for the brand's awareness in Atlanta. |
| If Rogers makes 'incremental' improvements Heisman conversation could find him | |
| Parrish Alford writes for the Daily Journal: Leading the SEC in passing as a sophomore will almost always earn a trip to Media Days as a junior. That's not how it worked for Will Rogers this week. His absence is the latest evidence of the uniqueness of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, who has beaten his own drum so much through the years that he's worn a hole in it. Rogers has gotten some low-level Heisman Trophy mention, and an appearance before the largest gathering of media he'll see before votes are due could only help that cause. If in fact it's a cause. A Heisman Trophy campaign can be intentional or more grassroots in nature. Leach likes the idea of his junior quarterback as a Heisman candidate. "Oh, I think he is. He led the SEC in passing," noted Leach, who added his opinion that Rogers led the "toughest conference" in passing. "If that was so easy, everybody would do it." Clearly Mississippi State is not taking the intentional campaign approach with Rogers. If so, Rogers would be here. Given what Rogers showed as a sophomore, Option B – where the campaign comes to him -- is quite possible. Rogers passed for 4,739 yards last year, third most nationally and the third most in a single season in SEC history. |
| Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach both open to playing Jackson State | |
| Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders has been a hot topic at SEC Media Days as reporters from all over the southeast are eager to know if Ole Miss or Mississippi State have any plans in place to play the Tigers in the near future. While Mississippi State's non-conference schedule is set for the next three seasons, Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach -- who's quite familiar with Sanders and his staff -- said that he wouldn't rule out a possible matchup. "I think it's possible," Leach said. "We don't have anything scheduled that I'm aware of. Of course, on my staff, Tony Hughes used to coach at Jackson State, and I know a bunch of those guys on the staff. They do a very good job. Coach Sanders is a blast if you know him. I mean just talking to him is fun." Mississippi State and Jackson State have only played twice with the last time coming in 2012, a game that Mississippi State won by 49 points. On the other hand, Ole Miss and Jackson State have never faced off on the gridiron. However, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin isn't opposed to the idea. "It's been great to see Deion's success -- Coach Sanders' success -- and how well he's done down there and how well he's done in recruiting," Kiffin said. "I don't know future scheduling plans on that, but that would be exciting." |
| Pair of Mississippi State pitchers, along with third baseman Kamren James, selected on Day 3 of MLB draft | |
| A pair of talented Mississippi State pitchers were not far apart when it came to being selected in the MLB draft Tuesday. Right-handers KC Hunt and Jackson Fristoe were both picked in the 12th round -- Hunt by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Fristoe by the New York Yankees. Hunt was taken by the Pirates with the No. 350 overall pick. He posted a 7.46 ERA in 25 1/3 innings in 2022, striking out 32 hitters. Despite his numbers, Hunt was one of MSU's more reliable bullpen arms. He began the year in the weekend rotation but missed several weeks to injury after his first and only start. A junior from Wyckoff, New Jersey, Hunt has two years of eligibility remaining. Fristoe followed him 20 picks later as the No. 370 overall selection by the Yankees. He came to Starkville as a highly touted prospect from Paducah, Kentucky, and earned some weekend starts as a freshman in 2021. His 2022 season didn't go to plan, as Fristoe posted a 7.96 ERA. As a draft-eligible sophomore, Fristoe could return for three more years at MSU should he choose not to sign. Third baseman Kamren James followed the pair of pitchers, going 494th overall as a 16th-round choice of the Tampa Bay Rays. James was draft eligible as a sophomore last year but was not selected, likely because of plans to return to Mississippi State. |
| SuperTalk Mississippi Launches New Statewide Sports Show | |
| SuperTalk Mississippi Media will be launching a new show on August 3rd. The program 'Thunder & Lightning' hosted by Brian Hadad will be broadcast live on Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the statewide SuperTalk Mississippi network. The new program will be a terrestrial addition to the wildly successful Thunder & Lightning podcast which is currently one of the most popular podcasts in Mississippi. The show will focus on Mississippi State athletics with interviews, opinions, and news. "It is a great honor to be the host for the first statewide show covering MSU sports," said Brian Hadad, Host Thunder & Lightning & Co-Host, SportsTalk Mississippi. "I look forward to bringing Bulldog fans a great hour of radio each week as we talk about everything happening with State, its players, coaches, and all the news coming out of Starkville." A Mississippi native, Brian Hadad has been with SuperTalk Mississippi Media since August 2018. In addition to Thunder & Lightning, Hadad also co-hosts SportsTalk Mississippi which can be heard weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. across the SuperTalk Mississippi Network. |
| Brett Favre's daughter steps into limelight on reality TV show 'Claim to Fame' | |
 | Brett Favre's daughter, Brittany Favre, has officially stepped into the limelight. Brittany, who lives in Hattiesburg, is a contestant on the new ABC reality TV show "Claim to Fame." The show, hosted by Kevin and Frankie Jonas, takes 12 celebrity relatives and places them under one roof and conceal their identities from each other, according to the show's website. Each week, one contestant is revealed and eliminated. The last person standing gets $100,000. On the most recent episode airing July 18, Brittany was revealed as Brett Favre's daughter to viewers. She won the first challenge the week before and is still playing in the game. Brett Favre, an former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl Champion now embroiled in a Mississippi welfare scandal, is a Kiln native and also lives in the Hattiesburg area. Brittany, who uses her Instagram to show off her artwork and give fans a peak into her life, is married and has three sons. She's recently posted about "Claim to Fame" and poked fun at herself for misspelling the word mustache while on the show. |
| Nick Saban reveals how much Alabama football players made in NIL | |
| The monumental shift that name, image and likeness laws brought to college athletics often came with more questions than answers. How does it really work? And how much money is circulating above the table with athletes now able to legally profit from their status? Nick Saban put a number to it at SEC media days Tuesday in Atlanta. The Crimson Tide football coach said Alabama players brought in $3 million in NIL money in the first year after the laws and rules changed. "I'm all for the players being able to do as well as they can and use name, image and likeness to be able to create value for themselves," Saban said. "We have a great brand at Alabama so their value is going to be enhanced because of the value our brand helped them create." Saban previously said that number was made by 25 of the Alabama football players. And before the 2021 SEC media days, Saban told a group of high school football coaches in Texas that quarterback Bryce Young was already approaching the $1 million mark in NIL money before starting a game with the Tide. The money Alabama players made last year came before the state repealed its NIL law that prohibited the collectives that have become such a part of this shifting landscape. Saban also hit on the concerns he has with how NIL rules have impacted recruiting, competitive balance and protecting players from the inevitable issues with outside interests entering the fold. |
| Saban says megaconferences will create college football 'caste system' | |
| Alabama coach Nick Saban on Tuesday said that megaconferences "may be something that we all have to deal with in the future." Last month, USC and UCLA agreed to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. A year ago, Texas and Oklahoma announced that they were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. Saban said that he believes realignment is being driven by money -- and might not be in the best interest of college football as a whole. "Megaconferences will create more of a caste system, maybe, in college football, and everyone has to decide if that's the direction we really want to go or not," Saban told ESPN's Get Up on Tuesday. Whether that's good or bad depends on who you are. "At Alabama, we're one of the haves," Saban said. "It's probably a good thing. For some of the have-nots ... maybe it won't work out as well." One of the biggest drivers of that imbalance is players' ability to make money from name, image and likeness deals. While he favors players being able to make money, Saban has pointed out the unintended consequence of collectives using promises of NIL earnings to entice recruits to certain schools. "The biggest concern is how does this impact and affect recruiting?" Saban said Tuesday. "On the recruiting trail right now, there's a lot of people using this as inducements to go to their school by making promises as to whether they may or may not be able to keep in terms of what players are doing." |
| Clark Lea says Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country 'in time' | |
 | Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea alluded to his ultimate goal as the coach of the Commodores. "But it's because of (Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and AD Candice Lee's) support that we're aiming to build the best football program in the country at Vanderbilt University," Lea said Tuesday at SEC Media Days, "where we have the best school in the best city in the best conference with the best facilities on the horizon." He later said again with more pointed language: "We know in time Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country." Both quotes were tucked into a 17-minute opening statement for Lea at the main podium at SEC Media Days. In his first year at Vanderbilt, Lea's Commodores went 2-10 and winless in the SEC. That included an opening-week loss to FCS East Tennessee State. Vandy can be one of the better programs in the SEC -- consecutive nine-win seasons in the James Franklin era a decade ago can speak to that -- but the best program in the country? That's a very lofty goal. Lea's comments about the work it'll take to get there have not changed from Year 1 to Year 2. It's going to take a lot to get the Vanderbilt Commodores to the upper echelon of the top conference in college football. |
| Auburn staffer and football superfan Buddy Davidson, who attended 700 straight AU games, dies at 83 | |
 | Auburn University superfan Buddy Davidson, known for attending 700 consecutive Auburn football games, died on Tuesday at the age of 83. A Montgomery native and Auburn alumnus, Davidson worked in the athletics department, where he rose to the rank of assistant athletics director and later served as a game day volunteer. "Nobody loved Auburn more than Buddy Davidson did," said David Housel, former Auburn athletics director and sports information director. "Coach Jordan loved Auburn, Coach Beard loved Auburn, and they taught Buddy how to love Auburn and care for Auburn," said Housel, referring to Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn's head football coach from 1951-1975, and Garland Washington "Jeff" Beard, the athletics director who hired Jordan. "He is their legacy, and he is an outstanding legacy." Davidson came to Auburn University in 1957 as a 17-year-old. A note from Davidson's football coach from Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery persuaded Jordan to take the freshman on as a student manger. Davidson's first game was on Nov 2, 1957, which was also his birthday. The Auburn Tigers hosted the Florida Gators in Cliff Hare Stadium and won 13-0. This began Davidson's 700-game streak, which endured 12 presidential administrations and eight Auburn head coaches. For 61 seasons, Davidson never missed a single Auburn football game, whether home or away. During that time, he witnessed the Tigers claim 468 victories, eight SEC titles and two national championships. |
| Manfred rejects that minor leaguers not paid living wage | |
| Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the sport's treatment of minor leaguers, prompting immediate criticism from the players' advocacy group. "I kind of reject the premise of the question that minor league players are not paid a living wage," Manfred told the Baseball Writers' Association of America before Tuesday's All-Star Game. "I think that we've made real strides in the last few years in terms of what minor league players are paid, even putting to one side the signing bonuses that many of them have already received. They receive housing, which obviously is another form of compensation." MLB raised minimum salaries in 2021, increasing Class A pay from $290 to $500 per week, Double-A from $350 to $600, and Triple-A from $502 to $700 over the roughly five-month season. Players are only paid in-season. Amateur players residing in the United States and Canada who are selected in this week's amateur draft have slot values for their signing bonuses, which clubs use as guidelines, ranging from $8.8 million for the first pick to just under $150,000 for the last selections of the 10th and final round. MLB says it spends about $450 million each year on signing bonuses for first-year players. Last November, MLB announced it was requiring teams to provide furnished accommodations, with a single bed per player and no more than two players per bedroom. Teams are responsible for basic utility bills. |
| LIV Golf: Inside the Legal Battle for Golf's Future | |
| When the Justice Department opened an investigation into the PGA Tour for potential antitrust violations, it entered a high-stakes showdown between the sport's pre-eminent touring body and a rival with a bottomless source of funds. The legal fight that follows could reshape the future of golf -- and perhaps other parts of the professional sports landscape. The months ahead promise to feature a battle on multiple fronts. One is the Justice Department's probe, which is still nascent. Meanwhile, the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, or the players who have joined it, could seek to challenge the PGA Tour in court for the suspensions it handed out -- a possibility it has been laying the groundwork for from the start. And yet the PGA Tour may very well still withstand those challenges -- the Tour prevailed when the Federal Trade Commission examined some of its practices in the 1990s. "These cases are notoriously difficult to predict, because all antitrust cases are notoriously difficult to predict, and they're even more difficult to predict in the sports context," said Gabe Feldman, professor of sports law at Tulane University. Some judges, he added, are fans who worry, "Is this going to destroy the sport or not?" |
| Revenge Tour: Donald Trump urges players to defect, predicts LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger | |
 | Donald Trump continues to show his contempt for the PGA Tour after losing the only chance to host one of golf's four major championships. The former president teed off on the PGA Tour on his social media platform telling golfers to join the Saudi-financed LIV Golf Series. In typical Trump retaliatory style, he told golfers to, "take the money now," predicting the Tour would eventually merge with LIV Golf. Trump's anger at professional golf stems from the PGA of America moving the 2022 PGA Championship out of his club in Bedminster, N.J., after the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection on the US Capitol. "All of those golfers that remain 'loyal' to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big 'thank you' from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year," Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. Trump, an avid golfer and fan who has played several rounds with Hall of Famers and legendary golfers at his courses in West Palm Beach and Jupiter, told Michael Bamberger of the Fire Pit Collective in May he was not watching this year's PGA Championship, which was won by Jupiter's Justin Thomas. So Trump's next move on his personal Revenge Tour against the PGA: Align himself with LIV, which will stage two events at his properties. The next LIV event will be held at Bedminster, starting July 29. The season-finale of the 2022 LIV series is scheduled for Doral Oct. 27-30. With LIV Golf expanding to 14 events next year, more Trump courses around the world could come into play. |
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