Thursday, July 28, 2022   
 
Business Schools and Industry Join Forces to Address Diversity
A newly formed organization wants to change the face of the business world. Eight business schools and one industry leader make up the new board of directors of the Business School Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Collaborative. It recognizes the importance of DEI in higher education and the business world and wants to serve as a robust resource for academics and businesspeople to increase opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. The organization seeks even more members to make an even bigger impact. The seed for the DEI Collaborative was planted in 2016 when a group of business school administrators, faculty and staff first came together to create the SEC Business School Diversity Conference. With support from industry leaders in the DEI space such as The PhD Project, EY, and Sage Publishing, the group has grown and is expanding its reach across the United States. It hopes to contribute to a more consistent approach to DEI as a way to ensure a thriving culture that prepares future business leaders for the modern workplace. The DEI Collaborative held its first official conference as the new organization in March, hosted by the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Representatives from 33 schools and 12 businesses and nonprofits attended sessions over three days. "I learned more in those few days than I could ever pick up on my own," says board member Mike Breazeale of Mississippi State University.
 
SCT returns with first summer musical revue since 2019
The Starkville Community Theater's Summer Musical Revue is returning for the first time since 2019. This year's revue, stylized as a cabaret, is called "Back to the Beginning" and will feature performers from the first SCT summer revue 23 years ago. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday and Saturday at the SCT's Playhouse on Main Street. There will be a special dinner theatre performance at Magnolia Social in the Hotel Chester at 7 p.m. Friday. The Starkville Community Theater typically hosts a musical revue in July of every year, in addition to its regular season shows and other activities. Pattye Archer, who also works full-time as the coordinator for digital media at the Mississippi State's Mitchell Memorial Library, is directing this year's revue. She came up with the idea to do something smaller and more intimate featuring the original performers. "In 1999, SCT had their first summer musical review. And we did them for over 20 years, but because of the (COVID-19) pandemic we haven't had one in several years," she said. "So I came up with the idea of inviting five of the original members to come back and do one again. Something kind of intimate with just these five people who were there in the very beginning, performing songs that have personal meaning to them, either through their relationship with SCT or just some of their favorite songs and making it more of a cabaret style show." Those five performers are Lyle Tate, Brian Hawkins, Madeline Golden, M.J. Etua and Kris Lee. They will be joined by Derek Aaron, Elizabeth Balzli and John Brocato.
 
Free legal clinic to help low income residents
Residents of Chickasaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Webster counties can get help with common civil legal issues at a free clinic Friday. From noon until 4 p.m. a free in-person legal clinic will be held at the Oktibbeha County Chancery Courthouse, 101 E. Main St., in Starkville Participants must be of low income. To find out if you qualify, download the income schedule at www.14thchanceryms.com, fill it out and bring it with you when you come. The clinic will offer assistance with family law matters, including uncontested irreconcilable differences divorce, uncontested guardianships, name change, emancipation, simple wills, advance healthcare directives and power of attorney. Volunteer lawyers will be on hand to provide advice on cases, help with drafting documents and give advice on how to prepare your case in court. "We are so excited to offer clinics to help residents in the counties covered by the 14th Chancery Court District," said Chancery Judge Paula Drungole-Ellis, who is spearheading the clinic. "There are so many people who need legal help, but do not have the funds to hire an attorney."
 
For farmers, it's not just today's inflation that matters. It's next year's too
For farmer Brian Duncan, the farming itself is going well, but the business side of things is a different story -- especially because of inflation. "Fuel, fertilizer, all of these things," Duncan said. "We've seen a tremendous rise in prices." The key question for farmers like Duncan, who raises hogs and grows corn and soybeans: Are costs in balance with the price of what he sells? "Farmers are price takers," he said. "We can't just pass cost increases on to those who buy our products." But for now, Duncan said, it's manageable because hog prices have been on the rise, but that could always change. "As we look at the prices that we are paying, especially on the fuel and fertilizer, we're wondering, what happens when the prices we are taking for our goods go down? Where will fuel be priced at that time?"
 
Fed Lifts Rates by 0.75 Point Again
The Federal Reserve continued a sprint to reverse its easy-money policies by approving another unusually large interest rate increase and signaling more rises were likely coming to combat inflation that is running at a 40-year high. Officials agreed unanimously Wednesday to lift their benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 2.25% and 2.5%. But markets rallied after the meeting because Fed Chairman Jerome Powell offered fewer specifics about the magnitude of upcoming rate rises and hinted at an eventual slowdown. Stocks rallied after Mr. Powell's news conference. The S&P 500 gained 2.6% to close at 4023.61. Yields on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.79%. Given Mr. Powell's insistence that the Fed has to cause slower growth and accept rising recession risks to bring down inflation, "it is a bit surprising that all assets reacted in such an exuberant manner," said Michael de Pass, global head of linear rates trading at Citadel Securities. Mr. Powell said Wednesday it was too soon to say whether the Fed would dial down the size of its rate increases to a half-percentage point or a quarter-percentage point at its next meeting in September. But he said that at some stage, it would be appropriate to slow the pace of rate increases to assess their cumulative impact on the economy.
 
Economy shrank 0.9%, marking second straight contraction and raising recession worries
The U.S. economy has contracted for a second straight quarter, sounding the alarm over a possible recession as the nation grapples with soaring inflation and rising interest rates. Top economists don't believe a downturn has begun but some predict a mild slump is likely by early next year. Residential investment plunged last quarter as the housing market slumped amid sharply rising mortgage rates while business stockpiling and investment also declined, more than offsetting a modest advance in consumer spending. The nation's gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S., shrank at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.9% in the April-June period, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That followed a 1.6% drop early this year. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast a 0.5% rise in GDP. The second straight quarterly decline in output meets an informal threshold for recession but not the criteria relied on by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The non-profit group defines a recession as a significant decline in broad range of economic activity, including employment, retail sales and industrial production. Despite the budget squeeze, households continue to be bolstered by strong job growth and more than $2 trillion in savings amassed during the pandemic. And as COVID fears wane, consumers continue to shift their spending from goods to summer travel and other services. But the cushion is thinning.
 
Panelists discuss freedom as 'work in progress' at forum
Three panelists from across the political spectrum engaged in a lively debate Tuesday night about freedom, whether that means education, reproductive rights or the divide between the haves and the have-nots. The discussion was part of the Mississippi Humanities Council's "Ideas on Tap" series, which is holding several panel discussions across the state centering on the question "What does freedom mean to you?" Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science teacher Chuck Yarborough moderated the event at the Rosenzweig Arts Center, which featured a panel made up of Mississippi University for Women assistant professor of political science Chanley Rainey, District 39 State Rep. Dana McLean (R-Columbus) and District 41 State Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus). A major part of the discussion Tuesday night was about education, and how it is both necessary but not necessarily a cure-all for inequality. McLean said that a major constituent of any kind of freedom had to come back to educational opportunity. "Education, education, education," she said. "That's the best way to get off the poverty rolls. We are a country where you can be anything you want to be. Even in Mississippi, the poorest state in the whole nation, you can be anything you want to be and that can happen through education." Rainey pushed back on that, however, pointing out the extra burden that poor students have to bear. Karriem said freedom, especially for minorities, was "a work in progress."
 
Meridian Day held at Neshoba County Fair
Day 6 at the Neshoba County Fair was Meridian Day. Political speakers made their way to Founders Square to discuss their plans and goals, followed by the Meridian Day program. Meridian Day is a longstanding tradition at the fair. Representatives from various businesses and organizations were out showcasing what the city has to offer. The EMBDC puts on Meridian Day every year. "Well, I guess it is always important. Now that we have been through a pandemic and COVID, for everyone to get back together and network. A lot of business people and non-business people are over here today. We appreciate and value the neighbors that we have in Neshoba County. There are a lot of connections here. My wife has a fair cabin here. She is a Neshoba County girl. There is a lot of networking going on that makes things happen because of all those relationships," said EMBDC member, Archie McDonnell.
 
Lt. Gov. Hosemann wants to incentivize school districts to switch to 'modified' calendar
In his Neshoba County Fair speech on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he wants to give Mississippi school districts cash incentives to move to an academic calendar where student class time is spread out evenly across the year. Hosemann, a Republican, has pushed for more districts to adopt what's called a "modified calendar" or "year-round calendar." "We have a chance here to start to compete," Hosemann said. "The other part about this is we are only requiring 180 days of education. And in that is testing and other things that are occurring. We're not teaching our kids even half a year." Supporters of the modified calendar model say that students retain more information instead of losing large gaps of material with the traditional model that has a large two-month summer break. Corinth School District, the first district in the state to change its calendar model, decided to have a modified calendar around seven years ago. Since then, the districts' superintendent, Lee Childress, has said in public forums that the calendar swap has been a success. Other school districts in the state that have swapped to a modified calendar include Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, Lamar County School District and Gulfport School District.
 
Hosemann wants to cut Mississippians a tax rebate check
In his Neshoba County Fair speech on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said that with state coffers at historically full levels, "This year, it's time to give you your money back." "It's not the government's money," Hosemann said. "It's your money." Hosemann said that lawmakers could have provided a rebate last year, but were focused on passing the largest income tax cut in state history. In setting up his proposed rebate, he told fairgoers, "Inflation is scaring me. The possibility of a recession is scaring me." Mississippi, like most states, is collecting an unprecedented amount of revenue thanks to a number of factors, including federal COVID-19-relief money directed to the states, inflation and strong consumer spending. About 20 states already have opted to return some of those record revenue collections to taxpayers through direct payments. While Hosemann proposed a direct rebate during the 2022 session, the Legislature opted instead to provide the record tax cut that will not kick in until calendar year 2023. The income tax, when fully enacted in 2026, will be the largest in state history, taking about $525 million out of state coffers. In addition to that tax cut, Hosemann renewed his call for a direct rebate during the 2023 session at the Nashoba County Fair speech, saying the state had the funds to do both.
 
Insurance commissioner: UMMC, Blue Cross negotiations continue to move slowly
An attempt to resolve a dispute between Mississippi's largest insurance provider and its largest hospital is apparently making little progress. Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney at the Neshoba County Fair told reporters that there is largely no update on the negotiations between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "Somebody's got to say, 'OK, we're willing to negotiate,'" Chaney, a Republican, said. "But we've got two stubborn goliaths that just do not want to sit down and talk. And you know who gets hurt? Everybody in the state of Mississippi." UMMC went out of network with Blue Cross Blue Shield on April 1 because of disagreements over reimbursement rates and the insurance company's quality care plan. The two parties agreed to enter mediation proceedings toward the end of April, but Chaney, a former state lawmaker, told reporters that both parties are being uncooperative with one another. While the two sizeable organizations are continuing to feud during the remediation process, people all around the state -- including some in Northeast Mississippi -- are getting caught in the crosshairs.
 
Insurance chief Mike Chaney says UMMC is violating state law in BCBS dispute
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says he believes that the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is violating state law by turning patients away from the state's only safety net hospital. The state insurance department, according to Chaney, has received numerous complaints from UMMC patients who have been told by their doctors that they cannot receive care at the hospital because they are insured by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. UMMC has been out of network with Blue Cross, the state's largest insurer, since April 1 due to disagreements over reimbursement rates and Blue Cross' quality care plan. Chaney said that he believes UMMC turning away patients would violate Mississippi Code 37-115-31, which states that UMMC "shall be utilized to serve the people of Mississippi generally." "If you are the university hospital, you have a moral and ethical obligation to take care of Mississippians and a statutory requirement that you do so," Chaney said. "The problem is the people at the top that we deal with (at UMMC) are telling us one thing when what's happening down at the bottom is totally different from what they're telling us," Chaney said. UMMC spokesperson Marc Rolph said the hospital had "no comment" on Chaney's allegation that UMMC is violating state law.
 
Dr. Jennifer Bryan weighs in on UMMC, Blue Cross stalemate
It's been nearly four months since the contract between the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and Blue Cross Blue Shield expired, and according to one Mississippi health expert, millions are being negatively affected. In a recent interview on The Gallo Radio Show, Dr. Jennifer Bryan, chair of the Mississippi Delegation for American Medical Association, shared her thoughts on how the ongoing stalemate between UMMC and Blue Cross impacts Mississippians. "It affects millions when you take into account families and friends. We've got about three million people in this state, and I think most of us love someone who's affected by this," Bryan said. Bryan also opened up about how the standoff has impacted her personally. Dr. Bryan's cousin, a 28-year-old male, has been suffering from liver failure as a result of ulcerative colitis and Type 1 diabetes, but had to travel to a hospital in Houston, Tx. because he was unable to receive a new liver from UMMC due to the insurance standoff. "It's been difficult, and I hate to politicize a family issue, but I think the point that we need to make is that this can affect anybody," Bryan said. Bryan believes that Blue Cross is nearly operating as a monopoly in Mississippi where big decisions are made by a small group of people. She also adds that an insurance market that encourages competition would benefit the state's residents.
 
Former Gov. Phil Bryant subpoenaed for USM volleyball stadium documents
Nancy New's attorney has filed a subpoena directly on former Gov. Phil Bryant for documents related to the use of federal welfare funds to build a volleyball stadium at his alma mater, University of Southern Mississippi -- information the state has appeared intent on concealing. "We have no confidence that the state will follow through with its subpoena or pursue the evidence wherever it leads," said Gerry Bufkin, the attorney for New and the nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center. "We're going to find the truth, even if we have to drag it kicking and screaming into the light." Bufkin's subpoena asks Bryant to produce any of his communication surrounding the USM volleyball stadium and efforts to fund it. This marks the first known time the former governor, who oversaw the welfare agency while the misspending occurred, has been compelled to provide documents related to his involvement in the scheme. The Monday subpoena comes just days after Mississippi Department of Human Services fired the private attorney representing the agency in a massive civil suit that attempts to claw back $24 million in misspent grant funds from 38 individuals or companies. The welfare agency's lawsuit targets New, her son Zach New, former welfare director John Davis, NFL legend Brett Favre, and many others -- but not Bryant.
 
Former Mississippi governor subpoenaed in welfare fraud case
The attorney for a woman who pleaded guilty in what has been described as welfare fraud totaling $77 million has subpoenaed former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant for documents about a multimillion-dollar volleyball center at his alma mater. The University of Southern Mississippi's athletic foundation got $5 million in welfare money to build the stadium, according to the state auditor. When Nancy New and her son, Zachary New, pleaded guilty to state charges in April, they acknowledged taking part in spending $4 million of welfare money for it. The former lead attorney in a civil suit attempting to recoup more than $20 million said Tuesday that the state Department of Human Services fired him after he subpoenaed the athletic center. Robert Anderson, executive director of the Department of Human Services, said in a statement Tuesday that former U.S. Attorney Brad Pigott's contract ended in July and would not be renewed, news outlets reported. The subpoena filed Monday by T. Gerry Bufkin, the attorney for Nancy New and her Mississippi Community Education Center, asked for documents reflecting communication about the USM Volleyball Center, its funding or efforts to get money for the center.
 
Mark Konradi named Clarion Ledger executive editor, USA TODAY state editor for Mississippi
Mark Konradi, a nearly 26 year veteran of The Dallas Morning News, has been named the new executive editor of the Clarion Ledger and state editor for Mississippi for the USA TODAY Network, which will also have him oversee the Hattiesburg American. Konradi, who most recently served as Director of Newsroom Operations for The Morning News, is a Dallas native and a 1989 graduate of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. "I'm humbled and honored to have this position, and I'm really excited to get to Mississippi," Konradi said as he was introduced to newsroom staff Wednesday afternoon in Jackson. Konradi will be splitting his time between Dallas and Jackson for now, as he searches for a home in Mississippi and works to sell one in Texas. Konradi said he plans to reach out quickly to a number of local, state and civic leaders to build relationships with the community. Those include local mayors, councilmembers, university presidents, sports coaches, church leaders and others. The new hire brought with him a number of new ideas for engaging with the community, which ranged from a deeper commitment to data to the possibility of utilizing TikTok and other emerging platforms. Konradi is also committed to fostering diversity, both in the newsroom and within its coverage.
 
Semiconductor, science bill passes Senate, heads to House
A bill to bolster chip manufacturing and scientific research won Senate approval, setting Congress up to clear a trimmed economic competitiveness package after a more than yearlong push. The Senate voted 64-33 Wednesday to pass the "chips and science" bill. The House is expected to clear the legislation before leaving town Friday for the August recess, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature. Before passage, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer praised the bill as one of this Congress' most consequential bipartisan achievements. "After years of hard work, the Senate is passing the largest investment in science, technology and advanced manufacturing in decades," Schumer said on the floor Wednesday. "This chips and science bill is going to create millions of good-paying jobs down the road. It will alleviate supply chains, it will help lower costs, and it will protect America's national security interests." Seventeen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the chips and science package. The science provisions include a five-year $102 billion authorization for the National Science Foundation, Commerce Department and National Institutes of Standards and Technology to increase investments in research and development. If appropriators provide those authorized funds in the annual spending bills, it would represent a $52 billion increase over baseline funding.
 
Hyde-Smith, Wicker disagree on bill to boost chip manufacturing
A bill that would encourage semiconductor chip manufacturers to increase production in the U.S. has passed in the Senate, with one Mississippi senator voting in opposition to the bill. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith voted against the CHIPS Act, which is aimed to alleviate a shortage that has affected everything from cars, weapons, washing machines, and video games. Senator Roger Wicker, on the other hand, supported the legislation. "Regrettably, at this moment, we are not in the driver's seat on a range of important technologies," Wicker said. "China and other nations are increasingly dominant in tech innovation, posing a massive threat to not only our economy but to our national security. But with today's vote, Congress has a chance to move us back in the right direction and put America back into a place to win the game." Wicker also expressed support for the measure because it would boost American innovation and investment in advanced technologies. The legislation would authorize additional funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research these technologies. Wicker negotiated provisions in the legislation that would reduce historic disparities in research funding allocations, ensuring more universities can participate in U.S. efforts to outcompete China. The provisions would require that a minimum of 20 percent of funding be set aside for the 25 states and three territories that are included in NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdictions. These predominantly rural states, which include Mississippi, currently receive only 13 percent of federal research funding.
 
Senate passes bill to boost computer chip production in U.S.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate passed the CHIPS Act (HR.4346) by a 64-33 vote. The legislation would earmark billions in federal funds to boost U.S. semiconductor production amid a nationwide chip shortage. The measure contains research and development and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education provisions. According to a fact sheet released by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the new CHIPS Act will add important research security guardrails to protect U.S. intellectual property. The legislation would also reduce historic disparities in research funding allocations, ensuring more universities can participate in U.S. efforts to outcompete with China. Senator Wicker said that the CHIPS Act of 2022 creates a comprehensive response to China's growing technology dominance, which poses a massive threat to our national security. "The new language includes many research funding, security, and STEM education provisions that are essential if the U.S. hopes to outcompete China and protect our intellectual property," Wicker added.
 
Senate Passes Boost to Science Research Funding
The Senate passed a $280 billion bill that will provide additional funding for scientific research focused on increasing the United States' domestic capacity to produce semiconductor chips. The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act of 2022, better known as the CHIPS Act, was approved in a 64-to-33 vote in the Senate Wednesday. The bill is expected to pass swiftly in the House of Representatives. "This legislation is an important step toward maintaining America's scientific leadership on an increasingly competitive global stage," said Barbara Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities, which represents the nation's top private research universities. The National Science Foundation would receive an overall $81 billion. The bill specifically states that the NSF must work to increase diversity by creating a new Senate-confirmed diversity officer at the agency as well as directing money to invest in education in rural areas, specifically in K-12 programs. A new federal position created by the bill, the director of technology and innovation, would oversee distributing the funding appropriated by the bill. "Senate passage of the CHIPS Act is an extraordinary victory for American science and innovation, but hardly a final one," said Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. "The CHIPS Act must be step one in a process that ultimately includes Congress delivering the funding that will accomplish the goals of the legislation."
 
APLU Hails Senate Passage of U.S. Competitiveness Legislation
APLU President Peter McPherson today issued the following statement on Senate passage of the CHIPS Act. "Senate passage of the CHIPS Act is an extraordinary victory for American science and innovation, but hardly a final one. Today's bill provides critical reauthorization for U.S. research agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology. The bill also authorizes a new use-inspired research technology directorate at NSF, enabling the world's preeminent fundamental science research agency to add new efforts to bolster American innovation. This multi-pronged approach to bolstering American scientific leadership will enable public research universities to tackle vexing global challenges, spark innovations, and promote widely shared prosperity. The bill authorizes critical new resources for STEM scholarships, fellowships, and traineeships to support new workforce pathways as well as new programs to support research capacity at HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions. And to help foster economic development in often-overlooked regions, the bill authorizes key new resources for the creation of 20 geographically distributed regional technology hubs for technology development, job creation, and expanding U.S. innovation capacity. Yet despite this important progress, much work lies ahead. ... We urge the House of Representatives to pass the bill without delay so Congress can get to work in providing the funding to deliver on the promise of the bill."
 
Manchin's latest shocker: A $700B deal
Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer looked at loggerheads after their talks on a sweeping climate, tax and health care bill ran aground nearly two weeks ago. In fact, they were working on Washington's best-kept secret. On July 18, four days after Manchin and Schumer's talks seemed to fizzle out with only a limited health care deal, Manchin reached out to Schumer to see if he was amenable to picking things back up. By Wednesday afternoon, they had a deal on a bill that includes energy and tax policy, a turnaround after the two deadlocked on Democrats' marquee party-line agenda. "It's like two brothers from different mothers, I guess. He gets pissed off, I get pissed off, and we'll go back and forth. He basically put out statements, and the dogs came after me again," Manchin said in an interview on Wednesday. "We just worked through it." All throughout last week, Manchin stayed quiet about the talks even as most senators, staffers and journalists had moved on: "I didn't know if it could come to fruition. I really didn't know, OK, so why talk about something, again, build people's hopes up? I got the ire of everybody." That ire turned into jubilation within the Democratic Party by Wednesday night after Manchin and Schumer announced what they dubbed "the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," which is slated for the Senate floor next week.
 
100 days before the midterms, Americans aren't happy about their options, poll shows
One hundred days before the midterms, Americans are anxious about the future and unhappy with their options. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll shows Democrats with a narrow advantage over Republicans on the congressional ballot, 44%-40%, a bit better than the 40%-40% split they scored in June. But gloom about the nation's economy and its politics still pose big hurdles for Democratic hopes of avoiding significant losses in November. By 47%-42%, voters say they want to elect a Congress that mostly stands up to President Joe Biden rather than one that mostly cooperates with him. At stake in November is the power to pass legislation and to launch investigations -- whether into the Jan. 6 insurrection or Hunter Biden's finances -- and the prospects for collaboration between Congress and the president during the second two years of his term. "Everything seems to be in flux," said James English, 60, a Republican-leaning independent from Sugar Valley, Texas, who was called in the survey. Asked what issue was most important to his vote, he said, "Generally stability, whether that's economic or personal security." "It feels a little unsettling, just because the bipartisan divide is making everyone so angry and have a lot of resentment towards other parties," Cherish Derrickson, 23, a Democratic law student from Lexington, Kentucky, said in a follow-up interview. "I wouldn't necessarily say the country is burning down, but it's definitely going backwards, especially with the removal of women's reproductive rights."
 
Biden, Xi talk more than 2 hours at time of US-China tension
President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping held the fifth conversation of their presidencies on Thursday, speaking for more than two hours as they chart the future of their complicated relationship at a time of simmering economic and geopolitical tensions. The call began at 8:33 a.m. EDT and ended at 10:50 a.m. EDT, according to the White House. It took place as Biden aims to find new ways to work with the rising global power as well as strategies to contain China's influence around the world. Differing perspectives on global health, economic policy and human rights have long tested the relationship -- with China's refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine adding further strain. "The two heads of state had in-depth communication and exchanges on China-U.S. relations and issues of mutual concern," China Central Television reported on its website. The latest pressure point has been House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan, the island that governs itself democratically and receives informal defensive support from the U.S., but which China considers part of its territory. Beijing has said it would view such a trip as a provocation, a threat U.S. officials are taking with heightened seriousness in light of Russia's incursion into Ukraine. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base.
 
Fox News snubbed Trump's speech, in what's becoming a pattern
When former President Donald J. Trump spoke to a friendly crowd on Tuesday in his first visit to Washington since leaving office, he was covered extensively by a range of news outlets, both mainstream ones and those more sympathetic to him. There was one notable outlier: Fox News. The network, which helped make Mr. Trump a force on the American right, devoted little airtime to his speech. It did not broadcast his remarks live -- and hasn't done so for most of his rallies over the past year. But it did go live with a competing speech that former Vice President Mike Pence delivered the same day, at a hotel less than a mile away. For roughly 17 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Fox viewers heard Mr. Pence uninterrupted. The snub reflected a pattern in the way that Fox's news programming has treated the former president lately: skeptically and sometimes harshly, even as the network's highly rated and influential prime-time hosts, like Sean Hannity, continue to defend him and deflect from the recent revelations of the Jan. 6 hearings. Fox sent a reporter to cover Mr. Trump on Tuesday and included snippets of his speech in its coverage throughout the day. But the network's practice since Mr. Trump left office has been to largely ignore his frequent political rallies, leaving them to smaller, more devoted outlets like Newsmax and One America News, which carry them live and often in full.
 
Newly published evidence points to Wuhan seafood market as pandemic origin point
Was it a few raccoon dogs, inside a metal cage and stacked on top of a chicken coop? Or perhaps a lone red fox, curled up in the corner of its cage. Could one of these wild animals have triggered the entire COVID-19 pandemic late in 2019? This week, an international team of scientists published two extensive, peer-reviewed papers in Science, offering the strongest evidence to date that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in animals at a market in Wuhan, China. Specifically, they conclude that the coronavirus most likely jumped from a caged wild animal into people at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where a huge COVID-19 outbreak began in December 2019. Scientists who weren't involved in the research papers have called the new data "very convincing" and a "blow" to the lab-leak theory -- that the virus somehow escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which does research on coronaviruses. In reaction to the papers, they say the data tips the scales toward wildlife sold at the market. "The studies don't exclude other hypotheses entirely," says virologist Jeremy Kamil, who's at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport and was not involved in this research. "But they absolutely are pushing it toward an animal origin." The new data paints an incredibly detailed picture of the early days of the pandemic. Photographic and genetic data pinpoint a specific stall at the market where the coronavirus likely was transmitted from an animal into people. And a new genetic analysis estimates the time, within weeks, when not just one but two spillovers occurred. It predicts the coronavirus jumped into people once in late November or early December and then again few weeks later.
 
Bacteria causing rare disease found in Coast soil, water
A bacteria that causes a rare, dangerous infectious disease called melioidosis was found in Mississippi Coast soil and water samples, the Center for Disease Control said Wednesday. The incidence of two melioidosis infections of unrelated individuals who lived near each other alerted officials to the possibility that the bacteria, Burkholderia pseudomallei, could be present on the Coast. The infections occurred two years apart -- one in 2020 and one in 2022 -- but melioidosis is so rare that on average just 2 cases a year are diagnosed in the U.S., and in most of instances the disease is brought from abroad. Officials have not disclosed the location of the infections. After researchers found the bacteria in three samples of soil and puddle water near the patients' houses, they determined that it could be present in other Gulf Coast states with similar environmental conditions. The CDC has issued a national health advisory to alert doctors and clinicians of the risks and symptoms of melioidosis. "Typically, we see these bacteria in countries where the bacteria are endemic or where it normally occurs," Mississippi state epidemiologist Paul Byers said in a statement released by the state health department. "Burkholderia pseudomallei normally occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas like Southeast Asia or Central or South America. Because of the identification of this bacteria on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, persons at high risk for severe infection living on the Gulf Coast should take recommended precautions." The CDC says the general population faces a "very low" risk from the disease. But people who suffer from diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, or excessive alcohol use are at greater risk from the disease.
 
Man accused of killing Ole Miss student makes initial court appearance
On Wednesday, Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. made his initial court appearance inside a Lafayette County courthouse. The 22-year-old is being charged with first-degree murder in the death of his Ole Miss classmate Jimmie "Jay" Lee. It was a packed crowd inside the courtroom. All eyes were on Herrington as his attorneys asked for his bond hearing to be pushed back until next month. The hearing, which was roughly five minutes, took place in Judge Gray Tollison's courtroom. As Herrington was going in and out of court, supporters of Lee were protesting in honor of the Jackson native. Fellow students who know Lee and Herrington said the two just graduated from the university back in May. Now they're shocked to know one is believed to be dead, and the other is allegedly responsible for the murder. "It was a shocking moment and it was so, it was just a 360 moment to be like, wow, we didn't think he would be dead, and we didn't think that someone we knew and were in close quarters with would be responsible for his murder," said Jaylyn Johnson, who was friends with Lee and also attends Ole Miss. It's been nearly 3 weeks since Lee first went missing, and so far Lee's body has not been found. Those who were protesting for Lee outside the courthouse believe the Jackson native was attacked due to being a member of the LGBTQ community.
 
UM professor using NEH Summer Stipend for studying indigenous communities along the Peruvian Amazon
A University of Mississippi professor is spending his summer translating Spanish transcriptions of his interviews with members of indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon into English, thanks to a summer stipend from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Stephen Fafulas, associate professor of Spanish and linguistics, is using data he collected during fieldwork in 2011 to complete "Documenting Language Practices, Cultures and Ideologies among Indigenous Communities in the Peruvian Amazon." The data comes from interviews within communities of three distinct indigenous languages in the Peruvian Amazon. Numerous indigenous languages coexist with Spanish, the national language of Peru. Fafulas hopes to use what he learns to publish his research and then identify funding to keep going back to continue his investigation. "Peru's indigenous languages are steadily losing status and power to Spanish as speakers look to increase their upward social mobility and gain access to the greater health care, educational and economic sectors of the country," he said. "My project documents the linguistic, cultural and social aspects of indigenous communities undergoing language shift in the Peruvian Amazon. The linguistic structures of indigenous languages are of great scientific interest for a host of theoretical and typological reasons."
 
UMMC nurse transitions from pediatric patient to colleague
When Abby McCardle first reported for work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, she knew her way around. The new RN assigned to the second floor of the Blair E. Batson Tower at Children's of Mississippi had been there as a 17-year-old chronic lung disease patient. "I met people whose faces were familiar, but I wasn't sure if I knew them from when I was in the hospital," she said. Then the nurse educator of the unit, Brittany Adams of Madison, asked, "Weren't you my patient in 270?" McCardle was her patient, and the memories came flooding back. "They took such good care of me at the children's hospital over the years," she said, "and I loved seeing my doctor as an outpatient, too. I'm healthy today because of Children's of Mississippi care." Born at 28 weeks, McCardle has had chronic lung disease throughout her life. Half a lung was removed when she was 5, and at age 10, she was an intensive care patient at Mississippi's only children's hospital after becoming septic because of her lung condition. "I grew up in and out of the hospital," McCardle said, "so I knew I wanted to grow up to take care of kids. Being a patient gave me a unique perspective." Ridgeland's Dr. Marc Majure, chief of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, was among her doctors. "Abby was seriously ill during her childhood but was always a joy," Majure said. "I'm so proud that she has become a nurse and is now caring for patients including some who have lung conditions. When patients and their families see Abby as a healthy adult, she gives them hope."
 
Jackson State faces housing shortage for Fall 2022
Jackson State University (JSU) is facing another housing shortage for the Fall 2022 semester as students from across the nation begins to make way to the campus. This is the time where many students are prepping to return to campus, buying supplies and decorations for their dorm. However, many Jackson State students are unsure where they will call their home away from home as the university faces a housing shortage. Heaven Lomontey and her mom Kailah Glover flew all the way from Palm Springs, California, for Heaven to start dance camp. But with only temporary accommodations and not knowing anyone in the area, they are unsure where she will stay for the rest of the semester. Jaylyn Clarke, an incoming freshman from Louisiana, said she settled to enroll in online classes for the fall due to the housing shortage, noting this was not the experience she planned for. "I am bummed about the whole situation, but like I said, everything happens for a reason. So I'm trying, you know, didn't let it get to my head too much, because I do want to experience that college life," said Clarke. Glover added that Jackson State does provide recommendations for off campus housing, but with so many people looking into the same alternative options, it creates a cycle.
 
Heavy equipment program preps new class for civil construction
Before applying for the East Mississippi Community College Heavy Civil Construction Program this past spring, 28-year-old Lamar Hobson worked at a furniture factory in Pontotoc. He knew he wanted more than working inside a factory for the rest of his life. "I would be inside the building all the time (and) just felt like I'd rather be outside working. I want to be a 'smooth' operator now," Hobson said with a smile. Hobson joined three of his classmates in a timed "Roadeo" competition Wednesday morning at the Communiversity in Lowndes County to showcase their skills in a bulldozer, tractor, excavator and an asphalt roller test. The machines they operated are used in construction jobs ranging from residential construction to road work. All four students are now graduates of the program and each won one of the four competitions. "Most of my students have never operated equipment," course instructor Mike Duke said. "None of them even knew how to get started. So, when we finish the class, we have a 'Roadeo' to show everybody kind of what they've learned." The Heavy Civil Construction program started at EMCC in 2021 with a class of four students. The goal is to provide workplace safety and heavy machinery training to people with a high school-level education.
 
Auburn University and 10 Alabama community college campuses receive bomb threats Wednesday
Auburn University was the largest of nearly a dozen campuses in Alabama to receive a bomb threat on Wednesday afternoon. The other 10 schools receiving threats were community colleges. Auburn Campus Safety sent out an alert around noon on Wednesday about a bomb threat and evacuated the nursing building on campus. Individuals were told to "stay clear of the area until given all clear." The Auburn Police Department responded to the scene and investigated the situation and the threat. Around 12:30 p.m., Auburn Campus Safety sent the all clear stating that the "emergency has been resolved," police had cleared the nursing building and "it is safe to resume normal activity." WALA Fox 10 also reported that the University of South Alabama evacuated its Health Sciences building after a bomb threat, and WAFF 48 reported that the University of Alabama in Huntsville evacuated three buildings, including its nursing building, humanities building and library. "Although the threat was false, an investigation is ongoing to identify and prosecute the source of the call," the police report said. "Per Alabama state law, threats of this nature are felony criminal offenses. Local law enforcement agencies typically work closely with federal law enforcement using all available resources to arrest suspects associated with this type of offense."
 
Bomb threats clear Alabama university buildings, close community college
Several buildings at Alabama community colleges and university campuses were cleared Wednesday due to apparent bomb threats, though local officials quickly said that they were not aware of any imminent danger. "Authorities at Alabama's community colleges are working closely with law enforcement on a state level and within each community to ensure the safety of residents across our facilities after alleged bomb threats were made at multiple institutions," a spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday. An Alabama Law Enforcement Agency spokesman said law enforcement is monitoring "the most recent bomb threats made against universities and colleges around the country, which includes schools located in Alabama." All collegiate schools that received threats within Alabama on Wednesday, July 27, have been cleared and classes have been deemed safe to resume," the agency said. Auburn University briefly evacuated its nursing building after an alert at 12:06. The university later posted an all clear at 12:33. The University of Alabama at Huntsville also briefly issued alerts for several buildings on its campus, but later said that the situation was resolved.
 
Kirby Smith Hall demolition took more than 70 days. Watch the LSU dorm come down in 1 minute
The infamous Kirby Smith Hall that housed more than 20,000 LSU students since 1967 was finally demolished. The 57-year-old dormitory's demolition took over 70 days to complete. You can watch a condensed video of the historical structure's demise here. LSU tried many times to get rid of Kirby Smith, but the growing demand for campus housing delayed those plans, which once included an imploding of the building. However, LSU said it was more cost-effective to dismantle each floor at a time with high-reach equipment. A time-lapse video filmed between May 17 and July 26 captured the building's demolition. The university plans to turn the area into a green space once the building's debris is all cleared up. "At this time, the master plan calls for this area just to be open so sidewalks, lights, benches, trash cans and a lawn with maybe a couple of trees," LSU Residential Life executive director Peter Trentacoste said previously. "Nothing really extravagant, but certainly a place that would be desirable for students and members of the community to come and hang out on campus." Kirby Smith Hall was built in 1965, and it was named after Edmund Kirby Smith, a Confederate general. LSU stated that changing the name of the dormitory would essentially be moot because of its planned destruction.
 
Employee sues U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, says racial bias affected pay
A diversity office leader at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville who also serves as president of the university's main Black alumni group has sued, claiming racial discrimination affected her pay. Synetra Hughes, a UA employee since 2014, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville, also claims she was retaliated against after filing a complaint in April with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A university announcement last year described Hughes as managing director of the diversity office in the UA Sam M. Walton College of Business. The Walton College separately employs an assistant dean in its diversity office, according to its website. Hughes is president of the Black Alumni Society -- a volunteer position -- but her lawsuit makes no mention of her role as an alumni leader. Instead, the lawsuit claims unfair pay for Hughes as a UA diversity office employee. Court documents do not state a salary for Hughes, and the university declined to answer questions about Hughes. "The University is firmly committed to equitable employment practices. Beyond that, while we became aware of the filing today, it wouldn't be appropriate to discuss an ongoing legal matter," UA spokesman Mark Rushing said in an email Wednesday.
 
Black people are hesitant about COVID vaccine due to government injustices, U. of Missouri study finds
The Tuskegee syphilis study remains an obstacle to African Americans in trusting health information from government sources, including information about the COVID-19 vaccine, a University of Missouri study finds. The study's main author is Wilson Majee, associate professor in the MU School of Health Professions. "The Past is So Present: Understanding COVID-19 Hesitancy Among African American Adults Using Qualitative Data" was published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. The study was conducted through interviews with 21 local church leaders, lifestyle coaches and participants in Live Well by Faith, a community faith-based wellness program from the Boone County health department. Many African Americans see the vaccine as not being good for them because it's coming from the government, Majee said. Not enough Black doctors promoting the COVID-19 vaccines was another source of vaccine hesitation among African Americans, Majee said. Even so, Live Well by Faith tried to remedy that by bringing minority health care providers from the MU School of Medicine to talk about the effectiveness of the vaccines. Misinformation from social media was another source of vaccine hesitancy among local African Americans.
 
Last Year Was Miserable. Can Colleges Make This One Better?
The semesters from hell. Like pouring energy into a void. The great disengagement. However you describe it, faculty members, staff, and administrators across higher education agree that this past academic year was among the most difficult they've experienced. Class absenteeism was rampant. When students did show up, they were painfully silent. Many failed to turn in work or disappeared entirely weeks into the semester. And no amount of effort seemed to change things. By the time summer rolled around, many limped, zombielike, across the finish line. That all came as a surprise. Colleges thought they had prepared by putting professors through workshops focused on creating engaging and flexible classes. They were excited to offer in-person clubs and events. Yet little of that made a difference in many classrooms. How can colleges avoid another soul-crushing semester? Looking back, campus leaders point to several misguided assumptions they made going into the fall of 2021. One was that students' excitement about returning to campus would result in a seamless transition back to in-person learning. In reality, first- and second-year students in particular struggled mightily with the norms and expectations of college life after months of isolation and online education.
 
At Liberty University, Veterans' Complaints Keep Coming
When an Army veteran was looking for somewhere to get an online aviation degree a couple of years ago in hopes of becoming a pilot, Liberty University advertised having the speed and flexibility she needed: accelerated eight-week courses with start times throughout the year and 52 affiliated flight schools around the country where she could get the required flight training. She signed up for the program, paying with the GI Bill benefits that have made military veterans such a reliable source of revenue for Liberty and other universities with large online programs. But when her husband, who was still on active duty, learned he would be transferred from Georgia to Hawaii, she discovered that the lone Liberty flight affiliate on Oahu, George's Aviation Services in Honolulu, did not offer the accelerated courses Liberty had touted. This meant that it would take her double the time to complete her program, two years rather than one, and would cost U.S. taxpayers more along the way, she stated in a complaint she filed with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The complaint was one of more than a dozen provided in response to a public records request about Liberty that was filed with the Veterans Affairs department's GI Bill Feedback Tool and shared with ProPublica. In 2018, ProPublica published an investigation of the highly lucrative online operation at Liberty, the evangelical college in Lynchburg, Virginia, founded in 1971 by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. The investigation showed how under the leadership of Falwell's son, Jerry Falwell Jr., who took over after his father's death in 2007, Liberty turned its online division into the financial engine of its burgeoning campus and political network, helping drive the university's net assets from $150 million in 2007 to more than $2.5 billion in 2018.
 
Dissecting the campus speech problem (it's not what you think)
The provosts, deans and other academic administrators who gathered here last weekend at a meeting convened by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities are understandably concerned about the growing number of states that have considered or passed bills to restrict what is taught and said on college campuses -- legislation that the arts and free expression group PEN America collectively calls "educational gag orders." "We're seeing an avalanche of proposed or passed legislative restrictions on the freedom to learn and the freedom to teach," Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, told the group of officials from regional public colleges and universities. "We've seen nearly 200 of these bills proposed in the last 18 months, and 19 states have some version of educational gag order enforced by either law or policy." (PEN America maintains a database of these sorts of measures.) Some in the audience suggested the legislation was a solution in search of a problem. "I just don't understand what the intention of the other side is," said the provost at one university, who described himself as a liberal Democrat. Young pushed back, in a way. "I understand what they're trying to do: they think conservative students feel uncomfortable in a classroom because their liberal professors are indoctrinating them. They think, 'If we just ban certain stuff from the classroom, we can address that problem,'" Young said.
 
Court may pare back secrecy in campus sexual misconduct suits
A federal appeals court in Boston heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that could make it harder for students to maintain their anonymity when suing colleges over the handling of complaints related to sexual misconduct. Lawyers for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former computer engineering student at the prestigious school squared off over a lower-court judge's denial of the former student's request that he be allowed to proceed as "John Doe" in the case and that the fellow student who accused him of misconduct also be identified by a pseudonym in court filings. Attorney Philip Byler told the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns requiring that the plaintiff either file under his true name or dismiss the suit was unfair and contrary to the custom in such cases. "This is the standard practice in the field," Byler told the three-judge panel. "I think we're all flabbergasted by what the district judge wrote here." A ruling declining to disturb Stearns' decision stripping secrecy from the case could discourage some suits against colleges and universities over their campus discipline processes, particularly in cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct or sexual assault. Byler said the tradition of allowing parties to proceed by pseudonyms in litigation involving intimate matters goes back decades.
 
Biden's student loans plan shrouded in mystery
President Biden's next move on student loans has been a mystery, with the White House not communicating with advocates and instead keeping stakeholders in the dark while the president decides whether to forgive student loans on a large scale. Biden has said forgiving $10,000 in debt per borrower is on the table but keeps delaying making a final decision. Now, with the student loan pause ending next month and the midterm elections just a few months away, borrowers are unclear about what to expect. "We have seen a shift in the desire from the White House to meet with advocates. If you're not willing to meet with us at this point, you have to, at the very least, meet with borrowers," said Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC). The SDCC organized a petition this month to urge Biden to meet with borrowers before he makes a decision on cancellation. The petition, which has garnered more than 100,000 signatures, notes that it's been more than a year since borrowers met with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on the issue. The lack of communication with advocates became evident this spring, following the president extending the freeze. Groups say that the administration, since then, has kept them in the dark. One advocate said that the White House and Vice President Harris's office have "totally ignored" requests for meetings and have "ghosted" them. Meanwhile, they said they were "pawned off to other people" when they asked the Department of Education for a meeting with Cardona.
 
Bill targeting income-share agreements reintroduced
A bipartisan bill introduced last week would add new guardrails around income-share agreements, a student aid alternative that, until recently, had limited federal oversight. ISA lenders and consumer advocates alike have been calling for clarification on the legal rules they must follow since the Education Department clarified in March that ISAs are considered private student loans. The announcement from the department subjected ISAs to the same set of consumer protection laws as private student loans. However, since ISAs, which are based on a student's income, are different from traditional private student loans, ISA providers have been confused on how to interpret these laws. The ISA Student Protection Act would essentially create a separate regulatory system tailored to ISAs. The bill was introduced by Senators Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia; Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana; Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida; and Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware. The bill is supported by companies that oversee ISA programs, but critics of ISA programs are skeptical that the bill will prevent bad actors from rising in the industry. Supporters of ISAs have argued that they are a financial aid alternative that keeps college students out of the private student loan market. On the other hand, critics argue that they can be predatory and in some cases can lead to students taking on more debt than they would have through traditional loan programs.
 
After Student Criticism, Clarence Thomas Is 'Unavailable' to Teach at George Washington This Fall
Justice Clarence Thomas will no longer teach a constitutional-law class this fall after thousands signed a petition calling for him to be removed from his teaching position at the George Washington University Law School. According to an email the student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, obtained that was sent to students by Gregory Maggs, Thomas's co-lecturer in the class, Thomas is "unavailable" to co-teach the class this fall. Students have criticized the university for employing Thomas, citing his recent vote as part of the Supreme Court's majority in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. They also cited decades-old allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him, which he has denied. Students also criticized Thomas's comments in his concurring opinion in Dobbs, which recommended that the Supreme Court reconsider other landmark precedents, such as the one set by Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage. Tim Pierce, a spokesperson for GW, said Maggs "promptly" informed students of Thomas's decision, and the seminar will still be offered in the fall. "The seminar has not been canceled, but I will now be the sole instructor," Maggs wrote in his email, the Hatchet reported. "For those of you still interested in taking the course, I assure you that we will make the best of the new situation."
 
Angry callers are threatening Congress. These interns are on the front lines
People with vile things to say about Adam Kinzinger tend to call his office at night, when it's virtually guaranteed no one will answer. "I think they want to leave a [voicemail] because they know what they're saying is inappropriate. If you don't actually have to speak to a person, then maybe it's easier," said Theresa Reed, who serves as Kinzinger's communications director. Angry messages are not a new phenomenon in politics. But staffers in Kinzinger's office, particularly the young interns who typically answer the phones, have seen bad go to worse. Their boss is making headlines this summer as he sits on the Jan. 6 select committee investigating last year's attack on the Capitol. Students come to the Capitol for internships to learn about the legislative process, but one of their first lessons is how to handle verbal abuse. Reed said interns are taught to tell callers they will disconnect the line if they swear or threaten them. Hanging up doesn't always work, though. It's hard to know how rising threats will affect a generation of interns and their odds of entering public service. For now, staying healthy is a top concern, Reed said. Because listening to sinister messages can cause stress, senior staffers in her office make sure interns know about free counseling and other services available to them through the House Office of Employee Assistance. Constituent messages are "a huge part of the legislative process that I think a lot of folks who haven't been part of it maybe don't understand," she said. "It's unfortunate they've had to get some of these nastier phone calls. People are swearing at them and being quite unpleasant. This shouldn't be part of the process."


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State AD John Cohen preparing to be chairman of college baseball committee
Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen is set to become the chairman of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee in September, he told the Clarion Ledger. Cohen, who was vice chairman, has been part of the committee most notably known for selecting the NCAA Tournament field of 68 since July 2019. His original four-year term is entering its final year. Army AD Mike Birdie previously held the role. Knowledge of pitches, batting averages and errors has been in Cohen's head throughout his playing days at Birmingham-Southern College and Mississippi State along with coaching stints as an assistant at Missouri and Florida and at the helm for Northwestern State, Kentucky and MSU. But as part of the committee, a deeper understanding of the collegiate game has developed to ignite him to this role. "Just learning all the decisions that go around one of the great championships that the NCAA offers," Cohen said.
 
Scouting the schedule, Game 7: Mississippi State aims to put 2020 loss at Kentucky in rearview mirror
Last Oct. 30 in Starkville, Mississippi State put together its most impressive performance of the 2021 season, taking down No. 12 Kentucky by two touchdowns. Maybe it'll be enough to wash off the stink of an ugly 24-2 loss the season prior. MSU managed only a safety in its last trip to Lexington, and another visit to Kroger Field awaits the Bulldogs midway through Southeastern Conference play. If things play out as they did in 2021, Mississippi State will have no issues. The Bulldogs made Kentucky quarterback Will Levis uncomfortable and shut down Chris Rodriguez Jr. and the UK running game. But MSU will need its offense to make the trip to Lexington this time around. Mississippi State will travel to face Kentucky on Oct. 15. Kentucky's inability to win in Starkville is the reason Mississippi State holds a four-game lead in the all-time series. The Wildcats haven't come out on top at Dudy Noble Field since a 14-13 victory in 2008. The two teams have alternated wins and losses in their past six games after a seven-game Mississippi State winning streak, the longest stretch in the history of the rivalry. MSU and Kentucky have played every year since 1990. Some early neutral-site games between the two were played in Memphis (1944) and Jackson (1973 and 1976).
 
A look at Chris Jans' 2022-23 Mississippi State basketball roster
The arrival of May was a significant date for new Mississippi State men's basketball coach Chris Jans as it signified the end of the one-time transfer exception period. Players who entered the portal after the May 1 deadline have to sit out a season, pending any waivers granted by the NCAA. Players could still appear as new entrances into the portal, but those are typically ones who informed their schools prior to the deadline but haven't had paperwork officially processed. They still meet the criteria for the exception. Mississippi State fired Ben Howland and hired Jans in March. With the change came a plethora of roster turnover. Here's a look at where the roster stands.
 
Seahawks sign K.J. Wright so he can retire with Seattle
In an ideal world, K.J. Wright would have played his entire career in Seattle and then retired as a Seahawk. But even if things didn't go entirely as planned at the end of his career, Wright got the next best thing Wednesday, signing a one-day contract with the team that will allow him to say he was a Seahawk when he officially retires. Wright signed a contract with the team at the VMAC in Renton on Wednesday morning with much of his family in tow, and with coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider looking on. "It was really emotional," said Carroll following the team's first training camp practice later in the day. "It was emotional for all of us." Indeed, a video released by the team showed Wright fighting back tears as he put pen to paper for what was officially the fourth contract he signed with the Seahawks. Wright is expected to meet with the media Thursday to make his retirement official after 11 seasons in the NFL, the first 10 with the Seahawks. It's a career in which Wright created a legacy as one of the most productive and classiest players to ever put on a Seahawks uniform. "He's a fantastic kid, and been a remarkable leader and performer and all that," Carroll said. "But even above all of that, he's a remarkable person and I hope that we can always keep him close to the program." "I mean, I love ball," Wright said in a recent interview on the "I Am Athlete Tonight" show on SiriusXM. "But I'm not willing to pick up and leave my family like I did last year. Because my family had to stay back. They didn't come with me to Vegas. I'm not doing that again. And so I think it's pretty well known where I stand at, how I want to end my career, going into my 12th season. If it's not in Seattle, then I'll be all good." Certainly, it was all good during his career, which began when he was taken with the 99th overall pick of the 2011 draft out of Mississippi State, the team famously giving him the call as he walked in his college graduation.
 
Giants to retire Will Clark's number: Here's why
Good ballplayers win games. Important ballplayers win hearts. Good ballplayers sustain teams. Important ballplayers sustain franchises. Good ballplayers make headlines. Important ballplayers make history. The difference between good and important explains why the Giants are retiring Will Clark's jersey number 22 in ceremonies to be held Saturday at Oracle Park. With this distinction, the 58-year-old Clark joins the franchise's all-time greats, including Willie Mays (24), Barry Bonds (25), Willie McCovey (44) and Juan Marichal (27). Clark couldn't be more thrilled. "I'm going to be on the board next to Willie Mays. Can you imagine that?" Clark said, fondly designating "the board" as the section of the left-field facade on the ballpark's club level where the retired numbers are posted. Nevertheless, Clark's ascent to the Giants' elite is wholly legitimate. He embodies the Maya Angelou quotation, "At the end of the day, people won't remember what you said or did. They'll remember how you made them feel." Game after game, Clark made Giants fans feel exalted and hopeful. He would be the Mays for their generation, their McCovey. He would lead the Giants to the promised land, whether the objective was as lofty as the World Series or as feverish as a victory at Dodger Stadium. For many fans, Clark was the last player they viewed through the eyes of a little kid before proceeding to adulthood -- regarding him with unqualified ardor and love, reading every box score that his name appeared in, believing that Cooperstown would be his ultimate destination. Clark's timing was as perfect as his swing. That helped reveal another source of his fan appeal: his unquenchable competitive spirit. The Giants lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history in 1985, the year they selected Clark second overall in the annual draft as a first baseman from Mississippi State University. They were basically just as bad one year earlier, finishing 66-96 in 1984. The Giants' turnaround began toward the end of the 1985 season, when Al Rosen and Roger Craig took over as general manager and manager, respectively. They forbade players from publicly expressing anything negative, whether the subject was the apparently thin roster or the inhospitable weather at their home ballpark, Candlestick Park. Clark bought into Rosen's and Craig's upbeat approach.
 
Before Hoosiers and Chitwood, there were Walnut and Kermit Davis Sr.
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: (On Saturday night, July 30, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inducts its Class of 2022. What follows is Part VII of a series detailing the achievements of the eight inductees, today featuring basketball's Kermit Davis Sr.) ... Kermit Davis Sr. has been so much a part of significant Mississippi basketball history, it makes you wonder why this 86-year-old man was never inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame before this Saturday night. ... When the legendary Babe McCarthy signed on to coach Mississippi State, his first recruit was Kermit Davis Sr. When McCarthy asked Davis if he knew of any taller players who might could help State, Davis replied, "You might want to talk to this guy I played junior high ball with. His name is Bailey Howell. He's up in Tennessee." In 1970-71, his first season as head coach at Mississippi State, he earned Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year honors, the same honor his son, Kermit Jr., would win 48 years later at Ole Miss. ... As head coach at State, Davis recruited and coached two future first round NBA draft picks in Ricky Brown and Wiley Peck. Davis also played a major role in helping to raise the money to construct Humphrey Coliseum. He became the associate director of State's Bulldog Club in 1980 and helped raise money to expand Scott Field, the school's tennis facility, the track and field facility and Dudy Noble Field. All those facilities were entirely funded by private contributions raised by the Bulldog Club during the 1980s.
 
MHSAA moves football kickoffs to 7:30 for first six weeks of 2022 season
High school football games in Mississippi will kick off at 7:30 p.m. through the end of September. The MHSAA voted Tuesday to move kickoff times in an effort to combat the heat. Those games will also continue to have heat timeouts each quarter. "It's time to take every precaution we can to protect our student-athletes," MHSAA executive director Rickey Neaves said. The 7:30 kickoff rule was in place for several years before the MHSAA rescinded it in 2013. Mississippi has regularly seen high temperatures in the upper 90s to lower 100s this summer. Players will battle the heat when preseason drills begin Aug. 8. "If they believe it is what is best for our guys, then yes, but I like getting out there and playing," Tupelo coach Ty Hardin said. "I'm too ADD to be waiting around." The 7:30 rule affects the first six weeks of the season, which starts Aug. 25-26.
 
Southern Miss makes first Sun Belt media days appearance
Southern Miss head football coach Will Hall, along with receiver Jason Brownlee and linebacker Swayze Bozeman, took the stage Wednesday on day two of Sun Belt media days in New Orleans. It was the Golden Eagles first appearance in the conference's annual event on the 27th day of the school's SBC tenure. As such, many of the topics of the day revolved around the team's new schedule and league-mates, but Hall also provided insights into the growth of the football program in year two of his tenure. As with the previous first-year SBC school's coaches who took the stage this week, the conversation with Hall inevitably shifted to the team's status as the new kids on the block. With a new conference comes several new travel partners that are significantly closer to Hattiesburg than the school's previous arrangement. For Hall, it's the name-brand recognition of USM's new rivals that have him, his team and the fans excited about the new era. "Our fan base is extremely excited because when they wake up Sunday and Monday morning and they're drinking coffee at the coffee shop, now we're playing Troy, we're playing (ULM), we're playing (Louisiana), we're playing South Alabama, Arkansas State, like they know those teams," Hall said. "They've played them before. There's instant recollection from the past from playing those teams. They know where they're at. Anybody who thinks that doesn't matter is wrong." The Golden Eagles play their first SBC game on Oct. 8 at Troy.
 
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren talks Greg Sankey, asked about SEC-Big Ten playoff
Last week, it was the SEC Media Days which took over the college football headlines. It's the Big Ten's turn this week. The conference's commissioner, Kevin Warren, in a Q&A with 247Sports, was asked specifically about his colleagues around the country as well as the idea of a Big Ten-SEC playoff down the line. Warren started with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. "I have the utmost respect for him," he told 247Sports. "He's really smart. He is tough. He's fearless. He does not care what people think. He doesn't think like your normal, long-term college administrator. He's been really good to work with because he challenges the status quo, and he'll tell you in front of you what he thinks, which I appreciate. One other big important component of Greg: he and I were both trained by Mike Slive. I've enjoyed working with him." Warren shot down reports his conference is targeting Washington, Oregon, Cal and Stanford. He was, however, specifically asked whether he has opened his mind to a potential SEC and Big Ten playoff if expansion continues. "Everything has to be on the table," he said. "I'm not saying throw away tradition. I epitomize tradition, but we have to stop asking why and start asking why not? Why haven't we done it this way?"
 
Kevin Warren: Big Ten to 'soften stance' on automatic bids in CFP expansion discussions
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said Wednesday that he will not take a hardline stance on automatic College Football Playoff berths for Power 5 conference champions heading into the next set of CFP expansion meetings. This had been a public sticking point for Warren in the past. "I'm going to soften my stance on it," Warren told The Athletic. "I just feel like we have to give some credit for conference regular-season success. Now, whatever that looks like, I don't know." He added that there are "creative ways" to do that that aren't automatic qualifiers, and that means it's a solvable issue, not an immovable one. Last winter's efforts to expand the College Football Playoff failed, with three Power 5 conferences voting against the proposed 12-team model, each for different reasons. The Big Ten, one of the three who stymied a months-long expansion exploration, had pushed hard for automatic qualifiers for Power 5 conference champions. The proposal guaranteed access for the six highest ranked FBS conference champions, and while the Big Ten champion would assuredly be one of them, it wasn't an explicit assigned spot in the way that conference tournament champions earn access in the NCAA basketball tournaments. Warren, who said this week he is 100 percent supportive of Playoff expansion, is confident that the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame will agree to expand the postseason at the conclusion of the CFP's current contract, which expires after the 2025-26 season. The commissioners are next scheduled to get together to discuss the Playoff at the end of September.
 
Hopes raised for College Football Playoff expansion agreement as interest in 16-team model grows
Just as it looked like College Football Playoff expansion was heading towards finality, conference realignment started by Texas and Oklahoma jumping to the SEC put the entire process on hold. Last month's meeting of the FBS commissioners in Park City, Utah, went so well that those who spent the last year battling over CFP expansion seem to be edging closer to settling on a format. "We didn't solve anything, but we had a really good meeting," one of the participants at the gathering told CBS Sports. "I came out of that meeting pretty optimistic. Then, five days later, boom. I don't know what kind of effect we had on it. We had the best meeting we had in over a year." That "boom" moment came June 30 when word leaked that USC and UCLA were joining the Big Ten. But even since then, commissioners have been optimistic about CFP expansion to the point that Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren recently expressed interest in a 16-team model. On Tuesday, Warren said he was "100%" in support of expansion. He then told The Athletic that he was "going to soften [his] stance" regarding the top six highest-ranked champions. That may have something to do with the Big Ten and SEC being in the process of separating themselves from the rest of college football. It may also be the realization that, after the current CFP contract expires following the 2025 season, a unanimous vote will no longer be necessary to change the structure. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, chair of the CFP Board of Managers, said earlier this summer that he hoped the presidents would have expansion resolved by next summer. An expanded bracket would be in place for the 2026 season. Last week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey indicated he would support a bracket including the best teams available regardless of whether they are conference champions. Sankey was part of a four-person subcommittee that took two years modeling everything from four- to 16-team playoffs before settling on the proposed 12-team format. The sudden interest in 16 might best be explained by, "Why not?" Still, one high-profile industry called the idea "lunacy" saying Sankey's original subcommittee got it right at 12 teams.
 
Here's what UGA is paying athletic director Josh Brooks after boost to total compensation
Football coach Kirby Smart's huge jump in pay announced last week wasn't the only boost in compensation for a prominent person in UGA athletics. AD Josh Brooks, his boss, is getting a $55,000 raise to bring his total compensation to $855,000. Brooks was due to be paid $800,000 in the next fiscal year that started July 1 under terms of his contract after taking over as athletic director in January 2021. He was paid $775,000 in the previous fiscal year. His base salary rose $30,000 to $780,000, according to an open records request. His retention bonus is also rising from $50,000 to $75,000. UGA president Jere Morehead said at an athletic board meeting in May that Brooks salary would be increasing. His contract still runs through June 30, 2025. Brooks, 42, was tied for the lowest paid athletic director with Ole Miss' Keith Carter, according to an Athleticdirector U salary survey for 2020-2021. At the time, 9 of 13 SEC AD's at public schools made at least $850,000 and seven made $1 million or more.
 
For Brian Kelly, LSU football's principles matter more than his cultural fit
Ever since he arrived late last year, a debate about whether or not Brian Kelly fits in culturally at LSU has followed him around like a gnat. He's a buttoned-up Boston native who spent his entire career in the Midwest until now, so people naturally wondered how he would adjust to the customs of south Louisiana. The topic buzzed over Kelly the past eight months, starting as soon as he left Notre Dame to replace a Cajun who grew up along the bayou. His pronunciation of "family" and videos dancing with recruits only added to the discourse, and last week at Southeastern Conference media days, he had to answer something about fit at nearly every stop. Even an SEC Network graphic called him a "Southern accent expert." But as Baton Rouge Rotary Club president Augustin Richard III referenced Wednesday, this isn't the first time LSU hired a football coach whose personality didn't seem to match the area. Back in 2000, Nick Saban moved down from Michigan State and built a championship program. It didn't matter that he had never worked in the state. "We welcomed another coach from the Midwest that year," Richard said. Saban had to answer a detailed schematic question about cornerbacks from an elderly woman during his first appearance with the rotary club, an annual stop for LSU's football coach the week before preseason practice begins. Kelly didn't hear anything as technical, but his speech addressed the skepticism about how much he fits into Louisiana culture.
 
United Airlines Has an Offer for College Football Fans
Anyone who has flown recently will know that it has become, ahem, not as pleasant as it once (if ever) was. Flights get held up for hours and often even cancelled entirely while airports like London's Heathrow and Los Angeles' LAX have entire spaces full of baggage that was separated from their owners. To minimize chaos at the airports, some airlines and airports have been taking drastic steps of capping the number of flights or departing passengers. While capping flights has been the strategy in Europe, the American style has been true to form in that airlines have largely continued working through the chaos. After suspending a number of routes earlier this spring, United Airlines (UAL) announced that it is adding 120 others -- in advance of college football season, the airline is launching direct round-trips flights between cities where popular college teams are slated to play in the fall. These include a flight between Birmingham, Alabama and Austin, Texas on Sept. 10 to see University of Alabama's Crimson Tide play at the University of Texas Longhorns in Austin and a round-trip between San Jose, Calif., and Seattle to see the Stanford Cardinal play at the University of Washington Huskies on Sept. 24. It takes some understanding of college football culture to see why adding so many flights for one- or two-day events is profitable for a company as large as United -- the airline says that it surveyed customers who are avid football fans and found that 80% said that they were likely to fly for a game this season.
 
Trump Embraces LIV Golf, Backing a New Saudi Strategy
Donald J. Trump has long toyed with becoming a sports baron. He tried for years to buy an N.F.L. franchise and was a face of a second-tier football league that collapsed. He backed a would-be rival to Major League Baseball that never materialized and briefly put his name on a race for elite cyclists. Now, after decades of failure and rejection in sports, the former president is embracing an athletic gambit with an urgent craving for credibility: LIV Golf, the invitational series that has upended professional golf and, flush with money from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, is seen as another Saudi effort to use sports as a reputation sanitizer. Coming as the former president weighs another White House campaign and as diplomats navigate a complex relationship strained by Saudi Arabia's human rights record -- including the 2018 murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a source of international outrage that Trump has repeatedly played down -- the Trump family's choice to welcome LIV Golf to two of its courses this year carries the starkest geopolitical overtones of any of Trump's sports forays. It could also undermine the get-tough message that many Republicans have sounded on Saudi Arabia, and it is making some of the Trump family's ties to the kingdom decidedly, and defiantly, public. They will be displayed again this weekend, when the Saudi-backed series will hold a tournament at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. And they are expected to surface again in October, when a Trump course near Miami is scheduled to host the final event of the year.
 
Capitol Hill Enters the Fight Over LIV Golf's Saudi Arabia Ties
LIV Golf recently acquired a powerful asset in its challenge to the PGA Tour: a Justice Department antitrust investigation. But the PGA Tour also has a powerful ally in Washington: Congress. The politics of LIV Golf, the upstart circuit backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign-wealth fund, are moving to the forefront as its next event tees off at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. The current president, Joe Biden, recently returned from a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia. The former president, Donald Trump, is hosting the event after telling golfers they should "take the money" and play for LIV, which he said in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal has generated favorable publicity worth "billions of dollars" for the Saudis. On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, there is growing criticism from lawmakers over Saudi Arabia's incursion into professional golf. And as the PGA Tour faces both a DOJ probe and a competitive threat from LIV, which continues to peel off big-name players, some of its staunchest supporters are elected officials who want to halt LIV's efforts. Lawmakers have raised questions about the Justice Department's interest in whether the PGA Tour violated antitrust law in its response to the rival circuit -- and said the agency should be asking instead whether LIV Golf's hires have violated a law requiring agents of foreign governments to register their efforts. The argument over what LIV is about is likely to continue through all of its showdown with the PGA Tour, which could spill over into the courts, Congress, and certainly public opinion.



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