| Friday, December 6, 2024 |
| Mississippi State hosts Dec. 12 and 13 commencement ceremonies | |
 | Mississippi State fall commencement ceremonies for the university's Starkville and Meridian campuses are set for next week. The Starkville campus will host two ceremonies on Dec. 13 -- 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. -- in Humphrey Coliseum. MSU-Meridian will celebrate commencement Dec. 12, 11 a.m. at the MSU Riley Center. MSU President Mark E. Keenum is the university's featured commencement speaker, and Lewis Fox Mallory Jr., a 1965 MSU College of Business graduate, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree during Starkville's afternoon ceremony. This year's commencement also includes the Meridian campus's inaugural doctoral graduates with three students walking across the stage. The afternoon's honoree, Mallory is the retired chairman and CEO of Cadence Bank and Cadence Financial Corporation. He played a pivotal role in the university's negotiations for what is now the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. Mallory also was named Alumnus of the Year by the College of Business in 1997, recognized as one of its 100 Most Distinguished Alumni during the college's 2015 centennial celebration, and he taught a bank management class at MSU for several years. Mallory is a past president of the MSU Foundation and has served as a member of the Board of Directors since 1962. |
| Teacher turnover on the rise in Mississippi, southern region | |
 | During a recent Senate Education Committee hearing, Dr. Courtney Vancleave, Mississippi Department of Education's Executive Director of the Office of Teaching and Leading, said there are about 3,000 teaching vacancies across the state, with larger shortages seen in elementary teachers and high school teachers. However, Mississippi isn't the only state facing a teacher shortage. According to the Learning Policy Institute, teacher shortages are occurring nationwide. In 2023, it was estimated more than 400,000 teaching positions in the United States were unfilled or filled by those not fully certified for the position. The education profession is facing an issue with turnover. Southern Regional Education Board Project Manager Megan Boren told the Senate committee that teacher turnover has been on the rise across the southern region over the past four years, with Mississippi's most recent rate sitting at roughly 23 percent. To address the problem, Boren suggested Mississippi develop programs that could allow students to use scholarships or provide student loan forgiveness for prospective educators as a method to address the shortage, particularly when it comes to special education and STEM teachers. Mississippi currently has a scholarship program aimed at assisting high performing college students planning to enter the education field through the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program. A collaboration between Ole Miss and Mississippi State University, the program pays for "up to the full cost of attendance after all other aid has been exhausted." |
| Police around the Golden Triangle collect holiday gifts for families in need | |
 | Police departments around the Golden Triangle are giving more than just public safety this holiday season, launching charity drives that gift toys to hundreds of foster children and reuniting families that haven't been together since last year. Starkville Police Department is holding its fourth annual Angel Tree program, registering families who can't afford gifts this holiday season and connecting them with locals who want to lend a hand, Corporal Kenya Bibbs told The Dispatch. The tree at the police department has had about 80 angels hung on it this year, with about 50 already claimed. The program runs until Dec. 13, and with 30 families still waiting, Bibbs is encouraging anybody that has a little extra to come in and fill out the sheet to claim one. "We still have angels waiting to be blessed, so if anyone still wants to give back to the community, stop by the department or give me a call," she said. Once the sponsors have all bought what's on their slip, wrapped it and returned it to the station, the department puts it all under the tree and throws a party for the kids. "Some of these families, their parents do work. But they're still struggling to make ends meet. The community doesn't see the bad side, the parents in need of help. This program gives them something to open up on Christmas and put a smile on their face." |
| Swiss manufacturer Liebherr breaks ground on distribution and manufacturing center | |
| A crowd of business professionals, community leaders, and local, regional and state elected officials gripped shovels and stood in the frigid morning air at The HIVE Thursday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new location for international manufacturing company Liebherr. The Liebherr Group, one of the largest manufacturers of construction equipment in the world, plans to build a 1-million-square-foot distribution and manufacturing operation at the Lee County business park. The Swiss-headquartered company expects to invest $176 million in the county and create 180 jobs, with the potential to grow to $240 in investments and 342 jobs in the future. "Economic development is a team sport, and what we are seeing happening in the great state of Mississippi today is evidence that we have a great team," Gov. Tate Reeves said during the ceremony. "This is going to be state-of-the art, and it is that something we can be proud of." Reeves said the establishment of Liebherr is the next in a long-line of economic development projects he hopes to see across the state, adding that he believes Mississippi is positioned as a business-friendly state. The development is the first major project to commit to the industrial park outside of the Lee County Career & Technical Education Center, which broke ground in 2020 and opened its doors the following year. |
| Topgolf in Ridgeland is nearly ready to open | |
 | The anticipation is nearly over, and all of the construction is done. The bays and the clubs are ready, and on Dec. 20, the Topgolf development in Ridgeland will open for business. On Friday, officials from Topgolf hosted a tour of the facility as workers take care of last-minute details and employees train for the big opening day in two weeks. It has been a long time coming as talk about the development has been going on for nearly three years. While Topgolf is the drawing card for the development off Interstate 55 in Ridgeland, northeast of the Renaissance at Colony Park, the project has grown to include a national grocery store chain, an entertainment venue, shopping and upscale living accommodations. The development, called Prado Vista at Ridgeland, will be a 77-acre mixed-use development that will also include two high-end hotels, more than 100,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space, 228 homes for sale, and a river walk. The venue, which is the first Topgolf in Mississippi, will have nearly 200 employees. |
| Mahoney's and seafood wholesaler want civil case over mislabeled fish tossed | |
 | A proposed class-action lawsuit filed against Mary Mahoney's Old French House restaurant and Quality Poultry & Seafood is a 'manufactured attempt' to cash in on the criminal case against two seafood institutions in Biloxi, the companies say. Mary Mahoney's and Quality have both filed motions to dismiss the case. Todd McCain of Alabama filed the lawsuit after the federal government charged Mahoney's, its co-owner Anthony "Tony" Cvitanovich and Quality, a wholesaler and retailer, with conspiring to mislabel imported seafood as Gulf fresh. Mahoney's and Cvitanovich pleaded guilty in their felony case and have been sentenced. Quality sales manager Todd Rosetti, son of owner Clell Rosetti, and business manager James "Jim" Gunkel each pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of mislabeling seafood. The individuals who pleaded guilty in the criminal cases are also named parties in the proposed class-action lawsuit being heard by Judge Taylor B. McNeel. In the civil case, McCain seeks to represent all customers deceived during the time the criminal case covers, from at least 2012 to November 2019. Mahoney's sentencing hearing demonstrated how difficult it would be to identify injured diners. Mahoney's was ordered to forfeit $1.35 million. But the federal government did not ask for restitution because identifying the victims and the amount each was owed would have been too unweildy and time-consuming, prosecutors and the judge agreed. |
| Shrimp sham: Investigation finds over 80% of 'Gulf shrimp' sold on Mississippi Coast is imported | |
| After Mississippi Gulf Coast staple restaurant Mary Mahoney's Old French House came under fire for fraudulent branding of seafood, a new third-party investigation has found that mislabeling imported seafood is more rule than the exception for the region's celebrated food scene. SeaD Consulting, a firm that specializes in genetic testing to monitor mislabeling and substitution fraud in the seafood industry, conducted a comprehensive investigation into the potential misrepresentation of shrimp served across coastal Mississippi. The findings uncovered a shocking revelation that the vast majority of area restaurants advertising "fresh, local seafood" caught in the Gulf of Mexico are in reality serving customers cheap, imported alternatives. "Consumers come to the coast expecting the finest, freshest Gulf seafood, but what they're being served often falls far short of that," COO of SeaD Consulting Erin Williams said in a press release. "This isn't just about mislabeling; it's about eroding consumer trust, undercutting local business, and threatening the livelihood of hardworking Gulf shrimpers." While consumers experience higher prices for lesser products under the guise of genuine fare, the investigation's findings also shine a grim spotlight on a local seafood industry that is struggling to keep up with foreign competition. |
| Layoffs picked up in November as labor market cools down | |
| The number of layoff announcements rose about 4% in November from the month before, according to the outplacement company Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Layoffs overall have been pretty subdued ever since the early stages of the pandemic, but the pickup in November is a sign that the labor market is starting to lose momentum. A lot of businesses are in a tricky spot right now, according to Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. Consumer demand has started to slow, but he said wages remain elevated. Hiring has cooled off. "You're seeing employees staying longer in place. You're also seeing hiring managers being more careful with who they hire," Daco said. Some companies have started reducing staff through strategic layoffs based on performance or through attrition, he added. "Using the ability of some individuals to leave the firm or to retire and not necessarily replacing them as they exit." That said, we're not seeing many companies announce widespread layoffs. That's because the economy is still growing, per Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide. |
| Is labor market bouncing back? Here's what the November jobs report tell us | |
 | U.S. hiring bounced back in November with employers adding 227,000 jobs as the adverse toll on payrolls from two Southeast hurricanes and worker strikes reversed. The unemployment rate rose from 4.1% to 4.2%, the Labor Department said Friday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had forecast 215,000 job gains. Also encouraging: Job gains for September and October were revised up by a total 56,000. September's tally was upgraded from 223,000 to 255,000 and October's, from 12,000 to 36,000. The changes paint a modestly brighter picture of the job market in late summer ad early fall than previously believed. "The November jobs report should assuage fears of recession," Jason Schenker, president of Prestige Economics, wrote in a note to clients. The report leaves the Federal Reserve on course to cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point again this month, as most economists have expected, amid a generally cooling labor market and easing inflation. But because of the storm and strike effects, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said this week that November's report could be misleading. And Barclays said officials likely would focus on average job gains the past three months rather than the November total. The three-month average was a solid, but not too hot, 172,000. More broadly, even before the hurricanes and strikes, U.S. job growth was slowing from a monthly average of 267,000 in the first quarter. A |
| Everybody Loves FRED: How America Fell for a Data Tool | |
 | Fans post about him on social media. Swag bearing his name sells out on the regular. College professors dedicate class sessions and textbook sections to him. Foreign government officials have been known to express jealousy over his skills, and one prominent economist refers to him as a "national treasure." Meet FRED, a 33-year-old data tool from St. Louis, Mo., and the economics world's most unlikely celebrity. Even if you have not interacted with FRED yourself, there is a good chance you've encountered him without knowing it. The tool's signature baby blue graphs dot social media and crop up on many of the world's most popular news websites. The website had nearly 15 million users last year, and it is on track for even more in 2024, up from fewer than 400,000 as recently as 2009. Their reasons for clicking are diverse: FRED users are coming for freshly released unemployment data, to check in on egg inflation or to find out whether business is booming in Memphis. That appeal crosses political lines. Larry Kudlow, who directed the National Economic Council during the first Trump administration, has tweeted and retweeted FRED charts. Groups as disparate as the spending-focused Alaskans for a Sustainable Budget and the pro-worker advocacy organization Employ America have used its charts to back up their arguments. It is even occasionally used by professional and White House economists, who tend to have access to sophisticated data tools, for quick charts. |
| Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S. | |
| A federal appeals court panel on Friday upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law, which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January, is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok's challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform. "The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States," said the court's opinion. "Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary's ability to gather data on people in the United States." TikTok and ByteDance -- another plaintiff in the lawsuit -- are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term and whose Justice Department would have to enforce the law, said during the presidential campaign that he is now against a TikTok ban and would work to "save" the social media platform. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, culminated a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. If TikTok appeals and the courts continue to uphold the law, it would fall on Trump's Justice Department to enforce it and punish any potential violations with fines. |
| State Rep. Andy Stepp passes away at age 66 | |
| Mississippi lawmaker Andy Stepp has passed away at the age of 66. The freshman member of the state's House of Representatives died on Thursday morning, with the cause of death not currently being made available. Stepp, a Republican, was elected to the legislature in 2023 after an unsuccessful attempt at winning the District 23 seat earlier that year. In a special election held following Jim Beckett's departure from the House, Perry Van Bailey defeated Stepp by a mere seven votes. Six months later, Stepp ousted Van Bailey in the primaries and went on to win the seat outright, holding the post until his passing. The longtime Bruce resident was active in the community, serving on the city's chamber of commerce's board of directors and as the safety officer of the local volunteer fire department. Stepp also owned the Stepp-Saver Pharmacy in Bruce for over 35 years. The governor has 30 days to set a date for a special election to fill the vacancy in the Legislature |
| Mississippi Supreme Court rules in historic case involving Hurricane Katrina, Frank Lloyd Wright home | |
| For nearly 20 years, the Minor family has fought their insurance company over the loss of their home that was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. On Thursday, the state Supreme Court ruled in the family's favor, affirming a jury award of over $10 million to the family and more than $4.5 million in attorney fees. "I'm very pleased with the decision we got today," attorney Jim Reeves said in a phone interview. "It was a hard-fought case, but I really think it's a win for homeowner policyholders here in the state." For years, hundreds of homeowners like the Minors fought insurance companies who denied or partially paid on claims related to the major hurricane that devastated much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast with its powerful winds and deadly storm surge. At the heart of the issue is whether wind or water caused the damage. Insurance companies refused to pay for damage caused by water, saying they would only pay for damage caused by wind. Many insurers said they would not pay on claims if damage was caused by both wind and water. USAA's attorneys at Copeland, Cook, Taylor and Bush declined to comment on the court's decision. The Minor family home on East Beach in Ocean Springs was the former summer home of Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was Sullivan's apprentice during the time the Sullivan bungalow was built. Both renowned architects are credited with the home's design. |
| State Supreme Court denies Mississippi Today appeal in Bryant defamation case | |
| The state Supreme Court has denied the appeal of Deep South Today, the parent company of Mississippi Today, in the defamation case brought against the online news outlet by former Governor Phil Bryant. As previously reported, a Madison County Circuit Court judge ordered Mississippi Today to identify sources and produce information related to statements its staff made against the former Governor in their reporting of the TANF welfare scandal. The online outlet argued that the May court order violated its constitutional rights under the First Amendment. However, Chief Justice Mike Randolph, writing for the Court en banc, said, "After due consideration, the Court finds that Deep South's Petition for Interlocutory Appeal should be denied." Bryant's defamation case stems from comments made by Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White when speaking on a panel at a journalism conference. White boasted that her outlet was "the newsroom that broke the story about $77 million in welfare funds intended for the poorest people in the poorest state in the nation being embezzled by a former governor and his bureaucratic cronies." Bryant has not be accused of or charged with any crime related to the welfare scandal. |
| Auditor's legislative priorities focus on DEI, education, spending cuts | |
| Mississippi's State Auditor Shad White is asking lawmakers in the 2025 Session to slash portions of the $335 million he identified in a government waste study. Earlier this week, White released a list of legislative priorities asking for the Legislature to address the initiative dubbed Project Momentum, which was paid for with $2 million out of the state agency's budget. White is also asking state lawmakers to address raising teacher pay, putting more public education dollars "in the classroom" and cutting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices and programs from state colleges. For years, White has been on the record as an advocate for cutting spending on DEI programs and offices within Mississippi's colleges. Diversity, equity and inclusion is pegged as an organizational framework that aims to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly historically underrepresented and marginalized groups who have been subject to discrimination. White disagrees with both the definition and implementation of DEI in Mississippi, saying the practice has resulted in overpaid staff, inefficient school programs and has not created a more inclusive environment for students across the state's universities. |
| Here's how the FBI allegedly wooed Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to a clandestine meeting in Ft. Lauderdale | |
| Weeks after three local leaders were indicted on federal corruption charges, documents obtained by WLBT reveal more details about how out-of-state developers allegedly wined and dined Jackson's mayor in exchange for his support for a multimillion-dollar project. In October, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Ward Six Councilman Aaron Banks, and Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens were indicted for their alleged roles in the scheme. Email correspondence obtained by 3 On Your Side reveals developers worked for months to woo the mayor, inviting him to Florida to meet with the Jackson Development Group (JDG) back in February. A later itinerary of that Ft. Lauderdale meeting shows the mayor, Owens, and two members of their personal details were treated to dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel, followed by evening cigars, and a sunset cruise the next day. Meanwhile, the two-day meeting was billed as a political fundraiser for the mayor and a chance for developers to "learn [his] vision for the [Capital] City." Ward One Councilman Ashby Foote saw the documents for the first time on Thursday. He said even before the indictments were unsealed on November 7th, he would have questioned why Lumumba needed to go to Florida to raise funds. "It doesn't strike me that it's in the interest of Jackson. It may be in his particular interest, but why not have a fundraiser in the city of Jackson, where the people you serve are?" he said. "To fly to Ft. Lauderdale with a limited number of people... that seems to be a strange way to go about raising money for your campaign." |
| Republicans sink attempts to force release of Gaetz report | |
 | House Republicans on Thursday deflected two separate attempts by Democrats to force the release of an ethics report into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Reps. Sean Casten of Illinois and Steve Cohen of Tennessee both gave notice earlier in the week that they intended to raise the topic as a privileged question on the floor, triggering a vote. Both did so Thursday, but were batted aside in mostly party-line votes. "The member being referenced in the resolution has actually resigned from the House of Representatives. Therefore, the question is moot," said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., as he moved to refer it to the Ethics Committee. Earlier on Thursday, the committee -- which is composed of five Republicans and five Democrats -- punted for the second time in as many weeks on what to do about the report. In a statement released after a nearly three-hour meeting Thursday, the committee said it was "continuing to discuss the matter." Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., said he could not disclose the next meeting date as he left the Longworth meeting room. Guest -- who said following Thursday's meeting that he would vote against the resolutions brought by Casten and Cohen -- has pointed out that Gaetz is no longer in Congress and is no longer in the running for attorney general. |
| Blackburn unveils 'DOGE Acts' to cut spending, freeze federal hiring and salaries | |
 | Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has unveiled her "DOGE Acts" to cut spending and freeze federal hiring, as well as salaries. "Senator Blackburn is planning to introduce a package of bills -- known as the DOGE Acts -- aimed at holding the federal government more accountable for managing taxpayer dollars next week," Blackburn's spokesperson said in a statement. "The DOGE Acts coincides with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's plan to make the federal government more efficient." The legislation "would cut discretionary spending, move federal agencies out of the swamp, freeze federal hiring and salaries for one year, begin the process of a merit-based compensation structure for federal employees, and require agencies to get employees back in the office," according to the statement. The bills in the package would create a commission centered on the relocation away from D.C. of some federal agencies; cause a yearlong pause in federal hiring and salaries; and make the federal government have a pilot program in which civilian employees would be compensated in relation to their merit. Musk and Ramaswamy were on Capitol Hill on Thursday meeting with Republican leaders like incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). |
| Hegseth soldiers on with meeting GOP senators | |
| Pete Hegseth returned to Capitol Hill for another round of meetings with Republican senators Thursday as he worked to shore up support for his selection to be President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of Defense, a bid that appeared increasingly tenuous. Meanwhile, a leading Democratic defense authorizer pressured top Armed Services lawmakers to seek records tied to Hegseth's prior leadership at two veterans advocacy groups after allegations of financial mismanagement (which Hegseth has denied) came to light earlier this week. As Hegseth seeks to defuse those accusations -- as well as allegations of excessive drinking and sexual impropriety, which he has also denied -- most GOP senators remained publicly bullish on his chances of confirmation. "I believe he has a path forward," South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told reporters Thursday following a one-on-one meeting with the Army veteran and longtime Fox News host. Hegseth also met with Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Rick Scott of Florida and Sen.-elect Jim Banks of Indiana, who offered a full endorsement of Hegseth and promised the nominee "won't back down." Sen. Roger Wicker, the incoming chairman of the Armed Services Committee that would hold Hegseth's confirmation hearing, declined to answer a question about whether Trump has called him directly to discuss Hegseth, saying only: "I speak to the president." The Mississippi Republican underscored Thursday he's "quite supportive" of Hegseth and "eager to provide more information to my colleagues." |
| Biden is considering preemptive pardons for officials and allies before Trump takes office | |
| President Joe Biden is weighing whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration, a preemptive move that would be a novel and risky use of the president's extraordinary constitutional power. The deliberations so far are largely at the level of White House lawyers. But Biden himself has discussed the topic with some senior aides, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss the sensitive subject. No decisions have been made, the people said, and it is possible Biden opts to do nothing at all. Pardons are historically afforded to those accused of specific crimes -- and usually those who have already been convicted of an offense -- but Biden's team is considering issuing them for those who have not even been investigated, let alone charged. They fear that Trump and his allies, who have boasted of enemies lists and exacting "retribution," could launch investigations that would be reputationally and financially costly for their targets even if they don't result in prosecutions. While the president's pardon power is absolute, Biden's use in this fashion would mark a significant expansion of how they are deployed, and some Biden aides fear it could lay the groundwork for an even more drastic usage by Trump. They also worry that issuing pardons would feed into claims by Trump and his allies that the individuals committed acts that necessitated immunity. |
| Trump picks David Perdue to be ambassador to China | |
 | Donald Trump has selected former Georgia Sen. David Perdue to serve as ambassador to China. Perdue has significant business experience in Asia, including China, something he ran on during his Senate election in 2014. As the former CEO of Dollar General and a top executive at Sara Lee and Reebok, Perdue was responsible for significant corporate restructuring and global expansion, and has lived in both Singapore and Hong Kong. In a post on Truth Social late Thursday, Trump highlighted Perdue's extensive background working in Asia and noted his service on the Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee while in the Senate. "He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China's leaders," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, in which he also called Perdue a "loyal supporter" and "friend." After being elected in 2014, Perdue served one term in the Senate, where he earned a reputation for his fiscal conservatism and backing pro-business policies. He lost his reelection bid in a 2021 runoff against Democrat Jon Osoff. In his business career, Perdue was a strong proponent of moving jobs from the U.S. to Asia to save on manufacturing costs, a practice seemingly at odds with Trump's America First policy and something that dogged him on the campaign trail. |
| What Trump's nominations say about where trade and other economic policies might go | |
 | Some of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominations have raised hopes that his trade and other economic actions will not be wildly disruptive or bring back inflation. But that could turn out to be wishful thinking. Based on the record of his first term in the Oval Office and on his current statements of his intent, Trump's second term may see a break from the largely bipartisan consensus that has shaped U.S. economic policy for more than 50 years. That consensus has centered on a push for more foreign trade, less government regulation of business, tax cuts and other fiscal stimulus when necessary to sustain steady growth and low unemployment. Though Republicans tended to put more emphasis on one element or another than Democrats, the overall thrust remained pretty much the same. And supporters of that approach took heart when Trump picked billionaire investor Scott Bessent to be his Treasury secretary. Bessent is a familiar name in the hedge fund world, and for some years he worked under the longtime financier and Democratic backer George Soros. Wall Street immediately cheered the selection by pushing up stock prices. But on the very next trading day after naming Bessent, Trump announced plans to slap 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as 10% more on Chinese goods that are already taxed heavily thanks to the trade war he launched in his first term. The goal was to press Mexico in particular to curb border inflows of fentanyl and migrants. And on Wednesday, Trump said he would bring back Peter Navarro as a senior trade and manufacturing advisor. The fiery China hawk and former UC Irvine professor clashed with other, more moderate top officials in Trump's first administration. |
| Outgoing DNC chair Jaime Harrison pushes back against critics of 'identity politics' | |
| Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison delivered a steadfast defense of his party's commitment to racial equity Thursday, drawing on his own identity as a Black man to push back forcefully against critics who say Democrats need to abandon "identity politics." People of color need to see Democrats fighting for them, and that "cannot be the excuse for why we win or lose," Harrison said in a passionate speech to state Democratic chairs meeting in Arizona. "When I wake up in the morning, when I look in the mirror, when I step out the door, I can't rub this off," he said, waving his hand in front of his face. "This is who I am. This is how the world perceives me." "That is my identity," he continued. "And it is not politics. It is my life. And the people that I need in the party, that I need to stand up for me, have to recognize that. You cannot run away from that." Harrison's four-year tenure will end early next year. He twice suggested he has more grievances he's itching to get off his chest, saying "the muzzle comes off" the day after his replacement is elected on Feb. 1. He has no plans to endorse a replacement. "That's it for you all," Harrison said later as he wrapped up his speech. "Because I'm saving the rest for my book. And I am naming names." |
| The People Cheering the UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting | |
| After her mother was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer, Anna watched for years as she fought both the illness and the health-care system until her death in 2020. "The fight with the insurance companies was, in many ways, worse than cancer," Anna says. "It took over my entire family's life." She recalls her mother's time-consuming struggles to get new treatments approved. "It was just so maddening to know they were shaving years off my mom's life because of the paperwork," Anna recalls. So on Wednesday morning when she heard the news that UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead in Manhattan, she had a perverse reaction. "I am ashamed to admit it, but there was a little surge of Schadenfreude," says Anna, who, like several others in this story, asked to use a pseudonym to protect her privacy. She was far from alone. Across the internet and on social media, countless people expressed grim satisfaction or even glee at the murder of 50-year-old Thompson, who is survived by a wife and two sons. Authorities say he was killed in a targeted attack. Bullet casings recovered by police were inscribed with the words deny, defend, and depose, apparent references to how insurance companies deal with patient claims. For many, Thompson's death has been a means to vent and commiserate over the state of American health care and the insurance industry specifically, pitting multibillion-dollar corporations against patients who often have to fight to get even routine procedures covered -- if they aren't denied outright. |
| Town and Tower presents awards for annual community service | |
 | The goal of Town and Tower is to strengthen relationships among Mississippi University for Women, Columbus and Lowndes County, and the Columbus Air Force Base. At the group's Holiday Luncheon December 5, they took time out to honor some of the people who go the extra mile for their community. Town and Tower presented its annual Service Awards. For this year's Community Service Award recipient, Lieutenant Rhonda Sanders of the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, the honor came as a surprise. It also comes at her busiest time of the year. Along with her duties at the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, Sanders serves in a leadership role with the Community Benefit Committee. Both organizations just finished a turkey giveaway at Thanksgiving and are working to make Christmas brighter for area foster children and the children of trustees at the Lowndes County Jail. Along with the Community Service Award, Town and Tower also presented Campus and Special Service Awards. |
| Navy pilot, MSMS alum, works to make military planes better | |
| Commander Eric "Turbo" Thurber will tell you his job in the U.S. Navy is training pilots to complain. But by doing that in his day-to-day as a test pilot instructor, the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science 2004 alumnus is training the pilots who will help military aircraft evolve, including everything from flight systems to ergonomics. "In test pilot school, the idea behind it is, I'm not the problem, the plane's the problem," Thurber said to a group of about a dozen current MSMS students during a Monday wellness seminar. "We're kind of professional complainers, in that what we'll do is take existing systems and say 'This can be better, this can be better, and this can be better.'" Typically, Navy pilots train to fly a particular aircraft and work around its flaws, but Thurber said test pilots train to fly all kinds of planes and find ways to optimize them to reach their highest potential. Training them means introducing them to all kinds of aircraft, from Alaskan bush planes to the higher-speed T-38. "We let people get exposure to all these different things, because we want when they go out in the world when they're testing something, to have something to compare it to," Thurber said. After attending MSMS, Thurber followed a similar path to many test pilots, as he joined the ROTC program at Cornell university, followed by going to flight school. |
| UM's Queer Mississippi Class Showcases Queer Southerners | |
 | Queer Belonging, an exhibit crafted by the University of Mississippi's Queer Mississippi class, will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5 in Barnard Observatory from 4-6 p.m. The showcase will spotlight the history of LGBTQ+ people who have created spaces and communities for themselves throughout the state. Coffee, tea and cookies from Heartbreak Coffee will be provided for all who attend. Queer Belonging focuses on the research that undergraduate and graduate students conducted in the LGBTQ+ oral histories and archival collection at UM. The exhibit invites viewers to contemplate the concept of "belonging" by walking through stories of isolation and exclusion to ones of queer connection, spaces and expression. Assistant Professor of Sociology Amy McDowell and Assistant Professor of History Eva Payne have spent the semester guiding students through their research and interviews, as well as providing them the resources they need to make the exhibit a success. With 17 students in this class, each person spent time in their respective teams putting this exhibit together. Through the recognition of the personal risk that comes from being queer in Mississippi, the exhibit presents history to show the history of queer resilience and how that can connect to the community of Oxford and Ole Miss. |
| USM announces first phase of program cuts, degree consolidation and other changes | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi is slimming down its degree offerings while still offering much of the same programming in its efforts to maintain quality education while maximizing savings. The university announced the program changes Thursday in a news release. "The 2024-25 review process was completed in response to Dr. Paul's charge to review low enrollment programs, identify resources for faculty salary increases and invest in high opportunity growth areas for the institution," said Lance Nail, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. "This process resulted in excellent solutions to combine and revitalize degree plans." The Program Inventory Review was first introduced at the university in 2018 and is an ongoing effort to enhance program performance while identifying efficiencies at the institution, university officials said in the news release. University President Joe Paul and a team of administrators approved the first phase of changes. Plans will be made to assist students already enrolled in programs that are being phased out to allow them to complete their degrees. "At Southern Miss, we are taking charge of our future and creating a uniquely positioned, distinctive public research university of which we can all be proud," Paul said. |
| Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree is steeped in tradition yet continues to branch out | |
| Belhaven University's annual Singing Christmas Tree approaches its 92nd performance this year, as toasty and welcome as a hot cup of cocoa -- all the warm comfort of tradition plus a sprinkle of something special and new to top it off. This year, the free, two-night event takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 and 7, in the Belhaven Bowl Stadium. Lights on the tree change colors and patterns in tune with the Christmas carols, students sing with holiday cheer and dance majors with lighted wings now add an angelic touch to the occasion. Jackson's seasonal staple is the oldest singing Christmas tree tradition in the United States. Its decades-long tenure as a community holiday draw has forged a spot, too, in family Christmas traditions -- perhaps none so strong as its bond with the Quinn family. The late Bettye Quinn (1935-2020), a Belhaven grad and longtime head of elementary education at Belhaven, logged an 80-plus-year attendance record at the event, earning a reputation as its most loyal fan. A true Southern lady, who was only seen wearing pants twice (once under a dress to the Singing Christmas Tree because of the cold, her obituary shared), Quinn was a treasured faculty member with a faultless knack for remembering students' names far beyond their student years. Her nephew Tony Quinn, who she raised, practically grew up on the campus. "If Bettye was doing it, I was there with her," he said. "We had a party every Friday night of the tree at our house," for the choir and any tree singers who wanted to come. |
| Mississippi Delta student in stable condition after Thursday shooting | |
| A Mississippi Delta Community College student is reportedly in stable condition after a shooting at the school on Thursday afternoon. Though details on the incident remain slim the day after, school officials announced that a male student was the victim of a shooting and had been airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Officials also noted that a suspect was arrested following the incident, though they did not identify the alleged shooter or the victim. Though the immediate threat was neutralized by law enforcement, the school initiated a crisis response plan that included a lockdown and other safety measures until the fall semester concludes. "The Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead campus is on lockdown until the end of the semester, with checkpoints placed at all entrances to campus," the statement on MDCC's website concluded. "More information will be released as updates occur." The final day of exams at MDCC is scheduled for December 11, per the school's website. |
| Ice skating rink at Auburn's Hey Dey Market offers a winter wonderland experience | |
 | For the second year in a row, Auburn University's Hey Day Market is turning into a winter wonderland and converting its greenspace into an artificial ice skating rink for all ages. With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and the Christmas season in full swing, Hey Day Market is bringing back Hey Day Holiday, and with it, the artificial ice skating rink that made its debut last year. This year's festivities will include the ice skating rink, visits with Santa Claus, hot chocolate, daily snowfalls and Christmas movie nights. "Imagine watching an old fashioned black-and-white Christmas movie while your kids are ice skating and you're having a bite to eat and a cocktail and just relaxing with the family. That's going to be great," said Marc Osier, the managing partner over restaurants and food halls at Ithaka Hospitality Partners. "I always had great feedback that they were so excited, that they loved it. They felt like it was a little Rockefeller Center, lots of family Christmas photos being taken there at the beginning of December, so they could send them out to their families," Osier said. "It's a big undertaking, and we were definitely asked to do it again." Osier said the rink will open on Saturday and will remain open until New Year's Eve, with a closure planned for Christmas day. He said they will once again be taking reservations through the Rane Culinary Science Center website. |
| UGA football chaplain to give keynote address at Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast | |
 | Thomas C. Settles III will deliver the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast. The event will be held at 8 a.m. Jan. 17 in the Grand Hall of UGA's Tate Student Center. Settles is senior pastor of Calvary Bible Church, chaplain for the University of Georgia football team and campus director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he committed himself to full-time Christian ministry during his sophomore year at Morehouse College. After graduating, he enrolled in the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, where he received his Master of Divinity. Settles is also the author of "Better Together: Fifteen Encouraging Messages from an Unforgettable Season." The book comprises 15 messages that emphasize the importance of unity and teamwork, drawing inspiration from the University of Georgia's remarkable 2021 football season. The Freedom Breakfast honors the legacy of the late civil rights leader and recognizes local community members dedicated to contributing to race relations, justice and human rights. |
| Texas lawmakers are scrutinizing university professors' influence | |
| Conservative Texas lawmakers and power brokers in recent years have criticized university professors for being "woke" activists who indoctrinate college students with far-left teachings and ideas. Now, as state lawmakers head back to the Capitol for the 2025 legislative session, they could limit the influence faculty have over campus culture and curriculum. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants lawmakers to recommend potential changes to the roles of faculty senates, which traditionally take the lead on developing curriculum -- and ensuring professors have the academic freedom to teach and research their subject areas without fear of political interference. But conservatives say university curriculum has been infused with ideologies that have helped take higher education in Texas in an overly liberal direction. "If we're going to refocus our universities on their mission of open inquiry and freedom of speech, we've got to take a look at the curriculum and who's controlling it," Sherry Sylvester, a fellow at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, told state senators in November. Some Texas professors, though, fear the Republican-controlled Legislature could undermine a long-standing balance of power at universities that's meant to protect higher education from politicization. Their concerns are that without a proper voice on campus, and a guarantee that faculty have control over their teaching and research, faculty might leave Texas or be less likely to take a job at a Texas university, research would be imperiled, and there would be no checks and balances on university leadership. |
| TDEM chief Kidd scores Aggie gold with second master's | |
 | Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), will earn his second master's degree when he graduates Dec. 13 from the TAMU School of Law. More important to Kidd, however, is the gold ring he now proudly wears on his right ring finger. It was placed there Nov. 30 by Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. "My wife and all of our kids went to Texas A&M here in College Station," said Kidd, who is also vice chancellor for Disaster and Emergency Services for the Texas A&M University System and former chair for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Advisory Council. With his wife, Dr. Emily Kidd, and their three children all sporting Aggie Rings, Kidd felt left out. So he looked for a course he could take online through Texas A&M. "When our youngest son graduated in the Class of 2024, last May, he got his ring the year before that, and I thought, you know what? I think I'm going to find a program and go back to school. So I went to the law school, the A&M law school has a master's of legal studies," he said. His focus is on cybersecurity law and policy. "I think cybersecurity threats are the next biggest thing that we as a state and nation are going to have to figure out how to deal with," he said. He said A&M made it easy for him to do his coursework along with his full-time job and being a busy husband and father. |
| Michigan Regents Face Tough Questions as They Consider DEI Changes | |
 | The University of Michigan---historically one of the country's staunchest supporters of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts -- indicated at a Board of Regents meeting Thursday that it is reconsidering its DEI programs ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House in January. The regents didn't vote on any specific DEI reforms or budget measures at the meeting, and they went out of their way to discuss efforts to preserve socioeconomic and intellectual diversity on campus. But they also asked a university administrator to quell "rumors" and "speak in fact" about how to prepare for Trump 2.0 and what his administration could mean for Michigan's storied DEI program. Even before Trump's re-election, public colleges in red states across the country were responding to conservative pushback against DEI initiatives by consolidating, renaming and even closing departments dedicated to supporting underrepresented communities -- often, though not always, in response to legislation. But Thursday's board meeting and comments of concern from Michigan officials suggest a new degree of worry and proactive preparation for the reckoning they fear lies ahead. "I've been told pretty bluntly that Congress and this administration will use whatever tools they can to have us yield to what they want us to do -- and DEI is one of those things they think needs to be eliminated from higher ed," Chris Kolb, the university's vice president for government relations, told the board. That includes "cutting off finances to make that happen, and we need to be aware of that as an institution." |
| U. of Michigan Regents Ban Use of Diversity Statements, Recommit to Broader DEI Goals | |
 | The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor will no longer solicit diversity statements in faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions, the provost, Laurie K. McCauley, announced on Thursday. The announcement, in an internal publication for faculty and staff, drew heated responses on a frigid day when protesters were preparing to assemble outside President Santa J. Ono's house to demand that the university uphold its diversity commitments. Reports had been circulating that the Board of Regents was likely to announce cuts in Michigan's expansive diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. During a board meeting Thursday, the regents sought to reassure the university community that no such cuts were in the works. "There's not a person at the table who plans on making cuts" to any of the programs a speaker cited as important, one regent, Michael J. Behm, said. Still, the elimination of diversity statements was a significant change for a university that has been one of the nation's leading proponents of a strategy aimed at attracting more faculty members of color. It's also significant because the university is located in a state where there have been no significant legislative efforts to ban racial- and gender-based initiatives to fight discrimination and recruit and retain students and faculty of color. |
| The Trump NIH Pick Who Wants to Take On 'Cancel Culture' Colleges | |
 | President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health wants to take on campus culture at elite universities, wielding the power of tens of billions of dollars in scientific grants. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford physician and economist, is considering a plan to link a university's likelihood of receiving research grants to some ranking or measure of academic freedom on campus, people familiar with his thinking said. Bhattacharya, a critic of the Covid-19 response, wants to counter what he sees as a culture of conformity in science that ostracized him over his views on masking and school closures. He isn't yet sure how to measure academic freedom, but he has looked at how a nonprofit called Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression scores universities in its freedom-of-speech rankings, a person familiar with his thinking said. The nonprofit scores schools based on a survey of students' perceptions of factors such as whether they feel comfortable expressing ideas. Schools are also penalized if their administrators sanction faculty for opinions or disinvite a speaker from a campus event after a controversy. The academic-freedom prerequisite is among several proposals for overhauling the NIH and its billions of dollars in grant-making that Bhattacharya would pursue if the Senate confirms him, the people said |
| House Republicans Aim to Pass Higher Ed Overhaul | |
| House Republicans are making a final attempt to pass sweeping legislation in this Congress that aims to lower the cost of college and hold institutions accountable. The House has considered few bills related to higher education in the last two years, so a floor vote on the College Cost Reduction Act would mark a significant achievement for its sponsor, Representative Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican and chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee. Foxx has long sought to pass comprehensive legislation to overhaul higher education, and she's worked for the last two years on a piecemeal effort to update the Higher Education Act of 1965. So far, Foxx, who is giving up her gavel on the committee at the end of the year, has managed to get a handful of higher ed–related bills through the House. Now, with just two weeks left in the 118th Congress, the full House could vote on the College Cost Reduction Act as soon as next week, according to a source familiar with the process. Although it is unlikely the legislation will also gain traction in the currently Democratic-controlled Senate, policy experts see this lame-duck push as yet another sign that Republicans will prioritize efficiency and accountability in higher education when the GOP fully controls Congress next year. That means that while this month could be the last stand for Foxx's bill, the ideas in the legislation aren't going away. |
| The Colleges That Shape Congress | |
| For Andy Kim, college started at a cattle ranch. The Democratic senator-elect from New Jersey spent the first two years of his undergraduate study at Deep Springs College, an isolated campus sequestered in the California desert 40 miles from the nearest town. Deep Springs' pupils -- never more than 30 in number -- split their time between intensive seminar classes and the manual labor of running the college, which doubles as a functioning cattle ranch. In exchange for a full-ride scholarship, the college's website states, "Deep Springs students are expected to dedicate themselves to lives of service to humanity." Kim would go on to earn his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, one of the nation's most selective colleges. So would lots of his fellow lawmakers, many of whom graduated from the Ivy League or other highly selective institutions. More than 96 percent of Congress holds a bachelor's degree or higher. Only two-fifths of American adults are similarly educated. It's a striking moment to examine the relationship between Congress and college, as higher ed becomes a political punching bag. America's most influential colleges have faced increasing scrutiny in the wake of student protests over the Israel-Hamas war, with three presidents of Ivy League universities resigning their posts under pressure from Capitol Hill. And colleges are contributing to a political rift: Voters' choices at the ballot box diverge along degree lines, with the college-educated more likely to vote blue. Democrats see their strong relationship with the college vote as a liability in an electorate increasingly souring on the value of a degree. Meanwhile, many of the Republican party's strongest higher-ed critics themselves boast Ivy League degrees. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Tickets On Sale Now for the 2025 Astros Foundation College Classic | |
| Tickets for the Astros Foundation College Classic, which will be held at the Astros home ballpark in Houston from Feb. 28 to March 2, 2025, are now available for purchase. To purchase tickets, click here. The 2025 season marks the second time in program history that the Diamond Dawgs will play in this event. Mississippi State went 3-0 in 2018 with wins over Louisiana, Houston, and Sam Houston State. Broadcast plans for the 2025 tournament will be announced at a later date. |
| SEC keeps Texas mascot Bevo from title game vs. Georgia | |
| While No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia are preparing for a rematch in Saturday's SEC championship game, there's no such luck for another meeting between mascots Uga and Bevo. Bevo, who famously made news in 2019 in the mascots' pregame photo op at the Sugar Bowl when he came charging out of his pen and knocked over a police barricade, was not permitted to travel to Atlanta for this weekend's game. The size required for an enclosure large enough to house Bevo XV, who is more than 1,700 pounds with a horn span of 58 inches, was the issue for Saturday, according to an SEC spokesman. Bevo traveled to last year's College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl, but the conference felt the space in Atlanta wasn't suitable. "When we received the request for Bevo to be on the sideline in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, our staff looked at several alternatives including the sideline location," the SEC said in a statement. "The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium. We can't jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants. With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality." |
| Pride, bragging rights and more than $115M at stake when final college playoff rankings come out | |
| There's more than just school pride and bragging rights to all that bellyaching over who might be in and who might be out of college football 's first 12-team playoff. Try the more than $115 million that will be spread across the conferences at the end of the season, all depending on who gets in and which teams go the farthest. According to the College Football Playoff website, the 12 teams simply making the bracket earn their conferences $4 million each. Another $4 million goes to conferences whose teams get into the quarterfinals. Then, there's $6 million more for teams that make the semifinals and another $6 million for those who play for the title. Most of this bonanza comes courtesy of ESPN, which is forking over $1.3 billion a year to televise the new postseason. A lot of that money is already earmarked -- more goes to the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference than the Big 12 or Atlantic Coast -- but a lot is up for grabs in the 11 games that will play out between the opening round on Dec. 20 and the final on Jan. 20. The massive stakes might help explain the unabashed lobbying coming from some corners of the football world, as the tension grows in advance of Sunday's final rankings, which will set the bracket. The lobbying and bickering filters down to the campuses that feel the impact. And, of course, to social media. |
| Is there a better way to choose a CFP field? As committee faces backlash, leaders in the sport ponder changes | |
| Dan Radakovich sat on the very first College Football Playoff selection committee. He was part of the group that made the controversial decision to choose Ohio State over TCU or Baylor as the final team into the 2014 field. He was on the committee in 2016 too, when members kept out Big Ten champion Penn State for the Pac-12's Washington. And, in his final year on the committee, Radakovich and members selected both Alabama and Georgia instead of a Big Ten team. Now, years later, as Miami's athletic director, he is on the other end of the decision. The Hurricanes, 10-2 and ranked No. 12 nationally, are apparently eliminated from the playoff field barring something extraordinary. Radakovich is left disappointed over what he terms some "head-scratching" decisions from a group on which he once served. "I always thought it was a body of work. Having sat in that room, I know the committee has a hard job," he told Yahoo Sports this week. "You just hope there are enough facts being put forward to let people know that this is a good football team, has incredible offensive statistics and a Heisman Trophy candidate leading the way." Heading into a weekend of conference championship games, the CFP selection committee is at the center of intense scrutiny, perhaps more than ever before. It has left many within the industry asking a question: Is there a better way to choose playoff teams? |
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