| Tuesday, January 6, 2026 |
| Mississippi State offering veterinary students study abroad opportunities in Thailand, Belize | |
 | Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has announced a new partnership with study abroad program Loop Abroad that will provide students with expanded international hands-on experience starting in the summer of 2026. The collaboration establishes a series of credit-bearing summer internships abroad designed for undergraduate students pursuing careers in veterinary medicine and related fields. Participants will be able to enroll in two distinctive courses: Companion Animal and Elephant Veterinary Medicine in Thailand and Food Animals, Marine, and Wildlife Medicine in Belize. Students will earn academic credits while gaining immersive, real-world experience working with a diverse range of animals and collaborating with professional veterinarians. "Through this partnership, students will gain exposure to different veterinary practices, species, and cultural contexts while earning academic credit through Mississippi State University," MSU College of Veterinary Medicine dean Dr. Nicholas Frank said. "The programs are designed to complement our undergraduate, professional, and graduate degree programs while emphasizing ethical, sustainable engagement with global communities." |
| How Three Southern States Quietly Built an Automotive Alliance | |
| While governors made headlines announcing the Mississippi-Alabama-Georgia Network for Evolving Transportation (MAGNET) pact last August, the real story began three years earlier in quiet university offices and research labs across the Deep South. The initiative didn't emerge from state capitols or corporate boardrooms, but from a retired Honda executive turned university researcher who saw an opportunity others had missed. Mike Oatridge, former Senior Vice President of Honda in Alabama and now leader of the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (AMP) at the University of Alabama, recognized that the Southeast's automotive manufacturers were racing toward an electrified future without the regional infrastructure to support it. "The reason this initiative can work is because of the team and the fact that the region is willing to work together," said Oatridge. "This isn't the case in all areas of the country." Initial discussions between Alabama and Mississippi researchers soon expanded to include the University of Georgia, which brought expertise in electric mobility living labs, real-world testing environments for studying how electric vehicles operate within communities, explained Clay Walden, Executive Director of Mississippi State University's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and a board member of the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association. |
| Sibling duo Between Friends brings alt-pop concert to Starkville | |
| It's not surprising that musician siblings Savannah and Brandon Hudson have more than 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify as the alt-pop duo Between Friends. In February, however, fans can put down their earbuds and headphones and get ready to hear these two in a live performance sponsored by MSU Music Maker Productions. Between Friends will make a Feb. 7 Starkville stop in promoting their current album "WOW!" at Rick's Café for a night of sing-along hits from their EPs and albums, including the best-known single "affection" with millions of Spotify streams. Known for lyrics that relate the intricacies of relationships -- love, loss, self-realization, fear of genuine connection and more -- the siblings were just in their teens when they were propelled into the pop music scene after singing their way to the quarterfinals of "America's Got Talent" in 2013. A couple of years later, they formed a group called The Heirs but it quickly disbanded around 2017, just before Between Friends launched and scored big with "affection." Doors open at 7 p.m. for the Between Friends performance at 9 p.m., and local pop singer Girlphim takes the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for MSU students and $15 for all others. |
| Community Profile: Starkville artist paints path forward using feet instead of hands | |
 | Kendrell Daniels focuses intently on a canvas laid out before him on the floor. He takes his brush, dips it in black paint on a drop cloth and adds another stroke to his painting. Like any seasoned artist, he holds the brush just tightly enough to maintain control while also allowing it to bend and create smooth lines. Unlike most artists though, he holds the brush in his feet. "Painting (with my feet) was kind of different, which (was) difficult," Daniels told The Dispatch. "You kind of shy away from it, but I'm glad I did continue ... because it actually ended up good for me." Daniels, 26, was born without arms but learned how to paint using his feet about six years ago. He has sold more than 100 paintings, earning about $50,000, and he counts some famous company among his clients. "Until I started painting and making connections at Mississippi State, my life was just simple – waking up, going to school or just sitting in the bed all day," Daniels said. "So I didn't have a social life or friends or any of that. So painting and meeting people here in Starkville or at Mississippi State, it opened up a whole new journey for me." Growing up in Kemper County, Daniels said he often found himself excluded from activities other students participated, like sports or clubs and organizations, which made it difficult to socialize. Daniels said the lack of options made him unsure what career he wanted to pursue until he enrolled in the Express Yourself! art program at MSU's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability. |
| Busy Mardi Gras season is on a shorter schedule this year | |
 | The Mardi Gras season that began Tuesday will pack parades, king cakes and revelry into a quick season of just six weeks. The timeline is shorter than last year, when Fat Tuesday fell in March and Mardi Gras season lasted 58 days. Mardi Gras Day this year is Feb. 17. The season starts each year on Jan. 6, known as Twelfth Night. But how long it lasts depends on the moon. Mardi Gras Day always falls just before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter. But Easter can fall between various dates in March and April, depending on the cycles of the moon. The holiday is the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox. The spring equinox is March 20, when the day and night are almost exactly the same length. So Easter this year also falls earlier, on April 5. |
| $50 million luxury apartments ready to break ground in Jackson | |
 | Gabriel Prado's Prado Lofts project on Meadowbrook Road at the north end of Fondren in Jackson has seen many ups and downs over the past several years, but the project has new life and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Prado told the Clarion Ledger there will be a groundbreaking for the project at 2 p.m. on Jan. 15, and he expects the new luxury apartments to be completed by January 2027. Many details have changed for the project since Prado first began working on it in 2021. He expects there to be 135 units in Phase 1 that will cost in the neighborhood of $50 million. The initial announcement in 2021 was for 240 units and a $60 million investment. Prado said those numbers could still be reached, but this first phase gets the project off the ground and running. Prado said the project will be the highest-end loft-style condominiums in the area, comparable to The District at Eastover or The Meridian in Fondren. "This is a good time for Fondren and Jackson," Prado said. "I truly believe we are looking at the true renaissance of the city of Jackson, led by Mayor John Horhn, Gov. Tate Reeves, the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house. We are at the forefront of a new era that is happening in Jackson." |
| What to know about the 2026 legislative session in Mississippi | |
| Mississippi lawmakers are readying to return to the state capitol in Jackson with a new session beginning this week. Always promising to be a busy three months, we've compiled the following information on what to know before the gavel lands for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. Per the legislature's calendar, it's scheduled to last 90 days and end on Sunday, April 5. In the House, which made waves last session by immediately dropping a massive tax package that went on to be signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, education reforms seem to be the next big focus for Speaker Jason White and company. White wants school choice, and he's made that abundantly clear. It's unclear what the appetite for school choice, or at least some form of it, will be in the Senate. One topic being thrown around throughout the offseason has been the legalization of mobile sports betting, something the House passed in 2025 before it died in the Senate. Another is ensuring a new retirement benefit structure passed in 2025 does not force first responders to serve an additional five years before being able to draw retirement benefits. It's also worth noting that lawmakers have been tasked by a federal judge with redrawing the state's Supreme Court map, which was deemed to be diluting Black voting power. |
| Mississippi lawmakers to gavel in for 2026 session. What you need to know | |
| Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) and Speaker Jason White (R) are set to gavel in the Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, Tuesday at noon at the state Capitol. The annual legislative session will run three months, with sine die, or the end of the session, tentatively set for Sunday, April 5. Republicans hold a supermajority in the 122-member House and the majority in the 52-member Senate, after losing the supermajority by two seats during the 2025 special redistricting elections. Key leadership positions in each chamber, other than the presiding officers, include those that handle money or appropriations bills. In the Senate, that includes Senator Josh Harkins (R), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Briggs Hopson (R), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In the House, State Rep. John Read (R) chairs the House Appropriations A Committee while State Rep. Trey Lamar (R) chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. Education freedom will lead the House's early work, with action on a package expected in the opening days of the 2026 session. Teacher pay raises and efforts to address chronic absenteeism in K-12 public schools, as well as considering ways to update how the state's public colleges and universities are funded appear to be high on the Senate's education priority list. |
| What issues will the Mississippi Legislature address in its 2026 session? | |
| Mississippi's 174 legislators will return to the Capitol at noon on Tuesday for their 2026 regular session. This will be the third year of the current Legislature's four-year term. Over the next three months, lawmakers will likely file 3,000 or more bills, winnow them down to a few hundred that are passed into law, and also set an over $7 billion state budget. Already, legislative leaders have telegraphed that "school choice" and other K-12 public education policy will likely dominate the session. Legislative leaders once again want to address the financial sustainability of the state's public pension system, which has a $26 billion unfunded actuarial liability. They will also likely debate concerns over the massive changes to the system they passed into law last year, including creating a new system for new hires that will be a hybrid of a defined contribution plan, similar to the 401(k) system many private employers offer, and a defined benefit plan which the state has had for decades. Opponents of the new hybrid plan say its more austere benefits will make it hard for the state to hire and retain workers, particularly first responders and teachers. |
| Hosemann says Mississippi Senate to build on success of the past in this session | |
| Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann highlighted many achievements for the state over the past several years and goals for 2026 at the MSU Stennis Institute of Government's Capitol Press Corps luncheon on Monday, Jan. 5. Hosemann talked about achievements such as the state having fully funded public schools for several consecutive years, debt being paid off and billions of dollars of new investment being brought to Mississippi through economic development. "It has never been like this in Mississippi," Hosemann told a full room of more than 100 people at Hal & Mal's in Downtown Jackson. "We are having positive results, and we want people to look at what we have done." Hosemann, the leader of the Senate, said his side of the Legislature is entering the new session, which begins Tuesday, Jan. 6, on a high note. "We go in building on our success," Hosemann said. Other things that he talked about that the Senate would focus on would be cybersecurity, particularly for senior citizens, agriculture, workforce development and extending the law for the statewide lottery which is set to sunset next year. |
| Speaker White previews House education freedom reforms ahead of 2026 session | |
| Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White (R) outlined key parts of his chamber's education reform bill on Monday afternoon, one day before the start of the 2026 season. White said the legislation could be filed as early as this week. The cornerstone of the bill is to give parents and students more say in their K-12 education decisions, with state funding following the pupils to the school of their choice. The measure will call for reforms to start slow. "This is about parents making the best choice for their kids," said White. "We can give parents a choice without wrecking the gains we have seen in the last few years, but actually taking and expounding on that and continue to be the envy of other states." The Speaker went on to say that there will be "major charter school" reforms during the 2026 legislative session. "The way we are doing it now is not the best way to do it," he said. "We're going to reform it, make it better." The goal is to make charter schools more accessible to families and students while streamlining the application process. In addition to education reforms, the House will take up legislation to address the Public Employees Retirement System, or PERS, this session. One possible way to help the chronically underfunded state retirement system is mobile sports betting. White said Mississippi is missing out on tax revenue. |
| Speaker White, Lt. Gov. Hosemann unveil school-choice policy details ahead of 2026 session | |
| House Speaker Jason White and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann at separate events on Monday said they plan to push for legislation this year to make it easier for K-12 students to attend schools outside their home districts. Hosemann, the Republican president of the Senate, said he wants a more measured policy tailored to public schools. White, the Republican leader of the House, is pushing for a more comprehensive package of policies commonly called "school choice." Hosemann said at a Stennis Institute of Government Capitol Press forum that he wants the Senate to pass a measure to ease restrictions for students to attend public schools outside their districts. Mississippi has a very limited version of this policy already, commonly called "portability." Students can attend schools outside their district, but the receiving and the home districts both have to agree to the transfer. Now, Hosemann is pushing his colleagues to remove the requirement that the home district must approve a transfer. |
| Hosemann, White outline priorities for 2026 legislative session | |
| Mississippi's legislative session is under 24 hours away, and lawmakers have a bevy of topics on which they are prepared to discuss, debate, and possibly find common ground on. As has become customary, Senate leader Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White outlined their agendas on Monday, the day before the 90-day session begins. The two Republican leaders stressed that legislators will be mainly focused on education, the public employees' retirement system, healthcare, and the state's budget. On the education front, the House and Senate will likely take different approaches while addressing similar issues under the classroom umbrella. For White, school choice will take front and center stage as part of an omnibus-style bill encapsulating a multitude of reforms he would like to see in Mississippi public schools. Teacher recruitment and retention also dominated the education discussion, with Hosemann outright calling for a pay raise for educators, while White eyes a plan that would allow retired teachers to remain in the classroom without their state pensions being in jeopardy. The greatest threat, however, to Mississippi's education system and the future of the state, per Hosemann, is rising chronic absenteeism. |
| Delta Area Leaders Gear Up for the 2026 Session | |
| Mississippi Delta representatives and senators are busy getting ready for the upcoming 2026 legislative session that begins this month. With issues ranging from agriculture to taxes, mental health, and more, each elected member has a list of concerns from their constituents they will need to put before the rest of the elected members. Senator Briggs Hopson from District 23 is looking to find help for farmers working with the federal government. "I know they are battling high input costs combined with low commodity prices and they certainly need more relief to keep farmers from going out of business and get them prepared for the 2026 crop year," says Hopson. "The grocery tax was lowered and the state income tax was lowered and I know there is some discussion to eliminate the implement tax for farmers." |
| House speaker's office bars Mississippi Today from Capitol press event | |
| A Mississippi news outlet was barred from attending House Speaker Jason White's press conference Monday outlining legislative priorities for the 2026 session, prompting concerns about press access at the state Capitol. Mississippi Today confirmed that its reporters were not allowed to attend the event, which was open to other members of the media and held one day before the legislative session began. The 2026 session marks White's third as House speaker. White did not explain why Mississippi Today was excluded but said the press conference was not open to all outlets. "The Media Q+A hosted in my office today was an invitation-only media opportunity, not an open, public press conference," White said. Emily Wagster-Pettus, editor-in-chief of Mississippi Today, criticized the decision, calling it an improper restriction on media access. Press conferences held by statewide elected officials and legislative leaders are typically open to credentialed members of the press, particularly when the events concern public policy proposals and legislative priorities. |
| Why are food prices so high? | |
| Bananas, beef, coffee and seafood are all more expensive than they were last year. Nearly half of Americans say groceries have become harder to afford since 2024, according to a 2025 September survey from Axios and The Harris Poll. Grocery prices were up 1.9% in November from the previous year, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data. While that's a modest rate, grocery prices are up nearly 30% since the pandemic began. Numerous factors have led to rising prices, including the disruption of supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, tariffs, bird flu outbreaks, adverse weather and increased consumer spending on food since the pandemic began, said David Ortega, a food economist and professor at Michigan State University. Prices levels in the economy generally go up over time, and that can actually be positive -- as long as the increases are moderate, Ortega said. Deflation is a sign of a struggling economy, and if prices are falling, it means people are spending less money. Decreased consumer spending can then lead to higher unemployment. But in recent years, we've seen food inflation in the double digits, which isn't moderate, Ortega noted. In August 2022, grocery store prices increased by 13.5%. There is some positive news: While prices aren't dropping, food inflation or the rate of increase in food prices is slowing down. In November, grocery inflation stood at 1.9%. |
| The data center rebellion is here, and it's reshaping the political landscape | |
 | One float stood out among the tinsel and holiday cheer at the annual Christmas parade here: an unsightly data center with blinding industrial lights and smoke pouring out of its roof, towering menacingly over a helpless gingerbread house. This city bordering Tulsa is a battleground, one of many across the country where companies seeking to build massive data centers to win the AI race with China are coming up against the reality of local politics. Sand Springs leaders were besieged with community anger after annexing an 827-acre agricultural property miles outside of town and launching into secret talks with a tech giant looking to use it for a sprawling data center. Hundreds of aggrieved voters showed up at community meetings. Swarms of protest signs are taking route along the rural roads. "It feels like these data center companies have just put a big target on our backs," said Kyle Schmidt, leader of the newly formed Protect Sand Springs Alliance. "We are all asking: Where are the people we elected who promised to protect us from these big corporations trying to steamroll us? The people who are supposed to be standing up and protecting us are standing down and caving." From Archibald, Pennsylvania, to Page, Arizona, tech firms are seeking to plunk down data centers in locations that sometimes are not zoned for such heavy industrial uses, within communities that had not planned for them. These supersized data centers can usurp more energy than entire cities and drain local water supplies. Anger over the perceived trampling of communities by Silicon Valley has entered the national political conversation and could affect voters of all political persuasions in this year's midterm elections. |
| Why Democrats Aren't Threatening Another Shutdown This Time | |
 | When Sen. Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.) joined a breakaway group of Democrats to help Republicans end a record-long government shutdown, she cited "unimaginable pain and suffering on working people," pointing to the loss of food aid and the snarling of air travel in her tourism-dependent state. One unmentioned episode weighed on her: a suicide by a woman who was about to start work at Nevada's Creech Air Force Base. The 44-year-old had been unable to find other work after getting furloughed and her husband, also a government contractor, was hunting for a second job to pay the bills. Suffering from hip-related problems and using a cane, she said in a late October suicide note that she didn't want to be a financial burden. "Of course the suicide weighed heavy on me, because our actions here -- we don't work in a vacuum," Rosen said in an interview, citing the death as one reason she broke ranks to end the shutdown in November. "Our actions have consequences for real people." Lawmakers return to Washington in a familiar bind, with a deadline looming in just weeks to reach a deal to fund the federal government. But Democrats' appetite for another shutdown looks diminished in the wake of the 43-day government-funding lapse, driven by centrists who concluded that too much damage was inflicted on American households -- often the same ones they say they are trying to help. |
| Fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack brings fresh division to the Capitol | |
 | Five years ago outside the White House, outgoing President Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters to head to the Capitol -- "and I'll be there with you" -- in protest as Congress was affirming the 2020 election victory for Democrat Joe Biden. A short time later, the world watched as the seat of U.S. power descended into chaos, and democracy hung in the balance. On the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021, there is no official event to memorialize what happened that day, when the mob made its way down Pennsylvania Avenue, battled police at the Capitol barricades and stormed inside, as lawmakers fled. The political parties refuse to agree to a shared history of the events, which were broadcast around the globe. And the official plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol has never been hung. Instead, the day displayed the divisions that still define Washington, and the country, in split-screen events. Trump, during a lengthy morning speech to House Republicans convening away from the Capitol at the rebranded Kennedy Center now carrying his own name, shifted blame for Jan. 6 onto the rioters themselves. |
| Democrats recalibrate on Jan. 6 messaging ahead of midterms | |
 | In 2024, Democrats campaigned on a message that democracy was at risk by highlighting the harrowing Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. The warning, however, didn't land with voters who were focused more on the cost of living than high-minded appeals about the rule of law and the fate of democracy. Now, five years after the attack, the campaign dynamics of Jan. 6 have shifted in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections. For instance, Democrat Robin Peguero, who worked as an investigator for the congressional Jan. 6 committee, says he seldom hears about the Capitol assault when he's on the campaign trail in a South Florida district. "The largest issue on people's minds is the economy," said Peguero, who is challenging Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar in the 27th District. Following a series of stinging losses in 2024, Democrats are signaling that they intend to frame the riot -- and Republican efforts to sanitize it and Trump's pardoning of nearly all Jan. 6 defendants -- as part of a larger narrative about political corruption and the president's efforts to aggressively wield power to push his agenda. But the cost of living, the expiration of health care subsidies and other economic concerns will remain the party's focus in its quest to reclaim the House majority. |
| For Many Jan. 6 Rioters, a Pardon From Trump Wasn't Enough | |
 | In the first hours of his second administration, President Trump sought to wipe away all trace of the attack on the Capitol by granting amnesty to nearly 1,600 people implicated in the riot stoked by his lies about a stolen election. They answered with a collective cry of gratitude. And why not? The pardon proclamation saved them, opening prison doors and ending all of the criminal prosecutions related to the Capitol attack. Even more, it gave a presidential stamp of approval to their inverted vision of Jan. 6, 2021: that those who assaulted the police and vandalized the historic building that day were victims, and those who spent the next four years using the criminal justice system to hold them accountable were villains. But nearly a year after Mr. Trump's sweeping proclamation asserted that he had cleared the way for "a process of national reconciliation," many recipients of his clemency remain consumed by conspiracy theories, angry at the Trump administration for not validating their insistence that the Capitol attack was a deep-state setup and haunted by problems from both before and after the riot. In the five years since the Capitol was stormed, no new facts have emerged to undermine the basic findings of congressional and Justice Department investigators that many of the rioters acted in the misguided belief, pushed relentlessly by Mr. Trump, that he had been robbed of victory in 2020 -- and that in attacking the Capitol they not only injured about 140 police officers but also struck at a cornerstone of American democracy: the peaceful transfer of presidential power. |
| Stephen Miller Asserts U.S. Has Right to Take Greenland | |
| Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Trump, asserted on Monday that Greenland rightfully belonged to the United States and that the Trump administration could seize the semiautonomous Danish territory if it wanted. "Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland," Mr. Miller told Jake Tapper, the CNN host, after being asked repeatedly whether he would rule out using military force. The remarks were part of a vocal push by Mr. Miller, long a powerful behind-the-scenes player in Trump administration policy, to justify American imperialism and a vision for a new world order in which the United States could freely overthrow national governments and take foreign territory and resources so long as it was in the national interest. "We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power," he said. "These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time." Mr. Miller's language echoed a dark history of the United States' governing weaker, smaller states in Latin America by flexing its military might. Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, denounced Mr. Miller's remarks soon afterward, saying on CNN that "Mr. Miller gave a very good definition of imperialism." "Trump has made it clear he wants to take Venezuela's oil," he added. "Last I heard, this is what imperialism is all about. " |
| 'Mexico should indeed be concerned': Trump's threats rattle Mexican officials, businesses | |
 | Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is dismissing talk of a U.S. "invasion" of her country. Privately, some Mexican officials and business leaders are concerned that President Donald Trump's threats may soon become reality. A worst-case scenario, some fear, is a U.S. strike that results in civilian casualties and throws the country into political and economic chaos. Trump's rhetoric, including his suggestion over the weekend that Washington may have to "do something" about cartels that are "running Mexico," is reviving fears in Mexico City that the United States may act unilaterally against Mexico -- particularly after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday. "Mexico should indeed be concerned, and Mexico is going to have to thread the needle very carefully," said Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. "I don't think it's likely that there will be a unilateral use of force by the U.S. on Mexican soil -- but does that mean it won't happen? Absolutely not." The concerns have grown even as bilateral relations are at a high water mark, driven in part by close cooperation on border security and Trump's warm words for Sheinbaum, whom he called a "terrific person" as recently as Sunday. |
| Trump's Venezuela Focus Pulls Him Away From Voters' Economic Concerns | |
| Dillon Mockli voted for President Trump in 2024 in hopes of ending wars, reining in government spending and bringing down inflation. Upon hearing the president say the U.S. would run Venezuela after American forces captured President Nicolás Maduro, the 38-year-old sarcastically said: "Charming. Just what I voted for." Instead of spending more money overseas, Mockli said he would prefer to see Trump focused on prices in the U.S. He said the pandemic lockdowns and subsequent inflation surge wreaked havoc on his finances. "I make the most money I ever made in my life, and I feel the brokest I've ever been," said Mockli, who owns a food-truck business in rural Idaho and routinely sees customers' credit cards declined. He characterized Trump's first year in office as "a gigantic disappointment to a monumental degree." He expects to either vote Libertarian or to abstain from voting in the midterm elections. Trump's Venezuela incursion has injected a volatile foreign conflict into a political environment defined by voter anxiety over high prices and a softening job market. Whether Trump can juggle a high-stakes intervention abroad while persuading voters that he is making progress on the economy is poised to determine the political outcome in November, according to interviews with over a dozen strategists, pollsters and voters. |
| US cuts the number of vaccines recommended for every child, a move slammed by physicians | |
| The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child -- a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases. The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will now recommend that all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases. What's no longer broadly recommended is protection against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis or RSV. Instead, protections against those diseases are only recommended for certain groups deemed high risk, or when doctors recommend them in what's called "shared decision-making." Trump administration officials said the overhaul, a move long sought by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won't result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue to pay. But medical experts said the decision creates confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases. The change comes as U.S. vaccination rates have been slipping and the share of children with exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data. At the same time, rates of diseases that can be protected against with vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough, are rising across the country. |
| Cassidy rips RFK Jr. vaccine schedule change, says it's 'based on no scientific input' | |
 | Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who cast a critical vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, on Monday blasted the reduction of the childhood immunization schedule by Kennedy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC announced Monday it would be reducing the number of recommended vaccines for children from 17 to 11, putting the U.S. in line with that of other developed countries like Denmark, a nation which anti-vaccine skeptics and critics often cite as a model to be emulated. Cassidy, a physician and longtime proponent of vaccinations, said this move will "make America sicker." "As a doctor who treated patients for decades, my top priority is protecting children and families. Multiple children have died or were hospitalized from measles, and South Carolina continues to face a growing outbreak. Two children have died in my state from whooping cough. All of this was preventable with safe and effective vaccines," Cassidy wrote on the social media platform X. |
| MUW president announces retirement | |
| The longtime president of the Mississippi University of Women announced Monday that she will be retiring, effective at the end of June. MUW president Nora R. Miller will retire on June 30, 2026, after three decades in higher education. She was named MUW's president in 2018. "This is a deeply personal decision, made with gratitude and pride," Miller said. "The W has shaped my life in profound ways -- as a student, as an administrator and for the past seven and a half years as its president. Serving this university has been the privilege of a lifetime." Miller said her decision to retire was made after "careful reflection and long-term planning." She will continue in her responsibilities until the end of June. The leadership transition process will be overseen by IHL, and its Board of Trustees will provide information about efforts to name a replacement at a later date. IHL is currently in the process of seeking a new president for Jackson State University after its most recent president, Marcus Thompson, resigned in May 2025. He spent less than two years in that role. |
| President Nora Miller announces retirement from Mississippi University for Women | |
 | Following a 30-year career in higher education, Mississippi University for Women President Nora R. Miller has announced her plan to retire, effective June 30, 2026. Miller shared her decision following careful reflection and long-term planning, emphasizing her commitment to continuity and a smooth leadership transition for the university. She will remain fully engaged in her role through her final day. Before becoming president, she served the university for more than 17 years as vice president and senior vice president for Finance and Administration, overseeing budgeting, financial management, facilities, and long-term planning. Earlier, she held senior leadership roles at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, including director of Budget and Financial Analysis and director of Internal Audit, working closely with the Commissioner of Higher Education, the Board of Trustees, and the Mississippi Legislature on statewide higher-education finance, accountability and compliance. |
| MUW president announces summer retirement | |
 | Mississippi University for Women (MUW) President Nora Miller plans to retire on June 30. The university announced her decision on Monday afternoon. Miller became the university's 15th president in 2018. "This is a deeply personal decision, made with gratitude and pride," Miller said. "The W has shaped my life in profound ways --- as a student, as an administrator and for the past seven and a half years as its president. Serving this university has been the privilege of a lifetime." The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), which governs the state's public universities, will share information regarding next steps at the appropriate time. |
| MUW President Nora Miller announces retirement | |
| Nora Miller will retire on June 30 after more than seven years as president of the Mississippi University for Women. In an announcement on Monday, Miller noted her ties to the university, also known as The W, which includes her time as a student there in the 1980s. The Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning will guide the leadership transition process for the Columbus university. Before becoming the W's 15th president, Miller served as the university's chief financial officer, senior vice president for administration as well as vice president for administration. July will mark her 25th year at the W, where she also received her bachelor's in accounting. Miller has spent a majority of her career in public service, working as supervising senior auditor at the state auditor's office and as the director of budget and financial analysis and the director of internal audit at IHL. |
| Miller to retire as president of Mississippi University for Women in June 2026 | |
| Mississippi University for Women President Dr. Nora Miller will soon be retiring, the university announced Monday. According to a press release, Miller shared her decision to retire, effective June 30, 2026, with faculty, students, and staff after "careful reflection and long-term planning, emphasizing her commitment to continuity and a smooth leadership transition for the university." Since MUW is a public university, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) will be tasked with hiring a new president. Miller has also been a steadfast proponent of MUW changing its name to better reflect its student population. The university became coeducational in 1982 and is about 22% male. However, the state legislature has not been able to agree on the university changing its name. MUW was founded in 1884 as the first state-supported college for women in the U.S. It currently has 2,371 students in more than 70 majors and concentrations. |
| Miller announces upcoming retirement from The W | |
| After more than seven years of leading Mississippi University for Women -- during which she oversaw an ill-fated name change, helped stave off an effort to relocate Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and avoided a potential consolidation -- President Nora Miller on Monday announced plans to retire in June. The decision, she said, was about a year in the making. "Last January, I said, 'If I survive this legislative session, I'll call it quits,'" Miller told The Dispatch on Monday. John Sewell, IHL director of communications, said details about the search process for Miller's replacement "will be provided at the appropriate time." "Nora Miller's time as president of the Mississippi University for Women will come to a close in June, but the impact of her good work will last for years," he wrote in an email to The Dispatch. "She has guided The W with a steady hand, and utilized her years of experience to strengthen the university. We are grateful for all she has done for higher education in Mississippi." |
| Blue Economy Means Benefits, Jobs for All of Mississippi | |
| Mississippi is fortunate to be located on coastal waters where the blue economy is thriving and benefitting the whole state. The University of Southern Mississippi recently hosted a day of TEDX presentations based on this premise. Topics covered were innovation, sustainable growth, workforce development, coastal resilience and ocean stewardship. Courtney Taylor, PhD., Executive Director of AccelerateMS Office of Workforce Development, was one of the speakers. "The Blue Economy makes most other industries possible," she said. "Without ports, there's limited trade. Without water, there's no agriculture. Without aquifers, there's no industry. Without subsea fiber cables, there's no internet, thus no AI. The Blue Economy is surging and includes everything from ports, shipbuilding, and tourism, to mapping the sea floor and farming marine compounds. However, the workforce necessary for the surge is dangerously under built." Gulf Blue Navigator graduates are developing technologies that address critical challenges, coastal resilience, sustainable fisheries, and national defense, according to Natalie Guess, assistant director, Innovation and Impact, Office of Innovation Management, University of Southern Mississippi. |
| Valmadge Towner: President of Coahoma Community College | |
| While it is a challenging economic time for higher education because of funding cutbacks, one advantage in the Mississippi Delta is people have long been accustomed to multitasking and economizing, says Dr. Valmadge Towner, President of Coahoma Community College (CCC) in Clarksdale. "We're are in a situation with obvious limited resources," says Towner. "State revenue has decreased by significantly since I became President in 2013. But we have kept a strong fund balance by reducing budget expenditures. Everyone on my campus wears all kinds of hats depending on the time of day or year. We realize we have to marshal resources and do multiple things rather than having the luxury of doing one thing at one time. That is the lay of the land. It goes with the turf." Towner believes the key to guiding the staff at CCC is recognizing the importance of relationships and giving people credit. He does a number of different things but rarely by himself. "I'm just a little country boy who loves the Delta and the people of the Delta," says Towner. "The house I grew up in is still in the family. My wife, Natasha Brown Towner, and I made a conscious decision to remain in the Delta and want to see it do well." The most difficult part of his job is balancing the budget. |
| New cafe opens on MGCCC's Perkinston Campus | |
 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's (MGCCC) Perkinston campus got a new coffee shop. Southern Turnings Perk Up Cafe held a soft opening Monday, but a grand opening is set for Wednesday, January 21. This is Southern Turnings' third location; one location is a drive-thru on Highway 26. The first was opened in downtown Wiggins nine years ago by Scott Maddox and his wife. Maddox opened that location after retiring from teaching and coaching at MGCCC. So now, with this location, they have come full circle. "We are just happy to be here. This is exciting to be able to provide our services to the community in this area as well as the students and faculty on this campus," Maddox said. The new café is located in the Lott Learning Resource Center. |
| Proposed federal cuts threaten nursing programs and research funding for Missouri | |
 | Nearly $7 million that supports nursing education and research in Missouri is at risk under federal proposals to eliminate key Title VIII workforce programs. The U.S. House Appropriations committee, responsible for regulating government expenditures, proposed in September to eliminate the National Institute of Nursing Research and all Nursing Workforce Development programs, except the Nurse Corps. The programs represent the only dedicated federal funding for nursing education. The cuts align with the Trump administration's request to eliminate Title VIII programs but have yet to be approved by Congress. The official federal budget is currently set to be passed by Jan. 30. Lori Popejoy, dean at the University of Missouri's Sinclair School of Nursing, said research plays a direct role in improving patient care. "Everybody in the sphere of healthcare, research and education, is concerned with delivering the best quality care they can, and part of the research enterprise is discovering new, efficient, effective ways of doing that," Popejoy said. |
| U. of Nebraska's Big Cuts Drew Faculty Blowback. Now the Chancellor Is Leaving Suddenly. | |
 | Rodney D. Bennett, chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, on Monday announced his abrupt resignation -- effective next week -- after a year of turmoil at the flagship campus. Bennett, who had served as chancellor at Nebraska since 2023, oversaw budget-driven cuts to academic programs this fall that were deeply unpopular with professors and led to a vote of no confidence in November from the Faculty Senate -- the first in the university's history. Bennett, a former longtime president of the University of Southern Mississippi and the first Black person to lead the Lincoln campus, had been tasked in early 2025 by the Board of Regents to make cuts to close a $48-million budget deficit. Bennett's administration drew the ire of faculty members this past fall when campus leaders proposed making up part of that deficit by closing six academic programs through a process that professors felt was rushed, lacked significant faculty involvement, and used questionable metrics. |
| Belonging in College Isn't Just Nice -- It Can Boost Graduation Rates | |
 | New research from Wake Forest University shows that boosting a student's sense of belonging in college can significantly increase their likelihood of earning a degree. The findings draw on nationally representative survey data from more than 21,000 undergraduates enrolled in two- and four-year colleges across the country. The survey measured belonging by asking students to rate their agreement with the statement "I feel that I am a part of [school]" on a five-point scale, where 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree. Students who rated their sense of belonging in their second year one step higher on the five-point scale than they did in their first year -- such as moving from neutral to agree -- were 3.4 percentage points more likely to graduate within four years. That pattern held over time: Each one-step increase in a student's reported sense of belonging was linked to a 2.7-percentage-point higher likelihood of earning a degree within six years. "What stood out to me was just how consistent the findings were," said Shannon Brady, a Wake Forest University psychology professor and the study's author. "We're seeing this relationship hold across different kinds of students and institutions." |
| Why People Are Freaking Out About Graduate Loan Caps | |
| Louie Delgado is the only one of his seven siblings to have graduated from both high school and college. "I always knew that education was going to be the key to change, essentially the trajectory of not just my life, but my future family's and future generations," Delgado said. Continuing to push educational boundaries is what made him want to pursue a graduate degree and become a nurse anesthetist. After an initial rejection from Kaiser Permanente's School of Anesthesia, a partnership with California State University at Fullerton, he applied again this year. This time, he got in. Concurrently, the Trump administration was carrying out the biggest overhaul of federal aid in more than a decade. The sweeping budget-reconciliation law passed by Congress this summer sharply limits how much graduate students can borrow from the federal government. The Education Department proposed in November that only a few programs, such as those in law, medicine, and pharmacy, receive the "professional" degree designation, allowing students to take out up to $50,000 in loans a year. Delgado's doctor of nursing practice program doesn't make the cut. He will be limited to $20,500 in loans a year -- well below the tuition and fees of his new program. In early 2026, the department says it will seek public comment on proposed regulations for graduate and professional loan caps, which take effect in July. Meanwhile, Delgado is one of the many students now confronting the immediate consequences. |
| Colleges Face a New Test on Their Grads' Earnings. These Programs Would Fail. | |
| Colleges will soon be evaluated on whether their programs leave graduates better off financially for having attended them. The provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is the subject of negotiated rulemaking this week, judges programs by comparing the median earnings of students who complete them relative to the median earnings of high-school graduates. Those that fail to meet that standard in two of three years would be exposed to becoming ineligible for federal loans. Nearly 6 percent of about 50,000 programs that have enough data on program-level earnings fall below the earnings threshold, according to an analysis of new federal data by Robert Kelchen, a professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. But, as he wrote, "there is a lot of variation by institution type, credential level, and field of study." The Chronicle explored how some of these variations might play out. Under the new test, the biggest risk is to undergraduate certificate programs: 45 percent of them fail, according to the available data. While every post-baccalaureate certificate program with earnings data also fails, they are typically intended to help prepare graduates for further education, and represent a very small number of programs. |
| Appeals Court Upholds Prohibition on Trump's Medical Research Cuts | |
| A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that the Trump administration could not make drastic cuts to the federal funding supporting much of the country's medical and scientific research, reaffirming a lower court's ruling from early last year. In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit found that one of the Trump administration's earliest attempts to kneecap universities, through proposed reductions to grants from the National Institutes of Health, was unlawful. The proposal brought an outpouring of opposition from hundreds of universities and hospitals, which warned that the cuts could cost them billions and make it impossible to continue studies in areas like cancer, genetics and infectious disease. The sharp cuts took aim at the pre-negotiated rates in thousands of federal grants that set aside money for overhead costs in medical research, such as facility upkeep, laboratory technology and support staff. Scores of universities and hospitals affected by the cuts said the funding for those indirect costs was often shared, with a single grant helping cover the costs of multiple laboratories and experiments simultaneously. That meant that a loss of funds could threaten not just research directly covered by the grants but a broad range of other work. In an announcement in February, the Trump administration proposed capping the money that could be allocated for overhead costs to 15 percent of any given grant, while the rates previously agreed upon often surpassed 30 or 40 percent. |
| Breitbart: Education Secretary Says She Wants to Shift Away From Higher Ed | |
| Education Secretary Linda McMahon told a conservative news outlet she wants to focus less on higher ed this year. The comment comes after the Trump administration's yearlong use of multiple federal departments to pressure universities and their employees and students to conform to the White House's desires. McMahon discussed her 2026 priorities in an interview with Breitbart before Christmas. As the outlet put it, "McMahon said the new year is a chance to shift a little bit away from higher education and focus on elementary and secondary." (Education Department spokespeople didn't respond Monday to Inside Higher Ed's requests for further information on what she meant.) On social media, McMahon posted, "In 2026 we will empower parents, strengthen families, and end Washington's grip on education by returning it to the states." She also shared a video touting what she sees as the administration's many wins. Those included cutting deals with several universities to restore funding the administration froze, changes to the federal student aid application and steps toward dismantling the Education Department. She told Breitbart her top three priorities will be literacy, noting poor scores on a national K–12 test; school choice, which usually refers to providing public money for parents to send their children to K–12 charter or private schools or to homeschool them; and "returning education to the states." |
SPORTS
| Men's Basketball: Five Things To Know: State vs. Oklahoma | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball squares off with Oklahoma in its SEC home opener on Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs (9-5, 1-0 SEC) have won five straight games and six of their last seven games since the start of December. State has overcome a second-half deficit to win on six occasions this season, the latest coming during a 101-98 overtime victory at Texas on Jan. 3. Oklahoma (11-3, 1-0 SEC) also have secured five consecutive wins and defeated Ole Miss, 86-70, during its SEC opening act on Saturday. The Sooners have four players averaging in double figures fueled by guards Nijel Pack (16.2 PPG, 3.3 APG) and Xzayvier Brown (15.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG). The duo has combined to sink 72 treys on the season. State and Oklahoma will play for the 6th time on the hardwood. The Bulldogs hold a 3-2 series advantage. OU protected its home floor and came away with a 93-87 triumph last season during the first meeting as SEC rivals between the two programs. |
| Hubbard leads Mississippi State against Oklahoma | |
| Mississippi State takes on Oklahoma Wednesday after Josh Hubbard scored 38 points in Mississippi State's 101-98 overtime win over the Texas Longhorns. The Bulldogs have gone 6-1 in home games. Mississippi State is 2-2 in one-possession games. The Sooners have gone 1-0 against SEC opponents. Oklahoma scores 87.3 points and has outscored opponents by 15.1 points per game. Mississippi State makes 45.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 3.9 percentage points higher than Oklahoma has allowed to its opponents (41.7%). Oklahoma has shot at a 48.8% clip from the field this season, 7.1 percentage points higher than the 41.7% shooting opponents of Mississippi State have averaged. Hubbard is shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc with 3.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, while averaging 22.5 points and 3.8 assists. Jayden Epps is averaging 16.9 points over the past 10 games. |
| MSU's Josh Hubbard named SEC Player of the Week | |
 | Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard was named the SEC Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The junior guard carried the Bulldogs to a 101-98 overtime win at Texas in their SEC opener on Saturday. Hubbard scored 38 points, tying a career high, with 10 of those points coming in the extra period. The game was tied 96-96 in OT when he drained a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to give MSU the lead for good. Hubbard shot 10 of 31 from the floor, including 6 of 17 from 3-point range, and he hit 12 of 15 free throws. He also had three assists and three rebounds in the win. Hubbard is averaging 22.5 points per game, which leads the SEC. |
| Charlie Baker on NIL, Transfer Portal Window and Eligibility Lawsuits | |
| Charlie Baker is here in Nashville for the FCS national championship, because of course he is. The president of the NCAA is an avid fan of college sports -- something that might sound like it comes with the job, but historically has not. Baker, a lanky lefthander who played basketball at Harvard, has been a far bigger presence at championship events across all three levels of the NCAA than any of his predecessors. He is the least likely of any NCAA presidents to spend his time cloistered in the headquarters in Indianapolis. Between myriad functions in Music City leading up to the title game Monday night between Illinois State and Montana State, Baker sat down with Sports Illustrated for a wide-ranging interview on the many issues college sports is confronting -- and his favorite NCAA sporting events to date. |
| The SEC's dismal bowl record this season points to a fundamental truth: money matters | |
| The most mind-blowing outcome of the College Football Playoff inside the coaching world wasn't Miami bullying Ohio State; it was the way Indiana dominated Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Several coaches The Athletic spoke to this weekend weren't shocked that Indiana handled Alabama. After all, the Hoosiers were almost a double-digit favorite. It was how the game unfolded. They mauled the Tide 38-3, outrushing them, 215-23. "That ain't an Alabama defense," said a Power 4 offensive coordinator, who used one of the most damning words a coach can evoke about another football team: soft. More broadly across bowl games, the "It Just Means More" conference is at the bottom of the Power 4 leagues in records, trailing the Big Ten (9-4), the ACC (8-4) and the Big 12 (4-4). One Group of 5 head coach who has also been an SEC assistant pushed back on reading too much into the postseason league records. “I would pay zero attention to the bowls,” he said. “I think they’re essentially exhibition games, but the Playoff does matter. ... There’s no question to me. (The SEC) is still the best league, but I don’t think there’s one or two programs that are just dominant. I think they’re hurting themselves.” |
| 2026 shifts and trends that will reshape sports | |
| Sports business reaches an inflection point in 2026 as a series of big shifts that have been quietly building begin to take shape. The NFL and NBA are redefining how media rights are structured and valued, UFC and Formula 1 are making divergent bets on scale and platform control, and institutional capital is pushing deeper into agencies, college athletics and ownership. AI is moving from pilot projects to everyday tools in ticketing, marketing and fan engagement. Betting is testing the limits of regulation. Women's sports is entering a new phase of valuation and capital allocation, and global events such as the World Cup and LA28 are forcing hard questions about legacy, economics and accountability -- including what fans are willing and able to pay. The private equity dam in college sports has broken with Utah signing a $500 million deal with Otro Capital, while the Big 12 is finalizing what is essentially a credit deal through RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital. PE has circled college sports for years, but entry points haven't been simple. The Big Ten's $2.4 billion deal with UC Investments is on hold, thanks to USC and Michigan's consternation. Deals with individual schools remain complicated by intertwining outside capital and state institutions. Still, expect a windfall of deals over the next 12 months. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
