| Thursday, February 5, 2026 |
| WMSV The Junction listeners 'Rise and Ring' with on-air Bulldog talent | |
 | As Golden Triangle residents rise and shine during the workweek, the Mississippi State student-led radio show "Rise and Ring" serves as the soundtrack while they get ready to take on the day. The show, airing 7-9 a.m. each Tuesday and Thursday on WMSV 91.1 The Junction, is hosted by Gracelyn Johnson, a sophomore communication major from Amory, and senior political science major Wesley Webb of Oxford. What makes it unique, according to Junction General Manager Becca Thorn, is how the hosts' personalities drive long-form entertainment segments, including light-hearted debates over the best foods and traits that would be dealbreakers for friendships and relationships -- adding to the variety of content enjoyed by a wide range of listeners. "Rise and Ring" went from concept to practice after Thorn pitched the idea to Webb, who worked as a station DJ, after he expressed interest in talk radio. Thorn paired him with Johnson, and the duo began working on segment ideas and developing an on-air rapport late in the summer and into the fall semester. "It's hard to find a lot of schools that have been willing to invest in student talent at a college radio station like MSU has," Webb said. "You know there's support there when folks are willing to give two on-air hours twice a week like that to two college students." |
| Sibling duo Between Friends brings alt-pop to 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." Ahead of their recent "WOW" album, the pair released seven EPs from 2018-2024 and another album in 2023. |
| From page to stage: New York poet Kimiko Hahn visits MSU for an evening of poetry, insight | |
| Kimiko Hahn, New York state poet and acclaimed author of nearly a dozen collections of poetry, will join Mississippi State University as a visiting writer on Tuesday, Feb. 17 for a special night of selected readings and celebration of the written word. Free and open to the public, the event sponsored by MSU's College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English is at 5:30 p.m. in McCool Hall's Taylor Auditorium. Following a Q&A session, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase signed copies of Hahn's latest work. Professor Becky Hagenston, director of the English department's creative writing program, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Kimiko Hahn to Mississippi State, where she will share her insight and creativity with students, faculty and the broader Starkville community." Hahn is the author of "The Ghost Forest: New and Selected Poems," a 2024 W.W. Norton publication, and has received numerous honors including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the PEN/Voelcker Award, Shelley Memorial Prize, the Poetry Foundation's Ruth Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award and the American Book Award. She is a distinguished professor in the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation at Queens College, City University of New York. |
| Mary Means Business: Breakfast all day at Jive Turkey in Starkville | |
 | There's a new restaurant open in Starkville, and folks, it looks like a good one. Trey Spencer loves to cook. His new restaurant, Jive Turkey Breakfast Club Bar and Grill, opened this month, serving fried chicken, fried fish, baked chicken, beef tips, brisket, smoked turkey, breakfast plates, omelets and more. "Cooking has been my passion since my college days at Southern Mississippi," Spencer said. "I used to cook for the entire football team every weekend." If it's good enough for the Golden Eagles, it's good enough for me. Jive Turkey offers breakfast all day, every day. They are open at 6 every morning, lunch is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and dinner starts at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. It also offers brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays. "(I) wanted something different and change for the community," he said. "Healthy eats with the turkey, and we just needed some good ole-fashioned food in the area." |
| Mentorship program teaches young girls confidence, leadership | |
| A group of middle school girls took turns addressing aldermen Tuesday night at Starkville City Hall, stepping to the podium to introduce themselves and share the wards and districts where they live. For most, it was their first time speaking in a setting where city business is conducted. Both Carmen Haynes and Malorie Miles, 13, said they were nervous to speak before the board but agreed they enjoyed seeing firsthand how the city operates. "It was nice to see how people do around the city and stuff," Haynes told The Dispatch on Wednesday. "How they fix things, and they take people's opinions and ... try to focus on their opinions and get it fixed." The visit to City Hall was part of a lesson on civic engagement, offered to a cohort of nine girls ages 11 to 13 through the Youth Leadership Institute, an initiative sponsored by the Starkville chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Now in its fourth year locally, the program is designed to expose young girls to leadership development through hands-on lessons in civic engagement, environmental awareness, self-expression and confidence-building. Aundrea Self, a member of the Starkville chapter who is leading the initiative this year, said lessons like Tuesday's are meant to help the girls better understand their communities and their roles within them. |
| Meridian Mardi Gras kicks off Saturday at 11 a.m. | |
 | The streets of Meridian will be decorated with purple, green and gold Saturday as the Arts and Community Events Society hosts its annual Meridian Mardi Gras celebration at City Hall lawn. The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with Krewe de Barkus costume contest in which local dogs will compete in Mardi Gras attire to be named king or queen for this year's event. A highly anticipated event, proceeds from the annual contest go to Lauderdale County Animal Shelter and Roadside Rescue. At 11:45 a.m., the Krewe de Barkus King and Queen will join this year's human King and Queen in the annual Mardi Gras Parade through downtown Meridian. The parade will start at the intersection of Eighth Street and 25th Avenue before turning south onto 23rd Avenue and going past City Hall lawn. Parade participants will turn left on Front Street before turning onto 22nd Avenue and traveling down to the route's end at 10th Street. "It'll be the Krewe de Barkus and then the Krewe de Midas parade, which will have over 30 floats, including us," said this year's King Jeremy Sollie. "We'll be on the trolley throwing out beads and moon pies and other fun stuff." |
| LINK names Iain Vasey as new CEO | |
| The Board of Directors of the Golden Triangle Development LINK announced Tuesday that Iain D. Vasey will serve as the organization's next president and chief executive officer. Vasey, who brings more than 30 years of experience in economic development and infrastructure growth, is scheduled to begin his new role on March 15, 2026. He succeeds the leadership of the economic development organization that represents Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties in northeast Mississippi. "Iain is a proven leader with deep technical expertise and a strong national reputation," said Bain Nickels, chairman of the LINK Board of Directors. "We are confident he will help position the Golden Triangle for its next chapter of success." Vasey's career includes high-profile recruitment and investment projects across the United States. The appointment follows a national search conducted by the executive recruitment firm Jorgenson Pace. |
| Employers announce most job cuts since 2009 as economy wobbles | |
 | Employers announced 108,435 job cuts in Jan. 2026, the highest January tally since 2009, according to a report out Feb. 5, and a sign employers may be taking defensive steps against uncertainty about the economy. "Generally, we see a high number of job cuts in the first quarter, but this is a high total for January," said Andy Challenger, whose global outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas publishes the report on job cuts and hiring plans every month. Employer plans to hire were also at the lowest since 2009, the tail end of the Great Recession, when the jobless rate hovered near double digits, Challenger said. The 5,306 hiring plans announced in Jan. 2026 were half the 10,496 announced in December, while job cuts were more than double. The number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits for the first time also spiked in the most recent week, the Labor Department said on Feb. 5. Many economists and other analysts consider "initial claims" to be the best real-time read on the job market since it is released so frequently, but that can also make it jumpy. |
| Mississippi House adopts definition of AI | |
 | The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a measure defining artificial intelligence on Wednesday to provide clarity to an industry that Mississippi hopes to be a leader in. HB 1723 passed by a vote of 87 to 22 after several questions about problems that could result from AI technology. The measure defines AI as "a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments." The definition was the result of a Legislative AI task force that met several times over the summer, and with guidance from other state and federal policies, said House Technology Chairperson Jill Ford (R). The legislation continues by saying, "Artificial intelligence systems use machine- and human-based inputs to perceive real and virtual environments; abstract such perceptions into models through analysis in an automated manner; and use model inference to formulate options for information or action." Ford explained that the bill does not mandate, restrict, or regulate the industry. The bill now heads to the Senate for their consideration. |
| Mississippi AI identity bill advances after clearing Senate committees | |
 | A bill that would give Mississippians legal protections over their name, likeness and voice has advanced in the Legislature after clearing key Senate committees, moving one step closer to becoming law as artificial intelligence makes it easier to digitally replicate people without their consent. Senate Bill 2046 passed the Universities and Colleges committee Monday ahead of the crossover deadline, allowing the measure to move forward after similar proposals stalled in previous legislative sessions. The bill would establish a property right over an individual's identity, giving people the ability to sue if their name, image or voice is digitally altered or used without permission. Work on Mississippi's AI identity legislation began in December 2023, but earlier versions failed to reach the governor's desk during the 2024 and 2025 sessions. Supporters say the bill's progress this year reflects clearer language, broader bipartisan support and growing urgency as AI-generated content becomes more realistic and widespread. Sen. Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat who co-sponsored the bipartisan bill, said the goal is to prevent harm before it spreads. "When people see something, it's hard to get them to unsee it," Blackmon said. "Once it gets embedded in someone's mind, it doesn't matter how many times you tell somebody that's not real --- and you can't make it to everyone that's seen it to tell them it's not real --- so you got to try to stop it before someone even does it." |
| House votes to legalize online sports betting and divert $600M to pension system | |
| The House voted Wednesday, for the third year in a row, to legalize online sports betting in Mississippi. Proponents say this could generate tens of millions of dollars a year in new tax revenue, but critics warn it would fuel gambling addiction and hurt brick-and-mortar casinos. The approval of HB 1581 sets the House up for another showdown with the Senate, where legislation to legalize online betting has died amid opposition from the casino industry and concerns over gambling addiction. The measure is mostly the same as one the House passed last year, but an amendment introduced on the House floor before the bill passed Wednesday, with an 85-31 vote, marks a significant change. The amendment would require Mississippi to eventually make a one-time $600 million transfer from its Capital Expense Fund to help shore up the state's pension system. The House and Senate are still at loggerheads over how to shore up the Public Employees' Retirement System. The Senate has already sent the House a bill to put half-a-billion dollars of the state's current surplus into PERS, in addition to putting $50 million a year over the next decade. House leaders have proposed a recurring revenue stream for PERS, either from the state lottery or by legalizing mobile sports betting. |
| Roberson unwilling to give up on school choice | |
| In a meeting Tuesday that lasted less than two minutes, the Senate Education Committee unanimously voted to kill the House's primary vehicle for getting its school choice legislation across the finish line. House Bill 2, an omnibus education bill, included provisions that would allow families to use public education funding to send their children to private schools. In a statement sent to The Dispatch on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the committee's vote reflected lawmakers "listening to constituents and educators across Mississippi" and advocated for the Senate's school choice legislation. District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, who chairs the House Education Committee, did not concede defeat on the school choice effort, though he did not have specific ways in mind for how it could continue this session. "The best answer I can give you is nothing (in) the legislature is actually dead until we sine die," Roberson wrote in a text to The Dispatch on Wednesday, referring to the end of the session. HB 2 proposed the creation of Magnolia Savings Accounts, funds that families could use for education costs outside of public schools, ranging from books to private school tuition. The bill also included a teacher pay raise, loosened the ability of students to transfer between school districts and would have allowed homeschool students to participate in public school athletics. |
| Nitrous oxide bill drafted following WLBT special report | |
| State lawmakers are working on a public safety and health measure that addresses the misuse of nitrous oxide, often referred to as laughing gas. It follows Gassed: Mississippi's Hidden High, a 3 On Your Side investigation that showed a stunning increase in use and abuse of nitrous oxide, not only among college-age students, but kids in middle school and younger. Studies also show a dramatic increase in nitrous oxide-related deaths. The problem is that it is legal and you can buy it anywhere, like convenience stores and vape shops; there is no age limit, and you don't have to have identification. State Representative Fabian Nelson tells 3 On Your Side that several of his constituents said they saw our report, and they have family members who have abused nitrous oxide. That's why he drafted House Bill 1551. "So, in hearing that, I said we have to do something about it, so what we're doing with this legislation is we're banning it for recreational uses," he said. "Now, there are still several industrial uses, mechanical industry uses it, culinary institutes use it, doctors use it, so it's not going to affect that in any shape or form or fashion." House Bill 1551 has successfully moved out of committee and will now be up for consideration by the full Mississippi House. |
| Restoration of ballot initiative process back before Mississippi lawmakers | |
| A measure to restore Mississippi's ballot initiative process was moved out of the Senate Elections Committee this week to restart the negotiation process between the two chambers. Mississippi has been without a ballot initiative process since the 2021 state Supreme Court decision on Medical Marijuana Initiative 65 invalidated the process on the basis that the signature threshold in the state constitution could not be met. The former initiative process required signatures to come from five congressional districts when Mississippi now only has four districts. Negotiations between the House and Senate have stalled in previous sessions. Concerns from members have ranged from the number of signatures required for an initiative to be put before voters to what topics should or should not be allowed on an initiative. There has also been concern expressed over out-of-state monies flowing into the state to push initiatives sponsored by special interest groups. Senate Elections Chairman State Senator Jeremy England (R) believes now is the time to bring the issue back before lawmakers. "I've heard from both sides on this issue, and I think I agree, somewhat, with both sides on this issue about we're a constitutional republic, we are elected here to come represent the will of the people," England said. "I also understand the other side that this is something the people have had and as we know, Mississippians when have something and get it taken away from us, we want it back. This is an effort to help that along." |
| Study committee proposed to consolidate state licensure boards into one department | |
| The committee responsible for streamlining Mississippi government approved the creation of a study committee to examine consolidating scores of state licensure boards into one department. The Senate Government Structure Committee unanimously approved SB 2673 on Tuesday, which would establish the Occupational Licensure Board Consolidation Study Committee. Under the bill, the study committee would consist of the chairmen from the Senate Government Structure Committee and the House State Affairs Committee as well as chairmen from the House and Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committees. In addition, five current members of different occupational licensure boards would be appointed by the governor to serve on the study committee along with two Senate appointees from the Lt. Governor and two House appointees from the Speaker. The study committee came after a 1,121-page bill was put forward that sought to consolidate about 60 state licensing boards, ranging from architects to barbers to chiropractors to family therapists. In other business, the Senate Government Structure Committee also heard from State Senator Daniel Sparks (R) about creating an advisory council for apprenticeships as required by the U.S. Department of Labor. The council is to be created to receive federal funds specific to apprenticeship programs, he told his colleagues. |
| Lawmakers look to criminalize illegal immigration under Mississippi state law | |
| A bill passed by the Senate Judiciary B Committee this week would criminalize illegal immigration under state law, making those who enter Mississippi "directly from a foreign nation at any location other than a lawful port of entry" guilty of a felony punishable by not less than two years in prison. If an illegal immigrant is arrested for a crime of violence or a sex offense, that person could be sentenced up five additional years. The legislation would also require the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to enter into a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The bill, SB 2114, states that its purpose is to "facilitate and encourage cooperation" between "every county and municipality of this state" and ICE under the 287(g) program. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Mississippi issued a statement late Wednesday raising concerns over the legislation, saying SB 2114 "would be devastating, not only for undocumented immigrants but for all Mississippians." "The new felony statute is vague and gives no mention of what a police officer should look for to question someone on how they entered Mississippi and no probable cause standard for an arrest," the statement from the ACLU read. "This will undoubtedly result in racial profiling and the detention of citizens and people with legal status. SB 2114 could even put Mississippians at risk of being required to 'show their papers' during routine interactions with law enforcement." |
| Senator Roger Wicker opposes planned ICE detention facility in Mississippi | |
 | Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is opposing a plan by President Donald Trump's administration to establish a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Byhalia, Mississippi. Reportedly, the Department of Homeland Security would purchase a warehouse on Mt. Carmel Road near Interstate 269 and convert it into a holding facility for deportations. No decision has been finalized. In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Wicker said he supports enforcing immigration laws but urged Noem to reconsider the plan, citing potential strains on local infrastructure and public safety concerns. Wicker cautioned that turning the warehouse into an ICE detention center would foreclose "economic growth opportunities" and replace them with a use that offers far fewer "economic returns or community benefits." "This site is currently positioned for economic development purposes. It represents an opportunity for job creation, private investment, and long-term economic growth in Marshall County," Wicker wrote. "The county is already experiencing meaningful growth and increased interest from employers seeking to locate or expand in North Mississippi." According to Wicker, many of his constituents have voiced concerns about the proposed facility's impact on public safety, medical capacity and the economy. |
| GOP senator opposes planned ICE detention facility in home state | |
 | Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) is balking at a plan by the Trump administration to establish a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in his home state, warning that it will hurt the local economy. Wicker says he supports the enforcement of immigration law but that he does not support the Department of Homeland Security's plan to convert a warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, into a detention center. The Mississippi Republican also warned about what he called "serious feasibility concerns." "Detention facilities impose substantial and specialized infrastructure demands -- including transportation access, water, sewer and energy costs, staffing, medical care and emergency services," he wrote, noting that the proposed facility would include more than 8,500 beds. He said the existing medical and human services infrastructure in Byhalia would have difficulty supporting such a large expansion of the population. "Establishing a detention center at this site would place significant strain on local resources," he wrote. Wicker could attempt to block the facility by adding language to the full-year Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which congressional negotiators hope to pass before Feb. 13, when a stopgap funding measure will expire. |
| Sen. Wicker writes to Kristi Noem opposing feared 'ICE warehouse' in Byhalia | |
| A letter sent Tuesday by Sen. Roger Wicker to the secretary of Homeland Security lent credibility to residents' fears that federal officials were planning to buy a Byhalia, Mississippi, warehouse to convert into a massive immigrant detention center. In his letter to Secretary Kristi Noem, Wicker wrote that it had come to his attention that immigration officials were in the "final stages" of the purchase and that the warehouse would have at least 8,500 beds, making it larger than any existing immigrant detention center by far. Wicker's letter said many of his constituents had voiced concerns regarding "public safety, medical capacity, and economic impacts" because Byhalia, a town of less than 2,000 people about 40 miles south of Memphis, does not have the infrastructure to handle so many detainees. For weeks, some residents of Byhalia had feared the warehouse would be a part of the effort to expand ICE detention. Local government officials in mid-January had said they had no information and did not know if the plans were real. The whispers began when an apparent screenshot of a list of addresses started circulating on social media and in community group chats. The list included the Byhalia warehouse, which is owned by JLL Real Estate. When local residents, including Democratic congressional candidate Cliff Johnson, showed up on Jan. 16 at the listed time, a group of people appeared to be touring the warehouse. Chelsea Howard, an activist from neighboring DeSoto County, said sheriff's deputies arrived soon after and asked the citizens to leave. |
| Wicker, Hyde-Smith pledge support for Mississippi after Winter Storm Fern | |
| U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Wednesday affirmed their readiness to support additional federal aid to Mississippi as the state continues cleanup and damage assessment following Winter Storm Fern. The senators spoke on the Senate floor a day after Governor Tate Reeves requested a major emergency disaster declaration for Mississippi. They cited the storm's toll, including at least 26 deaths, widespread property damage, extended power outages for tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and the rapid response by local, state, and federal officials. "I commend local leaders, mayors, commissioners, and the response team from FEMA. We're thankful for what they've done and for their resilience. I've said this in past years: In Mississippi, our federal delegation is in this for the long haul, just like we were with the tornadoes that occurred earlier. We're grateful to the president and for our friends at FEMA for helping us recover," Wicker said. Hyde-Smith said the storm's impact was particularly severe in the South, a region not typically equipped for prolonged snow, ice, sleet, and dangerous winter conditions. The senators and their staff have engaged federal, state, and local officials, as well as the public, since the storm. They encouraged residents to continue contacting their offices as recovery efforts continue in the coming months. |
| Colom Senate campaign passes $1M mark | |
| Democrat Scott Colom's campaign for U.S. Senate crossed the $1 million mark in fundraising by the end of 2025, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. Colom, a Columbus native who serves as district attorney for the 16th Circuit, posted $427,156 in contributions between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, to go along with almost $600,000 his campaign raised in September alone -- the same month Colom announced his intent to run. Campaign finance reports for the last quarter of 2025 were due Jan. 31. All contributions of $200 or more must be itemized, or listed by the donor's name. More than 95% of Colom's donations came from individuals. Among those, another $14,000 came from the Soros family, with Jonathan and his wife Jennifer Allan Soros each giving $7,000. Jonathan is the son of liberal magnate George Soros. George and another of his sons, Alexander Soros, each gave $7,000 to the Colom campaign in September. On the Republican side, incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith reported $424,939.17 in total receipts last quarter. Of those, $357,995 were listed as contributions, while just a little less than $67,000 was transferred from other committees. |
| The Hill Republican who could get a deal on AI -- if his leadership lets him | |
 | Tech companies desperately want Congress to pass a federal law this year blocking state rules on artificial intelligence, and many think their best shot lies with California Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte, a former computer engineer now serving his third term in the House. There's just one problem: House GOP leaders don't appear to be listening to him. AI industry lobbyists have been pushing Capitol Hill for months to pass a bill that would preempt the ability of states to enact AI laws, arguing it would stop a patchwork of conflicting state rules from impeding innovation. Many see Obernolte, who co-chaired a bipartisan AI task force last Congress and has deep relationships across the aisle, as their greatest hope for action before the end of the year. They say his technical acumen and consensus-building approach on AI will be key to clinching an agreement with Democrats, necessary in a politically polarized Washington. "If there is anyone in the House who can run point and cobble together the pieces on what meaningful federal AI standards and an AI package could look like, it's Jay Obernolte," said Tony Samp, principal AI adviser at lobbying firm DLA Piper, in an interview. |
| Republicans fear Trump backlash could cost them Senate control | |
| Senate Republicans are concerned that public backlash to President Trump's handling of the economy and his aggressive deportation policies could give rise to a Democratic wave that not only sweeps away the House Republican majority, but also threatens their own three-seat majority in the upper chamber. The latest alarm bell rang over the weekend when Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmet won a state Senate seat in a North Texas district that President Trump won by 17 points in 2024, a stunning upset that GOP senators say should serve as a "wake-up call" heading into November. One GOP senator who attended a Tuesday briefing at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) said concern over the approaching midterms "should be very, very high." The lawmaker called Saturday's loss in the Texas special election "a wake-up call" and said Republican senators in battleground states, such as Sen. Susan Collins (R) in Maine and retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) in North Carolina, have repeatedly warned Senate colleagues that the party faces a "deteriorating" political environment. A second Republican senator who requested anonymity told The Hill that voters across the political spectrum aren't happy with Trump's handling of the economy and inflation, and a growing number of independents are turned off by his administration's aggressive deportation tactics in Minneapolis. |
| Trump Administration to Make It Easier to Fire 50,000 Federal Workers | |
 | The Trump administration is planning to make it easier to discipline -- and potentially fire -- career officials in senior positions across the government, a move that would affect roughly 50,000 federal workers. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce, is set to issue a final rule on Thursday that creates a category of worker for high-ranking career employees whose work focuses on executing the administration's policies. Workers who fall into that category would no longer be subject to rules that for decades have set a high bar for firing federal employees. While political appointees at agencies are considered at-will employees who serve at the discretion of the president, career employees have long enjoyed strong job protections, including the ability to appeal firings, suspensions or disciplinary action to an independent board. Workers that fall under the new category wouldn't be able to appeal to the board. The change is part of a far-reaching effort by the administration to overhaul federal agencies and reduce the size of the government's workforce. Senior political appointees, spurred on by President Trump's longstanding contention that a "deep state" is undermining his agenda, have shut down government programs, fired thousands of employees and offered others voluntary separation agreements. |
| Supreme Court lets California use its new, Democratic-friendly congressional map | |
 | The Supreme Court is allowing California to use its new congressional map for this year's midterm election, clearing the way for the state's gerrymandered districts as Democrats and Republicans continue their fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The state's voters approved the redistricting plan last year as a Democratic counterresponse to Texas' new GOP-friendly map, which President Trump pushed for to help Republicans hold on to their narrow majority in the House. And in a brief, unsigned order released Wednesday, the high court denied an emergency request by the California's Republican Party to block the redistricting plan. The state's GOP argued that the map violated the U.S. Constitution because its creation was mainly driven by race, not partisan politics. A lower federal court rejected that claim. The ruling on California's redistricting plan comes two months after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Texas map that kicked off a nationwide gerrymandering fight by boosting the GOP's chances of winning five additional House seats. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that partisan gerrymandering is not reviewable by federal courts. While the Trump administration supported the Texas redistricting by Republicans, it opposed California's, describing it as "tainted by an unconstitutional racial gerrymander." |
| Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons | |
 | The deadline has been looming over Washington and Moscow for years. On Thursday, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia expired. For the first time since 1972, it leaves both superpowers with no limits on the size or structure of their arsenals, at the very moment both are planning new generations of nuclear weapons and newly evasive means of delivering the deadly warheads. Despite a new era of superpower confrontation, talks over a new treaty -- or even an informal extension of the current one -- never got off the ground, frozen by the war in Ukraine. When President Trump was asked in January why he had not taken up President Vladimir V. Putin's offer for a one-year informal extension, he shrugged. "If it expires, it expires," he told The New York Times in an interview. "We'll do a better agreement" after the expiration, he insisted, adding that China, which has the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, and "other parties" should be part of any future accord. The Chinese have made clear they are not interested. Thursday marks more than an expiration date. The United States is preparing to deploy more nuclear warheads on its biggest submarines, and its rivals are now testing new types and configurations of nuclear weapons that few envisioned when the Senate, by a narrow margin, ratified the New START treaty in 2010. |
| More data centers plan to build their own natural gas plants for power | |
| The AI data center boom likely means burning a whole lot more fossil fuel. A pair of recent reports track the explosion of new gas-fired power capacity under development in the U.S. The nonprofit Global Energy Monitor found proposals for new natural gas-burning facilities in the U.S. tripled in 2025 compared to a year earlier. Much of that is due to data centers building their own natural gas power plants, according to a report from market intelligence platform Cleanview. The U.S. is planning more than 250 gigawatts of new natural gas energy, enough to power every home in America and about a hundred million more, according to research analyst Jenny Martos with Global Energy Monitor. She tracks projects that have been announced and those already under construction. "There's a race going on, and what we're seeing is a petro-tech build out," she said. Big Tech is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build out the infrastructure of AI, and they want it up and running as soon as possible. Natural gas has been one of the only solutions for that in the near term, said Andy Cvengros, who follows data center development for commercial real estate firm JLL. He said getting energy from a local utility has been getting harder, with up to a five-year wait. So a lot of data centers are going "behind the meter" -- building their own power plants on site. |
| Musk vows to put data centers in space and run them on solar power but experts have their doubts | |
 | Elon Musk vowed this week to upend another industry just as he did with cars and rockets -- and once again he's taking on long odds. The world's richest man said he wants to put as many as a million satellites into orbit to form vast, solar-powered data centers in space -- a move to allow expanded use of artificial intelligence and chatbots without triggering blackouts and sending utility bills soaring. To finance that effort, Musk combined SpaceX with his AI business on Monday and plans a big initial public offering of the combined company. "Space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale," Musk wrote on SpaceX's website Monday, adding about his solar ambitions, "It's always sunny in space!" But scientists and industry experts say even Musk -- who outsmarted Detroit to turn Tesla into the world's most valuable automaker -- faces formidable technical, financial and environmental obstacles. Data centers generate enormous heat. Space seems to offer a solution because it is cold. But it is also a vacuum, trapping heat inside objects in the same way that a Thermos keeps coffee hot using double walls with no air between them. "An uncooled computer chip in space would overheat and melt much faster than one on Earth," said Josep Jornet, a computer and electrical engineering professor at Northeastern University. |
| Community discussion to focus on impact of data centers | |
| Vicksburg resident Lily Pierson is organizing a community discussion forum regarding the new Amazon data center's impact on the community. The forum will happen on Friday, Feb. 6, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Strand Theatre, 717 Clay St. Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced in November 2025 that it will build a $3 billion data center campus in Warren County, a project expected to create 200 high-paying direct jobs and 300 indirect positions. Known as Project Steamboat, the initiative has been in development for more than two and a half years and represents the largest private-sector investment in Warren County's history. Pierson said that she wants it to be known that she is not an expert in the field, nor is she representing any company or organization. "It is more of an open discussion for residents. Anyone, including officials or board members are encouraged to join and speak. This is about gaining interest for community education on the subject," she said. Pierson cited an NBC documentary, "How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans." "I really encourage people to look into what is happening and ask ourselves why they are keeping it from us. I also want to encourage residents to be curious about how our resources are already being used," she wrote. "Based on the 2025 analysis, Mississippi is already using more energy than ever before. Do we really want to allow data storage and AI training to use more of something that we are already struggling to manage?" |
| Ole Miss researchers develop programmable capsule to improve treatment for hormonal disorders | |
| University of Mississippi researchers have designed a 3D-printed capsule that can release medication at exactly the moment a patient needs it, improving care for those who suffer from chronic illnesses. A new capsule designed by researchers Ahmed Wadi, graduate research assistant in the School of Pharmacy, and Mo Maniruzzaman, chair and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, can release medication at a programmed time, taking the burden off of patients. "We need to time that drug delivery when it's most safe and most effective for every person, and every person is different," Wadi said. "We're improving that treatment plan because we can design the medication to their lifestyle and what works best for them." "Our system can be adjusted and customized the release time according to what works best for the condition and what works best for the person." Many time-release medications use coatings that dissolve slowly in stomach acid or layers that break down over time. But these methods can be imprecise. |
| C Spire donates $5 million for new UMMC cancer center | |
| C Spire on Wednesday announced a $5 million philanthropic commitment to the University of Mississippi Medical Center to support construction of its new Cancer Center and Research Institute. The announcement was made during a ceremony at C Spire's corporate headquarters in Ridgeland. The facility will be located adjacent to the UMMC campus in Jackson and will advance cancer treatment, research, and patient care for the people of Mississippi. "At C Spire, our mission is to improve lives through the power of technology," said Dr. Holt Crews, who serves on the board of directors for C Spire and as an assistant professor of gynecology at UMMC. "We also recognize that none of this matters without quality, accessible healthcare," he continued. "UMMC plays an unmatched role in providing advanced care to Mississippians, and this new Cancer Center will bring transformative treatment and research capabilities to our state. We are proud to support an effort that will touch so many families." |
| New Tax Break for Private-School Scholarships Sets Off Power Struggle | |
| A new federal school-choice tax credit is poised to funnel billions of dollars to scholarships for students attending private and parochial schools. The big question now: Who gets to set the rules and control where the money goes? Congress created the tax credit in last year's major fiscal law, starting a national version of programs that have proliferated in states. Beginning next year, taxpayers who donate to a scholarship-granting organization can get up to $1,700 back in a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit. Effectively, people can direct $1,700 of their income taxes to scholarships instead of the U.S. Treasury. In states that opt into the national program, scholarship groups will provide money to students whose families have incomes up to three times their area's median. The program is projected to generate more than $3 billion annually, which isn't much compared with total education spending. But it is a significant shift in how the federal government participates in K-12 education. And for many families, the scholarships could be large enough to change enrollment decisions. As the Treasury Department writes rules, the federal money is prompting a lobbying battle over how much control states should have. The fight pits advocates focused on public schools against the school-choice movement that has won support in the Trump administration and among Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. |
| One of LSU's most-used event venues will reopen this fall after a major renovation | |
 | The north side of the LSU campus will be alive with the sound of music again as the university completes an extensive renovation of the School of Music Recital Hall. One of the busiest venues on campus, the hall was due for both an acoustic and aesthetic revamp, Dean of the College of Music & Dramatic Arts Eric Lau said. "Providing our students and our faculty and guests that we bring in to do concerts with a world-class space is a wonderful thing to be able to do," Lau said. "It allows us to match the space they play in to the talent that they bring." The overhaul of the space began in August 2025, with plans to finish construction in July 2026 and reopen to the public at the start of the fall semester. Visitors will find a new name attached to the space, the John G. Turner & Jerry G. Fischer Recital Hall, when it opens its doors again in September. The new design will better suit different kinds of performances, a greater variety of instruments and the number of players, Lau said. Adjustable curtains and banners in the hall will control the level of sound "dampening," or how much sound is absorbed. |
| Texas A&M professor sues after firing over gender identity lesson controversy | |
| A Texas A&M University professor who was fired last year after a controversy over a classroom video that showed a student objecting to a children's literature lesson about gender identity sued the school on Wednesday, alleging the university violated her rights by bowing to political pressure calling for her ouster. Melissa McCoul was a senior lecturer in the English department with over a decade of teaching experience. Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, had called for her termination after seeing the video, which showed a student questioning whether the class discussion last July was legal under President Donald Trump's executive order on gender. The video roiled the campus and led to sharp criticism of university president Mark Welsh, who later resigned, but didn't offer a reason and never mentioned the video in his resignation announcement. The university upheld McCoul's firing even after two separate, independent university groups determined Texas A&M violated her right to due process and did not have cause to terminate her employment. Chris Bryan, the vice chancellor for marketing and communications for the Texas A&M University System, said Wednesday that school officials are aware of the lawsuit but have not reviewed it. |
| UVA Brings Advising Into the Classroom | |
 | The University of Virginia's College of Arts and Sciences wanted to improve its pre-major advising, which had been inconsistent. While some first-year students received high-quality guidance through optional seminars or highly engaged faculty, others were randomly assigned to advisers with limited familiarity of college curricula, policies and degree pathways. So, in 2024, the college launched an advising fellows program made up of full-time professional advisers who also teach first-year seminars. The model integrates pre-major advising directly into the classroom so that every arts and sciences student is advised by their seminar instructor, giving advisers academic context and enabling more intentional student relationships. Christa Acampora, UVA's dean of arts and sciences, said the shift was designed to make pre-major advising more consistent and student-centered across the college. "From the outside, our [student] outcomes were really great, but I learned that one of the places where the experience was not so great was with advising," Acampora said. "I heard it from alumni, I heard it from parents, I heard it from students and I heard it from our Board of Visitors." UVA isn’t the only institution where students want more from their advisers. |
| Higher Ed's Public Funding Has Entered a New Phase of Low Growth | |
 | State support for higher education this year crept up 1 percent nationally, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. It is the smallest year-over-year increase since 2021, when state support grew 0.6 percent. And it likely signals that higher ed has entered a new phase of modest growth in state support, according to the Grapevine report, which is the first of two reports released annually by the association. This one captures data for the 2026 fiscal year, which is currently underway and reflects budgeted totals, not what has actually been spent. The report's data signals that there's been a slowing down in state support since the Covid-19 pandemic brought injections from the federal government into state budgets. But the data doesn't yet reflect the anticipated impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to lead to cuts to Medicaid funding, which will exert pressure on states to reduce support for higher ed. "The bigger changes are coming down the road," said Dustin Weeden, the association's associate vice president. Most state higher-ed money, nearly 48 percent, in this fiscal year has gone toward the operations of public four-year institutions, while about 21 percent has supported the operations of community colleges. The rest has been directed to financial aid (12.9 percent), or to research, agriculture, and medical appropriations (10.8 percent), with the remaining 7.8 percent appropriated for other uses. |
| The Campaign to Make Professors Teach More | |
| When some faculty members in a handful of states are given their fall teaching assignments, they will be saddled with more work than they're accustomed to -- not just for a semester, but permanently. That's because three states -- Wisconsin, Utah, and Kansas -- have adopted minimum teaching loads for professors, effective this fall. The specifics vary by state, and most instructors won't notice a difference. But the adoption of teaching-load requirements marks a significant expansion of conservatives' attempts to regulate the professoriate -- not just what faculty members teach, but how much. Imposing minimum teaching requirements -- eight courses per academic year, for example, at most University of Wisconsin campuses -- has been touted as a way to cut costs and "better focus university resources in the classroom," as one Wisconsin lawmaker put it. The notion is also gaining steam in conservative circles as a means of ensuring faculty productivity and curbing "intellectually unserious" research. Faculty opponents, meanwhile, argue that requiring them to teach a certain number of courses presents concerns about work-life balance, equity and pay, and their ability to deliver a quality education and stay current in their fields of study. Such a policy, one Wisconsin union leader told The Chronicle, is "a solution in search of a problem." |
| Before Trump ban, universities were slowly making faculties more diverse | |
 | When President Donald Trump took office last year, America's research universities were in the midst of an aggressive quest to hire more Black and Latino professors. All but three of the 187 most prominent schools had made public commitments to faculty diversity, pushed by years of student protests and demands, a Washington Post analysis found. Deploying a wide range of strategies, these schools made modest progress toward their racial diversity goals. The number of underrepresented faculty increased by a third, The Post found, from 9 percent in 2015 to 12 percent in 2024 among faculty whose race was known. That's higher than ever but, in virtually every case, lower than diversity among undergraduate students. Now most of these efforts are on ice or abandoned as the Trump administration attacks schools for their diversity, equity and inclusion work. Federal agencies have opened investigations and withheld billions of dollars in federal funding as leverage. Some conservative states have banned these diversity efforts altogether. It's part of the federal government's wholesale flip of its interpretation of the Civil Rights Act, which was used for decades to ensure opportunity for people of color but is now being used to go after diversity programs and alleged discrimination against White people. |
SPORTS
| Where Josh Hubbard learned jump shot that's breaking Mississippi State basketball records | |
 | A cup was placed on the end of the Hubbard family's six-person kitchen table. Josh Hubbard, a kindergartner at the time, found a small ball and started shooting it at the cup. He couldn't miss. "I'm like, 'Do that again,'" his father, Jason Hubbard, said. "And I called my wife in there and I said, 'Look at this.' He would get it and shoot it again and it would go in." That was one of the breakthrough moments when Jason Hubbard realized his son, now a star junior with Mississippi State, potentially had a special basketball talent. Hubbard has blossomed into one of the top scoring guards in the country, averaging a career-high 20.8 points during the 2025-26 season. He's done so with a jump shot that quickly rises over taller defenders and has him five 3-pointers away from breaking the MSU career record. "Heck no," Bulldogs coach Chris Jans said when asked if they've ever done tweaking to Hubbard's jumper. "In the coaching world, if someone can make shots no matter what it looks like or what the routine is, we certainly don't mess with that." The root of Hubbard's jump shot starts with his dad. |
| Women's Basketball: Bulldog Travel To Third-Ranked South Carolina | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball will play their eighth ranked team in ten conference games when they travel to Columbia to take on the third-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday. Tipoff for the contest is set for 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Bulldogs went 1-1 in last week including a victory over #15 Tennessee, 77-52. Madison Francis was named the SEC's Freshman of the Week after averaging 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals across the two contests. Francis joined Jaylah Lampley as the second Bulldog to earn a FOTW honor, making the two the only teammates to both earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Kharyssa Richardson averaged 21points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals between the two contests last week. She has now scored 20 or more points in four games this season, all coming in conference play. She had only done such one other time in her career before this season. South Carolina enters the contest on a three-game winning streak after taking down Texas A&M, 71-56. |
| Mississippi State football, Jeff Lebby make more changes to 2026 coaching staff | |
| Mississippi State football has made more coaching changes to its 2026 staff. The Bulldogs hired Jermauria Rasco as an assistant defensive line coach from LSU. Quarterbacks coach Matt Holecek, who was an at-will employee, is no longer with the program. MSU also assigned roles to two newly hired coaches and reassigned defensive line coach David Turner to senior defensive line consultant. Bush Hamdan, hired on Dec. 10 from Kentucky, will coach the wide receivers after Chad Bumphis left for Utah. Kevin Johns, hired on Dec. 28 from Oklahoma State, will coach the quarterbacks. Turner was MSU's defensive line coach for three seasons and also in two other stints (2007-09, 2013-15). Coach Jeff Lebby said after MSU lost to Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 2 that Turner would be in a new role but declined to say what it would be. Ty Warren was hired as the defensive line coach on Dec. 28. Rasco was a defensive analyst at LSU the past two seasons. He played four seasons at LSU (2011-15) and has been on coaching staffs at Louisiana, Arizona and Texas A&M. |
| Softball: Bulldogs Begin Season At Getterman Classic | |
| No. 22/24 Mississippi State is set to open the 2026 season at the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas, on Thursday. The Bulldogs will meet host Baylor at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday before playing Northwestern State, Wichita State and New Mexico. State returns to Waco for the first time since the 2021 season when the Bulldogs took a tour of central Texas, playing in Waco, San Marcos and Austin in the same weekend. Thursday marks the start of MSU's 35th season of softball, and the Bulldogs are 24-10 all-time in season openers, winning their last 12 straight. The Bulldogs return 13 players, including four starting position players and three pitchers. They supplemented that core with the nation's No. 3 transfer class which saw five of six players earn all-conference honors in 2025 at their prior schools. The Bulldogs' home opener is set for Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. CT. MSU will host in-state foe Southern Miss with the game airing on SEC Network+. That will open a 12-game homestand over the following two weeks. |
| Game Over: How NIL could reshape Mississippi high school sports | |
| Some of Mississippi's top coaches, and the MHSAA, all say the same thing about House Bill 1400: Kill it. House Bill 1400, introduced on January 16, would legalize high school student-athletes in Mississippi to make money from their name, image, and likeness, with, granted, specific and restricted guidelines. It hasn't been voted on or passed yet. But that reality is already here. Ryan Higdon did not have time to wait for the Legislature. The head football coach at Raleigh High School said a competitor in the school's classification offered $2,000 to one of his football players to transfer this past week - before the bill had even been voted on. "It's happening already," Higdon said. "He's been starting since he was a freshman, and was our leading receiver last year. He led the team in interceptions the year before last. If you give a school the opportunity to do that, it's probably gonna ramp up." Higdon's Raleigh Lions have a strong recent history of winning. Raleigh won the 3A State Championship in 2022 and 2025, the school's only state titles. Mississippi High School Activities Association Executive Director Rickey Neaves made it clear that while he "holds my peace" against bills not yet passed, and doesn't "want to try to run the Legislature's business," the MHSAA does not deny any student being able to profit off of their own name, their own image, and their own likeness despite a bill not being passed. However, he is worried about what's to come. |
| First-year Southern Miss football coach calls for enforcement of tampering rules | |
 | First-year Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson announced during Wednesday's national signing day press conference the staff added 60 new scholarship players, bringing the roster to a full 85 players ahead of spring practice in March. Just over two dozen players, including only one starter, remain from the previous team following the departure of one-and-done coach Charles Huff to Memphis. The attrition from the 7-6 New Orleans Bowl runner-ups totaled roughly 30 graduations and 30 transfers and about half of the latter followed Huff north. Anderson noted many of the outgoing transfers were expected, and some players had six-figure valuations in the portal. When asked if such late-window movements can be prevented, Anderson called on the NCAA to tighten rules related to tampering. "Oh, it can be prevented," Anderson said. "(The NCAA) can prevent tampering if they like, they're just going to have to make the penalties severe enough that people won't want to do it and then actually enforce them. Which is not happening, at this point." Anderson expressed his belief the problem can be solved, but isn't holding out hope for a genuine effort to be made. "Who is going to enforce it? If they do, then maybe the dynamic of all this will change and will be more organized and less chaotic," Anderson said. "For now, it is what it is. I have seen zero evidence that it's going to be handled." |
| Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss' NCAA appeal denied, but legal fight continues | |
| Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' appeal to the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility so he can play for the Rebels next season has been denied, the university said on Wednesday, but the fight is not over. The NCAA originally denied Chambliss' request for a sixth year of college football eligibility on Jan. 9, so an appeal was made to the NCAA's Athletics Eligibility Subcommittee, which was also denied. Ole Miss issued a statement that said the NCAA's decision was "indefensible in light of the undisputed facts." Chambliss has also taken his fight to state court, where the case is pending. Chambliss "will continue to pursue all available legal remedies, and we will publicly stand behind Trinidad while holding the NCAA accountable for a decision that fails to align with its own rules, precedent and the documented medical record," the Ole Miss statement said. Ole Miss' arguments revolve around the fact that the 23-year-old Chambliss, although he has been in college for five years, has only played three years of college football because of his medical history. |
| FBI offers $20,000 reward for information in 2025 killing of Ole Miss football player | |
| The FBI and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office are seeking the public's help in solving the 2025 shooting death of an Ole Miss football player, announcing a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Authorities said Corey Adams, a Memphis resident and rising star with the University of Mississippi football team, was killed the evening of July 19, 2025, during a drive-by shooting in Cordova. According to investigators, Adams was outside a residence where a pool party was taking place when a black Nissan sedan drove by and someone inside opened fire on a group of people that included several football players. Adams and multiple others were struck by gunfire. He later died from his injuries. No arrests have been made in the case, and investigators have released few details about possible suspects or a motive. The FBI's Nashville Division and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office are asking anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. |
| Why the first step in fixing the NCAA's player eligibility crisis is the hardest one to take | |
| College sports' latest existential crisis is a calamity of its own making. While many are quick to blame the NCAA for the flood of headlines about players stretching the publicly-accepted definition of what it means to be an eligible college athlete, the true culprits are a relatively small number of coaches and athletic directors, the leaders enabling attacks on rules they claim to want so badly. Most of the athletes who file lawsuits to get another year of eligibility do so knowing they will have a landing spot when a court ruling grants them the opportunity for a sixth or seventh year of competition. Instead of helping create the college sports world they want to live in -- whatever that might be -- too many schools have acted like spoiled children on Christmas Day, feeling justified to act up because their siblings received a toy they didn't. Why shouldn't our quarterback get another year of eligibility? Our rivals' did. Why does that team get to have a 7-foot former NBA Draft pick and we don't? It's infuriating to watch because unlike so many of the problems with college sports, there is a path to an internal solution. When a player is ruled ineligible by the NCAA -- when the association tries to enforce its rules -- schools can always move on from those athletes instead of encouraging them to hire a lawyer and holding a place for them. At some point, those within college sports have to choose to not make a difficult situation worse. |
| Vance, in Milan, says the Olympics are 'one of the few things' that unite Americans | |
| Vice President JD Vance arrived in Milan with his family Thursday, telling U.S. athletes competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Games that the competition "is one of the few things that unites the entire country." It's the first stop for Vance on a trip combining diplomacy and sports. He is leading President Donald Trump's delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics and later stopping in Armenia and Azerbaijan in a show of support for a peace agreement brokered by the White House last year. Vance, who plans to watch the U.S. women's hockey team take on the Czech Republic in a preliminary game on Thursday, told athletes the trip is a highlight of his time in office. "The whole country -- Democrat, Republican, independent -- we're all rooting for you and we're cheering for you," Vance said. The weeklong trip may be one of only a few international trips Vance makes this year. Trump and his Cabinet members are taking a tighter focus on domestic issues -- and domestic travel -- heading into the November midterm elections, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said last month. At the opening ceremony for the games on Friday, the vice president will lead a U.S. delegation that includes his wife, second lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta. Former Olympic gold medalists will also be in the delegation. |
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