| Tuesday, April 14, 2026 |
| MSU psychologist breaks down spring cleaning, hoarding on podcast | |
 | Mississippi State University psychologist Mary E. Dozier recently joined Amy Juravich on All Sides, a public radio program produced by WOSU Public Media, where Dozier discussed the psychology of clutter, spring cleaning and hoarding disorder. The episode titled "What are the best methods for handling spring cleaning" highlights research-based strategies for managing clutter and explores how aging and decision-making patterns influence individuals' tendencies to accumulate possessions. Dozier also shared insight into evidence-based treatment approaches for hoarding disorder and related conditions. An associate professor in MSU's Department of Psychology, Dozier said the podcast focused on how cognitive and emotional factors contribute to disorganization throughout one's life. |
| Energy Department and Argonne Join GM, Stellantis and MathWorks to Launch EcoCAR Innovation Challenge | |
 | The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) Monday selected 20 universities -- including Mississippi State University, General Motors Track -- to participate in the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge and announced the two vehicle platforms chosen for the program. Managed by Argonne, the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge is the 15th installment of DOE's Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC) series, which challenges university students to design and build intelligent mobility solutions and innovative products using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence for engineering tools, machine learning, and exascale computing. Two industry leaders, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis, have joined the Challenge as sponsors, along with technology partner MathWorks, forming a coalition of government and industry partners focused on cultivating the next generation of auto-industry innovators. GM and Stellantis will each sponsor one of the two competition tracks. |
| Our View: For the 34th time, International Fiesta shows the strength of diversity | |
 | The Dispatch editorializes: It has been said that when classes at Mississippi State are in session, Starkville is the most diverse city in the state. For the 2025-26 school year, the enrollment includes students from 95 foreign nations, who are drawn to the university for its STEM and research-intensive fields. Dispersed as they are among the student population of 23,563, the 965 international students don't have a high profile most of the time. The greatest exception to that is the annual International Fiesta, which was held Saturday for the 34th year. The event, co-sponsored by the Center for Student Activities and the World Neighbors Association of Starkville, seems to grow every year. The International Fiesta provides the international students a chance to proudly share the culture, foods, dress and music of their native homes. Students spend a lot of time planning and putting together their exhibits, which is obvious in the quality of what visitors encounter. Whatever benefits the students gain from this showcase are dwarfed by what they provide to the community. Over the course of a single day, locals get a glimpse of the world, including dozens of countries they are not likely to ever visit. |
| OCSO to hire full-time animal control officer | |
| Oktibbeha County will soon hire its first dedicated animal control officer, a move Sheriff Shank Phelps said will help deputies keep up with a growing number of calls involving stray and injured animals. The sheriff's office expects to have its own animal control vehicle ready by May and hire a full-time officer by June, Phelps told members of the Starkville Rotary Club during their weekly meeting Monday at Hilton Garden Inn. "We need it," he said. "... We get way more animal calls now than we used to. I don't like to see an animal suffering or see an animal in bad shape." The addition of an animal control officer was one of several updates Phelps shared as he gave Rotarians an overview of the sheriff's office. Along with staffing and workload insight, Phelps highlighted several initiatives and upgrades planned for the department. |
| Nissan Xterra SUV production set for Canton plant | |
 | Nissan officially unveiled plans to build the Xterra SUV at the Nissan Assembly Plant in Canton. Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa made the announcement on April 13 in a press conference during a livestreamed event, saying the Xterra will first roll off the Canton line in 2028. The vehicle will have V6 and V6 Hybrid models, with a total of five body-on-frame models built in the United States. The Xterra will share its body on frame with the Pathfinder and Frontier, as well as an Infiniti model, all of which has been built in Canton previously. It is not clear if all will be built in Canton. Nissan's Canton Assembly Plant has been in the news a lot in the past year. In January 2025, it was announced that Nissan was to reinvent its plans for electric vehicle production at its Canton plant. |
| Utilities Plan to Spend $1.4 Trillion Over Next Five Years to Power AI Boom | |
 | U.S. utilities are planning a historic investment spree to patch up an aging power grid and meet rising electricity demand for the artificial-intelligence boom. Capital spending plans for 51 investor-owned utilities have reached an estimated $1.4 trillion for the next five years, according to a new report from PowerLines, a consumer education group. That is up more than 20% from a year ago, when the companies planned to spend about $1.1 trillion over a five-year period. Although many of the plans still require approval from state utility regulators, the news could be ominous for consumers. The plans could trigger additional requests for rate increases at a time when rising power costs and affordability concerns have become a bipartisan political concern. Electricity-cost increases are outpacing many other types of inflation, up 4.6% in March from the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer prices rose 3.3%. Although gasoline prices have long been a part of the political discourse, customers are now fuming over utility bills across much of the country as well. |
| Reeves vetoes some 'Christmas tree' projects, including Tupelo hotel and Jackson golf course | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday vetoed spending recently passed by lawmakers that included a hotel redevelopment project in Tupelo, infrastructure upgrades to the Jackson Municipal Airport and upgrades to a golf course in Jackson. "I am for infrastructure investments -- as that is a core function of government," Reeves wrote on social media. "I am NOT for spending YOUR money on golf courses." The Legislature recently voted to spend $253 million in cash reserves on projects around the state. These projects can come from local leaders or can be pet projects of legislators. Such bills funding up to hundreds of projects are referred to as "Christmas tree" bills. While Reeves signed most of the spending into law, he line-item vetoed funding for seven projects. The state Constitution gives Reeves the authority to veto specific parts of appropriations bills while the rest of the bill becomes law. Legislators, with a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate, could override the vetoes, but it's unclear if they'll attempt do so. |
| Mississippi is running out of liquor, and it's the state's fault | |
 | Willie the one-eyed skeleton is dressed for Cinco de Mayo, but the liquor store where Willie sits ran out of Jose Cuervo months ago. Arrow Wine and Spirits is also out of Tito's and Burnett's vodka, Franzia boxed wine, Jack Daniels, and every kind of premixed margarita. The suburban shop used to sell 4,000 kinds of booze. But three months ago, the state's only alcohol warehouse -- Mississippi is one of 17 that controls the sale of wine and liquor -- shut down for what was supposed to be a two-week inventory. The liquor hasn't flowed right since. Business owners across the state say they are in a state of emergency. Restaurants in Jackson had no wine on Valentine's Day, and bars on the Gulf Coast ran dry before Mardi Gras. At least five liquor shops have closed, and if cheap pints don't hit the corner stores soon, many of them will, too. Mississippi lawmakers have urged business owners to be patient, but as both the state and its businesses lose millions in revenue, many say they see no real end to the crisis. |
| Trump's decision to blockade Iran ups the ante on prices | |
 | President Donald Trump's decision to blockade Iranian ports is spiking oil and gasoline prices – but it also threatens to intensify shortages of key commodities such as helium and fertilizer. Iran's chokehold on ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz was already crimping global supplies -- about a third of global fertilizer and helium supplies transit through the strait annually -- but the continuing stalemate between the U.S. and Iran comes at arguably the worst time for agriculture, threatening to drive up food prices possibly for months to come even in the best case scenario. With gas prices hovering at $4.13 per gallon, according to AAA, adding in persistently high grocery costs is a one-two punch for Republicans ahead of a midterm election that was already expected to be tough. The lack of fertilizer inputs comes just as most U.S. farmers are preparing for the spring planting season. |
| GOP senators grow uncomfortable with Trump rhetoric, endgame for Iran | |
 | Senate Republicans facing worsening polls want President Trump to rein in his extreme rhetoric, which included an attack on Pope Leo XIV for being "WEAK on crime" and a threat to wipe out Iran's civilization, and find a quick end to the conflict with Tehran. GOP lawmakers are used to Trump's hyperbolic style but want to distance themselves from his most incendiary comments as polls show Democrats have improving chances of picking up Republican-held seats in North Carolina, Ohio and Nebraska. Trump's salvos against the leader of the Catholic Church, which counts more than 50 million members across the nation, got pushback on Monday from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). "I would leave the church alone," Thune said. That sentiment was echoed by other Republicans, who weren't pleased with Trump's fighting the Vatican. GOP lawmakers returning to Washington from the two-week Easter recess aren't comfortable with Trump's incendiary rhetoric, which has put them again on the defensive, but they are more concerned about finding a quick way to end the conflict, which has caused fuel and fertilizer prices to soar. |
| In Leo, Trump Faces a Different Kind of Papal Opponent | |
 | Donald Trump ascended to office 10 years ago while publicly jousting with Pope Francis, who was routinely making headlines for the progressive Catholicism he elevated, pushing the Roman Catholic Church to focus on climate change and the rights of immigrants. The pope suggested that Mr. Trump was "not Christian"; Mr. Trump fired back that Francis was "disgraceful." Mr. Trump capitalized on growing discontent among conservative Christians and won the White House. The chasm only further widened between the Vatican and conservative American Catholics, who often saw in Mr. Trump a champion. Pope Leo XIV, who was elected less than a year ago, is not Francis. For Mr. Trump, who is now in his second term, he presents a new foil at the Vatican with a markedly different standing among Catholics. As the first American in the seat of St. Peter, he has a native fluency in American politics and culture, and his leadership is supported across broad swaths of the American church. Unlike his predecessor, Leo has growing support from conservative Catholics in pews across the United States. |
| How an Image Depicting Trump as Christ Sparked a Backlash on the Religious Right | |
| President Trump's decision to post an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure sparked outrage on the religious right, triggering the most significant pushback from his Catholic and evangelical Christian supporters since he returned to the White House. "We are a little bit beside ourselves," said John Yep, CEO of Catholics for Catholics, a nonprofit that has hosted faith events at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club and maintains close ties to the administration. On Sunday night, Yep was eating dinner with friends after church services when his phone lighted up with messages about the now-deleted image in which Trump, wearing robes, touches the forehead of a man lying in a hospital bed. The collective sentiment around the table, Yep said in an interview, "was one of sadness, because we were truly confused by this president after Catholics gave him such a resounding vote, and yet he is treating our faith with such disrespect at this moment." Conservative Christians have rallied behind Trump in recent years, despite initial misgivings, standing with him through two impeachments and three elections. Trump, in turn, has made good on campaign promises to them, nominating Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. But for many Christian leaders, Trump's Sunday night Truth Social post -- along with his pointed criticism of Pope Leo XIV -- went too far. |
| Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales say they'll leave Congress ahead of possible expulsion votes | |
| Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-California) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) separately announced plans to depart from Congress on Monday ahead of possible expulsion votes related to allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell, who has vehemently denied an accusation of sexual assault but acknowledged some past "mistakes in judgment," said he would resign because it was wrong "for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties." Shortly afterward, Gonzales released a statement saying he would "file my retirement from office" on Tuesday. The departures of Swalwell and Gonzales -- one Democrat and one Republican -- would mean the Republicans' narrow majority in the House remains unchanged if they leave the chamber at the same time. As pushes to expel Swalwell and Gonzales gained momentum over the weekend, some lawmakers also suggested forcing votes to oust Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Florida) and Cory Mills (R-Florida), who for months have been embroiled in controversy over different alleged ethics violations -- which they both deny. |
| Winning the AI 'arms race' holds appeal for both parties | |
 | When House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said the U.S. "is in an AI arms race with China" at a markup in January, it was routine. Earlier that month, at a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing, Rep. Blake D. Moore, R-Utah, aired his worry that the words were already losing their impact. "Saying ... 'we've got to win the AI race with China' is -- it's pretty common now. It's commonplace," he said. "And I worry to some degree that we just keep saying it and what strategies do we have?" And at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing titled "Winning the AI Arms Race Against the Chinese Communist Party," Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., was preparing to declare a winner. "Because of this, we are on the precipice of losing the AI race," Barr said, referring to China's construction of new coal-fired power plants. The refrain that the U.S. is in a race with China over artificial intelligence has become a favorite of both parties, but legislators use the stakes of that race to justify very different policy positions. Experts say there's no finish line in sight, especially as AI impacts increasingly become part of the midterm campaign debate. |
| Four arrested in Humphreys County mass shooting that killed Delta State student | |
| Four suspects are in custody following a mass shooting in Humphreys County that left a 20-year-old Delta State University student dead and five others injured. MaKayla Adams was shot and killed on Silver City Road in Belzoni on Saturday during the annual Catfish Fest. The four suspects were arrested Monday evening. "It's unheard of. This is not something that usually happens in our town," said Edward Hunter, investigator with the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office. At least five individuals were injured in the shooting. Adams died from her injuries. Adams' mother said her daughter was a junior at Delta State University. She was expecting to celebrate her 21st birthday next month. City leaders held a private emergency meeting to address the recent violence. They said they are working on ways to prevent crimes like this from happening. |
| Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor visits U. of Alabama School of Law | |
| U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited the UA Law School Thursday as part of the Albritton lecture series. Sotomayor became the first Hispanic and third female justice on the Supreme Court when she was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2009. Sotomayor talked to law students about artificial intelligence in law, handling disagreements with colleagues, and advice to female students on how to be a woman in a male dominated field. She told students about an AI program that is able to predict the outcome of Supreme Court decisions, which she called "a very bad thing" as it shows the court is too predictable, and not opening their minds to enough new ideas. Though she was supportive of AI as a tool to aid legal professionals. "It is a new revolution, just as computers were the revolution to my generation of lawyering," Sotomayor said. |
| USDA and Auburn University collaborate on drone, AI research | |
| As is the case with many other types of new technology, agriculture is helping to lead the way when it comes to using drones and artificial intelligence in row crops, pasture and specialty crop systems. Farmers are quickly realizing the potential time and cost savings that drones and AI can offer over traditional scouting and ground equipment. From acquiring crop, pest and soil information to conducting field operations such as pesticide applications and cover crop seedings, technology is proving its mettle on the farm. "As drone sensor technology, artificial intelligence capabilities, and payload capabilities evolve, the use of these technologies in agriculture will increase," said Allen Torbert, research leader at the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory on Auburn University's campus. In recent months, NSDL researchers have focused on utilizing drones in agricultural operations. Some of these current concepts are being processed for patent applications. Other institutions involved in this effort include the USDA-ARS Laboratory in Poplarville, Mississippi, and Stoneville, Mississippi, the University of Texas at Dallas and Mississippi State University. |
| U. of Arkansas professor removed as African American Studies director files civil rights suit against school | |
| A tenured professor at the University of Arkansas filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday following the university's recommendation to terminate him. Najja K. Baptist, an associate professor of political science, was removed as director of African and African American Studies and recommended for dismissal from his professor role by Brian Raines, dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, in March. The dismissal recommendation followed a disputed internal audit of Baptist's research travel and fieldwork, which occurred after Baptist reported remarks made by Raines during a Zoom meeting early last year, according to Baptist's attorney, JJ Thompson Sr., who began representing him in August 2025. |
| UGA student's new app strives to make impact in clothing rental industry | |
| A new app launched by a University of Georgia student is solving the problem many female students face on the weekend: what to wear. Senior accounting and finance major, Skyler Ventura, launched Rotation, a clothing rental and purchasing app, that recently took home the first-place prize at UGA entrepreneurship's first spring Idea Accelerator Demo Day pitch contest in February. Skyler coded the app by himself, launching it in late February. The original idea came from his ex-girlfriend, who was in a sorority at the University of Tennessee, and his five sisters, four of whom have been in sororities. Skyler recalled how, before formal events, "the [sorority] group chat would just explode" as girls looked for an outfit to wear to the event. "I remember her being like, 'There's not really a way for us to rent dresses to each other,'" he said. |
| Venuu: U. of Tennessee student-made app targets the '30-second decision,' reshaping going out culture | |
| Wildly successful within their first week of launch, these University of Tennessee student entrepreneurs have created a unique approach to nightlife with their new app "Venuu," designed to help people make informed decisions on where to go for their next night out. For users, Venuu displays headcounts, cover charges and notifications from bars using constantly updated information provided by the bouncers themselves. "The most important window in nightlife, the 30-second decision about where the student decides where they're going to go, is unaddressed by any current existing product -- until now," Noah Cooper, a UT junior and Venuu founder, said. Venuu's business model was designed not only to benefit consumers, but also to benefit bars. |
| Texas A&M Taps Longtime Administrator as President | |
 | A familiar face is set to take the helm as Texas A&M University's next president. The Board of Regents named Susan Ballabina as the sole finalist for the job on Monday. Under Texas statute, Ballabina will hold that position for 21 days before a final vote. While recent hires across the public university system have favored former Republican lawmakers, for Texas A&M the board instead went with a longtime system veteran in a unanimous vote. Currently the executive vice chancellor of the Texas A&M University system, Ballabina has served in multiple roles during her three-decade career, mostly at the flagship before joining the system in summer 2025. If formally approved at the conclusion of the finalist period, Ballabina will be the third permanent president hired since 2021. Both presidents before her left under fraught circumstances. Mark Welsh, a retired general who had led Texas A&M since 2023, stepped down in September under pressure from lawmakers. Welsh's predecessor, Kathy Banks, also left amid controversy. She led Texas A&M from June 2021 to July 2023, when she retired abruptly amid a hiring scandal. |
| Choi says he cut Mizzou student groups' funding 'to protect the institution' | |
 | University of Missouri System President Mun Choi said he was responsible for the university's funding cuts to several multicultural student organizations, citing concerns over Department of Justice investigations into other universities in a Wednesday faculty meeting. "It wasn't an easy decision, but I decided that I needed to protect the institution, so that's the decision that I made," Choi said in the meeting. On April 3, university administration informed leaders of student organizations that all multicultural umbrella associations will lose direct funding from the University of Missouri's Division of Student Affairs. These organizations will be reclassified as Registered Student Organizations, or RSOs, starting in July. At the faculty meeting, Choi cited a July 2025 memo from the DOJ that said universities must follow Title VI, Title IX and the 14th Amendment in order to receive federal funding. He said an internal investigation indicated that previous Mizzou funding was not in accordance with these policies. |
| Kansas governor signs bill to curb race-related instruction at public colleges | |
| Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation Wednesday that will prohibit the state's public colleges from requiring students to take "DEI-CRT" courses, a move that critics warn could censor classroom instruction. The legislation is part of a wave of bills targeting college classroom instruction related to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory, a decades-old academic framework that in part teaches that racism is systemic. While the legislation leaves "DEI-CRT" courses undefined, it mandates the Kansas Board of Regents to adopt a definition by the end of July. The new policy prohibiting public colleges from mandating these courses for any programs must take effect for the 2028-29 academic year. Academic program requirements "whose title clearly establishes its course of study as primarily focused on racial, ethnic or gender studies" can receive exemptions from the legislation from the state's board of regents. However, those courses and programs won't be allowed to be required elsewhere by the college. |
| Syracuse University offers voluntary retirement to 175 professors | |
| Syracuse University is offering a voluntary retirement incentive to professors teaching in majors that are being sunset or have low-enrollment. The retirement incentive is the latest money-saving effort at SU, which is facing a turbulent future, like many colleges and universities nationwide. Provost Lois Agnew announced the retirement plan in an email on Friday. The 175 eligible faculty members include anyone who has worked at SU for at least 35 years or anyone whose primary appointment is within an undergraduate program that is slated to close or has low enrollment. Nearby Cornell University is also offering a voluntary retirement plan for professors 62 or older with more than 10 years of experience at Cornell. |
| One of N.J.'s largest universities just banned e-bikes -- and some students are not happy | |
| Two years after school officials prohibited electric scooters from campus, Princeton University is banning all electric bikes. The new policy released Monday goes into effect June 1 on the Ivy League campus. Graduate students, faculty and staff who live off campus and commute will still be able to ride an e-bike to school, according to a new policy. However, the commuters will need to park in designated locations and not ride e-bikes on the main campus. "E-Bike users have increasingly been observed violating safety rules, including riding on sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, failing to yield to pedestrians, and carrying multiple riders on a single device," according to an email sent to the Princeton community announcing the new policy. The Princeton University ban goes beyond just banning e-bike riding. Students also must remove their e-bikes from campus. |
| Why Did Virginia Tech's Longtime Leader Suddenly Announce His Departure? | |
 | When the longtime president of Virginia Tech, Timothy Sands, announced suddenly that he will step down, the news prompted a flood of glowing statements from well-wishers. It also fueled very public speculation from a U.S. senator that Sands had been ousted and a call for the governor to step in. "It is now time, while Virginia Tech has momentum on so many fronts, for me to start the process of stepping aside so that the next president can take the baton in full stride," Sands, 68, wrote in a Thursday message to the campus community. Beyond that, Sands, who has served for nearly 12 years and steered the land-grant university through significant expansion in Blacksburg and in Northern Virginia, did not provide a reason for his departure. Almost immediately, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, issued a statement saying he was "deeply troubled" by Sands's abrupt departure and suggested the political interference and board pressure involved in other recent campus-leadership scandals in Virginia were present here, too. |
| Millions in the US never finished college. With targeted help, reenrollments are ticking up | |
 | After several deaths in her family and an eviction that left her homeless, Jevona Anderson's life began to unravel. By 2025, Anderson -- then 59 and nearing completion of her bachelor's degree -- was failing classes and falling behind on bills. Eventually, she dropped out, joining a growing group of students who have left college before finishing. Often referred to as "stopouts," the group includes about 38 million working-age adults in the U.S. In many cases, they have student loans to pay but lack the credential of a degree to boost their earnings. While many leave college intending to return, few ultimately do. In recent years, however, colleges and local governments have gotten better at helping them get back on track. The number of stopouts reenrolling has been on the rise, reaching more than 1 million in the 2023-2024 school year, a 7% increase from the year before, according to enrollment data. |
| More than a quarter of private colleges are at risk of closing, a new projection shows | |
 | More than a dozen newborn lambs cavorted around a fenced-in yard beneath the scrutiny of their mothers and a few watchful students taking turns attending to them. The lambs' successful births have been a needed bright spot at tiny Sterling College, which uses a 130-acre farm to teach agriculture and other disciplines in a part of northeastern Vermont so isolated there's no cell service and it's rare to see a passing car. LillyAnne Keeley, a senior, likes that remoteness. "We have a beautiful view," said Keeley, in the barn where she's come for her turn checking on the lambs. "There are beautiful sunsets here. I kind of take it for granted every day." She and her classmates have started taking such experiences less for granted now, since Sterling has announced that it will close in May at the end of this semester. They're not the last students around the country who will suffer such disruption. A new estimate projects that 442 of the nation's 1,700 private, nonprofit four-year colleges and universities, with a combined 670,000 students, are at risk of closing or having to merge within the next 10 years. |
| Donations to colleges hold steady amid higher ed disruption | |
| Gifts to U.S. colleges rose to an estimated $78.8 billion in fiscal 2025, a 4% year-over-year increase, according to the latest annual study from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Although the increase was "just enough to keep up with inflation," the growth reflects "continued trust that donors place in educational institutions," CASE said in its report. Growth was uneven across regions, donor types and other factors. For instance, alumni donors shrank in number even though their total giving increased 10.9%, indicating that a fewer number of donors gave higher-dollar gifts. The higher education sector has faced chaos in federal research funding, as well as declining net tuition prices and the first per-student drop in state funding in over a decade. In that context, donor support is an area of relative stability. "Donors remained resoundingly supportive of higher education, even as institutions navigated economic uncertainty and a complex social climate," CASE said in the report, which was released on Thursday. |
| In Admissions Data Legal Fight, Colleges Want Protection From Punishment | |
| After a federal judge blocked the Education Department from collecting years of race- and gender-related admissions data for some public colleges, dozens more institutions are also seeking continued relief from participating in the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement survey -- which the federal government plans to use to look for what it considers unlawful race-based admissions practices. The colleges made their case Monday at a virtual hearing before U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, arguing that the ACTS survey has and will cause irreparable harm for institutions, including those that have already submitted their data. (According to ED, the vast majority of institutions had sent some, if not most, of the required information by the final deadline last week.) Monday's hearing was the latest development in the ongoing backlash to the Trump administration's efforts to collect admissions data in order to verify that they aren't illegally considering race in admissions decisions after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such practices unconstitutional in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in 2023. |
| Trump administration promised 'gold standard science.' Scientists say they got fool's gold | |
 | When President Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his pick for Health and Human Services secretary, he declared that the appointment marked the return of "Gold Standard Scientific Research" in the U.S. In May 2025 Trump signed the "Restoring Gold Standard Science" executive order. Agencies including NASA and the Department of Energy filed reports on how their science met the official White House "gold standard." Administration figures peppered public remarks, publications and social media posts with the phrase. On paper, the administration's nine-point definition for "gold standard science" reads like a list of fundamental research integrity principles that any scientist would endorse. In practice, critics say, the phrase has become shorthand for science in which preferred outcomes outweigh inconvenient evidence. |
| For Ben Sasse, Revolution Medicines' pancreatic cancer trial felt like his best, only option | |
| When Ben Sasse, a former U.S. senator (R-Neb.), learned he had metastatic pancreatic cancer, he quickly chose action over comfort. Whatever he could do to save his life, for as long as he could, he wanted to try it. Perhaps his only option, doctors told him, was to enroll in a clinical trial. "If we were to have much of a chance of living longer than the three to four months they were giving us at that point, we were going to need to get into an aggressive trial," Sasse told STAT last month. That turned out to be an early phase clinical trial testing Revolution Medicines' daraxonrasib as first line therapy. Since Revolution Medicines, or Rev Med as many call the company, published its first early phase data on this next-generation targeted therapy, the pancreatic cancer community has been abuzz about the drug. STAT spoke with Sasse about his experience on daraxonrasib for an upcoming feature looking at the breakthrough behind the new drug. |
| From gas to beef to energy, prices are high | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Inflation, inflation everywhere, but no relief in sight. At least it seems that way. The CPI spiked in March with prices rising the fastest since May 2024. The annual 3.3% rate was almost one point higher than the 2.4% reported for February. Particularly driving the increase was a 10.9% surge in energy costs resulting from the war in Iran, reported CNBC. This should come as no surprise. ... So much for overall inflation numbers. Let's look at actual prices. Have you visited the gas pump lately? Bought beef? Paid your electricity bill? Renewed your health insurance? Subscribed to a streaming service? |
| Hob Bryan is wrongly cited by Gov. Reeves in age-old dispute over who controls federal funds | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Gov. Tate Reeves is giving Senate Public Health Chairman Hob Bryan too much credit. On social media, Reeves said one of the reasons he vetoed a bill that would have placed limited legislative oversight on the spending of federal health care funds is that Bryan, an Amory Democrat, was the proposal's author. Senate Bill 2477 would have put into law requirements on the spending of nearly $1 billion in federal funds the state is slated to receive. Reeves said Bryan's authorship of the bill sent up red flags, even though the governor said he likes and respects the longtime lawmaker. While Bryan is listed as the author, he did not write the bill. A quick gander of the legislative website shows that when the Senate bill reached the House Public Health Committee, Chairman Sam Creekmore, a New Albany Republican, wiped out the language from Bryan and the Senate and replaced it with language of his own. ... In reality, the issue the governor has with the legislation is not that Bryan is the author, but that the bill would give the Legislature limited control of the federal funds instead of him – the state’s chief executive – having total control. |
SPORTS
| Stephensons Gift State $2 Million To State Excellence Fund | |
| Longtime supporters Charlie and Dana Stephenson have given $2 million to Mississippi State Athletics. The Stephensons' generosity serves as the most recent key contribution to help elevate MSU in the current landscape of college athletics. "We're so grateful for Charlie and Dana," Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said. "Their love for Mississippi State is evident, and we can't say, 'Thank you' enough for this selfless gift that will help us keep pushing forward and reaching new heights at State. Charlie and Dana are not only generous supporters of our community, institution and state, they are great friends and trusted partners who care deeply for Mississippi State and have been running shoulder to shoulder with us in advancing Mississippi State Athletics forward from day one." |
| Baseball: No. 17 State Travels To Samford On Tuesday | |
| No. 17 Mississippi State heads across the state line on Tuesday night looking to reassert the form that carried it through a dominant start to the 2026 season. MSU (26-7) faces Samford at Joe Lee Griffin Field, renewing a regional matchup that State has controlled historically, owning a 41-11 series advantage and entering on a three-game winning streak in the series. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+, with junior right-hander Chris Billingsley Jr. slated to make his third consecutive midweek start for Mississippi State. Samford is expected to counter with right-hander Ryan Vermillion, a redshirt sophomore who enters with a 1-0 record and a 5.40 ERA. |
| Men's Tennis: No. 6 Mississippi State Finishes Second in SEC, Receives Double-Bye | |
| No. 6 Mississippi State finishes second in the SEC to receive a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. After a senior day victory over Alabama, Mississippi State secured the second seed in the SEC Tournament with an impressive 11-3 record. The 11 wins in the SEC is tied for the second-most in school history only behind the 1993 season with 12. Mississippi State is takes the second seed behind 12-2 Texas. The other seeds that round out the top four include LSU (3) and Oklahoma (4). State will begin play on Friday, April 17th, at 2 p.m. at the Mitchell Tennis Center against an opponent that is TBD. Mississippi State could potentially play either South Carolina (7), Ole Miss (10) or Tennessee (15) in the Quarterfinals. |
| Women's Basketball: Mississippi Native Macie Phifer Signs With Bulldogs | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball announced the addition of one of the most decorated Mississippi high school athletes in the form of rising sophomore Macie Phifer for the 2026-27 season. Phifer, a 6-1 guard from New Albany, Mississippi, began her college career this past season at Middle Tennessee State. She started all 33 games for the Blue Raiders and averaged 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. She earned All-Conference USA Honorable Mention and Freshman team honors. Phifer prepped at Ingomar High School, where she was a six-year letter winner under head coach Trent Adair. She finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in Ingomar history with 3,519 career points. Phifer also excelled at softball and volleyball, as she was an 11-time all-state selection in those three sports combined. Over her career, she won a combined seven state championships in basketball and volleyball. |
| Former SA head coach Chase Nicholson joins New Hope staff as wide receivers coach | |
| New Hope announced on Friday that a familiar face from the Golden Triangle has made its way onto the staff of the Trojans' football team -- former Starkville Academy head coach Chase Nicholson. After spending 17 years with the Volunteers' football program, the last 11 as head coach, Nicholson and Starkville Academy parted ways in late March and now he's set to return to the sidelines, this time wearing black and gold at New Hope. Nicholson's hiring at New Hope is a return to his earliest coaching roots. He played wide receiver in high school at Newton Academy and his first coaching job was with wide receivers at Starkville Academy. "I've been very fortunate to coach wideouts early in my career so I'm just knocking the dust off it," Nicholson said. |
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