Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.
YP – Treasurer McRae calls out Ben & Jerry’s for inaction on discriminatory boycott of Israel
In July, Ben & Jerry’s announced that it would continue operating in Israel but stop sales in controversial settlements in Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Some say Ben & Jerry’s decision constitutes a discriminatory boycott of Israel.
“We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),” Ben & Jerry’s said in a statement. “We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year.”…
…Mississippi Treasurer David McRae announced Friday that he has joined six other state financial officers in calling on Unilever to reverse the ice cream manufacturer’s recent discriminatory boycott of Israel.
Gov. Reeves shares how MS can help those impacted by tornadoes
MS is praying for everyone affected by last night’s tornadoes. I’ve been in contact with MEMA Executive Director McCraney and have offered assistance to our neighboring states.
If you’d like to help, please consider making a donation to the Red Cross.https://t.co/oec03a3hDZ
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) December 11, 2021
YP – WICKER: No excuse for federal workers not to be back in the office
When the pandemic first began, federal agencies did what many schools and businesses did: they shut their doors and shifted to remote work. Today, almost 21 months later, teachers and students are back in the classroom. Businesses have safely reopened. Health care and public safety workers continue to show up for work. Yet much of the federal government appears to be stuck in 2020, with many offices still closed to the public. These closures have made it harder for Americans to obtain basic government services, such as Social Security and VA benefits.
I have heard countless stories of Mississippians caught in the gears of federal bureaucracy because of office closures. One elderly Mississippian was told that he had been overpaid in Social Security benefits after the death of his wife. Although he had documents to support his case, the office closure meant he could not submit the documents in person. For three months, his Social Security benefits fell dramatically. Eventually his benefits were restored after I intervened. But this entire ordeal could have been avoided if the Social Security office had simply been open.
Congressman Guest shares how inflation is affecting you
Republicans must stand for fiscal responsibility, because Democrats have abandoned reasonable bipartisanship and are focused on passing radical, inflation-inducing spending. pic.twitter.com/kq55vsdZgV
— Congressman Michael Guest (@RepMichaelGuest) December 11, 2021
YP – Palazzo introduces bill to increase energy production when Strategic Petroleum Reserve is tapped
Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) introduced the Strategic Production Response Act (H.R. 6176), legislation that would prohibit the Secretary of Energy from tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) for reasons other than a severe energy supply interruption until the Secretary of Interior issues a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands and waters.
In November, President Joe Biden announced his plan to have the Department of Energy release 50 million barrels of oil from the SPR to lower gas and oil prices for Americans. The U.S., India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom have coordinated concurrent releases.
“As a former oil rig worker and current Member of Congress, I know the critical importance of American energy independence. Our country must cut back on our reliance on foreign oil, and to do this, domestic production of oil, natural gas, and clean coal will need to increase. This legislation will support our energy independence and protect Mississippian’s wallets at the pump,” said Congressman Palazzo.
MSDH COVID-19 Reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 445 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, nine deaths, and 37 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. State #covid19 totals: 519,115 cases, 10,326 deaths, and 1,427,368 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/7B4KnSnctF
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) December 10, 2021
WTVA – Analysis: Oversight changes for Mississippi judicial races
Under change recently made by a majority of the Mississippi Supreme Court, the public could receive less information about findings of unethical behavior during judicial campaigns.
For years, Mississippi has had a committee to keep an eye on races for Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, chancery court, circuit court and county court judges. The committee was created because of concerns about the increasing amount of money flowing into the state to influence the elections, especially for the top courts.
In an order issued Nov. 30, the state Supreme Court revised the committee’s size and scope of operations.
Instead of having a five-person committee that serves for a single election year, the state now has a nine-person committee that serves for multiple years.
The name of the group changed from the Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention to the Judicial Election Oversight Committee.
Magnolia Tribune
