- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
1. C Spire pulls Olympics advertising over opening ceremonies performance
As reported by FoxNews, Mississippi-based C Spire “posted on X that it had pulled all of its advertising from the Olympics over the ceremony’s mockery of a painting created to show a biblical moment crucial to the Christian faith.”
“We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics,” the company posted. “C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics.”
The move came after the 2024 Olympics opening ceremonies in Paris, France featured what many Christians termed as blasphemous as drag queens lined up in what could be seen as a reference to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” pose and strutted around on stage.
2. Watching the tropics
The National Hurricane Center is tracking a disturbance that could enter the Gulf of Mexico later this week.
The system is expected to interact with an approaching tropical wave over the next several days with some models showing the system making a northward turn.
NHC says formation chances are zero percent in the next two days and 40% in the next seven days.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Biden to pitch SCOTUS term limits, code of ethics
According to the New York Times, President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks on Monday pushing for legislation that would bring major changes to the Supreme Court. Those changes include term limits and a code of ethics.
“The president is scheduled to speak at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, his first public engagement since announcing his decision to end his presidential campaign last week,” NYT reported. “His speech will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and propose overhauling the court, an effort that requires congressional approval and has little hope of gaining traction in a Republican-controlled House and a divided Senate.”
NYT notes that the Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, also supports the changes.
2. Israel plans response to Lebanon rocket strike
Lebanon is bracing for retaliation from Israel after a rocket strike killed 12 children and teens in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah has denied a role in the strike while
Reuters reports that “Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the Middle East into all-out war, two Israeli officials said on Monday.”
“Two other Israeli officials said Israel was preparing for the possibility of a few days of fighting following Saturday’s rocket strike at a sports field in a Druze village,” Reuters reported. “All four officials, who included a senior defence official and a diplomatic source, spoke on condition of anonymity and gave no further information about Israel’s plans for retaliation.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. MSU basketball facility upgrades center stage
Mississippi State’s Joel Coleman writes that the university continues to transform Humphrey Coliseum into a premier facility courtesy of another round of upgrades at the men’s and women’s basketball venue.
“A year after debuting a renovated Hump in public spaces, the building is now nearing the completion of multiple redesigned team areas as part of the first projects to be completed in MSU athletics’ new comprehensive long-term master plan for all athletics facilities,” Coleman writes. “New-look locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s teams, upgraded training rooms with an increased emphasis on injury prevention and elite recovery, and more, are among the most notable features that have been added to enhance the experience for current and future Bulldog student-athletes.”
2. Ole Miss holding 2nd Grove Collection Day
Ole Miss Athletics is holding their second annual Grove Collection Day on Monday, August 19, as part of a week-long giving campaign. It comes after the successful debut in 2023 that resulted in nearly $2 million raised.
Grove Collection Day is a 24-hour call-to-action for supporters of Ole Miss to join the Grove Collective and make a donation in support of name, image and likeness (NIL) efforts. Current members are encouraged to make a one-time donation, upgrade their membership to a higher level or refer potential new members.
Ole Miss says the centerpiece of Grove Collection Day will be a live show on OleMissSports.com featuring several Rebel coaches, student-athletes and other luminaries discussing the latest from Oxford and the importance of backing NIL in today’s landscape. The digital broadcast will begin at 11 a.m. CT, and will be hosted by “Voice of the Rebels” David Kellum and Grove Collective Executive Director Walker Jones.
Markets & Business
1. Shoring up the power grid top of mind
The Wall Street Journal reports that energy companies are “working to adapt to record-setting temperatures, floods and windstorms, as climate models forecast the weather will keep getting wilder.”
“Bad weather is hitting more frequently across the country and costing a lot more now than in previous years, according to the U.S. government,” WSJ reported. “Over the past five years, the U.S. has seen an average of 20 weather-related disasters a year with a price tag of $1 billion or more, adjusted for inflation, compared with a 43-year average of 8.5, according to data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There have already been 15 such disasters this year through June.”
As WSJ notes, “That means utilities, grid operators and power-plant owners will have to spend a lot more on things such as strengthening electric poles, transmission towers and other infrastructure, says Ed Hirs, an energy economist and fellow at the University of Houston.”
2. Stock futures up to start week
CNBC reports that stock futures rose Monday as Wall Street gears up for a busy week of corporate earnings.
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 170 points, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.4%, while Nasdaq 100 futures added nearly 0.7%,” CNBC reported.
While the Fed is not expected to cut interest rates, the central bank will be meeting this week and is “set to release a new policy statement on Wednesday.”
