- 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. Flood Control District pushes back on misleading report
The Rankin Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District is pushing back against claims that the proposed Pearl River flood control project will cause flooding in south Jackson.
“We strongly disagree with the characterization in the Clarion-Ledger recently that the proposed compromise flood control plan would create additional flooding in south Jackson,” said Supervisor Robert Graham, Rankin Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District board member. “We have been working closely with the Corps of Engineers for years to develop a solution that can protect the majority of Jackson Metro homes and businesses facing Pearl River flooding. This project would not cause new flooding for any homes that are not already in the floodplain south of the project area. In fact, in addition providing the widest scope of flood benefits, this is the only alternative that makes it possible to deliver a long-term solution for south Jackson’s historic water supply problems. Opponents of the project regularly distort information to scare people, but we are going to keep working with the Corps to put out accurate information to the public.”
The District said in a statement that the “mischaracterization” was based on a draft feasibility document developed by the Corps of Engineers.
“The draft document referenced several houses, some of which are abandoned, that are located in the flood plain south of Interstate 20 which already experience regular flooding. The proposed project plan includes money for home raising or buyout for those properties, but to be clear, the project itself does not create new flooding on properties that are not already flood prone,” the District noted.
2. PSC warns of scam calls
Public Service Commissioners are urging Mississippians to be cautious of scam callers posing as PSC employees. These individuals may attempt to solicit personal information or payment, the Commission said on Monday.
The Commission said in a release that they were contacted by a citizen reporting a phone call from someone claiming to be a member of the PSC staff. The supposed PSC representative claimed he would send her $200 for paying her electric bills on time but needed her credit card information in order to do so. The scammer did not provide his own name or the name of an electric company, but did tell the customer that he worked for the PSC and provided her with the PSC’s customer service number. The PSC said it has reported this scam to the Attorney General’s Office.
The PSC said its employees will never initiate contact requesting sensitive information or for a payment over the phone. If you receive such a call, it is likely a scam.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Biden addresses DNC, passes torch to Harris
In a nearly hour-long speech late Monday night, President Joe Biden addressed the Democratic National Convention in a lengthy defense of his own record aimed at cementing a 50-year legacy of public service, as the New York Times reported. Biden also passed the torch to his Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s new nominee following his stepping aside.
“Describing his one-term presidency as a successful rescue of a country reeling from a pandemic and suffering from the effect of political violence, Mr. Biden denounced former President Donald J. Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee, as not worthy of serving in the White House during his first term — ‘not then, not now, not ever,'” NYT reported, adding, “In his remarks on Monday, he vowed to work for Ms. Harris’s election and urged Americans to do the same, describing the Democratic ticket of the vice president and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as fully committed to the ideals that he embraced as a senator, vice president and president.”
NYT noted that after his speech, “Ms. Harris gave the president a hug. It was clear from the close-up image of the pair that she told him: ‘I love you so much.'”
2. Cease-fire in Gaza depends on Hamas
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel “has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza,” according to the AP. He called on Hamas to do the same.
“Even if the militant group accepts the proposal, negotiators will spend the coming days working on ‘clear understandings on implementing the agreement,’ Blinken said. He said there are still ‘“’complex issues” requiring “hard decisions by the leaders,’ without offering specifics,” the AP reported.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Five Mississippi teams ranked in preseason NJCAA Top 15
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) released its preseason football rankings on Monday. Five Mississippi schools are listed in the Top 15. They are:
No. 2 – East Mississippi
No. 7 – Northwest Mississippi
No. 10 – Copiah-Lincoln
No. 11 – Mississippi Gulf Coast
No. 14 – Jones
2. Ole Miss WR Harris named to AP All-American 2nd team
Ole Miss football senior wide receiver Tre Harris has been added to Associated Press preseason All-America team as a second-team member, as announced by the AP on Monday.
As the Ole Miss Athletics Department notes, this is the latest honor for Harris, who is already a Biletnikoff Award watch list member, a second-team preseason All-American by The Sporting News, and a preseason media first-team All-SEC selection.
Markets & Business
1. Food industry pushes back on Harris’ “price gouging” claim
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris called for a federal ban on “price gouging” last week, but as the Wall Street Journal reports, the food industry is hitting back at claims it is ripping off U.S. consumers.
“We understand why there is this sticker shock and why it’s upsetting,” said Andy Harig, a vice president at FMI, a trade group representing food retailers and suppliers, as reported by WSJ. “But to automatically just say there’s got to be something nefarious, I think to us that is oversimplified.”
WSJ goes on to report, “Between rising wages for workers and the cost of making supply chains more resilient, food-industry executives said that companies’ expenses have increased permanently, justifying higher prices. They said profit margins for food makers and sellers are modest compared with other industries, and that companies make an easy political punching bag when Americans are angry about the economy.”
2. Harris wants to raise corporate tax rate
CNBC reports that Vice President Kamala Harris is calling for raising the corporate tax rate to 28%, her first major proposal to raise revenues and finance expensive plans she wants to pursue as president.
“If enacted, the policy would raise hundreds of billions of dollars, as the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that 1 percentage point increases in the corporate rate corresponds to about $100 billion over a decade. It would also roll back a big part of former President Donald Trump’s signature legislation in 2017 as president, which slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%,” CNBC reported. “Trump, meanwhile, recently said he would cut taxes even further if elected president, including on businesses.”
