- 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. MSU, Ole Miss, USM rebrand DEI divisions
WLBT reports that Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi have all rebranded their DEI divisions.
“Auditor Shad White called attention to concerns about DEI divisions at the state’s universities in a 2023 report. He said they’re sharing controversial ideology with students that’s being funded by the taxpayers,” WLBT reported, adding, “During the 2024 legislative session, Senator Angela Hill unsuccessfully attempted to get a bill passed defunding the divisions. She said it was the auditor’s report that drew her attention to the issue.”
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter told WLBT, “What Shad White describes on the political stump is not what we’re doing at Mississippi State University.”
2. Inaugural leadership award given to Director of Yazoo County Emergency Management Agency
The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) recently presented Jack Willingham, Director of Yazoo County’s Emergency Management Agency, with its inaugural Leadership in Incident Response Award (LIRA) for his outstanding efforts to drive collaboration between industry and the first responder communities near CO2 pipelines, a key enabler for the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) projects across the United States.
Willingham and his colleagues from Yazoo County routinely participate in industry panels and media interviews to help impart their knowledge and recruit participants for the ExxonMobil-sponsored HazMat Liquid & CO2 Pipeline and Industrial Fire Emergencies trainings that take place four times annually at the Texas A&M Extension Service (TEEX) in College Station, TX. To date, the courses have trained more than 800 volunteer and municipal fire fighters and emergency response officials from across the U.S. Gulf Coast and the country providing advanced, hands-on and companion classroom simulations focused on responding to multiple types of pipeline incidents including a CO2 pipeline release.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Harris heavy on aspirations, short on policy details in first sit-down interview
Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris, accompanied her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, sat for their first interview since becoming their party’s standard-bearers earlier this month. The interview was hosted by CNN’s Dana Bash.
“The vice president preferred sweeping themes and aspirations rather than detailed policy blueprints and declined to fully explain reversals on issues like immigration and energy. But she was a more deft, disciplined and prepared political figure than she appeared in her short-lived bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination or in accident-prone moments early in her tenure as vice president,” wrote Stephen Collinson with CNN.
Collinson went on to note that “Harris was elusive on what she would actually do as president, dealing in themes and aspirations rather than policy specifics and sometimes straddling key issues to avoid painful choices that she’d face in the Oval Office.”
“Her answers were replete with ways she hoped to help the middle class by lowering prices, making housing more affordable, lowering drug prices and creating new jobs. But Harris did not lay out a clear path for navigating treacherous politics to enact such plans. She also did not say how she’d pay for such programs,” Collinson wrote.
2. Trump set to release new book Sept. 3
Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump is set to release a new book titled Save America on September 3rd.
As Newsweek reports, the book “is a collection of photos, anecdotes and reflections from Trump’s presidential campaigns and time in office.”
“I’m pleased to announce my new Book, ‘SAVE AMERICA.’ As everyone knows, the first two, ‘Our Journey Together’ and, ‘Letters to Trump,’ have been spectacular successes, and this is the BEST OF ALL, especially in light of the fact that we are now living in a Failing Nation, but it will not be failing for long. We will soon, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social media platform, Newsweek noted.
Sports & Entertainment
1. MGCCC takes down No. 2 East Mississippi in season opener
In the first game of the 2024 JUCO season, No. 10 Mississippi Gulf Coast rallied for two late touchdowns to beat No. 2 East Mississippi on its homefield late Thursday night. The Bulldogs headed back to Perkinston with a 34-28 win.
In other JUCO action on Thursday:
- Pearl River upset #7 Northwest 24-23
- #12 Co-Lin blanked Coahoma 47-0
- #14 Jones College won big over Mississippi Delta 41-9
- East Central pulled off a close on with Northeast 23-14
- Holmes won the shootout with Southwest 48-31
- Itawamba beat Hinds in a low scoring game 10-7
2. ULM tops JSU 30-14
ULM pulled away for a 30-14 season opening game against Jackson State on Thursday, beating the Tigers 30-14.
After Jackson State (0-1) tied the game at 14-all with 11:41 remaining in the third, ULM scored 17 unanswered points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
Jackson State returns to action next Saturday, Sept. 7, at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium against Lane College.
3. Big 3 open 2024 season Saturday
Mississippi’s Big 3 will kick off their 2024 seasons on Saturday.
- No. 6 Ole Miss hosts Furman in Oxford. Kickoff is set for 6 P.M. on the SEC+ Network.
- Eastern Kentucky travels to Starkville to take on Mississippi State. The game kicks off at 5 P.M. on the SEC+ Network.
- Southern Miss heads to Kentucky for a 6:45 P.M. kickoff. SEC Network is airing the matchup.
Markets & Business
1. Fed officials await latest inflation data
CNBC reports that Federal Reserve officials will get the latest look at their favorite inflation indicator Friday, “a data snapshot that could influence the September rate decision even as policymakers appear to have their focus elsewhere these days.”
“The Commerce Department at 8:30 a.m. ET will release its personal consumption expenditures price index, a sprawling measure of what consumers are paying for a variety of goods and services as well as their spending preferences,” CNBC reported. “While the Fed uses a whole dashboard of indicators to measure inflation, the PCE index is its go-to data point and its sole forecasting tool when members release their quarterly projections. Policymakers especially hone in on the core PCE measure, which excludes food and energy, when making interest rate decisions.”
2. Port workers’ union strike could come this fall
The Wall Street Journal reports that “Union officials representing 45,000 workers at ports from Maine to Texas will meet for two days in New Jersey starting Wednesday to discuss wage demands and prepare to strike on Oct. 1.” They are hoping to avoid a strike this fall.
“Harold Daggett, the head of the union that represents dockworkers at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports, this month said the International Longshoremen’s Association and employers are ‘at an impasse’ over wages and that his members will walk out if the union doesn’t reach a new labor deal before the current multiyear contract expires on Sept. 30,” WSJ reported.
WSJ added, “The ILA is pushing for a 77% increase for workers over six years, according to a person familiar with the talks, far more than the 32% increase the International Longshore and Warehouse Union won for dockworkers at West Coast ports last year.”
Magnolia Tribune
