- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Allstate Foundation grants $10,000 to Ole Miss for community projects
According to Ole Miss, the Allstate Foundation has awarded $10,000 to the University of Mississippi to support student-led community service projects.
The Allstate Foundation has committed $500,000 to 50 colleges and universities across the country to support youth-driven service programs, including the university’s Center for Community Engagement.
The grant money will fund at least 10 Ole Miss students who hope to pursue a community-driven service project. Applications are due before Jan. 15.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Democrats plan to use newly appointed judges to challenge Trump Administration
Politico reports that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is touting the use of the judicial system to challenge incoming President Donald Trump.
“I don’t know exactly what [Trump will] do. But I can tell you this: The judiciary will be one of our strongest — if not our strongest — barrier against what he does,” Schumer told Politico, as the 235 judicial confirmation was approved recently, eclipsing the 234 mark set by Trump during his first term.
Politico went on to write that those judges “are likely to be the tip of the spear in protecting Democrats’ legislative achievements over the last four years — as well as Republican attempts to remake or dismantle parts of the federal government.”
“We knew that getting more judges on the bench would help protect our legislative record,” Schumer told Politico. “The two did go hand in hand. If you asked me which one was more important, I wouldn’t want to pick among my children. “
2. Ukraine running out of U.S. missiles
The New York Times reports that Ukraine is slowing its firing of missiles into Russia as President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing in approaches.
“Kyiv is running out of missiles. It also might be running out of time: President-elect Donald J. Trump has said publicly that allowing U.S.-made long-range missiles inside Russia was a big mistake,” NYT reported, adding, “Two U.S. officials said they believed Russia was trying to avoid escalating military operations in Ukraine, especially with the election of Mr. Trump, a longtime skeptic of the war, and given Russia’s recent battlefield successes. They spoke on the condition of anonymity given the political sensitivities.”
President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use U.S. missiles to strike inside Russia in the fall, a move heavily criticized by Trump that many feared would escalate the tensions between the U.S. and Russia.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Ole Miss prepping for Gator Bowl
The No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels are set to play in the January 2 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Duke. After a short holiday break, the team is back to prepping for the matchup.
Despite missing the College Football Playoff and even with numerous NFL Draft prospects on the roster, Ole Miss Athletics says nearly all of the Rebels have elected to play in the Gator Bowl rather than ducking out early to prepare for the next level.
The Rebels are looking to clinch back-to-back 10-win seasons for just the second time in program history.
2. Southern Miss leading conference in transfers
247Sports reports that Southern Miss is leading the Sun Belt Conference in acquiring transfer portal players so far this offseason as new Coach Charles Huff looks to rebuild the storied program.
Southern Miss has reportedly signed 21 commits – many of which have come from the conference champion Marshall team Huff recently left to take the Golden Eagles’ job.
Over the full college football landscape, the Southern Miss transfer class is currently ranked 63rd in the nation.
Markets & Business
1. Indexes in green during holiday week
CNBC reports that stock futures declined early Friday after major averages posted solid gains so far this holiday week.
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 120 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 0.3% each,” CNBC reported. “These moves follow thin trading action in Thursday’s regular session. The 30-stock Dow eked out a narrow gain for its fifth winning day, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite ended the session just below the flatline.”
CNBC noted that the three major U.S. indexes “are in the green week to date after posting strong back-to-back gains at the start of the shortened holiday week.”
2. Mortgage rates up to highest level since July
Mortgage rates are up, FoxBusiness reports.
“Mortgage rates spiked this week to the highest level in five months, ending the year slightly higher than where they started,” FoxBusiness reported. “Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage jumped to 6.85%, up from last week’s reading of 6.72%. The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.61% a year ago.”
FoxBusiness went on to add, “This week’s increase marked the highest level on the 30-year loan since mid-July, when the rate was 6.89%, according to Freddie Mac data. The lowest rate this year was 6.08% at the end of September, while the highest — 7.22% — was reached at the beginning of May.”
