- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Entergy MS works to restore power from severe storms
Tornadoes, lightning and high winds caused more than 45,000 power outages in Entergy Mississippi’s service area, the company reports.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday night, crews had restored power to about 60% of the outages caused by this storm, with about 17,800 customers remaining without power.
“Due to the severity and widespread nature of damages, we expect the restoration effort to span multiple days. Some customers will be restored Monday evening, while others may not be restored until late Tuesday. As damage assessments continue, customers in heavily impacted areas will begin to see updates to their estimated restoration time on Entergy’s View Outage map,” the company shared.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Democrats going Independent to help them win?
An article from Politico asks, “Is the Democratic brand toxic?” and says, “A growing number of Dems wonder if going ‘independent’ will help them win.”
“The deliberations, some of which are taking place in private, reflect the extent to which Trump’s win has made the party unsure of what to do next. Few Democrats are dismissing Trump as a fluke anymore after he carried the popular vote and expanded his support among key parts of their base,” Politico reports. “Democrats who have jumped ship are making the bet that voters are so frustrated with the existing political parties that they will reward them for shaking things up.”
Politico also noted, “A group of operatives at major Democratic media firms are in talks about creating a company that would help elect left-leaning independents, according to a person familiar with the discussions who was granted anonymity to talk about internal planning. The business would also back populist Democrats.”
2. DNC chair candidate wants Democrats to invest in GOP-dominated states
The Hill reports that Democratic National Committee chair candidate James Skoufis released his proposed platform for the party on Monday, “calling for greater investments in Republican-dominated states in an effort to expand the map for Democrats.”
“In the four-point platform that was first seen by The Hill, Skoufis vowed to ‘dramatically’ enhance the party’s Red State Fund if elected chair and loosen ‘counterproductive’ criteria states need to qualify for the fund. Skoufis also called for year-round organizers in red states,” The Hill reported.
The Hill went on to add, “Skoufis’ platform comes as the race to replace outgoing DNC chair Jaime Harrison heats up. Last week former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson launched a bid for chair, joining Skoufis, Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Homeland Security official Nate Snyder.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Former MSU RB Walker dies
Mississippi State Athletics announced Saturday that former running back Dontae Walker died.
Walker played 41 games for the Bulldogs over four seasons, finishing with 1,875 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns.
He is best known for his 2000 Independence Bowl performance in the ‘Snow Bowl’ where he rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-41 win over the Aggies.
2. Manning makes finalist list for NFL Hall of Fame
Former Ole Miss and New York Giants QB Eli Manning is among the finalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Manning is in his first year of eligibility.
On Saturday, the Hall of Fame announced the names of the 15 modern-era finalists headed into the final round of voting where three to five could be selected for this year’s class.
The honorees will be announced during Super Bowl Week.
Markets & Business
1. Dealmakers optimistic with Trump return
The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump’s return sparks hope for dealmakers.
“Wall Street is optimistic that a buoyant stock market, declining interest rates and Donald Trump’s lighter-regulation agenda will prompt a dealmaking rebound in 2025. But jitters remain thanks to the president-elect’s unpredictability,” WSJ reported. “Deal volume has been muted for the past few years following record volumes coming out of the pandemic. While total global deal volume is up roughly 12% in 2024 through Dec. 26 compared with the same period in 2023, the number of transactions is lower and volume remains well below the 2021 high, according to Dealogic data.”
WSJ added, “Dealmakers were encouraged when Trump in December picked Andrew Ferguson, the Republican Federal Trade Commission member, to succeed FTC Chair Lina Khan.”
2. Stock futures lower to start final trading days of 2024
CNBC reports that stock futures were slightly lower Monday ahead of the last few trading sessions of 2024.
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 93 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures edged down 0.3%. Nasdaq-100 futures fell 0.3% as well,” CNBC reported. “The major averages are heading into the yearend shy of record levels, with the S&P 500 and Dow up more than 25% and 14%, respectively, and on track for the best year since 2021. The Nasdaq has gained more than 31% in 2024.”
CNBC noted that this week “ushers in a light period for economic data, with the market closed Wednesday in observance of New Years Day.”
Magnolia Tribune
