- 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. Groups protest at Mississippi Capitol on inauguration day
WLBT reports that “people from Mississippi and out of state gathered to speak about their concerns about the presidential inauguration” of President Donald Trump.
“According to these organizations, their goal is to speak out about their beliefs on people’s needs, including workers’ rights, immigrants’ rights, and LGTBQ+ rights,” WLBT reported on Monday. “Organizations like The Party for Socialism and Liberation coordinated the protest.”
2. MEMA urges caution as winter weather impacts Mississippi
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is urging caution as winter weather enters the state.
“The latest forecast from the National Weather Service has the winter storm moving slightly south compared to earlier this morning,” MEMA shared late Monday. “The snow will begin after midnight and continue through much of the day Tuesday (1/21/25). South Mississippi is still expected to get the highest amounts with up to 4″ of snow.”
MEMA encouraged everyone to stay off the roads once the snow starts to fall as roads will become dangerous.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate passes Laken Riley Act in bipartisan vote
Soon after the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday, the U.S. Senate passed the Laken Riley Act by a vote of 64-35, as 12 Democrats joined Republicans in passing the immigration-related legislation.
The Hill reported that the bill “mandates the federal detention of immigrants without legal status who are accused of theft and burglary, among other things.”
“Democrats who voted in the affirmative included Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Mark Warner (Va.),” The Hill reported, adding, “The bill is named after Laken Riley, a college student who was killed almost a year ago in Athens, Ga., by a Venezuelan migrant who had been arrested for shoplifting ahead of the attack and paroled in the U.S.”
2. Trump pardons nearly 1,500 people connected to Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “President Trump pardoned Monday nearly all of the 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, hours after outgoing President Joe Biden immunized from prosecution family members and other potential targets of the incoming administration.”
“The new president made the announcement after arriving at the White House, effectively wiping away four years of prosecutions, including more than 1,100 convictions in what Justice Department officials have described as the largest investigation in U.S. history,” WSJ reported. “While pardoning virtually all of those charged, Trump commuted the sentences of more than a dozen others.”
Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson (D), who chaired the House January 6th Committee and received a pardon from President Biden hours earlier, criticized the pardons saying in a statement:
“With these pardons and grants of clemency, President Trump has started his second term just like he finished his first: with lawless contempt for our justice system and our democracy. Many of these criminals were convicted of violent crimes against law enforcement. All have been found guilty or pleaded guilty of crimes against the United States – and all tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power on January 6 in servitude to Donald Trump and the Big Lie. To be clear, none were solely protesting or expressing their First Amendment rights. None are victims and none are hostages,” Thompson said, adding, “Donald Trump will never be allowed to rewrite history of January 6, 2021. Donald Trump, his enablers, and all those who broke the law that day will never be able to erase the stain of their dishonor. History will remember.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Miss. State, Ole Miss come in at No. 14 and No. 16 in latest Top 25
Mississippi State and Ole Miss men’s basketball teams are firmly planted in the AP Top 25 this week, with the Bulldogs coming in at No. 14 and the Rebels at No. 16.
Both teams have a 15-3 season record, with State having a 3-2 SEC record and Ole Miss with a 4-1 conference record.
Miss. State plays at No. 6 Tennessee on Tuesday evening while Ole Miss hosts No. 13 Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
2. Mud Monsters sign former Miss. State standout
The Mississippi Mud Monsters announced Monday that they have signed the first player in franchise history.
Joining the team and donning the teal and aquamarine is College World Series champion and Mississippi native Brayland Skinner.
Skinner is entering his second season of professional baseball after spending 2024 with the Pioneer League Champion Yolo (CA) High Wheelers, where he hit .298 with 8 home runs and 41 stolen bases in 90 games. Known for his speed and versatility, Skinner was a member of the 2021 National Champion Mississippi State Bulldogs. Standing at 5’11” and weighing 185 pounds, the Lake Cormorant, Mississippi native scored the winning run as the Bulldogs defeated the Texas Longhorns for a spot in the College World Series. Before joining Mississippi State, he starred at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he led the league in stolen bases and on-base percentage. Skinner also spent one season at the University of Memphis in 2023, where he hit .270 with 22 stolen bases.
The Mud Monsters have also signed former DeSoto Central star Kyle Booker and MLB Partner League veteran Ryan Cash.
Markets & Business
Stock futures rise as Trump’s 2nd term begins
As reported by CNBC, “Stock futures advanced on Tuesday as Donald Trump’s second term as president began with a flurry of executive orders and comments on tariffs targeting goods coming from key trade partners.”
“Futures tied to the S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 177 points, or 0.4%. Nasdaq-100 futures added 0.4%. Regular trading was closed Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday,” CNBC reported, adding, “The stock market is coming off its best week since the period that followed Trump’s election. The S&P 500 gained 2.9% last week, its best week since the period ended Nov. 8. The Dow jumped 3.7% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 2.5% last week, respectively.”
Magnolia Tribune
