- 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. Wintry mix possible in north Mississippi Tuesday, into Wednesday
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is cautioning residents as a wintry mix of snow and light freezing rain/sleet is possible in north Mississippi beginning Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.
“Dangerous cold is expected throughout Mississippi beginning Wednesday (2/19/25) with wind chills under 15 degrees. The time to prepare is now,” MEMA shared on X.
2. Mayor race in Ellisville a rematch from 2021
According to WDAM, the City of Ellisville will have a rematch between two candidates who ran for mayor back in 2021.
“Incumbent Republican Lynn Buckhaults will be facing off against Democrat Jalen Lindsey,” reported WDAM, adding, “Buckhaults received 60 percent of the vote over Lindsey back in 2021.”
The general election for municipal races is June 3.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. American, Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia
The New York Times reports that “Senior American and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the most extensive negotiations between the two countries in at least three years, as President Trump pushes to end the war in Ukraine and the Kremlin seeks warmer ties with Washington.”
“Ukraine and Europe were watching from a distance with deep apprehension, amid fears that Mr. Trump could try to force a peace deal on Ukraine that would be favorable to Russia,” NYT reported. “The meeting, which comes less than a week after Mr. Trump’s lengthy phone call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, adjourned briefly for noon prayers before resuming.”
As noted by NYT, “The U.S. delegation was led by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state; Michael Waltz, the national security adviser; and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy and a longtime friend of Mr. Trump.”
2. AP, White House tensions remain high
As The Hill reports, “Tensions between the Trump White House and the press are reaching a fever pitch after the president banned The Associated Press from Air Force One and the Oval Office over its refusal to use the term ‘Gulf of America.'”
“In its most recent statement on the saga, a spokesperson for the Associated Press indicated to The Hill it has no intention of changing its style to appease the White House,” The Hill reported, adding, “Press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s actions regarding the AP.”
“If we feel there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable,” Leavitt said.
Sports
1. Bulldogs, Golden Eagles to meet in Hattiesburg after opening weekend sweeps
Southern Miss and Mississippi State baseball come into Tuesday’s matchup in Hattiesburg having swept their opening weekend opponents.
The two will play at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field for the first time since 2018 when the two schools play Tuesday in a 6 p.m. contest.
According to Southern Miss Athletics, “This contest marks the first time these Magnolia State foes have played at a campus site since 2019, when the Golden Eagles traveled to the newly renovated Dudy Noble Field in Starkville for a three-game set. The two teams last played at Pete Taylor Park in a three-game weekend to open the 2018 campaign with the Golden Eagles sweeping the series. A return game to Starkville is slated for March 4.”
2. First pitch for Ole Miss vs. Arkansas State moved up today
According to Ole Miss Athletics, the Rebels Tuesday game with Arkansas State has been moved up to 2 pm due to potential severe weather.
The Rebels are coming off of an opening weekend playing in Texas where they won 2 out of 3 games over nationally ranked opponents.
Markets & Business
1. Fed’s Waller floats more rate cuts
The Wall Street Journal reports that Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller said the central bank “should cut interest rates further if inflation makes more progress back toward target, even if Trump administration policies are adding economic uncertainty.”
“Speaking in Australia at Sydney’s University of New South Wales on Tuesday, Waller said the Fed made the right call to hold rates steady in January, given persistent recent price increases. But he added that he still believes the Fed’s policy stance is restraining the economy, and that more cuts will be the right move if the inflation uptick passes,” WSJ reported.
“If this wintertime lull in progress is temporary, as it was last year, then further policy easing will be appropriate,” Waller said, according to a published text of his remarks, as reported by WSJ.
2. Fast food spots weathering winter
Fast food restaurants are weathering the winter, holding out hope for gains later this year.
According to CNBC, “Many restaurant chains, like Restaurant Brands’ Burger King and Popeyes, said sales improved in the fourth quarter as value offerings brought back diners who had been cooking at home instead. Even McDonald’s domestic traffic grew, despite a 1.4% decline in U.S. same-store sales. But the trend reversed in January.”
“We’ve started the year facing some overall industry traffic headwinds, exacerbated by significant weather events across the country,” Wendy’s CFO Kenneth Cook said on the company’s conference call on Thursday, as reported by CNBC.
CNBC noted, “Traffic and sales growth are expected to pick up as the year progresses, in part due to the easy comparisons to last year’s declines.”
