- 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. Mississippi Power CEO retiring
Mississippi Power Chairman, President and CEO Anthony Wilson announced Thursday that he will be retiring this summer after a career with Mississippi Power and Southern Company that spanned more than four decades.
“I have been very blessed to work in the region where I grew up and love tremendously,” Wilson said. “Our employees work tirelessly to deliver safe, reliable energy to our customers and communities in southeast Mississippi, and it’s been an honor to be a part of this team. Our company is well-positioned for the future thanks to their commitment to excellence and leading by example.”
The company said that during Wilson’s tenure, Mississippi Power has become an industry leader in safety and reliability. The company has been recognized multiple times by the Southeastern Electric Exchange for Total Company Top Safety Performance and by the Edison Electric Institute for many outstanding storm response efforts.
No mention of his successor or when that would be announced was made public on Thursday.
2. CDC reports high rate of vision loss by Mississippians
As WJTV reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says Mississippi has the second highest rate nationally of visual acuity loss at 3.28%.
“Various types of eye conditions include age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and other conditions. However, a particular type of eye condition disparately impacts Mississippi,” WJTV reported.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump, Zelensky to meet at White House
President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet at the White House on Friday. The Wall Street Journal reports that a deal to help the war torn country find a path to end its conflict with Russia is sure to center around mineral-rights and security guarantees.
“Zelensky wants the mineral-rights deal to lead to firm security commitments from the West for Ukraine. Trump has ruled out support for Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” WSJ reported. “But Zelensky and his European allies have been discussing other potential arrangements, including European troops stationed in Ukraine in the case of a peace settlement. Without such guarantees, Ukrainians fear that Russia could sign a cease-fire agreement, rebuild its arsenal and invade Ukraine again.”
WSJ added, “The meeting with Trump is a chance to understand whether Ukraine will continue to have U.S. backing. Over the last several weeks, questions have been raised over whether the U.S. would continue to send military aid to Ukraine, or even sell the country weapons.”
2. DOJ rolls out Epstein files
As reported by The Hill, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a Thursday packet with a flight log and contact information from Jeffery Epstein, a deceased convicted sex offender, and his circle of friends.
“The first phase of files released today sheds light on Epstein’s extensive network and begins to provide the public with long overdue accountability,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement.
The Hill reported that information contained inside 341 pages was posted to the DOJ website for public review. Two hundred and thirty-six pages consisted of flight logs, 95 pages included redacted contact information, 7 pages featured a masseuse list and three pages were listed as evidence.
Bondi has also urged new FBI Director Kash Patel to have his agency release other documents by Friday morning.
Sports
Big 3 back on the diamond this weekend
Here’s a rundown of the Mississippi college baseball games being played by the Big 3 this weekend:
- No. 24 Ole Miss is hosting Wright State for a three-game series this weekend at Swayze Field. First pitch on Friday and Saturday is set for 4 p.m. and Sunday is set for 1:30 p.m.
- No. 22 Southern Miss travels to Fort Worth for a three-game set with TCU. Games start Friday at 6 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday’s games at 1 p.m.
- No. 18 Mississippi State heads to Houston for the Astros Foundation College Classic to face off against Rice, Arizona and Oklahoma State. They will play Friday at 11 a.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Markets & Business
1. Investors await key inflation data
CNBC reports that stock futures rose slightly on Friday as investors looked to the end of a losing week and month and awaited key inflation data.
“Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 154 points, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively,” CNBC reported.
CNBC also noted, “The personal consumption expenditures price index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric — is due for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect the measure of price changes for consumers to rise 0.3% from December for an annualized gain of 2.5%. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE is expect to increase by 0.3% month over month and 2.6% year over year.”
2. McDonald’s CEO predicts fast food trends for the year
FoxBusiness reports that McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski on Wednesday offered three predictions for trends that the quick-service restaurant industry will see this year.
Kempczinski forecast the trends in an Instagram post. They were:
- The want for increased protein.
- Leaning more into AI
- More interesting sauces
FoxBusiness noted that Kempczinski concluded the video by saying he’ll “come back a year from now and see how I did” with his predictions for 2025.
Magnolia Tribune
