- 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. Beaver fever building as first Buc-ee’s in Mississippi nears opening day
WLOX reports that “Beaver fever is building as an opening date has been set for Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s.”
“According to Harrison County officials, the travel center is set to open on Monday, June 9, 2025. The 74,000-square-foot location features over 100 gas pumps and 20 electric vehicle charging stations,” WLOX reported. “The company held a job fair to fill up to 200 full-time jobs, hiring cashiers, deli and food service workers, grocery and gift staff as well as maintenance workers. These positions pay between $18 and $24 an hour.”
2. Gipson on trade mission to Panama
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson is currently joining the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) on a Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) Trade Mission to Panama this week.
“Panama, one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, relies on food imports,” Gipson said in a statement. “In 2024, Mississippi exported nearly $2 million of agricultural goods to Panama, including poultry, pet food, forest products and pork products. I see potential to further strengthen our trading relationship with Panama.”
The delegation includes agriculture commissioners and directors representing other state departments of agriculture and industry partners seeking to expand market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. The trade mission is led by and funded by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture as part of the United States Department of Agriculture RAPP program.
While there, MDAC said Commissioner Gipson and fellow delegation members will meet with Panamanian government officials, visit the Panama Canal, observe U.S. products in the marketplace and discover the latest Panamanian consumer food trends, and engage in meetings and site visits to build new trade partnerships.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Venezuelan gang deportations can continue, SCOTUS rules
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday night that the Trump administration “could continue to deport Venezuelan migrants using a wartime powers act for now, overturning a lower court that had put a temporary stop to the deportations,” as reported by the New York Times.
“All nine justices agreed that the Venezuelan migrants detained in the United States must receive advance notice and the opportunity to challenge their deportation before they could be removed, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote in a concurrence,” NYT reported. “The split among the court was over where — and how — that should happen.”
NYT added, “The administration had asked the justices to weigh in on its effort to use the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law, to deport more than 100 Venezuelans it claims are members of Tren de Aragua, a violent street gang rooted in Venezuela. The administration argues that their removals are allowed under the act, which grants the president authority to detain or deport citizens of enemy nations. The president may invoke the law in times of ‘declared war’ or when a foreign government invades the United States.”
2. Trump vs. the Ivy League
The Hill reports that President Trump’s administration “has taken its fight with the Ivy Leagues to new heights, detaining student activists, launching investigations, pulling hundreds of millions in funding and giving even some conservatives pause.”
“Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Brown University and others are all feeling the heat over their alleged inaction over campus antisemitism and policies around transgender athletes,” The Hill reported. “Trump’s tactic to halt federal funding has been called illegal by opponents, though he had long pledged to go after what he called ‘woke’ colleges. The administration has also attacked schools not in the Ivy League — particularly the University of Maine after a public spat with the state’s governor — but the elite conference of eight private schools is clearly a prime target.”
The Hill went on to note, “Opinions of higher education among conservatives have dropped considerably in recent years, with Gallup finding in 2024 that only 20 percent of Republicans had confidence in the institutions, compared to 56 percent in 2015.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss up, Southern Miss down in latest baseball rankings
The Ole Miss baseball team jumped three spots in this week’s D1 Baseball Top 25, coming in at No. 6.
The Rebels took 2 out of 3 from Kentucky over the weekend and are now 24-7 overall and 8-4 in the SEC. They play travel to Memphis on Tuesday before hosting Alcorn State on Wednesday.
Southern Miss, however, got swept at Marshall, losing their first series of the season. Yet, the Golden Eagles maintained a spot in the Top 25, falling 10 spots to No. 23.
Southern Miss, now 22-10 overall and 8-4 in the Sun Belt, continues their eight-game road swing at Alabama on Tuesday.
2. Mud Monsters now have their own hot sauce
The Mississippi Mud Monsters unveiled the team’s official hot sauce on Monday – The Drip.
“Forged in the backwoods under a blood moon (probably), this sweet-heat menace combines habanero, scotch bonnet, and ghost peppers into one bottle of pure, delicious danger,” the team’s press office shared. “With flavor so bold it should be quarantined, The Drip is a 3-out-of-5 heat-level thriller that turns any meal into a monster. Dab it if you dare… but don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
Fans can now grab their bottle of The Drip at mudmonstersbaseball.com or pick one up on Opening Day at the Mississippi Mud Monsters Team Store.
Markets & Business
1. China to fight Trump tariffs, futures rise
The Wall Street Journal reports that “Beijing lashed back at President Trump’s threat of even higher tariffs on China, raising the specter of an all-out trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.”
China’s Commerce Ministry said the country would “fight to the end.”
“In spite of the spiraling tensions, global markets broadly rose early Tuesday, paring some losses after a bruising three-day selloff. U.S. stock futures pointed higher, after market whiplash Monday ultimately left major indexes largely unchanged,” WSJ reported. “Giving investors some hope, the Trump administration signaled it was open to discussing lower tariffs with Japan, Israel and some other countries. Japanese stocks jumped after Tokyo named a chief tariff negotiator and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the country would be prioritized in trade talks.”
2. Walmart looks to weather tariff storm
CNBC reports that amid tariff fears, “Walmart may find safety in a new part of its business that’s driving more store traffic and online sales: Its membership program, Walmart+.”
“Customers who belong to the subscription-based service accounted for nearly 50% of spending across Walmart’s website and app in the U.S. in the most recent full fiscal year, which ended in late January,” the company told CNBC.
CNBC added, “As the largest grocer in the U.S., the discounter has advantages in an economic downturn. Even so, Walmart+ could help insulate it from tariff turmoil, not only because it’s a new source of revenue, but also because it helps to drive loyalty.”
Magnolia Tribune
