- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
SNAP fraud reported in Mississippi
WLOX reports that SNAP benefit fraud is happening throughout the state of Mississippi.
“Christina Salinas, a Biloxi mother of three teenagers, relies on SNAP benefits after lingering health issues from a car accident made her stop working. She bought some groceries with her SNAP card on April 7th. When she returned to the store the next day, she realized her benefits had been stolen,” WLOX reported, adding, “Mark Jones with the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) said it’s possible Salinas could’ve used her card at a tampered point of sale machine.”
WLOX notes that MSDH urges all people who have had their benefits stolen to report the theft on their website as soon as they can.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. U.S.-China Cold War?
As the Wall Street Journal reports, “For decades, no matter how relations between Beijing and Washington waxed and waned, trade and investment provided the glue that kept the two powers together.”
“Today, with economic relations between the two careening off the rails, China and the U.S. are headed toward what could be a Cold War that extends beyond trade—to deepening conflict or even military tension as both seek to form their own blocs,” WSJ reported. “The current scenario was once unthinkable. During President Trump’s first presidency, Washington and Beijing were both reluctant to throw their deep entanglements into complete disarray. Their first trade war played out over two years and involved frequent negotiations and fear of escalation on both sides.”
“This time, the two countries have effectively erected trade embargoes against each other in less than three months and are taking economic warfare into new territory. What is at stake is overall global security as well as economic stability for many years to come,” WSJ reported.
2. Second Signal chat causing headaches for Hegseth
The New York Times reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to four people with knowledge of the chat.”
“Some of those people said that the information Mr. Hegseth shared on the Signal chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen — essentially the same attack plans that he shared on a separate Signal chat the same day that mistakenly included the editor of The Atlantic,” NYT reported.
NYT went on to report that, “Some congressional Democrats said it was fresh proof that Mr. Hegseth should be removed.”
“Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops’ lives are endangered by his singular stupidity,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois and a combat veteran.
Sports
1. Big 3 college baseball roundup
It was another mixed bag for Mississippi’s Big 3 in college baseball action over the weekend. Here’s the roundup:
- No. 11 Ole Miss dropped 2 out of 3 to South Carolina, leaving them with a 28-12 overall record and 10-8 in the SEC. The Rebels take on rival Mississippi State Tuesday for a midweek matchup in Pearl.
- No. 23 Southern Miss won their Sun Belt series over Georgia State, taking 2 out of 3 games. The Golden Eagles, now 27-13 overall and 12-6 in the Sun Belt, play Tulane on Tuesday.
- Mississippi State lost 2 out of 3 to Florida, falling to 24-16 overall and 6-12 in SEC play. The Bulldogs take on the Rebels Tuesday in Pearl.
2. Brown to speak at Ole Miss Commencement
Ole Miss Athletics announced that Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver and former Ole Miss Rebel A.J. Brown will go from catching touchdowns in the Super Bowl to delivering words of encouragement and inspiration at the University of Mississippi’s 172nd annual Commencement on May 10.
Brown, who won the NFL championship with the Eagles, will deliver his speech at Convocation, set for 9 a.m. in the Grove.
Markets & Business
1. Futures down to start week
CNBC reports that stock futures fell again on Monday “following yet another negative trading week for Wall Street, as investors receive little signs of progress on global trade talks.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 428 points, or 1.1%. S&P 500 futures pulled back 1.3%, while Nasdaq-100 futures dropped 1.5%,” CNBC reported. “The moves come after each of the three major averages logged a third weekly decline in the last four trading weeks.”
CNBC noted, “While the S&P 500 closed out Thursday’s session higher, the broad market index still finished the holiday-shortened week 1.5% lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite posted their third consecutive losing session, each finishing the week with a more than 2% pullback for the four-day period.”
2. DHL suspends shipments over $800 to U.S.
The Hill reports that DHL, the international courier firm, will temporarily pause shipments to the U.S. for items with a declared value of more than $800, the company announced in a notice.
“The announcement said that, starting Monday, the company will stop collecting and shipping orders from businesses abroad to private individual customers in the U.S. if the declared custom value exceeds $800,” The Hill reported. “The suspension is temporary and will be in place ‘until further notice,’ the notice said.”
The Hill added, “The announcement follows a change in U.S. customs regulations governing which items need to be formally declared upon entering the country. An updated policy, effective April 5, lowered the threshold from $2,500 to $800 for shipments to require formal declaration.”
Magnolia Tribune
