- 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. Roberts advances to “American Idol” Top 5
Meridian-native Jamal Roberts keeps impressing, moving into the Top 5 on “American Idol” Sunday night.
Roberts paid tribute to his late stepmother on the Mother’s Day show by singing “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. He also sang “Go the Distance” from the Disney movie “Hercules” as part of the show’s focus that evening.
He returns to the stage Monday night hoping to earn a spot in the Top 3 finale show next Sunday evening.
2. Judge sides with casino in tidelands dispute
WLOX reports that a chancery court judge has sided with The Grand over the Secretary of State, ruling “that a portion of property owned by The Grand is not state-owned.”
“In a judgment announced Friday, a chancery court judge decided that The Grand’s waterfront property is not state-owned because of the Spanish land grant,” WLOX reported. “The ruling is based on the state Supreme Court’s decision in State v. Aldrich, where the state’s highest court ruled that a 1784 Spanish land grant negated the Secretary of State’s claim to fee simple title.”
WLOX added, “Last year, Harrah’s paid around $700,000 into the tidelands fund.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. U.S.-China trade deal announced
The Wall Street Journal reports that the “U.S. and China agreed to slash punishingly high tariffs on each other’s goods, a major thaw in trade relations that resets the tone between the world’s two largest economies from outright conflict to constructive engagement.”
According to WSJ, “After weekend talks in Geneva:
- President Trump’s “reciprocal” tariff on China will fall to 10% from 125%.
- A separate 20% tariff the president imposed over what he described as China’s role in the fentanyl trade will remain.
- Beijing will cut its retaliatory levies on U.S. goods to 10% from 125%.
- The U.S. said the reductions would last for 90 days while talks continue.
“The agreement lowered tariff levels more than Wall Street expected and came after just two days of talks,” WSJ reported.
2. Trump to sign executive order on drug price caps
The Hill reports that President Trump will sign an executive order Monday “to cap prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices at the lowest cost offered to any other country.”
“America has notoriously paid more than other developed nations for the same prescription drugs. But under Trump’s ‘most favored nation’ policy, the president hopes to ensure ‘the United States will pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,'” The Hill reported.
The Hill went on to report, “The pharmaceutical industry ripped Trump’s announcement, pointing the finger for high drug prices at pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance companies.”
3. New Air Force One from Qatar?
The New York Times reports that the Trump administration “plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane as a donation from the Qatari royal family that will be upgraded to serve as Air Force One, which would make it one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government, several American officials with knowledge of the matter said.”
“The plane would then be donated to President Trump’s presidential library when he leaves office, two senior officials said. Such a gift raises the possibility that Mr. Trump would have use of the plane even after his presidency ends,” NYT reported. “Mr. Trump confirmed the fact that he anticipates receiving the plane in a post on social media on Sunday evening, after a day of controversy in which even some Republicans privately questioned the wisdom of the plan. Mr. Trump suggested that Democrats were ‘losers’ for questioning the ethics of the move.”
Sports
1. Big 3 college baseball roundup
The regular college baseball season is winding down, with Mississippi’s Big 3 teams having just one more weekend series before the postseason begins. Here’s how Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Mississippi State fared this past weekend:
- Southern Miss swept Louisiana , taking all three games in Hattiesburg from the Sun Belt foe. The Golden Eagles (38-13 overall, 21-6 Sun Belt) won for the 12th-straight game on Sunday and will conclude the regular season Thursday-Saturday at Troy.
- The Ole Miss Rebels lost 2 out of 3 to the homestanding Mississippi State Bulldogs in the in-state rival SEC series. State now hosts North Alabama for the final home game of the season before heading to Missouri this weekend. Ole Miss hosts UT Martin on Tuesday before their series hosting Auburn.
2. Elko called up to the Bigs, homers in first at bat
Former Ole Miss baseball captain Tim Elko was called up to join the Chicago White Sox in Chicago for their series against the Miami Marlins late last week.
In his first MLB at bat, he hit a 3-run home run to help the White Sox win 4-2.
Elko will be the 56th Rebel in program history to reach the big leagues. He was drafted by the White Sox in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Markets & Business
Dow futures jump over 1,000 points on U.S.-China trade news
CNBC reports that U.S. stock futures jumped early Monday “after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily slash tariffs following negotiations over the weekend in Switzerland.”
“Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 1,009 points, or 2.4%. S&P 500 futures climbed 3.1%, and Nasdaq-100 futures surged 4.1%,” CNBC reported.
CNBC noted, “Should the morning’s futures gains hold through the close, the S&P 500 would be near positive territory for the year.”
Magnolia Tribune
Trump agrees to cut tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal with Britain
