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In Mississippi
Reeves celebrates new Mississippi employment record
Governor Tate Reeves announced Tuesday that Mississippi set multiple new records in April for employment in the state.
First, at 1,243,807 people, the state reached a new record high for the number of Mississippians employed. Additionally, total non-farm employment reached a record high with 1,202,000 jobs.
“More Mississippians are working than ever before, and there are a record number of jobs,” said Governor Reeves. “Mississippi isn’t making news – we’re making history. Yesterday, we announced a $38 million economic development project that’s creating 450 jobs, and today we’ve set records in employment. There’s never been a better time to be a Mississippian. I’m incredibly proud of what our state is accomplishing.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate unanimously passes “no tax on tips” bill
The Hill reports that the U.S. Senate on Tuesday “passed a bill that would eliminate federal taxes on tips, advancing with the help of Democrats a top campaign promise of President Trump.”
“Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) brought the bill to the floor with the expectation that it would be blocked, but Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) declined to. It passed via unanimous consent (UC),” The Hill reported.
The Hill noted, “Trump unveiled the idea last year during a campaign stop in Nevada, which is home to scores of tipped workers.”
2. House Republicans find agreement on SALT?
The Wall Street Journal reports that “House GOP leaders and Republicans from high-tax states neared an agreement on the state and local tax deduction late Tuesday that could accelerate passage of the party’s giant tax-and-spending bill, according to people familiar with the discussions.”
“The emerging agreement would set the cap on the state and local tax deduction, or SALT, at $40,000. That is up from $10,000 this year and up from $30,000 in the current version of the Republican fiscal bill that is headed for a House vote as soon as Wednesday,” WSJ reported.
WSJ added, “The cap would start phasing down once income reaches $500,000, up from $400,000 in the current version of the bill. The income threshold and the $40,000 figure would grow at 1% annually, which is generally slower than other tax-code inflation adjustments. Unlike some earlier proposals, the $40,000 wouldn’t expire after a few years. The $10,000 in current law and $30,000 in the current version of the GOP proposal wouldn’t increase at all annually.”
Sports
1. Southern Miss to play in Sun Belt tournament today
Southern Miss, back-to-back Sun Belt Tournament champions, returns to Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, to defend their title starting Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. against either Texas State, Arkansas State or Georgia Southern, the athletic department notes.
The Golden Eagles (41-13) will play No. 7 seed Texas State, who defeated App State 3-0 Tuesday afternoon. Every game of the tournament can be viewed via ESPN+ and all of the Southern Miss baseball games can be heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network.
Southern Miss enters the tournament with a school-record tying 15-game winning streak.
Following their opening game, Southern Miss will return to action at 4 p.m., Thursday, with a victory and would be in a 9 a.m. game should they drop their first contest.
2. Ole Miss, Miss. State open SEC tourney play
Ole Miss and Mississippi State will play today in the SEC tournament.
Ole Miss baseball will begin their time at the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament on Wednesday May 21 against Florida. The game was originally set for 4:30 p.m. but due to weather on day one, the Rebels and the Gators will play the night game on Wednesday.
Due to projected severe weather on Tuesday evening, the Southeastern Conference also postponed Mississippi State’s game against Texas A&M in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs and Aggies will now play Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Markets & Business
Futures fall Wednesday
CNBC reports that stock futures fell Wednesday “as traders fretted over another move higher in Treasury yields, as investors monitored the progress on a new U.S. budget bill.”
“Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 337 points, or 0.8%. Futures tied to the S&P 500 shed 0.6%, as did Nasdaq-100 futures,” CNBC reported.
CNBC added, “The 30-year Treasury bond yield moved back above 5% on Wednesday, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield traded over 4.53%. Yields moved above those key levels earlier in the week after Moody’s downgraded U.S. bonds late Friday.”
Magnolia Tribune
