Magnolia Mornings: May 23, 2025

• 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. Troopers to be out in force for Memorial Day travel

The Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) will be out and about this weekend as it focuses its efforts on keeping drivers safe during the 2025 Memorial Holiday Travel period.

MHP said its enhanced focus on the holiday travel period will start Friday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. and end Monday, May 26 at midnight.

“As we enter the summer travel season, our commitment to safety reaches its peak,” said MHP Lt. Colonel James Ivory. “We encourage both our citizens and visitors to fully enjoy what Mississippi has to offer, but safety must always come first. Our Troopers are dedicated to reminding travelers to exercise caution as they embark on their weekend journeys. Additionally, let us take a moment this weekend to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day and pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”

Drivers can expect to see more troopers on the roadways as they conduct speed checks, safety checks and ensure compliance with traffic laws such as wearing seat belts.

2. Apartment complexes in Jackson owe millions in delinquent water bills

WLBT reports that owners of at least 15 apartment complexes in Jackson have more than $100,000 each in past-due water bills.

“This week, JXN Water released a list of 15 owners of multi-family units with the highest past-due amounts in the city,” WLBT reported. “In all, officials with the utility say 141 multi-family accounts on JXN Water are currently past due, owing a combined $7.5 million in delinquent charges.”

WLBT noted, “As for the top 15, Aisha Carson, spokeswoman for JXN Water, says many of those complexes are owned by out-of-state landlords who refuse to bring their accounts current.”

National News & Foreign Policy

1. ‘Big, beautiful bill’ faces Senate GOP critics

The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” now heads to the Senate, “where GOP lawmakers are already making demands and party leaders will once again need to bridge sharp disagreements.”

“The more than 1,000-page bill passed the House early Thursday morning after Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) found a recipe that satisfied just enough lawmakers, who approved the measure by just one vote after an all-night session,” WSJ reported. “Now Senate Republican leader John Thune (R., S.D.) needs to line up enough support within his own narrow majority—without making changes that fracture the fragile House agreement and derail the party’s hopes to finish the bill by its July 4 target.”

WSJ noted, “Senate Republicans are split. Some are eyeing further spending cuts, while others are looking for bigger tax relief or gentler phaseouts of clean-energy incentives. Hard-fought House sweeteners such as the higher cap on state-and-local tax deductions could face scrutiny. Any changes in the Senate would then have to be approved by the House before heading to Trump’s desk.”

2. Trump Administration revokes Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would bar international students from Harvard, reports the New York Times.

“Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, had notified Harvard that its permission to enroll international students was revoked,” NYT reported. “With that, the degrees and futures of thousands of Harvard students — and an integral piece of the university’s identity and culture — were plunged into deep uncertainty.”

NYT went on to report, “The end of international enrollment would transform a university where 6,800 students, more than a quarter of the total, come from other countries, a number that has grown steadily in recent decades. Graduate programs would be hit especially hard. At the Kennedy School, 59 percent of students come from outside the United States. International students make up 40 percent of the enrollment at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and 35 percent at the Harvard Business School.”

Sports

1. Southern Miss shuts out ODU to pick up 17th consecutive win

Southern Miss continues to roll in the Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament, picking up their 17th consecutive win Thursday evening.

The Golden Eagles defeated Old Dominion 10-0 as they advanced to Saturday’s bracket final game against the winner of Friday’s Troy/ODU matchup.

The Saturday game is slated for 9 a.m.

2. Goldings give $2.5 million to MSU Athletics

Mississippi State Athletics announced Thursday that the Golding family, longtime supporters of Mississippi State University from Vicksburg, Mississippi, has contributed $2.5 million to strengthen the university’s athletic programs. A portion of the gift will be allocated to the newly announced Billy W. Howard Indoor Practice Facility.

The university said the Golding family has played a key role in advancing Mississippi State for many years, and this gift further demonstrates their deep passion for MSU and strategic investment in the future of Bulldog Athletics.

The family owns and operates Golding Barge Line in Vicksburg.

Markets & Business

1. iPhones made outside the U.S. face 25% tariff

CNBC reports that President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday morning that “Apple will have to pay a tariff of 25% or more for iPhones made outside the United States.”

“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else. If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.,” Trump said on Truth Social, as reported by CNBC.

CNBC noted that shares of Apple fell more than 2% in premarket trading.

“Production of Apple’s flagship phone happens primarily in China, but the country has been shifting production to India in part because that country has a friendlier trade relationship with the United States,” CNBC added.

2. Walmart cutting jobs as it looks to raise efficiency

FoxBusiness reports that Walmart — the nation’s largest private employer — “is cutting more than 1,000 corporate jobs as the company tries to lower its expenses and streamline decision-making as pressure from tariffs mounts.”

“Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner and Walmart Global Chief Technology Officer Suresh Kumar said in a memo to employees on Wednesday that the company is reshaping some teams in its global tech and Walmart U.S. organizations where it has found ‘opportunities to remove layers and complexity, speed up decision-making, and help associates innovate rapidly,'” FoxBusiness reported.

FoxBusiness went on to report, “In the U.S., the cuts are specifically ‘mainly focused on driving efficiency’ within the company’s end-to-end operations teams and evolving the structure of its Walmart Connect marketing organization for long-term viability.”