- 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. Wicker among Senator to introduce Protect LNG Act
Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R), John Cornyn (R), and Tim Scott (R) in introducing the Protect LNG Act. This legislation, they say, would ensure that a court cannot vacate a previously authorized LNG permit, clarify the venue for LNG lawsuits before federal courts, and mandate that courts grant expedited decisions in relevant cases.
“The United States has an abundance of LNG, which is essential for establishing American energy dominance and safeguarding our national security. The Protect LNG Act would prevent energy production from being politicized or undermined by far-left environmental groups. I am committed to defending energy job creators and preserving American energy independence,” said Senator Wicker.
According to Wicker’s office, the bill would set a 90-day clock for lawsuits challenging a federal permit for an LNG facility and requires expedited review of lawsuits against LNG facilities. It would also ensure that a federal court cannot vacate previously authorized permits for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facilities, and it would specify that circuit court jurisdiction for litigation against LNG facilities shall be determined by the location of the facility, not the headquarters location of the federal agency that issued the permits.
2. USM, MGCCC partner on Coastal Pathways Scholarship program
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) held a joint press conference Thursday at the university’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach to unveil the new Coastal Pathways Scholarship, a collaborative effort designed to create a clear and affordable route for MGCCC graduates to complete their bachelor’s degrees at Southern Miss.
The schools said this new scholarship opportunity offers $5,000 annually to qualified transfer students from MGCCC and is renewable with continued eligibility.
The initiative reflects both institutions’ commitment to student success and workforce development across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the two said.
For more information on eligibility and the application process, prospective students are encouraged to visit the Gulf Park Coastal Pathways Scholarship website.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. FBI investigating impersonation of Trump Chief of Staff
As the Wall Street Journal reports, “Federal authorities are investigating a clandestine effort to impersonate White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, according to people familiar with the matter, after an unknown individual reached out to prominent Republicans and business executives pretending to be her.”
“In recent weeks, senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff, the people familiar with the messages said,” WSJ reported. “But the messages weren’t from Wiles—and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House are trying to figure out who is behind the effort and what the goal is, according to some of the people. FBI officials have told the White House they don’t believe a foreign nation is involved, some of the people said.”
2. Rahm Emanuel to the rescue for Democrats?
The Hill reports that Rahm Emanuel is flirting with a White House bid as Democrats search for a new leader.
“The Democrat has been an investment banker, congressman, White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor, and U.S. ambassador to Japan, and now he’s been thinking about adding another title to his long resume: president,” The Hill reported. “There’s just one problem: ‘As well-known as he is, people don’t really know him,’ said former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who is in touch with his former House colleague.”
The Hill noted, “Still, Israel and other Democrats familiar with Emanuel, 65, say it would be unwise to count him out… In the meantime, since leaving his post as ambassador to Japan under the Biden administration, he has been making the rounds and offering his blunt assessments of the state of the Democratic Party.”
Sports
1. Big 3 open regional play Friday
Mississippi’s Big 3 college baseball teams will open their NCAA regional play today. Here’s when they will take the field and how you can watch:
- Southern Miss faces Columbia at 6 p.m. in Hattiesburg. ESPN+ is streaming the game.
- Ole Miss will take on Murray State in Oxford at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
- Mississippi State will play Northeastern in Tallahassee at 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ will also carry this game.
2. Winner of East Central, PRCC game heads to NJCAA DII World Series Championship game
East Central Community College roared back Thursday night to take a revenge game against Pearl River Community College 6-5 at the NJCAA Division II World Series.
The two Mississippi teams will play again Friday at 7 p.m. with a berth in the World Series Championship game on the line in Enid, Oklahoma.
The entirety of the 2025 NJCAA DII World Series will be broadcast live on the NJCAA Network at NJCAA.org/network.
Markets & Business
1. Investors watching for latest trade news
CNBC reports that stock futures wavered Friday morning “as investors continue to navigate a volatile global trade landscape with President Donald Trump’s contentious plan for tariffs in legal limbo.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained points, sitting near flat. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures were also both little changed,” CNBC reported.
CNBC went on to report, “The Trump administration is now considering using a provision of the Trade Act of 1974 to implement tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days, according to The Wall Street Journal. This report comes as the administration searches for a legal avenue allowing the implementation of the plan for broad and steep tariffs after a court threw its legality into question.”
2. Biden-era ESG pension rule under scrutiny
FoxBusiness reports that conservative economists are urging the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “to take action on a Biden-era executive order that they argue allowed private pension managers to pursue a controversial investing strategy.”
“Two economists at the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) sent DOGE a letter on Thursday urging the administration to rescind the Labor Department rule finalized in January 2023: the Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights Rule,” FoxBusiness reported. “They argue the Biden-era rule allowed pension managers to consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment criteria such as climate change, green energy or other nonpecuniary factors rather than focusing on shareholder returns.”
“This new rule, the Biden-era rule that we’re suggesting gets looked at and changed, allows for just a handful of fund managers — it could be based on whatever ideological axe they have to grind — to make decisions on the basis of nonpecuniary ESG factors, and they don’t have to demonstrate or really even state that their decisions benefit the people whose funds they’re managing,” Dr. Paul Mueller, a senior research fellow at AIER, told FoxBusiness.
Magnolia Tribune
