- 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. AG’s Operation Safe Online Summer results in 11 arrests, one rescued victim
Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the completion of statewide Operation Safe Online Summer, which resulted in 11 arrests and one victim rescued in Mississippi.
According to the AG, Mississippi’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force completed Operation Safe Online Summer which led to execution of 53 state and 3 federal search warrants, issuance of 28 state and 3 federal subpoenas, investigations of 33 citizen complaints and Cybertips, 11 arrests, and 1 child victim rescued from ongoing abuse.
ICAC investigators examined more than 16 Terabytes of data, including 17 computers, 60 cell phones/tablets, and 16 pieces of other digital storage.
In addition, during the operation, AGO and ICAC affiliates engaged in 12 community presentations and activities to raise awareness of online safety tips.
2. Lasseter, Patrick take on new roles at MDAC
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced key leadership assignments at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) this week.
Michael Lasseter, longtime MDAC employee and current executive director of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, has been appointed chief projects officer. In this new executive role, Lasseter will oversee special projects for the entire agency including renovation and improvement projects at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, the MDAC’s main office in Jackson, as well as the Bureau of Plant Industries office in Starkville and the metrology laboratory at Alcorn State University.
In addition, Hayes Patrick, deputy commissioner for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, will assume the responsibilities of acting executive director of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, while continuing to serve as deputy commissioner. Patrick joined MDAC in 2019 as the director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and has served as the deputy commissioner since 2023. Patrick earned his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Mississippi College and his B.A. from Mississippi College in Christian Studies and Philosophy.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump reportedly approved Iran attack plans
The Wall Street Journal reports that “President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program, people familiar with the deliberations said.”
“The U.S. has built up military forces in the region in recent days. A third U.S. Navy destroyer entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a second U.S. carrier strike group is heading toward the Arabian Sea,” WSJ reported. “While the Pentagon said the buildup is defensive, it better positions the U.S. should Trump decide to join Israeli attacks on Iran. It could also be a tactic to pressure Iran to capitulate or make concessions.”
WSJ went on to report, “Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country wouldn’t surrender and warned any U.S. military intervention would bring irreparable consequences.”
2. Senators on both sides question U.S. Israel-Iran involvement
As The Hill reports, “Senators in both parties are growing increasingly nervous about the possibility that President Trump could insert the United States directly in the Israel-Iran war with a decision to bomb Iran to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
“It’s not clear whether Trump has made a decision himself on an issue that divides his own party and the MAGA movement. On Wednesday, he said, ‘I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,'” The Hill reported, adding, “According to one Senate GOP aide, the GOP conference has a “healthy mix” on the question of getting more involved.”
The Hill added, “Republicans broadly believe that Trump has the authority to order a strike on Iran if he so chooses. The line they do not want to see crossed is putting troops on the ground in the region, and some of them do not see Trump taking that kind of step.”
Sports
1. Elliott named NCAA Division I Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winner
Ole Miss Athletics is celebrating pitcher Hunter Elliott being named a 2025 NCAA Division I Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winner as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association Wednesday afternoon.
The school said Elliott becomes the first pitcher in Ole Miss history to win the award and the third Rebel ever, joining Hayden Dunhurst (2021) and Stuart Turner (2013).
The redshirt junior made 16 starts for the Rebels as the team’s primary Friday night starter, posting a 10-3 record with an ERA of 2.94 and 102 strikeouts. He held opponents to a .197 batting average and picked off 13 baserunners, more than any other Rebel in the Modern Era.
2. Shuckers clinch first half South Division title
The Biloxi Shuckers (40-25) clinched the First Half title in the South Division with a 6-2 victory over the Knoxville Smokies (30-34) at Keesler Federal Park on Wednesday night.
The division title marks the Shuckers’ first since 2019, and clinches a playoff berth for the second consecutive season.
The Shuckers are scheduled to host games two and three (if necessary) of the Southern League Division Series on September 18 and 19 at 6:35 p.m.
Markets & Business
1. Middle East conflict driving up shipping insurance costs
CNBC reports that Israel and Iran’s escalating conflict “has significantly driven up the cost of insurance for ships sailing through the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.”
“Marine insurers are now charging 0.2% of the value of a ship for journeys into the Gulf, according to data from the world’s largest insurance broker Marsh McLennan, up from 0.125% prior to Israel’s surprise attack on Iran last week,” CNBC reports. “There has also been an uptick in war risk insurance rates for the Red Sea, Marsh said, while cover relating to ports in Israel has more than tripled to 0.7%.”
CNBC noted, “The length of time quotes are valid for has been cut to 24 hours from most leaders, Marsh said, down from 48 hours previously.”
2. Senate passes crypto legislation
FoxBusiness reports that the U.S. Senate passed “the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act on Tuesday, after the landmark crypto legislation faced a number of hurdles before making it across the finish line in the upper chamber.”
“One of the bill’s biggest advocates is Senate Banking Committee Chairman and former presidential candidate Tim Scott, R-S.C., who led the bill through his committee with Democrat support. Scott said the GENIUS Act ‘is the first of its kind’ after the bill passed the senate in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital,” FoxBusiness reported.
“We’re on the cusp of doing something that’s never been done in the history of the country,” Scott explained, per FoxBusiness. “This is more about democratization than it is about Democrats or Republicans. This is about making sure that single mothers like the one that raised me, she can have an expectation that this digital economy will actually lower costs and let her use those dollars on other priorities.”
Magnolia Tribune
