- 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. Mexican national pleads guilty in Lafayette County
WCBI reports that Mexican national Antonio Quintana-Rodriguez “pleaded guilty on June 26 to illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.”
“Quintana-Rodriguez was deported in 2013, but at some time between then and this year returned to the U.S.,” WCBI reported.
WCBI noted, “His status was discovered when he was arrested for Statutory Rape and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in Oxford back in April. He plead guilty to the Statutory Rape charge in Lafayette County Circuit Court in May.”
2. New PD coming to Terry
WJTV reports that Terry officials have broken ground on a new police department.
“A $400,000 check was presented to Terry Mayor Joseph Kendrick, Jr., by Rep. Gregory Holloway, Sr., (D-District 76) and State Senator Davis Blount (D-District 29) to help fund the project,” WJTV reported.
WJTV adds that the new police department will be located next to Terry City Hall on Cunningham Avenue.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. U.S. Senate barrels towards passage of ‘big, beautiful bill’
As The Hill reports, “Senate Republicans are facing a marathon session on Monday in order to pass President Trump’s ambitious tax and spending package and meet the White House’s end-of-week deadline to OK its top domestic agenda item.”
“The hours-long voting session was expected to start overnight, but GOP leaders opted to push it until 9 a.m. after a grueling weekend, which included Democrats forcing the Senate clerks to read all 940 pages of the bill,” The Hill reported. “That process took nearly 16 hours to complete, and was followed by debate on the bill itself that lasted into Monday morning before the chamber finally recessed.”
The Hill went on to report, “Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and some of his allies on Sunday unveiled an amendment to be introduced as part of the vote-a-rama that would prevent new enrollees in Medicaid expansion states from receiving the 9-to-1 enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) if they are able-bodied and don’t have dependent children. The change, which Scott, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) pushed for, would shrink Medicaid spending by more than $300 billion. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is also supporting the measure as part of a deal he struck with the conservatives to win their votes on Saturday’s motion to proceed.”
2. Idaho sniper kills 2 firefighters in ambush
The New York Times reports that a gunman “deliberately started a wildfire in a rugged mountain area of Idaho and then shot at the firefighters who responded, killing two and injuring another on Sunday afternoon in what the local sheriff described as a ‘total ambush.'”
“Law enforcement officers exchanged fire with the gunman while the wildfire burned, and officials later found the body of the male suspect on the mountain with a firearm nearby, Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said at a news conference on Sunday night,” NYT reported. “The authorities said they believed the suspect had acted alone but did not release any information about his identity or motives.”
NYT continued, “Over 300 law enforcement officers from numerous agencies responded, Sheriff Norris said. The F.B.I. confirmed they were there and helping the local authorities. As evening fell, the authorities used cellphone data to hone in on the suspect, and located his body, he said, adding that the body was moved because of the rapidly spreading fire. The authorities did not disclose the size of the fire.”
Sports
Sanders to be inducted into College Baseball Hall of Fame
Former Jackson State player Earl Sanders is among 21 standouts who will be inducted as part of the 2025 class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sanders starred at Jackson State for three years before he was drafted in the first round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. While at Jackson State, Sanders was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Hitter of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year. Before he was drafted, Sanders hit .432 with 17 homers and 60 RBI in 1986 leading the team to the NCAA Regionals hosted by LSU and a SWAC championship.
The school said Sanders becomes the second selection from Jackson State, joining former head coach Robert Braddy was inducted in 2016.
Markets & Business
1. Markets respond favorably to Canada trade talks
The Wall Street Journal reports that stock futures ticked higher early Monday “after Canada withdrew a digital-services tax, hoping to salvage U.S. trade talks.”
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Trump spoke Sunday, and the two leaders decided to move forward with discussions,” WSJ reported. “They aim to reach an agreement by July 21, a spokeswoman for Carney’s office said. On Friday, Trump had ended talks over the tax, which he said unfairly targeted U.S. tech companies.”
WSJ added, “Monday marks the final day of a whirlwind second quarter—one marked by a massive stock-market drawdown in April over Trump’s trade war and a subsequent stunning rebound. The S&P 500 notched Friday its first new high since February. The index is on pace to finish June with its largest quarterly gain since the first three months of 2024.”
2. Trump says ‘very wealthy people’ ready to buy TikTok
CNBC reports that President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview aired on Sunday that “he has a group of ‘very wealthy people’ ready to buy TikTok, whose identities he can reveal in about two weeks.”
“Trump added that the deal will probably need Beijing’s approval to move forward, but said ‘I think President Xi will probably do it,’ in reference to China’s leader Xi Jinping,” CNBC reported.
CNBC noted, “Earlier this month, Trump extended the deadline for ByteDance to divest from the platform’s U.S. business. It was his third extension since the Supreme Court upheld the TikTok law just a few days before Trump’s second presidential inauguration in January. The new deadline is Sept. 17.”
Magnolia Tribune
