- 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. USM, PRCC partner in Coastal Pathways Scholarship program
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Pearl River Community College (PRCC) held a joint press conference Wednesday at the University’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach to unveil the Coastal Pathways Scholarship—a collaborative effort the schools say is designed to create a clear and affordable route for PRCC graduates to complete their bachelor’s degrees at Southern Miss.
The scholarship offers $5,000 annually to qualified transfer students from PRCC and is renewable with continued eligibility in one of nine majors at the Gulf Park campus.
“This scholarship pathway represents more than just financial support—it’s about creating opportunities for student success,” said Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul in a statement. “By partnering with Pearl River Community College, we’re building a direct and affordable route for students to continue their education and make meaningful contributions to our coastal communities.”
2. MSU’s Anthony co-authors new Mississippi history textbook for schools
Mississippi State University announced Wednesday that their professor and head of MSU’s Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, Kenneth Anthony, is the co-author of “Mississippi: Our History, Our Home,” the most recent Mississippi history textbook adopted by the state for middle and high school students. The book is a revision of the late David Sansing’s 2013 textbook, “A Place Called Mississippi.”
“It’s important to revise history textbooks because over time, we have more information about the past and our understanding of events changes,” Anthony said in a statement. “This revision was guided by what I learned from research I conducted about reconstruction narratives in older Mississippi history textbooks.”
The school said some of the ‘new’ history in the textbook includes the state flag adopted in 2021 and the state song “One Mississippi” adopted in 2022. The revision shines new light on Emmett Till’s story, documenting the false accusation that led to his lynching in 1955. It also includes new archaeology information about the earliest inhabited site in the state and expands the Civil War narrative, adding battles and engagements throughout Mississippi.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Redistricting ahead of midterms causing parties to scramble
As The Hill reports, “The redistricting war is heating up as both parties look to gain ground in the race for the House next year.”
“Texas Republicans are moving forward this week with redrawing district lines, while Republicans in other states like Missouri could follow suit. Democrats from California to New Jersey have taken notice, ramping up calls to redraw their maps in an effort to blunt the GOP’s efforts,” The Hill reported. “The redistricting tit-for-tat threatens to roil the midterms, sowing uncertainty in an election that will reshape the remainder of President Trump’s term.”
The Hill went on to report, “In a memo released Wednesday, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee argued the party should be focused more on flipping state legislatures in an effort to fight back on redistricting.”
2. Gabbard doubles down on allegations against Obama administration
FoxNews reports that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard “doubled down on her allegations that Obama administration officials politicized intelligence and laid the groundwork for a ‘years-long coup’ against President Donald Trump after he won the 2016 election.”
“There are a lot of deep state actors still here within Washington. President Trump wants us to find the truth. I want to find that truth. The American people deserve the truth, and they deserve accountability, which is I’m really glad to see that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice announced the creation of a strike force team today,” she told FoxNews’ Jesse Watters. “Specifically, to get after all the intelligence and evidence that we have gathered. We have more coming and to determine the path forward to bring about that accountability.”
FoxNews noted, “Gabbard, who sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice over the declassified documents, told Fox News host Jesse Watters that she’ll continue pursuing accountability for the American people.”
Sports
1. Delta State lands 5 on Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Football Team
Five players on the Delta State University Statesmen Football team were listed on the 2025 Preseason All-Gulf South Conference Football Team as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The Statesmen hold two spots on the offensive side of the ball and three on defense.
The school announced that Quarterback Cole Kirk, receiver Neno Lemay received the honors on offense while linebacker William Carter, and defensive backs Taylon Doss, and Jarius McFarland received all-conference recognition for the green and white.
The Statesmen kick off their 2025 season just over a month from now as they will host the Mules from the University of Central Missouri on Thursday, August 28th in Parker Field at McCool Stadium.
2. Garris returns as Southern Miss Asst. Basketball Coach
Southern Miss head basketball coach Jay Ladner has added Bryce Garris to his staff for the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach and director of player personnel.
The school said Garris is making his second stop in Hattiesburg after previously serving as a graduate assistant under Ladner during the 2019-20 season.
Prior to coming back to Hattiesburg, Garris was coaching with Bab Elite AAU. Garris has also made stops at Kentucky Wesleyan, Georgetown College and Tallahassee Community College.
Markets & Business
1. Stocks again at record highs fueled by trade talks
CNBC reports that stocks are coming off a strong performance Wednesday, fueled by progress on trade talks.
“The S&P 500 added 0.78% to hit its 12th record close of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.14%, or 507.85 points — about four points away from a new record close. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.61% and settled above the 21,000 level for the first time,” CNBC reported.
CNBC continued by noting that Big Tech companies reported a mixed bag of earnings Wednesday, reporting, “Alphabet rose almost 4% after posting a second-quarter earnings and revenue beat, while Tesla was last down about 6% in volatile trading after investors were disappointed by a drop in auto revenue for the second straight quarter.”
2. Trump to visit Federal Reserve
The New York Times reports that President Trump will visit the Federal Reserve on Thursday, “increasing the administration’s pressure on the central bank after attacks over its management of the economy and renovations underway at its headquarters in Washington.”
“No additional details were given about the visit beyond that it would last about an hour,” NYT reported of the White House’s published scheduled for Trump. “It did not specify whether Mr. Trump would be meeting with Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair and the primary target of the president’s repeated attacks on the central bank.”
NYT added, “Top administration officials were already scheduled to tour the construction site on Thursday, a concession that was granted to them by the Fed as it has sought to deflect criticism of the project, which involves a pair of buildings that are close to 100 years old and undergoing a roughly $2.5 billion revamp.”
