- 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. Mississippi AG launches robocall roundup targeting providers
Attorney General Lynn Fitch has launched Operation Robocall Roundup, a multistate effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force, including Attorney General Fitch and 50 other state attorneys general, to crack down on robocalls across the country.
The Attorney General’s Office said Thursday that Fitch sent warning letters to 37 voice providers demanding that they act now to stop illegal robocalls being routed through their networks.
The AG said that the providers warned Thursday haven’t complied with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules about responding to government traceback requests, haven’t registered in the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Databases, or haven’t filed a plan that describes how they will reduce illegal robocalls on their network. By disregarding these simple rules, the AG said these companies are allowing robocallers onto their phone networks and then passing their calls on to other downstream providers until they reach the phones of Mississippians.
According to the AG, the task force is also sending the warnings letters to 99 downstream providers that accept call traffic from the 37 companies, “so that they know they’re doing business with bad actors that are not willing to follow the rules that apply to everyone equally.”
2. NOAA forecasters revise hurricane season outlook downward
Forecasters from NOAA’s National Weather Service have slightly revised their 2025 hurricane season outlook downward. So far, the season has produced four named tropical storms and no hurricanes.
“NOAA stands ready to provide the forecasts and warnings that are vital for safeguarding lives, property, and communities,” said Acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm. “As we enter the second half of the season, this updated hurricane outlook serves as a call to action to prepare now, in advance, rather than delay until a warning is issued.”
The new forecast for the second half of this year’s hurricane season shows the number of expected named storms to be 13-18 (with winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 5-9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), including 2-5 major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater).
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump, redistricting and a new Census?
As The Hill reports, President Donald Trump “is raising the stakes of the midterms redistricting fight with his push to revive a battle over the census.”
“Trump on Thursday directed the Commerce Department to start work on a ‘new’ census. Work is already underway for the census scheduled for 2030,” The Hill reported. “The president said in a Truth Social post that the next census should not count those who are in the country without authorization and use the ‘results and information gained’ from the 2024 presidential election.”
The Hill went on to report that the plan would likely face significant legal hurdles. “The Constitution’s 14th Amendment says the decennial census should be conducted on the basis of the total number of people in each state. The Supreme Court effectively blocked the citizenship question from being added to the 2020 census.”
2. Education Dept. takes on race-based college admissions
On Thursday, the Education Secretary Linda McMahon directed the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to collect admissions data for institutions of higher education that will allow Americans to ensure race-based preferences are not used in university admissions processes. The department said this was being done to fulfill President Trump’s memorandum directing the department to promote transparency in higher education.
“As part of their regular data reporting process, institutions of higher education will now have to report data disaggregated by race and sex relating to their applicant pool, admitted cohort, and enrolled cohort at the undergraduate level and for specific graduate and professional programs,” the department stated. “This data will include quantitative measures of applicants’ and admitted students’ academic achievements such as standardized test scores, GPAs and other applicant characteristics.”
Secretary McMahon has also directed NCES to develop a rigorous audit process to ensure the data being collected is accurate and reported consistently across institutions.
Sports
1. Banks named Ole Miss Chucky Mullins winner
Ole Miss football has announced that senior linebacker Tyler Banks has been named the winner of the 2025 Chucky Mullins Courage Award. Head Coach Lane Kiffin made the news public on Thursday.
The program said Banks becomes the 35th recipient in the 36-year history of the award.
The award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991.
2. Braxton named to Davey O’Brien watchlist
Southern Miss Athletics announced that transfer quarterback Braylon Braxton has been named to the 2025 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List.
This marks the fourth preseason national watch list for Braxton, who has also earned a spot on the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Wuerffel Trophy and the Maxwell Award.
Braxton, who transferred from Marshall this past offseason was named the Sun Belt Conference’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Markets & Business
1. Trump names Miran to Fed Board
As FoxBusiness reports, “President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he has selected Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to join the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the panel tasked with helping guide the nation’s monetary policy.”
“Trump said in a Truth Social post that Miran will serve in the role until Jan. 31 of next year,” FoxBusiness reported, adding, “Miran, a veteran of both Trump administrations, will ascend to the role following Senate approval.”
“In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement,” Trump wrote, adding that Miran has a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard, per FoxBusiness.
2. Dow down Thursday but futures higher for Friday
CNBC reports that stock futures “ticked higher on Friday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average logged its second losing day in the past three.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 99 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each climbed 0.3%,” CNBC reported. “In Thursday’s regular trading, the 30-stock Dow closed down about 224 points, or 0.5%, while the S&P 500 ended the session off 0.08%. The Nasdaq Composite outperformed and added nearly 0.4%.”
CNBC added, “The blue-chip Dow saw some sharp swings during the day, up 305 points at its high and down nearly 394 points at its low.”
Magnolia Tribune
