
- 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. Singing River to open new Healthcare Academy in Ocean Springs

Singing River Health System’s new Healthcare Academy will officially open its doors with a Business After Hours celebration on Thursday, August 14, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 3401 Bienville Blvd. in Ocean Springs.
As the first program of its kind in the state, the system said Singing River Healthcare Academy offers a unique “earn while you learn” model, combining classroom instruction with paid, hands-on clinical training in real-world medical environments.
The Healthcare Academy was created to build a sustainable talent pipeline while expanding access to meaningful careers in healthcare. Students at the Healthcare Academy train in hospital-like settings designed to mirror real clinical environments.
The system said the community is invited to attend and explore the innovative new facility that is transforming healthcare workforce development on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
2. Miss. Dept. of Education recognizes elementary schools’ reading programs

The Mississippi Department of Education said Monday that it has designated seven elementary schools as Mississippi Emerging Science of Reading (SOR) Schools and one school as a Mississippi Science of Reading School for the 2025-26 school year.
The seven 2025-26 Mississippi Emerging Science of Reading Schools are:
- Lewisburg Primary
- Lake Cormorant Elementary
- Luther Branson Elementary
- McLaurin Elementary
- Pelahatchie Elementary
- North Bay Elementary
- Waveland Elementary
The 2025-26 Mississippi Science of Reading School is Senatobia Elementary in the Senatobia Municipal School District.
The department said the Mississippi Emerging SOR designation is for schools that have trained teachers in the science of reading, exemplified a change of instructional practices, and embodied a school culture that focuses on building skillful, strong readers in kindergarten through third grade. The Mississippi SOR designation may be awarded to a school that has been an Emerging SOR school for two consecutive years.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to see what’s on Putin’s mind in Friday meeting

Of his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said Monday that “probably in the first two minutes I’ll know exactly whether or not a deal can get done,” the New York Times reports.
NYT reported that “Mr. Trump reiterated that he planned to negotiate what he called ‘land swaps’ and batted away the statements over the weekend by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that his country’s Constitution prohibited him from giving away land to an invader.”
“In describing the meeting, Mr. Trump told reporters that ‘I’m going to Russia on Friday,’ and repeated a version of the same statement several minutes later. In fact, the meeting is set to take place in Alaska, which has not been part of Russia since 1867, when it was sold to the United States for $7.2 million,” NYT reported. “‘I’m going to see what he has in mind,’ Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin, whom he has talked to over secure lines at least five times since he took office in January. He said he would judge ‘if it’s a fair deal.’”
2. Two dead, 10 injured in explosion at U.S. Steel plant

The Wall Street Journal reports that an explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, Pennsylvania “has killed two people and injured 10 more, authorities said Monday.”
“One person was found and hospitalized hours after the explosion, officials said. Officials said late Monday evening that rescue crews searching for a man missing after the blast had found him dead,” WSJ reported. “Of the 10 people taken to local hospitals, five were released and five were in critical but stable condition, officials said. More people were injured and treated at the scene.”
WSJ continued, “U.S. Steel’s investigation into the explosion would include employee interviews and outside experts, said Kurt Barshick, the vice president of Mon Valley Works, which Clairton plant is part of. He said the extent of the damage wasn’t yet known.”
Sports
1. Six to be enshrined in Ole Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Ole Miss Athletics says they will honor its 2025 inductees into the M-Club Hall of Fame this fall, with six Rebels across five different sports being enshrined.
The 2025 M-Club Hall of Fame class includes:
- Stacy Andrews (track and field/football)
- Kenny Carlyle (baseball)
- Lance Lynn (baseball)
- Jim Poole Jr. (football)
- Marilyn Brooks Thomas (women’s basketball)
- Regina Thomas (volleyball)
Additionally, Sheila Sullivan Hickman will receive the George Lotterhos Service Award.
The school said an induction ceremony is planned for Thursday, Nov. 13 at The Inn at Ole Miss. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 15. The Hall of Fame Class will also be honored two days later at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during the Rebels’ contest against Florida on Nov. 15.
2. MSU’s Smith named to Bednarik watchlist

Mississippi State Athletics announced Monday that football safety Isaac Smith was named to the 2025 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, per the Maxwell Football Club.
The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football.
MSU said Smith, who earned Second Team All-SEC honors from the League’s coaches last Fall, played in 11 games, registering 127 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three pass break-ups and one fumble recovery. He led the SEC in tackles and finished seventh nationally, becoming the third consecutive Mississippi State player to lead the SEC in tackles.
Markets & Business
1. Investors await latest inflation, consumer data

CNBC reports that investors are focused on the July consumer price index report, “hoping to gather potential insight into how the Federal Reserve will handle short-term interest rates, especially as the S&P 500 hovers near an all-time high.”
“The report comes as traders weigh the latest developments on the tariff front. President Donald Trump said Monday he’d extend a 90-day pause on higher levies on Chinese goods,” CNBC reported, adding, “Wall Street will also parse Thursday’s producer price index report for a reading on wholesale inflation.”
CNBC went on to note, “Both reports come ahead of the Fed’s Jackson Hole gathering at the end of August, ahead of the central bank’s September policy meeting. The market is currently pricing in a nearly 87% chance of a rate cut next month, per trading data from the CME’s FedWatch Tool.”
2. Trump nominates Antoni for BLS

As The Hill reports, “President Trump on Monday announced he would nominate E.J. Antoni, a top economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, to serve as the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after he pushed out the previous leader.”
“Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE,” Trump posted on Truth Social, per The Hill. “I know E.J. Antoni will do an incredible job in this new role. Congratulations E.J.!”
The Hill noted, “Antoni is the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and previously contributed to Project 2025’s policy rubric, which outlined potential moves for the next GOP administration during the 2024 campaign.”