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In Mississippi
Former UMMC pediatric doctor under investigation by AG
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday that their office is seeking information in an open investigation into a former pediatric doctor at UMMC.
Dr. Mehul Dixit was indicted on August 11, 2025 by a Hinds County Grand Jury on thirteen counts of gratification of lust of a vulnerable person and twelve counts of sexual battery of a vulnerable person. Dixit previously worked as a pediatric nephrologist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The indictment is centered on clinical visits that occurred from 2013-2023.
If you have information relating to this case, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office is asking you to contact them at medicaidfraud@ago.ms.gov and 800-852-8341.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump, Putin set to meet in Alaska Friday
As the New York Times reports, “President Trump is set to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Alaska this Friday. The abrupt nature of the summit and Mr. Trump’s penchant for pursuing deals are feeding questions about the potential outcome.”
“On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine joined a phone call between Mr. Trump and European leaders, who said they had hammered out five principles for the negotiations. They included the idea of pursuing a cease-fire first, according to the Ukrainian president,” NYT reported. “Given that the meeting will not include a representative from Ukraine, chances of a breakthrough are considered slim. Mr. Trump has said that he would call Mr. Zelensky directly after his talks with Mr. Putin, and that he considered the Alaska summit a prelude to a Putin-Zelensky meeting.”
NYT went on to report, “Mr. Trump will meet Mr. Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage on Friday, according to the Kremlin and a White House official familiar with the planning. The Kremlin said the meeting was expected to begin at around 11:30 a.m. local time.”
2. Democrats trying to balance old, new candidates for midterms
The Washington Post reports that many liberal activists “have called for the Democratic old guard to stand down and make way for a new generation of candidates who can connect with younger voters and appear authentic in using new communication technologies.”
“These calls are part of the fallout from the waning months of Joe Biden’s presidency, as voters recoiled at the idea of reelecting an 82-year-old,” WP reported, adding, “Yet seasoned party operatives have dismissed these calls. Instead, they have continued to focus recruiting efforts on candidates with proven track records of winning in states that have otherwise broken toward President Donald Trump over the past decade.”
WP continued, reporting that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said to win the majority, “Democrats are going to need a mixture of these candidates who serve as a comfortable old shoe for voters and the younger newcomers to pull off a few upsets.”
Sports
1. MS JUCO football set to kickoff August 28
Mississippi JUCO football is back, with kickoffs slated for August 28, two weeks from today.
The teams have been going through fall camp in preparation for the start of the new season with new head coaches in a few spots and lots of incoming players both from the high school level and bounce backs from higher levels.
Here is the schedule for Week 1:
- Coahoma at Co-Lin
- East MS at MGCCC
- Southwest at Holmes
- Hinds at Itawamba
- Jones at MS Delta
- Northeast at East Central
- Northwest at Pearl River
2. Five former Ole Miss baseball players make MLB Top 30 prospects list
Ole Miss Athletics says Major League Baseball’s MLB Pipeline released an updated version of their Top 30 Prospect Lists for each team this week and five former Rebels had their names added to the lists.
Kemp Alderman is the highest ranked Rebel, coming in at No. 11 in the Miami Marlins organization. Mason Morris, Ole Miss’ highest draft pick from the 2025 MLB Draft, debuts as the No. 15 ranked prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Gunnar Hoglund is now the No. 16 ranked prospect in the Athletics organization after making his debut earlier this year. Jacob Gonzalez comes in as the No. 17 prospect in the White Sox organization after working his way up to Triple-A just a couple of weeks ago. Luke Hill debuts as the No. 27 ranked prospect in the Cleveland Guardians organization after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Markets & Business
1. Blue cities, states looking for ways to raise taxes
The Wall Street Journal reports, “A growing number of blue cities and states across the country, from Washington state to Rhode Island, are looking at ways to wring more revenue from their richest taxpayers.”
“Lawmakers are boosting tax rates on robust annual incomes, hiking capital-gains taxes, and putting new levies on luxury vacation homes,” WSJ reported. “Some state legislators have proposed higher taxes in response to projected shortfalls in federal funding related to President Trump’s new tax law, which extends a broad federal tax cut to the wealthy. The law also makes deep cuts to funding for such programs as Medicaid, pressuring states to make up some or all of the shortfall.”
WSJ noted, “Tax hikes on the rich have long raised fears among low-tax advocates that they will prompt an exodus of the wealthy. Some wealthy people fled the U.K. after its recent decision to abolish a centuries-old tax loophole. Worries about tax flight have cropped up in New York City with the rise of Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist running for mayor. He has proposed a 2% tax on New Yorkers earning more than $1 million a year.”
2. After new record closings, futures open flat
CNBC reports that stock futures “traded near the flatline Thursday, weighed down by mixed earnings results, a day after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite scaled to new records.”
“The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached fresh intraday and closing record highs on Wednesday, rising 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively,” CNBC reported. “The benchmarks got a jolt this week after the release of a cooler-than-expected inflation report for July. That report stoked hopes among investors for a rate cut from the Federal Reserve at the end of its September policy meeting.”
CNBC noted, “More economic data releases are on the docket for Thursday. July’s producer price index reading — as well as jobless claims data for the week ended Aug. 9 — is slated for release at 8:30 a.m. ET.”
