- 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. MSU, ECCC partner to expand access to culinology degree
Mississippi State and East Central Community College in Decatur announced a partnership Monday to create a seamless transfer pathway for culinary arts students to pursue a bachelor’s degree in culinology at the university.
The two schools said MSU President Mark E. Keenum and ECCC President Brent Gregory signed a memorandum of understanding, giving transfer students the opportunity to earn this degree in a field with 100% job placement.
In addition to ECCC, MSU holds similar agreements with Coahoma, Copiah-Lincoln, Hinds, Holmes, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Northeast Mississippi community colleges, and Jones College. The university’s traditional four-year culinology degree is offered in partnership with the Mississippi University for Women.
2. UMMC receives $2 million grant to support nursing programs
The University of Mississippi Medical Center announced Monday that its School of Nursing has received a $2 million grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF to support undergraduate programs through the establishment of the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship.
UMMC said this gift will create 167 full scholarships for traditional and accelerated BSN programs at the School of Nursing’s locations in Jackson and Oxford over the next three years.
“Nurses are the heart of every health care team,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs. “Their expertise, compassion and dedication not only save lives but also shape the future of health care. We cannot achieve our vision of a healthier Mississippi without increasing the number of nurses in our state.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump lays path to peace talks between Ukraine, Russia
As reported by The Hill, “President Trump embraced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House and voiced optimism Russia will come to the table to end its brutal war against Kyiv, even as questions linger over unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine in a potential peace deal.”
“Trump used Monday’s Oval Office appearance with Zelensky to amp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to join trilateral talks to end the war, while an extraordinary delegation of seven European leaders, during their own White House meeting, sought to bolster Ukraine’s negotiating position,” The Hill reported. “Later, Trump said he spoke with Putin and began arranging a potential bilateral meeting between the Russian leader and Zelensky at a time and location to be determined. It would mark the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky since Russia’s full invasion in February 2022.”
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.”
2. DOJ to begin sharing Epstein files with Congress Friday
The New York Times reports that Congressman James R. Comer, the Kentucky Republican who leads the Oversight Committee, “said on Monday that the Justice Department would miss his panel’s Tuesday subpoena deadline for providing files related to the accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein but would begin sharing some records starting Friday.”
“There are many records in D.O.J.’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted,” Mr. Comer said in a statement, per NYT.
NYT went on to report, “The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. But it is expected to provide documents on a rolling basis, which will likely force Republican lawmakers to confront continued questions about the Epstein files that have already plagued them for months.”
Sports
Darby, Holloway to call Ole Miss basketball
Ole Miss Athletics said Monday that the Ole Miss Radio Network is excited to unveil a new broadcast team for men’s basketball with play-by-play announcer Gary Darby and color analyst Murphy Holloway, who will begin covering the team in the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The school said the new duo replaces the crew of David Kellum, who decided to step away from men’s basketball while remaining on the call for football and baseball at Ole Miss, and Marc Dukes, who retired at the conclusion of last season.
“Both Darby and Holloway are familiar names for Rebel Nation. Darby has held various roles for the Ole Miss Radio Network in his 35-year career and most recently served as the studio host for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies radio network, while Holloway was an All-SEC forward for the Rebels for four seasons,” Ole Miss Athletics said.
Markets & Business
1. Investors await clues from Powell later this week
CNBC reports that stock futures ticked lower Tuesday “as new earnings from major retailers began to roll in, while traders looked ahead to a key speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later in the week.”
“Investors have awaited these reports as they search for clues on how the consumer is faring amid a mixed inflation outlook and evolving U.S. trade policy,” CNBC reported. “Wall Street is also awaiting clues from Fed Chair Jerome Powell as to what will happen at the central bank’s remaining policy meetings this year. Central bank officials from around the globe will convene this week in Jackson Hole, Wyo. for the Fed’s annual economic symposium.”
CNBC added, “The fed funds futures market is indicating an 83% chance for a quarter-point rate cut at the Fed’s next policy meeting in September, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.”
2. Left-leaning MSNBC rebranding to MS NOW
The Wall Street Journal reports that MSNBC is changing its name in its spinoff from Comcast’s NBCUniversal.
“The left-leaning cable network will rebrand as My Source News Opinion World, or MS NOW, staffers were told on Monday,” WSJ reported. “The shift is part of an effort to distance the network from its NBC heritage and establish its own identity ahead of the planned spinoff of the bulk of NBCUniversal’s cable networks later this year, including CNBC, USA, Oxygen and E!. MS NOW’s new logo features a blue, white and red color scheme.”
WSJ noted, “CNBC will keep its name, which originally stood for Consumer News and Business Channel, and is working on a new logo. The new names and brands will be rolled out later this year, ahead of the completion of the spinoff.”
Magnolia Tribune
