- 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. Former JPD Chief joins Methodist Rehabilitation Center
Methodist Rehabilitation Center (MRC) announced the appointment of former Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade as its new Director of Security, effective September 9, 2025.
Wade suddenly resigned last week from his post at JPD.
“Chief Wade is deeply respected across Mississippi for his leadership and commitment to serving others,” said David McMillin, CEO of MRC. “His experience and character make him the ideal leader to oversee the safety and security of our patients, staff, and visitors.”
As Director of Security, Chief Wade will oversee all aspects of MRC’s safety operations, including emergency preparedness, facility security, and collaboration with local agencies.
2. MBN, Capitol Police announce drug bust
On Tuesday, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from Capitol Police, announced a major drug bust that resulted in the recovery of 100 pounds of methamphetamine and other items in the continued effort to remove dangerous drugs from our streets.
During the execution of a search warrant on August 7, authorities said they arrested Racquel Taylor for aggravated trafficking after finding her in possession of 100 pounds of meth at a home on South Crownpointe Drive in Jackson. On August 12, officials also arrested Tyrone Samuel on charges of aggravated trafficking and conspiracy. Samuel is currently out on bond from Madison County.
Authorities recovered approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine, two pounds of marijuana, 1,000 doses of M30 counterfeit Oxycodone containing fentanyl, a Draco 7.62 rifle, a stolen Ford Bronco out of Kentucky, and a GMC Yukon.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Fifth Circuit blocks deportations under Alien Enemies Act
The New York Times reports that a federal appeals court late Tuesday “rejected President Trump’s attempts to use an 18th-century wartime law to deport immigrants he has accused of belonging to a violent Venezuelan street gang.”
“The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, was the first time that federal appellate judges had weighed in on the substantive question of whether Mr. Trump had properly invoked the law, the Alien Enemies Act, as part of his aggressive deportation agenda,” NYT reported. “While the ruling by a divided three-judge panel of one of the most conservative courts in the country was a defeat for the administration, the issue was still likely to be heard by the Supreme Court.”
NYT went on to report that “the appellate panel, in a 2-to-1 decision, roundly rejected his assertions that the American homeland was in fact under invasion by Tren de Aragua, rebuffing the idea that immigration, even at a large scale, was synonymous with a military breach of U.S. borders.”
2. House Oversight releases first batch of Epstein files
As The Hill reports, “The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday made public a batch of files it said it received from the Justice Department (DOJ) in response to its subpoena for documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”
“The committee said the information released Tuesday, posted in multiple files and folders on Google Drive and Dropbox, includes 33,295 pages of material provided to the panel by the Justice Department last month,” The Hill reported. “House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) had subpoenaed the DOJ for the ‘Epstein Files’ in August, pursuant to a Democratic-led motion in a subcommittee. Republicans say that more disclosures from the DOJ are expected.”
The Hill continued, “The documents released Tuesday include a court decision, videos from outside Epstein’s jail cell and of his Florida home, and audio files of the interview Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell did with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this year, all of which had already been made public.”
Sports
MSU’s Jepleting earns SEC honor
Mississippi State cross country athlete Naomi Jepleting earned her first SEC Weekly honor after being named the Freshman Runner of the Week, announced on Tuesday.
Jepleting made her collegiate cross country debut last weekend, racing at the City Auto Memphis Twilight XC Classic. Jepleting finished second overall with 16:55.7 in the 5k, helping the team to an overall win.
Jepleting’s time is now a new program record in the 5k, surpassing the previous record of 16:57 run by Rhianwedd Price-Weimer back in 2014. Jepleting is the first cross country athlete for State to earn an SEC Weekly honor since the 2010s.
Markets & Business
1. Google not forced to spinoff Chrome
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google “avoided harsh antitrust penalties for its conduct in the U.S. search market, with a judge barring the company from entering into exclusive deals but rejecting a forced spinoff of its Chrome browser and other sweeping remedies sought by the Justice Department.”
“U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta in a Tuesday ruling said Google can’t pay to be the exclusive search engine on devices and browsers, but he allowed the company to continue making payments for distribution of its products, saying a prohibition on those agreements would harm recipients such as Apple,” WSJ reported.
WSJ added, “Mehta’s order follows his ruling last year that Google illegally monopolized the search market for more than a decade. That opinion said Google used illegal distribution agreements with companies such as Apple to build and maintain a 90% market share and prevent rivals from developing competitive alternatives.”
2. Investors optimistic tech giants can weather regulatory storm
CNBC reports that stock futures “were flat to higher Wednesday after a federal court decision in an Alphabet antitrust case fueled optimism that the tech giants will be able to weather regulatory threats.”
“Wednesday’s comeback was led mostly by tech, which is why the less-tech-focused Dow futures were little changed. Shares of energy and bank shares were weak in the premarket as concern lingered about a slowing economy and jumping bond yields,” CNBC reported.
CNBC noted, “Shares of the Google parent jumped 6% in premarket trading after a federal judge ruled Tuesday that Google can keep its Chrome browser but won’t be allowed to strike exclusive search deals and must share its search data. The decision avoided the worst-case outcome for the tech giant, and largely drew from the idea that artificial intelligence has provided more choice to consumers.”
Magnolia Tribune
