- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Amtrak adds extra train car on Coast line
WLOX reports that as of Sunday, “Amtrak’s Mardi Gras service has been open for nearly a month. Now, a new train car has been added after football fans maxed out the train on previous weekends.”
“Southern Rail Commission President Knox Ross says more people will be taking advantage of the extra seating for that exact reason. He adds that extra seating is expected to be full when the Saints play at home,” WLOX reported.
WLOX noted, “The next home game for the Saints is October 5, where Amtrak Mardi Gras tickets start at $72 for the morning train; business class is already sold out for that morning.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Zelensky ready for face-to-face with Putin
According to The Hill, “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ‘ready’ to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face to negotiate an end to the war between their countries.”
“Sometimes we need it. Even if we don’t love faces,” Zelensky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria to laughter at the Yalta European Strategy Conference on Friday in Kyiv, Ukraine, per The Hill. The interview aired Sunday.
The Hill added, “Zelensky said finding peace first must involve a ceasefire… Zelensky’s Friday comments come after multiple Russian drones were shot down by NATO jets in Polish airspace Tuesday night, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. On Sunday, Russian officials and the Ukrainian military said Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region, according to The Associated Press.”
2. Kirk death viewed as a galvanizing force
The New York Times reports that conservatives see Charlie Kirk as a martyr, but also believe “his assassination could be a watershed moment that will propel their cause and cement both conservative and conservative Christian values in American life for decades to come.”
“Less than a week after Mr. Kirk was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University, the anger and grief remain raw for many across the country, and it’s difficult to predict the long-term political impact of Mr. Kirk’s death amid a highly charged climate,” NYT reported. “The movement he led may require more time to take shape without him. But many of Mr. Kirk’s allies have vowed to pick up his mantle and expand the reach of his beliefs.”
NYT went on to report, “For some conservatives, there is grim resolve that the death of the founder of a group called Turning Point USA could supercharge the generational rightward shift he had worked to fuel in life.”
Sports
1. JSU shuts out Tuskegee
After losing to Southern Miss last week, the Jackson State Tigers took a 30-0 victory over Tuskegee in the W.C. Gorden Classic on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the first shutout since Oct. 29, 2022 for the Tigers.
According to JSU Athletics, Jackson State (2-1) allowed Tuskegee to cross the 50-yard line just two times, one ending with a punt in the first and the second a blocked field goal by Kazarius Bowie to keep the shutout intact. They Tigers held Tuskegee (2-1) to 24 yards rushing on 20 carries – an average of 1.2 yards per carry – and seven total first downs. They also held the Golden Tigers to 85 yards passing, and just 109 yards of total offense on 40 plays on the afternoon.
JSU is off this week but will travel to face Southern on September 27.
2. Valley loses to Southeastern 56-3
The woes continue for Mississippi Valley State as they moved to 0-3 on the season with a 56-3 loss to Southeastern on Saturday.
The Delta Devils accounted for just 164 yards of total offense, with only 61 passing yards in the game.
Valley has lost the last two games by a combined score of 115-6.
The Delta Devils are off this week before hosting Texas Southern on September 27.
Markets & Business
1. Less survey responses affecting Labor reports?
The Wall Street Journal reports that falling survey participation “is an important reason the flagship jobs report released every month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the Labor Department, has undergone such big revisions recently.”
“This has rippled into the political sphere. On Aug. 1, President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a particularly large downward revision to jobs for May and June that owed partly to late responses from survey participants,” WSJ reported. “The White House and top administration officials increased their attacks on the BLS last week after the agency published an annual revision suggesting the U.S. added 911,000 fewer jobs over the 12 months through March. The BLS blamed the initial overestimate partly on response rates.”
WSJ continued, “Trump said the numbers were rigged to hurt him. In fact, current and former BLS officials attribute the revisions to a decline in participants responding on time, or at all. The problem is due to a variety of factors, few easily reversed.”
2. Tesla news, hopes of Fed rate cut push futures higher to open week
CNBC reports that stock futures “edged higher on Monday as investors braced for a crucial Federal Reserve meeting this week.”
“Tesla shares jumped 7% in the premarket after CEO Elon Musk disclosed an insider purchase of the stock worth about $1 billion, his largest buy in the open market ever and his first significant purchase since 2020. Traders took the buy as a vote of confidence by Musk in the company, which is attempting to turn its focus towards robotics as electric vehicle competition has intensified,” CNBC reported.
CNBC noted, “The strong gains come after the latest economic data showing a weakening labor market and tame inflation spurred hopes the Fed will cut interest rates when it concludes its meeting on Wednesday.”
Magnolia Tribune
