- 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. Mississippi Auditor partners with ICE
State Auditor Shad White announced Tuesday that the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor (OSA) has signed onto an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to have OSA agents trained and approved by ICE to execute functions of immigration enforcement within the state if needed.
“ICE agents and the Trump administration are working hard to stop illegal immigration, and they need every law enforcement officer willing to assist in their corner,” said Auditor White in a statement. “Two agents from my office volunteered to be trained in immigration law enforcement and to assist ICE whenever they are short-handed in this area, and we are grateful for the chance to serve in this way.”
Like the Mississippi Attorney General’s office has done, OSA’s partnership with ICE is part of the nationwide 287(g) program which lets state and local law enforcement agencies assist ICE with immigration enforcement.
The program will give OSA agents access to ICE resources and training. OSA agents participating in the program will continue their primary responsibility of conducting criminal investigations into misspent government funds but are now also able to assist ICE during emergencies.
2. Mississippi Business Alliance taking shape ahead of January 1
The boards of directors of the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC), the Mississippi Manufacturers Association (MMA), and the Business and Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC) announced Tuesday that the three organizations have finalized their merger into the Mississippi Business Alliance (MSBA).
The groups say the new MSBA will offer a unified approach, leveraging each organization’s strengths for cohesive business advocacy and economic growth.
MSBA anticipates full integration of operations between the three groups by January 1, 2026, with MSBA’s first major event, a Legislative Summit and Reception, scheduled for January 20, 2026.
3. “President’s Own” Marine Band coming to Pearl
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band will perform in Pearl, Mississippi, as part of the band’s National Concert Tour.
The Marine Band will perform a free concert at 7:30 pm on October 11, 2025, at the William H. Dodson Performing Arts Center at Pearl High School.
The Marine Band is performing in Pearl as part of their annual National Concert Tour.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Democrats shoot down Republican CR, resulting in shutdown
The federal government shutdown took effect at midnight after Senators failed to reach the 60-vote threshold on a stopgap continuing resolution.
As The Hill, “Democrats have shot down a GOP-crafted stopgap to fund the government at current levels through Nov. 21, demanding an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies and new restrictions on the administration’s practice of withholding federal funds. The impetus to find a solution is on Republicans who have the White House and both majorities, they argue.”
“A freeze in federal paychecks, particularly for the military, could be a pressure point. Service members received their paychecks in previous shutdowns but may miss their next paycheck due Oct. 15 unless Congress acts before then,” The Hill noted.
2. White House withdraws nominations of Antoni, Quintenz
According to the Washington Post, “The White House has withdrawn its nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency whose former chief was fired by President Donald Trump last month following a grim jobs report.”
“A White House official said the administration looked forward to nominating a new candidate soon,” WP reported. “Antoni is the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and a vocal critic of the agency’s jobs data.”
WP went on to report, “Separately, a White House official confirmed late Tuesday that the administration had also withdrawn its nomination of Brian Quintenz to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a small but powerful financial regulator poised to play a bigger role in overseeing the cryptocurrency industry.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss trio pick up SEC honors
Following the program’s win over No. 4 LSU, Ole Miss football punter Oscar Bird (Freshman of the Week), quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (Offensive Player of the Week) and right guard Patrick Kutas (Offensive Lineman of the Week) all earned weekly awards from the SEC conference office.
The school said Bird played a key role in helping limit the LSU offense in the Rebels’ 24-19 victory over the 4th-ranked Tigers last week, punting four times for an average of 47.5 yards per attempt.
Chambliss accounted for 385 yards of total offense in Ole Miss’ first top-five win against LSU since 1965, going 23-of-39 passing for 314 yards and one touchdown while rushing 14 times for 71 yards on the ground. He is the first SEC quarterback in available records since at least 1994 with 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in three straight games, and he is the first Ole Miss QB to throw for 300 yards in each of his first three career starts since Jordan Ta’amu in 2017.
Kutas helped direct a Rebel offensive line unit that allowed zero sacks, marking the first time to do so against a top-five team since facing No. 1 LSU in 2019.
2. Valley, Florida A&M game postponed
The game between Mississippi Valley State University and Florida A&M University slated for this weekend has been postponed to Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Valley instead of in Atlanta.
Valley Athletics said the move was “due to unforeseen circumstances and issues beyond our control with the organizers of the Georgia Football Classic.”
“We regret the impact that this unexpected change will have on our fans, and we will make every effort to provide a quality game-day experience during the rescheduled date of competition. While this outcome is disappointing for our fans and community, our focus remains on upholding the standards and integrity of our athletics programs,” Valley Athletics stated. “MVSU and FAMU remain committed to excellence on and off the field, and we will continue to provide our student-athletes and supporters with competitive and high-quality experiences.”
Markets & Business
1. Futures slide on shutdown news
CNBC reports that stock futures “dropped on Wednesday after the U.S. government shut down at midnight, raising fears of a longer-than-normal stoppage that weighs on an already fragile economy.”
“The stock market has typically glided through previous government shutdowns — but this one could be riskier given the slew of economic factors at play,” CNBC reported. “Investors remain concerned about a slowing labor market and inflation risks as well as historically elevated stock valuations and market concentration levels.”
CNBC noted that “the market is likely to focus on the length of the shutdown since a prolonged closure could delay key economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting in late October.”
2. American Eagle sees sales rise
The Wall Street Journal reports American Eagle Outfitters’ chief executive “had a message for staff when a Sydney Sweeney ad campaign blew up the internet: Hold tight.”
“He instructed executives to stay calm and directed employees not to comment on the ads. He put a small team in charge of monitoring social-media posts and hired a firm to poll customers. The company didn’t pull any of the ads,” WSJ reports.
WSJ continued, “Some marketing pundits predicted that the culture-war uproar would drain American Eagle’s sales and dent its reputation as similar controversies had for companies like Cracker Barrel, Target and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Instead, American Eagle’s sales improved after the Sweeney campaign began and sales growth turned positive in August, the company said. The Sweeney ads helped bring in nearly a million new customers between July and September.”
Magnolia Tribune
