- 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. Auditor White proposes bills to combat illegal immigration, reward public corruption whistleblowers
State Auditor Shad White would like lawmakers to addresses illegal immigration, waste in state government, and ethics reform in this coming session.
On Monday, White released his legislative priorities for the 2026 session. They include:
- A bill to make illegal immigration a state crime which gives Mississippi law enforcement the authority to arrest illegal immigrants without federal assistance.
- A bill to impose a fee on money sent outside the United States that would be used to fund the Immigration Enforcement Grant Fund.
- A proposal to require an annual review of all state-owned vehicles to find under-utilized vehicles the state can sell. Mississippi spends more on travel, vehicles, and fuel than other similar-sized states like Louisiana, Arkansas, and Iowa.
- A bill to require state office buildings have a maximum of 250 square feet of office space per occupant. Mandating this standard across state government could save an estimated $4 million.
- The Whistleblower Reward Act would reward private citizens who come forward with information about corruption and theft of taxpayer money with a portion of the funds recovered.
“Last year I had to defend the Office of the State Auditor from attempts to cut our legal power and restrict our budget by politicians in Jackson,” said Auditor White. “Thanks to the help of some fellow patriots in the legislature, we won those battles. This year, we’re leaning forward and going to try to strengthen laws to stop more waste and corruption.”
2. Mississippi-made AI singer moves up Christian music charts
WLBT reports that a “Mississippi-made” singer “currently has the top Christian album on iTunes. His song “Find Your Rest” has over 1,000,000 plays on Spotify. His TikTok has 75,000 followers.”
“The only problem is, he’s not real,” WLBT reported. “Solomon Ray is the creation of AI, his voice formed on computer software.”
WLBT noted, “Solomon Ray’s creator is a resident of Mississippi,” saying that Topher, a digital creator is “‘the man behind the machine’ of Solomon Ray.”
“Who am I to say what God will or won’t use to get the message his people need to them?” Topher said, per WLBT. “I’m just here to be an instrument. This is an extension of my creativity, so, therefore, to me, it’s art.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Spotlight on Hegseth as Trump’s Cabinet meets today
As The Hill reports, “The spotlight will be on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today as President Trump’s Cabinet meets amid backlash over a reported second strike that killed survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean.”
“The administration defended Hegseth against the scrutiny he has received in recent days, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that Hegseth authorized the strikes, but Adm. Frank Bradley ultimately ordered the second strike in early September,” The Hill reported. “The White House denied that Hegseth issued a verbal order to ‘kill everybody’ prior to the strikes, as reported by The Washington Post last week.”
The Hill continued, “On Monday night, [Hegseth] issued a statement defending Bradley, calling him an ‘American hero’ and ‘true professional,’ while also making clear the Navy commander was responsible for the order. ‘I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since,’ Hegseth said in a post on the social platform X.”
2. Putin to meet with U.S. envoy Witkoff, Kushner in Moscow
The New York Times reports that “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is set to host Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, in Moscow on Tuesday, as the United States pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine.”
“Mr. Witkoff is expected to present Mr. Putin with a U.S.-backed peace proposal that was revised by American officials after recent negotiations with Ukrainian diplomats,” NYT reported. “The initial version of the plan that emerged last month was seen by Ukraine and its European allies as echoing the maximalist demands Russia has made since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”
NYT went on to report, “Mr. Witkoff’s visit to Moscow, his sixth since January, is to take place two days after American and Ukrainian delegations met in Miami to discuss the details of the potential peace plan, parts of which Ukraine has sought to soften. Both sides called those talks constructive but said more work was needed, without detailing the unresolved issues.”
Sports
1. MHSAA state football championships being held at Miss. State
The MHSAA state football championship games are being played on the campus of Mississippi State University this year.
The 2025 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Gridiron Classic kicks off this Thursday and runs through Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
Fourteen teams in 1A through 7A will compete for a state title. Here is the weekend schedule:
Thursday, Dec. 4
- 4 p.m., Class1A – Calhoun City (12-1) vs. Simmons (12-0)
- 7:30 p.m., Class 5A – West Point (13-0) vs. Brookhaven (11-2)
Friday, Dec. 5
- 4 p.m., Class 4A – Kosciusko (13-1) vs. Columbia (14-0)
- 7:30 p.m., Class 6A – Warren Central (11-2) vs. Hattiesburg (11-2)
Saturday, Dec. 6
- Noon, Class 3A – Noxubee County (11-3) vs. Raleigh (13-1)
- 3:30 p.m., Class 2A – East Webster (13-1) vs. Heidelberg (12-2)
- 7 p.m., Class 7A – Tupelo (13-1) vs. Gulfport (11-2)
2. Chambliss, Taylor earns SEC weekly honors
The Egg Bowl produces two standout performances on the offensive side of the ball for Ole Miss and Mississippi State, according to the SEC office.
Ole Miss football senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was named a co-winner of the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award. The school said Chambliss had his best passing performance as a Rebel in last Friday’s Egg Bowl victory at Mississippi State, going 23-of-34 passing for 359 yards and four touchdowns – his seventh 300-yard game in 10 starts this season. Chambliss also had 26 rushing yards, giving him 385 yards of total offense.
As for Mississippi State, freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor was named the SEC Freshman of the Week. It is his second career honor following a strong performance in just his first career start in last Friday’s Egg Bowl.
The school said Taylor completed 15 of 31 passes for 178 yards while also rushing for a game-high 173 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor’s 173 rushing yards were the most rushing yards Ole Miss has allowed to an opposing quarterback since 2016, when they gave up 258 yards to Nick Fitzgerald. Taylor earned his first career 100-yard rushing performance and his second career multi-touchdown game.
Markets & Business
1. Dell founder pledges $6.25 billion to fund ‘Trump Accounts’ for U.S. kids
According to CNBC, “Michael and Susan Dell announced Tuesday that they have committed $6.25 billion to fund investment accounts for some 25 million American children. The couple’s donation will be the largest ever devoted to American children, according to Invest America, a nonprofit advocacy group partnered with the Dells.”
“The Dells’ commitment goes hand in hand with a new federal government program that allows parents to open tax-advantaged investment accounts for children under 18 with Social Security numbers,” CNBC reported. “Under the federal program, U.S. citizens born from the beginning of 2025 through 2028 will receive a federal grant of $1,000 to seed those so-called ‘Trump Accounts.’ Parents will be able to open and contribute to these accounts starting on July 4, 2026, with IRS guidance yet to be issued.”
CNBC added, “The Dells have committed to seed Trump Accounts with $250 for children who are 10 or under who were born before Jan. 1, 2025. According to Invest America, the pledged funds will cover 25 million children age 10 and under in ZIP codes with a median income of $150,000 or less.”
2. More shoppers using AI for their Black Friday shopping
FoxBusiness reports that “American shoppers turned to artificial intelligence (AI) in unprecedented numbers this Black Friday, helping push online spending to a record $11.8 billion as many consumers chose to avoid crowded stores and shop from home.”
“On the year’s busiest shopping day, U.S. online spending surged 9.1% from last year, and Americans increasingly relied on AI-powered chatbots to compare prices and track deals, according to new data from Adobe Analytics,” FoxBusiness reported. “This year saw an 805% spike in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites compared with 2024, when tools like Walmart’s ‘Sparky’ or Amazon’s ‘Rufus’ were not yet available.”
FoxBusiness noted, “Consumers spent a record $6.4 billion online during Thanksgiving, driven in part by a surge in discounts. Spending increased 5.3% compared with a year ago, as shoppers took advantage of Cyber Week deals that came in stronger than expected, according to Adobe Analytics.”
