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In Mississippi
1. Pitts named MHP Colonel, Vanderford to serve as Director of the Office of Standards and Training
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell announced Friday that Tadd Pitts has been named the Colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol and Amy Vanderford will serve as the Director of the Office of Standards and Training.
Colonel Pitts is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned his Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. During his tenure in law enforcement, he has worked as a deputy for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, he is a graduate of Cadet Class #59, served on the Governor’s policy team, and served as Executive Protection for the Mississippi Speaker of the House. Colonel Pitts has served as Deputy Commissioner and Director of Governmental Affairs, where he managed MDPS legislation, handles legislative requests, and coordinates with various officials and groups to ensure effective policy measures.
Vanderford will serve as Director of the Office of Standards and Training, bringing more than 25 years of comprehensive law enforcement experience to the role. Vanderford has extensive background in training academy leadership, narcotics investigations, and curriculum development. She currently serves on the Mississippi Peace Officers Standards and Training Curriculum Committee and has demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing effective, high-quality law enforcement training programs. Vanderford previously served as Director of the Mississippi Delta Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy and as an agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in political science and holds both a master’s degree and doctorate from Delta State University.
2. Mississippi mail-in ballot case before SCOTUS could have far reaching impact
The New York Times reports that the U.S. Supreme Court “is set to decide this term whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day.”
“The case centers on a law in Mississippi, but a total of about 18 states and territories accept such late-arriving ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day,” NYT reported. “The court announced in November that it would hear the case, but it has not yet scheduled oral arguments. Should the court rule that all ballots nationwide must be received by Election Day, it could lead to the rejection of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of ballots in the future, affecting a swath of American voters in rural and urban areas.”
NYT noted, “In 2024, at least 725,000 ballots were postmarked by Election Day and arrived within the legally accepted post-election window, according to election officials in 14 of the 22 states and territories where late-arriving ballots were accepted that year. (Four of these states — Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio and Utah — have since changed their policies and will accept only mail ballots that arrive by Election Day.)”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate Dems threaten another shutdown over climate research center
According to The Hill, “Senate Democrats are raising the threat of another government shutdown in late January as tensions with President Trump escalate over a series of recent maneuvers by the White House that Democrats say need a forceful response from Capitol Hill.”
“Senate Democrats walked away from a potential deal to fund a broad swath of the federal government, including the departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services, which make up roughly two-thirds of the discretionary budget, before Congress adjourned for the Christmas recess,” The Hill reported. “Democrats cited Trump’s threat to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., a leading government-funded center for atmospheric and climate research, as the reason they couldn’t advance a five-bill spending package before Christmas.”
The Hill continued, “Had the legislation passed the Senate this past week, it would have given Congress a good chance of funding up to 85 percent to 90 percent of the federal government through September of next year and taken the threat of another shutdown off the table.”
2. U.S. strikes Syria following attack on troops
As reported by the Washington Post, “The U.S. military on Friday night launched strikes against dozens of sites in central Syria, U.S. officials said, following an attack last weekend that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.”
“The strikes on Islamic State infrastructure and weapons storage locations began at about 4 p.m. Eastern time and hit more than 70 targets, officials said. A-10 attack jets, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters were involved along with rocket artillery fired by U.S. forces in the region, said one person familiar with the operation. More than 100 precision munitions were deployed, officials said,” WP reported. “The U.S. military on Friday night launched strikes against dozens of sites in central Syria, U.S. officials said, following an attack last weekend that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.”
WP went on to report, “The strikes on Islamic State infrastructure and weapons storage locations began at about 4 p.m. Eastern time and hit more than 70 targets, officials said. A-10 attack jets, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters were involved along with rocket artillery fired by U.S. forces in the region, said one person familiar with the operation. More than 100 precision munitions were deployed, officials said.”
Sports
1. Southern Miss to take on Western Kentucky on Tuesday
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles are set to play Western Kentucky from Conference USA in the 25th New Orleans Bowl at the Caesars Superdome on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally via ESPN, as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network.
On Saturday, Southern Miss enjoyed a day of service in the community. One group from the team went to Second Harvest to help put food boxes together for area families, while another group handed out toys at the Heroes of New Orleans. The third group went to The ARC of Greater New Orleans.
Tuesday’s game will be Blake Anderson’s first as the new USM Head Coach.
2. Ole Miss advances to Sugar Bowl where Georgia awaits
No. 6 Ole Miss dominated No. 11 Tulane 41-10 on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. A record crowd was on hand to take in perhaps the most anticipated game in Mississippi history.
The win was the first career victory for new head coach Pete Golding, making him the 10th Ole Miss (12-1) head coach in the modern era to win their first contest as head coach.
Ole Miss will now travel to New Orleans for a second-round CFP date with SEC Champion No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, a rematch from earlier this season where Georgia handed the Rebels their only loss.
Kickoff at the Caesars Superdome is set for Thursday, January 1 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Markets & Business
1. Future up to start Christmas week
CNBC reports that stock futures “rose Monday to start a shortened holiday week, as traders deliberate whether tech can regain its footing before the year’s end.”
“Wall Street is coming off a mixed week for the major averages. A late-week surge in tech stocks helped lift the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite to their third winning week in four, up 0.1% and 0.5%, respectively,” CNBC reported. “The 30-stock Dow, which has outperformed this month, fell 0.7%, snapping a three-week winning streak.”
CNBC notes, “The New York Stock Exchange will close early on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve and will be closed Thursday for Christmas Day.”
2. Rates are down but mortgage applications are low
Mortgage rates have fallen to their lowest level in a year, reports the Wall Street Journal, “but millions of homeowners are still locked into ultralow mortgage rates they don’t want to give up.”
“Nearly 30 million households, or 54% of primary mortgage-holders, have mortgage rates at or below 4%. They were able to buy homes or refinance their mortgages when rates fell to 3% or lower in 2020 and 2021,” WSJ reported. “Now, many of those who want to move don’t feel it is worth it to buy a home and take on mortgage rates that have doubled.”
WSJ added, “This ‘lock-in effect’ has helped freeze the housing market for three straight years, suppressing the number of U.S. homes for sale and keeping inventory well below historic levels for most of that period.”
