- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Paid parental leave for MS state employees goes into effect
Paid parental leave for state employees is set to go into effect in Mississippi on January 1 of 2026, per WLBT.
“This after the passage of the Mississippi State Employee Paid Parental Leave Act, which was signed by Governor Tate Reeves in March,” WLBT reported, noting. “The act also mandates that the employee must be compensated 100 percent of their salary during leave.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump administration freezing child care funds in all states
The Associated Press reports that the Trump administration “has said it is freezing child care funds to all states until they provide more verification about the programs in a move fueled by a series of fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali residents.”
“All 50 states will be impacted by the review, but the Republican administration is focusing most of its ire on the blue state of Minnesota and is calling for an audit of some of its centers,” the AP reported. “Minnesota Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement Wednesday that he was ‘exploring all our legal options to ensure that critical childcare services do not get abruptly slashed based on pretext and grandstanding.’”
The AP continued, “It is unclear how much more robust the verification process for states will be than it already has been.”
2. CIA says Ukraine didn’t target Putin’s home
As reported by the New York Times, “The C.I.A. has determined that Ukraine did not target President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia or one of his residences in an attack this week, according to U.S. officials, rebutting an assertion Mr. Putin made in a phone call to President Trump on Monday.”
“John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, briefed Mr. Trump on the finding, a person familiar with the matter said,” NYT reported. “Mr. Trump has not directly acknowledged the intelligence, but on Wednesday, he posted on social media a link to a New York Post editorial that blamed Mr. Putin for standing in the way of a peace deal with Ukraine and cast doubt on the veracity of his claim that he was the target of an attack. On Monday, he had said he was ‘very angry’ about the purported attack when Mr. Putin told him about it.”
NYT added, “The C.I.A. declined to comment, and the White House referred questions to Mr. Trump’s social media post.”
Sports
1. Scenes from Ole Miss’ take down of Georgia to advance to the CFP Semifinal
2. Miss. State to play in Duke’s Mayo Bowl today
Mississippi State aims to close out this football season on a winning note in a prime time, Friday night battle.
MSU (5-7) faces Wake Forest (8-4) at 7 p.m. CT Friday in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be televised by ESPN.
Markets & Business
1. Futures up to start New Year
CNBC reports that stock futures rose Friday, “the first trading day of 2026, as tech looked to build on its momentum from last year.”
“Friday’s gain marks a reversal from the first-day trading trend of the last few years. The S&P 500 finished lower on the first day of trading for each of the last three years,” CNBC reported. “Going back to the 1950s, there is no discernible trend, with the first day finishing positive about 48% of the time, according to Bespoke Investment Group.”
CNBC noted, “Wall Street strategists expect more gains for the U.S. stock market in 2026. The CNBC Market Strategist Survey shows the average S&P 500 target for the year is 7,629, which implies upside of 11.4%.”
2. Trump delays increases on furniture tariffs
According to the Wall Street Journal, “President Trump delayed by a year tariff increases on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities, the latest move to walk back levies in the face of consumer frustration over high prices.”
“The increased tariffs, announced in September to target lumber-based products, were set to go into effect on Jan. 1, according to a White House statement published on New Year’s Eve,” per WSJ.
WSJ went on to report, “Import duties on cabinets and vanities were meant to rise to 50% from 25%. Upholstered wooden products, things like sofas and armchairs, were to be slapped with a 30% tariff. The tariff level will now remain at 25% for all the affected items.”
