- 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. National report shows MS near bottom in total homelessness
WAPT reports that “Mississippi has some of the lowest homelessness rates in the country, according to a new national report released this month by the Common Sense Institute.”
“The report estimates that about 762,000 people were homeless across the United States in 2024. Most were concentrated in a small group of states, led by California and New York. Mississippi ranked near the bottom nationally for total homelessness, chronic homelessness, unsheltered homelessness, and homelessness tied to mental illness and substance abuse,” WAPT reported.
WAPT noted, “The report also found that homelessness is heavily concentrated in a few states and metro areas. About three-quarters of the nation’s homeless population was found in just 11 states. Mississippi was not among them.”
2. Auditor announces arrest of former Jackson County Inventory Control Director
Special Agents with the State Auditor’s office have announced the arrest of Nancy Anglada, former Jackson County Inventory Control Director, for allegedly submitting fraudulent training reimbursements and unauthorized use of a Fuelman card for her own personal vehicle.
“We will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy for theft of taxpayer dollars,” said State Auditor Shad White in a statement. “Our office will continue to work with prosecutors to get record results for taxpayers.”
The Auditor said Anglada allegedly used a county-owned Fuelman card to fill up her personal vehicle on numerous occasions. Anglada also allegedly obtained training reimbursements from Jackson County by falsely claiming she paid for the training. Anglada faces up to $5,000 in fines and 20 years in prison.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to Iranian protestors: “Keep protesting – Take over your institutions”
The Hill reports that President Donald Trump “appears to be shifting away from diplomacy with Iran while leaving stronger measures on the table to boost protests rocking the Middle Eastern country.”
“Trump announced Tuesday he had canceled meetings with Iranian officials and wouldn’t meet with them ‘until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.’ He declared assistance would be coming for the demonstrators,” The Hill reported, adding, “Trump’s announcement came as activists reported the death toll from the protests, which have been growing for more than two weeks, surpassed 2,000.”
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, per The Hill.
2. Vance Secret Service agent allegedly leaked security information
According to FoxNews, “A U.S. Secret Service (USSS) employee assigned to Vice President JD Vance’s protective detail has been placed on administrative leave after an undercover video released by independent journalist James O’Keefe allegedly showed the agent leaking sensitive security information, the agency confirmed to Fox News.”
“The USSS is investigating and said the employee’s security clearance has been suspended and access to agency facilities and systems revoked as the incident is investigated, opening the door to broader concerns about operational security and an agency-wide retraining order,” FoxNews reported.
USSS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn told Fox News in a statement: “The U.S. Secret Service has no tolerance for any behavior that could potentially compromise the safety, privacy or trust of our protectees. This incident is under investigation and the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave with his clearance suspended and access to agency facilities and systems revoked.”
Sports
1. Miss. State ranked No. 4, Southern Miss No. 20 in D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25
The D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 has been announced with two Mississippi teams making the list.
Mississippi State enters the Brian O’Connor era ranked fourth while Southern Miss rounded out the top 20.
UCLA is No. 1 for the first time on the D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25 list, followed by LSU at No. 2 and Texas at No. 3.
2. McMahon named Co-SEC Player of the Week
Cotie McMahon of No. 18/17 Ole Miss women’s basketball has earned Co-SEC Player of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.
Ole Miss Athletics said this marks McMahon’s eighth weekly conference honor and her first in the SEC. She was a six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and won Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 22, 2024.
The school said McMahon had an exceptional week, leading Ole Miss to wins over No. 5 Oklahoma and in-state rival Mississippi State after being named to the Wooden Award Women’s Midseason Top 25 Watch List.
Markets & Business
1. China hits record $1.19 trillion trade surplus
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “When President Trump returned to the White House last year, economists predicted new tariffs would stifle China’s massive export machine.”
“Instead, China’s trade surplus, the difference between its exports and imports, reached a record in 2025 at $1.19 trillion. Exports jumped 5.5% last year from 2024 in dollar-denominated terms, compared with 5.9% growth the prior year, China’s customs agency reported Wednesday,” WSJ reported. “Shipments to the U.S. fell, but Chinese manufacturers found new customers in the rest of the world. The global economy, powered by AI spending, kept chugging along, keeping external demand strong. And another year of producer-price deflation made Chinese goods attractive to overseas buyers.”
WSJ continued, “The result: Strong exports helped power China’s economy to expectation-defying growth last year, even as the property market and consumer sentiment in the country remained in the doldrums.”
2. Mortgage demands jumps after Trump social media post
CNBC reports that mortgage demand “spiked markedly higher last week as consumers returned from the holidays to find overall lower interest rates and then a sharp rate drop Friday on news from the White House.”
“President Donald Trump posted on social media late Thursday that, in an effort to lower mortgage rates, he would order mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed bonds,” CNBC reported. “Just on that news, the average rate on the 30-year fixed sunk briefly below 6% Friday morning before bouncing slightly higher again, according to Mortgage News Daily.”
CNBC went on to report, “As a result, total mortgage application volume jumped 28.5% last week from the previous week, which was adjusted for the holiday, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) seasonally adjusted index.”
