- 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. 14 deaths now reported from winter storm, power still out for over 87,000
Governor Tate Reeves said Thursday that the state of Mississippi continues to work with county, state, federal, and private sector partners to respond to the severe winter weather impacting the state.
Reeves announced that four more deaths have been reported as result of the winter storm – one in Lafayette County, one in Panola County, and two in Tippah County. This brings the total to 14 statewide.
The governor stated that the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has received reports of 223 homes, 10 businesses, and seven farms damaged, destroyed or affected statewide. Additionally, 20 public roads have sustained major damage, 50 sustained minor damage, and 12 have been destroyed. Two bridges have sustained minor damage. Those numbers are expected to rise as damage assessments continue. Also, 79 warning centers are open in 44 counties and 5 shelters are open in four counties.
As of Friday morning, power outages are now under 88,000, the most still showing in Lafayette, Panola and Tippah counties.
2. FEMA working with Mississippi to support winter storm response
FEMA is supporting Mississippi’s response to the winter storm with funding and resources in coordination with MEMA.
This week, FEMA deployed three specialized “hotshot crews” from the U.S. Forest Service to Mississippi to help remove debris, allowing linemen to reach impacted areas and restore power to homes.
FEMA also recently approved over $971 million in funding to support recovery for past disasters in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee for Public Assistance projects, which includes debris removal, emergency protective measures and the repair or replacement of public infrastructure damaged by recent disasters.
This regional funding, the federal agency said, is part of a broader effort announced by the Department of Homeland Security. In this past week alone, DHS and FEMA approved more than $2.2 billion in Public Assistance projects to communities across the U.S.
President Trump approved Mississippi’s request for a federal emergency declaration on Saturday, ahead of the winter storm.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Graham blocks government funding deal
As The Hill reports, “The Senate’s race to avert a shutdown hit the skids late Thursday night as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) placed a hold on the government funding package, forcing leaders to punt the vote.”
“Senators had been hoping to vote on the so-called minibus after leaders struck a deal earlier in the day and President Trump endorsed it. Under the agreement, the Senate was set to vote on a package of five full-year funding bills and a stopgap measure funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks,” The Hill reported, adding, “The deal came together after roughly 24 hours of talks between top Senate Democrats and White House.”
The Hill continued, “Senate leaders were attempting to fast-track the funding vote, requiring buy-in from all 100 members. That means a single senator could hold up the process… The Senate is expected to reconvene Friday to try again to pass the funding measure. It then needs to go back to the House, which means there will be at least a short funding lapse. The House is slated to return Monday after a week-long recess.”
2. Trump considering military options against Iran
According to the New York Times, “President Trump has been presented in recent days with an expanded list of potential military options against Iran aimed at doing further damage to the country’s nuclear and missile facilities or weakening Iran’s supreme leader, according to multiple U.S. officials.”
“The options go beyond the proposals that Mr. Trump was considering two weeks ago as a means of following through on his promise to stop the killing of protesters by Iranian government security forces and affiliated militias, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss potential military plans,” NYT reported. “The current set of options even includes the potential for American forces to carry out raids on sites inside Iran, and it comes in a different context, now that the protests have been brutally quashed, at least for the time being.”
NYT went on to report, “Mr. Trump has not yet authorized military action or chosen among the options presented by the Pentagon, officials said. The president remains open to finding a diplomatic solution and some officials acknowledged that telegraphing the threats of military action was intended to drive the Iranians into a negotiation. In recent days, he has mulled over whether regime change would be a viable option.”
Sports
Senior Bowl to be played in Mobile Saturday
Some of college football’s best will take the field Saturday in Mobile at the home of South Alabama for the annual Senior Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. and it will air on the NFL Network.
Among those competing are Mississippi standouts Harrison Wallace and Wydett Williams from Ole Miss and Luke Altmyer from Illinois. Also in the game are Diego Pavia from Vanderbilt and Garrett Nussmeier from LSU.
Markets & Business
1. Trump nominating Warsh to be next Fed chairman
The Wall Street Journal reports that “President Trump said Friday he would nominate Kevin Warsh to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, choosing a former Fed official who has aligned himself with the president’s criticism of the central bank.”
“I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down,” Trump said in a post on his social-media account, per WSJ.
“Warsh served on the Fed’s board of governors from 2006 to 2011, playing crucial behind-the-scenes roles in Washington’s rescue of Wall Street during the financial crisis. If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed Jerome Powell, whose term as chair expires in mid-May,” WSJ reported. “Warsh has been preparing to lead the Federal Reserve for more than a decade. He thought he had the job in 2017, but President Trump had doubts. Warsh looked too young, and his history of worrying about inflation suggested he might not keep rates as low as Trump wanted. Trump picked Jerome Powell instead.”
2. Panama court rules against China firm
CNBC reports that “Panama’s top court has ruled against Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, saying a concession held by a subsidiary of the firm to operate ports at either end of the Panama Canal was unconstitutional.”
“The outcome is widely seen as a victory for the Trump administration’s security ambitions in the Western Hemisphere, with the U.S. seeking to counter China’s strategic influence in the region,” CNBC reported. “In a brief statement published late Thursday, the Supreme Court of Panama said the terms under which Panama Ports Company (PPC), a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, runs the port of Balboa on the Pacific Coast and Cristóbal on the Atlantic violated the country’s constitution and were no longer valid.”
CNBC added, “The court said it came to its decision after ‘extensive deliberation’ but did not provide further details on the next steps.”
