- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
UMMC keeps clinics closed through Wednesday
University of Mississippi Medical Center clinics will remain closed through Wednesday, the hospital system said Monday evening. Work to ensure a safe network environment continues following last week’s cyberattack.
The UMMC Triage Line has been established to allow patients to leave a message through a secure, automated voice system. The UMMC Triage Line can be reached at 601-815-0000.
Requests for time-sensitive needs, such as medication refills or postoperative care visits, will be prioritized.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused by this attack on our system. We are doing all that we can to bring this situation to a safe resolution. In the meantime, we are opening this triage phone line for those most in need of immediate assistance,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump says SOTU is “going to be a long speech”
The Hill reports that “President Trump is seeking to reassert himself to Congress and the country with today’s State of the Union address as he seeks to tout what he views as wins from his first year back in office while the administration wrestles with negative indicators ahead of the midterm elections.”
“Trump has promised his 9 p.m. ET address is ‘going to be a long speech,'” The Hill reported. “His annual congressional speeches in his first term averaged an hour and 20 minutes, and his address to a joint session of Congress last year clocked in at more than 90 minutes.”
The Hill added, “While one speech is ultimately unlikely to significantly change much of the country’s views about Trump, it is the most high-profile address for the president ahead of November’s elections and offers an opportunity to reclaim his political footing.”
2. Major U.S. military buildup near Iran continues
According to the Washington Post, “The U.S. military has rapidly increased its presence near Iran, shifting more than 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East since a second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran ended without a breakthrough on Feb. 17, according to publicly available flight tracking data and satellite imagery reviewed by The Washington Post.”
“The current presence of U.S. military forces in the region is among the largest in more than two decades, since before the Iraq war in 2003.The buildup comes after President Trump threatened to attack Iran unless a deal can be reached to restrict Iran’s nuclear program, although he has not indicated the goals of such an attack. Iranian officials have said a deal is possible but that reaching one will take time,” WP reported. “Experts who reviewed the deployment said it has surpassed the military buildup that was seen before the U.S. strikes against the Iranian nuclear program in June of last year. They said the assets being assembled are indicative of a multiday campaign without a ground invasion.”
WP continued, “Dozens of additional planes are aboard the warship USS Gerald R. Ford, which was spotted off the coast of the Greek island of Creteon Monday. The Ford is the second aircraft carrier sent to the Middle East, and its arrival means roughly a third of all active U.S. ships are now in the region.”
Sports
1. Big 3 all in D1 Baseball Top 25 after weekend sweeps
D1 Baseball’s latest Top 25 baseball rankings have Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Ole Miss all ranked after a weekend where each team swept their series.
Mississippi State is still ranked No. 4 while Southern Miss jumped 8 spots to No. 12.
Ole Miss entered the ranking at No. 25.
All three are back in action Tuesday night for midweek games,
2. MHSAA State Basketball Championships head to Jackson next week
The MHSAA State Basketball Championships are set to get underway at the Coliseum in Jackson next week.
South and North championship series are being held Wednesday through Friday this week to determine which teams from 1A to 7A will compete for the state title.
Games at the Mississippi Coliseum will get underway Monday and will run through Saturday in both boys and girls divisions.
For a complete list of games, click here.
Markets & Business
1. Mortgage rates fall to lowest level since 2022
CNBC reports that “the average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.99% on Monday, according to Mortgage News Daily, matching its lowest levels since 2022. Last year at this time the rate was 6.89%.”
“The drop in yields is due to a combination of factors, including new uncertainty over tariffs, cooling inflation and economic weakness shown in a lackluster gross domestic product report Friday,” CNBC reported.
CNBC noted, “While rates briefly dipped into the 5% range for a few hours in January, they bounced back that same day. That is unlikely this time around, according to Matthew Graham, chief operating officer at Mortgage News Daily.”
2. Companies file suit seeking tariff refunds
The Wall Street Journal reports that FedEx has “filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, seeking a full refund plus interest for what it paid in trade duties stemming from President Trump’s tariffs enacted last year.”
“The logistics company filed the lawsuit Monday in the U.S. Court of International Trade, after Friday’s Supreme Court decision that struck down Trump’s tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or Ieepa,” WSJ reported. “In the complaint, FedEx asked the court to refund the duties collected from the company on all entries subject to tariffs under Ieepa. The company didn’t say how much it had paid in tariffs.”
WSJ went on to report, “FedEx joins a roster of other companies that have filed similar lawsuits against the Trump administration, including Costco, Revlon Consumer Products, Bumble Bee Foods and Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing.”
