- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Four more counties added to winter storm public assistance program
Four more counties are now eligible for Public Assistance grants to support debris removal and permanent work to repair public facilities damaged by the January winter storm.
The four newly eligible counties for all categories of Public Assistance are Choctaw, Itawamba, Oktibbeha, and Wilkinson Counties.
MEMA said there are 38 counties approved for Public Assistance for all categories. FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses local and state government agencies for the costs of emergency response, debris removal and restoration of disaster-damaged public facilities and infrastructure.
The state’s request for Individual Assistance is still under review by FEMA.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Drones over Army base housing Rubio, Hegseth raise security concerns
The Washington Post reports that “U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, according to three people briefed on the situation. Officials have not determined where they came from, two of the people said.”
“The military is monitoring potential threats more closely because of the heightened alert level as the United States and Israel strike Iran, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. Multiple drones were spotted over Fort Lesley J. McNair on a single night in the last 10 days, the official said, prompting increased security measures and a meeting at the White House to discuss how to respond,” WP reported. “The drone sightings in Washington come as the U.S. issued a global security alert for overseas diplomatic posts and locked down several domestic bases because of threats.”
WP went on to report, “The drones over Fort McNair prompted officials to weigh relocating Rubio and Hegseth, two of the people briefed said. The senior administration official said the secretaries haven’t moved. Their quarters on the base were publicly reported by multiple outlets in October.”
2. HHS investigating 13 states over abortion services
According to The Hill, “the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that it is launching investigations into 13 states for violating a federal health refusal clause and ‘coercing’ healthcare entities into providing or performing abortion services.”
“HHS officials said the department’s Office for Civil Rights will be launching investigations into 13 states for allegedly violating the Weldon Amendment, an appropriations provision that states any state or local government that receives federal from cannot ‘discriminate’ against any healthcare provider that refuses to cover, pay for, refer or provide an abortion,” The Hill reported.
The states HHS will be investigating, The Hill noted, are California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. States will have 20 days to respond to letters sent by HHS.
Sports
1. Hubbard named to NABC All-Southeast District 1st Team
Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard has picked up NABC All-Southeast District First-Team honors from the national coach’s organization.
Hubbard is the sixth MSU player to secure two All-District First-Team nods from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He is 1 of 5 major conference players to amass at least 700 points and 100 assists this season.
Hubbard is also 1 of 2 SEC players and 1 of 12 major conference players with multiple seasons of 640+ points and 100+ assists during the 2000s.
2. Ole Miss women to open NCAA Tournament with Gonzaga
Ole Miss women’s basketball opens NCAA Tournament play on Friday in a first-round matchup in Minneapolis, Minnesota, facing off against No. 12 Gonzaga.
The Rebels are making their 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance.
Tipoff is at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN 2.
Markets & Business
1. Dow hits 2026 low
CNBC reports that “U.S. stock futures fell slightly Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped to a fresh 2026 low in the previous session, as inflation fears took hold on Wall Street.”
“Wall Street is coming off a dismal trading session. On Wednesday, the 30-stock Dow tumbled some 768 points, or 1.6%, to a new closing low for the year,” CNBC reported. “The benchmark, which also touched an intraday low for 2026, even closed below its 200-day moving average, a technical level suggesting the long-term trend for the index is now negative.”
CNBC added, “Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, surged 7% to $114.86 a barrel on Thursday. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 0.3% at $96.03 a barrel.”
2. Economists don’t foresee a recession unless oil hit $138 and stays there for weeks
The Wall Street Journal reports that “the war on Iran has caused a record disruption to oil supply and sent prices of crude and other commodities sharply higher. Economists still doubt the U.S. is at much risk of a recession.”
“The consensus of economists surveyed this week by The Wall Street Journal is that inflation will be temporarily higher and growth and unemployment largely the same, assuming the oil shock is temporary,” WSJ reported.
WSJ continued, “Economists put the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 32%, up modestly from 27% in January. Asked how high crude oil would need to climb to tip the recession probability above 50%, economists gave a range of responses: from $90 a barrel to $200, with an average of $138. Asked how long oil prices would need to be at an elevated level, they said from four weeks to 55 weeks, with an average duration of 14 weeks. U.S. oil futures closed at $96.32 a barrel Wednesday, compared with a February average of about $65.”
