- 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. Hyde-Smith among Senator seeking FDA crackdown on illegal chemical abortion drug online sellers
Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, along with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and others, are investigating chemical abortion drug manufacturer compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated safeguards associated with marketing their drugs.
Hyde-Smith’s office said pro-life lawmakers sent a letter to the FDA that encourages the agency to use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the sale of unapproved and misbranded versions of chemical abortion drugs in the United States. They also signed letters to chemical abortion drug manufacturers seeking information on online prescriber compliance with even the minimal risk evaluation standards that remain on chemical abortion drugs like Mifepristone.
“Given the potentially life-threatening risks to women, the FDA should take immediate action to fight the sale and distribution of unapproved and misbranded versions of chemical abortion drugs,” said Senator Hyde-Smith, author of the SAVE Moms and Babies Act. “We know that more than 1 in 10 women who take Mifepristone will experience a serious adverse event, a situation that is made worse with these questionable variants in circulation. Even under proper safety protocols, this drug is sold for the primary purpose of ending life and deserves heightened scrutiny.”
2. New roofs coming to 200 families via $1 million grant
WLOX reports that the South Mississippi Housing Authority “is working to protect tenants ahead of severe weather season with a $1 million grant awarded at the beginning of the year from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas.”
“The award comes from the Fortified Fund Rental program, which provides grants to fortify roofs on affordable housing,” WLOX reported. “Crews are working on units in the Woodward Park neighborhood in Long Beach, serving 40 households. Two contractors, Husband Roofing and Contracting and Summit Roofing, are completing the work.”
WLOX added, “Executive Director Justin Brooks said 80 buildings and more than 200 families will have new roofs.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Iran sends counterproposal to end conflict with U.S.
According to The Hill, “Iran offered a counterproposal Wednesday to end the war in the region after rejecting a ceasefire plan backed by the Trump administration.”
“Leaders in Tehran are asking for sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and a complete end to ‘aggression’ from the U.S. and Israel, among other demands,” The Hill reported. “Ultimately, the Iranian response included five ‘conditions for ending the war’: the acts of ‘aggression’ coming to an end, ensuring the war will not recur, a payment of war damages and reparations, the ending of the war across all fronts involving all resistance groups, and Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”
The Hill continued, “The demands echo comments from an unnamed Iranian official shared on an Iranian state broadcast outlet. The unnamed official said Tehran will continue striking with ‘heavy blows’ in the region, according to The Associated Press… Trump’s initial 15-point ceasefire proposal included rollbacks to Iran’s nuclear program, a conditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz alongside a limit on missiles and sanctions relief, The Associated Press reported.”
2. U.S. House Democrat faces expulsion over misspending COVID money
The Washington Post reports that a House Democrat from Florida “faces the prospect of losing her seat over allegations that she used Federal Emergency Management Agency money mistakenly sent to her family’s health care company to boost past congressional campaigns.”
“In a rare public hearing Thursday, lawmakers from the House Ethics Committee are expected to vote on whether Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Florida) violated House ethics rules for alleged crimes committed during the pandemic,” WP reported. “If they do, the full committee would then meet and make a recommendation on whether Cherfilus-McCormick should face censure, expulsion or some other form of discipline. A fellow Florida lawmaker, Republican Greg Steube, has pledged to swiftly bring any consequence that is proposed to the full House for a vote.”
WP went on to report, “Cherfilus-McCormick will have an opportunity to defend herself at Thursday’s hearing, which is scheduled to last two hours. She has called the allegations against her baseless and unjust. An investigative subcommittee outlined 27 potential ethics violations in a 242-page document related to the episode, and Cherfilus-McCormick separately faces criminal charges and up to 53 years in prison tied to the errant FEMA dollars.”
Sports
1. Showalter, Grammas, Stratton to be honored by MSU Baseball
Two Major League managers and a World Series champion comprise the 2026 Ron Polk Ring of Honor Class, per Mississippi State Athletics.
The program announced that Nat “Buck” Showalter, Alex Grammas and Chris Stratton will be the latest group of Mississippi State Baseball legends to be immortalized onto the pillars of the Adkerson Plaza in right field at Dudy Noble Field/Polk-DeMent Stadium.
MSU Athletics said the Diamond Dawg trio becomes the eighth class to be enshrined into the prestigious Ron Polk Ring of Honor, which was established in 2019. Showalter, Grammas and Stratton’s induction day will be on Saturday, April 4 ahead of the series finale against Georgia. Gates will open to the public at 8:30 a.m. with the ceremony starting at 9 a.m.
2. Delta State adds football staff
Newly minted Delta State University head football coach David Dean has announced the addition of three new members to the Statesmen coaching staff ahead of the upcoming season.
Joining the program are Tripp Thomas as Defensive Coordinator and linebackers coach, Roshmel Young as assistant coach for wide receivers, and Clay Isbell as assistant coach for special teams and running backs.
Markets & Business
1. Fed posted $18.7 billion loss in 2025
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Reserve “ran an operating loss of $18.7 billion last year, its third straight year of losses.”
“The losses were disclosed Wednesday when the U.S. central bank published audited 2025 financial statements. The loss was significantly smaller than in the previous two years. The Fed had losses of $114.3 billion in 2023 and $77.6 billion in 2024,” WSJ reported. “The Fed is self funded. It isn’t required to ask for any money from the Treasury Department, and the losses don’t affect the Fed’s day-to-day operations. The U.S. central bank makes money from the large portfolio of government-backed bonds that it owns. On the other hand, it has to make interest payments on the deposits that banks keep in their Fed accounts. Operating losses happen when those interest payments exceed its income from its bondholdings.”
WSJ added, “The losses of the past three years are a side effect of the central bank’s aggressive campaign to jack up interest rates starting in 2022 to combat high inflation.”
2. Is a workforce revolution coming?
FoxBusiness reports that Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, spoke with Stuart Varney on ‘Varney & Co.‘ “to discuss how rapid technological change is colliding with a long-standing shortage of skilled labor, creating what he sees as a turning point for the economy.”
“Rowe pointed to a surge in demand for skilled trades as companies race to build out the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence, data centers and energy expansion. In some parts of the country, he said, electricians are commanding salaries that rival or exceed many white-collar roles, with employers competing aggressively for a limited pool of workers,” FoxBusiness reported. “That shift, he argued, could flip long-held assumptions about education and career paths as industries once seen as secondary become central to supporting a new digital economy.”
“This new era is going to be a renaissance for electricians, steamfitters, pipefitters, welders, CNC operators,” Rowe said, per FoxBusiness.
Magnolia Tribune
