- 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. Auditor: $10.5 million in MS taxpayer funds spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens
State Auditor Shad White released a new report Monday showing that Mississippi taxpayers spent over $10.5 million on Medicaid for illegal aliens from federal fiscal year 2023 to 2025.
The Auditor said federal law requires hospitals to provide emergency services regardless of immigration status, but it also requires states to report how much taxpayer money is spent providing these medical services to illegal immigrants. However, the Auditor said the Mississippi Department of Medicaid did not report spending on illegal immigrants to the federal government until after the State Auditor’s Office released a 2024 report on the taxpayer cost of illegal immigration.
The new report comes after identifying Medicaid’s shortcoming in the 2024 report. Auditor White commissioned the follow-up analysis to determine why Mississippi’s Medicaid program had never reported spending on illegal immigrants.
“Mississippi taxpayers deserve to know the cost of illegal immigrants in our state,” said White, “even if it makes some folks uncomfortable. My team will always tell you how your money in being spent, warts and all.”
2. MSU’s Keenum thanks lawmakers for university funding
Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum recently shared his appreciation for the investment made by the Mississippi Legislature this session in the land-grant institution’s core missions and in the university’s world-class faculty and staff.
“While the bulk of our operations saw level funding, I’m extremely pleased that the Mississippi Legislature and the Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning chose to invest in a long-needed pay increase primarily for our academic personnel and provided funds to cover rising health insurance and public employee retirement costs,” said Keenum. “We are also grateful for increased operating funds for each of our five separate agriculture units, with a raise pool for instructional faculty in that division that mirrors that provided for the main campus.”
The school noted that Keenum had made university-wide faculty salaries and stabilizing funds for the agricultural units in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine (DAFVM) key priorities in the university’s legislative requests.
A $32 million state investment in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine is propelling the school toward major upgrades to its equine and small-animal hospitals. The appropriation will help the CVM better meet growing demand for veterinary care in the state and region.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. King Charles III visits D.C., will address Congress
As reported by the Washington Post, “Days after a shooting that apparently targeted President Donald Trump’s administration and sparked fresh concerns about security in the nation’s capital, King Charles III embarked Monday on a rare state visit that promised to pit the president’s admiration for British royalty against his fury at the British government.”
“The long-planned encounter had been intended to showcase close Anglo-American relations 250 years after the Declaration of Independence. Instead, it comes in the middle of one of the sharpest fights between Washington and London in generations, as Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer tussle over the president’s war on Iran and whether either side still wants to hold on to the close cooperation of the past,” WP reported.
WP continued, “The king and Queen Camilla started their trip by going directly to the White House, where they were greeted by Trump and first lady Melania Trump: handshakes for the king and queen from the president, double cheek kisses for the royals from his wife. The quartet posed for smiling pictures in front of the South Portico before going inside for tea. Most of their visit will take place Tuesday… Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress, the second British monarch to do so after his mother in 1991.”
2. Jeffries says Democrats will protect homeowners from data centers
Politico reports that “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled Monday that shielding consumers from rising electricity costs associated with the data center boom would be a priority on Democrats’ artificial intelligence agenda should they win back a majority.”
“The New York Democrat said at a press conference that Democrats want to ensure that ‘our homegrown companies can continue to lead the world in this transformative technology’ but that ‘we’ve got to make sure we protect the American consumer,'” Politico reported.
“We have to protect the American homeowner,” Jeffries said when asked by POLITICO about how he is advising Democrats to talk about AI and what his related legislative priorities would be. “We have to protect the American rate payer from some of the downsides of the explosion of what has been taking place across the country, particularly in connection with data centers.”
Sports
1. Miss. State, Southern Miss move up in Top 25; Ole Miss stays put
Mississippi State jumped up 5 spots to reenter the Top 10 at No. 10 in this week’s D1 Baseball Top 25 rankings. The Bulldogs rose after sweeping LSU last weekend.
Southern Miss jumped 6 spots, from No. 18 to No. 12, after winning 2 out of 3 at South Alabama.
Ole Miss stayed put at No. 17 for the second week in a row following their series loss to No. 5 Georgia. The Rebels won 1 out of 3 games versus the Bulldogs from the east.
2. Big 3 set for midweek matchups
No. 17 Ole Miss Baseball (31-14, 11-10 SEC) and No. 10 Mississippi State (34-10, 13-8 SEC) are set to clash in the annual Governor’s Cup at Trustmark Park on Tuesday.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in Pearl. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
As for Southern Miss, the Golden Eagles will conclude the non-conference portion of its regular season Tuesday night when they travel to New Orleans for a 6:30 p.m. contest against Tulane at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
The game can be steamed via ESPN+.
Markets & Business
1. Google co-founder compares California billionaire tax to Soviet socialism
FoxBusiness reports that Google co-founder Sergey Brin “slammed the proposed billionaire tax in California, likening it to the socialism that he fled with his family from the former Soviet Union.”
“Brin is one of the billionaires who relocated out of the Golden State to avoid the potential wealth tax that’s expected to appear on California voters’ ballots this fall. The proposal would impose a one-time 5% tax on residents whose net worth exceeds $1 billion,” FoxBusiness reported. “Assets covered by the tax may include businesses, securities, art, collectibles, and intellectual property – though real property, pensions and certain retirement accounts would be exempt.”
“I fled socialism with my family in 1979 and know the devastating, oppressive society it created in the Soviet Union. I don’t want California to end up in the same place,” Brin said in a statement to The New York Times regarding a story by the outlet that discussed his move, per FoxBusiness.
2. Hancock Whitney announces plans for Flowood financial center
Hancock Whitney Bank announced Monday that the bank plans to open a new full-service financial center in Flowood, continuing its strategic growth in the Jackson metro area and across Mississippi.
The company said the planned Flowood financial center builds on Hancock Whitney’s established presence in the market, including its Ridgeland financial center and local banking team that have served the area for more than six years.
The new Flowood branch will be located at 101 Promenade Blvd., Flowood, Mississippi, and will offer a full range of personal, digital, commercial, and small business banking services, along with wealth management, lending, and specialized financial solutions.
Magnolia Tribune
