- 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. Teens in custody after deputy shot in Mount Olive
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced at 1:20 a.m. Tuesday morning that 18-year-old Cortavious Lawayne Hobbs and 19-year-old Cortavion Dewayne Hobbs were located and arrested with no further incident in connection to an officer-involved shooting that occurred June 8th, 2026 at approximately 3:38 p.m.
A statewide blue alert was issued after a Covington County Deputy was allegedly shot. Multiple law enforcement agencies from around the Pine Belt as well as the MBI, Highway Patrol and others converged on the Mount Olive area for the manhunt.
There has been no update on the deputy’s condition as of early Tuesday morning.
2. O’Donnells donate $9 million to Children’s of Mississippi
Priscilla and David O’Donnell have made a $4 million gift to support pediatric cardiology at Children’s of Mississippi.
The commitment establishes a permanent endowment to support the Children’s heart program in perpetuity. The O’Donnells’ support also includes an additional $5 million gift to aid future growth at the hospital.
In recognition of the gift, the Children’s Heart Center will be named the Children’s of Mississippi Priscilla and David O’Donnell Heart Center.
“We’ve always believed that when you’ve been blessed with opportunities in life, you have a responsibility to give back in a meaningful way,” the O’Donnells said in a joint statement. “Supporting Children’s of Mississippi felt like one of the clearest ways we could do that.”
3. Rally for contraception rights being held at Mississippi Capitol
A public event marking the anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut alongside Freeda Womb, a 20-foot inflatable intrauterine device or IUD, is being held on Tuesday at the Mississippi Capitol to highlight what the group Americans for Contraception says is a constitutional right to contraception.
The event will feature legislators, healthcare providers, advocates, and community leaders.
Speakers will include State Rep. Zakiya Summers (D), sponsor of Mississippi’s 2024 Right to Contraception Act, and Jalyn McElroy of the Providing Unlimited Period Access (PUPA) Project.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump pushes Thune to oust Senate Parliamentarian over SAVE Act
As The Hill reports, “President Trump on Monday called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to ‘immediately fire’ Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to clear the way for Senate Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot.”
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune should immediately fire the parliamentarian, who treats Republicans and everything they stand for horribly!” Trump posted on Truth Social, arguing that she’s an obstacle to enacting the SAVE America Act, The Hill noted.
The Hill continued, “The parliamentarian ruled that the SAVE America Act did not comply with the Senate’s Byrd Rule, which determines what legislation is eligible to be included in a budget reconciliation package that can pass with a simple-majority vote, thereby avoiding a filibuster and 60-vote threshold.”
2. NASA seeking more funding for moon mission
Politico reports that “NASA has begun quietly lobbying Congress for a major cash infusion — perhaps as much as several billion dollars — as the agency pushes to meet President Donald Trump’s ambitious order to land astronauts on the moon in 2028.”
“The exact details of the request are in flux and the discussions are still preliminary, according to two congressional staffers and one industry representative. But the agency needs the money to pay for redesigning a moon landing spacecraft, and after a disastrous explosion on Blue Origin’s launchpad in Cape Canaveral jeopardized key lunar missions,” Politico reported. “Final costs also haven’t been nailed down.”
Politico further reported, “The extra money would help NASA pay for a redesigned lunar lander — which would be simplified to meet agency deadlines — that would ferry astronauts down to the moon’s surface, according to the two congressional staffers. The agency aims to test new lunar landers in 2027 ahead of a crewed landing on the moon in 2028.”
Sports
1. MSU’s Parker named 1st team Freshman All-American
Mississippi State Athletics said Jacob Parker is coming off one of the most memorable rookie seasons in Mississippi State Baseball history.
Parker clubbed a freshman record 18 home runs this year to go along with a .339 batting average and 62 RBIs.
The outfielder was named a first team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder appeared in 53 games and made 44 starts this spring. Parker finished second on the Diamond Dawgs in homers and RBIs as well as third in batting average and stolen bases (seven). He also added 10 doubles and one triple to his totals.
2. Former Ole Miss golfer Suber to play in U.S. Open
Former Ole Miss men’s golfer Jackson Suber has earned a spot in the 2026 U.S. Open.
The 126th U.S. Open will begin on June 18 at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southhampton, New York.
Playing at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, Suber tied for the best first round among the field by shooting a 65, before carding a 67 in round two to go 10-under on the day. Claiming first place, Suber earned one of the four qualifying spots at his event, landing him in the U.S. Open for the second time in his career (also in 2024).
Markets & Business
1. Stocks rebound, oil prices pull back
CNBC reports that “U.S. stock futures rose on Tuesday as chip stocks rebounded for a second day from last Friday’s rout and oil prices pulled back on hopes a U.S.-Iran deal is nearing.”
“S&P 500 futures were up about 0.4%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.8%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advanced 96 points or 0.2%,” CNBC reported. “WTI crude oil shed about 2% to trade under $90 a barrel as President Donald Trump said a deal between the U.S. and Iran could be reached in ‘two or three days’ that opens the Strait of Hormuz ‘immediately.’”
CNBC added, “Traders will deal with some economic data Tuesday with April’s wholesale inventories and May’s existing home sales released.”
2. Meta’s workforce academy to train to build data centers
The Wall Street Journal reports that Meta Platforms says it’s time to pick up a wrench.
“The company is starting a ‘workforce academy’ to train Americans to build its data centers as skilled trade workers become a sought-after commodity. The five-week training program, in partnership with CBRE and the Associated Builders and Contractors, is free of charge and guarantees graduates a job at a Meta data-center construction site, the company said,” WSJ reported. “Meta is committing $115 million to the program this year and will pilot it in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Texas. The company’s largest data center, called Hyperion, is in Richland Parish, La. It will be ‘so large that it would cover a significant part of Manhattan,’ the company has said.”
WSJ noted, “Meta joins a growing crowd of companies that have realized there is a dearth of skilled workers in the U.S. and are trying to encourage people to enter the field.”
