Magnolia Mornings: June 16, 2026

• 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. Operation Liberty Strikes nets 40 arrests in South Mississippi

Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Monday the completion of Operation Liberty Strike, an effort led by the AG’s Fentanyl Strike Force.

Fitch’s office said the operation resulted in 28 felony arrests, 12 misdemeanor arrests, the execution of six search warrants, as well as the seizure of half a pound of fentanyl, 1½ pounds of marijuana, 12 ounces of Methamphetamine, and 8 firearms.

The AG said Operation Liberty Strike was conducted across a four-day blitz in Harrison County, Biloxi, Picayune, and Lamar County on June 3-4 and 10-11. The following agencies participated in the operation: Alcoholic Beverage Control, Biloxi Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Forrest County Sheriff’s Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Mississippi Department of Corrections, and Picayune Police Department.

2. PSC to host storm preparedness summit in Tupelo

The Mississippi Public Service Commission is the “From Recovery to Resilience: Mississippi Storm Preparedness Summit” on June 23 and 24 at the Tupelo High School Performing Arts Center.

The PSC said the Summit is a response to the events that occurred during Winter Storm Fern this past January.

The goal of the Summit is to make sure Mississippi communities, utilities, and local governments are better prepared for whatever the next storm brings. 

The PSC said commissioners will bring together meteorologists, utility representatives, county and municipal leadership, emergency managers, frontline workers, and legislative leaders to have conversations on needs before the next storm.

3. $2.2M in EquipMS grants awarded to 25 schools

Mississippi is strengthening career and technical education programs at 25 high schools and school districts statewide, using nearly $2.2 million in grants aimed at equipping students with the skills and credentials needed for high-demand industries and postsecondary success.

The EquipMS Grant Program, established in 2023 through House Bill 588 as the Mississippi K– 12 Workforce Development Grant Program, provides targeted funding to modernize, replace, or otherwise enhance high school programs aligned with the state’s priority occupations and industry sectors.

AccelerateMS said this year’s awards focus on advanced manufacturing and construction, strategically aligning with local industries’ workforce needs. The schools/districts in this year’s round of funding include:

• Grenada School District Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 102,844.00
• Lafayette Career & Technical Center Construction-HVACR $ 35,357.14
• Alcorn CTC Advance Manufacturing -Industrial Maintenance $ 91,200.00
• Benton County CTC Advance Manufacturing -Industrial Maintenance $ 16,157.91
• Covington County CTE Advance Manufacturing -Welding $ 39,000.00
• DeSoto County CTC Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 62,921.00
• Holly Springs Career and Technical Center Advanced Manufacturing – Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Equipment Operations $ 138,062.80
• Humphreys County TCR Career and Technical Center Construction-HVACR and Advance Manufacturing -Welding $ 53,315.83
• Winona CTC Advance Manufacturing -Welding $ 55,000.00
• Senatobia Tate County Career Technical Center Construction-HVACR $ 135,524.08
• Louisville Municipal School District Advance Manufacturing -Welding & Industrial Technology Program $ 248,483.00
• Pascagoula-Gautier School District / CCTI Advance Manufacturing -Metal Fabrication $ 51,859.00
• Itawamba Career and Technical Center Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 70,100.58
• Poplarville Schools Career Development Center Advance Manufacturing – Automotive $ 27,500.00
• Smith County Career Center Advance Manufacturing -Welding $ 88,741.05
• Lowndes County Career Technology Center Advance Manufacturing -Welding $ 64,000.00
• Noxubee County CTC Advance Manufacturing- Metal Fabrication and Welding $ 100,000.00
• Scott County School District Advance Manufacturing – Engineering $ 62,681.85
• Yazoo County High School Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 150,000.00
• Canton Career Center Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 150,000.00
• Jackson Public School CDC Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 150,000.00
• Madison CTC Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 150,000.00
• Lee County School District, Oxford School District, and
• Calhoun County School District Advance Manufacturing- Advance Manufacturing $ 150,000.00

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Trump endorses ahead of primaries

As reported by the New York Times, “President Trump’s grip on the Republican Party in the South, where he has enjoyed perhaps his greatest success lifting his chosen candidates over those he has perceived as disloyal, will be tested on Tuesday in three states featuring primary or runoff contests with candidates he backed.”

“Mr. Trump’s endorsement has been imposing in primary contests across the country this year, but nowhere has that been more true than in the South, where he backed Republican challengers who defeated Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Senator John Cornyn of Texas. Still, a couple of the president’s chosen candidates are in difficult races on Tuesday,” NYT reported. “In the Alabama Senate runoff, Mr. Trump has backed Representative Barry Moore, a third-term congressman and longtime loyalist, since early in the campaign. But the outsider candidacy of Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL, caught on with Republican voters after Mr. Hudson’s surprise, second-place finish in the May primary.”

NYT continued, “A similar insider-versus-outsider dynamic is at play in Georgia, where Mr. Trump has long backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for governor. Mr. Jones has been locked in a hugely expensive campaign filled with negative TV ads against Rick Jackson, a wealthy health care executive who has embraced Mr. Trump and his policies, even without receiving the president’s endorsement.”

2. U.K. looks to ban social media for kids 16 and under

Politico reports that Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that the U.K. will ban social media for under-16s.

“Livestreaming and tools which allow users to communicate with strangers will also be blocked, and restricted by default for 17-year-olds, the U.K. prime minister said,” Politico reported. “Proposals for the ban will be brought to U.K. lawmakers before Christmas, with the new protections expected to come into force in spring 2027, he added.”

Politico noted, “Starmer told a Downing Street press conference ‘a full ban is the right choice,’ adding he is not ‘prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.’”

Sports

Shuckers add 3B, OF to lineup

The Biloxi Shuckers and Milwaukee Brewers announced Monday that 3B Andrew Fischer and OF Josh Adamczewski have been promoted from the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and added to the active roster.

The team said both players will be active for the Shuckers home game on Tuesday, June 16, against the Columbus Clingstones, with first pitch at 6:35 p.m.

The Shuckers enter Tuesday a half-game ahead of the Montgomery Biscuits for first place in the South Division with eight games remaining in the half. The Shuckers are looking to become the first Brewers Double-A affiliate to reach the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since the El Paso Diablos, who reached in five straight seasons between 1990 and 1994. 

Markets & Business

1. Oil falls to lowest level since March

FoxBusiness reports that oil prices fell on Monday “to the lowest levels since early March following the announcement of a preliminary agreement between the U.S. and Iran to end the war that has strained the energy market.”

“West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices were down over 5% during Monday’s trading session on the news, trading just above $80 a barrel,” FoxBusiness reported. “Despite that decline, prices for the U.S. oil benchmark remain well above their pre-war levels, as oil prices were between $60 and $70 a barrel in the month leading up to the beginning of the conflict.”

FoxBusiness added, “Prices for Brent crude, the global benchmark, were down over 3.6% on Monday and were trading below $80 a barrel for the first time since early March.”

2. EU approves trade deal with U.S.

The Wall Street Journal reports that “European lawmakers on Tuesday approved their trade deal with the U.S., ahead of a deadline set by U.S. President Trump that would have ramped up tariffs on cars.”

“The move opens a new chapter in relations between the two economies after a rollercoaster period for trans-Atlantic trade,” WSJ reported. “The so-called Liberation Day tariffs launched last year significantly raised duties on goods imports from the European Union.”

WSJ went on to report, “Both sides engaged in protracted negotiations before they agreed a framework deal last July, which included 15% duties on most EU goods imports into the U.S., alongside removal of EU tariffs on U.S. imports.”