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In Mississippi
Jackson raising dining, lodging tax
WJTV reports that “dining and lodging costs could soon go up in Jackson after city council members unanimously approved a resolution to raise the city’s tourism and convention tax.”
“The tax was put in place more than 40 years ago specifically to support the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, also known as Visit Jackson, which was established in 1983. According to Visit Jackson officials, the tax hasn’t gone up since then,” WJTV reported. “The Jackson City Council’s unanimous vote on Tuesday would add an additional sales tax to restaurants and hotels in the capital city. Under the proposal, the restaurant tax would increase by a half percent, while the hotel tax would increase by one percent.”
“You just spent $20 on a meal,” Rickey Thigpen, president and CEO of Visit Jackson, said, per WJTV. “Instead of your tax on your bill being $2.10, now, it’s going to be $2.30. Wow. What an investment. And if you stay in a hotel and your hotel bill is $200, instead of being $202, it’s going to be $204.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Social Security cliff is here
As reported by Politico, “A sudden cut to Social Security checks — long seen as a far-off doomsday — is now an imminent problem for the next president and whomever voters send to Congress in the coming years.”
“The trust fund that bankrolls monthly checks to retirees is set to be drained of reserves in late 2032. That means tens of millions of Americans age 62 and older, as well as children and widowed spouses who get survivor benefits following the death of a family member, would see their monthly payments shrink by more than 20 percent — or an average of about $500 a month — unless Congress and the president act,” Politico reported. “Capitol Hill saw a noticeable surge this summer in the sense of urgency to enact a fix, and alliances have started forming between prominent Republicans and Democrats rallying for a solution. But President Donald Trump and congressional leaders have yet to join the calls to action or back any of the numerous bipartisan bills aimed at preventing benefit cuts.”
“This train wreck is going to happen,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said in an interview with Politico. “So as early as six years from now, we’re going to have to have a plan. And of course, I’m a big believer that we need to deal with it now, or we need to start the process of dealing with it now.”
2. Judge block Democrat redistricting efforts in Maryland
The Hill reports that “a Maryland judge Wednesday blocked an effort that would have proposed a constitutional amendment to redraw the state’s congressional districts to residents, marking another setback for Democratic redistricting efforts.”
“Judge Robert Thompson ruled against House Bill 2100 — signed into law by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Aug. 5 — calling the wording in parts of the proposed ballot question ‘intentionally misleading, and this should disqualify the ballot question as currently written,'” The Hill reported.
“The court has no choice but to enjoin the board of elections from including ballot Question 3 on the general election ballot for November 3, 2026,” Thompson wrote.
“H.B. 2100 would have asked voters in the Old Line State about a proposed constitutional amendment that ‘clarifies … standards’ around congressional redistricting,” The Hill added. “The bill would require each congressional legislative district to be ‘given to natural boundaries and the boundaries of political subdivisions.’”
Sports
1. Ole Miss’ Cunningham, Miss. State Womack named to Freshman of the Year watchlist
The Maxwell Football Club announced their preseason watch list for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award on Wednesday, naming Ole Miss wide receiver Caleb Cunningham and Mississippi State safety Bralan Womack to the 37-member list.
One of the nation’s top recruits coming out of high school, Cunningham came to Ole Miss as a five-star prospect according to 247Sports and On3 industry rankings. He was ranked as the No. 21 overall recruit in his class and No. 2 wide receiver in the nation by ESPN, and was the top player coming out of Mississippi according to ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports. Cunningham saw action in three games during 2025 with Ole Miss, grabbing one reception for 19 yards.
Womack, a standout true freshman from Brandon, Mississippi, enters his rookie campaign with the Bulldogs following a stellar prep career at Hartfield Academy, where he was rated as a five-star prospect by the 247Sports composite rankings and earned Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year honors. Known for exceptional ball skills and defensive playmaking, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety looks to be a contributor in the Bulldogs’ secondary this fall.
2. Valley kicks off 2026 season with matchup tonight against Nicholls
Mississippi Valley State opens the 2026 season against Nicholls on Thursday, August 27.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Thibodaux, Louisiana, with the game available nationally on ESPN+.
Nicholls participated in the first game played in the United States last year in the Week 0 win over UIW, and the Colonels will once again get college football underway as one of the first games to be played on opening day.
Valley went 2-10 last season while Nicholls wasn’t much better at 4-8.
It is Valley Head Coach Terrell Buckley’s second season leading the Delta Devils.
Markets & Business
1. Fed chairman Warsh in spotlight as inflation remains high
The Wall Street Journal reports that “Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh faces his biggest audience this week with one question above all hanging over him: Is inflation high because of one-off shocks such as tariffs and a war, or because the economy is simply running too hot?”
“The question determines whether interest rates will go up. It’s also splitting Warsh’s colleagues. Three officials voted last month to raise rates, and others have signaled they are open to joining them. Warsh hasn’t said where he comes out, part of a new policy of communicating less,” WSJ reported. “When Warsh speaks Friday at the Kansas City Fed’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo., investors will be listening for an account of how Warsh reads this economy and what would make him move. So will many of his colleagues in attendance.”
WSJ continued, “Softer price data for the past two months have, for now, eased the pressure to raise rates at the Fed’s next meeting in September. But they haven’t resolved whether interest rates are restrictive enough to keep inflation headed lower, especially with the Iran war, new tariffs and the AI build-out threatening sustained upward pressure on prices.”
2. Nvidia earnings boost Nasdaq futures
According to CNBC, “Nasdaq-100 futures were higher Thursday as the latest earnings reports from Nvidia and other well-known technology companies boosted sentiment.”
“Futures tied to the tech heavy index rose 1%. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were marginally lower,” CNBC reported. “Nvidia shares jumped 7% in premarket trading on Thursday, after it beat analyst expectations and forecast strong revenue growth. The chipmaker’s fiscal second-quarter revenue more than doubled and surpassed forecasts by its largest amount in two years.”
CNBC noted, “Nvidia stands to break its recent pattern of seeing stock declines despite posting stronger-than-anticipated reports.”
Magnolia Tribune
