- 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. Lockheed Martin’s C-130J wins Mississippi Makers Challenge
Lockheed Martin has been named the winner of the 2026 Mississippi Makers Challenge, presented by the Mississippi Business Alliance (MSBA). The announcement was made today during MSBA’s General Assembly in Jackson.
“Mississippi is proud to see Lockheed Martin’s Meridian-built C-130J Super Hercules named MSBA’s Coolest Thing Made in Mississippi,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “This vital aircraft supports more than 500 Mississippi jobs across our state, building on a 57-year heritage in Meridian. We are proud of the key role Lockheed Martin continues to play in Mississippi’s support of the U.S. Armed Forces and our allies.”
The Mississippi Makers Challenge celebrates the manufacturers and makers across the state whose innovation, craftsmanship and investment help strengthen Mississippi’s economy and workforce.
In addition to Lockheed Martin, the 2026 final four included Cathead Distillery, CITEArmored, and Toyota. MSBA also recognized all of the companies that participated in this year’s competition for showcasing the impact of manufacturing across Mississippi.
The Mississippi Makers Challenge is designed to celebrate the people, products and companies that contribute to Mississippi’s manufacturing community and demonstrate why Made in Mississippi matters.
2. Fitch joins 20 other AGs in urging repeal of provisions in NFA
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has joined 20 other attorneys general urging congressional leaders to repeal provisions of the National Firearms Act (NFA) recently repudiated by a federal court in Texas.
In Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF, a federal district court correctly held that certain provisions of the National Firearms Act exceed Congress’s taxing power and are therefore unconstitutional. The ruling is limited as it does not repeal those provisions and protects only certain parties from enforcement.
Mississippi is one of 15 states with a law on making, manufacturing, selling, or possessing suppressors that refers back to federal law and requires a change in law. The attorneys general wrote, “Congress can completely remove the enforcement threat and ensure that no citizen is subject to these unconstitutional provisions by repealing the NFA provisions at issue…”
Joining Attorney General Fitch in the letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump pledges dividend at GOP convention while Fetterman introduces McCormick
As reported by The Hill, “President Trump wrapped up the first day of the GOP’s unprecedented midterm convention Wednesday with a lengthy speech reminiscent of his own campaign rallies — delivering on the ‘Trump-a-palooza’ hype.”
“The biggest piece of news from the president’s keynote speech was his pledge to send $5,000 ‘Trump dividends’ out to all U.S. adults if Republicans hold both the Senate and House in November,” The Hill reported. “Despite Trump’s promise, the legality and practicality of such a move is unclear. There are about 270 million adults in the U.S., and Congress may have to approve it.”
The Hill continued, “Another moment of the convention that raised eyebrows came when Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), who has increasingly been at odds with members of his party, appeared in a video message to introduce his fellow Pennsylvania senator, Dave McCormick (R)… Fetterman said in the video that he would always ‘reject the extremes in socialism and the anti-American way of life.’”
2. DOJ warns 30 states not to destroy 2024 election records
The New York Times reports that “the Department of Justice sent threatening letters to at least 30 top election officials across the country, expanding its efforts to gain access to private voter data and election records.”
“The letters warned states not to destroy any records related to the 2024 election, explaining that their chief election officials ‘are currently under investigation’ and subject to ‘ongoing litigation.’ The notices come amid a barrage of efforts by President Trump and his administration, which have been fruitless so far, to find evidence of widespread voter fraud,” NYT reported. “It is not clear what the department is investigating, nor whether its probe is criminal or civil in nature. The letters do not cite any criminal statutes. Instead, they point to some of the same claims made previously as part of the administration’s ongoing effort to identify fraud in the nation’s elections, including machine anomalies and noncitizen voting. In court, the Justice Department has tried to force states to hand over unredacted voter lists, including personal information like driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.”
NYT added, “The Justice Department has sued 30 different states for this data. They’ve lost 23 of those cases and have won none. Decisions are pending in the rest.”
Sports
1. Miss. State men’s golfer named SEC Freshman of the Week
Mississippi State’s Yago Horno Mateo has earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors, as announced Wednesday by the conference office.
Horno Mateo notched a fourth-place showing at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate in his Bulldog debut. The freshman from Sotogrande, Spain, opened the event with a round of 3-under 67 before concluding with consecutive rounds of 2-under 68 to fire an overall score of 7-under 203.
He played steady golf throughout the tournament, tying for fourth in par 5s in the field while carding nine birdies and an eagle over 54 holes.
2. Ole Miss women’s golfer named SEC Women’s Co-Freshman of the Week
Ole Miss women’s golfer Lisa Herman was named SEC Women’s Co-Freshman of the Week, the conference announced Wednesday. The Jenks, Oklahoma, native secures her first career conference accolade with this week’s recognition.
The school said the honor follows Herman’s outstanding performance at the Boilermaker Classic, where she earned a career-high second place in a field of 93 golfers. This marks the freshman’s first top-five finish of her collegiate career.
Herman shot 5-under par in her collegiate debut to finish runner-up at the Boilermaker Classic with a pair of 70s. She tied for first in scoring on par fours (-3) and par fives (-3) for the week. She also recorded 12 birdies throughout the tournament and added an eagle from the fairway, showcasing a strong all-around performance in her first collegiate event.
Markets & Business
1. Oil continues to rise as investors await latest inflation data
CNBC reports that “S&P 500 futures were flat Thursday as oil prices continued to gain, and traders looked ahead to the first of two inflation reports due this week.”
“Higher oil prices continued to weigh on sentiment, as worries over escalating tensions in the Middle East drove the price of Brent crude further above the $100 a barrel. Futures for international benchmark Brent crude for November delivery were last above $102 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for October jumped above $97 per barrel,” CNBC reported. “Investors are bracing for the August’s producer price index, a measure of wholesale inflation, that comes out Thursday morning. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect a monthly gain of 0.3%, and a 5.3% advance year over year.”
CNBC further reported, “The closely watched consumer price index follows on Friday, with the Dow Jones consensus calling for a 0.4% jump in August and a 12-month increase of 3.4%. Both numbers feed into the Fed’s primary inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index, which won’t be released until after the Fed’s interest rate vote Sept. 16.”
2. Trump bans Canadian imports of dairy products, alcohol, motorcycles
According to the Wall Street Journal, “President Trump on Tuesday signed orders to ban the importation of many dairy products, alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada in three weeks—a retaliation for Canadian tariffs that took effect earlier the same day.”
“Trump also modified the scope of some existing 50% tariffs on Canada, removing levies on cement, road salt and some hospital products, while imposing 50% levies on other products including some all-terrain vehicles, boats and cheeses,” WSJ reported. “The tariff changes will take effect Sept. 15, according to proclamations posted on the White House website, while the trade prohibitions are set to kick in on Sept. 29.”
WSJ noted, “The overall economic impact of the trade moves would initially be small. A senior Trump administration official said the new trade prohibitions would only affect a dollar volume of trade in the ‘single-digit billions,’ while the overall volume of Canadian exports affected by the tariffs—$20 billion—would be unchanged after the modifications.”
