- 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. Gulf Coast could see tropical system later this week
Forecasters continue to watch the tropical disturbance in the southwest portion of the Gulf of America.
There is now a 90% chance that the area form a tropical cyclone this week.
The low pressure system is expected to strengthen and move north and northeast toward the Gulf Coast, with modeling showing the potential for a tropical storm or hurricane to make landfall along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama or Florida coastlines.
2. Illegal immigrant sentenced over card skimming
On Monday, Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the recent sentencing of Yerson Jose Salazar Amarista for one count of Trafficking in Device Making Equipment.
During the investigation, the Attorney General’s Office Cyber Fraud Task Force recovered five skimming devices at retailers across central Mississippi, and was able to link data discovered to over 1,600 stolen card numbers, a majority of which were Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) payment cards.
Amarista entered the country illegally and will be subject to deportation upon release from prison.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia
The Hill reports that “Russian authorities and Trump administration officials are monitoring a possible pneumonic plague outbreak in Russia, after a laboratory worker died of an undisclosed illness.”
“The woman, in her late 20s, reportedly worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East and died of pneumonia of unknown origin, according to Rospotrebnadzor, a Russian health and consumer protection agency,” The Hill reported. “The research institute is located in Irkutsk Oblast. Russian authorities have quarantined dozens of people, while the head of Russia’s health watchdog flew to the area, Reuters reported Monday.”
The Hill continued, “Individuals with pneumonic plague develop fever, headache, weakness and a ‘rapidly developing’ pneumonia characterized by shortness of breath, chest pain, cough and sometimes bloody or watery mucus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
2. Democrats weigh Harris return in 2028
As reported by the Washington Post, “If Kamala Harris runs for president again, she would begin with advantages no rival could match: near-universal name recognition, experience in the White House and the hard-earned lessons of already having carried the party’s banner. For many Democrats, that still may not be enough.”
“With roughly a dozen Democrats maneuvering toward possible 2028 bids, Harris retains considerable affection and respect inside the party. But interviews with 18 strategists, donors, former Harris surrogates and other Democrats — including some who backed her in 2024 — revealed persistent uncertainty about whether her moment was cut short or her time has passed, and whether she can lead Democrats back to power,” WP reported. “Some see a former vice president with an unmatched résumé in the still-forming field — a candidate who, her supporters argue, deserves a fairer shot than the 107 frantic days she had to take over and try to rescue Joe Biden’s faltering campaign. Others see a defeated nominee inextricably tied to the party’s recent past confronting Democrats hungry for new leaders, sharper ideas and a more decisive break from the political order that preceded Donald Trump’s return to power.”
WP added, “Beneath the respect for the former Democratic standard bearer is a striking anxiety about the potential consequences of her return to the political conversation.”
Sports
1. Exhibition between Miss. State, Auburn and Southern Miss altered due to weather
Mississippi State Athletics said impending tropical weather has forced the Bulldogs to alter its baseball exhibition schedule this weekend.
Mississippi State was set to take on Auburn on Friday and Southern Miss on Saturday in the Hancock Whitney Coast Classic. However, forecasted weather has now moved MSU’s exhibition with Auburn to Thursday at 6 p.m. at Keesler Federal Park and the contest against the Golden Eagles has been canceled.
All tickets for Friday’s game will be honored on Thursday night. Tickets for Saturday’s game can be exchanged for Thursday’s game at the Keesler Federal Park box office. For those who are unable to attend either game, fans can contact the Biloxi Shuckers ticket office by clicking here.
2. Southern Miss men’s basketball hosting scrimmage
Fans can get their first look at the 2026-27 Southern Miss men’s basketball team when the squad will hold a Black-Gold Scrimmage, Tuesday, October 13, at 6 p.m. The free event will take place at Reed Green Coliseum.
The event is free and open to the general public.
Parking around M.K. Turk Circle will be limited due to construction of Reed Green Coliseum. Other parking locations include the Wellness Center and the Payne Center.
Markets & Business
1. Walmart won’t use AI to set personalized prices
FoxBusiness reports that “Walmart is doubling down on its pledge not to use AI, customer data or digital shelf labels to set personalized prices for its shoppers.”
“In a public letter Monday, Dan Bartlett, Walmart’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, challenged what he described as repeated ‘mischaracterizations’ by Lindsay Owens, author of the recently released book ‘Gouged,’ about Walmart’s pricing practices and use of technology,” FoxBusiness reported.
“The facts are straightforward. We price products, not people,” Bartlett wrote. “Walmart does not and will not use an individual customer’s personal information, income, shopping history, urgency or willingness to pay to set an individualized price. We do not engage in dynamic pricing, raising prices in response to a hot afternoon or an approaching snowstorm, for example.”
FoxBusiness noted, “Bartlett defended the retailer’s use of digital shelf labels, saying the technology does not identify customers or independently set prices.”
2. Futures up as Treasury yields decline
CNBC reports that “stock futures rose early Tuesday, boosted by a decline in Treasury yields, after the Nasdaq Composite climbed to a fresh record in the previous session.”
“The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield fell 3 basis points to 5.277%, along with the 30-year bond yield, which traded around 5.636%. Both yields scaled to levels not seen since 2002 on Monday,” CNBC reported. “A decline in oil prices also gave equities a boost. Brent crude traded 2% lower at $98.05 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures shed 2.3% to $87.47.”
CNBC went on the report, “Stocks are coming off a winning session in which the Nasdaq Composite reached an all-time high. The tech-heavy index was set to build on that record, as Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Amazon traded higher.”
