- 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. Colom’s lead over Hyde-Smith grows as end of affidavit, absentee counting nears
Democrat Scott Colom is steadily extending his lead over incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Mississippi U.S. Senate race.
As of Monday morning, Colom’s lead stands at 2,574 votes, with counting to resume today.
Tuesday marks the end of affidavit and mail-in absentee ballot acceptance, with final tallies from the remaining counties to be reported by Friday.
Secretary of State Michael Watson reported Sunday evening that 75 of 82 counties have now uploaded their unofficial results. There are just over 2,800 absentee mail-in ballots still out and 12,767 affidavit ballots have now been processed with roughly 77% of them being accepted.
2. Hitachi Energy in Crystal Springs celebrates 70 years
Hitachi Energy employees and their families gathered Saturday to celebrate 70 years of transformer manufacturing in Crystal Springs, a milestone that comes just weeks after the company announced a new $528 million transformer factory in nearby Gallman, the largest single investment in the company’s history.
“Seventy years in Crystal Springs reflects generations of skill, hard work, and dedication from our employees, along with the support of their families,” said Factory Manager Bruce Day. “This celebration gave us a chance to recognize and thank the people who built our foundation in Mississippi. As we prepare for our next chapter in Copiah County, we are proud to carry that legacy forward and create new opportunities for the next generation.”
The Gallman factory will be approximately 6.5 miles from the existing Crystal Springs facility. At over twice the size of the current plant, it will more than double production capacity and create over 700 jobs, more than double the company’s current local workforce.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate Republicans return “furious with President Trump”
The Hill reports that “Senate Republicans returning to the Capitol on Monday are furious with President Trump, whom they blame for last week’s big losses in Senate and House races.”
“The anger is raising the chances that the party could pivot away from the lame-duck president in the lead-up to the 2028 presidential election, say GOP aides and strategists,” The Hill reported. “Tensions are also rising with Trump’s Friday announcement that immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller will be his new chief of staff, replacing the outgoing Susie Wiles. The Miller appointment suggests a doubling on the president’s policies, particularly on immigration enforcement, after an election in which Hispanic voters swung decisively toward Democrats, especially in Texas.”
The Hill added, “Whit Ayres, a prominent Republican pollster, said that Senate Republicans will be less deferential to Trump after suffering a huge loss of seats in last week’s election.”
2. Will incoming Speaker Jeffries “work with” Trump?
Politico reports that “President Donald Trump said after Tuesday’s midterm drubbing he wants to ‘work with’ Democrats. Now Hakeem Jeffries has to decide if his party will play ball.”
“As he prepares to lead a massive House Democratic majority, perhaps the presumptive speaker’s toughest call will be how to handle Trump. After years of dismissing and denigrating the president, Jeffries has to weigh varying opinions inside his caucus: Some, including incoming red-district freshmen, want to attempt collaboration, while plenty of others want total war,” Politico reported. “But members close to Jeffries acknowledge he might soon have to strike a different tone as Democrats pledge to make good on their campaign promises to lower costs ahead of 2028 — or at least be seen trying.”
Politico continued, “Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, a longtime confidant of the Democratic leader, said in an Election Day interview that Jeffries has ‘always been willing to sit down and talk and to negotiate.'”
Sports
1. Northwest defeats Hinds to win 3rd straight MACCC Championship
No. 4 Northwest Mississippi Community College football team won their third straight MACCC and Region 23 Championship in a nail-biter, taking down No. 9 Hinds Community College 33-29 at Ranger Stadium at Bobby Franklin Field on Saturday afternoon.
The three-peat is the first team to do it since East Mississippi Community College in 2016 through 2018, and only the third team to do it since 1998.
The victory sets up the Rangers with the opportunity to play in the NJCAA Division I National Playoffs, with the top four teams in the country earning a spot in the postseason picture, beginning with semifinal action on November 20 and 22. The field as it stands looks like it will include top-ranked Hutchinson Community College, #2 Iowa Western Community College, and #3 Trinity Valley Community College.
2. Ole Miss falls to No. 19 after big loss to No. 1 Georgia
Ole Miss dropped 7 spots to No. 19 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll after suffering a huge 42-7 loss to now No. 1 Georgia.
The loss snapped the Rebels’ 16-game home winning streak.
Ole Miss travels to Norman to face Oklahoma on Saturday, November 14 at 3:15 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Markets & Business
1. Futures up to start week, oil down
CNBC reports that “stock futures surged early on Monday, boosted by a decline in oil prices, as traders keeping a close eye on technology shares after last week’s volatility. Investors also awaited the release of key inflation data and earnings from major artificial intelligence companies this week.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average popped 538 points, or 1.1%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.7%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were around 0.4% higher,” CNBC reported. “West Texas Intermediate futures dropped nearly 3% to $88.17 per barrel. International benchmark Brent slid 3.4% to $94.94.”
CNBC noted, “This week, investors are looking ahead to key AI-related earnings — CoreWeave, Cisco and Applied Materials are all on deck — as they assess the outlook for tech and whether the recent selloff has further to run. They’ll also watch for the releases of both the consumer price index on Tuesday and the producer price index on Friday, looking for clues on the Fed’s next move.”
2. U.S. becoming as last profit engine for automakers
According to the Wall Street Journal, “The U.S. is emerging as the last true profit engine for the world’s carmakers—and the auto industry is scrambling to compete.”
“My top three priorities are: U.S.A.,” Hyundai CEO José Muñoz said at a recent event, explaining why so many of the South Korean automaker’s new models are tailored for American drivers.
WSJ further reported, “U.S., European and Asian automakers are all focused on making and selling cars in the U.S. because of Americans’ proclivity for large pickups and SUVs—vehicles with high profit margins—and their willingness to swallow record-high sticker prices. New car prices are hovering around $50,000, while roughly one-fifth of new-vehicle buyers have monthly car payments that top $1,000.”
“Another reason is that the market in China, for decades the path to automotive dominance, has hit a wall. Sales are down more than 20% through September, creating a massive overcapacity crisis. Other big markets, including Europe, Japan and the Middle East, are also sputtering,” WSJ reported. “Additionally, the Trump administration eliminated strict emissions and fuel-economy rules that pushed carmakers to make electric vehicles, often at a loss. And the U.S. is insulated—by high tariffs and technology bans—from low-price, high-tech cars being made in China.”
Magnolia Tribune
