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In Mississippi
Affidavit, absentee deadline today in Mississippi Senate race
Today is the deadline for when outstanding affidavit ballots are to be cured and mail-in absentee ballots are to be received to be counted in the Mississippi General Election tally.
As it stands now in the Mississippi Senate race, Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by 2,536 votes. That number is likely to start shifting today and into Wednesday as these final ballots are added to the totals ahead of Friday’s certification deadline.
With 97% of precincts in:
Colom (D): 467,961 – 49.1%
Hyde-Smith (R): 465,425 – 48.8%
Pinkins (I): 20,032 – 2.1%
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Freedom Caucus urges reconciliation package before Democrats take over
The Hill reports that “the conservative House Freedom Caucus sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday urging them to push through a third reconciliation package and other GOP legislative priorities before Democrats assume control of Congress next year.”
“The caucus wrote in their letter that there is ‘an enormous amount of unfinished business to preserve and protect the Republic from an incoming majority party hell-bent on radically changing it,'” The Hill reported.
“We must deny them every legislative leverage point possible,” the caucus wrote.
The Hill further reported that “the caucus is calling for a reconciliation package that includes defense modernization, tax relief for families and at least $1 trillion in spending cuts. Other priorities outlined in the letter include codifying President Trump’s border security policies, imposing congressional term limits, banning stock trading by lawmakers and confirming ‘as many Presidential nominees as possible’ in the Senate. Lawmakers are in session for only five more weeks until the new Congress takes over in January. The next few weeks are already consumed by leadership elections across both chambers.”
2. Massie files articles of impeachment against Hegseth
As the New York Times reports, “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to hold a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday morning to address a looming impeachment vote over his handling of the war against Iran and other military operations.”
“That he scheduled the event appears to be a measure of how much he feels the pressure to defend himself. Mr. Hegseth has not addressed reporters at the Pentagon since May, not even when a Navy commander was killed in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea on July 1 or when three U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile attack on a base in Jordan on July 17,” NYT reported. “The impeachment push is being led by Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.”
NYT continued, “Mr. Massie introduced articles of impeachment on Monday that accuse Mr. Hegseth of violating the Constitution and federal law by ignoring the will of Congress in waging the war against Iran. Other charges accuse Mr. Hegseth of carrying out unlawful strikes against suspected drug traffickers in boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific; unlawfully capturing Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro; conducting unauthorized military operations in Yemen; and using his office to conduct political retaliation against his critics, including Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona.”
Sports
1. Hubbard becomes 4th player in MSU history to reach 2,000 points
Josh Hubbard has now reached rarified Mississippi State air and the Bulldog superstar helped move State to 3-0 in the process.
MSU Athletics said Hubbard became just the fourth MSU player to score 2,000 career points in the Bulldogs’ win over Jackson State on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum. Hubbard joined State legends Jeff Malone, Bailey Howell and Quinndary Weatherspoon in the Mississippi State men’s hoops 2,000-point club as the Bulldogs tamed the Tigers 98-57.
Hubbard finished the game with 14 points. He entered the evening needing just 13 points to hit 2,000 and he crossed that mark early in the second half.
2. JSU’s Foster named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week
Jackson State defensive back Jalen Foster earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Defensive Player of the Week honors following the team’s victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.
Foster finished the game with a pair of interceptions and three tackles for Jackson State (7-2, 4-2 SWAC), holding Mississippi Valley State to just 171 yards of total offense.
Jackson State returns to action on Saturday against Alabama State on the road in Montgomery.
Markets & Business
1. Beef industry herds have shrunk leaving high meat prices a long-term reality
The Wall Street Journal reports that “America’s $100 billion beef industry is undergoing a painful downsizing, and it’s poised to make high meat prices a long-term reality.”
“After years of economic turmoil and droughts, the U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest level in 75 years. The supply shock is driving up steak and hamburger prices at grocery stores and restaurants to record highs—conditions that could last well into the next decade, given how long it takes to replenish a herd,” WSJ reported.
“The common public probably thinks you can turn it around in four months,” said Brad Peek, whose family has run one of the largest livestock auctions west of the Rockies for decades. “We’ll be lucky to start gaining cattle in four years.”
WSJ added, “The shortage is costing meatpackers billions of dollars in losses because the packers can’t fully pass on their higher costs to supermarkets and restaurants. That means more closures, a vicious cycle that leaves the meat industry less prepared for the day when cattle herds eventually expand.”
2. October consumer report coming Tuesday
CNBC reports that “falling gasoline prices provided some relief to consumers in October, but Federal Reserve officials are increasingly concerned that inflation pressures elsewhere in the economy are proving harder to contain.”
“Prices at the pump declined by more than 4%, according to the Energy Information Administration, providing a respite from a surge that had added more than a dollar a gallon over the past year,” CNBC reported. “However, the consumer price index for the month, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., is expected to show only a slight let-up.”
CNBC noted, “At a time when the central bank is increasingly confident about the state of the labor market, concerns over the cost of living are what are top of mind for the Fed.”
