Magnolia Mornings: January 16, 2024

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. Reeves calls press conference for Tuesday

Governor Tate Reeves will host a press conference at the Walter Sillers Building in Jackson on Tuesday. No details were given as to the topic.

Follow Magnolia Tribune for more information as this story develops.

2. Winter weather impacting Mississippi

Across the state, schools, businesses and even government offices are closed today as winter weather has made travel difficult in certain parts of the state.

In north Mississippi, temperatures have dipped into the single digits as snow and sleet have covered roadways for the last couple of days while in south Mississippi the threat of sleet and ice accumulation closed local schools out of an abundance of caution.

Forecasts predict temperatures to remain low throughout the week.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Iran strikes site in Iraq thought be an Israel intelligence center

Iran is becoming bolder in the Middle East. This week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched an attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan region not far from a U.S. Consulate that they believed to be an Israeli spy agency.

Also, even after air strikes by the U.S. and U.K. last week, the Iranian Houthi militant group attacked a U.S. container ship in the Gulf of Aden.

According to the Washington Post, “the separate strikes came amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran and spurred wider fears that the conflict in Israel could spill out across the Middle East.”

2. Defense Secretary Austin released from hospital

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been released from the hospital after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. He has been in Walter Reed for nearly two weeks after complications arose.

Austin has drawn fire for the way in which he and the Pentagon handled his hospitalization, not informing the White House of the hospital stay. Congressional members have called on Austin to be fired for failing to follow proper procedure while President Joe Biden has thus far stood by his appointee.

Sports & Entertainment

1. Ole Miss moves up to No. 22 in AP Top 25

The Ole Miss men’s basketball team moved up to No. in this week’s AP Top 25. They also landed at No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Coach Chris Beard’s Rebels are now 15-1 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play.

Mississippi State received three votes in this week’s AP poll.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday.

2. Eagles’ Kelce retiring

According to ESPN, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce told the team after Monday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he was retiring from the game.

Adam Schefter broke the news Tuesday morning on X.

The Eagles finished their season on Monday with a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.

Markets & Business

Stock futures lower ahead of short week

According to CNBC, stock futures inched lower Tuesday as rates ticked higher and Wall Street pored through the latest batch of fourth quarter earnings.

“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 63 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures dipped 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.4%,” CNBC reported. “The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield rose 6 basis points to trade just above the key 4% level. The 2-year and 30-year note yields were also higher. Those moves come after central bank officials in Europe talked down rate cut expectations.”

Also of note, December retail sales data will be released on Wednesday. This could provide a glimpse into the state of the consumer and the nation’s economic standing.