- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
MS Farm Bureau host youth ag conference
Harvesting hope for the future of agriculture in the state was the focus of a conference for high school students hosted by the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Friday in Starkville, as reported by WCBI.
“We’re trying to teach them advocacy skills and leadership skills and develop them into agricultural leaders of our future,” said Mike McCormick, the President of Mississippi Farm Bureau, per WCBI.
WCBI noted, “This was Mississippi Farm Bureau’s first event for the youth. It was a part of their new program, LEAD, which focuses on students interested in going into the agricultural field.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump works at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s
Former President Donald Trump went to work at a McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania on Sunday, according to Newsmax.
“I’ve now worked 15 minutes more than Kamala,” Trump told a huddled gang of press from the drive-thru window, donning a yellow and gray apron, per Newsmax. “She never worked here.”
“One such campaign talking point has been Harris’ claim that she worked at McDonald’s,” Newsmax added. “The Harris campaign has maintained that she worked at the Golden Arches in Alameda, California, in 1983, during her freshman and sophomore years at Howard University. However, Trump has said her 1987 resumé makes no mention of her time helming the fry machine or attending to guests.”
2. Harris reportedly raised $1 billion in three months
The New York Times reports that Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign “set a record for the biggest fundraising quarter ever this fall, raising $1 billion in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30.”
“Ms. Harris’s campaign and its allied party committees raised over $359 million in September alone, compared with the $160 million reported by former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign and allied groups,” NYT reported. “Ms. Harris and her groups entered October with over $346 million on hand; Mr. Trump’s aides said his campaign and its affiliated groups had $283 million.”
NYT also noted, “Campaigns and party committees typically work to spend their cash down to zero, although both campaigns are aware that post-election litigation could require additional funds.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Hall out as Southern Miss head coach
Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain announced Sunday evening that the university was parting ways with head football coach Will Hall after four seasons.
“We are grateful to Will and his family for their dedication to Southern Miss over the past four years,” McClain said in a statement. “Will poured his heart and soul into this program and into shaping these young men. Unfortunately, the results on the field didn’t align with our shared goals and expectations.”
Southern Miss Athletics said they will immediately commence a search for the next leader of the football program. Assistant Head Coach/General Manager Reed Stringer will serve as the Golden Eagles’ interim head coach for the remainder of the 2024 season.
McClain is set to hold a press conference on Monday morning.
2. Jackson State moves to 3-0 in SWAC play
Jackson State pulled off a 35-21 come-from-behind victory over Florida A&M on Saturday in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU.
“Mulligan finished the night with 139 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, and gave way to Matthews two times near the goal line for his first two career touchdowns to bookend the victory for Jackson State (5-2, 3-0 SWAC). Jacobian Morgan finished 56 yards rushing on 13 carries while also passing for 155 yards on 15-of-25 passing,” JSU Athletics recounted. “The Tigers connected with seven different receivers on the night including four receptions from Ja’Naylon Dupree for 33 yards. Tyquan Henderson finished with three receptions for 71 yards and Joanes Fortilien three for 26 yards on the day.”
JSU is not 5-2 on the year and 3-0 in SWAC play. The Tigers head to Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.
Markets & Business
1. Futures down ahead of Monday opening bell
CNBC reports that stock futures fell slightly on Monday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 notched their best weekly win streaks of 2024.
“Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 29 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures lost 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively,” CNBC reported. “The moves come after both the S&P 500 and 30-stock Dow registered all-time highs on Friday, cementing a sixth straight weekly advance for both benchmarks. The S&P 500 ended the week 0.85% higher, while the Dow closed up 0.96%. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.80%.”
CNBC added that roughly one-fifth of S&P 500 companies are set to report their earnings through Friday this week.
2. What’s behind chain pharmacy closures?
FoxBusiness reports that CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens closures across the U.S. in recent years haven’t surprised industry experts, who anticipate more shutdowns as the industry adjusts and rightsizes itself.
“CVS in 2021 announced plans to close 900 locations over three years, citing factors such as population shifts, consumer buying patterns, store density in communities, access to pharmacy services and future health needs. Two years later, Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy and quickly initiated a store optimization plan that involved immediately closing 154 locations,” FoxBusiness reported. “This week, Walgreens became the latest to announce that it will shut down approximately 1,200 unprofitable stores over the next three years.”
George Hill, managing director and senior equity research analyst at Deutsche Bank, told FoxBusiness that “PBMs operate in a competitive market and need to save money for their clients, including insurers and employers, but to achieve these savings, ‘they to try squeeze branded drug manufacturers on price and they try to squeeze retail pharmacies on price,’ Hill said, adding that this practice has been going on for a decade and ‘brought us to an uncomfortable place.'”
Magnolia Tribune
