- 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. Sen. Hyde-Smith says farmers need emergency relief
Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith says American farmers and ranchers need Congress to provide emergency market loss assistance before the end of the year to save producers in Mississippi and across the nation from being forced out of business.
According to her office, Sen. Hyde-Smith presented her case at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing titled, A Review of Disaster Funding, where she encouraged her colleagues to broaden the scope of disaster emergency funding to replenish federal emergency response accounts to include market loss assistance for the nation’s agricultural sector.
“Many farmers across the country are on the verge of going out of business because a hurricane, wildfire, drought, or other weather-related event wiped out entire crops. And they need help,” Hyde-Smith said. “But there are also many farmers across the country on the verge of going out of business due to sky-high input costs and below break-even commodity prices. And they need help too.”
The former Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce pointed out that USDA estimates that in the past two years, net farm income has dropped by nearly $50 billion nationally, the largest year-on-year dollar value loss in U.S. agricultural history. In 2024, total crop receipts are forecast to decrease by roughly $28 billion. In addition, the total number of family farms in the U.S. has dropped below 2 million for the first time in history.
2. Miss. Dept. of Mental Health shares 988, suicide prevention with schools
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health announced that the agency has released a 988 and Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools, offering a toolkit to guide conversations about this difficult topic and point Mississippians to resources available to provide hope for those impacted by suicide.
In Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults ages 10-24, and it is the 14th leading cause of death for all ages. Despite these statistics, suicide is a preventable public health issue, and almost everyone would take action if they knew someone close to them was thinking about suicide.
While the Department of Education is helping distribute it to educators around the state, it can also be found on the DMH website at www.dmh.ms.gov by scrolling down to the Featured News heading.
It offers information about warning signs, risk factors, and crucially, about 988. The three-digit dialing code for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7, offering access to free and confidential crisis counselors who can provide compassionate care and support for anyone. That includes students experiencing a mental health, substance use, or suicide crisis.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Speaker Johnson: Women deserve women’s only spaces
Speaker Mike Johnson (R) cleared up any confusion on his position on transgender bathroom use at the Capitol on Wednesday.
“I just want to make a statement for all of you here and be very clear: I was asked a question this morning at the leadership gaggle, and I rejected the premise because the answer is so obvious,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol Tuesday afternoon, as reported by FoxNews. “For anybody who doesn’t know my well-established record on this issue, let me be unequivocally clear: A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.”
Johnson announced Wednesday that men serving in Congress as transgender women would not be permitted to use bathrooms in the Capitol and House office buildings that match their gender identity.
As The Hill reported, “Under House rules, the Speaker has ‘general control’ of facilities in the chamber, giving Johnson the authority to issue the policy surrounding bathrooms.”
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson said, as reported by The Hill. “It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”
“Women deserve women’s only spaces,” he added.
2. Ukraine says Russia launched intercontinental missile for first time in war
The Associated Press reports that Ukraine claimed Thursday that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight at a city. If confirmed, it would be the first time Moscow has used such a weapon in the war.
“Ukraine did not provide any evidence that an ICBM was used in the attack on the central city of Dnipro, apparently armed with conventional warheads,” the AP reported. “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a missile used ‘matches the speed and altitude’ of an ICBM. The Kremlin refused to comment on the strike.”
As noted by the AP, “The attack comes in a week when tensions have repeatedly soared, as the U.S. eased restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American-made longer-range missiles inside Russia and the Kremlin lowered its threshold for launching nuclear weapons.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Conerly Trophy nominees announced
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum announced the nominees for the 29th Annual C Spire Conerly Trophy this week. The award recognizes Mississippi’s best college football player.
The nominees for the 2024 C Spire Conerly Trophy are:
- Alcorn State University – Xzavier Vaughn (Quarterback)
- Belhaven University – Wyatt Beck (Linebacker)
- Delta State University – Kelvin Smith (Running Back)
- Jackson State University – Irv Mulligan (Running Back)
- Millsaps College – Nehemiah Coalson (Linebacker)
- Mississippi College – Brennan Blake (Defensive Lineman)
- Mississippi State University – Isaac Smith (Safety)
- Mississippi Valley State University – Nathan Rembert (Wide Receiver)
- University of Mississippi – Jaxson Dart (Quarterback)
- University of Southern Mississippi – Bryce Lofton (Punter)
The winner of the 2024 C Spire Conerly Trophy will be announced at a special ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at the Sheraton Flowood The Refuge Hotel.
2. Nolen named Outland Trophy semifinalist
Ole Miss Athletics has announced that football junior defensive tackle Walter Nolen has been named a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America and announced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee on Wednesday evening.
Nolen is one of seven semifinalists overall and one of just two defensive players to make the cut for the Outland Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation’s best college interior lineman on offense or defense. Nolen is the first defensive tackle at Ole Miss to make the Outland Trophy semifinalist stage. Offensive tackle Michael Oher is the Rebels’ lone previous finalist in 2008.
Nolen is also a semifinalist for both the Bednarik Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
Markets & Business
1. Trump, Powell could butt heads over interest rates
President-elect Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell could be on a policy collision course in 2025 depending on how economic circumstances play out, reports CNBC.
“Should the economy run hot and inflation flare up again, Powell and his colleagues could decide to tap the brakes on their efforts to lower interest rates. That in turn could infuriate Trump, who lashed Fed officials including Powell during his first term in office for not relaxing monetary policy quickly enough,” CNBC reported.
CNBC went on to note, “Though Powell became Fed chair in 2018, after Trump nominated him for the position, the two clashed often about the direction of interest rates.”
2. Musk’s xAI now valued at $50 billion
The Wall Street Journal reports that Elon Musk’s artificial-intelligence startup, xAI, has told investors it raised $5 billion in a funding round valuing it at $50 billion—more than twice what it was valued at several months ago.
“Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority, and investment firms Valor Equity Partners, Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz are expected to participate in the round, according to people familiar with the matter. The financing brings the total amount xAI has raised to $11 billion this year,” WSJ reported.
WSJ added, “xAI’s primary product is its Grok chatbot, available to premium subscribers of Musk’s social network, X. The company also recently made Grok available to business customers.”
