Magnolia Mornings: February 4, 2025

• 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. UMMC now seeing patients at new Colony Park South location

The University of Mississippi Medical Center announced Monday that it will begin seeing patients at its new Colony Park South location in Ridgeland starting today, staggering the opening of 20 specialty clinics in the new location over the next month.

The Departments of Internal Medicine, Neurology and Rehabilitative Services will begin clinic appointments at Colony Park South this week with other specialties to follow in the coming weeks.

UMMC said this marks the beginning of a major expansion of UMMC’s patient care and academic programs, with Colony Park North scheduled to open in 2026. The addition of these facilities is part of the Medical Center’s mission to increase access to specialty care across the state and provide students and trainees with real-world clinical learning environments. 

2. Ole Miss Entrepreneurship Forum coming to Ridgeland

The 10th annual Mississippi Entrepreneurship Forum hosted at Ole Miss will take place April 3-4 at Embassy Suites in Ridgeland.

Organizers say entrepreneurs at any stage of business development can network with peers and those who have successfully begun operations in the state.

The annual event is organized by the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement and the Office of Economic Development as a part of the Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development initiative. A committee of representatives from all Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning schools and statewide organizations also support the event.

Registration and speaker information can be found here.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Canada, Mexico play ball with Trump over tariffs; China retaliates

The Hill reports that President Donald Trump agreed Monday “to delay for a month the aggressive tariffs he levied on Canada and Mexico over his advisers’ misgivings, receiving in return pledges from both trading partners to help him strengthen U.S. border security.”

However, China struck back against the newly imposed tariffs.

“The president used his power to leverage some concessions from Canada and Mexico but allowed a 10 percent tariff on China, which he announced Saturday, to take effect today,” The Hill reported. “The new levy, layered on top of tariffs from his first term, affects more than $400 billion of goods that Americans purchase from China each year. The U.S. took steps to close a loophole that allows Chinese e-commerce companies to avoid tariffs by shipping packages worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty-free. “

The Hill noted that China retaliated “with additional tariffs on liquefied natural gas, coal, farm machinery and other products. It imposed restrictions on the export of certain critical minerals, many of which are used in the production of high-tech products.”

2. Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education?

Politico reports that the Trump administration is finalizing plans to dismantle the Education Department through an executive order.

“The order — which President Donald Trump is expected to sign sometime this month, according to a White House official — was expected to lay out a two-part strategy for shuttering the agency, according to two people familiar with the plans and granted anonymity to discuss them,” Politico reports. “It would direct the department to craft a plan to wind down its functions using its existing administrative authority. But the order was also expected to call for the agency to inventory a complex set of laws needed to delegate the department’s powers to other agencies and then close the department, an acknowledgment that some of conservatives’ biggest desires for change hinge on congressional approval.”

Sports & Entertainment

1. USM track and field soaring

Southern Miss Athletics is celebrating its men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams. The two teams combined for 10 first-place finishes at the South Alabama Invitational on Sunday in Birmingham.

The Golden Eagle women secured the team title with 116.33 points, while the men finished third with 68 points.

The Golden Eagles will head back to Birmingham on Saturday, February 8, to compete in the UAB Blazer Invitational.

2. Bradshaw signed by Mud Monster

The Mississippi Mud Monsters announced Monday the signing of outfielder Davis Bradshaw, a Florence native who starred at McLaurin High School, located just minutes from Trustmark Park.

The team said Bradshaw, 26, brings a proven ability to hit for average, having compiled a .303 batting average over six seasons in the Miami Marlins’ organization. As a 14th-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, he quickly established himself as a high-contact, speed-driven player, reaching the Triple-A level in 2024 with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

At McLaurin High, Bradshaw put up historic numbers, batting an eye-popping .756 as a senior in 2017, one of the highest single-season averages in state history. He continued his hot hitting at Meridian Community College, posting a .442 average before being drafted by Miami.

Markets & Business

1. New Treasury Secretary named CFPB acting director

New Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency announced on Monday, per FoxBusiness.

“The CFPB’s announcement noted that President Donald Trump designated Bessent as the agency’s acting director on Friday. Former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra wrote in a letter published Saturday that he was no longer serving as the agency’s director,” FoxBusiness reported.

FoxBusiness added, “It’s unclear at this time how long Bessent will serve as acting director of the CFPB or when the Trump administration intends to nominate a new director.”

2. Pfizer COVID product sales beat estimates

According to CNBC, Pfizer on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter earnings and revenue “that beat estimates as sales of the company’s Covid products topped expectations and its broad cost-cutting efforts took hold.”

“The results cap off a critical year for Pfizer, which has been pursuing broad cost cuts as it recovers from the rapid decline of its Covid business and stock price over the last two years. The company said it is on track to deliver overall net cost savings of roughly $4.5 billion by the end of 2025 from its cost-cutting program,” CNBC reported.