- 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. JSU hosts Jackson Mayoral Candidate forum
Jackson State University hosted a 2025 Jackson Mayoral Candidate Forum on Tuesday, welcoming 14 mayoral candidates to speak to the JSU student body, faculty, staff and community members.
The university said the forum was part of JSU First Lady LaToya Thompson’s voting initiative.
The forum was aimed at giving candidates the opportunity to share their plans for the city of Jackson as it pertains to crime and safety, water and infrastructure.
The event can be watched here.
2. Mississippi State Fire Academy receives grant from ExxonMobile
The Mississippi State Fire Academy (MSFA) announced this week that it is in receipt of a $50,000 grant from ExxonMobil through its Good Neighbor Grant program.
MSFA said the funding will play a critical role in advancing the safety and preparedness of first responders across the state by supporting the development and implementation of specialized training focused on responding to CO2 pipeline emergencies.
“As the energy landscape evolves, the transportation of CO2 through pipelines has become an increasingly important aspect of industrial operations. With this grant, MSFA will enhance its training curriculum, equipping emergency responders with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively address potential CO2 pipeline incidents,” MSFA stated. “The program will include hands-on simulations, scenario-based training, and expert-led instruction, all designed to ensure that first responders are well-prepared to mitigate the risks associated with these emergencies.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump spars with Democrats, talks early term successes
President Donald Trump delivered a 100-minute address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, touting successes in his first 43 days in office and laying out policies of what’s to come.
The Hill reported that Trump “sparred in the House chamber with Democratic lawmakers, arguing he would never be able to please them. He assured Americans that his decisions to close borders, fire thousands of federal civil servants and levy tariffs on neighboring allies would improve their economic realities.”
Trump used his address to push for passage of the extension of tax cuts, more resources for border security, and “authorization to create what is still a vaguely described missile defense ‘Golden Dome’ to protect the United States.”
2. Zelensky comes around to Trump’s “strong leadership”
As reported by the BBC, President Donald Trump says he’s received a letter from Volodymyr Zelensky agreeing to “come to the negotiating table” to strike a peace deal in Ukraine.
“I appreciate that he sent this letter,” Trump said as he addressed a joint session of Congress in Washington, the BBC reported, noting, “It came after Zelensky said in a social media post that he was ready to work under Trump’s ‘strong leadership’ to achieve a lasting peace.”
Trump “also said there had been ‘serious discussions’ with Russia, and he’d ‘received strong signals that they are ready for peace.'”
Sports
1. Southern Miss advances in Sun Belt basketball tournament
Southern Miss (11-21, 5-13 Sun Belt) pulled out a 66-63 win over Coastal Carolina (10-22, 3-15 Sun Belt) at the Sun Belt Championships in Pensacola on Tuesday.
Southern Miss Athletics said the team was led offensively by Alfred Worrell Jr.’s career-high 22 points, which included four three-pointers. Worrell’s efforts were felt as he forced a late turnover that helped the Golden Eagles get back into the game.
Southern Miss advances to the second round where they will play ninth-seeded Georgia Southern Wednesday night.
2. Delta State earns semifinal appearance in GSC basketball tournament
Delta State (17-12, 12-10 GSC) defeated Trevecca Nazarene University (19-10, 14-8 GSC) 87-78 Tuesday evening to earn their first GSC Semifinal Appearance since the 2018-19 season.
The Statesmen will now face off against the one seeded Chargers from the University of Alabama at Huntsville on Saturday.
Markets & Business
1. Investors hope for tariff compromise
CNBC reports that stock futures rose early Wednesday “as traders hoped for a possible compromise on the Trump administration’s tariffs targeting goods from key trade partners.”
“Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday on Fox Business that the U.S. might meet Canada and Mexico somewhere ‘in the middle‘ to ‘work something out’ on tariffs,” CNBC reported. “Earlier in the day, U.S. levies on Canadian and Mexican imports took effect. Canada responded with duties of its own, while Mexico said it would unveil retaliatory measures over the weekend.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 126 points, or 0.3%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively,” CNBC noted.
2. BlackRock buying Panama Canal ports
FoxBusiness reports that BlackRock is purchasing the ports at the Panama Canal.
“BlackRock announced the $22.8 billion deal with CK Hutchison’s subsidiary Hutchison Port Holdings, which will see the firm acquire the Panama ports of Cristobal and Balboa, which are located at the Atlantic and Pacific ends of the canal, respectively. It will also acquire Hutchison’s controlling interest in 43 ports in 23 other countries,” FoxBusiness reported. “The world’s largest asset manager will partner with Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) to operate the ports in concert with the BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).”
President Donald Trump lauded the deal in his address to Congress on Tuesday.
Magnolia Tribune
