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In Mississippi
Nine MS high school seniors named semifinalists for 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars program
The Mississippi Department of Education announced Tuesday that nine Mississippi students have been named 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars semifinalists. The program honors the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors based on accomplishments in academic and artistic success, career and technical fields, leadership, and involvement in school and the community.
The semifinalists are:
- Sohni Rainna Beamon, Gulfport High School
- Bryan Epps Dye, Southern Baptist Educational Center
- Alexis Griffith, Long Beach Senior High School
- Emily X Jia, Madison Central High School
- Nichols E. Katsaboulas, Jackson Preparatory School
- Celia Lane, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
- Jackson Alexander Pearce, Gulfport High School
- Pranav Reddy, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
- Ryan Wu, Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science
Mississippi’s semifinalists were selected from among thousands of candidates nationwide. The semifinalists form the pool from which up to 161 students will be chosen a 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholar.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump considering trade deal with China, lowering tariff
The Hill reports that President Trump said Tuesday that the hefty tariff rate on China “will significantly be reduced after he negotiates with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing optimism about a trade deal.”
“145 percent is very high. It won’t be that high, it’s not going to be that high… it won’t be anywhere near that high,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as reported by The Hill.
“It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero,” he added.
The Hill added that Trump cited his relationship with Xi as his reason for being optimistic about a deal.
2. Congress to pass tax cut extension by July 4?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that he thought an extension of President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts could be complete as soon as July 4, reports the New York Times.
“His comments, which were made during remarks at a private JP Morgan investor event, outlined how he expected Mr. Trump’s economic agenda to play out for the rest of the year,” NYT reported, adding, “The Treasury secretary said he believed that the House could pass tax legislation by Memorial Day and that the entire bill could be finalized by early July.”
NYT went on to report that “Republicans have been working on tax legislation that will extend much of the 2017 tax law. Mr. Trump has also been pushing for new measures that would eliminate taxes on tips and Social Security income.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss wins Governor’s Cup in walk-off
No. 23 Ole Miss took down in-state rival Mississippi State 8-7 Tuesday night in the Governor’s Cup battle at Trustmark Park.
The 10-inning contest ended on a walk-off RBI single that sent the Rebels to the win in Pearl.
Ole Miss (29-12, 10-8 SEC) now turns its attention to their weekend series with No. 9 Vanderbilt while Mississippi State (24-17, 6-12 SEC) looks ahead for their series with No. 11 Auburn.
2. Farrar returns to Southern Miss as Director of Player Development
Southern Miss has announced the hiring of Barney Farrar as Director of Player Development/Recruiting Strategy.
Farrar returns to Southern Miss for his second stint with the football program, joining the Golden Eagle staff as tight ends coach in 2008 and held that spot for three seasons, before transitioning into the school’s head of player development for the 2011 campaign where he was in charge of building and maintaining relationships at the high school level.
During his initial stint in Hattiesburg, he was named by Rivals.com as one of the top “Non-Big Six” Recruiters of the Year for the class of 2010 and was one of only four C-USA coaches selected.
The Kossuth native returns to Southern Miss after completing three seasons as defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator for the Holmes Community College, as well as serving as co-defensive coordinator in his final two years.
Markets & Business
1. Stock futures rally on China, Fed news from Trump
The Wall Street Journal reports that investors are breathing a sigh of relief “after President Trump addressed two of the market’s biggest concerns by softening his tone on both China and the Federal Reserve.”
“U.S. stock futures pointed to a continuation of Tuesday’s gains, with contracts tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 leading the way. Shares in Asia and Europe also rallied, as did U.S. government bonds,” WSJ reported. “Late Tuesday, the president said he wasn’t planning to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, after saying recently the central banker’s ‘termination cannot come fast enough.'”
WSJ went on to report, “Trump also said high tariffs on China ‘will come down substantially,’ while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told investors he believes a trade deal with Beijing can be reached. China responded Wednesday by signaling that the door to trade talks was open—but not under duress.”
2. Mortgage demand falls sharply
CNBC reports that higher interest rates, as well as concern over where the broader economy is headed, is causing mortgage demand to drop sharply.
“Last week, total mortgage application volume dropped 12.7% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index,” CNBC reported. “The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $806,500 or less, increased to 6.90% from 6.81%, with points increasing to 0.66 from 0.62, including the origination fee, for loans with a 20% down payment. That is the highest rate in two months but still 34 basis points lower than the same week one year ago. Rates are up almost 30 basis points in just two weeks.”
CNBC added, “Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home fell 7% for the week and were just 6% higher year-over-year.”
Magnolia Tribune
