- 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. Benton County resident indicted in SNAP fraud case
The Investigations Division of the Mississippi Department of Human Service (MDHS) announced Tuesday that Amanda Lauren Feathers of Benton County received $18,764.00 in SNAP benefits by not reporting household income and composition accurately to MDHS.
Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, MDHS said the case was referred to the Benton County District Attorney’s office. The Benton County District Attorney secured an indictment on April 15, and Feathers later turned herself into MDHS and Benton County officials on Wednesday, April 23.
“This investigation demonstrates the strengthened controls we have in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs,” MDHS Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson said.
MDHS notes that an indictment is only an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
2. MSDH hosting 3rd Annual Healthy Aging Summit
The Mississippi State Department of Health, in conjunction with the Mississippi Public Health Association, AARP Mississippi, and the Mississippi Rural Health Association, is hosting the 3rd Annual Healthy Aging Summit on Thursday, May 1 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel in Flowood.
MSDH says the annual summit connects health professionals, caregivers, policy makers, researchers, and older adults in building and advancing age-friendly communities and practices.
This year’s summit will focus on aging in rural communities. Keynote speakers are Alan Morgan, CEO, National Rural Health Association, and Aaron Guest, Assistant Professor of Aging, Center for Innovation in Health and Resilient Aging, Arizona State University.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump holds 100th Day rally in Michigan
The Washington Post reports that President Donald Trump held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark his first 100 days in office, “returning to a battleground state he won last year and to the cheering crowds that marked his campaign but that he has largely eschewed so far in office.”
“In what aides billed as a ‘100th Day in Office Achievement Speech,’ Trump touted the rapid pace he has kept during three months of dramatic changes to the federal workforce and global economic policy that have served to reorient the country and confuse the world,” WP reported. “He chose as his backdrop a place that has lost much of the manufacturing base that once defined the greater Detroit area — but also one that is feeling the effects of his tariff proposals and his threats to occupy nearby Canada.”
“In 100 days, we have delivered the most profound change in Washington in 100 years,” Trump said, as reported by WP, adding that “Trump focused many of his remarks on immigration.”
Earlier in the day “Trump landed at nearby Selfridge Air National Guard Base, appearing alongside Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat… She has long advocated for a new fighter jet mission for the state base, which Trump announced shortly after getting off Air Force One.”
2. Cuts coming to CPB, NPR?
The Hill reports that a GOP-backed push for cuts to public broadcasting is picking up momentum in Congress.
“Reports broke earlier this month that the White House was preparing to send Congress a ‘rescissions package’ that sought to claw back about $1 billion in already authorized funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), along with billions of dollars in cuts to other agencies,” The Hill reported. “The White House had been expected to send the package upon lawmakers’ return to Washington this week. But Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Tuesday that the package ‘will be a little bit delayed.'”
The Hill went on to note, “Pressed about the potential cuts on Tuesday, Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS, said in a statement the ‘effort underway to get Congress to rescind public media funding would disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people.'”
Sports
Big 3 midweek roundup
Here’s how the Mississippi Big 3 baseball teams fared in their Tuesday night games:
- No. 22 Southern Miss beat New Orleans 9-4 at home Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles play host to Arkansas State in their series starting on Friday.
- No. 23 Ole Miss picked up a 6-3 midweek victory over Austin Peay. The Rebels now head to No. 21 Oklahoma for their weekend series which starts on Friday.
- Mississippi State rolled to an 18-5, run-rule win over Memphis on Tuesday. The Bulldogs host Kentucky this weekend. The series begins on Friday.
Markets & Business
1. MDA invites Mississippi companies to participate in Canada business forum
The Mississippi Development Authority announced Tuesday that Mississippi companies interested in exporting goods and services to Canada are invited to participate in the 17th annual Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance Business Forum.
The event will be held June 8-10 at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
“As our top trade partner, Canada is a strategic market for Mississippi companies. Just last year, Mississippi exports to Canada totaled more than $2 billion and supported more than 4,000 jobs here in the state,” said Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork in a statement. “This year’s event is another great opportunity to increase those figures by strengthening current ties and forging new business partnerships that can benefit Mississippi’s new and existing exporters.”
MDA said the SEUS-CP Alliance is a strategic partnership that promotes trade and investment opportunities between its member states and provinces. In addition to Mississippi, member states include Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Member provinces include New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Québec.
2. China’s export orders plunge
The Wall Street Journal reports that China’s economy showed its first big signs of damage from the trade war, “as steep U.S. tariffs pummeled export orders and production at the country’s factories.”
“A gauge of new export orders fell in April to its lowest reading since Covid-19 was ravaging the country in 2022, while overall manufacturing activity in China was the weakest in more than a year, according to surveys published Wednesday by China’s National Bureau of Statistics,” WSJ reported, adding that it adds “pressure on leader Xi Jinping to reach a deal on trade with Trump—though for now the clear message from Beijing is one of resolute defiance in the teeth of what it describes as U.S. bullying.”
WSJ added, “Still, Wednesday’s data shows that unyielding strategy will have short-term costs for China’s economy, which last year relied on exports for about a third of its growth. Goldman Sachs estimates that between 10 million and 20 million manufacturing jobs in China depend on U.S. purchases.”
3. Futures still shaky as trade talks continue
CNBC reports that stock futures tied to the S&P 500 were slightly lower early Wednesday “as traders prepared for a blast of economic data to wrap up a tumultuous month of trading.”
“S&P 500 futures were off 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 55 points, or 0.1%,” CNBC reported.
CNBC continued, adding, “The major averages ended Tuesday higher after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that the White House was close to announcing a trade deal, but didn’t name the country. Later in the afternoon, President Donald Trump said that tariff negotiations with India are ‘coming along great’ and that the U.S. could soon strike an agreement with the nation.”
Magnolia Tribune
