- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Rankin County Supervisor Berry resigns
WJTV reports that Rankin County District 2 Supervisor Scott Berry has announced his resignation, effective June 13, 2025.
“According to officials, Berry accepted a full-time, private sector position with a nationally recognized fire apparatus supplier,” WJTV reported.
“It is with a heavy heart that I offer my resignation as a supervisor, a position that I have enjoyed for the past 18 months. In my tenure, Supervisor District 2 has continued to see unprecedented growth in residential and commercial development, and the county is incredibly well-positioned for future growth and prosperity. I am especially excited about the prospects for continued cooperation between the county and our municipalities in expanding economic prosperity to the citizens of Rankin County,” Berry stated, as reported by WJTV.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump orders probe of Biden actions
As The Hill reports, “President Trump on Wednesday ordered an investigation into actions taken by then-President Biden, citing questions about Biden‘s cognitive state toward the end of his term.”
“Trump directed the counsel to the president, in consultation with Attorney General Pam Bondi, to probe ‘whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden’s mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the President,'” The Hill reported, adding that the investigation “will focus specifically on actions Biden signed using the ‘autopen.'”
The Hill also noted, “Trump’s order cites Biden’s appointment of more than 200 judges to the federal bench, the issuance of thousands of acts of clemency and the issuance of more than 1,000 presidential documents during his term.”
2. Trump signs travel ban on 12 countries
The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump on Wednesday “signed a sweeping travel ban on 12 countries, largely in the Middle East and Africa, and introduced more-limited travel restrictions on seven others, reintroducing a controversial immigration policy that came to define the early days of his first term.”
“The ban will completely bar travel to the U.S. by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen,” WSJ reported. “Citizens from an additional list of countries will be barred from permanently immigrating to the U.S., along with applying for tourist or student visas. Those countries are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Citizens from these seven countries will still be eligible for other temporary visas, such as the H-1B temporary work visa.”
WSJ added, “The ban, which the White House said would go into effect on Monday, only applies to people outside the U.S., though anyone currently in the country who leaves could get stuck abroad as a result of it.”
Sports
Miss. State to welcome new baseball coach
Mississippi State Athletics will host a public welcome event for new head baseball coach Brian O’Connor on Thursday evening at Dudy Noble Field. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m., with the celebration beginning at 7 p.m.
The school said the event is free and open to all fans. Seating throughout the grandstands will be general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Chairbacks will not be reserved.
The Left Field Lounge will be open to rig owners, with grilling permitted in accordance with normal stadium policies. Rig-specific details will be shared directly with owners via the Bulldog Club.
Markets & Business
1. Market tracking for gains this week
CNBC reports that stock futures were little changed Thursday “after the Dow Jones Industrial Average snapped a four-day win streak.”
“Futures tied to the Dow hovered around the flatline. S&P 500 futures were also flat, along with Nasdaq-100 futures,” CNBC reported. “The Dow slid 0.22% on Wednesday, posting its first loss in five sessions. The S&P 500 advanced 0.01%, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.32%.”
CNBC continued, “The three major U.S. indexes are tracking for gains so far this week. The S&P 500 is up 1%, while the Dow has added 0.4%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq has jumped 1.8% week to date.”
2. Biden’s IRS doubled its audits on the wealthy
The New York Times reports that under former President Joe Biden, the IRS doubled its audits on the wealthy.
“With an audit rate of 0.8 percent, people making over $500,000 on their latest return were more than twice as likely to be audited compared with the same point in the audit cycle in previous years,” NYT reported. “Meanwhile, the matching audit rate for taxpayers making under $500,000 declined slightly. The figures covered 2022 tax returns that were filed in 2023 and audited during the 2024 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.”
NYT went on to add, “On average, audits of individuals with high incomes return substantially more money to the government, so proponents have argued they are the most effective way for the tax agency to collect more revenue.”
