- 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. MBN seizes over 600 counterfeit narcotics from Philadelphia pill lab
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) executed a search warrant on July 2 at a residence in Philadelphia following the arrest of 40-year-old DeAndrew Hudson for sale of a controlled substance. He now faces multiple charges.
According to DPS, during Hudson’s arrest agents observed a pill press along with assorted illegal narcotics at his residence. Analysis by the Mississippi Crime Lab indicated the presence of Fentanyl in the counterfeit pills designed to look like Tylenol. The lab also detected Fentanyl and Tramadol in the counterfeit pills designed to resemble Percocet (M30). The counterfeit pills designed to resemble Hydrocodone were found to contain actual Hydrocodone along with pill binder. The pills designed to look like Ecstasy pills were found to contain methamphetamine.
Agents seized over 600 counterfeit pharmaceutical narcotics manufactured to resemble legal pharmaceutical pills such as: Hydrocodone, Tylenol, Percocet (M30), and Ecstasy, along with approximately 11 pounds of Fentanyl combined with pill binder, approximately 840 grams of Marijuana, approximately 33 grams of crack cocaine, approximately 14.8 grams of Hydrocodone powder combined with pill binder, one pill press utilized in the manufacture of counterfeit pharmaceuticals pills, and one binder mixer that was actively in the mixing process.
2. Hughes named MVSU VP for University Advancement, Governmental Affairs, and External Relations
Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) has appointed Dr. Ernie Troy Hughes as its new Vice President for University Advancement, Governmental Affairs, and External Relations. Hughes brings with him more than thirty years of leadership in philanthropy, community development, and higher education advancement.
Dr. Hughes began his new role on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, and is charged with leading MVSU’s strategic efforts in fundraising, alumni relations, governmental outreach, and external engagement.
Known for restructuring advancement offices for high impact, Dr. Hughes is a strategic thinker who connects innovation, storytelling, and donor engagement to drive results.
Dr. Hughes holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from Louisiana State University, an MBA in Marketing, and a BBA in Finance from Mississippi State University. He has also completed leadership training at Harvard University, the U.S. Army War College, and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. SCOTUS allows Trump to move forward with mass layoffs
According to The Hill, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday “lifted a judge’s order preventing the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs across the federal bureaucracy, for now.”
“The court in its unsigned ruling said Trump’s February executive order directing federal agencies to prepare for reductions in force (RIFs) is likely lawful,” The Hill reported. “It enables federal agencies to resume implementing Trump’s directive, though the high court left the door open for plaintiffs to challenge any agency’s specific plan down the road.”
As The Hill noted, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only justice to dissent, “calling the court’s decision ‘hubristic and senseless.’ She criticized her colleagues for second-guessing the lower judge from the court’s ‘lofty perch far from the facts or the evidence.'”
2. Trump takes harder line with Putin
The New York Times reports that President Trump on Tuesday “unleashed weeks of frustration with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia over what he described as ‘meaningless’ gestures toward peace, a day after Mr. Trump said the United States would resume sending munitions to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s multiyear invasion.”
“The remarks from Mr. Trump were his harshest toward Mr. Putin since he was first elected president in 2016, and came as an abrupt change in public posture toward the Russian leader after months of failing to forge peace in a conflict he once boasted he could resolve in a day,” NYT reported.
“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Mr. Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House, as reported by NYT. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Sports
1. Delta State’s Fontenot earns CSC Academic All-American honors
Delta State University Baseball’s Drake Fontenot has earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-American honors.
The school said Fontenot was named third team All-American as a Starting Pitcher for the Statesmen in the 2025 season where he was named the GSC Pitcher of the Year along with D2CCA, NCBWA, and ABCA First Team All-South Region honors with a 3.57 GPA as a Sport Management Major.
The Bossier City, Louisiana native helped lead the Statesmen to their 37th NCAA Tournament berth, striking out 86 batters in 100.2 innings pitched for the Green and White in their 2025 GSC Regular Season Championship Season.
2. Ole Miss setter Tufono named to All-SEC Preseason Team
Ole Miss volleyball setter Mokihana Tufono has been tabbed to the All-SEC Preseason Team, as the Southeastern Conference unveiled on Tuesday.
According to Ole Miss, Tufono was named as one of 15 student-athletes from nine different SEC programs and earns the first preseason honor of her career. Additionally, Tufono was one of two setters named to the list, joining Tennessee’s Caroline Kerr.
The Rebels were also picked to finish 10th in the now 16-team SEC preseason poll with 97 points.
Markets & Business
1. Investors watch tariff updates, Fed meeting minutes release
CNBC reports that stock futures rose slightly Wednesday “as investors monitor the latest tariff updates from President Donald Trump.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 71 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures moved up 0.1% along with Nasdaq-100 futures,” CNBC reported. “Traders were on guard during Tuesday’s session as Trump rolled out new updates to his tariff policy.”
CNBC also reported, “In addition to watching further tariff policy developments on Wednesday, traders will be monitoring the release of the Federal Open Market Committee’s minutes from its last meeting.”
2. Trump delays reciprocal tariffs
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that President Trump “decided to delay the implementation of his so-called reciprocal tariffs to Aug. 1 after advisers including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told him he could get trade deals with more time, according to people familiar with the matter.”
“Administration officials including Bessent felt as if they were making progress on deals with several trading partners such as India and the European Union as Trump’s previous deadline approached, the people said,” WSJ reported. “An initial pause on the reciprocal tariffs was set to lapse at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday until Trump on Monday further postponed the implementation date for three weeks and sent out letters warning countries of the rates they would face on that day.”
WSJ went on to added that “Trump decided to send out the letters along with the delay as a negotiating tactic to eke out last-minute concessions from trading partners, people familiar with the matter said. On Tuesday he said more letters are expected, adding that he was about two days from sending a letter to the European Union. U.S. and EU officials are still in close contact.”
Magnolia Tribune
