- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Potential tropical development along Gulf Coast this week
The Mississippi Coast is under an area being watched for potential tropical development this week.
The National Hurricane Center says a trough of low pressure located offshore the Atlantic coast of northern Florida is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms across portions of Florida, the northwestern Bahamas and adjacent Atlantic waters.
“This system is forecast to move westward across Florida during the next day or so, and into the northeastern Gulf by late Tuesday. Environmental conditions appear favorable enough to support some gradual development of this system while it moves westward to west-northwestward across the northeastern and north-central portions of the Gulf during the middle to latter part of this week,” NHC stated.
NHC added that regardless of development, heavy rainfall could produce localized flash flooding over portions of Florida and the north-central Gulf coast through the middle to latter portion of this week.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Spending cuts bill hits Senate this week
The Hill reports that the “bill to claw back billions of dollars in federal funding is set to hit the Senate floor this week despite serious — and vocal — concerns among some Republicans over the cuts targeting public broadcasting and foreign aid.”
“Consideration of the legislation comes as GOP lawmakers are staring down a Friday deadline to get the measure, known as a rescissions package, to President Trump’s desk. The House approved the bill in a 214-212 vote in June,” The Hill reported. “Adding to the pressure, Trump last week threatened to withhold his support from any Republican who votes against the legislation, setting the stage for a high-stakes — and potentially ugly — week in the Senate.”
The Hill went on to report, “Whether the party can ultimately clear the package rests with a handful of GOP holdouts in the Senate, who have voiced concerns with the cuts in the bill and aired worries about the executive usurping power from the legislative branch.”
2. Trump to make ‘major statement’ on Russia
The Washington Post reports that President Donald Trump “is scheduled to host NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House on Monday morning.”
“Trump has pledged to make a ‘major statement’ Monday about Russia, as he voices growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to end his country’s war with Ukraine,” WP noted.
Sports
1. Two MS high schoolers drafted by MLB
Purvis High School shortstop and Mississippi State signee Jojo Parker was taken eighth overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft Sunday night.
WDAM reported that owned a .489 batting average with 13 home runs, and 35 runs batted in in 37 games at Purvis. According to WDAM, “The approximate pick value was $6.81 million.”
His twin brother Jacob, an outfielder also at Purvis, could hear this name called in the MLB Draft as selections continue Monday.
Also taken out of a Mississippi high school was Easy Union Attendance Centers’ Landon Harmon, a right-handed All-State pitcher.
Harmon was selected by the Washington Nationals in the third round with the 80th overall pick.
Harmon started 38 games and had an ERA of 0.84 with 12-1 record. His fast ball consistently reaches the mid-90s.
2. Southern Miss, Ole Miss players drafted into MLB
Ole Miss and Southern Miss baseball players heard their name called in the first round of the MLB Draft on Sunday.
Mason Morris was the first Rebel to hear his named. It came in the third round with the 83rd overall pick to the Cincinnati Reds. Morris was the Rebels’ primary long relief option out of the bullpen.
Southern Miss right-handed pitcher JB Middleton and center fielder Jake Cook heard their names called Sunday as well. Middleton was chosen in the second round by the Colorado Rockies with the 45th overall pick while Cook was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round with 81st overall pick.
It was the first time in Southern Miss history that two of its players came off the board in the opening three rounds.
Markets & Business
1. Futures slide on tariff risks
CNBC reports that equity futures slid early Monday “as Wall Street contends with continued tariff risks and second-quarter earnings on deck.”
“Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 140 points, or 0.3%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures also dropped 0.3% each,” CNBC reported.
CNBC continued, “President Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. will impose 30% tariffs on the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1. Leaders of the EU and Mexico indicated they intend to keep talking with the Trump administration this month in an attempt to agree on a lower rate. The announcement comes ahead of inflation readings this week, which will give investors a better sense of how the Trump tariffs already in effect are being felt throughout the economy.”
2. Federal government pulling back from student loan lending
The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal government “is retreating from its central role in financing higher education.”
“President Trump’s big tax-and-spending law includes new restrictions on how much students can borrow and how they repay. The provisions begin to reverse the government’s near takeover of the $1.7 trillion student lending market over the past six decades,” WSJ reported, adding, “Republican lawmakers say they want to reduce taxpayer risk from the ballooning federal student-loan portfolio while forcing colleges to curb their prices.”
WSJ added, “The Trump administration has separately been pushing borrowers to resume payments on loans after a pandemic pause, threatening to garnish wages of those who are in default. The Biden administration had tried to cancel swaths of student debt.”
Magnolia Tribune
