- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Heavy rains cover Coast
Invest 93L hasn’t organized into a tropical system but it is dropping heavy rains on the coastal region.
The latest outlook from the National Hurricane Center says associated shower and thunderstorm activity with the system remains disorganized and located mainly to the west and southwest of the center.
“Some development could occur before the system moves westward into Louisiana later today or tonight, although the chances of the system developing into a tropical depression are low,” NHC added.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate passes $9 billion in spending cuts, House on deck
As reported by The Hill, “The Senate voted early Thursday to claw back $9 billion in federal funding for global aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, sending the package requested by President Trump to the House for a final vote.”
“The 51-48 vote on what’s known as a rescissions package is a victory for Trump, who has vowed to shrink the size of the federal government, and who has come under fire from Democrats for adding a projected $3.3 trillion to the debt over the next decade by signing his One Big, Beautiful Bill Act into law earlier this month,” The Hill reported. “Senators finally passed the package after 2 a.m. Thursday after voting for more than 12 hours on amendments.”
The Hill went on to report, “The bill would still cut nearly $8 billion from an assortment of international programs, including development assistance, the economic support fund, USAID global health programs and programs to assist refugees and victims of international disasters. It would cut more than $1 billion dollars from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which would hit rural radio stations that depend more on federal funding than their big-city counterparts.”
2. Trump, Coke and cane sugar
The New York Times reports that “President Trump said on Wednesday that he had spoken to the Coca-Cola Company about using ‘REAL cane sugar in Coke’ in the United States and that the company had agreed to begin adding it. A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola would not comment on whether it had agreed to do so.”
“We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand,” the spokeswoman, Michelle Agnew, said in a statement, reported by NYT. “More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
NYT added that “the company began using in Coke in 1980, blending it with sugar to help defray the cost of rising sugar prices.”
Sports
1. Valley hires Shields-Gadson as AD
Mississippi Valley State University has named Dr. Alecia Shields-Gadson as its new Director of Athletics.
According to the school, Shields-Gadson most recently served as Deputy Athletic Director at Alcorn State University, where she was responsible for strategic planning, executive consultation, and departmental oversight. Prior to her time at Alcorn, she served as Director of Athletics at Delaware State University, where she led 19 Division I varsity programs to historic achievements, including conference titles, national competition appearances, and a landmark $1 million private donation to support athletics.
She becomes the second woman to serve as Director of Athletics at MVSU.
2. JSU football to stream this fall
Jackson State Athletics announced that all 11 regular season football games featuring the Tigers will be broadcast during the 2025 season.
JSU will appear on the SWAC TV broadcasts as well as four times on ESPN networks this fall as they take on Southern Miss, Alabama State, Alcorn State and Southern.
JSU opens the season at home against Hampton on August 30.
Markets & Business
1. Investors weigh Trump, Powell feud
CNBC reports that stock futures were little changed on Thursday “as traders pored through the latest earnings and weighed the latest in President Donald Trump’s feud with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 88 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures moved up 0.1% while Nasdaq 100 futures were flat,” CNBC reported.
CNBC added, “Wall Street is coming off a winning session after Trump denied that he was planning to fire Powell from his position as Fed chief. Stocks initially fell on Wednesday after a White House official said that Trump ‘likely will soon’ fire Powell from his post, with the blue-chip Dow dropping more than 260 points at its session low.”
2. Fairbanks Morse Defense finalizes acquisition of Rolls-Royce foundry
Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has finalized its acquisition of the Rolls-Royce Naval Propulsors business.
The milestone was celebrated at the newly acquired Pascagoula foundry, where Governor Tate Reeves, Fairbanks Morse Defense CEO Steve Pykett, Jackson County Economic Development Foundation Deputy Director Mary Martha Henson, and other community and industry leaders gathered to recognize the significance of the acquisition to both national security and regional economic growth.
“The acquisition of the Pascagoula foundry by Fairbanks Morse Defense is a strategic win for Mississippi and our nation’s defense,” said Governor Reeves. “This move reinforces our state’s commitment to supporting the defense industrial base. Mississippi stands ready to provide the skilled workforce and robust infrastructure necessary to ensure our defense partners have the resources they need to succeed.”
Magnolia Tribune
