- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Higgins, LINK part ways
The Golden Triangle Development LINK announced Sunday that its longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins would be leaving the organization immediately.
A press release from the LINK’s executive committee said “a leadership transition is in the best long-term interest of the organization and the region we serve.”
No other reason was given for the sudden move, but the release did state, ““The LINK remains committed to building on recent successes, advancing major projects and continuing to position our region as a leader in regional growth. We deeply value the ongoing support and partnership of our stakeholders as we move forward.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. House Freedom Caucus members look to state races
The Washington Post reports that leading members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have decided their fortunes would be better in their state capitals.
“Four of the most prominent archconservatives in that caucus have said they are running for statewide office, the latest being Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who announced Thursday he will run for state attorney general,” WP reported. “Roy followed Reps. Andy Biggs (Arizona), Byron Donalds (Florida) and Ralph Norman (South Carolina) in saying they will run for the GOP nomination for governor in their states. They depart at a time when the Freedom Caucus’s swagger and negotiating credibility on Capitol Hill have taken a hit.”
WP noted, “All four touted their work with President Donald Trump in their campaign announcements, but their decisions follow months of battles with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) over policy details and the process for pushing Trump’s agenda.”
2. Future Electoral College map tilts away from Democrats
As reported by the New York Times, “In the next decade, the Electoral College will tilt significantly away from Democrats.”
“Deeply conservative Texas and Florida could gain a total of five congressional seats, and the red states of Utah and Idaho are each expected to add a seat,” NYT reported. “Those gains will come at the expense of major Democratic states like New York and California, according to a New York Times analysis of population projections by Esri, a nonpartisan company whose mapping software and demographic data are widely used by businesses and governments across the world.”
NYT went on to report, “Across all of the possible scenarios in the nine states that would be considered battlegrounds in the 2032 election, Democrats would see about a third of their current winning Electoral College combinations disappear if population projections hold. However, when looking only at the most feasible winning combinations based on voting behaviors in the 2024 election, the outlook is far worse. Of Democrats’ 25 most plausible paths to victory in 2024, only five would remain.”
Sports
1. Mississippi’s 2025 college football season kicks off this weekend
College football is back in Mississippi. Here’s a look at when the D1 programs across the state will kick off this week:
- Ole Miss hosts Georgia State in Oxford at 6:45 p.m.
- Southern Miss hosts Mississippi State in Hattiesburg at 11 a.m.
- Jackson State hosts Hampton in Jackson at 2 p.m.
- Alcorn State travels to Northwestern State at Natchitoches, Louisiana at 7 p.m.
- Miss. Valley State hosts Southern in Itta Bena at 4 p.m.
2. Alcorn Athletics awarded $100,000 grant
According to the Alcorn State Department of Athletics, the school is a recipient of the NCAA’s Accelerating Academic Success Program (AASP) single-year initiative $100,000 grant for the 2025-26 academic year.
“We are incredibly thankful to receive the 2025-26 NCAA AASP grant. This funding represents a significant investment in our student-athletes experience and will be instrumental in enhancing our athletic programs,” said E. D’Wayne Robinson, Director of Athletics. “We are excited to implement the new initiatives that directly align with NCAA directives.”
The school said the $100,000 grant will be used to support the Alcorn State Department of Athletics mission and directly impact the leadership program, nutrition, mental health training, wellness station for mental health professionals, concussion testing, nutrition, and space renovations.
Markets & Business
1. Futures start new week down after strong finish Friday
CNBC reports that stocks futures “fell slightly on Monday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average catapulted to intraday and closing records, and as investors looked ahead to Nvidia earnings.”
On Friday, the blue-chip Dow soared 846.24 points, or 1.89%, to 45,631.74 – a record high, reported CNBC, while the S&P 500 rose 1.52% to 6,466.91, three points of its record.
“Stocks rallied after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s widely anticipated annual speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during which he signaled the central bank could begin easing monetary policy next month,” CNBC reported. “Expectations for a quarter-point rate cut in September jumped to about 84%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, from about 75% earlier in the week.”
2. Airbnb cofounder to lead federal website design overhaul
FoxBusiness reports that President Donald Trump “has selected Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia to spearhead a new federal design overhaul aimed at making government websites ‘both usable and beautiful.'”
“Gebbia, who joined the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year and also sits on the board of Tesla, said Saturday that he has been appointed to become the first chief design officer of the United States,” FoxBusiness reported.
“I’m honored to be appointed by Trump as the first Chief Design Officer of the United States of America,” Gebbia said on X, per FoxBusiness. “My directive is to update today’s government services to be as satisfying to use as the Apple Store: beautifully designed, great user experience, run on modern software. An experience that projects a level of excellence for our nation, and makes life less complicated for everyday Americans.”
Magnolia Tribune
