- 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. State Fire Academy adds CO₂ pipeline training prop
The Mississippi State Fire Academy (MSFA), in partnership with ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (EMPCo), held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday to officially unveil a new CO₂ pipeline training prop on campus.
According to the Academy, the specialized training prop, made possible through EMPCo’s $50,000 Good Neighbor Grant and equipment donation, will provide Mississippi’s firefighters and first responders with hands-on, scenario-based training to prepare for CO₂ pipeline emergencies.
The addition marks a significant investment in first responder safety and reinforces the Academy’s mission to deliver cutting-edge, real-world training.
The first class of trainees, which attended the Academy over the weekend, consisted of 40 participants from nine counties across Mississippi including both municipal and county firefighters. Career and volunteer trainees learned about the properties of CO₂ and how to respond to CO₂-related incidents.
2. FDA warns of potentially radioactive shrimp sold by Kroger
Mississippi is among the 31 states where the U.S. FDA is warning of radioactive shrimp being sold in Kroger stores. The bags of shrimp may be contaminated with cesium-137, a man-made radioisotope of cesium.
Affected products include Kroger Raw Colossal EZ Peel Shrimp, Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and AquaStar Raw Peeled Tail-on Shrimp Skewers.
“Traces of Cs-137 are widespread and can be present in the environment at background levels, and at higher levels in water or foods grown, raised, or produced in areas with environmental contamination,” the Aquastar Corp recall notice released by the FDA stated. “The primary health effect of concern following longer term, repeated low dose exposure (e.g., through consumption of contaminated food or water over time) is an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body.”
The FDA noted that no illnesses have been reported to date but said consumers who have purchased affected shrimps should not consume the product and should dispose of or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to address United Nations
As Politico reports, “The Donald Trump stepping back onto the U.N.’s marbled green podium on Tuesday morning is a different leader in his second term than he was during his first: still skeptical of multilateral organizations and values-based alliances but much more sure of himself on the world stage, interested in peacemaking as well as power and provocation.”
“His remarks, according to two people familiar with the plans and granted anonymity to discuss them, are meant to deliver a strong but serious articulation of his philosophy for dealing with a complex world,” Politico reported.
Politico continued, “The president on Saturday said he’ll personally meet with ‘probably 20’ world leaders. Among them: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who will talk defense and trade with Trump during a visit to the White House on Wednesday; Argentinian President Javier Milei, who’s trying to stop a market selloff and avoid a debt crisis. Trump will also meet on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as Russia continues to invade NATO airspace and has rebuffed his efforts to reach a peace agreement.”
2. SCOTUS to review Presidential power over independent agencies
The Hill reports that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to “formally consider overruling its 90-year-old precedent that enables Congress to provide certain agencies with a degree of independence from the White House, a major test of President Trump’s expansive assertion of presidential power.”
“The justices are set to review Trump’s contention that he can fire independent agency leaders at will, an argument that casts their for-cause removal protections as infringing on the separation of powers,” The Hill reported. “Oral arguments are set for December, with a decision expected by next summer.”
The Hill noted, “Until then, the court’s order temporarily greenlights Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Slaughter over the dissents of the court’s three liberal justices.”
Sports
Millsaps QB earns conference honor
Millsaps football freshman quarterback Grant Bizjack was voted the SAA Football Offensive Athlete of the Week on Monday.
Bizjack tallied 416 all-purpose yards and threw for five touchdowns in a 41-19 win over Hendrix last weekend. He totaled 352 passing yards on 26-of-36 attempts, while also rushing for 64 yards on eight carries.
The Trophy Club, Texas, product’s five passing scores is tied for third in a single-game in program history and his 416 total yards is sixth.
Markets & Business
1. White House announcement on Tylenol sends stock down
On Monday, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. disclosed that the use of acetaminophen, commonly referred to as brand name Tylenol, may be linked to autism. They warned against its use during pregnancy.
According to Fox Business, “Ahead of the official announcement, shares of Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol fell sharply Monday, ending down over 7%. The company was spun-off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023.”
In a statement shared by Fox Business, Kenvue stated, “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
Kenvue added, “We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree. We will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children.”
2. Return to office efforts stalling
The Wall Street Journal reports that even as corporate bosses “cut back on remote work and ratchet up in-office mandates, average office attendance has barely budged across U.S. workplaces.”
“Companies are struggling to enforce mandates, and many managers tasked with herding folks into the office would rather not be there either,” WSJ reported. “Other executives have made their peace with hybrid work, especially amid cooling consumer confidence and an unpredictable trade war.”
“Return-to-office ultimatums at big companies get the most attention, but most smaller companies continue to allow at least some remote work as a matter of routine, Work Forward’s data show,” WSJ went on to report. “Employers pushing higher attendance can expect more scofflaws. Those requiring one day a week get near-perfect compliance, but companies mandating three or more days see compliance fall below 75%, commercial real-estate services and investment firm CBRE found in a survey. That is up from less than two-thirds a year ago.”
Magnolia Tribune
