- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
MDOT encourages safe driving, use of traffic app
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is reminding drivers of its playbook to get you to kickoff safely.
MDOT says to plan the best route and avoid congestion on a game day road trip, drivers can download the free MDOT Traffic App. The app gives users real-time access to tools that show road conditions and traffic alerts. The alerts are interactive, providing users with more information at their fingertips.
Drivers can also access this travel information by visiting MDOTtraffic.com.
“Mississippians love football season, and we want to make sure that everyone makes it to and from the game safely,” said Brad White, MDOT Executive Director. “We at MDOT want to remind the traveling public of these simple things to keep everyone safe while on the road to cheer on our favorite teams. Put your phone down while driving, slow down in work zones and call a designated driver if you need one.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to meet Putin in Hungary to discuss end to Ukrainian war
As The Hill reports, “President Trump said Thursday he intends to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the coming weeks to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump made the announcement following a lengthy phone call with Putin.”
“At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. The United States’ initial meetings will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with various other people, to be designated,” Trump posted on Truth Social, per The Hill. “A meeting location is to be determined. President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end.”
Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy are set to meet at the White House on Friday.
2. Judge blocks Trump administration shutdown lay off plans
The Washington Post reports that a federal judge “temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plans to lay off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown, siding with unions, which have argued that the dismissals were illegal.”
“Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said Wednesday that the administration must halt its layoffs, less than a week after eight agencies — Commerce, Education, Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security and Treasury — had issued reduction-in-force notices to more than 4,100 workers,” WP reported. “About half of the firings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were later reversed, but administration officials and President Donald Trump have promised further cuts, blaming Democrats for not agreeing to pass legislation to fund the government.”
WP continued, “In a court hearing on the unions’ motion for a temporary restraining order, Illston, who was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1995, said Wednesday that the administration has appeared not to follow the law when issuing the RIFs. She also raised concerns about the errors the government has made, initially giving inaccurate estimates of how many people were given RIF notices at some agencies. She ordered the government to provide details about their planned RIFs within two days.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss vs. Georgia headlines Big 3 weekend
Ole Miss’ Top 10 matchup with SEC powerhouse Georgia is the game to watch this week for Mississippi college football fans. But supporters of the state’s other Big 3 schools also have a lot to cheer about as both Mississippi State and Southern Miss are back in action.
Here is how to watch the Big 3 this weekend:
- No. 5 Ole Miss travels to No. 7 Georgia for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff in Athens. ABC is airing the SEC game.
- Mississippi State heads to Gainesville for an SEC contest with Florida. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. on the SEC Network.
- Southern Miss makes the trip over to Lafayette to take on Louisiana in a Sun Belt matchup. ESPN+ is airing the game and kickoff is slated for 4 p.m.
2. JSU announces 2025 Sports Hall of Fame honorees
Jackson State University has announced the 2025 Sports Hall of Fame (SHOF) Induction Ceremony, honoring outstanding athletes, coaches, and contributors who have made a lasting impact on Tiger athletics.
The celebration will be held on Friday, November 14, 2025 in the JSU Student Center Ballroom.
This year’s honorees include Michael Ventress, Wayne Williams, Creig Charles, Robert Kent, Thomas (TC) Taylor, Sidney Ellis, Corey Bradford, Curtis Hardy, Michael Stewart, Maxcell Spriggs, Ben Norris Heard, Fredrick McRae, Theresa Smith, Anthony Appoy, John Miller, and Brittany Bailey.
Markets & Business
1. Lack of government data reporting could impact Fed rate cut prospects
The Wall Street Journal reports that an extended government shutdown “is raising the prospect that Federal Reserve officials will make their next interest-rate decision without key economic data that could reconcile a debate over how far and fast to cut rates.”
“The absence of new government data essentially locks in another quarter-point cut at the Fed’s next meeting in two weeks following a similar reduction last month. Concerns about a more abrupt job-market swoon overrode jitters about sticky inflation last month, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated this week that that balance of concerns hasn’t changed during the recent data blackout,” WSJ reported. “The lapse in federal funding that began Oct. 1 has suspended the September employment report and will delay inflation releases originally slated for publication this week.”
WSJ noted, “The Labor Department is calling back some furloughed workers to prepare the consumer-price index, originally scheduled for release on Wednesday but now due to be released Oct. 24, several days before the next Fed meeting.”
2. Nestle to trim workforce by 16,000
According to FoxBusiness, “Nestle, the world’s largest packaged-food company, is trimming its workforce by 16,000 over the next two years as it seeks to ‘substantially’ reduce costs under its new CEO Philipp Navratil.”
“In the Thursday announcement, Navratil established a new goal to achieve cost savings of 3 billion Swiss francs by the end of 2027, which is higher than its previous target,” FoxBusiness reported.
“As Nestle moves forward, we will be rigorous in our approach to resource allocation, prioritizing the opportunities and businesses with the highest potential returns,” Navratil said, per FoxBusiness.
