- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Reeves to receive Frederick Douglass Award from FREOPP
The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP) announced Monday that Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves will receive the Frederick Douglass Award.
According to the organization, it is their highest honor and it being given to Reeves in recognition of his leadership in expanding educational opportunity and advancing equal access to prosperity through policy innovation.
FREOPP said Governor Reeves will accept the award in person on November 21, 2025, at the annual Freedom and Progress Conference in Washington, D.C.
“Governor Reeves’ commitment to expanding opportunity through education exemplifies the spirit of the Frederick Douglass Prize,” said Akash Chougule, President of FREOPP, in a statement. “At a time when too many policymakers are divided on how to help more Americans rise, Governor Reeves has proven that principles rooted in freedom, accountability, and opportunity, can deliver real results for working families. We’re proud to honor his leadership and the measurable progress Mississippi students have achieved under his watch.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Saudi Crown Prince coming to White House
As reported by the Washington Post, “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, a remarkable turnaround for the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia who had been branded a pariah in 2018 after the CIA concluded that he had approved the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.”
“Trump’s planned welcome for Mohammed is extensive and elaborate — with pomp that will likely match or exceed the celebrations prepared for other foreign guests this year. The leaders are expected to sign deals ranging from weapons sales to agreements around artificial intelligence and critical minerals, according to White House officials,” WP reported. “And while it’s unlikely that progress toward normalization with Israel will be announced, Trump is expected to continue to press the issue.”
WP continued, “Saudi Arabia is eager to deepen defense cooperation with the United States, a critical prerequisite for the kingdom’s ambitious plans to diversify its economy.”
2. House could vote on Epstein file release as soon as Tuesday
Politico reports that the U.S. House “could advance the bill forcing the disclosure of Justice Department records related to Epstein as soon as Tuesday. The White House official expects the Senate to pass the bill as well, and the president has said he would sign it.”
“The fast-track movement comes after months of stalling by Republican leaders and immense pressure from the White House to keep a vote from happening,” Politico reported. “But Trump, over the last week, realized his vice-like grip over the GOP was not enough to forestall the vote and relented to the ‘inevitable reality,’ the official said. The president changed course Sunday after speaking with many Republicans and concluding dozens of House members planned to cross him.”
Politico added, “The president remains frustrated that members of his own party have essentially laid a trap he cannot avoid in part because administration officials insist there is nothing more of substance for them to unveil.”
Sports
1. Lacy named co-winner of SEC Offensive Player of the Week
Ole Miss football sophomore running back Kewan Lacy has been named a co-winner of the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award.
The school said Lacy had a historic outing in the Rebels’ 34-24 victory over Florida last week, rushing for a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries – the eighth-most rushing yards in Ole Miss single-game history and the most by any Rebel rusher since Brandon Bolden vs. Fresno State in 2010 (228).
Those three scores were Lacy’s 17th, 18th and 19th rushing touchdowns of the season, breaking Quinshon Judkins’ prior record of 16 set in 2022. With his 19 total scores, Lacy also broke the Ole Miss single-season all-purpose touchdown record of 17 previously set four times by Judkins (2022, ’23), Bolden (2010) and Deuce McAllister (2000).
2. All eyes on Kiffin
CBS Sports reports that LSU sent “a private plane to Oxford to pick up members of the Kiffin family [on Monday] and give them a tour of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, per Wilson Alexander of The Advocate.”
“The Ole Miss Rebels are 10-1, have secured a third consecutive double-digit-win season — a first in program history — and are on the cusp of their first College Football Playoff berth as well,” CBS Sports reported. “But after a win over Florida and with an open date upcoming this weekend, all eyes and ears and rumors surrounding the Rebels are focused on what coach Lane Kiffin’s next move will be … if there is one.”
CBS Sports also noted, “In addition to the Baton Rouge trip, a Kiffin family member visited Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday as the Gators ramp up their pursuit of the Rebels coach, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ John Talty and Richard Johnson.”
Markets & Business
1. Former Fed governor discloses improper stock trades
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Adriana Kugler, a former Federal Reserve governor, reported numerous stock sales and purchases on her annual financial disclosure forms that violated central bank policies and prompted the Fed to refer the matter to its inspector general this year.”
“The forms were made public by the Office of Government Ethics on Saturday. The disclosures were filed by Kugler in September, about a month after she resigned her seat. The forms show that ethics officials at the central bank declined to certify that Kugler had complied with Fed policies and referred her disclosures to the Fed’s Office of Inspector General, a government watchdog,” WSJ reported. “Kugler announced her resignation on Aug. 1, around the time that her financial disclosures would have been nearing completion.”
WSJ went on to report. “Kugler, an appointee of President Joe Biden, missed the July 29-30 meeting of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee for what the central bank described as a personal matter. Her resignation was effective Aug. 8. President Trump subsequently nominated a top economic adviser, Stephen Miran, to serve the remainder of her term, which runs until Jan. 31.”
2. Medicare Part B premium rising 9.7% per month
CNBC reports that “the standard Medicare Part B premium will increase to $202.90 per month in 2026, up $17.90, or 9.7%, from $185 per month in 2025, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.”
“The increase marks the second-highest Part B premium increase in dollars, according to Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare analyst. The highest increase of $21.60 per month happened in 2022,” CNBC reported.
CNBC noted, “Part B premiums are typically deducted directly from Social Security checks. Any increase to those monthly premium payments affects how much of an increase Social Security beneficiaries may see in their monthly checks in 2026.”
