- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
MDAH Board names White new director
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that they have selected Barry White to succeed Katie Blount as the next director of MDAH.
White is a longtime preservation leader and current director of the agency’s Historic Preservation Division. He will transition into the position over the next six month and begin officially on July 1, 2026.
According to MDAH, White has spent more than a decade working across programs that identify, document, and preserve Mississippi’s historic places. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied anthropology with a focus on historic preservation from Mississippi State University. During his tenure, he has overseen major preservation initiatives, administered statewide grant programs, supported communities through the Certified Local Government program, and built partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Stefanik distancing herself from Speaker Johnson amid NY gubernatorial run
According to the Washington Post, “Rep. Elise Stefanik has her eyes set on becoming New York’s next governor. But she is not fading quietly from Capitol Hill, where she engaged this week in a public spat with the most powerful fellow Republican in the House: Speaker Mike Johnson.”
“As part of a days-long dispute over a legislative provision she wanted included in an annual defense policy bill, Stefanik called Johnson a liar on social media, and in an interview with The Washington Post she called the leadership of the Louisiana Republican ‘rudderless’ and suggested that President Donald Trump is the chamber’s controlling figure,” WP reported, adding, “Whatever Stefanik’s motives for sparring with Johnson, it could resonate in her nearly month-old bid to topple New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in a blue state, political strategists say.”
“I think that anything that burnishes her already established rhetoric as an independent voice for issues that matter, it helps her in a gubernatorial run,” said Dave Catalfamo, a Republican strategist from New York, per the Washington Post.
2. Adm. Bradley to address Congress on Caribbean drug boat strikes
The Wall Street Journal reports that Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley plans to tell Congress Thursday that “two survivors of a Sept. 2 U.S. strike on a boat in the Caribbean were killed in follow-up attacks after they were seen still aboard the damaged vessel alongside packages of illegal narcotics.”
Bradley “plans to say he and his legal adviser concluded the two survivors were attempting to continue their drug run, making them and the already-damaged vessel legitimate targets for another attack, two defense officials said,” as reported by WSJ.
“The version of events Bradley is expected to deliver would rebut claims by legal experts that the killing of the two survivors could have constituted a war crime,” WP noted.
Sports
1. Ole Miss, Southern Miss basketball returns to MS Coast Coliseum
The Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi is once again playing host to a college basketball matchup between Ole Miss and Southern Miss.
The teams will meet on the hardwood on the Coast on December 13 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available online here.
2. U.S. House cancels vote on SCORE Act
The Hill reports that the U.S. House cancelled a vote on the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act on Wednesday after some Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the measure. The Act is “designed to regulate the compensation college student-athletes earn from their name, image and likeness (NIL).”
“The SCORE Act allows interstate intercollegiate athletic associations, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to ‘establish rules with respect to athletic eligibility, transfers, recruitment, and the disclosure of NIL agreements,’ according to a summary of the bill,” The Hill reported. “Critics have argued that it would only give more power to the NCAA.”
“The SCORE Act (college sports) is well-intended but falls short and is not ready for prime time. I will vote no. Putting aside the process problems (we should have been able to amend)… there are lots of legitimate concerns and questions,” Texas GOP Congressman Chip Roy wrote on X, per The Hill.
Markets & Business
1. U.S. labor market shows signs of slowdown
CNBC reports that “the U.S. labor market slowdown intensified in November as private companies cut 32,000 workers, with small businesses hit the hardest, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.”
“With worries intensifying over the domestic jobs picture, ADP indicated the issues were worse than anticipated. The payrolls decline marked a sharp step down from October, which saw an upwardly revised gain of 47,000 positions, and was well below the Dow Jones consensus estimate from economists for an increase of 40,000,” CNBC reported. “Larger businesses, entailing companies with 50 or more employees, actually reported a net gain of 90,000 workers.”
CNBC noted, “However, establishments with fewer than 50 workers saw a decline of 120,000, including a drop of 74,000 among firms with 20 to 49 employees. The total loss was the biggest drop since March 2023.”
2. AT&T scrapping DEI programs
As reported by FoxBusiness, “AT&T is scrapping its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, becoming the latest company to end the policies as the Trump administration continues pushing for the nationwide elimination of the practices.”
“The telecommunications giant, with 100,000 U.S. employees, wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr on Monday stating it was ending its DEI-related policies following recent shifts in the legal landscape governing such programs,” FoxBusiness reported.
“AT&T has always stood for merit-based opportunity, and we are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination today,” wrote David McAtee, a senior executive vice president and general counsel at AT&T, per FoxBusiness. “Consistent with applicable law, our multi-pronged approach allows employees to thrive in an environment free from invidious discrimination.”
