- 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. Illegal immigrants arrested in Madison County
WLBT reports that ICE agents arrested several immigrants in Canton over the weekend.
“Video captured the arrests Saturday at a trailer park, where ICE agents handcuffed people believed to be undocumented immigrants,” WLBT reported. “Another witness reported a second detention at Canton Discount Drugs, but the report could not be independently confirmed.”
WLBT went on to report, “According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office website, 10 immigrants were booked Sunday morning and charged with being in the country illegally. It’s unclear if they were all arrested in Canton Saturday.”
2. Former Coahoma deputy coroner pleads guilty to embezzlement
Former Coahoma County Deputy Coroner Markeith Mosley has pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement in the amount of $19,289.01.
State Auditor Shad White said Tuesday that Mosley fraudulently converted to his own use a Fuelman card belonging to Coahoma County, which came into his possession by virtue of his position as an employee of Coahoma County.
Mosley was prosecuted in Coahoma County Circuit Court.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to deliver primetime address recapping year, looking ahead
According to The Hill, “President Trump will leverage the bully pulpit Wednesday in a speech to the nation to promote the successes of his first year back in office and look ahead to 2026.”
“Trump said he will deliver his address in primetime at 9 p.m. EST, vowing in a Truth Social post that the ‘best is yet to come’ after a ‘great year’ for the country,” The Hill reported. “White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the address will focus on the president’s ‘historic accomplishments,’ including on the border, inflation and ‘what’s to come.’”
The Hill noted, “The president’s approval rating recently ticked up after reaching a new low for his second term in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) polling average. His approval rating stands at 44.4 percent, while his disapproval rating dropped to 52.2 percent, as of Monday.”
2. Musk helping fund GOP midterm candidates
FoxBusiness reports that Elon Musk “has started doling out money for the GOP’s 2026 House and Senate races, according to Axios.”
“He recently gave large checks to help Republicans emerge victorious in 2026 congressional contests and indicated that he will shell out even more funding amid the election cycle, two sources told the outlet,” FoxBusiness reported. “Axios reported that in November, Musk attended a dinner with Vice President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and former White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich. Jared Birchall, who is involved in managing the business magnate’s political donations, was also in attendance, the report noted.”
FoxBusiness added, “A source in Trump’s political orbit called the news ‘significant.'”
Sports
Children’s of Mississippi receives $1 million donation from Sanderson Farms Championship PGA tournament proceeds
The University of Mississippi Medical Center announced Tuesday that Century Club Charities, host of the Sanderson Farms Championship, has donated $1 million from tournament proceeds to benefit Children’s of Mississippi.
The Sanderson Farms Championship is an annual stop on the PGA TOUR hosted by Century Club Charities.
“This marks the 12th consecutive year that the tournament has donated $1 million or more to Friends of Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for the state’s only children’s hospital,” UMMC shared.
UMMC said the $1 million gift, coupled with $730,000 to other Mississippi charities, brings Century Club Charities’ total charitable impact statewide to over $1.73 million in 2025.
Since Sanderson Farms, now Wayne-Sanderson Farms, became the Title Sponsor in 2013, the tournament and Century Club Charities have contributed nearly $20 million to Friends of Children’s Hospital and other Mississippi charities. Since 1994, Century Club Charities has raised nearly $29 million for Mississippi charities.
Markets & Business
1. Futures up after third consecutive losing day on Wall Street
CNBC reports that stock futures “rose Wednesday after the S&P 500 posted a third losing session, as investors weighed newly released U.S. economic data.”
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released early Tuesday its November job report, which also included data from October,” CNBC reported. “The report showed the U.S. economy shed 105,000 jobs in October, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% — its highest level since September 2021. However, 64,000 jobs were added in November, topping the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 45,000.”
CNBC continued, “The S&P 500 dropped 0.2% and the 30-stock Dow fell 302 points, or 0.6%, on Tuesday as investors digested the data. It was the third consecutive negative day for both indexes.”
2. Who will replace Powell as Federal Reserve chairman?
The New York Times reports that “Kevin A. Hassett, a longtime loyalist and economic adviser to Mr. Trump, and Kevin M. Warsh, a former Fed governor who had been in spitting distance of becoming chair during the president’s first term,” are “in leading positions to take over for Jerome H. Powell in May” as the next Federal Reserve Chairman.
“The decision comes down to who Mr. Trump believes will be more successful in delivering the substantially lower borrowing costs that he has long struggled to get from the Fed under Mr. Powell. Mr. Trump, who elevated Mr. Powell to chair in 2017, appears haunted by that decision,” NYT reported. “He has made it clear that this time he wants someone more malleable who will take his advice.”
NYT added, “Until just a few weeks ago, the clear favorite for the job appeared to be Mr. Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council. But Mr. Trump’s announcement this month that he would wait a bit longer for the final reveal injected more drama into the elaborate audition process. Mr. Trump praised Mr. Warsh last week after meeting with him, confirming that the race is far from over.”
