- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
DeSoto County deputy arrested with for DUI
WMC reports that the Hernando Police Department “has arrested and charged an off-duty DeSoto Co. deputy for driving under the influence.”
“On December 27, Deputy Skylar McDowell was taken into custody by the Hernando Police Department on a charge of driving under the influence (DUI). At the time of her arrest, Deputy McDowell was off duty,” WMC reported. “The Hernando Police Department handled the arrest. Following her intake, Deputy McDowell was processed at the DeSoto County Detention Facility.”
WMC went on to report that McDowell posted bond and has since been released from custody.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Federal government funding deadline looms large
According to The Hill, “The two-week holiday recess, a contentious health care debate and discharge petition showdowns are squeezing the House’s legislative calendar, raising doubts about whether lawmakers can finalize government funding before the Jan. 30 deadline.”
“So far, lawmakers have passed only three of the twelve appropriations bills needed to fund the government. They must pass the remaining nine bills — or enact a temporary stopgap measure — to keep the rest of the government running past the end of January. If not, another shutdown is on the table. But the House has been bogged down by competing priorities,” The Hill reported. “Republicans are facing mounting pressure as Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies are set to expire at the end of the month. Four GOP lawmakers broke ranks to join Democrats in advancing a discharge petition to bring a three-year subsidy extension bill to the floor in January over the objections of leadership.”
The Hill continued, “Lawmakers expect the Senate to amend the bill if it passes the House. And any bill that passes the Senate with changes has to be sent back to the House for another vote — a process that will likely also be lengthy and contentious.”
2. Trump, Zelensky meet in Florida
As the Washington Post reports, “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that he had asked President Donald Trump to make a ‘historic decision’ and grant Ukraine security guarantees against Russian aggression that would last decades — a request he said Trump has agreed to consider.”
“Zelensky made the request during a meeting Sunday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two leaders discussed the latest version of a 20-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. Several difficult issues, including the length of security guarantees, future control over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and territorial questions emanating from the war, remained unresolved after Sunday’s meeting, Zelensky told journalists via voice notes in a WhatsApp group Monday,” WP reported.
WP added, “Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin before meeting with Zelensky on Sunday. European leaders, including from Britain, France and Germany, joined the Trump-Zelensky meeting via conference call. In a news conference Sunday evening, Trump sounded optimistic about the prospects for peace but left plenty of room for the possibility of failure, saying Russia and Ukraine would continue fighting if the current negotiations did not succeed.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss heads to Sugar Bowl
No. 6 Ole Miss will take on No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day in the second round of the College Football Playoffs.
The Rebels and Bulldogs kick off at the Caesars Superdome Thursday, January 1, at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
2. Miss. State heads to Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Despite being 5-7 on the season, due to other bowl eligible schools refusing to compete in bowl season, Mississippi State will play Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET on January 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will be televised on ESPN.
Markets & Business
1. It’s been a banner year on Wall Street
CNBC reports that stock futures fell on Monday “after the S&P 500 scaled to fresh record levels, with traders set to wrap up a strong 2025.”
“It has been a banner year on Wall Street, with the benchmark index up nearly 18% in 2025. The Dow has gained 14.5%, putting it on track for its strongest year since 2021. The Nasdaq Composite has outperformed year-to-date, up more than 22%,” CNBC reported. “Wall Street is also in the throes of the Santa Claus rally period, a historically strong time for the stock market. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has averaged a gain of more than 1% between the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac.”
CNBC noted, “The economic data calendar is light for the week, but investors will get one more read into the Federal Reserve’s mindset heading into 2026. The central bank’s minutes from its December meeting are due for release on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.”
2. Corporate playbook for next year doesn’t include hiring
The Wall Street Journal says the corporate playbook for next year is don’t hire.
“Companies haven’t been in the hiring mood for months. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in November, its highest in four years. While the U.S. added jobs in fields such as healthcare and education in 2025, signs are growing that the white-collar labor market is now seizing up. A range of prominent employers such as Amazon.com, Verizon, Target and United Parcel Service have cut white-collar roles in recent months, adding to the unease among workers,” WSJ reported. “The reluctance to add staff reflects concerns about the economy, along with the belief that artificial intelligence could handle more work inside major companies. Other employers hired too many people after the pandemic and are still correcting for that.”
“We’re close to zero job growth. That’s not a healthy labor market,” Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller said at the Yale summit, per WSJ. “When I go around and talk to CEOs around the country, everybody’s telling me, ‘Look, we’re not hiring because we’re waiting to try to figure out what happens with AI. What jobs can we replace? What jobs do we don’t?’”
