- 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. MEMA urges Mississippians to prepare now for winter storm
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is urging Mississippians to prepare now for a strong winter storm moving through the Magnolia State this weekend.
MEMA said it is working closely with the National Weather Service in preparation for the incoming winter weather starting Friday (1/23/26).
The National Weather Service is forecasting a significant winter storm and dangerously cold temperatures Friday night through the weekend.
“Continue to monitor the forecast and begin making preparations,” MEMA said on social media. “We will continue to update you throughout the week.”
2. Gulf Coast Business Council, USM launch Executive Leadership Academy
On Tuesday, the Gulf Coast Business Council (GCBC), in partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), announced the launch of the GCBC-USM Executive Leadership Academy: Executives and Artificial Intelligence. It is a nine-month executive development experience designed to prepare senior leaders to govern, deploy, and lead with artificial intelligence in an era of rapid technological change.
The partners say the Academy will bring together a select cohort of up to 25 executives from across the Gulf Coast for once-monthly, in-person sessions held on the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach, Mississippi, beginning March 13, 2026, and concluding in November 2026.
“This program is about leadership, not technology,” said Jamie Miller, President and CEO of the Gulf Coast Business Council. “Artificial intelligence is already shaping how decisions are made, how risk is assessed, and how resources are allocated. If our leaders are not prepared to govern it, they risk losing control of the very systems that determine their organization’s future. This Academy gives Gulf Coast executives the tools to lead that transformation instead of reacting to it.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Vances expecting fourth child
The Wall Street Journal reports that “Vice President JD Vance, 41, and second lady Usha Vance, 40, are expecting their fourth child, a boy due in late July, the Vances said on social media Tuesday.”
“During this particularly exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children,” they said, per WSJ.
“The Vances have three children under age 9: Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel,” WSJ noted, adding, “The Vances are the youngest family to occupy the vice presidency since Al Gore’s young children lived at the Naval Observatory. John F. Kennedy was the only modern president or vice president who had a baby during his term, a boy who died shortly after a premature birth in 1963. Grover Cleveland had two children while he was president, two girls born in 1893 and 1895.”
2. SCOTUS to consider if President can fire Fed Board member
As reported by the New York Times, “The Supreme Court will consider Wednesday whether President Trump can fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve board, in a case that tests the longstanding independence of the central bank, with potentially major consequences for the economy.”
“The court’s conservative majority has repeatedly allowed Mr. Trump to oust leaders of other independent agencies as he moves to expand presidential power and seize control of the federal bureaucracy,” NYT reported. “But the justices have signaled that the Fed may be different and uniquely insulated from executive influence because of its structure and history.”
NYT continued, “The justices agreed to hear Ms. Cook’s case on an expedited basis, and are likely to rule quickly on her status as litigation continues in the lower courts. The outcome of the case could determine how much latitude Mr. Trump and future presidents have to influence the direction of the powerful central bank, which Congress intentionally tried to insulate from political pressures.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss golfer joining LIV
The Golf Channel reports that Michael La Sasso, the reigning NCAA individual champion, has joined LIV Golf.
“The Ole Miss senior, who is teaming up with Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC on a multi-year agreement, is expected to debut at next month’s LIV opener in Saudi Arabia, meaning he will forfeit his remaining college eligibility and leave the Rebels before his final semester,” the Golf Channel reported. “La Sasso, 21, also had an exemption lined up at the Masters this April, courtesy of his one-shot win at La Costa, though that was provided he remained amateur.”
“For Mike, it was a decision that was, from my understanding, a little bit of a no-brainer and he needed to make financially for his future,” Ole Miss head coach Chris Malloy told Golf Channel. “The timing wasn’t ideal; Mike really struggled with this. He’s a team guy, and this was not an easy decision for him.”
2. Ole Miss softball earns highest preseason ranking since 2020
Ole Miss Athletics said its softball program has once again earned a spot in the preseason national rankings, as the Rebels have been selected as the No. 22 team in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
The school said the Rebels have now been tabbed to three of the four major softball preseason polls in the nation, with the NFCA poll yet to be released. Tuesday’s ranking is the highest of the three, with the Rebels also ranked No. 24 in D1Softball and No. 25 in Softball America’s preseason rankings.
Ole Miss Athletics noted that the mark is the program’s highest preseason ranking since 2020, when the Rebels were tabbed as the No. 21 team in the nation by USA Today/NFCA.
Markets & Business
1. Trump looks to bar Wall Street investors from buying up homes
The Hill reports that “President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order stopping Wall Street investors from buying and owning single-family homes, amid his push to focus on affordability ahead of the November midterm elections.”
“Buying and owning a home has long been considered the pinnacle of the American dream and a way for families to invest and build lifetime wealth,” Trump’s order reads, per The Hill. “But because of the recent high inflation and interest rates caused by the previous administration, that American dream has been increasingly out of reach for too many of our citizens, especially first-time homebuyers.”
The Hill went on to report, that the order stated “that in 30 days, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will develop ‘definitions of ‘large institutional investor’ and ‘single-family home.’ Cabinet members will issue guidance to prevent ‘providing for, approving, insuring, guaranteeing, securitizing, or facilitating the acquisition by large institutional investors’ of a single-family home.”
2. Worst day on Wall Street since October
Equity futures pulled back again on Wednesday, reported CNBC. The moves come “a day after the three major averages saw their worst day since October, as the ‘sell America’ trade continues with the U.S. dollar weakening.”
“Stocks posted sharp losses in Tuesday’s session as President Donald Trump escalated his Greenland tariff threats ahead of his scheduled appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday,” CNBC reported. “The 30-stock Dow slipped more than 870 points, or about 1.8%, while the S&P 500 lost roughly 2.1%. A drawdown in technology stocks led the sell-off, with the Nasdaq Composite sliding 2.4% on the day.”
CNBC noted, “All three benchmark indices logged their worst daily performances since Oct. 10. The sell-off also dragged the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq into negative territory for 2026.”
