- 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. Attorneys General urge Congress to pass Kids Online Safety Act
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch joined a bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General from around the country this week to urge Congressional leadership to protect children from online harm and pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
In a letter signed by 40 Attorneys General, the group expressed support for the Senate version of KOSA, S. 1748, which includes a key Duty of Care requirement while enhancing and preserving states’ authority to enforce and strengthen online protection for minors. A House version of the bill, the AGs said, could undermine existing and future state laws designed to protect children online and would limit states’ ability to respond to and address new and emerging online harms.
AG Fitch is currently defending the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act, passed by the Mississippi Legislature, in a lawsuit filed by NetChoice, a trade organization representing social media companies. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument in the case last week.
2. OMWC to honor Napiers with Legacy Award
The Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy announced Tuesday that they will honor HGTV stars Erin and Ben Napier, both University of Mississippi alumni and hosts of “Home Town” and “Home Town Takeover,” with this year’s Legacy Award.
The university said that event will take place March 27 at The Jefferson in Oxford.
The OMWC’s annual award recognizes individuals whose lives reflect the council’s core values of philanthropy, scholarship, leadership and mentorship. Past Legacy Award honorees are Donna and Jim Barksdale, Jennifer Gillom and Peggie Gillom-Granderson, the late Ruth and Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, Dr. Gerald M. “Doc” Hollingsworth, Chancellor Emeritus Robert C. Khayat, Olivia Manning, Charles Overby, Ambassador John N. Palmer, Dolly Parton, Leigh Anne Touhy, the late Elise and Gov. William Winter, Tommy Duff and Jim Duff, and Lydia and Dr. Daniel Jones.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. FAA halts all El Paso flights for 10 days for “special security reasons”
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “The Federal Aviation Administration said it was halting all flights to and from El Paso, Texas, for 10 days for ‘special security reasons,’ without elaborating.”
“The FAA, which announced the restrictions overnight, said they covered a roughly 11-mile radius around El Paso International Airport, but excluded Mexican airspace,” WSJ reported. “No specific explanation was provided for the restrictions, which limit flights in the area at altitudes below 18,000 feet. The FAA and El Paso International Airport didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. An earlier notice cited drone activity over El Paso.”
WSJ added, “Another FAA notice restricted flights during the same period and for the same reason in an area along the Mexican border near Santa Teresa, N.M., roughly 20 miles west of El Paso.”
2. Homeland Security shutdown likely as Democrats refuse stopgap
According to The Hill, “Senate Democrats say negotiations with the White House to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) haven’t made enough progress for them to support another short-term funding agreement to keep the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) open.”
“Senate Democrats say they won’t vote for another stopgap to keep the DHS open beyond Friday unless Republicans agree to a 10-point plan to overhaul ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), changes President Trump’s allies say would hamstring the administration’s efforts to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants,” The Hill reported, adding, “Trump’s allies in the Senate have panned as ‘nonstarters’ Democratic demands to require ICE officers to obtain judicial search warrants before entering homes, to stop roving patrols and to stop wearing masks.”
The Hill continued, “A senior Republican senator who requested anonymity to discuss planning for the week said it appears another short-term DHS extension won’t have enough votes to pass this week.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss Athletics mourns the passing of Poole, Jr.
Ole Miss Athletics is mourning the death of James E. “Jim” Poole, Jr., 76, an Ole Miss M-Club Hall of Famer and three-year football letterman, who passed away Sunday in Jackson.
A tight end from 1969-71, the school said Poole Jr. was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and helped lead Ole Miss to a 25-9 overall record and three bowl appearances during his time in Oxford.
“He carried on the impressive legacy of the Pooles of Ole Miss, an extraordinary family with an athletic linage like no other at the University of Mississippi, earning over 50 athletic letters, and having a street — Poole Drive — named in their honor,” Ole Miss Athletics added. “Poole Jr. was inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame in 2025 and recently was honored last fall by the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame with its Distinguished American Award.”
2. USM’s Binet named Sun Belt Player of the Week
Southern Miss graduate forward Djahi Binet was named Sun Belt Player of the Week, as released by the conference office on Tuesday.
The school said Binet started his week with a 31-point, 15-rebound game at Marshall on Wednesday night. His performance made him the first Sun Belt player this season to post at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a single game.
Dating back to last season, USM Athletics said Binet is one of three Sun Belt players to reach that feat — former Golden Eagle Denijay Harris is one of the other two players to do so. Binet also added two assists, two steals, and two blocks against the Thundering Herd.
Binet, from Nice, France, helped Southern Miss to a win over Kent State on Saturday with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Markets & Business
1. Fed watching unemployment rate
The New York Times reports that officials at the Federal Reserve “do not want the labor market to weaken further, meaning that fresh signs of unemployment rising across the country would likely compel the central bank to restart interest rate cuts.”
“Economists do not expect that to materialize in January’s data, however, suggesting the Fed has scope to once again stand pat when it meets next month,” NYT reported. “The latest jobs report, which will be released on Wednesday, is forecast to show the unemployment rate steadying at 4.4 percent.”
NYT noted, “The unemployment rate has become a focal point for the Fed as it assesses the health of the labor market in the wake of immigration restrictions imposed by President Trump.”
2. Zuckerberg latest billionaire fleeing California for Florida
FoxBusiness reports that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the latest California billionaire heading for Florida, “snapping up a massive waterfront mansion in Miami’s exclusive ‘Billionaire Bunker,’ as Golden State lawmakers push a proposed 5% tax on the ultra-wealthy.”
“Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are buying a newly built mansion on Indian Creek, one of the area’s most expensive enclaves,” FoxBusiness reported. “The deal has not been confirmed as closed, sources with knowledge of the transaction told The Wall Street Journal, but neighbors said Zuckerberg plans to move in by April — signaling a relocation rather than a vacation home.”
FoxBusiness went on to report, “Zuckerberg’s move comes on the heels of other notable, longtime California-based billionaires who have solidified residency in South Florida in response to a proposed California wealth tax. Though the initiative has not yet received the required 875,000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot, the proposal — backed by the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West — would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of California residents with assets exceeding $1 billion.”
