- 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. Chevron Refinery near Pascagoula processing first Venezuelan oil shipment
FoxBusiness reports that Chevron’s Pascagoula Refinery, the company’s “flagship Gulf Coast refinery is processing its first Venezuelan oil shipment since the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas last month, turning heavy, tar-like crude into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel for American consumers.”
“We’ve been [in Venezuela] for a long time, and it looks like things are starting to go better for both the Venezuelan people and I would say for the American people too, because what’s going to happen is the more that oil that flows to a place like Pascagoula or some of the other refineries here, it drives down the cost,” Andy Walz, President of Downstream, Midstream & Chemicals at Chevron, told FoxBusiness in an exclusive interview Thursday.
FoxBusiness noted, “Walz’s comments were among the first public acknowledgments by Chevron of processing Venezuelan crude in U.S. refineries under the company’s renewed sanctioned operations… The refinery currently processes about 50,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan crude, and Chevron has indicated it could take on another 100,000 barrels per day across its U.S. system as additional shipments arrive.”
2. Ezell awarded inaugural Main Street Policy Impact Award
Congressman Mike Ezell has been honored with the inaugural Main Street Policy Impact Award in recognition of his leadership in advancing policies that strengthen Main Street economic development across South Mississippi and nationwide.
“The award recognizes extraordinary efforts at the federal level to support revitalization of downtown districts and commercial corridors through the Main Street movement,” the release stated on the honor. “Across the country, more than 1,200 communities in 45 states participate in Main Street programs focused on preservation-based, asset-driven economic growth.”
“I’m honored to receive the Main Street Policy Impact Award,” Ezell said in a statement. “Main Street businesses are the backbone of communities across South Mississippi. From Pascagoula to Hattiesburg to Gulfport, our local businesses drive job creation, preserve our unique character, and fuel economic opportunity. I will continue working to advance policies that help our small businesses grow and thrive.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senators leave D.C. without Homeland Security funding deal
As The Hill reported, “Senators left Washington this week without a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) past Friday, signaling how far apart Senate Democrats and White House negotiators are on a potential agreement to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have told rank-and-file senators to be prepared to return to the Capitol on short notice if negotiators reach a deal,” The Hill reported. “But lawmakers in both parties have little expectation of that happening anytime soon.”
The Hill went on to report that “Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), the only Democrat to vote to advance a full-year Homeland Security spending bill on Thursday, said he doesn’t see how fellow Democrats find a face-saving way to end the standoff anytime soon.”
“What the f— is the Democratic off-ramp on this? Once you set this in motion, ICE already has all the BBB money that it needs. Where’s our leverage?” Fetterman asked after Democrats blocked the DHS funding bill.
2. EPA unwinds Biden era climate change policies
Politico reports that the EPA “on Thursday swept away a cornerstone of U.S. climate policy and set in motion plans to unwind a slew of federal programs used to combat global warming.”
“The rollback of the endangerment finding for greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most significant blows to domestic climate efforts by the Trump administration, unshackling its efforts to eliminate requirements on industry aimed at lowering climate pollution from sources like cars, semitrucks and power plants,” Poiltico reported. “The 2009 finding established under President Barack Obama underpinned a broad range of federal climate policies by empowering EPA to regulate six greenhouse gases through the Clean Air Act. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called it the ‘holy grail of the climate change religion.’”
Politico continued, “The move Thursday finalizes a proposal announced by the agency in July to repeal what many conservatives came to see as a mythical symbol that fueled climate action by Democratic presidents and activists for 16 years. The same package also scraps Biden-era vehicle standards for climate pollution, leaving the highest-emitting U.S. sector unregulated for carbon.”
Sports
Big 3 to open 2026 college baseball season
College baseball is back as teams take the diamond to open the 2026 season this weekend.
Ole Miss hosts reigning Mountain West Champion Nevada for a three-game series while Mississippi State hosts Hofstra. Southern Miss will host UC Santa Barbara.
Mississippi State opens the season ranked No. 4 by D1 Baseball in their preseason poll. Southern Miss came in at No. 20.
Markets & Business
1. January home sales post biggest monthly decline in 4 years
The Wall Street Journal reports that “home sales fell 8.4% in January, the biggest monthly decline since February 2022, after snowstorms and low consumer confidence slowed a housing market that was showing signs of recovery. “
“Sales of existing homes fell from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday,” WSJ reported. “The decline came after sales rose three of the previous four months. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a smaller 4.6% decrease. Expensive home prices and a decrease in inventory also played a role in the sharp deceleration of sales.”
WSJ added, “Falling mortgage rates have made home purchases more affordable in recent months, and home sales in December rose a revised 4.4%. Some real-estate agents say shopping activity picked up in January.”
2. Investors await latest consumer inflation report
CNBC reports that stock futures “slipped on Friday, a day after a downbeat day for the U.S. stock market, as traders looked ahead to a key consumer inflation report.”
“Major U.S. averages dropped on Thursday as fears around artificial intelligence disruption spread across the market, most notably into real estate, trucking and software sectors,” CNBC reported. “The S&P 500 dropped nearly 1.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite lost about 2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed almost 670 points, or 1.3%.”
CNBC noted, “A new market catalyst awaits on Friday with the release of January’s consumer price index report. The inflation gauge is expected to show a 2.5% advance from a year earlier, according to economists polled by Dow Jones. On a month-over-month basis, economists call for a 0.3% increase.”
