- 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. Moss Point native makes “American Idol” Top 30
Moss Point native Daniel Stallworth advanced into the Top 30 on “American Idol” Monday night after performing “Stand By Me.”
The music teacher drew praise from judges Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie during Hollywood Week.
Stallworth will now perform in Hawaii with the Top 30 before 10 are cut to narrow the field to 20.
2. Capitol Police announces Citizens Police Academy
The Capitol Police announced Monday that the 2026 Spring Citizens Police Academy has been scheduled and applications are now being accepted for residents of the Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID).
The academy is scheduled to meet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, April 20–28, with an additional session on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Capitol Police say the Citizens Police Academy provides a unique opportunity for residents to engage directly with law enforcement officers and gain firsthand insight into their duties and responsibilities. The seven-day course will expose participants to driver education and simulation activities, a K-9 demonstration, forensic crime scene investigation, a ride-along with a Capitol Police officer, and an overview of all aspects of Capitol Police operations, including the CCID court and its jurisdiction.
Applications are available here. The deadline to apply is April 15. Class space is limited; however, all applications will be kept on file for consideration for future classes.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. President says Iran missiles could have reached U.S. soon
According to Politico, “President Donald Trump said Monday that the broad military strikes on Iran he ordered over the weekend were necessary because Tehran would have ‘soon’ been able to hit targets inside America with ballistic missiles.”
“The regime’s conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically, and this posed a very clear, colossal threat to American air forces stationed overseas,” Trump said at the start of an unrelated Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, per Politico. “The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases, both local and overseas, and would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.”
Politico continued, “Trump said Monday that his administration had ‘projected four to five weeks’ for the conflict, but that ‘we have capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it.’ He argued that Iran’s ballistic missile program was aimed at shielding what he said was a renewed nuclear program, which would have put the U.S. ‘under threat.’”
2. SCOTUS blocks California’s school transgender policies
The New York Times reports that the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked California “from using policies that generally bar public-school teachers from outing transgender students to their parents.”
“A group of Christian teachers and parents asked the justices to intervene on an emergency basis, contending that the state had adopted a policy that requires public schools to hide students’ transgender status from their own parents and to facilitate their social transition, even over their parents’ objections,” NYT reported. “California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, countered that the challengers had misconstrued state law and policy. He told the court in a filing that California’s policies did not prohibit the disclosure of information about students’ gender identities, and in some cases required disclosure when there was a risk of serious harm to the student.”
NYT went on to report, “But for many students, he wrote, ‘the consequences of compelling the disclosure of confidential information about their gender identity would be irreversible.’”
Sports
1. Miss. State, Southern Miss to meet in Top 10 matchup
Mississippi State remained at No. 4 and Southern Miss moved up two spots to No. 10 in this week’s D1 Baseball Top 25 after strong weekend series. Ole Miss dropped out of the Top 25 after losing 2 out of 3.
Mississippi State travels to Southern Miss Tuesday night in a Top 10 matchup in Hattiesburg while Ole Miss is hosting Memphis. The Rebels will also play Wednesday this week when North Alabama comes to Oxford.
2. Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series coming to Columbus
Columbus will kick off the spring event season March 26-29, 2026, as the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series makes its highly anticipated debut on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
The four-day event blends world-class competitive fishing with family fun, food trucks and festival-style activities. The event is completely free and open to the public, making it an ideal long weekend getaway or day trip for families, outdoor enthusiasts and visitors of all ages.
Beyond the competition itself, the tournament atmosphere promises a festival-like environment where visitors can meet professional anglers, explore sponsor exhibits and experience the energy of one of the sport’s most respected series. The 2026 stop in Columbus is part of the national schedule announced by B.A.S.S. (the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the organization behind the Bassmaster tournaments, and underscores the growing recognition of Mississippi’s waterways as world-class fisheries.
Markets & Business
1. Futures tumble as uncertainty builds around Iranian conflict
CNBC reports that “U.S. stock futures tumbled Tuesday, undoing a Monday equity comeback, as oil prices spiked again and traders began to worry the U.S.-Iran conflict could drag on longer than anticipated.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 749 points, or 1.5%. S&P 500 futures slipped 1.5%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were down 1.9%,” CNBC reported. “Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, topped $84 a barrel, up 8% Tuesday following a 6% spike Monday. WTI crude jumped 8% to above $77 a barrel after a 6% jump as well on Monday.”
CNBC noted, “Stocks staged a massive comeback on Monday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq erasing steep losses to close slightly higher. The Dow also closed well off its session lows. Investors, using the historical playbook on Wall Street around geopolitical conflicts, bought the dip on the notion the conflict would soon be resolved and not impact the economy. Oil prices also eased off their highs into the close.”
2. Coal power making a comeback?
The Wall Street Journal reports that “coal-fired power generation is having something of a moment. It isn’t clear just how long it will last.”
“President Trump is trying to throw a lifeline to coal, the once-dominant fuel source for the U.S. power grid that has been in steep decline for more than 15 years. His efforts, combined with the boom in construction of power-hungry artificial-intelligence data centers, could keep coal plants that were once slated for retirement operating years longer than expected,” WSJ reported. “The Trump administration has ordered an expansion of coal mining, leasing and exports, while requiring a handful of power plants to continue operating past their expected retirement dates.”
WSJ added, “Extreme weather and gas price spikes have created recent openings for coal. Coal generation increased about 13% in 2025 from the previous year as higher natural gas costs made coal more competitive, according to the Energy Information Administration. In January, coal generation soared again as a winter storm brought freezing temperatures to much of the country and natural-gas prices rose.”
