- 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. Miss. Dept. of Health offers tips to stay safe this summer
The Mississippi State Department of Health is urging residents to put safeguards in place this summer that ensure their health and safety remain a priority.
MSDH said following these Summer Safety tips should be considered when out and about this season:
- Protect yourself from heat stroke by drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, and avoiding alcoholic and caffeinated drinks.
- Avoid mosquito-borne illnesses by using a repellent such as DEET.
- Wear sunscreen rated SPF-15 or higher with UVA and UVB protection.
- Stay safe around water.
- Keep foods chilled when outside to reduce foodborne illnesses.
- Never leave babies or toddlers in hot cars.
- Check on older, vulnerable adults.
For more Summer Safety tips, check here.
2. MDA accepting applications for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program
The Mississippi Development Authority will begin accepting grant applications July 13 for the 2026 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program will provide approximately $1.4 million in funding to support energy efficiency improvements in public facilities across Mississippi.
The EECBG Program assists eligible Mississippi cities, counties and non-entitlement local governments with implementing energy-efficient upgrades that reduce energy consumption and operating costs. Eligible projects include lighting upgrades; heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements; building envelope enhancements; water heating systems; industrial system upgrades; and energy management controls. Grant awards may fund up to 100 percent of total project costs, with awards ranging from $30,000 to $125,000.
Eligible applicants include Mississippi cities, counties and non-entitlement local governments that are not eligible for federal EECBG formula funding. Private businesses, educational institutions and certain other entities are not eligible. Applications may include multiple project sites; however, only one application per applicant will be accepted. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.
3. Ag Commissioner says Texas screwworm poses no threat to food safety
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson sought to put consumers’ minds at ease on Thursday, saying the detection of New World screwworm in Texas by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service poses no threat to food safety.
“I want to ensure the public that the confirmation of the New World screwworm in South Texas poses no threat to food safety. The New World screwworm is an invasive pest, not an infectious disease. This is an animal health issue, not a food safety issue. Our meat supply is safe to eat,” said Commissioner Gipson. “USDA is taking immediate action to contain and eradicate the NWS. We are closely monitoring the situation and staying in close contact with our partners at USDA and the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.”
The Mississippi Ag Department said screwworms do not infest meat, fruits, vegetables, or other food sources. If livestock or pets are suspected of being infected with NWS, contact the Mississippi Board of Animal Health at (601) 359-1170 and your veterinarian.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate sends ICE funding package to House
The Hill reports that the U.S. Senate voted early Friday morning “to pass a $69.5 billion budget reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement operations through 2029, overcoming the concerns of several Republicans who were upset the bill did not include language barring the Trump administration from creating a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund to pay MAGA allies.”
“The legislation passed 52-47, taking Republicans one big step closer to ensuring that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol are funded through the end of President Trump’s second term,” The Hill reported. “Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, was the only Republican to vote ‘no.'”
The Hill noted, “The package now moves to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) plans to pass it next week.”
2. Trump backs Cruz’s Protect College Sports Act
According to Politico, “President Donald Trump threw his support behind the Protect College Sports Act, a new Senate bill that would create a federal rulebook for collegiate sports, urging lawmakers to come together on a bipartisan law for his signature this summer in a social media post Thursday.”
“This Law resolves many of the most urgent issues challenging our Universities and Student-Athletes, stops the chaos and, most importantly, it may be the last chance to save College Sports, and Colleges themselves, before it’s too late,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“The bill, a brainchild of Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), would enact limits on transferring for student-athletes, ban coaches from moving schools mid-season and enshrine certain ‘name, image and likeness’ protections,” Politico reported. “The boost to the Senate effort came after House lawmakers’ high-profile attempt to regulate college sports, the SCORE Act, fell apart. Congressional Black Caucus members — who were crucial for getting it out of the lower chamber — abandoned the bill, furious at predominantly Southern, collegiate-sports heavy states that were moving to eliminate majority-Black congressional and legislative seats.”
Politico added, “One difference between the two bills is a provision in the SCORE Act barring college athletes from ever attaining employee status.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss pitcher invited to USA Baseball’s 2026 Collegiate National Team Training Camp
Ole Miss sophomore pitcher Walker Hooks has been invited to attend USA Baseball’s 2026 Collegiate National Team Training Camp this summer with a chance to make the Collegiate National Team in July.
Ole Miss Athletics said once the college baseball season ends, Hooks will join USA Baseball for exhibition games in Burlington, North Carolina and Danville, Virginia at the end of June and the annual Stars vs. Stripes series in Cary, North Carolina from June 30-July 4.
The Collegiate National Team will be announced on July 5 before they go compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship at Taichung City Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15.
The school noted that Hooks has a chance to become the first Rebel to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team since Jacob Gonzalez and Hunter Elliott in 2022.
2. Southern Miss announces 2026 M-Club Hall of Fame
The Southern Miss M-Club Alumni Association, in conjunction with the department of athletics, has announced its seven-member 2026 Hall of Fame class.
The inductees are: Jamie Collins (Football, 2009-12); Jamierra Faulkner (Women’s Basketball, 2010-14); Darrell Lindsey (Baseball, 1985-88); Jeffery Posey (Football, 1995-96); Ashley Reyer-Castleman (Women’s Track & Field, 2004-07); and former track & field and cross country head coach Wayne Williams with former associate athletic director for sports medicine Todd McCall joining the class as an honorary inductee.
The 2026 Hall of Fame Class will officially join the ranks of former Golden Eagle greats at the M-Club Alumni Association Hall of Fame Induction Banquet on Friday, October 16, 2026, at Southern Oaks in Hattiesburg. They will also be honored on Saturday, October 17, 2026, during Southern Miss’ home football game against Arkansas State.
Markets & Business
1. Jobs report coming Friday
CNBC reports that “the stronger-than-expected start this year for job creation could be in for a reality check when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the May nonfarm payrolls report Friday.”
“Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect the employment rolls to show that just 80,000 jobs were added during the month, which would mark a notch step down from the average of 150,000 over the prior two months, including 115,000 in April,” CNBC reported. “Moreover, some prominent Wall Street voices think the month could feature some catch-up for a labor market that was teetering at this time last year, with risks to the downside for the headline number.”
CNBC continued, “There also are signs of elevated layoffs. May saw a total 97,006 planned reductions, a 16% increase from April and the highest total for the month since 2020, when the Covid pandemic saw massive job cuts, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The highest May prior to that was in 2009, around the nadir of the global financial crisis.”
2. EPA head bullish on U.S. energy dominance
FoxBusiness reports that “EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin expressed high hopes for U.S. energy dominance Thursday, citing enthusiasm for projects in development under the Trump administration and increasing interest in American energy from allies overseas.”
“I’m very bullish about where this is going to be going once the conflict is over,” Zeldin told FOX Business, referring to lingering tensions in the Middle East.
FoxBusiness reported that “Zeldin pointed to the nuclear, oil and gas fronts as evidence of positive developments to come for the energy sector, despite reports of U.S. crude oil stockpiles extending their decline to six weeks.”
“We see it on the nuclear front with new small modular reactors, new builds,” he said.
