- 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. Governor provides flooding update
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said one fatality has been reported in Franklin County related to the heavy rains and flooding. Reeves said a county road crew member was killed while assisting with storm cleanup operations.
The governor said the State of Mississippi continues to coordinate response efforts with local emergency managers and deploy resources as requested. Water rescues took place in Harrison County on Thursday and multiple roads were closed in George, Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River, and Stone counties.
Also, Reeves reported that the dam at Anchor Lake in Pearl River County is being monitored.
“At this time, according to MDEQ, the system is functioning as designed – water is flowing through the primary and auxiliary spillways. However, there is very little storage capacity remaining and there is additional precipitation predicted. If that happens, it could quickly overwhelm the spillways and compromise the structure. MDEQ’s dam safety director is en route to the scene and remains in communication with local officials. Homes within the potential inundation area are being notified by the Pearl River County Emergency Management Administrator,” the governor said Thursday evening. “Residents living near the East Hobolochitto Creek basin – particularly those east of Interstate 59 between East Boley Road and West Union Road – are encouraged to move to higher ground and remain alert for changing conditions. Approximately 30 homes are being evacuated as a precautionary measure.”
2. Children’s of Mississippi achieves Magnet recognition
Children’s of Mississippi has achieved Magnet recognition. The designation is the highest national recognition for nursing excellence awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
In addition, Children’s received seven exemplars, a distinction recognizing areas where performance and outcomes exceed Magnet standards and serve as examples of excellence for other health care organizations.
“This recognition reflects the extraordinary commitment of our nurses and care teams to providing exceptional care for Mississippi’s children and families every day,” said Dr. Mary Taylor, Suzan B. Thames Chair and CEO of Children’s of Mississippi. “Achieving Magnet recognition and receiving seven exemplars is a tremendous honor that reflects the dedication, expertise and compassion of our nurses and interdisciplinary teams. We are proud to be recognized among the nation’s leading health care organizations and grateful to every team member whose commitment to excellence made this achievement possible.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Talks in Switzerland between U.S., Iran on hold
FoxNews reports that “Vice President JD Vance scrapped plans to travel to Switzerland on Friday for the next round of U.S.-Iran talks, the White House confirmed Thursday night, highlighting ongoing uncertainty over the timing and logistics of the negotiations with Tehran.”
“As the vice president said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,” the spokesperson said, per FoxNews. “But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now, the vice president is not departing tonight… We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps. We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
FoxNews noted, “The remarks came in the wake of a newly signed memorandum of understanding, with negotiators originally planning to finalize a deal between the U.S. and Iran within 60 days.”
2. Saying goodbye to the old Air Force One
As reported by the Washington Post, “Top White House officials on Thursday morning bade farewell to a jet that has carried U.S. presidents around the world for 35 years, as the Trump administration prepares to replace it with a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar to serve as Air Force One.”
“As President Donald Trump and his staff returned from France after 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, White House communications director Steven Cheung and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted photos of one of the highly customized, heavily fortified Boeing 747-200B jumbo jets that are called Air Force One when carrying the president,” WP reported.
“Well done, good and faithful servant,” Cheung wrote on X, captioning the photo as “The Last Ride.”
WP continued, “The White House did not immediately comment on the transition, but the Air Force announced last month that the Qatari jet had completed modification and flight testing.”
Sports
1. MSU’s Brantley elected to College Baseball Hall of Fame
On Thursday, it was announced that Mississippi State legend Jeff Brantley will be enshrined alongside 20 other standouts in the 2026 College Baseball Hall of Fame class. Brantley pitched for Mississippi State from 1982-85 and owns the most career wins in SEC history with 45.
MSU Athletics said Brantley is part of the 19th induction class which also includes Barry Bonds (Arizona State), Buster Posey (Florida State), Marquiss Grissom (Florida A&M), David McCarty (Stanford), Dave Clark (Jackson State) and Huston Street (Texas). A ceremony will be held on Feb. 11, 2027, at the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Overland Park, Kansas.
Brantley is the fourth Bulldog to be elected into the College Baseball Hall of Fame joining teammates Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro and his head coach Ron Polk. He is also a member of the Mississippi State Hall of Fame (2003), Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2011) and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2026).
2. USM men’s tennis team slapped with penalties
Southern Miss Athletics released a statement on Thursday regarding an infractions case against its tennis program being investigated by the NCAA. The full statement is below:
The NCAA Committee on Infractions (COI) published a Negotiated Resolution today following a collaborative investigation with the University of Southern Mississippi regarding its recruitment of a former men’s tennis student-athlete, and that student’s involvement in the recruitment of other student-athletes to USM.
In the summer and fall of 2024, USM men’s tennis coaching staff had impermissible recruiting communication with a prospective four-year transfer student-athlete when that student was not in the NCAA transfer portal, and that student later briefly enrolled at USM at the beginning of the fall 2025 semester. In addition, the subject prospective student-athlete also contacted other prospective four-year transfer student-athletes, and he shared the information he learned with USM men’s tennis coaching staff.
Upon learning of the potential violations, USM immediately engaged in a joint investigation with NCAA staff, and the matter was promptly resolved through the Negotiated Resolutions process, with USM receiving a level II-mitigated classification. Penalties in the case included two years of probation of the men’s tennis team from June 18, 2026 to June 18, 2028, a fine, and reductions in recruiting communications, official visits, and unofficial visits during 2026-27 academic year for the men’s tennis team.
Markets & Business
1. Apple, Intel partner on chip production in U.S.
FoxBusiness reports that “President Donald Trump said Thursday that Apple has agreed to work with Intel on designing and producing chips in the U.S.”
“When I won my Second Term, it was clear America needed its Semiconductor Industry to come back to the U.S.A. We design everything, but we need to BUILD it here, NOW! So I decided to help Intel because we need to design and build our Chips right here in America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The partnership could help Apple diversify its manufacturing base as it looks for additional chip capacity. The tech giant relies heavily on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which has advanced production lines in high demand from AI chipmakers such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices,” FoxBusiness further reported, adding, “The Trump administration took a roughly 10% stake in Intel last year and announced plans to invest billions of dollars in the chipmaker to build or expand factories in the U.S.”
2. Markets closed for holiday
According to the Wall Street Journal, “The dollar hit a one-year high as investors continued to digest the increased likelihood of higher U.S. interest rates following Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meeting.”
“Federal Reserve policymakers sounded an increasingly hawkish tone, supporting the greenback and sparking a pullback from non-yielding precious metals,” WSJ reported. “Brent crude oil rose back above $80 a barrel after Vice President JD Vance called off plans to travel to Switzerland for peace talks with Iran. Though oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is restarting, concerns around the long-term settlement between the U.S. and Iran and the conditions of shipping through the crucial waterway remain.”
WSJ noted, “U.S. markets are closed for the Juneteenth holiday. Trade in U.S. Treasurys and stocks resumes Monday.”
