- 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. SOS dissolves nonprofit for misuse of funds
WJTV reports that the Mississippi Secretary of State Charities Division issued a Cease and Desist Order and Notice of Intended Actions against North Star Rescue, Inc., a Mississippi nonprofit corporation.
“According to Secretary of State Michael Watson (R-Miss.), North Star Rescue’s charitable registration was revoked, and the nonprofit was dissolved with the Business Services Division,” WJTV reported. “Watson said the Charities Division gave the nonprofit’s officers and directors multiple opportunities to reimburse for the misused charitable funds, but they failed to respond.”
“North Star Rescue should not be operating, and Mississippians should refrain from donating to the charity,” said Watson. “The Charities Division conducted an examination on North Star Rescue and determined approximately $20,000 of charitable funds received by North Star Rescue were used for non-charitable purposes. For example, North Star Rescue made purchases at Xhale Smoke Shop, Game Stop, Roblox, Lash Studio, and Micro Wrestling.”
2. Attorney General reaches settlement with gaming platform Roblox
Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced a settlement Monday with gaming platform Roblox, securing what she said was transformational changes for children and teens. Among the changes mentioned include blocking adult interaction with teens and children, age verification and parental consents, no nighttime notifications, and access to only age-appropriate content.
As part of the agreement with Roblox, Fitch said parents will also have expanded control over their children’s use of the platform, which allows parents to restrict who their children talk to, how long their children are online, and the games they access, as well as the transfer of in-game currency, “Robux.” Also, default settings will not permit personalized advertising or push notifications without parental consent.
The settlement also includes $9 million to help fund new digital literacy education created, but not funded during the 2026 Legislative Session, as well as a fully-funded parental empowerment and education program. In addition, the settlement provides for liquidated damages of $5 million to ensure Roblox’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to meet with Senate GOP on Capitol Hill
The Hill reports that “President Trump and Republican senators are headed for a collision Wednesday, when they will be meeting on Capitol Hill to discuss two major sources of strain: the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act and the Iran peace deal.”
“Republican senators are bracing themselves for an unpredictable, and potentially heated, discussion as tensions have been building with the president for weeks. The meeting will give Trump’s critics within the GOP conference a chance to air their grievances like they did during an explosive meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche last month,” The Hill reported. “Yet, most Republicans are reluctant to challenge Trump to his face after watching him end the political careers of Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and John Cornyn (Texas) this spring by endorsing their political opponents in GOP primaries.”
The Hill further reported, “The biggest disagreement between Trump and many Senate Republicans centers on whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) should abolish the filibuster — or drastically change how the filibuster rule is interpreted — or fire the Senate parliamentarian to push the SAVE America Act past Democratic opposition.”
2. U.S. company acquire rare earth minerals in Africa
According to FoxNews, “In what’s being hailed as a major win for the Trump administration against Chinese domination of the rare earth minerals market, the U.S. has supported an American company, Virtus Minerals, in developing two major mines producing cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).”
“This is claimed to be the first U.S. rare earth minerals acquisition in the African nation since President Donald Trump announced the Washington Accord last December,” FoxNews reported. “Historically, China has been the heavy lifter of these metals. The Strategic Studies Institute reported that 80% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the DRC — and 80% of that is controlled by China. Cobalt, used in a wide range of applications, from electric cars and mobile phones to military jets, is on the U.S. government’s list of critical minerals. Copper, also on the list, has traditional uses such as piping for plumbing, but is also needed in electronics and the automotive industry.”
“The United States government fully supports the efforts of Virtus Minerals,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “This acquisition serves as an initial flagship U.S. investment in the DRC, and sends a clear signal that the U.S. private sector interest is real and will catalyze further investment in alignment with the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement, which positions the DRC to play an integral role in the Trump Administration’s global efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains.”
Sports
1. Southwest’s Domiano recognized as NJCAA Division II Baseball Defensive Player of the Year
Southwest Mississippi’s Justin Domiano has been named the NJCAA Division II Baseball Defensive Player of the Year, recognizing his outstanding defensive performance and impact on the field throughout the season.
Over the course of the season, Domiano recorded 182 total chances, totaling 60 put outs and 117 assists while committing just 5 errors.
He also finished the season turning 18 double plays highlighting his defensive execution. His exceptional defensive play resulted in a .973 fielding percentage as the Bear’s shortstop.
2. Delta State’s Greer named to South Region All-Defensive
Delta State University Senior Outfielder Cade Greer was announced to the South Region All-Defensive team announced by the American Baseball Coaches’ Association this afternoon.
The school said Greer, a GSC Gold glover for the Statesmen in the 2026 season played in all 55 games and started 54 as a Centerfielder.
He held a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in the 2026 season with 133 put outs and one outfield assist.
Markets & Business
1. Tech stocks tumble
The Wall Street Journal reports that “the tech selloff is accelerating, with futures on the Nasdaq 100 tumbling more than 2.5%.”
“Alphabet, Nvidia and Oracle are all sharply lower in premarket trading, following steep losses in Big Tech stocks yesterday. Asian markets slumped, with South Korea’s Kospi diving 10%, weighed down by chip makers such as Samsung Electronics. European indexes are also in the red, with Dutch tech champion ASML retreating 5%,” WSJ reported.
WSJ continued, “The artificial-intelligence rally has gone in reverse in recent days, prompted by jitters over AI companies’ heavy spending and looming Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes. SpaceX has slumped since its exuberant IPO earlier this month and swung between gains and losses ahead of today’s opening bell.”
2. U.S. rolls back Iranian oil sanctions
As reported by CNBC, “The U.S. has issued a sweeping rollback of sanctions on Iranian oil, allowing dollar-denominated trade for the first time in more than four decades, as Washington and Tehran press on with fragile talks toward a permanent peace deal.”
“The U.S. Treasury on Monday issued a wide-ranging 60-day exemption allowing Iran to produce and sell crude oil, petrochemical and petroleum products in U.S. dollars through Aug. 21,” CNBC reported. “Under the so-called General License X, vessels and entities previously subject to U.S. sanctions are also cleared for transactions. The waiver also theoretically reopens the door to U.S. imports of Iranian crude, a trade which has effectively collapsed since the 1990s under the weight of heavy sanctions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.”
CNBC added, “The move on Monday marks the most sweeping rollback of American oil sanctions against Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, reversing years of pressure designed to cripple Iran’s economy, and is expected to deliver billions in oil revenue for the Iranian regime.”
Magnolia Tribune
