- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
IRS announces tax relief for those affected by Tropical Storm Arthur
The Internal Revenue Service announced today tax relief for individuals and businesses in Mississippi affected by Tropical Storm Arthur that began on June 18, 2026. These taxpayers now have until February 1, 2027, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
Following the disaster declaration issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), individuals and households that reside or have a business in Covington, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River, Stone, and Wayne counties qualify for tax relief. The declaration permits the IRS to postpone certain tax-filing and tax-payment deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area. For instance, certain deadlines falling on or after June 18, 2026, and before February 1, 2027, are granted additional time to file.
As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until February 1, 2027, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Senate punts spending bill, heads to August recess
As reported by Politico, “A sweeping party-line spending bill demanded by President Donald Trump is at risk of being put on hold until after November’s election, after Senate Republicans failed to muster support before departing for August recess.”
“While Congress will be back in September, there are private doubts among GOP lawmakers that the Senate will move a plan before Nov. 3, given a pileup of other legislation and a desire to protect vulnerable Senate Republicans from taking tough votes just weeks before the election,” Politico reported. “The process for adopting the Senate budget framework, designed to boost defense spending, farm assistance and election grant funding, would potentially expose GOP senators to votes prompted by Democrats on food assistance for low-income families, Trump’s long-sought White House ballroom and the $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ secured in a settlement between Trump and the IRS.”
Politico continued, “The effort relies on the budget reconciliation process to sidestep a filibuster by Democrats. Adopting the budget blueprint is just the first step, and then Republicans would need to draft and agree on the details of the spending itself – a process that could take weeks or months. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Saturday that he expected that Republicans would need to eventually pass a reconciliation bill to provide a boost in defense spending but he didn’t commit to action in September.”
2. Opposition to Flock cameras growing
The New York Times reports that “Flock’s 120,000 cameras can be found alongside roads in every state but Alaska, allowing law enforcement officers to see within seconds where a car might be, and where it has been. The company has contracts with 7,000 law enforcement agencies, which is 40 percent of all departments in the United States.”
“Other companies sell license plate tracking services, but Flock, a private company valued at $8.4 billion, has become a lightning rod because of its rapid expansion, the ubiquity of its cameras, and a number of controversies involving its product,” NYT reported. “Flock’s pitch is simple: It can help the police find stolen cars, locate wanted people and solve crimes. One license-plate reader led to the arrest in Florida of a man who had threatened a mass shooting in Louisiana; another helped police find the man eventually convicted in an assassination attempt against Donald J. Trump.”
NYT further reported, “But as its cameras have spread, so has the opposition. Americans are accustomed to surveillance cameras. They put them on their doorbells and tolerate them on street corners, offices and restaurants. What sets Flock’s cameras apart are that they are connected, creating a vast, searchable national network — often surprising residents who didn’t realize their local governments had signed up for them and raising fears of Big Brother-style surveillance. And they are hard to miss once you start noticing them.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss, Miss. State land kickers on Groza watch list
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission unveiled their preseason watch list for the 2026 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award on Friday, selecting Ole Miss Rebel Lucas Carneiro and Mississippi State Bulldog Kyle Ferrie to the 35-player tally.
A semifinalist for the award a season ago, Carneiro enters this season following a record-breaking performance in 2025. Earning First Team All-SEC honors, the Cornelius, N.C. native connected on an FBS-record-tying 31 field goals, including nine makes during the College Football Playoff. Carneiro’s make of 58 yards in the CFP semifinal game in the Fiesta Bowl marked the longest field goal in school history since 1970. He was a perfect 56-56 on PAT’s in 2025 and added 93 touchbacks on kickoffs.
Entering his fourth season as the Bulldogs’ starting kicker, Ferrie is positioned to rewrite the Mississippi State record book. He is already the program’s all-time leading kick-scorer and is rapidly approaching further milestones. Ferrie needs just six more field goals to become the leader in that career category and only 39 more points to become the highest-scoring player in Mississippi State history, regardless of position. Last season, Ferrie connected on 17-of-20 field goal attempts, including a long of 55 yards.
2. Perkins named Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner
Head coach Pete Golding unveiled the winner of the 2026 Chucky Mullins Courage Award, selecting senior linebacker Suntarine Perkins as the 36th recipient of the honor on Saturday.
Ole Miss Athletics said the award, sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991.
Preparing for his fourth year with the Rebels, Perkins comes off a 2025 season where he finished second on the team in total tackles with 81, while adding 12.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries, six pass breakups, and an interception.
Markets & Business
1. Wall Street coming off best weeks since April
CNBC reports that “S&P 500 futures edged higher early Monday amid growing doubts that the U.S. and Iran will come to a lasting resolution to the conflict in the near term.”
“Futures tied to the broad index edged up 0.12%, while Nasdaq-100 futures added 0.38%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were trading just below the flatline,” CNBC reported. “The three major U.S. indexes are coming off their best weeks since April. The S&P 500 finished last week at an all-time closing record.”
CNBC noted, “Stocks got an end-of-week boost on Friday after the July nonfarm payrolls report showed an unexpected contraction, raising hopes for investors that the Federal Reserve will hold off on interest rate hikes.”
2. Private equity under growing stress
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Private credit is showing increasing signs of stress, despite comments to the contrary from some of the largest fund managers that are trying to put a year of turmoil behind them.”
“Recent quarterly reports from funds overseen by the industry’s big players showed that loan health and investor returns are worsening, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal, ” WSJ reported. “Among funds overseen by Ares Management, Blackstone, Blue Owl Capital and Golub Capital, loan defaults touched their highest level since at least 2021. The funds’ stocks trade on public exchanges, requiring them to regularly update shareholders on their investments.”
WSJ added, “Blue Owl, Blackstone and other investment firms have said fears gripping the relatively new market are overdone, and that their loan portfolios are doing well.”
