- 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. Mississippi to receive $3.6 million from GM settlement
On Thursday, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and a coalition of 36 attorneys general announced a settlement with GM that requires the company to obtain affirmative express consent from consumers before collecting or disclosing consumer driving and location data.
In addition to privacy protections, the states secured $220 million and Mississippi will receive $3,607,640.00 through the settlement.
From 2016 to 2024, GM enrolled millions of drivers in their Smart Driver program, which tracked their driving habits. GM pitched this tool as a way for drivers to improve their own driving safety and told drivers that they would not share their data with insurers without express consent.
However, the attorneys general found that GM sold this information to data brokers under contracts that specified the data was to be used for insurance products. The data brokers sold the data to insurance companies, who could then change the driver’s premium based on their driving habits. GM did not disclose to drivers that their data would be sold for this purpose.
2. Auditor diverting taxes to pay for delinquent municipal audits
State Auditor Shad White announced Thursday that the State Auditor’s Office will start diverting funds from several municipalities that are behind on their audits. The funds will be used to pay for outstanding or delinquent audits.
Municipalities with outstanding or delinquent audits are often not eligible for grants, cannot borrow money, and citizens are unable to know how their tax dollars are spent, the Auditor noted.
The State Auditor’s Office has already diverted taxes for Grenada, Canton, Holly Springs, Indianola, Maben, and Tchula.
The new municipalities to have their taxes diverted are:
- Columbus
- Clarksdale
- Senatobia
- Louisville
- Winona
- Okolona
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump pushes back on Democrats’ Hegseth impeachment talk
As reported by The Hill, “President Trump blasted Democrats Thursday over their ongoing calls to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom they see as one of their primary targets, if the party takes control of the House.”
“I think it’s terrible. All they do is they talk about impeaching everybody,” the president told reporters when asked if he is worried about Democrats trying to oust Hegseth.
“Several House Democrats have told The Hill they support Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-Ky.) impeachment salvo, which he unveiled last month, and they would separately back Democrats’ potential push to force Hegseth’s removal if they regain a majority in the lower chamber,” The Hill reported.
“I mean, honestly, if we wanted to play that game, we could play it just as well. But they’re talking about Pete Hegseth,” Trump said, praising the Pentagon chief for doing a “great job” and being a “great warrior.”
2. Netanyahu says Israel’s election “stolen by Arab parties”
FoxNews reports that “Israel’s two Arab parties are in a position to have a say in who the country’s next prime minister and government will be — but not if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has anything to do with it, after he alleged serious criminal activities took place during voting in the Arab areas of the nation.”
“The two parties were projected to win a combined 19 Knesset seats, according to preliminary results. However, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led right-wing bloc and the opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s centrist bloc fell short of the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority,” FoxNews reported. “On Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on X that Israel’s election had been ‘stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state,’ alleging serious criminal offenses, including bribery, threats, violence, forgery and the use of prohibited software to mobilize voters.”
FoxNews continued, “He cited allegations of thousands of envelopes containing cash and Ra’am ballot slips, threats and violence against polling station staff, multiple votes cast behind the voting curtain, voting under multiple identities, discrepancies between the number of ballot envelopes and the number of voters, the use of prohibited voter-mobilization software and other offenses.”
Sports
1. Hinds, Northwest move on as JUCO regular season ends
The Mississippi JUCO football regular season ended Thursday night, with Hinds and Northwest moving on to play in the state championship game.
Here is a roundup on scores from the week’s games:
- Southwest 12 – East Central 13
- Jones 43 – No. 7 Hinds 42
- No. 15 Itawamba 35 – MS Delta 42
- No. 5 Northwest 38 – No. 6 East MS 28
- Holmes 24 – Northeast 28
- No. 14 Co-Lin 28 – Coahoma 14
- No. 9 MGCCC 30 – Pearl River 10
2. Ole Miss’ Cooper named to Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List
Ole Miss women’s basketball senior Talaysia Cooper has been named to the 2026-27 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Thursday.
This marks Cooper’s third time on this prestigious preseason list, earning a spot on the late midseason watch list in 2024-25. Additionally, it’s the third consecutive year a Rebel has been named to this player of the year watch list, as Cotie McMahon and Madison Scott were each recognized.
The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2026-27 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy will be awarded later this season at the 2027 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.
Markets & Business
1. Chevron, ExxonMobil refining profits soar
CNBC reports that “Chevron and ExxonMobil on Friday reported profits that surged in the third quarter, as their U.S. refineries ran at full capacity to take advantage of high diesel fuel prices.”
“Chevron’s net income surged nearly 200% to $9.9 billion, or $5.06 a share, compared to $3.5 billion, or $1.82 a share, in the same period last year. When adjusted for one-time items, it reported earnings of $5.28 per share, soundly beating Wall Street’s expectations of $4.89,” CNBC reported. “Diesel prices have surged globally as Ukraine and Iran have bombed refineries in Russia and the Middle East. U.S. refiners have ramped up production to fill the supply gap.”
CNBC added, “ExxonMobil’s profits doubled to $15.4 billion, or $3.72 a share, compared to $7.5 billion, or $1.76 a share, in the same period in 2025. When adjusted for one-time items, it posted earnings of $4.23 a share, beating the Street’s expectations. Chevron shares are up about 2% in premarket trading, while Exxon is trading about 1.5% higher.”
2. U.S. national debt hits 100% of GDP for first time since 1946
The U.S. national debt reached 100% of gross domestic product for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, reports the Wall Street Journal, hitting the triple-digit mark for the first time since 1946.
“The federal government had previously reported that the publicly held debt as of Sept. 30 was $32.2 trillion. With the release of economic output for third quarter Thursday, that figure equaled 100% (100.03%, to be exact), of gross domestic product over the fiscal year,” WSJ reported. “That was up from 99.4% at the end of fiscal 2025, though below the Congressional Budget Office’s February forecast of 100.6%. The U.S. is moving steadily closer to breaking the 1946 record of 106%, an increase that reflected the heavy borrowing needed to win World War II.”
WSJ noted, “The annual budget deficit of nearly $2 trillion was 6.2% of GDP, continuing an unusual streak of red ink outside of wars, recessions and emergencies.”
