Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
1. State Rep. McGee investing in USM scholarship program
State Rep. Missy McGee is investing in the future of the Joe Paul Leadership Scholarship Program at Southern Miss with a named endowment that will support the program and its students for generations to come.
The Missy Warren McGee Leadership Scholarship Endowment signals confidence in the program, its leadership and the students it serves.
“Southern Miss continues to give to me. While this specific program did not exist when I was in school, it is a current-day reflection of the guidance, mentorship and leadership experience I had while I was here,” said McGee, a dedicated alumna. “As my mentor and friend, Dr. Paul taught me that real influence begins with integrity, engagement and purpose. To give back to a program that carries his name is both a joy and an honor.”
A native of Hattiesburg, McGee was elected to serve as the state representative for House District 102 in 2017. Representing Central Hattiesburg, she serves as chair of the House Medicaid Committee, while also serving on the Appropriations A, Universities and Colleges, Rules, and Transportation committees. In addition to serving her community as an elected official, she has served in a variety of volunteer board positions for civic organizations and her alma mater.
2. Fitch joins national AG effort to hold PBMs accountable
Attorney General Lynn Fitch said Thursday that she has joined a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter supporting a proposed U.S. Department of Labor (Department) rule that would require greater transparency from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that service employer-funded health plans covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
“PBMs have taken from the health care economy for far too long without giving back,” said Attorney General Fitch. “It is past time that there is accountability and an increase in transparency. I am proud to join my colleagues as we stand with consumers and community health providers to prevent PBMs from taking advantage of Mississippians.”
In the letter, the attorneys general ask the Department to further clarify that it supports working with them to enforce the rule.
The AGs suggest language explicitly recognizing, “that state attorneys general play an important role in overseeing pharmacy benefit manager practices under applicable state law. Nothing in this rule is intended to preclude the Department from consulting, coordinating, sharing information as permitted by law, or referring matters to state attorneys general where the Department determines that state laws may be violated or that such cooperation would promote effective oversight and enforcement. Nor is this rule intended to displace or limit otherwise applicable, non-preempted state-law authority.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. House votes for 10-day FISA extension
According to the New York Times, “The House of Representatives voted early Friday to extend an expiring surveillance law for 10 days, after libertarian-leaning Republicans demanded that they be allowed to vote on adding new privacy limits to any long-term extension.”
“The law, a major section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, is set to expire on Monday. The House bill would push that off until April 30, creating more time for negotiations. The Senate, which reconvenes on Monday, would still need to approve the stopgap measure,” NYT reported. “President Trump has been pressuring Republicans to pass an 18-month reauthorization without any changes to the provision, known as Section 702.”
NYT continued, “Speaker Mike Johnson has been attempting to comply, but he needs the backing of nearly every G.O.P. member in the House to proceed. Twenty balked early Friday morning, making it impossible to move forward even though four Democrats crossed party lines to try to help him bring the matter up for a vote.”
2. First Trump impeachment a total fraud?
FoxNews legal analyst Gregg Jarrett says newly declassified documents prove that the first impeachment of President Donald Trump in 2019-2020 was a carefully orchestrated fraud.
“It all was concocted by Trump-hating ‘deep state actors’ within the intelligence community who secretly conspired with Democrats in Congress to remove Trump from office and subvert the will of the American people who put him there,” Jarrett wrote. “The damning evidence was produced Monday, April 13 by Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. On Wednesday, she sent criminal referrals to the Department of Justice (DOJ) aimed at two of the central figures who propelled the impeachment proceedings, accusing them of manufacturing a conspiracy.”
Jarrett opined in FoxNews, “[Democrats] knowingly exploited a faux whistleblower who had no firsthand knowledge whatsoever of the phone conversation. He neither listened in nor read a transcript of it. He simply heard about it from someone else. The Constitution does not grant the power of review or disapproval to unelected and inferior bureaucratic employees over the most superior officer in the U.S. government, the president… Then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Democrat Adam Schiff knew all about the exonerating evidence but concealed it. On the sly, the [CIA] analyst coordinated with Schiff’s staff before the whistleblower complaint was ever filed. Trump was being set up.”
Sports
Big 3 set for weekend matchups
No. 17 Mississippi State, No. 22 Southern Miss and No. 25 Ole Miss are back on the diamond today through Sunday for three-game matchups with conference opponents. Here’s a look at the games on tap this weekend:
- Mississippi State hits the road this weekend looking to regain its footing in SEC play, as they play South Carolina. Friday’s opener is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch on SEC Network+. The series continues Saturday at noon on SEC Network and concludes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. first pitch streaming on SEC Network+.
- Southern Miss is in a five-way tie for third place in the Sun Belt, one game behind second place Texas State who they welcome to Hattiesburg this weekend. Games will air on ESPN+ and are set for Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon.
- Ole Miss heads to Knoxville to take on Tennessee for their SEC series. First pitch on Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. with Saturday starting at 5 p.m. and Sunday’s finale beginning at noon. Games will air on SEC Network+.
Markets & Business
1. Market rises after Trump’s Middle East updates
CNBC reports that “U.S. stock futures ticked higher Friday after President Donald Trump said that the Iran war ‘should be ending pretty soon.’”
“Trump made the remarks at an event in Las Vegas on Thursday and described the conflict as ‘going along swimmingly.’ His remarks came hours after he announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire,” CNBC reported.
All three of the major indexes rose during Thursday’s session, CNBC noted, “with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posting new highs. The gains came after Trump said the leaders of Israel and Lebanon agreed to the ceasefire.”
2. Economists downshift outlook for rest of year
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “The war in Iran has economists downshifting their outlook for the rest of the year, with the consensus in The Wall Street Journal’s latest quarterly survey pointing to higher inflation, slower near-term growth and weaker job creation.”
“The following charts break down economists’ forecasts for key indicators and show how the panel’s 2025 consensus compares with actual outcomes. The latest survey, conducted April 3-9, reflects average forecasts from 68 economists. Not all respondents answered every question,” WSJ reported. “One of the key headwinds economists expect this year is higher oil prices that threaten to persist even after the war ends.”
WSJ went on to report, “Economists placed the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 33%, up from 27% in the January survey. However, they acknowledged that persistently high oil prices could push that likelihood above 50%.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
