“The defense authorization act is one of the most consequential bills that Congress considers each year,” wrote Sen. Roger Wicker in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. “I championed several provisions in this year’s bill to advance our defense strategy and support the role that Mississippi plays in our national defense.”   Mississippi bases, guard and reserve units, and defense industries ...

Mississippi’s old-line newspaper publishers most definitely would be distraught of today’s media world as pointed out in Mac Gordon’s recent guest column (Sunday, June 17) in the Clarion Ledger. They would be further distraught about proposed tariffs on Canadian newsprint that may be disastrous for newspapers across Mississippi — especially the local community ones located in small towns across the ...

Contemporaneous with my writing of this article, there are 17 teams of startups congregated on the first floor of my State Street building for the kickoff weekend of the Delta I-Fund summer cohort, an annual program funded by grants from the Winrock Foundation and the Delta Regional Authority. The mission of the Delta I-Fund is to positively impact low-to-moderate income ...

While many media outlets have reported that Mississippi is one of a handful of states on the forefront of preparing for legal sports betting after the Supreme Court declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional, there is a great deal that must happen before a Mississippi casino may accept legal sports wagers. First, the Mississippi Gaming Commission must adopt implementing regulations. ...

Two candidates in a Republican primary runoff for a congressional race in central Mississippi agree on many big issues, including their overall support for President Donald Trump. Michael Guest and Whit Hughes are both cautious in any criticism of the man in the White House. “His use of social media would be something I would disagree with the president on. ...

Trump tariffs and retaliatory tariffs are no big deal for Mississippi say key Republican leaders. “Everything will work out,” is their mantra.   Meanwhile, Trump tariffs kicked in June 1st on steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) imports from the European Union, Canada, and Mexico. Mexico imposed retaliatory tariffs on June 5th, Canada will on July 1st, and the EU will later ...

In the midst of all the recent investigations, pardons, Supreme Court rulings, and incessant breaking news, you might have missed a favorable change in federal banking law.  On May 22, Congress amended the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (enacted in 2010), which revisions included significant tweaks to the High Volatility Commercial Real Estate (HVCRE) regulations governing commercial ...

What this nation needs is a national pastime. For starters, put down your cellphone. I don’t know about the nation, but the Bulldogs are saving some of us from ourselves. The Mississippi State baseball team has reached the College World Series as probably the most unlikely squad in the final eight. And in doing so, the ‘Dogs have reawakened something ...

A Mississippi Supreme Court decision about guns in courthouses provided different perspectives from several justices, including a history lesson about gun rights from Justice Leslie B. King, the only African-American currently serving on the nine-member court. The majority of justices ruled Thursday that some chancery judges were wrong to ban people with enhanced concealed-carry licenses from taking guns into courthouses. The ...

Low turnout Democratic and Republican primaries last week yielded two surprises. Political novice Howard Sherman was the surprise leader in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Described by the Clarion-Ledger as the “Los Angeles-native venture capitalist and husband of Emmy Award-winning actress Sela Ward of Meridian,” Sherman will face Mississippi native Baria of Bay St. Louis in the June 26th run-off. ...