Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
Joint operation results in 6 being detained by ICE
Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Wednesday the completion of a recent joint operation in Lee and Prentiss Counties, a partnership between the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, the North Mississippi Narcotics Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
The AG said the operation netted two felonies and six misdemeanors and six ICE detainers. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office is the first agency in the State to complete enforcement action under the 287(g) Task Force program.
“Our office is proud to participate in the 287(g) program to make Mississippi safer than ever before,” said Attorney General Fitch. “We are grateful to work alongside such dedicated and skilled federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. Together, we are taking dangerous criminals off the streets and restoring peace and security in our communities.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Washington’s “millionaires’ tax” could lead to exodus
The New York Times reports that lawmakers in Washington State “have agreed to create an income tax on high earners, called a ‘millionaires’ tax’ by its supporters, that could generate close to $4 billion annually if signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who has said he backs the bill.”
“Critics worry it could lead to a wealth exodus — a concern underlined this week when one of Seattle’s wealthiest residents, the former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz, said on social media that he was moving to Florida, following the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who left Washington in 2023,” NYT reported. “The measure to create the state’s first income tax passed on Wednesday evening, one day before the end of the 2026 session. It would impose a 9.9 percent annual tax on personal earnings over $1 million, which is projected to affect about 20,000 households.”
NYT went on to report, “Washington is one of just nine states that does not tax income, and economists have consistently ranked the state’s current model, which relies on sales and business taxes, as among the most regressive in the country.”
2. Democrat-led states sue over college admissions data sought by Trump administration
According to The Hill, “Seventeen Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over new race-based reporting requirements for universities targeting admissions, financial aid and student performance data.”
“The lawsuit is challenging the new ‘Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement’ (ACTS) survey that requires schools to provide years of admissions and student data broken down by race and other aspects to ensure schools aren’t engaging in affirmative action,” The Hill reported, adding, “The lawsuit says ‘the sheer amount of data sought through the ACTS survey would place a considerable burden’ on colleges. The blue states argue the reporting requirements are costly and will be used as a tool by the administration to launch politically motivated investigations. The attorneys general of the states also argue the high demand of information will make it difficult for schools to produce usable data to the government on such short notice.”
The Hill noted that the states involved are California, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington.
Sports
1. Big 3 place 4 on Pitcher of the Year Watch List
Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Ole Miss are each represented with players named to the College Baseball Foundation 2026 Pitcher of the Year Watch List which was released on Wednesday.
Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius, Southern Miss’ Colby Allen and Camden Sunstrom, and Ole Miss’ Cade Townsend were among the 142 hurlers from around the country selected to the watch list, a list with 26 different conferences represented.
2. Southern Miss’ Johnson named finalist for Lilly Women’s College All-Star Game
Southern Miss graduate student guard Jakayla Johnson was named a finalist for the 2026 Lilly Women’s College All-Star Game scheduled for April 4 at Grand Canyon’s Global Credit Union Arena.
The 2026 finalist list features 107 players from 75 Division I schools representing 19 conferences. Johnson is one of five Sun Belt Conference selections, which is the sixth-most by individual league.
The 107 individuals were selected as finalists based on WNBA mock drafts and consultation with a national media panel. The final team of 20 student-athletes and coaches will be announced later this month.
Markets & Business
1. Oil prices jump even after announcement of record release of strategic reserves
The Wall Street Journal reports that “oil prices jumped and U.S. stock futures retreated Thursday, as the International Energy Agency slashed its forecast for oil-supply growth this year.”
“The IEA said it expects oil supply to grow by just 1.1 million barrels a day this year, down from a previous forecast of 2.4 million barrels. ‘The war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,’ it said,” WSJ reported. “A record release of strategic oil reserves announced Wednesday failed to halt a run-up in oil prices, and Brent crude futures were approaching $100 a barrel again on Thursday.”
WSJ added, “A series of strikes from Iran across the Middle East intensified concerns about prolonged disruptions to energy markets. Two foreign tankers carrying fuel oil were hit in Iraqi waters, catching fire and leaking oil, and a container ship was struck in the waters north of Dubai. Bahrain also reported a new strike targeting its oil facilities.”
2. Trump says U.S. will release 172 million barrels of oil from reserve
CNBC reports that “the U.S. will release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help lower energy costs during the Iran war, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday evening.”
“The U.S. will start releasing barrels next week but it will take about 120 days to deliver them all, Wright said. President Donald Trump said earlier that he would tap the reserve to keep a lid on energy prices,” CNBC reported.
“We’ll do that, and then we’ll fill it up,” Trump said in an interview with Cincinnati broadcaster WKRC. “I filled it up once, and I’ll fill it up again, but right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”
CNBC continued, “Gasoline prices in the U.S. have risen to about $3.58 per gallon on average as the Iran war has triggered a massive disruption of global oil supplies, according to motorist group AAA. The current retail price is nearly 22% higher than the same period last month when gas cost about $2.94.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
