| Thursday, July 16, 2026 |
| Admission to MSU for 2027 term kicks off Aug. 1 | |
 | According to an MSU press release, prospective undergraduate students interested in joining Mississippi State's Bulldog family for the 2027 summer or fall semester should power up their computers by Aug. 1 for Hail State @ 8 CT. MSU's application for admission for the 2027 academic year opens on Aug. 1 at 8 p.m. CT, and details about the process can be found at https://www.admissions.msstate.edu/howtoapply. Prospective students also should follow the steps for enrollment at https://www.admissions.msstate.edu/timeline to keep track of "planning for what will be an exciting first year in maroon and white," said Naron Remillard, director of student recruitment and marketing. "We want Mississippi State freshmen and transfers to fully experience all that is available to them, and planning ahead will make the transition of becoming a Bulldog a smooth one," she said. |
| Mississippi Extension program encourages movement to improve public health | |
 | The Mississippi State University Extension Service is spearheading a statewide effort to combat the state's high rates of obesity and chronic disease by encouraging residents to take small, manageable steps toward better health. Through its "Magnolia Moves" initiative, health leaders are working to bridge the healthcare gap in rural communities where access to specialty care remains limited and preventable conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease continue to strain families. The Mississippi State University Extension Service launched Magnolia Moves, a free six-week physical activity challenge that encourages Mississippians to incorporate more movement into their daily routines. The challenge, offered twice a year, allows participants to track their progress through the MoveSpring app while connecting with others across the state. "We thought if we can just get people more active and get them up and moving, it could lead to healthier lifestyles, fewer chronic diseases and better overall well-being," said Angus Catchot, director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service. |
| A perfect storm of factors is driving up US produce prices, but shoppers can still save | |
 | Mississippi State University's Elizabeth Canales writes for The Conversation: From tomatoes and berries to lettuce and peppers, shoppers are feeling sticker shock in the produce aisle. Recent headlines have focused in particular on soaring tomato prices. They spiked by roughly one-fifth from June 2025 to June 2026, according to consumer price data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But across the board, fruits and vegetables have gotten more expensive. Lettuce prices jumped by about 32% during that same 12-month period, while prices for all fresh vegetables increased about 10%. Fresh fruit saw smaller hikes, with apples up 7% and citrus fruit prices rising 6%.. As an agricultural economist, I see a complex mix of factors at work: extreme weather, worker shortages and rising labor costs, and high energy and shipping prices, as well as fallout from the Trump administration's trade policies, just to name a few. And because some of these inflation drivers affect multiple sectors, costs are building up throughout the supply chain. |
| Downtown Jackson Partners launches Urban Studio in historic Heritage Building | |
| Downtown Jackson Partners has launched the Urban Studio, a new space designed to tap into student innovation for downtown revitalization and retain Mississippi talent in the state. The Urban Studio is located in the historic Heritage Building on Capitol Street. "Jacksonians should expect a place, I think, that is going to get their young folks excited," said Bishop Ronnie Crudup. "We talk a lot about young people and young adults leaving. We think places like this that's gonna be attractive things to help keep folks here and be a part of the change that the community wants." The Urban Studio is a collaborative initiative with Mississippi State University's College of Architecture, Art and Design, Jackson State University's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and Millsaps College Else School of Management. |
| Higher ed legislative leaders discuss big changes to higher ed funding | |
| Mississippi lawmakers say the state's higher education system is approaching a "true inflection point" as shrinking enrollment, changing students and rising workforce demands converge -- and they argue the next decade will be defined less by how much money colleges receive than by whether that money is tied to measurable results. Speaking at the Stennis Press Forum in downtown Jackson at Hal & Mal's, Senator Nicole Boyd, chair of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee, and Representative Donnie Scoggin, chair of the House Universities and Colleges Committee, laid out a stark assessment of where Mississippi stands and the politically fraught choices they believe are coming for the state's eight public universities and 15 community colleges. Boyd framed the discussion bluntly: for too long, she said, Mississippi has debated "how much money higher education needs" instead of asking whether the current structure and funding model are producing the outcomes students, taxpayers and employers have a right to expect. "We believe the numbers tell us very clearly that higher education in Mississippi is at an inflection point," Boyd said. |
| Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council tasked with connecting schools, businesses, state agencies | |
| Mississippi is facing a decline in the number of young people entering the state's education pipeline. That is a cause for concern for the future of the state's workforce as well as its continued economic growth. To address the situation, the Legislature passed SB 2524, which created the Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council, with the Office of Workforce Development as the hub. This new council will pool the data and efforts of colleges, universities, business recruitment organizations and state agencies to fill any gaps in providing the necessary talent to keep the economy growing. During the first meeting of that committee on Tuesday, Senate University and Colleges Committee Chair Senator Nicole Boyd (R) asked the council to take a hard look at what can be done to ensure the state's workforce pipeline continues to flow. Her concern is that as K-12 enrollment continues to dwindle, and less children enter the secondary education system, there is created a much more competitive environment for universities and community colleges. Boyd hopes the council can also help create clearer credential pathways that can lead to better pay in family-sustaining careers. As such, she would like to see high school students have better knowledge of the opportunities available to them to help reach those goals. |
| Rural Mississippi turns to physician assistants to bridge widening healthcare gap | |
| For Mary McCray, a resident of Ruleville, getting specialized medical care is rarely a short trip. Navigating the vast distances across the Mississippi Delta for post-surgical follow-ups is a stark reality for her and countless others in the state's rural pockets. McCray frequently travels to Jackson, Greenwood or Memphis for specialty care because many services are unavailable in the Delta. After undergoing neck surgery last year, she said the distance made follow-up appointments difficult, highlighting a systemic challenge faced by many rural Mississippians. Her experience reflects a growing concern across the state. Healthcare leaders say physician assistants, or PAs, are becoming increasingly essential as hospitals struggle with staffing shortages and rural communities continue to lose access to services. PAs are licensed medical professionals who diagnose illnesses, prescribe medications, perform physical exams and treat patients while working alongside physicians. The state now has only three physician assistant programs: Mississippi Christian University, Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi, which plans to welcome its inaugural class in January 2027. |
| AI task force ponders whether data centers need state regulations | |
| Over two days, the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Regulation Task Force heard from 19 speakers on the potential impact of data centers in the state. The goal was to listen to a variety of people and to gather facts on some of the biggest issues being raised around data centers, such as power bills, water usage and jobs. The task force is expected to make recommendations to the Legislature before next year's regular session. "We worked to bring everyone to the table today. From the companies building these facilities to the agencies that regulate them to our utility providers, local elected officials, economic developers and citizens who have concerns," said Rep. Jill Ford, a Republican from Madison and one of the task force co-chairs. "So we can hear every perspective before making recommendations." Task force members include representatives from the attorney general's office, Department of Information Technology Services, the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network and industry. Most speakers coming before the committee emphasized the importance of local control over development and cautioned the Legislature against excessive state regulation. |
| Mississippi Senate approves sweeping youth court reform in late-night vote during special session | |
| Mississippi lawmakers concluded the first day of a special session aimed at addressing potential reforms to the state's youth court system. On Wednesday, a late-night vote by the Senate moved the state one step closer to reforming a system that has been the subject of criticism for quite some time. Gov. Tate Reeves called the special session on Tuesday, giving lawmakers just one day to return to Jackson, noting that having legislators reconvene was "necessitated" by a recent expiration of statutes relating to the disclosure of youth records and multiple lawsuits that followed. With the bill not clearing both legislative chambers on Wednesday, the special session will continue on Thursday. The House Judiciary B Committee is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m., with the full chamber set to meet an hour later to take up the Senate bill. The Senate will return to the capitol at 11 a.m. Reeves has assured that once the legislation gets to him, he will promptly sign it. The bill itself would go into effect on passage, but several provisions would not be state law until July 1, 2027. |
| DeSoto officials respond to Memphis DA's anti-police comments | |
 | A DeSoto County state senator and prosecutor are firing back at anti-police comments made by Memphis District Attorney Steve Mulroy in an editorial in USA Today in which he accused law enforcement of being trained for violence. Senator Kevin Blackwell and prosecutor Gordon Shaw blasted Mulroy for making law enforcement the target and not the criminals. They pointed out that Mississippi and DeSoto County take a different approach that backs the blue and said Memphis deserves leaders who defend and equip police instead of prosecutors who attack them in the pages of a national newspaper. "Over the weekend, District Attorney Steve Mulroy suggested police officers are "trained to kill," Blackwell commented. "He made law enforcement the target. Not the gang member pulling the trigger. Not the repeat violent offender cycling through the system. Not the guy selling fentanyl to our children. Not the criminal who terrorizes neighborhoods. But instead he blames the police officer. Mississippi has chosen a different path." Shaw said there is a reason crime is rampant in cities where criminals are treated like victims, victims are ignored, and police are demonized, and where leaders spend more time criticizing law enforcement than standing beside them. Shaw said supporting law enforcement doesn't mean they are perfect. He believes in accountability, integrity, and the rule of law and holding officers accountable if they break the law just like everybody else. |
| Trump's rancher allies push Rollins to reopen border to cattle | |
 | The Trump administration's strategy for warding off a flesh-eating pest threatening the American beef industry is rapidly losing allies. Closing the southern border to Mexican livestock imports last year became a pillar of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins' effort to slow the northward advance of the New World screwworm while the Trump administration weathered criticism over high beef prices. The move won Rollins praise at the time, but now that the Agriculture Department has confirmed 35 cases in Texas and New Mexico, ranchers and beef producers are pushing her to open up. Rollins, a Texan, has cast herself as a defender of ranchers' interests as the industry struggles with drought and economic factors that have shrunk the U.S. herd size to a 75-year low. But now those Trump-friendly business leaders are pulling back, and she's found herself at odds with other Trump administration officials, especially those seeking to boost beef imports. The pressure is creating another headache for President Donald Trump as his administration struggles to lower prices for consumers ahead of midterm elections likely to focus on affordability. |
| White House lobbies skeptical Republicans on reconciliation bill | |
 | Vice President JD Vance and White House aides waged a full-court press on Capitol Hill Wednesday, urging House Republicans to rally behind a $95 billion reconciliation package that would fund the Iran war, farm aid and voter ID measures. The House Budget Committee plans to mark up a fiscal 2027 budget resolution Thursday morning that would lay the groundwork for the package, but GOP support for the measure appeared shaky. "Not sure yet," said Budget Committee Vice Chairman Lloyd K. Smucker, R-Pa., when asked about the budget resolution's prospects. "Check with me tomorrow at 1 o'clock." A defense spending boost and stringent voting requirements are top priorities of President Donald Trump. But some Republicans have questioned whether the election restrictions Trump favors, known as the SAVE America Act, would have to get watered down under the rules of budget reconciliation. And some fiscal hawks were angry that the budget resolution makes no attempt to pay for the new spending with cuts to other programs, despite repeated talk from Republicans of wanting to use the filibuster-proof reconciliation process to curb fraud and waste. Hoping to assuage such concerns, Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., huddled with the GOP conference in the Capitol basement for a roughly 45-minute pep talk. White House legislative aides were also on hand to answer questions. |
| Blanche insists he's not Trump's 'yes man' as attorney general vote looms | |
 | Acting attorney general Todd Blanche sought to reassure skeptical lawmakers from both parties Wednesday that he had put his days as President Donald Trump's personal lawyer behind him and would, if confirmed as head of the Justice Department, place Americans' interests above those of his former client. But whether he succeeded in convincing the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee after a contentious five-hour confirmation hearing remained uncertain. At least one key Republican -- Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) -- told reporters afterward that he had not yet decided whether he would support advancing Blanche's nomination to become attorney general for a full Senate vote. With Democrats united against Blanche, even one Republican committee vote against him would be enough to sink the nomination. "I think he's an impressive guy," Cornyn said after the hearing. But attorneys general, Cornyn added, "have to walk a very narrow path between being the chief law enforcement officer of the country and then being the president's guy." The senator joined colleagues in peppering Blanche during the hearing with sharp questions over his role overseeing a controversial deal to resolve the lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. |
| Trump drifts into campaign topics while addressing defense technology gathering | |
 | President Donald Trump addressed a defense summit at the U.S. Army War College on Wednesday but spent little time talking about battlefield issues --- even as the war in Iran has reduced the U.S. supply of critical missile and interceptor systems. Seated at a roundtable with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Republican Pennsylvania Sen. David McCormick, Trump said the gathering would generate around $10 billion in pledged investments from domestic defense and technology companies, without providing details. "The talent and innovation in this room will keep America safe for many years to come," Trump said. But his lengthy speech spent more time drifting into themes Trump repeats during his political rallies, boasting about -- and sometimes exaggerating -- his administration's accomplishments. Trump also diverted into a broadside against the use of windmills in Britain, questioned having steam catapults on U.S. ships and pondered the Battle of Gettysburg. "What a war that was, when you read about it," the president said of the Civil War. |
| Hegseth Plans to Screen All Troops, Including Women, for Low Testosterone | |
 | Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday a new mandatory screening program to test all service members age 30 and older, including women, for testosterone deficiency annually. Hormone treatment for troops with low testosterone will be voluntary. "Our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter," Mr. Hegseth said in a video from his Pentagon office. "We have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage." The goal, he said in a social media message accompanying the video, was a "High-T Department of War," Mr. Hegseth's preferred name for the Defense Department. Mr. Hegseth's focus on testosterone levels at a moment when U.S. forces are ramping up attacks in Iran is unorthodox. Defense secretaries typically focus on larger strategic questions, involving alliances, war and weapons production. But Mr. Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Iraq war veteran, has not shied away from getting involved in the minutiae of service members' lives, such as mandating new grooming standards for troops who, because of skin conditions, had previously been permitted to grow beards. "No more beardos," he proclaimed. |
| CDC nominee struggles to convince senators she'll stand up to RFK Jr. | |
| Donald Trump's nominee to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Erica Schwartz, struggled during her Wednesday confirmation hearing to convince senators she'd stand up to her boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., like her predecessor did. Senators probed Schwartz on whether she'd follow the example of Susan Monarez, who pushed back on Kennedy's vaccine agenda and was promptly fired, or whether Schwartz would comply with Kennedy's demands. The exchanges spotlighted a question about whether Kennedy has enough power to oust a Senate-confirmed agency leader -- especially amid a scramble to confirm Trump's nominees ahead of the midterms -- or whether the White House has throttled his influence. Senate Health Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) repeatedly asked Schwartz, a career civil servant and former deputy surgeon general, whether she'd challenge Kennedy if he asked her to take action unsupported by science, and whether she could run the agency free from political interference. Time after time, Schwartz avoided answering directly. Under pressure from Democrats and moderate Republicans, Schwartz stuck to her talking points. |
| DOT drops bike lanes, speed cameras from list of proven road safety measures | |
 | The Department of Transportation is doubling down on its campaign against "DEI bike lanes," as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called them in a social media post earlier this month. The Federal Highway Administration has quietly stripped bike lanes, speed cameras and several other best practices from a list of "Proven Safety Countermeasures," as they're known, that have been shown to reduce crashes and save lives. The FHWA says the changes to its website, which have not been previously reported, are part of a broader review of safety countermeasures to ensure they align with current DOT policies and the administration's priorities. But critics say the Trump administration is undermining safety strategies that have already been proven to work. "We should be making decisions about safety based on evidence," Stephanie Pollack, the former acting administrator of the FHWA under President Biden, told NPR. "It's hard for me to understand how you could say you're putting safety first, and then make arbitrary decisions about what does and doesn't improve safety." Bike lanes are not a new target for the DOT. The Trump administration previously tried to remove a stretch of bike lanes around the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and pulled back funding for projects across the country that it deemed "hostile" to cars. |
| The AI Backlash Has Tech Executives Fearing for Their Lives | |
 | A security guard at Anthropic rushed to stop the man sneaking into the lobby of the world's most valuable AI startup. The man had entered by following closely behind a badge-swiping employee. He showed the guard an envelope marked with the name of a top Anthropic executive. The executive was "going to be killed," he told the guard, and he needed to warn someone, according to records of the April 15 incident viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The encounter, which took place five days after an attempted firebombing of OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman's house, ended without violence or an arrest. But for executives at Anthropic -- and across the artificial-intelligence industry -- the threat was far from over. In recent months, mounting opposition to AI has given rise to a surge of violent rhetoric, threats against people and property, and a serious attempt at harm. The phenomenon has executives at tech companies large and small reconsidering their personal-security arrangements and how they talk about their products to a public that is increasingly wary of the technology and the societal changes it is ushering in. Americans concerned about AI outnumber those who aren't by more than a 4 to 1 margin, according to a March survey of about 1,400 U.S. adults by Quinnipiac University. A growing share of respondents to that survey -- 55% -- said they believed AI was doing more harm than good. |
| Mississippi teachers say new state-mandated process for buying classroom supplies is 'insane, cumbersome, frustrating' | |
| Weeks before the first day of school, teachers across Mississippi say state leaders have made it more difficult for them to access money for classroom supplies. Educators have to complete training before they're able to spend the money the state gives them for classroom supplies, but teachers say the live training has been hard to access -- the online meetings have been filled to capacity. Teachers also say that to buy from local vendors, they now have to go through an arduous reimbursement process. The money for teachers' classroom supplies comes from the Education Enhancement Fund, or procurement card program. EEF, established in 2012, gives every K-12 public school teacher $748 -- around $25 million in total -- to buy supplies for their classrooms. But educators have long said they get the money too late for it to be useful. A report released last year by State Auditor Shad White's office found that a bulk of the money is locked for teachers as they prepare their classrooms because of the state-mandated Aug. 1 deadline to activate the cards. White's office released a statement on social media Tuesday that the education agency has "misinformed the public" about the program and called on the state Education Department to rectify issues with the new process. |
| Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians celebrate opening of $148.5M school | |
| The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of its new school. The $148.5 million school campus is a key factor in the educational growth and future of Choctaw students, tribal leaders believe. The new and improved Choctaw Central High School marks the completion of the tribe's largest education investment in history. "This is truly one of the proudest days in the history of our tribe," Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben said. "For many years, we all knew it was time to build a new campus. We knew we needed a campus that would match the potential of our students. Today, that campus has become a reality." Included on the 287,000-square-foot Choctaw Central middle and high school campus is a two-story academic building, the Choctaw Career & Technical Education building, a 1,765-seat arena, track and field stadium, library and media center, student dormitory, bus barn, guard station, chiller plant, and other supporting facilities. |
| U. of Alabama further expands AI offerings with new class, data center event | |
| Students, faculty and staff from across the University of Alabama gathered from Monday to Wednesday this week in Gorgas Library to discuss the academic prospects of the new High Performance Computing Center, an on-campus multi-megawatt data center. The University-sponsored event, called the HPC Summer Series, is part of a concentrated AI effort, including an AI-focused course, for the 2026-27 academic year, culminating in the opening of the data center. At the event, researchers discussed how the data center, now slated to open in early 2027, could be used to enhance research in various fields, from mathematics and chemistry to unexpected applications like art history and law. While the Gorgas event mainly focused on the research applications of AI, faculty and staff at the University are also exploring AI applied to education. Laura McNeill, an assistant professor of instructional technology in the College of Education, and her research team, AI-WISE, won a $30,000 grant to explore the AI skills that employers want and that future graduates wished they had. The team found a large discrepancy between reported AI skills from students and the skills wanted by employers. |
| U. of Tennessee earns millions to turn grass into car parts | |
 | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and its partners will receive up to $160 million over the course of a decade for a long-term grass technology project. It's called the BRIDGES Engine, and it is one of 12 winning proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines competition. UT and its partners project BRIDGES could generate millions of dollars for Tennessee farmers while creating new jobs. It will transform underutilized farmland throughout Tennessee and Alabama to grow perennial grasses -- including miscanthus and switchgrass, which live for multiple years -- to be broken down and manufactured into car parts, construction materials and packaging products, according to a UT news release. "We are grateful to NSF for recognizing this ambitious project and the impact it will have on the industries and communities of Tennessee and the Southeast," Chancellor Donde Plowman said. The team is comprised of UT, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Auburn University, AGgrow Tech LLC and Volkswagen Group of America. |
| U. of California Will Reassess Testing Policy Over Next Year | |
 | The University of California system could decide whether to reinstate a standardized-testing requirement for admission as soon as next year, according to an accelerated timeline announced this week. Speaking at the UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco on Tuesday, Maria Anguiano, the chair, said she expects faculty leaders to deliver a recommendation for a testing policy by June 2027. UC has been test-free -- meaning it does not consider applicants' ACT or SAT scores in admissions -- since 2021. Many UC faculty members say that policy has led to a surge in the number of incoming students who are unprepared for college. More than 3,000 professors in science, technology, engineering, and math recently signed a petition demanding that UC restore standardized-testing requirements. Hundreds of UC professors in other disciplines signed a separate letter urging the university to do the same. Many first-year students, those educators say, are enrolling with significant deficiencies in math and writing skills. Once again, the Golden State has taken center stage in the nation's endless debate over what role, if any, multiple-choice tests should play in admissions. |
| College CBOs Sick of Just Plugging Holes | |
 | olleges and universities have faced a series of financial shocks for the better part of two decades, from the Great Recession to the pandemic to the volatile federal funding environment under Trump 2.0. In every storm, chief business officers have helped keep their institutions upright. But now -- even as many express short-term financial optimism, according to the Inside Higher Ed/Hanover Research 2026 Survey of College and University Chief Business Officers -- CBOs want the kind of structural change that might help their institutions withstand not just another crisis but the sustained disruption ahead. "We're going to experience a decade and a half of decline," said strategist Rebeka Mazzone, founder of the consultancy FuturED Finance. "We've got a lot of market shifts that are happening at the same time." And given how long course changes take in higher education, she added (think teach-out plans for sunsetting academic programs), CBOs and their institutions don't have time to waste. |
| Trump Administration Plans to Limit Length of Student Visas | |
| The Trump administration will limit how long a foreign student can remain in the U.S. on a student visa under a new regulation announced on Thursday, increasing the hurdles for foreign students and universities' ability to recruit them. The new policy, known as the "duration of status" rule, would cap the length of a student visa at the number of years its holder is enrolled in a particular program, with a maximum of four years. Students would need to apply for an extension of status if they want to stay longer. For roughly the last five decades, student visas were granted for what was called the "duration of status" of their programs, meaning their student visa was valid for however many years their educational program lasted, plus optional practical training. Optional practical training, or OPT, is an immigration program that allows foreign students to work in the U.S., for up to three years after graduation. The new rule means foreign Ph.D. students, whose programs typically run six years, would be required to apply for an extension and risk being denied well into their programs. It would also require nearly all students, for the first time, to apply for an extension in order to use their OPT. |
| Student loan policy changes give borrowers whiplash | |
| The last five years have been a whirlwind for student loan policy. There was a pandemic-era payment pause that lasted more than three years. Some student debt was cancelled, and then that cancellation was ... cancelled. Now, any borrowers enrolled in SAVE, which stands for Saving on a Valuable Education and is a Biden-era loan repayment plan that's ending, are receiving notices that they have to enroll in a new plan. All these changes have some borrowers feeling whiplashed. One of them is Melissa Dezendorf. She's based in New Mexico, where she works as a veterinarian -- a dream she's had since she was four years old. "I love animals, I love science, I love the curiosity factor in medicine," Dezendorf said. "There's always something new to learn." She took out loans to cover tuition and living expenses for vet school and graduated from a public university in Louisiana in 2019. Her total debt was $208,000. "I was grateful for the ability to finance an education that I would not have been able to obtain otherwise," Dezendorf said. Dezendorf is one of 6 million people enrolled in the SAVE program. Then, last summer, Congress passed a law to phase the program out by 2028, and earlier this year, the Trump administration reached a settlement ending SAVE early. "I signed up in good faith, trusting that the government would not pull the rug out from under me, and when they did, it was a pretty big blow," she said. |
| House Republicans Advance Legislation to Formally Dismantle Department of Education | |
| House Republicans have now formally backed President Donald Trump in fulfilling his campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education, voting Wednesday to advance 10 bills that would codify the White House's efforts to disperse numerous education programs and offices to other federal agencies. If passed, the legislation would make 10 of the Trump administration's 14 interagency agreements permanent. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has described those agreements as a "proof of concept" that the government can function without an Education Department, and while they don't fully transfer the decision-making power of ED to other agencies, they do shift a lot of operational responsibilities. The bills would go further, transferring all of the education secretary's responsibilities to other agencies, including setting final grant competition policies and regulations. All but one bill in the package passed with unanimous support from the GOP majority, who said they backed Trump's plan because it would prevent waste, fraud and abuse in American education. Still, the legislative package has a long way to go before it becomes law. First, it must pass the House, then the Senate. And not all Republicans in the upper chamber support dismantling the department. |
| The Government Tried to Cancel Colleges' Grants. Now It's Rewriting the Rules for Awarding Them. | |
| For a researcher seeking federal funding in the United States, the waiting game usually ends with final approval from a group of peer reviewers. Then, it's go time: hiring assistants, purchasing equipment, and embarking on a project -- usually yearslong -- with predictable support. But what if the waiting game didn't end there? What if the executive branch disregarded peer judgments and made its own calls, based on political priorities, about who gets grants and when? What if the government could revoke funding at any time for any reason, even in the middle of a multiyear project? That's the kind of scenario advocates fear as the Trump administration looks to change the federal grant-making process, not just for researchers, but any college, university, state, city, or organization that receives federal money. The proposal seeks to cement a policy the Trump administration has been pursuing in force for over a year, wresting federal grant evaluation from independent peer reviewers and handing it to administration-appointed officials -- and, ultimately, clearing the path for more cancellations. The proposal also runs counter to how science works in many ways, some advocates say. It bans awardees from using federal funds to attend conferences or publish papers. And it seeks to limit international collaboration, which could have adverse effects across fields. |
SPORTS
| MHSAA football state championships staying in Starkville, at Mississippi State | |
 | For the second straight season, Starkville will host the Mississippi high school football state championships. Mississippi High School Activities Association executive director Rickey Neaves confirmed to the Clarion Ledger on July 15 that Mississippi State will host the 2026 MHSAA football championships. The MHSAA board voted to hold the 2026 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Gridiron Classic Dec. 3-5 at Davis Wade Stadium. It will only be the third time in 10 years that Starkville has hosted. Since 2016, the football championship games have been held at Mississippi State (2016, 2025), Ole Miss (2017, 2023), Southern Miss (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024) and Jackson State (2020). |
| NCAA subcommittee approves use of ABS system in college baseball games: Report | |
| The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system is working in its debut season for Major League Baseball, it got positive reviews after it was used experimentally at the SEC tournament in May, and now it's coming to college baseball at large. The NCAA rules subcommittee approved the use of ABS for games in the 2027 college baseball season in which the technology is available, according to a Baseball America report. The NCAA's baseball oversight committee would still have to give final approval. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin, who serves on the baseball rules committee and was part of Wednesday's discussions, did not confirm voting results but told The Athletic there was a "positive discussion" on ABS. "From my perspective, it has been one of the more positive rules experiments we've had in recent years," Corbin said Wednesday. "The feedback from coaches, players and umpires has been encouraging, and the committee recognizes its potential to improve competitive integrity while preserving the human element of the game." West Virginia coach Steve Sabins, reached by The Athletic about ABS in college baseball, said: "Not opposed to moving the game forward. Let's do it." |
| Exclusive: Sen. Ted Cruz, Big 12 coaches weigh in on Protect College Sports Act | |
 | With the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act passing through the U.S. Senate's Commerce Committee via a 19-9 vote on June 18, the bill now is being revised by its co-sponsors, Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) with the possibility of a floor vote before the full Senate in the current working session that extends through Friday, Aug. 7. The bill has strong support from the football coaches of the Big 12 Conference, 14 of whom spoke candidly about the need for governance in college athletics -- particularly football -- in one-on-one meetings with USA TODAY Sports. All 14 coaches told USA TODAY Sports that they favor some iteration of the Protect College Sports Act. In his second tour atop the West Virginia program, Rich Rodriguez was much more blunt in his assessment of college athletics' future without federal oversight. "We're on a runaway train and it's not slowing down; it's just getting worse," Rodriguez told USA TODAY Sports. |
| ACC looks to corporate sponsorships as a way to boost the bottom line of league revenue | |
| Jim Phillips has spent his five-plus-year tenure as Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner trying to generate more revenue for a league facing financial pressures even with yearly record hauls. For his league -- and across the national landscape in the revenue-sharing era, for that matter -- that has included more emphasis on corporate sponsorships. Finding event sponsors for naming rights. Securing deals for advertisements on conference TV networks. It's all about looking for ways to sell those options and supplement the media rights payouts and earnings from postseason success that stand as core engines of the college financial system. And stacking every bit helps in a time when schools are allowed to pay athletes directly. "I don't know if it's pressure, but it's the reality," Phillips said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press during the league's preseason football media days. "To me it's the reality of this role and it's reality of our league. We have to continue to find incremental dollars each and every year that continue to grow." |
| Texas Tech chair donated $275K to Ken Paxton day before AG intervened in Brendan Sorsby saga | |
| Last month, Attorney General Ken Paxton waded into the explosive college football saga involving Brendan Sorsby, the Texas Tech University quarterback who had admitted to placing thousands of improper sports bets, including on his own team's games, resulting in the NCAA declaring him ineligible to play. In a June 11 letter, Paxton's office warned the Big 12 Conference on behalf of Texas Tech that any move to sanction the university for fielding Sorsby would be "unlawful" and potentially expose it to $200 million in damages. One day before he sent that letter, Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell, one of Sorsby's most public defenders, donated $274,300 to a fundraising committee supporting Paxton in his bid for U.S. Senate, according to campaign finance records newly filed with the Federal Election Committee Wednesday. Campbell, a former Texas Tech lineman who has donated at least $25 million to the school's athletics program, was appointed to the board of regents in 2021 and became chair in 2025. Throughout Sorsby's eligibility drama, Campbell and Texas Tech vocally defended his right to play, casting him as a student in recovery from addiction and his situation the "outcome of a broken system." |
| Triathlon unites to increase its popularity closer to the level of tennis and golf | |
| Triathlon is taking action to try to boost its popularity, with hopes of bringing it closer to the level of tennis and golf. A new global circuit will debut in 2027 following an alliance between the international federation and private organizers in an attempt to unify the sport that has been historically fragmented and difficult to follow because of the large number of events worldwide. Officials are hoping the new tour will promote mass-participation events, attract new audiences and enhance the broadcast and digital storytelling of triathlon. There will be greater investment aimed at making the sport a better product for television and easier to showcase on social media in order to land bigger sponsors. The formal announcement of the new tour is expected by the end of the month. "Our goal is for the sport to be attractive not only for triathlon fans but to be attractive for sport fans. We need to grow the sport to be more attractive to the general public," Antonio Arimany, president of World Triathlon, said in an interview with The Associated Press. |
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