Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
Woman dies in submerged vehicle in Petal
WDAM reports that “a body has been found after an SUV submerged underwater near the Walmart location in Petal Monday afternoon.”
WDAM 7 digital content producer Abigail Troth was at the scene, “where she witnessed a white SUV being swept by a current near the store, located at 36 Byrd Blvd, just after 3:30 pm,” the outlet reported. “Other witnesses attempted to help the woman get out of the vehicle as the current swept it, but the vehicle flipped upside down before she could exit.”
WDAM went on to report that “Petal Mayor Tony Ducker says the water reached an estimated 12 feet. It has started to recede.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. U.S. carries out “self-defense strikes” in Iran, threatening to upend negotiations
As reported by the New York Times, “Tensions remained high between Iran and the United States on Tuesday, threatening to upend fragile diplomacy efforts as Iranian officials warned of retaliation after American strikes overnight.”
“Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said in a written statement on Tuesday that the war with the United States had shown that American military bases in the Middle East are no longer safe, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would respond forcefully to any U.S. strikes,” NYT reported. “The comments were released hours after American military forces conducted what U.S. Central Command said were ‘self-defense strikes’ in southern Iran.”
NYT continued, “The hostilities have added to the uncertainty surrounding a potential peace deal, with President Trump and his administration offering conflicting signals about the state of play. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said talks to end the war were continuing, and a deal could take ‘a few days.’”
2. Congressional pay raise coming?
Politico reports that “a federal court has finally weighed in on the sensitive topic of congressional member pay, ruling that lawmakers acted improperly in repeatedly canceling cost-of-living adjustments.”
“Congress has repeatedly voted to overrule a 1989 law meant to keep member salaries apace with inflation, keeping their yearly pay fixed at $174,000. But U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Eric Bruggink wrote in an opinion that those votes run afoul of the 27th Amendment, which says any adjustment to congressional pay cannot apply until after an intervening election,” Politico reported. “While Bruggink’s ruling was preliminary, it represents a significant victory for a bipartisan group of past and current lawmakers who have been seeking back pay for years of missed salary increases. Many of the plaintiffs have publicly argued that congressional pay simply isn’t high enough to compete with private-sector opportunities for high-achieving Americans.”
Politico further reported, “Eventually, the opinion could give lawmakers just enough legal cover to allow themselves a pay bump. Already this term, the push for a modest raise picked up some momentum as other anti-corruption efforts, such as a congressional stock-trading ban, gained traction.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss’ Fischer named finalists for the 2026 Haskins Award
The Haskins Foundation announced their list of finalists for the 2026 Haskins Award presented by Stifel on Friday, selecting Ole Miss senior Tom Fischer to the group.
The Birmingham, Alabama native most recently helped Ole Miss take third place at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional, shooting three consecutive rounds of three under-par 68’s to finish in the top five. He sits among the nation’s best among numerous polls and leaderboards, owning the No. 10 spot on the Scoreboard individual rankings, No. 13 on the PGA Tour U rankings, and No. 23 on the WAGR.
Fischer and the rest of the No. 9 Ole Miss men’s golf team are preparing for the 2026 NCAA Championship, which will begin on Friday, May 29 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
2. Delta State’s Byrd named All-American, D2CCA Pitcher of the Year
Delta State University Baseball’s left-handed pitcher Adrian Byrd has become the first Statesmen Pitcher in 19 years to earn first team All-American honors announced by the National Baseball Writers’ Association this afternoon.
The school said Byrd became the 21st Statesmen to earn NCBWA All-American honors and the third player under head coach Rodney Batts to earn All-American honors.
DSU Athletics noted that Byrd has posted an 8-2 record on the mound with a 1.52 ERA following the NCAA Division II Regional in Pensacola. The Wiggins native has allowed just 17 earned runs off 73 hits in 100.2 innings pitched with 26 walks issued for a 0.98 WHIP. He is in the top five in program history for strikeouts in a season with 113 strikeouts.
Last week, Byrd was named a first-team All-Region selection and Regional Pitcher of the Year by the NCBWA and D2CCA after being named the Pitcher of the Year and a first-team All-GSC selection.
Markets & Business
1. Oil rises over 3% after U.S. strikes Iran
CNBC reports that “Brent crude oil rose Tuesday as U.S. military operations in southern Iran and President Donald Trump’s mixed messaging on the negotiations between Tehran and Washington kept traders on edge.”
“July futures for international benchmark Brent crude gained 3.4% to $99.39 a barrel by 10:45 a.m. in London (5:45 a.m. ET), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for July were trading 3.9% lower at $92.85 per barrel compared with Friday’s close,” CNBC reported. “There was no WTI price settlement on Monday due to the U.S. Memorial Day holiday.”
CNBC added, “The Islamic Republic’s semi-official Tasnim news agency separately described recent talks with the U.S. as ‘overall good,’ citing an informed source, but said a memorandum of understanding with Washington would be dependent on the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds.”
2. Lilly acquiring 3 vaccine developers
Eli Lilly agreed to acquire three vaccine developers in deals worth up to nearly $4 billion combined, the company told the Wall Street Journal.
“The deals, to be announced later Tuesday, mark a new push by the weight-loss drug market leader into infectious-disease prevention,” WSJ reported. “Indianapolis-based Lilly has agreed to acquire Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics and Vaccine Co.”
WSJ noted that “Curevo is developing a shingles vaccine that Lilly believes could be as effective as the current standard but with reduced side effects, said Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific and product officer. Lilly could pay up to $1.5 billion in cash for Curevo, including an undisclosed upfront payment and a potential subsequent payment if a certain milestone is met. LimmaTech is developing vaccines against bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus. Lilly agreed to pay up to $780 million in cash for LimmaTech, including an undisclosed upfront payment and additional payments for certain clinical and regulatory milestones. Vaccine Co. is developing a vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus. Lilly agreed to pay up to $1.55 billion in cash including an undisclosed upfront payment and potential clinical and commercial milestone payments.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
