Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
State Fire Marshall reports arson confession in Edwards’ fire
La’Vadda Harris is being held in the Hinds County Detention Center following his arrest on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, on first-degree arson charges.
Harris reportedly confessed to State Fire Marshal’s Deputies at the Edwards Police Department that he had intentionally set a mobile home on fire around 12:30 a.m. on August 6, 2026, at 109 Mt. Moriah Road in Edwards, Miss.
Harris rented the home, which was not insured at the time of the fire. He was four months behind on rent and had been served an eviction notice two days before the fire. Harris confessed to intentionally setting fire to bed sheets using a lighter and cooking oil because he was upset by the eviction.
His initial court appearance is pending, and no bond has been set at this time.
National News & Foreign Policy
The Hill reports that “a new poll shows that Democratic voters are more driven to cast their ballots in the November midterms elections out of their opposition to President Trump more so than the party’s platform.”
“The CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found that 54 percent of Democratic voters said they will vote for their Democratic candidate to Congress to stop Trump and Republican lawmakers from passing their policies, and 46 percent said they will vote Democratic to help the party pass its policies,” The Hill reported. “More Republican voters said they intend to vote to help Trump and Republicans pass their policies at 57 percent, while 43 percent said they will vote to stop Democrats from having their policies passed.”
The Hill added, “Forty-five percent of voters in general told pollsters that they will vote to oppose Trump, with 28 percent saying they will vote in support of him and 27 percent saying their vote isn’t about Trump.”
2. Trump backs Irish reunification
As reported by the Washington Post, “President Donald Trump said Saturday he would ‘love to see’ Irish reunification, breaking with Washington’s long-standing neutrality on one of the most politically sensitive issues facing Ireland and the United Kingdom.”
“Trump expressed his desire for Ireland to reunify during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, injecting fresh controversy into a two-day trip for the Irish Open golf tournament that has drawn protests across the country,” WP reported.
“Well I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified,” Trump told reporters when asked for his view on the matter, acknowledging he was entering sensitive political territory after a morning of ceremonial diplomacy. “I think it would be great, a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happens. It’s going to happen eventually.”
WP continued, “The United States has long avoided taking sides on Irish reunification. The Clinton administration helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 accord that effectively ended three decades of violent strife in Northern Ireland, widely known as ‘the Troubles.’”
Sports
1. Ole Miss, Miss. State roll while USM stumbles
No. 8 Ole Miss and Mississippi State both continued their winning ways on Saturday, while Southern Miss fell flat on The Plains. Here’s a recap of the Big 3 games in Week 2:
- Ole Miss (2-0) defeated Charlotte (0-2) in its home opener 41-9 inside Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium. The Rebels won their 13th consecutive home game, which is the third-longest active streak in the FBS. Ole Miss has also won nine out of their last 10 games dating back to Oct. 25, 2025. Next up: No. 7 LSU
- Mississippi State (2-0) built itself a big early lead and didn’t let up as the Bulldogs rolled to a 38-13 win at Minnesota (1-1). The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives and limited the Gophers to just a pair of field goals over the first two quarters to take complete command of the ballgame. Next up: South Carolina
- Southern Miss (1-1) found the end zone late in the first half but could not keep pace with a high-powered Auburn (2-0) offense, falling 43-8 Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Next up: UConn
2. College Game Day coming to Oxford for Ole Miss-LSU matchup
For the third time ever, ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be coming to Oxford to broadcast their show live on Saturday, September 19.
Host Rece Davis and analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban will set up on The Grove Stage and begin the show at 8 a.m. CT.
That evening, No. 8 Ole Miss (2-0) and No. 7 LSU (2-0) will renew the Magnolia Bowl rivalry inside Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on ABC. It will be Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford after he bolted to LSU during last season’s college football playoff run by the Rebels.
Markets & Business
1. Futures fall on possible AI slowdown, rising oil prices
CNBC reports that “stock futures fell on Monday as investors monitored a major shakeup in the pipeline for artificial intelligence initial public offerings amid growing safety concerns as well as the latest oil moves.”
“Global AI-related stocks fell after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for a slowdown of the development of AI capabilities, with other major tech figures backing the proposal,” CNBC reported. “Amodei said in an essay on Saturday that AI companies need to slow the pace of innovation for their best models due to safety risks, and told CBS News on Sunday that the ‘toughest dilemma’ about such a proposal is what would happen if China did not do the same.”
CNBC noted, “Elsewhere, oil prices rose after Saudi Arabia shuttered a key pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 3% at above $103 per barrel, while Brent crude futures gained 3% to above $108.”
2. Tesla reclaiming U.S. electric vehicle market
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Recent auto-sales data indicates that Tesla is once again gaining ground in the U.S. EV market as legacy automakers retreat from battery-powered cars. [Elon] Musk’s company is back to comprising more than half of the U.S. EV market, with a 52% share in 2026 through August, up from 43% a year earlier, according to Motor Intelligence.”
“The company hasn’t escaped the wider EV downturn. Tesla’s 325,351 U.S. sales so far this year represent a 16% decline from a year earlier. However, the overall EV market has contracted more, down 30%,” WSJ reported. “Once accounting for more than 80% of U.S. EV sales, Tesla’s market share in recent years saw a multiyear slide as old-school carmakers like Hyundai, Ford and General Motors introduced their own electric models. Tesla’s share eroded to a record low of 41% in 2025 as Musk’s foray into politics and work downsizing the federal government with the Trump administration turned away some buyers and sparked protests outside its stores.”
WSJ further reported, “Now, the Austin, Texas, company is regaining ground, even as it has de-emphasized its core auto business. Musk canceled Tesla’s luxury Models S and X without replacements as he focuses on fully autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
