Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and 18 other state attorneys general are challenging a proposed change to federal privacy laws that would prevent states from investigating violations of state abortion laws. In a June 16 letter (pdf), Ms. Fitch, a Republican, called on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to withdraw…

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid removed more than 29,000 Mississippians from Medicaid at the end of June after the federal government ended the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. This marks the first wave of disenrollments as the agency reviews the eligibility of its beneficiaries following the end of pandemic-era protections. Mississippi examined records for 67,695 Medicaid…

LOUIN, Miss.—Multiple tornadoes swept through Mississippi overnight, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen, officials said Monday. State emergency workers were still working with counties to assess the damage from storms in which high temperatures and hail in some areas accompanied tornadoes. The death and injuries were reported by officials in eastern Mississippi’s Jasper County….

Newly passed legislation that would ban ballot harvesting in Mississippi is being challenged in court by several civil rights organizations that claim it would harm minority voters and those with disabilities. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Mississippi Center for Justice, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU-MS, and Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS) filed a federal…

A coalition of states has filed a lawsuit seeking a review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to grant waivers to California that allows the state to ban new diesel-powered heavy-duty truck sales in 2035. Iowa’s Attorney General Brenna Bird led the group of 19 states that filed the legal action on June 5…

Five Republican lawmakers from Mississippi are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to remove an LGBT Pride flag that has been temporarily placed on Biloxi Veterans Affairs property, arguing that its installment amounts to a “political stunt.” In the June 5 letter, the lawmakers said they believe that the flag hanging in front of the Biloxi VA Medical Center…

Commentary “‘Mississippi miracle’: Kids’ reading scores have soared in Gulf South states,” AP just reported. It noted educators in other states with low test scores no longer can say, “Thank God for Mississippi.” That’s a cliché also in California, where journalists are wont to say of low test scores, “California is nearly as bad as…

Commentary “‘Mississippi miracle’: Kids’ reading scores have soared in Gulf South states,” AP just reported. It noted educators in other states with low test scores no longer can say, “Thank God for Mississippi.” That’s a cliché also in California, where journalists are wont to say of low test scores, “California is nearly as bad as…

An 11-year-old boy who was shot by a police officer at his home in Mississippi after calling law enforcement for help says he believes it is “because of the grace of God” that he is still alive today. Aderrien Murry was shot in the chest by Indianola Police Department officer Greg Capers in the early hours of…

The mother of an 11-year-old boy who was shot by a police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call at her home in Mississippi is demanding that body camera footage be released and the officer is fired. Aderrien Murry was shot in the chest by Indianola Police Department officer Greg Capers in the early hours of…