All results / Stories / Ashton Pittman
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Election-Year Lawmaking: What Will Happen?
Democratic Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood had stood discussed Mississippi's dismal national rankings in things like health care, poverty and education. Republicans such as Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, …
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‘It All Starts With Education’: The JFP Interview With Jay Hughes
Education is the No. 1 issue for Mississippi House Rep. Jay Hughes, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor this year, who has taught in public schools himself.
Health Care
Hyde-Smith, Wicker Voted to Expand Pre-existing Illness Discrimination
In a press huddle on Nov. 1, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said she had not cast "a single vote" to allow health-insurance companies to sell plans that discriminate against people …
Education
Voucher Program Helping Seg Schools Should Go, Education Advocates Say
On Valentine's Day, a voucher program that subsidizes private schools for special- needs children got the gift of four more years from the Mississippi Senate—even though many private schools in …
Personhood
Dem Lt. Gov. Hopeful Voted for Abortion Ban So White Dems Don't Go Extinct
Hit with a wave of anger from his own party after he voted for a bill that essentially bans abortions after six weeks, Mississippi House Rep. Jay Hughes offered a …
Politics
Hyde-Smith’s ‘Public Hanging’ Quip Bombs in State with Most Lynchings
Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith lit up social media Sunday morning after a video clip in which she jokingly says she would be “on the front row” at “a public …
Politics
Expanded Vouchers Not OK with Either Lt. Gov. Candidate, Short Debate Reveals
The Republican and Democratic candidates for Mississippi lieutenant governor found more to agree than disagree on in Thursday night's 30-minute debate, with similar positions on teacher pay, private-school vouchers and …
Politics
AG Candidates Praise 'Heartbeat Bill,' Anti-LGBT Laws, Tort Reform
About 50 people showed up at a venue that would seat 1,200 on Wednesday night to hear Republican candidates explain why voters should elect them as Mississippi's next attorney general—the …
Politics
'Take This Country Back': State Legislators Want Constitutional Convention
On Feb. 21, 2019, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West asked state legislators to do something Americans have not done since the time when muskets and bayonets were commonplace—call …
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A New Dynamic: Shanda Yates’ Surprise Victory
Shanda Yates had never thought about running for office and had a litany of reasons not to pursue the House District 64 seat when she first discussed the idea with …
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‘It Only Matters What You Answer To’: The JFP Interview with Mike Espy
Mike Espy has neither sought nor served in public office since 1994; this year's U.S. Senate special election marks Espy's re-entry into politics as he runs in the special election …
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The JFP Interview with David Baria: 'I Am Who I Am'
David Baria, the man who currently serves as the House minority leader in the Mississippi Legislature, shared his story, his plans for Mississippi, and why he thinks he can move …
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Joe Biden and the Dixiecrats Who Helped His Career
Vice President Joe Biden talked about his mentor James O. Eastland at a rally for Democrat Doug Jones in Birmingham, Ala., in 2017.
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God Save the Governor: Phil Bryant, Brexit Soldier
Republican Phil Bryant is certainly not the first Mississippi governor to support a state's plan to secede from a multi-state union. ... But Bryant seems to be the first to …
Person of the Day
‘To Rule History With God’: The Christian Dominionist War On Abortion, Part I
In hopes of triggering a U.S. Supreme Court case, the Alliance Defending Freedom drafted the 15-week abortion ban that the Mississippi Legislature passed in 2018.
City & County
Lumumba on Defense: JPD Rape Claims, Suicide a 'Human Tragedy'
Jackson Police Chief James Davis was four words into answering a press question about whether he had any regrets for his handling of sexual-assault allegations against an officer when Mayor …
Crime
'Sprawling Conspiracy' Ensnares Voucher Beneficiaries, Republican Donors
At least two people who donated significant sums to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves' campaign allegedly engaged in what the state's top elected official calls a "disgusting abuse of power."
Politics
Mississippi Senate Passes Income Tax Cut Slashing $446 Million in Revenue
The Mississippi Senate approved legislation to reduce the state income tax by hundreds of millions of dollars Wednesday, despite caution from opponents who questioned the wisdom of doing so while …
Health Care
Letters Show Hood Warned State About Mental Health Crisis for Years
Hours after a federal judge ruled that the State of Mississippi's mental-health system violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood told reporters that he "knew this …
Personhood
The Pink House Deals With ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Fallout
"Jesus loves you, mommy. Mommy, please don't kill me," a child's voice pleads from a large speaker system outside Mississippi's last abortion clinic, which is known among its defenders as …
