Personhood
Fetal Heartbeat Ban 'A Direct Challenge to Roe,' Activists Warn
Abortion-rights activists are warning that Mississippi's fetal-heartbeat bills, and others like them, are part of an effort to instigate a U.S. Supreme Court case that could overturn constitutional protections for …
Cover
Beyond Angry Tweets: Robert Foster on Why He is Running for Governor
Mississippi House Rep. Robert Foster is running for governor in the Republican primary, running against current Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican from Florence, Miss., among others.
Politics
#MSLeg: Broadband, Abortion, Prison Reform
On Jan. 31, legislators in the Mississippi House Education Committee advanced to the House floor a bill designed to help prepare schools for the worst: the possibility of gun violence.
Education
School Safety Act Includes Mental Health, School Surveillance Provisions
Mississippi's children go to school in places "of potential violence," Gov. Phil Bryant lamented in his State of the State address last month, as he called on lawmakers to craft …
Immigration
Mississippi Immigrant Rights Group Calls for Action from Lawmakers
Members and supporters of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance held a rally to urge lawmakers to pass legislation to make life better for the state's documented and undocumented immigrants.
Immigration
Bennie Thompson Calls for Evasive Trump Official to Testify to Congress
In a scathing letter, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen to appear before the congressional Committee on Homeland Security.
Politics
Gov. Bryant Signs Law Aimed at Expanding Broadband to Rural Areas
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed the Mississippi Broadband Enabling Act into law Wednesday morning surrounded by a bipartisan group of beaming legislators.
Crime
Mississippi Celebrities Speak Out After Jussie Smollett Attack
Mississippi celebrities are speaking out after a racist, homophobic attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett that Chicago police describe as a "possible hate crime."
Politics
Sam Britton Announces Secretary of State Run, Pledges Loyalty to Trump
Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton promised to "get government out of our lives" on Monday as he launched a bid to become Mississippi's next secretary of state.
City & County
'They Brutalized My Brother': George Robinson's Family Accuse JPD of 'Murder'
"You all are not at a press conference today. You are at a crime scene," attorney Dennis Sweet IV told reporters gathered next to an early 2000s Impala in the …
Health Care
Medical Marijuana Gains Momentum in Mississippi, with Majority Support
Medical marijuana in Mississippi is on pace to make it onto the ballot in the state next year, said Jonathan Brown, who is leading the signature drive.
Health Care
A Bridge Too Far: ‘No’ to Medicaid Expansion
As the 2019 legislative session heats up, state legislators are again tussling over the Medicaid program and whether or not to accept federal funds that could expand coverage to as …
Education
Mississippi Least Educated Despite Bryant's 'Better Than Ever' Claim
Mississippi claims the top spot as the least educated state in the country in a new study out just two weeks after Gov. Phil Bryant proclaimed that Mississippi's educational system …
Civil Rights
Mississippi Leaders Still 'Honoring' Racists, After All These Years
The head of the Mississippi state agency that sent out a tweet this week honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee once attended a rally of a racist organization that refers …
Politics
Mississippi May Mandate Ten Commandments and Pledges to State, U.S. Flags in Schools
Mississippi law would require schoolchildren to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and see the Ten Commandments be displayed on public-school walls under new bills in the Legislature this session.
National
Shutdown Hits Mississippi Harder than 90 Percent of States
The ongoing federal government shutdown is doing more damage in Mississippi than in most states, an analysis finds. Mississippi ranks eighth, according to WalletHub.
Politics
Lt. Gov. Reeves: No to Medicaid Expansion, Despite Strong Citizen Support
After weeks of speculation that Mississippi's Republican leadership might support expanding Medicaid in the state, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves slammed the door shut on Monday.
Civil Rights
Columbia, Miss. Celebrates 200 Years
On Jan. 5, 2019, the south Mississippi town of Columbia, Miss., celebrated its bicentennial downtown.
Health Care
Republican Candidates 'Looking at' Medicaid Expansion, Other States
At least two Republican candidates for statewide office in Mississippi are voicing support for Medicaid expansion—a policy state GOP leadership has long resisted.
Politics
Hosemann Should 'Resign' His Office, Democratic Opponent Demands
One of Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann's potential opponents is calling on him to resign his office while he runs for lieutenant governor.
Politics
Delbert Hosemann Running for Lt. Gov: 'I'm Here to Apply for the Job'
Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is running for lieutenant governor, he announced Wednesday morning.
Cover
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, …
Immigration
Rep. Thompson Blasts White House's 'Outright Lies,' Calls for Hearings
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., accused the Trump administration of "outright lies" and called for hearings on the deaths of children who were in U.S. custody.
Business
Survey: No Benefits from Almost Half of Mississippi Businesses
Nearly half of Mississippi businesses provide no incentives to their employees at all, a December survey conducted by the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office revealed.
Immigration
Bryant Urges Trump to Close Border, Threatening 40,800 Mississippi Jobs
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant cheered on President Trump’s threats to shut down the border between the U.S. and Mexico, even though such a move would threaten $2.5 billion in trade …
Politics
FEC Filings: Hyde-Smith Returned Racist's Donation, But Not $50,000 to Corporations
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith declined to return more than $50,000 to corporate donors who requested refunds from her campaign in November, new FEC filings released Thursday show.
Immigration
Bennie Thompson Blames 'Radical' Trump Border Policies for Child Deaths
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., took aim at the Trump administration on Wednesday after the second child this month died on Christmas Day while in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol …
Civil Rights
Mississippi’s ‘Seg Academies’ Creating National Dialogue
The Jackson Free Press' report that Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith attended one of Mississippi's first segregation academies and later sent her daughter to one has spurred a national conversation on schools …
Business
Amazon Bringing 850 Full-Time Jobs to Mississippi, Donated to State Candidates
Amazon plans to open a distribution warehouse in Marshall County, Miss., that the online retail giant said in its announcement Friday will create 850 full-time jobs in the northernmost part …
Civil Rights
Cindy Hyde-Smith Presides as U.S. Senate Finally Passes Anti-Lynching Law
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., presided as the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that makes lynching a federal civil-rights crime.
Immigration
Rep. Palazzo Wants 'Border Bonds' for Americans to Pay for Trump's Wall
Under Mississippi Congressman Steven Palazzo's "Border Bonds for America Act," American citizens would pay for the construction of a wall on the southern border by purchasing revenue bonds from the …
Health Care
With Gov. Bryant’s Support, Judge Strikes Pre-Existing Condition Protections
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant backs a lawsuit that Republicans designed to kill the Affordable Care Act and its pre-existing conditions protections. A federal judge just ruled the law unconstitutional in …
Politics
Foster Claims 'Third Party' Offered $1 Million to Exit Governor's Race
A third party offered to help Mississippi State Rep. Robert Foster, R-Hernando, secure $1 million in fundraising if he would drop out of the race for governor, the GOP candidate …
State
Mississippi Towns Hit Hard Financially by Rising Sea Levels, Study Finds
Homes on the Mississippi Gulf Coast lost more than $263 million in value due to rising sea levels, an analysis by the First Street Foundation and Columbia University found.
Politics
Hard-right Conservative 'Farmer Bob' to Announce Run for Governor
Freshman State Rep. Robert Foster will announce a bid for the Republican nomination to be Mississippi's next governor tomorrow in his hometown of Hernando.
Politics
After Mississippi Stops, 2020 Presidential Candidates Emerge, Patrick Out
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick was among potential Democratic presidential candidates who recently campaigned for Mike Espy in Mississippi, but now says he will not run, even as others who …
Politics
Jackson Woman Joins Dem Race for Governor; State Rep Exploring GOP Race
Next week, Velesha P. Williams plans to officially join the race to become the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nominee, she announced in a Nov. 29 press release.
Politics
Mike Espy Files to Run Against Hyde-Smith in 2020 Rematch
On his 65th birthday, Democrat Mike Espy filed Friday morning to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith when it is up again in …
Politics
Mike Espy Came Closer to Senate Seat Than Any Dem Since 1982
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy did not win his bid for U.S. Senate in Tuesday night's special election, but he came closer than any Mississippi Democrat has in 36 …
Civil Rights
End Near for Racist Politics in Mississippi?
Wearing a long coat, she stood in front of a statue of Elvis Presley when she told the crowd that if her friend Colin Hutchinson "invited me to a public …
Politics
Full ‘Public Hanging’ Video Surfaces, Revealing More About Hyde-Smith’s Views
In extended footage released exclusively by the Jackson Free Press, the context of Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s now-infamous “public hanging” remarks becomes clearer, and the video sheds new light on …
Politics
Hyde-Smith Attended All-White ‘Seg Academy’ to Avoid Integration
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith attended and graduated from a segregation academy that were set up so that white parents could avoid having to send their children to schools with black …
National
Cory Booker Rallies USM Students for Espy
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a likely 2020 presidential candidate, traveled to Mississippi on Monday to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy.
National
Hyde-Smith Demanded No Audience, No Press for Tonight’s Debate
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith demanded there be no audience or outside press allowed at tonight’s U.S. Senate debate and requested other restrictions, a source familiar with the debate negotiations told …
Gender
Republicans Call Espy ‘Sexist’ for Saying He’s Better for Women
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith accused her Democratic opponent, Mike Espy, of sexism and “mansplaining” after he told supporters he would be a better U.S. senator for women.
National
Hyde-Smith Accepts $2,700 Donation from Notorious White Supremacist
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith accepted a donation from Peter Sieve, a businessman in Washington state known for his white supremacist views, just days after a video published by Bayou Brief …
Politics
Hyde-Smith in New Video: Make Voting ‘More Difficult’ for People in ‘Those Schools’
In a newly surfaced video, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith suggests making it “more difficult” for people in certain schools to vote.
Politics
Activists to Call for Hyde-Smith's Resignation at Friday Protest
Mississippi Matters, a coalition of activists and organizations, plans to call for U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's resignation at a protest outside her Jackson office Friday at noon.
Politics
Google Donates $5,000 to Cindy Hyde-Smith Amid 'Hanging' Firestorm
Tech giant Google donated $5,000 to U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, even as she courted national outrage for her comment about attending a "public hanging."
Politics
Espy to Join Hyde-Smith for Debate As 'Hanging' Backlash Grows
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy has accepted an invitation to join incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., for a runoff debate that will be broadcast across the state …
