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Roger Wicker’s public breaks with Trump, MAGA a delicate balancing act As chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Mississippi’s senior U.S.

Mississippi’s senior senator has routinely bucked Donald Trump. Will he see any backlash from the MAGA faithful?

Roger Wicker’s public breaks with Trump, MAGA a delicate balancing act As chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Mississippi’s senior U.S.

Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Mississippi’s senior U.S. senator, has bucked Donald Trump on several high-profile issues. Yet, Wicker has largely remained one of Trump’s most dependable allies, avoiding rebuke from the MAGA faithful.

Senate to debate $5K teacher pay raise amid flurry of ed bills A proposed $5,000 across-the-board teacher pay raise is headed for the Senate, marking a significant step in ongoing efforts to boost educator compensation in Mississippi.

The fight over teacher pay in Mississippi stretches back decades, woven into the state’s broader struggles over education funding, racial equity and political will. Soon, the Mississippi Senate will take up the latest version of a pay hike for educators. #msleg

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Epstein and Mississippi: What was his fascination with children in poverty? Among the intriguing, unexpected revelations in the long-awaited Epstein files are that the notorious child trafficker and pedophile had a deep interest in Mississippi.

Epstein identified disadvantaged students in Mississippi, some of whom were shuttled to and from Epstein’s Caribbean island to attend the Piney Woods School, a boarding school for African-American students south of Jackson, and at Millsaps College and Mississippi College.

msindy.org/p/epstein-an...

Gov. Reeves Abruptly Postpones State of the State Address ‘Indefinitely’ Gov. Tate Reeves has postponed his annual State of the State speech “indefinitely.”

Representatives erupted into whoops and cheers in the Mississippi House chamber as Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Shanks, R-Brandon, announced today that Gov. Tate Reeves had postponed his annual State of the State speech “indefinitely"—minutes before he was expected to speak.

buff.ly/GVC6Rzp

'Immigration harboring' bills raise question: When does helping become a crime? State lawmakers have introduced a slate of immigration-enforcement bills this session, including House Bill 1037, which would create state felonies for harboring or transporting undocumented immigrant...

For immigrant families in Mississippi, the legislative proposals have compounded fears already heightened by the return of Trump administration enforcement policies. msindy.org/p/immigratio...

Living beside the Colossus of Boxtown Residents of historic Black community skeptical of official enthusiasm for massive AI projects

Mississippi officials, including Gov. Reeves, and Elon Musk don't want you to know about the harms of data centers. If you want to know about the potential detrimental environmental impacts of data firms like Musk's xAI, just visit Boxtown, an historic Black community in South Memphis.

Sens. Wicker, Hyde-Smith earn F grades on free trade as Trump tariffs reshape GOP identity With tariffs used to force geopolitical concessions, Mississippi economy faces fallout and questions are raised about congressional oversight and changing GOP identity

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith used to get straight As on free trade. Then along came Trump and his tariff policies. Their unwavering support for these wildly unpopular moves have now earned both of Mississippi's GOP senators a failing (F) grades.

As government shutdown drags on, Mississippi healthcare crisis deepens As the federal government enters its third week of shutdown, few states have more at stake than Mississippi.

As the shutdown drags into week 3, Mississippi faces one of the worst health crises in the nation. ACA and Medicaid cuts will push up premiums by 314% in the nation’s poorest state, leaving 23 rural hospitals on the brink of survival. @msindy.bsky.social
msindy.org/p/as-governm...

'No Kings' protests: Opposition movement grows to encompass Americans of all walks of life As the dust settles from Mississippi’s No Kings protests on Saturday, this much is becoming clear: Opposition to the Trump administration’s perceived threat to American democracy is drawing larger and...

'No Kings' protests: Opposition movement grows to encompass Americans of all walks of life
msindy.org/p/no-kings-p...

Opinion: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day: “The check is long overdue” Let’s be clear: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is not just a date on the calendar—it’s a glaring receipt, marked by exhaustion, resilience and the deep cost of being chronically underpaid.

NEW from Cassandra Welchlin: "Let’s be clear: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is not just a date on the calendar—it’s a glaring receipt, marked by exhaustion, resilience and the deep cost of being chronically underpaid." msindy.org/p/opinion-bl...

Teaching the Holocaust just got harder in Mississippi A new state law forbids education increasing ‘awareness’ of issues relating to race. How are educators supposed to teach history?

Many thanks to the @msindy.bsky.social for reprinting this article from @thebulwark.com : Teaching the Holocaust just got harder in Mississippi msindy.org/p/teaching-t...

Opinion: On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a glimpse of an emerging protest movement Writer among millions of Americans who turn out for mass marches, many for the first time

I wrote about the No Kings Protest yesterday in Gulfport, MS for @msindy.bsky.social Opinion: On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a glimpse of an emerging protest movement msindy.org/p/opinion-on...

Opinion: What we miss when we talk about prison reform Why reform that ignores disabled and incarcerated people isn’t reform at all

NEW: Why reform that ignores disabled and incarcerated people isn’t reform at all msindy.org/p/opinion-wh...

Danish legal immigrant in Mississippi for more than a decade detained in ICE facility Family and friends marshal support after man’s arrest while pursuing U.S. citizenship

A Mississippi father of four from Denmark remains in immigration custody after being arrested at his final citizenship interview by ICE agents in mid-April. @msindy.bsky.social @alanhuffman.bsky.social
msindy.org/p/danish-leg...

Elderly Navy veteran says ex-cop knocked her out during Gulf Coast political dispute A 74-year-old Mississippi woman who was allegedly assaulted by a retired Long Beach police officer during a roadside protest claimed during an emotional phone call with The Mississippi Independent tha...

Thanks to @charress.bsky.social and
@msindy.bsky.social for staying on this story: Elderly Navy veteran says ex-cop knocked her out during Gulf Coast political dispute msindy.org/p/elderly-na...

THE MISSISSIPPI INDEPENDENT | Substack We're Mississippi journalists objectively covering issues of interest to a progressive audience. Got a tip? Email Mississippi.Indy@gmail.com. Click to read THE MISSISSIPPI INDEPENDENT, a Substack publ...

Welcome new followers! We are the Mississippi Independent, a nonprofit collective of local journalists aimed at filling in gaps in media coverage in MS. Make sure to subscribe to our site >> msindy.org

Seeding new journalism in Mississippi’s capital city Jackson high school students report on hometown topics under innovative news program

At a time when readers often have difficulty differentiating between truth and internet rumors or disinformation, there is a pressing need for journalists to report objectively and to rely upon documented facts. msindy.org/p/seeding-ne...

Listing as nation's most endangered river cites defunding of federal programs as threat to environment, infrastructure https://msindy.org/p/how-trump-administrations-rash-funding

More than 400 people gathered for the protest rally in Jackson to express their objections to what they viewed as extremist policies and orders issued by President Donald Trump https://msindy.org/p/number-of-protesters-grows-at-state

Grants have been axed for Whitney Plantation, which memorializes slavery along the Great River Road, as per this report. https://msindy.org/p/interpreting-slavery-at-whitney-plantation

The Mississippi River was named the most endangered river in the United States this week. https://msindy.org/p/mississippi-river-conservation-endangered

Federal law provides benchmarks for protecting students and providing records of crimes – but reviewing security at Jackson State University is difficult https://msindy.org/p/students-wonder-about-campus-safety

Jackson Youth Newsroom queried local high school students as part of New York City-based programhttps://msindy.org/p/startup-youth-newsroom-releases-survey