[Lott] Look at the NumbersThe economy is growing, and jobs are being created. But don't take my word for it. Just look at the latest numbers by the Department of Commerce. Virtually every economic indicator is up, and the U.S. Senate has moved decisively …
Barbour Calls Special Session for Tort Reform, Voter ID[Verbatim statement] Governor Haley Barbour is standing by his pledge to call lawmakers back to the Capitol since the House of Representatives failed to address lawsuit abuse during their Regular Session. Today he called a Special Session to address tort …
Bush Approval Ratings at All-Time LowCBS News is reporting: "President Bush's overall approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency, 44 percent, in the latest CBS News poll, reflecting the weight of instability in Iraq on public opinion, despite signs of improvement …
Black Monday: Mississippi's Ugly Response to 'Brown v. Board' DecisionIt was the late spring 1953, and Gov. Hugh White had called a crucial special session of the Mississippi Legislature. He needed to mobilize a group of moderate lawmakers. If he could get the numbers right, White would ask them …
Margie ThompsonMargie Thompson's second-grade classroom blooms. Dancing bears proclaim the longness and shortness of vowels. Colors swirl, and pep-talk art tells children that they can excel in math, in literature, in social studies. This space at McWillie Elementary School is all …
‘Thurgood's Coming:' Tale of a Hero LawyerWhen Thurgood Marshall hung out his shingle in 1933 as an attorney in his hometown of Baltimore, he immediately became a very popular attorney among fellow African Americans. One problem, though: His clients couldn't afford to pay the young man …
JPS, Then and NowThe 1957 Murrah High School yearbook is filled with happy white faces, and names like Hederman, Copeland and Mize. One photo shows the yearbook staffers cutting up and having a good time; one young man's grinning face is painted black. …
GOP Blames Soldiers, Dems, Media for ScandalIn an editorial, The New York Times exposes the strategy to protect the White House from prisoner-abuse fall-out: "The administration and its Republican allies appear to have settled on a way to deflect attention from the torture of prisoners at …
‘We Owe It to Emmett Till'AP is reporting: "The Justice Department said Monday it is reopening the investigation into the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, a black teenager whose death while visiting Mississippi was an early catalyst for the civil rights movement. Till was abducted …
Wendy EddlemanAs I listened to Wendy Eddleman at Flashbacks Espresso Café in Byram, I couldn't help thinking of those serene beauties often seen in Renaissance paintings. Not only is the 29-year-old Jackson native outwardly lovely, but an evident inner strength and …
Tuck readmittedJulie Goodman of C-L writes"Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, who has walking pneumonia, has been admitted to the hospital again, this time to the intensive care unit. Tuck was in stable condition at St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital on Monday and is …
Special session likely due to stalled billsC-L reports today: "Lawmakers left the Capitol late Monday night with no agreement on the how to fund the state's public schools, how to cover Medicaid recipients or how to pay other expenditures. Failure to agree on the budget on …
House debates dipping in trust fundAndy Kanengiser of the C-L reports: "Using money from Mississippi's tobacco trust fund to avoid slashing school budgets was one of the proposals discussed Sunday at the Capitol. But the suggestion from Senate negotiators to help break a budget impasse …
Macon, Miss., Contractor Escapes; 11 More Troops KilledAP is reporting: "In a daring escape, American hostage Thomas Hamill pried open the doors of the house where he was being held late Sunday morning and ran a half-mile to a military convoy that was passing by, officials and …
Just Another Church<i>Methodist minister Ed King worked and lived Freedom Summer in Mississippi in 1964. The Vicksburg native ran for lieutenant governor on the Freedom Vote mock election ballot while Aaron Henry was the gubernatorial candidate. The two were pitted against actual …
Lawmakers face budget decisionsAndy Kanengiser of C-L reports: "State House and Senate negotiators will try to reach compromises on a slew of budgets for agencies, public schools, community colleges and universities as lawmakers enter the final two weeks of their four-month session at …
Mississippi's lieutenant governor released from hospitalAP reports: Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck was released from a hospital Wednesday night after doctors determined she had pneumonia but could recover at home. 'She's under strict orders to rest as much as possible,' said Tuck's chief of staff, Ben …
House considers tort reformThe AP reports: The House voted 110 to 8 to allow a new bill to be filed. The bill will address several issues, including limits on where product-liability lawsuits can be filed. It will not include proposals to limit pain …
[Lott] Young Mississippians Choosing to LeadMississippi has produced some of the world's most significant artists, writers, politicians, business leaders and humanitarians. Though materially poor, our state has always been rich in human resources, and too much of that potential has left our state upon maturity. …
Cyrus WebbRead about Cyrus Webb's more recent activities and controversies here
Not Too Hip to VoteChristopher Hayes writes for Alternet: "[T]his crowd, which formed a line that snaked around Astor place onto Lafayette, was garbed in American Apparel t-shirts, thrift store blazers, and the hyper pointy-toed shoes that are currently standard issue for women south …
Are We Losing the Peace in Iraq?<i>Fables of Reconstruction: A Coalition memo reveals that even true believers see the seeds of civil war in the occupation of Iraq</i>
The Kill ZoneEntering the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah was difficult, but not impossible. We came in along the backroads, following the Euphrates River past beautiful date groves, villages of clay houses, and herds of goats. The air is marvelously dry, clean, …
Jesse Jackson Seeking Macon Man's ReleaseAP is reporting: "The Rev. Jesse Jackson will contact religious leaders in Iraq to seek the release of Thomas Hamill, the American civilian truck driver abducted in Iraq, Hamill's wife said Saturday. Kellie Hamill, who has been pleading in the …
NAFTA Tribunals Stir U.S., Mississippi WorriesMore NAFTA woes ... New York Times reports today: "Any Canadian or Mexican business that contends it has been treated unjustly by the American judicial system can file a similar claim. American businesses with similar complaints about Canadian or Mexican …
State GOP Twists Kerry Out of ContextLinked to the top of the conservative Magnolia Report right now is a press release the Mississippi GOP put out April 15 to explain "why John Kerry is wrong for Mississippi." Beyond focusing on emotional wedge issues (that "reflect the …
Who's Scaring Whom?April 14, 2004 -- This is a weird press release from Gov. Barbour's folks, blaming school administrators, who are facing funding cuts thanks to the governor and the Senate, for "scaring" teachers. Who's scaring whom here?
[Cohen] The Enemy Within<i>Our new NOISE section will highlight the JFP's breaking online stories, hot blog discussions and exclusive online op-eds. Starting this week, the JFP is asking a number of opinionated souls to regularly contribute pieces on the fly about issues of …
[Lott] Keeping Up Our RecoveryTwice as many jobs were created in March than expected, more than 300,000 nationally. That shows the U.S. economy is indeed rebounding with a total of 750,000 jobs added since September, thanks to tax cuts which are spawning economic activity. …
Bush: Drop ‘Political Posture'The New York Times editorializes today: "No reasonable American blames Mr. Bush for the terrorist attacks, but that's a long way from thinking there was no other conceivable action he could have taken to prevent them. He could, for instance, …