From the Wire
- Dan Jones Rejects Offer to Extend Ole Miss Contract
Ole Miss chancellor refuses offer to extend contract. - Advocates Seek Prison Changes as State Seeks Case Dismissal
Attorneys for the state of Mississippi argued in federal court Wednesday that steps have been taken to end inmate-on-inmate violence at a prison in Leake County. - What Americans Think About Gay Rights and Religious Liberty
Most Americans support allowing businesses to refuse wedding-related services to same-sex couples on religious grounds, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll conducted earlier this year. But another recent poll suggests Americans' sympathy for religious objectors may be limited to just …
- Airbnb Offers Cuba Lodgings in Major US Business Expansion
The popular online home-rental service Airbnb is allowing American travelers to book lodging in Cuba starting Thursday in the most significant U.S. business expansion on the island since the declaration of detente between the two countries late last year.
- Indiana Unveils Changes to Religion Bill; Arkansas in Flux
Indiana lawmakers on Thursday announced changes they plan to make to the state's new religious-objections law aimed at quelling widespread criticism from businesses and others who have called the proposal anti-gay.
- Mississippi Legislature Ends Session as House Adjourns
The Mississippi Legislature has ended its three-month 2015 session. The House wrapped up its final pieces of business during a short meeting Thursday, a day after the Senate finished its work and went home.
- Mississippi Senate Ends Its Part of 2015 Session
The Mississippi Senate has ended its part of the 2015 legislative session.
- Indiana Debate Exposes Republican Divisions
As the backlash intensifies over a so-called religious freedom law in Indiana, the GOP's leading White House contenders have been drawn into a messy clash that highlights the party's strong opposition to same-sex marriage and threatens to inject social issues …
- Israeli Leader Says World Needs 'Better Deal' with Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday made a last-ditch appeal for world powers to call off an emerging nuclear agreement with Iran, saying the world must insist on a "better deal" that links concessions to a change in Tehran's …
- Iraq Declares Victory Over Islamic State Group in Tikrit
Iraq declared a "magnificent victory" Wednesday over the Islamic State group in Tikrit, a key step in driving the militants out of their biggest strongholds.
- Obama Signs Order Creating New Cyber Sanctions Program
President Barack Obama on Wednesday created the first-ever sanctions program to penalize overseas hackers who engage in cyber spying and companies that knowingly benefit from the fruits of that espionage, potentially including state-owned corporations in Russia and China.
- Group Could Recommend New Academic Standards in Mississippi
A bill headed to Gov. Phil Bryant would establish a group to study whether Mississippi should modify or walk away from Common Core academic standards.
- Lawmakers Move on Bonds Despite Complaints from Colleges
Mississippi lawmakers voted Monday to borrow $450 million for a range of needs, including $24.5 million to build an aquarium in Gulfport. - U.S. to Pledge Up to 28 Percent Emission Cut in Global Treaty
The United States pledged Tuesday to cut its greenhouse gas emissions up to 28 percent as part of a global treaty aimed at preventing the worst effects of climate change, the White House said.
- Iraq Premier: Troops in Center of Islamic State-Held Tikrit
Iraqi forces battled Islamic State militants Tuesday holed up in downtown Tikrit as the country's prime minister announced security forces had reached the city's center.