Ashton Pittman

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 reproductive rights.

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.

#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.

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 legislation to combat those fears.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

'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 Washington Addition on Thursday.

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.

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 many as 300,000 Mississippians.

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 "is clearly better than it has ever been before" in his final State of the State Address on Jan. 9.

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 to black people as a "retrograde species of humanity."

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.

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.

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.

Columbia, Miss. Celebrates 200 Years

On Jan. 5, 2019, the south Mississippi town of Columbia, Miss., celebrated its bicentennial downtown.

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.

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.

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.

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, Hood said, would try to tell voters everything was just fine.

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.

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.

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 with his state’s third largest export market.

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.

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 agents.

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 set up to separate white kids from African Americans.

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 of the state over a three-year period.

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.

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 U.S. Treasury.

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 the case.

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 claimed in an interview with the Jackson Free Press Thursday.

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.

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.

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 visited seem to be moving toward a candidacy.

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.

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 2020.

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 years.

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 hanging, I would be on the front row."

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 the senator’s other views.

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 students, a yearbook reveals.

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.

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 the Jackson Free Press Tuesday morning.

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.

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 surfaced in which she says she would be “on the front row” if a supporter invited her to “a public hanging.”

Stories by Ashton