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Mississippi Protestors Decry DOGE and Trump’s Policy Barrage

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Mississippi Protestors Decry DOGE and Trump’s Policy Barrage


JACKSON, Miss.—Anna Corcoran had grown exhausted with just complaining about national politics. She wanted to share her frustrations in a way that felt meaningful.

Although the 18-year-old Brandon, Miss., native grew up in a staunch Republican household, she found herself at odds with President Donald Trump’s policies targeting immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and women’s reproductive rights.

So on Feb. 5, she took to the streets for a protest outside the Mississippi Capitol Building in Jackson, Miss. She joined about two dozen other demonstrators who wanted to express their outrage over Trump’s policies.

As other protestors shouted in unison that “no one is illegal on stolen land” and to “never forget January 6,” Corcoran told the Mississippi Free Press that it was her first time exercising her First Amendment Right to protest.

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“I’m here to fight not only for myself and my sister but all of those who can’t fight. I grew up thinking that voting red was the Christian vote but I don’t want to let that man in office represent what a Christian is,” she said, standing with fellow protestor, 18-year-old Leslie Reeves.

While the Trump administration appears “focused on immigrants and abortion,” they should be drafting policies to tackle “mass shootings and climate change,” Corcoran added.

Anna Corcoran (left) and Leslie Reeves, both 18, told the Mississippi Free Press on Feb. 5, 2025, that they’re against President Donald Trump’s policies targeting transgender people, immigrants and women’s access to abortions. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad

The protesters also expressed their frustration with the involvement of tech billionaires like Elon Musk in the federal government’s affairs. “It’s been three weeks and we’ve gotten rid of essential departments in unconstitutional, unlawful moves that should not be allowed to happen,” a protester named Samantha, who only wanted to share her first name, told the Mississippi Free Press. “We’ve got things challenging in court, but where are our representatives?”

Musk leads The White House’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, commonly known as DOGE. With a purported mission to slash government spending, DOGE has led the mass layoffs of workers across the federal government, including an attempt to eliminate the federal humanitarian agency, USAID. Musk has drawn heavy criticism, with people accusing him of having a conflict of interest and of using DOGE to attempt to access private data about citizens.

As protestors hold up a DOGE sign during an anti-Trump rally outside the Mississippi Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2025. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad

A federal judge on Tuesday, Feb. 18, declined to immediately block Musk and DOGE from accessing government data systems or laying off federal workers but expressed concerns about the scope of his role—a role Congress did not approve in which he leads an entity that Congress did not create.

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“Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight,” U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in her ruling. “In these circumstances, it must be indisputable that this court acts within the bounds of its authority.”

Attacks on Diversity, Trans Americans

Several of the demonstrators gathered outside the Mississippi Capitol Building on Feb. 5 told the Mississippi Free Press that they were not representing any particular organized group. But the protest in Jackson was one of many anti-Trump rallies that took place around the country on the same day.

Donald Trump has signed a litany of executive orders since his second term began on Jan. 20. He has focused on repealing Biden-era policies, such as those designed to foster diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal government.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender women athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Since Trump took office, a flurry of companies—including Google, Amazon and Target—have announced plans to modify or eliminate initiatives furthering DEI in the workplace. Other companies, like Costco and the Atlanta-based Delta Airlines, have openly declared that they will keep their DEI policies in place.

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Though Trump claimed during his campaign to have had no knowledge of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 agenda, many of his executive orders have lined up with directives outlined in the document—including orders to advance “school-choice” initiatives, impose sanctions on countries that refuse to accept deportees and change U.S. foreign aid policy.

The anti-Donald Trump protest outside the Mississippi Capitol Building on Feb. 5, 2025, was one of several held around the country on the same day. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad

In an effort to prohibit federal recognition of transgender people’s gender identity, Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 proclaiming that the United States government will recognize only two biological sexes, male and female. Weeks later, on Feb. 5, Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. Mississippi lawmakers previously banned transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in 2021.

Trump’s Feb. 5 order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” allows the U.S. Department of Education to ensure that schools receiving federal funding under Title IX are penalized for not aligning with Trump’s priorities.

“With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump declared at a signing ceremony, the Associated Press reported on Feb. 5.

‘What We’re Becoming’

That same day, as protestors rallied outside the Mississippi Capitol Building, Rev. Jim Becker told the Mississippi Free Press that he joined the demonstration in solidarity with those who are too afraid to protest themselves.

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Becker leads the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson and said that many of the families in his congregation are fearful of how rhetoric and policies targeting transgender people will impact them. 

Rev. Jim Becker, who leads the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson, told the Mississippi Free Press on Feb. 5, 2025, that he joined the anti-Trump protest outside the Mississippi Capitol Building in a show of solidarity with the transgender and non-binary congregants of his church. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad

“We have transgender folks in our congregation (and) non-binary (folks). … We have some parents with trans children and some of them are living in fear,” Becker told the Mississippi Free Press. “I said as the minister I will not be afraid to talk; I will not be afraid to be arrested.”

“What he’s done in just three weeks … it’s amazing what we were and what we’re becoming. It’s absolutely tragic,” Becker continued, adding that he hoped the demonstration would inspire more people to organize and not let Trump’s policies go unchallenged.

“We need to double, triple, quadruple this. Week after week we’re going to see more and more stuff going on and it’s going to hit closer and closer to home for a lot of people,” he said.

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GPS data tracks boat Mississippi teen Nolan Wells was on before he went missing

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GPS data tracks boat Mississippi teen Nolan Wells was on before he went missing


GPS data from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, obtained by CBS News, tracks the movements of the boat that carried Nolan Wells to Horn Island on July 4. Wells was found dead after going missing following an outing on the island.

The vessel left a dock at approximately 9:56 a.m. that morning and arrived at Horn Island at 11:14 a.m. CBS News has previously reported that Wells was not on the boat when it departed the island. 

According to the GPS data, the boat left Horn Island at 4:31 p.m. and returned to its original departure dock. It then traveled into Fort Bayou around 5:52 p.m. before returning to the dock at 6:06 p.m.

Later that evening, the boat went to the Fort Bayou boat launch at 7:19 p.m., according to the MSDMR report. From there, it traveled over land — presumably towed by a vehicle — to the Biloxi, Mississippi, residence of the boat’s owners. 

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The MSDMR report indicates that the boat’s owner, his mother and one other individual who was reportedly with Wells on the day of the incident have cooperated with the investigation.

The department’s report ends on July 5, following notification that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office would take over as the lead investigative agency.

This undated photo provided by the family in July 2026 shows Nolan Xavier Wells with his mother, Christine Wonsley.

Family photo via AP

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Wells, 18, was last seen on July 4 on Horn Island, where he had taken a boat trip with friends to celebrate the holiday, officials said. Wells traveled to the island with his friends but did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said.

He was last seen on the island at 3 p.m., according to attorney Ben Crump’s office. His mother reported him missing later that night and a search began.

His body was discovered July 6 off the coast of the island, which is about 10 miles south of the Mississippi mainland, following a search that involved the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service.

Dental records confirmed the body was Wells, Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd told CBS News. An autopsy took place on July 7, Lynd said, but the results were not immediately made public. Wells’ body was flown to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, according to Crump. 

Wells’ parents have said they don’t believe their son would’ve stayed behind on the island by choice when his friends left by boat.

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Christine and Elmore Wonsley, the parents of Nolan Wells, spoke to “CBS Mornings” on Friday, July 10, 2026.

CBS News


“No, he wouldn’t. Nolan always stays with the group,” Elmore Wonsley, Nolan’s father, told “CBS Mornings” last week. “If you be with me, you come back with me. So that I don’t understand, and with me being a parent, if I was in that situation, I would have told them, ‘You’re going to get back on this boat with me because I don’t want to answer to your parents if something happens to you.’”

When directly asked if he believed Nolan was left behind on the island, his father responded, “Yes. I don’t believe he decided to stay on the island by himself. It just doesn’t — that’s not his character.”

Wells went to Ocean Springs High School and was a rising sophomore on Southwest Mississippi Community College’s football team. Crump said Wells was a good swimmer.

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How permanent daylight saving time would impact Mississippi

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How permanent daylight saving time would impact Mississippi


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Are Americans finally done changing the clocks twice a year? Congress moved a step closer to ending the ritual after the U.S. House passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.

It hasn’t been approved by the Senate yet, but it did pass the House with broad support (308-117). If it passes the Senate, it could be signed by President Donald Trump or become law without his signature, unless he vetoes it.

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Trump has previously backed ending twice-a-year time changes.

“I am going to work very hard to see The Sunshine Protection Act signed into Law. It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’” he wrote in a May Truth Social post.

A few versions of the Sunshine Protection Act were introduced in Congress. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, introduced the one that’s gaining ground last year.

Here’s what to know about daylight saving time and the move to change it.

What is daylight saving time and why do we use it?

Daylight saving time is the practice of setting clocks forward an hour from March until November in an effort to gain more sunlight during the summer months.

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According to the Library of Congress, it was first enacted in 1918 as a fuel cost-saving measure during World War I.

Daylight saving time became federal law under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Under the law, some states can opt to exempt themselves from daylight saving time.

Would Mississippi keep daylight saving time year-round?

In 2021, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law saying the state plans to stick with daylight saving time year-round. But that only takes effect if Congress changes the federal law to let states adopt it all the time. A bill updating the effective date died in committee in the 2026 session.

Nineteen states, including Mississippi, are ready to make daylight saving time permanent if Congress changes the law to make the twice-a-year time shift optional, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

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How later sunrises would affect Mississippi

Sunrise and sunset times in summer would look the same.

But the period from November to March would be different. The amount of daylight would be the same, just shifted an hour later than usual.

Mississippi could expect the latest winter sunrises around 7:59 a.m. in mid-January. The earliest sunsets would shift from about 4:46 p.m. in early December to 5:46 p.m., according to timeanddate.com.

Why permanent daylight saving time failed before

Yes. Congress did drop Daylight Saving Time before.

The move failed in 1974 after parents worried about kids going to school before dawn, risking more vehicle crashes.

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Some parts of the country, like Michigan or Indiana, don’t see sunrise until after 9 a.m. with the permanent daylight saving time.

When clocks fall back in 2026

Clocks will “fall back” from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, unless Congress changes the law.

Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November each year, under current law. That’s when we get back that missing hour of sleep from the spring time change.

Does Mississippi change clocks twice a year?

Yes. Mississippi, which is in the Central time zone, observes daylight saving time.

What time is it in Mississippi?

Visit timeanddate.com to see the current time in Jackson.

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Which states don’t observe daylight saving time?

Most of the U.S. participates in daylight saving time except for Hawaii and most of Arizona. The Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of the state does participate.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@usatodayco.com.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.





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Mississippi teen accused of killing elderly couple had worked for them before shooting: family

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Mississippi teen accused of killing elderly couple had worked for them before shooting: family


A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he’s accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court.

Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi.

Family members of Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that he knew the couple.

Family members testified that Hobbs did work for the Blairs for things like cleaning around the house before the alleged shooting, according to WAPT.

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Billy Newsome, Hobbs’ grandfather, said he believes his grandson was called to work on the day of the alleged shooting but believes he’s innocent.

“My grandson used to work for the man, why you gone rob a man that you work for,” Newsome said. “Why you gone stay there that long and you know the police out there, and then you gone wait until everybody gets there to run, it just ain’t adding up, something just ain’t right here.”

Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Rankin County Jail

On June 3, three contractors installing a generator at the Blairs’ home discovered Carol Blair’s car door open with several guns on the seats around 10 a.m., prompting them to call the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department for a welfare check at 11:30 a.m, according to a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigator.

By noon, the investigator said that officers arrived and were met with shots fired at them, starting a nearly two-hour-long standoff.

Hobbs was captured after trying to run away from officers, the official said, adding that the teen was unarmed when he was caught.

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Family members testified that Hobbs worked for Billy and Virginia Blair before they were found shot to death. Family Handout
Hobbs was captured after trying to run away from officers, the official said, adding that the teen was unarmed when he was caught. 16 WAPT News Jackson

Carol Blair was found in a bedroom curled in the fetal position and had three gunshots to the back of her head. Bill Blair was found lying on his back in the kitchen with three gunshot wounds to his face.

The state investigator said three firearms were found inside the home as well as 280 shell casings, all owned by Bill Blair.

Hobbs’ defense attorney, Zachary Vaugh, argued that there’s a lack of direct forensic evidence connecting the teenager to the shooting.

Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond. WLBT

“There was nothing to say he’s a principal, he’s the one that pulled the trigger on these things,” Vaugh said. “One of the things alone was, one of the victims was shot twice on one side of the head and once on the other. I think that’s pretty compelling that somebody else may have been in there. There’s a lot of things that are possible, just a tremendous amount of things.”

“When you have an officer say there’s no one that can identify him at the time of the shooting, I just don’t see how that adds up,” he said.

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Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond.

In a statement on Facebook, the couple’s family previously said, “We are crushed in spirit, bruised, and brokenhearted, but we are not alone.”

Jason Busby, who was friends with the couple, remembered them as being extremely selfless when speaking with WLBT.

“The man would’ve given you the shirt off his back, his wife is the same, and they’re just great people. It’s just a tragedy,” Busby said. “Everybody around here is still in shock. They were just good people.”

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