Mississippi
Subjects in MS Auditor Shad White’s book on Welfare Scandal challenge portrayals

When State Auditor Shad White told the Clarion Ledger in early August that his new book, “Mississippi Swindle” a personal telling of the $100 million Mississippi Welfare Scandal, was going to create waves, he wasn’t kidding.
He may not have considered, however, that some of those waves might challenge the validity of their portrayals in the book.
In more than 230 pages, White takes shots at several key players within the drama that has led local and federal prosecutors, state agencies and officials scrambling to identify, stop theft of, reclaim and prosecute those guilty of stealing Temporary Assistance to Needy Families funds.
Throughout the book, he highlights the work of his office, himself and others he worked with, and at times throws cold water on claims that former Republican Gov. Phil Bryant is as connected to the scandal as some believe.
White does not mention a Pulitzer Prize-winning series by Mississippi Today showing texts between Bryant and his former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis trying to influence and possibly broker a deal with a pharmaceutical company.
Of the people he calls out for bad behavior, animosity toward his office’s role, and alleged inaction in the case are most notably state GOP Chairman Mike Hurst and Attorney General Lynn Fitch.
Hurst and Fitch’s Chief of Staff Michelle Williams, who spoke to the Clarion Ledger about their portrayals in the book, both cast doubt on the accuracy of certain sections of the book, as well as question the motives and timing for the piece of work.
Below is what some of those mentioned in the “Mississippi Swindle” book have to say.
Mississippi GOP Chairman Mike Hurst
In his book, White describes Hurst as an egotistically motivated U.S. attorney who questioned White’s decisions at almost every point of their working together. He recounts conversations the two had behind closed doors before a meeting of investigators in which Hurst was passive aggressive with White’s decision to hand the case off to Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.
“Mike Hurst seemed more interested in re-litigating whether I should have given him the whole case in the beginning,” White writes in the book.
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The Clarion Ledger obtained text messages showing White’s efforts to set up a meeting with Hurt’s office to discuss what was at the time referred to as the “DHS case” in early 2020, before canceling the meeting and then bringing the case to Owens.
“The state auditor’s historical fiction novel may be entertaining, but it is certainly not truthful,” Hurst said in a written statement. “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. I have chosen over the last four years not to dwell on his decision to initially exclude the FBI and federal prosecutors from this investigation until after indictments were returned by the Hinds County District Attorney, thereby forgoing the great resources, experiences and tools of the U.S. Department of Justice and potentially limiting the scope and reach of the prosecution.”
White has for years defended the decision by saying he thought federal prosecutors would simply redo all of the state auditor’s work to identify the TANF theft and that they would take too long.
“The most important factor in the decision was speed,” White writes in the book. “I knew if we handed the case to the feds, it would be at least a year before anyone was indicted.”
In response to Hurst’s comments, White said Hurst was “not a good U.S. attorney.”
“If Mike had had his way, he would have slow-walked a prosecution and cost taxpayers millions of additional welfare dollars,” White said in a written statement to the Clarion Ledger.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch
In the book, White paints Fitch as unambitious in regard to the case and at times points to her potential connections to defendants in the lawsuit between MDHS and those who took TANF money as a roadblock. Her office said he dripped information to them, slowing progress.
“I tried to quiet my mind when it was suggested the AG’s office was going light on Nancy because of a personal connection between New and Fitch,” White writes. “Fitch had spoken at the opening of one of Nancy’s facilities, so I knew they were acquainted.”
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White in more than five instances in the book calls out Fitch and her office for perceived delays or not taking action in the case, including to recoup property purchased with TANF dollars by the News, the family who misappropriated millions through the Mississippi Community Education Center.
Fitch’s office, through Williams, said in a written statement that White is not a serious auditor, made politically motivated decisions early on in the case and that White and Owens slowly shared evidence with the AG’s Office and others, pushing the case down the road.
“He says he wanted a show of bipartisanship, but perhaps it was because he didn’t see a Democrat district attorney who just left his job suing the State as a threat to his ambitions,” Williams writes in the statement. “When Shad White finally shared the evidence, it was in the kind of slow drip that makes successful litigation more complicated. Being methodical and strategic may seem boring to him, but to those of us who take our work seriously, it’s the only way that demonstrates respect for the people and the law.”
In response, White said her office is playing damage control.
“She knows the book tells the truth about how she failed to prosecute a soul, failed to seize any property bought with stolen welfare money, and forced the state to hire private attorneys to get the welfare money back because she won’t do her job,” White said.
Background on the Welfare Scandal
In 2020, White released an audit report showing gross misuse of TANF spending totaling more than $100 million. Since then, MDHS has filed a lawsuit to reclaim those misspent funds from people, including former Southern Miss and NFL football player Brett Favre, more than three dozen other individuals, companies and groups.
Two other defendants in the case, Nancy and Zachary New, pleaded guilty in 2022 to several charges, including bribing a public official, fraud against the government and wire fraud, among others.
Most of the crimes relating to the welfare scandal have a five-year statute of limitations for prosecution.
Clarion Ledger reporters Mary Boyte, Ross Reily and Hattiesburg American Lici Beveridge contributed to this story.
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

Mississippi
Two found dead in North Mississippi, one in custody
Mississippi
Trump, FEMA approve disaster declaration from deadly March storms in MS

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Staff
- Federal disaster assistance has been approved for Mississippi following severe storms and tornadoes in March 2025.
- Funding will be available to individuals and businesses in several counties for housing repairs, temporary housing, and other recovery needs.
- Residents are encouraged to file insurance claims and then register for assistance online, by phone, or through the FEMA app.
- Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant was recently appointed to a FEMA review panel, while President Trump has considered eliminating the agency.
Disaster assistance is available to Mississippi after FEMA announced May 23 that it had approved a disaster declaration made by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves in the wake of severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding from March 14-15, 2025.
At least seven died in tornadoes that hit Covington, Jeff Davis and Walthall counties. In that same stretch, an earthquake was also recorded near Magee.
The White House announced in a release: “The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Covington, Grenada, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Leflore, Marion, Montgomery, Pike, Smith and Walthall counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”
E. Craig Levy, Sr. has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in those areas.
“Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding in Calhoun, Carroll, Covington, Grenada, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Lee, Leflore, Marion, Pike, Prentiss, Sharkey, Smith, Walthall and Washington counties.”
President Donald Trump has discussed the possibility of eliminating FEMA and pushing that work down to the states.
The president said he would reconsider “the whole concept of FEMA” and states with regular natural disasters like Florida hurricanes and Oklahoma tornadoes are efficiently handling the process.
In late April, the president added former Mississippi governor Phil Bryant to a FEMA review panel.
FEMA encouraged individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas to first first file claims with their insurance providers and then apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA app.
Staff Writer Bonnie Bolden contributed to this report.
Mississippi
Whooping cough cases rise in Mississippi. Where are most cases reported? What are symptoms?

Whooping cough: Symptoms, causes and treatments
Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial infection known for severe coughing fits and a distinctive “whoop” sound.
- Mississippi has seen a rise in whooping cough cases in 2025, exceeding the total from the previous year.
- District 2 leads the state in reported cases, while other districts also report infections.
- Infants under one year old are most vulnerable to severe complications from whooping cough.
- Vaccination is considered the most effective preventive measure against the disease.
Whooping cough cases in Mississippi are on the rise, already surpassing the total number reported for all of last year, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can cause serious breathing problems and even life-threatening complications. This bacterial infection can affect both children and adults, though it is more critical in infants and toddlers.
The state Department of Health said 60 whooping cough cases have been reported between Jan. 1 and Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
District 2 — which includes Lee, Tishomingo and Benton counties — reported the highest number of whooping cough cases, with 25 as of Tuesday.
District 5, which includes Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties, has reported eight cases. District 8, which includes Forrest, Lamar and Jones counties, has reported fewer than five cases.
Theresa Kittle, epidemiology program director at the Mississippi State Department of Health, said in 2024, “there were 49 pertussis cases reported to MSDH. This includes both confirmed and probable cases.”
Have whooping cough cases increased in Mississippi since 2017?
According to the state Department of Health, an average of 44 whooping cough cases between 2017 and 2019 were reported to MSDH each year.
Kittle stated from 2020 to 2023, the average number of reported cases dropped to five per year, reflecting a nationwide trend.
Kittle said, however, reported cases of pertussis increased across the United States and Mississippi in 2024, “indicating a return to more typical trends.”
In 2025, reported pertussis cases have varied weekly, ranging from zero to seven, with an average of three cases reported per week.
Kittle said there are peaks in reported cases of whooping cough every few years. Kittle said whooping cough is a common disease in the state and country.
“Pertussis cases can occur year-round,” Kittle said.
According to the American Lung Association, the illness is typically at its peak in the summer and fall months.
What are symptoms of whooping cough?
Whooping cough presents as the common cold initially, the according to the CDC, so watching for signs is important. If it’s whooping cough, symptoms tend to play out in three stages.
Stage 1: For a week or two, whooping cough presents as a cold. Those symptoms include:
- A runny or stuffy nose
- A low-grade fever under 100.4°F
- A mild cough could be present
- A more serious symptom that could appear early in babies is apnea (life-threatening pauses in breathing) that could result in cyanosis (when the skin turns blue or purple)
Stage 2: One to two weeks after becoming sick, coughing fits may develop. Some coughs will turn into paroxysms, which the CDC defines as “rapid, violent, and uncontrolled coughing fits.” This can last up to 10 weeks but is less likely to be severe or long-lasting the older you get, unless an individual is unvaccinated, the CDC states.
What to identify during coughing fits:
- A high-pitched “whoop” sound at the end of each coughing fit
- Vomiting due to excessive coughing
- Fatigue after coughing spells
- Breathing struggles
Stage 3: Recovery can last for up to three weeks. An individual’s cough will begin to diminish but may flare up again if another infection or illness is contracted.
Keep in mind that “coughing fits can return many months after the whooping cough illness started,” the CDC states.
Deaths due to whooping cough are “rare,” according to the Mayor Clinic.
Who is most at-risk of contracting whooping cough?
Age and underlying medical conditions can increase someone’s risk for getting a severe case of whooping cough.
Kittle said infants under 1-year-old are at the “greatest risk” for whooping cough and severe complications due to their immune systems still developing. Kittle said this age group “continues to have the highest reported rate of pertussis.”
Kittle noted that individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as immunocompromising conditions or moderate to severe asthma, are also at high risk for severe whooping cough infections.
“It’s especially important to prevent these people from getting sick,” Kittle said.
How to prevent whooping cough?
Good hygiene practices are recommended to help prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses that cause many respiratory illnesses.
Preventive antibiotics may be administered to individuals exposed to whooping cough to reduce the risk of illness.
The best way to prevent whooping cough is through “vaccination,” Kittle said, adding that the CDC recommends whooping cough vaccination for everyone.
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
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