Patrick Miller

A delegation of Mississippi State officials visited the future home of the university’s international programs headquartered in Rome, Italy, this month and participated in a personal audience with Pope Leo XIV. 🔗tinyurl.com/54av4wmd

WHAT JUST HAPPENED

#ICYMI: Governor Haley Barbour, Mark Keenum of @msstate, Judge Leslie Southwick, Brad White of @MississippiDOT, and Nehemiah Flowers, discussed US Senator Thad Cochran for #HistoryIsLunch at the Two Mississippi Museums. Watch the event at bit.ly/4lBtanv.

Big Play Slay - 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. #HailState || @bigplay24slay

MSU President Mark E. Keenum was among the featured speakers at today’s “History is Lunch” event entitled “The Life and Legacy of Thad Cochran” sponsored by the Miss. Department of Archives and History. Keenum previously served as the late powerful senator’s chief of staff on Capitol Hill. Other speakers included former Gov. Haley Barbour, Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Leslie Southwick, Nehemiah Flowers, and Brad White.

BigPlay✌🏾

Darius Slay has announced his retirement from the NFL. Legend! @bigplay24slay congrats bro 🫡

Staying in The 🅰️ Welcome back, Natrone!

Congratulations, Starkville! 🐝🏆

It was an honor and blessing to meet Pope Leo and deliver a message of the continued importance of prayer for Ukraine and peace around the world.

HB 2 Killed by the Senate After passing the House Education Committee and the full Mississippi House of Representatives last month, HB 2 was defeated this afternoon by the Senate Education Committee. In a move as inexplicable as it was unnecessary, the committee brought the bill up a full month before any deadline, immediately called the vote, and unanimously killed the bill on a voice vote. The entire committee meeting lasted roughly 90 seconds. There were no questions. No debate. No discussion. No testimony. No one spoke in favor or against the bill. This was not just a procedural maneuver. It was a strategic decision to side with the entrenched interests of the system over the overwhelming majority of Mississippians who believe parents should make decisions about their children's education, even though there was still ample opportunity to deliberate, refine, and reach an agreeable compromise. This means leaving thousands of children behind, trapped in schools that don’t meet their needs. We are disappointed. We are frustrated. But we are not deterred. There are still 61 days remaining in the 2026 legislative session, and additional opportunities remain to expand education freedom to more Mississippi families. While HB 2 is dead, the movement for education freedom is not. We are deeply grateful to @JasonWhiteMS and House leaders who stood with Mississippi parents and had the courage to pass HB 2. We are also grateful to every supporter who called, emailed, showed up, and spoke out for education freedom. Today is a sobering reminder that real change is hard and that entrenched systems rarely yield without a fight. But this setback does not define the future. Together, we will continue pressing forward until every Mississippi family has the freedom to choose the education that works best for their child.

This one needs no introduction 🌈 “St.Stephen,” on Playboy After Dark, 1/18/69.

A major problem is that due to the current news cycle I keep hearing Wallace Shawn’s voice in my head

Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow expressed the need for individualized education, school choice at a EmpowerMS Solutions Summit. Tebow’s message was clear – parents, children and families thrive when they find love, care and an educational experience that meets their needs. magnoliatribune.com/2026/01/22/teb…

Mississippi’s momentum didn’t happen by accident. In the newest episode of the Empower Podcast, Governor @tatereeves explains how conservative reforms, strong education policy, and a commitment to work are driving economic growth and setting Mississippi up for long-term success. Catch the full interview: empowerms.org/governor-tate-…

House Bill 2 has passed the final House hurdle and now heads to the Senate. I appreciate @JasonWhiteMS’ leadership on this issue. I appreciate Education Chairman Roberson and Representative @JansenOwen for doing the hard work. And I appreciate the House Republicans who voted… Well, the ones that voted like Republicans!! The easy way out was to vote “no.” You instead chose to do what was right! I appreciate you. And I know @POTUS Trump and @EDSecMcMahon - and the kids across Mississippi that just need someone in the Capitol to care about them - do too.

Tonight, I watched Indiana University win the National Championship with just my mom, a Hoosier, and me. I’ll never forget it.

Let us not waste our time and energies chasing after appearances. Rather, let us learn from John the Baptist to remain vigilant, to love simplicity, to be sincere in our words, to live soberly, and to cultivate a depth of mind and heart. #GospelOfToday (Jn 1:29-34)

🙌🏻💀🌹