@GeoffPender

Hunter-gatherer. Political reporter Mississippi Today. [email protected]

 Jackson, Miss.
mississippitoday.org
Joined November 2011
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269Media
Revised #msleg vote on HB2 was 61-59. Looks like 17 Rs voted no, two either absent or took a walk. A squeaker for the speaker
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Could currently illegal psychedelic drug help opioid addiction and other problems? Should Mississippi invest in testing it? mississippitoday.org/2025/10… #MSLeg

Could psychedelic drug help opioid addiction?

Ben Bush, a former U.S. Army Ranger combat veteran from Brandon, shares his story of his struggle with PTSD after returning home from overseas combat.

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Here's a guide to Mississippi's special legislative elections: mississippitoday.org/2025-sp… #MSLeg

2025 Special Election Guide

Explore our guide to learn about the candidates in Mississippi’s 2025 special election in the fall.

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Podcast: Author, former GOP strategist Stuart Stevens says Republican Party has 'declared war on the future' mississippitoday.org/2025/06…

Podcast: Author, former GOP strategist Stuart Stevens says Republican Party has ‘declared war on...

Reena Evers-Everette talks with Mississippi Today about her father’s Civil Rights legacy, and his humanity, in advance of Medgar Evers at 100 Weekend events June 26-29th at the Jackson Convention…

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House passes bill that threatens Mississippi's Medicaid funding, then skedaddles, leaves Senate holding bag mississippitoday.org/2025/05… #MSLeg

House passes bill that threatens Mississippi’s Medicaid funding, then skedaddles, leaves Senate...

Some senators lamented setting a budget, controlling the state’s purse strings, is the domain of the Legislature, not the executive branch, and they bristled at the idea of Reeves having to fix…

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Podcast: Famed political consultant James Carville, the "Ragin' Cajun," handicaps national, Mississippi politics in the Trump era mississippitoday.org/2025/05…

Podcast: Famed political consultant James Carville, the “Ragin’ Cajun,” handicaps national,...

James Carville says Democrats lost in 2024 but, “We played our seventh-string quarterback and still only lost by a point-and-a-half.” He said a serious Democratic challenger (and he has a particular...

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‘A casino in every pocket’: Mississippi illegal online sports betting thrives as legalization stalls

The persistence of a thriving black market and an estimated $40 million to $80 million a year in tax revenue legal sports betting could bring in has prompted a fierce push for Mississippi lawmakers...

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Questions to ask Mississippi lawmakers about transparency, ethics, special-interest money #MSLeg mississippitoday.org/2025/04…

Questions to ask Mississippi lawmakers about transparency, ethics, special-interest money

Column: Ask lawmakers whether they believe Mississippi government is riddled with cronyism, nepotism or pay-to-play politics.

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House Speaker Jason White and his staff went on a trip to the Super Bowl that was paid for, at least in part, by DraftKings, one of the nation’s highest-grossing gaming companies that has invested heavily in lobbying for legal online betting. mississippitoday.org/2025/04…

House Speaker Jason White, staff treated to Super Bowl by gambling giant pushing for legalized...

Thanks to a loophole in Mississippi’s lax lobbying laws, there is no public report to date of the expensive weekend in lobbying reports that are supposed to document spending on behalf of state…

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In total, the Sports Betting Alliance, a group representing DraftKings and other gaming organizations, has spent at least $454,000 since last year on lobbying and campaign donations in Mississippi
Geoffrey Pender@GeoffPender23 Apr 2025
House Speaker Jason White, staff treated to Super Bowl by gambling giant pushing for legalized betting mississippitoday.org/2025/04… #MSLeg

House Speaker Jason White, staff treated to Super Bowl by gambling giant pushing for legalized...

Thanks to a loophole in Mississippi’s lax lobbying laws, there is no public report to date of the expensive weekend in lobbying reports that are supposed to document spending on behalf of state…

mississippitoday.org
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House Speaker Jason White, staff treated to Super Bowl by gambling giant pushing for legalized betting mississippitoday.org/2025/04… #MSLeg

House Speaker Jason White, staff treated to Super Bowl by gambling giant pushing for legalized...

Thanks to a loophole in Mississippi’s lax lobbying laws, there is no public report to date of the expensive weekend in lobbying reports that are supposed to document spending on behalf of state…

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Follow here for updates mississippitoday.org/2025/04…

Electing Jackson’s leaders: Live updates in Lumumba-Horhn mayoral, council runoffs

Follow along for updates as Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and longtime state Senator John Horhn compete in the Democratic primary runoff for mayor Tuesday.

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Trump administration slashes education funding. Mississippi leaders and schools panic mississippitoday.org/2025/04…

Trump administration slashes education funding. Mississippi leaders and schools panic

Schools were already using the money to pay for a range of initiatives, including literacy and mathematics programs, mental health services, construction projects for outdated school facilities and…

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A win for press freedom: Judge dismisses Gov. Phil Bryant’s lawsuit against Mississippi Today mississippitoday.org/2025/04…

A win for press freedom: Judge dismisses Gov. Phil Bryant’s lawsuit against Mississippi Today

A state judge dismissed former Gov. Phil Bryant’s defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today, ending a nearly two-year case that became a beacon in the fight for American press freedom.

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The Senate is about to put the 2025 regular session of the Mississippi Legislature out of its misery, sine die. Governor will force lawmakers back at some point to finish a state budget before fiscal year ends June 30 #msleg
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Democrats (and rural GOP for that matter) could have, in exchange for helping the GOP leadership get income tax elimination some have long coveted, demanded equity in how state divvies up money for roads and other infrastructure and economic development. mississippitoday.org/2025/03…

GOP tax battle gave Mississippi Democrats golden opportunity. Instead, they just went along for the...

There’s a very good chance Republican leaders will soon need to find more state revenue, and as the saying goes, the only crop government grows is taxes. They might very well need Democratic help.

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#msleg mississippitoday.org/2025/03…

GOP tax battle gave Mississippi Democrats golden opportunity. Instead, they just went along for the...

There’s a very good chance Republican leaders will soon need to find more state revenue, and as the saying goes, the only crop government grows is taxes. They might very well need Democratic help.

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How did the Mississippi Typo Tax Swap Act of 2025 happen? Legislative recap #msleg mississippitoday.org/2025/03…

How did the Mississippi Typo Tax Swap Act of 2025 happen? Legislative recap

In the end, it wasn’t earnest negotiation or any agreement between the two sides that led to the passage of total income tax elimination in Mississippi — it was a few typos.

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The Senate had accidentally put in some decimal points that essentially eliminated the growth triggers that would have staved off full elimination of the income tax for years. mississippitoday.org/2025/03…

The Typo Tax Swap Act of 2025 may be the most Mississippi thing ever

Analysis: In one of the most bizarre episodes under the dome on High Street of modern times, the Mississippi Legislature inadvertently passed the first total state income tax elimination in American…

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#msleg mississippitoday.org/2025/03…

The Typo Tax Swap Act of 2025 may be the most Mississippi thing ever

Analysis: In one of the most bizarre episodes under the dome on High Street of modern times, the Mississippi Legislature inadvertently passed the first total state income tax elimination in American…

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