MICHAEL GOLDBERG

Mississippi government and politics reporter

FILE - This combination of photos shows, from top left, former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield appearing at the Rankin County Circuit Court in Brandon, Miss., Aug. 14, 2023. Two Black men who were tortured for hours by the six Mississippi law enforcement officers in 2023 called Monday, March 18, 2024, for a federal judge to impose the strictest possible penalties at their sentencings this week. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

White former officers get sentences of 10 to 40 years in torture of 2 Black men in Mississippi

A federal judge has given prison terms of about 10 to 40 years to six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to breaking into a home without a warrant and torturing two Black men.

FILE - This combination of photos shows, from top left, former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield appearing at the Rankin County Circuit Court in Brandon, Miss., Aug. 14, 2023. Two Black men who were tortured for hours by the six Mississippi law enforcement officers in 2023 called Monday, March 18, 2024, for a federal judge to impose the strictest possible penalties at their sentencings this week. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi ex-deputy gets 40-year sentence as judge decries brutal attack on 2 Black men

A fourth former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced for his part in torturing two Black men.

Former Rankin County sheriff’s deputy Hunter Elward, right, appears in the Rankin County Circuit Court in Brandon, Miss., Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi ‘Goon Squad’ deputies get yearslong sentences for racist torture of 2 Black men

Two former Mississippi sheriff’s deputies have each been sentenced for their part in torturing two Black men after a neighbor complained that the men were staying in a home with a white woman.

Michael Corey Jenkins, left, and Eddie Terrell Parker, right, stand with lead attorney Malik Shabazz, as they call on a federal judge Monday, March 18, 2024, at a news conference in Jackson, Miss., to impose the harshest possible penalties against six former Mississippi Rankin County law enforcement officers who committed numerous acts of racially motivated, violent torture on them in 2023. The six former law officers pleaded guilty to a number of charges for torturing them. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

2 Black men tortured by Mississippi officers call for toughest sentences

Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men will be sentenced by a federal judge starting Tuesday.

FILE - Mississippi Senate Education Committee member David Parker, R-Olive Branch, asks a question during a legislative committee update at the state Capitol, Feb. 8, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. Parker legislation to restore a statewide ballot initiative process passed the state Senate on Thursday, March 14, but its path to becoming law has narrowed amid mixed support from lawmakers. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi ballot initiative process faces narrowing path to being restored

A push to revive Mississippi’s ballot initiative process is in peril after attracting mixed support from lawmakers.

FILE - House Medicaid Committee Chairman Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, listens as committee members offer comment at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. House lawmakers in Mississippi approved a bill Wednesday, March 13, 2024, that would define sex as binary, following the lead of Republican-controlled legislatures around the country aiming to restrict the legal recognition of transgender identities. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Transgender recognition would be blocked under Mississippi bill defining sex as ‘man’ or ‘woman’

House lawmakers in Mississippi have approved a bill that would define sex as binary. The bill passed Wednesday follows the lead of Republican-controlled legislatures around the country that are aiming to restrict the legal recognition of transgender identities.

FILE - Mississippi Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, speaks during a debate at the state Capitol, Feb. 7, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. For the second year in a row, the Mississippi Senate has passed a bill that would transfer control of the state capital's troubled water system to a regional board. Parker introduced a slightly modified version of the bill after it died in the House last session. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi Senate votes to change control of Jackson’s troubled water system

The Mississippi Senate has passed a bill for the second year in a row that would transfer control of the state capital city’s troubled water system to a regional board.

Mississippi Senate Education Committee Chairman Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, discusses legislation that makes changes to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) in the Senate chamber, Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi legislators are moving toward a showdown on how to pay for public schools

A conflict is building among Mississippi legislative leaders over whether to tweak an education funding formula or ditch it and set a new one.

FILE - Mississippi Sen. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi, presents an appropriations bill for a vote in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol, March 15, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. Under a bill passed by the state Senate on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, local prosecutors could charge people who possess and manufacture modified machine guns. These weapons, which are made with 3-D printers and can be bought on the internet, can fire multiple rounds at a rapid clip. The proliferation of these devices has led to deadly crimes, DeLano said. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi lawmakers moving to crack down on machine gun conversion devices

Legislation is advancing in Mississippi that would ban most devices used to convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones.

Mississippi House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Loyd Roberson II, R-Starkville, speaks about a bill under the committee's consideration as both chambers of the Mississippi State Legislature face a deadline for their respective committees to report on general bills originating in their own chamber, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

School funding and ballot initiatives are among issues surviving in Mississippi Legislature

Proposals to rewrite Mississippi’s school funding formula and to revive a ballot initiative process are among the bills that survived the first major deadline of the legislative session.

FILE - A Lexington, Miss., police cruiser is parked outside their facility near the town square, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. The Lexington police department unconstitutionally jailed people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they could afford to pay them, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi police unconstitutionally jailed people for unpaid fines, Justice Department says

The U.S. Department of Justice says a Mississippi police department in one of the nation’s poorest counties unconstitutionally jailed people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they could afford to pay them.

FILE - Mississippi state Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, listens to a discussion during a Joint Legislative Budget Committee meeting, Nov. 15, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. Boyd said on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2024, that Mississippi could improve health outcomes for mothers and babies by allowing Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi passes quicker pregnancy Medicaid coverage to try to reduce deaths of moms and babies

The Mississippi Legislature is sending a bill to the governor that will allow Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy in an effort to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.

Mississippi House Medicaid Committee Chairwoman Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, right, asks a question of the representatives from the Hilltop Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, unseen, who presented a brief on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in Mississippi, to the committee, media and lobbyists at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024. Committee member State Rep. Clay Mansell, R-Clinton, left, was among the legislators who attended the briefing. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Medicaid expansion proposal advances through Republican-led Mississippi House, will go to Senate

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led House passed a bill Wednesday that would expand Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands more residents in one of the poorest states in the U.S. — a landmark shift after state leaders refused to consider the policy for years.

FILE - Mississippi Sen. John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, listens to a discussion about education at the state Capitol, Feb. 8, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. Polk filed a bill to close three of Mississippi's eight public universities by 2028, but other legislators say the bill is unlikely to become law. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

A bill would close 3 of Mississippi’s 8 universities, but lawmakers say it’s likely to die

A bill proposed in Mississippi would close three of its universities, but lawmakers say it is unlikely to pass. Republican Sen.

Mississippi House Medicaid Committee Chairperson Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, left, listens as Drew Snyder, executive director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, gives members of the committee an outline of the state's Medicaid program at the Mississippi Capitol, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi’s Republican-led House will consider Medicaid expansion for the first time

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is one step closer to what would be a landmark shift in health care policy, with the Republican-led House preparing to debate expansion of Medicaid benefits to hundreds of thousands more residents in one of the poorest states in the U.S.

FILE - Mississippi Rep. Gene Newman, R-Pearl, speaks, Feb. 15, 2024, at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss. State lawmakers advanced a bill sponsored by Newman out of a House committee Thursday, Feb. 22, that would require inmate restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping quarters in correctional facilities to be designated for use only by members of one sex. If prisoners encounter someone of the opposite sex in any of those areas, they could sue the prison. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi might allow incarcerated people to sue prisons over transgender inmates

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A bill before Mississippi lawmakers might allow incarcerated people to sue jails and prisons if they encounter inmates from the opposite sex, such as those who are transgender, in restrooms or changing areas.

Mississippi House Medicaid Committee Chairwoman Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, right, asks a question of the representatives from the Hilltop Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, unseen, who presented a brief on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in Mississippi, to the committee, media and lobbyists at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024. Committee member State Rep. Clay Mansell, R-Clinton, left, was among the legislators who attended the briefing. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Georgia has the nation’s only Medicaid work requirement. Mississippi could be next

After years of refusing to expand Medicaid, some of Mississippi’s Republican leaders now say they are open to the policy.

FILE - A watch tower stands high on the grounds of the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, March 20, 2019, in Pearl, Miss. Incarcerated women in Mississippi were forced to mix raw cleaning chemicals without protective equipment, with one alleging she later contracted terminal cancer and was denied timely medical care, a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, alleges. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi inmates were exposed to dangerous chemicals and denied health care, lawsuit says

A federal lawsuit says inmates at a Mississippi prison were forced to mix raw cleaning chemicals without protective equipment.

Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, left, and Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, right, shake hands after the governor announced a major public safety operation called Operation Unified for the city of Jackson, involving coordinated efforts between state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies to get drug traffickers and violent criminals off the capital city's streets, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi governor announces new law enforcement operation to curb crime in capital city

Law enforcement officials have surged local, state and federal resources to Mississippi’s capital city for a new operation aimed at curbing crime. Gov.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs an executive order in the Blue Room at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. In Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order in December barring state agencies and universities from spending money diversity initiatives. (Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman via AP)

Republican lawmakers are backing dozens of bills targeting diversity efforts on campus and elsewhere

Diversity initiatives would be defunded or banned from universities and other public institutions under a slate of bills pending in Republican-led legislatures, with some lawmakers counting on the issue resonating with voters in this election year.

Mar-Jac Poultry in Hattiesburg, Miss., shown in July 26, 2023. The mother of a 16-year-old who died in a workplace accident at the Mississippi poultry factory is suing the companies who hired him to work at the plant, accusing them of failing to follow safety standards that would have prevented his death. (Lici Beveridge/Hattiesburg American via AP)

A Mississippi poultry plant is being sued by a woman whose 16-year-old son died working there

The mother of a 16-year-old who died in a workplace accident at a Mississippi poultry factory is suing the companies that hired and employed him.

Oleta Fitzgerald, Director of the Children's Defense Fund's Southern Regional Office, speaks about her concerns about the state's Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM) initiative and whether it will adequately provide quality and affordable broadband to the underserved communities statewide at a news conference at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Representatives from over 10 statewide organizations shared their concerns to media. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi will spend billions on broadband. Advocates say needy areas have been ignored

A coalition of statewide organizations says Mississippi’s plan for spending $1.2 billion in federal funds to expand broadband access does not ensure the neediest communities in the state will benefit.

Mississippi House Gaming Committee Chairman Casey Eure, R-Saucier, presents the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, legislation that would legalize mobile sports betting while requiring gambling companies to contract with brick-and- mortar gambling establishments, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, on the floor of the Mississippi House of Representatives at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi House passes bill to legalize online sports betting

The Mississippi House has passed a bill that would legalize online sports betting. The move brings the state one step closer to joining 29 other states that already allow the practice.

FILE - FanDuel, DraftKings and other online gambling apps are displayed on a phone in San Francisco, Sept. 26, 2022. A Mississippi House committee advanced legislation Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, called the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act. The bill would legalize mobile sports betting while requiring gambling companies to contract with brick-and-mortar gambling establishments. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Mississippi lawmakers advance bill to legalize online sports betting

A bill advancing in Mississippi’s Legislature would legalize online sports betting in the state. Analysts say consumer demand for online sports betting in Mississippi continues to fuel a thriving black market.

Mississippi State Rep. Fred Shanks, R-Brandon, waves a copy of his proposed resolution that would allow Mississippi residents to put policy proposals on statewide ballots, except for abortion and a few other issues, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. The Republican-dominated House approved the resolution in an 80-36 vote.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi ballot initiative proposal would not allow changes to abortion laws

After repeated failed attempts, Mississippi lawmakers are trying again to revive a ballot initiative process.

This undated photo provided by Institute for Justice shows Clarence Cocroft II, who opened Tru Source Medical Cannabis in Olive Branch, Miss. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary who sued Mississippi over state regulations that he says censor business owners by preventing them from advertising. In a Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 ruling, U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills said he agreed with Mississippi's argument that since the possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law, it is not a “lawful activity,” and therefore does not enjoy the constitutional protections granted to some forms of commercial speech. (Institute for Justice via AP)

Mississippi restrictions on medical marijuana advertising upheld by federal judge

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary who says state regulations that forbid him from advertising in most media amount to censorship.

FILE - Ted Henifin, interim water manager for JXN Water, the water system for the city of Jackson, Miss., demonstrates how to run faucet water like a "thin line of spaghetti with intermittent breaks" in order to deal with expected below freezing weather, at a news conference in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. Law enforcement agencies are investigating whether social media rumors about a potential water outage prompted people to quickly fill containers with tap water in Mississippi's capital during a cold snap and cause a drop in pressure that temporarily made taps run dry to thousands of households on the city’s long-troubled system. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Online rumors partially to blame for drop in water pressure in Mississippi capital, manager says

Law enforcement agencies are investigating whether social media rumors about a potential water outage prompted people to quickly fill bathtubs with tap water in Mississippi’s capital during a cold snap.

Following a news conference inside the Mississippi Capitol, Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney speaks to reporters about what must be done to improve Mississippi's status as the nation's unhealthiest state across several metrics, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi has the highest rate of preventable deaths in the US, health official says

Mississippi’s State Health Officer says even as the state improves some of its poor health outcomes, more of its people die from preventable deaths than residents of any other state.

FILE - A sign stands outside the U.S. Department of Labor's headquarters, May 6, 2020, in Washington. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found numerous safety violations in its investigation of the July 2023 workplace accident that caused the death of Duvan Pérez, a Guatemalan teenager who had been a contract worker at the Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Miss., the agency said in a news release on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Federal labor investigators say poultry company’s inaction led to the death of a teenage worker

Federal regulators say a Mississippi poultry plant’s failure to follow safety protocols led to the death of a 16-year-old worker who was pulled into a machine last July.

Ted Henifin, interim water manager, for JXN Water, the water system for the city of Jackson, Miss., demonstrates how to run faucet water like a "thin line of spaghetti with intermittent breaks" in order to deal with expected below freezing weather, at a news conference in Jackson, Miss., Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. During the news conference, Henifin also questioned the Mississippi Department of Health's recent results regarding the quality of the city's water. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi officials say water in state capital is safe one day after E. coli scare

The Mississippi State Health Department says Jackson’s water is safe to consume. That Friday announcement came one day after health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water.