The Other Side: Mississippi Today's Political Podcast

Pettus shares a few war stories with Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender, including her dealings with the irascible former Gov. Kirk Fordice.   

State Economist Corey Miller talks with Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Bobby Harrison about the state of the state economy, chances of recession amid trade war, federal spending cuts and state tax overhaul. He declines to answer questions about MSU baseball.

With Mississippi's lack of laws and transparency, citizens are often in the dark about special-interest spending to influence politicians. Mississippi Today's politics team discusses its recent article shedding light on efforts by DraftKings and others lobbying for legalized online sports betting, including the speaker of the House and his staff being treated to the Super Bowl game this year.

Mississippi House Minority Leader Robert Johnson discusses the 2025 legislative session that was derailed by Republican infighting with Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Bobby Harrison, and outlines issues he'd like to see addressed in a pending special session.

Cecil Brown, who previously served as a key member of the state House, talks with Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison, Taylor Vance and Michael Goldberg about budget battles, past and present, and about the importance of the state budget. He also gives his thoughts on the tax bill passed during the 2025 session.   

Mississippi Today's political team unpacks the just ended -- for now -- legislative session, that crashed at the end with GOP lawmakers unable to pass a budget after much infighting among Republican leaders. The crowning achievement of the session, a tax overhaul bill, was passed by accident and full of major errors and omissions.

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson gives Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Michael Goldberg an update on the challenges facing Mississippi farmers, including the burgeoning trade war with countries that buy our chicken, soybeans, cotton and other products as well as rising costs and immigration/labor issues. Gipson, a man of many hats besides his trademark cowboy o...

Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus, joins Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Sophia Paffenroth to explain the importance of passing her legislation during the 2025 session to ensure local emergency rooms use rape kits in a timely manner.

Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins gives an update on where negotiations stand on tax overhaul proposals in the Mississippi Legislature, and his thoughts on the differing Senate and House proposals that would include cutting or eliminating the personal income tax and raising taxes on gasoline.

Mississippi Today's politics team outlines some challenges lawmakers face in the final month of their session, from uncertainty of the effects the Trump administration moves will have on the state level. They also discuss what lived and died with last week's deadline for committee passage.

Dr. Randy McCoy, a retired longtime public school superintendent and member of the state employee retirement system board, says a plan passed by the Senate aimed at financially stabilizing PERS would cause long-term problems in hiring and retaining teachers and other state employees. He says the system can be shored up with less drastic reductions in benefits for future employees. 

Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England defends his early voting bill, for which his fellow Republican Gov. Tate Reeves slammed him on social media. England said it's time Mississippi join 47 other states in allowing the convenience of early voting, and the issue should not be partisan.

Rep. Kevin Felsher of Biloxi discusses the bill he authored, and the House passed unanimously, to provide eight weeks of paid maternity or adoption leave, two weeks for fathers/secondary caregivers for state employees. 

Mississippi Today's health team outlines the major health care issues the Mississippi Legislature is dealing with in the 2025 session.

State Rep. Zakiya Summers discusses with Mississippi Today's Anna Wolfe, Maya Miller and Geoff Pender some of the issues the Capitol city of Jackson and the Metro Area face, and legislative priorities to deal with them.

House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, a Republican from Starkville, outlines for Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Michael Goldberg some of the top issues his committee will tackle this legislative session.

Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Brad White tells Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Taylor Vance he's staying "in his lane" and out of the politics of a House tax overhaul that would eliminate the income tax and raise sales and gasoline taxes, but that he's pleased lawmakers are trying to address the longrunning need for a steady new stream of money to help cover highway mainte...

Sen. Dean Kirby, second ranking leader of the state Senate, says many of the issues Mississippi lawmakers will be tackling this year are recurring ones: tax cuts, education funding, Medicaid expansion, and issues with the Public Employees Retirement System. He's also helping lead court mandated redistricting that will likely result in do-over elections later this year for numerous lawmakers.

The Mississippi Today politics team, including its two newest members, Simeon Gates and Michael Goldberg, outline the major issues lawmakers face as the 2025 legislative session begins this week.

Former Auditor Steve Patterson joins Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender to discuss a government waste study he conducted in the 1990s. Patterson draws contrasts between his 1990s study, which was legally authorized by the Legislature, and a highly scrutinized 2024 study from current Auditor Shad White, who did not get legislative authorization before spending $2 mi...

Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison talks with Ray Higgins, executive director of the Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System, about proposed changes in pension benefits for future employees and what is needed to protect the system for current employees and retirees. Higgins also stresses the importance of the massive system to the Mississippi economy.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender recap a wild situation in which three prominent Republicans with 2027 gubernatorial ambitions — Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Auditor Shad White — are engaged in an intra-party food fight.

Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender talk with former state Rep. Steve Holland about the bizarre case of a Tupelo martial arts instructor mailing ricin to elected officials and attempting to frame an Elvis Presley impersonator for the crime. The episode is now the subject of a Netflix documentary entitled "The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga," which premiers Wednesday. The do...

Nancy Loome, director of the public education advocacy group The Parents Campaign, outlines major issues for the Mississippi Legislature's 2025 session to Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison and the newest member of the politics team, Simeon Gates, who will be covering education issues at the Capitol.

Richard Roberson, president and CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association, tells Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender a new Trump administration would likely approve Mississippi Medicaid expansion work requirements. He says revamping the state's certificate of need laws is likely to be a major issue before lawmakers, and he discusses a new alliance of hospitals that left the MHA a...