The Other Side: Mississippi Today's Political Podcast

Mississippi's voucher program to help single working parents has been underfunded and difficult to navigate because of red tape.  Carol Burnett and Matt Williams of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care initiative explain how an influx of federal pandemic stimulus dollars could help. 

Jackson attorney Rob McDuff of the Mississippi Center for Justice discusses with Mississippi Today's political reporters Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender the efforts of him and others to invalidate state constitutional provision crafted in 1890 to prevent African Americans from voting.

Mississippi Today hosted a virtual town hall last week with key state leaders including Dr. Dan Edney, chief health officer at the Mississippi Department of Health, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, chief executive of University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. We also heard from several key education leases. Listen to the full town hall on this week's episode of The Other Side.

Mississippi Today journalists Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender discuss where in the process lawmakers are on passing a medical marijuana program to replace the one struck down by the Mississippi Supreme Court in May. Officials had promised a marijuana special session in August. Where are they?

Mississippi Today reporters Geoff Pender and Bobby Harrison join Adam Ganucheau to discuss Mississippi lawmakers' two-day hearings, when experts talked about the pros and cons of cutting the state's income tax and raising other taxes. 

Mississippi Today political reporters Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender discuss medical marijuana with Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, who has been leading the negotiations with Rep. Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, in hopes of reaching a compromise between the two legislative chambers on the issue.

Dr. Anita Henderson, a Hattiesburg pediatrician, joins Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau and Kate Royals to discuss the dramatic increase of COVID-19 delta variant cases among children. While experts are unsure whether the delta variant is more virulent or causes more severe illness in children, they are sure of this: There is far, far more of it.

Mississippi Today's political team discusses the recent leadership of Gov. Tate Reeves. As the state's COVID-19 crisis has become more dire than ever — as the state's hospital system is reportedly days to failure — Reeves has been largely out of the public eye and is receiving criticism from every quarter.

State Rep. Robert Johnson of Natchez, the House Democratic leader, expresses concerns during an interview with Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender that state leaders are not taking adequate steps to determine best way to spend about $6 billion coming to various governmental entities in Mississippi from the American Rescue Plan. State Rep. Robert Johnson of Natchez, the House Democr...

Mississippi Today journalists Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender recap events from the recently completed Neshoba County Fair and address other issues facing the state, ranging from medical marijuana to teacher pay raises to Critical Race Theory.

Mississippi Today reporters Will Stribling and Geoff Pender discuss the spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as Mississippi schools prepare to start the year. They also discuss what the state's leaders doing (or not) to promote vaccinations.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau and Bobby Harrison break down the redistricting process, Which Mississippi lawmakers will commence during the 2022 legislative session.

Brandon Jones, policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center's Action Funds, talks with Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender about results of the poll his organization commissioned on reinstating the ballot initiative process that was struck down by Mississippi Supreme Court.

Jessica Rice, the executive director of the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association, talks with Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau and Geoff Pender about the potential economic impact of a medical marijuana program in the state. 

Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender talk with former Mississippi journalist Karen Hinton, a Jones County native who became an adviser to politicians such as Mike Espy, Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio, and later made national news as part of #MeToo movement.

Secretary of State Michael Watson said he believes Gov. Tate Reeves should call a special session of the Legislature to address issues created by a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Initiative 65 medical marijuana program and Mississippi voters' right to ballot initiative.  Watson gives his take on the ruling and what might happen moving forward. He said his office will also have numerous...

Angie Calhoun of Puckett became an advocate for medical marijuana after her teenage son suffered a debilitating illness and standard pharmaceutical treatments didn't work — and brought horrible side effects. Calhoun is now chairwoman of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association. Like many others, she is waiting to see whether state lawmakers will re-enact a medical marijuana program after the...

Mississippi Today's Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau discusses the newsroom's latest project to dig into why young people are leaving Mississippi in droves or are stuck here wanting to leave. He joined WJTV's Byron Brown on their Sunday political show called "Mississippi Insight" to explain the rationale behind the new project.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender discuss whether lawmakers will come to Jackson earlier than scheduled to pass a medical marijuana program or fix the ballot initiative process that was voided by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Mississippi Today's political team analyzes the wide-ranging political and policy implications of the Mississippi Supreme Court's decision to eliminate the medical marijuana program and the ballot initiative process.

Mississippi Today this week will launch a reporting project aimed at asking why young Mississippians are leaving in droves and why others are staying. Sam Kapoor, a 28-year-old attorney in Jackson, joins Mississippi Today Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau to discuss why she decided to stay in Mississippi.

Senate Corrections Chair Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, talks with Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Bobby Harrison about the state's high incarceration rates and efforts to give more people being held in prison an opportunity for parole. Barnett explains why he works so hard on efforts to ease sentencing guidelines even after his father was murdered.

Mississippi lost population for just the third time in state history, according to preliminary census number released last week. Mississippi Today journalists Bobby Harrison and Adam Ganucheau discuss what that means for the Legislature's upcoming redistricting process.

State Rep. Chris Bell, a Democrat from Jackson who filed a bill to restore voting rights to a man who was convicted of felonies, joins Mississippi Today Editor-in-Chief Adam Ganucheau to discuss how Mississippi has fallen behind in changing its voting laws.

Mississippi Today journalists Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender discuss this week's state Supreme Court hearing of oral arguments in Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler's challenge of the Initiative 65 medical marijuana program passed by voters in November. The pending court decision on whether Initiative 65's placement on the ballot was unconstitutional has major implications for Mississippi voters'...