The Other Side: Mississippi Today's Political Podcast

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...

Voters will choose between Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens and state Sen. Jenifer Branning in a runoff election on Nov. 26, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison, and Taylor Vance break down the race and discuss why the election is so important for the future of the court and policy in Mississippi.

Mississippi Today's Taylor Vance and Bobby Harrison interview Central District Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens about his Nov. 26 runoff election. Kitchens is being challenged by state Sen. Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia. (Note: Mississippi Today also has extended an invitation to Branning to appear on "The Other Side" podcast.)          

Secretary of State Michael Watson talks with Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison and Taylor Vance ahead of Tuesday's election. He urges voters to remember sacrifices many have made to protect Americans' voting rights and get to the polls, and he weighs in on whether a recent court ruling on absentee vote counting will impact this year's elections.

Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender and Bobby Harrison get an update on the state's medical cannabis program from Angie Calhoun, founder and CEO of the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance. Calhoun became an advocate for medical marijuana when her son suffered debilitating Lyme Disease symptoms but could not try cannabis treatment in Mississippi. Her alliance provides many resources for patients an...

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Geoff Pender, and Taylor Vance discuss three major political news events: the funding of Rep. Trey Lamar's Jackson street replacement, a poll from Speaker Jason White on tax elimination, and a contentious Mississippi Supreme Court race that could come down to the wire.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau sits down with politics editor Geoff Pender and reporter Taylor Vance to discuss their new investigation of state-funded projects that benefited Rep. Trey Lamar's neighborhoods. They detail how the story came about and share their key takeaways from the investigation.

Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison talks with former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. about his life after retiring from the judiciary and running for governor in 2019. He says he still is concerned about issues facing the state and does not completely rule out another campaign for governor.

Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison and Adam Ganucheau discuss the continued effort to eliminate Mississippi's income tax. They discuss what that could mean for Mississippi and how the process could play out moving forward.

Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau and Bobby Harrison discuss Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney's recent proposal to change his office's traditionally elected position to an appointed one. Chaney is not the first Mississippi elected official to suggest such a bold step, and the politics of the state could make this debate a fiery one in 2025.

State Sen. David Blount sits down with Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Adam Ganucheau to discuss the push for income tax elimination and how that would affect the state's budget. He also talks about needed funding for the state's troubled retirement system and whether Mississippi will soon adopt mobile sports betting.

As Republican lawmakers begin a series of fall hearings to consider an elimination of the individual income tax, Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau, Bobby Harrison, and Geoff Pender break down the recent history of tax cut and the politics surrounding the idea.

Corey Miller, state economist and director of Mississippi's University Research Center, gives Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender a briefing on the economic state of the state, unemployment and workforce participation. He also tells a funny economist joke!

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann tells Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender, Bobby Harrison and Taylor Vance the state's financial position should allow for cutting the state's grocery tax next year. He covers numerous other topics and also talks about state Auditor Shad White's political scorched-earth from his new book on the welfare scandal.

Brandon Presley, who was elected to public office at age 23, tells Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Taylor Vance that he is not eyeing another run for public office after narrow loss in 2023 gubernatorial election. But Presley did not completely rule out another election run, adding that he is excited about attending this week's Democratic National Convention to support Vice President Kamala...