Stories related to: Mississippi

John McCain denies colleague Thad Cochran's recollection that he physically assaulted a Nicaraguan official in 1987, the New York Times reports, saying “it’s simply not true.” The Mississippi Republican remembers that McCain “reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and…snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair.” More »

Disgraced Mississippi lawyer Dickie Scruggs was sentenced to the maximum 5 years in prison today in a judicial bribery scheme; at the hearing, the class-action pioneer said, “I could not be more ashamed than I am today.” The judge hinted he might shave some time off if Scruggs cooperates with authorities in other bribery probes, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. More »

Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth via C-section this morning in Mississippi, the National Enquirer reports. The 17-year-old’s baby, Maddie Briann, weighs 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Sister Britney arrived in Louisiana yesterday to await the delivery. An ultrasound last week showed that there were possible complications with the baby's position. More »

A paparazzo who once photographed Britney Spears’ bare nether regions was charged Tuesday for stalking the pop wreck’s pregnant teen sister Jamie Lynn, the AP reports. Authorities say Edwin Merino wouldn't leave the ready-to-pop Jamie Lynn, 17, and her baby daddy alone; he says he was shooting from a gas station from 200 feet away.  More »

This week's mauling of the GOP candidate in a special Mississippi election marked the third time this year that a "safe" Republican seat was lost to the Democrats, and GOP bigwigs are sweating about how that bodes for November, the New York Times reports. The party had banked that the Barack Obama connection would turn voters off Democrat Travis Childers, but found President Bush was a far greater liability for GOP candidate Greg Davis. More »

Democrats scored a shocking upset last night, nabbing a House seat in a deeply conservative Mississippi district. Democrat Travis Childers prevailed 54% to 46% in the special election, Politico reports, soundly overcoming a nearly $2 million GOP campaign. Coming from a county that threw Bush 62% of its support in 2004, the results are panic-inducing for the GOP. More »

On a losing streak in special elections, the GOP is pouring money and star power into the 1st District of Mississippi, which votes today, The Hill reports. Greg Davis has drawn support from the cash-strapped NRCC and visits from Dick Cheney and Mike Huckabee in his effort to beat out Travis Childers for the seat Roger Wicker vacated when he replaced Trent Lott in the Senate. More »

A deadly North Carolina twister was part of a powerful storm system that rocked the Southeast last night, AP reports. The Carolina tornado knocked three tractor-trailers off a highway, killing one and injuring two. Storms also hammered a shopping area in Mississippi, and homes in Tennessee and Alabama, where winds hit 60 mph. More »

Severe storms tore through Southern states yesterday, the AP reports. Homes were damaged and tens of thousands of people had their power knocked out. A 2-year-old Kentucky girl died in surging floodwater and 22 injuries were reported in Mississippi as storms packing possible tornadoes toppled trees, ripped roofs off homes and businesses, and sent debris flying. More »

The drummer for '80s hair band Poison was hit with a rape warrant upon returning from New Zealand, E! Online reports. Richard Ream, 46, better known as Rikki Rockett, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a Mississippi casino resort where he was staying. Officials arrested him at customs in Los Angeles, and he spent the night behind bars; he was released Tuesday, pending a Mississippi extradition order. More »

Republicans for Clinton are turning up in surprising numbers, and not because they've stopped being Hillary haters, the Boston Globe reports. About 100,000 voted for her in Ohio, 119,0000 in Texas, and 38,000 in MIssissippi. Egged on by Rush Limbaugh, they're strategically voting in open primaries for the Democrat  they consider weaker—and the best way keep the brutal Democratic battle alive. More »

Dickie Scruggs, one of the nation's top class-action attorneys, entered a surprise guilty plea today in Jackson, Miss., to charges of conspiracy to bribe a judge, the Clarion-Ledger reports. Federal prosecutors said they would recommend 5 years in prison for Scruggs, who also faces a $250,000 fine. He pleaded guilty to attempting to pay a judge $40,000 to gain a favorable ruling. More »

Barack Obama heads into today's Mississippi primary as the favorite in the last vote before Pennsylvania's on April 22. Mississippi has the largest percentage of African-American voters in the country—about half of the Democratic electorate is black—and the Obama campaign is expected to to add the state to its list of Southern successes, reports US News & World Report . More »

Hillary Clinton lost Wyoming yesterday, but today the Washington Post has some welcome news for the Democratic underdog: Many superdelegates say they’ll wait until the end of the primaries to chose a candidate. “You’re going to see a lot of delegates remaining uncommitted,” said one neutral Democratic congressman. “There’s a sense that this is going to Denver not resolved.” More »

A Barack Obama radio ad airing in Mississippi ahead of Tuesday’s primary features the ex-governor arguing that Hillary Clinton looks down on the state, CNN reports. Entitled “Respect,” the ad refers to remarks Clinton made about a lack of elected female officials in Iowa, when she said, “How can Iowa be ranked with Mississippi? That’s not the quality.” More »

A diminutive fossil recently found in Mississippi is the oldest primate discovered in North America, and its exact age is raising questions about the timing of prehistoric animal migrations, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The existence of the tiny, tarsier-like creature, which could fit in the palm of a human hand, suggests that the primates migrated to North America across the Bering land bridge. More »

Trying to win a primary in Texas is “like running a national campaign,” a veteran strategist says one week before the pivotal vote. With its enormous size and diversity, its multitude of media markets, and a voting system so complicated it’s been nicknamed the Texas two-step, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been campaigning at a breakneck pace, the New York Times reports. More »

Barack Obama's sweep of red state primaries has won converts to Obama's claim that he can redraw the political map in November and take states that Democrats have long written off as hopelessly red. Not so fast, warns the Washington Post— Dem primary voters do not reflect the general election demographic in such red zones as Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho. More »

As FEMA teams mobilized rescue efforts in the Southern states ravaged by yesterday's tornadoes, survivors combed through the wreckage today, sharing survival stories and clutching their faith. “It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground,” said Tennessee’s governor. The twisters, possibly spawned by a cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, claimed 54 lives—the deadliest storm system in 23 years, AP reports. More »

Snow and rain fell on surprised Southerners today, slickening roads and forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights, the AP reports. Some Mississippians saw snow for the first time in 6 years as 5 inches fell in Alabama and experts warned drivers in Georgia to watch for icy roads. Freezing temperatures also hit parts of Louisiana, including New Orleans, which set in motion its freeze plan to shelter the homeless. More »