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1 MS Governor Declares Emergency Over Jackson Water Crisis
First slammed with rain and flooding, residents in Mississippi's capital city are now without safe running water. That announcement came yesterday from Governor Tate Reeves, who declared an emergency in the area due to failing infrastructure. Reeves is admitting to residents that it's not safe to drink the water. "I get it. I live in the city. It's not news that I want to hear," Reeves offered at a press conference. "But we are going to be there for you." According to the National Weather Service, the Pearl River crested at about 35.4-feet yesterday – just short of the major flood stage level of 36-feet. With Jackson having two water-treatment plants, and the larger one is near a reservoir that provides most of the city's water supply. The reservoir also has a role in flood control – flood stage means the equipment isn’t working properly.
2 Biden Promotes His “Safer America Plan,” Plans National Address
President Biden heads to Pennsylvania today to talk about reducing gun violence in the U.S. A daily briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says he’ll be promoting his "Safer America Plan" today, which includes boosting funding for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. But he'll also be delivering a primetime speech on Thursday. The White House says Biden will speak in Philadelphia "on the continued battle for the soul of the nation." The president will lay out how America’s standing in the world and its democracy are at stake, the official said. Biden will highlight what he sees as progress over the past two years to protect our democracy, but note that rights and freedoms remain at risk…messages key to his party’s aspirations in November.
3 Hearing On Trump's Special Master Request Set For Thursday
A federal judge will hold a hearing on Thursday after confirming her "preliminary intent to appoint a special master" to review documents seized from former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. A special master is a third-party attorney appointed by a court to oversee certain aspects of a case. Trump has asked the court to block the Department of Justice from pouring over the material until one is appointed – but it may be too late. This because D-O-J lawyers are acknowledging some of the documents in question "may potentially contain attorney-client privileged information." Overnight, the former president wasn’t talking about this – he was on Truth Social talking about the election and saying the FBI “buried the Hunter Biden laptop story before the election knowing that, if they didn’t, “Trump would have easily won the 2020 Presidential Election.”