Mississippi Edition

The Governor highlights economic recovery efforts through a pandemic-response, job-skills program.

Then, what a candidate for the U.S. Senate says about President Trump’s recorded conversations on the severity of the coronavirus.

Plus, the state auditor’s office provides transparency through a CARES Act funds tracking website.

Segment 1:

A federally funded program is working to improve Mississippi's workforce after high job loss during the coronavirus pandemic. The ReSkill Mississippi initiative is working to educate residents through technical education and on the job training. More than 10 percent of Mississippians were unemployed at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Tate Reeves says in the past month, ReSkillMS helped place more than 17 hundred people in training at community colleges to prepare them for skilled jobs with higher pay.

Businesses looking to hire new employees and train them can apply for reimbursement for up to 75 percent of that job's wages. Patrick Sullivan, Director of the State Workforce Investment Board, says Mississippi is faring better than other parts of the country in its economic recovery.

Segment 2:

This week, tapes revealing what President Donald Trump knew in February about the severity of the novel coronavirus are raising questions regarding his leadership and handling of the pandemic. In a series of 18 interviews with renowned Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, Trump is recorded saying the virus is more deadly than "even your most strenuous flus". In a March 19th interview, Trump is on record admitting wanting to "play it down". Those comments came after Trump had held a number of political rallies where he suggested the virus was a hoax. Yesterday, during a press briefing, Governor Tate Reeves defended the President's decision as a means to avoid panic.

Mike Espy is challenging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in a rematch of the 2018 special election. He tells our Desare Frazier, the revelations about what President Trump knew in February and his initial downplaying of the pandemic, is also an indictment on his opponent.

Segment 3:

Mississippians now have access to detailed data on how the state is spending 1.25 billion dollars in federal coronavirus relief. An online expense tracker has been released by the State Auditor's office to offer additional transparency as the state spends its share of the two trillion in federal CARES Act dollars. State legislators have allocated most of that money to several state agencies, but only around 167 million has been spent. State Auditor Shad White tells our Kobee Vance this is the taxpayers' money, and this tool will allow them to see how it's being used.