Challenging your mind can help maintain brain health. Here are steps the Alzheimer’s Association recommends.

May 14, 2026 / 11:32 AM EDT / CBS News

Taking steps to challenge your mind may help you maintain brain health as you age.

“CBS Mornings” is partnering with our sponsor the Alzheimer’s Association for a three-part series, “Brain Health: From Awareness to Action,” to explore the brain-healthy habits people can establish that may help lower the risk of dementia later in life.

“What we’ve learned even in the past couple of years is that simple actions that you can take, whether nutrition, physical activity or challenging your mind, can impact your brain health,” said Alzheimer’s Association CEO and president Joanne Pike.

Mental exercises are one focus of the organization’s new “6-Step Challenge,” which offers guidance on science-backed lifestyle changes that may support long-term cognition.

“Challenging your mind as part of that is a great way of stimulating your brain and learning new things,” Pike said. “It builds a cognitive reserve, so that when you are aging, you have a bank of brain health to rely on.”

Activities to challenge the mind

The best activities to sharpen the mind are those that introduce it to something it hasn’t experienced before, Pike explained. She said “strategy games,” like chess, may be more helpful than crossword puzzles or Sudoku, which rely more on “routine or rote” memorization.

“We want to do things that you have to learn something new or engage in that in a new way,” said Pike, adding, “There are multiple ways that you can think about it. The key step is to learn and for it to be novel or new.”

blob:https://www.cbsnews.com/2f0ff9df-20c4-413a-970b-eaaf7e91b508

Along with a game like chess, in which players must respond to a competitor’s moves, Pike also recommended options like picking up a new musical instrument, learning a language, or reading about a previously unfamiliar topic.

She also stressed the importance of maintaining social connections.

“We know, based on science, that individuals who are isolated have a 70% greater risk of cognitive decline,” Pike said, making it an important aspect of “brain activation.”

More information about the Alzheimer’s Association’s “(re)think your brain” initiative and “6-Step Challenge” is available online at rethinkyourbrain.org. Users can sign up for the challenge there, and elect to receive daily action steps and guidance via text or email.

中东战争致油墨短缺 日本薯片包装黯然“失色”

2026年5月14日 20:26 / 联合早报

中东冲突导致的航运中断持续波及全球市场，日本薯片品牌卡乐比（Calbee）就因印刷油墨短缺，不得不把标志性的鲜艳包装改成单调的黑白色。

卡乐比公司本周宣布，从本月晚些时候起，旗下薯片、虾条、早餐麦片等14款产品包装将仅使用黑白两色。公司说，这是由于中东紧张局势升级，导致某些原材料供应不稳定。

据日本媒体报道，近期石脑油（naphtha）短缺，影响了卡乐比的印刷油墨采购。石脑油是一种石油副产品，广泛应用于多个行业，是印刷油墨和塑料的原料。

日本另一家食品企业伊藤火腿米久（Itoham Yonekyu）也在考虑把部分产品改为黑白包装，或使用不同种类的油墨。其他企业则纷纷上调产品售价，以应对包装价格上涨带来的成本压力。（法新社）

中东战争致油墨短缺 日本薯片包装黯然“失色”

2026年5月14日 20:26 / 联合早报

中东冲突导致的航运中断持续波及全球市场，日本薯片品牌卡乐比（Calbee）就因印刷油墨短缺，不得不把标志性的鲜艳包装改成单调的黑白色。

卡乐比公司本周宣布，从本月晚些时候起，旗下薯片、虾条、早餐麦片等14款产品包装将仅使用黑白两色。公司说，这是由于中东紧张局势升级，导致某些原材料供应不稳定。

据日本媒体报道，近期石脑油（naphtha）短缺，影响了卡乐比的印刷油墨采购。石脑油是一种石油副产品，广泛应用于多个行业，是印刷油墨和塑料的原料。

日本另一家食品企业伊藤火腿米久（Itoham Yonekyu）也在考虑把部分产品改为黑白包装，或使用不同种类的油墨。其他企业则纷纷上调产品售价，以应对包装价格上涨带来的成本压力。（法新社）

英国卫生部长斯特里廷星期二（5月12日）内阁会议结束后，离开伦敦唐宁街10号首相府。 （彭博社）

（伦敦综合电）英国卫生部长斯特里廷宣布辞职，称对首相斯塔默的领导能力失去信心。此举可能为斯特里廷挑战斯塔默的领导地位铺路。

斯特里廷（Wes Streeting）星期四（5月14日）在社交媒体X平台发表致斯塔默的长信，宣布辞职。

信中写道：“现在很明显，您已不会带领工党参加下届大选。”

他直言：“我们需要愿景时，却只有真空，需要方向的时候，却飘忽不定。”他呼吁工党尽可能推举优秀的领袖候选人，也请求斯塔默为此提供便利。

斯塔默近来面临信任危机，已有数十名工党议员呼吁他下台，但他誓言继续执政。《泰晤士报》此前引述斯特里廷身边人士消息报道，斯特里廷准备辞职，竞选工党党魁。

对首相斯塔默失去信心 英国卫生部长辞职

2026年5月14日 20:48 / 联合早报

对首相斯塔默失去信心 英国卫生部长辞职

英国卫生部长斯特里廷星期二（5月12日）内阁会议结束后，离开伦敦唐宁街10号首相府。 （彭博社）

（伦敦综合电）英国卫生部长斯特里廷宣布辞职，称对首相斯塔默的领导能力失去信心。此举可能为斯特里廷挑战斯塔默的领导地位铺路。

斯特里廷（Wes Streeting）星期四（5月14日）在社交媒体X平台发表致斯塔默的长信，宣布辞职。

信中写道：“现在很明显，您已不会带领工党参加下届大选。”

他直言：“我们需要愿景时，却只有真空，需要方向的时候，却飘忽不定。”他呼吁工党尽可能推举优秀的领袖候选人，也请求斯塔默为此提供便利。

斯塔默近来面临信任危机，已有数十名工党议员呼吁他下台，但他誓言继续执政。《泰晤士报》此前引述斯特里廷身边人士消息报道，斯特里廷准备辞职，竞选工党党魁。

New federal probe examines whether taxpayer dollars fund child gender transitions, legal defenses

2026-05-14T10:00:05-04:00 / Fox News

A Senate hearing next week will examine federal funding and liability protections for providers giving gender change treatments to minors

By Alec Schemmel Fox News

Published May 14, 2026 10:00am EDT

Smith College faces Title IX probe over transgender admissions policy

Smith College is under federal investigation by the Department of Education regarding its transgender admissions policy. The ‘Outnumbered’ panel weighs in on the investigation.

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FIRST ON FOX: A top Senate Republican is demanding answers on whether taxpayer-backed health providers used federal support to provide gender transition-related services to minors — and whether taxpayers could be footing the bill when former patients sue.

In letters obtained by Fox News Digital, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, asked two Rhode Island health care providers to explain reports saying they provided puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, surgical referrals or related services to patients under 19 years old — and pressed the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on whether federal funding and liability protections are shielding community health centers from accountability.

Cassidy is broadening scrutiny into federally supported health providers accused of providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and related services to “vulnerable patients,” including minors, days before a scheduled Senate hearing looking into alleged gender transition procedures for children and federally funded support for them.

WATCH: DEMS SPAR WITH WHISTLEBLOWER WHO EXPOSED CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR PERFORMING TRANS SURGERIES ON MINORS

“Health care providers are supposed to protect children’s health, not subject them to dangerous sex-change procedures driven by ideology,” Cassidy said in a news release about the new probes.”These entities need to be held accountable to prevent further harm to children.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, is demanding answers on whether taxpayer-backed health providers used federal support to provide gender transition-related services to minors(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

General counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Mike Stuart, referred several federally funded community health centers in February for an inspector general investigation for allegedly providing gender-transition services to children. It was not immediately clear whether the HHS Office of Inspector General has completed or publicly released findings from those referrals. Cassidy’s letter asks Health Resources and Services Administration to detail what enforcement actions, if any, have been taken.

Documents from one of those community health centers, according to materials reviewed by Fox News Digital, describe a pathway for patients under 18 seeking gender-affirming care, including hormones, as long as parental consent is obtained for an initial intake appointment. Another publicly advertises transgender health services, including hormone care, and separately operates an adolescent health program for LGBTQ youth and young adults ages 13 to 24.

Cassidy’s investigation expanded scrutiny of these health centers to two more federally funded healthcare providers, Thundermist Health Center and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in Rhode Island.

The senator’s probe focuses in part on a federal liability structure that can leave the government on the hook for defending certain malpractice claims.

THE MEDICAL SYSTEM PUSHED TRANSGENDER SURGERY ON KIDS — NOW IT’S FACING LEGAL JUSTICE

In his letter to Health Resources and Services Administration, Cassidy said certain community health centers and their providers may be deemed employees of the U.S. Public Health Service for liability purposes and, when medical malpractice claims arise under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) becomes responsible for defending the cases.

Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, is pictured on April 25, 2019.(Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Cassidy argued that framework raises fresh accountability questions as detransition-related lawsuits mount nationwide. In his letters, Cassidy cited several lawsuits in which DOJ has represented community health centers or their providers in litigation involving gender transition-related services.

Community healthcare centers “receive billions of taxpayer dollars from Congress. For fiscal year (FY) 2026 alone, CHCs will receive over $6.3 billion in mandatory and discretionary funding. In addition, the HRSA Health Center Program receives $120 million to administer the FTCA Program,” Cassidy’s letter to HRSA states. “The underlying conduct is concerning and exposes potential gaps in the guardrails governing existing federal funding streams. Furthermore, the current liability framework raises accountability challenges. Patients alleging harm from gender transition-related services may be forced to litigate against the full resources of the federal government, rather than the individual providers responsible for their care, with DOJ defending providers engaged in practices that this administration and HHS have sought to restrict.”

For Thundermist, Cassidy’s letter notes that the center receives mandatory and discretionary grant funding from the federal government, enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, revenue through the 340B drug pricing program and other federal support. The letter says 66% of Thundermist’s fiscal year 2024 grants and contributions revenue came from HHS and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Cassidy, meanwhile, highlighted a Rhode Island lawsuit filed by a former patient against Thundermist providers alleging medical malpractice, negligence and lack of informed consent related to gender transition.

HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE CHALLENGE TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS

The Hasbro letter raises a similar federal-funding question, but focuses on federal support available to children’s hospitals rather than Health Resources and Services Administration-funded community health centers.

Fox News Digital reached out to Thundermist and Hasbro for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI is pictured on April 25, 2019.(Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

At an upcoming HELP Committee hearing, Cassidy is expected to focus on what Republicans describe as the risks of pediatric gender transition procedures and whether federal agencies have done enough to restrict taxpayer support for providers that continue offering them to minors.

The hearing also gives Cassidy a public platform to pressure Health Resources and Services Administration and HHS over whether the agencies have identified which federally funded providers are still offering gender transition-related services to minors, whether any grants have been restricted or terminated, and whether federal liability protections should continue to apply in cases involving those procedures.

HHS terminated more than 500 research grants worth more than $350 million in grant funding for gender ideology and DEI research projects.(Getty Images/Fox News)

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Cassidy’s letter to Health Resources and Services Administration asked the agency to respond by May 28 to questions about whether any community health centers are currently providing gender transition-related services, whether those services could affect eligibility for federal funding, and how much taxpayer money has been used to resolve claims involving gender transition-related procedures.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS about the status of the current inspector general investigations into community healthcare centers over providing gender-transition services to minor but did not hear back in time for publication.

波斯湾风云涌动 伊朗战争正改变中东势力格局

2026年5月14日 21:22 / 联合早报

AI摘要

• 以色列总理内坦亚胡曾在3月秘密访问阿联酋，促成双边关系的历史性突破。
• 伊朗战争期间，以色列向阿联酋提供了“铁穹”防空系统和派遣操作人员。
• 沙特阿拉伯对伊拉克境内亲伊朗民兵组织实施空袭，阿联酋也对伊朗实施类似空袭。
• 美伊战争目前处于停火状态，但和平谈判自4月中旬以来停滞不前。

本摘要由AI辅助生成，仅供参考

美国和以色列联军2月底对伊朗开战后，伊朗接连袭击波斯湾邻国目标，指责它们协助美以攻击伊朗。3月15日的卫星图片显示，阿联酋的主要港口富查伊拉港在遭到袭击后冒出黑烟。 （路透社）

（耶路撒冷/利雅得综合电）美国、以色列与伊朗的战争正在改变中东地区的联盟格局。以色列方面声称，总理内坦亚胡曾在战事期间秘密访问阿拉伯联合酋长国，两国领导人的会晤促成双边关系的“历史性突破”。

美国驻以色列大使赫卡比星期二（5月12日）透露，以色列在战争期间向阿联酋提供了“铁穹”防空系统和派遣相关操作人员。

以色列没有证实赫卡比的说法，但总理办公室星期三（13日）说，内坦亚胡曾于3月秘密访问阿联酋，与阿联酋总统穆罕默德会晤，这次会谈促成以阿关系的历史性突破。

阿联酋外交部随后否认有关报道，但并未直接否认这次访问。“阿联酋重申，与以色列的关系是公开的……并非基于不透明或非正式的安排。”

阿联酋和以色列都是美国在中东地区的重要盟友。特朗普首个总统任期内，以阿两国2020年在他支持的《亚伯拉罕协定》框架下实现外交关系正常化。

美媒：中企拟借道第三国向伊朗转运武器 金砖国家外长会议 伊朗与阿联酋针锋相对

伊朗战争2月底爆发后，伊朗对包括阿联酋在内的波斯湾国家发动袭击，以阿关系随之进一步加深。

伊朗外交部长阿拉格齐星期四（14日）在印度出席金砖国家会议时，指责阿联酋参与对伊朗的袭击，而且可能直接对伊朗采取了行动。“阿联酋是这场侵略的积极同伙，这一点毋庸置疑。”

沙特打击伊拉克亲伊朗民兵

波斯湾国家多次批评伊朗的袭击，并采取了应对举措。路透社报道称，伊朗战争期间，沙特阿拉伯的战斗机对伊拉克境内亲伊朗民兵组织实施空袭；还有消息人士说，科威特也对伊拉克发动报复打击。这些行动此前大多不为外界所知。

一名西方官员说，沙特空军战斗机打击北部伊拉克边境附近与伊朗有关联的民兵目标，部分空袭发生在4月7日美伊停火协议达成前后。据悉，袭击目标是曾向沙特和其他波斯湾国家发动无人机和导弹的据点。

路透社日前报道说，沙特曾在战争期间直接对伊朗发动空袭，以示报复。这是已知利雅得首次打击伊朗境内目标。三位知情人士说，阿联酋也对伊朗实施类似空袭。

不过，所有消息人士都说，对波斯湾地区发动攻击的数百架无人机，都来自伊拉克。

波斯湾阿拉伯国家与伊拉克的关系长期充满猜疑。2003年的伊拉克战争后，与德黑兰关系密切的什叶派政治派别和武装团体获得更大的权力，使伊拉克成为伊朗地区代理人网络中的关键节点。

美伊战争如今处于停火状态，但和平谈判自4月中旬以来一直停滞不前，特朗普早前拒绝德黑兰最新提交的谈判方案，称其不可接受。不过，美国副总统万斯星期三表明，他认为谈判正在取得进展，但也强调这些进展须要满足特朗普的“红线”。

Oklahoma executes inmate convicted of killing ex-girlfriend and her baby

May 14, 2026 / 11:58 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Oklahoma executed a death row inmate by lethal injection on Thursday morning. The inmate had been convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and her baby almost two decades ago.

Raymond Johnson, 52, was pronounced dead at 10:12 a.m. Thursday following a three-drug injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, prison officials said.

He was sentenced to death for killing 24-year-old Brooke Whitaker and her 7-month-old daughter, Kya, in June 2007.

Johnson was the 11th person executed in the United States so far this year, and the second executed in Oklahoma. Another Oklahoma inmate, Kendrick Simpson, received a lethal injection in February for the drive-by shooting deaths of two men in 2006. Florida has carried out five executions since January, more executions than any other state.

Prosecutors said Johnson and Whitaker had been arguing at her home in Tulsa before he repeatedly hit her over the head with a metal claw hammer. Whitaker’s skull was fractured and she had more than 20 lacerations on her face and scalp. But she was still conscious and begged Johnson to spare her and Kya, who was sleeping in a bedroom, prosecutors said in documents prepared for Johnson’s clemency hearing in April.

“She begged him to call 911. She begged him to let her mom come get baby Kya. She begged him to think of her children,” the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office said. Whitaker had three other children.

Johnson retrieved a gas can from a tool shed in the backyard, doused Whitaker and the house with gasoline, lit a dish towel on fire, threw it at Whitaker and left, the attorney general’s office said. Whitaker died from head injuries and smoke inhalation while her daughter died from severe burns.

“Raymond Johnson is a cruel murderer who inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on his victims,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement.

Johnson’s attorneys did not file a last-minute appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his execution.

His attorneys unsuccessfully argued in earlier appeals that Johnson’s arrest was illegal, police coerced a confession from him and Johnson’s trial lawyer conceded his guilt in Whitaker’s death without his permission.

In April, Oklahoma’s five-member Pardon and Parole Board voted unanimously to deny Johnson clemency. During that clemency hearing, Johnson apologized to the victims’ family and asked for forgiveness, saying he was a changed person.

“I apologize. No excuses, no justifications, a sincere apology. And to know that it’s sincere, look at my actions. Look at my life. Look how I’ve changed. I’m living a remorseful life. I’m living it,” Johnson said in an interview with Death Penalty Action, a national anti-death penalty group.

Whitaker’s family members asked for the lethal injection to proceed.

“Executing him will not give me my mom or sister back, it will not take away almost 20 years of pain. What it will do is finally stop him from continuing to hurt us,” Logan Kleck, Whitaker’s oldest daughter, said in a letter to the board.

In addition to his first-degree murder conviction, Johnson also served nine years of a 20-year sentence after being convicted of manslaughter in 1996.

波斯湾风云涌动 伊朗战争正改变中东势力格局

2026年5月14日 21:22 / 联合早报

美国和以色列联军2月底对伊朗开战后，伊朗接连袭击波斯湾邻国目标，指责它们协助美以攻击伊朗。3月15日的卫星图片显示，阿联酋的主要港口富查伊拉港在遭到袭击后冒出黑烟。 （路透社）

（耶路撒冷/利雅得综合电）美国、以色列与伊朗的战争正在改变中东地区的联盟格局。以色列方面声称，总理内坦亚胡曾在战事期间秘密访问阿拉伯联合酋长国，两国领导人的会晤促成双边关系的“历史性突破”。

美国驻以色列大使赫卡比星期二（5月12日）透露，以色列在战争期间向阿联酋提供了“铁穹”防空系统和派遣相关操作人员。

以色列没有证实赫卡比的说法，但总理办公室星期三（13日）说，内坦亚胡曾于3月秘密访问阿联酋，与阿联酋总统穆罕默德会晤，这次会谈促成以阿关系的历史性突破。

阿联酋外交部随后否认有关报道，但并未直接否认这次访问。“阿联酋重申，与以色列的关系是公开的……并非基于不透明或非正式的安排。”

阿联酋和以色列都是美国在中东地区的重要盟友。特朗普首个总统任期内，以阿两国2020年在他支持的《亚伯拉罕协定》框架下实现外交关系正常化。

伊朗战争2月底爆发后，伊朗对包括阿联酋在内的波斯湾国家发动袭击，以阿关系随之进一步加深。

伊朗外交部长阿拉格齐星期四（14日）在印度出席金砖国家会议时，指责阿联酋参与对伊朗的袭击，而且可能直接对伊朗采取了行动。“阿联酋是这场侵略的积极同伙，这一点毋庸置疑。”

沙特打击伊拉克亲伊朗民兵

波斯湾国家多次批评伊朗的袭击，并采取了应对举措。路透社报道称，伊朗战争期间，沙特阿拉伯的战斗机对伊拉克境内亲伊朗民兵组织实施空袭；还有消息人士说，科威特也对伊拉克发动报复打击。这些行动此前大多不为外界所知。

一名西方官员说，沙特空军战斗机打击北部伊拉克边境附近与伊朗有关联的民兵目标，部分空袭发生在4月7日美伊停火协议达成前后。据悉，袭击目标是曾向沙特和其他波斯湾国家发动无人机和导弹的据点。

路透社日前报道说，沙特曾在战争期间直接对伊朗发动空袭，以示报复。这是已知利雅得首次打击伊朗境内目标。三位知情人士说，阿联酋也对伊朗实施类似空袭。

不过，所有消息人士都说，对波斯湾地区发动攻击的数百架无人机，都来自伊拉克。

波斯湾阿拉伯国家与伊拉克的关系长期充满猜疑。2003年的伊拉克战争后，与德黑兰关系密切的什叶派政治派别和武装团体获得更大的权力，使伊拉克成为伊朗地区代理人网络中的关键节点。

美伊战争如今处于停火状态，但和平谈判自4月中旬以来一直停滞不前，特朗普早前拒绝德黑兰最新提交的谈判方案，称其不可接受。不过，美国副总统万斯星期三表明，他认为谈判正在取得进展，但也强调这些进展须要满足特朗普的“红线”。

Mississippi’s GOP governor drops election pledge in huge setback for Trump’s midterm plan

2026-05-14T08:59:59-04:00 / Fox News

The move dashes GOP hopes of flipping Mississippi’s congressional delegation from 3-1 to 4-0 before the 2026 midterms

By Charles Creitz Fox News

Published May 14, 2026 8:59am EDT | Updated May 14, 2026 9:15am EDT

Mississippi governor touts ‘conservative reforms’ for making a ‘huge difference’ with students

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves explains what is behind the Magnolia State’s ‘phenomenal’ test score improvement on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend.’

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Republicans hoping to hold the U.S. House hit a setback Wednesday when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves indicated he will not immediately pursue redistricting following a critical Supreme Court ruling, as officials seek to oust the leader of Democrats’ January 6 probe.

Following the Supreme Court’s “Callais” ruling on how race can or cannot factor into redistricting, several Republican-led states have moved to redraw congressional maps, arguing for race-neutral approaches — and officials in Jackson quickly took note.

Mississippi lawmakers were primed to convene a special session next week to redraw state Supreme Court and potentially congressional districts, but Reeves canceled the session Wednesday after the judge who ruled the court district maps inhibited Black candidates was overruled —sparking a now-in-limbo effort to oust entrenched former January 6 Committee chairman Bennie Thompson.

“Understand something, that maybe while it may be in the best interest of some individual politicians in Mississippi to talk about congressional redistricting, what happens in Mississippi doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Reeves said in a talk-radio spot Wednesday.

MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR SAYS HE WILL CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO REDRAW DISTRICT MAPS AFTER SCOTUS RULING

“I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of Mississippi and I’m going to do what’s in the best interest of America and I’m going work very closely with the Trump administration to accomplish both of those goals.”

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves speaks after defeating Elvis Presley’s cousin Brandon in the gubernatorial race.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Reeves pushed back on claims he flip-flopped on congressional redistricting, noting the Magnolia State’s March 10 primary has passed — complicating any change in voting landscape, and also said he was onboard with ending what he called Thompson’s 33-year “reign of terror.”

However, Reeves suggested it is not a setback to State Auditor Shad White and others’ renewed bid to shift the Magnolia State’s GOP representation from 3-1 to 4-0 and oust Thompson.

Thompson, a firebrand Democrat from Hinds County seeking his 18th term representing the predominantly Black and largely impoverished Delta region, is in danger of losing his reliably blue seat when redistricting commences.

Thompson and Reeves briefly sparred on X, with the Democrat depicting an elephant painting Mississippi “white” while Reeves countered that Thompson was wrong to claim ownership of the district with the term “my” versus the people of Mississippi.

“It must be done to go into effect before the 2026 elections,” replied voting rights activist Scott Presler, while Pastor William Pierce of Columbia drew a state map that comprised evenly divided 22-24-point Republican districts saying “this must be done now” -— as Reeves said the issue is not “if” but “when” and that he plans for the changes to take effect for the 2027 statewide elections.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

White told Fox News Digital he was the first statewide official to publicly consider drawing-out Thompson and creating a 4-0 map, while Reeves rejected claims of pressure from the White House and Republican Party to redraw now.

As the Supreme Court was set to hand down the Callais ruling, Reeves took to Instagram to say he “do[es]n’t typically make news on a Friday afternoon” but made an “exception” to call a special session 21 days after the decision to consider redistricting.

White, a rising star in the GOP following his major anti-fraud and waste investigations, said that Thompson is “the worst congressman in America” and the state’s map favoring him must be dealt with promptly.

“Among Mississippians; normal taxpayers, Bennie Thompson is incredibly unpopular,” White said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview Wednesday.

“As chair of the January 6 Committee, anyone who supports President Trump is not happy that Bennie Thompson represents a part of our state.”

TRUMP URGES REPUBLICANS TO ‘BE BOLD’ AS RED STATES PUSH TO REWRITE CONGRESSIONAL MAPS

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386331278112

“[I]t is absolutely both legally and practically possible to change our districts to a 4-0 state,” he said, pointing to Callais and Alabama’s successful bid Monday to get their “Livingston Map” through the courts.

Like Alabama, White said Mississippi officials have “dozens” of already prepared maps to choose from, including some that give each of the four congressional districts an even-keeled level of Trump support totaling 15 points or higher, citing 2024 election results.

“The real question is just whether our politicians here have the courage to actually get Bennie Thompson out. And that question remains unanswered right now,” he said.

White said Mississippi has been stuck with maps featuring a Thompson stronghold for decades, as Thompson himself told Jackson’s NBC affiliate it has been Republicans who have drawn the maps since his 1992 election to Congress.

Thompson said that the issue between the lines in the plans is race.

“I have a voting record that no other person in the Mississippi delegation can touch for those things that we need the most: Health care, housing, better educational opportunities… but they’d rather put somebody in position who’s against those things. And the only difference between Bennie Thompson and the rest of the delegation that represent Mississippi in Washington is that I’m Black,” Thompson told Memphis’ NBC affiliate.

REPUBLICAN RIFT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP-DRIVEN RED STATE REDISTRICTING

Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Vice Chairwoman Rep. Liz Cheney participate in the committee’s last public meeting in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 19, 2022.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Thompson added Mississippi has a history of requiring federal intervention to provide equal rights to Black people, including during the Civil Rights era and suffrage fights, and compared it to the dynamic today, calling it “Jim Crow 2.0” that he will “fight back with every fiber.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Thompson for further comment.

After Reeves’ comments were reported, White told Fox News Digital that he still hopes “Thompson is redistricted-out as soon as possible – even if it’s not going to happen next week.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Mississippi House Speaker Jason White, R-West, and Senate Leader Dean Kirby, R-Brandon for their take on Reeves’ latest move and efforts to redraw the map.

Meanwhile, Shad White pointed to New England as precedent for Mississippi drawing out Thompson, saying Kamala Harris’ 38% performance mirrors the GOP partisan makeup of multi-district blue states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

State Sen. Michael McLendon, R-Hernando, joined Shad White’s call to redraw the map to “give Speaker Johnson another ‘+1’ and send Bennie Thompson home.”

ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD AFTER KEY SUPREME COURT WIN PUTS CONGRESSIONAL MAP IN QUESTION

He disputed timeframe concerns, saying that Democrats successfully sued Mississippi to redraw his region, costing the GOP their supermajority — and he was still able to run in a mid-off-year primary.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6371359162112

“When Democrats demanded redistricting, the establishment’s response was simple: ‘We have a court order, and we’re going to comply,’” McLendon said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “Now, suddenly, many of those same voices have gone completely silent.”

Asked for his view on the matter, U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, a Republican from Pascagoula, told Fox News Digital that redistricting is handled by the legislature in Jackson and that he trusts leaders there to “follow the law and do what’s best” for the state.

“My focus remains on serving the people of South Mississippi and fighting for our conservative values in Congress,” Ezell said.

Senate Minority Leader Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville and House Minority Leader Robert Johnson III did not respond to requests for comment.

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With hopes of a 4-0 Mississippi map before the midterms dashed, House Speaker Mike Johnson in neighboring Louisiana will have one fewer likely pickup as he battles a series of Republican retirements and independent voter malaise toward Trump in the effort to keep the House red.

Fox News reached out to the White House for comment.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.