The Other Side: Mississippi Today’s Political Podcast

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 documentary features details from Holland, whose mother, the late Justice Court Judge Sadie Holland, received the letters, along with former President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker.

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.

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.

Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England defends his early voting bill, for which his fellow Republican Gov. Tate Reeves slammed him on social media. England said it's time Mississippi join 47 other states in allowing the convenience of early voting, and the issue should not be partisan.

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.