Former mayor of Mississippi’s capital city pleads guilty in bribery scheme

July 10, 2026 | 3:20 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The former mayor of Mississippi’s capital city and the former City Council president have pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme one week before they were set to face trial.

Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Council President Aaron Banks pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy. Their pleas came after Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleaded guilty last week and resigned. All three are Democrats.

Two other people — Angelique Lee, the Democratic former vice president of the Jackson City Council, and Sherik Marve Smith, a businessman and relative of Owens — had already pleaded guilty to bribery charges.

A November 2024 indictment accused Owens of taking at least $115,000 from two FBI agents posing as real estate developers and facilitating more than $80,000 in bribe payments to Banks, Lumumba and Lee in exchange for their help greenlighting a development project.

Lumumba, Banks and Owens could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Their sentencing hearings are set for Oct. 15.

Lumumba, who previously called the charges a political prosecution, lost his reelection bid last year. His lawyers did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment.

The National Conference of Black Lawyers, which has supported Lumumbat throughout his prosecution, has raised concerns about whether the FBI and prosecutors unjustly targeted Black elected officials.

“Our history tells us that it is necessary for us to have a very healthy skepticism about who, how and why certain people, certain geographical areas are focused upon,” said Mawuli Davis, an attorney with the NCBL. “We’ve never not been targeted.”

Davis said the NCBL intends to attend Lumumba’s sentencing hearing and advocate for the judge to consider Lumumba’s contributions to the community.

Banks’ lawyer declined to comment.

Taco Bell has a diarrhea problem

July 17, 2026 | 9:00 AM

(CNN) — Taco Bell has been the shining star of the fast-food business for several years. But now the company is contending with a restaurant’s worst nightmare: an explosive diarrhea outbreak.Shredded iceberg lettuce sold at some Midwestern Taco Bell locations has been connected with the massive cyclosporiasis parasite outbreak sweeping across parts of the United States. The CDC has identified more than 1,600 cases in the outbreak, including nearly 100 hospitalizations, and states are investigating thousands more. The lettuce was supplied to Taco Bell in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky by Taylor Farms, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN’s Brenda Goodman and Deidre McPhillips Thursday.Taylor Farms did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.Taco Bell on Thursday said it removed the potentially compromised lettuce from its nationwide supply chain as a precaution, and it would find a replacement within 24 hours in certain states.“We are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,” Taco Bell said in a statement.But history shows fast-food patrons are a fickle bunch, and Taco Bell may have a lot more work to do to win back grossed-out customers – especially those who got sick.A fickle businessTaco Bell was on a serious hot streak. The company’s sales have grown across its existing locations in eight consecutive quarters. And it’s not just eking out gains: The company said sales at stores open at least a year grew a remarkable 8% in the first quarter. Profit was up 16% in those stores.McDonald’s, by comparison, grew 3.8% by the same sales measure in the first quarter. Burger King was up 5.8%. Wendy’s fell 2.1%.Taco Bell has been attracting customers with its value offerings, including several menu items priced at $3 or less.But, as McDonald’s and Chipotle can attest, that goodwill can change in a second.In late 2024, McDonald’s was in the middle of a rebound until an E. coli outbreak traced to onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders sickened more than 100 customers. McDonald’s sales in the fourth quarter of 2024 tumbled 1.4% after climbing 4.3% in the same quarter a year earlier.Crisis PRThat’s why Taco Bell’s response to the outbreak will be key.So far, the company has done more work in the kitchen than in the public sphere. Removing the affected lettuce was the necessary first step, but a short statement published to its website may not be sufficient to satisfy customers that Taco Bell has gained control of the situation.McDonald’s, by contrast, spent $100 million on a publicity campaign and franchisee support program in 2024 to lure customers back into restaurants. The company’s CEO Chris Kempczinski held a special media call and several interviews to calm fears and ensure customers (and investors) that McDonald’s was taking serious action to resolve the problem.Chipotle in the previous decade was a different story: The company failed to contain a massive E. coli outbreak that began in 2015 and suffered such reputational damage that it replaced its CEO and founder with Brian Niccol – who had been Taco Bell’s CEO for seven years. It took years for Chipotle sales to rebound.“Customers do not expect a global supply chain to be perfect, but they do expect candor, urgency and accountability when something goes wrong,” said Evan Nierman, CEO of global crisis PR firm Red Banyan. “Whether this becomes lasting reputational damage will depend far more on Taco Bell’s response than on the contaminated lettuce itself.”The company’s statements have felt too guarded and impersonal for such a large outbreak, Nierman said. He suggested an executive provide regular updates and make themselves available to speak to the public about the company’s efforts.Taco Bell did not respond to CNN’s questions about its planned response to the outbreak.If it doesn’t get out in front of the issue, the company could face a unique challenge getting customers to return. Taco Bell has long been the butt of jokes about its menu causing intestinal concerns. Whether real or imagined, the stigma is there, making this particular crisis one that Taco Bell needs to address in full force.“This outbreak is especially dangerous for Taco Bell because it collides with one of the oldest jokes about the brand,” Nierman said. “Taco Bell needs to move quickly before that joke hardens into a lasting judgment about the safety of its food.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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