THE NEWS

The Utah Supreme Court Justice who had a romantic relationship with a leftist lawyer involved in helping the Democrats steal a congressional seat has resigned.
In November, the Utah Third District Court struck down the congressional map crafted by the Republican-led state legislature, labeling it an unconstitutional “gerrymander” and replacing it with a map drawn by left-wing plaintiffs.
The Democrats gained a seat in bright red Utah.

BREAKING — Utah court rules against legislature’s congressional map and enacts Plaintiff’s map. The new map will be in place for the 2026 elections.
Dem gain of +1 seat. pic.twitter.com/k64hdbKMeI
— VoteHub (@VoteHub) November 11, 2025

The Utah Supreme Court did not block the new congressional map that gave Democrats a seat.
Last month, it was revealed that Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen had an inappropriate relationship with a man named David Reymann, a leftist redistricting attorney who helped the Democrats take a congressional seat amid the gerrymandering wars.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox and other state officials launched an investigation into Hagen’s relationship with Reymann.
KSL reported last month:
Utah’s governor, Senate president and House speaker are launching an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen and allegations that she had a relationship with an attorney arguing cases before the high court.
Those allegations are detailed in a complaint submitted late last year to both Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and the Judicial Conduct Commission.
The complaint, which was obtained exclusively by KSL through a public records request, came from a Provo-based attorney who said Hagen’s ex-husband told him the justice had exchanged “inappropriate” text messages with David Reymann, one of the attorneys involved in a case about redistricting, which led to Utah getting a new congressional map.
Hagen strongly denies allegations of an inappropriate relationship of any kind. Reymann also called the allegations “false.” He does outside legal work for KSL and as an attorney for the Utah Media Coalition, of which KSL is a member.
On Friday, Governor Cox announced that he received a resignation letter from Diana Hagen.
“Today, Gov. Cox received a letter of resignation from Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen. The resignation is effective immediately. The governor appreciates Justice Hagen’s years of service to the state of Utah,” Governor Cox’s office said on Friday.
“Additional information regarding the process to fill the vacancy will be announced in the coming days,” Cox said.
The post BREAKING: Utah Supreme Court Justice Who Had Romantic Relationship with Leftist Redistricting Lawyer Involved in Helping Democrats Steal Congressional Seat Resigns appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

(Photo by Daniel Barnes on Unsplash)
Last week, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced it had gathered more than 1.5 million signatures — nearly double what it needed — to put a sweeping new wealth tax on California’s November ballot. The initiative is called the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act.
The name is designed to make you stop reading. Don’t.
SEIU has spent months positioning itself as the champion of nurses, teachers and caregivers. What it has actually done is run a $24 million campaign to put a measure on the ballot that could eventually be used to tax virtually any Californian who owns assets — with no return trip to the ballot box required.
The measure would impose a 5 percent tax on the total net worth of California residents worth more than $1 billion as of Jan. 1, 2026. Buried in the fine print is a provision allowing the California legislature to expand the tax — lowering the threshold, adding asset categories — by simple majority vote, without voter approval.
The Tax Foundation has warned that the measure’s design could push the effective rate on some taxpayers well above the advertised 5 percent.
SEIU leaders will tell you pensions and retirement accounts are excluded. That’s true … for now. What the union won’t tell you is what happens to those pension funds when California’s investment climate deteriorates.
CalPERS — the pension system for California public employees — manages roughly $556 billion in assets and is already facing more than $179 billion in unfunded liabilities.
CalSTRS, the pension fund for California’s teachers, manages a portfolio of more than $400 billion. Both depend on a functioning private economy and stable financial markets.
When founders and investors are forced to sell equity stakes to pay a tax bill, and when the state’s wealthiest residents continue to leave, the damage doesn’t stop with them.
It reaches the pension checks of the workers the SEIU claims to speak for.
The Hoover Institution estimates the permanent loss of income tax revenue from departing residents will leave California worse off — not better off — by $25 billion.
Nearly 30 percent of the billionaire tax base had already left the state before the initiative even qualified for the ballot. Six billionaires departed publicly before the Jan. 1 residency deadline, including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
More have reportedly followed without any fanfare.
Every departure costs the state years of income tax revenue, capital gains and related economic activity California can’t afford to lose.
SEIU and its enablers call this a healthcare funding measure — a response to federal Medicaid reforms. It isn’t.
California already has the highest income tax rates in the nation. Its budget problems aren’t a revenue problem. They’re a spending problem that’s outpaced even California’s substantial tax base for years.
SEIU claims to speak for hundreds of thousands of workers whose retirement security runs through CalPERS, CalSTRS and a California economy that keeps generating jobs and investment.
A measure that accelerates capital flight and weakens pension fund returns, then hands Sacramento the tools to expand asset taxation without a vote is not a benefit to those workers.
California voters should read past the name of this initiative before they decide whether to support it. The SEIU is counting on them not to.

Aaron Withe is the CEO of the Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting workers’ rights and advancing employee freedom across America.
 

This article was originally published by RealClearPolicy and made available via RealClearWire.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed his support for NATO, the pope and Italy on his trip to the country, but said Trump may continue verbal attacks.

Taiwan Semiconductor April Sales Grow At Slowest Pace In 6 Months

Taiwan Semiconductor, world’s largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry, posted its slowest pace of monthly revenue expansion since October, highlighting the challenges of sustaining torrid AI-fueled pace of growth.

Sales in April rose 17.5% to NT$410.7 billion ($13.1 billion), their smallest rise in about six months. While the rise reflects just 30 days of business and its revenue can fluctuate month-to-month, the drop was notable; analysts expect the company’s June-quarter revenue to grow almost twice as fast, or at about 35% which means that May and June sales will have to be gangbusters to compensate for April’s slowness. 

Taiwan’s largest company has become an essential player in the global AI industry by making cutting-edge semiconductors for the likes of Nvidia and AMD. That’s as Alphabet, Amazon.com, Meta and Microsoft said they are setting aside $725 billion for AI this year, significantly more than previously anticipated. The question of where all this money will come from will be the next big hurdle for the market (we discussed it here “”Banks Are Choking”: The AI Debt Bubble Has Started To Burst”.)

Offsetting the huge AI orderbook are plateauing smartphone and consumer electronics sales, where soaring memory chip costs are forcing brands to hike prices leading to a big drop in demand. Economic uncertainty is also dampening consumer demand in many parts of the world.

For its part, TSMC has remained bullish on global AI chip demand. In April, the company raised its full-year sales guidance and said its own capital spending should trend toward the upper end of an existing forecast range of as much as $56 billion, conveying confidence in the year’s economic outlook. 

Tyler Durden
Fri, 05/08/2026 – 14:40

When it comes to talent acquisition, there are two split camps regarding which method is better.While I would personally prefer to build a program through high school recruiting, there are still plenty of arguments to be made for building through the transfer portal.Programs like Ole Miss, Texas Tech, and, of course, Indiana were able to make playoff runs in 2025 off the backs of strong transfer portal classes, and if you are looking to make a quick fix to your roster, the portal is the answer.With all that in mind, this past portal period was one of the most active in recent memory, with several high-profile players moving on to new locales.FIVE SEC TRAP GAMES IN 2026 THAT COULD UPEND THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RACE, FROM LSU TO GEORGIABelow, I’ll identify five players who transferred to different programs and will be key contributors to their new teams’ success.Keep your eyes peeled for these players to become household names by the end of the year (if they aren’t already).Considered the top edge rusher in the portal class of 2026, Princewill Umanmielen followed his head coach, Lane Kiffin, from Oxford to Baton Rouge, helping the Tigers solidify their top-ranked transfer portal haul.LSU, LANE KIFFIN SET TO LAND STAR QUARTERBACK IN TRANSFER PORTAL: REPORTFinding a pass rusher of Umanmielen’s caliber in the portal is a rarity, and he has both the statistical profile (nine sacks in 2025, third-team All-SEC selection) and the bloodline (his brother, Princely, was a former All-SEC edge rusher and second-round NFL Draft pick out of Ole Miss) to really boost an already talented LSU defense.While the Tigers landed a few other, more notable names on offense, including top-ranked signal caller Sam Leavitt, I believe Umanmielen will be the straw that stirs the drink for that Bayou Bengals defense, and will give Kiffin and Co. a lot less to worry about on the other side of the ball.The kind of speed that a guy like Eric Singleton Jr. possesses is uncanny, to put it mildly.His sub-10.3 100-meter dash time alone would have made him one of the most coveted wideouts in the portal, but his production on the field backs up the numbers on the stopwatch.The blazing wide receiver took a bit of a step back in his one year with the Auburn Tigers, but in his two years prior with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Singleton put up 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns receiving while averaging over 14 yards per catch.He chose to reunite with his old Yellow Jackets offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, and play for the Florida Gators in 2026, and their stable of wide receivers like Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson should give Singleton a ton of one-on-one matchups to feast on in his final year of eligibility.From one misused Auburn wide receiver to another, Cam Coleman’s time on The Plains can only be described as underwhelming.The former five-star recruit had two really good years with the Tigers, but it always felt like he was capable of so much more.This is through no fault of his own, though, as the Auburn quarterback room was, at best, dysfunctional throughout his time on campus.TEXAS’ TOP RUNNING BACK TO ENTER TRANSFER PORTALColeman will be heading to Austin this fall, where the offensive scheme and quarterback situation is anything but dysfunctional.Head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood have put up some impressive passing seasons since arriving on the Forty Acres, and quarterback Arch Manning had a torrid second half of 2025 and will be considered the Heisman favorite heading into 2026.Couple all of that with the fact that Coleman will have standout wide receiver Ryan Wingo on the other side of the formation, and teams will have to choose who they want to double, meaning Coleman could be in for a monster season.If Princewill Umanmielen was the headline grabber of the 2026 transfer portal edge rushers, Damon Wilson II wasn’t far behind.Built like a prototypical pass rusher at 6’4″ and 250 pounds, Wilson started his career at Georgia before transferring to Missouri and tallying nine sacks in 2025 and being named second-team All-SEC for his efforts.After a breakout campaign in Columbia, Wilson chose to return to his native Florida and play for the Miami Hurricanes, where he is almost guaranteed to flourish.The Canes play a ferocious brand of defense that produced two high-end edge rusher draft picks from the 2025 season in Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain, and their stellar recruiting along the interior of the defensive line the past few seasons will allow Wilson to get favorable one-on-one matchups.It doesn’t hurt that he will be playing against ACC offensive lines instead of SEC offensive lines, though the talent gap isn’t quite as massive as it has been in years past.Josh Hoover’s time in Fort Worth didn’t result in a ton of wins for the Horned Frogs, but his numbers and overall play were enough to make him one of the more sought-after signal callers in the portal.That’s why the marriage between Hoover and Indiana made complete sense from a football perspective.ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!The Hoosiers went out and got one of the best wide receivers in the portal in Michigan State’s Nick Marsh, and pairing him and their other stable of wideouts with Hoover will create magic in Bloomington.Not only that, but since coach Curt Cignetti arrived at Indiana three seasons ago, he has been able to squeeze every last drop of potential out of his starting QBs, including Kurtis Rourke in 2024 and Heisman winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza in 2025.It’s only right that Cignetti continue the pipeline with Hoover, who should fit in brilliantly in coach Cig’s scheme, as this is as much of a vote of confidence for the coaching staff in Indiana as it is for Hoover himself.I don’t see the gravy train slowing down for the Hoosiers in 2026, and Josh Hoover will be a big reason for that.

Former special counsel Jack Smith unleashed on the Department of Justice in an unusually fiery speech to a few hundred people during a private event, accusing the department of being “corrupted” and targeting President Donald Trump’s enemies.Smith’s remarks, given during a private dinner in D.C. in April and reported by the New York Times this week, zeroed in on the DOJ’s decisions to investigate and prosecute some of Trump’s top political rivals, such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The former special counsel accused the department of weaponizing its authority, the very same accusation that Republicans have widely leveled at Smith for bringing two criminal cases against Trump during the Biden administration.”We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Smith said.CONSERVATIVES ACCUSE JACK SMITH OF IMPROPER TIES WITH JUDGES IN TRUMP CASES AFTER NEW DOCUMENT DUMPA DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department expected “nothing less from Jack Smith whose sole mission was to politically prosecute a former president in an attempt to stop him from assuming office again.””This DOJ has ended the weaponization perpetrated by the Biden Administration and will continue to ensure no one is above the law,” the spokesperson said.Smith brought indictments against Trump alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 election and that he retained classified national defense information. Smith faced significant hurdles in the election case, while the classified documents case was tossed out by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who said he was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith’s office was appealing Cannon’s ruling when Trump won the 2024 election. Weeks later, Smith moved to dismiss both federal cases, citing the Justice Department’s longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.Trump raged at Smith repeatedly, calling him a corrupt “thug” who belonged in jail. In January, Trump said on Truth Social that Smith was a “deranged animal” who should lose his law license. Smith is a longtime attorney who prosecuted war crimes in the Hague and led the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section during the Obama administration.JACK SMITH PUSHES FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY TO CONFRONT ‘MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ OF TRUMP PROBESTrump said he hoped the DOJ was investigating Smith, “including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!”The president’s remarks directly clash with Smith’s rare, heated commentary at the private event, as both accuse the other of weaponization and as Smith faces threats of federal prosecution for targeting Trump, despite the DOJ and congressional investigators yet to uncover criminal wrongdoing by Smith.HOUSE DEMOCRATS DEMAND ANSWERS ON DOJ’S MOVE TO FIRE FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL OFFICIALSSmith said the DOJ has “been corrupted” over the past year but that he believed the department would “ultimately come through this better.”Smith also accused the DOJ of turning a blind eye to cases that might reveal “inconvenient” facts that would contradict “narratives the president would like to press.”Smith praised career prosecutors, saying a “central component” of the current DOJ’s strategy was to punish those like the several Minnesota attorneys who resigned in protest over internal disputes with how to handle an investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killing Renee Good, a 37-year-old anti-ICE activist.”To erode the rule of law in this country you need to attack these people, and that is what we have seen since January 2025,” Smith said.Smith’s comments were not all negative, however, according to the New York Times. He praised the DOJ for being more vocal than it was under Biden, a comment that comes as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who replaced Pam Bondi a month ago, has taken on an aggressive, proactive media strategy. Blanche has held a series of press conferences where he has taken rounds of off-topic questions while also doing numerous wide-ranging interviews with friendly and tough media outlets.A Smith representative had no comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Charles is avoiding Andrew in a bid to try to rein in the non-stop scandals.
After all the criticism from President Donald J. Trump directed at weak British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, it was a nice surprise to see just how well King Charles did in his state visit to the US.
While the Monarch is still ‘basking in all the glory’, he returned to Britain and went out to get some rest – but the way he did it shows clearly how he will be tackling the scandals involving the Royal Family, and the allegations involving his disgraced younger brother, former Prince Andrew.

King Charles snubs visit to Andrew despite staying in cottage less than half a mile away from his outcast brother https://t.co/B40lImifmD
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) May 6, 2026

Royal Observer reported:
“Charles reportedly spent some quiet time at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate. It is the very home Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had only recently moved out of. However, the visit caught attention because of the fact that the disgraced Prince was living just a field away in his new residence, yet the brothers seemingly never met.
The move has only fueled speculation that the King is continuing to keep a firm distance from his brother as he works to protect the monarchy’s image. The King was seen at St. Mary Magdalene’s Church on March 1, attending Sunday service, but despite being just a short distance away from Mountbatten-Windsor, he reportedly avoided seeing his disgraced brother altogether.”
Andrew and Charles: the brothers are more distant than ever
Even though Charles was less than half a mile from Andrew’s new house, it appears the brothers are more distant than ever.
“Meanwhile, the former Duke remains buried under the fallout from his Epstein scandal, stripped of royal duties and privileges while still being investigated over alleged misconduct in public office. Given his situation, Prince Edward is apparently worried about his mental health.
According to royal insiders, one thing still seems to deeply frustrate Mountbatten-Windsor: the fact that Royal Lodge in Windsor has reportedly remained empty months after he was pushed to leave the property in February. Sources claimed he feels his exit was rushed and unnecessary, especially since no one has moved into the sprawling residence since his departure.”
Sources close to Andrew say that King Charles, is rubbing salt in the wound by ignoring him while staying at a 10-minute walk distance.
But most experts agree that Charles must keep his distance from his brother that is constantly plagued by scandals, and now, a criminal investigation.
Read more:
New Reports Detail ‘Multiple Young Men’ Allegedly Drugged and Raped by ‘Super Predators’ on Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ‘Zorro Ranch’ (VIDEOS)

The post After Triumphant US State Visit, King Charles Returns to Britain, Goes To Rest in Wood Farm, But Skips Visiting His Disgraced Brother Andrew Living Only Half a Mile Away appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Kash Patel
There’s a new investigation into possible leaks of classified information, and it focuses on Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee and their staff members.
The probe was triggered in part by a criminal referral from the National Security Agency regarding the release of one of its intercepted messages, according to a report at Just the News.
Sources reported to the publication that the NSA made the referral last summer over leaks including one apparently to the New York Times.
That happened during DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation process and quoted information from an intercept of two Hezbollah terrorist figures who alleged she had met, during a 2017 trip to Syria, the “big guy.”
The leak suggested the reference was taken by some to mean Gabbard had met with a top Hezbollah terrorist leader, a claim she adamantly denied.
According to the report, “NSA concluded the leak accurately contained information from one of its intercepts but that Gabbard had not in fact met with Hezbollah leaders.”
Sources confirmed to Just the News potential leakers included the Senate Intelligence Committee Democrat staff.
FBI chief Kash Patel recently was alerted to the existence of the referral, which had languished inside the DOJ for months.
The publication said its sources confirmed, “Since then, FBI counterintelligence and criminal agents have ramped up their probe and expanded to other potential leaks and media contacts tied to the committee’s Democrats.”
 

The government of Argentine President Javier Milei has accused the World Health Organization of politicizing the current hantavirus outbreak.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filings Increase 42%

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

There were 644 commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in April 2026, a 42 percent yearly increase, according to a May 6 statement from the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI).

A Chapter 11 bankruptcy seeks to reorganize a company’s debts, with the aim of keeping the business operational and, eventually, becoming solvent. This is the most common type of bankruptcy filing made by businesses.

Within the 644 commercial Chapter 11 filings last month, 301 were made by small businesses, up 46 percent year over year, ABI said.

Overall commercial filings, including Chapter 11 and other types of bankruptcies, rose 21 percent during this period to 3,060 filings this April.

Chapter 12 filings, which concern family farms and fisheries, surged 130 percent to 62 in April 2026, the highest monthly total since February 2020, according to the institute.

“Rising inflation, higher borrowing costs, and geopolitical uncertainty are intensifying the financial strain on families and businesses,” ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss said.

ABI “appreciates the momentum building in Congress to permanently expand access” for distressed small businesses looking to file bankruptcies for restructuring under Chapter 11, she said, referring to the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act of 2026.

The Act, introduced in March, seeks to permanently raise the small-business Chapter 11 bankruptcy debt threshold to $7.5 million, according to a March 5 statement from Rep. Ben Cline’s (R-Va.) office. The threshold is the maximum debt limit a small business owner can have while applying for such bankruptcy.

The higher limit will allow more small businesses to access a “faster, more cost-effective bankruptcy process” while they negotiate with creditors.

“The Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act will give small businesses the certainty they need to reorganize, restructure, and keep operating when challenges arise,” Cline said.

“By permanently raising the eligibility threshold, we’re ensuring more job creators can access a streamlined and affordable bankruptcy process that helps them stay open, protect paychecks, and meet their obligations. Just as importantly, this bipartisan bill maintains the integrity of our bankruptcy system by keeping it self-supporting and fair for all who rely on it.”

Economic Indicators

While bankruptcy numbers are increasing, other economic indicators, such as employment and business sector activity, are giving mixed to positive signals.

For instance, the initial unemployment weekly claims for the week ending May 2 stood at 200,000. While this was an increase of 10,000 claims compared to the previous week, the four-week moving average of the claims fell by 4,500 during this period.

In a May 7 statement, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said that its April jobs report indicates “softening” in the employment market.

The organization’s Small Business Employment Index declined for the second straight month in April. However, “even in a month with a weaker Employment Index, over half of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire,” NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said.

Regarding business activity in the United States, five of seven sectors tracked by S&P Global registered higher activity in April than the previous month, according to a May 5 statement from the company.

In April, the health care, consumer goods, industrials, basic materials, and consumer services sectors grew month over month, while technology and financial sectors posted declines. Health care and consumer goods were the two top-performing sectors.

“The latest increase in Consumer Goods production was the steepest since April 2022,” S&P said. “This partly reflected advanced purchasing and customer stock building in response to expected price hikes, as the rate of new order growth surged to its highest since August 2021.”

As for the country’s overall economic growth, the first quarter 2026 U.S. GDP growth was 2 percent, up from 0.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to an April 30 estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

In late April, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that U.S. growth was “really solid” across the economy.

“Some of that is that consumer spending is hanging in pretty well; the most recent data are good. And some of it is just the apparently insatiable demand for data centers all over the United States,” Powell said.

Tyler Durden
Fri, 05/08/2026 – 14:20