The Southern Poverty Law Center pleaded not guilty this week to an 11-count federal indictment alleging the civil rights nonprofit spent years secretly paying millions of dollars to people inside the white supremacist and neo-Nazi networks it publicly raised money to fight. Interim president and CEO Bryan Fair entered the not-guilty plea on behalf of the organization in federal court in Montgomery, Alabama. No individuals have been charged. Trial is set to begin in October. That plea does not erase a charge sheet that reads like a betrayal of every donor who ever wrote a check to the SPLC believing it would be used to fight racism.

Two days before Mother’s Day, President Donald Trump stood in the White House Rose Garden and spoke directly to the women seated in front of him: Angel Moms who lost children to the border crisis and Gold Star Mothers who lost children in service to the country. The Friday luncheon brought together mothers whose grief runs through some of the most painful chapters in recent American life, from the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan to violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants on American soil. “Today, we’re honored to be joined by many strong and truly heroic moms who have stood up for their children, both in life and in a very profound loss,” Trump told the gathering. .@POTUS welcomes Angel Moms and Gold Star Moms to the White House for Mother's Day: "Today, we're honored to be joined by many strong and truly heroic moms who have stood up for their children — both in life and in a very profound loss." pic.twitter.com/p4WgVdlRm4 — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 8, 2026 The guest list included names that carry enormous weight for the families and communities who know their stories. Daily Wire reported on the expected attendees ahead of the event. President Trump was scheduled to host a noon Mother’s Day luncheon in the newly renovated Rose Garden, addressing Angel Mothers, Gold Star Mothers, and other American mothers. The policy subjects expected during the President’s remarks included tax relief for working families, Trump Accounts, IVF access, school choice, and protecting women’s sports and spaces. Among the guests was Anna Zarutska, mother of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee killed on a Charlotte train in August 2025. The suspect in Iryna’s death was Decarlos Brown Jr. Alicia Lopez, mother of Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez, was also listed. Her son was killed at Abbey Gate during the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. Other names reported for the luncheon included Sabine Durden-Coulter, mother of Dominic Durden; Anne Fundner, mother of Weston; Jaqueline Medina, mother of Lizbeth Medina; Dalisia Ballinger of Make Memphis Safe Again; Melody Wolfe, mother of West Virginia National Guard Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe; and Olympic medalist Kallie Humphries. Each mother on the list carried a story that traces back to the border crisis, military sacrifice, or public safety failures that have shaped national debate for years. The event was designed to bring those stories together under one roof and give the women who lived them a seat at the table in the White House. Trump addressed the Angel Moms directly during the luncheon, telling them their children had been stolen from them because of open-border policies. He said his administration had moved to turn the border from the most dangerous in American history into the strongest. For the mothers in that garden, those are not political talking points. They are the difference between what happened to their children and what might be prevented for someone else’s. "These mothers raised up children so selfless and so devoted that they volunteered to wear the uniform of our nation and lay down their lives for all of us." @POTUS recognizes various Gold Star mothers at the White House Mother's Day Luncheon. pic.twitter.com/DX4eSBHu0F — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 8, 2026 Trump then turned to the Gold Star Mothers, calling them some of the most extraordinary mothers the nation has ever produced. He described the children they raised as selfless Americans who volunteered to wear the uniform and ultimately laid down their lives for their fellow citizens. Breitbart covered the remarks and the specific tributes Trump offered during the event. President Trump framed the Rose Garden celebration around love, gratitude, and the mothers who became advocates after enduring terrible loss. He addressed Angel Moms and credited them with fighting so other families would never have to live through the same nightmare. He tied that grief directly to his border record, saying his administration had acted quickly to secure the nation’s borders after years of failure. The event placed two groups of grieving mothers side by side: those who lost children to border security failures and those who lost children wearing the uniform of the United States. The remarks also honored Gold Star Mothers at length. Breitbart noted that Trump singled out Janice Chance and told the story of her son, Jesse Melton III, who died in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Melton had volunteered to take the place of a fellow Marine before the mission that took his life. Trump held up the story as an example of the kind of selflessness that Gold Star Mothers instilled in their children, and the kind of sacrifice that the country should never allow itself to forget. The tribute drew an emotional reaction from the mothers in attendance. The story of Jesse Melton III is the kind of thing that stops a room. A young Marine who stepped forward so another man could step back, and a mother who has carried that knowledge every day since. Janice Chance was not the only mother in the Rose Garden with a story like that. Alicia Lopez has lived since 2021 with the knowledge that her son Hunter was killed at Abbey Gate during a withdrawal that never should have unfolded the way it did. Anna Zarutska’s daughter Iryna came to America as a refugee seeking safety and was killed on a train in Charlotte. President Trump hosted a Mother's Day luncheon in the White House Rose Garden, with guests including Angel moms and Gold Star mothers. Watch OAN on Spectrum and YouTube TV today for more updates. pic.twitter.com/y6F4OMBCVV — One America News (@OANN) May 8, 2026 These mothers carried their loss into the Rose Garden on a sunny Friday in May, and the President of the United States gave them his time, his attention, and the full weight of the White House platform two days before the country celebrates Mother’s Day. That is how you honor the women who gave everything.

Prediction markets are flashing a number that should worry Senate Democrats and encourage Republicans heading into the 2026 midterm cycle: the GOP is now favored to hold the upper chamber. As of May 9, 2026, both major prediction market platforms show Republicans ahead in the race for Senate control. The shift is modest in raw percentage points, yet the direction is clear after mid-April numbers had Republicans slipping into the mid-40s on some platforms. Prediction Markets Show GOP Now Favored To Hold Chamber Of Congress. https://t.co/UUvNgQrqye#DiamondandSilk — Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) May 9, 2026 Solflare’s election market page showed the Kalshi-linked Senate contract this way: Solflare’s market for “Which party will win the U.S. Senate? In 2026” showed the Republican Party ahead when checked on May 9, 2026. The page listed Republicans at 58%, with Yes contracts priced at 58 cents and No contracts at 43 cents. The same page listed the Democratic Party at 44%, with Yes contracts priced at 44 cents and No contracts at 57 cents. In plain terms, traders were pricing the Republican Senate-control side higher than the Democratic side. The market’s rule language also defines how the contract settles. It says the Republican market resolves Yes if the Republican Party has won control of the U.S. Senate in 2026. Victory is determined by the party identification of the President pro tempore of the Senate on February 1, 2027, with the outcome verified through the Library of Congress. The page also lists participation prohibitions covering candidates, campaign staffers, party employees, PAC employees, major polling organization employees, members of Congress, congressional staffers, immediate family members, and source-agency employees. That 58% figure represents a roughly 10-point climb from where Republicans sat in mid-April, when some traders were briefly pricing Democratic control as the more likely outcome.

A former NFL player is heading to federal prison for more than 16 years after a jury found he helped run a nearly $200 million fraud scheme that exploited elderly Americans and the families of disabled and deceased military veterans. Joel Rufus French, 47, was sentenced on May 8 to 196 months in federal prison following his February 2026 conviction in the Middle District of Florida. A federal judge also ordered French to pay $110,753,619 in restitution and forfeit approximately $17 million seized from bank accounts and other assets. The case was investigated by the HHS Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the VA Office of Inspector General. Former NFL Player SENTENCED TO OVER 16 YEARS in Prison for $197 MILLION Medicare Fraud “Today’s sentence makes clear that if you target America’s elderly, sick, or vulnerable — and rob America’s purse doing so — you will be targeted and brought to justice.”-Assistant Attorney… pic.twitter.com/1qOsaVKphP — National Fraud Enforcement Division (@DOJFraudDiv) May 8, 2026 The Justice Department shared these sentencing details: French was identified as a former NFL player, a marketing company owner, and the beneficial owner of eight durable medical equipment companies used to bill Medicare and CHAMPVA, the Department of Veterans Affairs health care program for qualifying spouses and children of disabled or deceased veterans. The sentencing release says the scheme ran through patient information and sham doctors’ orders tied to orthotic braces that patients did not want or need. Overseas telemarketing call centers pressured elderly Americans into handing over personal and health insurance information and accepting the braces. In some cases, call recordings were altered to make it appear Medicare patients had consented when they had not. French received a 196-month prison sentence, was ordered to pay $110,753,619 in restitution, and was ordered to forfeit roughly $17 million seized from bank accounts and other assets. The scope of the fraud went well beyond cold calls. French paid kickbacks to sham telemedicine companies to obtain signed medical orders from doctors and nurse practitioners who had never examined the patients and, in many cases, had never even spoken with them. Those fraudulent orders were then funneled through marketers and medical supply companies to generate claims against Medicare and CHAMPVA. The Justice Department also described what prosecutors presented at trial: Trial evidence showed French used straw owners and false documents to conceal his connection to the eight DME companies from Medicare. The government presented evidence that he paid kickbacks to sham telemedicine companies for signed medical orders from doctors and nurse practitioners who had not examined the patients and, in many cases, had never spoken with them. Those orders moved through marketers and medical supply companies before claims were submitted to Medicare and CHAMPVA. Prosecutors also showed that French laundered about $225,000 in cash, including more than $10,000 placed in a bag and driven to Orlando to pay accomplices who sold patient and insurance information. A jury convicted French in February 2026 of health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and a kickback conspiracy. The DOJ noted that its Fraud Division, created on April 7, supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance. The task force has placed a renewed emphasis on prosecuting large-scale fraud against taxpayer-funded programs. Former NFL Player Sentenced to Prison for $197M Medicare Fraud READ: https://t.co/HxCS74COh6 pic.twitter.com/lnCEtVmDjT — The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) May 9, 2026 French built a fraud operation that billed nearly $200 million to programs designed for elderly Americans and the families of veterans who served their country. Sham doctors signed orders for orthotic braces without ever seeing a patient. Telemarketers cold-called vulnerable people to harvest their information. The 196-month sentence and $110.7 million restitution order reflect the scale of the theft and the deliberate targeting of people the federal government has a duty to protect.

Noah here, and I am SO excited to show you this! One of the things I hate most in life are scammers…. Low-life, dirty scammers that steal from good people and often cheat people out of their hard-earned money, sometimes even their whole life savings! I hate it with a passion which is why over the years I’ve warned you any time I saw scams online to pop up. Like this one: HEADS UP: Please Do Not Get Conned By The “TRB Checks” And this one: Don’t Let This Happen To You — READ THIS NOW Over time, people even started to email me to ask if something was a scam before they fell for it. Like this email: It’s something I’m really proud of, that I’ve been able to help some amount of people not get conned out of their hard-earned money.  I may never know just how many people I saved, but even one is worth it!  Even one means I saved someone’s life from being destroyed, which is really cool. With all of that as background, I’m now so excited to announce my newest creation. I’ve been working on this for weeks and I can now finally make it live and tell you about it. I’ve had this in the back of my mind for a long time, and I was finally able to actually build it. Here’s the idea….what if instead of writing a new article every time I found a new scam (that’s like playing Whack-a-Mole!) what if I could build a program that would help you DETECT and BLOCK scams before they could get you? And that’s exactly what I built! Introducing….Scam Shield, by Noah! After all, scams are not slowing doing, they’re only getting more sophisticated and scaling up bigger than ever. Last year, the FBI reports cybercrime losses hit $16.6 billion, which is a 33% increase in just one year. I know I can’t stop them all, but I’m here to put a pretty big dent in those stats and stop as many scams as I can before they run off with YOUR money! It’s pretty simple…you just go to MyScamShield.com and you can sign up and get instant access. I built this thing to be really simple (but really powerful) to use! Mark Twain once famously said: “If you’d given me more time, I would have written a shorter speech!” The meaning behind that famous quip is that it’s pretty easy to make something hard and complex….the true beauty comes in making something simple and easy to use. And while I might be a little biased, I think that’s exactly what I’ve done here. You DO NOT have to be a “techie” person to use this….in fact, it’s built specifically for non-techie people. There’s a ton of things you can do with Scam Shield, but I built it around three core functions: If you receive a suspicious email or text message or even voicemail, you can run it through the system and it will tell give you a full assessment on whether it’s safe or not safe.  The report it gives you is pretty incredible — if I do say so myself! If you think you’ve already made a mistake, it can jump in and immediately coach you on what to do next.  You’ll even get paired up with a live expert you can chat with and get customized help.  Because just taking a moment to calm down and talk with someone can mean the world when panic sets in. I built a feature that can blast out an immediate warning to any friends/family you want to notify them you might have clicked on something bad and they shouldn’t trust any messages from you. They’re all awesome to use, but the first one (the message checker) is pretty incredible. You can copy and paste the message in or you can just upload a screenshot of the message and it immediately goes to work running a full analysis. It looks like this while it’s working and you usually have the full results back in one or two minutes max: There’s nothing fun about being the target of a scam, but honestly using this is kind of fun and addicting! As I was building and testing this software, I was having a blast running this checker and seeing if I could fool it (I never did). There’s a bunch more in here I could tell you about but just go take a look yourself here: https://www.MyScamShield.com As always, my number one goal around here is to provide you with excessive value! I’ve done that for 11+ years now and counting, delivering the news for FREE! We have never added a paywall to our reporting and we never will. All my Email Newsletters, websites, podcasts and everything else we do around here is provided free, and that’s something I am really proud of. Scam Shield does have a fee to purchase it, but that’s because it costs me money to run this software and to power all the “‘scam checks” each time they run, and to pay for things like live chatting with an expert. But I wanted to get it as close to free as I could while still covering the lights on, so it’s only $47 if you want to grab it. Why $47? I mean, it’s a pretty good number I think! I am a big fan of 45 and 47, how about you?