California Supreme Court Disbars Former Trump Attorney For Aiding Challenge Of 2020 Election Results Authored by Brad Jones via The Epoch Times, The California Supreme Court decided to disbar former Trump attorney John Eastman over his aiding the president in challenging the 2020 presidential election results. The court has not yet handed down an opinion to explain the April 15 decision, which aff...
California Supreme Court Disbars Former Trump Attorney For Aiding Challenge Of 2020 Election Results Authored by Brad Jones via The Epoch Times, The California Supreme Court decided to disbar former Trump attorney John Eastman over his aiding the president in challenging the 2020 presidential election results. The court has not yet handed down an opinion to explain the April 15 decision, which affirmed the California Bar court’s recommendation for disbarment for alleged attorney ethics violations. Eastman, a former Chapman University law professor, gained national attention for advising President Donald Trump on constitutional challenges to election procedures in several battleground states after the president alleged widespread election fraud. The California decision is not the end of the line for Eastman. He can still practice law in the U.S. Supreme Court and possibly in another state. “Federal courts are supposed to let me keep practicing, and the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed me to continue practicing, even while I’ve been placed on inactive status [in] California,” he said. Eastman told The Epoch Times the state court’s decision is “outrageous” and “Orwellian.” “What’s happening here to our institutions that have been captured by hard line, political, weaponized activists needs to be addressed. I was hopeful that the state Supreme Court would do that, but they’ve obviously punted,” he said. “And so, it’s now up to the U.S. Supreme Court to fix this metastasization of the weaponization problem.” Eastman said his attorney will file a certiorari petition, which is a formal request asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the state court’s decision “because of the First Amendment violations that it represents.” The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that “professional speech does not get lesser First Amendment protection than anybody else’s speech,” Eastman said. “And yet, what the court has done here is basically said ... I don’t get the same First Amendment prote...
Ceri Breeze Avis Budget ( CAR ) and Hertz Global ( HTZ ) went back into rally mode on Thursday after a downturn on Wednesday. Both car rental stocks rose amid an elevated level of call buying. Avis Budget ( CAR ) was up 10.6% in late afternoon trading and is now up more than 325% over the last six weeks. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $450.00 earlier in the session. Meanwhile, Hertz Global ( ...
Ceri Breeze Avis Budget ( CAR ) and Hertz Global ( HTZ ) went back into rally mode on Thursday after a downturn on Wednesday. Both car rental stocks rose amid an elevated level of call buying. Avis Budget ( CAR ) was up 10.6% in late afternoon trading and is now up more than 325% over the last six weeks. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $450.00 earlier in the session. Meanwhile, Hertz Global ( HTZ ) shot up 6.6% and is 74% higher over the last six weeks. Based on the last public information from trading exchanges, short interest on CAR and HTZ is over 20% of the total float. On Wall Street, Deutsche Bank downgraded Avis Budget ( CAR ) to a Hold rating due to valuation concerns, while Hertz Global ( HTZ ) had already lost its last bull earlier in the year. Seeking Alpha analysts have been cautious on both names in recent articles. Avis ( CAR ) and Hertz ( HTZ ) are both lined up to report first-quarter earnings in the next three weeks. Options volatility is already pricing in double-digit moves around the earnings releases. More on Avis Budget and Hertz Global Hertz: I Remain Neutral As Fundamentals Lag The Price Move Avis: Rally Based On Sentiment And Momentum, Not A Buy The Empty Tank: Why I Am Shorting Avis Budget Avis Budget and Hertz Global cool off after a sizzling short squeeze rally Deutsche Bank turns cautious on Avis Budget after the one-week +30% rally
nicolas_/E+ via Getty Images Semiconductor equipment manufacturing stocks were mostly down by Thursday afternoon trading despite Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ) revealing during its first-quarter earnings it expects to hit the high end of its capital expenditures guidance. TSM said its capital spending this year would be at the high end of earlier guidance, ranging from $52B to $56B. T...
nicolas_/E+ via Getty Images Semiconductor equipment manufacturing stocks were mostly down by Thursday afternoon trading despite Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( TSM ) revealing during its first-quarter earnings it expects to hit the high end of its capital expenditures guidance. TSM said its capital spending this year would be at the high end of earlier guidance, ranging from $52B to $56B. TSM Chief Financial Officer Jen-Chau Huang said the company spent $11.1B on capex during the first quarter. "A very simple answer is, the demand is very robust, especially from the HPC and AI applications," said TSM CEO C.C. Wei when asked about the high capex plans during the earnings call . "And also, we try very hard to speed it up and pull in all the equipment as we can. Still, our supply is very tight. Demand is continuing to increase. And so we continue to work with our suppliers to speed it up. And that's why we are towards our high end of capex forecast." ASML Holding ( ASML ) was down 4%. It provides TSM with extreme ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet lithography machines. On Wednesday, the Netherlands-based company increased its 2026 sales outlook. Applied Materials ( AMAT ), which supplies TSM with deposition, etching, and cleaning machines, and metrology inspection tools, had inched down 1%. Lam Research ( LRCX ) had dipped 1.5%. It creates tools for the etching and deposition processes. And KLA ( KLAC ), which provides process control and yield management systems used to ensure quality and efficiency in wafer production, had declined less than 1%. More on ASML and TSM ASML Q1 2026 Earnings Update ASML Q1 Earnings Review: Sales Growth Slows, Memory Dominates Compute TSMC: The Ultimate AI Growth Engine Taiwan Semi raises 2026 outlook after Q1 profit surges amid AI demand Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing beats Q1 top-line and bottom-line estimates
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images Global Net Lease ( GNL ) is up 27% over the last year, in a recovery that could have legs on the back of the REIT's cheap multiple to adjusted funds from operations ("AFFO"). GNL generated AFFO of $48.5 million during its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter, around $0.22 per share. This was down from $78.3 million, or $0.34 per share, in the year-ago comp. Crit...
Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images Global Net Lease ( GNL ) is up 27% over the last year, in a recovery that could have legs on the back of the REIT's cheap multiple to adjusted funds from operations ("AFFO"). GNL generated AFFO of $48.5 million during its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter, around $0.22 per share. This was down from $78.3 million, or $0.34 per share, in the year-ago comp. Critically, GNL expects AFFO to dip again in 2026, with guidance for the full year placing AFFO between $0.80 per share and $0.84 per share. This would be a dip at the low end from AFFO of $0.99 for the full year 2025. GNL last declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.19 per share, kept unchanged from the prior distribution, and $0.76 per share annualized for an 8% dividend yield. GNL's dividend history is one that tells a story of back-to-back cuts and poor coverage, with the yield spiking as high as 21% at the peak of the collapse in confidence around the REIT's capacity to maintain the prior distributions. Data by YCharts I view the commons at their current level as more attractive but not yet a comfortable buy, with the current dividend yield providing 373 basis points of income above the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield ( US10Y ). GNL saw its credit rating upgraded to investment grade at " BBB- " by Fitch Ratings in October, with this rating affirmed in February, capping the REIT's transformation from a highly leveraged, externally managed, mixed-property REIT to an internally managed security whose back-to-back dividend cuts and capital recycling program have allowed for greater focus on single-tenant tenants and to reduce the debt held on its balance sheet. GNL's 7.25% Series A Preferreds ( GNL.PR.A ) and its 6.875% Series B Preferreds ( GNL.PR.B ) also had their credit rating upgraded to "BB." Fitch Ratings Lower Leverage, Revenue Dip, And Dividend Coverage Risk Global Net Lease Fiscal 2025 Fourth Quarter Investor Presentation GNL held around $2.57 billion of total debt as o...
TomasSereda/iStock via Getty Images Royal Gold ( RGLD ) was initiated Thursday with a Buy rating and $325 price target at UBS, which said the shares offer an attractive combination of low-risk, more reliable leverage to gold price upside compared to many gold miners, and near-to-medium-term volume growth that is not yet priced in. After a three-to-four-year period of declining GEO production, UBS ...
TomasSereda/iStock via Getty Images Royal Gold ( RGLD ) was initiated Thursday with a Buy rating and $325 price target at UBS, which said the shares offer an attractive combination of low-risk, more reliable leverage to gold price upside compared to many gold miners, and near-to-medium-term volume growth that is not yet priced in. After a three-to-four-year period of declining GEO production, UBS analyst Daniel Major sees Royal Gold ( RGLD ) entering a growth phase; combined with a favorable precious metals price backdrop, the company looks well-positioned to deliver strong earnings growth and consistent cash generation. The acquisition of Sandstorm/Horizon and Kansanshi in 2025 could drive 30%-plus growth in 2026, with Royal Gold ( RGLD ) targeting further ~20% organic growth during 2026-30, the analyst said; beyond five years, the company has projects that could add another 50K oz GEO in the medium term. Royal Gold's ( RGLD ) growth is diversified, limiting execution risk, and it will further diversify its portfolio, reducing dependence on its cornerstone Mt. Milligan asset, which should lower earnings volatility and close the valuation gap vs. peers, Major said. More on Royal Gold Royal Gold: No Longer A Bargain (Rating Downgrade) Royal Gold: Time To Buy The Dip Royal Gold: High-Margin Growth In A Record Gold Market
AbbVie 's (NYSE: ABBV) stock closed at a record high of $238.71 on Oct. 1, 2025. However, its stock has pulled back by about 13% since then. Let's see why that pullback represents a golden buying opportunity for long-term investors who can tune out the near-term noise. Image source: Getty Images. Before its recent pullback, AbbVie's stock had doubled in value over the previous four years. That ral...
AbbVie 's (NYSE: ABBV) stock closed at a record high of $238.71 on Oct. 1, 2025. However, its stock has pulled back by about 13% since then. Let's see why that pullback represents a golden buying opportunity for long-term investors who can tune out the near-term noise. Image source: Getty Images. Before its recent pullback, AbbVie's stock had doubled in value over the previous four years. That rally was mainly driven by the market's enthusiasm for its two newer immunology drugs, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, to replace the revenue lost from its former blockbuster, Humira. Continue reading