Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and eight states secured a settlement on April 15 that will prevent three major advertising agencies from engaging in unlawful media censorship.

The defendants Dentsu US, Inc., GroupM Worldwide LLC (doing business as WPP Media), and Publicis, Inc. will no longer enter into deals that require them to restrict working with certain clients, according to the settlement.

“A coordinated group of woke, powerful individuals attempted to suppress that Constitutional right by manipulating ad agencies into sabotaging the reach, revenue, and credibility of conservative voices,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement released on April 15.

The plaintiffs – including Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia – alleged that censorship deals between ad agencies and companies had been happening in the background during the past decade, which limited rising voices in the alternative and online media space.

The lawsuit accused some of the largest ad agencies of establishing brand-safety agreements that labeled content creators as “misinformation,” making them unable to receive ad revenue.

The alleged brand-safety standards were part of a campaign to demonetize prominent figures in the conservative space such as Glenn Beck, Steve Bannon, and the late Charlie Kirk, according to court documents reviewed by the Epoch Times.

The campaign allegedly attempted to censor and suppress content from Fox News Channel and X, formerly Twitter.

“This is a deeply disturbing violation of antitrust laws and our Constitution,” Paxton added.

“This was an egregious attempt to control public opinion and silence those who speak out against the liberal elites and powerful corporations. I will continue to lead the fight against viewpoint suppression and protect the speech of Americans from corrupt manipulation.”

As part of the settlement, defendants also agreed to have a court-ordered monitor to make sure agencies are sticking with the agreement and no longer censoring political viewpoints.

The defendants agreed not to enter into or enforce any deal that would limit their advertising spending on political or ideological viewpoints or DEI commitments.

“The ad agencies’ brand-safety conspiracy turned competition in the market for ad-buying services on its head,” FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said in a statement on Wednesday.

​Ferguson added, “this unlawful collusion not only damaged our marketplace, but also distorted the marketplace of ideas by discriminating against speech and ideas that fell below the unlawfully agreed-upon floor.”

Taiwanese chip giant, Taiwan Semiconductor Manfuacturing Co, said Thursday its net profit surged to a fresh record in the first quarter, fueled by the global artificial intelligence race despite the war in the Middle East. Massive demand for AI hardware means business is booming for TSMC — the biggest contract maker of microchips used in everything from Apple phones to Nvidia processors.

TSMC’s net profit for the first three months of the year jumped 58.3% YoY to NT$572.5 billion ($18 billion), beating analyst estimates of NT$540.20 billion as governments and tech giants continue to pour huge sums into building data centers that can train and run AI tools such as chatbots, image generators and agents that can execute tasks. A weaker Taiwanese dollar had also boosted the firm’s revenues from overseas sales: the company said net revenue rose 35.1% YoY to a record NT$1.13 trillion. Gross margin was 66.2% in the first quarter, further increased from a record 62.3% last quarter.

Here is the full Q1 breakdown:

• Sales NT$1.13 trillion, +35% y/y, estimate NT$1.12 trillion
• Net income NT$572.5 billion, +58% y/y, estimate NT$542.38 billion
• Gross margin 66.2% vs. 62.3% q/q, estimate 64.5%
• Operating profit NT$658.97 billion, +62% y/y, estimate NT$623.82 billion
• Operating margin 58.1% vs. 54% q/q, estimate 55.6%

While overall earnings were stellar, largely thanks to relentless AI chip demand, one weak point was smartphone revenue, which fell 11% compared to the previous quarter as the industry faces an ongoing memory shortage.

“The recent situation in the Middle East… brings further macroeconomic uncertainties, as such we are being prudent in our business planning,” TSMC chairman CC Wei said.  TSMC CFO Wendell Huang said the company did not expect the war to impact its supply of key chipmaking materials such as helium and hydrogen in the near term, despite mounting fears that the collapse in Qatar helium exports would wreak havoc on global chip production.

“We source from multiple suppliers in different regions, and we have prepared safety stock inventory on hand,” Huang told an earnings call, adding that energy supplies were also sufficient to continue operations as normal for now.

TSMC said its revenue for the April-June quarter will reach another record of between $39 billion and $40.2 billion, which represents 32% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. Gross margin is expected to be between 65.5% to 67.5%. Commenting on the forecast, Bloomberg said that “TSMC’s 2Q gross-margin guide above 1Q’s record suggests rising chemical and gas costs tied to Middle East disruption aren’t enough to derail the company’s structural margin reset”

That said, TSMC warned the surging price of gas and chipmaking chemicals could weigh on the company’s profitability and the global economy, while increasing component costs, including for memory chips, could affect the price-sensitive consumer market.

The results are in line with those of leading memory chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology, all of which have benefited from the global AI infrastructure boom. Samsung earlier this month flagged preliminary first-quarter operating profit surging 755% year on year, driven by an unprecedented memory shortage. Micron’s gross margin reached 74% in the fiscal quarter ending February 2026 and is expected to rise further to around 81% in the current quarter, underscoring the strength of demand.

A note from UBS analysts had predicted strong quarterly results for TSMC but warned that consumer demand was weakening as a result of higher prices caused by a global memory chip shortage that is a side-effect of the AI boom. “Cloud AI demand continues to strengthen, but we think supply constraints will limit meaningful upside for TSMC this year,” the UBS team said. “Middle East tensions add a layer of macro uncertainty, but AI spend should stay insulated, barring a protracted conflict.”

TSMC’s good news was bad news for  PC manufacturers, who are facing a rare double-whammy: TSMC’s foundry price hikes are converging with memory cost inflation, creating a cost squeeze that’s already forcing retail price increases. The math is straightforward-chips cost more to make, and memory modules are pricier to buy-and the result is a fundamental upward pressure on every PC built.

TSMC’s 2026 price adjustments target the advanced nodes that power premium laptops and desktops. The company notified clients that prices for sub-3nm processes will rise 3% to 10% starting January 1, 2026, with the exact increase depending on the node 3%-10% by node. TSMC currently sells 3nm wafers for approximately $20,000 each, and 2nm wafers will exceed $30,000 when mass production begins 3nm at ~$20,000, 2nm above $30,000. These are the chips that go into flagship devices, and the cost differential is material. For context, TSMC’s Arizona facility, which is now producing 4nm chips, costs 5-20% more to operate than Taiwan-based manufacturing, a factor baked into the pricing strategy Arizona operations 5-20% more expensive.

The memory side of the equation is equally aggressive. DRAM and NAND flash prices have been climbing as suppliers tighten contract terms and inventories normalize. Asus, one of the world’s largest PC vendors, responded in early January 2026 by implementing price increases of 15% to 20% on selected notebook and desktop models Asus price increases 15-20%. The company explicitly cited “RAM and storage cost pressure” as the driver, linking the shift directly to supplier pricing rather than logistics or labor Asus attributed increases to memory costs. Asus targeted specific consumer and commercial models-but the effect was immediate: Taiwan retailers began raising prices on competing brands’ systems to preserve their own margins retailers raised prices on rival brands.

* * * 

TSMC is also planning record capital spending of up to $56 billion in 2026, part of a broader push by Asia’s chip industry that could total at least $136 billion. ASE Technology Holding, the world’s largest chip-packaging and testing provider, updated its guidance and said investment this year will exceed earlier forecasts.

“We expect AI to continue fueling growth for TSMC despite weak non-AI demand,” said Mark Li, veteran semiconductor analyst with Bernstein Research. “Fortunately for TSMC, we see no impact to its business as the capacity released by non-AI customers will be quickly filled by AI customers who could not find sufficient capacity before.”

TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei also commented for the first time on Tesla and Intel’s collaboration on Terafab advanced chipmaking facilities in the U.S. and on Intel’s push into the contract chipmaking business and advanced chip packaging. Recently Elon Musk says his company is embarking on its own in-house chip business because capacity from its chip suppliers, including TSMC, Samsung and SK Hynix, is insufficient to meet its needs. 

“Actually both Intel and Tesla are TSMC customers, but they are [also] our competitors. We view Intel as a formidable competitor, and do not underestimate them,” Wei said. “But I will say that there are no shortcuts. The fundamental rule of the foundry never changes. We need technology, leadership, manufacturing excellence and customer trust, which has been mentioned by Jensen [Huang]” — Wei said, thanking the Nvidia CEO for his words. 

Wei said it takes two to three years to build a new chip plant and another one to two years to ramp it up. TSMC, he added, is also building new fabs to satisfy its customers. “The capacity is very tight and we are working hard to make sure we can meet customer demand.”

Despite TSMC’s record Q1 results, US-listed shares are down 2.3% (having risen nearly 19% off a recent low). The failure of either TSMC or European chip giant ASML (which sasnk 3% on concerns over shrinking sales to China and sky-high expectations from investors) to catch a tailwind from positive reports could be a bellwether for the wider chip industry as earnings season rolls on.

It is also the latest example of how astronomical expectations have weighed on chipmaker stocks. Last quarter, Nvidia’s blowout fourth-quarter earnings report was met with a 5% sell-off.

Via Headline USA,

Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails, with supporters like President Donald Trump saying it has saved lives while critics point to longstanding concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans.

A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance.

The program expires Monday, and critics want changes, including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans. They also want limits on the government’s use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online, offering the government what critics say amounts to an end-run around the Constitution.

Despite bipartisan criticism, the chances of significant reforms dropped when Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal, saying it had proven its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran.

“The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our military,” Trump said on Truth Social Tuesday.

U.S. authorities say the program, known as Section 702 of the law, is vital to national security and has saved lives by uncovering terror plots. Critics question what they call a dangerous infringement on civil liberties and privacy.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said a different FISA provision was used to spy on his 2016 campaign but that he supported Section 702’s renewal despite misgivings that political adversaries could use parts of the law against him in the future. He called on lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance program for another 18 months.

“My administration has worked tirelessly to ensure these FISA reforms are being aggressively executed at every level of the Executive Branch to keep Americans safe, while protecting our sacred Civil Liberties guaranteed by our Great Constitution,” Trump wrote.

Trump is a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence services and was once opposed to Section 702 before he reversed himself. “KILL FISA” Trump posted on social media in 2024, when the provision was last reauthorized.

Trump isn’t the only one-time critic to change their mind: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sponsored legislation to repeal Section 702 as a Hawaii congresswoman but now supports it after being tapped to coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.

Gabbard says new protections added since her time in Congress helped change her mind.

In addition to a requirement for a warrant to access Americans’ data, critics also want greater protections on how the FBI or other agencies can search communications and how that is reported to the public.

“Journalists, foreign aid workers, people with family overseas, all could have their communications swept up in this surveillance merely because they talked to someone outside of this country,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The longtime critic of the law is pushing for changes that he said will ensure the government isn’t violating civil rights in secret.

Several Republicans also have suggested changes, such as the warrant requirement.

“National security and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “We can give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to target foreign threats while ensuring that Americans are not subjected to unconstitutional surveillance.”

Gabbard’s office releases an annual report showing the number of foreign surveillance targets and number of searches likely to identify an American.

For 2025, the number of foreign surveillance targets increased to nearly 350,000 from almost 292,000 in 2024. Searches using terms likely to identify an American decreased slightly to 7,724 from 7,845 in 2024.

The totals are incomplete because agencies like the FBI have found ways to access the data without reporting the searches publicly, said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.

FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching for intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order.

“It’s reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover’s tenure at the FBI,” Goitein said, referring to the FBI’s founding director who used illegal surveillance to harass and spy on Americans. “They can pretty much target anyone.”

Despite bipartisan concerns about the law and its implications for civil liberties, time is running out for Congress to make any changes before Monday’s expiration.

Trump’s support also reduces the odds that enough Republicans will break ranks and join Democrats to push for reforms.

Wyden said Section 702 votes are routinely delayed until the last minute, then lawmakers are told that national security demands they vote yes. Lawmakers are told, he said, that “if they vote for any amendments, the program will die and terrible things will happen and it will be all their fault.”

The best chance for inserting changes likely is the House, where a large number of lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns.

But Rep. Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, is backing Trump’s call for an 18-month renewal.

Crawford has taken aim in the past at what he calls the weaponization of intelligence but said last month that he believes the government can empower spy agencies while also holding them accountable.

“We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Crawford said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Update (1130ET): Amid reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund might be on the verge of pulling its funding for the league, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told staff in an email overnight that its season will go on “as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”

The email, which was obtained by ESPN, didn’t directly address reports that PIF might stop investing in the breakaway circuit after spending more than $5 billion since its inception in 2022, or whether the league will continue competitions beyond this season.

“I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” O’Neil wrote in the email.

“While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before.”

LIV Golf is scheduled to play its sixth tournament of the season starting Thursday at Club de Golf Chapultepec near Mexico City.

Its first tournament in the U.S. is scheduled for May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

*  *  *

As Middle East Eye reported earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is on the cusp of cutting its backing for LIV Golf, as it tightens its belt amid the US-Israeli war on Iran and delayed megaprojects at home.

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund could announce it was stepping away from the Saudi-backed golf tour, established in 2021, as early as Thursday, taking a hit on its $5bn investment in the entity.

The report said PIF had been weighing an exit before the US-Israeli war on Iran began, but any decision would likely send a chill through the sports world and other entities seeking cash from Gulf sovereign wealth funds.

PIF is the main backer of LIV Golf, which has racked up major losses since its founding in 2021, and the move would likely spell its demise.

PIF’s bet on LIV Golf to rival the PGA Tour was one in a series of investments that were made in a bid to bolster the kingdom’s involvement in sports and entertainment, as it pushes to diversify its economy away from energy.

Saudi Arabia’s potential reversal on its costly golfing venture is part of a wider pullback on sports investing, as it looks to prioritize returns, rather than cultural influence. https://t.co/s0iQdRcFAZ

— Bloomberg (@business) April 16, 2026

Even before the US-Israeli war on Iran, high-flying projects were being cancelled or massively scaled down. The kingdom’s finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said in December that it had “no ego” preventing it from reassessing projects.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia suspended construction of the Mukaab, a giant cube-shaped structure set to be built in downtown Riyadh. The kingdom also shelved plans to build a desert ski resort and a large dam for an artificial lake.

Because of its East-West pipeline running from the Gulf to the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia can bypass Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. It is practically the only Gulf state exporting oil amid the war and is benefiting from higher oil prices.

But the conflict has also made it harder for Gulf states to present themselves as safe hubs for tourism and business.

Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, told Al Arabiya Business on Wednesday that the war on Iran was having an effect on PIF’s calculus, saying that “the war would add more pressure to reposition some priorities”.

Rumayyan confirmed for the first time that a 170km straight-line city envisioned to be part of the larger Neom development was no longer a priority.

“There are directives to Neom to reprioritise. Everyone thinks The ‌Line is Neom, but The Line is one project in Neom,” he said. “Is it necessary to have The Line by 2030? I think no. It’s good to have, but not a must-have,” he said.

Cutting ties with LIV Golf would align with the kingdom’s efforts to keep more of its sovereign wealth fund cash at home. PIF is estimated to be worth $1 trillion.

Rumayyan said that PIF wanted 80 percent of its investments to go to local projects while it deployed 20 percent abroad, down from a high of 30 percent in recent years.