May 14, 2026 - XI Talks Tough on Taiwan

I think Alex Murdaugh killed his wife Maggie and son Paul - and that he deserves a new trial. Those are not mutually exclusive ideas. And I didn't need the Supreme Court of South Carolina to tell me so.

I knew from monitoring the case that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill placed her fingers on the scales of justice, clearly crossing a line by making her opinions known to the jurors.

As the justices wrote: "By urging the jurors not to be fooled or convinced by Murdaugh's defense, Hill essentially implored the jurors to find him guilty, the ultimate issue in the case."

I watched as much of the trial as I could on Court TV and benefitted from the expertise of Wall Street Journal reporter Valerie Bauerlein, who was often my radio and TV guest. Her reporting hooked me on the case.

There were so many unusual things about this case - not the least of which were late-breaking trial surprises of the sort that usually only happen on TV. Specifically, a cellphone video recorded by Paul and stored on his phone that captured Alex's voice at the dog kennels - placing him at the scene despite his claims he wasn't there that night - and General Motors OnStar navigation data from his Chevrolet Suburban, which contradicted his alibi and put him at the scene during the time of the murders.

Long before the trial, I remember creating a chart in my studio consisting of concentric circles so that I could track Valerie's detailed knowledge of the several major events that collectively told the story of the Murdaugh family. Valerie has since written the definitive book on the matter: “The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty”, an instant New York Times bestseller. If you want to understand the case, read the book and listen to my interview with Valerie at the time of publication.

At the outset of that 2024 discussion about her work, I praised Valerie but told her I had "one note" about the book. At the end of the interview, I got around to my observation:

"It's Becky Hill. I wanted more about Becky Hill, again, from a distance... I thought legitimate the grounds for new trial on the basis that she'd overstepped her bounds."

The court agreed. You can read the opinion here.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump that mishandling Taiwan could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” as the two leaders met in Beijing to stabilize trade ties and discuss tensions over Iran.

CBS News

The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a new murder trial for former prosecutor Alex Murdaugh, ruling that improper and prejudicial comments made by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill compromised the fairness of the original trial in the killings of his wife and son.

The Post and Courier

Political organizer Denise Powell narrowly defeated State Senator John Cavanaugh in Nebraska’s closely watched Democratic primary for the Omaha-area “blue dot” congressional district, setting up a high-stakes general election against Trump-backed Republican Brinker Harding.

NPR

Senator John Fetterman was the only Senate Democrat to vote against advancing a resolution to end U.S. military hostilities with Iran without congressional approval, helping doom the measure in a narrow 50-49 vote, despite cross-party support from three Republican senators.

The Hill

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers. Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft.

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TMZ

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The Times of Israel

Convicted murderer Kouri Richins used her first public remarks at sentencing to proclaim her innocence, promise to appeal her life-without-parole sentence, and offer emotional advice to her sons after being found guilty of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins.

The Salt Lake Tribune

The Supreme Court is poised to issue major rulings by July that could shape President Trump’s immigration and executive powers, alter election and gun laws, decide transgender sports policies, and determine whether Bayer Pharmaceuticals faces billions in Roundup cancer lawsuits.

USA Today

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said he experienced a vivid spiritual vision involving his late friend and former aide Peter J. Powers while in a coma battling severe pneumonia, as he continues recovering after a critical hospitalization earlier this month.

New York Post

A new authorized “Godfather” novel titled Connie, written by Adriana Trigiani and set for a 2027 release, will continue the Corleone saga by reimagining the story through Connie Corleone’s perspective and marking the first entry in the franchise written by a woman.

ABC News