Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Eli Lilly nears $1.3B deal for Verve Therapeutics - report
Eli Lilly (LLY) is in advanced talks to acquire gene editing startup Verve Therapeutics for up to $1.3 billion, aiming to strengthen its pipeline of experimental medicines, the Financial Times reported on Monday.
The drug maker's acquisition bid includes a payment of almost $1 billion upfront for Verve, and a further $300 million based on the genetic medicines company achieving certain clinical milestones, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The deal could be announced as early as this week, provided talks stay on track, the report added.
Verve Therapeutics is currently developing a gene therapy to reduce high cholesterol levels, which is expected to be used in combination with other drugs.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eli-lilly-nears-1-3-234902814.html
Monday, June 16, 2025
Illegal Alien Economy: How Foreign Nations Exploit US Borders For Profit
by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,
Well, the tensions over mass illegal immigration in the US are finally coming to a boil after 4 years of open borders under the Biden Administration and six months of obstruction by Democrat politicians and judges interfering with deportations.
The progressive establishment position on illegals is clear: Make it as easy as possible for anyone to enter the country and make it as difficult as possible to kick them out.
I published a comprehensive overview on the riots in California last week, but I also want to examine how we got here in the first place and why many foreign governments are so intrusive when it comes to US immigration policies.
Think about it for a moment and ask yourself: Why is the rest of the world in our business? Why do they care if we have tighter controls on borders and stricter vetting for immigration? Why don’t foreign governments also complain about Chinese immigration standards, or Saudi Arabia’s standards, or even Australia’s standards? Why does everyone else think they have a say in how America handles immigration?
There are, of course, ideological agendas at play here, but I believe the primary reason for foreign meddling is economic, specifically when it comes to Central America and South America.
I’ve covered these issues briefly in the past but I think it bears repeating that the US is widely considered a kind of global buffet or a wounded gazelle – The entire jungle shows up to take a bite. We’re the cash cow of the planet ready to be milked. The exposure of organizations like USAID proved beyond a doubt that Americans pay for the ENTIRE WORLD. Not only that, but we get to pay for the inflation that is created for every dollar printed and circulated to fill the pockets of foreign interests.
This is the enduring curse attached to any country “lucky” enough to maintain world reserve currency status. When the Bretton Woods agreement was put in place after World War II there was an unspoken but clear trade-off, a devil’s bargain attached to the dollar’s ascension.
First, Americans were going to have to pay the vast majority of defense spending in the new international order (which would ultimately become NATO). Second, America was gifted the ability to print dollars with wild abandon while mitigating hyperinflation by exporting dollars overseas to foreign banks and corporations. However, the expectation was that the US would have to spread the fiat wealth and feed the coffers of other countries through various subsidies, foreign aid and perhaps even open immigration.
The question is, how does mass immigration play into this arrangement?
The Economic And Social Steam Valve
Using Mexico as an example, we can see some obvious economic advantages for foreign governments if US immigration policies remain unenforced. Mexico has enjoyed an exceedingly low unemployment rate for several years, not just because untold numbers of US manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to the south, but because Mexico has the option of encouraging poverty stricken citizens who can’t get jobs to sneak into the US.
This serves a couple of purposes – It allows Mexico to maintain low unemployment stats. It saves them loads of cash when it comes to social welfare programs (they can send their poor to the US where American taxpayers foot the welfare bill). And, in terms of crime and civil unrest, Mexico is able to relocate their own discontented rabble over the border and let the US deal with those people instead.
The same goes for most of Central and South America. The benefits are just too numerous to ignore. The more open the US border is, the more every third world country near us has to gain.
Immigration Extortion
Most readers might not remember, but under the Biden Administration there was a concerted effort to spin the immigration crisis as a problem of financial instability and humanitarian response. Kamala Harris, the supposed “border czar”, spent years avoiding a visit to the southern border to witness the migrant surge first hand. Instead, she claimed that her energies were better spent on trips to other countries where she could “solve the problem at the source”.
This meant that the Biden Administration would not close the border, but they would pay off foreign governments with billions of dollars in subsidies that would theoretically trickle down to third world populations and keep them at home. These payoffs were also designed to make South American and Central American politicians stop encouraging their people to enter the US illegally.
Of course, Democrats didn’t really want the migrant caravans to stop, but this was a way for them to pretend as if they were taking action. Meanwhile, foreign leaders were licking their chops; the more migrant mobs tried to force their way across the US border, the more subsidies they could extort from the progressive controlled US government. The incentives for them to continue sending migrant trains north were overwhelming.
The Golden River Of Remittances
While scrolling through Mexican news sources I came across the story that inspired this article: Last week Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum seemingly threatened the US over a proposed tax on “remittances”. If you are not familiar with remittances, they are basically any monies earned (or stolen) within the US by non-citizens and transferred to their home countries.
I have related my own experiences with this issue in past articles – As a construction worker and contractor in Florida in my early 20s I witnessed extensive hiring of illegals who were paid around 30% less than American workers. Most of those guys would end up at the local Winn-Dixie supermarket every payday to cash their checks and wire money to Mexico through Western Union. There would be a long line of them around the front of the store, all of them sending money outside the US.
Now imagine this is happening in every town in the US with illegals, and you’ll start to understand the sheer scale of remittances. The tax on remittances that is currently under review is only around 3%, but some law makers want to the tax closer to 15% or more. In response Sheinbaum has turned hostile, arguing that Mexicans would “mobilize” in reaction to any fees.
“If necessary, we’ll mobilize. We don’t want taxes on remittances from our fellow countrymen. From the US to Mexico…”
The socialist president did not specify what she meant by “mobilize”, but many commentators assert that this is a threat to mobilize unrest among migrants already within US borders. As we have seen in Los Angeles in the past few days, the threat is not idle. It seems like madness, until we look at how much US cash is actually transferred outside the US by migrants.
Mexico alone received at least $65 billion in remittances from the US last year. In other words, the Mexican economy enjoys a yearly boost of around $65 billion just by encouraging illegals to cross the border. To put this in perspective, Mexico’s entire social welfare budget each year is around $30 billion; less than half of what the country gets through remittances from the US. Mexico’s tourism industry generates around $32 billion annually; again, less than half of what remittances generate.
Total foreign remittances to Mexico make up around 5% of their annual GDP and it is the largest single source of income from foreign sources.
Also keep in mind that a dollar buys a lot more in Mexico than it does in the US. Want to buy a house in the US? The median price for a three bedroom home is $320,000. In Mexico, a three bedroom home goes for $100,000 (often less). This is yet another reason why illegals march across the border; even when working for 30% less wages they still earn triple the buying power or more in their own country by wiring dollars back home.
Sheinbaum understands full well that her country is highly dependent on the underground cash flows from the US through illegal workers. The same goes for numerous Central and South American countries. The expectation attached to the current financial order is that Americans get the world reserve currency, but Americans must foot the bill for nearly every other allied nation. This dynamic is changing and the parasitic feeder nations don’t like it. They’ve become so dependent on easy cash from the US they don’t know how to function any other way.
Panic is certain. The economics of illegal immigration are ugly. Some progressives will argue that open borders are “good for America” because remittances and cash outflows help reduce inflation. Obviously that’s not the case, otherwise inflation would have been non-existent under the Biden Administration with its unprecedented migrant invasion.
Not only that, but the mere presence of millions of illegals creates a massive demand spike in goods, services and housing which drives up prices. Add to this the billions of dollars spent every year on subsides for migrants collecting welfare (around 60% of all migrants collect from one or more welfare programs upon entering the US), and you have am undeniable inflationary burden that does not need to be here.
Foreign governments want illegals here because they are yet another tool for bleeding the US for extra funds. They believe they are entitled to this money, but this methodology is about to change. They simply aren’t ready for what is about to happen.
Early voters in NYC’s Dem primary question why Mamdani listed first on mayoral ballot
New Yorkers voting in the Democratic Primary are questioning why Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is listed first, at the very top of the ballot sheet.
Mamdani — an assemblyman who has gained momentum in recent polling to catch up with favorite Andrew Cuomo — has copped backlash for his refusal to acknowledge Israel having a right to exist as a Jewish state and his involvement in the “BDS” movement, which seeks to divert US funding to the country.
The 33-year-old candidate, who is a Muslim, has also raised eyebrows with his pie in the sky policy proposals, such as city-owned grocery stores and free bus service — that would cost taxpayers at least $10 billion.
The Board of Elections (BoE) have explained the ballot order is randomly selected and bound by strict regulations, but some people are demanding more transparency.
New York resident Simone Weichselbaum, 43, cast her vote as early voting began on Saturday — less than two weeks ahead of the June 24 primary election — but walked away from the booths frustrated and concerned.
“As a pro-Israel Midtown East Jewish voter, I voted yesterday and was shocked to see Mamdani listed first on the long list of names of mayoral candidates — we have a very crowded field this year,” she told The Post.”
“It took me a lot longer to vote because you have to go down the list and rank them.”
The 2025 race is the second time ranked choice voting has been used. New Yorkers can choose up to five candidates in order of preference.
When all first choice votes are counted, if one candidate has more than 50% of votes, they win. If not, the candidate in last place is eliminated and the second choice of the people who voted for the eliminated candidate is counted.
This process continues until there are only two candidates left, upon which the candidate with the most votes wins.
“Voters who are less enthusiastic might not take the time to consider their options. A lazy voter might just go ‘f—k this’, and go down the line, selecting Mamdani first,” Weichselbaum said.
“I want to know how the random selection process works. Who is in the room? Is it AI creating the list? Are they putting names in a hat? We need more transparency around this selection process.”
A crowded field of candidates, including former governor Cuomo, current Comptroller Brad Lander and current Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams are all running in the city’s mayoral race.
New York law requires the Board of Elections in the City of New York to determine the order in which names are printed on the official Primary Election Day ballot in a random drawing.
State law requires a board of elections or other elections officer to prepare a primary ballot with “numbered spheres and an automatic selection machine similar to those used for bingo games or for drawing state lottery numbers”.
A number is then pulled for each of the candidates and whatever comes out is where they end up on the list.
This year’s drawing for the June 24, 2025 Primary Election ballot positions was livestreamed on the Board’s website on April 30, however an archive of the draw did not seem to be available Monday.
“Prior to the date of the drawing, the commissioners shall designate at least two persons who will conduct the drawing for all offices,” the state election law citation reads.
“Candidates or their designees may inspect the device or devices to be used for the drawings, at the date and time established by the board, and in the presence of the two commissioners or their designees.”
However, many voters are unaware of that process and therein lies the problem, according to Weichselbaum.
“The BOE should actively publicize it and run public service announcements so the public goes into the voting booth knowing what to expect,” she said.
“I give the BOE a fat letter F — for failing voters during such an important mayoral election that’s flooded with so many candidates.”
Another New Yorker, Darren Glick, 54, told The Post he had been “receiving a lot of questions” from people in the Jewish community who were already “confused about the ranking system”.
“This is such a large group of mayoral candidates, it would be easier for people to scroll through the list alphabetically,” he said.
“[Making the process difficult] could lead to people not finding their candidate… especially for people who want to vote Cuomo and don’t realize he’s at the bottom of the list.”
The New York State Board of Elections did not return a request for comment.
Cuomo is widely considered the frontrunner in the race, with many local Democrats fearing the consequences of one of the fields’ more progressive politicians winning.
Incumbent Eric Adams, a Democrat, is running as an independent, so is not included in the primary for the Democrat party, but will be on the November general election ballot.
Early voting is open through until Sunday, June 22 and election day is June 24 when polls will be open across the five boroughs from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cops remove 88 children from Bible study camp in Iowa in human trafficking probe: officials
Deputies raided an Iowa church and removed 88 children participating in a Bible study camp as part of a sweeping human trafficking investigation, police said Monday.
The youngsters are now in protective custody of local agencies after they were taken from the Shekinah Glory Camp run by Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation, according to police and local reports.
Deputies executing search warrants removed the children over the weekend and took them to nearby Wapello Methodist Church to meet with child protection workers, deputies told KWQC.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services placed the children in temporary foster care until they could be reunited with their parents or guardians, deputies added.
The Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation, founded in 2018, was hosting the summer camp from June 8-29.
The family behind the ministry that runs the camp in Columbus Junction denied the allegations, according to WQAD8.
“What we try to do is, we take care of adults and children who are under the influence of drugs, alcohol, nicotine,” Victor Bawi, whose parents run the ministry, told the outlet.
“The adults and children, we take care of them, we provide food for them. The children we separate from the adults. We separate the boys and girls. We care for them, we provide for them.”
Bawi told KWQC that a teen from Texas called authorities because he didn’t want to attend the camp.
Bawi said no children were ever in danger or harmed.
“We never harmed that child. We loved him,” he said. We bought him like $400 shoes, clothing, everything.”
Christian teenagers from across the nation attend the camp, he added.
Bawi told WQAD8 that when the children aren’t studying the Bible, they have fun playing volleyball, soccer and other outdoor activities.
Deputies executed search warrants at several locations — one where the camp was taking place in Columbus Junction, and another less than two miles away in Fredonia, where the church helps people find housing.
The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said the operation took place in coordination with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Columbus Junction Police Department, according to WQAD8. The investigation remains ongoing.
The church is run by two pastors from Burma. They are members of the Chin, an ethnic minority, according to an Iowa cultural organization. Iowa has resettled thousands of refugees fleeing the longest-running civil war in the world.
Iowa has one of the largest Burmese populations in the Midwest, and Columbus Junction had a significant number in the area. Many of the refugees are poor and work in the Tyson’s Food Inc. meat packing plant, where the company has translators on premises. The plant is responsible for 2% of the hogs slaughtered each year in the nation.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, is one of the countries added to the controversial list of countries banned for entry to the US by the State Department on June 16.