to Buy from Hold, with a price target of $20 from $14, after reevaluating the competitive landscape for the 2L GIST market.
Despite a significant ~40% drop from its 2023 peak, the continuous expansion of Qinlock's core business, the prospective commercial roll-out of vimseltinib, and potential long-term gains from Qinlock label enhancements are encouraging signs.
Earlier, the analyst Bradley Canino said Qinlock's phase 3 for 2L exon 11+17/18 GIST was likely outperforming by Theseus Pharmaceuticals Inc
The analyst anticipates that vimseltinib will likely match the cross-trial efficacy of Daichii's Turalio, a CSF1R inhibitor currently on the market.
Moreover, vimseltinib might have a more favorable safety record, potentially allowing it to sidestep the class-wide Black Box Warning and REMS program, the analyst writes.
While Turalio records sales of around $30 million annually without significant growth, Stifel analyst reckons that a more advantageous label could spur some market growth.
Yet, the projections for peak US sales stand at $75 million, a figure considerably lower than DCPH's $500 million US TAM estimate derived from healthcare claims data.
Rising incidents of crime in Oakland, California, are affecting quality of life, causing some to flee, and leading to calls by some community associations for more law enforcement amid a wave of violence.
While down slightly year-over-year, homicides have jumped 40 percent since 2019, with Oakland police reporting that every other category of crime shows an increase compared to last year and since before the pandemic.
Also, compared to 2019, assaults and auto break-ins have doubled, and carjackings have tripled, according to FBI statistics.
Additionally, the city rated a 1—the lowest possible score out of 100—meaning it is safer than less than 1 percent of areas across the country, according to online real estate market data firm Neighborhood Scout.
Public protests are now routine at Oakland City Council meetings, and letters to officials are pouring in, with frightened and angry residents and organizations expressing discontent.
At a July hearing with the Alameda County District Attorney and sheriff to discuss the ongoing crime wave, audience members told officials about their recent encounters.
"While I'm driving, I'm pulled out of my car at gunpoint,” one woman said. “What are we doing to address this? How do we solve this? Nobody feels safe."
Failed Leadership, Anti-Police Rhetoric Are to Blame: NAACP
Community safety advocates are also reaching out to administrators asking for immediate action to halt the violence.
“Oakland residents are sick and tired of our intolerable public safety crisis that overwhelmingly impacts minority communities,” the Oakland chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, better known as the NAACP, said in a July 27 letter to elected officials. “We call on all elected leaders to unite and declare a state of emergency and bring together massive resources to address our public safety crisis.”
The group blames criminal justice reform and efforts to minimize policing for the recent rise in crime.
“Failed leadership, including the movement to defund the police, our District Attorney’s unwillingness to charge and prosecute people who murder and commit life threatening serious crimes, and the proliferation of anti-police rhetoric have created a heyday for Oakland criminals,” the NAACP wrote in the letter. “If there are no consequences for committing crime in Oakland, crime will continue to soar.”
Oakland’s Police Department currently employs approximately 715 officers, nearly 500 fewer than necessary to protect the city, its union said in a statement released July 29. Current budget plans call for an increase to 730 officers over the next two years.
Protesters hold signs in support of defunding the police in Oakland, Calif., on July 25, 2020. (Natasha Moustache/Getty Images)
Residents No Longer Feel Safe at Home
Many residents say they no longer feel safe leaving their homes, and home invasion robberies are making some uncomfortable in their own dwellings.
“My mom and aunt live together, and they’re both older, and they don’t feel safe anymore,” Johnny Brown, a maintenance worker who has lived in Oakland most of his life, told The Epoch Times. “I bring them groceries, and I put a camera on their house, so I can watch and make sure they’re not in trouble.”
The Brown family has called Oakland home for more than 30 years, and they said the crime has never been worse.
“This is Oakland, there’s always been an element of danger, but it’s wild out here,” Mr. Brown said. “They’re getting away with so much that others are doing it too. They don’t care who you are or how much money they can get; they’re out here robbing everybody.”
Another long-time Oakland resident agreed, telling The Epoch Times that it’s not safe at night to walk or stop for gas in certain areas.
“It’s like predator and prey out here as a young woman,” LaTasha Jackson said. “We stay in groups at night and still don’t feel safe, and forget about pumping gas alone, that’s just asking to get robbed.”
Crimes committed during daylight are also on the rise, with car break-ins at historic levels and armed robberies approaching all-time highs, according to the Oakland Police Officers Association.
A recent video showed an elderly ice cream street vendor robbed by armed men wearing masks, but in a sign of solidarity, the community came together and raised thousands of dollars for the victim.
While complaints and requests for action are numerous, city leaders say they are taking steps to address the concerns.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao recently announced a collaboration with Gov. Gavin Newsom to bring California Highway Patrol officers to the city, in addition to a $1.5 million grant to install license plate readers in high crime areas, intended to identify criminals and track down suspects.
“Strong partnerships are critical in making our city safer,” said Ms. Thao in a press release Aug. 3 announcing the deal. “Our comprehensive community safety approach includes both accountability for those who commit crime as well as prevention and deterrence efforts to stop crime before it occurs.”
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announces the firing of Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong during a press conference at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group via AP)
While acknowledging efforts to reduce crime, Ms. Thao insisted more must be done.
“As a city, we’ve worked hard to make it safer,” she said in a statement Aug. 8. “We know we need to do more.”
Law enforcement officials recognize the dilemma facing residents and urged the community to unify and protect each other.
“In recent weeks, we’ve seen a surge in violence which has impacted our community and it’s concerning for all of us who work, live and visit the City of Oakland,” said Interim Police Chief Darren Allison in a joint statementwith the mayor in May. “Our city, like many other major cities, is facing very challenging times and it is crucial we come together to take a collaborative approach when it comes to addressing crime in Oakland.”
Police Suggest ‘Air Horns’ to Sound off Intruders
One suggestion from the Oakland Police Department was for residents to equip themselves with air horns to sound off intruders and to alert neighbors of any disturbances.
While some are following the advice, others question the efficacy of such a plan.
“An air horn won’t save you from a robber with a gun,” Ms. Jackson said. “It might get you killed, but I don’t see it saving many lives.”
Home invasions have escalated over the past year, according to Oakland police, with videos from home security cameras posted on social media showing armed intruders robbing unsuspecting homeowners.
Authorities also say elderly residents in the Oakland Hills have been targeted repeatedly over the last few months.
Police advise, when possible, people install burglar bars on windows and doors and utilize security measures to help stop break-ins.
Cameras can also help prevent attacks and provide evidence to assist law enforcement investigations, according to experts.
For now, some Oakland residents say they’re worried about the future and are considering leaving the city.
“We can’t live in fear forever,” Ms. Jackson said. “If things don’t get better, my family will leave as soon as we can.
AdventHealth, a large religious-affiliated hospital system, has sued MultiPlan, alleging the company has worked with health insurers to create a “cartel” that systematically underpays hospitals and doctors for care that is delivered out of an insurance company’s network.
AdventHealth claims it has “overwhelming direct evidence” that MultiPlan’s agreements with health insurance companies are anticompetitive, and that MultiPlan’s “multi-year, ongoing conspiracy” with insurers has shortchanged hospitals and doctors at least $19 billion per year. MultiPlan said in a statement it “believes this lawsuit has no merit and looks forward to disproving these baseless allegations.”
China has uncovered a Chinese national suspected of spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), its state security ministry said on Friday, highlighting what it said were the risks and dangers of Chinese citizens being recruited abroad.
The Chinese national surnamed Zeng, who had worked for a military industrial group, was recruited by a CIA agent based in Italy, the ministry said in a statement posted on its WeChat channel.
Zeng was sent to Italy by the military industrial group for further studies and became acquainted with the CIA agent.
Through dinner parties, outings and trips to the opera, the two developed a "close" relationship, with Zeng gradually becoming "psychologically dependent" on the CIA agent, the ministry said.
After succeeding in "shaking" Zeng's political stance, the CIA agent sought sensitive information about the Chinese military from Zeng, according to the statement. It did not say when the events took place.
The statement did not specify Zeng's gender but said the person was born in 1971 and the alleged CIA agent was named "Seth".
The U.S. embassy in Beijing did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
U.S.-Sino relations have soured in recent years over a range of issues including national security. Washington has accused Beijing of espionage and cyberattacks, a charge that China has rejected. China has also declared it is under threat from spies.
In the name of national security, China earlier this month called on its citizens to participate in counter-espionage work, following an expansion of its anti-spying law in July, alarming the United States.
Zeng was found to have signed an espionage agreement with the U.S. and had received training before returning to China, the ministry said.
The alleged agent promised a huge amount of money and immigration to the U.S. for Zeng's family in return for the information, the ministry said.
After returning to China, Zeng had provided on numerous occasions "core" intelligence, and had pocketed funds for the efforts, it said.
Coercive measures, which normally means detention, have been taken against Zeng, according to the statement.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday called China a "ticking time bomb" because of its economic challenges and said the country was in trouble because of weak growth.
“They have got some problems. That’s not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things,” Biden said at a political fundraiser in Utah.
Biden's remarks were reminiscent of comments he made at another fundraiser in June when he referred to President Xi Jinping as a "dictator." China called the remarks a provocation.
Those comments came shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken completed a visit to China aimed at stabilizing relations that Beijing described as being at their lowest point since formal ties were established in 1979.
China's consumer sector fell into deflation and factory-gate prices extended declines in July. China may be entering an era of much slower economic growth with stagnated consumer prices and wages, contrasting with inflation elsewhere in the world.
The United States, the world's largest economy, has fought high inflation and seen a robust labor market.
"China is in trouble," Biden said on Thursday. He said he did not want to hurt China and wanted a rational relationship with the country.
Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order that will prohibit some new U.S. investment in China in sensitive technologies like computer chips. China, which has the world's second largest economy, said it was "gravely concerned" about the order and reserved the right to take measures.
Mayor Eric Adams laid bare a slew of migrant crisis “priorities” the federal government should help tackle in a quick sit-down with one of President Biden’s top aides Thursday — the day after he warned the crippling influx of asylum seekers could cost Gotham $12 billion.
The closed-door City Hall meeting between Adams and Biden’s director of intergovernmental affairs, Tom Perez, finally unfolded amid the mayor’s repeated cries for more federal aid to help combat the surging migrant crisis.
“It was a good conversation, it was an introductory meeting. We had an opportunity to speak with him about New York’s priorities,” the mayor’s chief of staff, Camille Joseph Varlack, said in the wake of the roughly 30-minute sit-down.
“We talked about sites, we talked about decompression, we talked about legal strategies and work authorization pathways.”
Adams, who as recently as Thursday morning cautioned that alack of federal aid would eventually “decimate” the city, has long begged the Biden administration for more support to cover the cost of providing shelter and social services to asylum seekers.
The feds, so far, have contributed or promised a mere $142 million.
Adams’ aide wouldn’t give specifics when asked if Perez was probed about the so-far “insufficient” influx of federal cash.
The Biden aide sat down separately with Mayor Adams and Office of Management and Budget director, Jacques Jiha.Paul Martinka
“We had conversations about how we can get additional resources to New York City writ large, on a whole host of areas, including as you know, we have approximately 20,000 children in our care,” Varlack said.
“There are different ways to get resources to New York City as we continue to manage this humanitarian crisis, and we were happy to have the opportunity to speak with him about the ways we think the federal government can help us.”
The mayor and Perez talked “very generally” about the concerns the Big Apple is facing and vowed to “continue to have these conversations,” Adams’ chief of staff added.
Earlier, Perez also sat down with the city’s Office of Management and Budget director, Jacques Jiha, as well as other members of the Department of Homeland Security team who were dispatched to inspect the Big Apple’s migrant shelter sites, a source told The Post.
Massive tents being set up Thursday on Randall’s Island, which will shelter 2,000 migrant men, officials confirmed this week.NY PostRandall’s Island last housed a migrant shelter in October — but the $625,000 facility shuttered within weeks over reported lack of use.NY Post
It wasn’t immediately clear if Perez visited any of the roughly 200 emergency shelters, mega-relief centers and short-term respite facilities the city has set up to cater to the migrant influx.
His visit comes just days after dire scenes unfolded outside the Roosevelt Hotel — the city’s main intake center — when dozens of asylum seekers were forced to sleep on the streets after the buckling shelter system ran out of space.
Massive tents were seen being set up Thursday on Randall’s Island, which will shelter 2,000 migrant men, officials confirmed earlier this week. The island last housed a shelter in October — but the $625,000 facility shuttered within weeks over reported lack of use.
Since last spring, the city has welcomed roughly 100,000 migrants. More than half, an estimated 57,000, of recent arrivals remain in Gotham’s care, City Hall’s latest figures show.
Migrants line up outside the Roosevelt Hotel — it wasn’t immediately clear if Perez visited any of the roughly 200 emergency shelters, mega-relief centers and short-term respite facilities the city has set up to cater to the migrant influx.Seth Gottfried
“We are past our breaking point,” Adams warned Wednesday as he unveiled the dire figures.
“New Yorkers’ compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not. And our partners at the state and federal levels know this. We continue to face impossible decisions about allocating our resources, and that means a lose-lose for our most vulnerable New Yorkers as well as those seeking asylum.”
The city is currently spending an average of $383 per night to provide shelter, food and other care to each migrant family, Adams said.
“With more than 57,300 individuals currently in our care on an average night, it amounts to $9.8 million a day. Almost $300 million a month and nearly $3.6 billion a year,” he added.
In addition to the $142 million from the feds, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers agreed earlier this year to pick up $1 billion of what was then an estimated $4 billion price tag.
