Morgan Stanley Created 2015 Hunter Biden Dossier of "Fraudulent" Looking Schemes, "Suspicious" Transactions

 Whistleblowers at Morgan Stanley raised the alarm over what they thought looked like "fraudulent" schemes and "suspicious" transactions all the way back in 2015, eventually escalating his concerns to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) just a few days before Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, according to documents obtained by Just the News.

"Due diligence on involved parties reveals less than clean records," one Morgan Stanley investment bank compliance presentation from May of 2015 states.

The bank even created a dossier about Hunter Biden's history, including his expulsion from the US Navy, his association with Ukrainian energy giant Buisma, and photos of the Bidens.

In a May 8, 2015 presentation deck titled "Overview of Wakpamni Series 2014 Bonds Potentially Suspicious Structure & Transactions," the bank warned that some activities - such as the Native American tribal bond scheme, required the bank to take compliance action.

"No clear illegal activity is being accused, but authors of this presentation determined activity was suspicious enough to warrant escalation of review by appropriate internal Compliance representatives," reads the presentation, which singled out several business partners, including Devon Archer and Hunter Biden.

"The Navy Reserve discharged Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter this year after he tested positive for cocaine," it states.

The dossier also flagged an August 25, 2008 NYT article noting that Hunter had been "Caught Up in Hedge Fund Trouble," stating "A son and a brother of Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware are accused in two lawsuits of defrauding a former business partner and an investor of millions of dollars in a hedge fund deal that went sour."

See below (via Just the News):

As JTN further reports:

The presentation is one of the earliest known whistleblower activities to raise serious questions about Hunter Biden and his foreign business exploits. It triggered suspicious activity reports (SARS) filed by banks and a SEC complaint that would eventually lead to the 2016 indictment of several Hunter Biden business partners in a bond fraud scheme and later FBI and IRS investigations targeting Hunter Biden himself for tax evasion.

While SARS reports are frequently generated by compliance officers in the financial industry, the step of independently reporting information directly to the SEC is much more rare.  

The documents obtained by Just the News chronicle the efforts by at least one vice president inside the Morgan Stanley investment bank to blow the whistle on companies affiliated with Hunter Biden and one of his chief business partners, Devon Archer. The concerns included that the firms may have been involved in a fraudulent bond scheme with the Native American Wakpamni tribe and may have improperly benefited from tax dollars in a separate technology investment.

After some time, two Morgan Stanley officials filed whistleblower complaints against Hunter Biden with two federal agencies.

Read the rest here...

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/morgan-stanley-created-2015-hunter-biden-dossier-highlighting-fraudulent-looking-schemes

Philips settles one category of U.S. claims over respirator recall

 Philips said on Thursday it has reached a settlement to resolve one category of legal claims against it following a major recall of the Dutch medical equipment maker's sleep apnea and respiratory devices.

The company said it has struck a deal to settle U.S. class action "economic loss" claims. Philips will make an initial payment of $479 million to a fund to cover payments claimants covered by the settlement, which will vary depending on the type of device they had.

The company had taken a 575 million euro ($615.48 million) provision in the first quarter of 2023 against estimated costs for economic loss claims.

"The final costs may vary based on how many patients participate but at the end of the day we believe the 570 million euros will cover the costs of the final settlement," spokesman Steve Klink said.

Philips recalled millions of breathing devices and ventilators used to treat sleep apnea in 2021 because foam used to dampen noise from the devices can degrade and become toxic, carrying potential cancer risks.

The company still faces other legal actions over the recall, including personal injury claims, as well as an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. It is in talks with the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration over a "consent decree" or settlement.

Lawyers from four firms who led the class action suit said the settlement was "an important step toward justice" and participants should take the agreement.

However, the lawyers said in a joint statement they would continue to pursue personal injury and other claims against the company.

"We are confident in these claims and we look forward to holding Philips accountable for the physical harm they caused patients," they said.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dutch-company-philips-reaches-u-121038001.html

'US says no evidence munitions for Ukraine cause cancer'

 "I would push back on the assertion from Russian officials. Here, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has stated that there is no evidence that the World Health Organization organization reports that there has been no increase of leukemia or other cancers and that have been established following any exposure to uranium or DU (depleted uranium),” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

“These are standard issue rounds," she added.

The use of depleted uranium munitions is fiercely debated; the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons says ingesting or inhaling even depleted uranium dust can cause cancers and birth defects.

But a United Nations Environment Programme report on the impact of depleted uranium on Serbia and Montenegro, in then- Yugoslavia, found "no significant, widespread contamination."

And Britain's Royal Society said in a report in 2002 that the risks to the kidney and other organs from the use of depleted uranium munitions were very low, both for most soldiers in the field and for those living in the conflict area.

https://news.yahoo.com/us-says-no-evidence-munitions-024536192.html

Lilly's diabetes drug gets greenlight from UK watchdog

Eli Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro has gained the backing of Britain's healthcare cost-effectiveness watchdog, which said it would be a good option for patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said in draft final guidance that it estimates some 180,000 people could benefit from the new treatment.

The drug, also known as tirzepatide, has also been in the spotlight for its potential to treat obesity. A U.S. decision on its use for weight loss is expected later this year. Investors have sent Lilly's shares surging, betting that an approval will make it a blockbuster drug.

Final guidance from NICE is scheduled to be published on Oct. 11 after which the drug will be made available in the UK's National Health Service within 90 days.

The recommendation comes after the watchdog in July asked Lilly for more data about the drug's benefits.

Lilly did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The charity Diabetes UK estimates that more than 5 million people in the UK are living with diabetes. 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-lillys-diabetes-drug-gets-061313276.html

US presses Mexico to devote sufficient resources against fentanyl- official

 The Biden administration is facing an "unwillingness" by Mexico to devote enough resources to help stem the flow of the illegal drug fentanyl into the United States, and is pressing Mexican authorities to do more, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

Todd Robinson, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, told a Senate subcommittee the U.S. was continuing to engage with the Mexican government "to convince them that they need to put more resources in" the fight against smuggling of the deadly opioid.

President Joe Biden's administration has been seeking increased cooperation from both Mexico and China in curbing the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, which have fueled a sharp rise in U.S. overdose deaths.

“To be honest, the challenge that we have with Mexico is their unwillingness to put … sufficient resources into the fight, and we are pushing them to do that,” Robinson said when asked whether Mexico was showing enough political will to tackle the fentanyl crisis.

“The partners that we are working with want to do more. They want to do better. They want to partner with us on greater security both in Mexico and at the border,” he said, adding that “we continue to engage with them on that.”

The Mexican embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said on August 10 that Mexico was developing a digital tracking system for fentanyl precursor chemicals, including methods to detect the substances at Mexico's ports and border crossing points.

Mexico has vowed to crack down on precursors coming into the country, where they are used to produce fentanyl which is then often smuggled to the U.S.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has defended his country's efforts, said in April he had written to Chinese leader Xi Jinping urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl.

https://news.yahoo.com/us-presses-mexico-devote-sufficient-185013017.html

Massachusetts top court allows electric shock therapy for disabled patients

 A Massachusetts institution for the developmentally disabled can continue to use controversial electric shock devices to address aggressive or self-harming behavior in residents, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, though it left the door open to future challenges.

In a unanimous ruling Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that the state acted in bad faith in regulating the Canton-based Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. JRC, which provides education and treatment to people with development disabilities and behavioral disorders, is the only institution in the country to use the treatment.

The lower court judge, Katherine Field of Bristol County Probate Court, had found that high-ranking officials at the state's Department of Developmental Services in 2010 altered a report by staff to remove a finding that JRC was in "substantial compliance" with state requirements, and that the department in 2011 tried to impose a moratorium on the use of shock treatment for new patients without reviewing scientific evidence.

The department has for decades sought to end the shock therapy treatment, which is supported by families of residents who say it is the only option for loved ones who would otherwise need to be constantly sedated or restrained.

"The ruling ensures that the lifesaving, court approved electrical stimulation device treatment remains available to those for whom all other treatment options have been tried and failed," Michael Flammia, a lawyer for JRC, said in a statement.

The department and a lawyer for the families did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Justice Scott Kafker wrote in the court's opinion that the issue was "heart-wrenching," and that the state could take further action based on new facts in the future.

The legal fight over the facility began in 1985, when the state sought to ban the shock treatment. JRC and families of residents sued, and the case resulted in a consent decree in 1987 that allowed the treatment to continue.

In 2013, the state sought to terminate the consent order altogether, before Judge Field's ruling in 2018 that it was still necessary because of state regulators' bad faith conduct.

A federal appeals court in 2021 ruled in a separate case that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could not ban the shock device.

https://news.yahoo.com/massachusetts-top-court-allows-electric-202315401.html

North Korea unveils first tactical, nuclear-armed submarine

 North Korea has launched its first operational "tactical nuclear attack submarine" and assigned it to the fleet that patrols the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, state media said on Friday.

Submarine No. 841 - named Hero Kim Kun Ok after a North Korean historical figure - will be one of the main "underwater offensive means of the naval force" of North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un said at the launch ceremony on Wednesday.

Analysts said the vessel appears to be a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s and began producing domestically. Its design, with 10 launch tube hatches, showed it was most likely armed with ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, analysts said.

But such weapons won't add much value to the North's more robust land-based nuclear forces, because its submarines may not survive as long during a war, said Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who works with the 38 North project in Washington.

"When this thing is field deployed, it's going to be quite vulnerable to allied anti-submarine warfare," he said. "So I think from a sort of hard-headed military standpoint this doesn't make a lot of sense."

South Korea's military said that the submarine didn't appear ready for normal operations, and that there were signs North Korea was attempting to exaggerate its capabilities.

At the launch ceremony, Kim said arming the navy with nuclear weapons was an urgent task and promised more underwater and surface vessels equipped with tactical nuclear weapons for the naval forces, news agency KCNA reported.

"The submarine-launching ceremony heralded the beginning of a new chapter for bolstering up the naval force of the DPRK," KCNA said, using the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea plans to turn other existing submarines into nuclear armed vessels, and accelerate its push to eventually build nuclear-powered submarines, Kim said.

"Achieving a rapid development of our naval forces ... is a priority that cannot be delayed given ... the enemies' recent aggressive moves and military acts," the North Korean leader said in a speech, apparently referring to the United States and South Korea.

North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the submarine launch drew condemnation from South Korea and Japan.

"North Korea's military activity is posing graver and more imminent threat to our country's security than before," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a briefing.

NUCLEAR ATTACK SUBMARINE

The designation as a "tactical" submarine suggests it does not carry submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) that can reach the U.S. mainland, but rather smaller, short-range SLBMs or submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) capable of striking South Korea, Japan, or other regional targets, said Choi Il, a retired South Korean submarine captain.

The rear of the submarine's sail - the tower that juts out of the top of the hull - was expanded and 10 vertical launch tubes, 4 large and 6 small, were installed, likely for SLBMs and SLCMs, he said.

North Korea has test-fired both SLBMs and SLCMs.

It is unclear whether North Korea has fully developed the miniaturised nuclear warheads needed for such missiles. Analysts say that perfecting smaller warheads would most likely be a key goal if the North resumes nuclear testing.

North Korea has about 20 Romeo-class submarines, which are powered by diesel-electric engines and are obsolete by modern standards, with most other countries operating them only as training vessels.

Analysts first spotted signs that at least one new submarine was being built in 2016, and in 2019 state media showed Kim inspecting a previously unreported submarine built under "his special attention" that would operate off the east coast.

State media at the time did not describe the submarine's weapons systems or say where and when the inspection took place, but analysts said the apparent size of the new vessel indicated it was designed to carry missiles.

North Korea has a large submarine fleet but only the experimental ballistic missile submarine 8.24 Yongung (August 24th Hero) is known to have fired a missile.

The launching ceremony comes as North Korea is set to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding day on Saturday and follows reports that Kim plans to travel to Russia this month to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss weapons supplies to Moscow.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta, and asked Beijing to do more as a U.N. Security Council member to address North Korea's nuclear threat.

https://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-launches-tactical-nuclear-213527701.html