Hamas terrorists fired rockets into towns,shot at civilians from paragliders, and kidnapped women and children from their homes. Grandmothers at gunpoint, loaded onto golf carts, to be held hostageor killed by twisted, depraved thugs — supported by soulless New York City progressives.
Yes, in Times Square on Sunday, the Democratic Socialists of America will host an “All Out for Palestine” rally. Wear a mask so you’re not recognized, the organizers say. Best to just let the swastikas do the talking.
“Never mind the hundreds of Israeli civilians and children who have been murdered, wounded, abducted, and terrorized. Their lives mean nothing to the DSA. Nothing,” Congressman Ritchie Torres rightly wrote Saturday. “The NYC-DSA is revealing itself for what it truly is: an antisemitic stain on the soul of America’s largest city.”
The DSA is the party of Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, Rashida Talib — and oh yes, New York’s very own Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal “Fire Alarm” Bowman. They are quick to lecture about “extremism” in America. What do they say about this?
Well, already Omar has called for a “deescalation and ceasefire,” meaning that Israel should just accept that 300 — and likely more — of their people were brutally murdered. War crimes should be accepted, because hey, they’re Palestinians.
“Such senseless violence will only repeat the back and forth cycle we’ve seen, which we cannot allow to continue,” Omar wrote.
But this ISN’T a “cycle” of violence. This is one group of people — Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah — intent on Israel’s destruction.
Israel would like nothing more than to live peacefully within its borders, to see Gaza and the West Bank flourish as neighbors. But the Palestinians, stirred up by propaganda, hate and money from Iran, can never accept that.
Consider what this unlawful invasion was in response to: a historic detente between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The “peace” the Squad claims to want.
The attack “sends a message to the Arab and Islamic world, and the international community as a whole, especially those seeking normalization with this enemy, that the Palestinian cause is an everlasting one, alive until victory and liberation,” said Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Normalization” is their enemy. Anything that stops them from turning Palestinian children into killers, and Israelis into their targets.
The Biden administration is bending over backward to reward Iran in hopes that it returns to a toothless nuclear treaty. A country that foments terror across the region, and fuels this destruction.
This is a clarifying moment for America, which needs to stand as Israel’s unwavering ally. These are monsters, and the people who support them are despicable. To President Biden: Stop playing footsie with the Ayatollah and stand up against Iran’s warmongering. To Democrats: Denounce the representatives giving aid and comfort to murderers and kidnappers.
And to New Yorkers: Come to Times Square on Sunday at 1 p.m. Hold up Israeli flags. Shout down the DSA. Show that hate will not be tolerated.
Together with colleagues, veterinarian and neuroscientist Sonja Bröer has researched how regenerative cell therapies can contribute to curing or alleviating epilepsy. The work was carried out at biotechnology start-up Neurona Therapeutics, Inc. in San Francisco, where Bröer led a team in preclinical research, before she moved to Freie Universität Berlin.
The company is developing acell therapy(NRTX-1001) for treatment-resistant epilepsy and has now published the results frompreclinical studiesinCell Stem Cell. Based on these data, the cell therapy is now being evaluated in human patients as part of an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial. On October 6, 2023, Bröer will present both the preclinical and the first clinical data at the Einstein Center for Neurosciences'Berlin Neuroscience Meeting.
Approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy; in about one-third of patients, epileptic seizures do not respond to drug treatment, reducing patients' quality of life as well as their life expectancy. Epilepsy occurs when excessive electrical discharges occur in nerve cells of the brain.
The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) can block this overexcitation. However, the nerve cells that secrete this neurotransmitter can degenerate in patients with epilepsy, creating an imbalance between inhibition and excitation in the brain that is thought to pave the way for epileptic seizure activity.
In their recent publication in Cell Stem Cell, Bröer and her colleagues report on the transplantation of inhibitory GABA-secreting neurons that can potentially restore the balance in the brain and suppress epileptic seizures. Developing and characterizing such a cell therapy could provide a breakthrough alternative for patients with treatment-resistant seizures.
Developed by Neurona Therapeutics, cell therapy NRTX-1001 is derived from a human embryonic stem cell line and differentiated into inhibitory neurons. Administering NRTX-1001 into a mouse model of chronic epilepsy resulted in long-lasting and reproducible seizure suppression, with most animals becoming completely seizure-free.
The transplanted inhibitory neurons distributed throughout the brain and integrated themselves into the host's existing neuronal network. The cells survived long-term and also reduced other pathological side effects of epilepsy, such as scarring in the brain, which also occurs in human patients.
These disease-modifying effects were dose-dependent. No adverse effects were observed. These results support an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT05135091) for drug-resistant epilepsy. If approved, this would be the first cell therapy for epilepsy worldwide and an alternative that could transform the lives of millions of patients suffering from treatment-resistant seizures.
More information: Marina Bershteyn et al, Human pallial MGE-type GABAergic interneuron cell therapy for chronic focal epilepsy, Cell Stem Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.08.013
Dementia, which includes Alzheimer's disease, currently affects around 1.8 million people in Germany. The exact cause has not yet been clarified, but genetic factors play a significant role in the development of the disease. Most previous analyses aimed at the identification of novel Alzheimer's genes used, a "case-control design."
"With this conventional and highly simplistic analysis strategy, a vast amount of clinical information is lost that can be valuable for elucidating new disease mechanisms," says Prof. Dr. Lars Bertram, head of the Lübeck Interdisciplinary Platform for Genome Analysis at the University of Lübeck and project leader of the now published study.
"In our latest investigation of almost 1,000 individuals, we therefore combined the data from six different Alzheimer's biomarkers and were thus able to map the disease pattern much more accurately in the subsequent genetic analyses."
The study is published in the journal Genome Medicine.
One of the findings suggests a reduced expression of GRIN2D, a receptor of the brain messenger glutamate, in Alzheimer's disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders. "This probably leads to an impairment of the function of the synapses, i.e. the connections by which nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other," says Bertram.
By combining the Alzheimer's biomarkers, it was possible to carry out additional downstream analyses that would not have been possible using a conventional study design.
"In this context, we would like to highlight so called mediation analyses, a statistical method to uncover a possible causal involvement of the investigated biomarkers in the disease," explains Dr. Alexander Neumann from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and lead author of the study. "These analyses suggest that there are at least two main pathways involved in Alzheimer's disease."
The research team found that one pathway acts through the effects of so-called amyloid and tau proteins, which has been known for a long time and is mediated by the Alzheimer's risk gene APOE, which has been known for decades. The second important pathway is largely based on the reaction of the immune system, which is caused, among other factors, by the effects of the genes TMEM106B and CHI3L1, which play a role in the transport of cellular components and the regulation of inflammatory responses.
Moreover, the analysis of the X chromosome (which determines the biological sex) as well as genome-wide analyses stratified by sex provided new insights into the previously unexplained difference in the frequency of Alzheimer's disease between men and women.
"The results of this part of the study show that certain genes lead to measurable effects in relation to Alzheimer's biomarkers only in men or only in women," says Dr. Olena Ohlei from the Lübeck Interdisciplinary Platform for Genome Analytics and second first author of the study. "Some findings even suggest opposite effects in men compared to women, i.e. that certain genes increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease in women but decrease it in men, or vice versa." Further studies are needed to find an explanation for this.
Overall, the published work shows new ways to help to better understand the causes of Alzheimer's disease. " Ideally, it shows that the method of multivariate, i.e. combined analysis of biomarkers, which we used for the first time, can also improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or may even allow it to be diagnosed at an earlier stage," Bertram summarizes the findings.
"For this, however, our results must first be validated in independent samples, as is common in science."
More information: Alexander Neumann et al, Multivariate GWAS of Alzheimer's disease CSF biomarker profiles implies GRIN2D in synaptic functioning, Genome Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01233-z
Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced that the baseline characteristics of patients randomized in SEQUOIA-HCM (Safety, Efficacy, and Quantitative Understanding of Obstruction Impact of Aficamten in HCM), the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of aficamten in patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), were presented at the HCM Society Scientific Sessions in Cleveland, Ohio by Martin S. Maron, M.D., Director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. SEQUOIA-HCM was designed to evaluate aficamten in patients with symptomatic obstructive HCM on background medical therapy over a 24-week period. Patients enrolled in SEQUOIA-HCM were required to have severe left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction as evidenced by a resting LVOT-G =30 mmHg, a post-Valsalva peak LVOT-G =50 mmHg, NYHA functional class II or III, and a peak VO2 =90% predicted.
SEQUOIA-HCM enrolled a total of 282 patients, with one third from the United States, one half from Europe and Israel, and the remainder from China. Patients were on average 59.1 years of age, 40.4% female, and 21% were non-white. Background medical therapy consisted of beta-blockers (61%), calcium channel blockers (26.6%), and disopyramide (12.8%); combination background therapy was permitted.
At baseline, 75.9% of patients were NYHA functional class II, 23.8% were functional class III, and 0.4% were functional class IV. One quarter of patients were guideline-eligible for septal reduction therapy at the time of enrollment. The pooled mean (SD) for baseline peak VO2 was 18.5 (4.5) mL/kg/min or 56.9% (11.8) of age- and sex-predicted peak VO2, and for the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS) was 74.7 (18.0).
The geometric mean (Q1, Q3) high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I was 12.1 (7.7, 27.3) ng/L. (Table 1). Key baseline characteristics that remain blinded include left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), resting and Valsalva LVOT-G, and NT-proBNP. Aficamten is an investigational selective, small molecule cardiac myosin inhibitor discovered following an extensive chemical optimization program that was conducted with careful attention to therapeutic index and pharmacokinetic properties and as may translate into next-in-class potential in clinical development.
Aficamten was designed to reduce the number of active actin-myosin cross bridges during each cardiac cycle and consequently suppress the myocardial hypercontractility that is associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). In preclinical models, aficamten reduced myocardial contractility by binding directly to cardiac myosin at a distinct and selective allosteric binding site, thereby preventing myosin from entering a force producing state. The development program for aficamten is assessing its potential as a treatment that improves exercise capacity and relieves symptoms in patients with HCM as well as its potential long-term effects on cardiac structure and function.
Aficamten is currently the subject of SEQUOIA-HCM (Safety, Efficacy, and Quantitative Understanding of Obstruction Impact of Aficamten in HCM), a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), MAPLE-HCM (Metoprolol vs Aficamten in Patients with LVOT Obstruction on Exercise Capacity in HCM), a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating aficamten as monotherapy compared to metoprolol as monotherapy in patients with obstructive HCM, and ACACIA-HCM (Assessment Comparing Aficamten to Placebo on Cardiac Endpoints In Adults with Non-Obstructive HCM), a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with symptomatic non-obstructive HCM. Results from SEQUOIA-HCM are expected by the end of 2023. Aficamten received Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of symptomatic obstructive HCM from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China.
Last month Cboe Global Markets CEOEd Tilly warnedthatif Chicago slaps the financial industry with transaction taxes, amid a crime wave that has employeesafraid to come in to work.
"We don’t want to leave... But we cannot be disadvantaged in the world's most competitive markets," Tilly said in light of an $800 million tax proposal from Mayor Brandon Johnson aimed at plugging a $538 million budget deficit projected for next year, and increasing costs driven by a cocktail of inflation and rising numbers of destitute asylum seekers.
Now, CME Group, Inc. - which has over a century of history rooted in Chicago, is warning much the same. According to CEO Terry Duffy,they'll cut bait and drop Chicago like a hot stone - and in fact, have begun the process of uncoupling from the dysfunctional city.
"I liquidated every piece of real estate in the state," Duffy said in an interview last week, according to Bloomberg. "I have leases where I am in an advantageous position, because now I can renegotiate. They’re all coming due. We like Chicago. There’s no reason for us to want to leave. But at the same time, if the atmosphere gets to the point where it’s intolerable, we have no choice."
His commitment to Chicago is being tested as stubbornly high crime rates and a slew of taxes — including a financial-transaction levy proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson — have him considering his options. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has already said he opposes the tax proposal, but he won’t be at the helm forever, Duffy said.
As for the mayor, Duffy said he’s met with Johnson once since he was elected in April and is willing to throw his arms around him to help him succeed. But “we don’t agree on anything,” Duffy said.
Below is a summary of an interview Duffy gave on the subject:
Challenges in Chicago:
Duffy underscores the difficulties in Chicago, highlighting the absence of commerce and the potential financial pitfalls of vacant buildings.
He emphasizes the crucial need to strategize bringing people back into cities and reviving societal norms and operations.
"You can’t walk outside and not have commerce in one of the largest cities in the world. Who’s going to pay the taxes on these large buildings that are now vacant? You need to figure out ways to get people back into the cities."
Tax Perspective:
Duffy expresses his inclination to alter tax approaches, proposing the elimination of sales tax in physical stores to better compete with online platforms.
"Let people not pay a sales tax and compete with online. If you want to sell it online then you pay a tax, and in the store where you’re employing people, you don’t pay a tax."
Potential Move to Texas?
Despite Texas Governor Greg Abbott extolling the benefits of firms moving to Texas, Duffy remains non-committal, acknowledging the pros without indicating any solid intent to relocate.
"I have a lot of clients in Texas. I like working with my clients that come out of Texas. That was the end of my conversation. He didn’t offer me anything. I didn’t ask for anything either."
Acquisition Strategies:
Duffy sheds light on CME’s sound financial standing and its strategic approach to acquisitions, emphasizing safeguarding shareholders' interests.
"I am a triple A-rated institution with very little debt. I get shopped a lot of deals. We have the capacity if we thought it was right to do it. We run the firm for the benefit of the long-term. So when it comes to acquisitions, I would never do anything that I didn’t think was in the best interest of my shareholders."
Dismay over FTX’s Collapse:
Contrary to feeling vindicated by FTX’s collapse, Duffy expresses disappointment, acknowledging the potential of cryptocurrencies to eliminate or reduce friction in the financial system.
"I feel depressed by it. We’ve got to evolve and change, and crypto could be a vehicle to help eliminate friction. Whether it will or not, I don’t know. I don’t want to see anything be eliminated from the possibilities of making the world a better place tomorrow."
FTX's Proposals and Regulatory Vision:
He maintains that FTX’s proposals held merit and insists on the establishment of comprehensive regulatory frameworks around such innovative concepts.
"I never said any of the proposals did not have merit. I just said let’s write some rules around it. And I believe that today.
"I still see potential that it could be another way to eliminate friction. Right now, I think the best system is the Futures Commission Merchants, but I don’t know if that’s going to be there forever."
Cautious Technological Deployment:
Adopting a cautious perspective on technological implementations, Duffy is particularly reserved about deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) in market operations.
"You don’t want to be last and you don’t want to be first. You’ve got to be really careful how you roll this stuff out."
Duffy’s Future at CME:
With a contract that expires in a year and a half, Duffy’s future at CME is yet to be decided, with deliberations with the board planned for the upcoming year.
"I have another year and a half left in my contract. I will discuss with my board what they want to do sometime early next year and go from there."
Update (1525ET): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers remarks following the Hamas attack:
Watch live:
President Biden delivered a boilerplate series of remarks on the attack in Israel, including that the US commitment to them is "rock solid," and leaving before answering any questions (the first one of which was whether there was an intelligence failure leading up to it).
Watch:
The US says it 'stands firmly' by its partner Israel after it came under large-scale attack by Palestinian fighters from Gaza, happening nearly 50 years to the day of the historic 1973 Yom Kippur war.
"The U.S. unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians," spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement. "We stand firmly with the government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks."
President Biden held a phone call with Netanyahu Saturday:
“This morning, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the horrific and ongoing attacks in Israel,” Biden said in a statement. “The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel.”
“Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation,” he continued. “My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”
Additionally, the Pentagon says it will support Israel after Netanyahu earlier declared war.
"Our commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself remains unwavering," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. "Over the coming days the Department of Defense will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism."
Gaza militants have not only taken control of multiple Israeli military outposts near the southern border, but have launched more than 2,000 missiles in an attack by "air, land, and sea". Gaza media is meanwhile warning "hell' is coming to Tel Aviv.
Israel's national rescue service has confirmed at least 40 Israeli deaths due to the attack. Regional reports are saying this death toll could be over 100. A large-scale Israeli air campaign has ensued over Gaza City, with entire apartment blocks and buildings being leveled.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Jerusalem has issued a "shelter in place" order for all US diplomatic personnel and their families.
"The U.S. Embassy is closely monitoring the security situation as a result of rockets fired from Gaza across southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and the infiltration of Hamas militants," the statement reads.
The embassy says it's "aware that there have been casualties as a result of these incidents" and cautions US citizens to "remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness."
Israeli leaders look rattled as they attended an emergency security cabinet meeting today:
Some observers are asking how such a clearly well-coordinated attack could have happened. At the very least, this is a monumential failure on the part of Israeli intelligence...
After a hearing on Friday, an appeals court granted a stay, or pause, on a judge's order that former President Donald Trump's businesses be dissolved.
This was only a partial victory for President Trump, as the appeals court said the trial that began this week could continue.
The prosecutors had opposed the request for a delay, accusing the defense attorneys of attempting "to sow chaos" and disruption.
The Trump Organization issued a statement after the pause, calling the judge's order to cancel the Trumps' business certificates "overzealous."
"Judge Engoron’s order erroneously sought to adjudicate the rights of non-party business entities that employ nearly 1,000 hard-working New Yorkers, have never been accused of any wrongdoing and, were never given their day in court – in clear violation of their fundamental Constitutional rights and Due Process. We will continue to vigorously defend our company and our incredible employees from this politically-motivated persecution," the statement reads.
Appeal
President Trump's attorneys appealed the civil fraud case against him on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, filing a 1,154-page document in a bid to pause the currently ongoing trial.
"[New York] Supreme Court's Sept. 26 and Oct. 5, 2023 decision impose unauthorized, undemanded, overbroad relief without proper factual or legal predicate, which will result in significant, irreparable harm," states the reason for requesting a stay on the case.
President Trump had already previously sought to delay the trial, and the appeal had been denied just days before the trial began.
New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron's Sept. 26 decision not only found President Trump liable for fraud, but ordered the dissolution of the Trump Organization and related LLCs, which means the 45th president will lose his entire real estate empire in a matter of days unless the appeal is granted. Furthermore, attorneys argue, hundreds of employees will be affected.
"Supreme Court clearly does not comprehend the scope of the chaos its decision has wrought," the filing reads, describing the summary judgment as a "miscarriage of justice."
Judge Arthur Engoron
Case and Penalties
President Trump's business certificates have already been canceled, and the judge's Oct. 5 order requires him to notify the court before applying for a new one, even outside New York. His sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., executive vice presidents in the Trump Organization, face similar penalties.
The buildings they stand to lose include Trump Tower, 40 Wall Street, the Seven Springs family estate upstate, and private residences belonging to Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
The case began when President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen made claims that his boss inflated his net worth. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who declared that she would sue the former president for fraud when she was campaigning for her position, brought forth a civil lawsuit in September 2022 accusing him of defrauding the state by artificially inflating his net worth to get more favorable terms from insurers and banks.
The lawsuit included seven claims, one of which Justice Engoron ruled on about a week before trial, finding President Trump liable for fraud.
The trial began on Oct. 2, during which President Trump made a surprise appearance and spoke with the press at length. He attended again the second day, and stayed part way through the third. The trial will deal with the amount in penalties President Trump owes, as well as proving out the remaining six claims of fraud in the prosecutor's lawsuit.
The appeal itself runs over 30 pages, the remaining 1,000-plus pages being case precedents cited.
Hundreds of Employees Face Job Loss
The latest appeal argues that the court exceeded its jurisdiction and "abused its discretion" in the penalties ordered, pointing out that the prosecutors never sought the dissolution of Trump Organization in its petition.
Ms. James had instead asked for $250 million in penalties, and to bar President Trump and his sons from holding executive business posts in the state for five years. She also did not cite the law that would have enabled the judge to order dissolution as relief, the attorneys argue.
"The consequences of enforcing the MSJ Decision [summary judgment on Sept. 26] are dire, and once done, cannot be undone," the attorneys wrote.
They pointed out that "innocent nonparties and employees who depend on the affected entities for their livelihoods" are being swept up in the "overbroad" ruling. The decision was without process, statutory authority, or trial, and "renders impossible the lawful operation of multiple businesses and threatens termination of hundreds of New York employees without any jurisdiction or due process."
"These non-parties are impacted without finding of any wrongdoing on the part of businesses," they wrote. "Perhaps worst of all, it seeks to impose the corporate death penalty with no statutory authority for such remedy."
When Justice Engoron made the decision, he admitted he did not know what the scope of repercussions would be when attorneys asked what it meant for certain properties like Trump Tower, or Eric Trump's home.
But the Sept. 26 order will take place imminently, the attorneys argue, and the judge's Oct. 5 order did not address any of the questions attorneys had raised. The attorneys also argue they had no opportunity to present their case before the Sept. 26 order.
Statute of Limitations
The attorneys also made additional arguments about the judge extending the statute of limitations during the trial.
A June appeals court decision had defined the statute of limitations to allegations from 2014 onwards. The prosecutors' original lawsuit covered the decade from 2011 to 2021.
During the trial, the judge acknowledged the statute of limitations, but said he would allow evidence from before 2014 if the prosecutors could connect it to later crimes. The prosecutors had argued for bringing in this evidence under the "continuing wrongs doctrine."
In the appeal, President Trump's attorneys argue that the doctrine does not delay or extend the period allowed, citing other court rulings. Furthermore, the court is now treating the individual financial statements as "separately actionable claims," rather than "continuing wrongs," they argued.
If the statute of limitations is applied correctly, the majority of the prosecutor's claims are "subject to dismissal as untimely," the court said.
