AwesomeCapital

Friday, March 29, 2024

Texas arrests 70 more migrants who stormed El Paso border

Texas authorities have arrested 70 additional migrants on rioting charges related to the March 21 incident in which they overran and assaulted National Guard troops in an attempt to rush the border at El Paso, an official told The Post.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is holding more than 200 migrants whom the state wants to arrest and charge, but federal authorities “are not being as cooperative as Border Patrol,” according to the official.

The 70 who have been arrested face charges for misdemeanor rioting, the source said.

On Wednesday, the state charged nine migrants allegedly involved in the assault on soldiers deployed to the region.

They face charges of inciting a riot, damage of property of over $2,500 and assault on members of the Guard.

The first to be charged was Honduran national Junior Evaristo-Benitez, 21, who allegedly stomped on a soldier’s knee “purposefully and with malice” during the assault.

The migrants involved in the riot tore down border wire erected by the state, knocking down soldiers as they rushed to Gate 36, hoping Border Patrol agents on the other side would take them into custody and allow them into the US.

Shortly before the border rush, soldiers in the area began turning small groups of single adult migrants back toward Mexico.

That’s when they became agitated and decided to rush the guardsmen.

Authorities later confiscated knives and shanks from some of those involved in the riot, according to a National Guard source.

At least one migrant had also attempted to grab a soldier’s firearm during the incident.

Some of the soldiers near Gate 36 that day were transported to a nearby hospital for minor injuries.

“These people were willing to assault military,” the National Guard source told The Post. “They were willing to assault law enforcement. They have complete disregard for our laws.”

The state has since beefed up its presence of National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers in El Paso, while placing more border wire across the area to deter illegal crossings and encourage migrants to present themselves at proper ports of entry.

https://nypost.com/2024/03/29/us-news/texas-arrests-70-more-migrants-who-stormed-el-paso-border-source/

Gilead Wins Label Expansion for Vemlidy to Treat Hepatitis B Virus in Kids

The FDA on Thursday expanded the label of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug Vemlidy (tenofovir alafenamide), opening up its use for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in children aged six years and older.

Its latest approval only covers pediatric patients with compensated liver disease and who weigh at least 25 kg. Vemlidy has previously been approved for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients aged 12 years and older with compensated disease. It comes with a boxed warning for the severe acute exacerbation of hepatitis B after treatment.

Frank Duff, senior vice president of virology at Gilead, in a statement called Vemlidy’s label expansion a “testament to the safety, tolerability and efficacy profile of this therapy,” particularly in young children, who “require our best science and dedicated focus.”

According to Gilead’s announcement, Vemlidy is a targeted prodrug of tenofovir that works by inhibiting the nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase enzyme, which RNA viruses use to convert their genetic material into DNA.

Vemlidy was first approved in 2015 and has since become the recommended first-line treatment of chronic HBV in adult patients with compensated disease according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines.

Thursday’s label expansion was based on a 96-week Phase II trial, which compared Vemlidy with placebo in 18 patients and found that it could elicit “progressive increases in virological suppression,” according to Gilead.

Vemlidy’s approval should help Gilead recover from its 4% revenue slip, as reported in its year-end 2023 financial report. The pharma suffered declining sales from its COVID-19 business, with its intravenous antiviral therapy Veklury (remdesivir) dropping 28% in the fourth quarter of last year. Gilead’s HIV franchise also took a 2% hit in the most recent quarter.

Gilead’s potential recovery could be aided by a trio of deals that the pharma has struck in recent weeks.

In February 2023, Gilead made a $4.3 billion investment in CymaBay Therapeutics and its lead asset seladelpar, which is being developed for primary biliary cholangitis. The companies announced the acquisition on the same day that seladelpar’s New Drug Application was accepted for FDA review, with a target action date of Aug. 14, 2024.

Last month, Gilead also revealed that it secured up to $210 million in funding from life sciences investment company Abingworth to advance its antibody-drug conjugate Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) in non-small cell lung cancer. The pharma shortly after inked a $1.5 billion contract with Merus to discover trispecific T-cell engagers.

https://www.biospace.com/article/gilead-wins-label-expansion-for-vemlidy-to-treat-hepatitis-b-virus-in-kids/

Bank of Russia Sees No Alternative to Yuan for Its Reserves

Russia’s central bank said it has no better options than the Chinese yuan for its reserves after two years of the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine and the subsequent seizure of its international assets.

There are limited alternatives to China’s currency for use as reserves because the financial instruments of nations that are friendly to Russia carry too many risks, the central bank wrote in its annual report released Friday.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-29/bank-of-russia-sees-no-alternative-to-yuan-for-its-reserves

Watch Live: Fed Chair Powell Speaks With Global Markets Closed

With global capital market closed, crypto maybe the only price action to monitor to judge if Fed Chair Powell says anything new this morning.

Powell is due to participate in moderated discussion before the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Macroeconomics and Monetary Policy Conference.

The market is still pricing in a just better than 50-50 chance of The Fed's first cut coming in June, and the question is whether - like Waller earlier in the week - Powell will signal a longer pause...

Watch live here (due to start at 1130ET):

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/watch-live-fed-chair-powell-speaks-global-markets-closed

Pentagon's Rapid Wartime Response Cargo Ships Trapped In Baltimore After Bridge Collapse

Two high-speed military cargo ships are stuck in the Port of Baltimore following Tuesday morning's collapse of the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge. The major US East Coast port has been paralyzed for several days as the bridge collapse prevents inbound and outbound vessel traffic along the harbor's channel.

Using the automatic identification system, or AIS, data that tracks commercial vessels, three bulk carriers, two general cargo ships, one vehicle carrier, one tanker, and four Ready Reserve Force vessels (RRF), along with the container ship Dali that struck the bridge, are trapped in the harbor, according to the shipping blog gCaptain.

The three bulk carriers include:

The Liberian-flagged JY River, owned by JIADE INTERNATIONAL SHIP and managed by WAH KWONG SHIP MANAGEMENT HK of Hong Kong.
The Thailand-flagged Phatra Naree, owned by PRECIOUS STONES SHIPPING LTD and managed by PRECIOUS SHIPPING PCL of Thailand.
The Portuguese-flagged Klara Oldendorff, owned and managed OLDENDORFF CARRIERS GMBH & CO of Germany.

The vehicle carrier is:

The Swedish-flagged Carmen, owned by WALL RO/RO AB and managed by WALLENIUS MARINE AB of Sweden.

The general cargo ships include:

The French-flagged Saimaagracht, owned by REDERIJ SAIMAAGRACHT and managed by SPLIETHOFF'S BEVRACHTINGS BV of the Netherlands.
The Panama-flagged Balsa 94, owned by EASTERN CAPITAL MARINE INC and managed by HIONG GUAN NAVEGACION CO LTD of Hong Kong.

The tanker is:

The Marshall Islands-flagged Palanca Rio, owned by MINSHENG RUIYANG TIANJIN SHPG and managed by PUMA ENERGY SUPPLY & TRADING of Singapore.

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) Ready Reserve Force vessels include:

The Cape Washington, a Cape W Class roll-on/roll-off vessel.
The Gary I. Gordon, a Gordon-class roll-on/roll-off vessel.
The SS Antares (T-AKR-294), a Algol-class fast sealift vehicle cargo ship.
The SS Denebola (T-AKR-294), another Algol-class fast sealift vehicle cargo ship.

According to the military blog The War Zone (TWZ), Algol class vessels are "some of the fastest cargo vessels of their general size anywhere in the world." These ships are part of the RRF, a subset of vessels within MARAD's National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) that provide surge sealift capability to the Pentagon for overseas conflicts.

TWZ said the activation process of RRF vessels takes about five to ten days. The vessels are operated with a skeleton crew until called upon.

RRF are stationed at major marine ports around the US.

TWZ noted the Algol class vessels have been called into action several times over the last three decades:

Algol class have been called upon multiple times since they entered US service. Just five of these ships were responsible for transporting 20 percent of US cargo sent from the United States to Saudi Arabia during the first phase of Operation Desert Shield in the immediate run-up to the First Gulf War. The ships would go on to deliver 13 percent of all cargo that arrived in Saudi Arabia from the United States in the full course of that conflict.
The US military subsequently used Algols to support operations in Somalia and the Balkans in the 1990s, as well as the opening phases of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s.

Breitbart News' Kristina Wong reported on Thursday that "The Department of Transportation will not say how many National Defense Reserve Fleet Ships are Stuck" in the Baltimore harbor.

Baltimore Bridge Mess: DOT Will Not Say How Many National Defense Reserve Fleet Ships Stuck https://t.co/Nz7FPPQ2QT via @BreitbartNews
— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) March 28, 2024

Wong quoted John Konrad, CEO of gCaptain, who warned the stuck RRF vessels are a "huge problem if a war starts [but] not much of a problem if the next few months are peaceful."

According to CEO of GCaptain and maritime journalist@johnkonrad, four Ready Reserve Force ships are stuck in the port — the SS Antares, MV Cape Washington, MV Gary I. Gordon, and the SS Denebola.

He said the four ships being stuck is a “huge problem if a war starts [but] not… https://t.co/4GOZHtuWPE
— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) March 28, 2024

The current readiness of the RRF fleet is unknown. And just like that, part of America's RRF fleet was taken out not by a missile or suicide drone, but a container ship that allegedly suffered a catastrophic 'electric issue'. America's enemies are taking note.

https://www.zerohedge.com/military/huge-problem-pentagons-rapid-wartime-response-cargo-ships-trapped-baltimore-after-bridge

Guardion Sale, Potential Dissolution

Agreement to Sell Activ Nutritional, LLC

On January 30, 2024, the Company entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Doctor’s Best Inc., a Delaware corporation, for the sale of all of the outstanding equity interests of Activ Nutritional, LLC (“Activ”) for aggregate cash consideration of $17.2 million, of which $1.7 million was placed in a third-party escrow account pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement. Doctor’s Best Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kingdomway USA Corp., the U.S. subsidiary holding company of Xiamen Kingdomway Group Company (“XKDW”), which is publicly listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The sale of Activ, as contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, is conditioned upon receiving approval from the Company’s stockholders as the sale of Activ, which owns the Viactiv® brand and business and accounted for 97.2% and 96.3% of revenues during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, constitutes a sale of substantially all of the Company’s assets and revenue-generating operations. The transaction contemplated by the Purchase Agreement is the result of a broad review of strategic alternatives by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company and the Company’s stockholders to approve this transaction.

Potential Dissolution

In the event that the Company’s stockholders approve the transaction and the transaction closes, the Company would be left with minimal operations. The Board of Directors has additionally determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to approve a voluntary dissolution and liquidation of the Company pursuant to a Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution, which, if approved, would authorize the Company to liquidate and dissolve in accordance with its terms, but such decision would be subject to the Company’s ability to abandon or delay the Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution in the event that the Board of Directors determines that another transaction would be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders. Assuming the approval of the Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution by the Company’s stockholders, the decision as to whether or not to proceed with the dissolution and when to file the Certificate of Dissolution will be made by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion.

On March 15, 2024, the Company filed a preliminary proxy statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in order to solicit the approval of the Company’s stockholders in connection with the sale of Activ and the Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution. The Company has set May 23, 2024 as the date of the special meeting (the “Special Meeting”) of its stockholders to vote on these transactions (and the other matters as will be described in the definitive proxy statement), and the close of business on April 5, 2024 as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/03/29/2854699/0/en/Guardion-Health-Sciences-Announces-Financial-Results-for-the-Year-Ended-December-31-2023.html

NYC Women’s Caucus Reports Women Randomly Punched in the Face

If you see this person, immediately inform the police.

NBC reports Multiple women online say they were punched while walking around New York City

Several women have come forward on social media sharing incidents in which they said they were punched by men while they walking the streets of downtown Manhattan in broad daylight in the last month.
Multiple videos — which were uploaded to TikTok — have picked up traction in the last week, with women online sharing their safety concerns in comments and reply videos. One woman said she was assaulted walking home from class. Another said she was assaulted on her way to work. A third woman said she was attacked walking her dog. At least two of the women described suspects with similar characteristics.
A police spokesperson declined to answer any additional questions about the recent assault incidents, including whether they represent an uptick in violent crime against women in the city or whether the police department is taking any additional measures to ensure their safety.
A woman said she was walking out of the Times Square subway station on Saturday when a man came up to her and punched her in the head.
The woman said she was able to capture video of the man, as he was walking away. Police said the 25-year-old woman was attacked on 7th Avenue and West 42 Street. Police publicized in a poster how the suspect was wanted for assault.

A clip from the video is my lead image. If you know who that is, please contact the police immediately.

Biden Parole Flights Create Security ‘Vulnerabilities’ at U.S. Airports

The Center for Immigration Studies reports Government Admission: Biden Parole Flights Create Security ‘Vulnerabilities’ at U.S. Airports

Thanks to an ongoing Center for Immigration Studies Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, the public now knows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has approved secretive flights that last year alone ferried hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens from foreign airports into some 43 American ones over the past year, all pre-approved on a cell phone app.
But while large immigrant-receiving cities and media lay blame for the influx on Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing program, CBP has withheld from the Center – and apparently will not disclose – the names of the 43 U.S. airports that have received 320,000 inadmissible aliens from January through December 2023, nor the foreign airports from which they departed. The agency’s lawyers have cited a general “law enforcement exception” without elaborating – until recently – on how releasing airport locations would harm public safety beyond citing “the sensitivity of the information.”
Now, though, CIS’s litigation has yielded a novel and newsworthy answer from the government: The public can’t know the receiving airports because those hundreds of thousands of CBP-authorized arrivals have created such “operational vulnerabilities” at airports that “bad actors” could undermine law enforcement efforts to “secure the United States border” if they knew the volume of CBP One traffic processed at each port of entry.

With that, let’s return to New York City.

Questions Abound

Thanks to accurate descriptions, I am sure the perpetrators will be captured soon.

If they are undocumented, they will immediately be released on grounds of DEI, unfairness, or white supremacy.

It’s not like they murdered anyone.

Biden’s Misguided Woke Apology to Illegal Immigrants Will Backfire

An illegal immigrant charged with crimes in NY and GA was released. He then killed nursing student Laken Riley. Biden apologized for using the term illegal when discussing the murder.

Biden won’t treat any of these people, even murders and rapists, with disrespect.

The New York City police and President Biden have everything under control.

For discussion, please see Biden’s Misguided Woke Apology to Illegal Immigrants Will Backfire

https://mishtalk.com/economics/nyc-womens-caucus-reports-women-randomly-punched-in-the-face/