Don King Endorses Trump For President

 by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Iconic boxing promoter Don King has endorsed former President Donald Trump for president in the 2024 election.

The 92-year-old made the remarks on May 8 on the sidelines of an event after being asked if he has a message for President Trump, who’s facing a bevy of court cases that threaten to derail his presidential campaign.

“Get reelected,” Mr. King said. “And we must reelect him to save ourselves. You know, a vote for Trump is a vote for yourself. Because we’ve got to fight the system of lies and the creation of wrong being right and right being wrong. That’s got to be eliminated.”

He called President Trump “the only man who’s got the intestinal fortitude to be able to stand up and fight the system like it should be fought,”

Mr. King said the former president “underestimated the power of this strong system of corruption and hypocrisy.”

While Mr. King didn’t elaborate on the “system of corruption and hypocrisy” that he had in mind, it could be a reference to the numerous legal battles that the former president is fighting that he and his supporters argue are thinly veiled attempts to use lawfare to derail his comeback bid.

“I want to say to him, let’s [save] America, let’s save ourselves, and then we can help others to be safe,” Mr. King added.

President Trump shared the video on his social media platform, Truth Social, thanking Mr. King for his endorsement and message of encouragement.

‘He’d Be Muhammad Ali’

Mr. King’s sympathies for the former president are well-established, with the boxing promoter being one of few celebrities who endorsed then-candidate Trump in the 2016 election.

Introducing then-candidate Trump at a church event in Ohio in 2016, Mr. King called him “courageous and brave” and said he believed the future president would fix the “corrupt” and “rigged” system and bring the country “back to inclusiveness.”

In mid-2017, after President Trump had spent several months in office, Mr. King told Politico Magazine in an exclusive interview that he believed he was doing an “excellent job” while lamenting the fact that his presidency was being overshadowed by the so-called “Russian collusion” scandal, which later turned out to be a hoax.

At the time, Mr. King told Politico that he believed President Trump was constantly in the crosshairs of the Washington establishment, saying that they would try to “keep him down” at almost any cost—even saying that he warned the president to be on guard for assassination attempts.

“If Trump were a boxer, who would he be?” the interviewer asked the legendary boxing promoter.

“He'd be Muhammad Ali...because he’s going to win,” Mr. King replied. “He’s going to run his mouth, he’s going to talk a lot and he’s going to win.”

The then-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, along with boxing promoter Don King, answers questions from the media after a day of meetings at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2016. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)

The former president has won the support of a number of prominent figures in the fight world, including Mr. King’s best-known protege, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, and Dana White, CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Mr. Tyson endorsed then-candidate Trump for the 2016 election, while Mr. White said recently he supports his 2024 comeback bid.

“He should be president of the United States,” Mr. Tyson told HuffPost in an exclusive interview in 2015. The former champion said he thought a business-minded leader like Trump was exactly what the country needed.

“Let’s try something new. Let’s run America like a business, where no colors matter. Whoever can do the job, gets the job,” Mr. Tyson said.

‘Unfazed’

Mr. White gave his endorsement in an appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast in April, calling President Trump “the most resilient human being I’ve ever met.”

“They’re trying to attack him. They’re trying to ruin him—unfazed,” the UFC president said. “He will walk through fire.”

Former President Donald Trump (R), alongside UFC CEO Dana White (L), attends the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 299 mixed martial arts event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2024. (Giorgio Viera/AFP)

Asked if he thinks President Trump will win reelection, Mr. White said he’s unsure given the “dirty” and “ugly” nature of politics.

“Obviously, I’m rooting for him and I’m behind him and I hope he does.”

It comes as the former president has complained about being stuck in a New York courtroom for his so-called “hush money” trial while he could be out campaigning for reelection.

In a case officially known as The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, the former president is accused of hiding so-called hush money payments to an adult performer by falsifying business records. If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence.

President Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and before he entered the courtroom on April 15, the first day of the trial, he reiterated his position that the case is politically motivated.

“This is really an attack on a political opponent. That’s all it is,” he told reporters outside the courtroom before going inside.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/boxing-promoter-don-king-endorses-trump-president

US FDA pushes decision on Moderna's RSV vaccine to end of this month

 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has pushed back its decision on Moderna's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine by more than two weeks to the end of this month due to some "administrative constraints", the company said on Friday.

The FDA's move prolongs the wait for Moderna's second approved product, but the company said it remains on track to be reviewed by a panel of advisers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 26 and 27.

The CDC panel is expected to vote on recommendations for the vaccine's use and the intended population at the meeting, and success there is necessary for commercial launch.

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna has been banking on its experimental shots to make up for vastly lower sales of its Spikevax COVID vaccine, its only marketed product, after the pandemic.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-fda-pushes-decision-modernas-110000128.html

MacroGenics 5 deaths seen in ADC trial

 MacroGenics’ safety woes have followed it into phase 2. Having dialed down the dose in response to early-phase data, the biotech saw its stock crater after reporting five deaths alongside an over 50% rate of grade 3 or worse adverse events.

The phase 2 study assessed two doses of MacroGenics’ B7-H3-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who had previously taken Xtandi or Zytiga. MacroGenics used 2 mg/kg and 2.7 mg/kg every four weeks as the phase 2 regimens after seeing high rates of adverse events and dropouts at the higher, more frequent phase 1 dose. 

An early look at the phase 2 safety data on the ADC vobramitamab duocarmazine (vobra duo) triggered a jump in MacroGenics’ share price last month. The biotech gave up the gains—and then some—Friday as traders sent the stock down more than 70% to just $4.37 a share in premarket trading from a Thursday closing price of $14.67.

MacroGenics CEO Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., had a different take on the latest data on the 181 patients enrolled in the trial.

“While the safety data has accumulated more safety side effects, we believe that these are extremely manageable. In discussions with investigators, they are very comfortable with managing these patients and are very encouraged by both the safety and, obviously, the activity data they've seen to date,” the CEO said on a May 9 earnings call.

In the earlier cut of the data, which tracked patients into early January, the rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in the low- and high-dose arms were 25.3% and 31.4%, respectively. The figures climbed to 54.4% and 51.2% in the latest data set, which covers results through mid-April.

Grade 3 TEAEs is one of several measures that worsened between January and April. Previously, the rates of drug interruption because of adverse events were 11% and 18.6%, respectively, at the low and high dose. MacroGenics’ latest readout shows TEAE-related interruptions were up to 42.2% and 55.8% at the low and high dose, respectively. The discontinuation rates climbed, too, although Koenig said the figures compare well to the results of other studies. 

MacroGenics reported five deaths. Investigators deemed two cardiovascular deaths, one in each arm, to be unrelated to the study drug. Another three deaths, all at the higher dose, are under investigation. Two patients died of pneumonitis, an inflammatory lung condition. 

“One of these cases was very complicated with other confounding matters. It's being further investigated right now, so I don't have a further decision with regard to a cause and effect,” Koenig said. “We have not seen, in the large number of patients here, any association with pneumonitis. That raises questions of what is the ultimate cause of these patients associated with the pneumonitis.”

In terms of efficacy, MacroGenics reported overall response rates of 17.8% and 25.0%, respectively, at the low and high dose. Including patients with unconfirmed responses increased the figures to 24.4% and 43.8%.

One key, outstanding question is how long the responses will last. MacroGenics said 43 patients, split fairly evenly between the two arms, were still on treatment as of the data cutoff. Koenig discussed what the data could mean for radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), the study’s primary endpoint.

“What we had indicated was an rPFS baseline of 6 [months] or greater and obviously looking for 7, 8, 9, 10 or higher. I think that the data that we show today and the fact that these patients are still on therapy … there is no reason we can't meet some of the longer-lived rPFS values,” Koenig said.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/macrogenics-stock-crashes-after-5-deaths-seen-adc-trial

Actual Collusion? Missouri AG Accuses Biden DOJ Of Coordinating With Trump Prosecutors

 Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Thursday as part of a probe into whether the Biden DOJ coordinated with Trump prosecutors.

"The investigations and subsequent prosecutions of former President Donald J. Trump appear to have been conducted in coordination with the United States Department of Justice," Baily posted in a lengthy thread on X.

"This is demonstrated by the move of the third-highest ranking member of the Department of Justice, Matthew Colangelo, to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in order to prosecute President Trump in December 2022," Baily continues.

What's more, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg worked hand-in-hand with NY Attorney General Letitia James in pursuing civil litigation against Trump, which he used to campaign on.

As Fox News reports further;

Bailey argues that Bragg’s decision to bring the prosecution "despite its transparent weakness has nonetheless had the effect of keeping former President Trump off the campaign trail, which President Biden has bragged about." 

He cites a post on X from the official Biden-Harris campaign on April 24, which says, "While Trump is stuck in court, President Biden is keeping a very robust schedule of campaign events. He’s been to Pennsylvania to talk about the economy, Virginia to talk about clean energy, and Florida to talk about abortion." 

Baily is seeking all communications, including documents, calendar appointments, meeting minutes and agendas related to Colangelo's move to work in Bragg's office - as well as similar communications between Bragg and NY AG Leticia James and Fulton County DA Fani Willis. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/actual-collusion-missouri-ag-accuses-biden-doj-coordinating-trump-prosecutors

New York Flight Attendants Accused Of Smuggling Millions In Drug Money To Dominican Republic

 Four flight attendants from the New York City area have been accused of participating in a multimillion-dollar drug money smuggling operation which saw $8 million make its way to the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

The accused, identified as Jarol Fabio, 35, of New York City; Charlie Hernandez, 42, of West New York, New Jersey; Sarah Valerio Pujols, 42, of the Bronx; and Emmanuel Torres, 34, of Brooklyn, allegedly transported the funds over a span of several years, exploiting their positions as flight attendants to bypass the stringent security measures in place at JFK International Airport.

“These flight attendants smuggled millions of dollars of drug money and law enforcement funds that they thought was drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic over many years by abusing their privileges as airline employee[s]," stated U.S. Attorney Damien Williams. "Today’s charges should serve as a reminder to those who break the law by helping drug traffickers move their money that crime doesn’t pay."

According to prosecutors, the scheme involved using their status as "Known Crewmembers"—a designation that allows flight crew members to undergo less rigorous security screenings—to smuggle large sums of cash without detection. This privilege, intended to streamline operations for crew members, became their tool for illegal activities.

Delta Airlines, where two of the defendants were employed, has been cooperative with the authorities following the revelation that security protocols meant to protect the passengers were systematically abused.

According to court documents, the detailed operation was exposed with the help of two cooperating witnesses, themselves previously arrested on money laundering charges. These witnesses played a pivotal role in unveiling the transactions that tied some of the smuggled funds to fentanyl sales, adding a dire public health dimension to the criminal activities.

In one incident, prosecutors detailed how Hernandez and Pujols divided over $120,000 in drug money in December 2019, with each taking their share on subsequent trips to the Dominican Republic. Such episodes illustrate the methodical approach taken to avoid detection while exploiting their roles within the airline industry.

If convicted, the penalties are severe. Torres and Fabio face up to 15 years in prison, Hernandez could see 20 years, and Pujols, facing an additional smuggling charge, could be sentenced to up to 25 years. These stiff potential sentences reflect the serious nature of their alleged crimes, which compromised airport security systems and endangered public trust in the safety of air travel.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-york-flight-attendants-accused-smuggling-millions-drug-money-dominican-republic

ANI results, reiterates guidance

 

• Generated record quarterly net revenues of $137.4 million, representing year-over-year growth of 28.7%, net income to common shareholders of $17.8 million, and GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.82
• Delivered record adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA of $37.6 million, and adjusted non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.21
• Rare Disease business delivered Q1 net revenues of $36.9 million, representing year-over-year growth of 126.2%
• Reiterated 2024 guidance of net revenues of $520 million to $542 million, adjusted non-GAAP EBITDA of $135 million to $145 million and adjusted non-GAAP earnings per share of $4.26 to $4.67
• Guidance includes Purified Cortrophin^® Gel (Repository Corticotrophin Injection USP) 80 U/ml (Cortrophin Gel) net revenues of $170 million to $180 million, representing year-over-year growth of 52% to 61%

https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/ani-pharmaceuticals-reports-record-first-quarter-2024-financial-results-and-reiterates-2024-guidance/

Novavax, Sanofi to Co-commercialize COVID-19 Vaccine, Develop Novel COVID-19-Influenza Combo

 

• Agreement provides individuals with broader access to a protein-based non-mRNA adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine through combined commercial strength, from 2025 onwards
• Provides Novavax with cash and an equity investment totalling approximately $1.2 billion (upfront payment of $500 million and up to $700 million in additional development, regulatory and launch milestones), plus tiered royalties
• Novavax is entitled to additional launch and sales milestone opportunities of up to $200 million, plus mid-single digit royalties, for each additional Sanofi vaccine product developed under a non-exclusive license with Novavax's Matrix-M™ adjuvant technology
• Accelerates potential for development of a novel COVID-19-Influenza combination product based on authorized vaccines with demonstrated efficacy and tolerability, potentially offering individuals enhanced convenience and protection

https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/novavax-and-sanofi-announce-co-exclusive-licensing-agreement-to-co-commercialize-covid-19-vaccine-and-develop-novel-covid-19-influenza-combination-vaccines/