J&J Positions Tremfya as Stelara Successor with Strong Head-to-Head Data

 Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday unveiled early Phase II/III data from its GALAXI 2 and GLAXI 3 studies, showing that its IL-23 blocker Tremfya (guselkumab) outperformed its blockbuster antibody Stelara (ustekinumab) in the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease.

At 48 weeks, both doses of Tremfya resulted in significantly better endoscopic outcomes than Stelara. The lower 100-mg dose given every eight weeks induced a 47.9% endoscopic response rate versus 37.1% for Stelara. Endoscopic remission was 33.2% following Tremfya treatment, compared to 24.7% in the Stelara group.

Deep remission, defined as a composite between clinical and endoscopic remission, was also significantly better in Tremfya-treated patients than in Stelara controls, with respective rates of 29.7% and 22.3%.

Endoscopic outcomes were even better when Tremfya was given at a higher dose level of 200 mg, administered once every four weeks, resulting in an endoscopic response rate of 52.7%. Endoscopic and deep remission rates were 37.2% and 33.8%, respectively.

However, based on clinical remission alone—which takes into consideration patients’ scores on the Crohn’s Disease Activity Index—Tremfya showed no significant advantage over Stelara.

Remo Panaccione, lead study investigator and professor of medicine at the University of Calgary, called the results “promising” in a statement. GALAXI’s findings underscore the potential of Tremfya to be “a future-first advanced therapy or after failure of other advanced therapies, that may deliver the lasting remission patients deserve to relieve the burden of disease,” he said.

Panaccione is a paid consultant for J&J.

Tuesday’s GALAXI readout comes as J&J faces biosimilar competition for Stelara. The blockbuster therapy lost one of kits key patents in September 2023, which contributed to its stagnant sales in the first quarter of 2024. Stelara brought in $2.45 billion in the quarter, compared to $2.44 billion during the same period the year prior.

In an effort to keep its grip on the market, J&J has been striking a series of deals to fend off biosimilar competition. Last month, Teva and Alvotech won the FDA’s approval for their copycat Selarsdi (astekinumab-aekn) but will not be able to launch the product earlier than Feb. 21, 2025, per a June 2023 settlement agreement with J&J.

Alvotech and J&J have also reached a settlement agreement for the Canadian, Japanese and European markets, which sets various 2024 launch dates for the Stelara biosimilar throughout the year. The specific terms of the deal have not been fully disclosed.

https://www.biospace.com/article/j-and-j-positions-tremfya-as-stelara-successor-with-strong-head-to-head-data/

Rep. Stefanik Alleges Major Conflict Of Interest In Trump Trial, Calls For Judge's Recusal

 by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has submitted a formal complaint to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, alleging a conflict of interest involving the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s ongoing New York City trial.

The complaint, sent on May 21, centers on Acting Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s role in the criminal case against President Trump and the professional activities of Justice Merchan’s daughter on behalf of Democratic politicians.

Ms. Stefanik publicly chastised the judge before filing the official complaint. Last week in a statement she stated that Justice Merchan “who donated to Biden and whose adult daughter is raising millions” from the trial “knows he must recuse under New York statute.”

“[The] New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct just reprimanded Merchan for his inappropriate political donations in 2020,” she said in a May 17 statement. “America is starting to understand Merchan is a corrupt judge, presiding over blatant Biden Democrat lawfare and election interference against Trump—that is lining his family’s pockets. Merchan has disgraced our justice system in New York.”

Conflict of Interest Allegations

In her letter to the Commission, Ms. Stefanik highlighted that Justice Merchan presides over the case where President Trump faces a potential 136 years’ imprisonment if convicted. Ms. Stefanik argued that this case has far-reaching implications, not just for President Trump, but for the broader political landscape, as President Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential election.

Ms. Stefanik raised concerns about Justice Merchan’s impartiality due to his daughter’s position as president of Authentic Campaigns, a firm representing prominent Democrat politicians and political action committees (PACs).

According to the complaint, these clients have capitalized on President Trump’s indictment for fundraising purposes.

For instance, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a client of Authentic Campaigns, used the indictment to solicit donations of $10, raising approximately $20 million. Similarly, the Senate Majority PAC raised around $73.6 million following the indictment.

Legal Basis for Recusal

Ms. Stefanik cited a section of the New York State Unified Court System’s Rules of Judicial Conduct, which mandates a judge’s disqualification from a case if a close relative stands to benefit substantially from the proceedings.

Ms. Stefanik asserted that the professional engagements of Justice Merchan’s daughter constitute such a conflict of interest, as her clients’ fundraising efforts are directly linked to the case over which her father presides.

In the complaint, Ms. Stefanik emphasizes, “It is common sense that, if these groups make no money, they cannot afford to pay for services provided by individuals such as Ms. Merchan. The more money raised, the more it can be spent on services.”

Ms. Stefanik’s complaint also referenced comments from U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, a retired federal judge, who expressed concerns in a media interview last month about the potential for perceived bias.

The complaint also pointed to a history of alleged judicial misconduct by Justice Merchan. Recently, media reports asserted that the Commission had privately cautioned him for making political donations to President Joe Biden and other Democrats in 2020. This prior reprimand is cited by Ms. Stefanik as further evidence of partisanship influencing Justice Merchan’s judicial conduct.

Ms. Stefanik asserted, “This private caution has not deterred Judge Merchan’s judicial misconduct, as evidenced by this current complaint. Judge Merchan appears driven by Democrat partisanship and financial gain for his daughter. This caution, as reported by the New York Times, ‘can be considered in any future cases reviewed by the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct.’”

Call for Action

Ms. Stefanik concluded her letter by calling for an investigation into Justice Merchan’s conduct and appropriate disciplinary action. She stressed the importance of maintaining public confidence in the judiciary, particularly in politically sensitive cases.

“It is imperative that New Yorkers and all Americans have confidence that justice is being dispensed fairly in New York,” she wrote in the complaint. “This is especially true in politically sensitive cases where bias is most likely to rear its ugly head. Here, we are in the middle of a presidential election campaign. The circumstances are unprecedented: President Trump, a former president and the likely nominee of a major party for the presidency, is on trial. These proceedings are under a microscope. Judge Merchan’s clear conflict of interest, based upon his adult daughter’s financial state in this unprecedented criminal trial, has badly damaged the court’s appearance of impartiality.”

The defense rested on May 21, and closing arguments will be heard as court resumes in New York next week.

“Given Judge Merchan’s daughter’s clientele—and the vast sums of money that these individuals have raised and will continue to raise off of President Trump’s charges—Judge Merchan’s daughter stands to benefit the more legally imperiled President Trump is,” Ms. Stefanik added. “She is well within the sixth degree of relation to Judge Merchan; indeed, as his daughter, she falls within the first degree. A straightforward application of [a section of the rules on judicial conduct] requires recusal. As Judge Merchan has declined to do so, I request that you investigate his conduct and impose whatever discipline is required.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct but the agency has not yet publicly responded to Rep. Stefanik’s complaint.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/rep-stefanik-alleges-major-conflict-interest-trump-trial-calls-judges-recusal

How Long Does COVID-19 Persist?

 Does COVID-19 persist in the body?

With 17 million adultsopens in a new tab or window reporting long COVID symptoms like brain fog and fatigue, the idea of viral persistence has gained traction.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, we never expected to have these discussions about SARS-CoV-2 persistence," said Michael Peluso, MD, MHS, of the University of California San Francisco. "It was just not part of our framework for coronaviruses."

Early papers identified SARS-CoV-2 antigens in blood or tissue, but many were small studies evaluating immunocompromised people, Peluso noted. "None addressed the specificity of the assay, and a common criticism was that this could all be a false-positive signal," he told MedPage Today.

But in research published last month in Lancet Infectious Diseasesopens in a new tab or window, Peluso and colleagues studied plasma samples from 171 immunocompetent people who had COVID, using an ultrasensitive assayopens in a new tab or window to measure the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 antigens, including the S1 subunit of spike, full-length spike, and nucleocapsid. These samples were compared with 250 pre-pandemic samples from people who never had COVID.

The researchers found that a quarter of COVID-infected people had SARS-CoV-2 antigens in their blood for up to 14 months after infection. The most common was spike.

"This allowed us to demonstrate more definitively than prior work that post-acute antigen persistence is occurring in at least a subset of people post-COVID and that it can be detected by a blood assay," Peluso said. "Now we need to better understand whether we can tie measurements on this assay to long COVID phenotypes or other post-acute complications, which will require a much larger study."

Hypotheses about the root causes of long COVID often fall into one of four categoriesopens in a new tab or window: autoimmunity triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection; reactivation of latent viruses like Epstein-Barr (EBV); damage from ongoing inflammation; or viral persistence. Viral persistence suggests that some people don't fully clear the coronavirus after acute infection and pieces linger in a viral reservoiropens in a new tab or window.

"A large body of work now supports that months or years after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, evidence of persistent viral antigens -- spike and nucleocapsid -- and viral RNA are detected in various tissues in people, based on autopsy and biopsy studies," observed Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

"We do not currently understand the molecular nature of persistent viral RNA," Iwasaki told MedPage Today. Viral RNA may reflect fragments of the viral genome that persist, meaning they are not replication competent. But it's possible viral RNA represents the whole genome capable of replication, she observed.

"If replicating virus is causing harm -- like long COVID -- then antivirals may be able to target such viral reservoirs and be used as a therapy," Iwasaki pointed out. "If only viral remnants are present -- fragments of viral RNA or proteins -- antivirals like Paxlovid [nirmatrelvir/ritonavir] will not be able to clear it."

Removing viral proteins could be done by antibodies, but removing viral RNA would be more difficult, she added.

While evidence for persistent antigen is growing, persistent virus has rarely been detectedopens in a new tab or window and only in small quantities, noted Avindra Nath, MD, of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland.

"Yes, viral antigen can be detected," Nath said. "But presence of viral antigen doesn't mean that it's completely replicating virus. They're two separate things."

A Very Broad Condition

What causes long COVID may not be the same for everyone, noted David Putrino, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. "It's a very broad condition" with many subtypes, he told MedPage Today.

"I think most serious people who are researching long COVID understand that one of the subsets emerging is people who may have a persistent viral infection," Putrino said.

"For the longest time, it's been a taboo topic. We've been told by virologists for years that certain viruses don't persist and don't hide out in tissue," he added. "It's becoming abundantly clear now that coronaviruses can do this."

Ongoing trials are testing what role, if any, viral persistence may play in long COVID. At Yale, the PAX LCopens in a new tab or window trial is studying a 15-day course of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in 100 patients, with results expected this year. RECOVER-VITALopens in a new tab or window, an NIH study of 900 people, is testing nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for up to 25 daysopens in a new tab or window and is expected to be complete in 2025.

In the outSMART-LC opens in a new tab or windowtrial, Peluso's team is testing AER002, a monoclonal antibody. "The goal is to probe the antigen persistence mechanism by intervening with a treatment that should be able to neutralize circulating spike protein and promote clearance of infected cells that are expressing spike protein on their surface," he said.

"It's only by trying to alter the biology that we can really determine whether SARS-CoV-2 persistence is driving long COVID symptoms and whether targeting persistence will help," he added.

In a feasibility study, Putrino's lab will study two repurposed HIV antivirals, emtricitabine/tenofovir (Truvada) and maraviroc. "Maraviroc has had some early published evidence that it does have some antiviral action on SARS-CoV-2 in the body," he noted. "Truvada also has some weaker evidence showing it has action on SARS-CoV-2, but more importantly, it has strong evidence that it can act quite aggressively on persistent EBV," which may be a factor in a subset of long COVIDopens in a new tab or window patients.

Solving long COVID involves "looking in every direction, not just narrowing down into one direction of viral persistence or immune dysregulation," Putrino pointed out.

"That's where we need to go," he said. "It's a complicated problem. If the problem was simple, it would be solved by now."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/longcovid/110225

CIA Prevented Hunter's Hollywood Tax Sugar Daddy From Becoming Federal Witness: Whistleblower

 A trove of new whistleblower documents provided to House GOP investigators reveal, among other things, that the CIA prevented federal investigators from pursuing Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris as a witness in their investigation of Hunter Biden.

Morris, a Hollywood entertainment lawyer who has 'long supported' Hunter (and why?) has loaned the First Son more than $6.5 million, according to a January letter to the House oversight committee.

We've known about the CIA connection since March, when the Chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, Jim Jordan (R-OH) and James Comer (R-KY) said that a whistleblower has brought them information that 'seems to corroborate our concerns' that the CIA directly interfered with DOJ and IRS investigations of Hunter Biden.

According to a whistleblower, the CIA "intervened in the investigation of Hunter biden to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) from interviewing a witness," the letter, addressed to CIA Director William Burns, reads.

Specifically, the Committees were concerned at how "the DOJ deviated from its standard processes to afford preferential treatment to Hunter Biden," which they learned "after two brave whistleblowers testified to Congress" that the Justice Department had done just that.

"DOJ officials restricted what investigative steps the investigators could pursue, tipped off Hunter Biden’s attorneys about investigative steps, and even prevented investigators from conducting witness interviews. The whistleblowers’ testimony about the preferential treatment provided to Hunter Biden has been corroborated by testimony from other witnesses and documents the Committees have received."

And now we know who that witness is...

In a Wednesday statement, the House Ways and Means Committee wrote that whistleblower documents indicate "In 2021, Assistant U.S. District Attorney Leslie Wolf told investigators they could not pursue Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris as a witness based on information she received from the CIA. Investigators were never provided the same information that AUSA Wolf received."

"From whistleblower-provided evidence, we know Hunter Biden and his business associates made millions from selling access to Joe Biden and the quote ‘brand’ that is Joe Biden around the world. We know President Biden’s denials of any knowledge or involvement are not true," reads the letter. "We know the Department of Justice tried to undermine, stonewall, and block the investigation into the Biden family, including President Biden."

The letter also details several lies Hunter told to Congress:

"Hunter Biden’s deposition is key to understanding the attempts to conceal how the family made millions from selling access. Yet, new documents provided by the whistleblowers show that Hunter Biden repeatedly lied to Congress in his February deposition to distance his involvement in what should be considered a clear scheme to enrich the Biden family."

• First, Hunter Biden lied about the recipient of a WhatsApp message sent with the apparent intention to threaten a business associate and demand payment.
• Second, Hunter Biden lied when he claimed he was not the corporate secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai and that the shell company he established with Devon Archer and its associated bank accounts were not under his control nor affiliated with him.
• Third, Hunter Biden lied during his deposition when he said he never helped individuals obtain U.S. visas.

Why would the CIA protect Morris?

 https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/cia-prevented-hunters-hollywood-tax-sugar-daddy-becoming-federal-witness-whistleblower

'Hawkish' FOMC Minutes: 'Various' Members Willing To Tighten More, Fear Financial Conditions 'Too Easy'

 Since the last FOMC statement on May 1st, bonds, stocks, and gold have rallied strongly while crude prices have declined with a small drop in the dollar...

Source: Bloomberg

Rate-cut expectations have dovishly increased (but are well off the post-CPI spike highs)..

Source: Bloomberg

With US Macro data serially surprising to the downside (with both 'hard' and 'soft' data deteriorating rapidly with CPI and Retail Sales printing after the last meeting)...

Source: Bloomberg

Growth-based macro factors have weakened considerably since the last FOMC meeting while inflation-related factors have increased.

Source: Bloomberg

So, with stagflationary signals abounding, what will The Fed want us to read into the Minutes today...

Expectations were for confirmation that rate-hikes are off the table... The Fed still expects growth without inflation... the Fed remains focused on shelter inflation...

Headlines from the Minutes include:

On Rate-Hikes:

Various participants mentioned a willingness to tighten policy further should risks to inflation materialize in a way that such an action became appropriate.

On Financial Conditions:

A number of participants noted uncertainty regarding the degree of restrictiveness of current financial conditions and the associated risk that such conditions were insufficiently restrictive on aggregate demand and inflation.

Although monetary policy was seen as restrictive, many participants commented on their uncertainty about the degree of restrictiveness.

On Growth upside and downside:

Several participants commented that increased efficiencies and technological innovations could raise productivity growth on a sustained basis, which might allow the economy to grow faster without raising inflation.

Participants also noted downside risks to economic activity, including slowing economic growth in China, a deterioration in conditions in domestic CRE markets, or a sharp tightening in financial conditions

On disinflation:

Participants suggested that the disinflation process would likely take longer than previously thought.

On tapering QT:

Almost all participants supported decision to begin to slow pace of decline of central bank's securities holdings; a few could have supported continuation of current pace.

On financial stability:

Participants who commented noted vulnerabilities to the financial system that they assessed warranted monitoring.

On balance, the staff continued to characterize the system's financial vulnerabilities as notable but raised the assessment of vulnerabilities in asset valuations to elevated, as valuations across a range of markets appeared high relative to risk-adjusted cash flows.

Read the full Minutes below:

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/fomc-16

Biden’s Demoralizing Speech to Morehouse Grads

President Obama’s commencement address at Morehouse College in 2013 couldn’t have been more different from the one President Biden gave on Sunday. Not just in terms of style or delivery—no one expects Mr. Biden to match Mr. Obama’s oratory skills—but, more important, in its tone and emphasis.

Mr. Obama urged graduates of the historically black, all-male college in Atlanta not to squander the tremendous opportunities that 21st-century America had to offer them. He highlighted that “laws and hearts and minds” had changed significantly for the better over the decades as evidenced by, among other things, his election, and he said that “your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African-Americans that came before it.”

Mr. Obama emphasized the importance of individual responsibility in black advancement and counseled the graduates to guard against self-pity. He said that while his job as president was to advocate policies that “generate more opportunity for everybody,” government efforts go only so far. “There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves,” he said. Among them was being a role model. “Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves.”

Mr. Obama said that too many young black men in the U.S. continue to make bad personal choices and then blame others. “And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself,” he noted. “Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses.”

Pointedly, the former president said that while racism and discrimination still exist, they shouldn’t be used as a crutch. “Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination. And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured—and they overcame them. And if they overcame them, you can overcome them.”

When Mr. Biden took the stage on Sunday, he didn’t see an audience of black men with limitless opportunities awaiting them. Instead, he saw an audience of black victims who should question their prospects. “You started college just as George Floyd was murdered and there was a reckoning on race,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s natural to wonder if democracy you hear about actually works for you. What is democracy if black men are being killed in the street?”

Only in Mr. Biden’s imagination would it be “natural” for the black people in that audience—many of whom were second- and third-generation college graduates—to wonder if democracy is working for them. Atlanta has had black mayors going back to the 1970s, and Georgia currently has a black Democratic U.S. senator (a Morehouse graduate) who won re-election by defeating a black Republican.

Mr. Obama told Morehouse graduates that if they act responsibly and make good choices, they can live productive and fulfilling lives in a society that has never had more to offer them. Mr. Biden suggested that the graduates see themselves in George Floyd. “If black men are being killed on the streets, we bear witness,” Mr. Biden said. “For me, that means to call out the poison of white supremacy, to root out systemic racism.”

Which is fine, but what is the connection between white supremacy and black homicides when nearly all black murder victims are killed not by white people or police officers but by other black people? Name-checking Floyd in front of a black audience doesn’t change that reality, and using a convicted felon and drug addict as a poster child for black men in this country is deeply insulting.

Given that Mr. Biden lacks Mr. Obama’s unique standing among blacks, let’s concede that these comparisons aren’t entirely fair. They do, however, offer insights into what Mr. Biden believes black people want to hear from their president in an election year. Mr. Biden’s speech revealed someone who doesn’t believe that black people can or should be held to the same standards as other groups. He believes they want to be told constantly that racial inequality is entirely the fault of others and the responsibility of others to address. He believes they need lectures from him about racism.

If the president’s slipping support among black voters is any indication, he’s wrong on all counts. And if Morehouse College can’t do better in choosing a commencement speaker next year, just replay Mr. Obama’s address.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-demoralizing-speech-to-morehouse-grads-obama-achievement-racism-ee5fefb5

'Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Can "Turn This Around," Bases Inside Russia "Should Be Fair Game"'

 Former Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said that the U.S. should give Ukraine more long-range weapons to hit targets inside Russia during an interview with ABC's "This Week."

VICTORIA NULAND, FORMER UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: I think they can certainly turn this around, Martha. But the six-month delay certainly made a difference. The frontline for Ukraine needs the artillery that we are sending. They need more air defenses. They need to be able to stop these Russian attacks that are coming from bases inside Russia. So, I think there's also a question of whether we, the United States and our allies, ought to give them more help in hitting Russian bases, which heretofore we have not been willing to do.

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS: And do you think they should?

NULAND: I think if the attacks are coming directly from over the line in Russia, that those bases ought to be fair game, whether they are where missiles are being launched from or where they are where troops are being supplied from.

I think it's time for that because Russia has obviously escalated this war, including, as you said, at the beginning, attacking Russia's second city, Kharkiv, which is not on the front lines, and trying to decimate it without ever having to put a boot on the ground. So I think it is time to give the Ukrainians more help hitting these bases inside Russia.

RADDATZ: One of the reasons that the administration has hesitated is because they believe it will escalate things even further with Russia, pull the U.S. further in. Why not - why - so why do you think that's a good idea?

NULAND: Because it's Russia that has escalated this war. Russia has learned how to pull its forces back out of the range where we have allowed Ukraine to use our weapons and get our support. So, they are getting a direct advantage in this war from our hesitation, and they have escalated massively. As you know, they have flattened a third of Kharkiv without ever having to get on the ground there. So, it is time to stop that and help Ukraine push them back.

RADDATZ: You have dealt with Vladimir Putin over multiple administrations. When you look at what's happened here and what he is doing, just - just tell us what you think he is up to, besides the obvious, and what mistakes we have made with Vladimir Putin.

NULAND: Well, clearly at this point in his life, Vladimir Putin has decided that his legacy is based on restoring at least the Soviet Union, if not a larger empire for Russia. He is defining greatness for Russia in territorial terms rather than an economic or political power. And he's willing to sacrifice the future, not only of Ukraine and his relationship with the rest of the world, but of the Russian people for this crazy imperial ambition.

You know, I think the Covid period, when he was in isolation, just made him more and more paranoid, et cetera. If I had to look at one mistake we made, I think we underestimated what he was willing to do to get to this place that he wanted to get to for Russia, which is territorial and not political or economic.

RADDATZ: Secretary Blinken's trip to Ukraine certainly sent a message that the U.S. is supporting him. But what would you say to those Republicans who are still concerned about aid going there, or those Americans who say, look, we have - we have problems at home, why do we need this aid?

NULAND: Well, obviously, we have problems at home and we need to support our domestic front and our international front. But this is about more than Ukraine. And this is about more than Vladimir Putin. First of all, if Ukraine cannot survive and thrive, Putin will not stop there. He will walk towards NATO, and we will have a much larger war, because he will know that he can. And we will become directly involved.

But also, if you don't stop Putin here, a guy who has bitten off a piece of a smaller country that was not doing anything to hurt him, then it sends a message to autocrats everywhere that it's free game to invade your neighbor, et cetera. And that will send a message in Asia, it will send a message to Iran, all around the world.

So, if the United States wants to lead in this world, if we want to maintain the free and open democratic order that has served us so well, we've got to protect it abroad so that we can stay safe at home. And to remind the vast majority of this aid for Ukraine is coming right back to U.S. defense industry to build those weapons, for us, to replace the ones we're sending to Ukraine, and it provides good jobs in more than 30 states of the United States.

RADDATZ: And NATO is now considering sending trainers to Ukraine, but the U.S. has said no to that. Is that the right move?

NULAND: You know, we do a huge amount of training for Ukrainians in NATO territory, in Poland and Germany and other parts of the alliance. It is hard for Ukrainians to come out and come off the front to train. But I worry that NATO training bases inside Ukraine will become a target for Vladimir Putin. And it does directly implicate NATO on the ground, which could, as you worried about earlier, escalate the war in a different direction and cause Putin to think that NATO territory might be fair game for him.

So, I think it still makes most sense to do most of the training outside of Ukraine but to give advice inside Ukraine as the Ukrainians ask for it and need it.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/05/19/victoria_nuland_ukraine_can_turn_this_around_bases_inside_russia_should_be_fair_game.html