'Elite cattle': Heavy cow that's 'closest to perfection' fetches millions at auction, breaking world records

 A Brazilian cow broke records after selling for more than $4 million at an auction, more than three times the last record holder’s price. 

Weighing 2,400 pounds, Viatina-19 FIV Mara Movéis is twice as heavy as an average adult of her breed. Viatina-19 is the result of Brazil’s years-long efforts to raise meatier cows so that more people will eat its beef.

Cattle in a corral in Brazil.  (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Per the Guinness World Records, Viatina-19 sold for the equivalent of $4.38 million in Arandú, São Paulo, Brazil.

Prizewinners are sold at high-stakes auctions — so high that wealthy ranchers share ownership. They extract the eggs and semen from champion animals, create embryos and implant them in surrogate cows that they hope will produce the next magnificent specimens.

"We're not slaughtering elite cattle. We're breeding them. And at the end of the line, going to feed the whole world," one of her owners, Ney Pereira, told The Associated Press after arriving by helicopter to his farm in Minas Gerais state. "I think Viatina will provide that."

Pereira’s daughter, Lorrany Martins, said the hefty price stems from how quickly the cow put on vast amounts of muscle, from her fertility and how often she has passed those characteristics to her offspring.

Viatina-19 belongs to the Nelore breed of cow, like the ones pictured here. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Breeders also value posture, hoof solidity, docility, maternal ability and beauty. Those eager to level up their livestock's genetics pay around $250,000 for an opportunity to collect Viatina-19's egg cells.

"She is the closest to perfection that has been attained so far," Martins said. "She's a complete cow, has all the characteristics that all the proprietors are looking for."

A cattle rancher leads Nelore's cattle , near Miranda, Brazil. (Paulo Fridman/Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Viatina-19's owner, Pereira, said she gets special treatment to boost egg cell production, but would thrive were she put to pasture — where almost all his elite cattle feed.

Viatina-19 is now pregnant and Pereira's is eyeing expansion. The cow's egg cells have sold to Bolivian buyers and Pereira wants to export to other countries like the United Arab Emirates, India and the US.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/elite-cattle-heavy-cow-closest-perfection-fetches-millions-auction-breaking-world-records

'Major world economies seek to halt new private sector coal financing'

 Some of the world's major economies want to finalise a plan ahead of this year's U.N. climate summit to halt new private sector funding for coal projects, five sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

If approved, the draft proposal by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, would be the first move by a multilateral institution to curb financing for coal, one of the biggest causes of climate change, which produces more carbon dioxide emissions than oil or gas when it is burned for energy.

The draft plan, which aims to set a "gold standard" policy for how financial institutions approach coal, instructs investors, banks and insurers to halt new financing to existing or planned coal projects, and end funding to companies building coal infrastructure, the sources said.

Under the plan, financial institutions would fund the early retirement of coal plants, rather than divest from these assets. And early closures of coal-fired facilities should be matched with financing for clean energy to replace the lost coal capacity.

Commercial banks' lending and underwriting to the coal industry totalled $470 billion between January 2021 and December 2023, the NGO Urgewald said in a report last month.

OECD countries - whose 38 members include most of the world's biggest market-focused democracies - are preparing feedback on the proposal, which is set to be put out for public consultation before a formal adoption ahead of the U.N. COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in November.

The OECD policy would be non-binding, but would aim to set an international standard used by companies' boards and shareholders.

Previous OECD guidelines - for example, on child labour - have been adopted by some multinational companies, setting a standard for dealing with countries where no formal child labour laws exist.

France, the United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union are among backers of the proposal, part of a "Coal Transition Accelerator" initiative conceived by France at last year's COP28 climate summit, the sources said.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-major-world-economies-seek-113037046.html

UnitedHealth, Amedisys divestiture deal stalls: Report

 A possible divestiture buyer has backed out of a deal with UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys that aimed to make a proposed acquisition of the home health company more palatable to regulators, the Capitol Forum reported May 31.

In May, the outlet reported the two companies offered to sell 100 clinics to a private equity buyer, and that UnitedHealth is still seeking a single purchaser for the facilities.

Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, intends to acquire Amedisys in a $3.3 billion deal. Amedisys shareholders approved the deal in September, but the proposal is under review by the Justice Department. Lawmakers have urged careful scrutiny of the deal, and Oregon regulators have also launched their own probe into the acquisition. 

Amedisys provides home healthcare, hospice and palliative care. It operates more than 500 clinics in 37 states.

https://www.beckerspayer.com/m-and-a/unitedhealth-amedisys-divestiture-deal-stalls-report.html

Walgreens-backed CityMD settles COVID fraud claims

 Walgreens (NASDAQ:WBA)-backed urgent care provider CityMD has agreed to pay more than $12M to resolve allegations that the company falsely claimed government payments related to COVID-19 testing during the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced. 

The settlement follows an investigation into allegations that New York-based CityMD, as part of a federal program reserved for COVID-19 testing among the uninsured, submitted false claims seeking payments even for insured individuals.

CityMD, which operates about 177 urgent care facilities in New York and New Jersey, filed these claims or made outside labs to file such claims to the program from February 4, 2020, through April 5, 2022, the DoJ alleged.

“The alleged misuse of these funds is something we cannot and will not tolerate. Today’s settlement ensures that the money that was obtained inappropriately will be returned to the government,” said U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

CityMD joined Walgreens’ (WBA) portfolio in early 2023 after the former’s parent Summit Health agreed to be acquired by WBA-backed VillageMD for approximately $8.9B with investments from Cigna’s (NYSE:CI) Pharmacy Benefits Manager, Evernorth,

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/walgreens-backed-citymd-settles-covid-fraud-claims/ar-BB1nRUw8

Colorado Drug Price Board Says J&J’s Stelara is Unaffordable

• Panel to vote next on whether to enact Stelara payment limit
• State battling lawsuit from Amgen over February Enbrel vote

A blockbuster arthritis drug from Johnson & Johnson could soon see a limit on what Colorado health plans pay for the product after the state review board determined the treatment is “unaffordable” for patients.

The five-member Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board voted Friday to grant this designation to Stelara, an injectable drug used to treat conditions like moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and Crohn’s disease.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/colorado-drug-pricing-board-says-j-js-stelara-is-unaffordable

Politico Nukes 'Biden Business Dealings' Lie

 While President Joe Biden has repeatedly insisted he has nothing to do with his family's business dealings - going so far as to say he's never so much as discussed them with relatives, a new report from Politico completely destroys that lie.

"And what I will do is the same thing we did in our administration. There will be an absolute wall between personal and private [business interests] and the government. There wasn’t any hint of scandal at all when we were there. And I’m going to propose the same kind of strict, strict rules. That’s why I never talked with my son or my brother or anyone else — even distant family — about their business interests. Period."

As Politico notes, Joe Biden’s political journey, stretching back to his first Senate bid, has always been a family affair. His first campaign was significantly supported by his family, setting a precedent for how his personal and professional lives would intertwine. Throughout his career, Biden’s relatives have not only been a staple in his campaigns but have also engaged in business ventures that at times involved his political patrons, converting some business partners into campaign supporters.

This longstanding blend of family, business, and politics has made it an absurd notion that Biden has distanced himself from the actions and ventures of his relatives, particularly his son Hunter Biden and his brother Jim Biden, whose foreign business dealings have been a continual source of controversy.

Meanwhile...

What's more, for years, Joe Biden shared key professional services with his family members: a bookkeeper with his son and a personal lawyer with his brother. This overlap extends beyond service providers to the very core of his advisory circle. Many of Biden’s closest staffers and advisers have, at different times, doubled as business associates for his relatives. These overlaps suggest an all-in-family approach that has persisted despite Biden’s assertions that he has kept a professional distance from his family's business dealings.

Investigations and Ethical Questions

Particularly revealing is the hiring of the former head of Biden’s Secret Service detail by Jim Biden to investigate a Chinese executive, Patrick Ho, who Hunter Biden was doing business with in 2017. Despite claims of maintaining a professional distance, this move, ahead of a significant business meeting in Hong Kong, highlights how deeply enmeshed personal and professional lines can become. Jim Biden’s assertion during his February impeachment inquiry interview that he did not discuss business specifics with Hunter during the trip only adds layers to the opaque nature of the family’s business dealings.

"10 for the Big Guy"

One phrase found in a series of alleged emails linked to Hunter Biden — "10 for the big guy" — has become a focal point of controversy, drawing scrutiny to the business dealings of the president's son and the implications for Biden. These emails, reportedly related to Hunter Biden's interactions with the Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC, have raised questions about potential influence peddling and conflicts of interest.

This email came to light as part of a larger trove of data discovered on a laptop that Hunter Biden left at a Delaware repair shop and never retrieved - and was recently entered into evidence as authentic by federal prosecutors during Hunter Biden's ongoing trial for a federal firearms offense.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/politico-nukes-biden-business-dealings-lie

Yale Law Professor Shreds Trump Verdict, Cites "Serious" Constitutional Problems

 Yale Law Professor Jed Rubenfeld (whose wife is the "Tiger Mom") says that Donald Trump's 'hush money' conviction has serious legal issues, giving the former president multiple legal avenues to overturn the verdict.

In his new show, Straight Down the Middle, Rubenfeld notes three obvious issues for Trump's legal team to use;

• Selective Prosecution: The possibility that the prosecution was driven by political motives against Trump, which if true, could constitute selective prosecution—a practice deemed unconstitutional as it involves targeting an individual for prosecution based on discriminatory reasons.

• Vagueness of Charges: The indictment did not clearly specify the secondary crime Trump was accused of concealing through falsified business records, potentially violating the Sixth Amendment right of an accused to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusations against him.

• Non-unanimous Jury Verdict: The judge's instruction allowing the jury to be non-unanimous regarding the specifics of the secondary crime could infringe upon the constitutional requirement for unanimous verdicts in criminal prosecutions, challenging the fairness of the trial.

"The indictment charged Trump with a two-step crime falsifying business records to conceal a second crime but never said what that second crime was," he said, adding "Under the Sixth Amendment every criminal defendant has a right to know the charges against him."

He also suggested that Trump could sue Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and other state actors in federal court and ask for an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) against Judge Juan Merchan against entering a judgement of guilt.

"You’re not a convicted felon because of a jury verdict. You’re not convicted unless the judge enters a judgment of guilt against you. The judge still has the power, as I told you before, to throw out that verdict and enter a judgment of acquittal. You are not convicted until the judge enters that judgment of guilt," he said.

"So what would this federal case be about? In this federal action, Trump would sue District Attorney Bragg and other state actors and ask the judge, the federal judge, for an emergency temporary restraining order halting Judge Merchan from entering that judgment of guilt until the federal courts have had an opportunity to review and rule on the serious constitutional arguments that exist here."

Watch:

According to Rubenfeld, the Trump case is a "very bad look for this country," adding that it's "an especially bad look when the folks bring in the case and the judge deciding it are members of the opposing political party. And it’s an even worse look when the crime is so unclear that the state is hiding the ball about what the actual charges are right up through the trial and indeed into the trial."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/yale-law-professor-shreds-trump-verdict-says-serious-constitutional-problems