Announces early access availability of ProteoVue Software
ProteoVue is part of broader set of innovation initiatives, including the Company’s recently announced collaboration with NVIDIA, to leverage AI to enhance sequencing performance
Friday, January 3, 2025
First step towards UK National Care Service - but not until 2028
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has denied the government is putting off social care reforms following criticism that a planned overhaul of the sector may not happen for years.
Ministers have launched an independent commission, led by Baroness Casey, to "transform social care" - but the latter phase of the two-part commission will not make its final recommendations for England until the end of 2028.
The first phase will report to Sir Keir Starmer in mid-2026, looking at the issues facing social care and recommending medium-term reforms, while the second phase is expected two years later and will make recommendations for the longer term.
The review, which will begin in April, is part of a wider package of support for the sector and includes more funding for elderly and disabled people to make home improvements, as well as training for care workers to perform health checks for patients in the home.
Friday's announcement also marks the first step towards a National Care Service, which was pledged by Labour in its general election manifesto.
Asked by reporters on a trip to Carlisle whether ministers were "kicking [the reforms] into the long grass", Mr Streeting said: "This government is determined to grip the crisis in social care which is historic and has been decades in the making.
"That's why since the general election we have legislated for first-ever fair pay agreements, we've delivered the biggest expansion of the carer's allowance since the 1970s, and we're delivering big increases in social care funding - including specific funding for the disabled facilities grant."
He added: "But there is more to do and if we're going to break the cycle of failure after failure under different types of government - Labour, Lib Dem, Conservative, SNP - the best way to do that is an independent commission that brings political parties together so we've got a plan not just for the next few years... but a plan for the next three decades."
However, Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said "waiting until 2028 is not an option".
He said that while government's review acknowledged "the decade-long crisis in social care", there was a risk of it "becoming yet another repot that gathers dust while the sector crumbles".
"This commission will simply confirm what we already know - how many more reports must we endure before action is taken?" he added.
"The harm caused by the government's inaction is already deep, and the consequences for those who currently draw on care will be irreparable if immediate intervention is not forthcoming.
"Waiting until 2028 is not an option. The people in care today cannot afford to wait any longer - their lives depend on action now."
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive at The King's Fund, also welcomed the announcement, but urged the government to "accelerate the timing".
Labour had 14 years to think about social care - why do they need to buy three more years?
Successive governments have tried and failed to take on the generational challenge of overhauling social care.
Reforming the sector could be transformational, not just for patients and staff but also for councils struggling to pay the ever-increasing bill and the dangerously over-stretched NHS, which currently picks up the slack.
The advantages are obvious but the political pitfalls loom large over the issue, with previous attempts memorably ending in failure.
One of the most notable was Theresa May's attempt to change the funding model, which was dubbed "the dementia tax" during the election that derailed and permanently damaged her premiership.
It is surely with this and other abandoned plans in mind that Labour has today sought to buy two things - time and political cover.
By announcing that the Independent Commission will report in 2028 they have given themselves years to come up with the solutions and the cash to make it happen.
And by bringing in Baroness Casey - a politically neutral reformer with a formidable reputation - to take on the issue they clearly hope to build cross-party consensus and avoid the divisive attacks that can kill a policy.
But it also invites the obvious criticism that Sir Keir Starmer and his team had 14 years in opposition to think about social care, so why do they need three more?
They now need to prove that this extra period of reflection is really worth it, and it's not just the same old political tactic of kicking it into the long grass.
Last summer Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, also announced she would not proceed with adult social care charging reforms, which had also been delayed by the previous government, in a bid to fill a £22bn black hole in the public finances.
The plans would have introduced a cap of £86,000 cap on care costs from this October. Those whose care costs exceeded £86,000 would then have the rest paid for by local authorities.
It would have also seen the threshold for qualifying for some council support before surpassing the cap increase from £23,250 currently to £100,000.
Shadow health and social care secretary Edward Argar said Labour had made the job of social care providers "even harder".
"After Rachel Reeves abandoned their election promise to deliver our cap on social care costs, Labour have piled pressure on social care providers with their employer NICs jobs tax on social care workers, making their job even harder," he said.
"We will engage constructively to deliver much-needed long-term social care reform, but after 14 years in opposition it is deeply disappointing that Labour don't have a plan for social care."
Speaking to Sky News this morning, health minister Andrew Gwynne acknowledged the criticism about the length of time it would take to implement major reform, but denied there was "inaction right now".
He said no political party had "clean hands on this", highlighting how the Tories attacked Gordon Brown's attempts to reform social care in 2010 as the "death tax", while Theresa May was accused of trying to introduce a "dementia tax" with a proposed cap on social care costs.
Mr Gwynne pointed to the fact that additional funding has been committed to the Disabled Facilities Grant, which allows people to apply for funding to carry out work such as widening doors, improving access, installing ramps or stairlifts, or building an extension.
The £86m boost for this financial year is on top of the £86m announced in the budget for the next financial year and brings the annual total to £711m.
About 7,800 more elderly and disabled people could benefit, ministers estimate.
https://news.sky.com/story/social-care-funding-and-reform-proposals-set-to-be-delivered-by-2028-13282841
Finland court rejects request for release of tanker in undersea cables probe
A Finnish court on Friday denied a request for the release of an oil tanker suspected by police of damaging an undersea power line and four telecommunications cables last week.
Finland on Dec. 26 seized the Eagle S tanker carrying Russian oil on suspicion that it damaged the Finnish-Estonian Estlink 2 power line as well as the telecoms cables the previous day by dragging its anchor across the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
A lawyer representing United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, which owns the tanker, had sought the release of the vessel and crew.
'Vegas Police Say "Very Strange Similarities" in Cybertruck Bombing & Bourbon St Massacre'
Welcome to the second day of 2025.
* * *
Update (1859ET):
But...
* * *
Update (1849ET):
The FBI's field office in New Orleans wrote on X, "Newly released surveillance photos show Shamsud- Din Jabbar a little more than an hour before the deadly Bourbon Street attack."
* * *
Update (1736ET):
Academy Securities published a note summarizing the views of four retired US generals on the Cybertruck bombing and the New Orleans terrorist attack:
General Spider Marks: "Most importantly, we must acknowledge that terrorism in its many forms (both kinetic and non-kinetic) will never be eliminated or determined irrelevant. As the investigation continues, we'll know more about the motivation of the attack. Regardless, all forms of terrorism require a network of inspiration and support. Where isolation occurs, virtual access to a 'community' of shared interests and beliefs provides a readily available justification for action. There is no 'lone wolf' anymore. More facts to follow, but terrorism still exists."
General John Evans: "It is likely premature to assess motives, motivations, and linkages. However, the 'vehicle as a weapon' TTP (tactics, techniques, and procedures) that we have seen used with devastating effect in Europe (and the US), although not new, now creates yet another attack vector which local, state, and federal law enforcement must plan for at events such as the gathering we saw in New Orleans. Individuals suffering from political or personal disenfranchisement can now leverage the ubiquity of motor vehicles to inflict great harm in virtually any setting, since most security plans only focus on keeping vehicles away from critical nodes or VIPs."
General Robert Ashley: "The intel community will be focused on any reflections on the attack which normally would happen within the first 24-36 hours. Given the domestic nature of the attack, I would expect a joint White House/FBI announcement in the near-term if there is a foreign nexus, otherwise updates will likely remain in law enforcement channels. We become less vigilant with each passing day. Significant calendar events (New Year's) and major public events require greater vigilance, which means increased funding for the security forces that protect all of us daily. Moreover, it will require greater tolerance by the public regarding the associated delays of enhanced force protection. As this unfolds, it will be key to uncover the attacker's network (domestic and/or foreign) and to determine if there are any foreign connections (that include nation state involvement) that may have assisted or motivated the attacker(s)."
General Rick Waddell: "It is too early to say anything decisive, but if news accounts are in any way accurate then: 1) more people than just the driver were involved in NOLA; 2) this terror cell spent time preparing and planting IEDs; and 3) NOLA was changing out its bollards blocking vehicular traffic from Bourbon Street and were months into the project with a targeted completion date before the 2025 Super Bowl, but not before the New Year's celebrations or the Sugar Bowl. In the absence of the bollards, a police vehicle was used to block the entrance to Bourbon Street, but the killer avoided the blocking vehicle by simply driving onto the sidewalk. What is unknown is whether the NOLA event is connected to what now looks like a suicide vehicle bombing outside the Trump Tower in Las Vegas. Both attacks used vehicles that were rented through the app Turo. As Spider points out, terrorism is with us and won't go away. We can harden likely targets, we can put up barriers (like the bollards) before key events, we can increase guard forces for key facilities and key events, and we can use intelligence and law enforcement methods to penetrate terrorist cells."
* * *
Update (1518ET):
In Vegas, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters that the Cybertruck bomber, Matthew Livelsberger, shot himself in the head before the vehicle exploded.
McMahill stated that a handgun was found at Livelsberger's feet. However, this is not definitive evidence about the timing of the death. Remember, the Cybertruck has Full Self-Driving...
More headlines from the press conference:
LAS VEGAS POLICE: FOUND SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPON IN CYBERTRUCK
LAS VEGAS POLICE: ALSO FOUND MILITARY ID IN CYBERTRUCK
LVMPD: SUBJECT WENT TO SEVERAL PLACES ALONG LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD
ATF: GUNS WERE LAWFULLY PURCHASED BY LIVELSBERGER; GUNS WERE PURCHASED ON DEC. 30
FBI: NO IDEOLOGY LEADING TO TRUMP, TESLA IN CYBERTRUCK BLAST
Here's where things get interesting...
At an earlier press conference in New Orleans:
- FBI: NO 'DEFINITIVE LINK' BETWEEN ATTACK IN NOLA AND LAS VEGAS
Now:
- LAS VEGAS POLICE: 'VERY STRANGE SIMILARITIES' WITH NOLA CASE
It's always after the fact, but a CNN report stated the Department of Homeland Security warned about 'lone wolf' attacks last month.
"Lone offenders have historically used simple tactics, such as edged weapons, firearms, or vehicle ramming, due to their ease of access, ability to inflict mass casualties, and lack of required training," the DHS bulletin read.
According to a federal source close to the counter-terrorism community, another intelligence briefing released last summer indicated that pre-trained al-Qaeda terrorists had entered the US through the Biden-Harris administration's open southern border.
In a recent discussion on the Shawn Ryan Show, former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams warned of a potentially devastating attack planned by Al-Qaeda terrorists on American soil.
Investigations into the Cybertruck bomber and New Orleans terrorist are only just beginning. More details are coming...
* * *
Update (1407ET):
Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia of the FBI Counterterrorism Division told reporters on Thursday afternoon that the New Orleans massacre "was an act of terrorism" (14 dead, dozens injured) and stated, "My goal is to be as forthcoming as possible with you about what we've uncovered so far."
Remember, hours after the terror incident on Bourbon Street, the FBI lied to the American people: "This was not a terrorist event."
Sigh, FBI! Public trust continues to crumble.
Also, the FBI announced a complete reversal from a statement on Wednseday, in which Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said, "We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates."
Once again, given the FBI's ongoing trust issues, the public remains uncertain about what to believe.
Back to Raia's press conference, he said there had not been a "definitive link" between the Bourbon Street attack and the Tesla Cybertruck explosion at Trump's hotel in Las Vegas.
"As you know, there's also an FBI investigation in Las Vegas. We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling everything out. However, at this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas. And again, I'll preface as I close, I'll preface everything with what I started with in the beginning, which was this is very early in an investigation like this," Raia told reporters.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Bourbon Street will reopen this afternoon ahead of the Sugar Bowl game this evening.
Meanwhile, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the Bourbon Street massacre can happen anywhere, and "you have to crush" evil to protect America.
Under the Biden-Harris regime, the Feds facilitated the greatest migrant invasion this nation has ever seen by opening the floodgates on the southern border to millions of illegal aliens, some of which were pre-trained terrorists. In other words, our own government willfully compromised national security through globalist border policies.
Raia also said Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the Bourbon Street terrorist, was "100% inspired by ISIS..."
"So what I can tell you right now is that he was 100% inspired by ISIS. And so we're digging — we're digging through more of the social media, more interviews, working with some of our other partners to-to ascertain just how to ascertain a little bit more about that connection," he noted.
However, we must note that Jabbar and Matthew Livelsberger's (Cybertruck suicide bomber) were both US Army veterans.
From a ramming attack on Bourbon Street to a VBIED-like explosion at Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas, occurring on the same day just hours apart, it seems suspicious and raises concerns that there might be more incidents to come.
* * *
Welcome to the second day of 2025.
Federal authorities and investigative teams are probing a potential military connection between a US Army veteran who displayed an Islamic State (IS) flag and was described as "hellbent" on causing maximum damage by steering a Ford F-150 Lightning (EV) into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens, and another US Army veteran who drove an explosives-filled Tesla Cybertruck that detonated almost like a VBIED outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel just hours after the Bourbon Street massacre.
Two law enforcement sources familiar with the New Orleans truck-terror-ramming attack and the Las Vegas incident told NBC News that federal investigative teams are probing a potential military connection between the two individuals involved in both attacks.
New Orleans terror suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who died in a subsequent close-range firefight with police after the ramming attack, was a US national and Texas resident. He worked in the US Army's human resources and information technology departments between 2006 and 2020, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009.
The suspect in the Cybertruck explosion at Trump's hotel in Las Vegas has been identified as "Matthew Livelsberger," according to Newsweek.
Denver-based station ABC7 reported that Livelsberger once served at the same base as Shamsud-Din Jabbar. However, no evidence yet confirms whether they had direct links of any sort.
However, both vehicles used in New Orleans and Las Vegas were rented from San Francisco-based Turo.
Turo wrote in a statement, "We do not believe that either renter had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat, and we are not currently aware of any information that indicates the two incidents are related."
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC earlier that investigators believe multiple people were involved in the Bourbon Street massacre. She said authorities believe explosive devices were made in an Airbnb rental in the New Orleans metro area.
"We know that these individuals had rented the house were using it for that purpose," Murrill said.
Murrill also said she wanted to postpone the Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for another day. The football game is currently scheduled for tonight after it was postponed following the attack.
Murrill noted that "the community is safe" because of the increased law enforcement presence in the city. However, the delay of the Sugar Bowl may only suggest that something larger is unfolding.
Here we go.
In a recent discussion on the Shawn Ryan Show, former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams warned of a potentially devastating attack planned by Al-Qaeda terrorists on American soil.
Finally, with just a few days left until Trump is inaugurated, we can't help but wonder at the timing of this sudden chaos.
Ardent Health Acquires 18 Urgent Care Clinics Across New Mexico and Oklahoma
Ardent Health (NYSE: ARDT), a leading provider of healthcare in growing mid-sized urban communities across the U.S., today announced it has acquired 18 urgent care clinics across New Mexico and Oklahoma from NextCare Urgent Care.
The purchase follows Ardent Health’s acquisition of nine additional urgent care centers in its East Texas and Topeka, Kansas markets in 2024. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Walmart doubles down on grocery as traditional rivals sputter
Walmart is doubling down on its grocery business as more consumers turn to the company for their food needs.
The nation's largest retailer reported in the prior quarter that sales at U.S. stores rose 5.3% as it continued to gain market share in the grocery and general merchandise categories.
Part of the reason its seeing growth within the grocery segment, which has seen an uptick in costs from inflation, is that the company is remodeling the produce sections of its stores, and increasing the assortment of food that it's offering, according to Walmart CFO John David Rainey.
"It's [ the produce section] very attractive. We've got a very high quality produce offering for people and it invites them in," Rainey said. "It's a much broader assortment than what we've had historically."
The company has been building new modernized stores and remodeling hundreds of others. Over the past three years, it remodeled about 700 stores each year on average, and it plans to convert more in the coming year. The company's new and updated stores include improved layouts, bigger product selection, refreshed signs, paint and shopping carts.
Aside from its improved aesthetic, Rainey also credited its private brand as another driver. Walmart is seeing an increase in private brands as a larger share of overall sales, driven partly by consumers’ focus on price during high inflation. Earlier this year, the company launched its latest and most expansive private label brand, Bettergoods, which encompasses 300 items including frozen, dairy, snacks, beverages, pasta, soups, coffee and chocolate.
A Walmart location on 2844 North Broadway Street ahead of permanently closing in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Not only is the company offering a more expansive selection of food within the private label, but the quality of the food has improved as well, Rainey said.
"It's much broader and appeals to a lot more customers and members," Rainey said, adding that "the quality is just much different than what you've seen historically."
He also highlighted that consumers’ growing reliance on convenience is benefiting Walmart. According to Rainey, one-third of their customers are paying extra for expedited food delivery through Walmart’s delivery services.
This comes as the $25 billion merger between Albertsons and Kroger crumbles amid concerns from federal regulators that the deal would undermine competition in the grocery industry. The deal would have been the largest merger in the history of the grocery industry.
Walmart's modernized grocery department. (Walmart)
But U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson said that the plan put forward by the two companies to reduce grocery prices and divest more than 500 stores failed to address concerns about reduced competition in the sector and the impact it could have on consumers and workers.
Albertsons, which subsequently sued Kroger for not working hard enough to secure the merger, claimed the deal would have expanded competition, lowered prices, increased associate wages, protected union jobs, and enhanced customers’ shopping experience.
Walmart
As of September, Albertsons Companies operated 2,267 retail food and drug stores with 1,726 pharmacies, 405 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities.
Meanwhile, Kroger operates 2,750 grocery retail stores under a variety of banner names, including Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, and Fred Meyer.
In the U.S., Walmart operates just over 4,600 stores. This doesn't include its membership warehouse, Sam's Club, which house about 600 locations around the nation.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/walmart-doubles-down-grocery-traditional-rivals-sputter
Stellantis, Volkswagen Drop After Losing US Electric-Car Subsidy
Stellantis NV and Volkswagen AG shares declined as some of their plug-in cars lost access to US tax credits under tougher rules that took effect this week.
VW’s ID.4 electric crossover lost its full $7,500 tax credit, according to the latest listing by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. Models from the likes of Nissan Motor Co. and Stellantis that previously received as much as $3,750 are now also ineligible.
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