'Trump would have been convicted in election interference case had he not won, Smith report claims'

 Special counsel Jack Smith’s long-awaited report on Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case argues that the president-elect would’ve been convicted at trial had he not won the 2024 presidential election.

The 174-page report, obtained by multiple outlets Tuesday after lawyers for the incoming president failed to stop its release, outlines the investigative process Smith took in his case against Trump after being appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland shortly after Trump launched his 2024 White House bid.

“The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Smith wrote in the report’s conclusion.

Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to media members at the US Department of Justice building in Washington, DC, on Aug. 1, 2023.AFP via Getty Images

“Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial,” he added.

The report was delivered to Congress by the Justice Department just after midnight Tuesday after a last-ditch attempt by Trump’s legal team to block its release was rejected by South Florida US District Judge Aileen Cannon late Monday night.

It is one of two volumes put together by Smith detailing the federal investigations into Trump.

The second volume, which relates to the classified documents case dismissed by Cannon last July, has not been made public as Smith is still pursuing charges against Trump’s two former co-defendants in the case – Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.

In a letter to Garland, included in the material transmitted to lawmakers, Smith directly takes aim at Trump’s claim that his charging decision was influenced by the Biden administration – calling it “laughable.”

President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on Jan. 7, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida.Getty Images

“Throughout my service as Special Counsel, seeking to influence the election one way or the other, or seeking to interfere in its outcome, played no role in our work,” the prosecutor wrote. “My Office had one north star: to follow the facts and law wherever they led. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“While I relied greatly on the counsel, judgment, and advice of our team, I want it to be clear that the ultimate decision to bring charges against Mr. Trump was mine,” Smith added. “It is a decision I stand behind fully.”

“It is equally important for me to make clear that nobody within the Department of Justice ever sought to interfere with, or improperly influence, my prosecutorial decision making,” the special counsel continued.

“And to all who know me well, the claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable.”

Trump hit back at Smith, slamming him as a “deranged” and “lamebrain” prosecutor in a Truth Social post after the report was released.

“Deranged Jack Smith was unable to successfully prosecute the Political Opponent of his “boss,” Crooked Joe Biden, so he ends up writing yet another ‘Report’ based on information that the Unselect Committee of Political Hacks  and Thugs ILLEGALLY DESTROYED AND DELETED, because it showed how totally innocent I was, and how completely guilty Nancy Pelosi, and others, were,” the president-elect wrote, referring to files the now-disbanded House Select Jan. 6 Committee deleted before Republicans gained control of the lower chamber in 2023.

“Jack is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election, which I won in a landslide. THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN!!!” Trump added.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/us-news/trump-would-have-been-convicted-in-election-interference-case-had-he-not-won-election-special-counsel-jack-smiths-report-claims/

Zelensky 'Blackmailing' Europe For Aid, Says Slovak PM Fico In Latest Spat Over Russian Gas

by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of “begging and blackmailing” European nations for financial aid in the latest public spat following Kyiv’s decision to shut off Eastern Europe’s access to Russian gas.

During a parliamentary committee meeting convened by the Slovak opposition to address Fico’s recent visit to Moscow, the Slovak premier delivered a scathing rebuke of Zelensky. “He walks around Europe, just begging and blackmailing others, asking for money. This just has to stop,” Fico said. He went further, labeling the Ukrainian president as unreliable and citing alleged broken agreements on gas transit involving Azerbaijani gas and Slovak transport routes via Ukraine.

Fico contrasted this with Russia, which he called a “reliable energy partner” and claimed to have secured assurances from President Vladimir Putin on gas supplies to Slovakia during a visit to the Kremlin last month.

“Russia has never deceived us, unlike Ukraine,” he claimed, referencing a 2009 incident where Ukraine allegedly refused Slovakia’s request for gas during a supply crisis.

The parliamentary session followed the suspension of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, a move that threatens Slovakia’s economy, which relies heavily on transit fees. Slovakia faces a potential loss of up to €500 million annually, sparking fears of energy insecurity and economic fallout. Fico proposed alternative solutions, including utilizing storage facilities and pipeline connections with Western Europe, while reiterating Putin’s commitment to fulfilling supply obligations. The logistics of bypassing Ukraine, however, are proving to be problematic.

In response to the transit halt, Fico has threatened to reduce Slovakia’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including subsidies for Ukrainian refugees. He also warned of cutting electricity supplies, further straining Slovak-Ukrainian relations.

Zelensky took to X to respond forcefully to Fico’s comments, accusing him of prioritizing ties with Moscow over his own country and the European Union.

“It’s good that Slovakia’s Prime Minister Fico has finally returned from his vacation at a luxurious hotel in Vietnam and is now in Bratislava. For him, personally, it must be challenging — switching from living in luxury to now trying to fix his own mistakes,” he wrote.

He claimed to have offered assistance to Slovakia during the expected transition by European nations away from reliance on Russian energy, “but Fico arrogantly refused.”

“Many in Europe warned him that doing nothing and waiting was not an option,” Zelensky added, accusing his Slovak counterpart of now “resorting to PR, lies, and loud accusations to shift the blame away from himself onto someone else.”

He claimed that Fico’s “losing bet” on Russian energy had undermined European unity and energy security.

The escalating tensions between Slovakia and Ukraine evidence broader challenges in Europe’s energy landscape. The suspension of Russian gas transit through Ukraine has intensified debates over energy diversification, with many European nations seeking alternatives to reduce dependency on Russian supplies.

Zelensky called for stronger collaboration with the European Commission and the U.S. to expand gas supplies and offset the impact of Russian disruptions, urging Slovakia to align with the EU’s shared goals.

Slovakia has been criticized in some quarters for taking a notably different approach from many European Union countries. Fico’s government halted military aid to Ukraine from state reserves while permitting the continuation of commercial arms sales. This policy placed Slovakia closer to Hungary in its critical stance on Western military support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.

Last month, Fico enraged Zelensky by claiming that Ukraine would not be invited to join NATO and would lose part of its territory in any viable peace agreement, asserting that Russia would maintain control over Crimea and other occupied regions.

“Ukraine will not receive an invitation to NATO. Russia will never leave either Crimea or the territory it controls. Whoever does not know the Russian soul should forget about defeating it,” he remarked.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-blackmailing-europe-aid-says-slovak-pm-fico-latest-spat-over-russian-gas

Who Will Need An ETA To Visit The UK?

 Non-visa overseas visitors planning to visit or travel through the UK will now need to purchase a $12.50 electronic travel authorization (ETA).

The UK ETA, which was previously only a requirement for citizens of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, will be necessary for citizens of 54 countries and territories as of January 8, 2025, and a further 34 from April 2, 2025. Countries and territories that require a visa are not able to purchase an ETA.

Each ETA allows the holder multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years, or until the holder's passport expires - if that comes sooner. UK ETAs for travelers needed as of January 9 can be purchased online or through the UK ETA app, while those applying for the April 2 deadline can apply for an ETA from March 5, 2025. They will be digitally linked to the traveler's passport and applicants usually get a decision within three working days.

One of the main reasons cited for the ETA introduction is to enhance border security.

The official UK government website states that this approach is in line with that of countries such as the U.S. and Australia and that it will “increase our knowledge about those seeking to come to the UK and prevent the arrival of those who present a threat.”

The UK’s official gov.uk website lists all countries and territories whose nationals will need to apply for a UK ETA. These include small island states not visible on this map, via Statista's Anna Fleck.

For example, citizens from Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands require a UK ETA from January 8. British citizens, those who have permission to live, work or study in the UK, British overseas territories citizens and Irish citizens are among those who do not need an ETA.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/who-will-need-eta-visit-uk

JPM25: Medtronic begins rolling out adaptive brain stimulation for Parkinson’s after EU approval

 While deep-brain stimulation therapy has been available for people with Parkinson’s disease for decades, Medtronic has now received a European approval for what it describes as the first closed-loop therapy approach—allowing for self-adjusting neuromodulation in real time to help control the condition’s motor symptoms.

The CE Mark approval allows the company to begin rolling out the treatment immediately, essentially as a software update, to current patients who have already received its Percept neurostimulator implants equipped with BrainSense technology.

Indeed, Medtronic reported that the first European patient’s reprogramming to enable the feature was completed January 13, the same day as the company’s announcement, at Amsterdam University Medical Center.

“This is an area where the investments we've made over the past several years in sensing technology in the brain and the nervous system are now paying off,” Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha said during the company’s presentation at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

“Sensing and closed-loop technology are becoming foundational to the neuromod space—if anybody tells you different, they don't know what they're talking about,” Martha said.

The company’s BrainSense algorithms measure changes in a patient’s neural activity and then help tailor stimulation therapy on a personalized basis. Last September, Medtronic offered a view into an at-home, real-world study of the adaptive technology—showing that it was able to time its doses to help avoid the side effects that can come when stimulation and peak medication levels overlap.

The closed-loop approach is currently under review at the FDA. Medtronic estimates that Parkinson’s disease affects more than 1.2 million people in Europe and the U.K., and over 10 million people globally.

“This has been categorized as a brain-computer interface technology… [and from that] perspective, we already have 40,000 patients on this,” Martha said during the presentation. “That makes it—by orders of magnitude—the largest, most-scaled BCI technology in the world.”

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/jpm25-medtronic-begins-rolling-out-adaptive-brain-stimulation-parkinsons-after-eu-approval

JPM25: Roche has access to $10B in M&A firepower per year, pharma CEO says

 Roche has about $10 billion in M&A firepower it can deploy every year, but it’s “not just going to spend money,” the company’s pharma CEO Teresa Graham said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

Roche is fully ready to deploy the money “if and when we find transformative assets that are either complementary to our portfolio or, again, change the game in important diseases outside of those focus areas,” Graham said Monday.

The Swiss pharma didn’t spend that much on business development last year, J.P. Morgan analyst Richard Vosser noted during the Q&A session of Graham’s presentation.

Last fall, Roche unveiled a new pharma strategy, placing a focus on the five therapeutic areas of neurology, oncology/hematology, immunology, ophthalmology and CVRM (cardiovascular renal metabolic).

Some of Roche’s recent deals in these focus areas include an antibody-drug conjugate pact with Innovent Biologics, the $1.5 billion acquisition of off-the-shelf CAR-T partner Poseida Therapeutics, the purchase of Wnt signaling-focused biotech AntlerA Therapeutics and the $850 million upfront licensing of a portfolio of CDK inhibitors from China’s Regor Pharmaceuticals. As Graham noted Monday, Roche has had a strong presence in China and will continue to look for assets in the country.

Roche wants to get in on differentiated assets with the potential to help a large number of patients around the world, Graham added.

Roche recently took a hard look at its internal pipeline, a process that led the company to discontinue about 30% of its pipeline so far, according to Graham. Still, the company expects its R&D spending to remain flat in 2025; while Roche will “continue to be very disciplined” in resource allocation, it will also make sure to maintain sufficient investments in its research programs, the exec said.

“As we’ve culled so many things out of our portfolio, we have freed up a lot of oxygen to actually invest in new programs that may be internal or external,” the Roche exec said.

According to Graham, Roche's late-stage program will look “materially different” in 2026 than it is today; about 18 programs may enter late-stage testing or graduate from that phase in the next 18 months.

But, as is always the reality with drug development, not all Roche candidates, including those in-licensed, may succeed as planned.

During Monday’s presentation, Graham said Roche is not giving up on its Prothena-partnered prasinezumab in Parkinson’s disease despite a phase 2b flop disclosed in December. While the PAVODA trial missed its primary endpoint of time to confirmed motor progression, Roche has noted a more pronounced effect for the anti-alpha-synuclein antibody in levodopa-pretreated patients.

“Given the high level of unmet need for these patients, we decided that the important thing to do is to let the [open-label extension] data mature a little bit longer before we actually take a decision on where we wanted to head” with prasinezumab, Graham said during her presentation.

Roche wants to thoroughly evaluate the results and make a data-driven decision. The company will be able to share more later this year, Graham said.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/roche-has-10b-ma-firepower-year-pharma-ceo-says-where-will-it-spend-money

Standard Bio Tools prelims, at JPM

 Preliminary, unaudited revenue for the full year 2024 of approximately $174 million

Presenting at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Thursday, January 16th, 2024, at 9:45 a.m. PT.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/standard-biotools-announces-preliminary-fourth-120000341.html

Option Care posts early sales figures for Q4 and 2024, guides above views

 

• Ahead of 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Option Care Health (NASDAQ:OPCH) reported Q4 net revenue of approximately $1.34 billion to $1.35 billion, representing approximately 19.2% to 20.1% growth over the fourth quarter of 2023, against consensus of $1.27 billion.
• Net income of approximately $56.8 to $60.9 million, or diluted earnings per share of $0.33 to $0.36.
• Adjusted net income of approximately $71.0 million to $76.8 million, or adjusted diluted earnings per share of $0.42 to $0.45 much higher than consensus of $0.32.
• Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $118.7 million to $121.7 million, representing approximately a 6.4% to 9.1% increase over the fourth quarter of 2023
• FY24 preliminary net revenue of approximately $4.99 billion to $5.00 billion ($4.92 billion), representing approximately 16.0% to 16.2% growth over the prior year.
• Net income of approximately $208.5 million to $212.6 million, or diluted earnings per share of $1.21 to $1.23
• Adjusted net income of approximately $268.3 million to $274.1 million, or adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.55 to $1.59 compared to consensus of $1.20.
• Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $441.0 million to $444.0 million, representing approximately a 3.7% to 4.4% increase over the prior year
• Cash flow from operations of at least $300 million
• Cash and cash equivalents of approximately $412.6 million
• The company expects FY25 net revenue of $5.2 billion to $5.4 billion vs $5.23 billion consensus
• Adjusted EBITDA of $445 million to $465 million
• Adjusted EPS of $1.59 to $1.69 ($1.22 consensus), including negative gross profit impact of approximately $60 million to $70 million dollars related to the Stelara pricing adjustments.
• The Company expects to reports Q4 and FY24 results on February 26, 2025.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/option-care-posts-early-sales-figures-for-q4-and-2024-guides-above-consensus/ar-BB1rmPkL