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Thursday, January 16, 2025

Trump immigration adviser Stephen Miller urges House to cut funding for sanctuary cities

Key Donald Trump aide Stephen Miller urged House Republicans during a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill Wednesday to find new ways to cut funding for sanctuary cities and states like New York while beefing up border enforcement.

Miller, who served as a speechwriter and senior adviser in the president-elect’s first administration, met with members of the Republican Study Committee, the largest GOP caucus in the House, for an hour to lay out border security plans for the 47th president’s term, sources familiar with the talks told The Post.

That blueprint included withholding federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions, which bar information about non-citizen arrests from being shared with federal authorities, and hiring more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to help with planned mass deportations.

Wednesday’s meeting between Miller and members of the House GOP was first reported by Fox News .

“The Republican Study Committee stands ready to deliver on the Trump agenda from day one of the new administration,” the 177-member group’s chairman, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), said in a statement. “We’re laser-focused on securing the border and cracking down on illegal immigration.”

Long Island Rep. Nick LaLota, another member of the RSC, introduced a bill last year that would have pulled all federal aid funding for sanctuary jurisdictions grappling with the influx of migrants — but it never was taken up in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants have been thrown at New York City to provide food, shelter and other services to migrants in recent years, according to Comptroller Brad Lander’s office.

In fiscal year 2024, the city spent $3.75 billion on migrant services, the disclosures by Lander’s office show, and was expected to receive $237.3 million in total from the feds.

In 2023, Justice Department grants to law enforcement in all sanctuary jurisdictions amounted to more than $1.56 billion, according to the Center for Immigration Services, a conservative nonprofit research organization.

While many cities and states implemented sanctuary laws in response to Trump’s immigration actions during his first term, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams have indicated a willingness to work with the incoming Republican administration.

Adams had also previously opposed policies that barred the police from responding to detainer requests from ICE.

In 2017, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order enshrining costly sanctuary policies prohibiting state officials and law enforcement agents from inquiring about a person’s immigration status.

Earlier this month, the House passed the Laken Riley Act on a bipartisan basis to force states and cities to cooperate with federal authorities seeking to detain and deport criminal migrants.

The legislation is currently being debated and amended in the Senate, though most border provisions will be tucked into an immense bill expected to pass both chambers of Congress through a process known as budget reconciliation.

With the approval of the Senate parliamentarian, a bill under budget reconciliation only requires a simply majority to pass the upper chamber. Bills in the House can pass by a majority only if they pass through the Rules Committee.

The process, however, must only involve measures that change spending levels and don’t re-write federal law.

The price tag could top $85 billion, according to an early estimate reported by Bloomberg.

Trump, 78, is also expected to reverse several Biden-era border moves via executive order on Day One.

The once and future president has said he will reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” rule for asylum-seekers — potentially reducing southern border crossings by as much 70% — halt migrant flights, restore a travel ban for “terror-plagued countries,” and end use of the CBP One mobile app.

“We won’t rest until we deliver the toughest border security measures in American history,” Pfluger added. “Our partnership with Stephen Miller and his team will turn Republican priorities into legislative wins in the House.”

https://nypost.com/2025/01/16/us-news/trump-immigration-adviser-stephen-miller-urges-house-republicans-to-cut-funding-for-sanctuary-cities/

Israel’s cease-fire is no triumph but a wrenching, risky deal with the devil

Only hours after a possible cease-fire deal was announced between Israel and Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, chairman of the terrorist organization, declared victory, contending that the mass murder of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, would “forever be a source of pride for our people.”

Speaking from the safety of Qatar, Hayya didn’t express a hint of regret for the deadly tragedy he helped bring down on his own people, promising that the next Oct. 7 would finally “expel the occupation from our lands and from Jerusalem in the earliest time possible.”

We’ll see about that, I guess.

President-elect Donald Trump said the cease-fire deal is “epic.” It isn’t.

At best, it’s a painful, and hopefully fleeting, surrender to theocrats that will save the lives of some hostages.

If the deal is finalized, it will reportedly entail a six-week cease-fire that would see a gradual withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the Gaza Strip — though not the Philadelphi Corridor, the sieve that separates Gaza from Egypt and Iranian armaments.

In turn, the terrorist group promises to release 33 hostages on “humanitarian” grounds, which is to say perhaps they will be alive, though there are no guarantees. Israel will hand over 30 terrorists for each of the kidnapped civilians.

Hamas will still be holding 65 hostages, American citizens among them. Many, if not most, are likely dead.

The cease-fire itself means little in the long run.

It’s not as if Hamas is concerned about civilian casualties in Gaza. Indeed, it welcomes them: Why else would it embed munitions and operational centers under hospitals and schools?

Former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is on record telling his underlings that churning out thousands of martyrs is the best way to manipulate the credulous Western establishment.

Palestinians do not view the cessation of fighting as a time to forge lasting settlements, peace or security but rather as a time for retrenchment. After all, there was a cease-fire in place on Oct. 6, 2023.

So, why now?

It’s almost surely the case that the incoming Trump administration frightened Hamas.

Not long ago, the future and past president promised there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages weren’t returned by his Jan. 20 inauguration.

The remnants of Hamas believed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was about to be unleashed.

Other reports claim that Trump also pressured Netanyahu to take the deal.

Perhaps. Though, to be fair, Israel has traded terrorists for Israeli hostages, alive or dead, for decades.

It’s easy to say, “Never negotiate with terrorists.” In real time, the moral calculations are complicated.

President Biden, who often delayed Israel’s efforts to decimate Hamas and Hezbollah, said the new deal would bring a “permanent end of the war.”

Well, al-Hayya disagrees. History disagrees.

And the Israeli electorate, which no longer seems keen on living with Iranian-proxy terrorist states on its borders, also tends to disagree.

One hopes that after hostages are brought to safety, the IDF re-invades after six weeks and decimates the remnants of Hamas — or the Islamic Jihad or Jihadis of Gaza or whatever the next iteration of the terrorist group is called — and keeps doing so until the Palestinians in Gaza finally embrace reality. There is no other choice.

Many Israelis and supporters of the Jewish state are angry about the deal.

They argue not only that these types of arrangements incentivize more hostage-taking, which is true, but they claim handing back Gaza means the loss of life was for nothing.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Netanyahu accomplished much after the massive security lapse of Oct. 7.

Israel largely decimated Hamas, eliminating thousands of its militia and decapitating its leadership, killing, among others, Sinwar.

Hezbollah, the theocratic militia that has kept Lebanon in a state of turmoil for decades, is also in disarray. Operation Grim Beeper greatly mitigated collateral damage and left thousands of Hezbollah militants dead or injured.

The success of the Northern Front helped topple the genocidal Iranian stooge Bashar Assad, who is now in Russian exile.

Iran itself, which spent so much treasure erecting proxies throughout the Middle East, is as impotent as it has been in a long time.

It’s understandable, surely, why Israel would approve such a deal. Think back, if you can, to the trauma of 9/11 in the United States.

The national pain, and the plight of the families, created immense political pressure to bring home the innocent.

Trump, a great ally of Israel in his first term, has a political victory before he’s even sworn in.

But there are costs and risks attached to allowing Hamas possibly to retrench.

The question is, does the deal risk putting more lives in danger in the long run?

Not if Israel does the right thing and finishes the job.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/16/opinion/israels-cease-fire-a-wrenching-risky-deal-with-the-devil/

MoonLake Immunotherapeutics price target raised to $81 from $71 at BTIG

BTIG raised the firm’s price target on MoonLake Immunotherapeutics (MLTX) to $81 from $71 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm expects sonelokimab’s “differentiating features to translate to best-in-class efficacy in axial spondyloarthritis, palmoplantar pustulosis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. These are severe diseases with high unmet need, the analyst tells investors in a research note. BTIG says the axial spondyloarthritis market is expected to exceed $10B by the mid-2030s and notes 40% of treated patients do not respond to current treatment options. The firm upped the price target after adding sonelokimab in axial spondyloarthritis with a 70% probability of success and palmoplantar pustulosis with a 65% probability of success to MoonLake’s model.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/moonlake-immunotherapeutics-price-target-raised-121546371.html

Medical Properties Trust said to tap credit line to repay loans

Medical Properties Trust draws on credit facility to repay loans amid tenant bankruptcies.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4395974-medical-properties-trust-said-to-tap-credit-line-to-repay-loans

Immune system controls blood sugar levels during periods of low energy

A study published in Science by the Champalimaud Foundation reveals a surprising new role for the immune system. During periods of low energy—such as intermittent fasting or exercise—immune cells step in to regulate blood sugar levels, acting as the "postman" in a previously unknown three-way conversation between the nervous, immune and hormonal systems.

These findings, published in the journal Science, open up new approaches for managing conditions like diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

Rethinking the immune system

"For decades, immunology has been dominated by a focus on immunity and infection," says Henrique Veiga-Fernandes, head of the Immunophysiology Lab at the Champalimaud Foundation. "But we're starting to realize the immune system does a lot more than that."

Glucose, a simple sugar, is the primary fuel for our brains and muscles. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is crucial for our survival, especially during fasting or prolonged physical activity when energy demands are high and food intake is low.

Traditionally, blood sugar regulation has been attributed to the hormones insulin and glucagon, both produced by the pancreas. Insulin lowers blood glucose by promoting its uptake into cells, while glucagon raises it by signaling the liver to release glucose from stored sources.

Veiga-Fernandes and his team suspected there was more to the story. "For example," he notes, "some immune cells regulate how the body absorbs fat from food, and we've recently shown that brain-immune interactions help control fat metabolism and obesity. This got us thinking—could the nervous and immune systems collaborate to regulate other key processes, like blood sugar levels?".

To explore this idea, the researchers conducted experiments in mice. They used genetically engineered mice lacking specific immune cells to observe their effects on blood sugar levels.

They discovered that mice missing a type of immune cell called ILC2 couldn't produce enough glucagon—the hormone that raises blood sugar—and their glucose levels dropped too low.

"When we transplanted ILC2s into these deficient mice, their blood sugar returned to normal, confirming the role of these immune cells in stabilizing glucose when energy is scarce," explains Veiga-Fernandes.

Realizing that the immune system could affect a hormone as vital as glucagon, the team knew they were onto something of major impact. But it left them asking: how exactly does this process work? The answer took them in a very unexpected direction.

"We thought this was all being regulated in the liver because that's where glucagon exerts its function," recalls Veiga-Fernandes. "But our data kept telling us that everything of importance was happening between the intestine and the pancreas."

Using advanced cell-tagging methods, the team labeled ILC2 cells in the gut, giving them a glow-in-the-dark marker. After fasting, they found these cells had traveled to the pancreas. "One of the biggest surprises was finding that the immune system stimulates the production of the hormone glucagon by sending immune cells on a journey across different organs."

Once in the pancreas, those immune cells release cytokines—tiny chemical messengers—that instruct pancreatic cells to produce the hormone glucagon. The increase in glucagon then signals the liver to release glucose. "When we blocked these cytokines, glucagon levels dropped, proving they are essential for maintaining blood sugar levels."

"What's remarkable here is that we're seeing mass migration of immune cells between the intestine and pancreas, even in the absence of infection," he adds. "This shows that immune cells aren't just battle-hardened soldiers fighting off threats—they also act like emergency responders, stepping in to deliver critical energy supplies and maintain stability in times of need."

It turns out this migration is orchestrated by the nervous system. During fasting, neurons in the gut connected to the brain release chemical signals that bind to immune cells, telling them to leave the intestine and go to a new "postcode" in the pancreas, within a few hours.

The study showed that these nerve signals change the activity of immune cells, suppressing genes that anchor them in the intestine and enabling them to move to where they're needed.

Implications for fasting and exercise

"This is the first evidence of a complex neuroimmune-hormonal circuit," Veiga-Fernandes observes. "It shows how the nervous, immune, and hormonal systems work together to enable one of the body's most essential processes—producing glucose when energy is scarce."

"Mice share many fundamental biological systems with humans, suggesting this inter-organ dialogue also occurs in humans when fasting or exercising. By understanding the role of ILC2s and their regulation by the nervous system, we can better appreciate how these daily life activities support metabolic health. We're eavesdropping on conversations between organs that we've never heard before."

He adds that the immune system likely evolved as a safeguard during adversity, pointing out that our ancestors didn't have the luxury of three meals a day and, if they were lucky, might have managed just one. This evolutionary pressure would have pressured our bodies to find ways to ensure that every cell gets the energy it needs.

"We've long known that the brain can directly signal the pancreas to release hormones quickly, but our work shows it can also indirectly boost glucagon production via immune cells, making the body better equipped to handle fasting and intense physical activity efficiently."

Cancer, diabetes and beyond

The findings could open new doors for managing a range of conditions, notably for cancer research. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and liver cancer can hijack the body's metabolic processes, using glucagon to increase glucose production and fuel their growth.

In advanced liver cancer, this process can lead to cancer-related cachexia, a condition marked by severe weight and muscle loss. Understanding these mechanisms could help develop better treatments.

"Balancing blood sugar is also critical, not only for preventing obesity, but also for addressing the global diabetes epidemic, which affects hundreds of millions of people," remarks Veiga-Fernandes. "Targeting these neuro-immune pathways could offer a new approach to prevention and treatment."

"This study reveals a level of communication between body systems that we're only beginning to grasp," he concludes.

"We want to understand how this inter-organ communication works—or doesn't—in people with cancer, chronic inflammation, high stress, or obesity. Ultimately, we aim to harness these results to improve therapies for hormonal and metabolic disorders."

More information: Marko Šestan et al, Neuronal-ILC2 interactions regulate pancreatic glucagon and glucose homeostasis, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adi3624. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi3624

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-eavesdropping-immune-blood-sugar-periods.html

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