Fed Tells Banks They Won't Need To Do Climate Stress Tests

 The Federal Reserve has told Wall Street banks that they won't need to submit data for climate stress tests, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and three other lenders will not be required to make any submissions for the Fed's Climate Scenario Analysis Exercise this year because the program has been shut down, the report said.

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/federal-reserve-banks-climate/2025/02/06/id/1198076/

US, Panama presidents scheduled to talk amid row over canal

 Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said on social media on Thursday that he would speak to his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump at 3:30pm on Friday afternoon, amid an increasingly tense standoff over the Panama Canal.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-panama-presidents-scheduled-talk-172457130.html

House bill to ban DeepSeek from US government devices over alleged ties to Chinese government

 House lawmakers are introducing legislation Thursday to ban the Chinese AI DeepSeek from U.S. government devices, arguing that the software is "directly linked to the Chinese Communist Party" and poses a "five-alarm national security fire." 

The bipartisan legislation, titled "No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act," is being led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., who are both members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It comes after Congress banned TikTok on government devices during the Biden administration over similar data-sharing concerns. 

The proposed ban is based on new research highlighting how "DeepSeek’s code is directly linked to the Chinese Communist Party, with the capability to share user data with China Mobile," a company "owned by the Chinese government and with close ties to the Chinese military [that] has been banned by the Federal Communications Commission for use in the United States," according to a statement from Gottheimer’s office. 

"The Chinese Communist Party has made it abundantly clear that it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spew harmful disinformation, and collect data on Americans. Now, we have deeply disturbing evidence that they are using DeepSeek to steal the sensitive data of U.S. citizens," Gottheimer said. "This is a five-alarm national security fire." 

"The national security threat that DeepSeek — a CCP-affiliated company — poses to the United States is alarming. DeepSeek’s generative AI program acquires the data of U.S. users and stores the information for unidentified use by the CCP," added LaHood. "Under no circumstances can we allow a CCP company to obtain sensitive government or personal data." 

DeepSeek did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from FOX Business. 

The research both lawmakers cited as allegedly exposing DeepSeek’s ties to the Chinese government was carried out by Feroot Security, a Canadian cybersecurity company  according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., is calling DeepSeek's alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party a "five-alarm national security fire." (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

On the web version of DeepSeek, researchers found hidden code on the login page that has connections to computer infrastructure owned by China Mobile, The Associated Press reported. 

"It’s hard to believe that something like this was accidental. There are so many unusual things to this. You know that saying ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’? In this instance, there’s a lot of smoke," Ivan Tsarynny, the CEO of Feroot Security, told the AP. 

"The implications of this are significantly larger because personal and proprietary information could be exposed," he added. "It’s like TikTok but at a much grander scale and with more precision. It’s not just sharing entertainment videos. It’s sharing queries and information that could include highly personal and sensitive business information." 

Gottheimer’s office said "Americans are sharing highly sensitive, proprietary information with DeepSeek — contracts, documents, and financial records," and "In the wrong hands, this data is an enormous asset to the CCP, a known foreign adversary." 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/house-reps-unveil-bill-banning-deepseek-from-us-government-devices-over-alleged-ties-chinese-government

'Calif. Farmworkers Use Telehealth to Reach Mexican Doctors'

 This coastal valley made famous by the novelist John Steinbeck is sometimes known affectionately as “America’s salad bowl,” though the planting and harvesting is done mostly by immigrants from Mexico.

For Taylor Farms, a major global purveyor of packaged salads and cut vegetables, that’s made it a logical place to pioneer a novel type of health care for its workforce, one that could have broad utility in the smartphone era: Cross-border medical consultations through an app.

The company is among the first customers of a startup called MiSalud, which connects Spanish-speaking Taylor Farms employees to physicians and mental health therapists in Mexico. Providers aren’t licensed in the US and can’t prescribe medications but instead serve as health coaches who can dispense advice and work with a US-based doctor if needed.

Amy Taylor, who has led the company’s wellness initiative since 2014 and is the daughter-in-law of company founder Bruce Taylor, said about 5600 of Taylor Farms’ 6400 employees who work where MiSalud is currently available have signed up for the app, and 2300 have used the app at least once. The service is free for employees and up to three family members.

Amy Taylor said the company hopes the app, which is part of a broader wellness program, can help employees stay healthier while keeping health care and other labor costs in check. She plans a full evaluation once the program has been in place for 2 years.

The health of farmworkers is a major concern for the state’s agricultural economy. A 2022 study led by researchers from the University of California-Merced evaluated the health of more than 1200 farmworkers and found that 37% of men and 47% of women reported having at least one chronic condition, including common conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and anxiety.

Taylor said her company’s employees, ranging from fieldworkers and drivers to retail packaging and office staff, mirror the study’s findings. She said predominant health concerns among workers include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and mental health.

“These are the people who are feeding America healthy food,” Taylor said of the company’s employees. “They should also be healthy.”

MiSalud — or “My Health” — was the inspiration of Bismarck Lepe, a serial entrepreneur and Stanford graduate, who hails from a migrant farmworker family. Until age 6, when his family settled in Oxnard, California, they would travel between Mexico, California, and Washington state to harvest fruit. He saw that family and friends often delayed health care until they could return to Mexico because the US system was too difficult to navigate, and insurance coverage too expensive or hard to find.

“My mother still prefers to get her health care in Mexico,” Lepe said. “It’s easier for her.”

Lepe and co-founders Wendy Johansson and Cindy Blanco Ochoa launched MiSalud Health in 2021 with $5 million from a venture capital fund backed by Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, which focuses on social-impact investing. It has since added Samsung Next and Ulu Ventures as investors.

MiSalud started out by offering consultations with Mexican physicians for individuals who downloaded the app, Johansson said. But people keen enough to find the app, download it, and sign up for the program themselves weren’t ultimately those who needed it most, and in 2023 the company pivoted to offering its service to companies as an employee benefit (individuals can still use it too).

Besides Taylor Farms, the company counts the California city of Lynwood among about a dozen other clients, according to Johansson. MiSalud touted that nearly 40% of employees served by its platform say that without the app they would either have ignored their health concerns or waited until they could travel to Mexico to see a doctor.

Paul Brown, a UC-Merced professor of health economics who contributed to the university’s farmworker health study, warned that telehealth consultations aren’t adequate substitutes for in-person care by a primary care physician or a specialist. However, “to the extent that these types of programs can kind of link people into more standard care, that’s good,” he added.

Brown said MiSalud’s approach could be more effective if policies changed to allow Mexican doctors to more easily treat patients in the US. A California program begun in 2002 allows Mexican doctors to travel to the Salinas Valley and other heavily Latino communities and treat patients, but cross-border telemedicine, even between states, remains limited.

Even so, Taylor Farms employees say the app has been helpful. Rosa “Rosita” Flores, a line supervisor with the company’s retail operations, said she decided to give MiSalud a try after co-workers raved about it.

A recent company wellness fair, partly sponsored by MiSalud, had alerted her to the importance of monitoring her blood sugar and blood pressure levels, so she booked an appointment on the app to discuss it. “The app is very easy to use,” she said in Spanish. When she had to cancel a video chat after her daughter got sick, the health coaches followed up by text.

Proponents of cross-border medicine say the approach helps bridge linguistic and cultural barriers in health care. Almost half of all US immigrants — about two thirds of whom are native Spanish speakers — have limited proficiency in English, and research has repeatedly shown that language barriers often discourage people from seeking care.

For example, Alfredo Alvarez, a MiSalud health coach who is a licensed physician in Mexico, pointed to belief in el mal de ojo, or the “evil eye” — the idea that a jealous or envious glance by someone can cause harm, especially to children. An American doctor might be dismissive of the notion, but he understands.

“This isn’t uncommon here,” he said of Mexico. “It’s a belief in traditional medicine.”

It’s not that Alvarez encourages his socios, or members, to pass an egg over the child or make the child wear a special bracelet — traditional ways of diagnosing and treating el mal de ojo. Rather, he acknowledges their traditions and steers them to evidence-based medicine.

MiSalud’s coaches can try to break stereotypes as well. For example, Alvarez said, a Mexican reverence for machismo can translate to the idea that “men don’t do doctor visits.” Meanwhile, he said, women may overlook their health in prioritizing other family members’ needs.

Coaches also try to remove the stigma around seeking mental health treatment. “A lot of our socios have been extremely uncomfortable with or wary of mental health professionals,” said Rubén Benavides Crespo, a MiSalud mental health coach who is a licensed psychologist in Mexico.

The app tries to break through by making it easy to book counseling appointments and asking questions such as whether someone has trouble sleeping, rather than invoking more worrisome or potentially stigmatizing terms like anxiety or depression.

MiSalud representatives say the app saw a 50% increase in requests for mental health support following the November presidential election. A more common request, however, is grief counseling, often following the loss of a loved one.

“Loss requires adaptation,” Benavides said.

For Sam Chaidez, director of operations for a Taylor Farms location in Gonzales, MiSalud is a welcome addition for weight management. The son of fieldworkers, Chaidez graduated from UC-Davis and returned to the Salinas Valley to work for the company in 2007.

In 2019, Chaidez, a new parent at the time, began to understand his risk for diabetes and other health problems because of Taylor Farms’ wellness program. Through diet and exercise and, more recently, coaching by MiSalud, Chaidez has shed 150 pounds.

Chaidez encourages co-workers to walk with him at lunch, and he credits MiSalud coaches for helping him keep the weight off and stay healthy. “It’s been a great help,” he said.

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/calif-farmworkers-use-telehealth-reach-mexican-doctors-2025a10002zi

Some Patients — And Doctors — Turn to Microdosing GLP-1s

 As glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist use becomes more prevalent, patients are using them for new indications — and at new dosages.

Say hello to microdosing, or taking doses lower than the recommended therapeutic amount, for various reasons: Weight maintenance, metabolic health improvements, anti-inflammation and anti-autoimmune effects, fewer side effects, and lower costs.

Advocates say microdosing reduces costs and side effects while maintaining weight loss, then can help with weight maintenance. The approach is especially popular among telemedicine physicians, who typically offer more affordably priced compounded versions of the medications, at about ≤ $200 a month.

Considering that in 2024, only 34% of employee health insurance plans surveyed covered the GLP-1 medications for both weight loss and diabetes, and without insurance, the brand-name medicines can cost $1000-$1300 monthly.

Patients have responded in a big way. On social media platforms, patients tout the appeal of microdosing, trading stories and suggestions for how much to microdose. One reddit thread on GLP-1 microdosing, with 1.7 thousand members, aims to explore the benefits of the medications beyond obesity and diabetes, such as less inflammation and more concentration. At least two Facebook groups devoted to microdosing the medications have formed.

However, critics of the approach worry about the lack of published research, the potential for contamination, the dangers of patients deciding their own dose, and what they see as the uncertain future for compounded GLP-1s.

“This practice lacks clinical guideline support and introduces risks, particularly with compounded formulations that lack FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] approval and cannot guarantee consistent quality or efficacy,” said Priya Jaisinghani, MD, an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist with NYU Langone Health in New York City.

Microdosing GLP-1s: ‘Low and Slow’

Craig Koniver, MD, a family medicine physician in Charleston, South Carolina, said he has all 200 of his patients who are taking the GlP-1s for weight loss on microdoses. And how is he defining it? “Technically that’s 10% of a macro dose,” he said, but doses for every patient are individualized. For instance, the Zepbound (tirzepatide) maximum pen dose is 15 mg, the lowest 2.5 mg. Koniver said he usually starts women on 1.5 mg of tirzepatide, men on about 1.8 mg or 2 mg.

He stresses a low and slow approach, he said. “Our goal is 2 pounds of weight loss a week or less.” Some patients stay on the lower dose and lose, others move on to higher doses, he said. He tailors the amount to the patient, with some finding they do okay on twice monthly injections, or even fewer. “There’s lots of variation,” he said. “A lot will go back to the microdose as maintenance.”

Along with the medications, Koniver advises patients to cut portions and make other lifestyle changes. “We can do telemedicine, as we have a physician licensed in all 50 states. But every patient we see comes in person at some point.”

As the use of GLP-1 drugs increases, clinicians are thinking differently about how to manage patients with diabetes, obesity, and other comorbid conditions.

“The past 2 years have been transformative, with research demonstrating the effectiveness of GLP-1s not just for obesity, but as part of a broader approach to cardiometabolic health,” said Rekha Kumar, MD, an endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City.

In her practice, Kumar has seen how early intervention with GLP-1 drugs can help prevent a cascade of health challenges often associated with metabolic conditions. The early intervention approach, she said, shifts metabolic healthcare from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.

GLP-1 microdosing, in particular, offers a slow and steady way for patients to improve their metabolic health before more serious conditions develop, while minimizing the risk of side effects.

“The conversation around microdosing GLP-1s reflects a growing recognition that metabolic care isn’t one-size-fits-all,” she said. “We’re seeing a shift toward earlier intervention, more tailored treatment plans, and greater emphasis on affordable access.”

Even as real-world experiences indicate that microdosing or off-label use of GLP-1 drugs can offer benefits, physicians recommend caution around the dosage, timing, and mechanisms of action for now.

“It’s the Wild West out there, and I’m interested to see how the data turns out. At this point, I neither recommend nor discourage microdosing,” said Michael Snyder, MD, medical director of the Bariatric Surgery Center at Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado.

In coming years, long-term studies may show the benefits that GLP-1 and other peptide-based drugs hold for organs affected by obesity, including the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, he said.

“We know that people are veering off the FDA-approved script all the time with these drugs, and sometimes with noticeable results,” Snyder said. “To me, the biggest benefit so far is bringing this discussion into the public eye, where we’re demystifying obesity and dropping the blame and shame around addressing metabolic issues.”

Until more scientific data emerge on microdosing or a low-dose regimen, though, many physicians plan to stick with the recommended doses studied in clinical trials.

“We do not do microdosing,” said Caroline Apovian, MD, DABOM, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and professor of medicine and co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. “I am against any of this,” she said, citing dangers if pens or vials are used against instructions.

“The microdosing trend seems to be most common in people without clinical obesity,” said Sarah Stombaugh, MD, an obesity medicine and family medicine physician in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Patients with clinical obesity are unlikely to have significant benefit from taking very small doses of GlP-1 medication.”

Critics worry about contamination when a smaller dose is used, and the rest is left for later. It’s a legitimate concern, Stombaugh said. While it’s difficult to inject a partial dose from the single dose GLP-1 brand name pens approved for weight loss, a partial dose can be withdrawn, then injected, from a single-dose vial. She has also heard of people injecting brand name GLP-1 weight loss medications from a pen into a vial, then drawing out a partial dose. “This is both technically difficult and has a significant risk of contamination,” she said.

Future of Compounding GLP-1s?

Compounders may prepare compounded versions of a drug if it appears on the agency’s shortage list. The brand-name GLP-1 medications go on and off the FDA drug shortage list frequently, further upping the appeal of the compounded versions. As of January 26, the tirzepatide shortage is resolved, according to the FDA, but semaglutide remains in shortage. As the supplies stabilize, the FDA said in December that it will not take action against tirzepatide compounders until March 19, 2025.

Another potential roadblock for compounded GLP-1s are the requests by Lilly and Novo Nordisk, to put Zepbound and Wegovy on its “Demonstrably Difficult to Compound” list.

Not surprisingly, both Lilly and Novo Nordisk spokespersons discouraged microdosing. In a statement, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said: “We do not condone the misuse of our products.” Only the marked doses on the single-use, fixed-dose pens, at 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg are approved and represent an authentic FDA-approved medicine, it said.

In a statement, a Lilly spokesperson said: “Lilly does not promote or encourage use of Mounjaro, Zepbound, or any Lilly medicines outside of the medicine’s FDA-approved label.” Zepbound’s starting dose is 2.5 mg, with maintenance doses at 5 mg, 10mg, or 15 mg.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/some-patients-and-doctors-turn-microdosing-glp-1s-2025a10002y1

Treasury Targets Iran's Oil Network In New Sanctions As Trump Stuns By Talking Deal

 President Donald Trump has been notoriously hawkish on Iran, as have some of his top national security officials, which is why it was surprising and refreshing for his rhetoric to take a different track in Wednesday statements. Responding to reports that the US and Israel are preparing scenarios to attack Iran and its nuclear sites, Trump stated Wednesday that these reports are "greatly exaggerated" and said that making a deal would be preferable instead.

"I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon," the president wrote on Truth Social. "I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!" Trump added.

AFP/Getty Images

During his first administration, Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, which had been implemented during the Obama administration, and involved the other P5+1 countries of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union.

He also dropped a surprise bombshell upon signing the new executive order to reimpose "maximum pressure" on the Islamic Republic, though it's been woefully underreported in the media: 

"There are many people at the top ranks of Iran that do not want to have a nuclear weapon," Trump said in the Oval Office.

Still, Trump claimed when he signed it that he was "unhappy" to do it - perhaps revealing it as leverage and part of his big stick approach which can induce a better deal down the road.

Iran and Mideast regional analyst Trita Parsi commented on how unexpected and significant these words are for a sitting American president:

I cannot recall any U.S. president ever deviating from the quasi-official American line that Tehran is dead set on getting nukes. U.S. officials rarely allow any nuance, or any shades of gray: Iranians always want a nuclear weapon and the only way to stop them from getting one is by preventing them from having access to the necessary material, know-how, or technology. If they have access, they will invariably build a bomb. It’s an unchallengeable certainty.

The 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran caused a major controversy for simply assessing that Iran did not have an active nuclear weapons program, even though it also concluded “with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons.”

That is: Iran still wanted a bomb but appeared to have temporarily paused its pursuit of one.

In the meantime, as of Thursday, maximum pressure has formally gone into effect as the US Treasury implements sanctions on the international Iranian oil transport network.

"This action is consistent with the President’s February 4 National Security Presidential Memorandum directing the Treasury Department and other U.S. government agencies to enact maximum economic pressure on Iran in order to deny all paths to a nuclear weapon and counter Iran’s malign influence," the fresh Treasuring notification said. It announced that this will deprive the country of hundreds of millions of dollars for its military machine.

Trump stuns...

Tehran is seeking to rally OPEC to its side after Trump threatened to take Iran's crudel exports to zero:

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian urged OPEC members to unite against possible U.S. sanctions on the major oil producer, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would seek to drive Tehran's oil exports to zero.

Iranian crude oil exports currently stand at around 1.5 million barrels per day, with the majority going to China. The loss of such a volume, equal to about 1.4% of total world supply, would be significant for markets.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent further announced the US is aggressively targeting Iranian efforts to use oil revenues to bolster its nuclear program, develop ballistic missiles, and support its terror proxies. Will this serve to bring Tehran and the Trump administration to the negotiating table? It looks calculated to do so, at least.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/treasury-targets-irans-oil-network-new-sanctions-trump-stuns-talking-deal

Too Many Politico Subscriptions? There's An App For That

 By Open The Books

The federal government has spent $44.2 million on subscriptions to political news site POLITICO since 2017. That includes dozens of Executive Branch agencies as well as offices in the House of Representatives.

There’s an app for people who’ve lost track of how many subscriptions. For government, though, that app is DOGE!

BY THE NUMBERS

The dollar figure includes $32.3 million in spending from inside the White House and $11.9 million from staffers in the House of Representatives.

Despite the online buzz, our auditors did not find any evidence of federal grants given to the news outlet. The only direct assistance the government has sent to Politico was a $1,000 Covid-19 relief grant from 2020.

Virtually all of the payments are, in fact, subscription fees!

Donald Trump’s White House spent just over $1 million on Politico in 2017, his first year as president. By 2020 subscription payments had increased to $2.8 million.

Then, payments increased dramatically once Joe Biden took office. The White House spent $4.4 million on Politico subscriptions in 2021. Payments reached a high of $7.8 million in 2023 and totaled $7.4 million in 2024.

It seems no one in the federal bureaucracy thought to share their password with their colleagues in other agencies. Thirty-eight different federal agencies and subagencies have sent payments to Politico since 2017.

The Department of Health and Human Services spent more than twice as much as any other federal agency with $6.9 million since 2017. The Department of Energy and Department of the Interior also spent more than $3 million in the same time frame. The Agency for International Development spent $44,000.

One might expect that federal bureaucrats are leading experts on government policy and public affairs, more so than journalists at Politico. That may not be the case.

INSIDER INFO

The White House is paying to get behind an even fancier paywall – access to Politico Pro. It’s a service meant to teach the public about what is happening inside the White House, but staffers there have spent $16 million on it since 2017. Thirty-one different agencies and subagencies have also subscribed.

The subscription rate for the Pro version has reached nearly $3,000 per person: a $140,203 payment from HHS in 2024 yielded only 49 subscriptions.

“Whether you’re a lobbyist, executive, consultant, researcher, strategist, or analyst, POLITICO Pro has what you need to power successful policy—anywhere,” the service’s website explains. “POLITICO Pro gives you the inside scoop on the public policy and players that matter most to you. Stay informed and ahead with to-the-point news and automatic tracking of government affairs and policy. Keep pace with the help of experts who act as an extension of your team. With this kind of elite access, you can be a leader in your policy arena.”

BOTTOM LINE

The public is broadly skeptical of national media outlets, distrustful of their reporting and presumes an ideological bent to their coverage. Like most major outlets, POLITICO has its fans and partisans.

But why should the public be on the hook to pay the subscription fee for operatives, staffers and bureacrats somewhere in Washington? We deal with enough paywalls in our own lives. Why are we propping up mainstream media outlets – private, for-profit businesses -- with our own tax dollars?

It looks like DOGE is already on the case, but it comes after the better part of a decade of subscription spending.

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/too-many-politico-subscriptions-theres-app