'Syrian Leader Open To Normalizing Ties With Israel Under Abraham Accords'

 by Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com,

Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has reportedly expressed openness to normalizing relations with Israel under certain circumstances, ending decades of acrimony between the two neighboring states. Sharaa reportedly discussed the matter with Rep. Cory Mills (R – FL) during his visit to Syria.

The exact terms of this offer weren’t made public, though Rep. Mills said that Sharaa also gave him a note to deliver to President Trump. Syria is keen to get international sanctions eased, and that is likely to be a top condition for such a move.

Syria’s ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has actually raised the prospect of normalizing relations with Israel before, indeed even before they successfully took over the country in December. HTS made clear that they didn’t consider Israel an enemy and would allow them to open an embassy in Damascus, as well as in Beirut (though they have not conquered Lebanon so that’s not up to them).

Israel invaded Syria more or less immediately after HTS came to power, however, and has been expanding into growing amounts of Syria’s southwest, in addition to constantly launching strikes against targets across Syria. Presumably normalization would also be conditioned on an end to Israeli attacks and occupation of Syrian soil.

That may mean it’s a non-starter from Israel’s perspective, as Israeli officials have indicated that they view a permanent control of that part of Syria as a “vital” part of their military strategy for the region.

Sharaa making such an overture by way of the US is an interesting twist on the matter, as the US has previously been pushing Israeli interests on Syria as a condition for even considering extending sanctions waivers, for instance demanding Syria ban all Palestinian groups in the country.

Syria hasn’t done that, but they did just recently arrest a couple of top Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members in what is being call a “good faith” offer to the US, though at present there’s still no confirmation the PIJ people are actually being charged with anything.

The US relationship with Israel on Syria is complicated by a number of matters. The US reportedly plans to reduce their military presence inside Syria, aiming to pressure the Kurdish SDF to speed up integration with the Syrian government. Israel has been outspoken in opposing the US cuts.

Israel, on the other hand, wants the US to condition the cuts on demands for concessions by Turkey, which borders Syria in the north, to limit Turkish influence in the country. The US seems more or less willing to see Turkey, who is also an ally, claim a sphere of influence inside Syria, but Israel sees that as an eventual collision course between them and Turkey over the region.

It’s not clear how many concessions the US could get out of Turkey even if they are inclined to do so. Turkey has recently conditionally halted attacks on the Kurdish-controlled Tishreen Dam, but stopped short of ending their offensive against the Kurds entirely. The US is mediating talks between Turkey and the Kurdish AANES, and while there have been deconfliction talks between Turkey and Israel, so far all the indications out of Israel are that they still consider any Turkish presence in Syria a direct threat to their own interests.

That the HTS is open to normalization with Israel at all is somewhat surprising given their history. Ahmed al-Sharaa was previously known as Abu Mohammed Jolani, and before the HTS his group was known as Jabhat al-Nusra, which was the al-Qaeda affiliate for Syria. Sharaa has tried to distance HTS from its al-Qaeda past, but it remains a strongly Islamist movement and its ideology doesn’t appear to have changed that much. This has led to Israel deciding the HTS is necessarily an enemy, and the US has been very cautious in dealing with them.

Normalization between Israel and Syria would be a huge achievement, and President Trump would doubtless be keen to take credit for it were it to happen. At the same time, the situation is wildly complicated and it’s not clear what the US would be able to offer, let alone deliver, to Syria in return for this move.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/syrian-leader-open-normalizing-ties-israel-under-abraham-accords

RFK Jr. Teases Next Target After Artificial Dye Ban

 If you blinked during Tuesday’s Health and Human Services Department press conference on the agency’s plans to ban artificial dyes, you may have missed Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. teasing his next target.

Kennedy announced plans to target pharmaceutical additives, signaling he is getting ready to fire his opening salvo against Big Pharma.

A reporter asked, “I'm wondering if there's any pharmaceutical additives that you'd like to eliminate?” prompting laughter from the audience.

“We're gonna start on that next,” the HHS secretary replied, offering no further details on his plans.

REPORTER: “I'm wondering if there's any pharmaceutical additives that you'd like to eliminate?”

RFK JR: “We're gonna start on that next.” pic.twitter.com/FWx41wKquK

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 23, 2025

Kennedy on Tuesday unveiled a plan to eliminate eight artificial food dyes and colorings from the U.S. food supply by the end of next year, committing to collaborate with food companies to ensure a smooth transition and remove these additives from products.

Kennedy, pioneer of the Make America Healthy Again movement, has long criticized Big Pharma, vowing to hold the industry accountable for what he calls rampant corruption and profiteering. Kennedy has accused pharmaceutical giants of manipulating federal agencies like the FDA and seeks to curb direct-to-consumer advertising that he says taints media. Kennedy also plans to scrutinize vaccine safety. He was one of the most outspoke critics of the COVID vaccine and government-instituted lockdowns.

"I just want to urge all of you, it's not the time to stop; it's the time to redouble your efforts, because we have them on the run now, and we are going to win this battle," Kennedy said. "And four years from now, we're going to have most of these products off the market, or you will know about them when you go to the grocery store."

ABC News reports:

Federal officials are taking steps to pull the authorization for two rarely used synthetic food colorings -- Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B -- within the coming months. In addition, the six other petroleum-based dyes that federal health agencies are seeking to eliminate by the end of next year are Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2.

The FDA is also taking steps to authorize four new natural color additives, officials announced Tuesday.

The plan, however, is contingent on an "understanding" with major food companies that they will voluntarily remove them to meet consumer demand, Kennedy said Tuesday.

"There's no need to have a regulation or a statute when companies are volunteering to do it," FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said. "We are going to use every tool in the toolbox to make sure this gets done to the best of our abilities."

“For the last 50 years, American children have increasingly been living in a toxic soup of synthetic chemicals," Makary added. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/rfk-jr-teases-next-target-after-artificial-dye-ban

Novavax Falls on Report That FDA Wants New Covid Vaccine Trial

 

Novavax Inc. shares fell after the Wall Street Journal reported that US regulators asked the company to conduct another clinical trial of its Covid vaccine.

The company’s shares dropped as much as 13% on the news Friday. Earlier this week, Novavax said the US Food and Drug Administration was seeking more data as part of a “post-marking commitment,” typically studies on the safety and efficacy of a product after it’s been approved.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-25/novavax-falls-on-report-that-fda-wants-new-covid-vaccine-trial

US Education Dept investigates UC Berkeley's foreign funding disclosures

The Trump administration launched an investigation into the University of California, Berkeley, on Friday centered on foreign funding, making it the latest university to be targeted by the federal government.

The investigation revives criticism from several years ago about the university’s partnership with China’s Tsinghua University. It comes after President Donald Trump earlier this week signed a series of executive orders focused on universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political agenda.

One order called for harder enforcement of Section 117, a federal law requiring colleges to disclose foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more.

The Department of Education's Office of General Counsel will investigate "UC Berkeley’s apparent failure to fully and accurately disclose significant funding received from foreign sources,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

UC Berkeley denied the government’s claims, saying that for the last two years “UC Berkeley has been cooperating with federal inquiries regarding 117 reporting issues, and will continue to do so.”

The department cited media reports from 2023 about UC Berkeley failing to disclose “hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from a foreign government" but didn't mention the country.

On May 2023, the Daily Beast reported that UC Berkeley failed to report it got $220 million from the Chinese government to build a joint Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, which the University of California, Berkeley, and China’s Tsinghua University opened in 2014 in the city of Shenzhen to focus on “strategic emerging industries,” according to the institute’s website.

Last year, a report by the Republican members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party found that U.S. tax dollars have contributed to China’s technological advancement and military modernization when American researchers worked with their Chinese peers in areas such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, nuclear technology and semiconductor technology.

In response to the report, UC Berkeley said Berkeley’s researchers “engage only in research whose results are always openly disseminated around the world” and the school was “not aware of any research by Berkeley faculty at TBSI conducted for any other purpose." The university also said then it would unwind its partnership.

The university said Friday it's no longer affiliated with TBSI.

Last week, the Department of Education demanded records from Harvard over foreign financial ties spanning the past decade, accusing the school of filing “incomplete and inaccurate disclosures.” Trump’s administration is sparring with Harvard over the university’s refusal to accept a list of demands over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests as well as its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-opens-investigation-uc-203345655.html

Medtronic Receives FDA Approval For Smallest-Diameter, Lumenless Defibrillation Lead

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) has received FDA approval for its OmniaSecure™ defibrillation lead, the world's smallest defibrillation lead at 4.7 French (1.6mm). The device is approved for right ventricle placement in adults and pediatric patients aged 12 and up.

The lead, built on the SelectSecure™ Model 3830 pacing lead platform, connects to implantable defibrillators to treat life-threatening heart rhythm conditions. The company also presented investigational study results at Heart Rhythm 2025, showing 100% defibrillation success when the lead is implanted in the left bundle branch (LBB) area.

The LEADR LBBAP clinical study demonstrated a 95.8% successful implantation rate in the first 193 patients, with no procedure-related major complications. The study enrolled approximately 300 patients across 24 sites in 11 countries. The smaller diameter aims to reduce complications such as venous occlusion and tricuspid valve regurgitation.

https://www.stocktitan.net/news/MDT/medtronic-receives-fda-approval-for-smallest-diameter-lumenless-yg3bvpban3dd.html

DOGE orders AmeriCorps to cancel $400 million in grants, Washington Post reports

 The Department of Government Efficiency has ordered the cancellation of around $400 million in grants doled out by AmeriCorps, the federal government's national service and volunteering agency, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

The canceled grants amount to 41% of the agency's annual budget for 2025 and will affect 1,031 organizations as well as 32,465 AmeriCorps members and senior volunteers, the newspaper reported.

AmeriCorps grants fund local and national organizations that offer community services related to education, disaster preparedness, environmental conservation and more.

The move to eliminate the grants comes as part of an unprecedented push by President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Musk to shrink the federal government, saying U.S. taxpayer money is being misspent.

Last week, the White House placed most of AmeriCorps' 650 full-time staff members on paid administrative leave, and layoff notices began arriving Thursday, the Post reported, citing employees.

AmeriCorps and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

https://www.aol.com/news/doge-orders-americorps-cancel-400-230709025.html

US agency eases some self-driving safety rules, sending Tesla stock soaring

 Tesla (TSLA) stock surged 9.8% on Friday, clinching a weekly gain of 17.9% for the stock as several positive catalysts pushed the beleaguered name higher.

The latest positive headline for the company came late Thursday, when the Department of Transportation rolled out a new framework for self-driving car regulations, including "streamlining" some reporting requirements for cars equipped with automated or driver-assist systems.

"This Administration understands that we're in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn't be higher," said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

"As part of DOT's innovation agenda, our new framework will slash red tape and move us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety," Duffy added.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also said in Thursday's statement it would expand an existing program exempting some foreign-made autonomous vehicles from some review processes to accelerate testing to include US-made vehicles.

CEO Elon Musk said on the company's earnings call this week that Tesla expects to be "selling fully autonomous rides in June in Austin, as we've been saying for now several months. So that's continued."

Musk added, "The future of the company is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars and large-scale ... numbers of autonomous humanoid robots. So the value of the company that makes truly useful autonomous humanoid robots and autonomous useful vehicles at scale at low cost, which is what Tesla is going to do, is staggering."

Tesla stock was also getting a boost from a Bloomberg report that indicated the company could be close to entering the Indian market after some customers received a notice that their reservation deposit would be refunded.

On its earnings call earlier this week, Tesla said it's been "very careful trying to figure out when is the right time" to enter the Indian market, given the current tariff structure would make Tesla's cars about twice as expensive to sell.

Friday's moves built on an already high-flying week for Tesla stock. Shares got their biggest boost earlier this week after Musk said during the company's quarterly earnings call that he would be cutting back his time spent in the Trump administration "significantly."

Musk's involvement with the Trump administration, most notably his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has weighed on the brand's perception among some consumers, notably in Europe, as the company's sales have flagged to start the year.

Noted Tesla bull Dan Ives said in a client note following Musk's announcement that the move was "an off ramp for Musk out of the Trump White House in our view as the global brand damage, political firestorm, and perfect storm chaos over the past few months will now end this volatile political chapter for Musk and we expect minimal, if any time focused on DOGE going forward."

"We saw a dialed in Musk on the conference call we have rarely seen in the past," Ives added.

Elon Musk speaks with President Trump and reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Tesla stock fell 50% from its record highs reached in December to its lows of the year. Even including this week's rally, the stock remains down about 30% in 2025.

But this week's flurry of news has pushed the stock back to its highest level in a month.

"The brand damage caused by Musk in the White House/DOGE over the past few months will not go away just by this move and some of the damage will be stained forever in Europe and the US (~10% future demand destruction we estimate)," Ives wrote.

"[But] this was the time to close one dark chapter and open a brighter one for the Tesla story with autonomous and robotics front and center."

https://www.aol.com/finance/tesla-stock-soars-dot-unveils-183748634.html