Alleged co-conspirator in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing dies in federal custody

 An accused co-conspirator in last month’s terror attack at a Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic has died in federal custody, authorities confirmed.

Daniel Park, 32, had been facing conspiracy charges for allegedly shipping explosive materials to Guy Edward Bartkus, who detonated a car bomb at the American Reproductive Centers clinic in the SoCal desert oasis.

Daniel Jongyon Park, 32, has died in federal prison after facing conspiricy charges related to last months bombing of a Palm Springs reproductive clinic.via REUTERS

“Daniel Park was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California. Responding employees initiated life-saving measures. … Mr. Park was transported by EMS to a local hospital and subsequently pronounced deceased,” the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.

The Bureau did not share further details about the nature of Park’s death.

The American Reproductive Centers office was damaged after an explosion in Palm Springs, California, USA, 17 May 2025.ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Park had been arrested in Poland, where he had traveled shortly after the attack, and was swiftly turned over to U.S. authorities.

Authorities accused Park of supplying Bartkus with 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, which Bartkus apparently used to fashion an explosive device in his home bomb lab in the town of Twentynine Palms, less than an hour’s drive from Palm Springs.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/24/us-news/alleged-co-conspirator-in-palm-springs-fertility-clinic-bombing-dies-in-federal-custody/

'UN nuke watchdog: Iran program ‘set back significantly’ by strikes'

 By Steven Nelson

International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi said Tuesday that Iran's nuclear program is starkly degraded — but that he's unsure of the whereabouts of nearly 900 pounds of enriched uranium.

"The Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly," Grossi told Fox News's Martha MacCallum in an interview. "We have to see what they want to do... Are they going to reconstruct what they have?"

"It is clear that there is one Iran before June 13, nuclear Iran, and one now, and it's night and day," added the Argentine diplomat.

Israeli rescue teams operate at the scene of a missile strike on a residential area in Be'er Sheva, Israel.ZUMAPRESS.com

"We do not have information about the whereabouts" of stockpiles of uranium that may have been removed from the three sites that the US military attacked Saturday and which sustained "a very important degree of damage," Grossi also noted.

"Iran officially told me, 'We are going to be taking protective measures,' which may or may not include moving around this material," he said.

That uranium is believed to be enriched to 60% purity, which the watchdog noted is less than the 90% required for nuclear weapons.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/23/world-news/us-strikes-iran-6-23-25/

ICE nabs 11 Iran migrants including suspected terrorists; Border Patrol warns ‘possible sleeper’ cells

 Immigration agents collared 11 illegal Iranian migrants — including suspected terrorists — over the weekend in eight states as the Border Patrol warned of “possible sleeper” cells in the US.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement nabbed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member Mehran Makari Sahel, who has “admitted connections” to the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, according to CBS News.

He was busted near St. Paul, Minnesota.

Yousef Mehridehno, whose name appears on the terrorist watchlist, was arrested by ICE outside Jackson, Mississippi, according to the outlet.

ICE agents collared 11 illegal Iranian migrants over the weekend in eight states as the Border Patrol warned of “possible sleeper” cells in the US.DHS

Feds discovered that Mehridehno lied on a visa application after he had already been living in the country illegally for eight years.

ICE agents also arrested Ribvar Karmi in northern Alabama on Sunday and found he was carrying an Iranian army ID card that revealed he was a sniper between 2018 and 2021, CBS reported.

Karmi entered the US in October 2024 on a K-1 visa for immigrants who are engaged to American citizens.

Five of the 11 Iranians swept up by ICE had previous criminal convictions that included grand larceny and drug and firearm possession, according to CBS News.

“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has identified and arrested known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through [President Joe] Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,” DHS said in an X post Tuesday.

“We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out — and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland,” DHS said.

Border agents were warned after the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites Saturday night to look out for possible Iranian terrorist “sleeper cells,” according to a leaked memo obtained by The Post.

Iranian migrants are supposed to undergo stricter vetting by the feds since they’re considered “special interest aliens” due to possible terrorism ties.

Under the Biden administration, more than 700 Iranian migrants who crossed the border illegally were released into the US, according to Fox News.

CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott cited “Iran’s hatred for the United States and their desire to harm America and Americans” in Saturday’s memo to border agents.

“Over the past four years, thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways,” Scott wrote.

“Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran has never been higher,” he added.

Scott asked border agents “to remain hyper vigilant and continue to take appropriate precautions, while maintaining a heightened level of situational awareness both on and off-duty.”

https://nypost.com/2025/06/24/us-news/ice-nabs-11-iranian-migrants-including-suspected-terrorists/

Teladoc stock rises after Citron Research highlights potential

 Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC) stock rose 3% after Citron Research identified the company as a long investment opportunity, highlighting the growth potential of its BetterHelp online therapy platform.

Citron Research described Teladoc as a "coiled spring," noting that despite being the world’s largest telehealth platform with a market capitalization of just $1.2 billion, it owns BetterHelp, which they identified as the leading brand in online therapy.

The research firm pointed to Teladoc’s recent acquisition of UpLift as a transformational development that could significantly boost the company’s revenue. The acquisition reportedly provides Teladoc with the infrastructure to bill insurance for BetterHelp services, potentially integrating the platform into employer plans, Medicaid, and commercial networks.

According to Citron, BetterHelp has operated as a cash-pay only service until now, which resulted in approximately 80% of potential users abandoning the service at checkout. Despite this limitation, BetterHelp still developed into a billion-dollar business.

Citron highlighted comments from Teladoc’s CEO and CFO at a recent Goldman Sachs event, where they reportedly stated that a mere 1% increase in conversion from those lost users could generate $40 million in new annual revenue for the company.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/teladoc-stock-rises-after-citron-research-highlights-potential-in-betterhelp-93CH-4106173

Bio-Techne and USP Announce Collaboration to Accelerate Monoclonal Antibody and Gene Therapy

Bio-Techne (NASDAQ: TECH) has announced a strategic distribution agreement with the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) to sell USP monoclonal antibody (mAb) and recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) reference standards alongside its analytical solutions, including the Maurice system.

The collaboration aims to support the development of monoclonal antibody and gene therapy products worldwide. With over 160 approved antibody therapies globally, the partnership addresses critical quality control needs in both mAb development and the rapidly growing gene therapy sector. The integration of USP reference standards with Bio-Techne's analytical instruments will enable therapy manufacturers to achieve reliable characterization for purity, charge, size, and identity applications throughout product development.

https://www.stocktitan.net/news/TECH/bio-techne-and-usp-announce-collaboration-to-accelerate-monoclonal-ew1ldgmzalo4.html

Sangamo preps FDA application for Fabry gene therapy

 Sangamo Therapeutics’ investigational gene therapy appears to improve kidney function at 52 weeks for patients with a rare genetic disorder. 

The biotech plans to use the data for an FDA submission next year via the agency's accelerated approval pathway.

The topline results come from a registrational phase 1/2 trial, dubbed STAAR, and include data from 32 patients with Fabry disease, a rare lysosomal storage disorder.

The open-label study is evaluating a one-time infusion of isaralgagene civaparvovec, also known as ST-920. Some patients were on enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), while others had been off ERT for six or more months and some had never received the therapy.

The trial demonstrated a mean annualized estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slope of 1.965 mL/min/1.73m2/year at 52 weeks across all dosed patients, according to a June 24 release.

For 19 patients with two years of follow-up, the mean annualized eGFR slope was 1.747 mL/min/1.73m2/year.

The FDA has previously agreed that the measure, a surrogate for renal function over time, can serve as an intermediate clinical endpoint for an accelerated approval submission from Sangamo. In the past, the agency has accepted eGFR slope as a way to measure the rate of decline in kidney function.

Sangamo, for its part, believes the data "support the potential for isaralgagene civaparvovec as a one-time, durable treatment for Fabry disease that can improve patient outcomes," according to the company's press release. In the company's most recent annual report, Sangamo said prior results from the trial showed "notable improvements in renal function" based on the eGFR slope measure.

All 18 patients who started the study on ERT have stopped and remain off the therapy. A stabilization in cardiac endpoints was also recorded, according to the biotech.

The gene therapy, which doesn’t require preconditioning, demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, according to Sangamo. Most adverse events were mild, and the most common treatment-emergent adverse events were fever and COVID-19. No safety-related study discontinuations were reported.

Next, Sangamo will compare the eGFR slope data against approved Fabry treatments by performing a meta-analysis of published studies. Estimated mean annualized eGFR slopes for Takeda’s Replagal, Sanofi’s Fabrazyme and Amicus Therapeutics’ Galafold range from -2.2 to -0.4 mL/min/1.73m2/year, according to Sangamo.

The California biotech plans on filing a biologics license application as early as the first quarter of 2026, according to the release. Sangamo’s gene therapy has garnered orphan, fast track and regenerative medicine advanced therapy tags from the FDA.

Additional analyses of the full STAAR dataset will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting, the biotech said.

As Sangamo prepares for an FDA submission, the biotech is “continuing to engage in business development negotiations for a potential Fabry commercialization agreement,” according to the release. A partner appears necessary for the cash-strapped company to bring the gene therapy to the finish line.

Sangamo started 2025 with a stock crash driven by Pfizer terminating a hemophilia A gene therapy deal, which eliminated the potential for the biotech to collect up to $220 million in biobucks. The news came on top of Sangamo’s November 2024 announcement that it only had enough money in the bank to last until the first quarter of 2025. 

Luckily for Sangamo, Eli Lilly inked an $18 million upfront deal this April to use the biotech's neurotropic adeno-associated virus capsid in hopes of developing a gene therapy for a central nervous system disease. The pact gives Sangamo the chance to earn up to $1.4 billion as the entire gene therapy field faces a deep reckoning.   

As of March 31, Sangamo had $25.1 million in cash and cash equivalents, according to a May 12 earnings release. That money, combined with the upfront cash from Lilly, is expected to fund operations into the third quarter of 2025, the biotech said.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/sangamo-preps-fda-application-gene-therapy-improves-kidney-function-fabry-trial

Journey Medical to join Russell 2000 and 3000 indexes

 Journey Medical Corporation (NASDAQ:DERM), currently valued at $148.63 million, will be added to the Russell 2000 and Russell 3000 indexes effective after U.S. markets close on June 27, 2025, the company announced Tuesday.

The dermatology-focused pharmaceutical company, which markets FDA-approved prescription medications for skin conditions, expects the inclusion to enhance its visibility among investors and institutions.

https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/journey-medical-to-join-russell-2000-and-3000-indexes-93CH-4108035