Start the presses! New York Post will expand to LA with launch of The California Post

 The New York Post is going Hollywood.

The nation’s most popular tabloid will launch The California Post early next year — delivering its brand of fearless, common-sense journalism and legendary headlines at a critical juncture for the Golden State.

“Los Angeles and California surely need a daily dose of The Post as an antidote to the jaundiced, jaded journalism that has sadly proliferated,” said Robert Thomson, CEO of The Post’s parent company, News Corp.

“We are at a pivotal moment for the city and the state, and there is no doubt that The Post will play a crucial role in engaging and enlightening readers, who are starved of serious reporting and puckish wit.”

The new publication will be headquartered in Los Angeles and feature a robust staff of editors, reporters and photographers dedicated to covering news, entertainment, politics, culture, sports and business — all with a distinctly California perspective.

The California Post will tackle local and political issues as only it can, with this cover showcasing how The California Post would have covered motorcycle riots.

The California Post will be supported by the team in New York providing national and international news.

The content will appear in a daily print edition and will have its own dedicated homepage for Californians with stories being published across multiple other platforms, including video, audio and social media.

Veteran journalist Nick Papps will take the reins as editor in chief, bringing nearly two decades of experience. He has helped drive editorial and commercial success at multiple publications, including as News Corp Australia’s West Coast correspondent for nearly three years when Papps was based in LA.

The new venture from The New York Post Media Group — home to The Post, Page Six and Decider — will also expand the oversight of New York Post Editor in Chief Keith Poole.

“He will now be responsible for covering not just New York, but California, the US, the world and perhaps, Mars,” Thomson quipped.

Poole has made The Post, founded by Alexander Hamilton, a must-read not just in the Big Apple but across the country — and even in the halls of the White House, where President Trump keeps a framed copy of the newspaper’s front page outside the Oval Office.

The cover, or “wood” in Post parlance, features Trump’s infamous mugshot taken after he was booked in Georgia’s Fulton County Jail in Georgia 2023.

This mockup of a California Post cover brings to life how The Post is set to bring its bold style of sports coverage to the West Coast.

“This is the next manifestation of our national brand,” Poole said. ”California is the most populous state in the country, and is the epicenter of entertainment, the AI revolution and advanced manufacturing — not to mention a sports powerhouse. Yet many stories are not being told, and many viewpoints are not being represented.”

The launch is timed to coincide with a high-profile period for the Bay Area and LA. Not only are there elections being held in 2026, including for California governor, but the state will host matches during next year’s World Cup, and LA will welcome the Summer Olympics in 2028.

The Los Angeles area, recently ravaged by wildfires and facing critical rebuilding issues, has a population of 13 million. 

The Post will also tackle cultural issues, with this cover revealing how The California Post would have reported on the Sydney Sweeney controversy.

It is home to the second-largest concentration of Post readers, with 3.5 million monthly unique visitors to its web properties — and 7.3 million across the state. 

“With The California Post, we will bring a common-sense, issue-based approach to metropolitan journalism,” Poole said.

“We’ll tell the stories that our readers care about the most, but others overlook, and we’ll do so with clarity and our trademark conviction.”

The Post brand, influence and reach with The Post Digital Network, which includes NYPost.com, PageSix.com and Decider.com, attracted 90 million unique visitors in June. About 90% of Post digital readers already live outside the New York media market.

“Our content is read everywhere from the corner store to the corner office,” said Sean Giancola, CEO of New York Post Media Group.

“We are trusted by millions for our direct and plain-spoken approach to news, and The New York Post has been the voice of the people in New York for 200 years. California is a vibrant, dynamic market where our unique journalistic ethos will resonate and engage audiences in meaningful ways.”

• We’re hiring! If you are a reporter, editor or audience development professional, especially in the Los Angeles area, and looking for an opportunity to have an impact in the state of California, the team is in the process of staffing its LA-based operations. If you are interested in applying for a role at The California Post, please visit the New York Post Media Group’s Careers site: careers.nypost.com.

https://nypost.com/2025/08/04/media/start-the-presses-new-york-post-will-expand-to-la-with-launch-of-the-california-post/

Netanyahu approves plan to fully occupy Gaza Strip, force Hamas to release hostages

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to order a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip to force Hamas to free the hostages, according to local reports.

The expansion of the war would see the military, which already controls about 75% of Gaza, take over the remaining areas and conduct operations where the hostages are believed to be held, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The move was reportedly made without the input of the Israeli military’s chief of staff Eyal Zamir — with Netanyahu instructing him to fall in line or resign, according to the internal memo sent out.

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The family of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David released a second Hamas propaganda video on Saturday showing him in visibly dire physical condition, a day after Hamas published what it claimed was a sign of life from the captive.Al-Qassam Brigade Footage

The decision to escalate the 21-month war comes despite calls from within Israel and around the world to find a diplomatic end to the fighting — with growing backlash over widespread hunger in Gaza and concern for the safety of the hostages.

Senior Israeli officials who discussed the occupation plan with Netanyahu believe that Hamas will not free the remaining 50 hostages without being forced to surrender, local Channel 12 reported.

That view has put pressure on Netanyahu and his cabinet following the recent release of Hamas propaganda videos showing emaciated hostages suffering and begging for food and water inside the terror group’s tunnels.

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This screengrab from a video released on July 31 by Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad shows a hostage, identified as Rom Braslavski by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

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Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, speaks during a meeting on July31, 2025.ZUMAPRESS.com

“If we do not act now, the hostages will die of hunger and Gaza will remain under Hamas control,” the officials told the local outlet.

The move to occupy all of Gaza would go against the Israel Defense Forces’s previous assessment opposing such a plan due to the realities of war and possible harm to the remaining hostages — 20 of whom are believed to be living.

The Israeli army had warned that a full occupation of Gaza, including military presence in crowded civilian areas and the few cities spared from the fighting, would take years to sift through and locate Hamas’ remaining cells.

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The Post’s front cover on the plight of Evyatar David.

Such action could also endanger the lives of the hostages, according to family members, with reports going around earlier this month that Hamas sent an order to its members to kill any captives in their custody if Israeli soldiers were closing in on them.

The tragedy played out last year when six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were executed by terrorists before Israeli soldiers could reach them.

“A full occupation of the Strip is a death sentence for the living hostages and a security, humanitarian and diplomatic disaster,” Israeli lawmaker Gilad Kariv said in a statement after learning of the controversial plan.

The families of the hostages have also panned previous plans to expand the war, urging their leaders to keep the fighting out of the few safe bastions in Gaza where their relatives are likely being held.

https://nypost.com/2025/08/04/world-news/netanyahu-approves-plan-to-fully-occupy-gaza-strip-force-hamas-to-release-hostages/

Novo faces shareholder lawsuit over guidance cut

 Novo Nordisk (NVO) faces a shareholder lawsuit over alleged securities fraud after the company cut its growth outlook

https://seekingalpha.com/news/4477652-novo-faces-shareholder-lawsuit-over-guidance-cut

TransMedics gets FDA conditional approval for heart trial

 TransMedics Group Inc (NASDAQ:TMDX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted conditional approval for its Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), allowing it to proceed with its Next-Generation OCS ENHANCE Heart trial.

The ENHANCE trial will be conducted in two parts, with Part A designed to support prolonged heart perfusion using the OCS Heart System, while Part B aims to demonstrate the superiority of OCS Heart perfusion in donation after brain death cases compared to static cold storage methods. The total sample size for both parts is expected to exceed 650 patients, which TransMedics believes would make it the largest heart preservation for transplant trial worldwide.

"The recent FDA approvals to initiate our Next-Gen OCS ENHANCE Heart and DENOVO Lung trials mark key milestones in our ongoing commitment to transforming the standard of care and address the major clinical needs of the cardiothoracic transplant community," said Waleed Hassanein, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer.

TransMedics plans to initiate both trials in the fourth quarter of 2025 while continuing to work with the FDA to address remaining questions related to pre-clinical testing. The company hopes these trials will drive clinical adoption for both heart and lung transplant technologies throughout 2026 and beyond.

The Nasdaq-listed medical technology company focuses on transforming organ transplant therapy for patients with end-stage lung, heart, and liver failure through its Organ Care System (OCS) technology.

https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/transmedics-stock-surges-after-fda-grants-conditional-approval-for-heart-trial-93CH-4168082

Growth Prospects and Strategic Advancements Propel Axsome to Buy Cowen

 Joseph Thome has given his Buy rating due to a combination of factors, primarily focusing on the strong financial performance and growth prospects of Axsome Therapeutics. The company reported impressive revenue growth in Q2:25, with Auvelity sales surpassing market expectations, which indicates a robust market uptake and effective sales strategies.

Furthermore, Axsome is on track with its plans to submit a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Auvelity in the treatment of Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease (ADA) in the third quarter. This submission represents a significant growth opportunity for the company, and the positive data from pivotal studies enhances the likelihood of approval. The potential for label expansion and the strategic alignment with the FDA further support the optimistic outlook for Axsome’s future performance.

https://www.tipranks.com/news/ratings/strong-growth-prospects-and-strategic-advancements-propel-axsome-therapeutics-to-buy-rating-ratings

Wave Life Sciences stock initiated with Buy rating by Canaccord

 Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE) with a Buy rating on Monday, citing the company’s robust pipeline of RNA-based medicines. 

The research firm highlighted several key assets in Wave’s portfolio, including WVE-006 for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD), which has imminent 200mg multidose data expected in the third quarter of 2024, followed by higher 400mg single dose data later in the fall.

Canaccord also pointed to WVE-007 for obesity, with initial clinical data anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2025, as a significant market opportunity for the company.

The firm noted that Wave is approaching a potential first commercial approval with WVE-N531 for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Exon 53 within the next year, representing a near-term catalyst.

Additionally, Canaccord mentioned Wave’s Huntington disease program, WVE-003, which is expected to enter a potentially registrational Phase 2/3 study following IND filing in the second half of 2025.

https://www.investing.com/news/analyst-ratings/wave-life-sciences-stock-initiated-with-buy-rating-by-canaccord-93CH-4168614

Don't Overlook Hillary Clinton

 by Kenin Spivak via RealClearPolitics,

Before Barack Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan and 50 other intelligence analysts deceived Americans in the run-up to the 2020 election by warning that Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the earmarks of a classic Russian information operation” – and before Obama, Brennan, Obama’s FBI Director James Comey, and National Intelligence Director James Clapper falsified an Intelligence Community Assessment in December 2016 to destabilize Donald Trump’s first term – there was Hillary Clinton.

The media’s focus these days is on President Trump’s possible cameo in the so-called “Epstein files” and Obama’s role in advancing the Russia collusion hoax. These stories crossed when DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe released compelling evidence that six weeks before his term concluded, Obama pressed the intelligence community to ignore its previous assessments and instead rely on the sham Steele dossier and an ambiguous and unverifiable sentence fragment to smear Trump and undermine his presidency before it began.

But let’s not forget the Clinton campaign’s role in this kabuki dance.

Clinton, not Obama, was Trump’s opponent in the 2016 election. As we learned last week from the declassification of reports issued by Gabbard and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, the weight of the heretofore concealed evidence is that if Putin had a preference, it was most likely Clinton – not the wildcard first-time officeholder who surprised the world by winning.

According to the now declassified September 2020 majority staff report of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Putin’s principal goal was to undermine faith in the U.S. democratic process, not help any particular candidate. Thus, he chose not to leak the most compromising allegations about Clinton, presumably so that he could later use them to weaken her expected presidency. If Russia really wanted to help Trump, the purported information – whether true or not – would have been released during the campaign.

The intelligence community and media, which did have a clear favorite in 2016, carefully hid the compromising accusations, including secret meetings in which State Department representatives are alleged to have unlawfully offered assistance to religious groups in exchange for their support in the 2016 election, along with emails from Democratic National Committee officials describing Clinton’s “psycho-emotional problems,” including “uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.” Clinton was said by these sources to be on a daily regimen of “heavy tranquilizers.”

Recently declassified intelligence files show that Clinton authorized the bogus Steele dossier during the 2016 campaign to deflect attention from her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, and to discredit Trump. Obama, his senior intelligence team and Democratic leadership used the dossier to push the dishonest Russia narrative, Trump’s first impeachment, and a largely successful effort to block his first-term agenda.

Just a year earlier, a bombshell New York Times report disclosed that Clinton breached core security protocols by exclusively using a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state. She may have done so to shield emails about improper Clinton Foundation fundraising efforts, her hiring of private consultants, and other political conflicts. In a highly inappropriate press conference before the 2016 election, Jim Comey took it upon himself to excuse Clinton’s security lapses, curiously asserting that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring a criminal case. An investigation led by Chairman Grassley found that Comey intended to exonerate Clinton even before the FBI interviewed her.

On July 21, 2025, Grassley released a long buried June 2018 FBI Inspector General report that concluded the FBI never fully investigated Clinton’s use of the private server. Further, contrary to sound investigative protocols, witnesses were permitted to attend each other’s depositions, and no action was taken when Clinton’s lawyers accessed confidential information, or when her aides used hammers to destroy BlackBerry phones and BleachBit software to erase the emails. According to Grassley, then-DNC chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz confirmed that Obama scuttled the investigation to protect Clinton’s candidacy.

When Clinton served as Obama’s secretary of state, foreign governments and corporations donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation and paid Bill Clinton premium prices for speeches, including governments that obtained substantial State Department assistance. Clinton personally attended meetings with foundation donors and sought favors for them, a practice begun when she was New York’s junior senator.

Bill Clinton’s White House run was rocked by allegations over investments Bill and Hillary made in the Whitewater Development Corporation. Despite the disappearance of key documents from the White House private quarters, evidence of Hillary’s questionable activities, and the conviction of one of their business partners, neither Clinton faced prosecution.

In 1978 and 1979, while first lady of Arkansas, Clinton invested $1,000 in cattle futures, generating almost $100,000 in profit in less than a year. Despite suspicions suggesting that the profits were disguised pay-offs from Tyson Foods and the improbability of such returns, there was no official investigation.

While Hillary Clinton’s time on the national stage may be sunsetting, she remains the epitome of the disparate standards to which Republicans and Democrats are held by American elites.

Kenin M. Spivak is founder and chairman of SMI Group LLC, an international consulting firm and investment bank. He is the author of fiction and non-fiction books and a frequent speaker and contributor to media, including RealClearPolitics, The American Mind, National Review, television, radio, and podcasts.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/dont-overlook-hillary-clinton