Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA) jumped approximately 7% in after-hours trading following the FDA's decision to lift the partial clinical hold on tradipitant, a treatment for motion sickness. The FDA recognized motion sickness as an acute condition, thus eliminating the requirement for an additional six-month toxicity study in dogs. This move addresses previous safety concerns and facilitates the drug’s development. Additionally, the FDA is expected to decide on tradipitant's New Drug Application for preventing nausea-induced vomiting by December 30.
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Humana, Mark Cuban potentially teaming up for pharmacy partnership
Humana (HUM) is in discussions with billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban to form a partnership aimed at streamlining the drug supply chain. This potential collaboration, revealed at the Forbes Healthcare Summit, focuses on developing direct-to-employer programs through Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs. The initiative seeks to bypass traditional pharmacy benefit managers by removing rebates and spread pricing, offering cost savings directly to patients. This move aligns with ongoing industry reforms aimed at addressing regulatory concerns over the role of PBMs, often criticized for their intermediary position in the drug distribution process.
U.S. plans more stakes in critical minerals companies, Trump official says
The Trump administration plans to take more equity positions in critical minerals companies, a White House official said Thursday, calling the once-rare move necessary to counter China's dominance in the raw materials, Bloomberg reported.
"We're literally buying equity, getting equity in companies to give the backing of the U.S., because that's the only way we're going to catch up with China on these things," Jarrod Agen, executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, said at the American Growth Summit in Washington, according to Bloomberg.
The Trump administration has spent more than $1 billion over the past year to take stakes in critical minerals and mining companies, including MP Materials (MP) and Lithium Americas (LAC), often sending the company’s stock prices soaring.
Several potentially relevant companies racked up strong gains on Thursday, including USA Rare Earth (USAR) +24.6%, Critical Metals (CRML) +20%, Oklo (OKLO) +15.6%, Westwater Resources (WWR) +15.5%, United States Antimony (UAMY) +15%, Eos energy Enterprises (EOSE) +15%, NioCorp Developments (NB) +14%, Nuscale Power (SMR) +13.4%, American Battery Technology (ABAT) +11.7%, Uranium Energy (UEC) +9.5%, Northern Dynasty Minerals (NAK) +8.3%, Energy Fuels (UUUU) +8.1%, Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE) +7.9%, Ramaco Resources (METC) +7.8%, Cameco (CCJ) +5.2%, Denison Mines (DNN) +5.2%, Perpetua Resources (PPTA) +3.8%, Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG) +3.8%, Trilogy Metals (TMQ) +3.7%, TMC the metals company (TMC) +1%.
ETFs: (XME), (REMX), (SETM), (LIT), (LITP), (BATT), (COPP), (NLR), (URA), (URNM)
EU to open call for AI gigafactories in early 2026
The European Commission signed on Thursday a memorandum of understanding with the European Investment Bank on developing artificial intelligence gigafactories. Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen said that a formal call for their construction will be opened in early 2026.
Virkkunen added that the Commission has received an "immense" number of proposals since launching the AI initiative earlier this year. "Collectively, respondents expressed their interest in setting up AI gigafactories for a total indicative amount of more than €230 billion over the next three to five years," she told reporters.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/EU-to-open-call-for-AI-gigafactories-in-early-2026/65296288
Strategy vs. Wall Street: the pressure point linking MSTR and bitcoin's future
A 50% collapse in MSTR has exposed the fault line between bitcoin-heavy balance sheets and legacy index rules, putting both the company and BTC's future on trial.
Amid bitcoin’s price decline, another battle is unfolding that could shape the market’s next leg: the fate of Strategy Inc., the world’s largest corporate bitcoin holder. The firm controls 650,000 BTC worth roughly $60bn. It has financed this position with an aggressive mix of equity sales and debt, turning its stock (MSTR) into a leveraged proxy for bitcoin itself. However, while bitcoin is down about 20% from its peak, MSTR has fallen nearly 50% since late October, fueled less by fundamentals than by panic, mockery, and possibly even a coordinated attack.
The divergence has sparked uncomfortable questions. Has Strategy's leveraged bitcoin strategy stretched the balance sheet too far, threatening its ability to serice debt? Or is the market mistaking temporary pressure for existential risk?
Strategy under fire
On October 27, S&P Global Ratings downgraded MSTR to a B- issuer credit rating, citing the high concentration of bitcoin on the balance sheet, a narrow business model, and limited U.S. dollar liquidity. Critics piled on, claiming the company has transformed from a software firm into a Ponzi-like bitcoin vehicle. Venture capitalist Jason Calacanis urged followers to dump MSTR and buy bitcoin directly, calling Strategy a pyramid scheme. Gold bug Peter Schiff revived his familiar refrain, labelling CEO Michael Saylor a con man. Even the Financial Times joined the dogpile, arguing that Strategy’s lofty rhetoric no longer matches its results.
Such synchronized certainty from skeptics often coincides with sentiment exhaustion, yet the company faces a genuine structural threat: potential declassification by MSCI.
The global index provider is reassessing whether Strategy should remain categorized as an operating company. Given that most of its assets are bitcoin, MSCI may instead classify it as a digital-asset holding vehicle, which could trigger removal from major equity indexes. This would force passive funds to liquidate MSTR positions, potentially unleashing up to $8.8bn in outflows if other index providers follow suit, according to JP Morgan. A decision is expected by January 15.
Regarding JP Morgan, the investment bank has been particularly active in Strategy’s affairs. In July, it sharply raised margin requirements for MSTR trading from 50% to 95%. In its latest report, JP Morgan warned that a potential MSCI reclassification could trigger as much as $8.8bn in forced outflows if other index providers follow suit. The crypto community has reacted angrily, accusing the bank of engineering a targeted attack on MSTR. Rumors (still unverified) suggest that JP Morgan may hold a sizeable short position, prompting some MSTR supporters to call for a boycott of the bank in hopes of reenacting a Gamestop-style squeeze.
Strategy cash reserve reassures markets
The market, however, appears to be reassessing the dangers. After bottoming near $155 on Monday, the stock has rebounded above $180 following the firm’s disclosure of a $1.4bn cash reserve. It was designed to cover 21 months of debt and preferred dividend payments, with plans to extend coverage to 24 months. The reserve, funded through at-the-market equity issuance, signals Strategy’s intent not to deleverage or shrink its exposure, but to maintain its bitcoin accumulation strategy with a sizeable liquidity buffer.
On paper, the company’s balance sheet remains robust: $60.4bn in bitcoin, $8.2bn in debt, $1.4bn in cash, and a market capitalization of $51bn. This means that Strategy’s net bitcoin holdings exceed its equity value by $2.6bn. The market is effectively pricing in extreme levels of risk and assigning zero value to the firm’s legacy software division, which still generates roughly $500m in annual revenue.
Whether driven by risk management or something more targeted, the MSTR selling has become self-reinforcing in the past weeks. Yet Strategy’s rapid liquidity pivot from an S&P downgrade to a multibillion-dollar reserve in just 30 days does not resemble a distressed issuer nearing insolvency. It looks more like a firm preparing to withstand a liquidity siege while traditional finance struggles to define what category it belongs to.
The next inflection point arrives on January 15. If MSCI keeps Strategy in its indexes, today’s panic could be remembered as the moment when sentiment detached from balance-sheet reality. If not, MSTR will face a wave of forced selling—pressure that could strain Strategy’s balance sheet and send shockwaves through the broader bitcoin market.
ICE Arrests Worst of Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens in Minneapolis: Pedophiles, Domestic Abusers, Gangs
In just days, ICE has arrested vicious criminals who were allowed to roam Minneapolis streets thanks to sanctuary policies
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced they have arrested some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including child sex offenders, domestic abusers, and violent gang members, during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Sanctuary policies and politicians like Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey allowed these pedophiles, domestic terrorists, and gang members to roam the streets and terrorize Americans,” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “ICE law enforcement are risking their lives to protect Minnesotans while their own elected officials sit by and do nothing. No matter when and where, ICE will find, arrest, and deport ALL criminal illegal aliens.”
Below are some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE since launching Operation Metro Surge on December 1, 2025:
Abdulkadir Sharif Abdi, a criminal illegal alien from Somalia, was a former member of the Gangster Disciples and is a known current member of Vice Lord Nation. He has also been convicted of fraud, receiving stolen property, receiving a stolen vehicle, vehicle theft, and multiple probation violations.
Sahal Osman Shidane, a criminal illegal alien from Somalia, was convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a minor aged 13-15.
Mukthar Mohamed Ali, a criminal illegal alien from Somalia, was convicted of assault, fraud, robbery, and larceny.
Ahmed Mohamed Said, a criminal illegal alien from Somalia, was convicted of multiple crimes, including two domestic violence convictions, three convictions of driving under the influence, assault, damaging property, and violating probation.
Rudy Arendondo Jarillo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of felony smuggling aliens.
Alvaro Davila Alanis, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, arrested for aggravated assault with a weapon.
Feisal Mohamed-Omar, a criminal illegal alien from Somalia, charged on two counts ofdomestic violence.
Oscar David Ayala-Ocampo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested for domestic violence.
Alberto Gallardo-Montiel, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for driving under the influence.
Ismael Bonilla Avalos, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of driving under the influence and charged with domestic violence.
Ismael Higuera Chupin, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, arrested for driving under the influence.
Carlos Mark Boquin-Alfaro, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, arrested for domestic violence.
George Soros wrecked American criminal justice — one leftist DA at a time
This week a Washington Post puff piece leaped to the defense of the progressive district attorneys propelled into office by the campaign cash of billionaire George Soros, portraying these prosecutors as well-meaning reformers besieged by racist Republicans.
But while Soros’ left-wing fans thrill to the way his funding has fundamentally transformed criminal justice across America, here’s what they won’t acknowledge: The results have been disastrous.
Through both direct and indirect donations, Soros has poured money into a staggering number of DA races across the country.
By 2023, progressive prosecutors had jurisdiction over at least 20% of the US population, and half of Americans living in its biggest cities, reports Matt Palumbo in his book “The Heir.”
Soros-funded district attorneys have won in Tampa Bay, Denver, Orlando, Northern Virginia, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philly, St. Louis, Dallas and many others; 126 of them have held office at some point, per the Media Research Center.
Over the past decade, Soros’s Justice and Public Safety PAC alone has spent money in at least 62 primary and general elections, according to the WaPo report, winning 77% of the time — without having to lay out much to tilt those typically low-spending local elections.
But the key point isn’t the size of Soros’ investment in each race; it’s the frequency of his involvement and its nationwide reach.
Back in 2016, Politico wrote of Soros’ “quiet overhaul of the US justice system,” describing how he recognized DA races as an untapped opportunity to remake cities according to his progressive ideology.
Soros realized these races are particularly vulnerable to outside influence: Few voters know who their district attorney is, despite the DA’s major role in shaping crime enforcement.
As Soros spokesman Michael Vachon admitted, “We started a movement . . . the knee-jerk, so-called tough-on-crime philosophy has been discredited in many communities.”
He is right, and the results are catastrophic.
The foundational belief these progressive DAs share is that systemic social change, not aggressive prosecution, is the answer to crime.
This ideology fit perfectly with the ascension of woke politics, which blamed problems on systems and focused on identity above all else.
That’s why the core of their radical criminal justice reform involved eliminating cash bail, declining to prosecute minor offenses, and drastically limiting the use of sentencing enhancements such as “three strikes.”
It meant the effective elimination of criminal justice, putting more criminals — even repeat offenders — back on the streets.
This week an NYU student was assaulted in Greenwich Village by James Rizzo, a recidivist criminal with 16 arrests and a lengthy record of assaulting women.
Last week in Chicago Lawrence Reed, a man with a 72-arrest record and eight felony convictions, set a young woman on fire on the CTA Blue Line.
In Denver last month, repeat offender Charles Cooley broke into the home of Kevin and Sarah Root. After posting a $500 surety bond, Cooley is back on the street (“awaiting trial”).
And these harrowing stories aren’t one-offs; they reflect the data showing how Soros-backed prosecutors worsened crime.
In 2021 Philadelphia, under Soros DA Larry Krasner, broke its all-time murder record — as did 12 other cities with progressive DAs.
In Chicago under DA Kim Foxx, overall reported crime skyrocketed by 369% between 2019 and 2023, driven largely by huge jumps in property crimes like motor vehicle theft.
Other major cities saw similar spikes.
In Oregon, under the direction of Soros-funded DA Mike Schmidt, drug decriminalization policies coincided with a huge spike in drug overdose fatalities, which more than tripled from 280 in 2019 to 956 in 2022.
And, as Rafael Mangual has noted, in places where violent crime is down, it’s largely due to the deterrent effect of increased policing.
Many voters have begun to recognize the outsized role their DA plays in public safety and are turning against criminal justice reform.
George Gascón, the Los Angeles district attorney who survived multiple recall attempts, was finally ousted in 2024, and at least 21 other Soros-linked DAs have been replaced by tough-on-crime counterparts since 2022.
To put it plainly, Soros’ “movement” has failed.
The question is how much longer communities will have to suffer before progressive prosecutors admit it.
Josh Appel is a Manhattan Institute policy analyst.
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