. . .Appellants move for a stay of the district court’s February 6, 2026 order.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the motion is REFERRED to a motions panel sitting as early as the week of February 23, 2026. . . .
. . .Garijo will bring “increased rigor” to implementing the company’s strategy, Sanofi explained in an early-morning press release. Garijo’s priority will be to strengthen the productivity, governance and innovation capacity for R&D, the Paris-based pharma added. . . .
Garijo joined French pharmaceutical company Rhône-Poulenc Rorer in 1996, moved to Aventis after the companies merged and ended up at Sanofi as the result of another takeover. Sanofi said Garijo led the integration of Genzyme before leaving to join Merck KGaA in 2011. Garijo was born in 1960, and Sanofi will need to change its articles of association to raise its CEO age limit upon appointment before she takes the post.
Freeing up Garijo to take the top Sanofi post is the separate leadership transition taking place at Merck KGaA. In September, the German healthcare and electronics conglomerate announced that Garijo would conclude her five-year tenure as chief executive at the end of April, as planned. Kai Beckmann, who is currently the company's CEO of electronics, will take over as Merck KGaA's new group CEO May 1. . . .
. . .Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched at 5:15 a.m. EST Friday from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled a Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 3:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. . . .
. . .A bitterly divided Washington is headed for its third government funding lapse of President Donald Trump’s second term — this time, a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security over the issue of federal immigration enforcement.
With lawmakers leaving town Thursday, funding for the department is set to expire Friday at midnight.
GOP leaders sent their members home after the two parties made no concrete progress toward a deal that Democrats are demanding must rein in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations after last month’s fatal shootings by federal agents of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota. . . .
. . .[A]ccording to a recent study published in the peer-reviewed general medical journal The Lancet, Black women are six times more likely to be murdered than their white peers. These stark and tragic statistics reveal and underscore systemic issues of bias, neglect, and a lack of resources that hinder effective responses to this crisis. . . .
According to the National Crime Information Center, in 2022, of the 271,493 girls and women reported missing, 97,924, or over 36 percent, were Black, despite the fact that Black women and girls comprised only 14 percent of the U.S. female population at the time. . . .
Welp. Here is the promised more substantive update, on all matters tangential to Martin Shkreli (from another of my properties):
Mr. Mulleady's lawyers in Miami have moved to have the newly-assigned AUSA on his triple felonies indictment. . . recuse himself. [You'll recall that he made what were apparently pretty credible threats -- to kill Martin and others, on recorded lines -- and in emails and texts. So he's due to go to trial in (what will now likely be moved to late) March, on those.]
In any event, here's the gravamen of it -- and of the two, the second [friends with Ms. Smythe] one may be the more relevant basis for recusal:
. . .On February 5, 2026, AUSA Jonathan Jacobson notified the defense by email that he will be assuming the case from AUSA Hannah for trial. On a phone call on Friday, February 6, 2026, AUSA Jacobson then informed the undersigned of two potential personal conflicts as to this case, and asked the defense to confirm in writing its position on these conflicts. First, he explained that he worked on Martin Shkreli’s criminal case “in a limited capacity” while clerking for the judge who presided over Mr. Shkreli’s criminal trial, Judge Kiyo Matsumoto. Second, he explained that he is friends with and was formerly the colleague of a journalist, Christie Smythe, who engaged in a well-publicized romantic relationship with Martin Shkreli. The undersigned did not initially anticipate that these facts would create a conflict of interest of concern, and informed AUSA Jacobson as much. . . .
Specifically, the defense learned that Mr. Mulleady had been (incorrectly) named as a co-conspirator in Mr. Shkreli’s criminal trial -- that is, the trial on which AUSA Jacobson worked as a law clerk for the presiding judge -- and that he was discussed extensively during that trial. The defense also learned that Mr. Mulleady personally knows Ms. Smythe, the friend of AUSA Jacobson, and has spent time with her on multiple occasions; in addition, Ms. Smythe, who covered Mr. Shkreli’s prosecution in her capacity as a journalist and wrote a self-published memoir about her affair with Mr. Shkreli, has also written about Mr. Mulleady. The defense discussed these issues with AUSA Jacobson on a call on February 10, 2026, in an effort to resolve them without the Court’s intervention.
However, AUSA Jacobson (who had not yet entered an appearance in the case at the time of this phone call) notified the undersigned that he planned to enter his appearance despite the defense’s position, and that he would oppose any motion to recuse him from the case. . . .
. . .While late-stage, big-ticket acquisitions remain possibilities for Gilead, the pharma is not as pressed as its peers to ink major deals to beef up its product pipeline.
“We may not have the urgency of other companies in this sector,” CEO Daniel O’Day told investors in a call Tuesday afternoon to present the company’s full-year 2025 earnings results. But, he added, “we’re very proactive and disciplined.”
However, the pharma isn’t completely closing its doors on takeovers. O’Day noted that Gilead will “continue to add to our pipeline with appropriate M&A over the course of the coming years.”
Analysts at BMO Capital Markets echoed the sentiment, stating in a note to investors Wednesday morning that M&A for Gilead would be “nice to have” but not a necessity. If M&A were on the table, the analysts would look for activity “in core areas: liver disease, oncology, and inflammation. . . .”
This result (no indictments -- inaminously, against six people, in an attempt to criminalize peaceful but dissenting speech) is not remotely surprising to anyone who understands the United States Constitution. And not, to anyone who understands that the federal criminal justice system is not a political tool to be weilded by a psychopath -- at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
These are dark times -- but the system of checks and balances is -- in general -- working. Tangerine 2.0 is increasingly being shown for the petulant sociopath he is. Moreover, no one he is seeking retribution against is ever gonna' go to jail. [But he still might, after 2028.] Here's the latest:
. . . Sen. Kelly denounced the administration’s repeated efforts to target him and his colleagues.
“This is an outrageous abuse of power by Donald Trump and his lackeys,” he said in a statement. “Donald Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him. The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down.”
Time and again, the Justice Department under Mr. Trump has brought questionable criminal cases against foes of the president — among them, James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and Letitia James, New York’s attorney general.
Even though many of these cases have been weak, the department has apparently determined that it may be better to fail in court rather than push back against Mr. Trump’s well-known desire for revenge. . . .
Joseph Thompson — who, as of last month, became a criminal defense lawyer — is the former US Attorney for Minneapolis. He was previously a prosecutor in Chicago — and had clerked for Judge Pallmeyer here. . . all of which reflects very well on his abilities.
The Boys from Main Justice will lose for certain now.
Don Lemon doesn’t need such high-powered help — given that his First Amendment / news gathering defense is iron clad — but I think he just wants to “run up the score”, against the MAGA idiots.
Flawless.
नमस्ते
. . .This Office represents defendants-appellants (the “government”) in the above-named appeal. The government respectfully writes pursuant to Rule 28(j) to apprise the Court of the expedited briefing schedule in Gateway Development Commission v. United States, No. 26-176, the related action before the Court of Federal Claims.
On February 10, 2026, a status conference was held in that court. During that conference, the court ordered an expedited briefing schedule on Gateway Development Commission’s (“GDC’s”) motion for partial summary judgment seeking immediate payment of past-due money, i.e., $205 million—the same relief plaintiffs in this action demand. The court indicated that after briefing is completed, it would issue a ruling from the bench on March 12, 2026.
The expedited schedule in the Court of Federal Claims demonstrates that that court is moving quickly to resolve the issues before it. Given that plaintiffs in this case are seeking the same relief as GDC is pursuing in the Court of Federal Claims, an administrative stay and stay pending appeal of the district court’s order is especially warranted to avoid interfering with the pending parallel litigation in the GDC matter. . . .
. . .Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian sprinter who defected at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, has been cleared by World Athletics to compete for Poland after it waived the normal three-year waiting period for nationality changes.
Tsimanouskaya refused to board a flight back home from Tokyo when she was removed from the Olympics against her will after publicly complaining about national team coaches’ decision to enter her in the 4x400 meters relay, which was not her customary distance.
She defected to Poland, saying she feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus. Poland granted her citizenship last year (2022). . . .
“There is a chance that I will go to the world championships in Budapest,” she added, referring to the competition starting on August 19.
Tsimanouskaya told Reuters last year she wanted another chance to compete at the Olympics. She hoped to race in the 200m at next year’s Paris Games, the event she had been set to run in Tokyo the day after Belarus removed her from the team.
Belarusians and Russians are currently barred from competing at international athletics meets because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for which Belarus is a staging area of what Moscow calls a “special military operation”. . . .
Welp. She is "an inferior officer" -- in both the Constitutional sense -- and plain English parlance. She is plainly. . . inferior, in every sense of the word.
She has no authority to countermand, disobey or revoke a federal court TRO. But she thinks her Black Sharpie has that power. Not so. [Now we need the Democrats in Congress to hold the line -- and let the GOP shutdown the government, until the same are ready to zero out ICE Barbie's budget -- and start over. Killings via a vastly slush-funded, largely unaccountable private militia [ICE / DHS] are not what the founders had in mind.]
In any event, here is her patent-lunacy in full -- pulled from an exhibit (in the federal litigation that has preliminarily enjoined her attempts at bossing the Congress around, in DC), and filed in open court:
. . .On January 8, 2026, I issued a new policy directing that requests by Members of Congress to visit an ICE facility be submitted at least seven days in advance of the visit.
On February 2, 2026, in Neguse v. ICE, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia temporarily enjoined DHS from enforcing that policy or otherwise requiring any plaintiff to provide advance notice before conducting oversight visits for a period of 14 days. . . .
The court concluded that DHS’s policy remains inconsistent with Section 527(b) of the Department’s appropriation [funding]. It is odd that the court issued this decision given the appropriation containing Section 527(b) lapsed on January 31, 2026. [Note that Noem has no standing to call a USDC court's order "odd". She may appeal it, but she cannot just sign a new memo (ignoring it). That is the stuff of. . . Putin.]
As a result of the [funding] lapse, Section 527 is not currently in effect. Therefore, as of this date, I am issuing this new policy that is identical in substance to the January 8 access policy. The General Counsel will provide further guidance regarding the effective date of this policy in light of the court’s order. . . .
. . .NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than 5:15 a.m. EST, Friday, Feb. 13, for launch of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Mission teams completed a weather review Tuesday morning and have waived off the Thursday, Feb. 12, launch opportunity due to forecast weather conditions along Crew-12’s flight path.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev remain in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida until the next launch opportunity.
Crew-12 will lift off aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40, and would then dock to the space station’s Harmony module at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. The commercial crew quartet will stay in space for a nine-month microgravity research mission. . . .
. . .The consent decree provides that the PWC memorandum be vacated pursuant to 5 USC § 706. It is the position of the Department of Justice that the APA does not authorize a court to vacate an agency rule, and that if vacatur is an available remedy, then like all equitable remedies, such relief must be subject to traditional equitable limitations, including the principle of party-specific relief.
The Department acknowledges, however, that there is substantial authority opposing this position in some circuits, including the Eleventh Circuit, though the Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue. In jointly requesting with Plaintiff that the Court enter the parties' proposed consent decree, the Department agrees not to pursue this position in this case. . . .
. . .Dr. Oz’s statements come as the country struggles to contain the highly contagious virus, which infected thousands of people in 2025 and appears to be following a similar trajectory this year. The United States is now at risk of losing its elimination status, a designation given to countries that have not had continuous spread of measles for more than a year. Measles has been eliminated in the United States since 2000.
Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, likened Dr. Oz’s comments to taking a garden hose to a forest fire.
“When you cast those kinds of doubts about vaccine safety and effectiveness, one interview on one news show is not going to move the needle,” he said.
Dr. Osterholm argued that Mr. Kennedy began sowing distrust in the vaccine soon after he was confirmed last February. As measles spread through West Texas, he appeared on national television, encouraging vaccination and then, almost in the same breath, raising questions about its safety. . . .
. . .“[All future US governmental] Defendants agree not to issue any memorandum or otherwise adopt any policy that uses the Secretary of Homeland Security’s parole authority under Section 1182(d)(5) to create a categorical processing pathway for aliens at the border primarily to alleviate concerns over detention capacity or improve the Department of Homeland Security’s operational efficiency, including any memorandum or policy shifting the initiation of removal proceedings from the border to the interior or otherwise postponing the initiation of removal proceedings. . . .”
. . .ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will launch to the International Space Station no earlier than 12 February 2026 for a mission called εpsilon.
The mission name embodies the essence of small, yet impactful, contributions.
In mathematics, ε denotes a small quantity, much like an astronaut's role in the vastness of spaceflight.
In astronomy, it represents the fifth-brightest star in a constellation.
Sophie will fly to space with her Crew-12 crewmates on a SpaceX Dragon launching from Florida, USA. The crew of four includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev. . . .
. . .The consensus EPS Estimate is $1.83 on revenue of $7.68B, which translates to a 1.5% jump compared to the corresponding quarter a year ago.
Seeking Alpha analyst Narek Hovhannisyan expects the company to outperform market expectations, driven by strong demand for its core drugs and controlled costs. Over the last 2 years, GILD has beaten EPS and revenue estimates 88% of the time.
UBS holds an extremely optimistic view of the company for FY26 on expectations of strong HIV PrEP sales from Yeztugo, which, analysts say, are likely to drive revenue and earnings growth and boost confidence in longer-term performance. . . .
Beyond its core business, Gilead has moved into a more measured phase of dealmaking, focusing on strengthening its oncology and immunology pipelines, analysts at Bernstein noted.
“They continue to highlight Cymabay style deals ($4.3B in PBC - liver/inflammation). This scale of deal & spend aligns with investor’s willingness to see Gilead diversify,” UBS analyst Courtney Breen said. . . .
. . .Evanston’s Reparations Committee announced Feb. 5 it will issue reparation payments to 44 additional descendants this summer, while providing an update on its DNA Roots Program and exploring a potential tax on Delta-8 THC products in an effort to expand funding.
The Reparations Program, established in 2019 and later approved by City Council in 2021, is the first government-funded initiative in the United States aimed at providing reparations for Black Evanston residents who experienced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969 and to direct descendants of those residents.
Each of the 44 descendants will receive $25,000 in reparation payments intended for housing expenses, Cynthia Vargas, Evanston’s Communications and Community Engagement Manager, stated in an email to the Tribune.
“Over the next few weeks, residents assigned numbers 127 through 171 will be contacted to let them know their payment is on the way,” Tasheik Kerr, assistant to the city manager, said. . . .
[Separately,] LaKisha David, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, updated the committee on Evanston’s DNA Roots Pilot Program, which offers free DNA testing for African American descendants of [formerly-enslaved persons] to trace back their ancestry and possibly connect them with living relatives in Africa. . . .
