Head’s Up! Van Allen Probe-A -- 1,300 Lbs. Of Metal, Burning In — Later Tuesday: NASA

To be clear -- I am sure NASA is double-checking SpaceForce's work. And I think SAIC is generally competent -- but here less than 16 hours away from "burn-in", SpaceForce only gives a plus-or-minus 24 hour guess, on timing. That's pretty underwhelming, from a math standpoint. And the link SpaceForce gave NASA, for updated calcs. . . is actually a password-only SAIC logged site.

So, if it is going to hit your house. . . it is just gonna'. . . hit your house, pal. Crazy. Here's the more well-thought out piece, from NASA:

. . .NASA’s Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere almost 14 years after launch. From 2012 to 2019, the spacecraft and its twin, Van Allen Probe B, flew through the Van Allen belts, rings of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, to understand how particles were gained and lost. The belts shield Earth from cosmic radiation, solar storms, and the constantly streaming solar wind that are harmful to humans and can damage technology, so understanding them is important.

As of March 9, 2026, [agencies] predicted that the roughly 1,323-pound spacecraft will re-enter the atmosphere at approximately 7:45 p.m. EDT on March 10, 2026, with an uncertainty of +/- 24 hours.

NASA expects most of the spacecraft to burn up as it travels through the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive re-entry.

The risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is low — approximately 1 in 4,200. . . .

In any event, while I do trust NASA, it may be that SAIC isn't supplying the best raw telemetry data. . . it might be a good idea to wear that hardhat, after about noon here US time, on Tuesday -- if you're going outside for lunch -- just the same. Grin.

नमस्ते

Awaiting A Mediation Schedule, Now -- In Merck v. Merck Lanham Act Litigation In USDC NJ...

Along with Judge Hammer, we await a schedule for this colossal mediation.

There are literally high-single-digit (to low double digit) billions at stake, to a certainty, here:

. . .TEXT ORDER:

The parties having agreed on the selection of Judge Hochberg as a mediator per their March 6, 2026 joint letter, on or before March 27^th, the parties will kindly inform the Undersigned of the date of the mediation.

So Ordered by Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer on 3/9/2026. (Hammer, Michael). . .

Onward, smiling.

नमस्ते

Tangent: The Iran War (However Long It Lasts) Will Not Be Kind To Bitcoin -- Or The Alt-Coins. Trust That. Get... Overweighted, Into Pharma.

Yes. . . it was a tumultuous day in the trad-fi markets. Oil was over $110 a barrel early, but as calmer heads prevailed (and realized that mostly affects China's supplies of oil), it is now around $88 and change. General industrial stocks were off early, but even they are moderating late today.

My central point here is this: in times of war and upheaval, it is generally true that pharma and life-science companies will far outperform the regular stocks -- and will out-run gold, and certainly will be safer than Bitcoin (or crypto- ones and zeroes, overall).

People will need life-saving bioscience solutions -- as we all age, independent of any war.

And with war, the medicines used "in the field" are always bought in vast supplies, by the Israeli and US forces [and stockpiled as reserves].

[Here think about antibiotics, IV bags, vaccines and. . . wound dressing kits.]

So -- as CoinDesk vainly tries to polish the BTC turd [early today, saying a long war favors BTC -- then reversing after Tangerine 2.0 said it could be a short war (CoinDesk claims -- three hours later -- that too favors BTC!?) do recall that it was over double where it is now, as recently as October 2025. [This is no safe-haven asset -- in fact, gold really isn't either -- but that's a story for another day.]

Do also note that cutting edge bio-science like that seen at above right. . . (and mentioned here, last week) for Huntington's Disease. . . has tripled, in just a week's time. And that is not fading with today's volatility. In fact, overall pharma was up about 2% all day today.

Sure, there will be some see-saw, but Merck, Moderna and Amgen (as examples) will NOT lose half their value in any six weeks on record.

Want a bet on safety,with fat dividends? And a proven decades long track record of high earnings?

Bet on the big life sciences names. . . though at the moment, I might shy away from. . . Pfizer.

You heard it here first [of course, do your own due diligence]. When someone touts an investment -- always ask yourself: "What is the REAL risk profile vs. the return possibility?"

And. . . "What are. . . the other alternatives, open to me?"

BTC. . . doesn't make the cut, in war times.

Out.

नमस्ते

Update: Abrego's Motion For Sanctions [And Damages!] Against The Noemites -- To Be Forthcoming, In Maryland... Per This Morning's Phone Conference With USDC Judge Xinis.

About time! This below means that the DoJ / DHS and ICE will owe Mr. Abrego Garcia a (large) payment for all the legal fees he expended, fighting for his right. . . to have. . . rights.

Mr. Hecker's firm will be reimbursed for what is easily at least a million dollars, here and in Nashville -- too. But Abrego and his family should also win damages, for being unlawfully ID-ed in Maryland court documents (including home addresses!) filed by the Noemites. This forced his family to go into hiding, after death threats were received at the home. Here's that order [and separately, Mr. Abrego Garcia has won the right to go to a church of his choosing (all details sealed) on Sundays, without any person on the government side disclosing any details about those private faith-based activities -- that order was entered in Nashville over the weekend]:

. . .PAPERLESS ORDER:

For the reasons discussed during today's recorded call, ECF No. 200 is DENIED as moot.

Plaintiffs' Oral Motion to Withdrawn ECF No. 211 is GRANTED, pending a renewed motion to be filed no later than March 23, 2026.

By March 23, 2026, the parties SHALL file a joint status report proposing a hearing and briefing schedule in connection with any supplemental motion for sanctions.

Signed by Judge Paula Xinis on 3/9/2026.. . .

What a topsy-turvy world these ICE folks have engendered with their. . . endless lawlessness. Damn.

नमस्ते

Updates, On Lassa Fever's Continued Spread, In West Africa...

We had last reported in 2016 on an elegant knockout approach -- at Oxford University -- to subduing Ebola. Lassa is a close cousin, though not quite as lethal as the Ebola virus. Still, it presents with high hemorrhagic fevers and not too infrequently, a spiral down and then. . . death. [In fact, a man who had traveled to Liberia last year -- returned to Iowa, and was diagnosed with Lassa. . . and even with the fine care, and facilities -- at the University of Iowa, ultimately succumbed to the virus.]

And so, building on that earlier Oxford work, the med school continues working on a protein-based Lassa vaccine candidate -- which is now in investigational trials, in Africa. We are hopeful that it will deliver high efficacy -- since the virus is known to be circulating in Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa. Here's the latest, from GAVI:

. . .Lassa fever kills thousands of people every year in West Africa, but many of those infections go undiagnosed until it’s too late.

With the Ebola-like haemorrhagic disease now emerging in hospitals from Iowa to Johannesburg and Beijing, it’s a problem that is pushing beyond West Africa’s borders.

A new study in Liberia, published by the Lancet Infectious Diseases, found that 11% of people admitted to hospital with fever who weren’t suspected to have Lassa fever, turned out to be infected.

The study authors argue this points to an urgent need for a clearer understanding of the symptomology and better detection and treatment. . . .

Among people admitted with fever with no clinical suspicion of Lassa. . . children and adolescents between 5 and 17 years old accounted for about 43% of confirmed cases, above. . . .

Now you know -- and, where is the USA [and USAID] on all of this? Damn.

नमस्ते

Geneva Convention, Art. 54: The Bombing / Destruction Of Drinking Water Facilities... Is Clearly To Be OFF-LIMITS.

This would have been unthinkable (of LBJ / Nixon) -- even in the darkest days of Vietnam (and was last widely employed by Nazis, in 1945 -- as they were being run over and routed -- at the end of WWII).

Here tonight, we see the US is indisputably "looking the other way", as Israel targets desalination plants -- in Iran. This is a desert nation, and its drinking water comes from taking the salt out of. . . the sea water.

That is -- the bulk of its civilian population. . . will be dead -- in weeks -- without these industrial scale desalination plants. [And this is a deplorable echo, of the Israeli forces pouring concrete down the drinking water wells, in Gaza -- just two years ago.] These are. . . unmistakably. . . pattern act / war crimes.

Even if the US is not itself firing the missiles and dropping the bombs -- it is complicit in letting Bibi do these unspeakable horrors. History will not be kind to Whiskey Pete Hegseth, Lil' Marco Rubio, and Tangerine 2.0. Nor Bibi. Specifically, this is the Article of the Geneva Conventions at issue:

. . .Article 54 – Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population

1. Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.

2. It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works, for the specific purpose of denying them for their sustenance value to the civilian population or to the adverse Party, whatever the motive, whether in order to starve out civilians, to cause them to move away, or for any other motive. . . .

Who are. . . these. . . evil men? This cruel insanity must be reigned in, by our Congress -- as Trump himself is now the senile vassal -- of Bibi. Damnation. Out.

नमस्ते

Trump "Couldn't Be Bothered" To Obey Military Protocol -- And Take His Hat Off. Damn.

Though, for me -- the idea that the bodies of the fallen were "held" on the plane, on the tarmac -- from about 2 AM Friday morning, to yesterday afternoon. . . is the most disgusting aspect of it all.

At least three times during his two terms, President Obama rose at around 1 AM, to meet a plane at 2 AM, promptly arriving to stand at attention, during the fallen troops' transport -- at Dover AFB. That was when the planes landed -- and the dead should not be housed (like beef), in a locker -- until Tangerine 2.0 can get around to fitting them in to his golf / campaigning schedule. Damnation:

. . .The transfer is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander-in-chief. During Saturday’s event, the president wore a Trump-branded “USA” golf cap. Cellphones were not allowed during the entirety of the dignified transfer. . . .

Those killed in action were Sgt first class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief warrant officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Maj Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Sgt first class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.

The families of the six army reserve members were present during the transfer. . . .

I truly have. . . no words. Damn. This dishonors their sacrifices -- and the families of the fallen.

Indeed, “…Shape without form, shade without colour,

Paralyzed force, gesture without motion…

Is it like this

In death’s other kingdom

Waking alone…”

TS Eliot was spot-on.

नमस्ते

Updating Our Assessment -- Of Moderna’s Prospects…

Back in November of 2024, we first offered our comprehensive assessment of what was then deeply undervalued Moderna. Our assessment is that it still remains undervalued (but now by less than 30%).

That said, on November 18, 2025, it was trading down around $22 a share -- during peak lunacy from RFK on vaccines, generally.

Here in early March 2026, Vinay Prashad has once again left / been pushed out(?) of FDA for the second time in a year -- after spouting nonsense about various bioscience matters. That is good news, if long overdue, for all vaccine makers, but especially Moderna.

And so, we noticed that Moderna is now up over 130% since November of 2025, trading above $57, early last week (but pulling back a touch, to $52 by Friday).

Even so, we stand by our original analysis / conclusion -- that the stock is worth closer to $85, when fairly valued for the long-lived vaccine franchises. RFK's lunacy about vaccines will fade in time, and while it is unlikely that Moderna will return to the $448 level it saw in the chaos of Covid in 2021, $100 a share is possible -- once sensible science takes full-hold again.

Here is that news on Prashad, but do not be afraid that Moderna has reached overvalued stage. . . the firm still has quite a ways to run:

. . .The Food and Drug Administration's embattled vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, is once again leaving the agency — the second time in less than a year that he's departed after controversial decisions involving the review of vaccinations and specialty drugs for rare diseases.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced the news to FDA staff in an email late Friday, saying Prasad would depart at the end of April. Makary said Prasad would return to his academic job at the University of California, San Francisco. . . .

It is truly unfortunate that ill-informed political winds still are endangering the health of American children, but hopefully that time is coming to an end. And with it, Moderna's RSV vaccine, and mRNA vaccine makers generally -- should flourish. Onward.

नमस्ते

Unfortunate News: ESA's Solar Coronagraph / Twinning Mission Has Lost Touch With The "Camera" Component / Spacecraft...

The very bad news is. . . that the batteries are likely drained -- based on the time since a confirmed sun-facing attitude, for the heavier "photo-shooter" component.

Here is the latest, from last night -- at the European Space Agency:

. . .The anomaly caused an apparent chain reaction that prevented the Coronagraph from entering safe mode and led to a "progressive loss of attitude," the ESA update said. The change in orientation pointed the spacecraft's solar panels away from the sun, quickly draining its batteries and triggering a "survival mode."

As they search for a cause, mission operators are investigating how they might safely steer the Occulter probe closer to the Coronagraph to assist in diagnosing the issue and reestablishing contact. ESA officials said they will provide updates "as new information becomes available. . . ."

The Proba-3 spacecraft entered [a] precise station-keeping formation in May 2025, demonstrating for the first time ever the ability for two spacecraft to remain in such synchronicity. Then, in June 2025, the mission captured its first photos of an artificial solar eclipse.

Now, ESA is trying to determine what exactly went wrong last month. "The root cause of the anomaly is under investigation, and mission teams are working hard to recover the situation," the agency said in an update on March 6. . . .

Here's to still-hoping for a good outcome -- but normal solar battery chemistry / physics would tell us that that is now. . . unlikely. The clock has wound down. Onward, just the same [and I think we can officially declare MAVEN, at Mars. . . DOA, for NASA.]

नमस्ते

In Merck Vs. Merck Name Fight -- Global Mediation Ahead -- Trial Date Temporarily Stayed... [Power-Alley]

I am well-gratified to see this (finally). It has been a long time coming, but it makes a lot of sense. And it may yet. . . fail.

But. . . in at least some important ways, this federal Lanham Act name fight. . . is a humongous. . . "divorce" -- and subsequent splitting of IP assets. A mediation allows both sides to win on certain points -- and concede some -- without losing it all. Not a "zero sum game." Or, so it is hoped. Here's that:

. . .Dear Judge Hammer:

We, along with Sidley Austin LLP, represent Plaintiffs Merck & Co., Inc. and Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. in the above-referenced matter. We write on behalf of all parties to submit this joint status report regarding the selection of a mediator pursuant to the Court’s February 19, 2026 Order. (ECF No. 316).

The parties have met and conferred and agree to the selection of Judge Faith S. Hochberg as mediator for global mediation.

Each side has counsel who are familiar with Judge Hochberg through her longstanding presence within the legal community. The parties have disclosed to each other specific circumstances of the prior contacts described below and agree they do not present any conflict to this mediation.

Plaintiffs’ counsel had a brief contact with Judge Hochberg for the Malaysia case between the parties in December 2023. Plaintiffs were looking for an expert on New Jersey contract law for that matter. Plaintiffs’ counsel asked Judge Hochberg whether her consulting services include such expert work. She was not able to take on that engagement. No documents or substantive information were shared with her, and no further discussions occurred.

Defendant’s counsel, Judge Stephen M. Orlofsky, knows Judge Hochberg, as they were colleagues and friends on the bench. Since leaving the bench, Judge Orlofsky and Judge Hochberg have sat on arbitration panels together. All of those arbitrations are concluded and involved different parties and different issues. Judge Orlofsky has never discussed this case with Judge Hochberg and does not see any of this as presenting a conflict.

We appreciate the Court’s assistance with this matter. . . .

This is a genuinely. . . encouraging development -- in the decades of open litigation, around the globe. Onward.

नमस्ते

It Is A Complex [Indicative] Ruling -- But It Means The Minn. Federal Class Action, Against Noem/ICE Continues...

As expected, the able District Court Judge Menendez has ruled, this evening.

She has given the upper court [Eighth Cir.] the ability to dispose of the appeal -- which is always preferred, where no live issue still exists, as the basis for the appeal.

Sorry, Noemites -- you are going to lose -- again. From the indicative ruling then:

. . .Defendants’ arguments to the contrary are unpersuasive. First, Defendants emphasize that the Injunction covers plaintiffs who “record, observe, and/or protest Operation Metro Surge and related operations that have been ongoing in this District since December 4, 2025.” (Id. at 81 ¶ 1 (emphasis added).) But Defendants’ focus on “and related operations” strips this clause of its context. The plain language of the Injunction -- both in its discussion of the Court’s limitations as to breadth and in the decretal language -- clearly ties it to OMS, which is now over. Moreover, Defendants’ reading would vitiate any temporal limit whatsoever on the Injunction, which is far from the limited order the Court intended. . . .

Defendants oppose dissolution of the Injunction because Plaintiffs refuse to dismiss the case as a whole. They argue that “if the preliminary injunction is moot, then so is Plaintiffs’ First Amended Complaint.” (Dkt. 245 at 5.) According to Defendants, Plaintiffs are engaged in a “gambit” designed “to evade a potential adverse decision from the Eighth Circuit.” (Id. at 7.) Defendants’ argument that the case as a whole suffers from the same mootness issues that Plaintiffs ascribe to the Injunction is not without some force. It is not yet apparent whether there is, in fact, any daylight between the Plaintiffs’ assertion that the Injunction is moot and their anticipated position that there nevertheless remains a live case or controversy in the Amended Complaint. However, the issue of whether the entire case is now moot is not currently before the Court, and the Court declines to address it prematurely. Should the Eighth Circuit remand this matter to this Court so it can grant a motion to dissolve the Injunction, nothing will prevent Defendants from then arguing that the entire case should be dismissed on mootness grounds as well. The Court will cross that bridge when it comes to it. But the tension in Plaintiffs’ position on these issues does not preclude a finding that the end of OMS has rendered the January 16 Injunction moot. . . .

For the reasons stated herein, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Plaintiffs’ Motion for an Indicative Ruling Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 62.1 (Dkt. 237) is GRANTED.

2. Pursuant to Rule 62.1, the Court indicates that it would grant a motion to dissolve the January 16, 2026 Preliminary Injunction (Dkt. 85) as moot if the Court of Appeals remands for that purpose. . . .

The injunction is at an end, but the case continues in the trial courts -- and the Eighth Circuit appeal is going to be dismissed, as the DHS/ICE appeal is now of a non-existent injunction. Got that? Cool.

To be clear, among other things, the plaintiffs are still owed damages for ICE's past violation of their free speech and assembly rights -- as well as the right to orders against any additional lawless ICE/DHS sweep operations, aimed at the same protesters/detainees (sans warrants).

Onward.

नमस्ते

[U: Jurors' Notes] I'll Bet Martin Shkreli WILL NOT Be Called For The Second Trial -- Jury Deadlocked. Wow.

Of course, since the indictment alleges a three count set of felonies -- there will be a retrial. Bank on that.

[Trivially, here are the jury instructions, as given. Heh.]

The jury indicated it could not come to a verdict. And forgive me -- but as of last night, I was wondering about a guilty as to the other two charges, and an acquittal (actually, a nullification) as to the alleged crimes against Martin Shkreli, himself.

We shall see -- but that may mean that Martin won't be a state's witness, next time:

. . .Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Jacqueline Becerra:

Jury Trial as to Kevin Patrick Mulleady held on 3/5/2026. Day 4.

The Jury continued to deliberate and were given the Allen Charge [to keep deliberating]. . . .

Mistrial declared as the Jurors could not come to a Verdict. Trial completed. Jurors released.

New Trial to be set.

Total time in court: 7 hour(s).

Attorney Appearance(s): Jonathan Jacobson, Felipe Plechac-Diaz, Elizabeth Blair, Evan Lewis Kuhl, and Kathleen Ellen Mollison. . . .

My observation: The jurors' handwritten notes plainly confirm that they were deeply, irretrievably. . . divided, even after 10 hours.

Onward -- now you know -- the truth will always be far stranger. . . .

नमस्ते

If No Trial Court Ruling Comes This Evening, In Minneapolis On The Class Action Against ICE & Noem... The Eighth Cir. Will Then Resume Appeal Briefing Schedules...

We will check back in after dinner tonight, to see if the district court has made an indicative ruling on the preliminary injunction, here.

This is to address the lawlessness by ICE/DHS under Bovino and Kristi Noem [both of whom have been relieved of their duties now] -- lawlessness that culminated in the senseless deaths of Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti. This was a time completely out of control of the rule of law, in Minnesota. Here's the latest:

. . .JUDGE ORDER:

After consideration of Plaintiffs-Appellees’ Motion to Stay Proceedings [5608452-2] and the Government’s response, the Court will hold this appeal in abeyance until March 6, 2026 pending an indicative ruling by the district court on a motion to dissolve the preliminary injunction. See Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 62.1.

If no indicative ruling is entered by that date or the district court denies such a motion, the appeal will proceed in due course.

Judge Stras would deny the motion to stay the appeal. Adp Jan 2026 [5609632] [26-1105]. . . .

Now you know. Onward, resolutely -- just the same.

नमस्ते

Gilead Now In Talks To Actually Manufacture AIDS Therapeutic In South Africa -- As Well As Sell It, At A Discounted License Rate. Good On Them!

This is on top of already discounted sales arrangements for Sunlenca^® / Lenacapavir in about 120 emerging economy nations. And it is the responsible, moral and ethically-correct thing to do. The burden of AIDS remains staggering in much of the world -- especially the areas least able to afford the next-gen therapeutics.

Here's that from Reuters [but the more informed take belongs to my buddy Ed Silverman ($ subs. req.), over at Stat+ -- do go read his, of yesterday].

. . .Gilead, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, granted six voluntary licences in 2024 to generic manufacturers across India, Egypt and Pakistan to produce and supply the drug ⁠to 120 low- and middle-income countries. These included South Africa, although there was criticism that no South African drugmakers were included.

A licence for a South African company would be the seventh such deal, potentially boosting access to a drug many HIV/AIDS experts have said could help bring an end to the 44-year-old pandemic by slashing the numbers of new infections.

Gilead said it has been open to adding an additional voluntary license for local manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa. "Gilead will review the proposals and assess ​whether required quality standards can be met before any voluntary license is granted," the company said in an email. . . .

Do well, by going good -- indeed. Onward, smiling into a very London-, or Dublin-like morning again, here.

नमस्ते

Tangent / Epilogue: “Beyond” Removes “Meat” From Its Name. Hilarious!

[This is just some lighter fare, from one of our other properties, this morning -- about the likely end of the "pea-protein" based retail grocery offering called "Beyond Meat". Enjoy.]

I must admit. . . I had not looked in on this name / train-wreck in quite a while… With a trading range between $0.70 and $0.90 a share (down from $279, at the top). . . What’s the point?

However, I did notice this morning that the company has "re-branded" itself to take the descriptor "meat" out of its trademarks and word-marks. [Oddly, it has left the steer in its graphical logo, though?!]

In any event, it apparently plans to emphasize the selling of functional beverages -- ones that are "plant based".

Ahem. In a prior life at a Fortune 125 healthcare and life sciences company, I co-led a team that brought to market a functional beverage -- to be sold in hospitals and alternate care settings.

Confessional/B-School Case Study: we failed -- and failed, miserably -- because the giant water companies introduced various “faux” functional waters, at about 1/5^th of the price of the offering we put on the shelves in groceries and ultimately, hospitals.

I am willing to bet my last dollar (for a donut-hole) that the same outcome is going to appear for our friends at “Beyond _____“.

Onward, grinning -- out into a thick fog. Heh.

नमस्ते

See Ya’ — Hey, Hey ICE Barbie! Bub-Bye!

I am sure this new guy won't be any more law-abiding, but I do love seeing people's karma come back around -- to greet them, just the same.More soon.

We are pretty sure her combative stance with members of her own party this week, on the Hill. . . did her in. I love that some hard-right loons had been pushing her as the next GOP nominee for 1600 Penn. No more, I'd say. Hilarious! From the NYT, then:

. . .President Trump announced Thursday that he was firing his homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and wanted Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her. He announced it on his social media platform, Truth Social. . . .

Mr. Trump announced the change on social media, along with a new, and previously nonexistent, role for Ms. Noem: special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, which he said would be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere.

Mr. Trump is close with Mr. Mullin, a Republican, and speaks with him regularly.

Ms. Noem — the first cabinet member to be ousted in Mr. Trump’s second term — had been among the key figures in the administration fulfilling his mass deportation effort, which he campaigned on aggressively and which was heavily influenced by Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser.

But her tenure had been marked by a string of controversies, and her fate had been the focus of speculation among Mr. Trump’s allies for several weeks. On Thursday, the president contradicted remarks that Ms. Noem made under penalty of perjury in her hearing before a Senate panel on Wednesday: that Mr. Trump had signed off ​on a border security advertising campaign featuring Ms. Noem.

“I never knew anything about it,” Mr. Trump told Reuters. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment, and referred a reporter to Mr. Trump’s comments to Reuters. . . .

Onward, grinning -- ear to ear. What an endlessly stupid chaos machine all of MAGA, forever. . . is. Yikes.

नमस्ते

New Video Installment: Sophie -- On "ε" Training For The Crew-12 ISS Mission...

When things look bleak, globally -- as now. . . we are likely to turn to off-world items, like the below. I'm not sure she'd love the "influencer" label -- but so it goes.

The European Space Agency clearly gets that an "orbiting influencer" paradigm is something NASA cannot yet grasp. So here it is, again -- as earlier in the week -- from Sophie Adenot's feed, and a new YouTube video -- at that ESA εpsilon dashboard we've mentioned:

. . .ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot began her training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, where she studied spacecraft systems and crew operations -- learning to think and act as an astronaut. Alongside this, she conditioned her body for spaceflight and prepared for the physical and operational demands of her mission.

Her preparation includes continuous medical training and support, neutral buoyancy training for spacewalks and immersive virtual reality sessions at ESA’s XR Lab.

This video features interviews with Bimba Hoyer, Flight Surgeon at ESA; Hervé Stevenin, Head of EVA & Parabolic Flight Training Unit and Head of the Neutral Buoyancy Facility; and Lionel Ferra, Software and Artificial Intelligence Team Leader at ESA.

Credits: European Space Agency (ESA). . . .

Onward, grinning.

नमस्ते

Do Go Read All Of EW This Morning. She's Got Him -- Dead To Rights. AGAIN.

As ever, she is the best.

The absolute best -- at re-framing -- for an objective reality. . . what Tangerine 2.0's insane late night social rants REALLY portend:

. . .In reality, though, this very [Truth Social] tweet, Trump’s promise he could and would ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD real soon is a confession — a confession that Trump and his sycophantic advisors didn’t begin to think about the most obvious problem their illegal war of choice would cause until ships were already backed up on both sides of the Strait.

Donald Trump is batshit. He, along with several of his advisors, are under the delirious belief he is all powerful and can effect his will simply by issuing a tweet.

Until that becomes the story, Trump will dodge accountability for the most reckless decision in recent history. . . .

Exactly. Damn. Onward.

नमस्ते

PSA: If Your Summer Travel Plans Are Taking You To Finland, Germany, Israel, Gaza, Poland, Spain, Or The UK: Get A Polio Booster...

This is. . . truly surreal -- but these are the times in which we find ourselves. [That I first saw it in People magazine. . . is also rather disconcerting.]

The CDC's warning is clear though -- and perhaps to be expected in parts of the African continent [where means limitations, not the vanity of personal preference(s). . . drive low vaccination rates]. But the UK? Spain? Germany? Yikes -- here's the latest:

. . .A travel alert has been issued warning Americans to take precautions against polio, which is spreading in Europe and elsewhere across the globe.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a level 2 alert, cautioning travelers to "practice enhanced precautions” before visiting 32 countries. . . .

The full list of countries where polio is spreading includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Finland, Gaza, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. . . .

If you are heading to these countries -- do like Elvis did: go get your booster, before you travel. Polio. That's. . . insane. Onward.

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It Is Nice To See That There Are Still Some Real "Priorities" -- In Next Gen Immuno-Oncology: Good FDA News, At Merck [Power Alley]...

We used to write quite a bit about "priority review vouchers" at FDA (and, more precisely, the secondary market -- in selling and buying them -- we weren't. . . fans of that wrinkle). [But all that has fallen off the radar screen, in large measure, since Tangerine 2.0 has very few actual "pro-life-science" priorities -- and his minion, Kennedy, Jr. seems hell-bent on keeping most new drugs from being approved.] Now, to keep the bidding straight, the company's Belzutifan is already approved in the EU, for a more limited set of indications -- while US patients do already get it under FDA investigational exemptions, at present.

And yet, into the teeth of all of that, a very promising drug candidate has received a new FDA priority review designation (and we know Merck will never sell that!) for treatment of earlier-stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma. That's great news -- as it could mean that Rahway's oral HIF-2α inhibitor might be on market by June 20, 2026, or so.

Here's the latest, from FirstWordPharma.com:

. . .A preliminary interim analysis from a late-stage study of Merck & Co.'s Welireg (belzutifan) in earlier-stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) showed that the oral HIF-2α inhibitor significantly boosting disease-free survival (DFS) when combined with the PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as adjuvant therapy following nephrectomy. The latest readout — building on findings highlighted last October — prompted a priority review by the FDA, with a target action date of June 19.

The LITESPARK-022 trial randomised 1841 patients to receive either Welireg plus Keytruda for approximately one year, or Keytruda plus placebo, with the primary endpoint being DFS.

Results presented Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU) showed that Welireg plus Keytruda lowered the risk of disease recurrence or death by 28% compared with Keytruda plus placebo at a median follow-up of 28.4 months. While the estimated 24-month DFS rate was 80.7% for the combination arm versus 73.7% for the control arm, median DFS was not reached in either group. The trial's key secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS) continues to be evaluated. . . .

Now you know, as Iran is now firing missiles into. . . Turkey. Damn. Damn. Damn. Hegseth had zero sense of what he and Tangerine would unleash, here. And US troops have been (and will be) paying for it -- with their very lives. Damn.

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