Solwd

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf in Washington in a file image. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing for a scenario in which the highly pathogenic avian influenza starts spreading among humans, the agency’s commissioner said on May 8.

“This virus, like all viruses, is mutating. We need to continue to prepare for the possibility that it might jump to humans,” Dr. Robert Califf, the commissioner, told senators during a hearing in Washington.

The influenza, also known as the bird flu or H5N1, has recently started spreading among cattle and other species. One person in Texas has had a confirmed case this year.

So far, genetic sequencing and other data indicate that influenza poses little risk to people, and there are no signs that the flu is transmitting from person-to-person, according to U.S. officials. But they are working on getting treatments, tests, and vaccines ready in case that changes.

“We’ve been busy getting prepared for if the virus does mutate in a way that jumps into humans on a larger level,” Dr. Califf told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.

The patient in Texas primarily experienced one symptom: inflamed eyes. Neither the patient nor many of the cows that have been infected have suffered respiratory symptoms. H5N1 commonly infects the respiratory tracts of birds.

“The real worry is that it will jump to the human lungs, where, when that has happened in other parts of the world for brief outbreaks, the mortality rates have been 25 percent,” Dr. Califf said. The worry is based in part on how viruses typically mutate, such as in the case of COVID-19.

From 2003 to April 1, 2024, 889 cases of H5N1 have been confirmed across the globe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Of the patients, 52 percent have died.

WHO chief scientist Jeremy Farrar said recently that H5N1 has developed into a “global zoonotic animal pandemic” and that scientists are concerned that the virus could evolve to spread among humans.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the organization, said Wednesday that “the virus does not show signs of having adapted to spread among humans, but more surveillance is needed.”

Many experts consulted by the U.S. government are concerned about the jump of the influenza to cattle and other species and how cattle intermingle with pigs, chickens, and humans on farms, according to Dr. Califf. A May 3 study from U.S. and Danish researchers said testing of tissues from cattle indicated the animals could serve as a “mixing vessel” for avian influenza because receptors from chickens, ducks, and humans were expressed in the cows.

While the risk is still low, “if we institute the countermeasures now and reduce the spread of the virus now, then we’re much less likely to see a mutation that jumps to humans for which we’re ill-prepared,” Dr. Califf added.

Current U.S. rules mandate testing of some cattle before being moved to another state. The guidance includes advising workers on farms to wear protective equipment when dealing with animals that may be or are sick with the bird flu.

The FDA is focusing in part on ensuring the country’s milk supply is safe to drink. The agency and its partners have tested samples of milk from grocery stores. Although some samples tested positive, no live virus has been detected, meaning the milk supply is safe, according to the agency.

Test results from beef have also found beef is safe, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The agency has confirmed H5N1 infections in 36 herds across nine states, including Colorado, Kansas, and Michigan. Data from affected cows indicate H5N1 began circulating in cattle in late 2023, according to a preprint paper from the department.

About 70 farm workers are being monitored in Colorado, officials said in a briefing this week, but none have displayed symptoms as of yet.

A Rockville, Maryland-based biotech company called MacroGenics crashed in premarket trading in New York after it revealed five deaths in a clinical trial of its investigative therapy for prostate cancer, according to Bloomberg.  

MacroGenics finished enrolling participants for the TAMARACK Phase 2 study of vobra duo in November 2023. This study involves patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have previously received one treatment targeting the androgen receptor pathway. These participants might also have had one prior treatment, including taxane, but no other chemotherapy. The study aims to test two different doses of vobra duo, either 2.0 mg/kg or 2.7 mg/kg, given every four weeks. 

“The interim safety and anti-tumor activity observed to date in the TAMARACK study look very promising for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer,” Johann DeBono, Regius Professor of Cancer Research and Professor in Experimental Cancer Medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research, London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, stated in a release.

DeBono continued, “With the limited treatment options currently available to these patients, this novel ADC molecule could potentially become the first therapy targeting B7-H3 in patients with prostate cancer and would represent an important new treatment for this population.”

Further in the release, MacroGenics revealed five deaths in the study. They said two deaths have been considered unrelated to the study, while the other three are being investigated. 

A total of five events with fatal outcome occurred as follows: one Grade 5 event in the 2.0 mg/kg dosing cohort: acute myocardial infarction (considered unrelated to study drug by the investigator); three Grade 5 events in the 2.7 mg/kg dosing cohort: one •  cardiac arrest (considered unrelated to study drug by the investigator) and two events of pneumonitis. In addition, a patient in the 2.7 mg/kg dosing cohort had a Grade 3 pleural effusion that is recorded as having a fatal outcome. The latter three deaths are being investigated, as follow-up is incomplete on this ongoing trial. 

In premarket trading, shares crashed 67% on fears of updated efficacy and safety information regarding the clinical trial. 

Wall Street analysts were very sour about the new developments. Here’s what they’re saying (list courtesy of Bloomberg):

BMO Capital Markets (downgrades to market perform from outperform)

Analyst Etzer Darout has lower conviction on MacroGenics’ prostate cancer program, with both efficacy and safety updates for TAMARACK falling short of expectations

Stifel (downgrades to buy from hold)

Analyst Stephen Willey’s primary concerns are not efficacy- driven, but rather reflect safety and tolerability data

The data doesn’t appear meaningfully differentiated from the prior P1 dose-expansion experience

SVB Securities (outperform)

TAMARACK data was notable for its meaningfully deteriorated safety profile which “likely represent one of the worst case scenarios,” says analyst Jonathan Chang

… bears shorted 16.29% of the float or 10 million shares. 

This sets up for a high volume day and wild volatility. 

Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,

A bill introduced in the Senate by two Republicans seeks to place campus protesters on a no-fly list. Across the country, pro-Palestinian students are gathering on campuses and demanding their universities cut ties with the Israeli government over Tel Aviv’s ruthless military operation in Gaza. Across the political spectrum, US politicians attempt to smear all protesters’ pro-Palestinian viewpoint as antisemitic.  

According to the legislation posted on Senator Marsha Blackburn’s website on Wednesday, S.4274 will require the US government to place the campus protesters on a no-fly list. A press release from Blackburn and her Republican colleague Roger Marshall explains, “The No Flights For Terrorists Act, would put any individual including: students, faculty, professors, or paid agitators, on the No-Fly List if they have called for violence against Jewish people, pledged allegiance to US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, or have been subject to disciplinary action by the institution of higher education related to such action.”

Via Getty Images

It adds, “This legislative action comes in response to the continued antisemitic, pro-Hamas protests and encampments that have wreaked violence and chaos on college campuses nationwide.” Blackburn has also called for campus protesters to have their student loans revoked and supports a separate bill that would prevent the activists from having federal student loans relieved. 

Last month, pro-Palestinian protests spread from Columbia in New York City to the rest of the country. The rallies and encampments have been overwhelmingly peaceful and involved Jewish students and organizations. The protesters are demanding their universities cut ties with the Israeli government as they have charged Tel Aviv with conducting a genocide in Gaza.

Still, the students and their supporters have been smeared as anti-Semitic and anti-American by leaders across the political spectrum. Sen. Marshall said, “Hamas terrorist sympathizers don’t just hate Israel, they hate America and everything we stand for. These radical Marxists who are doing Hamas’ bidding across the country on college campuses, threatening the safety of our Jewish students and communities, should be treated the same way we treat the terrorist organization.” 

President Joe Biden made similar remarks on Tuesday. “On college campuses, Jewish students blocked, harassed, attacked while walking to class. Antisemitism — antisemitic posters, slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world’s only Jewish State.”

Wow! Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have introduced a bill that would designate student protesters “Terrorists” and add them to the “No Fly List” (with zero judicial oversight) for protesting Israel, which is deemed “violence against the Jewish people”! pic.twitter.com/ITa7aWFQbS

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) May 8, 2024

The President continued, “There is no place on any campus in America — any place in America — for antisemitism or hate speech or threats of violence of any kind — whether against Jews or anyone else. Violent attacks, destroying property is not peaceful protest.”

He added, “It’s against the law. And we are not a lawless country. We’re a civil society. We uphold the rule of law.”

Rabobank analyst Paul Joules wrote in a note to clients that cocoa prices have likely peaked after crashing in the last several weeks. 

“A combination of weakening global demand and production responses, particularly from countries without a fixed farmgate price, will help alleviate the pronounced uncertainty baked into current futures pricing,” Joules said. 

Still, “it’s likely that inflated cocoa prices will stick around for the next few years,” he noted, adding prices are unlikely to return to “normal” levels quickly but have passed their peak. 

Cocoa futures peaked in New York on April 19, a little above the $12,000 a ton mark, and have since crashed 43%. Prices bottomed at $7,000 and have traded sideways just below the $9,000 level in the last several sessions. 

Traders monitor crop conditions in West Africa, which is the mecca of cocoa growing. The region has been battered by adverse weather conditions and disease, denting harvests and sparking the third annual global deficit. 

New data from forecaster Maxar Technologies shows that precipitation is expected across the Ivory Coast and Ghana over the next five days, thus potentially improving soil moisture in those growing areas. 

In a separate report, analysts from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, noted that the cocoa crash had nothing to do with market fundamentals but everything to do with market liquidity. 

Recall in early April, Bloomberg’s Javier Blas warned:

Liquidity in cocoa markets is quickly evaporating.

The number of outstanding contracts (open interest) in New York and London combined has tumbled 40% since mid-January. NY open interest is at a 12-year low.#cocoa #chocflation

— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) April 9, 2024

Rabobank estimates cocoa prices in the fourth quarter of 2024 will average around $7,000. 

Meanwhile, commodity trader Pierre Andurand stands by his $20,000 price target for later this year. 

Authored by Autumn Spredemann via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images, Shutterstock)

Securing an appointment to see a doctor in the United States is exacerbated by soaring health care demand and fewer doctors. Many specializations are increasingly affected by this trend, but primary care and emergency medicine are among the hardest hit.

The average wait time to see a doctor has increased since 2017 and continued to rise after the demand spike brought on by COVID-19. A survey conducted by AMN Healthcare in 2022 of 15 large metro markets revealed the average time to see a physician was 26 days—an 8 percent increase from 2017 and a 24 percent spike since 2004.

Staff constraints are also felt in hospital emergency departments. Nearly 140 million Americans visited a hospital emergency department in 2021, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, about 13 percent resulted in hospital admission; while thousands waited hours to see a health care provider.

Consequently, many patients leave before being seen by a doctor.

One study analyzed more than 1,000 hospitals between 2017 and the end of 2021 and found those with the worst performance had 4.4 percent of emergency room patients leave before a medical evaluation was conducted. At the end of 2021, that number had risen to upwards of 10 percent.

Compounding the issue is that nearly half of the doctor population will reach retirement age within the next 10 years and career burnout is hitting the rest harder than ever, according to data from Association of American Medical Colleges.

Almost 50 percent of doctors report that they feel burned out, according to a 2024 Medscape report.

These are key factors driving America’s growing scarcity of doctors. Physician Thrive’s 2023 study noted that the United States may have a shortage of 124,000 doctors by 2034. Within that shortfall, up to 48,000 will likely be lost from primary care, while the industry is projected to lose another 58,000 specialists, surgeons, and nurse practitioners.

“This is definitely coming down the pipeline. It’s been coming for a long time, and we’re seeing this all across health care,” emergency physician Dr. Jared Ross told The Epoch Times.

Dr. Ross is also president of Missouri-based Emergency Medical Services, Education & Consulting. He’s watched America’s health care worker crisis unfold on the front lines and says the shortage of physicians is an old problem that’s reached a tipping point.

“We’ve talked about this for years. It’s nothing new. There’s been a number of attempted stop-gap measures that haven’t been all that successful,” he said.

A person walks past an ‘Emergency Entrance’ sign at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on Sept. 22, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Some of these provisional solutions include bringing in more practitioners from foreign countries, medical school loan forgiveness programs, expanding telehealth services, and increasing the number of resident physician training supported by Medicare.

Dr. Ross has seen doctor shortages impact emergency medicine but maintains primary care has “really struggled” to retain physicians.

This is critical for two reasons. One is because health care demands in the United States are rising. The average number of times Americans visit a doctor per year by age group is four times for adults, nine for infants, and twice for children between the ages of five and 15, according to Vanguard Medical Group.

The other reason is due to what Dr. Ross called the “corporatization of medicine.”

“The problem is we have an insurance system that is a massive bureaucracy,” he said.

During a recent conference with other medical leaders, Dr. Ross said it was discussed how America has “really pushed away from the model of traditional health care.”

There was a general consensus within the group that insurance companies have become too powerful in medicine.

“The administrative burden or hassle, as many doctors describe it, is very disheartening,” Dr. William Schaffner, infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told The Epoch Times.

Having worked in medicine for more than 40 years, Dr. Schaffner has witnessed it evolve into something “aggressively more complicated” as insurance companies expand power over doctors. He says this trend became more noticeable by the 1990s.

“Doctors didn’t go to medical school in anticipation of arguing with insurance companies. It’s depressing and discouraging,” Dr. Schaffner said.

In 2020, for the first time, fewer than 50 percent of U.S. physicians worked in private practice, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). Most have chosen to become employees of large medical groups, which has drastically changed the paradigm of health care.

“The shift away from independent practices is emblematic of the fiscal uncertainty and economic stress many physicians face due to statutory payment cuts in Medicare, rising practice costs, and intrusive administrative burdens,” AMA President Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld said in a 2023 statement.

A health care professional suits up to enter a room in the ICU at Van Wert County Hospital in Van Wert, Ohio, on Nov. 20, 2020. (Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images)

Battling With Insurance

The move from independent practice to medical group employee presents its own dilemma. Aside from increased patient loads, it has left doctors at the mercy of having to get prior approval from insurance companies to carry out a medical treatment or procedure.

This forces a quantity-over-quality approach to treatment, according to Dr. Ross.

Prior authorizations are “an absolute headache,” he said. Physicians are now stuck battling with a third party who creates “as many roadblocks as possible because they don’t want to pay out.”

Dr. Schaffner said it took “numerous telephone conversations” with an insurance provider so a family member could get a necessary medical procedure done.

He said part of why it’s challenging is because there needs to be a level of trust on the insurance company’s end. “It’s not just a formal relationship that happens, but there also has to be a trust that develops with the benefits manager. It can take time,” Dr. Schaffner said.

Read more here…

Moments ago the University of Michigan released the latest “report card” on Bidenomics, and to nobody’s surprise – except perhaps a certain senile teleprompter reading, diaper wearing puppet in the White House – it was a total disaster, as Sentiment “unexpectedly” plunged from 77.2 to 67.4, the 9.8 point drop the biggest since August 2021…

… and was not only a 7-sigma miss to expectations of a 76.2 print…

… but was the biggest miss on record!

The collapse in sentiment was broad based, and hammered both current conditions – which plunged from 79.0 to 68.8, badly missing estimates of 79.0 – and also expectations, which plunged from 76.0 to 66.5 (and far below the 75.0 estimated).

The decline in sentiment was broad across age, income and education groups, and also reflected growing concerns about high interest rates. While the labor market has driven economic growth over the last year, the downbeat assessment highlighted in the report adds to evidence of a slowdown.

“Strength in household incomes has been the primary source of support for robust consumer spending over the past couple of years, so a softening in labor market expectations is concerning and — if it continues — may lead to a pullback in consumers’ willingness to spend,’’ Joanne Hsu, director of the survey, said in a statement.

But wait there’s more, because if that was the “stag” part of the report, the UMich report also confirmed that the “flation” isn’t far behind, as the inflation outlook suddenly deteriorated quite dramatically, to wit: 1Year inflation expectations jumped from 3.2% to 2.5%, the highest since November 2023 (and far above estimates of 3.2%), while 5-10 Year inflation expectations also rose from 3.0% to 3.1%, the highest since November.

If that wasn’t enough, the university’s measure of buying conditions for durable goods, some of which are financed, also decreased to a one-year low. And finally, consumers’ perception of their financial situation, as well as short- and long-term economic outlooks, decreased this month.

“Worse yet, consumers expect the pain to continue, as expectations for interest rates deteriorated considerably this month,” Hsu said. “Only one quarter of consumers expect interest rates to fall in the year ahead, compared with 32% in April.”

One possible reason for the shocking collapse in the print is that, as Pantheon Macro noted ahead of the print, UMich is in the process of switching from phone to an online survey, which according to Pantheon was, get this, “likely to weigh on the headline sentiment because people on the phone are more optimistic than the online applications.” Riiight. If anything the transition from phone to online just means that people are actually more truthful in their responses and, well… we just saw the result!

In short: the verdict for Bidenomics is in, and it’s a complete disaster, as for Powell’s recent laughable comment that he can’t see the “stag” nor the “flation”… well, Fed chair, they just bit you on the ass.

All hell is breaking out at Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg on Friday as hundreds of woke Marxist extremists storm the property. 

Videos on X show hundreds of people running towards the massive factory. 

BREAKING: Far-left extremists just tried storming a Tesla factory near Berlinpic.twitter.com/yspqWa0afZ

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 10, 2024

Hunderte Aktivist:innen haben erfolgreich das Werksgelände von Tesla erreicht und feiern das Erreichen ihres Ziels!

Die Produktion steht still. Heute wird kein Auto gebaut.#DisruptTesla pic.twitter.com/P0tWwwjChR

— Disrupt (@disrupt__now) May 10, 2024

„Say it loud, say it clear #ElonMusk is not welcome here”#DisruptTesla action in #Grünheide starts now pic.twitter.com/ZXjvohTsCV

— the brake (@TheBrakeNet) May 10, 2024

Im Zuge der Tesla Aktionstage blokieren Aktivist*innen eine Straße mit einem Tripod. Sie fordern alternative Orte des Zusammenkommens für Alle statt dreckiger Autos! 🥳🥳 #stoptesla pic.twitter.com/iEMGRVcBZm

— Disrupt (@disrupt__now) May 10, 2024

“Most of those demonstrators do not come from Grünheide if any at all, they are not just against Tesla but against any form of capitalism and that’s a pretty ridiculous claim as its the best system to balance capital between poor and rich that exist. Its a wild mixture of people mainly believing in the lies of the media and activated from environmental organisations who amplify an ill designed protest,” one X user said. 

A few hundred demonstrators, who are against capitalism and do not want vehicles to be produced at all from anyone, were tpday, Friday stopped by the police as they marched towards the Tesla site at 🇩🇪 Giga Berlin.

Activists tried to break into the Tesla factory premises in… pic.twitter.com/Y5z6JWRdmL

— Alex (@alex_avoigt) May 10, 2024

In March, the far-left militant/environmental group known as “Vulkangruppe” (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for sabotaging the power grid near the Tesla factory. 

“No Tesla Is Safe”: Eco-Terrorists Attack German Power Grid, Causing Outage At Gigafactory

Power was restored to the factory days later. 

Tesla Gigafactory In Germany Has Power Restored After Power Grid Attack By Leftist Group

The West has to have a very serious conversation about shady non-governmental organizations funding chaos across Europe and the US. 

From eco-terrorist attacks in Germany to migrant invasions across Europe – and across the Atlantic, migrant invasion on the southern border to BLM protests during Covid to pro-Palestinian demonstrations shutting down critical infrastructure (bridges, highways, and airport terminals) and colleges and universities – this chaos is all funded by Marxist NGOs that all have one goal: kill capitalism and America. 

Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClear Wire,

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has cut short a disastrous book tour after receiving withering criticism for her story of shooting an ill-behaved puppy and unverified claims of meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, RealClearPolitics is first to report. The book, released Tuesday, is titled “No Going Back.”

Noem sat for a series of in-person interviews in New York and was scheduled to travel later in the week to Washington, D.C., before canceling the tour, citing inclement weather.

“Gov. Noem has sold a lot of books on this tour and is back in South Dakota to be prepared for some potential emerging bad weather systems,” spokesman Ian Fury told RCP. Tornadoes touched down in the state Monday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Noem sat for interviews Monday and Tuesday in New York before returning home.

Noem was slated to sit down with RealClearPolitics on Thursday before her team canceled the interview and declined to make her available over the phone.

Once heralded as a rising star on the right, in one week the governor was reduced to a punchline. She provided all the material. “We were supposed to have Gov. Kristi Noem on the show tonight, but she canceled. Her staff blamed bad weather,” deadpanned Greg Gutfeld Tuesday night. “We go to locals for reaction.” The Fox News funnyman then cut to a clip of barking dogs.

Noem had billed her book as “a how-to guide” for political activism, pegging its publication to the ongoing veepstakes to join former President Trump on the GOP ticket. Calamity followed when an excerpt leaked to The Guardian, and what was planned as a national audition was overshadowed by the grisly stories the governor told about herself.

Noem writes of dragging a 14-month-old dog into a gravel pit on her property after the poorly trained animal spoiled a pheasant hunt and attacked a neighbor’s chickens. She killed the puppy named “Cricket” with a shotgun. After dispatching the dog, she turned her attention to an unruly goat. Noem took a shot, but the billy jumped. She writes in her memoir that she left the goat tethered, retrieved more ammunition, then “hurried back to the gravel pit and put him down.”

Despite a growing firestorm of criticism, the author went ahead with her tour, sitting down on Sunday with Margaret Brennan of CBS News. The story from two decades ago, Noem insisted, showed her willingness to make tough decisions.

“This dog was a working dog and had come from a family that had issues with this dog and I had put months and months of training into this dog. This dog had gone to other trainers as well,” Noem said.

“So all of that is the facts of the story, and all of that shows that when you put someone in a position where they have to make a decision and they want to protect their family and protect children and other people from getting attacked from an animal that has attacked others and killed livestock, that’s the choice I made over 20 years ago. And that I didn’t ask somebody else to take that responsibility for me,” she continued.

Noem also appeared to joke in the book about euthanizing President Biden’s dog, Commander, who was removed from White House grounds after numerous biting incidents.

“What would I do if I was president on the first day in office in 2025? Thanks for asking. I happen to have a list. The first thing I’d do is make sure Joe Biden’s dog was nowhere on the grounds (‘Commander, say hello to Cricket for me’),” Noem wrote. The White House was not amused.

“We learned last week, obviously like all of you, in her book that she killed her puppy,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. “You heard me say that was very, very sad. We find her comments from yesterday disturbing. We find them absurd.”

Perhaps more disastrous was the claim Noem made about traveling to North Korea and meeting Kim Jung Un when she served on the House Armed Services Committee in Congress.

“I’m not going to talk about my specific meetings with world leaders. I’m just not going to do that. This anecdote shouldn’t have been in the book and as soon as it was brought to my attention, I made sure that that was adjusted,” she said when pressed about whether the meeting took place.

The publisher of the book, Center Street, announced that subsequent printings of the book would not include the reference. An audiobook, which the governor narrated, is also expected to be edited and updated. The passage in question is brief and sparse in detail.

The North Korean anecdote is two sentences in a 260-page book: “I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”

Prior to the book tour, Noem made little secret about her ambitions for national office. She was quick to criticize the field challenging Trump for the nomination, and in February, the governor traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump and pitch him on joining the ticket. According to sources with knowledge of the meeting, Noem showed Trump polling from Kaplan Strategies that showed her boosting his chances in Wisconsin and Michigan with her as a running mate.

Doug Kaplan, the pollster who conducted the survey, cautioned in a brief interview with RCP that those positive numbers were from “a lifetime ago.”

Noem is now haunted by the dog she dispatched two decades ago. During a Tuesday interview with Stuart Varney on Fox Business, the governor became impatient with the host when he kept returning the conversation to how the dead puppy affected her chances at the vice presidency.

“Enough, Stuart. This interview is ridiculous, which you are doing right now,” Noem said. “So you need to stop. It is OK. It is. Let’s talk about some real topics that Americans care about.”

“I’m afraid we’re out of time,” Varney responded.

The Biden administration is expected to make a major announcement on China tariffs as soon as next week that will impact semiconductors, solar power, and electric vehicles, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. While the possibility of additional tariffs has been widely known, the specific industries to be targeted have now been identified. Moreover, Beijing will likely release angry comments after Biden’s speech next week, followed by a tit-for-tat response. 

Two of the people said the decision to hit China’s “new three” green goods comes after a review of Section 301 tariffs, which were first implemented under former President Trump in 2018. The tariffs primarily target electric vehicles, batteries, and solar cells, with existing tariffs being maintained. They said the announcement is planned for Tuesday. 

The Biden administration is making a bold move against Beijing in an election year as polling data spirals lower as Bidenomics has become a complete failure. It’s not us just saying this. Billionaire investor and Duquesne Family Office Chairman & CEO Stan Druckenmiller told CNBC’s Joe Kernen earlier this week that Bidenomics is a disaster. 

Last month, the president said he would impose  25% tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. Earlier this week, the administration said it would revoke Intel and Qualcomm’s export license to supply semiconductors to Chinese firm Huawei. 

If China were to retaliate, in a tit-for-tat effort, they could hit Elon Musk’s Tesla or continue reducing US agricultural exports of corn and soybean. 

“Instead of correcting its wrong practices, the United States continued to politicize economic and trade issues,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Friday, adding, “To further increase tariffs is to add insult to injury.” 

Meanwhile, if reelected, Trump has promised to hit China with a tsunami of tariffs, vowing a 60% tax on all Chinese imports. 

US Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, warned Beijing will respond:  

“We know how China reacted when Trump put tariffs on … and they hit agriculture with it. I can’t be sure that China would hit agriculture the same as they did in the Trump ones, but they’re going to hit back.”

In markets, Chinese shares of solar firms fell on the news:

Longi shares drop 1.8% in Shanghai, JA Solar -1.7% in Shenzhen, Xinyi Solar -3.8% in Hong Kong

The yuan weakened in both onshore and offshore markets, while CSI 300 Index fell: 

USD/CNH gains 0.1% at 7.2270, pair on track to rise 0.5% on the week, biggest weekly advance since the week ended March 22

USD/CNY rises 0.1% at 7.2251

Bloomberg’s dollar spot index steady; USD/HKD is little changed at 7.8139

CSI 300 Index, benchmark of onshore China stocks, falls as much as 0.6% before paring about half of its decline.

“It’ll definitely cause investors to pause on stocks that are potentially exposed,” said Xin-Yao Ng, director of investment at abrdn. He added, “Everyone knows it’s a risk.” 

Here’s what other Wall Street analysts are saying (list courtesy of Bloomberg):

AllianceBernstein (John Lin)

We are not overly concerned about that because to us geopolitics is now a structural part of investing in China” 
“Everybody understands that there will be periods where things get a little worse and there will be periods where things get a little better. And that fluctuation to us is really an opportunity to add or reduce risk but not a reason to stay away from the market overall”

ANZ Banking Group (Khoon Goh)

News of the US imposing more tariffs against some Chinese imports has seen the yuan weaken slightly
The threat of more tariffs have been known, but if the final outcome is for a more targeted approach, then there is unlikely to be much of a lasting effect on the yuan

Maybank (Fiona Lim)

“You can’t say that this was not expected. Such trade-war era kind of tensions have been in the making ever since Trump spoke about imposing 60% tariff”
People’s Bank of China is keeping the yuan in a tight grip via the fix and offshore liquidity management and that may limit bearish swings to a certain extent
“USDCNH-USDCNY premium could widen in such an environment”

TD Securities (Alex Loo)

It wasn’t a total surprise to us. Trade tensions would likely increase if Biden puts heavy tariffs on China’s products in the coming weeks
We anticipate that yuan would trade on the backfoot given such unfavorable news but expect the PBoC to continue to intervene and smooth out any excessive weakness in the CNY 
Regional currencies are more sensitive to moves in the USD path now since China has been effectively anchoring the yuan

Eastspring Investments (Ken Wong)

This news on the proposed tariffs in particular for Chinese EVs was widely expected
Even so, we are seeing a bit of a pullback in EVs and renewable stocks in HK/China this morning

Saxo Capital Markets (Charu Chanana)

The tariff announcement is a reminder that geopolitics remains a key aspect in considering exposure to China market, and valuations or government support measures are not the only catalysts
This means valuations may continue to “take the ebb and flow of geopolitics into account” and also “increased exposure to domestic-oriented sectors”

IG Markets (Hebe Chen)

“The US’s latest tariff hike on China EV is poised to trigger unprecedented shockwaves through the industry” 
 This move not only deals a crippling blow to China’s new strategic ambitions, but it also marks a potential tipping point, broadening the trade war between Washington and Beijing to a new level 
For Chinese stocks, particularly EV companies, the new tariff decision is akin to a looming tsunami. Investors are bracing for a significant upend as the full impact of the new tariffs unfolds

Shanghai Jade Stone Investment Management (Chen Shi)

We’ve long been expecting more anti-China rhetoric and policies to be amplified closer to the election, and though this is surely a piece of negative news, to us, and to investors in general, the marginal effect is diminishing 
“China has proven through the years that its core edge lies in a strong and comprehensive industrial structure, and that cannot be challenged with tariffs” 
There are plenty of ways for companies to work around this

Deepening a trade war with China comes as Biden’s polling data is absolutely awful. 

This shows Biden’s polling data versus headlines in corporate media featuring trade war-related news.  

A tough-on-China stance could be a new strategy the administration attempts to win back voters.

… it won’t work. 

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Boxing promoter Don King attends the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 26, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Iconic boxing promoter Don King has endorsed former President Donald Trump for president in the 2024 election.

The 92-year-old made the remarks on May 8 on the sidelines of an event after being asked if he has a message for President Trump, who’s facing a bevy of court cases that threaten to derail his presidential campaign.

“Get reelected,” Mr. King said. “And we must reelect him to save ourselves. You know, a vote for Trump is a vote for yourself. Because we’ve got to fight the system of lies and the creation of wrong being right and right being wrong. That’s got to be eliminated.”

He called President Trump “the only man who’s got the intestinal fortitude to be able to stand up and fight the system like it should be fought,”

Mr. King said the former president “underestimated the power of this strong system of corruption and hypocrisy.”

While Mr. King didn’t elaborate on the “system of corruption and hypocrisy” that he had in mind, it could be a reference to the numerous legal battles that the former president is fighting that he and his supporters argue are thinly veiled attempts to use lawfare to derail his comeback bid.

“I want to say to him, let’s [save] America, let’s save ourselves, and then we can help others to be safe,” Mr. King added.

President Trump shared the video on his social media platform, Truth Social, thanking Mr. King for his endorsement and message of encouragement.

‘He’d Be Muhammad Ali’

Mr. King’s sympathies for the former president are well-established, with the boxing promoter being one of few celebrities who endorsed then-candidate Trump in the 2016 election.

Introducing then-candidate Trump at a church event in Ohio in 2016, Mr. King called him “courageous and brave” and said he believed the future president would fix the “corrupt” and “rigged” system and bring the country “back to inclusiveness.”

In mid-2017, after President Trump had spent several months in office, Mr. King told Politico Magazine in an exclusive interview that he believed he was doing an “excellent job” while lamenting the fact that his presidency was being overshadowed by the so-called “Russian collusion” scandal, which later turned out to be a hoax.

At the time, Mr. King told Politico that he believed President Trump was constantly in the crosshairs of the Washington establishment, saying that they would try to “keep him down” at almost any cost—even saying that he warned the president to be on guard for assassination attempts.

“If Trump were a boxer, who would he be?” the interviewer asked the legendary boxing promoter.

“He’d be Muhammad Ali…because he’s going to win,” Mr. King replied. “He’s going to run his mouth, he’s going to talk a lot and he’s going to win.”

The then-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, along with boxing promoter Don King, answers questions from the media after a day of meetings at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2016. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)

The former president has won the support of a number of prominent figures in the fight world, including Mr. King’s best-known protege, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, and Dana White, CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Mr. Tyson endorsed then-candidate Trump for the 2016 election, while Mr. White said recently he supports his 2024 comeback bid.

“He should be president of the United States,” Mr. Tyson told HuffPost in an exclusive interview in 2015. The former champion said he thought a business-minded leader like Trump was exactly what the country needed.

“Let’s try something new. Let’s run America like a business, where no colors matter. Whoever can do the job, gets the job,” Mr. Tyson said.

‘Unfazed’

Mr. White gave his endorsement in an appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast in April, calling President Trump “the most resilient human being I’ve ever met.”

“They’re trying to attack him. They’re trying to ruin him—unfazed,” the UFC president said. “He will walk through fire.”

Former President Donald Trump (R), alongside UFC CEO Dana White (L), attends the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 299 mixed martial arts event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2024. (Giorgio Viera/AFP)

Asked if he thinks President Trump will win reelection, Mr. White said he’s unsure given the “dirty” and “ugly” nature of politics.

“Obviously, I’m rooting for him and I’m behind him and I hope he does.”

It comes as the former president has complained about being stuck in a New York courtroom for his so-called “hush money” trial while he could be out campaigning for reelection.

In a case officially known as The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, the former president is accused of hiding so-called hush money payments to an adult performer by falsifying business records. If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence.

President Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and before he entered the courtroom on April 15, the first day of the trial, he reiterated his position that the case is politically motivated.

“This is really an attack on a political opponent. That’s all it is,” he told reporters outside the courtroom before going inside.