ISSAQUAH, Wash., Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today announced its operating results for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (twelve weeks), ended November 24, 2024. Net sales for the first quarter increased 7.5 percent, to $60.99 billion from $56.72 billion last year. Comparable sales for the first quarter fiscal 2025 were as follows: *Excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange. Net income for the quarter was $1,798 million, $4.04 per diluted share, compared to $1,589 million, $3.58 per diluted share, last year. This year’s results included a tax benefit of $100 million, $0.22 per diluted share, related to stock-based compensation. Last year’s results included a tax benefit of $44 million, $0.10 per diluted share, also related to stock-based compensation. Costco currently operates 897 warehouses, including 617 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 109 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 36 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. A conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT) today, December 12, 2024, and is available via a webcast on investor.costco.com (click “Events & Presentations”). Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, inflation or deflation, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health-care costs and wages), workforce interruptions, energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), the ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, regulatory and other impacts related to environmental and social matters, public-health related factors, and other risks identified from time to time in the Company’s public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Comparable sales and comparable sales excluding impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange are intended as supplemental information and are not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. COST-EarnMacron vows to serve remainder of term as French president100 percent of evaluable patients for minimal residual disease (MRD) testing achieved MRD negativity in MajesTEC-5 as induction therapy and MajesTEC-4 as maintenance therapy SAN DIEGO , Dec. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) today announced new frontline data featuring TECVAYLI ® (teclistamab-cqyv) from two investigational studies in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) in induction and maintenance settings. The MajesTEC-5 ( Abstract #493 ) and MajesTEC-4 ( Abstract #494 ) studies establish the potential of TECVAYLI ® for use in newly diagnosed patients, with promising efficacy and a tolerable safety profile. These data were highlighted as oral presentations at the 2024 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. 1,2 Forty-nine patients with transplant-eligible NDMM were treated with TECVAYLI ® in combination with DARZALEX FASPRO ® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj), lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Tec-DRd) or DARZALEX FASPRO ® , bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Tec-DVRd) as induction therapy in the MajesTEC-5 study. 1 All patients who were evaluated for MRD negativity after cycle 3 of induction therapy achieved MRD negativity (10 -5 ) and maintained through cycle 6. 1 "These data from the MajesTEC-5 study build on the growing body of evidence of TECVAYLI combinations that support the potential combinability of TECVAYLI with other effective therapies, demonstrating high rates of MRD-negative responses for evaluable patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma," said Rachel Kobos, M.D., Vice President, Oncology Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. "At Johnson & Johnson, our deep expertise and understanding of multiple myeloma has shaped the regimens we're developing, including our bispecific antibodies in new combinations, and we're committed to exploring the full potential of our therapies to improve outcomes for patients." The safety profiles were manageable and consistent with individual safety profiles. 1 No treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) led to study treatment discontinuation or death; cytokine release syndrome (CRS; Grade 1 or 2) occurred in 65 percent of patients. 1 No patients experienced immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). 1 Grade 3/4 TEAEs included lymphopenia (43 percent), neutropenia (57 percent) and infections (35 percent). 1 "There remains opportunity to achieve even deeper and more sustained outcomes for a broader patient population in the frontline setting," said Marc S. Raab , M.D., Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany .* "These data reinforce the potential of TECVAYLI when used in earlier lines and show that TECVAYLI can be leveraged to optimize existing standard regimens in combination." Results from the safety run-in of the Phase 3 MajesTEC-4 study highlighted the potential of TECVAYLI ® to be administered as a maintenance therapy following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). 2 MajesTEC-4 is the first study to present data on a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) bispecific as monotherapy or combination therapy after ASCT. 2 Low rates of non-hematologic Grade 3/4 TEAEs and discontinuation of treatment due to all TEAEs (5.3 percent) were observed. CRS events were all Grade 1/2, mostly occurring during step-up dosing, and ICANS was not observed. Neutropenia and infections were the most common Grade 3/4 TEAEs. 2 Grade 3/4 neutropenia at 6 months showed a decreased trend in cohorts 2 and 3 with less frequent TECVAYLI ® dosing (cohort 1: 94 percent, cohort 2: 63 percent, cohort 3: 47 percent). 2 A similar trend was observed for all-grade infections (cohort 1: 94 percent; cohort 2: 78 percent; cohort 3: 77 percent). 2 All evaluable patients in cohort 1 who underwent MRD assessment after 12 months of therapy were MRD negative, and 100 percent of evaluable patients assessed in cohorts 2 and 3 were also MRD negative at cycle 6. 2 Further analysis of combination therapies will be evaluated in the Phase 3 MajesTEC-7 study, which is currently enrolling. About MajesTEC-5 Study MajesTEC-5 ( NCT05695508 ) is an ongoing, Phase 2 study of teclistamab and talquetamab, evaluating the safety and efficacy of combination regimens in participants with newly diagnosed transplant eligible multiple myeloma. 3 About MajesTEC-4 Study MajesTEC-4 ( NCT05243797 ) is an ongoing, multicenter, randomized, open-label, Phase 3 study of teclistamab in combination with lenalidomide and teclistamab alone versus lenalidomide alone in participants with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma as maintenance therapy following autologous stem cell transplantation. 4 About MajesTEC-7 Study MajesTEC-7 ( NCT05552222 ) is a Phase 3 randomized study comparing teclistamab in combination with daratumumab SC and lenalidomide (Tec-DR) and talquetamab in combination with daratumumab SC and lenalidomide (Tal-DR) versus daratumumab SC, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (DRd) in participants with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are either ineligible or not intended for autologous stem cell transplant as initial therapy. 5 About TECVAYLI ® TECVAYLI ® (teclistamab-cqyv) received approval from the U.S. FDA in October 2022 as an off-the-shelf (or ready-to-use) antibody that is administered as a subcutaneous treatment for adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received at least four prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 antibody. 6 The European Commission (EC) granted TECVAYLI ® conditional marketing authorization (CMA) in August 2022 as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with RRMM who have received at least three prior therapies, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 antibody, and have demonstrated disease progression since the last therapy. In August 2023 , the EC granted the approval of a Type II variation application for TECVAYLI ® , providing the option for a reduced dosing frequency of 1.5 mg/kg every two weeks in patients who have achieved a complete response (CR) or better for a minimum of six months. TECVAYLI ® is a first-in-class, bispecific T-cell engager antibody therapy that uses innovative science to activate the immune system by binding to the CD3 receptor expressed on the surface of T-cells and to the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells and some healthy B-lineage cells. In February 2024 , the U.S. FDA approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for TECVAYLI ® for a reduced dosing frequency of 1.5 mg/kg every two weeks (Q2W) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have achieved and maintained a CR or better for a minimum of six months. For more information, visit www.TECVAYLI.com . About DARZALEX FASPRO ® and DARZALEX ® DARZALEX FASPRO ® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) received U.S. FDA approval in May 2020 and is approved for nine indications in multiple myeloma, four of which are for frontline treatment in newly diagnosed patients who are transplant eligible or ineligible. It is the only subcutaneous CD38-directed antibody approved to treat patients with MM. DARZALEX FASPRO ® is co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20, Halozyme's ENHANZE ® drug delivery technology. DARZALEX ® is the first CD38-directed antibody approved to treat multiple myeloma. DARZALEX ® -based regimens have been used in the treatment of more than 585,000 patients worldwide and more than 239,000 patients in the U.S. alone. In August 2012 , Janssen Biotech, Inc. and Genmab A/S entered a worldwide agreement, which granted Janssen an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize daratumumab. For more information, visit https://www.darzalexhcp.com. About Multiple Myeloma Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow. 7 In multiple myeloma, these plasma cells proliferate and spread rapidly and replace normal cells in the bone marrow with tumors. 8 Multiple myeloma is the third most common blood cancer worldwide and remains an incurable disease. 9 In 2024, it was estimated that more than 35,000 people will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the U.S. and more than 12,000 people would die from the disease. 10 People living with multiple myeloma have a 5-year survival rate of 59.8 percent. 11 While some people diagnosed with multiple myeloma initially have no symptoms, most patients are diagnosed due to symptoms that can include bone fracture or pain, low red blood cell counts, tiredness, high calcium levels and kidney problems or infections. 12,13 TECVAYLI ® IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION WARNING: CYTOKINE RELEASE SYNDROME and NEUROLOGIC TOXICITY including IMMUNE EFFECTOR CELL- ASSOCIATED NEUROTOXICITY SYNDROME Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), including life-threatening or fatal reactions, can occur in patients receiving TECVAYLI ® . Initiate treatment with TECVAYLI ® step-up dosing schedule to reduce risk of CRS. Withhold TECVAYLI ® until CRS resolves or permanently discontinue based on severity. Neurologic toxicity, including Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) and serious and life- threatening reactions, can occur in patients receiving TECVAYLI ® . Monitor patients for signs or symptoms of neurologic toxicity, including ICANS, during treatment. Withhold TECVAYLI ® until neurologic toxicity resolves or permanently discontinue based on severity. TECVAYLI ® is available only through a restricted program called the TECVAYLI ® and TALVEY ® Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). INDICATION AND USAGE TECVAYLI ® (teclistamab-cqyv) is a bispecific B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed CD3 T-cell engager indicated for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trial(s). WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Cytokine Release Syndrome - TECVAYLI ® can cause cytokine release syndrome (CRS), including life-threatening or fatal reactions. In the clinical trial, CRS occurred in 72% of patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose, with Grade 1 CRS occurring in 50% of patients, Grade 2 in 21%, and Grade 3 in 0.6%. Recurrent CRS occurred in 33% of patients. Most patients experienced CRS following step-up dose 1 (42%), step-up dose 2 (35%), or the initial treatment dose (24%). Less than 3% of patients developed first occurrence of CRS following subsequent doses of TECVAYLI ® . The median time to onset of CRS was 2 (range: 1 to 6) days after the most recent dose with a median duration of 2 (range: 1 to 9) days. Clinical signs and symptoms of CRS included, but were not limited to, fever, hypoxia, chills, hypotension, sinus tachycardia, headache, and elevated liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase elevation). Initiate therapy according to TECVAYLI ® step-up dosing schedule to reduce risk of CRS. Administer pretreatment medications to reduce risk of CRS and monitor patients following administration of TECVAYLI ® accordingly. At the first sign of CRS, immediately evaluate patient for hospitalization. Administer supportive care based on severity and consider further management per current practice guidelines. Withhold or permanently discontinue TECVAYLI ® based on severity. TECVAYLI ® is available only through a restricted program under a REMS. Neurologic Toxicity including ICANS - TECVAYLI ® can cause serious or life-threatening neurologic toxicity, including Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS). In the clinical trial, neurologic toxicity occurred in 57% of patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose, with Grade 3 or 4 neurologic toxicity occurring in 2.4% of patients. The most frequent neurologic toxicities were headache (25%), motor dysfunction (16%), sensory neuropathy (15%), and encephalopathy (13%). With longer follow-up, Grade 4 seizure and fatal Guillain-Barré syndrome (one patient each) occurred in patients who received TECVAYLI ® . In the clinical trial, ICANS was reported in 6% of patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose. Recurrent ICANS occurred in 1.8% of patients. Most patients experienced ICANS following step-up dose 1 (1.2%), step-up dose 2 (0.6%), or the initial treatment dose (1.8%). Less than 3% of patients developed first occurrence of ICANS following subsequent doses of TECVAYLI ® . The median time to onset of ICANS was 4 (range: 2 to 8) days after the most recent dose with a median duration of 3 (range: 1 to 20) days. The most frequent clinical manifestations of ICANS reported were confusional state and dysgraphia. The onset of ICANS can be concurrent with CRS, following resolution of CRS, or in the absence of CRS. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of neurologic toxicity during treatment. At the first sign of neurologic toxicity, including ICANS, immediately evaluate patient and provide supportive therapy based on severity. Withhold or permanently discontinue TECVAYLI ® based on severity per recommendations and consider further management per current practice guidelines. Due to the potential for neurologic toxicity, patients are at risk of depressed level of consciousness. Advise patients to refrain from driving or operating heavy or potentially dangerous machinery during and for 48 hours after completion of TECVAYLI ® step-up dosing schedule and in the event of new onset of any neurologic toxicity symptoms until neurologic toxicity resolves. TECVAYLI ® is available only through a restricted program under a REMS. TECVAYLI ® and TALVEY ® REMS - TECVAYLI ® is available only through a restricted program under a REMS called the TECVAYLI ® and TALVEY ® REMS because of the risks of CRS and neurologic toxicity, including ICANS. Hepatotoxicity - TECVAYLI ® can cause hepatotoxicity, including fatalities. In patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, there was one fatal case of hepatic failure. Elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) occurred in 34% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 elevations in 1.2%. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) occurred in 28% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 elevations in 1.8%. Elevated total bilirubin occurred in 6% of patients with Grade 3 or 4 elevations in 0.6%. Liver enzyme elevation can occur with or without concurrent CRS. Monitor liver enzymes and bilirubin at baseline and during treatment as clinically indicated. Withhold TECVAYLI ® or consider permanent discontinuation of TECVAYLI ® based on severity. Infections - TECVAYLI ® can cause severe, life-threatening, or fatal infections. In patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, serious infections, including opportunistic infections, occurred in 30% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 infections in 35%, and fatal infections in 4.2%. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of infection prior to and during treatment with TECVAYLI ® and treat appropriately. Administer prophylactic antimicrobials according to guidelines. Withhold TECVAYLI ® or consider permanent discontinuation of TECVAYLI ® based on severity. Monitor immunoglobulin levels during treatment with TECVAYLI ® and treat according to guidelines, including infection precautions and antibiotic or antiviral prophylaxis. Neutropenia - TECVAYLI ® can cause neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. In patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, decreased neutrophils occurred in 84% of patients, with Grade 3 or 4 decreased neutrophils in 56%. Febrile neutropenia occurred in 3% of patients. Monitor complete blood cell counts at baseline and periodically during treatment and provide supportive care per local institutional guidelines. Monitor patients with neutropenia for signs of infection. Withhold TECVAYLI ® based on severity. Hypersensitivity and Other Administration Reactions - TECVAYLI ® can cause both systemic administration-related and local injection-site reactions. Systemic Reactions - In patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, 1.2% of patients experienced systemic-administration reactions, which included Grade 1 recurrent pyrexia and Grade 1 swollen tongue. Local Reactions - In patients who received TECVAYLI ® at the recommended dose in the clinical trial, injection-site reactions occurred in 35% of patients, with Grade 1 injection-site reactions in 30% and Grade 2 in 4.8%. Withhold TECVAYLI ® or consider permanent discontinuation of TECVAYLI ® based on severity. Embryo-Fetal Toxicity - Based on its mechanism of action, TECVAYLI ® may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to the fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with TECVAYLI ® and for 5 months after the last dose. ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) were pyrexia, CRS, musculoskeletal pain, injection site reaction, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infection, nausea, headache, pneumonia, and diarrhea. The most common Grade 3 to 4 laboratory abnormalities (≥20%) were decreased lymphocytes, decreased neutrophils, decreased white blood cells, decreased hemoglobin, and decreased platelets. Please read full Prescribing Information , including Boxed WARNING, for TECVAYLI ® . DARZALEX FASPRO ® INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION INDICATIONS DARZALEX FASPRO ® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma: IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION CONTRAINDICATIONS DARZALEX FASPRO ® is contraindicated in patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity to daratumumab, hyaluronidase, or any of the components of the formulation. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Hypersensitivity and Other Administration Reactions Both systemic administration-related reactions, including severe or life-threatening reactions, and local injection-site reactions can occur with DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Fatal reactions have been reported with daratumumab-containing products, including DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Systemic Reactions In a pooled safety population of 1249 patients with multiple myeloma (N=1056) or light chain (AL) amyloidosis (N=193) who received DARZALEX FASPRO ® as monotherapy or in combination, 7% of patients experienced a systemic administration-related reaction (Grade 2: 3.2%, Grade 3: 0.7%, Grade 4: 0.1%). Systemic administration-related reactions occurred in 7% of patients with the first injection, 0.2% with the second injection, and cumulatively 1% with subsequent injections. The median time to onset was 2.9 hours (range: 5 minutes to 3.5 days). Of the 165 systemic administration-related reactions that occurred in 93 patients, 144 (87%) occurred on the day of DARZALEX FASPRO ® administration. Delayed systemic administration-related reactions have occurred in 1% of the patients. Severe reactions included hypoxia, dyspnea, hypertension, tachycardia, and ocular adverse reactions, including choroidal effusion, acute myopia, and acute angle closure glaucoma. Other signs and symptoms of systemic administration-related reactions may include respiratory symptoms, such as bronchospasm, nasal congestion, cough, throat irritation, allergic rhinitis, and wheezing, as well as anaphylactic reaction, pyrexia, chest pain, pruritus, chills, vomiting, nausea, hypotension, and blurred vision. Pre-medicate patients with histamine-1 receptor antagonist, acetaminophen, and corticosteroids. Monitor patients for systemic administration-related reactions, especially following the first and second injections. For anaphylactic reaction or life-threatening (Grade 4) administration-related reactions, immediately and permanently discontinue DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Consider administering corticosteroids and other medications after the administration of DARZALEX FASPRO ® depending on dosing regimen and medical history to minimize the risk of delayed (defined as occurring the day after administration) systemic administration-related reactions. Ocular adverse reactions, including acute myopia and narrowing of the anterior chamber angle due to ciliochoroidal effusions with potential for increased intraocular pressure or glaucoma, have occurred with daratumumab-containing products. If ocular symptoms occur, interrupt DARZALEX FASPRO ® and seek immediate ophthalmologic evaluation prior to restarting DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Local Reactions In this pooled safety population, injection-site reactions occurred in 7% of patients, including Grade 2 reactions in 0.8%. The most frequent (>1%) injection-site reaction was injection-site erythema. These local reactions occurred a median of 5 minutes (range: 0 minutes to 6.5 days) after starting administration of DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Monitor for local reactions and consider symptomatic management. Neutropenia Daratumumab may increase neutropenia induced by background therapy. Monitor complete blood cell counts periodically during treatment according to manufacturer's prescribing information for background therapies. Monitor patients with neutropenia for signs of infection. Consider withholding DARZALEX FASPRO ® until recovery of neutrophils. In lower body weight patients receiving DARZALEX FASPRO ® , higher rates of Grade 3-4 neutropenia were observed. Thrombocytopenia Daratumumab may increase thrombocytopenia induced by background therapy. Monitor complete blood cell counts periodically during treatment according to manufacturer's prescribing information for background therapies. Consider withholding DARZALEX FASPRO ® until recovery of platelets. Embryo-Fetal Toxicity Based on the mechanism of action, DARZALEX FASPRO ® can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. DARZALEX FASPRO ® may cause depletion of fetal immune cells and decreased bone density. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females with reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with DARZALEX FASPRO ® and for 3 months after the last dose. The combination of DARZALEX FASPRO ® with lenalidomide, thalidomide, or pomalidomide is contraindicated in pregnant women because lenalidomide, thalidomide, and pomalidomide may cause birth defects and death of the unborn child. Refer to the lenalidomide, thalidomide, or pomalidomide prescribing information on use during pregnancy. Interference With Serological Testing Daratumumab binds to CD38 on red blood cells (RBCs) and results in a positive indirect antiglobulin test (indirect Coombs test). Daratumumab-mediated positive indirect antiglobulin test may persist for up to 6 months after the last daratumumab administration. Daratumumab bound to RBCs masks detection of antibodies to minor antigens in the patient's serum. The determination of a patient's ABO and Rh blood type are not impacted. Notify blood transfusion centers of this interference with serological testing and inform blood banks that a patient has received DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Type and screen patients prior to starting DARZALEX FASPRO ® . Interference With Determination of Complete Response Daratumumab is a human immunoglobulin G (IgG) kappa monoclonal antibody that can be detected on both the serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) and immunofixation (IFE) assays used for the clinical monitoring of endogenous M-protein. This interference can impact the determination of complete response and of disease progression in some DARZALEX FASPRO ® -treated patients with IgG kappa myeloma protein. ADVERSE REACTIONS In multiple myeloma, the most common adverse reaction (≥20%) with DARZALEX FASPRO ® monotherapy is upper respiratory tract infection. The most common adverse reactions with combination therapy (≥20% for any combination) include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, dyspnea, insomnia, headache, pyrexia, cough, muscle spasms, back pain, vomiting, hypertension, upper respiratory tract infection, peripheral sensory neuropathy, constipation, pneumonia, and peripheral edema. The most common hematology laboratory abnormalities (≥40%) with DARZALEX FASPRO ® are decreased leukocytes, decreased lymphocytes, decreased neutrophils, decreased platelets, and decreased hemoglobin. Please click here to see the full Prescribing Information for DARZALEX FASPRO ® . About Johnson & Johnson At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/ or at www.innovativemedicine.jnj.com . Follow us at @JanssenUS and @JNJInnovMed . Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Janssen Biotech, Inc. are both Johnson & Johnson companies. Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding product development and the potential benefits and treatment impact of TECVAYLI ® (teclistamab-cqyv ) and DARZALEX FASPRO ® (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj). The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Janssen Biotech, Inc., and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 , including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in Johnson & Johnson's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov , www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Janssen Biotech, Inc. nor Johnson & Johnson undertake to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. * Marc S. Raab , M.D., has provided consulting, advisory, and speaking services to Johnson & Johnson; he has not been paid for any media work. 1 Raab, Marc, S., et al, 493 Phase 2 Study of Teclistamab-Based Induction Regimens in Patients with Transplant-Eligible (TE) Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (NDMM): Results from the GMMG-HD10/DSMM-XX (MajesTEC-5) Trial. 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. December 2024 . 2 Zamagni, Elena, et al., 494 Phase 3 Study of Teclistamab (Tec) in Combination with Lenalidomide (Len) and Tec Alone Versus Len Alone in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (NDMM) As Maintenance Therapy Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT): Safety Run-in (SRI) Results from the MajesTEC-4/EMN30 Trial. 2024 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. December 2024 . 3 GMMG-HD10 / DSMM-XX / 64007957MMY2003, MajesTEC-5 (HD10/DSMMXX). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05695508 . Accessed November 2024 . 4 Phase 3 Study of Teclistamab in Combination With Lenalidomide and Teclistamab Alone Versus Lenalidomide Alone in Participants With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma as Maintenance Therapy Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (MajesTEC-4). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05243797 . Accessed November 2024 . 5 A Study of Teclistamab in Combination With Daratumumab and Lenalidomide (Tec-DR) and Talquetamab in Combination With Daratumumab and Lenalidomide (Tal-DR) in Participants With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (MajesTEC-7). https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05552222 . Accessed November 2024 . 6 U.S. FDA Approves TECVAYLI ® (teclistamab-cqyv), the First Bispecific T-cell Engager Antibody for the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma. https://www.jnj.com/u-s-fda-approves-tecvayli-teclistamab-cqyv-the-first-bispecific-t-cell-engager-antibody-for-the-treatment-of-patients-with-relapsed-or-refractory-multiple-myeloma . Accessed November 2024 . 7 Rajkumar SV. Multiple myeloma: 2020 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management. Am J Hematol. 2020;95(5):548-5672020;95(5):548-567. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32212178 8 National Cancer Institute. Plasma Cell Neoplasms. https://www.cancer.gov/types/myeloma/patient/myeloma-treatment-pdq . Accessed November 2024 . 9 City of Hope. Multiple Myeloma: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments. https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma . Accessed November 2024 . 10 American Cancer Society. Key Statistics About Multiple Myeloma. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/key-statistics.html#:~:text=Multiple%20myeloma%20is%20a%20relatively,men%20and%2015%2C370%20in%20women . Accessed November 2024 . 11 SEER Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute. https://seer.cancer.gov/explorer/ . Accessed November 2024 . 12 American Cancer Society. What is Multiple Myeloma? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/what-is-multiple-myeloma.html . Accessed November 2024 . 13 American Cancer Society. Multiple Myeloma Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/multiple-myeloma/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html . Accessed November 2024 . Media contacts: Sarah Freeman sfreem21@its.jnj.com Christie Corbett ccorbet6@its.jnj.com Investor contact: Lauren Johnson investor-relations@its.jnj.com U.S. Medical Inquiries +1 800 526-7736 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tecvayli-teclistamab-cqyv-demonstrates-potential-as-frontline-combination-therapy-for-patients-with-newly-diagnosed-multiple-myeloma-302325575.html SOURCE Johnson & Johnson
SAN FRANCISCO — A former OpenAI researcher known for whistleblowing the blockbuster artificial intelligence company facing a swell of lawsuits over its business model has died, authorities confirmed this week. Suchir Balaji, 26, was found dead inside his Buchanan Street apartment on Nov. 26, San Francisco police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. Police had been called to the Lower Haight residence at about 1 p.m. that day, after receiving a call asking officers to check on his well-being, a police spokesperson said. The medical examiner’s office has not released his cause of death, but police officials this week said there is “currently, no evidence of foul play.” Information he held was expected to play a key part in lawsuits against the San Francisco-based company. Balaji’s death comes three months after he publicly accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright law while developing ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence program that has become a moneymaking sensation used by hundreds of millions of people across the world. Its public release in late 2022 spurred a torrent of lawsuits against OpenAI from authors, computer programmers and journalists, who say the company illegally stole their copyrighted material to train its program and elevate its value past $150 billion. The Mercury News and seven sister news outlets are among several newspapers, including the New York Times, to sue OpenAI in the past year. In an interview with the New York Times published Oct. 23, Balaji argued OpenAI was harming businesses and entrepreneurs whose data were used to train ChatGPT. “If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company,” he told the outlet, adding that “this is not a sustainable model for the internet ecosystem as a whole.” Balaji grew up in Cupertino before attending UC Berkeley to study computer science. It was then he became a believer in the potential benefits that artificial intelligence could offer society, including its ability to cure diseases and stop aging, the Times reported. “I thought we could invent some kind of scientist that could help solve them,” he told the newspaper. But his outlook began to sour in 2022, two years after joining OpenAI as a researcher. He grew particularly concerned about his assignment of gathering data from the internet for the company’s GPT-4 program, which analyzed text from nearly the entire internet to train its artificial intelligence program, the news outlet reported. The practice, he told the Times, ran afoul of the country’s “fair use” laws governing how people can use previously published work. In late October, he posted an analysis on his personal website arguing that point. No known factors “seem to weigh in favor of ChatGPT being a fair use of its training data,” Balaji wrote. “That being said, none of the arguments here are fundamentally specific to ChatGPT either, and similar arguments could be made for many generative AI products in a wide variety of domains.” Reached by this news agency, Balaji’s mother requested privacy while grieving the death of her son. In a Nov. 18 letter filed in federal court, attorneys for The New York Times named Balaji as someone who had “unique and relevant documents” that would support their case against OpenAI. He was among at least 12 people — many of them past or present OpenAI employees — the newspaper had named in court filings as having material helpful to their case, ahead of depositions. Generative artificial intelligence programs work by analyzing an immense amount of data from the internet and using it to answer prompts submitted by users, or to create text, images or videos. When OpenAI released its ChatGPT program in late 2022, it turbocharged an industry of companies seeking to write essays, make art and create computer code. Many of the most valuable companies in the world now work in the field of artificial intelligence, or manufacture the computer chips needed to run those programs. OpenAI’s own value nearly doubled in the past year. News outlets have argued that OpenAI and Microsoft — which is in business with OpenAI also also has been sued by The Mercury News — have plagiarized and stole its articles, undermining their business models. “Microsoft and OpenAI simply take the work product of reporters, journalists, editorial writers, editors and others who contribute to the work of local newspapers — all without any regard for the efforts, much less the legal rights, of those who create and publish the news on which local communities rely,” the newspapers’ lawsuit said. OpenAI has staunchly refuted those claims, stressing that all of its work remains legal under “fair use” laws. “We see immense potential for AI tools like ChatGPT to deepen publishers’ relationships with readers and enhance the news experience,” the company said when the lawsuit was filed. Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.
New Delhi: India slammed developed countries for causing the climate crisis during a landmark hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, saying they exploited the global carbon budget, failed to honour climate-finance promises and are now demanding that developing countries restrict their resource use. The court is examining what legal obligations countries have to address climate change and the consequences if they fail. India also urged the ICJ to avoid creating new obligations that go beyond the existing climate-change framework. “The court may exercise due caution to avoid devising new or additional obligations beyond what is already agreed under the existing climate-change regime, which take into consideration historic emissions, climate justice and the principal principle of equity and CBDR-RC, as well as the equitable access to the global carbon budget,” the country said. China and the United States have also told the court that the existing UN framework is sufficient to determine States’ legal obligations to fight climate change. Making submissions on behalf of India, Luther M Rangreji, joint secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said, “If contribution to degradation is unequal, responsibility must also be unequal.” He said climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution, but the solutions must respect the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), which is at the heart of the climate-change regime. “It is inequitable and unjust to expect countries with negligible historical emissions to bear an equal burden in mitigating climate change.... Developed nations must lead by example by achieving net zero well before 2050 and providing the means of implementation to developing nations,” India said. Rangreji said developing nations are the hardest hit by climate change, despite contributing the least to it. “The developed world, which historically contributed the most, is ironically the best equipped with the technological and economic means to address this challenge,” the official said. He criticised rich countries for enjoying the benefits of fossil fuels while discouraging developing nations from using their own energy resources. “Countries which have reaped development benefits from exploiting fossil fuels demand developing countries to not utilise the energy resources available to them,” India argued. It said the obligations of developing countries under the Paris Agreement are dependent on the fulfilment of two important factors — one, aspects of climate finance and two, climate justice. India also slammed the lack of action on climate-finance commitments. “The USD 100 billion pledged at the Copenhagen COP in 2009 by developed country parties and the doubling of the contribution to the Adaptation Fund have not yet been translated into any concrete actions,” it noted. India called the new climate-finance package for the Global South agreed at COP29 in Azerbaijan’s Baku “too little, too distant” to meet the urgent needs of developing countries. “Climate finance is a critical enabler for planning and implementing ambitious climate actions and an essential element for building trust in climate multilateralism. Any fair or meaningful assessment of obligations of States cannot be conducted without simultaneously assessing the climate-finance support provided,” the country said. India stressed the principle of fairness and equity, saying, “If contribution to global environmental degradation is unequal, the responsibility should also be unequal.” The fast-developing South Asian nation also reaffirmed its commitment to its climate targets under the Paris Agreement but warned against overburdening its citizens. “There is a limit on how much we burden our citizens, even when India is pursuing Sustainable Development Goals for one-sixth of humanity,” it said. India is home to about 17.8 per cent of the current global population. However, its contribution to climate change is less than 4 per cent historically. “Our per capita greenhouse gas emissions are less than half of the global average. Nevertheless, India has been undertaking ambitious national climate actions in good faith as a solutions provider. “Despite having overriding priorities for poverty eradication and achieving Sustainable Development Goals, India has contributed more than its fair share in the global climate actions,” Rangreji stressed. The country also said the science behind climate change is evolving and it may carry biases based on the choices made in interpreting evidence. Therefore, it said, decisions on who should do what cannot be guided by science alone. The hearing is the result of years of campaigning by Pacific island nations and Vanuatu, which led to a UN resolution asking the ICJ for an advisory opinion. Over the next two weeks, 98 countries, including small island nations and large emitters, will present their views. Though non-binding, the ICJ’s opinion could set a moral and legal benchmark in the global fight against climate change.
Intel may have ousted CEO Pat Gelsinger, but he’s leaving the company with a significant payday. He’s set to receive 18 months of his base annual salary of $1.25 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission . He will also receive 1.5 times his current target bonus of 275% of that annual wage – about $3.4 million – payable over 18 months. He’ll also be eligible for 11/12ths of his 2024 bonus, since he stepped down on the first day of December. Overall, that’s at least $10 million. Gelsinger also owns roughly 646,000 shares in Intel as of a November regulatory filing. These days, that’s worth more than $14.5 million. On Monday, Intel announced Gelsinger would resign after his difficult tenure in the company contributed to its stock cratering from missing out on the AI boom that boosted much of its rivals. Gelsinger became Intel’s chief executive in February 2021 and had previously served as chief technology officer. He had briefly left Intel to be CEO of software giant VMWare. The company’s stock plunged more than 60% during his tenure. Once an iconic American tech giant, Gelsinger had to turn around a company that was facing unprecedented competition, production delays and the departure of top talent. But he wasn’t able to catch Intel up despite billions of dollars in US government spending to support its domestic chip manufacturing. The company announced in August it would lay off 15% of its staff to help reach its goal of slashing $10 billion in costs. CNN’s Clare Duffy and David Goldman contributed to this report.And, Too, the Fox By U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro And, Too, the Fox By U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro The fox meanders through a landscape set in Kentucky, Limón's home state. Flora and fauna from other poems in The Hurting Kind adorn every spread, incorporating more of Limón's work within the woodlands, prairie, and suburbs pictured. Readers watch the fox enjoy tender moments of rest in soft grasses, swift hunting on bouncy feet, and furious digging. Limón maintains a sense of respectful distance between the reader and the fox, pondering his unconcerned, private existence. Gentle, precise poetry meditates on the quiet spaces the fox inhabits, while D'Alessandro's fluid brushstrokes flush each page with life and movement. The artwork's use of light and color offer blushing sunsets, hazy blue skies, and mystic evenings which evoke a sense of magic in the world's most peaceful moments. This heartfelt story will appeal to poetry and nature lovers of all ages. Praise for And, Too, The Fox : "The wonder and reverence conveyed through the text and the fluidity of the illustrations result in a smooth and calming experience that will leave readers awed at the beauty of nature. A grounded yet ethereal blend of verse and vulpine sentiments."-starred, Kirkus Reviews "Children will be captivated by Fox as they join him on a joyful romp through his world." -starred, School Library Journal "In soaring lines of poetry that feel as graceful as the creature they describe, Limón ( In Praise of Mystery ) considers a fox seen in a fenced backyard . . . The sense of having entered the world of a wild animal for a few unexpected moments lingers in this refreshing picture book encounter."- Publishers Weekly About the Author and Illustrator: Ada Limón is the author of six books of poetry, including The Carrying , which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Her most recent book of poetry, The Hurting Kind , was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. She is the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States and the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. As the Poet Laureate, her signature project is called You Are Here and focuses on how poetry can help connect us to the natural world. Gaby D'Alessandro is a Dominican illustrator based in NYC. She attended Altos de Chavón in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York to complete her studies at Parsons School of Design. Gaby's work has been recognized by Communication Arts , The Society of Illustrators , 3x3 , American Illustration, and Latin American Ilustración. Her illustrated books include The Cot in the Living Room and Stolen Science . About the Publisher: Carolrhoda Booksâ, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group TM , has been publishing high-quality, award-winning books since 1959. Our picture books spark children's imaginations and offer new ways of looking at the world. Our middle-grade books stand out not only for their quality, but also for the breadth of genres encompassed, from coming-of-age stories to exceptional nonfiction to mysteries. Carolrhoda authors and illustrators have been honored with awards such as a Caldecott Honor, the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. We believe that all children should be able to find themselves in the pages of a book. Find us on all social media platforms at @LernerBooks and look inside at lernerbooks.com. And, Too, the Fox January 2025 $18.99 Hardcover, Jacketed eBook Also Available Ages 5 - 9 HC: 979-8-7656-3925- 2 32 Pages ● 9 3/4 x 9 3/4 Attachments And, Too, the Fox And, Too, the Fox CONTACT: Lindsay Matvick Lerner Publishing Group 6123323344 [email protected]Visa Inc. Cl A stock rises Friday, still underperforms market
Dodgers' deferred payment obligations top $1 billion to 7 players with Snell and Edman contracts (copy)A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk in an email outlined a plan where he would “unequivocally have initial control of the company” but said that would be temporary. He grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence, or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI's board in early 2018. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a US$1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration.
MAGA salivates at prospect of Nancy Mace taking down 'double-talking RINO' Lindsey Graham
Innocan Pharma Provides its Annual "State of Research and Development" Update for 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron has refused to resign and instead promised to appoint a new prime minister after the government was given a historic vote of no confidence this week. The no confidence motion was brought about on Wednesday (local time) after incumbent Prime Minister Michel Barnier tried to get a new budget bill through the parliament without a vote, according to France 24 . The vote was carried by 331 lawmakers in France’s National Assembly, marking the end of Mr Barnier’s three-month stint in office, the shortest tenure of a French prime minister since 1958. Mr Macron addressed the nation in a televised speech on Thursday night (local time) in which he revealed he had received Mr Barnier’s letter of resignation. He took aim at what he described as the far left and far right in government which he said had united in an “anti-republican front” for the no confidence vote. “They voted for disorder,” Mr Macron said, according to an English translation. “The voted not to create, but to break down and create disorder.” The President then pushed back on calls for his resignation, vowing to serve the French people for the entirety of his five-year term. Mr Macron also vowed to appoint a new prime minister in the coming days. A special law to roll over the 2024 budget and avoid any gap will be put forward by mid-December. Then the new government will prepare a full budget early next year , in particular to account for inflation, for a vote by parliament. Macron, whose ill-fated decision to call a snap ballot in June delivered a much-divided parliament, denied he was responsible for the political crisis. It remains unclear whether a new government will be in place before a ceremony on Saturday to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has been renovated after a devastating fire. World leaders including US President-elect Donald Trump are expected to attend. Macron cited the rebuilding of the Gothic cathedral and successful Paris Olympics over the summer as evidence that France can deliver. "They are proof that we can do great things. We can do the impossible," he said. "The world admires us for that." Macron had lunch on Thursday with Francois Bayrou, whose name has been cited by French media as a possible successor to Barnier, Le Parisien newspaper reported. An aide to Bayrou did not respond to a request for comment. Any new prime minister will face the same challenge of dealing with a fractured parliament that Barnier did, notably passing a budget at a time when France needs to rein in its public finances. With Reuters
Design Your Career: Lead Self, Lead Others, Lead ChangeKolkata: The curtain raiser of the 16th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival coupled with the exclusive launch of Nobel Laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee’s new book Chhaunk: On Food, Economics And Society was held at the Oxford Bookstore in Kolkata on Saturday. Banerjee said, "There is an idea that governments are necessarily bad and politicians are evil. I think this is an extraordinarily powerful and damaging idea. In the end, what governments do, nobody can do it. No private sector person can regulate the environment. If you private sectors try to do that, you will get awful outcomes. They will try to make money. The idea that the government is constantly failing and politicians are failing. If the private sector tries to do it, it will be much worse." The book’s illustrator, Cheyenne Oliver, joined Banerjee in a discussion with Dr Anuradha Lohia, former Vice-Chancellor of Presidency University. The event was graced by an illustrious panel of dignitaries including Abhijit Banerjee , Dr. Anuradha Lohia, Scientist and Former Vice Chancellor of Presidency University, Illustrator of the book ‘Chhaunk’ Cheyenne Olivier, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival Director Anjum Katyal among others. The festival is scheduled to take place on 10 to 12 January 2025, featuring various sessions across multiple venues throughout these dates. Allen Park will serve as the central hub, hosting the majority of the events while Poetry Café is all set to be hosted at Alliance Française du Bengale. The Oxford Junior Literary Festival (OJLF) will be held at the Oxford Bookstore. Web Development Advanced Java Mastery: Object-Oriented Programming Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Java 21 Essentials for Beginners: Build Strong Programming Foundations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Crypto & NFT Mastery: From Basics to Advanced By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By - Study At Home, Quality Education Anytime, Anywhere View Program Data Science MySQL for Beginners: Learn Data Science and Analytics Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Entrepreneurship Building Your Winning Startup Team: Key Strategies for Success By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Entrepreneurship From Idea to Product: A Startup Development Guide By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass By - CA Himanshu Jain, Ex McKinsey, Moody's, and PwC, Co - founder, The WallStreet School View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Learn InVideo AI: Create Videos from Text Easily By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant View Program Strategy ESG and Business Sustainability Strategy By - Vipul Arora, Partner, ESG & Climate Solutions at Sattva Consulting Author I Speaker I Thought Leader View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Entrepreneurship Marketing & Sales Strategies for Startups: From Concept to Conversion By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program AKLF 2025 boasts with more than 120 writers gracing the festival. Notable names include Akhil Katyal, Akshat Gupta, Dr. Alka Pande, Anand Neelakantan, Anuja Chandramouli, Anita Agnihotri, Ankita Konwar, Aparna Vaidik, Arunava Sinha, Ashis Nandy, Ashis Ray, Chinmoy Guha, Devi Kar, Ira Mukhoty, Jael Silliman, Jayanta Sengupta, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Milind Soman. This edition will feature a shortlist announcement of the 10th edition of prestigious Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize. The festival will provide the first look at Ruchir Joshi's much-anticipated new novel, giving readers an exclusive sneak peek into the literary gems to come. Director of Apeejay Surrendra Group Priti Paul said, "Stepping into the 16th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude. AKLF was born with a simple yet profound vision—to bring together the world of literature and the vibrant city of Kolkata in a celebration of words, ideas and creativity. Over the years, the festival has transcended its mere event status to emerge as a cultural cornerstone." Anjum Katyal, Director, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival said, “In its 16th edition, AKLF will find a strong focus on current issues like the environment, history and mythology, politics and current affairs, gender and women's writing, translation, memoir, and more. Exciting new voices alongside veteran thinkers brings variety and colour to the festival.” Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, India's only literary Festival created by a bookstore and Kolkata’s first literary festival, celebrates books, music, art, film, and more with the finest creative minds. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Exxon Mobil Corp. stock falls Friday, underperforms marketErdoğan receives Blinken for talks on post-Assad SyriaIsraeli airstrikes killed a hospital director at his home in northeastern Lebanon and six others, while at least five paramedics were killed by Israeli strikes in the country's south on Friday, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. The United Nations reported heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. Four Italian peacekeepers were lightly wounded when a rocket, likely fired by Hezbollah, hit their base, the U.N. said. A full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in September after nearly a year of lower-intensity conflict. More than 3,640 people have been killed in Lebanon and 15,350 wounded, the majority following Israel’s escalation and ground invasion, the Health Ministry said Friday. In Gaza, Israeli strikes hit Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of the territory, wounding six medical staff and damaging its generator and oxygen systems, the hospital director said Friday. More than 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250 . Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here’s the Latest: BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike killed the director of a university hospital and six others at his home in northeastern Lebanon, state media said. The strike targeted Dr. Ali Allam’s house near Dar Al-Amal Hospital, the largest health center in Baalbek-Hermel province, which has provided vital health services amid Israel's campaign of airstrikes, the Health Ministry said. State-run media reported that the strike came without warning. The ministry described his death as a “great loss,” and provincial governor Bachir Khodr said in a post on X that, “Mr. Allam was one of the best citizens of Baalbek.” In two separate episodes on Friday, Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed five paramedics with Hezbollah's medical arm, the Health Ministry said, describing it as “war crime.” The militant group provides extensive social services, including running schools and health clinics. In a report published Friday, the World Health Organization said nearly half of all attacks on health care in Lebanon since Oct. 7, 2023, have resulted in fatalities. “This is a higher percentage than in any active conflict today across the globe,” WHO said. In Lebanon, 226 health workers and patients were killed and 199 were injured between Oct. 7, 2023, and Nov. 18, 2024, the report said. The Health Ministry said Friday that 3,645 people have been killed in nearly 14 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, while 15,356 were wounded, the majority following Israel’s escalation in late September. The death count includes 692 women and 231 children. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes hit Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of Gaza, wounding six medical staff and damaging its generator and oxygen systems, its director said Friday. Hossam Abu Safiya said the strikes before dawn Friday hit the entrance of the emergency unit as well as in the hospital courtyard. He said two members of the nursing staff suffered critical injuries. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Abu Safiya said the strikes caused damage to the functioning of the generator and disrupted oxygen supplies. The hospital is currently treating 85 wounded, 14 children in the pediatric ward and four newborns in the neonatal unit, he said. During the past month, Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit several times, was put under siege and was raided by Israeli troops, who are waging a heavy offensive in the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp and towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. The Israeli military says it detained Hamas fighters hiding in the hospital, a claim its staff denies. UNITED NATIONS – Two rockets hit a headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, injuring four Italian peacekeepers, the United Nations says. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the rockets were likely launched by Hezbollah militants or by affiliated groups Friday, impacting a bunker and a logistics area in the southwest headquarters at Chamaa. One of the structures that was hit caught fire, and the blaze was swiftly put out by U.N. staff, he said. According to Italy’s Defense Ministry, some glass shattered due to the explosion, hitting the four soldiers. Dujarric said the four injured peacekeepers were receiving treatment at the medical facility of the mission, known as UNIFIL. “Thankfully, none of the injuries are life-threatening,” he said. Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto called the attack on the UNIFIL base “intolerable.” He reiterated that the Italian contingent remains in southern Lebanon “to offer a window of opportunity for peace, and cannot become hostage to militia attacks.” Dujarric said Friday’s attack was the third on Chamaa in a week and came amid heavy shelling and ground skirmishes in the Chamaa and Naqoura areas in recent days. UNIFIL’s main headquarters is in Naqoura. Friday’s attack follows a rocket attack on a UNIFIL base east of the village of Ramyah on Tuesday that injured four peacekeepers from Ghana. Dujarric said UNIFIL strongly urges Hezbollah and its affiliates and Israel to avoid fighting near its positions, which are supposed to be protected. “We remind all parties that any attack against peacekeepers constitutes a serious violation of international law” and the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, he said. BEIRUT — Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and the southern port city of Tyre on Friday, after the Israeli army issued several evacuation warnings saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites. The strikes in Beirut came dangerously close to central Beirut and Christian neighborhoods. One strike hit a building housing a gym and medical and beauty clinics, located just meters (yards) from a Lebanese army base. “What is there in the building to target? This attack they carried out on us in this building is a criminal and vile act,” resident Hassan Najdi told The Associated Press. “Because if their intention is targeting Hezbollah, this building has nothing to do with Hezbollah.” Najdi said he purchased an apartment in the building last year but had not yet moved in. He allowed a displaced family to move in and urgently asked them to evacuate after receiving the Israeli warning. The blasts sent plumes of smoke into the air and shattered glass in the vicinity. No casualties have been reported, but the strikes caused damage to nearby infrastructure and a key road connecting central Beirut to its southern suburbs. “We remain steadfast,” said Ali Daher, an employee at a mall facing the targeted building. “Everything that is lost can be replaced, and whatever is destroyed can be rebuilt in (no time).” In Tyre city, the Israeli military conducted multiple airstrikes after a series of warnings, claiming the targets belonged to Hezbollah’s Aziz unit, accusing it of firing projectiles into Israel. The Israeli military carried out other airstrikes across Lebanon, many without warnings, as heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah in villages along the Lebanon-Israel border intensified. ROME — Italy said Friday it plans to discuss the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court over the Israel-Hamas war when it hosts Group of Seven foreign ministers next week. Premier Giorgia Meloni insisted that one point remained clear for Italy: “There can be no equivalence between the responsibilities of the state of Israel and the terrorist organization of Hamas.” Italy is a founding member of the court and hosted the 1998 Rome conference that gave birth to it. But Meloni’s right-wing government has been a strong supporter of Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, while also providing humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. In a statement Friday, Meloni said Italy would study the reasonings behind the decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy respects the ICC and supports it. “But at the same time we are also convinced that the court must have a judicial role, and should not take up a political role.” Tajani will host G7 foreign ministers Monday and Tuesday outside Rome for the final meeting of the Italian G7 presidency. “As far as decisions are concerned, we will take them together with our allies,” Tajani said. During the G7 meetings, “we will talk about this with my allies there, and we will see what to do next.” Another member of the governing coalition, the outspoken Transport Minister Matteo Salvini was more defiant in supporting Israel. “If Netanyahu comes to Italy he will be welcomed,” Salvini was quoted by Italian media as saying. This item has been updated to correct that Salvini spoke of a potential Netanyahu visit to Italy, not Israel. ROME — Four Italian soldiers were slightly injured after two exploding rockets hit the United Nations' peacekeeping mission base on Friday in Chamaa in southern Lebanon, Italy's defense ministry said. Initial information suggested that two rockets hit a bunker and a room of the mission base, damaging the surrounding infrastructure, the ministry said. Shattered glass hit the four soldiers. The incident was the latest in which UN peacekeeping posts have been hit since Israel began its ground invasion of Lebanon on Oct. 1, leaving a number of peacekeepers wounded. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto called Friday's attack “intolerable.” He said he will try to speak to the new Israeli Defense Minister to ask him “to avoid using the UNIFIL bases as a shield.” Crosetto said the conditions of the four Italian soldiers “did not cause concern.” He reiterated that the Italian contingent remains in southern Lebanon “to offer a window of opportunity for peace and cannot become hostage to militia attacks.” Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday said she learned about the new attack with “deep indignation and concern.” Meloni reiterated that “such attacks are unacceptable,” renewing her appeal for the parties on the ground “to guarantee, at all times, the safety of UNIFIL soldiers and to collaborate to quickly identify those responsible.” GENEVA — The World Health Organization says nearly half of the attacks on health care in Lebanon have been deadly since the Middle East conflict erupted in October last year, the highest such rate anywhere in the world. The U.N. health agency says 65 out of 137, or 47%, of recorded “attacks on health care” in Lebanon over that time period have proven fatal to at least one person, and often many more. WHO’s running global tally counts attacks, whether deliberate or not, that affect places like hospitals, clinics, medical transport, and warehouses for medical supplies, as well as medics, doctors, nurses and the patients they treat. Nearly half of attacks on health care in Lebanon since last October and the majority of deaths occurred since an intensified Israeli military campaign began against Hezbollah militants in the country two months ago. The health agency said 226 health workers and patients have been killed and 199 injured in Lebanon between Oct. 7, 2023 and this Monday. JERUSALEM — Israel’s new defense minister said Friday that he would stop issuing warrants to arrest West Bank settlers or hold them without charge or trial — a largely symbolic move that rights groups said risks emboldening settler violence in the Israeli-occupied territory. Israel Katz called the arrest warrants “severe” and said issuing them was “inappropriate” as Palestinian militant attacks on settlers in the territory grow more frequent. He said settlers could be “brought to justice” in other ways. The move protects Israeli settlers from being held in “administrative detention,” a shadowy form of incarceration where people are held without charge or trial. Settlers are rarely arrested in the West Bank, where settler violence against Palestinians has spiraled since the outbreak of the war Oct. 7. Katz’s decision was celebrated by far-right coalition allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. National Security Minister and settler firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded Katz and called the move a “correction of many years of mistreatment” and “justice for those who love the land.” Since Oct. 7, 2023, violence toward Palestinians by Israeli settlers has soared to new heights, displacing at least 19 entire Palestinian communities, according to Israeli rights group Peace Now. In that time, attacks by Palestinian militants on settlers and within Israel have also grown more common. An increasing number of Palestinians have been placed in administrative detention. Israel holds 3,443 administrative detainees in prison, according to data from the Israeli Prison Service, reported by rights group Hamoked. That figure stood around 1,200 just before the start of the war. The vast majority of them are Palestinian, with only a handful at any given time Israeli Jews, said Jessica Montell, the director of Hamoked. “All of these detentions without charge or trial are illegitimate, but to declare that this measure will only be used against Palestinians...is to explicitly entrench another form of ethnic discrimination,” said Montell. BERLIN — A German official has suggested that his country would be reluctant to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. The ICC’s warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant put Germany, a staunch ally of Israel, in an awkward position. The government said in a statement Friday that it is one of the ICC’s biggest supporters, but “at the same time, it is a consequence of German history that unique relations and a great responsibility connect us with Israel.” The government said it takes note of the arrest warrants and that “we will examine conscientiously the domestic steps.” It said that any further steps would only be an issue if a visit by Netanyahu or Gallant were “foreseeable.” Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit was pressed repeatedly at a regular news conference on whether it would be conceivable to arrest an Israeli prime minister. He replied: "It’s hard for me to imagine that we would carry out arrests in Germany on this basis.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday refused to comment on the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, saying that the court's rulings are “insignificant” for Russia, which doesn’t recognizes the court’s jurisdiction. The ICC last year issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of other top Russian officials, accusing them of war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin has brushed off the warrants, saying that in Moscow’s eyes they’re “null and void.” Asked if the ICC warrants for Netanyahu and others can help resolve the tensions in the Middle East, Peskov said: “Well, in general, the actions of the ICC are unlikely to help anything. That’s the first thing. And secondly, we don’t see any point in commenting on this in any way, because for us these rulings are insignificant.” DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Large crowds of displaced people crammed themselves in front of a bakery in the Gaza Strip for the second day in a row, desperate to get their share of bread after bakeries closed for five days due to a flour shortage and the lack of aid. “I am a 61-year-old man. This is the third day that I have come to Zadna Bakery and I still cannot get bread ... I have children to feed,” said Majdi Yaghi, a displaced man from Gaza City. The price of a small bag of pita bread increased to $16 by Friday, a stark increase from about 80 cents last month. A bag of pasta now costs $4 and a small bag of sugar costs nearly $14. That has left many Palestinian families surviving on one meal a day and reliant on charitable kitchens to survive. In Khan Younis, women and children lined up at the al-Dalu charitable kitchen for bulgur, the only food available at the makeshift charity. One of the workers there, Anas al-Dalu, told the AP that they cook ten pots every day of either rice, beans, or bulgur. But that hardly fills the need for the thousands of people displaced in the area. “The charity here is in a difficult situation. It is a drop in the ocean, and there is no aid or charities. There is nothing," said Nour Kanani, a displaced man from Khan Younis. “It is a crisis in every sense of the word. There is no flour, no charities, and no food.” BEIRUT — Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hezbollah fighters on Friday in different areas in south Lebanon, including a coastal town that is home to the headquarters of U.N. peacekeepers. A spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL told The Associated Press that they are monitoring “heavy clashes” in the coastal town of Naqoura and the village of Chamaa to the northeast. UNIFIL’s headquarters are located in Naqoura in Lebanon’s southern edge close to the border with Israel. “We are aware of heavy shelling in the vicinity of our bases,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said. Asked if the peacekeepers and staff at the headquarters are safe, Tenenti said: “Yes for the moment.” Several UNIFIL posts have been hit since Israel began its ground invasion of Lebanon on Oct. 1, leaving a number of peacekeepers wounded.
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction , arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges . “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. The Manhattan district attorney, they claimed, engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. Former President Donald Trump walks to make comments to members of the news media May 30 after a jury convicted him of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies wrongdoing. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, also would allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and since were selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Trump takes office Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. Prosecutors cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump pledged to appeal the verdict if the case is not dismissed. He and his lawyers said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, with Melania Trump and Barron Trump, arrives to speak at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as Melania Trump looks on at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives with former first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump at the Palm Beach County Convention Center during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump visits his campaign headquarters, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, joined by, from right, Melania Trump and Barron Trump, arrives to speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives with =former first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump at the Palm Beach County Convention Center during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walk after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump walk after voting on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.John Dumelo Files Complaint Against Lydia Seyram Alhassan for Alleged Voter Bribery
Yankees get closer Devin Williams from Brewers for Nestor Cortes, Caleb Durbin