Author: condor

Power Alley: Since At Least 2014 Under Mr. Obama, ISS Had Used Micro-Gravity, To Inform R&D That Merck Wanted Done — On Protein Crystals — For Potential Oncology Apps…

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

This is what the best of it all ought to be about — in the land of space science / cooperation. And I am sure it is to keep a positive thought for the return of the crew-member who is under the weather, now, too (per my last post, about matters ISS).

And so, this story can be told, now — and in some detail (after vetting for trade secrets): Merck Research Labs, an arm of US Merck (and others) essentially “hire time and talent” aboard the Space Station, to have pre-packed experiments run — to inform tech or medical approaches. Ones not possible, without the near zero-gravity conditions in low Earth orbit. Here’s the latest on the dimensions of the Rahway collab, as written up by NASA tonight:

…In collaboration with scientists at Merck, protein crystal growth research on the space station yielded early insights regarding the structure and size of particles best suited for the development of a new formulation of the company’s cancer medicine pembrolizumab for subcutaneous injection. This new route of delivery was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September and offers a time-saving alternative to intravenous infusion for certain patients. These research efforts aboard the space station were supported by the ISS National Laboratory.

Originally, the treatment was delivered during an in-office visit via infusion therapy into the patient’s veins, a process that could take up to two hours. Initial delivery improvements reduced infusion times to less than 30 minutes every three weeks. The newly approved subcutaneous injectable form takes about one minute every three weeks, promising to improve quality of life for patients by reducing cost and significantly reducing treatment time for patients and healthcare providers….

Now you know. And let’s get that Crew Eleven team home… safely, now. I have zero doubt that we… will. Onward.

नमस्ते

Charming! In Which Tangerine Claims His Powers Are Constrained “Solely” By “My Own Morality.”

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

Well… that’s comforting.

And no, I am NOT being ironic, here — even hard right forces now concede that Trump is — from a moral point of view — a deeply flawed human. And at almost 80, many on the hard right see that he is rapidly outliving his usefulness.

So I say: let him bloviate to the NYT, and long and loudly so — we all know that he is losing far more often than he is winning in the courts around the nation, and increasingly, even in the reliably red states.

[In passing, I fully expect his tariffs will die, in a 6-3 decision — an opinion likely due out of the Supremes at 10 AM EST tomorrow, Friday.]

So sure Manchurian Cantaloupe, say it loud — say it proud.

You, sir, are yesterday’s fish-wrapper now.

Out.

USDC Judge Ellis Correctly Rules That “We The People” Have A Right To See The Evidence Of The Various Lies Greg Bovino Told, Under Oath, In Her Courtroom In Chicago — In October 2025.

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

This is just as we expected, and as we said several weeks ago.

And it is newly urgent, given that Bovino was reportedly the Commander in Charge in Minneapolis when Renee Good was murdered yesterday.

…MINUTE entry before the Honorable Sara L. Ellis:

In Court Hearing Held.

Media Intervenors’ motion to unseal October 20, 2025 transcript [306] is granted. Defendants motion to stay answer deadline pending resolution of Plaintiffs’ motion voluntarily dismiss [315] is granted. Chicago Public Media, Inc.’s, Chicago Sun-Times Media, Inc’s, and Chicago Tribune Company, LLC’s motion on the remaining sealed materials [321] is granted.

Defendants to complete unsealing of sealed materials in Bucket 3 on a rolling basis in 120 days….

Excellent. Onward.

नमस्ते

[U] Breaking: There Is Apparently A Medical Issue, On The Space Station: 5 PM EDT Press Conference

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

We will await official word, but there is talk of using the Dragon capsule (still docked at the ISS) to bring the affected crew member(s) home early.

Do stay tuned; we will listen in — in about 20 minutes’ time – and then report here:

…NASA says that a crew member had a medical situation yesterday, and so will be brought home in the coming days, and another update in about 48 hours on the exact depart time.

The matter involved a single crew member, who is stable. This was not an operational accident — it is a pure medical related event. Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member….

All of Crew 11 will be coming home — and Crew 12 may launch early….

To protect patient privacy, the name of the individual affected will not be disclosed at this time. Onward.

नमस्ते

Mirengoff’s Fatuous Straw Man: On Minneapolis & Greg Bovino. No, Paul — He’s A Rouge Agent.

~ condor ~ 1 Comment

Paul Mirengoff this afternoon conflates the Democrats’ (and all decent humans’) argument… with anarchy. Intentionally, too.

He’s right — insofar as the choice is not between one kind of lawlessness, or another. And it should not be. But being in the US without papers is… that’s right: a misdemeanor. A traffic ticket. That’s what Congress decided. [Trump cannot change that, alone. And Mirengoff knows that he wouldn’t — and shouldn’t — be shot dead, for protesting a traffic stop — peacefully. That’s what happened here.]

So, what we (all decent people) might all agree on is that after the deaths in Chicago, and the beatings in LA and now a murder in Minneapolis (in each case, when Greg Bovino was the agent in charge, on the scene)… some men are not at all fit, for law enforcement of any kind. Bovino’s been found to be a serial liar under oath to USDC Judge Ellis in Chicago, and he personally brutalized people for simply protesting his lawlessness. Over and over. After being ordered NOT to use tear gas, he personally did so, without provocation (on video!) in Little Village.

So, the position of US decent people is… he needs to be stripped of authority and jailed.

Just like (get this, Paul!) Derek Chauvin. Ring a bell? No one said law enforcement should end after Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. We all said… Chauvin and bad cops like him should be charged with murder. Then… let a local jury decide.

Same here, buddy. And… dammit — stop being so openly dishonest, in your rhetoric, Paul.

Here’s that, in context, from Paul:

…[R]egardless of how one views this particular case — even if the shooting was not an act of self-defense — it does not follow from the tragic outcome that ICE should stop its aggressive efforts to round up and deport illegal immigrants….

But it does follow that we should not let murderers serve in any role in law enforcement — as cops — or ICE Commanders, regardless of how we view people without papers. 99.999% of these folks without papers… are not remotely dangerous. And they love their kids no less than Paul does. They are not the enemy — people like Noem, Miller, Rubio and Tangerine 2.0 are. And Paul knows it.

Idiot. Malignant idiocy.

Out.

On The Rights — Of The People, And Free Press — To Know What Their Courts Do, In Their Names: The Chicago v. Bovino/Noemite Actions…

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

There will be a hearing tomorrow, in the able USDC Judge Ellis’ courtroom, on releasing to the public and press, most of the hearing materials from October 20, 2025 — when Greg Bovino likely lied under oath, in a sealed hearing about whether (and why) he personally threw tear gas canisters at peaceful but loud protesters in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicagoland.

We have now all seen the video, and the still photos. And the body cam feeds, from his minions.

To be clear, USDC Judge Ellis did not have access that evidence (of his lies) when she closed the courtroom, but subsequently — upon seeing it — she imposed sanctions on Bovino (now up on appeal). Given that yesterday, he was apparently the commander in charge when Renee Good (a 30-something year old poet and mother of three) was murdered. . . this becomes vitally relevant — to his fitness to serve at all, in any capacity of law enforcement (and correlatively, to avoid a Derek Chauvin-style prosecution, and jailing — in due course, in Minneapolis). Here’s the latest:

…Plaintiffs [Block Club Chicago] disagree with the [Noemite / Bovino] constrained view of the materials necessary for the public “to understand judicial decisions, and to monitor the judiciary’s performance of its duties.” Goesel v. Boley Int’l (H.K.) Ltd., 738 F.3d 831, 833 (7th Cir. 2013).

The Seventh Circuit has made clear that the public has a presumptive right to access any materials “that affect the disposition of federal litigation.” In re Specht, 622 F.3d 697, 701 (7th Cir. 2010). This is not limited to documents that are “cited by the Court in a judicial opinion” or “presented to the Court by any party for the purpose of seeking or opposing judicial relief.” Dkt. 322 at 2 (Defendants’ Response to Media Intervenors’ Position)….

Particularly given the public importance of those materials and considering that the government has not identified any secrecy or privacy interest in any of the materials made public so far, Plaintiffs believe that the Defendants should make public all materials that could “conceivably aid the understanding of” the Court’s decision-making in this case. City of Greenville v. Syngenta Crop Prot., LLC, 764 F.3d 695, 698 (7th Cir. 2014)….

Onward, resolutely, to [hopefully, a better] tomorrow.

नमस्ते

Influenza A, Once Known As “The Swine Flu” — Is Again A 2026 Human-To-Human Virus Of Concern…

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

I am not being an undue alarmist, when I say… this is a very real concern. And it is a much more potent concern when the people at the head of the US public health system invert the food pyramid, and suggest alcohol is not any sort of serious health concern, for example.

And then there is the move to end automatic meningitis vaccines we mentioned a few days ago. But what was once called Swine Flu continues to circulate 20 years after the last major outbreak. And increasingly, leaders in America simply shrug at the excess death rates. This is… infuriating, but here is today’s news rundown / roster — on Influenza A (and several other viral outbreaks we’ve been traacking right along) — as we begin 2026:

…Old viruses are constantly evolving. A warming and increasingly populated planet puts humans in contact with more and different viruses. And increased mobility means that viruses can rapidly travel across the globe along with their human hosts.

As an infectious diseases physician and researcher, I’ll be keeping an eye on a few viruses in 2026 that could be poised to cause infections in unexpected places or in unexpected numbers….

Influenza A is a perennial threat. The virus infects a wide range of animals and has the ability to mutate rapidly.

The most recent influenza pandemic — caused by the H1N1 subtype of influenza in 2009 — killed over 280,000 people worldwide in its first year, and the virus continues to circulate today….

Now you know. And ICE agents under Bovino’s command refused to let an MD on scene render aid to Renee Good, as she died. It is all on video — with the agent saying “we have our own medics. . . they will be here shortly”… as the MD watched Renee die, from across the street, an ICE rifleman at the ready — if he tried to cross the street. Damn them.

नमस्ते

In Direct Violation Of A Federal Order, Halligan STILL Signs In As “US Attorney”?!

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

This is. . . deplorable.

She’s been ordered to stop appearing in Virginia as a US Attorney. But she is flagrantly defying that order, saying “its on appeal”. She’s gonna’ get herself permanently. . . disbarred from practice, as any kind of lawyer, me thinks — see the last two pages, here:

. . .Ms. Halligan shall further explain why her identification does not constitute a false or misleading statement. See Va. R. of Prof. Conduct 3.3(a) (2025) (“A lawyer shall not knowingly: (1) make a false statement of fact or law to a tribunal.”); 7.1 (“A lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services.”); 8.4 (“It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to. . . (c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty. . . or misrepresentation which reflects adversely on the lawyer’s fitness to practice law.”); 3.4 (“A lawyer shall not. . . [k]nowingly disobey. . . a standing rule or a ruling of a tribunal made in the course of a proceeding”); see also E.D. Va. Loc. Crim. R. 83.1(M) (“All counsel admitted to practice before this Court pursuant to subsections (C), (D) [governing federal government attorneys “appearing pursuant to the authority of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia” and who do not otherwise require “admission to practice in this Court”], (E), or (F) shall be subject to the rules, conditions and provisions set forth in full as Appendix B to these Local Rules.”); Fed. R. of Disciplinary Enforcement (“FRDE”) IV(B) [set forth in Appendix B]:
“Acts or omissions by an attorney admitted to practice before this Court, individually or in concert with any other person or persons, which violate the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct adopted by this Court shall constitute misconduct and shall be grounds for discipline”. . . .

These acolytes’ law licenses are burning as we speak. Crazy. Just like Michael Cohen, Jenna Ellis, Rudy Guiliani and Sidney Powell — in Tangerine 1.0’s pattern of lawlessness.

नमस्ते

[U: Hinderaker’s Own Video Proves The ICE/DHS Officers Could Get By — And She Was Unarmed, Driving AWAY!] Crediting EW, Here: The Goon Greg Bovino Was Present, When ICE Shot And Killed Renee Good, An Unarmed Observer In Her Car — In Minneapolis, Today. Dammit.

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

Updated @ 5:45 pm CST — the usual, out of Hinderaker. But apparently he did not watch the side view video he linked. The officer fired into a car that was moving AWAY from all law enforcement. A fleeing observer, a woman, unarmed. But on zero evidence, Hinderaker calls it “self defense”. It was no such thing. The officers didn’t give her time to comply. They fired rather than wait to let her pull out of the way.

And unsurprisingly, Hinderaker fails to mention that existing nationwide orders (and federal statutes) require de-escalation at protests. This was a quick trigger; no warning that the officer would fire. Shit, John.

Damn you John. Damn you. End update.

[Earlier and] very fairly, EmptyWheel asks whether Stephen Miller may be held responsible — along with Kristi Noem and of course, Donald Trump. All of them are (at a minimum) not remotely-studiously enforcing the existing orders on de-escalation, and a sparing use of force, at protests — if not outright ordering goons on the street, like Bovino… to affirmatively violate those orders and statutes.

Renee Good was, by all accounts, a very kind and gentle person. She did not own any guns. Here’s EmptyWheel’s concluding paragraph this evening — as I know you all have seen the basic news reports from earlier in the day, in Minneapolis. Dammit.

…[I]n a TV appearance, Bovino said he took his instructions from the Executive Branch, whether Trump or Kristi Noem.

The implication is fairly clear: That Stephen Miller is the one instructing him on use of force.

Greg Bovino was present for today’s shooting.

In the wake of the shooting, Tricia McLaughlin, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump all have told vicious lies about the shooting; their lies aren’t even consistent with each other, much less the video.

The shooting comes in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that Trump can’t deploy the National Guard to cities unless he has first resorted to active duty troops.

It’s time to ask whether Stephen Miller ordered Greg Bovino to shoot those who document DHS’ invasions….

Damn these monsters. Just… damn them. This may turn into a second George Floyd moment in the Twin Cities, now. [And perhaps — just perhaps — as the commanding agent on the ground, Greg Bovino might see the Derek Chauvin outcome. That would be rough justice.]

Dammit.

नमस्ते

As We’ve Said — Gilead Is A “Screaming Buy” At These Prices… But Don’t Trust Us, Just Listen To UBS And Morgan Stanley And HSBC And Mizuho And Wells Fargo.

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

As ever, you are responsible for doing your own due diligence — but that is exactly what these five venerable Wall Street experts have done — for their clients… and they all think the markets are undervaluing Gilead’s prospects by at least 15-20% over the next 12 to 24 months. [We’ve covered this company for over a decade now — and it will be a biopharma outperformer, almost always. The prior Hep C successes prove this.]

As I say, do go read it all here, but that lil’ story is likely just an AI-generated cut and paste job — made from/of existing bankers’ notes to clients. Still the consensus value is worthy of serious reflection, here in early 2026:

…UBS reiterated a “buy” on GILD and raised its price target to $145 (from $112), implying roughly a 19.5% upside from the prior close.

Multiple firms also bumped targets (HSBC, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo), and MarketBeat shows a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $133.

Gilead beat Q3 estimates with $2.47 EPS (vs. $2.16) and $7.77B revenue (vs. $7.42B), and set FY2025 guidance of $8.05–$8.25 EPS versus analyst expectations near $7.95….

Onward, shaking my head — at our nearly 80 year old, somnambulant would-be strong-man… geez — such tiny, silly hands — and such incompetently evil advice and help, surrounding him. Out.

नमस्ते