December 22nd, 2018

At least a dozen patients undergoing stem cell therapy developed bacterial infections after being injected with unapproved stem cell products, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Most of the patients were being treated for chronic back and joint pain.

All 12 patients were hospitalized, but there were no deaths. Seven of the infections were in Texas, four in Florida and one was in Arizona. CDC investigators found E. coli bacteria in unopened vials at two of the stem cell clinics where the patients were treated.

While the bill is devoted primarily to reforms of commercial launch and remote sensing regulations, it also extends authorization to operate the ISS from 2024 to 2030. Cruz and Nelson included that extension after expressing opposition to the administration's plan in its fiscal year 2019 budget request to end direct funding of the ISS in 2025.

The version passed by the Senate does include a new section authorizing NASA to start a low Earth orbit commercialization program "to encourage the fullest commercial use and development of space by the private sector of the United States." NASA sought to start such a program in its 2019 budget request that could lead to installation of commercial modules on the ISS and, later, commercial space stations.

It’s unclear whether Trump has the power to fire a Fed chair. According to the law, the president can fire a Fed governor (for a cause) but it hasn’t been tested on the firing of a chair. Because the chair is considered to be a governor, it’s likely that it is legal.

The partial shutdown began at midnight a few hours after House and Senate adjourned. It was expected to last at least a few days, with sources on both sides of the aisle telling Fox News that Washington could be in for a prolonged shutdown. The White House, however, was projecting confidence that they could secure a deal.

Talks were expected to resume Saturday afternoon, but Sunday was expected to be the key day for negotiations to end the shutdown. Lawmakers were aiming for a tentative agreement on all seven outstanding appropriation bills, to be funded until the end of September 2019. A senior source close to the negotiations told Fox News that they will aim to “see by Sunday morning if there is a center of gravity” for nailing down a deal.

Chase Bishop, 30, struck a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to two years of probation, The Denver Post reported . He also must pay more than $1,600 in fines and court costs.

For two months after the break-in, Mr. Bilzerian, a professional poker player and gun rights champion, says police inexplicably continued to keep the nine firearms under lock and key without a warrant. When the eight pistols and one rifle were returned to their owner about a week ago, all the ammunition for the firearms was missing, raising questions about the LAPD’s protocol for seizing firearms.

After a 14-year investigation, a French court today convicted the American financier George Soros of insider trading and fined him 2.2 million euros ($2.3 million), the amount prosecutors said he had profited from the trading. Mr. Soros, who was not present in the courtroom, called the verdict unfounded and said he would appeal.

The company stopped using some kinds in 2002, but has since made others. And the same property that makes them so effective in consumer products—one of the strongest molecular bonds ever discovered—means they are almost impossible to get rid of and don’t break down in the environment.

While the so-called “forever” chemicals had long been detected in most people’s bodies, research has shown how they accumulate and can take years to leave. Even when excreted through urine, they persist.

Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats said Friday that his agency has not found any evidence of any direct interference in the midterm elections.

Coats said he has submitted a required report to President Donald Trump that says the intelligence community has not uncovered any compromise of election infrastructure that would have disrupted balloting or changed results.

Coats said the intelligence community did find a continuation of previously disclosed "influence activities" and "messaging campaigns" by countries such as Russia, China and Iran ahead of the election.

At first glance of Amazon’s new patent application, one would be tempted to think it no more than a built-in “smart” security system. But no, this facial recognition surveillance doorbell does a lot more than record would-be thieves.

According to a new report, the patent application, made available in late November, would pair facial surveillance such as Rekognition, the product that Amazon is aggressively marketing to law enforcement, with Ring – a doorbell camera company that Amazon acquired in 2018.

It’s going to record all who walk by and gather composite images and recordings that can be stored in a cloud and accessed by law enforcement to help surveil and catch suspects.

One of the main problems – besides the obvious privacy violations and smashing the 4th amendment to smithereens – is that facial recognition has been abysmal so far. That means if a database determines you are a suspect because you bear a striking resemblance, then the police could show up and detain you before you even drop off the potato salad to your next potluck.

Malaysia is seeking $7.5 billion in reparations from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) over its dealings with scandal-linked state fund 1MDB, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Friday, citing the finance minister.

Separately, Bloomberg reported that Singapore had expanded its criminal investigation of 1MDB to include Goldman Sachs, in a sign of increasing scrutiny of the bank’s role in the suspected multi-billion-dollar money laundering scheme.

Malaysian prosecutors this week filed charges against Goldman Sachs in connection with its role as underwriter and arranger of three bond sales that raised $6.5 billion for 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the first criminal action against the U.S. bank over the scandal.

The hemp industry still has work ahead to win legal status for hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD oil, as an ingredient in food or dietary supplements despite the big farm bill President Donald Trump signed this week designating hemp as an agricultural crop.

CBD oils have become increasingly popular in lotions, tinctures and foods, but their legal status has been murky and the Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to some companies making health claims for CBD.

In a statement following Thursday's bill signing in Washington, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb restated his agency's stance that CBD is a drug ingredient and therefore illegal to add to food or health products without approval from his agency.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the four liberal justices in the 5-4 ruling.

"It's a major blow to the Trump administration, and sends a strong signal that there are at least five Justices who agree with the district court that the asylum ban exceeds the President's statutory authority," said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is blaming President Donald Trump and his “domestic realities” for the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants coming into Canada.