Tom Felton and Jason Isaacs have one other Malfoy household reunion

Connected beyond the wizarding world.

Jason Isaacs came out to support his former onscreen son tom felton when he starred in the West Ed play 2:22 A Ghost Story.

“So proud and thrilled along with the audience to see my boy rule the stage breaking hearts and filling pants today,” Jason wrote on Instagram on September 3, along with several photos from his night at the Criterion Theater in London. “Equally terrifying is that he’s recording music and also has a book coming out. I feel complacent about taking out the bins on the right day (doesn’t happen often). I would hate him if I didn’t love him.”

He added: “That’s a working tan, by the way. I didn’t catch any trump hilis.”

Among the snaps, Jason, 59, and Tom, 34, posed for a heartwarming selfie that included the hashtags #WayBeyondTheWandNow and #MalfoyManner.

The two started out together as Slytherin’s Draco and Lucius Malfoy in the eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011.

The US is formally coming into a brand new house race: this time it is China

For those of us 55 and younger can only imagine what it was like to watch the US send men to the moon in 1969 using computers less powerful than the phone you are reading this with. We’re told the country hasn’t been prouder since the end of World War II. If the sky were no longer the limit, surely the possibilities in the future could only be positive…

It didn’t work that well. Just ten days ago, a poll found that 58% of Americans believe the country’s best days are behind them, a record. Some of us are surprised that the number isn’t higher. A significant portion of this country wants a second civil war. Sometimes it seems like the country needs a true enemy to unite us as one. In an “ideal world,” that enemy would be climate change.

We don’t live in an ideal world right now, so we’re going to take what we can for the best.

What most Americans don’t know is that if things currently go as planned, NASA wants to have a lunar “base” similar to the ISS by the end of the decade. The lunar base would be the starting position for any manned mission to Mars. The first significant mission to this goal is the Artemis unmanned rocket.

But the US isn’t the only nation making significant strides toward a lunar presence, China is also emerging as a true space power and has plans for manned missions as well. There are both military and scientific reasons for taking on this challenge in a new space race, but perhaps the most desirable outcome would be to revive some sort of national pride and unity.

From space.com:

The United States will not return to the moon alone. NASA directs Artemis, but the program has brought in a number of international partners, including the space agencies of Japan, Canada and Europe. Two other space powers, China and Russia, are not part of the consortium, but they have crewed lunar plans of their own.

China and Russia announced in March 2021 that they were teaming up on an ambitious project called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which, like Artemis, aims to establish a base near the moon’s south pole.

In fact, the Two projects appear to be targeting the same general patches of lunar properties(opens in new tab) — Highland regions that offer easy access to plenty of sunlight and water ice it is believed to be abundant on the shaded floors of polar craters.

It is very difficult to say whether the Chinese will still cooperate with the Russians at this point. Yes, Russia has decades of experience in space exploration and rocketry. But Americans have certainly noticed that China has been doing a lot in space lately. China doesn’t seem to need Russia, and it’s hard to imagine how Russia can afford a taco right now after being banned from the planet by all respectable nations.

One would hope that there is enough space around the moon’s south pole highlands that there are no real tensions over who is where. Of course, one also hopes that no nation suffers a catastrophic failure with lost lives. But it sure would be nice to see the US put a little elbow grease back in and propel our path to greatness.

Sometimes one wonders if there is anything that could unite Americans. Without an inbound asteroid or a Pearl Harbor-type attack, perhaps just another space race, a successful one, can unite the country a little and allow everyone to take a little pride in calling themselves just “Americans” and skipping any “leftists.” ‘ or ‘correct’ descriptions.

@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, columnist, author and lawyer. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teens and college days in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. Today he enjoys life as a single father to a young girl and writes on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves making his flower pots, cooking and is currently studying philosophy of science, religion and non-mathematical principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please do not hesitate to contact us for lectures or other concerns.

How China’s Covid insurance policies are inflicting disrupted provide chains and better inflation

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s strict “zero Covid” policy managed to keep Covid-19 in check. More than two years later, the country’s ongoing controls are still weighing on its economy and bringing global supply chains to a halt.

“Zero-Covid has become one of the chosen drivers of the global recession,” Steve Morrison, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an interview with CNBC.

Major trade hubs like Shanghai and Beijing are requiring workers to test negative for Covid to enter public spaces after responding to waves of omicron-related infections. The demanding quarantine and testing rules have also thwarted truckers on the roads, increasing the time it takes for goods to reach Chinese export ports.

When it comes to manufacturing, China has forced some companies to operate in a closed-loop system – similar to the “bubble” strategy – where factory workers live on-site. Companies like Tesla and iPhone maker Foxconn have had to implement closed-loop systems.

Not to mention inclement weather, labor issues, and abnormal demand patterns that have also contributed to supply chain disruptions.

“Supply chains thrive on predictability,” said Simon Geale, executive vice president of Proxima, in an interview with CNBC. “And the only thing we can say about China right now is that many companies see China as predictably unpredictable.”

Watch the video above to find out how China’s evolving zero-Covid strategies are slowing global supply chains and if relief is on the horizon.

NASA delays launch of Artemis I moon rocket

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launch vehicle at Launch 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida August 26, 2022.

Steve Seipel | NASA

NASA delayed its Artemis I lunar mission again on Saturday after making a second attempt to lift the unmanned launch from the ground.

The space agency is working toward the debut of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule for a more than month-long voyage around the moon.

As NASA was filling the rocket Saturday morning, the agency’s team discovered a hydrogen leak in the engine section. NASA made several attempts to patch the leak, but time ticked before the launch window, which was scheduled to open at 2:17 p.m. ET.

NASA aborted a first launch attempt on Monday after failing to resolve a temperature issue found on one of the rocket’s four liquid-fueled engines, discovered less than two hours before the countdown expired.

It was unclear whether NASA would be able to make another launch attempt on Monday or Tuesday. If NASA decides not to try again in the coming days, the agency would likely roll the 32-story rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, causing a delay of weeks or more.

The unmanned launch marks the debut of the most powerful rocket ever built and heralds NASA’s long-awaited return to the lunar surface. It is the first mission in NASA’s Artemis lunar program, which is tentatively scheduled to land the agency’s astronauts on the moon until its third mission in 2025.

Behind-the-scenes drama? “Euphoria” followers have their say on the “cancellation” of Hunter Schafer, Barbie Ferreira and Sydney Sweeney following current backlash

We used to have a Sunday night time!

It’s been seven months and yes, we still miss the Sunday nights we all tuned in to “Euphoria” together. Season 2 was a lit emotional roller coaster that left us wanting more. As fans wait for more series drama, rumors are swirling around the web that Season 3 has been cancelled.

show cancelled? Who said that?!

Well, fans needn’t worry just yet, because back in April, HBO confirmed that “Euphoria” had been renewed for a third season. The show may not be cancelled, but fans have taken matters into their own hands by canceling cast members one by one. ‘Euphoria’ stars Hunter Schafer, Barbie Ferreira and Sydney Sweeney were recently thrown into the ‘cancelled’ ring of fire.

Hunter Schafer’s comment took a deduction

This broken domino effect began early last week when Hunter, who plays Jules, reportedly agreed to a post calling for non-binary people. THe’s now deleted, but a lengthy post apparently accused non-binary people of having a negative impact on the trans movement, which continues to fight for medical transition.

“You’re not helping… You’re not expanding the minds of cis people. You make them hate us. For the last time, I ask non-binary people to take a seat and let binary trans people, and black trans women in particular, be the voice of this community because they are the ones who are vulnerable.

Jules causes a flurry of reactions

Fans noticed that Hunter had put five exclamation marks in the comments section. Being an iconic trans actress, many were immediately taken back when she endorsed this post. As the failed train began to roll into the station, fans went back and forth as to whether or not it should fail.

Huntress Schafer when she finds out that transphobia is responsible for transphobic laws and not non-binary people pic.twitter.com/wqqCfAyqwG

— Jupiter (@hometheyz) August 23, 2022

I have to say everyone gets mad at Jägerschafer for literally just commenting “!!!!”. on someone else’s post. I like silly posts all the time. Stinks of transmisogyny to me. Much like non-binary people aren’t the problem, Jägerschafer isn’t the problem.

— Laurel🗡️🌿 (@fewredthings) August 25, 2022

Hunter Schafer hating non-binary people wasn’t on my bingo card but is SO rich white woman of hers but also rooted in the idea that non-binary people are just ‘trans-lite’ and therefore deserve less care , and this is a very harmful mentality we need to disable <3

— max (@abattoirbluues) August 23, 2022

Honestly, not mad at Hunter Schafer, like many non-binary people, you see opportunities compared to trans women, especially black trans women. Our visibility plays a big role in how we make changes and actually take care of our lives and unfortunately tend not to

— |Chris Li | Paper Bag Agency | 🌞 (@sunnychrisse) August 25, 2022

Hunter has yet to respond to the criticism and in less than 24 hours, the “breakdown” torch was passed to her castmate Barbie Ferreira.

Goodbye Barbie!

Rumors have been swirling for a while that Barbie Ferreira and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levison had a bit of insults on set. It was rumored that Ferreira allegedly walked off the set after a falling out with Levison. In March, the actress shut down the rumors during her interview with Insider.

I’ve seen so many different things and a lot of it is untrue and some of it is like mundane little things

Despite her limited scenes in Season 2, fans were super shocked Barbie announced she was leaving the cast after two seasons. Many didn’t expect her to be leaving so soon, especially with Season 3 just around the corner. She captioned her Instagram stories with a sweet goodbye.

“After four years of portraying the special and enigmatic character Kat, I have to say goodbye with tears in my eyes. I hope many of you were able to see yourself in her as I did, and that she brought you joy to see her journey to the character she is today. I put all my care and love into them and I hope you can feel it. I love you Katherine Hernandez.” She wrote.

Kat fans are hurt

It’s safe to say that Kat fans were saddened by her announcement, which made for a sad goodbye across the internet.

“Can’t anyone play her part like her I’m pisseddddddddd,” wrote one fan.

Kat reactions scaled

The reappearance of an old alleged Tumblr account

While fans were saddened, other commenters made it loud and clear that they didn’t share the same sentiments while bringing up Barbie’s alleged Tumblr racist past. There isn’t much solid evidence to back up these claims, but many people have shared screenshots claiming that she said the N-word on Tumblr in her teenage days.

kat final scaled

I’m sorry but Kat is one of Euphoria’s best characters…Barbie Ferreira deserves better pic.twitter.com/LKbiPXxZ8l

— julian🫶🏽 (@jul13an) August 24, 2022

Y’all out here crying about Barbie Ferreira I might not care another racist actor in the cast pic.twitter.com/IO1593bIvo

— Kota☆ (@Honeymoononika) August 25, 2022

To learn in the same fucking minute that barbie ferreira won’t be returning for euphoria s3 AND that she’s racist is like being machine gunned

— Pizza Hut (@mikepropagand) August 25, 2022

Ferriera also ignored critics while in the hot seat, and the heat quickly seared her castmate, Sydney Sweeney.

Sydney Sweeney’s Jubilee Year

The past two months have been one of celebration for Sydney Sweeney. In July, upon receipt, she was filled with joy not one, but two Emmy nominations for her roles in “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus.” Despite the actress’ busy schedule, she was able to take some time off to surprise her mother with a Hoedown 60 themed birthday party full of loved ones.

Sydney arrived at the party in a white dress paired with a matching hat and boots. While she kept it simple with no political statements, fans weren’t there for her family members, who apparently did.

While scrolling through the films, fans immediately spotted a person wearing a Blue Lives Matter shirt. Sweeney’s family members all smiled too, as they wore their Make Sixties Great Again version of Donald Trump’s red Make America Great Again hats.

Cassie says it’s not like that!! B-day party or political party… fans say no to Issa!

Sweeney fans, who loved seeing Sydney as Cassie Howard, were left with mixed reviews in the comments. Some shocked but not surprised, a few supportive, or a bunch ready to unfollow all together.

Yes, it’s a no from me. never unfollowed so quickly

Syd S scaled

Sydney with a quick clapback

Amid all the backlash, Sydney was quick to take to Twitter to clear the air surrounding her mum’s birthday celebration.

“Guys, this is wild. An innocent celebration of my mother’s 60th birthday turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Lots of love to everyone ♥️ and Happy Birthday Mom!” She wrote.

Not only did this tweet create more uproar, but the commenters went straight to Sydney’s thread to get a few more things out of the way

assumptions? Don’t shed light on your fans (many are probably young progressive people based on the content of the show that got you fame). Her family is obviously far right based on the Blue Lives Matter shirts and MAGA babies. pic.twitter.com/Gwcm4YZduz

— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) August 28, 2022

The Sydney Sweeney family has MAGA-inspired merch, and she says she doesn’t know why everything has to be political.

– SLIM. (@_slimarella_) August 27, 2022

If you post a photo of yourself wearing a swastika, is it wrong to assume you are a Nazi?

You’re not responsible for your family’s bigoted beliefs, but it’s ridiculous to suggest that people are “making assumptions” when the shirt is literally a political statement.

— Chris Evans (@notcapnamerica) August 28, 2022

sydney sweeney hop on ig live so soon pic.twitter.com/n4X0hWaOSL

— ᱬ S in his Targaryen era ᱬ (@theescarletgrey) August 27, 2022

Except that there is nothing “innocent” about condoning racism and political figures who slander minorities and marginalized groups. Welcome to the real world where we choose to see color and hold fanatics accountable Sydney 🌈✨

— honey girl (@KayKaytheSag) August 28, 2022

Twitter Responds to Back-to-Back Cast “Cancellations”

After all the social “cancellations,” fans are scared to see which “Euphoria” castmate might be next.

Euphoria Cast antm America next top model disappears pic.twitter.com/nDyDLeKKeH

— Tham Saves (@TyjaeSaves) August 28, 2022

all the euphoria is just pouring down the drain pic.twitter.com/f9234pRefk

— KY ♕⭒ (@manistoe) August 27, 2022

Sam Levinson sees Euphoria and the cast downhill pic.twitter.com/Ted55JqlVJ

— Miscellaneous (@Snokes7) August 27, 2022

Euphoria performers are being called out all week pic.twitter.com/0bqboK2GPS

— mara (@PARKERSFILMZ) August 27, 2022

So far, Ferreira is the only confirmed star to have left the show, and Sweeney is the only one dealing with backlash, leaving fans with more and more questions.

#Roomates, is the euphoria for the series over or are you ready for season 3?!

Covid-19 omicron pictures accessible however their effectiveness is unclear

The US this week approved the first major revision of Covid-19 vaccines in a bid to stem an expected spate of infections and hospitalizations this fall.

However, it is unclear how much protection the new booster shots will offer. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have cleared the footage without data from clinical trials testing the newly formulated doses in humans.

The new boosters, approved for people 12 and older, target the highly contagious and immune-avoidable subvariant omicron BA.5, which sparked a surge in breakthrough infections over the summer. The shots also targeted the original strain of the virus, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, in 2019.

The country’s top health authorities acted urgently this summer to ensure the new boosters are rolled out in time for the fall. They are concerned that the declining effectiveness of legacy vaccines creates an opportunity for omicron to trigger another wave of hospitalizations this winter as people spend more time indoors, where the airborne virus spreads more easily.

According to CDC epidemiologist Heather Scobie, deaths and hospitalizations among the elderly, the most commonly vaccinated age group in America, have risen since April as Omicron continues to mutate into more transmissible subvariants that evade the protection of the original vaccines.

dr Peter Marks, who heads the FDA’s office that reviews vaccines, said the new boosters aim to restore the high level of protection vaccines showed in early 2021. However, Marks acknowledged that federal government experts just don’t know yet whether the boosters will meet the high bar that these doses set.

“We don’t yet know exactly if we’ll reach the same level, but that’s the goal here. And we think the evidence we’ve seen suggests that,” Marks told reporters during a news conference following the FDA approval Wednesday.

The FDA will be monitoring to see if the boosters are meeting that goal, Marks said. When Pfizer and Moderna’s syringes were approved in December 2020, they offered more than 90 percent protection in preventing Covid.

Marks told reporters it will likely be at least a few more months before human data on the BA.5 boosters is available to the public. But he said the FDA used essentially the same process to authorize the new boosters it’s relied on for years to switch virus strains in flu shots.

“We’re pretty confident that what we have is very similar to the situation that we’ve done in the past with influenza mutations where we’re not conducting clinical trials for them in the United States,” Marks said. “We know from how the vaccine works and from the data we have that we can predict how well the vaccine will work.”

The new boosters could prevent 2.4 million infections, 137,000 hospitalizations and 9,700 deaths if no new variant emerges, according to a forecast by a team of scientists predicting the course of the pandemic, called the Covid-19 Scenario Modeling Hub.

However, according to the scientists, this forecast is based on optimistic assumptions about the coverage and effectiveness of boosters. The model assumes that vaccines will prove 80% effective in preventing disease and the public will largely embrace the new boosters. There is no efficacy data on the new shots and it is unclear how strong the public demand for them will be.

The CDC estimates that an early fall immunization campaign with booster shots could save the United States between $63 billion and $109 billion in medical costs by preventing hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

Pfizer and Moderna originally developed new boosters to target the first version of Omicron, BA.1, which caused the massive wave of infections and hospitalizations last winter. But keeping up with the rapid evolution of the virus has proven to be a challenge.

By the time the country’s top health leaders began providing new boosters in earnest in April, more transmissible subvariants had already pushed omicron BA.1 out of circulation. In June, the FDA urged vaccine makers to shift gears and target Omicron BA.5 after it rose to dominance.

That decision didn’t leave Pfizer and Moderna enough time to complete human clinical trials of the new boosters before a fall launch of the vaccine.

As a result, the FDA and CDC rely on human data from the clinical trials of the BA.1 syringes to understand how the BA.5 boosters might work. They also relied on data from studies testing the BA.5 boosters in mice.

The CDC’s Independent Advisory Committee supported the shooting Thursday in an overwhelming vote.

However, some members of the panel also had concerns about the lack of human data.

“I’m really struggling with a vaccine that doesn’t have clinical data that’s reported for people, for those who would actually get the vaccine,” said Dr. Oliver Brooks, a committee member and chief medical officer at Watts HealthCare Corp. in Los Engel.

dr Pablo Sanchez, the only member of the CDC committee who voted against the injections, called the decision to recommend the new boosters without human data premature.

“There’s already a lot of hesitation with vaccines — we need the human data,” said Sanchez, a professor of pediatrics at Ohio State University.

dr Doran Fink, deputy chief of the FDA’s Division of Vaccine Review, told the hesitant committee members that the new booster shots use the exact same manufacturing process as the old vaccines and contain the same total amount of mRNA, the code that instructs human cells to produce the proteins that evoke an immune response to fight off Covid.

Fink said the BA.1 and the BA.5 recordings are similar enough to use data from the BA.1 human trials to get a good idea of ​​how the new BA.5 boosters work will work.

Pfizer and Moderna presented data at the CDC meeting showing that the BA.1 vaccines elicited a stronger immune response in humans than the old vaccines. The mouse studies by both companies on the BA.5 syringes also showed a stronger immune response.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said last week that a longer wait for human data from the BA.5 shots could mean the boosters are out of date by the time a new variant emerges.

“It’s always about too slow versus too fast,” Walensky told Conversations on Health Care in a radio interview. “One of the challenges is when we wait for that data to show up in human data… we’re going to be using what I think might be an outdated vaccine.”

Moderna completed recruitment for its clinical trials last week and expects results by the end of the year. Pfizer’s clinical trials are ongoing, although the company hasn’t given a timeline for when it will have data.

Brooks questioned why the FDA chose a BA.5 vaccine when clinical data is available for the BA.1 vaccines that vaccine manufacturers originally developed. Canada and the UK have approved new booster shots targeting omicron BA.1

Fink said the US approved BA.5 based on advice from the FDA’s independent committee, data from South Africa indicating that natural infection by the subvariant provides broader protection than infection by BA.1, and the fact that BA.5 is dominant.

Although committee members were somewhat reluctant to proceed without the human data, they agreed that the new boosters should have a similar safety profile to the old vaccines, as they use the same platform. The Covid vaccines have been given to millions of people in the US with mostly mild side effects.

According to the FDA, the most common side effects from the human trials of BA.1 injections were pain, redness, swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

dr Sara Oliver, a CDC official, told the committee that the risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after a BA.5 booster is unknown. However, health authorities believe it will be similar to the risk seen with the old vaccines.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been associated with an increased risk of myocarditis in young men and adolescent boys, mainly after the second dose. However, according to the CDC, the risk of myocarditis is higher from Covid infection than from vaccination.

dr Grace Lee, the chair of the CDC committee, tried to reassure the public that there is a robust monitoring system to monitor safety and that the panel will meet again if new concerns arise.

“I just want to make sure members of the public know we’re continuing to monitor closely,” Lee said. “We have systems and teams that continue to monitor and meet.”

Trump’s FBI raid paperwork on Mar-a-Lago search unsealed

FBI agents found four dozen empty document folders marked “CLASSIFIED” during their raid last month at former President Donald Trump’s residence at his Mar-a-Lago club, a newly unsealed court filing revealed on Friday.

Agents found 43 of those empty folders, marked as classified, in Trump’s office, according to the Justice Department’s inventory of confiscated items filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

The remaining five empty folders with this marking were found in containers in a storage room.

The FBI also found another 42 empty folders marked “Return to Staff Secretary/Miliary [sic] Adjutant” during the Aug. 8 raid, who was authorized to search for government documents removed from the White House when Trump left office in January 2021, the filing said.

Documents seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago

Source: Ministry of Justice

Twenty-eight of those empty folders were found in Trump’s office, while another 14 were in another storage room, the document shows.

And FBI agents found more than 10,000 government documents and photos with no classification marks, the filing shows. Among them were hundreds of photos and news articles, as well as gifts, clothing and books.

The bombastic revelations suggest that the DOJ has yet to recover the documents that would have been in the empty folders.

The DOJ is investigating possible crimes related to the removal of these and other government documents from the White House when Trump left office in January 2021.

By law, such records must be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration.

CNBC Policy

Read more about CNBC’s political coverage:

It was signed by Miami U.S. Attorney Juan Gonzalez and Jay Bratt, chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Branch of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

“The materials seized will continue to be used to further the government’s investigation, and the investigative team will continue to use and evaluate the materials seized as it undertakes further investigative steps, such as through additional interviews and grand jury practice,” the statement said .

“It is important to note that the ‘verification’ of the seized material is not a single investigative step, but an ongoing process in this active criminal investigation,” the document reads.

Trump’s spokesman again criticized the raid in a series of tweets about the inventory of the confiscated items.

“The new ‘detailed’ inventory list only further proves that this unprecedented and unnecessary raid on President Trump’s home was not a surgical, limited search and recovery, as the Biden administration claims, was a SMASH AND GRAB,” spokesman Taylor wrote Budovich .

“These document disputes should be resolved under the Presidential Records Act, which requires cooperation and negotiation by NARA [National Archives and Records Administration]no armed FBI raid,” added Budowich.

Trump, in a lawsuit filed in late August, asked Cannon to appoint an independent handler, known as a special master, to review items seized in the search before the DOJ could continue using the documents in the investigation.

Trump’s attorneys said a special master could consider whether some documents’ use in the investigation is prohibited because they are protected by either attorney-client privilege or executive branch privilege.

The DOJ has opposed the appointment of a special master, saying it would delay the investigation and that Trump does not possess the documents.

Cannon said during a Florida court hearing Thursday that she would make a decision on Master’s special motion “in due course.”

Cannon, a Trump appointee, previously shared her “tentative intention” to honor Trump’s request for a special master. The judge indicated at Thursday’s hearing that she was still considering the appointment, news outlets reported.

FDA approves emergency use of Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for ages 12 to 17

A box of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine arranged at a pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, on Monday August 1, 2022.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Biotechnology company Novavax announced on Friday that its Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use for youth between the ages of 12 and 17.

In July, Novavax’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine for adults ages 18 and older received its emergency use approval from the FDA.

Having more vaccine options for adults and children will “hopefully help increase vaccination rates, especially as we prepare for sustained waves of Covid-19 as fall and back-to-school season begin,” said Stanley C. Erck, President and CEO by Novavax, said in a statement.

Novavax was one of the original participants in the US government’s race to develop a Covid vaccine in 2020, receiving $1.8 billion in taxpayer dollars from Operation Warp Speed. However, the small Maryland biotech struggled to ramp up production quickly, and its clinical trial data was read much later than its competitors Pfizer or Moderna.

dr Peter Marks, a senior FDA official, said Novavax’s vaccine would appeal to potentially unvaccinated individuals who would prefer a syringe not based on the messenger RNA technology used by Pfizer and Moderna.

How Novavax is different

The Novavax vaccine is based on a more conventional protein technology that has been used in hepatitis B and HPV vaccines for decades, while Pfizer and Moderna are the first FDA-approved vaccines to use mRNA.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA, a molecule encoded with genetic instructions, to tell human cells to make copies of a viral particle called the spike protein. The immune system responds to these copies of the spike, which primes the human body to attack the actual virus.

Novavax makes copies of the virus spike outside of human cells. The genetic code for the spike is put into an insect virus that infects moth cells that produce copies that are then purified and extracted during the manufacturing process. The finished Spike copies are injected into the human body and trigger an immune response against Covid.

The Novavax vaccine also uses an additional ingredient called an adjuvant, extracted and purified from the bark of a tree in South America, to induce a broader immune response. The injections consist of 5 micrograms of the spike copy and 50 micrograms of the adjuvant.

effectiveness and safety

Two doses of the Novavax vaccine were 90% effective in preventing disease from Covid and 100% effective in preventing major disease, according to clinical trial data from the United States and Mexico. However, the study was conducted from December 2020 to September 2021, months before the Omicron variant became dominant.

Novavax did not present data on the effectiveness of the shot against the variant at the FDA committee meeting in June. However, the vaccine will likely be less effective against Omicron than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Omicron is so different from the original Covid strain that the antibodies produced by the vaccines have trouble recognizing and attacking the variant.

Novavax released data in December showing that a third injection boosted the immune response to levels comparable to the first two doses, which showed 90 percent efficacy against disease. The company plans to seek FDA approval for a third dose of its vaccine.

FDA approval of Novavax’s vaccines comes as the US prepares to update Covid vaccines to target the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants to increase protection against the virus. Novavax’s vaccine, like all other vaccines, is based on the original version of the virus that first emerged in Wuhan, China. The effectiveness of Covid vaccines against mild illness has declined significantly as the virus has evolved, although they still generally protect against serious illness.

Novavax presented data at an FDA committee meeting in late June showing that a third dose of its vaccine elicited a strong immune response against Omicron and its subvariants. The committee members were impressed by the company’s data on omicron.

The Novavax vaccine also appears to carry a risk of heart inflammation in younger men known as myocarditis and pericarditis, similar to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis is inflammation of the outer lining of the heart.

FDA officials have reported four cases of myocarditis and pericarditis from the Novavax clinical trial in young men ages 16 to 28. People who develop heart inflammation as a side effect of Covid vaccines are usually hospitalized for several days as a precaution, but then recover.

The FDA has issued a factsheet for healthcare providers warning that clinical trial data suggest there is an increased risk of myocarditis with the Novavax vaccine. People who experience chest pain, shortness of breath, and a feeling of a fluttering or pounding heart should see a doctor right away, according to the FDA.

In the case of the mRNA shots, the CDC has found that the risk of myocarditis from Covid infection is higher than from vaccination. Myocarditis is usually caused by viral infections.

Taylor Swift’s brother Austin Swift holds palms with mannequin Sydney Ness

Taylor Swift‘s brother could start a love story of his own.

Austin Swift was spotted holding hands with the model Sidney Ness in New York and sparked romantic rumors that the two could be a couple.

The photos show Austin and Sydney walking through the Tribeca neighborhood. The pair kept it low-key and wore casual attire as they strolled the area on September 1.

The Braking for Whales actor wore a white button-down, black jeans and brown shoes. Beside him, Sydney kept her blonde hair down and dressed in a black shirt with gray jeans and white boots. The model is getting ready for New York Fashion Week, according to her Instagram Story, and has recently appeared in campaigns for Summer Fridays and D Ô EN.

Neither star has commented on the nature of their relationship.

Earlier this year, Austin received a nomination for Video of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards for his contribution to Taylor’s music video “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)”. Austin produced the video alongside Blake Livelywho led the project.

Why Mark Zuckerberg is speaking a lot about WhatsApp for enterprise

Facebook’s new rebranding logo Meta can be seen on smartphone in front of the displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Intagram, Whatsapp and Oculus in this illustration image taken on October 28, 2021.

Given Ruvic | Reuters

WhatsApp is already very popular with US consumers. Now, Meta Platforms is paying more attention to building its small business base.

Facebook parent company launched WhatsApp Business in 2018 with free, simple tools to help small businesses stay connected with customers by allowing them to interact directly, search for products, and express interest in buying.

Soon, the company will launch a premium service for small businesses and is ramping up a newer advertising format called “click-to-message,” which allows consumers to click on a company’s ad within Facebook or Instagram and start a conversation directly with them start this business on Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp.

These initiatives offer Meta an opportunity to increase ad revenue, stay relevant with small businesses and generate additional revenue from the premium services it offers, analysts said.

Keep more in the meta universe

Meta (then Facebook) bought WhatsApp in October 2014 for around $22 billion. Since then, industry watchers have been watching closely for signs that the company plans to monetize the platform more. That time could come now.

“If I stay on one of the meta objects and communicate, ask questions and buy through meta – all within the platform – there is no signal loss and it is easier for meta to communicate to the brand their return on advertising spend,” said Mark Kelley, Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst at Stifel, “Loss of signal is really what’s impacted social media companies this year.”

WhatsApp will be the “next chapter” in the company’s history, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told CNBC’s Jim Cramer. He noted that the company’s “playbook over time” has been to develop services to serve broad audiences and “scale monetization” after that goal is met. “And that’s what we’ve done with Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp is really going to be the next chapter, with business messaging and commerce playing a big part there,” he said.

This message from Meta comes at a time of transition for the company and uncertainty among investors. The company recently reported a decline in earnings and sales and forecast a second straight quarter of declining sales. Meta Platforms stock has lost about half of its value this year. Mark Zuckerberg is betting large sums of money on a future where the Metaverse will be a growth driver for the company. But with his bet on the metaverse still a decade away from bearing fruit, the Meta CEO has stressed that in the near term, WhatsApp is one of the initiatives to focus on for growth.

WhatsApp Business consists of two components. For small businesses, there is the WhatsApp Business app. There’s also the WhatsApp Business platform, an API, for larger businesses like banks, airlines, or e-commerce businesses. The first 1,000 conversations on the platform each month are free. After that, businesses are billed per conversation, which includes all messages delivered in a 24-hour session, based on regional rates.

With the free app, small businesses can communicate directly with customers. You can set up automated messages to reply to customers, for example outside of business hours, with information about the store, e.g. B. a menu or the location of your company. Businesses can use it to send product images and descriptions and other information to customers that might interest them. There is currently no option to pay via WhatsApp, but Meta is considering the feature, a company spokesman said.

Premium small business features set to roll out in the coming months include the ability to manage chats on up to 10 devices, as well as new WhatsApp customizable click-to-chat links that businesses can use to reach out to customers about their can attract online presence, the company said in its blog.

“We believe that messaging in general is the future of how people want to communicate with businesses and vice versa. It’s the quickest and easiest way to get things done,” the spokesman said.

Why Main Street Business is a Focus for the WhatsApp Push

Analysts see the broad potential. “Messaging is an international forum that everyone uses all the time. It’s huge and growing,” said Brian Fitzgerald, managing director and senior equity research analyst at Wells Fargo Securities.

There’s significant room for growth in the US, where WhatsApp is still a “largely untapped resource for small businesses,” said Rob Retzlaff, executive director of The Connected Commerce Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes small business access to digital technologies and tools .

That’s something Meta sees changing over time. “We have a strong belief that this behavior will continue to increase around the world,” said Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s chief operating officer, during its second-quarter earnings call on July 27. The company estimates that 1 billion users start a business every week via WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram.

The need for free and affordable digital tools for small businesses is underscored by a 2021 report from The Connected Commerce Council. The report found that about 11 million small businesses would have shut down all or part of their business if it weren’t for digital tools that allowed them to continue operating.

One driver for Meta in promoting WhatsApp Business is advertising revenue. “Click-to-message is already a multi-billion dollar business for us and we continue to see strong double-digit year-over-year growth,” Sandberg said on the company’s second-quarter earnings call. Click-to-message “is one of our fastest growing advertising formats for us,” she added. The company doesn’t say how much of its business comes from WhatsApp compared to Messenger or Instagram.

Businesses like this format because it’s “a cost-effective way to interact [with consumers] that feels a bit more personal,” said Kelley von Stifel. In addition, it also mitigates a problem caused by the privacy change Apple made to its iOS operating system last year.

For example, let’s say a customer views a Facebook ad for a sneaker retailer and connects directly with the company via WhatsApp. “In a world where we are trying to do more and more with less and less data, there are no data leaks here. Everything is protected,” Fitzgerald said. “No one [else] The world knows I bought these sneakers and there is a direct connection between businesses and consumers.”

Additionally, by offering premium services, Meta could at least incrementally increase sales, Kelley said.

José Montoya Gamboa, owner of Malhaya in Mexico, who has been using the free business app for several years, said he plans to pay for the premium version once it’s available because he likes the ability to use it on multiple devices use.

But Geraldine Colocia, community manager at Someone Somewhere, a certified B Corporation that works with hundreds of artisans across Mexico, isn’t sure. She’s been using the free version of the app for more than two years and would consider paying for it, but the decision will impact actual features and pricing, she said.