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State Rep. Cody Harris proposes bill to make Texas frontrunner for nuclear energy

State Rep. Cody Harris proposes bill to make Texas frontrunner for nuclear energy

Yahoo10-03-2025
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – An East Texas State Representative filed a bill on Thursday to position Texas as becoming a 'global leader in advanced nuclear energy'.
State Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) filed House Bill 14 with hopes of it strengthening America's position as a top exporter of nuclear technology.
2 killed in Ector County crash including 1 East Texan
Harris spoke about the global implications that nuclear technology has on America and how it is imperative that the U.S. must continue to make advancements to avoid being surpassed by rival countries.
'The U.S. must win the nuclear renaissance, we cannot allow Russia or China to dominate the future of nuclear technology,' Harris said. 'By stimulating advanced nuclear reactor deployment in Texas, we will deliver safe, reliable energy to Texans'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Judge denies undocumented students' attempt to challenge sudden loss of in-state tuition
Judge denies undocumented students' attempt to challenge sudden loss of in-state tuition

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Judge denies undocumented students' attempt to challenge sudden loss of in-state tuition

A federal judge on Aug. 15 rejected a bid by undocumented students, immigrant rights advocates and Austin Community College to intervene in a case that ended access to in-state tuition for certain undocumented students, a setback for their effort to overturn the ruling. Students for Affordable Tuition filed notice on Aug. 16 that it would appeal U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor's decision, and a second group — including a University of North Texas student, La Unión del Pueblo Entero, and Austin Community College — filed its own notice of appeal on Aug. 18. O'Connor said the groups' request came too late and they did not have the legal authority to defend the law, which he said rests with the Texas Attorney General's Office. He said that office had adequately represented their position, even if it chose not to raise every constitutional argument they wanted. On June 4, just two days after the Legislature ended its regular session without repealing the law, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas for allowing certain undocumented Texans to qualify for lower tuition rates at public universities. Texas quickly agreed with the Trump administration's claim that the law was unconstitutional and asked a judge to find the law unenforceable. The quick turnaround — the whole lawsuit was resolved in less than six hours — represents a 'contrived legal challenge designed to prevent sufficient notice and robust consideration,' lawyers for these students argued in their motion to intervene. Students for Affordable Tuition asked to intervene on June 11, and a second group followed June 23: Oscar Silva, a 24-year-old University of North Texas student; La Unión del Pueblo Entero, an advocacy group in the Rio Grande Valley; and Austin Community College. The Justice Department and the Texas attorney general's office opposed the motion on the grounds that the matter has been resolved and the case is terminated, court documents say. O'Connor, the George W. Bush appointee who blocked the law, has long been a favored judge for the Texas attorney general's office and conservative litigants. The Justice Department filed its lawsuit in the Wichita Falls division of the Northern District of Texas, where O'Connor hears all cases. The people who are most impacted by a lawsuit typically have a right to have their voices heard on a case, said David Coale, a Dallas appellate attorney. Getting O'Connor to agree to reopen might be a tough sell, he said, but if they're denied, they could appeal that ruling and the rest of the case alongside it, to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 'The 5th Circuit's obviously a very conservative court, but part of that conservatism is a pretty limited view of the judicial role,' Coale said. 'So if they get a chance to argue their case there … they may have some luck.' The law, which had been in effect since 2001, granted in-state tuition to anyone who has been living in the state for three years and graduated from a Texas high school. All students who claimed this benefit were required to sign an affidavit saying they intended to apply for permanent legal residency as soon as they were able; many of them are here as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Students for Affordable Tuition's motion laid out the human impact of the law's sudden reversal — a man who is reconsidering his plans to go to medical school in Texas; a woman who will have to drop out of her masters program, where she was studying to become a counselor; a teacher-in-training who will have to delay her plans to graduate and begin working. They are represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which said in a press release that the abrupt overturning of the law has left students scrambling. Attorneys for the second group requesting to intervene wrote in their motion that Silva, who is seeking a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in accounting, cannot afford out-of-state tuition and will be unable to graduate next spring. At Austin Community College, they wrote, the ruling could affect more than 400 students, quadruple the tuition of some, lead others to drop out and deter potential students from enrolling. Disclosure: The University of North Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Solve the daily Crossword

ImmunityBio Announces Phase 2 Study of ANKTIVA ® in Patients with Long COVID
ImmunityBio Announces Phase 2 Study of ANKTIVA ® in Patients with Long COVID

Business Wire

time5 hours ago

  • Business Wire

ImmunityBio Announces Phase 2 Study of ANKTIVA ® in Patients with Long COVID

CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), a leading immunotherapy company, today announced the opening of a new Phase 2 study to assess the BioShield™ platform, anchored by ANKTIVA ® (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), in patients with long COVID. An estimated one in five Americans with a previous COVID-19 infection has long COVID, which is comprised of a broad range of symptoms that can substantially impact a patient's quality of life. Long COVID remains a significant public health challenge with no currently available established therapies. The new study, called COVID-4.019-Long, further expands the company's clinical research efforts to assess ANKTIVA's potential beyond cancer or cancer-related diseases. Currently, ANKTIVA is being evaluated alone and with other agents in multiple studies for different forms of bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, glioblastoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Lynch syndrome, ovarian cancer and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) associated tumors. ANKTIVA is also being studied in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and lymphopenia. The primary objective of the exploratory, single-arm study (NCT0712372 7) is to evaluate the safety of ANKTIVA, injected under the skin (subcutaneously), in participants with long COVID. The secondary objective is to assess the effect of ANKTIVA on absolute lymphocyte count. Exploratory objectives include evaluation of ANKTIVA's ability to improve post-COVID natural killer (NK) cell and CD8+ T cell counts, and assessment of the immunological function of NK cells and CD8+ T cells. 'We are excited to study ANKTIVA for the treatment of long COVID, a substantial public health concern,' said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ImmunityBio. 'Early in the pandemic, the common assumption was SARS-CoV-2 would prove to be a transient infection, as is the case with coronaviruses in general. But we now know viral nucleic acid and proteins can be in the gut mucosa months after infection. As such, an antiviral strategy looks insufficient to treat or cure long COVID. Based on clinical insights to date, we believe ANKTIVA may be a new therapeutic option for this chronic and potentially disabling condition by enhancing immune function, facilitating viral clearance, and addressing underlying contributions to long COVID.' The study, which is being conducted by ImmunityBio and aims to recruit up to 40 participants who meet the long COVID criteria, as established by the World Health Organization (WHO), is now accepting patients for initial screening to determine study eligibility. The safety and tolerability of ANKTIVA for long COVID is also being assessed in a separate Phase 2 study conducted at the University of California – San Francisco. Both studies are supported by ImmunityBio. To learn more, visit ANKTIVA is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS), with or without papillary tumors. About Long COVID Long COVID is a serious illness that can cause chronic health conditions requiring comprehensive care. It may also lead to disability. 2 Long COVID impacts approximately 1 in 5 Americans adults who had a previous COVID-19 infection. 1 It can include a wide range of ongoing symptoms and conditions that can last weeks, months, or even years after COVID-19 illness. 1 Some of the common among the more than 200 identified symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, coughing, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and change in smell or taste. 3 Anyone who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19, can experience Long COVID, including children. 1 Long COVID remains a significant public health challenge with no currently available established treatments. About ANKTIVA ® (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA® overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response. A key component in the company's BioShield platform, ANKTIVA is a first-in-class IL-15 agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA® mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and driving the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION INDICATION AND USAGE: ANKTIVA® is an interleukin-15 (IL-15) receptor agonist indicated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the treatment of adult patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS: Risk of Metastatic Bladder Cancer with Delayed Cystectomy. Delaying cystectomy can lead to the development of muscle-invasive or metastatic bladder cancer, which can be lethal. If patients with CIS do not have a complete response to treatment after a second induction course of ANKTIVA® with BCG, reconsider cystectomy. DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: For Intravesical Use Only. Do not administer by subcutaneous or intravenous routes. Please see the complete Prescribing Information for ANKTIVA ® at References: Robertson MM, Qasmieh SA, Kulkarni SG, et al. The Epidemiology of Long Coronavirus Disease in US Adults. Clin Infect Dis. May 3 2023;76(9):1636-1645. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Long COVID Basics. July 2025. Available at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Long COVID Signs and Symptoms. July 2025. Available at About ImmunityBio ImmunityBio is a vertically-integrated commercial stage biotechnology company developing next-generation therapies that bolster the natural immune system to defeat cancers and infectious diseases. The Company's range of immunotherapy and cell therapy platforms, alone and together, act to drive and sustain an immune response with the goal of creating durable and safe protection against disease. Designated an FDA Breakthrough Therapy, ANKTIVA is the first FDA-approved immunotherapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer CIS that activates NK cells, T cells, and memory T cells for a long-duration response. The Company is applying its science and platforms to treating cancers, including the development of potential cancer vaccines, as well as developing immunotherapies and cell therapies that we believe sharply reduce or eliminate the need for standard high-dose chemotherapy. These platforms and their associated product candidates are designed to be more effective, accessible, and easily administered than current standards of care in oncology and infectious diseases. For more information, visit (Founder's Vision) and connect with us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements regarding potential implications to be drawn from preliminary clinical study results, clinical trial enrollment, timing, data and potential results to be drawn therefrom, anticipated components of ImmunityBio's CancerBioShield™ platform, the potential health conditions associated with Long COVID, potential patient populations and implications thereof, the development of therapeutics for cancer and infectious diseases, potential benefits to patients, potential treatment outcomes for patients, the described mechanism of action and results and contributions therefrom, potential future uses and applications of ANKTIVA alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents across multiple tumor types and indications and for potential applications beyond oncology, potential regulatory pathways and the regulatory review process and timing thereof, the application of the Company's science and platforms to treat cancers or develop cancer vaccines, immunotherapies and cell therapies that have the potential to change the paradigm in cancer care, and ImmunityBio's approved product and investigational agents as compared to existing treatment options, among others. Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are considered forward-looking statements, which are usually identified by the use of words such as 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'continues,' 'goal,' 'could,' 'estimates,' 'scheduled,' 'expects,' 'intends,' 'may,' 'plans,' 'potential,' 'predicts,' 'indicate,' 'projects,' 'is,' 'seeks,' 'should,' 'will,' 'strategy,' and variations of such words or similar expressions. Statements of past performance, efforts, or results of our preclinical and clinical trials, about which inferences or assumptions may be made, can also be forward-looking statements and are not indicative of future performance or results. Forward-looking statements are neither forecasts, promises nor guarantees, and are based on the current beliefs of ImmunityBio's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to ImmunityBio. Such information may be limited or incomplete, and ImmunityBio's statements should not be read to indicate that it has conducted a thorough inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. Such statements reflect the current views of ImmunityBio with respect to future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, including business, regulatory, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties, contingencies and assumptions about ImmunityBio, including, without limitation, (i) risks and uncertainties regarding participation and enrollment and potential results from the clinical trial described herein, (ii) whether clinical trials will result in registrational pathways, (iii) whether clinical trial data will be accepted by regulatory agencies, (iv) the ability of ImmunityBio to fund its ongoing and anticipated clinical trials, (v) the ability of ImmunityBio to continue its planned preclinical and clinical development of its development programs through itself and/or its investigators, and the timing and success of any such continued preclinical and clinical development, patient enrollment and planned regulatory submissions, (vi) potential delays in product availability and regulatory approvals, (vii) ImmunityBio's ability to retain and hire key personnel, (viii) ImmunityBio's ability to obtain additional financing to fund its operations and complete the development and commercialization of its various product candidates, (ix) potential product shortages or manufacturing disruptions that may impact the availability and timing of product, (x) ImmunityBio's ability to successfully commercialize its approved product and product candidates, (xi) ImmunityBio's ability to scale its manufacturing and commercial supply operations for its approved product and future approved products, and (xii) ImmunityBio's ability to obtain, maintain, protect, and enforce patent protection and other proprietary rights for its product candidates and technologies. More details about these and other risks that may impact ImmunityBio's business are described under the heading 'Risk Factors' in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 3, 2025, and the Company's Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 5, 2025, and in subsequent filings made by ImmunityBio with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at ImmunityBio cautions you not to place undue reliance on any forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. ImmunityBio does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statement or other information in this press release, except to the extent required by law.

‘A Democrat bloodbath': With Kamala Harris out of CA governor's race, an intraparty battle begins
‘A Democrat bloodbath': With Kamala Harris out of CA governor's race, an intraparty battle begins

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

‘A Democrat bloodbath': With Kamala Harris out of CA governor's race, an intraparty battle begins

Kamala Harris' decision not to enter the governor's race is an immense victory for her would-be Democratic opponents, unlocking troves of donors who had been waiting for her announcement and voters who almost universally know the former vice president. From Katie Porter's big moment to the field-wide scramble for cash and Republicans losing their foil, here are five ways Harris' move is upending the contest: Porter's in command: No one is poised to benefit more than Porter, who shares an overlapping base of national benefactors and has performed better than all Democrats but Harris in public polling of the race. Porter's camp was quick on Wednesday to reup spring polling that suggests she has the support of 36 percent of likely primary voters. The survey, conducted by GBAO Strategies, found that Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tied as the second most popular Democrats — though they trail Porter by double digits. Other prominent Democrats in the race, including former state Senate leader Toni Atkins and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, were trailing in the lower single digits. Porter, a former representative from Orange County, could face a hurdle attracting support within the Democratic Party establishment. She's often cut against the grain within the party and had few close allies on Capitol Hill. But that might not be the biggest handicap in an election cycle where voters are eager for 'change' — provided Porter can seize the anti-status-quo label. The fundraising freeze thaws: Campaigns have already begun blowing up the phones of large-dollar donors who were waiting to contribute until Harris made a call. Former Controller Betty Yee, chatting with Playbook before donor meetings in Southern California, said Wednesday her campaign was reaching out to potential contributors in the Bay Area where she and Harris both share a base. 'We started to see some movement a couple weeks ago but, I think until she really made her definitive decision, it was still a lot of people on the fence just seeing how the field would solidify,' said Yee. 'We do have some donors in common that I think we're going to definitely see some movement now in California and nationally.' State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who's from the East Bay, told Playbook people in his overlapping network will feel freer now to pick a horse in the race. He also said he was grateful that Harris made a decision before several labor unions — which supported his past runs for office — vote on primary endorsements this fall, even if it will be difficult for any one candidate to secure the majorities needed to get formal labor nods before next year's run-off. 'It's good that the vice president made her announcement now, rather than waiting any longer to give those organizations time to hear from the candidates and to vet the candidates,' he said. Republicans lost their foil: Republicans desperately wanted to run against Harris on the November 2026 ballot. Even if they faced long odds of defeating her, GOP insiders hoped the contest would provide the party with a fundraising and messaging vehicle. 'Barely anyone is less representative of change than Kamala Harris,' quipped Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and Republican candidate for governor. 'I've always thought that (she) would be extremely beatable in the general election.' Now, the challenge for Hilton and the other major Republican in the race — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — isn't beating up on Harris, but convincing voters that they are the best candidates to fix California's biggest problems, from the soaring cost of living to the state's repeated budget deficits. Bianco, who had previously said he'd love for Harris to run due to her weaknesses, told Playbook on Wednesday that his comments were simply an exercise in 'reverse psychology.' 'It was like, yeah, I'll try and convince her that she's going to be the worst thing for California,' said Bianco, 'but the reality is, I'm very happy that she's no longer in it.' Democrats with lower name identification than Harris, he argued, 'are all going to have to fight with each other to say who's responsible for putting us where we are, and this is going to be, I believe, a Democrat bloodbath.' Richard Grenell, a special envoy to President Donald Trump, previously said he was considering running if Harris got in, but didn't respond to a text message inquiring about his plans following the former vice president's announcement. And Stephen Cloobeck, a Democratic entrepreneur who is running but has sharply criticized Harris, remarked to Playbook that he 'won't have the pleasure' of debating her. Caruso is the biggest unknown: Billionaire mall magnate Rick Caruso has considered running for the office since losing the last Los Angeles mayoral election to Karen Bass. But his team declined to comment on whether Harris' decision would affect his calculations. A Republican-turned-Democrat, Caruso has been floated as a moderate, business-aligned candidate who could capture angst at the political establishment and old guard Democrats. Insiders are watching to see whether he challenges Bass, again, runs for governor or does something else entirely. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a moderate Democrat who has been floated for the job, said he's focused on being mayor — though he didn't exactly slam the door shut on running. 'My thinking hasn't changed,' Mahan said. 'Our next governor needs to be laser-focused on holding every city and county accountable for building shelter and in-patient treatment beds, and requiring that people use them when available.' Eleni's productive day: Democrats in the race were quick to seize on Wednesday's opening. But Kounalakis had an especially good day. She received an apparent off-the-cuff endorsement from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a fellow San Franciscan. And a person close to Kounalakis' campaign, granted anonymity to describe internal conversations, told Playbook she received a call from Harris before the former vice president made her announcement. Harris hasn't said if she intends to endorse, but Kounalakis' allies were quick to tout the call as a testament to their yearslong friendship. Moreover, Kounalakis' camp emphasized her fundraising edge, with $9 million cash on hand. This reporting first appeared in California Playbook. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday.

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