UFC 311: Makhachev, Nurmagomedov look to make history

• January 18, 2025

Two of the top fighters on the planet have the opportunity to bring gold back to what is arguably the combat sports capital of the world.

Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev looks to continue his reign over the 155-pound division and cement his status as the sport’s top fighter when he takes on late-notice challenger Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 main event Saturday night at Intuit Dome.

One fight earlier, Makhachev’s undefeated teammate, Umar Nurmagomedov, looks to wrest the bantamweight title from 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili, who is riding an 11-fight winning streak.

“Nervous for sure. Hard fight,” Makhachev said of his comrade’s title challenge.

Unbowed, however, is the champ upon receiving news that challenger Arman Tsarukyan had informed the UFC at 1 a.m. Friday that a back injury was forcing him out of the title fight, resulting in Moicano being elevated from main card to main event.

Minutes after UFC CEO and President Dana White took to social media Friday morning to announce the switch, Makhachev (26-1) posted on the social media site X: “What does this title represent? It means you’re the best in the world and if you’re the best in the world, it doesn’t matter who’s going to be standing across from you. What do I say? No? NEVER. Let’s do this!”

Not to be outdone was Moicano (20-5-1), who had been scheduled to take on Placentia’s Beneil Dariush, who is now no longer fighting Saturday.

The boisterous Brazilian, who has won four in a row and three by finishes, wrote on X as well: “Hey guess what I will be world champion tomorrow! God is so good! Thank you all the support #ufc311”

As 26 of Makhachev’s opponents will tell you, that is easier said than done.

The pride of the Russian republic of Dagestan looks to continue the legacy of UFC lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is much more than Makhachev’s lifelong friend and Umar Nurmagomedov’s cousin.

THE EAGLE’S BEST

Khabib Nurmagomedov ended his UFC career as a 29-0 champion in October 2020, less than four months after the death of his father and lifelong coach. In doing so, he took over his father’s role and began training his fellow Dagestanis.

To have him in your corner as your fight is about to commence is an immeasurable boost. “The Eagle” transforms, his cousin says.

“Like a lion, you know, behind your back. No, not just for fight, for life,” Umar Nurmagomedov said. “Yes, it’s very good for fight. He supports me everywhere. This man is amazing.”

Makhachev has made three successful title defenses since winning the belt with a second-round arm-triangle choke submission over decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu star and former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022.

Of Makhachev’s last eight victories, five were by submission and two were by knockout. His title reign and 13-fight UFC winning streak, which trails only former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (15) and middleweight great Anderson Silva (16), has led to calls of him being among the, if not the, best pound-for-pound in MMA.

That’s not of the utmost concern for Makhachev.

“Of course, I like to be, but one thing that I care always to be is UFC champion. This is the most important thing. To keep my belt,” he said.

PURSUING HISTORY

Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0) seeks to set the tone for what could be a historic night for the UFC and Dagestan as he and Makhachev strive to become the first teammates to win a belt in the co-main event and retain a belt in the main event.

And he has the numbers to back up his unblemished record. Not only has Umar Nurmagomedov never lost a round in six UFC victories, he’s never been taken down.

That serves as a tantalizing challenge for a nonstop fighter like Dvalishvili (18-4), who earned a title shot with a unanimous-decision victory over Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in March at Honda Center, then claimed the belt at UFC 306 with a grappling clinic against champion Sean O’Malley, landing six of 15 takedown attempts for another unanimous-decision win.

A native of the country of Georgia who trains in Long Island, New York, Dvalishvili says nothing has changed going from the hunter to the hunted: “I’m still hunting.”

No nickname in any sport might be as appropriate as “The Machine” is for Dvalishvili, known for his relentless and unrivaled cardio.

“When I moved to New York, I don’t speak English, and I had to start working in my construction career. And I had some ups and downs, but I was happy working,” he said. “And I was always going, going, going or not stopping. And I think I have a style now that I always have to push, push.”

Between training in Dagestan and at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Umar Numragomdeov has no doubt he can successfully fend off Dvalishvili’s takedowns.

And if his opponent succeeds and becomes the first to get him to the mat, it won’t be for long.

“I’m getting up with guys who are fighting like lightweight and welterweight. I get up with them,” he said. “But Merab is no way. It’s gonna be too easy to get up.”

Coming off a magnificent lopsided decision victory over former interim bantamweight title challenger Cory Sandhagen in August, Umar Nurmagomedov has tried to temper some of the emotions that have swelled in recent weeks between him and Dvalishvili.

In doing so, he expresses a conviction that Dvalishvili would rather not be making his first title defense against him.

“I don’t want to see him like enemy, you know? No, he’s a fighter,” Umar Nurmagomedov said. “He’s just nervous because he has to fight with me. I know it. He wants to fight with other guys (with) who he is confident. But with me? No, he’s not confident. And everybody can see that.”

​ Orange County Register 

Trump swearing-in will move inside Capitol Rotunda because of intense cold

• January 17, 2025

By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda on Monday due to forecasts of intense cold weather.

“The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.”

The Rotunda is prepared as an alternative for each inauguration in the event of inclement weather. The swearing-in was last moved indoors in 1985, when President Ronald Reagan began his second term. Monday’s forecast calls for the lowest inauguration day temperatures since that day.

Alternate plans are required for the more roughly 250,000 guests ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds and the tens of thousands more expected to be in general admission areas or to line the inaugural parade route from the Capitol to the White House.

Trump said some supporters would be able to watch the ceremony from Washington’s Capital One Arena on Monday, a day after he plans to hold a rally there. He said he would visit the arena after his swearing-in.

The National Weather Service is predicting the temperature to be around 22 degrees at noon during the swearing-in, the coldest since Reagan’s second inauguration saw temperatures plunge to 7 degrees. Barack Obama’s 2009 swearing-in was 28 degrees. Adding to the bite: Wind is forecast to be 30 to 35 mph, sending wind chills into the single digits.

Trump’s inaugural committee and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AP writers Seth Borenstein, Michelle Price and Farnoush Amiri contributed from Washington.

​ Orange County Register 

Christen Press stays with Angel City FC on 1-year deal

• January 17, 2025

Angel City FC forward Christen Press is returning to the club, signing a one-year contract after coming back from a grueling knee injury and recovery last season.

Press, who was the first player signed in Angel City franchise history, made her remarkable return to the field last season after 781 days following an ACL injury suffered in 2022 and four surgeries.

She made her return to action in a Summer Cup game in August against San Diego Wave FC.

She described her comeback last season as “if I have come back from the dead,” adding that in October that she was starting to feel “like myself.”

Press was a free agent after last season.

“L.A., it was always you.” Press said in a statement. “This city’s strength and resilience inspires me, and I could not be more proud to represent L.A, my home city, when I step out onto the pitch this season.

“To this community of fans, your love and support has gotten me through a lot, we’ve been through a lot together and I could not be more excited to journey with you for another season.”

Press made nine appearances last season, scoring one goal, which came in her 100th NWSL regular-season game.

“We are excited that Christen is back home with Angel City for another year,” new sporting director Mark Parsons said. “She has a key role to play on and off the pitch with her being fully integrated into the team environment from day one of preseason. Her determination to return to the pitch after two years away is incredible and we look forward to seeing the positive impact she can make in the season ahead.”

​ Orange County Register 

What happens to all the debris after the massive wildfires? The cleanup process is a complex one

• January 17, 2025

By Amancai Biraben, correspondent

How will all the tons of debris left behind by Los Angeles County’s unprecedented wildfires be dealt with? Where will it go? The answer is complicated, but the process is coming together and much of the work is under way.

Aiming to stem the flow of toxic materials in the aftermath of the deadly fires, top county Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis issued an order prohibiting residents from cleaning up debris from critical fire areas, including Pacific Palisades and Altadena — until a hazardous materials inspection is completed by approved agencies.

The order arrived almost a week after Davis declared a health emergency due to the fire and demonstrated the complexity of the task of cleaning up the aftermath of the devastating fires and the fierce windstorms that propelled them.

As county fire crews continue to put out the wildfires, ashen debris lies where thousands of homes once stood and dry brush downed by the wind lingers all over the region.

The fires damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures, including homes and vehicles, spread over 40,000 acres.

High winds swept a year’s worth of green waste into residential and city pathways in just two days.

“Recovery from these unprecedented and devastating wildfires will be challenging,” said Lisette Guzman of the county Department of Public Works.

Guzman added that the department will soon have a hotline to address questions about debris.

Fire debris, ash and fire-razed dirt from residential and structural fires may contain asbestos, heavy metals and other hazardous substances, according to Public Health officials. Exposure to those toxic substances can occur through inhaling ash and fire dust particles, contact with skin or contamination of drinking water supplies.

Improper handling or disposal of fire debris can increase these risks, spreading hazardous substances throughout the community and endangering workers, residents and the environment.

In L.A. County, removal of fire debris will be conducted in a two-phase process. The first phase launched Thursday — a sweeping hazardous materials assessment of all burned properties by the county Fire Health & Hazardous Materials Certified Unified Program Agency. State and federal agencies are also helping with that huge task.

The assessment will help create the fire debris cleanup process required for each of the individual parcels or areas.

The second phase will be the actual fire debris cleanup, removal and disposal — operated by the state and federal agencies.

Property owners will be contacted individually. They can opt into the government cleanup — or hire contractors to do their cleaning up, based on the initial, first-phase assessment. Property owners must receive approval and follow applicable laws regarding fire debris and hazardous waste cleanup and disposal, county officials said.

Davis’ order applies exclusively to the cleanup or removal of fire debris and does not restrict the removal of personal property from residential sites. The order also covers the areas of the Kenneth, Creek, Hurst, and Lidia fires.

What is defined as fire debris? That includes:

• Burned building materials such as wood, metal and concrete;
• Burned household items;
• Pieces of the building’s foundation; and
• Fire-contaminated soil found around burned structures or affected areas, which may contain harmful substances.

County health officials warned: Residents who return to their affected properties for belongings should wear personal protection equipment, including masks and gloves, to limit contact with toxins.

FEMA officials appointed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to oversee the toxic cleanup arm of the endeavor.

Tara Fitzgerald, on-scene coordinator for the EPA, said the agency planned to begin their first phase on Thursday. That  included an expanded effort to remove pesticides, batteries, fuel and other things that would otherwise go to a household hazardous waste management landfill.

L.A. Department of Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said his department will help remove remaining debris on those sites.

Pestrella and his team are also developing a system to capture debris flow anticipated when winter storms arrive.

“We expect massive debris-laden flows when it rains. Our system of flood control is designed to handle that debris, along with the streets,” said Pestrella.

Where will all the debris go?

Officials have not yet identified where all the fire rubble, green waste and other debris will be taken after it is all collected. In past disasters, however, it has gone to landfills, recycling centers and lumber yards.

Beyond the fire-rubble cleanup, another concern facing cleanup crews is the wind-scattered brush that remains, much of it left behind by the storms that wreaked havoc before spreading the destructive wildfires.

Stacks of leaves, branches and pinecones left on roadsides, vacant lots, wild areas and other sites have left residents worried that, in addition to being unsightly, they will offer more kindling to the high winds predicted in days ahead.

Michael Rothe, who works at a hospital in Duarte, said he has passed stacks of plant matter for the past week on his way to and from work.

Rothe said he was worried about “these piles of dry pine needles and almost combustible plant material,” because such material burned swiftly during the major wildfires and helped create embers scattered around the region by record-setting winds.

“The city has made debris cleanup its utmost priority. City staff and its contractors have been working around the clock, including working overnight, to systematically remove debris in high-risk areas,” said Duarte’s assistant to the city manager, Andres Rangel, in response to such concerns.

Cities including Duarte and Pasadena say they are working to clear such waste and are also asking residents for their assistance, too.

In Pasadena, officials asked residents to gather up green debris in their yard waste containers and place them along the curb. They also urged people to avoid using plastic bags that can catch in waste-collection trucks’ shredder blades. They warned not to gather brush beyond the width of a single parked car.

Rangel said Duarte has partnered with trash haulers to form drop-off sites for tree debris on private property. Residents can also take their debris straight to the Duarte Civic Center parking lot.

The cleanup situation will likely evolve over the days and weeks ahead.  Residents throughout the county to visit recovery.lacounty.gov for updates.

City News Service contributed to this report

​ Orange County Register 

Why are interest rates rising when the Fed has been cutting them?

• January 17, 2025

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — What’s shaking Wall Street seems so backwards.

Swings in the bond market recently sent the yield on the 10-year Treasury above 4.80% and its highest level since 2023. That’s injected nervousness into the U.S. stock market and knocked indexes off their records.

The bond market’s moves might seem strange given that the Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates three times starting in September. But it’s a reminder that markets care more about the future than the present. And the bond market is worried about potentially higher inflation ahead, along with a U.S. economy that may not need more help from easier interest rates. That’s hurting stock prices.

The Fed has cut its main interest rate by a full percentage point since September. The intent is to give the economy breathing room after the Fed earlier hiked the federal funds rate to a two-decade high in hopes of slowing the economy enough to stifle inflation.

But the Fed’s influence is limited when it comes to the interest rates that are currently knocking the stock market around, chiefly the 10-year Treasury yield. The Fed controls the federal funds rate, which is a very short-term interest rate that dictates what banks charge each other for borrowing money overnight.

The moves for the 10-year Treasury yield, meanwhile, are set by investors. Those investors do take the Fed’s moves into account as they decide how much yield they’ll need to earn from U.S. Treasurys before they’ll lend money to the federal government. But they’re also factoring in where the economy and inflation are heading.

And the 10-year Treasury yield ironically began rising in September, up from 3.65%, just about when the federal funds rate began sinking for the first time since 2020.

The 10-year yield rose, even as the Fed was cutting overnight interest rates, because expectations for both economic growth and for inflation were rising. Much of that is due to a string of reports showing the U.S. economy remains much more solid than expected. Inflation was also more stubborn to ease, though this past week’s reading offered more optimism and helped Treasury yields give back some of their big gains.

In late 2018, something similar happened in the market, but in the opposite direction. The Fed had been increasing the federal funds rate since early 2017, and the 10-year Treasury yield likewise climbed for much of that stretch. But the 10-year yield began turning lower before the end of 2018. It even continued to sink after the Fed hiked the federal funds rate in December 2018, guessing correctly that rate increases would stop before putting too much pressure on the economy.

President-elect Donald Trump is also a big factor. His proposals to place tariffs on imported goods could push up inflation, while his preference for lower tax rates could inflate the U.S. government’s debt further and scare investors into requiring higher interest rates for the added risk.

The Federal Reserve itself warned recently that it may cut interest rates only twice in 2025 after earlier projecting four cuts. Traders on Wall Street are questioning whether the Fed may not cut short-term interest rates at all in 2025.

Even Wednesday’s better-than-expected reading on an underlying measure of inflation wasn’t enough to give the market an all clear. “We believe It likely will take several months of slowing inflation to get the Fed — and the market — thinking about another rate cut,” said Gary Schlossberg, market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

​ Orange County Register 

How to prepare for a TikTok ban, including how to save your content

• January 17, 2025

By HALELUYA HADERO, AP Business Writer

TikTok has cemented itself as a quintessential entertainment app, offering everything from funny skits and makeup tutorials to social commentary and news.

Without a sale to an approved buyer, the platform is expected to vanish from U.S. app stores by Sunday now that the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the the ban.

The decision came against the backdrop of unusual political agitation by President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed that he could negotiate a solution. It’s unclear what options are open to Trump once he is sworn in as president on Monday. An official in the Biden administration told the Associated Press on Thursday that the outgoing administration was leaving the implementation of the law to the new administration.

TikTok has more than 170 million U.S. users. According to the Pew Research Center, that includes most teens and a third of adults. If you are an avid user, or a creator who relies on the platform for income, here’s what you need to know about the ban and how to prepare for it:

What happens on Jan. 19?

A lawyer representing TikTok told Supreme Court justices last week that TikTok will “go dark” on Jan. 19 if the law isn’t struck down.

What that means in practice is unclear currently, but the law bars app stores operated by Apple, Google and others from offering TikTok beginning on Sunday. Internet hosting services also will be prohibited from hosting TikTok.

Users should continue to have access to TikTok if it’s already downloaded on their phones, but the app will disappear from Apple and Google’s app stores — so new users won’t be able to download it.

This would mean that TikTok wouldn’t be able to send updates, security patches and bug fixes to users, all of which will degrade the quality of the app and likely lead to security issues. Eventually, the app will become unworkable.

Akin to the app, David Choffnes, executive director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute at Northeastern University in Boston, says the TikTok website should continue to work even after the ban goes into effect.

The statute would prohibit domestic internet hosting providers from hosting the platform, Choffnes said, but companies could theoretically use servers outside of the U.S. That likely will make content on the platform load more slowly and lead to worse performance on the app and the TikTok website, he said.

Are there any workarounds to access TikTok?

Yes, but some tech savviness is required and it’s not clear what will and won’t work.

The most common workaround that’s brought up is a VPN, or virtual private network, that allows users to mask their location. A VPN encrypts your traffic data and then routes it through private tunnels to secure servers around the world, which prevents anyone else from being able to read it.

Lauren Hendry Parsons, the director of communications and advocacy at ExpressVPN, maintains that people could access their TikTok accounts by using a VPN and making some other changes to their phone’s settings that would allow them to jump to a nearby country’s app store.

If large droves of users do that, it’s possible that tech companies, such as Apple or Google, could recognize it as a legal liability and find other ways to clamp down on the app. But they also might avoid going that route since they’re trying to forge friendlier ties with Trump, who now wants to “save TikTok” and could potentially direct his Justice Department to abandon enforcement of the law all together.

U.S. TikTok users with Android devices might also be able to continue to update the platform through third-party app stores, a method called sideloading. But bypassing the security protocols that well-known app stores have in place might also leave users more vulnerable to malware, said Gus Hurwitz, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania with expertise in telecommunications and technology.

Would I still have access to my favorite videos?

TikTok allows you to save the videos or photos you’ve posted, or content from your favorite influencers. Any posts you choose to save will be downloaded and kept on your phone.

Many TikTok creators allow users to download their posts, but it’s possible you might not be able to save everything you want since some put limits on their content. Users also can’t download content off of private accounts or those registered to anyone under the age of 16.

If you’re interested, the platform allows you to request a copy of your TikTok data, which includes things like your comment and video watching history. The company says it may take a few days to prepare that type of file.

Are people going to other apps?

If a TikTok ban occurs, established social media platforms, such as Meta’s Instagram, Snapchat and Google’s YouTube are expected to benefit from having one of their biggest competitors taken off of the U.S. market.

The rise of the short-form video platform led many others to offer TikTok-like feeds on their own platforms, such as Instagram’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts. And if TikTok goes away, it’s likely that creators, and small businesses, on the app would more easily switch to Reels and Shorts since they already have large audiences and a user base that overlaps with TikTok, said Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at market research company Emarketer.

TikTok users themselves have tested the waters with several other platforms outside of the established platforms. Among the ones that have received the most buzz: China’s Xiaohongshu (“RedNote”) and Lemon8.

What is going to happen next?

The TikTok saga will be in the hands of the incoming Trump administration, which has already said that’s its exploring options to “preserve” the popular app.

“We will put measures in place to keep TikTok from going dark,” Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, said Thursday during an interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends. Waltz also commented that the law allows for an extension on the ban “as long as a viable deal is on the table.”

Trump, mindful of TikTok’s popularity, and his own 14.7 million followers on the app, finds himself on the opposite side of the argument from prominent Senate Republicans who fault TikTok’s Chinese owner for not finding a buyer before now. Trump said in a Truth Social post shortly before the decision was issued that TikTok was among the topics in his conversation Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to be seated on the dais for the inauguration along with tech billionaires Elon Musk, who is CEO of SpaceX, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to two people with the matter. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

AP technology writer Barbara Ortutay contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Ozempic and Wegovy among drugs on Medicare list getting price cuts

• January 17, 2025

By Ike Swetlitz and Damian Garde | Bloomberg

The US plans to slash the price it pays for the Novo Nordisk A/S blockbusters Ozempic and Wegovy, the latest drugs to be targeted under legislation that’s expected save the government more than $200 billion over a decade.

Novo’s treatments for obesity and diabetes headline the government’s list of medicines that will be subject to price negotiations over the next year as part of a Biden administration effort to reduce drug costs for the Medicare health program for seniors.

It’s the latest in a string of setbacks for Novo this morning. Results from a study of a higher dose of Wegovy disappointed investors and European drug regulators said they were investigating cases of a rare eye condition after concerns it could be linked to Ozempic.

With list prices of about $1,000 a month, Novo’s treatments are among the biggest products in pharmaceutical history, bringing in nearly $30 billion a year. Their prices have brought congressional scrutiny. Sales to Medicare, the US health program for seniors, account for about 10% of Novo’s annual revenue, according to an analysis by Leerink Partners.

The negotiated price, set to take effect in 2027, could have a marked impact on Novo’s business. The last round of IRA negotiations gave Medicare an average 22% price reduction for affected drugs. Novo’s diabetes drug Rybelsus, which has the same main ingredient as Ozempic, is also on the government’s list.

A spokesperson for Novo said the company “remains opposed to governments price setting through the IRA and has significant concerns about how the law is being implemented by this administration,” such as how three of its drugs were included at the same time because they all have the same main ingredient.

Eli Lilly & Co.’s competing Mounjaro and Zepbound won’t be eligible for negotiation until 2029 at the earliest. However, price changes for Novo’s drugs could affect others in the same class.

Negotiations fought

Drugmakers have fought the negotiations with suits and claims that the lower prices deplete them of incentives to develop new drugs. Bloomberg News reported earlier this week that a group of companies, including Lilly, are asking for a pause in the negotiations.

On Friday after the list of drugs was released, the drug industry lobbying group PhRMA called the negotiation process “dangerous” and said it discourages companies from making pills, like many of the drugs on the new list. Pills are subject to negotiation sooner than complex injectable drugs under the law, a point the industry has fought unsuccessfully to change.

The announcement was released weeks ahead of a Feb. 1 deadline as President Joe Biden looks to claim a parting political victory before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The news Friday “puts the onus on the incoming Trump administration” to decide if the list should continue through the implementation process, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Duane Wright said in a note.

“There have been few clues on how President-elect Donald Trump will use the price-setting authority he once supported,” he said. “We believe the door is open to modifications — versus repeal — to address industry and patient stakeholder concerns about disparate treatment” of pills versus complex injectable drugs.

‘Law of the land’

The next administration will be bound by law to continue the negotiation process on a tight timeframe, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. CMS staff has been in touch with Trump’s transition team about the policy, she said, but she personally hasn’t been approached by Mehmet Oz, Trump’s pick to lead the agency.

“Medicare negotiation is now the law of the land,” she said in an interview, adding that won’t change without action from Congress and that CMS must follow the law. “This is the only way to make sure that drugs are affordable in the Medicare program.”

Changing the process would require new guidance or potential rulemaking, CMS chief of staff Erin Richardson said on a call with reporters.

“Today’s announcement means Americans may finally get a better deal on Ozempic and Wegovy — but only if Trump does not walk away from the negotiating table,” Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said in a statement. Sanders has repeatedly called on Novo Nordisk to lower the price of its drugs.

Other drugs

Other drugs up for 2027 price decreases include cancer drugs Ibrance, made by Pfizer Inc., Xtandi, made by Pfizer and Astellas, Pomalyst, made by Bristol Myers Squibb Co., and Amgen Inc.’s psoriasis drug Otezla.

Pfizer said the negotiation process discourages the development of new medicines, but that it will work to protect patients’ access to Ibrance. Bristol said the inclusion of its cancer medicine Pomalyst is unlikely to benefit patients or the government, as the drug is expected to face generic competition before the negotiated price kicks in. And while Astellas said it’s prepared to participate in negotiations, it argued the IRA is already leading to higher costs for patients and coverage disruptions.

Amgen declined to comment.

The price-cutting talks are part of Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act. Ten drugs were designated for price negotiations last year, and the law is estimated to save the government $237 billion over a decade as more join the list.

The newly added drugs made up 14% of Medicare Part D drug spending, or $41 billion, between November 2023 and October 2024, according to the government.

–With assistance from Madison Muller, John Lauerman and John Tozzi.

​ Orange County Register 

Border app that became ‘a salvation’ for migrants to legally enter the US may end

• January 17, 2025

By ELLIOT SPAGAT

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — A nurse who fled Cuba as part of the Caribbean nation’s largest exodus in more than six decades needed a place to stay in Mexico as she waited to legally enter the U.S. using a government app. A woman who had lived her whole life in the same Tijuana neighborhood was desperate for medical help after a dog attack left her with wounds to her legs.

A mutual acquaintance brought the two women together. Nurse Karla Figueredo stayed with Martha Rosales for three days in October 2023, waiting for a border appointment booked through the CBP One app and treating Rosales’ dog bites. When Figueredo left for the U.S., she got Rosales’ permission to give her name to other migrants.

Word quickly spread and Rosales made her home part of a roster of at least three dozen migrant shelters in her hometown on the U.S.-Mexico border, temporarily housing people who use the CBP One app.

“I told God that if they didn’t amputate my feet, I would help every Cuban,” said Rosales, 45, who was using a wheelchair after being attacked by five dogs until Figueredo helped heal her wounds.

CBP One has brought nearly 1 million people to the U.S. on two-year permits with eligibility to work but could go away once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Figueredo, 25, now works as a medical assistant in the Houston area and keeps in touch with Rosales, who quit her job as a bank cleaner to focus on her migrant shelter. The people Rosales houses, mostly Cubans, refer to her as “’Tía Martha” (Aunt Martha) as she cooks pancake breakfasts, throws birthday parties and shuttles them to their CBP One appointments.

Supporters say CBP One has helped bring order to the border and reduced illegal crossings. But Trump has said he would end it as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Critics say it prioritizes a lottery system over people who have long lived in the U.S. illegally while paying taxes and people who have waited years for visas.

Dayron Garcia, a doctor in Cuba who heard about Rosales from a nephew, applied with his wife and children and plans to settle with a friend in Houston. He said Rosales’ house “feels like family” and that “CBP One has been a salvation.”

“It’s a guarantee,” Garcia, 40, said. “You enter with papers, with parole.”

CBP One began under Trump and changed under Biden

U.S. Customs and Border Protection debuted CBP One near the end of Trump’s first term as a way for customs brokers to schedule inspections and for visitors with short-term visas to extend stays.

The Biden administration extended its use to migrants to replace an opaque patchwork of exemptions to a pandemic-related asylum ban that was then in place.

CBP One is popular with Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians and Mexicans, likely because advocates in their communities promote it.

Illegal border crossings by Cubans plunged under CBP One from a peak of nearly 35,000 in April 2022 to just 97 in September.

Demand for appointments has far outstripped supply, with an average of about 280,000 people competing for 1,450 daily slots toward the end of last year, according to CBP. Winners must report to a border crossing in three weeks.

A night owl

Migrant shelters along Mexico’s border with the U.S. are now occupied primarily by people seeking the online appointments.

Rosales’ house is in a neighborhood with ramshackle homes where old tires are stacked to stop flash floods. Migrants watch television, play billiards, do chores and look after their children at Rosales’ house or a rental home nearby. Those who don’t yet have appointments work their phones for slots made available daily at eight U.S. border crossings with Mexico, a task likened to trying to buy Taylor Swift concert tickets.

Rosales works throughout the night. A helper drives to the airport in an SUV Rosales bought with retirement pay from her bank job.

Shortly after midnight, she shuttles guests from her house to Tijuana’s main border crossing with San Diego for the day’s first appointments at 5 a.m. She chats with them, smiles for photos and hugs people goodbye.

By 3 a.m., she is at a television station for a four-hour shift cleaning the newsroom and fetching coffee for journalists, who give her the latest information on immigration and the city.

She checks her phone for migrants needing shelter who heard about her on social media or from friends and family. Her contact list identifies them by size of party and appointment date: “3 on the 16th,” “6 on the 17th.”

Rosales, one of 13 children, dropped out of school in third grade. Reading the Bible taught her enough to barely understand texts, which she generally responds to with voice messages or calls.

Enrique Lucero was Tijuana’s director of migrant affairs when she came to City Hall for advice. He helped Rosales establish a legal entity to raise money and made himself available for emergencies, such as when a woman missed her CBP One appointment to give birth. Lucero talked to CBP to make sure the woman and her baby got in.

“She worries about them. She cries for them,” Lucero said.

The exodus from Cuba

Border arrests of Cubans increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and after anti-government protests in 2021. Nicaragua had recently eased rules for Cubans to fly from Havana, allowing them to avoid walking through the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle in Colombia and Panama. By the spring of 2022, Cubans eclipsed all nationalities but Mexicans in illegal crossings.

“CBP One came like a gift from God,” said Yoandis Delgado, who flew to Nicaragua in 2023, paid a smuggler $1,000 to reach southern Mexico and was repeatedly robbed by Mexican authorities while trying to reach the U.S. border. “CBP One gave us a sense of possibility, of hope.”

Delgado, a cook in Cuba, said Rosales’ home and neighborhood don’t stand out for people seeking to prey on migrants, giving a sense of security he wouldn’t get at hotels or other shelters.

“She lives in the same condition that we do, not any better,” Delgado said after a pancake breakfast. “She cries for everything that happens to us, for what we have suffered to get here from Cuba.”

A grim future for CBP One

Biden administration officials portray CBP One as a key success in its strategy to create legal pathways at the border while deterring illegal crossings. They note people in life-threatening circumstances can come to a border crossing without an appointment to plead their case.

Anxiety is spreading among migrants in Mexico who fear Trump will end CBP One. Even those in the U.S. are uneasy because parole expires after two years.

The Trump transition team didn’t respond to a question about CBP One’s future, but his allies say it’s overly generous and encourages immigration. A bill that stalled in the Senate in 2023 would have prohibited using the app to admit migrants.

Figueredo, the nurse who helped Rosales, plans to get a green card under a 1966 law that applies to Cubans. She says she and her partner, a barber, came to “continue to grow professionally and support our future children.”

She writes Rosales often, telling her that her job is “crazy” busy and asking about her health. “I hope you’re very happy,” she wrote.

​ Orange County Register