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Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira is sentenced to 15 years in prison

A federal judge sentenced Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, to prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine.




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‘Laapataa Ladies’ rebrands to ‘Lost Ladies’ as Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan begin Oscar campain in the U.S.

Aamir Khan recently kicked off the campaign at New York’s Indian restaurant, The Bungalow, where he was joined by Kiran Rao and hosted by chef Vikas Khanna




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Out Now: ‘Punch Club 2: Fast Forward’, ‘Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat’, ‘TENSEI’, ‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York’, ‘Auto Pirates: Captains Cup’, ‘Jenny LeClue – Detectivu’ and More

Each and every day new mobile games are hitting the App Store, and so each week we put together a …





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Sukeban Games 2024 Interview: Christopher Ortiz AKA kiririn51 Talks .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, Inspirations, Fan Reactions, VA-11 Hall-A, The Silver Case, and Much More

Over the years, I’ve been able to interview some of my favorite developers ever including a few I never though …





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Wheel of Fortune contestant goes viral with hilariously incorrect answer

All-timer of a game show moment stunned audience into silence




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A U.S. jury awards former Iraqi detainees $42 million for Abu Ghraib prison abuse

The jury also decided to hold a Virginia-based military contractor responsible for contributing to the torture and mistreatment of detainees at the notorious Iraqi prison two decades ago.




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The Morning After: Nintendo sues pirated software streamer for millions

Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against a streamer called EveryGameGuru, accused of streaming gameplays of pirated games before they were even released — and of providing viewers access to piracy tools and illegal copies of the games.

EveryGameGuru allegedly streamed Mario & Luigi: Brothership across five days, weeks before its official release on November 7. After Nintendo had the videos taken down from various platforms, including YouTube, they continued live streaming on Loco and even included a QR code for their CashApp handle.

Nintendo said EveryGameGuru sent the company an email, saying it has “a thousand burner channels” and “can do this all day.”

Don’t anger the house of Mario! The company is asking for $150,000 in damages per violation of its copyright. 404media did the math: That could add up to millions, seeing as the suit cites at least 10 games, streamed on at least 50 occasions.

— Mat Smith

The biggest tech stories you missed

Engadget review recap: Two new Macs, the PS5 Pro and more

Sony has sold 65 million PS5s

Andor season two will hit Disney+ in April

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Engadget

Sure, it’s not for most of us. The Vive Focus Vision isn’t for the same people as the PSVR2 or Meta Quest 3. This is meant to be high-end VR for businesses and creators: a cross between the Focus 3 and last year’s goggle-like XR Elite. The build quality is excellent, but it’s running on aging hardware. Worse, it’s riddled with software issues and is rather expensive compared to the Meta Quest 3.

Continue reading.

If you’re aged 30 and up, you know the voice of Elwood Edwards, realize it or not. He recorded the phrase, “You’ve got mail!” and three other lines for Quantum Computer Services in 1989. That company became America Online (AOL), Meg Ryan made the movie with Tom Hanks and everything else. (AOL is currently owned by Yahoo, Engadget’s parent company.)

Continue reading.

Sony

The latest patch for the PS5 version of God of War Ragnarok adds the option first seen in the PC port to tone down the boy’s excessive and unsolicited hints when Kratos is contemplating the game’s many puzzles. Enough, Atreus! (The patch also includes PS5 Pro upgrades, for smooth 60 fps and better visuals. But that’s not as funny.)

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-nintendo-sues-pirated-software-streamer-for-millions-121630229.html?src=rss




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Discord leaker Jack Teixeira gets 15-year sentence for sharing classified documents

Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira received a 15-year sentence in federal prison for leaking classified military documents on Discord in a Boston federal court, according to The Washington Post.

Teixeira appeared before the court earlier today and asked the judge for leniency. He also issued a statement apologizing for “all of the harm that I’ve caused, to my friends, family and those overseas.”

Defense attorney Michael Bachrach also claimed that Teixeira was subjected to bullying in high school and his military unit as an adjudicating factor for his actions. Judge Indira Talwani didn’t buy the defense’s bullying claims stating that the Air Force has already disciplined 15 other members connected to Teixeira for not taking more actions “that might have stopped him from doing this.”

Teixeira shared classified military documents as far back as late 2022 on a Discord server dedicated to the pixelated sandbox game Minecraft. The leak included information about the Ukrainian and Russian troop movements and military equipment used in the war in Ukraine and Russia's attempts to obtain more weapons from Egypt and Turkey. The documents eventually found their way to other Discord servers as well as 4chan and Telegram.

FBI officials arrested Teixeira at his home in April of last year. Teixeira originally agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors in March that included a 16-year prison sentence for pleading guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information and violating the Espionage Act. If he stuck with his not guilty plea and received a guilty verdict, Teixeira faced a much steeper maximum prison term of 60 years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/discord-leaker-jack-teixeira-gets-15-year-sentence-for-sharing-classified-documents-231319586.html?src=rss




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From Beyoncé to brat summer, celeb endorsements and viral moments didn't matter much in this U.S. election

While buzzy social media moments, massive celebrity endorsements and viral memes were everywhere during the U.S. election campaign, those who study social media and pop culture say it's likely that smaller social media interactions had a larger impact on the outcome.




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Qu'est-ce que «4B», le mouvement radical féministe sud-coréen devenu viral aux États-Unis depuis la victoire de Donald Trump?

Non aux rencontres amoureuses, au sexe, au mariage ou à élever des enfants avec un homme.




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Infections respiratoires: un nouveau facteur de risque de mortalité identifié

Une découverte biochimique intrigante pourrait permettre d’identifier rapidement les patients à haut risque.




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Indian health, pharma companies invited to participate in Iraq's 'Medico Expo' from Feb 5─8, 2025

The Embassy of India in Iraq has extended an invitation to Indian businesses to participate in the "Medico Expo," officially known as the Erbil International Health Exhibition. This prestigious event, set to be the




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Why PBMs and Payers Are Embracing Insulin Biosimilars with Higher Prices—And What That Means for Humira (rerun with an FTC update)

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while we put the finishing touches on DCI’s new 2024-25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released the redacted version of administrative complaint against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The FTC rightly calls out how the gross-to-net bubble can raise patients’ out-of-pocket costs, while also acknowledging how rebates can reduce a plan's (but not the patient’s) costs. Apparently, the FTC believes that PBMs’ customers are pretty dumb, because PBMs are able to prevent plans from “appreciating” such healthcare financing dynamics.

Section V.E. of the complaint (starting on page 23) focuses on the PBMs’ alleged unlawful conduct related to preferring high-list/high-rebate insulin products over versions with lower list prices. I thought it would therefore be fun to take the Wayback Machine to November 2021, when I wrote about this specific topic.

Below, you can review my commentary about the warped incentives behind Viatris’ dual-pricing strategy for its interchangeable biosimilar of Lantus. Much of the FTC’s description of the drug channel aligns with my commentary. But before you fist pump too hard for Ms. Khan’s FTC, you should pause to reflect on the agency’s legal theories in light of plans’ revealed preferences.



The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first interchangeable biosimilar insulin product: the insulin glargine-yfgn injection from Viatris. Read the FDA’s press release.

Alas, I’m sad to report that the warped incentives baked into the U.S. drug channel will limit the impact of this impressive breakthrough.

Viatris is being forced to launch both a high-priced and a low-priced version of the biosimilar. However, only the high-list/high-rebate, branded version will be available on Express Scripts’ largest commercial formulary. Express Scripts will block both the branded reference product and the lower-priced, unbranded—but also interchangeable—version. Meanwhile, Prime Therapeutics will place both versions on its formularies, leaving the choice up to its plan sponsor clients.

Consequently, many commercial payers will adopt the more expensive product instead of the identical—but cheaper—version. As usual, patients will be the ultimate victims of our current drug pricing system.

Below, I explain the weird economics behind this decision, highlight the negative impact on patients, and speculate on what this all could mean for biosimilars’ future. Until plan sponsors break their addiction to rebates, today’s U.S. drug channel problems will remain.
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Another IRA Surprise: Part B Coinsurance Inflation Adjustments Are Increasing Patient Costs (rerun)

This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while we put the finishing touches on DCI’s new 2024-25 Economic Report on Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Specialty Distributors.

The article below highlights an underappreciated consequence of the Inflation Reduction Act’s inflation rebates for Medicare Part B drugs. Last night, I posted an updated analysis showing that the volatility in seniors' coinsurance rates continues. For the fourther quarter of 2024, coinsurance rates for 51 drugs increased, while rates for only 19 drugs decreased. What's more, rates for 17 drugs returned to their original 20% level. Click here to see our original post from May 2024.



Contrary to what you may have heard, the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) inflation rebates for Medicare Part B drugs do not always save money for seniors.

As we document below, a growing share of Part B drugs have inflation-adjusted coinsurance rates that have been increasing, not declining. In many cases, the coinsurance rate declines only briefly before rebounding back to the standard 20% rate. What’s more, these fluctuations have triggered huge jumps in patients’ out-of-pocket obligations for some drugs—even when a drug’s costs were falling.

Chalk off these coinsurance surprises to yet another unintended consequence of the IRA. Seniors who are expecting to see costs drop may find they are instead being taken for a rollercoaster ride.
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Drug Channels News Roundup, October 2024: Humira Price War Update, PA vs. Providers, IRA vs. Physicians, My AI Podcast, New DCI Jobs, and Dr. G on Copayments

Eeek! It's time for Drug Channels’ Halloween roundup of terrifying tales to share with your ghoulish fiends. This month’s tricks and treats:
  • Spooky! Blue Shield of California frightens away the gross-to-net bubble with its Humira biosimilar strategy
  • Vampiric! Prior authorization sinks its fangs into providers’ time
  • Wicked! How the IRA will put a stake through specialty physician practices
  • Eerie! Google’s monstrous AI podcasts leave me petrified
  • Zoinks! Join the vampire hunters at Drug Channels Institute
Plus, Dr. Glaucomflecken tells us a frightening tale of copayments.

P.S. Stretch out your arms and join the ever-growing zombie horde who shamble after me on LinkedIn. You’ll find my ghostly rantings along with commentary from the undead hordes in the DCI community.
Read more »
       




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Iran's Hiding Behind Deadly Friends Should Have a Price

Assaf Zoran argues that it is crucial to hold Iran accountable and convey the cost associated with arming, training, financing, and promoting violence through proxies.




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The impact of Iran’s attack on Israel

Brookings scholars offer their insights following Iran’s drone and missile attack against Israel on April 13, 2024. Their responses provide perspectives on the implications for various actors as well as a range of policy issues.




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Tunisia Abandons Two-State Solution; Courts Iran, China, and Russia

The war in Gaza has accelerated a major shift in Tunisia’s foreign policy. One of the first Arab countries to advocate for a two-state solution, Tunisia has now abandoned it. That shift has left Tunisia more isolated geopolitically, prompting it to now court Iran, China, and Russia.








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North Africa's Hydrogen Mirage

Amid the global energy transition, investors are anxious to pour billions of dollars into many of these countries to turn the new fossil fuel finds into hydrogen. The element is the key feedstock for fuel cells, which use chemical reactions to generate electricity cleanly, with water as the main byproduct. Notwithstanding the considerable technological challenges ahead, demand for the gas in Europe and elsewhere is widely expected to surge as vehicles, factories, and other energy users seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For Southern Rim nations, however, this tantalizing opportunity for economic development risks turning into just another Sahara mirage. That’s because the hype surrounding hydrogen may continue to distract the regions’ leaders from addressing the tough domestic social issues that are behind the migration crisis. If the technology does become viable, revenue from hydrogen exports to Europe could just perpetuate rent-seeking behavior by political and economic elites at the expense of their own citizens.




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Iran's New Best Friends

Mohammad Tabaar argues that the attacks on Red Sea ships unintentionally advance the Houthis agenda by allowing it to claim that it is fighting imperialism, and the attacks help Iran by fortifying its political foothold in the Middle East. Washington should therefore cease the strikes. It should, instead, work to halt the war in Gaza. The United States should also try to strengthen the region's diplomatic agreements and shore up its security framework. Otherwise, the Houthi-Iranian partnership will only grow stronger, as will Tehran's leverage in the region.




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Iran is Willing to Take the Risk that a Larger War Will Develop, Says Harvard’s Meghan O’Sullivan

Meghan O’Sullivan, Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs director and former Deputy National Security Advisor, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East conflict, the potential impact of new sanctions on Iran, what a possible retaliatory strikes from Israel could look like, and more.




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Iran and Israel's Dangerous Gambit

Nicole Grajewski analyzes Iran and Israel's shift from a long-simmering shadow conflict to direct confrontation.




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Iran and Nuclear Verification: 20 Years of Continuing Sturm and Drang

Report by Trevor Findlay about recent politics surrounding the Iranian Nuclear Program.




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The Enormous Risks and Uncertain Benefits of an Israeli Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Facilities

Assaf Zoran argues that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities may have the opposite result of prompting an escalation in Iran’s nuclear developments, a pattern previously observed in response to kinetic actions attributed to Israel.




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Is Iran's Strategic Patience at an End?

Assaf Zoran examines the dynamics of Iran's shift from operating in the shadows or behind partners and proxies to directly attacking Israel and Pakistan.

 




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The Death of an Iranian Hard-Liner

Mohammad Tabaar writes that former Iranian President Raisi will be remembered for putting the country on the right path after a series of presidents who challenged the supreme leader's vision. He will be memorialized for positioning Iran as a nuclear threshold state and establishing it as a rising power—and for doing so not despite external pressure, but because of it.




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The Day After Iran Gets the Bomb

Stephen Walt explores possible scenarios if Iran acquires a nuclear capability.




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The Iran-Russia Friendship Won't Wither Under Raisi's Successor

Nicole Grajewski describes former Iranian President Raisi’s hardline stance and his willingness to deepen ties with Russia as assets. Collaboration with a like-minded authoritarian with a bent for confronting the West proved particularly valuable after Russia invaded Ukraine.




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Why Iran's New President Won't Change His Country

Mohammad Tabaar's analysis posits that yet even if Khamenei gives Pezeshkian a relatively long leash, his government is unlikely to negotiate another ambitious nuclear agreement. It will, instead, look to ink a deal that could freeze or incrementally scale back Iran's nuclear advances, including by reducing the quality and quantity of the uranium Iran enriches, in exchange for sanctions relief. Such a transactional deal would have multiple advantages for Pezeshkian. Given Khamenei's support, Iran's conservatives would be less likely to sabotage that deal than they were the 2015 agreement. And it would be easy for Tehran to ramp up its program if the United States withdraws again, as occurred under President Donald Trump in 2018.




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A War Without a Name: The Iran-Israel Relationship in Historical Perspective

The defining tension in Middle Eastern politics today—and the most combustible pile of tinder—is between the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The antagonism between the two countries has existed for more than forty years. It has played out across the region for more than twenty years within the context of the Middle East’s wider tumult. It has not been restricted to diplomacy, either, but has played out through various means: covert, proxy, political and psychological warfare. Observers of this conflict have as a result tended to describe this state of affairs with obscure terms: “cold” war, “shadow” war, or other words that allude to the existence of an active and geopolitically consequential antagonism but imply an ambiguity that plain old “war” never could.





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Live Free. Couch Hard.: Totino's Pizza Rollsâ„¢ Unveils First-Ever 'Bucking Couch' to Deliver the Ultimate Gaming Experience Before the Big Game - Brad Hiranga Interview

Brad Hiranga, General Mills Business Unit Director, Pizza and Tacos Business Unit discusses the Bucking Couch and Bucking Couch Bowl.




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Barometer Promise - BNP Exane "Exclusivity & Desirability" 2015: The Wealthiest Chinese Women Rank Luxury Brands - Philippe Jourdan: Partner - Promise Consulting

Philippe Jourdan: Partner - Promise Consulting




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El National Pork Board y la Chef Doreen Colondres te inspiran a dar durante estas fiestas - Inspirate a Dar

Inspirate a Dar




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New in Maps: Inspiration curated with Gemini, enhanced navigation and more

From helping you explore even more with Immersive View to taking the stress out of your drive, here are updates on Google Maps you won’t want to miss.




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"American Coup: Wilmington 1898": PBS Film Examines Massacre When Racists Overthrew Multiracial Gov't

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 premieres tonight on PBS and investigates the only successful insurrection conducted against a U.S. government, when self-described white supremacist residents stoked fears of “Negro Rule” and carried out a deadly massacre in Wilmington, North Carolina. Their aim was to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow the city’s democratically elected, Reconstruction-era multiracial government, paving the way for the implementation of Jim Crow law just two years later. We feature excerpts from the documentary and speak to co-director Yoruba Richen, who explains how the insurrection was planned and carried out, and how the filmmakers worked to track down the descendants of both perpetrators and victims, whose voices are featured in the film.




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Witchy Precure!!: MIRAI DAYS Anime's Trailer Previews Opening Song, Saori Hayami's 2nd Role

Saori Hayami plays mysterious girl Hisui, performs ending song 'Kisekiralink' with Rie Takahashi, Yui Horie




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Gremlinspiration

lurking…




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Web Design Inspiration

If you’re finding today a bit stressful for some reason, grab a respite by sinking into any of these web design inspiration websites.

The post Web Design Inspiration appeared first on Zeldman on Web and Interaction Design.




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'Crisis for referees & fuel for toxic fan conspiracies'

David Coote's alleged video on Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp fuels conspiracy theorists who question referees' integrity, says Phil McNulty.




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Tax-News.com: IRAS Updates GST Guidance On Impending Media Sales Changes

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has released an update to its goods and services tax guide for the advertising industry.




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Favipiravir in Kids With COVID Causes Eye Color Change as a Side Effect

Highlights: A rare side effect of Covid medication Favipiravir has recently been documented in a male infant Dis




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The Life Journey of Mandira Bedi

Highlights: Mandira Bedi is a versatile professional who recently launched her book, "Happy for No Reason." In t




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Adenovirus Outbreak In Kolkatta: Swimming Pools Turn Into Viral Hotspots

Highlights: Adenovirus, typically seen in winter, has affected young swimmers this summer, suggesting pools as