December 2 2024

FLASH…Biden Pardons Son Hunter…Chinese Ship Suspected of Deliberately Cutting Baltic Cables…
1. Same Drug, 2,200 Different Prices
2. Australia Bans Social Media for Children Under 16
3. Trump Transition Journal
4. Modular Construction Gains Ground as U.S. Developers Embrace Efficiency
5. BATTLE FOR EURASIA: Aleppo Falls to Rebels, Russians Caught Flatfooted
December 2, 1999: Researchers unravel the genetic code of an entire human chromosome

See the new Ad Astra Podcast! Released on Apple and Spotify around 10a CST.

FLASH…Biden Pardons Son Hunter for Felony Gun, Tax Crimes…Chinese Ship’s Crew Suspected of Deliberately Dragging Anchor for 100 Miles to Cut Baltic Cables…

1. Same Drug, 2,200 Different Prices

The cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. isn’t like the tabs for other products. The price for a single medicine can range by thousands of dollars depending on the drug plan. It is a symptom of America’s complicated—and costly—system for paying for medicines. Medicare is paying wildly different prices for the same drug, even for people insured under the same plan.  As a result, people covered by Medicare can be on the hook for thousands of dollars in additional out-of-pocket costs depending on where they live and which drug plan they choose.  

Article Source: WSJ

2. Australia Bans Social Media for Children Under 16

Australia’s social media ban for children under the age of 16 will become law after passing the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, even as questions linger over how the new restrictions will be implemented. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government joined with the center-right Liberal-National Opposition on Thursday to pass the legislation, brushing aside concerns from lawmakers on both sides of parliament over the speed at which the bills had been enacted. The restrictions are expected to be among the strictest in the world.

Article Source: Bloomberg

3. Trump Transition Journal

Trump picked Kash Patel as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation 

A. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, spoke to President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday afternoon, and both later characterized their discussion as positive while providing different descriptions of what Mexico is doing to stave off a potential tariff war. While Mr. Trump posted on social media that Mexico had agreed to stop migration to the United States through Mexico, “effectively closing our Southern Border,” Ms. Sheinbaum limited her description of the migration-related issues they had discussed to migrant caravans no longer reaching the border with the United States. Still, Ms. Sheinbaum, who earlier in the day had made clear that Mexico would impose retaliatory tariffs in response to similar measures threatened by Mr. Trump, seemed to ease tensions by saying the exchange was “excellent.”  

B. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised President-elect Donald Trump that Canada would toughen controls over the long undefended joint border, a senior Canadian official said on Sunday. Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday to have dinner with Trump, who has promised to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless Ottawa prevents migrants and drugs from crossing the frontier. Canada sends 75% of all goods and services exports to the United States and tariffs would badly hurt the economy.

Article Source: Reuters, NYT

4. Modular Construction Gains Ground as U.S. Developers Embrace Efficiency

Modular housing development has long been a fringe part of the U.S. market, primarily limited to lower-budget or emergency housing. Now, the country’s largest apartment operator is trying to change that. Greystar Real Estate Partners on Monday is opening a six-building modular apartment complex, complete with a gym, amphitheater and bocce courts. It is Greystar’s first U.S. project assembled using this alternative construction method, aiming to combat the chronic delays of traditional developments.  The new complex called “Ltd. Findlay” is located in Coraopolis, Pa., about 16 miles west of Pittsburgh. It is offering leases for 312 apartments, making it one of the largest multifamily modular projects in the U.S.  With the construction workforce shrinking and costs rising, the efficiency gains of modular are gaining traction with mainstream developers.  From 2015 to 2023, the annual market share of modular construction more than tripled to 6.6%, according to the Modular Building Institute, one of the industry’s trade groups.

Article Source: WSJ

5. BATTLE FOR EURASIA: Aleppo Falls to Rebels, Russians Caught Flatfooted

Rebel forces in Syria took control of much of Aleppo, including the city’s airport, in a surprise offensive that brought the country’s stalled civil war back to life. The fighting, which saw Syrian and Russian jets step up retaliatory strikes Sunday, poses the most serious challenge in years to President Bashar al-Assad. The rebels’ success is a “direct consequence” of wars happening elsewhere, The Wall Street Journal wrote: al-Assad’s allies — Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah — are all embroiled in their own conflicts, and Turkey, which backs the rebels, took advantage.  

Editors note: The Syrian Civil War is a mind-bogglingly complex conflict that began during the Arab Spring in 2011 and has largely been dormant for years. The power vacuum created by the conflict enabled the rise of ISIS in ungoverned Syrian territories in the mid-2010s and contributed to a significant refugee crisis that has reshaped European politics. The multi-sided conflict has involved numerous factions fighting against each other, with support from various global powers, effectively making it a proxy war. Russia and Iran have backed the incumbent Syrian government, whose repression of its people sparked the original uprising. The United States has supported various rebel factions, some of which have ties to Al-Qaeda. The latest wave of violence resulted in rebel victories, marking gains for U.S.-backed forces over the proxy forces of Iran and Russia, both of which are currently distracted by conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.

Article Source: Semafor

December 2, 1999: Researchers unravel the genetic code of an entire human chromosome

Sources

2. https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-pays-wildly-different-prices-for-the-same-drug-b20fa58c

3. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-28/australia-senate-passes-world-s-first-social-media-ban-for-children-under-16

4. A https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/27/us/politics/mexico-trump-tariff-tensions.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
B https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trudeau-promised-trump-tougher-border-controls-says-top-canada-official-2024-12-01/

5. https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/americas-biggest-apartment-owner-takes-a-leap-into-modular-homes-abf62039?st=k2NNU4&reflink=article_copyURL_share

6. https://www.semafor.com/article/12/01/2024/syrian-rebels-in-aleppo-offensive-a-result-of-wars-happening-elsewhere