The 26th edition of Shaastra, hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, will be held from January 3 to 7, 2025. The Hindu is the media partner for IIT Shaastra Themed on “Fractal Frontiers,” Shaastra 2025 draws inspiration from the intricate shapes and patterns found in nature. Preparations are underway and over 60,000 people are expected to participate in India’s largest student-run techno-entertainment festival. Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, said, “This year, we are introducing two new areas in the Shaastra Summit and Research Conference: ‘Future Cities’ and ‘Smart Manufacturing’. We are looking forward to the contributions from all the stakeholders towards sustainable approaches in these domains.” Over 110 events With over 110 events ranging from dynamic hackathons and biotechnology challenges to exciting workshops by industry experts, the festival serves as a premier hub for intellectual engagement. Co-Curricular Adviser Murugaiyan Amirthalingam said, “Shaastra serves as a dynamic platform for learning and innovation, bringing together over 50 workshops on several topics. It offers students and tech enthusiasts a unique chance to gain invaluable hands-on experience in cutting-edge domains.” Shaastra’s flagship Spotlight lecture series, presented by Shaastra’s title sponsor the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), features 10 eminent speakers, including Arokiaswamy Velumani, Founder-CEO, Thyrocare Technologies; Ruchira Kamboj, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations; and Dr. Subir Sachdev, Herchel Smith Professor of Physics at Harvard University. This year’s event lineup features Caterpillar Autonomy Challenge, presented by Caterpillar Inc., which showcases the autonomous capabilities and precision picking skills of robots designed for space exploration. The FedEx SMART Centre, an IIT-M body, will host the pilot edition of its flagship hackathon to recruit students for a summer internship. Comedy Night Speaking about the entertainment at Shaastra, Vaishnavi, who leads the Shows & Exhibitions vertical of Shaastra, said, “For the first time ever, we’re hosting a Comedy Night with the incredible Gurleen Pannu on January 6, 2025.” Other highlights include the electrifying RoboWars on January 4 sponsored by IDFC FIRST Bank and Bajaj Auto, the Techno-Entertainment Night on January 5, featuring headliners Karan Kanchan and international artist Camilla Lynx, and Jarvis Lab’s tech-entertainment production Envisage 13.0 on January 3. Co-curricular Affairs Secretary Sukheth Kallupalli shared, “Shaastra 2025 will be a testament to IIT Madras’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. By replacing all plastic and vinyl banners with reusable cloth-based branding and implementing measures to drastically cut our carbon footprint, we are proud to align with the UN SDGs and India’s mission to achieve net zero by 2070.” Adding to its intellectual appeal, Shaastra’s International Research Conference, sponsored by Temenos, will host 160+ dignitaries exploring groundbreaking ideas on Industry 4.0, culminating in a one-of-its-kind publication. Meanwhile, L&T’s International Summit on Future Cities will bring together professionals and students to envision the future of urban landscapes, fostering innovative and sustainable solutions. Boeing is set to host its iconic national aeromodeling contest in association with IIT Madras across four different IITs. Focus on farmers This year’s campaign, “Uzhavu,” focuses on empowering Indian farmers through AI and technology, aiming to bolster the agrarian economy. In addition to upskilling sessions for farmers, awareness programmes have been held in schools and colleges, while a national hackathon has been launched among others. Sukheth said of the social campaign, “Through initiatives like tech-enabled soil testing and precision farming in Chengalpattu, we aim to provide hundreds of farmers with crop cycle recommendations based on geolocation data, weather patterns, and economic feasibility in a six-month project. Uzhavu also seeks to create and distribute pollinator pods to support the declining bee population. The support of firms such as National Agro Foundation, Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission and School of Sustainability, IIT Madras, has been instrumental in making this vision a reality.” Through initiatives like Macmillan’s Budding Scientists Programme and the Junior Make-a-thon, school students will also be a part of the festivities. This edition of Shaastra also introduces Rewire, a cognitive enhancement initiative to promote multisensory learning and neuroscience-backed teaching methodologies. Rewire hosted a national toy-designing competition sponsored by the organisation Help Them Shine, and will organise a national teachers’ conference on January 4 and 5, 2025 during the festival to develop action plans for inclusive pedagogies, particularly for neurodiverse students. Tickets for Shaastra are available on the Shaastra website. To register for the event, scan the QR code. · Published - December 26, 2024 11:07 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit education / ChennaiSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Monday to begin a special session to protect the state's progressive policies ahead of another Trump presidency. The Democratic governor, a fierce critic of President-elect Donald Trump, is positioning California to once again be the center of a resistance effort against the conservative agenda. He is asking his Democratic allies in the Legislature, who hold supermajorities in both chambers, to approve additional funding to the attorney general's office to prepare for a robust legal fight against anticipated federal challenges. Democratic Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel on Monday introduced legislation to set aside $25 million for legal fees to respond to potential attacks by the Trump administration on state policies regarding civil rights, climate change, immigration and abortion access. “While we always hope to collaborate with our federal partners, California will be ready to vigorously defend our interests and values from any unlawful action by the incoming Trump Administration,” Gabriel said in a statement. California sued the first Trump administration more than 120 times to various levels of success. “We’re not going to be caught flat-footed,” Newsom said at a recent news conference. Trump often depicts California as representing all he sees wrong in America. Democrats, which hold every statewide office in California and have commanding margins in the Legislature and congressional delegation, outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 statewide. Trump called the Democratic governor “Newscum” during a campaign stop in Southern California and has relentlessly lambasted the Democratic stronghold over its large number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, homeless population and thicket of regulations. Trump also waded into a water rights battle over the endangered delta smelt , a tiny fish that has pitted environmentalists against farmers and threatened to withhold federal aid to a state increasingly under threat from wildfires. He also vowed to follow through with his campaign promise of carrying out the mass deportation of immigrants without legal status and prosecuting his political enemies. Before the special session began, state lawmakers swore in more than two dozen new members and elect leaders for the 2025 legislative session. Lawmakers voted to convene the special session largely along party lines. “This special session is about sticking up for Californians and for California values,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat representing San Francisco. “It is about ensuring that the president of the United States and his administration actually follow the law.” Hundreds of people also demonstrated around the Capitol on Monday to urge the Legislature to try to stop Trump's mass deportation plans . They carried banners that said “Not one cent for mass deportation” and “MAGA out of California.” “With the results of the presidential election, we need our state elected officials to use every tool and every resource they have available to them to protect our immigrant Californians,” protester Deborah Lee said. State Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will protect the state’s immigration population, while Newsom last week unveiled a proposal to revive a rebate program for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates a federal tax credit for people who buy electric cars. Newsom is also considering creating a backup disaster relief fund for the wildfire-prone state after Trump’s threats. Bonta announced legislation Monday aimed at bolstering reproductive rights in the state, including by allowing the attorney general to seek monetary penalties against local governments that infringe on those rights. The proposals are part of the state's efforts to safeguard against threats to abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade . Republican lawmakers blasted Newsom and his Democratic allies over the special session. State Sen. Kelly Seyarto, a Republican representing Murrieta in Southern California, said the special session proposal would make California have a more adversarial relationship with the federal government. “What we’re doing today is sending that exact message — that we are going to fight tooth and nail for everything. And you know what? That means they’re going to fight us tooth and nail for everything,” Seyarto said of the incoming Trump administration if the legislation gets approved. Legislators also are expected to spend the year discussing ways to protect dozens of laws expected to be targeted by the Trump administration, including one that has made the state a sanctuary for people seeking abortions who live in states where such practices have been severely limited. California, the nation’s most populous state, was the first to mandate that by 2035 all new cars , pickup trucks and SUVs sold in California be electric, hydrogen-powered or plug-in hybrids. The state also extends state-funded health care to all low-income residents regardless of their immigration status. Newsom hasn't provided details about what actions the lawmakers will consider but said he wanted funding in place before Trump's inauguration day, Jan. 20. The state spent roughly $42 million in litigation costs during the first Trump administration, officials said. California is projected to face a $2 billion budget deficit next year, with bigger shortfalls ahead. Gabriel, who sued the first Trump administration in 2017 when it tried to end a program to shield young immigrants from being deported, said lining up the funding now is “a wise investment." California successfully clawed back $57 million between 2017 and 2018 after prevailing in a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from putting immigration enforcement conditions on certain federal law enforcement grants. Another legal victory over the citizenship question in the 2020 census forced the federal government to return $850,000 to the state, according to the attorney general's office. During Trump’s first presidency, Democratic attorneys general banded together to file lawsuits over immigration, Trump’s travel ban for residents of Muslim countries, the environment, immigration and other topics. But Trump has one possible advantage this time around: He was aggressive in nominating conservative jurists to federal courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court. Associated Press journalists Haven Daley and Sophie Austin contributed to this report.

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OTTAWA — A former senior Canadian Security Intelligence Service official has acknowledged the spy service wanted Abousfian Abdelrazik's name on Canada's no-fly list. David Vigneault struggled to recall other details as he testified Monday in Federal Court in Abdelrazik's civil lawsuit against Ottawa over his detention and alleged torture in Sudan two decades ago. The Sudanese-born Abdelrazik became a Canadian citizen in the 1990s and was arrested during a 2003 visit to his native country to see his ailing mother. CSIS officers travelled to Khartoum to interrogate him in October 2003 about suspected extremist links. Abdelrazik, who denies involvement in terrorism, says he was tortured by Sudanese authorities during two periods of detention. Federal lawyers argue Abdelrazik is an author of his own misfortune, saying Canada did not urge Sudan to keep him in detention or mistreat him, or create a risk that these things might happen. The court has heard about the contrasting concerns of CSIS, which considered Abdelrazik a security threat, and Canada's foreign ministry, which had a duty to provide consular assistance to him. American officials were also concerned that Abdelrazik posed a danger in the tense post 9-11 era. Following Abdelrazik's first release from Sudanese detention in 2004, his inclusion on a U.S. no-fly list prevented his return to Canada, says a document presented in court. Abdelrazik's second release from Sudanese custody came in summer 2006. However, his presence on a United Nations security watch list, at the request of the U.S., further complicated his efforts to fly home to Canada. In mid-2007, CSIS "was the originating agency" in getting Abdelrazik added to Canada's no-fly list, the document says. Vigneault, who testified in French, accepted the notion that CSIS was behind the move. But he did not remember any role he might have played. Vigneault was a senior CSIS official from December 2006 to June 2009, became the spy service's director in 2017 and left the service earlier this year. He now works in the private sector. Paul Champ, a lawyer for Abdelrazik, asked him about the findings of the inspector general's office, a watchdog over CSIS who examined the case. The report found a gap in operational policies regarding the "quasi-consular role" that CSIS employees were called upon to play in Abdelrazik's file, citing an apparent conflict of interest. Canada's foreign ministry provides impartial consular assistance to Canadians in distress abroad, the report said. "On the other hand, the role of CSIS employees involves gathering security intelligence on threats." Vigneault indicated he had limited recollection of the inspector general's findings. "I don't recall the details of this report," he said. However, Vigneault suggested that scrutiny of CSIS by review bodies and the courts during this period generally spurred change within the intelligence service. "There was an important acknowledgment that our practices should evolve, given the expectations of the government and of Canadians." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2024. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian PressRams can take huge step toward NFC West title by avenging 31-point loss to Cardinals

Wake Forest keeps trying new things early in the season, even if not all of the adjustments are by design. The Demon Deacons will try to stick to the script when Detroit Mercy visits for Saturday's game in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons (5-1) will be at home for the final time prior to three consecutive road games. Detroit Mercy (3-2) already has two more victories than all of last season. After a couple of narrow wins and a loss at Xavier, Wake Forest had a smoother time earlier this week in defeating visiting Western Carolina 82-69 on Tuesday night. Yet these are games when teams have to figure where contributions are going to come from in certain situations. The experimenting took a turn for Wake Forest in the Western Carolina game. Center Efton Reid III had limited minutes because of migraines, so there was a shift in responsibilities. Normal backcourt players Cameron Hildreth and Juke Harris logged time at the power forward slot. "That's just part of it," coach Steve Forbes said. "They did a good job adjusting. We ran a lot of stuff and there are several guys learning different positions. ... I give credit to those guys for doing the best job that they could do on the fly and adjusting to the play calls that we ran and the stuff that we changed." Wake Forest could excel if both Parker Friedrichsen and Davin Cosby can be consistent 3-point threats. Friedrichsen slumped with shooting in the first few games of the season and was replaced in the starting lineup by Cosby. In Tuesday's game, Friedrichsen drained four 3-pointers, while Cosby hit two. "It was really good to see Parker and Davin both make shots together," Forbes said. Not everything was solved for the Demon Deacons. Western Carolina collected 12 offensive rebounds, and that took some of the shine off Wake Forest's defensive efforts. "We can't be a good defensive team, or a really good defensive team, unless we rebound the ball," Forbes said. "It's demoralizing to your defense to get stops and then not get the ball." In Detroit Mercy's 70-59 win at Ball State on Wednesday, Orlando Lovejoy tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "We got the ball to the shooters and playmakers," first-year Titans coach Mark Montgomery said. "You could tell by the guys' body language that we were going to get a road win. It had been a long time coming." On Saturday, the Titans will look for their second road victory since February 2023. The outcome at Ball State seemed significant to Montgomery. "We had to get over the hump," he said. "Our guys grinded it out." --Field Level Media

Biden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas treeTreace Appoints Guy Guglielmino as Chief Commercial Officer

NEW YORK, Dec. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KYTX) pursuant and/or traceable to the Kyverna’s initial public offering conducted on February 8, 2024 (the “IPO”), of the important February 7, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Kyverna common stock you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Kyverna class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32239 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 7, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the registration statement and prospectus used to effectuate Kyverna’s IPO misstated and/or omitted facts concerning the results of Kyverna’s ongoing evaluation of KYV-101, Kyverna’s lead product candidate, in clinical trials. Specifically, Kyverna touted patient “improvement” in certain indicators while failing to disclose adverse data regarding one of Kyverna’s trials, which adverse data was known to Kyverna at the time of the IPO. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Kyverna class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=32239 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com

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Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Under TrumpFormer U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died. He was 100 years old and had spent more than a year in hospice care. The Georgia peanut farmer served one turbulent term in the White House before building a reputation as a global humanitarian and champion of democracy. He defeated President Gerald Ford in 1976 promising to restore trust in government but lost to Ronald Reagan four years later amid soaring inflation, gas station lines and the Iran hostage crisis. He and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, then formed The Carter Center, and he earned a Nobel Peace Prize while making himself the most active and internationally engaged of former presidents. The Carter Center said the former president died Sunday afternoon in Plains, Georgia. Contributing: Associated Press

This week, global narratives soared as 90-year-old Cheng Chen Chin-Mei from Taiwan captured hearts with her weightlifting prowess, showcasing health benefits and indomitable spirit. Across the seas, in Thailand, rare golden tigresses took social media by storm, drawing throngs of admirers eager to witness these majestic creatures perform. Meanwhile, a 2022 expedition in Peru's Amazon unveiled 27 new species, with the 'amphibious mouse' grabbing headlines with its unique traits. Back in Europe, cultural heritage shone brightly as a rare 500-year-old wooden shoe surfaced in Alkmaar, Netherlands, underscoring historical traditions, while Florence's historic passageway over the Ponte Vecchio reopened to the delight of culture enthusiasts. In the realm of entertainment, Sigourney Weaver made headlines in London with her spellbinding West End debut in 'The Tempest', and across the pond, Hollywood embraced diverse narratives, aiming to captivate broader audiences with productions like the biblical epic 'Mary'. (With inputs from agencies.)

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Darius Tahir | (TNS) KFF Health News President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the sprawling government agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace — celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz — recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies that would pose significant conflicts of interest. Oz’s holdings, some shared with family, included a stake in UnitedHealth Group worth as much as $600,000, as well as shares of pharmaceutical firms and tech companies with business in the health care sector, such as Amazon. Collectively, Oz’s investments total tens of millions of dollars, according to financial disclosures he filed during his failed 2022 run for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat. Trump said Tuesday he would nominate Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency’s scope is huge: CMS oversees coverage for more than 160 million Americans, nearly half the population. Medicare alone accounts for approximately $1 trillion in annual spending, with over 67 million enrollees. UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest health care companies in the nation and arguably the most important business partner of CMS, through which it is the leading provider of commercial health plans available to Medicare beneficiaries. UnitedHealth also offers managed-care plans under Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for low-income people, and sells plans on government-run marketplaces set up via the Affordable Care Act. Oz also had smaller stakes in CVS Health, which now includes the insurer Aetna, and in the insurer Cigna. It’s not clear if Oz, a heart surgeon by training, still holds investments in health care companies, or if he would divest his shares or otherwise seek to mitigate conflicts of interest should he be confirmed by the Senate. Reached by phone on Wednesday, he said he was in a Zoom meeting and declined to comment. An assistant did not reply to an email message with detailed questions. “It’s obvious that over the years he’s cultivated an interest in the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry,” said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group. “That raises a question of whether he can be trusted to act on behalf of the American people.” (The publisher of KFF Health News, David Rousseau, is on the CSPI board .) Oz used his TikTok page on multiple occasions in November to praise Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including their efforts to take on the “illness-industrial complex,” and he slammed “so-called experts like the big medical societies” for dishing out what he called bad nutritional advice. Oz’s positions on health policy have been chameleonic; in 2010, he cut an ad urging Californians to sign up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, telling viewers they had a “historic opportunity.” Oz’s 2022 financial disclosures show that the television star invested a substantial part of his wealth in health care and food firms. Were he confirmed to run CMS, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth. Given the breadth of his investments, it would be difficult for Oz to recuse himself from matters affecting his assets, if he still holds them. “He could spend his time in a rocking chair” if that happened, Lurie said. In the past, nominees for government positions with similar potential conflicts of interest have chosen to sell the assets or otherwise divest themselves. For instance, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland agreed to divest their holdings in relevant, publicly traded companies when they joined the Biden administration. Trump, however, declined in his first term to relinquish control of his own companies and other assets while in office, and he isn’t expected to do so in his second term. He has not publicly indicated concern about his subordinates’ financial holdings. CMS’ main job is to administer Medicare. About half of new enrollees now choose Medicare Advantage, in which commercial insurers provide their health coverage, instead of the traditional, government-run program, according to an analysis from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. Proponents of Medicare Advantage say the private plans offer more compelling services than the government and better manage the costs of care. Critics note that Medicare Advantage plans have a long history of costing taxpayers more than the traditional program. UnitedHealth, CVS, and Cigna are all substantial players in the Medicare Advantage market. It’s not always a good relationship with the government. The Department of Justice filed a 2017 complaint against UnitedHealth alleging the company used false information to inflate charges to the government. The case is ongoing. Oz is an enthusiastic proponent of Medicare Advantage. In 2020, he proposed offering Medicare Advantage to all; during his Senate run, he offered a more general pledge to expand those plans. After Trump announced Oz’s nomination for CMS, Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, said he was “uncertain about Dr. Oz’s familiarity with health care financing and economics.” Singer said Oz’s Medicare Advantage proposal could require large new taxes — perhaps a 20% payroll tax — to implement. Oz has gotten a mixed reception from elsewhere in Washington. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, the Democrat who defeated Oz in 2022, signaled he’d potentially support his appointment to CMS. “If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude,” he said on the social platform X. Oz’s investments in companies doing business with the federal government don’t end with big insurers. He and his family also hold hospital stocks, according to his 2022 disclosure, as well as a stake in Amazon worth as much as nearly $2.4 million. (Candidates for federal office are required to disclose a broad range of values for their holdings, not a specific figure.) Amazon operates an internet pharmacy, and the company announced in June that its subscription service is available to Medicare enrollees. It also owns a primary care service , One Medical, that accepts Medicare and “select” Medicare Advantage plans. Oz was also directly invested in several large pharmaceutical companies and, through investments in venture capital funds, indirectly invested in other biotech and vaccine firms. Big Pharma has been a frequent target of criticism and sometimes conspiracy theories from Trump and his allies. Kennedy, whom Trump has said he’ll nominate to be Health and Human Services secretary, is a longtime anti-vaccine activist. During the Biden administration, Congress gave Medicare authority to negotiate with drug companies over their prices. CMS initially selected 10 drugs. Those drugs collectively accounted for $50.5 billion in spending between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, under Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit. At least four of those 10 medications are manufactured by companies in which Oz held stock, worth as much as about $50,000. Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump Jr. emerges as a political force of his own as he helps his father launch a second term National Politics | What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for agriculture secretary National Politics | After Trump’s Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles National Politics | Republicans push back against Democrats’ claims that Trump intelligence pick Gabbard is compromised National Politics | Trump 2.0 has a Cabinet and executive branch of different ideas and eclectic personalities Oz may gain or lose financially from other Trump administration proposals. For example, as of 2022, Oz held investments worth as much as $6 million in fertility treatment providers. To counter fears that politicians who oppose abortion would ban in vitro fertilization, Trump floated during his campaign making in vitro fertilization treatment free. It’s unclear whether the government would pay for the services. In his TikTok videos from earlier in November, Oz echoed attacks on the food industry by Kennedy and other figures in his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. They blame processed foods and underregulation of the industry for the poor health of many Americans, concerns shared by many Democrats and more mainstream experts. But in 2022, Oz owned stakes worth as much as $80,000 in Domino’s Pizza, Pepsi, and US Foods, as well as more substantial investments in other parts of the food chain, including cattle; Oz reported investments worth as much as $5.5 million in a farm and livestock, as well as a stake in a dairy-free milk startup. He was also indirectly invested in the restaurant chain Epic Burger. One of his largest investments was in the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa, which sells fast food and all manner of ultra-processed snacks. Oz and his wife reported a stake in the company, beloved by many Pennsylvanians, worth as much as $30 million. ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.