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4 Biotech Stocks In Neurology As Biotechs March On

4 Biotech Stocks In Neurology As Biotechs March On

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  • Biotechs have been rejuvenated by a dose of M&A and near-term regulatory deflection
  • After significantly lagging the broader market, biotech is steadily making progress
  • Regulatory concerns remain an overarching backdrop to the healthcare sector
  • Neurology is attracting renewed interest after Biogen’s decision to present its Alzheimer’s drug for FDA approval
  • We briefly discuss 4 promising neurology stocks

Biotech Pulse

Biotechs finally have a gust of wind in their sails. 

In a space of 2-months, biotechs have gone from recording yearly lows in early October, to recording 2019 highs. The 25% surge has been a result of a relatively less threatening regulatory environment and a strengthening of acquisition and partnership activity.

The earlier articles, Healthcare On The March and 4 RNA Stocks For A Biotech Portfolio, emphasized why healthcare should begin to receive greater weight in portfolios as the risk of an industry restructuring has eased somewhat and a recent healthcare transparency plan by the administration was much milder than what it could have been. Also, as pharmaceutical companies continue acquiring biotechs or entering into large dollar partnerships with them, it has reassured investors and boosted confidence in biotech prospects. There is no doubt that scientific advances have been accumulating. But biotech valuations were held back and required a glimmer of regulatory relief and a shove from timely acquisitions. 

Biotech has been a lagging sector and the recent spurt is making up for lost ground. As has been noted in prior articles over the past two months, we do believe there is a window of opportunity that exists for healthcare overall and biotechs, in particular, to perform relatively better than the broader market.

Neurology – A Complex Challenge

Over 350 years ago, Oxford-educated English physician Thomas Willis in his book Cerebri Anatome (The Anatomy of the Brain) meticulously laid out the various structures of the brain, and first introduced the word neurology or doctrine of the nerves, as he characterized it. Neurology is now the medical field of nervous system disorders. Such was the clinical acumen, prescience, and depth of masterful brain theories establishing astonishing links, that Willis is considered as the founding father of neurology and his name has been imprinted on the human mind. A circular formation of arteries at the base of our brain, as highlighted in the image below, is known as the Circle of Willis.

Source: Illustration by PrudentBiotech.com; Thomas Willis by Wikimedia.org; Brain Image by Anatomy Science

Although the discipline of neurology was established 350 years ago and developed by many great minds, rapid progress has occurred in the last few decades as advances in technology provided the medium to further unravel the mysteries of the mind and the nervous system. But a lot remains unknown in this highly complex, interlinked, and broad field of neuroscience, which is the scientific study of the nervous system that includes the central nervous system or CNS, the brain, and the spinal cord. 

Neurology is a difficult field due to the complexity of the organs, the signaling networks, and the pathways. The diseases and disorders related to the mind and nervous system are many and diverse, including prominent ones like Alzheimers, schizophrenia, dementia, psychosis, epilepsy, insomnia, depression, Parkinson, multiple sclerosis, etc. And so is the list of players which include giant pharmaceutical companies and biotechs, like Biogen (BIIB), Neurocrine Biosciences, Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Alkermes (ALKS), Sage Therapeutics (SAGE), Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR), Axsome Therapeutics (AXSM), Minerva Neurosciences, and Karuna Therapeutics, to name just a handful. Due to the uniquely complex nature, there is a high rate of company attrition in this field.

Biogen recently put some vigor in the neurological segment of the biotech sector when in October it resurrected its drug, Aducanumab, which targets the amyloid in Alzheimer’s disease. There is some meaningful progress being made in brain and CNS disorders, although the road to travel is still very long.

Below we mention four companies in the neuro space which investors interested in this segment can keep an eye on. All these have multiple shots at the goal due to the pipeline-in-a-product approach. Of course, there are many other attractive neuro companies as well besides these four.

Neurocrine Biosciences (NBIX)

Neurocrine is one of the largest biotech companies focused on neurology, endocrine, and psychiatric disorders. It has an active commercial program in movement disorders with a product in tardive dyskinesia and another product in women’s health collaboration with AbbVie.

In Parkinson’s disease, the company has tested a drug as an adjunct therapy which is now under NDA review with a PDUFA action date in April 2020. Another exciting therapy program for Parkinson’s is the VY-AADC, with the VY standing for the collaboration with Voyager Therapeutics. The drug plants an AADC gene directly into the neurons where the dopamine receptors are located, enabling these neurons to then produce the AADC enzyme for converting Levodopa into dopamine. As many would know, Levodopa, often in combination with carbidopa, is the standard of care in addressing movement disorders by managing dopamine levels. Managing symptoms is the best one can do as Parkinson’s itself has no cure yet. The VY-AADC gene intervention can potentially prolong the benefit of Levodopa, improve motor function, and reduce the daily “OFF” time when the effect of Levodopa wears off and motor functions deteriorate. The VY-AADC drug is being evaluated in Phase 2 trials. The two companies have collaborated on another program, VY-FXN01, for Friedreich’s ataxia. 

Source: Neurocrine

Neurocrine had a cash and equivalents balance of ~$875 million at the end of the third quarter, and a market cap of over $10 billion. The company has deep knowledge of the central nervous system and its interactions with the endocrine system and remains a key player in unraveling the neurological mysteries, particularly of motion-related disorders.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD)

Acadia is a leading company focused on CNS related disorders. In 2016, the company achieved a significant milestone when its drug Nuplazid was approved for certain psychotic symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. That remains the only FDA approved drug for that condition.

Earlier in December, the Company reported positive topline Phase 3 results for its small molecule drug, Pimavanserin, which met the primary and secondary endpoints for psychosis symptoms related to a variety of dementia subtypes, including from Alzheimer’s. This is again an area with no approved treatment, and a company meeting with the FDA should occur during the first half of 2020. 

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Pipeline, Source: Acadia Pharmaceuticals

In an example of a pipeline-in-a-product, Pimanvanser is also in Phase 3 testing as adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder or MDD. Furthermore, Pimanvanser is also being tested in Phase 2 for the management of negative symptoms from schizophrenia. Last month it announced positive top-line results with the study demonstrating a statistically significant improvement on the study’s primary endpoint. A second pivotal study is expected to begin by mid-2020.

Acadia continues to work on remedies that are the first-in-class, where none exist presently. Acadia had cash and equivalents balance of ~$680 million at the end of the third quarter, and a market cap of nearly $7 billion.

Karuna Therapeutics (KRTX)

Karuna is an emerging company focused on neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by diseases like Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia. It has a pipeline-in-a-product with its lead candidate, KarXT, which is an oral modulator of muscarinic receptors found in the CNS and peripheral tissues. KarXT selectively activates the muscarinic receptors in the brain. It follows a unique mechanism of action relying on muscarine receptors rather than inhibiting dopamine receptors as most therapies presently target.

Last month, Karuna announced strong results from its Phase 2 trial in patients with acute psychosis in schizophrenia demonstrating a clinically significant 11.6 point improvement on the PANSS score over a placebo, compared to an ~10 point improvement from existing drugs. With a good safety profile in hand, the company anticipates meeting the FDA shortly and beginning Phase 3 in the first half of 2020.

Source: Karuna Therapeutics

KarXT is also being used in a Phase 1b study for Psychosis in Alzheimer’s disease with topline data in the second half of 2020. Two additional Phase 1b trials for cognitive symptoms and negative symptoms in Schizophrenia are expected to begin in the first half of 2020.

The company has a promising approach using a different path of mechanism than many of the existing anti-psychotic medications, and it will be a much-watched company in 2020. After a recent offering in November, the company has ~$400 million in cash and equivalents and has a current market cap of $1.6 billion

Minerva Neurosciences (NERV)

Minerva is one of the smaller biotech companies focused on CNS disorders and has several first-in-class compounds targeting schizophrenia, depression, insomnia and Parkinson’s. 

The lead product candidate, Roluperidone (MIN-101), is targeted at the treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Roluperidone blocks the serotonin and sigma receptors that contribute to the regulation of cognition, mood, anxiety, and sleep. The drug is presently undergoing Phase 3 study, with enrollment expected to be completed by the end of 2019, and topline data from the first 12-week study available in the first half of 2020. A second 40-week study follows the completion of the first study. The drug originated from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma.

Source: Minerva

Another drug candidate, Seltorexant (MIN-202), is targeted as an adjunct therapy for insomnia related to the depressive disorder and is being jointly developed with Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Johnson & Johnson company. Phase 2b results in June 2019 met the primary endpoints. Phase 3 studies are in planning. The drug is also being tested for insomnia disorders. A topline readout from the Phase 2b trial is imminent for MIN-117, an antidepressant candidate.

In this tricky field of neurology, Minerva has a promising portfolio of co-owned and/or co-developed drugs, targeting major market opportunities with near-term readouts. The market focus is quite similar to that of Acadia Pharmaceuticals. At the end of September quarter, Minerva had a cash and equivalent balance of $60 million, and its current market cap is ~$300 million.

Biotechs On The March

As we have continued to maintain in our recent articles, there is a window of opportunity for healthcare in general and biopharma in particular, to make meaningful progress on valuations, before election season jostling brings back the focus again on healthcare costs, perhaps as early as late 1st quarter. The rally in healthcare, and particularly biotech stocks, can persist for the remainder of the year, justifying a continued higher portfolio weighting.

There are many promising healthcare companies. Some of these are already part or may have been part of our Prudent Biotech or the Graycell Small Cap or the Prudent Healthcare model portfolios. A few of these promising companies from a portfolio standpoint include Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (ALNY), Amgen (AMGN), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN), Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD), Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (ARWR), Seattle Genetics (SGEN), Incyte (INCY), Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (DRNA), Deciphera Pharmaceuticals (DCPH), Kodiak Sciences (KOD), Allakos (ALLK), Reata Pharma (RETA), Moderna (MRNA), Aimmune Therapeutics (AIMT), Amarin (AMRN), Assembly Biosciences (ASMB), Zymeworks (ZYME), Karyopharm Therapeutics (KPTI), Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT), Momenta Pharmaceuticals (MNTA), Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS), Flexion Therapeutics (FLXN), Axsome Therapeutics (AXSM), OptiNose (OPTN), Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP), Uniqure (QURE), Mirati Therapeutics (MRTX), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Arvinas (ARVN), Tricida (TCDA), and Iovance Biotherapeutics (IOVA).

If you are interested in quantitative model-driven investing in the healthcare sector, you must look at the Prudent Healthcare model portfolio service on Seeking Alpha, to be offered imminently. The Prudent Healthcare model portfolio comprises up to 10 stock positions in the healthcare sector and is different from Prudent Biotech and Graycell Small Cap newsletter service. You can click on the Follow button for updates and learn more about the various service offerings.

(The article was first published on Seeking Alpha)

The post 4 Biotech Stocks In Neurology As Biotechs March On appeared first on Prudent Biotech.

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Comments on February Employment Report

The headline jobs number in the February employment report was above expectations; however, December and January payrolls were revised down by 167,000 combined.   The participation rate was unchanged, the employment population ratio decreased, and the …

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The headline jobs number in the February employment report was above expectations; however, December and January payrolls were revised down by 167,000 combined.   The participation rate was unchanged, the employment population ratio decreased, and the unemployment rate was increased to 3.9%.

Leisure and hospitality gained 58 thousand jobs in February.  At the beginning of the pandemic, in March and April of 2020, leisure and hospitality lost 8.2 million jobs, and are now down 17 thousand jobs since February 2020.  So, leisure and hospitality has now essentially added back all of the jobs lost in March and April 2020. 

Construction employment increased 23 thousand and is now 547 thousand above the pre-pandemic level. 

Manufacturing employment decreased 4 thousand jobs and is now 184 thousand above the pre-pandemic level.


Prime (25 to 54 Years Old) Participation

Since the overall participation rate is impacted by both cyclical (recession) and demographic (aging population, younger people staying in school) reasons, here is the employment-population ratio for the key working age group: 25 to 54 years old.

The 25 to 54 years old participation rate increased in February to 83.5% from 83.3% in January, and the 25 to 54 employment population ratio increased to 80.7% from 80.6% the previous month.

Both are above pre-pandemic levels.

Average Hourly Wages

WagesThe graph shows the nominal year-over-year change in "Average Hourly Earnings" for all private employees from the Current Employment Statistics (CES).  

There was a huge increase at the beginning of the pandemic as lower paid employees were let go, and then the pandemic related spike reversed a year later.

Wage growth has trended down after peaking at 5.9% YoY in March 2022 and was at 4.3% YoY in February.   

Part Time for Economic Reasons

Part Time WorkersFrom the BLS report:
"The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.4 million, changed little in February. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs."
The number of persons working part time for economic reasons decreased in February to 4.36 million from 4.42 million in February. This is slightly above pre-pandemic levels.

These workers are included in the alternate measure of labor underutilization (U-6) that increased to 7.3% from 7.2% in the previous month. This is down from the record high in April 2020 of 23.0% and up from the lowest level on record (seasonally adjusted) in December 2022 (6.5%). (This series started in 1994). This measure is above the 7.0% level in February 2020 (pre-pandemic).

Unemployed over 26 Weeks

Unemployed Over 26 WeeksThis graph shows the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more.

According to the BLS, there are 1.203 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks and still want a job, down from 1.277 million the previous month.

This is down from post-pandemic high of 4.174 million, and up from the recent low of 1.050 million.

This is close to pre-pandemic levels.

Job Streak

Through February 2024, the employment report indicated positive job growth for 38 consecutive months, putting the current streak in 5th place of the longest job streaks in US history (since 1939).

Headline Jobs, Top 10 Streaks
Year EndedStreak, Months
12019100
2199048
3200746
4197945
52024138
6 tie194333
6 tie198633
6 tie200033
9196729
10199525
1Currrent Streak

Summary:

The headline monthly jobs number was above consensus expectations; however, December and January payrolls were revised down by 167,000 combined.  The participation rate was unchanged, the employment population ratio decreased, and the unemployment rate was increased to 3.9%.  Another solid report.

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Immune cells can adapt to invading pathogens, deciding whether to fight now or prepare for the next battle

When faced with a threat, T cells have the decision-making flexibility to both clear out the pathogen now and ready themselves for a future encounter.

Understanding the flexibility of T cell memory can lead to improved vaccines and immunotherapies. Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

How does your immune system decide between fighting invading pathogens now or preparing to fight them in the future? Turns out, it can change its mind.

Every person has 10 million to 100 million unique T cells that have a critical job in the immune system: patrolling the body for invading pathogens or cancerous cells to eliminate. Each of these T cells has a unique receptor that allows it to recognize foreign proteins on the surface of infected or cancerous cells. When the right T cell encounters the right protein, it rapidly forms many copies of itself to destroy the offending pathogen.

Diagram depicting a helper T cell differentiating into either a memory T cell or an effector T cell after exposure to an antigen
T cells can differentiate into different subtypes of cells after coming into contact with an antigen. Anatomy & Physiology/SBCCOE, CC BY-NC-SA

Importantly, this process of proliferation gives rise to both short-lived effector T cells that shut down the immediate pathogen attack and long-lived memory T cells that provide protection against future attacks. But how do T cells decide whether to form cells that kill pathogens now or protect against future infections?

We are a team of bioengineers studying how immune cells mature. In our recently published research, we found that having multiple pathways to decide whether to kill pathogens now or prepare for future invaders boosts the immune system’s ability to effectively respond to different types of challenges.

Fight or remember?

To understand when and how T cells decide to become effector cells that kill pathogens or memory cells that prepare for future infections, we took movies of T cells dividing in response to a stimulus mimicking an encounter with a pathogen.

Specifically, we tracked the activity of a gene called T cell factor 1, or TCF1. This gene is essential for the longevity of memory cells. We found that stochastic, or probabilistic, silencing of the TCF1 gene when cells confront invading pathogens and inflammation drives an early decision between whether T cells become effector or memory cells. Exposure to higher levels of pathogens or inflammation increases the probability of forming effector cells.

Surprisingly, though, we found that some effector cells that had turned off TCF1 early on were able to turn it back on after clearing the pathogen, later becoming memory cells.

Through mathematical modeling, we determined that this flexibility in decision making among memory T cells is critical to generating the right number of cells that respond immediately and cells that prepare for the future, appropriate to the severity of the infection.

Understanding immune memory

The proper formation of persistent, long-lived T cell memory is critical to a person’s ability to fend off diseases ranging from the common cold to COVID-19 to cancer.

From a social and cognitive science perspective, flexibility allows people to adapt and respond optimally to uncertain and dynamic environments. Similarly, for immune cells responding to a pathogen, flexibility in decision making around whether to become memory cells may enable greater responsiveness to an evolving immune challenge.

Memory cells can be subclassified into different types with distinct features and roles in protective immunity. It’s possible that the pathway where memory cells diverge from effector cells early on and the pathway where memory cells form from effector cells later on give rise to particular subtypes of memory cells.

Our study focuses on T cell memory in the context of acute infections the immune system can successfully clear in days, such as cold, the flu or food poisoning. In contrast, chronic conditions such as HIV and cancer require persistent immune responses; long-lived, memory-like cells are critical for this persistence. Our team is investigating whether flexible memory decision making also applies to chronic conditions and whether we can leverage that flexibility to improve cancer immunotherapy.

Resolving uncertainty surrounding how and when memory cells form could help improve vaccine design and therapies that boost the immune system’s ability to provide long-term protection against diverse infectious diseases.

Kathleen Abadie was funded by a NSF (National Science Foundation) Graduate Research Fellowships. She performed this research in affiliation with the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering.

Elisa Clark performed her research in affiliation with the University of Washington (UW) Department of Bioengineering and was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) and by a predoctoral fellowship through the UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM).

Hao Yuan Kueh receives funding from the National Institutes of Health.

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President Biden Delivers The “Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President”

President Biden Delivers The "Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President"

Having successfully raged, ranted, lied, and yelled through…

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President Biden Delivers The "Darkest, Most Un-American Speech Given By A President"

Having successfully raged, ranted, lied, and yelled through the State of The Union, President Biden can go back to his crypt now.

Whatever 'they' gave Biden, every American man, woman, and the other should be allowed to take it - though it seems the cocktail brings out 'dark Brandon'?

Tl;dw: Biden's Speech tonight ...

  • Fund Ukraine.

  • Trump is threat to democracy and America itself.

  • Abortion is good.

  • American Economy is stronger than ever.

  • Inflation wasn't Biden's fault.

  • Illegals are Americans too.

  • Republicans are responsible for the border crisis.

  • Trump is bad.

  • Biden stands with trans-children.

  • J6 was the worst insurrection since the Civil War.

(h/t @TCDMS99)

Tucker Carlson's response sums it all up perfectly:

"that was possibly the darkest, most un-American speech given by an American president. It wasn't a speech, it was a rant..."

Carlson continued: "The true measure of a nation's greatness lies within its capacity to control borders, yet Bid refuses to do it."

"In a fair election, Joe Biden cannot win"

And concluded:

“There was not a meaningful word for the entire duration about the things that actually matter to people who live here.”

Victor Davis Hanson added some excellent color, but this was probably the best line on Biden:

"he doesn't care... he lives in an alternative reality."

*  *  *

Watch SOTU Live here...

*   *   *

Mises' Connor O'Keeffe, warns: "Be on the Lookout for These Lies in Biden's State of the Union Address." 

On Thursday evening, President Joe Biden is set to give his third State of the Union address. The political press has been buzzing with speculation over what the president will say. That speculation, however, is focused more on how Biden will perform, and which issues he will prioritize. Much of the speech is expected to be familiar.

The story Biden will tell about what he has done as president and where the country finds itself as a result will be the same dishonest story he's been telling since at least the summer.

He'll cite government statistics to say the economy is growing, unemployment is low, and inflation is down.

Something that has been frustrating Biden, his team, and his allies in the media is that the American people do not feel as economically well off as the official data says they are. Despite what the White House and establishment-friendly journalists say, the problem lies with the data, not the American people's ability to perceive their own well-being.

As I wrote back in January, the reason for the discrepancy is the lack of distinction made between private economic activity and government spending in the most frequently cited economic indicators. There is an important difference between the two:

  • Government, unlike any other entity in the economy, can simply take money and resources from others to spend on things and hire people. Whether or not the spending brings people value is irrelevant

  • It's the private sector that's responsible for producing goods and services that actually meet people's needs and wants. So, the private components of the economy have the most significant effect on people's economic well-being.

Recently, government spending and hiring has accounted for a larger than normal share of both economic activity and employment. This means the government is propping up these traditional measures, making the economy appear better than it actually is. Also, many of the jobs Biden and his allies take credit for creating will quickly go away once it becomes clear that consumers don't actually want whatever the government encouraged these companies to produce.

On top of all that, the administration is dealing with the consequences of their chosen inflation rhetoric.

Since its peak in the summer of 2022, the president's team has talked about inflation "coming back down," which can easily give the impression that it's prices that will eventually come back down.

But that's not what that phrase means. It would be more honest to say that price increases are slowing down.

Americans are finally waking up to the fact that the cost of living will not return to prepandemic levels, and they're not happy about it.

The president has made some clumsy attempts at damage control, such as a Super Bowl Sunday video attacking food companies for "shrinkflation"—selling smaller portions at the same price instead of simply raising prices.

In his speech Thursday, Biden is expected to play up his desire to crack down on the "corporate greed" he's blaming for high prices.

In the name of "bringing down costs for Americans," the administration wants to implement targeted price ceilings - something anyone who has taken even a single economics class could tell you does more harm than good. Biden would never place the blame for the dramatic price increases we've experienced during his term where it actually belongs—on all the government spending that he and President Donald Trump oversaw during the pandemic, funded by the creation of $6 trillion out of thin air - because that kind of spending is precisely what he hopes to kick back up in a second term.

If reelected, the president wants to "revive" parts of his so-called Build Back Better agenda, which he tried and failed to pass in his first year. That would bring a significant expansion of domestic spending. And Biden remains committed to the idea that Americans must be forced to continue funding the war in Ukraine. That's another topic Biden is expected to highlight in the State of the Union, likely accompanied by the lie that Ukraine spending is good for the American economy. It isn't.

It's not possible to predict all the ways President Biden will exaggerate, mislead, and outright lie in his speech on Thursday. But we can be sure of two things. The "state of the Union" is not as strong as Biden will say it is. And his policy ambitions risk making it much worse.

*  *  *

The American people will be tuning in on their smartphones, laptops, and televisions on Thursday evening to see if 'sloppy joe' 81-year-old President Joe Biden can coherently put together more than two sentences (even with a teleprompter) as he gives his third State of the Union in front of a divided Congress. 

President Biden will speak on various topics to convince voters why he shouldn't be sent to a retirement home.

According to CNN sources, here are some of the topics Biden will discuss tonight:

  • Economic issues: Biden and his team have been drafting a speech heavy on economic populism, aides said, with calls for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy – an attempt to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans and their likely presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

  • Health care expenses: Biden will also push for lowering health care costs and discuss his efforts to go after drug manufacturers to lower the cost of prescription medications — all issues his advisers believe can help buoy what have been sagging economic approval ratings.

  • Israel's war with Hamas: Also looming large over Biden's primetime address is the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has consumed much of the president's time and attention over the past few months. The president's top national security advisers have been working around the clock to try to finalize a ceasefire-hostages release deal by Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that begins next week.

  • An argument for reelection: Aides view Thursday's speech as a critical opportunity for the president to tout his accomplishments in office and lay out his plans for another four years in the nation's top job. Even though viewership has declined over the years, the yearly speech reliably draws tens of millions of households.

Sources provided more color on Biden's SOTU address: 

The speech is expected to be heavy on economic populism. The president will talk about raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy. He'll highlight efforts to cut costs for the American people, including pushing Congress to help make prescription drugs more affordable.

Biden will talk about the need to preserve democracy and freedom, a cornerstone of his re-election bid. That includes protecting and bolstering reproductive rights, an issue Democrats believe will energize voters in November. Biden is also expected to promote his unity agenda, a key feature of each of his addresses to Congress while in office.

Biden is also expected to give remarks on border security while the invasion of illegals has become one of the most heated topics among American voters. A majority of voters are frustrated with radical progressives in the White House facilitating the illegal migrant invasion. 

It is probable that the president will attribute the failure of the Senate border bill to the Republicans, a claim many voters view as unfounded. This is because the White House has the option to issue an executive order to restore border security, yet opts not to do so

Maybe this is why? 

While Biden addresses the nation, the Biden administration will be armed with a social media team to pump propaganda to at least 100 million Americans. 

"The White House hosted about 70 creators, digital publishers, and influencers across three separate events" on Wednesday and Thursday, a White House official told CNN. 

Not a very capable social media team... 

The administration's move to ramp up social media operations comes as users on X are mostly free from government censorship with Elon Musk at the helm. This infuriates Democrats, who can no longer censor their political enemies on X. 

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers tell Axios that the president's SOTU performance will be critical as he tries to dispel voter concerns about his elderly age. The address reached as many as 27 million people in 2023. 

"We are all nervous," said one House Democrat, citing concerns about the president's "ability to speak without blowing things."

The SOTU address comes as Biden's polling data is in the dumps

BetOnline has created several money-making opportunities for gamblers tonight, such as betting on what word Biden mentions the most. 

As well as...

We will update you when Tucker Carlson's live feed of SOTU is published. 

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/08/2024 - 07:44

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