Foundations
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Pittsburgh-Area ABARTA Coca-Cola Driver Triumphs in Federal Case Challenging Forced Teamsters Union Membership Demands
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, Jan. 12 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Pittsburgh-Area ABARTA Coca-Cola Driver Triumphs in Federal Case Challenging Forced Teamsters Union Membership Demands
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Federal labor board orders employer to post notice properly informing employees of their rights and will soon prosecute Teamsters Local 585 union
Pittsburgh, PA (January 12, 2026) - Josh Hammaker, a driver for ABARTA Coca-Cola's Houston, PA, distribution center, has notched a victory in his National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) case against Teamsters
... Show Full Article
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, Jan. 12 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Pittsburgh-Area ABARTA Coca-Cola Driver Triumphs in Federal Case Challenging Forced Teamsters Union Membership Demands
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Federal labor board orders employer to post notice properly informing employees of their rights and will soon prosecute Teamsters Local 585 union
Pittsburgh, PA (January 12, 2026) - Josh Hammaker, a driver for ABARTA Coca-Cola's Houston, PA, distribution center, has notched a victory in his National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) case against TeamstersLocal 585 union officials and his employer.
After filing federal charges stating that union officials and his employer threatened to fire him for refusing to join the union, ABARTA management backed down and settled its part of the case. Regional NLRB officials have also indicated that they will prosecute Teamsters officials for making forced-membership demands, pending the resolution of other elements of Hammaker's case.
Hammaker pursued his case at the NLRB with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys. Under the National Labor Relations Act and Supreme Court cases like General Motors v. NLRB, neither union officials nor employers can require workers to maintain formal union membership as a condition of getting or keeping a job. According to Hammaker's charges, Teamsters union officials and ABARTA management violated federal labor law by effectively telling him they would get him fired if he did not join.
As part of the settlement, ABARTA officials must post notices at Hammaker's workplace stating that they "will not tell employees that we will discharge them if they do not sign and submit applications to join the Union..."
Coca-Cola Driver Continues Battle Against Political Dues Skimming
However, one charge that Hammaker made against Teamsters Local 585 is still pending at the NLRB. This charge concerns Teamsters bosses unlawfully seizing dues for politics out of workers' paychecks. Hammaker argues that Teamsters policies breached federal labor law by requiring workers to "affirmatively opt out of paying [dues] for non-chargeable expenditures" as opposed to seeking worker consent beforehand.
Federal law lets union bosses enforce contracts that force workers to pay union fees or be fired in states that lack Right to Work protections, like Pennsylvania. However, the Foundation-won CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision limits this compulsory fee amount to only what union officials claim goes toward bargaining - which excludes "non-chargeable" expenses like political or ideological activities. In Right to Work states, by contrast, all union financial support is voluntary.
In an appeal currently pending before the new NLRB General Counsel, Foundation attorneys argue that workers should not be forced to affirmatively assert their Beck rights just to stop their money from flowing to union political and ideological activities. After being confirmed by the U.S. Senate last month, new NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey was officially sworn in last Wednesday.
"We are proud to have supported Mr. Hammaker's victory over these blatantly illegal attempts to coerce formal union membership," commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. "But his fight is far from over. The sad fact is that union bosses across the country skim dues for their often-radical political activities straight from worker paychecks without any positive consent at all. To make matters worse, union officials often don't inform workers about their Beck rights, which is workers' only escape from such deductions in non-Right to Work states.
"Right to Work protections should exist nationwide because they put American workers - not union bosses or bureaucrats - back in control of deciding whether a union has earned employees' financial support," Mix added. "But in the meantime, the NLRB should at least require union officials to earn political support from those workers they claim to 'represent' and end schemes that require workers to opt-out of funding union political activities."
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The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
Posted on Jan 12, 2026 in News Releases
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Original text here: https://www.nrtw.org/news/abarta-hammaker-settlement-01122026/
New Report: Texas Transmission Costs Expected to More Than Double, Adding $100+ Annually to Average Electric Bills
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 12 (TNSrpt) -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
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New Report: Texas Transmission Costs Expected to More Than Double, Adding $100+ Annually to Average Electric Bills
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Life:Powered analysis finds ratepayers have paid nearly $15 billion since 2010 to support wind and solar transmission investments-and new projects will repeat the same mistakes.
AUSTIN, Texas - January 12, 2026 - Transmission costs in ERCOT have exploded from $1.5 billion in 2010 to over $5 billion in 2024 and could surpass $12 billion per year by 2033, according to
... Show Full Article
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 12 (TNSrpt) -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release:
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New Report: Texas Transmission Costs Expected to More Than Double, Adding $100+ Annually to Average Electric Bills
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Life:Powered analysis finds ratepayers have paid nearly $15 billion since 2010 to support wind and solar transmission investments-and new projects will repeat the same mistakes.
AUSTIN, Texas - January 12, 2026 - Transmission costs in ERCOT have exploded from $1.5 billion in 2010 to over $5 billion in 2024 and could surpass $12 billion per year by 2033, according toa new report released today by Life:Powered, an initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The report, "The Explosion of Transmission Costs in ERCOT: Causes, Forecasts, and Policy Solutions," authored by Dr. Brent Bennett and Jamila Piracci, reveals that after adjusting for inflation and rising electricity demand, the average ERCOT ratepayer paid approximately 57% more in transmission charges in 2024 than in 2010.
The primary driver of this increase over the past decade was the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) project, a $6.9 billion investment to connect wind and solar resources in West Texas to cities in Central and East Texas. Texas ratepayers are currently paying about $1 billion per year to support transmission investments for wind and solar and have paid a total of nearly $15 billion since 2010 for these investments.
"The average Texas household has seen transmission and distribution grow from 30% of their electric bill to 40% over the past decade plus, in part due to poor policy decisions that prioritize distantly located wind and solar instead of affordability and reliability," said Carson Clayton, Campaign Director for Life:Powered. "Policymakers are now poised to repeat this error by using transmission to connect more wind and solar to meet growing demand instead of fixing the ERCOT market to prioritize reliable generation cited close to demand centers."
Despite the lessons of CREZ, the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT have recently authorized $33 billion in new long-distance transmission lines. If these plans are fully executed, the annual cost of transmission will more than double, adding at least $100 per year to the average residential ratepayer's electric bill, with some estimates placing the increase at over $200 per year.
"Having ratepayers subsidize transmission to bring distant wind and solar to demand centers-as the Texas Legislature chose to do with CREZ in 2005-was a policy error that should not be repeated," said Dr. Brent Bennett, Policy Director for Life:Powered and lead author of the report. "Policymakers must ask critical questions before authorizing these new investments: Are there lower-cost alternatives? Can market reforms ensure the right generation is built in the right places to minimize transmission needs? Should the data centers and wind and solar generators that are benefitting the most from this new transmission pay for a larger share of it?"
The report recommends that the PUC and ERCOT delay moving forward on these major transmission projects until completing its load forecasting rule, its review of transmission cost allocation, and an assessment of whether market reforms to promote more dispatchable generation could reduce transmission needs.
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REPORT: https://www.texaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-LP-Transmission-Costs-BennettPiracci.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/new-report-texas-transmission-costs-expected-to-more-than-double-adding-100-annually-to-average-electric-bills
Breakthrough T1D Celebrates Tezeild Approval in the EU
NEW YORK, Jan. 12 -- Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) a non-profit dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research, posted the following news release:
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Breakthrough T1D Celebrates Tezeild Approval in the EU
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Breakthrough T1D is pleased that the European Commission has approved Tezeild (Tzield in the U.S.) to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D) in individuals with stage 2 T1D who are eight years of age and older. The approval represents an important step forward for the global T1D community.
Tezeild is the first disease-modifying therapy that addresses the root cause of T1D,
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 12 -- Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) a non-profit dedicated to funding type 1 diabetes research, posted the following news release:
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Breakthrough T1D Celebrates Tezeild Approval in the EU
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Breakthrough T1D is pleased that the European Commission has approved Tezeild (Tzield in the U.S.) to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D) in individuals with stage 2 T1D who are eight years of age and older. The approval represents an important step forward for the global T1D community.
Tezeild is the first disease-modifying therapy that addresses the root cause of T1D,not the symptoms. It has been shown to delay the onset of stage 3 T1D by an average of three years and has been approved for use in the UK, China, Canada, Israel, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
Read more in Sanofi's press release.
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Original text here: https://www.breakthrought1d.org/for-the-media/press-releases/breakthrough-t1d-celebrates-tezeild-approval-in-the-eu/
Reason Foundation Issues Commentary: Public pension reform does not increase inequality
LOS ANGELES, California, Jan. 10 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary:
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Public pension reform does not increase inequality
By Mariana Trujillo, Managing Director; Rod Crane, Senior Fellow, and Thuy Nguyen, Data Scientist
A widely cited 2024 study by the National Conference of Public Employee Retirement Systems, "The Hidden Costs of Pension Reform: Rising Income Inequality, Lagging Economic Growth," argues that the national shift from defined benefit pensions to flexible 401(k) plans and other defined contribution retirement systems has exacerbated income inequality
... Show Full Article
LOS ANGELES, California, Jan. 10 -- The Reason Foundation issued the following commentary:
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Public pension reform does not increase inequality
By Mariana Trujillo, Managing Director; Rod Crane, Senior Fellow, and Thuy Nguyen, Data Scientist
A widely cited 2024 study by the National Conference of Public Employee Retirement Systems, "The Hidden Costs of Pension Reform: Rising Income Inequality, Lagging Economic Growth," argues that the national shift from defined benefit pensions to flexible 401(k) plans and other defined contribution retirement systems has exacerbated income inequalityand slowed economic growth in America. While this isn't a recent study, it's important to examine it because its methodology is odd and riddled with unproven assumptions. The results lack significance.
The study does not evaluate individual companies, municipalities, or retirement systems that implemented changes to their retirement benefits. Instead, it investigates the impact of the national shift to defined contribution plans on inequality by merely identifying a correlation between income inequality and the percentage of American workers in a defined benefit plan. Then, to evaluate the impact of pension reforms in the public sector, the researchers inappropriately correlate the average inequality ratio in a state over 21 years with the mere number of bills that reformed public employee retirement benefits in each state during the period, without accounting for the timing or magnitude of those reforms.
In reality, the pension reforms that the study claims are detrimental to employees often lead to better benefits and retirement security, while ensuring the sustainability of retirement systems. These reforms also prevent pension debt from crowding out essential public services during economic downturnsensuring that state and local governments can continue to serve their communities.
We explain below why the study's methodology and assumptions are flawed and fail to support its claims. Ultimately, policymakers must continue to address the critical need to improve the design and funding of retirement programs for public employees and taxpayers. This process increases, rather than decreases, equity and economic growth.
The problem with broad correlations
In the past, defined benefit (DB) pensions were commonly offered to employees in both the private and public sectors, but most private employers have transitioned to defined contribution (DC) plans in recent decades. This shift occurred because macroeconomic changes and increases in corporate financial disclosures revealed the true riskiness of providing DB pensions. Economic and technological developments also made the American workforce more mobile and dynamic, creating a greater need for portable retirement savings.
The shift to DC is lagging in the public sector, but in the private sector, both employees and employers have benefited from portable, flexible retirement benefits, which have helped to increase retirement security in America. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics survey data from 2025, among private-sector workers, 14% had access to a DB pension and 70% had access to a DC plan. Among state and local government workers, by contrast, 86% had access to a DB and 36% had access to a DC.
To investigate the impact of the shift to DCs in the public and private sectors on nationwide economic inequality, the NCPERS paper simply correlates the share of American workers in a DB plan with the ratio of the incomes of the top and bottom earners. In other words, as DB participation declined over time, the authors tested whether income inequality had risen in parallel. The result is predictable: There is, of course, a strong correlation. This is to be expected, as it is well known that in the past century, America experienced both a shift to DCs and a rise in economic inequality.
This methodology misattributes these two broad social trends occurring simultaneously as though they are linkedand boldly, the authors claim this is sufficient evidence to prove they are causally connected, as if a correlation between variables were enough to prove one caused the other.
The weakness of this approach can be illustrated with a hypothetical example: Over the past few decades, union membership has fallen sharply in the U.S., while median income has risen annually. Running a broad correlation between these two trends yields highly statistically significant results: a negative correlation coefficient of -0.8, indicating a strong inverse relationship between the variables, and an R-squared of 0.64, allegedly demonstrating that the decline in unionized private-sector workers "explains" 64% of the variance in median income.
Yet, it would be absurd to conclude that declining union membership caused incomes to rise in America, or that it wasn't the other way aroundincome growth leading to a decline in union membership. Both variables are influenced by many other socioeconomic dynamics, which broad correlations like this example simply cannot capture. The same is true for the NCPERS analysis of the decline of DB plans in America and its relationship to income inequality.
Simplistic correlations on a national scale don't mean much. At best, they are a starting point for further investigation, not a sufficient basis for asserting a meaningful relationship, let alone causation, and certainly not a justification for policy action.
Wrong variables and loaded assumptions
Another simplistic correlation run in this study attempts to isolate the impacts of public-sector pension changes on state-level inequality. The authors collapse 21 years of state income-inequality datameasured as the top-to-bottom quintile income ratiointo a single value, without explaining how observations across years are combined. They then relate this value to the total number of "negative pension changes" enacted in that state over the same period and assess the strength of the relationship.
Unfortunately, we cannot fully assess the strength of this and other correlations in the study because basic statistical measures, such as p-values or R2, were not disclosed.
Even with proper statistical reporting, the study's design has serious, insurmountable methodological concerns. First, by combining two decades of data into a single inequality measure, the study discards all information about the timing or sequencing of events. A state that enacted reforms in 2006 is treated no differently from one that enacted them in 2019, even though the potential effects of these reforms on inequality would unfold differently. This methodology makes it impossible to capture whether increased inequality tends to precede, coincide with, or follow pension reform.
Further, by combining 21 years of income inequality data into a single variable, trends are erased. A state in which inequality is rising following pension reforms could be indistinguishable from a state where inequality remained flat or declined, simply because it started from a lower baselineerasing the literal thing the study is attempting to measure.
Moreover, the study never considers that causality could plausibly run in the opposite direction. If state-wide income inequality and public employee pension reforms are correlated, could it be that inequality leads to reform? States already facing fiscal stresswhich could manifest in high inequalitymay be the most likely to enact pension reforms. This reverse causation is left unaddressed.
On the other hand, the variable representing pension reform is simply the number of bills approved in each state. This introduces many more insurmountable problems.
First, by using the number of pension changes as the key explanatory variable, the analysis treats all reforms as equal in size and scope. For example, minor reforms, such as Arkansas's 2017 adjustment from an automatic 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase to a Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based COLA with a 3% cap, are treated the same as major reforms, like Oklahoma's complete transition from a DB to a DC system.
Reforms are not evaluated by their final impact on public employee benefits, but rather by the number of approved bills. A meaningful investigation into the impact of pension reform on inequality demands accounting for the magnitude of changes. Without this granularity, the findings of this analysis become even less informative.
Second, it assumes all reforms to pension benefits are inherently detrimental to employees/new hires, labeling all changes as "negative pension changes." This is inaccurate for the following reasons:
1. The "negative pension reforms" include bills mandating increased contributions to new-hired employees. However, the increased employee contributions in the list could have been implemented in response to or in conjunction with pension benefit increases. Therefore, employees could have ended up with a better retirement benefit, but given these changes motivated reform to the system, they are nevertheless accounted as "negative reforms" in the paper.
2. Even the reforms that were not associated with pension enhancements were still done to ensure funding and retirement security. Rather than "harming" employees, these adjustments protect against underfunding that could lead to benefit cuts such as COLA reductionsa trade-off between marginally higher contributions and better retirement security.
3. Even in instances where pension reforms decreased retirement benefits offered to newly hired public employees, it is not appropriate to assume that they reduced total compensation. Pensions are only one facet of employee compensation. Any eventual reductions in retirement benefits could necessitate salary increases, which would merely shift total compensation towards salaries and away from pensions, a shift that data shows employees prefer.
Although raises are not typically part of the pension reform, hiring managers may increase salaries or make other job aspects more attractive (such as hours or vacation time) if they encounter significant difficulties in hiring employees following pension reforms. Assuming that a reduction in retirement benefits offered to new hires necessarily means they receive lower total compensation is inappropriate and neglects basic economic principles.
Pension reform promotes equity
Pension reforms have a myriad of shapes and outcomes. Well-designed reforms can enhance equityboth within the public workforce and across the taxpayers who fund these systems.
In general, traditional DB plans tend to disproportionately benefit long-tenured employees while significantly disadvantaging the majority of public workers, who leave before vesting in meaningful pension benefits.
Reason Foundation's actuarial review of 12 public pension systems shows that only about 38% of new hires remain in their jobs long enough to vest in meaningful retirement benefitsa staggering mismatch between system design and workforce realities. This means that the majority, 62%, leave before the vesting threshold and must forgo the contributions made by their employer.
Reformed systems can eliminate this disparity, ensuring that each year of service results in meaningful, vested retirement savings.
Equity considerations extend beyond the workforce. In underfunded DB systems, current taxpayers are often burdened with funding public employee benefits promised decades ago for services they are not personally benefiting from. Pension reforms to DB systems can better align costs with the period in which public services are provided, preventing the intergenerational transfer of pension costs and ensuring that today's workers and taxpayers are not forced to finance yesterday's promises.
According to Reason Foundation's Annual Pension Solvency and Performance Report, in fiscal year 2024, 55% of public pension contributions were consumed by amortization paymentsthat is, costs tied to inadequate past contributions rather than funding benefits being earned today. Well-structured pension reform can reduce this burden by introducing risk-sharing mechanisms and dynamic contribution policies that keep plans properly funded in real time. These measures allow governments to provide the same level of retirement security at a lower long-term cost to both employees and taxpayers.
In this way, pension reform can dismantle inequitable structures embedded in legacy systems, broaden retirement security, protect public services, and distribute fiscal responsibility more justly across generations.
The NCPERS study relies on broad correlations, inadequate variables, and untested assumptions, leading to a perspective that does not reflect the realities of pension reform. By characterizing all reforms as uniformly harmful and overlooking both their timing and scope, the analysis fails to capture a meaningful relationship between pension reform and inequality.
In practice, well-structured reforms strengthen income equality: They broaden access to retirement savings for a mobile workforce, align costs with the services that generate them, and reduce the intergenerational inequities created by decades of underfunding. Well-designed pension reform is essential to safeguarding public services, protecting taxpayers, strengthening government credit quality, and ensuring sustainable retirement security for future public employees.
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Mariana Trujillo is managing director of government finance at Reason Foundation.
Rod Crane is a senior fellow at Reason Foundation's Pension Integrity Project.
Thuy Nguyen is a Data Scientist at Reason Foundation, where she works cross-functionally with the Pension Integrity Project, government finance, and transportation teams.
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Original text here: https://reason.org/commentary/pension-reform-does-not-increase-inequality/
Foundation for Economic Education Posts Commentary: Bear Looks East
DETROIT, Michigan, Jan. 10 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary on Jan. 9, 2026:
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The Bear Looks East
Russia's economic realignment leaves Europe in the cold.
By Jake Scott
As the eyes of the world watch negotiations over Kiev's future, and the "special military operation" that was intended to last ten days nears the end of its fourth year, Russia is carefully deepening its economic ties outside of the West's sphere of influence.
In this sense, the deal signed between the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and IndonesiaSoutheast Asia's largest
... Show Full Article
DETROIT, Michigan, Jan. 10 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary on Jan. 9, 2026:
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The Bear Looks East
Russia's economic realignment leaves Europe in the cold.
By Jake Scott
As the eyes of the world watch negotiations over Kiev's future, and the "special military operation" that was intended to last ten days nears the end of its fourth year, Russia is carefully deepening its economic ties outside of the West's sphere of influence.
In this sense, the deal signed between the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and IndonesiaSoutheast Asia's largesteconomy, and the world's 17th largest ($1.4 trillion) on December 22nd is emblematic of an ongoing structural realignment pursued by Russia in the last year. Reached after two years of negotiations, the EAEU-Indonesia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) suits each nation's economic interests well: Indonesia's main exports are palm oil, coconut oil, coffee, and cocoaproducts either heavily sanctioned by the West, or strictly regulated (like palm oil); while exports from the EAEU are coal, potassium fertilizer, wheat, and ferro-alloyscommodities necessary to support a still mostly agrarian economy.
But the FTA matters even more so because of what it signals: an attempt by Russia to turn away permanently from Europe and the West as its main trading partners.
European nations have relied on a steady supply of Russian gas for their energy, allowing the European Union quietly to outsource its energy demands and offset the requirements of a "net-zero" economy. Given the war in Ukraine, however, diplomatic pressure has forced the bloc's hand to end all imports of Russian gas by the fall of 2027. A statement from the European Council made it clear that the move was intended to "end dependency on Russian energy following Russia's weaponisation of gas supplies with significant effects on the European energy market."
The impact on Europe's economies may well be significant, as it will force the bloc to consider alternative, almost certainly more expensive, sources of energy. But the most interesting consequence of this move is that it is accelerating a process that has long been underway: deepening Russia's ties to nations that are increasingly ambivalent toward, and even hostile to, the West.
The sanctions imposed following the invasion of February 2022 were intended, as all sanctions are, to weaken the Russian economy and force it to consider withdrawing from the region, avoiding a protracted war and increasing domestic pressure on Vladimir Putin. Almost all of the intended results backfired, at least in the short term: a debate hosted by Brookings in early 2024 asked why the Russian economy had proved more resilient than first expected; a war economy buoyed domestic production, with "the International Monetary Fund estimat[ing] that Russia's gross domestic product actually increased by 3.6% in 2024a higher growth rate than the United States and many other Western economiesdue to massive war spending"; and Putin remains firmly in power, despite growing unrest and a number of failed terrorist attacks.
But regardless of the domestic impacts of sanctions, part of the reason they work (or are presumed to work) is that they are seen as a temporary interruption to a nation's relationship with its major trading partners. Russia, on the other hand, seems to be taking these sanctions as a system change in its global standing; indeed, in mid-2024, Reuters reported that Russia was preparing for the West's sanctions to last "decades." Key to this (planned) resilience is the EAEU.
The EAEU began life as a post-Soviet trading bloc, facilitating trade whilst encouraging closer alignment between the federation members. This is a well-trod path: it was the explicit realpolitik idea behind Prussia's Zollverein in the mid-19th century, and it was a founding principle of the EU. But now, the EAEU is pivoting to act as a facilitator to developing states, but principally those in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The deal with Indonesia is, therefore, merely the latest in a string of such moves in attempts to court what can be termed "non-aligned developing states."
Vietnam, for example, is pursuing deeper relations with Russia over its food exports, principally tuna and other saltwater fish, which dovetails neatly with the Indonesian FTA, whilst avoiding conflicts of interest with Vietnam's US-focused "tiger economy" strategy. This is a trading relationship that is already resilient and reliable: as reported by VietnamPlus, "bilateral trade grew strongly in 2024, reaching $4.6 billion, up 26% from the previous year. In the first eight months of 2025, trade volume rose to $3.3 billion, an increase of 5% year-on-year. Key projects are underway in energy, science, and technology."
Likewise, Russia's ongoing courting of Narendra Modi's India, and the shared goal of increasing the value of their trade to $100 billion by 2030, is an attempt to deepen relations with states that are increasingly looking away from the West for economic opportunities and international leadership. In early December 2025, India hinted at intentions to reduce its trade deficit with Russia, an ambition which only suits the federation's strategy of adapting to the impact of sanctions rather than evading them altogether. The key plank of this shared ambition, it seems, is a replication of the Indonesia FTA: a free-trade zone between the EAEU and India.
Russia is no longer trying to "wait out" Western pressure, but actively constructing a parallel economic geography in which Europe is peripheral, and the US is no longer considered hostile. 2025 marks a consolidation phase in this strategy, with fewer symbolic gestures and more legally embedded, long-term arrangements that could permanently alter the EU-Russia relationshipand not to the EU's benefit.
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Dr Jake Scott is a political theorist specialising in populism and its relationship to political constitutionality. He has taught at multiple British universities and produced research reports for several think tanks.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/the-bear-looks-east/
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation: Pancreatic Cancer Research Leads to Treatment for Neurological Disease
NEW YORK, Jan. 10 (TNSjou) -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release:
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Pancreatic cancer research leads to treatment for neurological disease
In 2021, Damon Runyon scientists Michael E. Pacold, MD, PhD, Robert S. Banh, PhD, and their colleagues at New York University Langone Health discovered how the enzyme CoQ10 is made, a synthesis pathway that scientists had been seeking for over two decades. CoQ10 is crucial for energy production in cells (which is why it is popular as a dietary supplement, though evidence of the health benefits is scant). How
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 10 (TNSjou) -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation issued the following news release:
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Pancreatic cancer research leads to treatment for neurological disease
In 2021, Damon Runyon scientists Michael E. Pacold, MD, PhD, Robert S. Banh, PhD, and their colleagues at New York University Langone Health discovered how the enzyme CoQ10 is made, a synthesis pathway that scientists had been seeking for over two decades. CoQ10 is crucial for energy production in cells (which is why it is popular as a dietary supplement, though evidence of the health benefits is scant). HowCoQ10 is made, in short: an enzyme called HPDL makes a metabolite called 4-HMA that is converted into 4-HB and finally into CoQ10. The discovery of this pathway provided a crucial link between two separate findings: one, that pancreatic cancer cells overproduce HPDL, and two, that CoQ10 fuels tumor growth. Targeting this pathway, in other words, could be a means of curbing pancreatic cancer.
At the time, Dr. Pacold and Dr. Banh knew their findings may have broader implications, shedding light on neurological diseases caused by HPDL deficiencies in addition to cancers related to HPDL overproduction. Years later, the impact of their discovery is even greater than they imagined. As the result of a medical intervention that arose from their research, a pediatric patient who could not walk more than twenty meters was able to circle Central Park on foot.
This patient had a rare, sometimes lethal, neurodevelopmental disease called mitochondrial encephalopathy, caused by a mutation in the HPDL gene. The lab modeled this disease in mice by knocking out HPDL, and found that administering 4-HMA or 4-HB controlled symptoms and allowed the mice live much longer. (Consider a chef who wants to make bread but is missing flour: providing him with dough would solve the issue.) The team then administered 4-HB in a first-in-human trial. The patient, described above, improved remarkably.
Larger trials are needed, of course, to confirm clinical benefit. But the team is hopeful that "early treatment with 4-HMA or 4-HB, enabled by newborn screening tests to detect errors in CoQ10 synthesis, will maximize the therapeutic benefits of treatment."
All of this started with a simple question posed by Dr. Pacold in his Damon Runyon award application: how pancreatic cancer cells use oxygen. That investigation led to the groundbreaking discovery of the CoQ10 pathway, and, ultimately, to a life-changing treatment option.
"The benefits of high-risk, high-reward, fundamental Damon Runyon-funded research are substantial, often in the most unexpected ways," says Dr. Pacold.
This research was published in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09246-x.epdf?sharing_token=GhCED1na5av4c5Sz37S9YdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0M8Lm94S_WzEdpItu2oGjFu9lasVNym2Jr1gldKCEPhfaWyVTWnHbfqaaTfjfm2O-GjZWLJHNRLeue3Pam9IQYdg7t-4o0jfGy5MydrFB6PPFJMfgxBaaTaPXbPAXlAAgk%3D).
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Original text here: https://www.damonrunyon.org/discovery/pancreatic-cancer-research-leads-treatment-neurological-disease
AAFA Affirms Public Health Value of Vaccines As Nearly Everyone Is High Risk or Lives In Community With High Risk Individuals
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 10 -- The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issued the following news release on Jan. 8, 2026:
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AAFA Affirms Public Health Value of Vaccines As Nearly Everyone Is High Risk or Lives In Community With High Risk Individuals
Leading health advocacy organization says vaccines are safe, effective, and save lives
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Washington D.C. -- On January 5, 2026, under Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy's leadership, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released changes to America's longstanding vaccination recommendation schedule. The main changes
... Show Full Article
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 10 -- The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issued the following news release on Jan. 8, 2026:
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AAFA Affirms Public Health Value of Vaccines As Nearly Everyone Is High Risk or Lives In Community With High Risk Individuals
Leading health advocacy organization says vaccines are safe, effective, and save lives
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Washington D.C. -- On January 5, 2026, under Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy's leadership, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released changes to America's longstanding vaccination recommendation schedule. The main changesnarrow recommendations for vaccination against influenza, RSV, and COVID, as well as for meningococcal disease, rotavirus, hepatitis B, and hepatitis A vaccination for children.
These changes were not made based on any data demonstrating a safety or efficacy concern for the former vaccine recommendations. The changes may lead to confusion, reduced vaccination rates, and increased illness and death.
There are over 28 million people in the U.S. who have asthma, and this includes about 5 million children. Respiratory infections are a major cause of asthma exacerbations and emergencies. Additionally, it is known that children who get sick with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection have a higher chance of developing asthma, a lifelong condition. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has and continues to recommend influenza, RSV, pneumococcal, and COVID vaccines for people with asthma, or for those who come in close contact with those who have asthma. AAFA endorses the strong scientific evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of the approved vaccines in the U.S.
Vaccines against respiratory infections combat the spread of such infections, as well as reduce the potential harm from catching the infection. While some vaccines are more effective than others, all offer more benefit than risk and provide protection to prevent becoming sick or developing serious complications. Vaccines are even more important if you have a high-risk condition, or live (or are in close contact) with someone who has a high-risk condition. AAFA defines persons at high-risk to be those individuals with cancer, stroke, kidney disease, liver disease, lung disease (including COPD and asthma), heart disease, cystic fibrosis, dementia, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, disabilities, HIV infection, mental health conditions, tuberculosis (TB), pregnancy, obesity, high blood pressure, immunocompromised, organ transplant, or who are a current or former smoker. Essentially, this means that even if you are not in a high-risk category, you are very likely to be around people who are at higher risk of very serious illness or death. Getting vaccinated is important to reduce your own risk and take care of the community around you.
The federal government does not mandate vaccines for childcare or schools, but states have the power to do so. It is unclear how these federal changes will affect state recommendations. For children, AAFA encourages following the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended vaccination schedule.
New CDC Vaccine Recommendation Changes Explained
According to the CDC, annual seasonal influenza vaccination now joins COVID vaccination as "no longer routinely recommended" for any age or risk-group. The CDC instead recommends "personal decision-making" regarding whether to receive either or both vaccines each year, after discussion with your healthcare provider. The CDC does not provide any guidance, information, or tools to support such decision-making for patients or healthcare personnel. Furthermore, the CDC now does not define what constitutes "high-risk," though historically this has been defined as individuals with (or who are close contacts of individuals with) cardiac disease, lung disease (e.g., asthma, COPD), diabetes, persons with cancer or who are immunocompromised, or have other conditions as listed by AAFA above.
The decision to downgrade the pediatric influenza recommendation was made amidst a seasonal flu spike that is the worst in 25 years and has already killed at least nine children.
The decision was also made in the wake of the deadliest flu season for children on record: 289 children died from flu in the U.S. in the 2024-2025 season, beating the record for pediatric deaths previously set during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Ninety percent of those children were not fully vaccinated against influenza, and roughly half had no preexisting conditions.
Below is a comparison of the previous, long-standing recommendations with the new recommendations offered by the current Administration.
Rotovirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B vaccination in children
* Previous recommendation: Universally recommended
* 2026 recommendation: Shared decision-making
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue and meningococcal vaccination in children
* Previous recommendation: All except dengue (only for travel to dengue-endemic countries) were universally recommended for children, RSV recommended for high-risk adults age 50-75 and all adults over 75
* 2026 recommendation: Only for high-risk children, with exception of RSV, where recommendation remains for high-risk adults age 50-75 and all adults over 75
Measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox)
* Previous recommendation: Universally recommended for children, boosters recommended for adults
* 2026 recommendation: Remain universally recommended for children, HPV recommendation is now a single dose in children, as opposed to two doses
For more information about respiratory infections, asthma management and prevention, and vaccine recommendations, visit aafa.org/ri
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About AAFA
Founded in 1953, AAFA is the oldest and largest non-profit patient organization dedicated to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease for people with asthma, allergies, and related conditions through research, education, advocacy, and support. AAFA offers extensive support for individuals and families affected by asthma and allergic diseases, such as food allergies and atopic dermatitis (eczema). Through its online patient support communities, network of regional chapters, and collaborations with community-based groups, AAFA empowers patients and their families by providing practical, evidence-based information and community programs and services. AAFA is the only asthma and allergy patient advocacy group that is certified to meet the standards of excellence set by the National Health Council. For more information, visit: aafa.org and kidswithfoodallergies.org
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Original text here: https://aafa.org/aafa-affirms-public-health-value-of-vaccines-as-nearly-everyone-is-high-risk-or-lives-in-community-with-high-risk-individuals/
