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The Biden administration will end the monkeypox public health emergency as cases remain low, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
HHS does not expect to renew the declaration, first made in August, when it ends Jan. 31.
The administration used the emergency measure to accelerate a vaccination and education campaign.

People line up to get a monkeypox vaccination at a new walk-up monkeypox vaccination site at Barnsdall Art Park on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022 in Hollywood, CA. 
Brian Van Der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

The Biden administration will end the public health emergency declared in response to the monkeypox outbreak, as new infections have declined dramatically and vaccination rates have increased.
The Health and Human Services Department does not expect it will renew the emergency declaration after it expires on Jan. 31 “given the low number of cases today,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday.

“But we won’t take our foot off the gas — we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine,” he said. “As we move into the next phase of this effort, the Biden-Harris Administration continues working closely with jurisdictions and partners to monitor trends, especially in communities that have been disproportionately affected.”
Becerra declared an emergency in August in an effort to accelerate a vaccination and education campaign as the virus was spreading swiftly in the gay community. The spread of the virus, dubbed “mpox” on Monday by the World Health Organization in order to reduce stigma associated with its name, has slowed drastically since.
Mpox has infected nearly 30,000 people and killed 15 in the U.S. since health officials confirmed the first domestic case in May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. outbreak is the largest in the world.
But infections have slowed dramatically since August, when new cases peaked at 638 per day on average. The U.S. is currently averaging about seven new cases a day, according to CDC data.
U.S. health officials have said the outbreak has slowed because vaccinations have increased dramatically, and people have changed their behavior in response to education campaigns about how to avoid infection.

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The vaccination campaign got off to a rocky start, with limited supplies resulting in long lines at clinics and protests in some cities. But vaccinations increased significantly after the White House created a task force and HHS declared a public health emergency.
More than 1.1 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine have been administered in the U.S. since the summer. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has said about 1.7 million gay and bisexual people who are HIV positive or are taking medication to prevent HIV infection are at highest risk from mpox.
Mpox has spread primarily through sexual contact among men who have sex with men. The virus causes rashes resembling pimples or blisters that can develop in sensitive areas and be very painful. Though mpox is rarely fatal, people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of severe disease.
The CDC, in a report published in late October, said it is unlikely the U.S. will eradicate mpox in the near future. The virus will probably continue to circulate at low level primarily in communities of men who have sex with men, according to CDC. Though anyone can catch mpox, there’s little evidence of the virus spreading widely in the general population so far, according to CDC.
The global mpox outbreak this year is the largest in history with more than 80,000 confirmed cases in more than 100 countries. The current outbreak is highly unusual because the virus is spreading widely between people in Europe and North America.
Historically, mpox spread at low levels in remote areas of West and Central Africa where people caught the virus from infected animals.

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President Joe Biden condemned antisemitism and took an apparent shot at former President Donald Trump days after he dined with rapper Ye and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
The message comes a day after the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, told right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones “I like Hitler” during an antisemitic rant.
Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner, has not condemned Ye or Fuentes since the meal.

President-elect Donald Trump and musician Kanye West pose for media at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 13, 2016.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters

President Joe Biden denounced antisemitism and took a veiled jab at Donald Trump days after the former president dined with rapper Ye, who has made a string of recent antisemitic comments, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
“I just want to make a few things clear,” Biden posted Friday on his official Twitter account. “The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity.”

The message comes a day after the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, told right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones “I like Hitler” during an antisemitic rant on Jones’ InfoWars show. Ye also tweeted out a swastika in a Star of David, prompting a suspension from Twitter.
Trump, the presumptive frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, had dinner last week with Ye and Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago club, sparking widespread condemnation. Ye’s comments have only become more inflammatory since the meal, and Trump has not yet disavowed his connection with the rapper.
“I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis,” Ye told Jones on the show, also praising what he considered Hitler’s contributions to society. Fuentes, who the Department of Justice labeled as a white supremacist last year, was also a guest on the hate-filled program. Jones, a noted conspiracy theorist, filed for personal bankruptcy Friday following a lawsuit won by families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which he spent nearly a decade calling a hoax.
Ye’s comments were offensive enough for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee to delete a tweet they posted on Oct. 6, which read: “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” The committee members received pushback on the post for weeks after billionaire Elon Musk allowed previously banned right-wing figures including Trump and Ye to rejoin Twitter.
Ye was once again booted from Twitter on Friday after he posted an image of a swastika, a symbol synonymous with the Nazis, inside a Star of David, a prominent symbol of Judaism. Twitter had suspended Ye’s account in October, prior to Musk’s purchase, after he posted that he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” Musk announced the company had restored Ye’s account on Nov. 20 and welcomed the rapper back to the platform, tweeting, “Don’t kill what ye hate, save what ye love.”

Ye’s net worth dropped by hundreds of millions of dollars after Adidas announced it is ending its partnership with the rapper and Gap, Foot Locker and others said they would no longer carry his products following his antisemitic tweet in October. Major Hollywood talent agency CAA dropped him as a client, as well. Three weeks before his “death con 3” tweet, Ye sparked controversy — and praise from some conservatives — for showing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at Paris Fashion Week.
The “silence is complicity” part of Biden’s tweet is an apparent criticism of Trump and other prominent Republicans. Trump has not yet condemned the men he had dinner with at Mar-a-Lago, and he claimed not to know who the white nationalist Fuentes was.
Republicans including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence condemned Trump’s dinner. Others, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, denounced antisemitism without mentioning Trump’s meeting.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is looking to be the next House speaker, said Tuesday he does not think anyone should spend time with Fuentes and that he “has no place in the Republican Party.” McCarthy added: “Well, I condemn his ideology. It has no place in society. At all.”
But most Republicans have avoided criticizing the dinner. PBS News asked 57 current Republican lawmakers to condemn the meeting, and the majority did not respond. Those who have denounced it, such as McCarthy, have focused their ire on Fuentes rather than Trump.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Politico he hopes Trump will condemn Fuentes “because I know [Trump’s] not an antisemite. I can tell you that for a fact that Trump is not, but [Fuentes is] evil … just a nasty disgusting person. He’s an ass clown, and he’s trying to legitimize himself by being around a former, maybe future president.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Politico he wouldn’t dine with Fuentes. But he added, “It’s a free country, [Trump] can do whatever he wants.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seen as a likely 2024 challenger to Trump, has notably remained silent on the meeting, which took place in his home state.

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General Motors and LG Energy Solution will spend an additional $275 million in their joint venture battery plant in Tennessee to increase production by more than 40%.
The new investment is in addition to the $2.3 billion announced in April 2021 to build the 2.8 million-square-foot facility.

General Motors revealed its all-new modular platform and battery system, Ultium, on March 4, 2020 at its Tech Center campus in Warren, Michigan.
Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors

General Motors and LG Energy Solution will spend an additional $275 million in their joint venture battery plant in Tennessee to increase production by more than 40%.
The joint venture, known as Ultium Cells LLC, said Friday that the new investment is in addition to the $2.3 billion announced in April 2021 to build the 2.8 million-square-foot facility. Production at the plant is slated to begin in late 2023.

Domestic production of battery cells in North America is expected to be crucial for automakers in the years to come in order to grow their EV footprints and qualify for federal incentives under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
The new investment by GM and LG Energy is expected to increase capacity from 35 gigawatt-hours to 50 gigawatt-hours when the plant is fully operational.
The Ultium Cells Spring Hill site is expected to join other joint venture battery cell manufacturing sites in Ohio and Michigan. A facility in Michigan is also under construction and is expected to begin production in late 2024.
“Ultium Cells will play a critical role in making GM’s commitment to an all-electric future a reality,” said Tim Herrick, GM’s vice president of EV Launch Excellence. “By expanding battery cell output at Ultium Cells Spring Hill, this investment will help GM offer customers the broadest EV portfolio of any automaker and further solidifies our path toward U.S. EV leadership.”

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After another year of tax law changes, there are significant updates for the 2022 filing season, with the possibility of a smaller refund or bigger tax bill.
For some filers, certain tax credits have been reduced and it may be more difficult to claim the charitable deduction.
You may get Form 1099-K for the first time, which reports income from third-party networks.

Tom Werner | DigitalVision | Getty Images

Certain tax credits have been reduced 

One possible reason for a smaller tax refund is the child tax credit and the child and dependent care tax credit have been reduced for 2022, explained certified financial planner Cecil Staton, president and wealth advisor at Arch Financial Planning in Athens, Georgia.
While both tax credits received a temporary boost through the American Rescue Plan of 2021, the enhanced tax breaks were not extended to this year. “The big picture is a lot of people are going to see less money in their pocket,” Staton said.
In 2021, the child tax credit offered up to $3,600 per child under age 6, and up to $3,000 per child ages 6 through 17, with half available via upfront payments. But for 2022, the tax break reverts to the previous amount — up to $2,000 per child under age 17. 

The child and dependent care tax credit, which may help offset the cost of care for children under age 13 or adult dependents, has also been reduced for 2022.
In 2021, the credit jumped to up to $8,000 for one qualifying person or $16,000 for two or more dependents. However, for 2022, those caps returned to $3,000 and $6,000, for one or multiple dependents, respectively.

You may get Form 1099-K for third-party payments

If you’ve received payments through apps like Venmo or PayPal in 2022, you may get Form 1099-K in early 2023, which reports income from third-party networks.
The form applies to business transactions, such as part-time work, side jobs or selling goods, according to the IRS. 
Before 2022, the federal Form 1099-K reporting threshold was for taxpayers with more than 200 transactions worth an aggregate above $20,000. Now, however, the threshold is just $600, and even a single transaction can trigger the form.

Austin Chau, a CFP and wealth advisor at Menlo Asset Management in Menlo Park, California, said personal transactions like reimbursing your roommate for bills or dinner aren’t taxable.
What’s more, you’ll only owe taxes on profits, he said. For example, if you spent $150 on concert tickets in 2022, and sold them for $200, the $50 profit is taxable, Chau said.
While the IRS says you shouldn’t receive Form 1099-K for personal transfers, experts say it’s possible, and the error may require you to contact the issuer or make adjustments to your tax return.

It’s harder to claim the charitable deduction 

Your tax refund may also be lower because it’s more difficult to claim the charitable deduction in 2022.
Marguerita Cheng, a CFP and CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Gaithersburg, Maryland, said you won’t get a charitable tax break in 2022 if you don’t itemize deductions on your return.   
Congress gave charities a boost in 2021 by allowing single donors to claim a deduction for up to $300 for cash donations or $600 for married couples filing together, regardless of whether you itemize, said Cheng, who also is part of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.
However, the tax break wasn’t extended for 2022. Now, you’ll only benefit if your itemized deductions, including the tax break for charitable gifts, exceeds the standard deduction, which is less common. In 2019, almost 90% of taxpayers used the standard deduction, according to the IRS.

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Princess Cruises, a Carnival brand, said on Friday that it will sail in Japan in March 2023 for the first time in nearly three years.
The announcement comes after Japan lifted its Covid-era ban on international cruise lines last month.
Japan’s reopening could help buoy an industry that was devastated by global tourism restrictions instituted during the pandemic.

People look out from aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises, as it maintains a holding pattern about 25 miles off the coast of San Francisco, California on March 8, 2020.
Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images

Princess Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand, is resuming trips in its homeport of Japan early next year, the company said in a press release on Friday.
Starting March 15, the Diamond Princess will take off from Tokyo for cruises ranging from five to 19 days, according to the press release.

The return follows an announcement by the Japanese Transport Ministry last month that lifted a two-and-a-half-year ban on international cruise ships. The country’s new guidance requires crewmembers to have three Covid vaccine shots while most passengers must have at least two, the Associated Press reported.
“The reopening of Japanese ports to the international cruise industry is an important and welcome development that not only vastly expands the vacation opportunities available to guests but also helps to significantly strengthen the Japanese tourism economy,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, in the press release.
Japan initiated the cruise ban in March 2020 after a fatal coronavirus outbreak took place in February on the Diamond Princess, a Princess cruise ship. The spread forced about 3,700 people on board into a two-week quarantine.
Since Japan reopened to international cruises, other vacation ships are gearing up to return to the country. In a Wednesday press release, Holland America Line, also a subsidiary of Carnival, announced some of its own itineraries in Japan for early 2023.
Japan joins a growing pool of countries warming back up to cruise tourism after hitting pause for Covid. Reuters reported that New Zealand lifted its cruise ban in late July, while Australia lifted its bar in April and Canada even earlier in November of 2021.

Cruises are the next frontier in Japan’s easing of pandemic-era tourism restrictions, which devastated multiple sectors of its billion-dollar tourism industry. In June, the country opened its borders back up to international tourists.
The myriad of global tourism restrictions sunk the cruise industry. The biggest brands were forced to cut operations, often after the coronavirus had fatally spread on board. Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line, the leaders in the market, saw their shares plummet over 80% in 2020.
Cruise companies have steadily been building back since the initial shutdown, but the rebound of the industry has been stunted by macroeconomic headwinds like rate hikes and a potential recession. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian, all of which accrued huge debt loads during the pandemic, saw their stocks fall in September as the Federal Reserve continued to increase interest rates.

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Microsoft ‘s (MSFT) nearly $69 billion cash offer to buy video game giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI) has been under tremendous scrutiny since it was first announced back in January. But at least one Wall Street research firm says it’s highly likely that the deal will be completed in the near future. We tend to agree. While Club holding Microsoft would shell out a big premium for ATVI shares based on current market prices, the tech giant was always prepared to pay up for what Activision Blizzard’s popular games such as “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft” could mean when paired up with its venerable “Halo” franchise and its Xbox consoles. Approval of a deal of this size would also be good for the overall stock market as it could send a message that the Biden administration is not closed off to all M & A. Wedbush this week added Activision Blizzard to its best ideas list, noting it believes that Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard is highly likely to be completed in the next six months. The timing is, of course, difficult due to the number of regulatory hurdles it would need to clear both in the U.S. and abroad. The analysts at Wedbush are betting that Microsoft will be willing to make concessions such as “making ‘Call of Duty’ available on PlayStation consoles for the next decade.” Generally, deals get blocked due to a view that allowing them to go through would create too much market concentration and therefore stifle competition. Regulators are also cognizant that fewer players in any one industry can lead to price increases and a lack of innovation to the detriment of consumers. Determining anticompetitive risk One way regulators look to determine potential anticompetitive risk is through what’s known as the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI). This measure attempts to quantify market concentration and can be used to calculate what that share will look like should a merger or acquisition go forward. It’s not the end-all, be-all — but still worth considering. The index is measured from near zero to 10,000. A low HHI indicates a highly competitive market, whereas a high one indicates control by fewer players. A true monopoly tops the scale at 10,000. According to the Justice Department’s website, “agencies generally consider markets in which the HHI is between 1,500 and 2,500 points to be moderately concentrated, and consider markets in which the HHI is in excess of 2,500 points to be highly concentrated.” Additionally, they note that transactions that “increase the HHI by more than 200 points in highly concentrated markets are presumed likely to enhance market power under the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.” Calculating an HHI value for an industry is pretty straightforward forward: You simply square the market share of each company and add the values together. For example, in an industry consisting of four firms, each with an equal 25% share of the market, the HHI would be 2,500. The formula is 25 2 +25 2 +25 2 +25 2 for a total of 2,500. For an industry with three players, one controlling 40% and the other two controlling 30% each it would be 30 2 +30 2 +40 2 for a total of 3,400. Applying this methodology to the video game industry, it’s hard to see how regulators could justify blocking the deal based on historical precedence. According to a recent report from Newzoo , the 10 largest gaming companies by revenue represent about 65% of the market with $126 billion in total sales. Extrapolating that out, the total market is about $194 billion. The largest is China’s Tencent with about a 17% share, and the smallest in the top 10 is Sea Limited with about a 2% share. That implies that the other 35% of the market is made up of firms with equal to or less than about a 2% market share. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say an additional 17 firms have a 2% market share each to bring us to 100% of the market. (We know there could be hundreds or even thousands of small players making up that other 35%. The more players included the lower the HHI result. So our approach is being more conservative by dividing the market up into 17 additional players with a share nearly equal to that of Sea Limited.) That means the HHI, calculated by the market share number squared and then added together for all 27 companies, would be under 650. That’s far less than the 2,500 threshold for what the formula would consider a highly concentrated market. If the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal goes through, and you combine the market share concentration of the two companies, the HII would be just over 700. Clearly, based on the HHI, it’s hard to block the deal on the grounds that not doing so would provide Microsoft with monopolistic power in the gaming industry. Possible regulatory, legal hurdles However, more recently regulators have attempted to think about power in other ways, not just in terms of market share but also influence, which is more difficult to quantify. The current Federal Trade Commission under Chair Lina Kahn is suspicious of pretty much every combination and not keen on allowing deals to go through unless it for sure benefits the consumer. In fact, in The Yale Law Journal in 2017, focusing on how Amazon (AMZN) managed to get a foothold in so many industries while avoiding antitrust scrutiny, Kahn wrote, “The current framework in antitrust —specifically its pegging competition to ‘consumer welfare,’ defined as short-term price effects — is unequipped to capture the architecture of market power in the modern economy.” In her view, “Current doctrine underappreciates the risk of predatory pricing and how integration across distinct business lines may prove anticompetitive.” That integration across distinct business lines argument may be a point of focus in regards to the Microsoft offer as video gaming becomes more cloud-based and Microsoft is a cloud industry leader. Microsoft competitor Sony, which makes the Xbox competitor PlayStation, has challenged the deal, contending that Activision’s wildly popular “Call of Duty” game alone is a reason to block. Sony’s argument is rooted in what the loss of that game could mean for Sony’s PlayStation if Microsoft were to make it exclusive to Xbox. A federal judge recently blocked Penguin Random House from acquiring rival Simon & Schuster from Paramount Global (PARA) due to concerns that it could “lessen competition” for “top-selling books.” So Sony may have a leg to stand on by arguing that “Call of Duty,” a top-selling game, warrants special attention beyond that of other less popular games that most may not be familiar with but add to market competition in a broader sense. Politico recently reported that the FTC is likely to file an antitrust lawsuit on those grounds. Again, Wedbush cited in its note that to get the deal done Microsoft would probably need to keep the Activision games console agnostic for a period of time. That might not be the worst thing. While Microsoft might want to keep games Xbox only, it would likely limit sales of the games more than it would boost sales of Xbox. Video gamers are pretty entrenched when it comes to consoles and loath to switch. The other issue is how one measures the gaming market. Whereas we based our analysis on revenue generation, causing us to include names like Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL), which many may not consider gaming industry names because they don’t make consoles in the traditional sense and don’t develop or publish their own games. (Though you could argue that smartphones are handheld gaming devices). They instead monetize games developed by third parties via their app stores — and additionally, in Alphabet’s case YouTube streaming revenues. The FTC may opt to base it simply on the console and the video game title markets, or the impact on U.S. consumers and choose to leave out names such as Tencent, NetEase or Sea Limited. Put another way, the FTC may see the market breakdown differently and debate it from that perspective. Bottom line To be clear, we don’t believe this deal to be anticompetitive whatsoever, and we don’t think the FTC wants to bring forward a case that it’s not confident it can win. Everyone on Wall Street is watching this deal given the market price of Activision shares — around $76 — compared to the $95-per-share cash offer from Microsoft. That’s a big 25% premium. But remember, ATVI was trading around $65 the day before the deal was announced. Many observers struggle to see how it doesn’t go through. Even Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway (BKR.a), which very rarely invests in companies going through mergers, is an owner of Activision stock. Berkshire initiated the name in the fourth quarter of 2021 before the deal was announced in January. It added to ATVI in the first and second quarters of this year and then trimmed its position some in the third quarter. At Berkshire’s annual meeting in April, Buffett said , “If the deal goes through, we make some money, and if the deal doesn’t go through, who knows what happens.” Ultimately, whether you have a stake in this or not, you will want to watch this deal. That’s because how things shake out here could determine the future appetite for M & A (mergers and acquisitions) activity, which many companies depend on for growth. A robust or, at least, not an outright hostile environment for M & A could be supportive of a bottom in the overall stock market and help improve investor sentiment. The FTC is clearly looking to update the way it thinks about corporate power and this deal, along with a few others such as the proposed JetBlue (JBLU)- Spirit (SAVE) airline deal and the Kroger (KR)- Albertsons (ACI) supermarket merger, will provide valuable insight into how the agency is thinking about modifying its framework for approving or blocking deals in the future. Recall, DuPont (DD) terminated its Rogers (ROG) deal because it couldn’t get approval in China. So it will be interesting to see how the various regulatory bodies not only in the U.S. but around the world go about analyzing the competitive implications of the MSFT-ATVI deal. As it relates to Club holding Microsoft, we think it will be just fine either way. We think the ATVI acquisition would be a great move as it provides some of the greatest video gaming intellectual property in the world and furthers their initiative to build out a robust game streaming service. However, gaming is only one aspect of Microsoft’s incredibly successful business model, and we think Azure growth and the worldwide shift to cloud computing will continue to drive growth in the long term. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long MSFT, AAPL, and GOOGL. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

A scene from “Call of Duty Modern Warfare.”
Source: Call of Duty Modern Warfare

Microsoft’s (MSFT) nearly $69 billion cash offer to buy video game giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI) has been under tremendous scrutiny since it was first announced back in January. But at least one Wall Street research firm says it’s highly likely that the deal will be completed in the near future. We tend to agree. More

Astra Chief Engineer Benjamin Lyon resigned on Monday, the company announced, and will leave at the end of the year to pursue another opportunity.
Astra CEO Chris Kemp thanked Lyon “for his service and told CNBC the company is making leadership changes to speed up development of its rocket.
Kemp said Lyon’s team will report directly to him, allowing the company to move faster.

Benjamin Lyon, chief engineer and executive vice president of engineering and operations

Beleaguered rocket builder Astra is losing its highly touted chief engineer, Benjamin Lyon, the company disclosed in a securities filing Friday.
Lyon resigned from his role as Astra’s chief engineer and executive vice president of operations and engineering on Monday, the company said. Astra said he is leaving to pursue another opportunity and that his last day is expected to be Dec. 27.

Astra CEO Chris Kemp thanked Lyon “for his service and contributions,” but told CNBC the company is making leadership changes following Lyon’s departure to speed up development of its rocket.
“Putting the team that was reporting to [Lyon] under me basically flattens the entire thing, and just allows us to execute faster,” Kemp said.
After disclosing Lyon’s departure, Astra announced four promotions to its management team. The new Astra program leads: Giovanni Greco on Launch System Delivery, Jonathan Donaldson on Spacecraft Engine Delivery, Doug Kunzman on Launch and Test Operations and Bryson Gentile on Manufacturing.

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Lyon joined Astra in February 2021 from Apple, where he had worked in development for products including the iPhone and Mac.
But Astra is facing an uphill battle after the company pivoted away from its Rocket 3.3 vehicle after a mid-flight failure, and decided to pause launches to build a larger, upgraded vehicle, called Rocket 4.0. The company announced a layoff of 16% of its workforce on Nov. 8, as it works to trim operating expenses and moves forward with development.

“[Rocket 4.0] needs to work and it needs to happen next year,” Kemp added.
Kemp said Lyon’s departure “isn’t a blow” for the company, but the move marks another change to the company’s leadership in the past few months. In October, Astra’s vice president of communications, Kati Dahm, left the company, and last month Chief Financial Officer Kelyn Brannon transitioned out of her role, with the company bringing in Axel Martinez as CFO from Virgin Hyperloop One.
Astra stock is down 92% this year as of Thursday’s close. It received a delisting warning from the Nasdaq in October after its stock fell below $1 a share. The company has until April to lift the share price back above the level.
Shares of Astra were little changed in early trading, from its previous close of 52 cents a share.
Correction: Astra announced a layoff of 16% of its workforce on Nov. 8. An earlier version misstated the date.

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Legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees faked being struck by lightning as part of a promotional stunt for betting company PointsBet.
A video clip posted to Twitter shows the apparent strike and was viewed more than 1 million times as of midday Friday.
Brees confirmed in a subsequent video that he’s perfectly fine.

Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints
Gregory Shamus | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

Legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees faked being struck by lightning as part of a promotional stunt for betting company PointsBet.
A video clip posted to Twitter on Friday showed Brees filming a commercial for PointsBet in Catatumbo, Venezuela, a location known for its lightning strikes, when a bolt apparently hits him and knocks the production off kilter.

It was viewed more than 1 million times as of midday Friday.
Brees confirmed in a subsequent video that he’s perfectly fine and “buzzing” about the sportsbook’s latest offer involving its “lightning bets,” which allow users to make in-game wagers.
The stunt comes as online sportsbooks gain popularity and fight for customers.
“Well it’s certainly a shock, literally and figuratively,” said Patrick Rishe, director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis. “I would say this is probably one of the worst decisions he’s made as a public figure.”
Rishe said it’s clear PointsBet tried to do something extraordinary to get attention in the online sports betting market, which is dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel, “but boy, this really feels like it’s crossing the line.”
A representative for Brees did not respond for comment. Brees is an ambassador for PointsBet, which trades on the Australian Stock Exchange and has operations in the United States, Canada and Ireland.

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