Stockwinners Market Radar for June 17, 2020 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

20:55 EDT B&G Foods initiates review of Cream of Wheat brand packaging - The company states: "B&G Foods announced that we are initiating an immediate review of the Cream of Wheat brand packaging. We understand there are concerns regarding the Chef image, and we are committed to evaluating our packaging and will proactively take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism. B&G Foods unequivocally stands against prejudice and injustice of any kind."

18:53 EDT Turkey Wealth Fund to acquire 26.2% of Turkcell shares - Turkey Wealth Fund has agreed to acquire 26.2% of the shares of Turkcell by entering into a series of transaction agreements with, among others, Telia Company, LetterOne, Cukurova Holding and Ziraat Bank. Turkcell is one of Turkey's most valuable assets and most recognisable brands. Within its portfolio, Turkcell has an international mobile and fixed telecom business with more than 47 million customers, popular local OTT platforms such as BP, TV+ as well as Paycell and Financell techfin subsidiaries. The transaction is expected to close during the second half of 2020, subject to obtaining regulatory clearances and the approval of the revised Articles of Association by the shareholders in Turkcell's Annual General Assembly Meeting.

18:31 EDT Centene recommends stockholder rejection of "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital - Centene has been notified of an unsolicited "mini-tender" offer by TRC Capital to purchase up to 2 million shares of Centene's common stock at an offer price of $59.00 net per share in cash, which is an approximate 4.75% discount to the $61.94 per share closing price of Centene's common stock on the NYSE on June 12, and an approximately 7.13% discount to the $63.53 per share closing price of Centene's common stock on June 17. Centene does not endorse TRC Capital's mini-tender offer and is not associated in any way with TRC Capital, its mini-tender offer or its mini-tender offer documents. Centene recommends that its stockholders reject the offer and not tender their shares in response to TRC Capital's below-market offer. TRC Capital has made similar mini-tender offers for the shares of other companies. Stockholders who have already tendered shares may withdraw their shares prior to the expiration of the offer on July 15.

18:27 EDT AT&T CFO provides company update - John Stephens, senior executive vice president and CFO of AT&T spoke at the Credit Suisse Communications Conference, where he provided an update to shareholders. AT&T's 5G network covered 120M people at the end of the first quarter and currently covers more than 160M people in 327 markets. The company expects to reach nationwide 5G coverage this summer. Stephens said AT&T has surpassed 80% completion of its planned FirstNet build. At the end of the first quarter, AT&T had 1.3M FirstNet subscribers across more than 12,000 agencies. Stephens said the company is still evaluating the near- and long-term impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic. He said AT&T has limited visibility on the pandemic's impact on the overall economy and how long the effects will continue to be seen. However, Stephens reiterated that the company has confidence in its ability to generate cash given the resiliency of its wireless services, broadband and business connectivity operations. Stephens said he expects the company to continue aligning its operations to the new customer demand model, with continued transformation and cost savings allowing it to maintain its commitment to paying a dividend to shareholders, invest in key growth areas of the business - 5G, fiber and HBO Max - and reduce debt. For 2020, the company expects with the dividend payout ratio to be in 60's% range for the full year. AT&T recently issued $12.5B in near-term debt to refinance debt with 2020 and 2021 maturity dates, which gives the company additional financial flexibility.

18:03 EDT Synalloy commits to appointing three shareholder representatives to board - Synalloy's board has committed to appointing three nominees of Privet Fund and UPG Enterprises to its board following the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, regardless of the outcome of the shareholder vote. Synalloy's commitment to provide Privet and UPG - who together own approximately 25% of Synalloy's stock - with three of the eight Board seats gives them more representation than that recommended by ISS - two seats - and more than proportional representation. Synalloy will not expect nor require any commitments from Privet or UPG in exchange for the appointment of three of their nominees to the Board. If shareholders other than Privet and UPG vote on Privet's and UPG's proxy card, Privet and UPG can "cumulate" their votes to elect a fourth and fifth nominee, effectively allowing Privet and UPG to elect a majority of the Board, an unintended consequence. Synalloy therefore recommended shareholders vote on the company's blue proxy card.

17:59 EDT Vereit reports 82% of June rent paid in COVID-19 update - Vereit announced updated information on its real estate portfolio and balance sheet in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 16, 2020, VEREIT had received approximately 84% of April rent, 84% of May rent and 82% of June rent, which includes approximately 2% to be paid in arrears by a Government agency tenant. VEREIT is in ongoing discussions with tenants regarding unpaid rent. As of June 16, 2020, VEREIT had corporate liquidity of approximately $1.2B comprised of $101.0M in cash and cash equivalents and $1.1B of availability under its credit facility.

17:31 EDT Huntington Ingalls awarded $145.6M Navy contract action - Huntington Ingalls awarded $145.6M for a not-to-exceed, undefinitized contract action for long lead time material in support of one amphibious assault ship replacement and Flight 1 Ship. Work to be performed is the procurement of long lead-time material for LHA 9, the fourth America Class and the second LHA Flight 1 variant. Work is expected to be complete by February 2024. FY19 shipbuilding and conversion advance procurement funding in the amount of $145.6M will be obligated at award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304, this contract was not competitively procured with only one responsible source. No other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.

17:24 EDT Accenture, Booz Allen awarded on maximum $990M Air Force contract - Accenture (ACN), Booz Allen (BAH) and others have been awarded a ceiling $990M multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract to provide advisory and assistance services to support the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Office of Business Transformation and deputy chief management officer in managing and improving strategic transformation initiatives at the enterprise level. Work will be performed at various locations and is expected to be completed June 16, 2027. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. FY20 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $500 for each contract are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force District of Washington is the contracting activity.

17:17 EDT Google seeks to have 30% more leaders from underrepresented groups by 2025 - Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post that it is announcing a set of "concrete commitments" to create "meaningful change," including internally building sustainable equity for Google's Black+ community, and externally, to make its products and programs helpful in the moments that matter most to Black users. The company said it is working to improve Black+ representation at senior levels and committing to a goal to improve leadership representation of underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025. In addition, Google seeks to do more to address representation challenges and focus on hiring, retention, and promotion at all levels. The company added that it is working to create a stronger sense of inclusion and belonging for Googlers in general and our Black+ community in particular and seeks to establish a range of anti-racism educational programs that are global in view and able to scale to all Googlers. Lastly, Google said it is focused on better supporting the mental and physical health and well-being of its Black+ community. The company also announced a $175M+ economic opportunity package to support Black business owners, startup founders, job seekers and developers, in addition to YouTube's $100M fund to amplify Black creators and artists. Reference Link

17:09 EDT FleetCor's Gavrilenya sells 5,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, FleetCor Technologies president, North American Fuel, Alexey Gavrilenya disclosed the sale of 5,000 common shares of the company on June 5 at a price of $279.91 per share.

17:01 EDT Waters CEO O'Connell to step down - Waters Corporation announced that the company's Board of Directors and Christopher O'Connell have mutually agreed that O'Connell will step down as President, Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board when a successor is appointed. At that time, he will remain with Waters as an advisor until the end of this year to support the transition. The Board is actively working with a leading executive search firm to assist in the process. "On behalf of the Board, I thank Chris for his leadership, commitment and contributions to Waters over the last five years," said Dr. Flemming Ornskov, Chairman of the Board. "During Chris' tenure, Waters has embarked on a new product cycle driven by organic innovation and is well positioned to emerge from the current uncertain environment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic as an even stronger company. The Board is committed to conducting an efficient but comprehensive search to identify the right leader for Waters' next phase of growth. We continue to see the second quarter performing consistent with the framework we provided in April, and have great confidence in the strength of the Waters team to carry us forward. We appreciate Chris' support throughout this process."

16:40 EDT HC2 Holdings chairman buys 961K shares of common stock - In a regulatory filing, HC2 Holdings disclosed that its chairman Avram Glazer bought 961.2K shares of common stock on June 15-16th in a total transaction size of $3.55M.

16:36 EDT Frequency Electronics unit receives 5-year contract valued at roughly $2.7M - Frequency Electronics, Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary FEI-Elcom Tech, Inc. received a five year contract valued at approximately $2.7M, if all options are exercised, for supply of advanced synthesizer sub-systems to a leading U.S defense prime contractor for ultimate government end use. Additional order potential for these synthesizers is estimated at more than $2.5M, including spares and international sales opportunities. The synthesizers will be incorporated into next generation Electronic Warfare systems installed on various US defense platforms. The synthesizers incorporate Elcom's proprietary fast switching, very low phase noise technology, applicable to next generation EW and Electronic Intelligence systems.

16:34 EDT BBX Capital adopts rights plan, approves reverse stock split - The company's board adopted the rights plan in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the significant market volatility and uncertainties associated with the pandemic, and the impact on the company and the market price of its Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. In an effort to protect against investors seeking short-term gains by taking advantage of current market conditions at the expense of the company and its long-term investors, the board determined that adopting the rights plan was in the best interest of the company and its shareholders. The rights plan is similar to plans recently adopted by other public companies in light of the current environment. In addition to its adoption of the rights plan, the company also announced that its board has approved a one-for-five reverse split of the company's Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. The Board made such determination in light of, among other factors, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company and the market price of its Class A common stock.

16:32 EDT Qiwi to sell its SOVEST consumer lending business to Sovcombank - QIWI announced that it has entered into binding transaction agreements to sell its SOVEST consumer lending business to Sovcombank. As a part of the transaction, the company expects to assign claims held against SOVEST customers to Sovcombank with a gross carrying amount of approximately RUB 9B and net amount of approximately RUB 7.6B and to receive a cash consideration in the range of RUB 6B to RUB 6.5B for such claims. In addition, QIWI expects to transfer to Sovcombank substantially all assets including respective brands and domains. As a part of the transaction, Sovcombank intends to extend job offers to certain SOVEST employees and reimburse to QIWI a part of the redundancy costs, if any.

16:32 EDT Peabody Energy names Mark Spurbeck as CFO - Peabody (BTU) announced Mark Spurbeck has been named Executive Vice President and CFO. Mark joined Peabody in early 2018 and has most recently served as the company's Senior Vice President and Interim CFO since January 2020. Prior to joining Peabody in early 2018, Mark was Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at Coeur Mining (CDE).

16:30 EDT Adamas Pharmaceuticals trading resumes

16:23 EDT Invesco Mortgage declares 2c dividend for second quarter, down from 50c in Q1 - Invesco Mortgage Capital announced that its board of directors declared a cash dividend of 2c per share of common stock for the second quarter of 2020. The dividend will be paid on July 28 to stockholders of record on July 6, 2020, with an ex-dividend date of July 2. Previously, Invesco Mortgage's board had declared a cash dividend of 50c per share of common stock for the first quarter of 2020.

16:20 EDT Fluor's Stork segment awarded 5-year Delamine contract in Netherlands - Fluor announced that Stork, part of Fluor's Diversified Services segment, was awarded a 5-year maintenance contract by Delamine B.V in the Netherlands. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value in the second quarter of 2020. Stork will provide maintenance services and capital expenditure services including multidisciplinary piping and mechanical, electrical and instrumentation, and other specialty services.

16:17 EDT ABM CFO D. Anthony Scaglione resigns, Dean Chin named interim CFO - ABM announced the resignation of Executive Vice President and CFO, D. Anthony Scaglione. Scaglione has held this role since 2015 after serving in various senior executive positions at the company from 2009. Dean Chin, ABM's current Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller, will be appointed interim CFO, effective July 1. Scaglione, who is leaving the company to pursue another career opportunity, will remain for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition. Chin joined ABM in 2008 and has held the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller since 2010.

16:12 EDT Orion Group announces contract awards of roughly $17M - Orion Group Holdings announced contract awards totaling approximately $17M. The company's Marine segment has been awarded two separate contracts to provide dredging services in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel in Corpus Christi, Texas. The first award was the result of a competitive bid to the US Army Corps of Engineers for the dredging of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel from the Inner Basin to the Viola Turning Basin. The work is valued at approximately $10M. The second project, valued at over $7M, calls for the dredging of a marine terminal facility for a private client. The work for both projects will begin immediately and is scheduled to be completed in early 2021. "These projects not only represent quality backlog for our Marine segment, but also provide greater visibility into utilization for our dredging fleet throughout the balance of this year and into 2021," said Mark Stauffer, Orion's President and Chief Executive Officer.

16:09 EDT Microsoft declares quarterly dividend of 51c per share - The dividend is payable Sept. 10 to shareholders of record on Aug. 20. The ex-dividend date will be Aug. 19.

16:08 EDT Adamas Pharmaceuticals completes ADS-5102 evaluation, provides update - Adamas Pharmaceuticals announced the completion of its evaluation of ADS-5102 in multiple sclerosis patients with walking impairment, or MSW. An analysis of the INROADS Phase 3 data validated the top line results announced in December 2019 and informed a revised target product profile reflecting the scale of clinical benefit observed in the study. Additional patient, physician, and payer research based on the revised profile projected a "limited" commercial opportunity. Further engagement with the FDA to fully understand a potential path to submission confirmed the need for an additional pivotal Phase 3 confirmatory study. Based on these findings, Adamas reconfirms it will not initiate further Phase 3 development in MSW.

16:06 EDT T-Mobile names Peter Osvaldik as CFO - T-Mobile announced the company has promoted Peter Osvaldik, T-Mobile's current senior vice president, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer, to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective July 1, 2020. Osvaldik will assume the CFO role as current CFO Braxton Carter plans to retire on July 1, 2020 at the conclusion of his previously announced contract extension. Osvaldik joined T-Mobile in January 2016 as vice president, External Reporting and Technical Accounting.

16:01 EDT Intel names former HP Inc. CEO Weisler to board of directors - Intel Corporation (INTC) announced that Dion J. Weisler, former president and CEO of HP Inc. (HPQ), was elected to Intel's board of directors. Weisler will serve as an independent director and member of the compensation and finance committees. "We are excited to welcome Dion to the board," said Intel Chairman Omar Ishrak. "He brings a deep understanding of the Intel customer experience and a wealth of technical industry knowledge spanning client, cloud and network computing. Dion also shares Intel's strong commitment to corporate responsibility, having championed diversity and inclusion as well as sustainability while leading HP."

15:46 EDT Amazon's Twitch Studio beta comes to Mac - "Thank you to all the creators that have tried Twitch Studio so far. We've loved hearing about your experiences and working with you to make Twitch Studio even better. Since the beta's launch in November 2019, we've added new features based on feedback from the community, like one-click green screen set up and Chrome capture. We've heard from several creators, especially creators of music and creative content, that we needed to bring Twitch Studio to more devices. We're excited to announce that we've taken the next step forward by rolling out the Twitch Studio Beta on Mac. If you're a Mac user who has been eager to give streaming a try but didn't know how to start, Twitch Studio is our all-in-one streaming software designed from the ground up with new creators in mind. Whether you're interested in games, music, art, cooking, or any number of other passions, Twitch Studio provides a fast way to set up and go live on Twitch," said the Amazon unitin a blog post. Reference Link

15:26 EDT Hertz trading resumes

15:19 EDT Hertz sales of stock 'promptly suspended' pending further talks SEC staff - In a regulatory filing, Hertz said: "As previously disclosed, on June 15, 2020, Hertz Global Holdings entered into an open market sale agreement under which the company may offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $500.0M through an agent. The offering is pursuant to the company's effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3. On June 15, 2020, the company filed a prospectus supplement relating to the ATM Program with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company was advised orally by the Staff of the Commission's Division of Corporation Finance in the afternoon of June 15, 2020 that the Staff intended to review the Prospectus Supplement. After discussions with the Staff, sales under the ATM Program were promptly suspended pending further understanding of the nature and timing of the Staff's review. The company is not currently offering any shares under the ATM Program. The company's advisors have been in regular contact with the Commission since the Staff's initial contact on June 15, 2020."

14:25 EDT Amazon working to expand online groceries through SNAP benefits - Amazon.com (AMZN) said it has been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to "rapidly expand" access to online grocery shopping to Americans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits across the country. The company said in a statement, "As families across the country have been encouraged to stay home, Amazon has been working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to rapidly expand access to online grocery shopping to Americans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. What launched in 2019 as a pilot for expansion into only 10 states has quickly fast-tracked to a nearly national program in order to meet the evolving needs of customers, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Amazon now reaches beneficiaries in 36 states plus the District of Columbia, providing more than 90% of SNAP households with the ability to use their SNAP benefits online. Amazon volunteered to participate as a retailer in the USDA's SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot in 2016 because we believe in its goals and to ensure that all customers have the opportunity to order groceries online."

14:18 EDT DOJ issues recommendations for Section 230 reform - The Department of Justice has released a set of reform proposals to update the outdated immunity for online platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Responding to bipartisan concerns about the scope of 230 immunity, the department identified a set of concrete reform proposals to provide stronger incentives for online platforms to address illicit material on their services while continuing to foster innovation and free speech. The department's review of Section 230 over the last ten months arose in the context of its broader review of market-leading online platforms and their practices, which were announced in July 2019. The department held a large public workshop and expert roundtable in February 2020, as well as dozens of listening sessions with industry, thought leaders, and policy makers, to gain a better understanding of the uses and problems surrounding Section 230. The first category of recommendations is aimed at incentivizing platforms to address the growing amount of illicit content online, while preserving the core of Section 230's immunity for defamation claims. These reforms include a carve-out for bad actors who purposefully facilitate or solicit content that violates federal criminal law or are willfully blind to criminal content on their own services. Additionally, the department recommends a case-specific carve out where a platform has actual knowledge that content violated federal criminal law and does not act on it within a reasonable time, or where a platform was provided with a court judgment that the content is unlawful, and does not take appropriate action. A second category of proposed reforms is intended to clarify the text and revive the original purpose of the statute in order to promote free and open discourse online and encourage greater transparency between platforms and users. One of these recommended reforms is to provide a statutory definition of "good faith" to clarify its original purpose. The new statutory definition would limit immunity for content moderation decisions to those done in accordance with plain and particular terms of service and consistent with public representations. These measures would encourage platforms to be more transparent and accountable to their users. The third category of recommendations would increase the ability of the government to protect citizens from unlawful conduct, by making it clear that Section 230 does not apply to civil enforcement actions brought by the federal government. A fourth category of reform is to make clear that federal antitrust claims are not, and were never intended to be, covered by Section 230 immunity. Over time, the avenues for engaging in both online commerce and speech have concentrated in the hands of a few key players. It makes little sense to enable large online platforms (particularly dominant ones) to invoke Section 230 immunity in antitrust cases, where liability is based on harm to competition, not on third-party speech. The Fly notes that the action follows President Trump's executive order seeking to weaken broad immunity enjoyed by Facebook (FB), Twitter (TWTR) and Google (GOOGL). Reference Link

14:07 EDT Remark Holdings not 'a one trick pony,' CEO says - Remark Holdings (MARK) is an AI software company that focuses on the development and deployment of AI-based solutions for businesses and software developers in many industries. In an exclusive interview with The Fly, Remark Holdings CEO Kai-Shing Tao talked about the company's customers: "Our customers are all uncompromising in how they view safety and security for their own customers and employees. That's really the common denominator and spans across all industries. I can't comment specifically on Wynn [WYNN] and other specific names because we are under NDAs in general. But when a person sees the 'Welcome Back' video from Wynn they do see our Remark logo on it. I think people can make the connection. But across all the industries - we're talking about agriculture, live events, law enforcement, hospitals - our customers are people that do take this seriously and not view this as a fleeting situation. They love our product because it is fast, it's accurate, and we're not a 'one trick pony.' Most of other groups only provide the thermal detection, but there are other issues to deal with." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

14:05 EDT Tanzanian Royalty trading resumes

14:03 EDT Emerson total trailing three-month orders down 17% amid COVID-19, oil volatilty - Total Emerson trailing three-month orders were down 17% with underlying orders down 15%, excluding 2% of unfavorable currency impact. Automation Solutions orders were down 15% and were down 13% on an underlying basis excluding unfavorable currency of 2%. Commercial & Residential Solutions orders were down 21% and were down 20% on an underlying basis excluding unfavorable currency of 1%. As expected, trailing three-month orders across both business platforms reflected a continued challenging demand environment in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic and oil market volatility. Thia information was taken from an Emerson slides presentation.

13:50 EDT Remark CEO says companies forced to rethink security protocols due to COVID - Remark Holdings (MARK) is an AI software company that focuses on the development and deployment of AI-based solutions for businesses and software developers in many industries. In an exclusive interview with The Fly, Remark Holdings CEO Kai-Shing Tao talked about COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the company: "[The COVID pandemic] has forced companies to kind of rethink their whole security protocols and with that comes how we can use AI to grow revenue and improve the bottom line. I think 6, maybe 9 months prior, this was needed but not a necessity. Now when we have a conversation with our customers, they are looking to see: 'Ok, let's not just begin and end with body temperature scanning; let's look at all security applications you might have.' That could relate to suspicious movement, automated people counting, to be able to see traffic flows, heat maps, things that can detect things on an automated basis. This has become very important as a lot of these businesses don't have the ability to have the same amount of security staff that they had before. Or in the case of working with hospitals... Let's say they don't have the funding to have all the nurses and nurses have to be able to handle a multitude of duties. So, using our system will free them up to do what they are great at, which is being a nurse instead of taking temperatures." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

13:46 EDT Gan reaches agreement with 'Tier-1 client' looking to deploy game stack tech - During Gan Limited's earnings conference call on Wednesday, the business-to-business supplier of internet gambling software-as-a-service solutions to the U.S. land-based casino industry announced that, "For real money Internet gambling, we've reached an agreement in principle with a Tier-1 client that is looking to deploy our game stack technology in new addressable states such as Illinois, Tennessee, as well as Michigan and other states in which GAN offers considerable existing operating experience, such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana. The transaction remains subject to significant conditions, including completion of definitive agreements and securing all regulatory approvals, but we are working hard to bring it across the line. We very much look forward to updating the market as those final arrangements and approvals are put in place." CEO Dermot Smurfit added that, "we believe that the Tier 1 opportunity that we referred to is, at maturity you're looking at $300 million to $400 million in gross operated revenue annually. This is a very large retail and also online gambling enterprise. It's been a multi-month dialogue to reach the point we did yesterday with the execution of preliminary documents."

13:40 EDT Remark CEO Tao says demand 'overwhelming' amid COVID pandemic - Remark Holdings (MARK) is an AI software company that focuses on the development and deployment of AI-based solutions for businesses and software developers in many industries. In an exclusive interview with The Fly, Remark Holdings CEO Kai-Shing Tao discussed the company's AI thermal solutions and demand for these products: "The demand has been overwhelming. There's been a strong demand not only for companies that have this sort of solution but for companies that have been around for a while and have had a commercial live product that they are now testing for the first time in the U.S. or in Japan. As in our case, we've been live in Asia before the COVID-19 crisis; we've been live for over 8/9 months, deploying this solution in primary schools. Certainly, as COVID spread to different countries, there has been a lot of demand. We will continue to see that demand because of the second wave that is potentially coming through and also due to all the operational protocols that are being set in order to reopen. That could be an enforcement of wearing PPE with face masks, to people counting, to social distancing. These are all AI solutions that we built from the ground and that we can put on top of not only of the thermal kits that we currently sell right now, but also our customers' existing cameras infrastructure so they don't have to replace everything." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

13:20 EDT Tao sees Remark Holdings as pure-play AI software company - In an exclusive interview with The Fly, Remark Holdings (MARK) CEO Kai-Shing Tao talked about the company and its mission: "We are a pure play artificial intelligence software company. We provide AI solutions to individuals, businesses, governments. We span across different industries from retail to construction, to agriculture." "Meet the Company" is The Fly's recurring series of exclusive short interviews with Executive Officers to offer a deeper look inside the company. The remainder of this interview to follow.

13:06 EDT Remark not a 'one trick pony,' CEO Shing Tao says

13:06 EDT Remark CEO says demand 'overwhelming' as world faces COVID pandemic

13:01 EDT Endo rallies off lows after filing for Vasostrict patent settlement - A filing with the United States District Court of New Jersey indicates that Par Pharmaceutical, Par Sterile Products, and Endo Par Innovation Company (ENDP) entered into a settlement agreement resolving all of the claims asserted in a case with Novartis' (NVS) unit Sandoz regarding Vasostrict. The parties have asked for the case to be dismissed, a lawyer for Par states in a letter made public on the court's website. Shares of Endo have rallied off their lows but remain down 12c at $3.59 in afternoon trading.

12:51 EDT Endo rallies amid speculation of Vasostrict patent settlement - The move higher in shares of Endo International (ENDP) is being attributed to speculation of a settlement with Novartis (NVS) unit Sandoz regarding Vasostrict. Shares of Endo ralied off their lows but remain down 2c to $3.69.

12:23 EDT Natera files patent suit against Progenity, Inc. - Natera filed suit today against Progenity, Inc. for infringing six patents: U.S. Patents 9,228,234; 9,424,392; 10,227,652; 10,240,202; 10,266,893; and 10,522,242. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and alleges that the use and sale of Progenity's non-invasive prenatal test infringe the six Asserted Patents. Natera seeks injunctive relief as well as monetary damages.

12:00 EDT Talos Energy falls -11.0% - Talos Energy is down -11.0%, or -$1.53 to $12.32.

12:00 EDT CoreCivic falls -16.0% - CoreCivic is down -16.0%, or -$2.00 to $10.52.

12:00 EDT Leaf Group rises 14.7% - Leaf Group is up 14.7%, or 42c to $3.33.

11:58 EDT Cinedigm regains compliance with Nasdaq listing rule - Cinedigm received formal notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market that the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), which requires the Company's common stock to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share. The Nasdaq staff made this determination of compliance after the closing bid price of the Company's common stock was at $1.00 per share or greater for the prior 10 consecutive business days. Nasdaq had previously notified the Company of its non-compliance with Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) on October 11, 2019, following 30 consecutive business days for which the closing bid price of the Company's common stock did not meet the $1.00 per share minimum requirement.

11:40 EDT Pokemon Company unveils new games, including New Pokemon Snap - Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokemon Company, unveiled a broad range of new video games, apps, and more during a Pokemon Presents video presentation. These experiences will enable players everywhere to interact with Pokemon in a variety of new ways. The Isle of Armor, the first set of content in the Pokemon Sword Expansion Pass and the Pokemon Shield Expansion Pass, also launches today worldwide. This downloadable content for the blockbuster Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield video games is available for purchase in Nintendo eShop and allows Trainers to continue their adventures in the Galar region. In addition, the New Pokemon Snap game for the Nintendo Switch system is based on its namesake, which was first released for the Nintendo 64 console in 1999. This game will take Trainers on an adventure to unknown islands overflowing with natural sights such as jungles and beaches, where they can research various Pokemon in their natural habitats. They will take photos to make their very own in-game Pokemon Photodex, all while discovering new, never-before-seen Pokemon expressions and behaviors. The company also introduced Pokemon Cafe Mix, a free-to-start game for Nintendo Switch systems and mobile devices. Pokemon Cafe Mix is a unique puzzle game where players can link Pokemon icons together by swirling them around. To link icons, players will need to grab a Pokemon icon and drag it next to another icon of the same Pokemon species. Icons will be cleared after they are linked together. In collaboration with Niantic, The Pokemon Company announced that Mega-Evolved Pokemon will appear in the real world in Pokemon GO. Fans can look forward to experiencing a new take on Mega Evolution that takes advantage of Pokemon GO's unique gameplay. In addition, Pokemon Smile uses a mobile device's camera to observe the player's toothbrushing activity. If the player skillfully brushes their teeth, they can defeat cavity-causing bacteria depicted in the game and then catch Pokemon. The game will guide the user through the toothbrushing process, so each playthrough can help them brush all areas in their mouth.

11:10 EDT Nomura, crypto partners launch digital asset custodian Komainu - Nomura,digital asset security company Ledger, and digital asset investment house CoinShares shared further details of Komainu, a digital asset custody business for institutional investors. The companies said, "Komainu is the first hybrid institutional-grade custodian for institutional investors designed by finance and security leaders with the belief that decentralised finance needs to be institutionalised, regulatory compliant and secure for institutions looking to incorporate digital assets into their investment strategies. Komainu is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission as a custodian and depositary and provides custody for a range of digital assets on an institutionally compliant platform powered bya Ledger bespoke environment. Through the partnership, Komainu draws on expertise from banking, fund management and cyber-security and provides an optimised application-based solution allowing multi-asset support benefits, regulatory compliance and insurance, while giving peace of mind to digital asset owners with built-in security protocols. The hybrid custody solution has the capability to integrate with legacy financial systems and works to seamlessly overlay services to complement native processes. Komainu only supports clients and tokens that satisfy AML and provenance requirements." Komainu will be led by a team handpicked by leadership from Nomura, Ledger and CoinShares. Jean-Marie Mognetti, Co-Founder and CEO of CoinShares, will also take the helm of Komainu. Kenton Farmer will serve as Head of Operations, Andrew Morfill joins Komainu as Chief Information Security Officer and Susan Patterson as Head of Regulatory Affairs.

10:49 EDT SEC 'has comments' on Hertz disclosures related to stock issuance plans - SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, speaking on CNBC, said the regulator "has comments" on Hertz's disclosures related to the company's plans to issue new shares, adding that the SEC will work through its issues with Hertz and must follow "due process."

10:31 EDT Cinemark confirms phased reopening of theatres with enhanced protocols - Cinemark Holdings announces the phased reopening of its theatres. Cinemark will kick off its four-phased reopening with select Dallas-area theatres beginning Friday, June 19, with the remaining phases to take place between July 3 and July 17. All will reopen with enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols and showcase some of moviegoers' favorite films before welcoming this year's newest hits.To ensure moviegoer confidence and peace of mind, all Cinemark theatres will uphold enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols as well as have elevated expectations for employees and guests. Employees will undergo extensive training prior to reopening and will wear face masks and gloves while working, in addition to completing a wellness check-in prior to every shift. Each theatre will also have a designated Chief Clean and Safety Monitor on duty to ensure the highest standards of safety, physical distancing, cleanliness and sanitization. Cinemark said "All public and high-touch spaces, such as concession stands, door handles, drink stations, self-ticketing kiosks, benches and restrooms will be thoroughly sanitized every 30 minutes using products identified by the EPA to be effective in eliminating COVID-19. Each auditorium will be disinfected every morning, and all handrails and occupied seats, along with those on either side, will be sanitized between show times. All theatres will reopen with reduced operating hours and staggered showtimes to maximize physical distancing. For additional assurance, there will be seat wipes and ample hand sanitizer available for customer use. In accordance with CDC recommendations, guests are strongly encouraged to wear face masks. Where applicable, Cinemark will adhere to local policies that require residents to wear face masks in public."

10:29 EDT T-Mobile says network outage due to fiber circuit failure - In an update yesterday, T-Mobile president of technology Neville Ray said, "Many of our customers experienced a voice and text issue yesterday, specifically with VoLTE calling. My team took immediate action -- hundreds of our engineers worked tirelessly alongside vendors and partners throughout the day to resolve the issue starting the minute we were aware of it. Data connections continued to work, as did our non-VoLTE calling for many customers and services like FaceTime, iMessage, Google Meet, Google Duo, Zoom, Skype and others allowed our customers to stay in touch. Additionally, many customers were able to use circuit-switched voice connections and customers on the Sprint network were unaffected. VoLTE and text in all regions were fully recovered by 10 p.m. PDT last night. I'm happy to say the network is fully operational... and we're working day in and day out to keep it that way. Our engineers worked through the night to understand the root cause of yesterday's issues, address it and prevent it from happening again. The trigger event is known to be a leased fiber circuit failure from a third party provider in the Southeast. This is something that happens on every mobile network, so we've worked with our vendors to build redundancy and resiliency to make sure that these types of circuit failures don't affect customers. This redundancy failed us and resulted in an overload situation that was then compounded by other factors. This overload resulted in an IP traffic storm that spread from the Southeast to create significant capacity issues across the IMS core network that supports VoLTE calls. We have worked with our IMS and IP vendors to add permanent additional safeguards to prevent this from happening again and we're continuing to work on determining the cause of the initial overload failure."Reference Link

10:07 EDT Deere announces new Smart Industrial Operating Model - Deere & Company announced "a new vision and operating model in order to accelerate its success in the integration of smart technology innovation with Deere's legacy of manufacturing excellence. The Deere Smart Industrial strategy is designed to unlock new value for customers and to help them become more profitable and sustainable, while simultaneously revolutionizing the agriculture and construction industries through the rapid introduction of new technologies." Actions will be concentrated on the following three focus areas: Production Systems: A strategic alignment of products and solutions around Production Systems roadmaps. The new production systems structure enables the company to drive an integrated product roadmap and related investments that span all aspects of a customer's jobs and to more fully meet customer needs. Technology Stack: Investments in technology as well as research and development that deliver intelligent solutions to Deere customers through an intuitive technology stack made up of hardware, embedded software, connectivity, data platforms, and applications. . Lifecycle Solutions: The enterprise integration of Deere's aftermarket and support capabilities to more effectively manage customer equipment, service, and technology needs across the full lifetime of a John Deere product, and with a specific lifecycle solution focus on the ownership experience. Effective June 16, 2020, the following individuals will lead redesigned or newly created business units under the Smart Industrial Operating Model: Cory Reed has been appointed to the new role of President, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division for Production & Precision Agriculture Equipment and for the Sales & Marketing Regions of the Americas and Australia. In this new role, Reed will be responsible for leading a team to define, develop, and deliver equipment solutions to unlock customer value for production-scale growers in large grains, small grains, and cotton/sugar. Markwart von Pentz has been appointed to the new role of President, Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division for Small Ag & Turf and for the Sales & Marketing Regions of Europe, CIS, Asia and Africa. Von Pentz and his team will be responsible for defining, developing, and delivering fit-for-purpose products and solutions to support mid-size and small growers globally, as well as for turf customers. The unit is principally organized around production systems for dairy and livestock as well as high-value crops. Recently appointed as SVP, Intelligent Solutions Group, Jahmy Hindman has been named to a new position as the CTO, reporting to the CEO. Hindman will oversee the Intelligent Solutions Group, responsible for Deere's end-to-end technology stack, shared enterprise engineering, and John Deere Electronic Solutions product delivery. Marc Howze, currently serving as CAO, will continue in that role while also assuming enhanced responsibilities in a new role as Group President, Lifecycle Solutions - responsible for leading a team focused on the enterprise-level integration of aftermarket and support capabilities, and a focus on the full ownership experience over the lifetime of Deere's products.

10:00 EDT Geo Group falls -7.2% - Geo Group is down -7.2%, or -94c to $12.26.

10:00 EDT CoreCivic falls -17.3% - CoreCivic is down -17.3%, or -$2.16 to $10.36.

10:00 EDT Koppers Holdings rises 13.5% - Koppers Holdings is up 13.5%, or $2.43 to $20.37.

09:47 EDT Regis falls -6.7% - Regis is down -6.7%, or -68c to $9.47.

09:47 EDT CoreCivic falls -18.7% - CoreCivic is down -18.7%, or -$2.34 to $10.18.

09:47 EDT Koppers Holdings rises 8.9% - Koppers Holdings is up 8.9%, or $1.59 to $19.53.

09:43 EDT STMicroelectronics board appoints Maurizio Tamagnini as chairman - Following the conclusion of the STMicroelectronics Annual General Meeting, which took place in Schiphol, the members of the Supervisory Board appointed Mr. Maurizio Tamagnini as the Chairman and Mr. Nicolas Dufourcq as the Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board, respectively, for a 3-year term to expire at the end of the 2023 AGM.

09:36 EDT Urban One trading resumes

09:30 EDT Prescience Point issues negative research report on Enphase Energy - Prescience Point Capital Management published a negative research report supporting its short position in shares of Enphase Energy. "Prescience Point has been closely scrutinizing Enphase for over two years and we believe the company's financial performance has become increasingly disconnected from reality since our initial reports were published in July 2018 and August 2018. Following our latest investigation, which included interviews of numerous former employees, we believe that Enphase's financial reports are not reliable, and that the 4,653% increase in its share price since CEO Badri Kothandaraman was promoted to CEO is unwarranted." "The explosive growth that Enphase has reported to investors over the last two years is nothing but a sham which has lined the pockets of those at the top of the company," said Eiad Asbahi, Founder and Portfolio Manager of Prescience Point. "We believe the evidence presented in our report will result in multiple government investigations, a major accounting restatement, shareholder lawsuits and a delisting of ENPH shares from the NASDAQ." "Our research suggests that at least 39%, or $205 million, of US revenue reported by the company is potentially fabricated, as is a significant portion of the company's international revenue. Multiple former employees in India independently told our private investigators that Enphase was fabricating figures it reports publicly, and that the company is using overseas operations to help executives perpetrate potential accounting violations. Our research also suggests that Enphase executives and board members, as well as its previous largest shareholder, likely learned of the existence of our private investigation. This is supported by the unprecedented number of shares these parties sold from late-May to mid-June, which is right around the time that our private investigation had wrapped up. Their timing and shear magnitude of sales appears to be a rush for the exits ahead of Enphase's coming downfall."

09:24 EDT Lantern Pharma announces two presentations at AACR Annual Meeting - Lantern Pharma announced today that it will make two presentations at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting, a meeting of global leaders in cancer research taking place from June 22-24, 2020. They represent the Company's first two presentations since its IPO and subsequent listing on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol 'LTRN.' Each presentation will examine Lantern Pharma's use of its A.I. platform, RADR, in the development of LP-184, one of three cancer drugs in Lantern Pharma's pipeline. The first abstract will focus on LP-184's unique features, including its nanomolar potency and its activity in multi-drug resistant tumors, while the second abstract will highlight Lantern Pharma's use of machine learning, specifically artificial neural networks, to pinpoint a genomic signature most closely correlated with predicting response to LP-184 across a range of solid tumors and central nervous system cancers. This signature is aimed at facilitating treatments using LP-184 through genomics-guided therapy. LP-184 is a drug candidate in preclinical development, which has shown early indications of efficacy in solid tumors, as well as in glioblastoma and CNS cancers with specific genetic and biomarker profiles. RADR is Lantern Pharma's proprietary A.I. and machine learning platform, which leverages over 275 million data points across more than 140 drug-tumor interactions to predict the potential response patients will have to Lantern Pharma's cancer drug candidates and to other drugs that it is reviewing and analyzing. Lantern Pharma continues expanding RADR with additional real-world data points, tumor-specific data sets, proprietary experimental data and validated drug-tumor models. The company is actively developing additional collaborations and partnerships that will help expand RADR both in terms of datasets and functionality.

09:13 EDT Beanfield Metroconnect leverages DZS platforms to expand gigabit services - DASAN Zhone Solutions announced that fiber overbuilder and long-time partner Beanfield Metroconnect is leveraging DZS platforms and solutions as it brings its highly successful portfolio of residential and business broadband services to Montreal, Canada. A specialist in providing a full spectrum of advanced broadband and networking services to multi-dwelling units, multi-tenant units and small businesses, DZS has been a key strategic supplier to the company as it has grown from just two buildings served at the beginning of the relationship to over 2800 buildings served today. With over 700 buildings in Toronto already leveraging DZS multi-terabit MXK platforms, zNID optical network terminals and GPON technology to deliver symmetrical gigabit services, digital television, and voice services, Beanfield will look to DZS to enable world-class services to many of its recently acquired MDU, MTU, and campus buildings in Montreal as well as to new potential customers within reach of what is, according to Beanfield, the largest independent fiber-optic network covering Canada's two largest cities.

09:12 EDT Singing Machine secures $12.5M revolving credit facility - The Singing Machine Company announced it has executed a tri-party Intercreditor Agreement for a Revolving Line of Credit on eligible accounts receivable and inventory. On June 16, 2020 the Company entered into a two-year Loan and Security Agreement for a $10,000,000 financing facility with Crestmark, a division of Meta Bank on eligible accounts receivable. Further, the Company also executed a two-year Loan and Security Agreement with Iron Horse Credit for up to $2,500,000 in inventory financing. The combined facility provides the Company with up to $12,500,000 in financing during the Company's peak season. The Facility allows for the Company to borrow against eligible accounts receivable and inventory to provide working capital to operate the business. Interest on the loan with Crestmark is Prime Rate plus 5.5% and interest on the loan with Iron Horse is 15.5% p.a.

09:09 EDT Tandem Diabetes announces FDA clearance of expanded t:slim X2 indication - Tandem Diabetes announced FDA clearance of an expanded pediatric indication for the t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ technology to children age six and older. The product was previously approved for ages 14 and older. Control-IQ technology is an advanced hybrid closed-loop feature designed to increase time in range. Control-IQ technology helps simplify diabetes management for younger patients by adjusting insulin delivery to help prevent highs and lows, automatically delivering correction boluses up to once per hour, and offering exercise and sleep-specific features. Integrated with Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring, or CGM, Control-IQ technology requires no fingersticks for calibration or diabetes treatment decisions. In a recent six-month study of children age 6 to 13 using the t:slim X2 pump with Control-IQ technology, sensor time in range increased to 67% from 53% compared to those in the control group using sensor-augmented pump alone. Overnight, children using Control-IQ technology in the same study stayed in range an average of 80% of the time, compared to 54% in the control group. This data from the International Diabetes Closed Loop Protocol-5, or DCLP5, study, funded by the National Institutes of Health was presented earlier this year at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes, or ATTD.

09:09 EDT Southwest estimates approximately 24 months of liquidity - In a regulatory filing earlier, Southwest gave updated guidance regarding its financial and operational trends. Southwest said: "Based on current cash and short-term investments of $13.9B, the remaining $978M of PSP proceeds to be received in June and July 2020, and estimated average daily cash burn of approximately $20M in June 2020, the company currently estimates approximately 24 months of liquidity. This compares favorably with the company's previous estimate of approximately 20 months of liquidity, primarily due to modest improvements in revenue estimates in second quarter 2020. The company currently has unencumbered assets worth approximately $12.0B, including approximately $10.0B in aircraft, an increase of approximately $4.5B from previous estimates as a result of collateral released due to the termination of the 364-Day Credit Agreement, as discussed in Item 1.02 above. The company also has adjusted debt to average invested capital of 49 percent and is the only U.S. airline with an investment-grade rating by all three rating agencies."

09:07 EDT Southwest sees Q2 capacity to decrease 50%-60% year-over-year - In a regulatory filing earlier, Southwest gave updated guidance regarding its financial and operational trends. Southwest said: "The company has published its flight schedule for sale through January 4, 2021. The company currently estimates its second quarter 2020 capacity to decrease in the range of 50 to 60 percent, year-over-year. The company currently has approximately 140 aircraft in long-term storage or temporary parking, including the company's 34 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that were grounded as of March 13, 2019, to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration emergency order issued for all U.S. airlines to ground all MAX aircraft. For the remainder of 2020, the company continues to plan for multiple scenarios for its fleet and capacity plans given the uncertain revenue environment. As such, the company's actual flown capacity for the remainder of 2020 may differ materially from currently published schedules. In order to provide flexibility for the company to prepare for the continuation of reduced flight activity for the remainder of 2020, it recently launched extended emergency time off and voluntary separation programs. Employees have until July 15, 2020 to elect to participate in these voluntary programs. Based on the company's existing fuel derivative contracts and market prices as of June 11, 2020, second quarter 2020 economic fuel costs are estimated to be in the range of $1.25 to $1.35 per gallon, including $24 million, or $.12 per gallon, in premium expense and no cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts. This compares unfavorably with the company's previous estimate of second quarter economic fuel costs in the range of $1.00 to $1.10 per gallon, including $24 million, or $.12 per gallon, in premium expense and no cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts."

09:06 EDT Twinlab appoints Candice St. Pierre as head of sales - Twinlab Consolidated Holdings named a new head of sales to drive business growth and expand channel distribution. Candice St. Pierre will assume an executive leadership role and is accountable for building and strengthening sales performance within the Natural, Health Professional, Specialty, and FDM channels, heightening customer experience and engagement, and building strong market share across an evolving consumer and market landscape. She will also lead multi-functional teams to deliver on the TCC Mission & Vision across our family of legacy brands. Prior to joining TCC, Candice held sales management roles at Corr-Jensen and Atkins Nutritionals.

09:03 EDT MySize expects one million size recommendations for MySizeID in June - My Size's MySizeID projects to achieve one million size recommendations for June. Monthly traffic, as measured by the MySizeID engine, has increased 800% over the past four months. MySizeID is a size-recommendation solution based on shoppers' personal body measurements, taken with their smartphone sensors without using the camera and the retailer's garment specs.

09:02 EDT Sirius XM acquires Simplecast, terms not disclosed - SiriusXM announced the acquisition of Simplecast, "a leading podcast management platform that enables podcasters to publish, manage, and measure their content." The Simplecast solution, paired with the award-winning monetization platform of AdsWizz, the adtech subsidiary of SiriusXM, creates an end-to-end solution that enables creators to publish and generate revenue from their podcasts, all in one place.

08:55 EDT City of Portland upgrades EV infrastructure with 14 Blink Chargers - Blink Charging announced that it has expanded the deployment of its industry-leading IQ 200 charging stations with the City of Portland, Oregon, across multiple parking garages. Portland installed the first Blink charging station in 2012, and this agreement expands the number of Blink charging stations to 14 across the city. Seven Blink IQ 200 charging stations were installed at the City's 10th & Yamhill SmartPark Garage located in the heart of downtown Portland. This parking garage recently underwent a facility upgrade and was fitted with an additional six 80-amp circuit breakers specifically for use with Blink's Blink IQ 200 units, capable of delivering 19.2 kWh. The seventh charging station took advantage of existing wiring at the facility.

08:52 EDT 9F Inc sees Q2 total loan origination volume RMB1B-RMB1.2B - The Company currently expects total loan origination volume to be in the range of RMB1B to RMB1.2B for the second quarter of 2020.

08:51 EDT Atara Biotherapeutics announces first patient enrolled in ATA188 Phase 1b study - Atara Biotherapeutics announced the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 1b study of ATA188, an off-the-shelf, allogeneic EBV-specific T-cell immunotherapy, in patients with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, or MS. Atara said in a release, "The Phase 1b study is a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ATA188. In addition to measuring change in disability measures compared to baseline, especially sustained improvement over time, the Phase 1b study will also include multiple measures of patients' function as well as various biomarkers. Types of data to be collected include: standard disability measures (EDSS, timed 25 foot walk test, 9 hole peg test); cognition and outpatient ambulatory activity; patient-reported fatigue; visual acuity; biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF; and, MRI imaging."

08:42 EDT Koppers Holdings to cease production at Denver, Colorado treating facility - Koppers plans to cease production activities at its treating facility located in Denver, Colorado. The company has targeted August 2020 for discontinuing activities at the Denver location. The company expects this action to result in total pre-tax charges to earnings of up to $13M through June 2021, which includes approximately $2M of non-cash accelerated depreciation to be recorded through August 2020. The closure costs as well as anticipated future investments to upgrade and modernize parts of its treating network will be primarily funded through proceeds from the sale of non-core assets, including the Denver facility and other plant closures. The upgrades contemplate an increase to treating capacity at a yet to be determined facility. Regarding the sale of its Koppers Carbon Chemical Company, a 75% owned China coal tar distillation business, the facility was shut down in 4Q19 for planned maintenance and remained closed through much of March 2020 due to concerns related to COVID-19. The company anticipates the closing of the sale to occur during the timeframe of July to mid-August. Koppers expects to realize approximately $65M of net cash, after taxes and expenses, and plans to apply the cash proceeds toward debt reduction.

08:39 EDT Acreage Holdings enters definitive funding agreement for $15M - Acreage Holdings announced it entered into a short-term definitive funding agreement with an institutional investor for a total of $15,000,000 in gross proceeds. The secured note has a maturity date of four months and bears interest at a per annum rate of 60%. It is secured by, among other items, the Company's cannabis operations in Illinois, New Jersey and Florida, as well as the Company's U.S. intellectual property. In the event of default, the Company is further obligated to pay to Lender an additional fee of $6,000,000. The Company may pre-pay the note without penalty or premium at any time following the 90th day following the closing. Acreage expects to use the proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes.

08:38 EDT Yield10 begins 2020 field test program to evaluate Camelina, canola traits - Yield10 Bioscience announced it has begun its 2020 Field Test Program based on the recent completion of planting at all sites contracted for the trials in the United States and Canada. Yield10's 2020 Field Test Program is designed to evaluate several novel traits in Camelina and canola and the Company expects to harvest the plants and begin reporting data from the field tests in the fourth quarter of 2020. A summary of the 2020 Field Test Program: Camelina/C3004: C3004 is a trait designed to increase seed yield that has shown promise in previous greenhouse and growth chamber experiments. Camelina/CRISPR E3902: E3902 is a CRISPR genome-edited trait designed to boost oil content. This line demonstrated positive results in 2019 field tests. Camelina/CRISPR C3007: C3007 is a CRISPR genome-edited trait designed to boost oil content. This is the first season of field testing the trait. Camelina/C3014 and C3015: Yield10 has designed a novel trait and reprogrammed Camelina to produce PHA biomaterial as a third seed product. This is the first season of field tests for the trait. Canola/C3004: C3004 is a trait designed to increase seed yield. This is the first season of field testing the trait in canola. Canola/C3003: Yield10 will grow 14 new canola/C3003 commercial quality lines for seed bulk up in the field in 2020 that the Company plans to field test in 2021. C3003 is a seed yield trait. In the field tests of its novel traits in Camelina and canola, Yield10 is monitoring key agronomic and growth parameters of the plants throughout the growth period. Yield10 also plans to evaluate seed yield, oil content, PHA content and/or other parameters of the traits as appropriate after seed harvest. The field tests are designed to generate data on the performance of the novel traits under field conditions and to advance the development of the traits toward commercialization. The program will also generate field grown seed for subsequent field studies.

08:35 EDT Red Robin raises $30M through ATM equity offering program - Red Robin announced that it has raised approximately $30M through its at-the-market equity offering program, or ATM program, satisfying the terms of its amended credit agreement. The issuance of this equity meets the "Minimum Capital Event" as defined in the first amendment to credit agreement and waiver to the company's amended and restated credit agreement. Therefore, the lenders have suspended the application of the leverage ratio covenant and FCCR covenant, in each case, through December 27 and increased the maximum leverage permitted for purposes of the leverage ratio covenant for each of the first three fiscal quarters ending in 2021. The company intends to use the net proceeds from sales of shares of its common stock under the ATM program for general corporate purposes, including repayment of indebtedness.

08:34 EDT Fluidigm announces collaboration with Bethyl Laboratories - Fluidigm Corporation announced a collaboration with Bethyl Laboratories to provide broader verified antibody access for researchers using Fluidigm's Imaging Mass Cytometry technology. Bethyl Laboratories has a portfolio of more than 9,500 primary and secondary antibodies, including the recombinant monoclonal antibodies that are well-suited for imaging studies. Through the new collaboration, antibody products manufactured by Bethyl will be verified on the Hyperion Imaging System and offered to Fluidigm customers. Fluidigm currently offers more than 100 pathologist-verified metal-conjugated Maxpar antibodies for use with IMC, including antibodies verified for use with both formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and frozen tissues. These preconjugated antibodies enable researchers to obtain highly multiplexed images of a large number of sample types. With the additional offerings through Bethyl, Fluidigm will provide access to a collection of antibodies that will increase in number over time and branch into new research areas for IMC.

08:31 EDT AllianceBernstein acquires AnchorPath Financial, terms not disclosed - AllianceBernstein announced that AB acquired AnchorPath Financial earlier during the second quarter. AnchorPath, an investment management firm founded in 2009, has developed a cost-effective strategy that integrates proprietary, pro-active risk control while providing liquidity and transparency.

08:29 EDT IsoRay, University of Cincinnati Physicians Company sign research agreement - Isoray announced that it has entered into a research grant agreement with the University of Cincinnati Physicians Company for a study involving the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancers. University of Cincinnati Physicians Company is the multispecialty practice group for University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and UC Health. The planned trial will evaluate the safety and early effectiveness of the addition of pembrolizumab to the regimen of Cesium-131 with surgical resection. Pembrolizumab is a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy. A total of 50 patients whose head and neck cancers have recurred and who are eligible for surgical resection are planned to be enrolled. The study, A Trial Combining Pembrolizumab and Cesium-131 Brachytherapy with Salvage Surgery in Head & Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, will be carried out under the direction of principal investigators Dr. Shuchi Gulati and Dr. Chad Zender at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. There is potential for other centers to participate in the study. Cancers of the head and neck that recur following the usual primary treatment involving surgery and radiation are difficult to successfully treat. Recurrence rates of 50% that occur at two years are typical. The use of immunotherapy in this study in tandem with resection and Cesium-131 brachytherapy presents an attractive therapeutic concept. In this approach, the patient's immune system may assist in the clearing of disease sites outside the surgical and radiation fields. A previous multi-institutional study has provided evidence that the use of Cesium-131 with surgical resection is well-tolerated in the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancers.

08:28 EDT AT&T CFO: 'Happy' with HBO Max launch after three weeks - Comments taken from the Credit Suisse conference.

08:26 EDT IMAC announces analysis of treatment outcomes for musculoskeletal conditions - IMAC Holdings announced results from an extensive internal analysis of treatment outcomes for musculoskeletal conditions performed at IMAC Regeneration Centers, which showed approximately 81% of IMAC patients reported improvement in movement. IMAC analyzed functional disabilities primarily affecting the knees, lower back, neck, shoulders, hips, legs and ankles. Data was collected from patients during initial examinations, re-examinations and at discharge intervals in patients' care plans. IMAC examined patient functional improvement following treatment at IMAC Regeneration Centers between 2017 and 2019 utilizing standardized disability indexes for the categories listed above. A total of 828 patients were evaluated with each patient receiving non-opioid medical treatments in combination with physical therapy. More than 81%, or 678, exhibited improvement in functionality from 1% to 79%. Eight patients regressed at least 1%, and 142 patients showed no change in functional ability. The average starting disability score among all patients evaluated was 64.68%, and the average disability score following treatment was 38.34%, for an average improvement in functional ability of 40.7%. In IMAC's analysis, the percentage of patients reporting improvement for each disability category was as follows: 81% of those treated for knee conditions, 81% of those treated for lower back conditions, 92% of those treated for neck conditions, 72% of those treated for shoulder conditions, 78% treated for hip conditions, 86% treated for leg conditions and 80% of those with ankle conditions. Patients included in IMAC's analysis had a minimum of 20% functional disability for each condition evaluated. The average treatment duration was 80.25 days, and the average patient age was 72.4 years.

08:21 EDT Kiniksa announces publication of clinical outcomes with mavrilimumab in COVID-19 - Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals announced that clinical outcomes data from the open-label treatment protocol with mavrilimumab, an investigational fully-human monoclonal antibody that targets granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor alpha, in severe coronavirus 2019 pneumonia and hyperinflammation were published in The Lancet Rheumatology. The 28-day clinical outcomes data from the open-label treatment protocol with mavrilimumab are described in a manuscript by De Luca et al1 entitled, "GM-CSF Blockade with Mavrilimumab in Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia and Systemic Hyperinflammation: A Single-Centre, Prospective Cohort Study." The publication also includes an accompanying editorial highlighting the similarities between the aberrant immune response in COVID-19-related hyperinflammation and the cytokine release syndrome induced by chimeric antigen receptor T therapy. Furthermore, the editorial is supportive of the rationale for granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor pathway inhibition in the treatment of immune-mediated conditions where upstream modulation of the inflammatory cascade could be advantageous. Kiniksa has an active investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of mavrilimumab in severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. The Phase 2/3 clinical trial protocol is a global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mavrilimumab relative to placebo in addition to standard of care therapy in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. Additionally, an investigator-initiated placebo-controlled study in the U.S. is enrolling patients. Kiniksa and Kite, a Gilead company, entered into a clinical collaboration evaluating the investigational combination of Yescarta and mavrilimumab in relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The objective of the trial is to determine the effect of mavrilimumab on the safety of Yescarta. Preclinical evidence shows the potential for interruption of GM-CSF signaling to disrupt CAR T cell-mediated inflammation without disrupting anti-tumor efficacy. The Phase 2 trial is expected to commence in the second half of 2020.

08:17 EDT Windstream partners with Infinera to transmit 800G over 730km - Infinera (INFN) and Windstream (WINMQ) announced the completion of a live network trial that successfully achieved 800 gigabits per second single-wavelength transmission over 730 kilometers (km) across Windstream's long-haul network between San Diego and Phoenix. In addition to the industry-leading real-world performance at 800G, Windstream and Infinera set another industry record by looping back the signal to achieve a 700G transmission over 1,460 km. The trial was performed using Infinera's fifth-generation coherent optical technology, ICE6 (Infinite Capacity Engine), equipped in a Groove Series platform over industry-standard G.652-compliant SMF-28 fiber, with both signal rates achieving a performance level that met Windstream's production network deployment standards.

08:14 EDT Beyond Meat launches Cookout Classic burger ten-pack - Beyond Meat (BYND) announced the introduction of Cookout Classic, a limited edition burger 10-pack available at a majority of Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) stores nationwide and select retailers across the U.S. beginning the week of June 22. Sold in the frozen meat aisle with a suggested retail price of $15.99, the new offering will be available through mid-August, or until supplies last. .

08:10 EDT CoreCivic suspends dividend amid evaluation of corporate structure - CoreCivic announced that its Board of Directors has elected to evaluate corporate structure and capital allocation alternatives. The Board has concurrently decided to suspend the Company's quarterly dividend while it assesses how best to use its substantial free cash flow to enhance service excellence, build shareholder value, and offer and implement unique solutions for our government partners and the communities we serve together. As a real estate investment trust, CoreCivic is required to pay out most of the Company's earnings in dividends, which requires it to rely on the capital markets to fund future growth. The company said, "Management is confident that the action taken on the dividend as a first step will not impact the Company's status as a REIT for the 2020 tax year, as the Company expects to substantially reduce its minimum distribution requirement under provisions in the CARES Act. The next step of the process will be to evaluate alternative corporate structure and capital allocation strategies to determine the best approach to maximize long-term shareholder value, while also retaining flexibility for addressing the needs of our government partners and communities. The process will include an analysis of potential opportunities to recycle capital invested in certain leased assets. CoreCivic has engaged Moelis & Company as financial advisor and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC and Latham & Watkins, LLP as legal advisors to assist in the process. The Company expects to finalize this evaluation in the third quarter of 2020."

08:09 EDT Chipotle expands digital platform, launches app in Canada - Chipotle introduced a series of innovations to its digital platform to increase access and convenience for guests, including the introduction of the Chipotle app in Canada. Chipotle is introducing a series of enhancements to its mobile ordering capabilities. Beginning June 22, customers can order on Messenger. Orders will be created for mobile pickup or delivery. Chipotle will also be leveraging the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com as a donation platform.

08:07 EDT Outlook Therapeutics expects topline results from NORSE 1 study in August - Outlook Therapeutics provided a clinical update for ONS-5010 / LYTENAVA, the Company's investigational ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab. Outlook Therapeutics is currently conducting two registration clinical trials for ONS-5010. At an End-of-Phase 2 meeting in April 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted the study design / size for the NORSE 1 and NORSE 2 trials and confirmed that each of them is acceptable and may support a new biologics license application under the 351(a) regulatory pathway toward approval for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. The NORSE 1 clinical trial completed enrollment in August 2019 and is on pace to report topline data in August 2020. NORSE 1 enrolled a total of 61 treatment naive and previously treated patients at nine sites in Australia. NORSE 1 will provide initial safety and efficacy data for ONS-5010 in wet AMD patients for ONS-5010 dosed monthly compared to LUCENTIS dosed using the PIER alternative dosing regimen of three monthly doses followed by quarterly dosing. The NORSE 2 clinical trial commenced patient enrollment in July 2019 and is expected to enroll a total of approximately 220 treatment naive patients at more than 40 clinical trial sites in the United States. NORSE 2 has currently enrolled 204 of the 220 patients. Patients in the trial will be treated for 12 months. The primary outcome of the study at Month 11 is a statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients who gain at least 15 letters in the best corrected visual acuity for ONS-5010 over LUCENTIS, which is being dosed quarterly per the PIER regimen. The Company expects to report pivotal safety and efficacy data in the third calendar quarter of 2021. The NORSE 3 open-label safety study will be conducted to ensure the adequate number of safety exposures to ONS-5010 are available for the initial regulatory filings. In total, approximately 180 patients are expected to be enrolled in several different vascular and inflammatory retinal diseases where an anti-VEGF drug can be used as a therapeutic option. Patients in NORSE 3 will receive three doses of ONS-5010 over three months. In addition to NORSE 1 and NORSE 2 evaluating ONS-5010 for wet AMD, Outlook Therapeutics has received agreement from the FDA on three Special Protocol Assessments (SPAs), for three additional registration clinical trials. These SPAs cover the protocols for NORSE 4, a planned registration clinical trial evaluating ONS-5010 to treat branch retinal vein occlusion or BRVO, and NORSE 5 and NORSE 6, two planned registration clinical trials evaluating ONS-5010 for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, or DME. The Company intends to complete development of ONS-5010 for submission to the FDA as a new BLA under the 351(a) PHSA regulatory pathway for the treatment of wet AMD. The Company also has plans to submit for regulatory approvals in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan, as well as other countries. If approved, ONS-5010 will be the first and only on-label ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab for treating retinal diseases and has the potential to address a $9.1 billion anti-VEGF market.

08:06 EDT Axcella issued 2 new patents covering AXA1665 - Axcella announced the issuance of two new patents: U.S. Patent 10,682,325 and U.S. Patent 10,660,870. Axcella said in a release, "These are the first patents related to Axcella's family of applications for AXA1665, the company's product candidate for the reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence. U.S. Patent 10,682,325 covers the composition of AXA1665 as well as other related EMM compositions. U.S. Patent 10,660,870 focuses on methods of use for these EMM compositions in treating a liver disease or disorder involving hyperammonemia and/or muscle wasting."

08:04 EDT Hudson enters partnership with Luxottica for in-store Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops - Hudson unveiled its plans for in-store Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops as part of a new strategic venture with Luxottica Group. The companies said in a release, "By partnering with Luxottica, Hudson will bring a unique and innovative sunglass experience to its travel convenience concepts, capturing the attention of customers shopping for eyewear and impulse buyers alike. The partnership will allow Hudson to open 250 Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops within its Hudson and localized convenience concepts across North America. After a successful pilot at Richmond International Airport earlier this year, Hudson plans to open 9 additional shop-in-shops by August, with a phased approach continuing into 2022. The Sunglass Hut shop-in-shops will be powered by STARS, Luxottica's advanced business model designed to manage store product assortment. Leveraging Luxottica's sunglass expertise, the model ensures the right products are offered to customers while monitoring and replenishing low inventory regularly. Hudson team members will leverage Luxottica and Sunglass Hut's proprietary digital training solution to undergo extensive knowledge training on the sunglass collections, which includes material construction, sales techniques, sunglass fashion, and brand DNA."

08:02 EDT Akero Therapeutics doses first patient in expansion of Phase 2a trial in NASH - Akero Therapeutics has dosed the first subject in Cohort C, the expansion of its Phase 2a BALANCED trial, which will enroll 30 subjects who have NASH with compensated cirrhosis, Child-Pugh Class A. Thirty adult NASH subjects, demonstrated at baseline by liver biopsy to have cirrhosis with a fibrosis score of 4, will be randomized 2:1 to receive either 50 mg of AKR-001 or placebo for 16 weeks. The primary objective of Cohort C is to assess safety and tolerability of treatment with AKR-001 in NASH patients at greatest risk of progressing to end-stage liver disease.

07:46 EDT Target raises starting wage to $15 per hour for U.S. team members - Target announced a number of industry-leading updates and extensions to its pay and benefits. Beginning July 5, it will permanently raise its starting wage for U.S. team members to $15 per hour. Additionally, the company will give a one-time recognition bonus of $200 to its frontline store and distribution center hourly workers for their efforts throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Starting this week, Target is also offering free access to virtual doctor visits for all team members through the end of the year, regardless of whether they currently subscribe to a Target health care plan. The company also announced additional extensions of a 30-day paid leave for vulnerable team members, as well as free backup care for family members.

07:40 EDT Innovation Pharmaceuticals reports data from ongoing lab testing of brilacidin - Innovation Pharmaceuticals reports receiving data from ongoing laboratory testing being conducted at a U.S. Regional Biocontainment Laboratory. Brilacidin exhibited a statistically significant and potent inhibitory effect on SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, in a human lung epithelial cell line-reducing viral load by 95 percent and by 97 percent, compared to control, at two therapeutic concentrations tested. Based on a CC50 value-the concentration of drug at which 50 percent of cells maintain viability-Brilacidin was also shown to be non-cytotoxic in the lung cell line. The new lung cell line data reinforce previous testing conducted at the RBL, in VERO cells, where Brilacidin showed a similar robust inhibition, of 75 percent, against SARS-CoV-2 compared to control. Brilacidin has also been shown, in testing at the RBL, to be non-cytotoxic in VERO cells. Additional details on the Brilacidin anti-SARS-CoV-2 testing being conducted at the RBL are planned to be submitted for publication upon completion. Testing results observed to date formed the basis for a federal grant application that was submitted last week by the RBL, in collaboration with the Company, proposing to evaluate Brilacidin's potential as a pan-coronavirus therapeutic, with possible extension into other viruses. The Company is in the process of manufacturing Brilacidin for intravenous dosing and will be seeking FDA guidance for a planned COVID-19 clinical study.

07:37 EDT Abeona Therapeutics appoints George Migausky, Paul Mann to board of directors - Abeona Therapeutics (ABEO) announced Board of Director appointments that strengthen and expand the Company's leadership. George Migausky and Paul Mann were appointed as independent directors, effective June 17, 2020. In addition to their Board service, Mr. Migausky will serve as Chairman of the Company's Audit Committee and Mr. Mann will serve as a member of the Audit Committee. Most recently, Migausky served as interim CFO of Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL) and Mann served as CFO at PolarityTE (PTE).

07:33 EDT Armata Pharma awarded $15M Department of Defense contract for bacteriophage drug - Armata Pharmaceuticals has received a $15M award for a three year program from the U.S. Department of Defense through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium with funding from the Defense Health Agency and Joint Warfighter Medical Research Program. Armata will use the award to partially fund a Phase 1b/2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose escalation clinical study of Armata's therapeutic phage-based candidate, AP-SA02, for the treatment of complicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia infections. The primary objectives of the Phase 1b/2 bacteremia study will be to evaluate the safety and tolerability of AP-SA02 as an adjunct to best available antibiotic therapy, and to determine the appropriate dose or doses for future clinical trials of efficacy. Because of the impact of COVID-19 on the company's development programs, Armata does not believe the clinical trial will initiate prior to mid-2021. The clinical trial of AP-PA02 targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa is on target to enroll later this year.

07:30 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics trading resumes

07:20 EDT Oil States amends bank credit agreement - Oil States announced that it has amended its credit agreement. Total lender commitments under the amended revolving credit facility are reduced to $200M in exchange for the suspension of the existing financial covenants from July 1, 2020 through March 30, 2021. The maturity date of the amended credit agreement remains January 30, 2022. During the financial covenant suspension period, borrowing availability under the amended revolving credit facility will be determined by a monthly borrowing base calculated as the sum of 70% of the consolidated net book value of eligible receivables and 20% of the consolidated net book value of eligible inventory. Calculated availability will be further limited during the financial covenant suspension period to the lesser of 85% of the Borrowing Base or $200M. The amended credit agreement contains customary representations, warranties, covenants, terms and conditions for a facility of this type, including limitations on the accumulation of U.S. cash in excess of $45M, incurrence of additional indebtedness and liens, the repayment of other indebtedness, the making of investments, the payment of dividends, the repurchase of shares of common stock and the sale of material amounts of assets. Borrowings outstanding under the amended revolving credit facility will bear interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 2.50% to 3.75%, or at a base rate plus a margin of 1.50% to 2.75%, in each case based on a ratio of the Company's total net funded debt to consolidated EBITDA. Oil States must also pay a quarterly commitment fee of 0.50% based on unused commitments.

07:15 EDT Clearside Biomedical announce presentations at ARVO 2020 meeting - Clearside Biomedical announced today that multiple oral presentations on Clearside's pipeline and its proprietary SCS Microinjector targeting the suprachoroidal space are available online at the ARVO 2020 Meeting. Due to COVID-19, the ARVO 2020 Annual Meeting is being held virtually. Title: Suprachoroidal CLS-AX, as a Potential Long-Acting Therapy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Conclusions: CLS-AX was well tolerated with durability in the suprachoroidal space. Results from laser choroidal neovascularization studies corroborate other studies, showing inhibition of neovascularization in animal models. Given this pharmacodynamic effect, ability to directly target affected tissues, and intrinsic highly potent pan-VEGF inhibition through receptor blockade, CLS-AX has the potential to be a long-acting therapy for nAMD. Title: Pharmacokinetics and Ocular Tolerability of Suprachoroidal CLS-AX in rabbits. Conclusions: Suprachoroidal CLS-AX provided sustained, safe and targeted delivery of axitinib to the back of the eye. Given the durability, intrinsic high potency and pan-VEGF inhibition, suprachoroidal CLS-AX has the potential to be a bi-annual therapy for nAMD. Title: Suprachoroidal Delivery of Suspensions of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, Complement Inhibitor, and Corticosteroid: Preclinical and Clinical Correlates. Conclusions: Suprachoroidal delivery of suspensions of tyrosine kinase inhibitor, complement inhibitor, and corticosteroid demonstrated prolonged therapeutic levels with the potential for sustained release and high bioavailability, and showed compartmentalization with the potential to minimize adverse effects. These attributes correlate to clinical trial outcomes for corticosteroid; further study of TKI and complement factors suspensions are warranted. Title: Ocular Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Suprachoroidal A01017, Small Molecule Complement Inhibitor, Injectable Suspension in Rabbits. Conclusions: Suprachoroidal delivery of A01017 suspension, a highly potent complement factor D inhibitor that blocks alternative pathway activity, provided well tolerated, sustained high drug levels in the posterior segment in rabbits, and merits further studies in the development of long-acting small molecule complement inhibitors for dry AMD. Title: Treatment Burden and Visual Outcomes in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Conclusions: Despite the varying durability of the different anti-VEGF agents, there is a positive correlation between the number of injections in 12-months and the change in mean best corrected visual acuity. While challenging in practice, frequent treatment regimens have benefits in terms of vision; however, this needs to be mitigated by real-world constraints. Title: Visual Acuity Outcomes and Anti-VEGF Intensity in Macular Edema due to RVO: A "Real World" Analysis in 12,214 Eyes. Conclusions: Real-world retinal vein occlusion patients with macular edema experience worse visual outcomes compared with patients in randomized controlled trials. Mean change in visual acuity correlates with treatment intensity at 1 year. Patients with better VA at presentation tend to be particularly vulnerable to vision loss. Title: Gene Therapy Biofactory: Mathematical Modeling of Pharmacokinetics. Conclusions: The model allowed the estimation of therapeutic protein levels in the retina and vitreous, and showed an aqueous humor level-dependent increase of these levels. Future studies are needed to expand the model to account for the retina pigmented epithelium and choroid compartments that contribute to the production of the anti-VEGF protein in this biofactory approach, and whose levels are challenging to extract in the clinical setting. In the future, precision medicine aided by mathematical modeling could be employed after anterior chamber diagnostic testing of pathologic proteins, to select therapeutic options of different gene therapy biofactory approaches.

07:12 EDT ISS recommends Synalloy stockholders vote on Privet, UPG proxy card - Privet and UPG Enterprises, which collectively own approximately 24.9% of the outstanding common stock of Synalloy, announced that Institutional Shareholder Services, or ISS, has recommended that stockholders vote on Privet and UPG's white proxy card at Synalloy's annual meeting of stockholders scheduled to be held on June 30. Ben Rosenzweig, Partner at Privet, and Chris Hutter, co-Founder at UPG, commented: "We are pleased that ISS, one of the leading independent proxy advisory voting firms, is recommending stockholders vote on Privet and UPG's WHITE Proxy Card. We believe the fact that ISS has recommended stockholders do not vote on Synalloy's blue proxy card sends a clear message about the need for meaningful change atop Synalloy following the extended period of dramatic operational and financial underperformance overseen by the incumbent Board. It is also important to highlight that ISS's report does not lend any credence to what we consider to be the baseless attacks and misrepresentations that Synalloy has lodged against Privet, UPG and our highly-qualified nominees in recent months. Given the risks associated with continuing to roll the dice on Synalloy's current leadership, we urge all stockholders to follow the lead of ISS and vote on the WHITE Proxy Card today. As Synalloy's Board rewarded Chief Executive Officer Craig Bram with average annual compensation of $1 million per year over the last decade, stockholders suffered through a period - during one of the greatest economic expansions in history - in which Synalloy underperformed the NASDAQ 100 Non-Financial Index by 293% and racked up a dangerous amount of debt that is currently pushing the Company toward distress.1 Synalloy's culture of financial and operational failure has been compounded by the self-serving actions of Mr. Bram and Chairman Murray Wright, who have a concerning three-decade long business relationship that stockholders were not properly informed of prior to us exposing it during this election contest. We encourage stockholders to review our June 2nd presentation to understand why voting on the WHITE Proxy Card to elect our highly-qualified nominees represents the best path to protecting - and ultimately enhancing - the value of their investment. While Synalloy's current leadership prefers to share excuses rather than credible plans, we have a comprehensive strategy for increasing revenue, improving margins and reducing wasteful spending. Our strategic plan is a tangible roadmap for addressing excessive debt, revitalizing a neglected employee base, enhancing operations and ultimately delivering up to $25 per share in near-term value. We look forward to working with all Synalloy stakeholders - including employees, customers, vendors, stockholders and our community leaders - to help the Company succeed and thrive for years to come under a revitalized and strengthened Board."

07:09 EDT Kamada announces availability of plasma-derived IgG therapy for COVID-19 - Kamada provided an update on its development of a plasma-derived immunoglobulin product for Coronavirus Disease. Kamada completed manufacturing of the first batch of its plasma-derived IgG product for COVID-19 utilizing the Company's approved proprietary IgG platform technology, and additional production is ongoing. The initial vials are available for compassionate use in Israel. In addition, Kamada's proposed clinical protocol for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial was submitted to the Israeli Ministry of Health, and the Company expects to initiate the study during the third quarter of this year. In order to expand its clinical development program to the U.S., Kamada, with the support of Kedrion Biopharma, intends to conduct a pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early in the third quarter in order to obtain FDA's acceptance of the proposed clinical development program. Pursuant to the Company's global collaboration agreement with Kedrion for the development, manufacturing and distribution of the plasma-derived IgG product for COVID-19, Kedrion is currently collecting COVID-19 convalescent plasma from U.S. recovered patients that will be used by Kamada to manufacture additional batches of the product. Kedrion is collecting the plasma, through its plasma business unit, KEDPLASMA, at 23 FDA-approved centers across the United States.

07:07 EDT Cara to increase KARE Phase 2 trial size by 28% following IDMC recommendation - Cara Therapeutics announced the completion of a planned sample size re-estimation of its KARE Phase 2 dose-ranging trial of Oral KORSUVA for the treatment of moderate-to-severe pruritus in atopic dermatitis patients. Based on the Independent Data Monitoring Committee's recommendation, KARE's trial size will be increased by approximately 28%, from an original enrollment target of 320 patients to 410 patients, to maintain the prespecified statistical power of 80 percent or greater on the trial's primary endpoint of change from baseline in the weekly mean of the daily 24-hour Itch Numeric Rating Scale and key secondary endpoint of proportion of patients achieving a greater than4 point improvement in Itch NRS score at week 12. The IDMC's recommendation was based on the results of a prespecified interim conditional power assessment conducted after approximately 50% of the originally targeted patient number completed the designated 12-week treatment period. The KARE Phase 2 trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Oral KORSUVA for moderate-to-severe pruritus in approximately 410 adult subjects with atopic dermatitis. Subjects are randomized to three tablet strengths of Oral KORSUVA: 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg taken twice daily versus placebo for 12 weeks followed by 4 weeks of an active extension phase. KARE's primary efficacy endpoint is the change from baseline in the weekly mean of the daily 24-hour Itch NRS score at week 12 of the treatment period. The key secondary endpoint for KARE is the assessment of proportion of patients achieving an improvement from baseline of greater than or equal to4 points with respect to the weekly mean of the daily 24-hour Itch NRS score at week 12. Itch-related quality of life scores at the end of week 12 are assessed by the total Skindex-10 and 5-D itch scales.

07:04 EDT TG Therapeutics completes rolling submission of NDA for umbralisib - TG Therapeutics announced the completion of the rolling submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requesting accelerated approval of umbralisib, the Company's investigational once-daily, oral, dual inhibitor of PI3K-delta and CK1-epsilon, as a treatment for patients with previously treated marginal zone lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. The FDA previously granted umbralisib breakthrough therapy designation for MZL and orphan drug designation for MZL and FL. The UNITY- NHL trial is a multicenter, open-label Phase 2b trial. The MZL cohort was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of single agent umbralisib, in patients with MZL who have received at least one prior anti-CD20 regimen. In February of 2019, the Company announced that the primary endpoint of overall response rate as determined by Independent Review Committee was met for all treated MZL patients. The results met the Company's target guidance of 40-50% ORR. Interim safety and efficacy data from the MZL cohort were presented in oral presentations in 2019 at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting, the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting and the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma. The FL cohort was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of single agent umbralisib in patients with FL who have received at least two prior lines of therapy, including an anti-CD20 regimen and an alkylating agent. In October of 2019, the Company announced that the primary endpoint of ORR as determined by IRC was met for all treated FL patients. The results met the Company's prespecified response target of 40-50% ORR.

07:04 EDT Auryn Resources receives approval to resume work in Peru - Auryn Resources announces that it is resuming exploration activities at its Sombrero and Curibaya projects in southern Peru. The company has received approval from the Peruvian government to resume work following restrictions that had been put in place due to COVID-19.

07:02 EDT John Wiley & Sons announce open access publishing partnership - John Wiley & Sons announced their open access, or OA, publishing partnership, transitioning the IET journal program to gold open access from January 2021. The company said in a release, "Under the terms of the publishing agreement, the IET will transition its entire hybrid subscription journals portfolio to a gold OA model, joining its existing gold open access journals, to create a leading collection of engineering and technology open access journals. The IET is working with its existing stakeholders to make this transition. The move to the open access publishing model allows researchers and practitioners around the world immediate and free access to the IET Engineering and Technology hub through the Wiley Online Library. As well as publishing current research open access, all articles published from 2013 will be made freely available, making a vast body of published research widely accessible. The new partnership provides IET with innovative tools and services to improve the author experience throughout the publishing process. It aims to drive the accessibility, discoverability and impact of IET journals through new digital and platform capabilities."

07:01 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics trading halted, news pending

06:47 EDT Merck: FDA approves second biomarker-based indication for Keytruda - Merck announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Keytruda, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic tumor mutational burden-high solid tumors, as determined by an FDA-approved test, that have progressed following prior treatment and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials. The safety and effectiveness of Keytruda in pediatric patients with TMB-H central nervous system cancers have not been established. The FDA also approved FoundationOne CDx test as the companion diagnostic to identify patients with solid tumors that are TMB-H who may benefit from immunotherapy treatment with Keytruda monotherapy.

06:46 EDT FDA revokes emergency use authorization for Chembio COVID-19 antibody test - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the emergency use authorization of the Chembio Diagnostic System DPP COVID-19 IgM/IgG System, a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test, due to performance concerns with the accuracy of the test, the agency announced last night. The FDA said: "The Chembio antibody test was one of the first antibody tests authorized by the FDA during the COVID-19 public health emergency. At the time of authorization, based on the information that Chembio submitted to the FDA at that time, the agency concluded that the test met the statute's "may be effective" standard for emergency use authorization, and that the test's known and potential benefits outweighed its known and potential risks. As the FDA has learned more regarding the capability for performance of SARS-CoV-2 serology tests during the pandemic, and what performance is necessary for users to make well-informed decisions-through both the continued review and authorization of serology tests as well as through a research partnership with the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute - the FDA was able to develop general performance expectations for these tests, which are listed in our serology templates. Data submitted by Chembio as well as an independent evaluation of the Chembio test at NCI showed that this test generates a higher than expected rate of false results and higher than that reflected in the authorized labeling for the device. Under the current circumstances of the public health emergency, it is not reasonable to believe that the test may be effective in detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 or that the known and potential benefits of the test outweigh the known and potential risks of the test, including the high rate of false results. Moreover, the risk to public health from the false test results makes EUA revocation appropriate to protect the public health or safety. As such, the FDA decided to revoke the emergency use authorization of the Chembio test, and this test may not be distributed."

06:34 EDT Affimed N.V. completes first dose cohort in Phase 1/2A study of cancer candidate - Affimed N.V. completed the first dose cohort in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of AFM24. This first-in-human study evaluates AFM24 as monotherapy in patients with advanced solid EGFR expressing malignancies whose disease has progressed after treatment with previous anticancer therapies. AFM24 is novel due to its activation of innate immunity to kill solid tumors, inducing both antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. The company reports that no dose limiting toxicity was observed and the study is cleared to proceed the next dose level. No efficacy yet was observed, however, efficacy was not expected at this dose level. The aim of the dose escalation phase is the determination of the maximum tolerated dose and the establishment of a recommended Phase 2a dose. The dose expansion phase is intended to collect preliminary evidence of efficacy and to further confirm the safety of AFM24. The 2nd dose cohort is open for patient recruitment

06:21 EDT DaVita appoints Mandy Hale as chief nursing officer - DaVita Kidney Care announced Mandy Hale as the company's chief nursing officer. Hale most recently served as the company's vice president of nursing, overseeing more than 18,000 nurses and 19,000 patient care technicians.

06:06 EDT Bright Scholar announces launch of virtual 'Future Global School' - Bright Scholar hosted an online press conference to announce the launch of its virtual "Future Global School", an online school focusing on international curriculums. Leveraging the offline international education resources of Bright Scholar, the "Future Global School" will adopt the online-merge-offline model for the international curriculum to create new learning experience for potential students around the globe. Students can take all or some classes online, and complete other classes and activities in physical schools within the Bright Scholar global network or physical schools of their choice.

06:03 EDT Energous announces partnership with Grepow Battery - Energous announced a partnership with one of the world's leading battery manufacturers in China, Grepow Battery. Energous and Grepow Battery are working together to develop batteries that are wirelessly charged via WattUp, a radio frequency based charging technology, for use in electronic devices in the commercial, industrial and medical industries.

06:01 EDT CAE receives Health Canada certification for CAE Air1 ventilator - CAE announced that its CAE Air1 ventilator has been certified by Health Canada. CAE said in a release, "This made-in-Canada ventilator is destined for hospitals across the country where it will be used in the fight against COVID-19. Certification comes two months after CAE signed a contract with the Government of Canada to manufacture and supply 10,000 ventilators. CAE will now start shipping hundreds of CAE Air1 ventilators to the Government of Canada every week. The CAE Air1 ventilator can deliver pressure control, volume control and pressure support ventilation using room air or pressured oxygen. It uses an intuitive, simple touchscreen interface and is bundled with on-demand ventilator training, adaptive e-learning modules related to COVID-19 patient management, and 24/7 customer support. It will support Intensive Care Units patients treated for COVID-19."

05:12 EDT Motorola Solutions acquires IndigoVision - Motorola Solutions announced it has completed the acquisition of IndigoVision, a U.K.-based provider of end-to-end video security solutions. Motorola Solutions said in a release, "Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, IndigoVision develops complete, end-to-end video security solutions, including cameras, video management software, encoders and storage devices. The acquisition demonstrates Motorola Solutions' continued investment in video security and analytics and reinforces its strategy of becoming a leader in next-generation, end-to-end video security solutions. IndigoVision's products will complement Motorola Solutions' existing video portfolio, which includes fixed cameras, in-car and body-worn cameras and advanced analytics and software, and will provide enhanced go-to-market reach across a wider customer base."