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BISMARCK — Lawmakers who will lead in the 2025 Legislature were officially assigned to committees Wednesday, Dec. 4, resulting in few surprises for senior members. The Committees on Committees, headed by majority leaders in the House and Senate, decides which lawmakers are appointed to what committees. Some work with policy related to sectors such as education or agriculture, while others allocate money for government operations. During the organizational session, lawmakers rank their committee preferences in a survey administered by the Legislative Council. If a committee has fewer openings than the number of lawmakers who are interested in being a member, then the Committee on Committees decides who gets the position. The decision is based on their “institutional knowledge” of the Legislature and or professional experience outside lawmaking, according to House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson. “We've got some really good committee chairs and vice chairs, both on policy committees and appropriations committees that are, I think without exception, excellent legislators,” Lefor said. How committee chairs are selected, however, has been a sore spot for some lawmakers amid a long stint of all-male leaders. “I'm not saying it's always just a woman issue," said Rep. Vicky Steiner, R-Dickinson. “It’s relationship driven. I believe if you have a better relationship with the leader, you have a better chance of becoming a chairman.” Since 2013, only men have led House committees and will again for the 2025 session. Steiner introduced a bill last session to break the pattern. Steiner added that some lawmakers, however, don't want to be chairs — including women. Lefor pointed out that there were just three new chairs appointed this year, two of which were lawmakers who had served as vice chairs of the respective committee and one who he said had relevant experience. Republican Rep. Jonathan Warrey, a tech CEO from Casselton, will chair the Industry, Business and Labor Committee despite being a second-term lawmaker. The chairs typically end up being previous vice chairs or someone with a “tremendous” amount of relevant experience, Lefor said. “I will say that I'm a strong proponent of women in leadership, because I've gone to different seminars that clearly state that the better functioning boards are the ones that have both (men and women),” Lefor said. Lefor also pointed out that there are four more women as vice chairs this session as opposed to just one in 2023 and additionally, several women chaired interim committees between the upcoming session and the last. The Senate will have three women serving as chairs of 14 committees. These Republicans will chair the following committees. Appropriations: Don Vigesaa, Cooperstown; Mike Nathe, Bismarck; Government Operations: Dave Monson, Osnabrock; Human Resources: Jon Nelson, Rugby; Education: Pat Heinert, Bismarck. Finance and Taxation: Craig Headland, Montpelier; Human Services: Matt Ruby, Minot; Industry, Business and Labor: Jonathan Warrey, Casselton; Judiciary: Lawrence Klemin, Bismarck; Agriculture: Mike Beltz, Hillsboro. Government and Veterans Affairs: Austen Schauer, West Fargo; Energy and Natural Resources: Todd Porter, Mandan; Political Subdivisions: Don Longmuir, Stanley; Transportation: Dan Ruby, Minot. These Republicans will chair the following committees. Appropriations: Brad Bekkedahl, Williston; Education and Environment: Ronald Sorvaag, Fargo; Government Operations: Terry Wanzek, Jamestown; Human Resources: Dick Denver, Bismarck; Education: Todd Beard, Williston. Official committee assignments can be found on the Legislative Council website.Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It's now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for states to implement bans. The policies and their impact have been in flux ever since the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Here's a look at data on where things stand: Overturning Roe and enforcing abortion bans has changed how woman obtain abortions in the U.S. But one thing it hasn't done is put a dent in the number of abortions being obtained. There have been slightly more monthly abortions across the country recently than there were in the months leading up to the June 2022 ruling, even as the number in states with bans dropped to near zero. “Abortion bans don’t actually prevent abortions from happening,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health social scientist at the University of California San Francisco. But, she said, they do change care. For women in some states, there are major obstacles to getting abortions — and advocates say that low-income, minority and immigrant women are least likely to be able to get them when they want. For those living in states with bans, the ways to access abortion are through travel or abortion pills. As the bans swept in, abortion pills became a bigger part of the equation. They were involved in about half the abortions before Dobbs. More recently, it’s been closer to two-thirds of them, according to research by the Guttmacher Institute. The uptick of that kind of abortion, usually involving a combination of two drugs, was underway before the ruling. But now, it's become more common for pill prescriptions to be made by telehealth. By the summer of 2024, about 1 in 10 abortions was via pills prescribed via telehealth to patients in states where abortion is banned. As a result, the pills are now at the center of battles over abortion access. This month, Texas sued a New York doctor for prescribing pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. There's also an effort by Idaho, Kansas and Missouri to roll back their federal approvals and treat them as “controlled dangerous substances,” and a push for the federal government to start enforcing a 19th-century federal law to ban mailing them. Clinics have closed or halted abortions in states with bans. But a network of efforts to get women seeking abortions to places where they're legal has strengthened and travel for abortion is now common. The Guttmacher Institute found that more than twice as many Texas residents obtained abortion in 2023 in New Mexico as New Mexico residents did. And as many Texans received them in Kansas as Kansans. Abortion funds, which benefitted from “rage giving” in 2022, have helped pay the costs for many abortion-seekers. But some funds have had to cap how much they can give . Since the downfall of Roe, the actions of lawmakers and courts have kept shifting where abortion is legal and under what conditions. Here's where it stands now: Florida, the nation’s third most-populous state, began enforcing a ban on abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy on May 1. That immediately changed the state from one that was a refuge for other Southerners seeking abortion to an exporter of people looking for them. There were about 30% fewer abortions there in May compared with the average for the first three months of the year. And in June, there were 35% fewer. While the ban is not unique, the impact is especially large. The average driving time from Florida to a facility in North Carolina where abortion is available for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is more than nine hours, according to data maintained by Caitlin Myers, a Middlebury College economics professor. The bans have meant clinics closed or stopped offering abortions in some states. But some states where abortion remains legal until viability – generally considered to be sometime past 21 weeks of pregnancy , though there’s no fixed time for it – have seen clinics open and expand . Illinois, Kansas and New Mexico are among the states with new clinics. There were 799 publicly identifiable abortion providers in the U.S. in May 2022, the month before the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. And by this November, it was 792, according to a tally by Myers, who is collecting data on abortion providers. But Myers says some hospitals that always provided some abortions have begun advertising it. So they’re now in the count of clinics – even though they might provide few of them. How hospitals handle pregnancy complications , especially those that threaten the lives of the women, has emerged as a major issue since Roe was overturned. President Joe Biden's administration says hospitals must offer abortions when they're needed to prevent organ loss, hemorrhage or deadly infections, even in states with bans. Texas is challenging the administration’s policy and the U.S. Supreme Court this year declined to take it up after the Biden administration sued Idaho. More than 100 pregnant women seeking help in emergency rooms and were turned away or left unstable since 2022, The Associated Press found in an analysis of federal hospital investigative records. Among the complaints were a woman who miscarried in the lobby restroom of Texas emergency room after staff refused to see her and a woman who gave birth in a car after a North Carolina hospital couldn't offer an ultrasound. The baby later died. “It is increasingly less safe to be pregnant and seeking emergency care in an emergency department,” Dara Kass, an emergency medicine doctor and former U.S. Health and Human Services official told the AP earlier this year. Since Roe was overturned, there have been 18 reproductive rights-related statewide ballot questions. Abortion rights advocates have prevailed on 14 of them and lost on four. In the 2024 election , they amended the constitutions in five states to add the right to abortion. Such measures failed in three states: In Florida, where it required 60% support; in Nebraska, which had competing abortion ballot measures; and in South Dakota, where most national abortion rights groups did support the measure. AP VoteCast data found that more than three-fifths of voters in 2024 supported abortion being legal in all or most cases – a slight uptick from 2020. The support came even as voters supported Republicans to control the White House and both houses of Congress. Associated Press writers Linley Sanders, Amanda Seitz and Laura Ungar contributed to this article.Perella Weinberg chairman Peter A. Weinberg sells $3.58m in stockk rich 。

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NoneGrok Academy, the coding academy formerly led by disgraced chief executive James Curran, has avoided being shut down and will undergo a cultural overhaul after being acquired by a social impact charity. More than 200,000 students nationally went through Grok Academy’s coding classes last year, and more than 1 million students have used its learning platform to date. James Curran, Grok Academy boss and National Computer Science School director. Credit: Matt Davidson The non-profit was plunged into turmoil this year, however, when its boss James Curran resigned after multiple allegations of harassment were substantiated by an independent investigator. This masthead spoke to nine women who allege Curran sent them inappropriate messages, in many instances while they were high school students, in allegations that span 10 years. For each of the women, Curran represented a powerful, influential mentor figure who promised to help them with their careers, but then abused their trust by making sexualised comments – and in some cases, inappropriate touching – during a game he called “jungle speed”. Curran has apologised and told this masthead he was “deeply sorry” for his actions. As the allegations came to light, as many as 80 of Grok’s 100 permanent staff were made redundant, and half of its board, chaired by former University of Technology Sydney deputy vice-chancellor Shirley Alexander, resigned. Grok Academy was funded in part by the billionaire former chief executive of Australian software company WiseTech Global Richard White, who personally donated more than $2 million to the non-profit. White had championed Curran as a “superb educator” who was “incredibly powerful in delivering tech education”. White resigned as WiseTech chief executive in October following an aborted court case against an ex-lover and allegations published by this masthead of inappropriate conduct. Grok had also landed partnerships with universities and large companies, including ANZ, CBA, NAB, Westpac and Amazon, some of whom withdrew their funding after the allegations against Curran were revealed. However, Grok has been thrown a lifeline after being acquired by Adelaide-based social impact charity KIK Innovation, which runs major IT school network 42 Adelaide. KIK Innovation CEO Louise Nobes. Credit: KIK chief executive Louise Nobes told this masthead she first heard about Grok Academy’s issues when travelling in Britain. “In discussions with my board, we thought we could help, given that we have an experienced female CEO and founder, charity status, and deep skills in tech education,” Nobes said. “I reached out and the discussion soon turned to the need for a new home for the high-school tech education platform, as it was becoming obvious that Grok would have to shut down, as it would be unlikely to receive further partnerships or donations. “Luckily, the Grok constitution had a mechanism that allowed Grok to gift the IP to another similar non-for-profit to enable the charity’s purpose to continue.” Nobes said she would lead a cultural shift at the organisation. She said KIK made offers of employment to a “small number of previous Grok employees who have the knowledge, skills and expertise needed to ensure a successful transition of the platform to KIK”. KIK Innovation’s most recent financial statement filed with the charity regulator showed it had nine employees as of January and had pulled in just over $2 million in revenue for the prior financial year. “Our immediate plan is to ensure that the schools, teachers and the more than 1 million students who have used Grok Academy continue to have access to the same great platform and resources. Ensuring continuity of access is our No. 1 priority,” Nobes said. “As a female founder and CEO, ensuring that all participants including women and girls feel safe and heard in their interactions and have access to the same opportunities is of the utmost importance to me, as is fostering a culture of trust, respect and safety within KIK. “We are proudly a team of majority women, and with KIK being the new home of Grok Academy, a culture shift will be inevitable as it has a new home and CEO, and each of the team that has transitioned to KIK has been made familiar with our principles and their obligations to KIK and the students.” The cultural issues at Grok Academy were related to a single person, and were not systemic, Nobes said. “We’re proud to be the new home of the fantastic high-school tech education platform, and I am excited to see the impact we can achieve together.” The news was welcomed by some of the young women who alleged Curran sent them inappropriate messages. “I’m happy that the Grok platform will live on,” one whistleblower, Stephanie*, told this masthead. Stephanie, a former Grok employee, alleged instances of inappropriate touching and messages from Curran. According to Stephanie, over a period of months, Curran would frequently message late at night and ask questions about her sexual history and preferences, including references to masturbation. “A lot of good people put a lot of good, hard work into making it what it is, despite the harassment and cultural issues they faced from James Curran, personally and through his leadership,” she told this masthead. “There will be a lot of people out there who are happy that their work is living on because the impact we made isn’t something that can be taken away by what this man did.” *Name changed to protect whistleblower’s identity. Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday . Sign up here .

Free tax filing with IRS Direct File: What you need to knowAll Blacks Triumph in Turin Test: A Battle Against Italy's RedemptionProposed acquisition strengthens Pharming's late-stage pipeline with a potential first-in-disease asset Abliva's lead product KL1333 is currently in a pivotal clinical trial, with a positive interim analysis achieved, in mitochondrial DNA-driven primary mitochondrial diseases Total transaction value of approximately US$66.1 million No external funding required to fund acquisition and KL1333 development costs Pharming to host a conference call on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 14:00 CET (8:00 am EST) Leiden, the Netherlands, December 15, 2024: Pharming Group N.V. ("Pharming” or "the Company”) (EURONEXT Amsterdam: PHARM/Nasdaq: PHAR) today announced a recommended public cash offer to the shareholders of Abliva AB ("Abliva”) to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Abliva. Pharming, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Pharming Technologies B.V., offers the shareholders SEK 0.45 in cash per share in Abliva. The transaction is valued at approximately US$66.1 million. Abliva is a biotechnology company, based in Lund, Sweden, focused on developing medicines for the treatment of mitochondrial disease. Abliva's lead product, KL1333, a regulator of the essential co-enzymes NAD+ and NADH, is in a pivotal clinical study (FALCON) in adult patients with genetically confirmed primary mitochondrial disease (PMD) with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations who experience consistent, debilitating fatigue and muscle weakness (myopathy), and reduced life expectancy. Over 30,000 patients diagnosed with mtDNA mitochondrial disease would be potentially addressable by KL1333 in the U.S., EU4 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain) and the UK. KL1333 has shown positive clinical effects in a proof-of-concept Phase 1b study, and a pre-planned interim analysis of the ongoing pivotal FALCON trial demonstrated promising differences over placebo in both alternate primary efficacy endpoints. KL1333 has received Fast Track designation in the U.S. and Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of PMD in the U.S. and EU. Sijmen de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of Pharming, said: "Abliva has made exciting progress developing KL1333, a potential first-in-disease treatment undergoing a pivotal clinical trial that offers new hope to patients with rare mtDNA mitochondrial disease who experience debilitating fatigue and muscle weakness. With over 30,000 addressable patients in the U.S., EU4 and UK, we are excited about the potential of this asset, which achieved a positive interim analysis in the registration trial in July 2024. We believe KL1333 has blockbuster potential in the U.S. alone and can significantly change Pharming's future growth trajectory. We will fund this acquisition using existing cash, and anticipate covering costs to complete the pivotal trial with positive cash flows from our existing business. The acquisition of Abliva would further strengthen our clinical pipeline with the addition of a therapy, with U.S. launch expected in 2028, aligning with our vision to become a leading global rare disease company. We are pleased that Abliva's independent Board of Directors and major shareholders recognize the expertise and value Pharming brings to the development and eventual commercialization of KL1333, and unanimously support this transaction. We look forward to welcoming the Abliva team with their strong expertise in mitochondrial research and drug development and to combining with our resources, capabilities and commercial infrastructure to bring this groundbreaking and important medicine to patients and their healthcare providers.” Transaction highlights Today at 19:45 CET, Pharming announced a recommended cash offer to the shareholders of Abliva AB. Hereby Pharming, through a wholly owned subsidiary, has offered SEK 0.45 in cash for each outstanding share of Abliva (the ''Offer''). The total value of the Offer based on all outstanding 1,611,884,536 shares in Abliva amounts to approximately SEK 725,348,041, or approximately US$66.1 million. The Board of Directors of Abliva unanimously recommends the shareholders of Abliva to accept the Offer. The Board of Directors of Abliva has obtained a fairness opinion from PwC, according to which, based on the assumptions and reservations stated in the opinion, the Offer is fair to Abliva's shareholders from a financial perspective. Pharming has obtained acceptance undertakings from the three largest shareholders, accounting for 49.82% of Abliva's outstanding shares. The Offer is subject to customary regulatory approvals, and Pharming expects to obtain such approvals prior to the end of the acceptance period. Pharming Group N.V. has cash on hand to finance the Offer in full. The acceptance period in the offer is expected to commence on or around January 16, 2025 and to expire on or around February 7, 2025. For information in relation to the Offer, please refer to www.raredisease-offer.com. An offer document will be made public by Pharming shortly before the commencement of the acceptance period. Van Lanschot Kempen N.V. is sole financial advisor and NautaDutilh N.V. and Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyrå are legal advisors to Pharming in connection with the Offer. Invitation to conference call Pharming to host a conference call on Monday, December 16, 2024, at 14:00 CET (8:00 am EST). The conference call presentation is available on the pharming.com website from 14:00 CET on December 16, 2024 A transcript will be made available on the pharming.com website in the days following the call. To participate in the conference call, please register in advance using the link below. Once registered, dial-in information and a unique PIN will be provided, allowing access to the call. Conference call dial-in details: Please note, the Company will only take questions from dial-in attendees. https://register.vevent.com/register/BIfcd1fd2bdf0e443cbf6192dc063763ad Webcast Link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/2hfpccyi For further public information, contact: Pharming Group, Leiden, the Netherlands Michael Levitan, VP Investor Relations & Corporate Communications T: +1 (908) 705 1696 E: [email protected] FTI Consulting, London, UK Victoria Foster Mitchell/Alex Shaw/Amy Byrne T: +44 203 727 1000 LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Leon Melens T: +31 6 53 81 64 27 E: [email protected] Abliva investors Leo Wei T: +46 (0)709 910 081 E: [email protected] About KL1333 KL1333 has been designed to treat chronic fatigue and myopathy (muscle weakness) in genetically confirmed adult patients with primary mitochondrial disease. Diagnoses can include MELAS-MIDD and KSS-CPEO spectrum disorders as well as MERRF syndrome. The drug candidate is intended for long-term oral treatment. KL1333 has the ability to restore the ratio of NAD+ and NADH, and thus leads to the formation of new mitochondria and improved energy levels. In a cohort of mitochondrial disease patients in a Phase 1a/b study, the patients who received KL1333 showed both improvements in symptoms of fatigue as well as functional improvements. KL1333 is currently being evaluated in a global, potentially registrational, Phase 2 study (the FALCON study) and has received orphan drug designation in both the USA and Europe as well as Fast Track designation in the USA. About the FALCON Study FALCON is a Phase 2, global, randomized, placebo-controlled, potentially registrational study evaluating the safety and efficacy of KL1333 in adult patients with primary mitochondrial disease who experience consistent, debilitating fatigue and myopathy (muscle weakness), the most common and impairing symptoms. A total of 180 patients with mitochondrial DNA mutations who meet the eligibility criteria are randomized 3:2 to receive KL1333 (50mg-100mg) or placebo twice daily for 48 weeks. The two alternative primary endpoints assess consistent fatigue (using the PROMIS® Fatigue Mitochondrial Disease Short Form) and myopathy (using the 30 second Sit-to-Stand test), only one of which must be positive to file for marketing approval. An interim analysis evaluating 24-week data from the first wave of patients confirmed the strong safety profile of KL1333, and both primary endpoints passed futility, meaning that both have the potential to demonstrate benefit in the final analysis of the study. About Abliva AB Abliva discovers and develops medicines for the treatment of mitochondrial disease. This rare and often very severe disease occurs when the cell's energy provider, the mitochondria, do not function properly. The company has prioritized two projects. KL1333, a powerful regulator of the essential co-enzymes NAD+ and NADH, has entered late-stage development. NV354, an energy replacement therapy, has completed preclinical development. Abliva, based in Lund, Sweden, is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Sweden (ticker: ABLI). For more information, please visit www.abliva.com. About Pharming Group N.V. Pharming Group N.V. (EURONEXT Amsterdam: PHARM/Nasdaq: PHAR) is a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare, debilitating, and life-threatening diseases. Pharming is commercializing and developing an innovative portfolio of protein replacement therapies and precision medicines, including small molecules and biologics. Pharming is headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands, and has employees around the globe who serve patients in over 30 markets in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.pharming.com and find us on LinkedIn . Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim”, "ambition”, ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', "milestones”, ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule”, ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. Examples of forward-looking statements may include statements with respect to timing and progress of Pharming's preclinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Pharming's clinical and commercial prospects, and Pharming's expectations regarding its projected working capital requirements and cash resources, which statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to the scope, progress and expansion of Pharming's clinical trials and ramifications for the cost thereof; and clinical, scientific, regulatory, commercial, competitive and technical developments. In light of these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that are described in Pharming's 2023 Annual Report and the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the events and circumstances discussed in such forward-looking statements may not occur, and Pharming's actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied thereby. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to Pharming as of the date of this release. Pharming does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. Inside Information This press release relates to the disclosure of information that qualifies, or may have qualified, as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Attachment Pharming announces public cash offer to the shareholders of Abliva AB_EN_15DEC24