The murder and attempted murder suspect accused of slamming a U-Haul truck into a pedestrian, an officer and bicycle, e-bike and moped riders in Brooklyn Monday allegedly told police he witnessed an “invisible object” careening toward his vehicle before taking off on the deadly rampage. 

Weng Sor, a 62-year-old Asian male, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and eight counts of attempted murder in connection to the path of destruction that began Monday morning in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at a press conference Tuesday. 

It continued for more than an hour into Dyker Heights, back into Bay Ridge and eventually ended when NYPD emergency services and highway patrol units stopped the U-Haul by the entrance to Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, which leads to Manhattan, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell added Tuesday. 

“Based on interviews with his family members and confirmed when interrogated by members of the New York City detective bureau, we believe Mr. Sor was suffering from a mental health crisis,” Essig told reporters. “At this time, there is no nexus to terrorism.” 

NYC U-HAUL RAMPAGE SUSPECT WITH VIOLENT PAST AWAITS CHARGES IN ATTACK THAT KILLED 1, INJURED 8 OTHERS

“He states when he’s driving his van, he sees an invisible object come toward the car and at that point he says, ‘I’ve had enough,’ and he goes on his rampage,” Essig explained. “There was no object – he says, ‘an invisible object came toward my car, and I’ve had enough.’ That was his quote.”

“He does say to the police when he was arrested, ‘you should have shot me,'” Essig added. 

Family confirmed to police that Sor was off his medication. 

Sor had nine prior arrests stretching back to 2002 for offenses that included a DWI, evading a police officer, battery, resisting arrest, domestic battery and two incidents of battery with a deadly weapon all in Las Vegas, where he resided with his mother, Essig said. 

The suspect was estranged from his ex-wife and 30-year-old son before he showed up suddenly at their Brooklyn home last week. 

Investigators say Sor left Las Vegas for West Palm Beach, Florida, where he rented the U-Haul on Feb. 1. The vehicle wasn’t due back until March 3. Based on ATM withdrawals, Sor is known to have been in West Palm Beach until Feb. 4 before departing on a road trip toward New York. 

Weng Sor was escorted from a Brooklyn precinct Feb. 14, 2023, a day after allegedly killing one and injuring eight others in a rented U-Haul truck.  (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

His most recent arrest was on Feb. 5 for reckless driving and possession of marijuana in South Carolina, where he was stopped by highway patrol. Sor showed up Feb. 6 at his ex-wife and son’s Brooklyn home to shower and returned on Feb. 8, when he got into an altercation with his son, Essig said.

NYPD highway patrol stopped Sor on the Belt Parkway and issued him a summons for speeding and operating a commercial vehicle on that roadway. The U-Haul was placed In Melbourne, New Jersey, on Sunday evening before Sor returned to Brooklyn, where he launched his deadly rampage the next day. 

The nine victims included eight civilians – three on a bike, three on a moped and one on e-bike and one walking – who were all male and ranged from age 30 to 66, and one police officer, who suffered a leg injury when the suspect allegedly rammed the U-Haul into an NYPD patrol car. 

Members of the NYPD bomb squad examine a rental truck that was stopped and the driver arrested, Feb. 13, 2023, in Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Police said the first victim was struck at 10:20 a.m., and the suspect wasn’t taken into custody until 11:24 a.m. 

NYPD released dramatic police camera footage showing officers ushering children playing on a nearby street during recess inside the school. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, inside,” an officer says, running toward the children. “Guys, get off the street, let’s go! Get off the street, everybody off the street.” School staff are seen helping to usher the children indoors. 

“This is Neighborhood Policing and your officer’s actions further exemplify the NYPD’s unwavering commitment to protecting the communities we serve,” NYPD tweeted, sharing the video.  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

N.Y. Daily News identified the only person killed in the attack as 44-year-old YiJie Ye, a single father of three teenagers who emigrated from China roughly two decades ago and was working as a GrubHub delivery driver. NYPD said he was struck on his moped and later succumbed to his injuries. 

Another man remains in critical but stable condition after the attack, Essig said Tuesday. New York City Councilman Justin Brannan, who represents Bay Ridge, identified him as Zakaria “Zaki” Salah Rakchi, a married father of two who was on his way to get his taxes done when the U-Haul mowed him down. 

The post NYC U-Haul rampage suspect blames ‘invisible object’ for deadly attack, was off his mental health meds: police appeared first on Tixaje.net.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slightly edges out former President Donald Trump as the preferred leader of the GOP, according to Republicans questioned in a new national poll.

An Associated Press/NORC Center poll released on Tuesday indicates that 22% of Republicans said they want DeSantis to be the leader of the party, with 20% saying the same thing of Trump.

But more than a third of those questioned — 34% — said they didn’t know who should lead the GOP or declined to answer.

TRUMP TOPS DESANTIS IN FRESH 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION POLL

No other Republican sampled in the survey topped 1%, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who on Tuesday became the second major Republican following Trump to launch a 2024 GOP presidential campaign.

TRUMP’S IN, SO IS HALEY – HOW LARGE WILL THE GOP 2024 FIELD GROW?

Trump remains the most popular and influential politician in the GOP, but the first three months of his third White House run have been bumpy for the former president’s campaign.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, S.C.  (AP)

While the former president was once the overall front-runner in the early 2024 GOP nomination polls, DeSantis has eclipsed him in some surveys over the past few months. Nearly every poll indicates Trump and DeSantis as the favorites, with everyone else in the single digits.

HALEY’S ANNOUNCEMENT MAY OPEN FLOOD GATES IN 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE

DeSantis, a former congressman, saw his popularity soar among conservatives across the country the past three years, courtesy of his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a conservative culture warrior, going after media and corporations. And the Florida governor’s nearly 20-point re-election victory helped transform the one-time swing-state battleground into a red state.

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis after taking the oath of office waves to those in attendance at his second term inauguration in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. January 3, 2023. (REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

DeSantis routinely dismisses talk of a 2024 White House run, but he’s dropped plenty of hints of a possible presidential bid since his re-election victory speech in November. Sources in DeSantis’ wider orbit say any presidential campaign launch would come in the late spring or early summer, after the end of Florida’s current legislative session. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The new poll indicates that 19% of Republicans view Trump as the current leader of the party, with 10% saying it’s Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 9% naming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted from Jan. 26 to Jan. 30 with 1,068 adults and had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.

The post DeSantis slightly edges Trump as preferred leader of Republican Party: Poll appeared first on Tixaje.net.

Belgium will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for new COVID variants as part of new steps against the spread of the coronavirus as infections in China surge, the government announced on Monday.

“This will be an additional monitoring objective to verify that the data we receive from China is accurate,” Steven Van Gucht of the Sciensano national public health institute told Reuters.

He said Belgium was aware that some COVID-infected passengers might not use the toilet during their flights, and therefore the new measure was “not meant to track people but to track independently what is happening in China.”

COUNTRIES IMPLEMENT COVID TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS FOR CHINESE TRAVELERS AMID TRANSPARENCY CONCERNS

Belgium is also asking travellers from China to test themselves for COVID-19 if they show symptoms seven days after arriving, but will not enforce this measure.

At a press conference announcing the new measures, Belgian Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke said that a European Union-wide policy was needed towards China’s COVID surge.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

EU health officials will hold talks on Wednesday on a coordinated response.

Authorities around the world are imposing or considering curbs on travellers from China, including mandatory testing for COVID, as infections there spread following Beijing’s relaxation of “zero-COVID” rules.

The post Belgium to test wastewater on flights arriving from China for COVID appeared first on Tixaje.net.

Tirzepatide, an injection medication already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat Type 2 diabetes, is likely to receive FDA approval for another indication — weight loss — later this year, according to multiple reports.

The medication from Eli Lilly has the potential to become a “blockbuster” weight-loss drug, according to reports. Yet experts caution that many patients may not be able to afford it.

“Tirzepatide is currently FDA-approved for treating Type 2 diabetes, but it is being fast-tracked through the FDA to receive an indication for the treatment of obesity,” Dr. Fatima Stanford of Boston told Fox News Digital. 

OZEMPIC TRENDING AS A WEIGHT LOSS DRUG: HERE’S WHY AND WHAT DOCTORS SAY

Stanford is an obesity medicine specialist and an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. 

She also works in the endocrine division at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Here’s a deeper look at some of the issues around this drug and its potential. 

What’s the definition of obesity and overweight?

To diagnose obesity, many health care providers use the Body Mass Index screening tool.

“If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

“If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.”

RUNNING 1 MILE A DAY IS GAINING POPULARITY ONLINE: HOW IT CAN IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

Approximately 70% of American adults have obesity or are overweight, the FDA says.

These conditions are associated with several leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

How do current weight-loss medications work?

The body normally releases two hormones, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), to stimulate the pancreas to release insulin, according to reports.

A current class of weight-loss medications on the market have been trending on TikTok after users discovered celebrities like Elon Musk and Andy Cohen highlighting their success with them. 

The feeling of being full sooner — also known as early satiety — leads people to eat less and potentially to lose a lot of weight.
(iStock)

They are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which work by binding to receptors in the body to stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin. This mimics the effects of what the hormone GLP-1 does in the body, according to the University of Utah health’s website. 

Victoza, Ozempic and Trulicity are some of the brand names that are GLP-1 receptor agonists and initially developed for the treatment of diabetes, the website added.

HEALTHY LIVING MEANS STAYING ACTIVE INDOORS DURING THE COLD WEATHER MONTHS

When people start eating, that stimulates the release of insulin for better blood sugar control.

Tirzepatide may be more effective because it binds to two receptors that decrease the sense of hunger — compared to only one receptor for current weight-loss medications.

But while the drugs regulate blood sugar levels, researchers found that the drugs also simultaneously cross the receptors in the brain to signal to people that they’re full, per the University of Utah Health’s website. 

This feeling of being full sooner — also known as early satiety — leads people to eat less and potentially to lose a lot of weight.

How does tirzepatide work?

Tirzepatide “is a dual agonist, including a GLP-1 agonist and a GIP, which helps regulate blood sugar and weight,” Dr. Stanford said. 

It may be more effective than current weight-loss medications because it binds to two receptors that decrease the sense of hunger, compared to only one receptor, such as those highlighted on social media platforms.

A young female talks with her doctor. The side effect profile of tirzepatide, an Eli Lilly drug, was similar to other therapies approved for the treatment of obesity that reduced blood sugars. The most common adverse effects were gastrointestinal-related, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. 
(iStock)

Tirzepatide is FDA-approved under the brand name Mounjaro to improve blood sugar control for adults with Type 2 diabetes, according to an FDA press release sent out this past May. 

The drug is administered as an injection under the skin once a week. 

Eli Lilly hoped to expand its use by performing a double-blind randomized clinical trial known as SURMOUNT-1; it sought to compare the effectiveness and safety of tirzepatide to a placebo.

IS STRETCHING PART OF YOUR ROUTINE IN THE NEW YEAR? HERE’S HOW TO DO IT RIGHT

“Participants taking tirzepatide lost up to 52 lb. (24 kg) in this 72-week phase 3 study,” the press release said last year.

Part of the reason more patients are not receiving these obesity medications is that their health insurance is not covering these drugs for weight loss, said one medical professional.

Among the participants who took the highest dose of 15mg, 63% of the people achieved at least 20% body-weight reductions as a key secondary endpoint, compared to 1.3% of those taking a placebo.

Over half the participants who took 10 mg also had at least 20% body-weight reduction.

What are the side effects of tirzepatide?

The side effect profile of tirzepatide was similar to other therapies approved for the treatment of obesity that reduced blood sugars. 

The most common adverse effects were gastrointestinal-related, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. 

Will health insurance cover tirzepatide?

“This will likely depend on the pricing if the drug is approved, so it’s hard to say without knowing the annual price,” Sarah Emond, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), a Boston-based nonprofit, told Fox News Digital. 

Most insurer companies cover Victoza (liraglutide) and Ozempic (semaglutide) for the treatment of diabetes.

But only a few cover Saxenda (liraglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) for the treatment for obesity, Dr. Stanford of Boston said.

“Insurers actually treat diabetes as a disease and cover [the costs of drugs for it], while refusing to cover the same drugs for obesity,” said one physician in Boston.
(iStock)

The brand names of both drugs are different for the treatment for obesity versus diabetes, she emphasized, even though they are same genetic drug for both indications. 

“But insurers actually treat diabetes as a disease and cover them, while refusing to cover the same drugs for obesity.”

POTATOES AREN’T ALWAYS BAD FOR YOU — IT’S ALL IN THE PREPARATION, NEW STUDY INDICATES

Only some people who may benefit from medical treatments for obesity are receiving them, though the drugs are considered safe and effective treatments, according to ICER’s recent report on obesity management.

Part of the reason more patients are not receiving these type of obesity medications, said Emond, is that their health insurance is not covering these drugs for weight loss. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“In part, this lack of coverage is due to the negative experience with earlier generations of obesity medications,” she said.

“However, given that obesity is a chronic disease with important long-term health consequences, it seems reasonable that newer therapies for obesity such as tirzepatide, if approved, [may] be covered not as an optional add-on determined by employers but as a core element of health insurance.”

What could be a fair price for the drug?

ICER conducts analyses to calculate fair prices for new drugs by determining what price matches the clinical benefit, Emond noted. 

In their latest obesity management report, ICER examined “Drug X,” which has a similar therapeutic profile to tirzepatide.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Based on the clinical data available at that time about the patient benefit, a ‘fair’ price for tirzepatide could be around $13,000 annually,” Emond noted.

“If approved, we’re not sure what it might actually cost patients out-of-pocket,” she also said. 

“That will depend on multiple factors, including the price chosen by the manufacturer, as well as benefit design and formulary placement decisions by payers and employers.” 

The post Tirzepatide drug fast-tracked for weight loss indication by FDA: What to know about it appeared first on Tixaje.net.