| This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a drug cocktail of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. Sign up here. Today's Agenda  There are big holes in our drug research. Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe Cancer's Not the Only Enemy We are all (spoiler alert) going to die some day. But too many of us die too soon of preventable causes. And not all of those causes get the attention they deserve. Everyone cheered last week upon learning America's cancer death rates have tumbled. President Donald Trump even tried to claim credit for it. Cancer sucks and is bad, the Emperor of All Maladies and all that. We win every time it loses. But cancer is in retreat partly because the health-care system has thrown so much money at cancer drugs, writes Max Nisen. This encourages ever more R&D on cancer drugs. Meanwhile, though, other potentially life-saving research withers on the vine. Alzheimer's patients, for example, will wait a long time for effective treatments, even as the population ages and deaths accumulate. Research on mental-health drugs has stagnated, while suicide rates soar. And if you want to really lose sleep at night, think about how little is spent on antibiotics research, while bacteria keep developing resistance to existing drugs. Until the system changes, we'll see way too much green on the chart below. Read the whole thing.  How to Read Iran's Unexpected Confession Last week we suggested Iran might never confess to shooting down Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752. But the evidence quickly became too overwhelming even for Tehran to ignore. Its admission led to widespread protests and a sense of déjà vu for some: The incident felt like a condensed version of the Chernobyl meltdown that foretold the Soviet Union's collapse, writes Bobby Ghosh. The trouble with this comparison is there's no Iranian Mikhail Gorbachev ready to reform the regime, Bobby notes. This tragedy exposes Tehran's deep political bankruptcy and the pent-up frustration of its citizens. But for now that seems mainly to be a recipe for yet another deadly crackdown. Still, this crisis — starting with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and ending with the Flight 752 debacle — could coincide with some kind of turning point for Iran, journalist Kim Ghattas tells Toby Harshaw. She notes these have happened roughly around the beginning of every decade, starting with the revolution of 1979, continuing with the first Gulf War, Sept. 11, and the Arab Spring. Bonus Regime-Culpability Reading: Iran's admission is a reminder Russia still hasn't copped to downing Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Continue to not hold your breath. — Leonid Bershidsky Yes, the Middle East Still Matters for Oil Trump claims the U.S. doesn't need oil from the Middle East any more, which may help explain why he seems relatively comfortable stoking tensions there. But he's wrong to dismiss the region's importance, writes Julian Lee. The U.S. still imports far more crude oil than it exports, partly because its refiners need the heavy stuff that comes from the Middle East.  And America is not its own separate planet; the whole country feels it when global oil prices rise — and more acutely because it tends to tax oil less, Julian notes. Democratic Candidate Analyst Ratings: Buy Biden, Sell Steyer Six of the Democrats running for president will meet in Des Moines tomorrow night for another debate, their last before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. Five of them have a real shot at becoming the nominee, writes Jonathan Bernstein. Tom Steyer will also be there. Jonathan breaks down the prospects of each of the five, giving former Vice President Joe Biden the best odds. (Bloomberg LP founder Michael Bloomberg is also running for president, but he won't be debating.) As for Steyer, he has many bad ideas, but congressional term limits may be the worst, Jonathan writes in a second column. Our CD Rates Are INSAAAANE! This has been a rough decade for people trying to save money. In some places you have to pay banks to hold your money for you. So it's notable that Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s consumer bank Marcus is trying to lure customers by dangling a 2% rate on an 11-month no-penalty CD. This is what amounts to "Crazy Eddie" levels of customer service these days; and Brian Chappatta writes Goldman will probably have to keep it up for a while, to make a name for itself in this business. So that might be a good way to save money, and saving money is often good. Just be aware that, contrary to what you hear far too often in the popular business press, buying a latte (or house, or car) won't ruin you financially, advises Barry Ritholtz. And skipping those things certainly won't make you rich. Telltale Charts Immigrants vastly benefit the U.S., but good luck convincing the American public, writes Noah Smith. We might change attitudes by encouraging more skilled workers.  Green stocks — companies with at least 10% of revenues derived from clean energy, energy efficiency or clean technology — have topped the broader market lately, Matthew Winkler writes.  Further Reading Gun-sanctuary advocates are really trying to hide from democracy as public opinion turns overwhelmingly in favor of more control. — Francis Wilkinson Boeing Inc. suppliers are merging to better fight climate change and also Boeing. — Brooke Sutherland Weak wage growth is not necessarily good news for corporate earnings. — John Authers India's controversial citizenship law has robbed Narendra Modi of his political magic. — Mihir Sharma British financiers are being a little too cocky about accessing EU markets without facing EU regulations. — Lionel Laurent Meghan and Harry will struggle to avoid cashing in on their royalty, or the appearance of hypocrisy. — Alex Webb ICYMI RIP Wall Street bonus culture. India's giving consumers unprecedented data control. Middle-age misery peaks at 47.2 years, a study has shown. Kickers San Francisco developer proposes tiny, windowless, underground "sleeping pods" for people to rent. Alaska man survives three weeks in the wilderness. (h/t Scott Kominers for the first two kickers) Ocean temperatures are the highest on record. The 50 greatest war movies ever. Note: Please send CDs and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net. Sign up here and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. | 
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