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President Donald Trump’s proposed 50% tariff on Brazilian imports is bad news for coffee drinkers.

Brazil, the largest U.S. supplier of green coffee beans, accounts for about a third of the country’s total supply, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Coffee beans need to grow in a warm, tropical climate, making Hawaii and Puerto Rico the only suitable places in the United States to farm the crop. But, as the world’s top consumer of coffee, the U.S. requires a massive supply to stay caffeinated. Mintel estimates that the U.S. coffee market reached $19.75 billion last year.

The increase in trade duties could leave consumers with even higher costs after several years of soaring coffee prices. Inflation-weary consumers have seen prices for lattes and cold brew climb as droughts and frost hit the global coffee supply, particularly in Brazil. Earlier this year, coffee bean futures hit all-time highs. They rose 1% on Thursday, although still well below the record set in February.

To be sure, there’s still time for Brazil to strike a deal with the White House before the tariffs go into effect on Aug. 1. Plus, food and beverage makers are hoping that the Trump administration will grant exemptions for key commodities. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview in late June that the White House is considering exemptions for produce that can’t be grown in the U.S. — including coffee.

But if that doesn’t happen, coffee companies like Folgers owner J.M. Smucker, Keurig Dr Pepper, Starbucks and Dutch Bros will face much higher costs for the commodity. Giuseppe Lavazza, chair of Italian roaster Lavazza, said on Bloomberg TV on Thursday morning that the latest tariff could mean “a lot of inflation” for the coffee industry.

Roasters will try to mitigate the impact of the higher tariff, but it won’t be easy.

“Every company is always trying to eke out the next efficiency, to dial into their operations or find the way to minimize inflationary pressures, but a 50% tariff on a commodity that fundamentally is not available in the U.S. — you can’t really do much with that,” Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain and logistics for the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group that represents the consumer packaged goods industry.

One mitigation tactic could be to import beans from countries other than Brazil, but companies will likely still be paying more for the commodity.

“A characteristic of tariffs, especially when you have tariffs on multiple countries at once, is that not just the inbound cost rises. It allows the pricing floor to also rise,” Madrecki said. “If you have cheaper coffee in a country different than Brazil, you’re not inclined to sell it at a 30% lower cost. You’re going to try to bump your coffee up a bit more, too.”

At-home coffee brands, like JM Smucker’s Dunkin’ and Kraft Heinz’s Maxwell House, have already been hiking their prices this year in response to spiking commodity costs. More price increases could be on the way for consumers, although retailers may push back.

Keurig Dr Pepper would consider additional price hikes in the latter half of the year to mitigate the impact of tariffs, CEO Tim Cofer said in late April, after Trump introduced his initial round of so-called reciprocal duties.

And Smuckers warned investors on its quarterly conference call in early June that tariffs on coffee were weighing on its profits. Coffee accounts for roughly a third of the company’s revenue.

“Green coffee is an unavailable natural resource that cannot be grown in the continental United States due to its reliance on a tropical climate,” Smuckers CEO Mark Smucker said. “We currently purchase approximately 500 million pounds of green coffee annually, with the majority coming from Brazil and Vietnam, the two largest coffee-producing countries.”

Vietnam, which announced a tentative trade deal with the White House earlier this month, supplies about 8% of the U.S.’s green coffee beans. Under the agreement, the U.S. will impose a 20% duty on Vietnamese imports.

Consumers who prefer a caramel macchiato from Starbucks for their caffeine hit will likely see a more muted impact on their wallets.

After several quarters of sluggish U.S. sales, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in late 2024 that the company wouldn’t raise prices in 2025, in the hopes of winning back customers who had complained about how expensive its drinks had gotten. While it waits for its turnaround to take hold, Starbucks might choose to swallow the higher coffee costs.

The coffee giant also benefits from its diversity — both in suppliers and the breadth of its menu, which now includes the popular Refreshers line. Starbucks imports its coffee from 30 different countries, and roughly 10% of its cost of goods sold in North America comes from coffee.

The new trade duty could mean a 0.5% increase in Starbucks’ North American cost of goods sold, assuming about 22% of its beans come from Brazil, TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. Starbucks’ packaged drinks, which are distributed by Nestle, could see their cost of goods sold increase 3.5%. Altogether, that represents a 5-cent drag on annual earnings per share, according to Charles.

For rival Dutch Bros, higher coffee costs also wouldn’t hurt its bottom line much. Coffee accounts for less than a tenth of the drive-thru coffee chain’s cost of goods sold. Assuming that Dutch Bros sources more than half of its coffee from Brazil, its cost of goods sold would rise just 1.3%, according to Charles’ estimates.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Former President Joe Biden defended his use of an autopen during a recent interview, shedding light on his administration’s rationale for the controversial use of the technology.

The interview with the New York Times was centered around his use of an autopen during the last pardons that he made during the end of his administration.

In his final weeks in office, Biden granted clemency and pardoned more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president.

Speaking to the Times on Thursday, Biden said that he ‘made every decision’ on his own.

‘We’re talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people,’ the Democrat said.

However, the Times reported that Biden ‘did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people,’ according to the former president and his aides.

‘Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, [Biden] signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence,’ the Times’s report read.

Instead of repeatedly asking the president to resign updated versions of official documents, his staff used an autopen to put Biden’s signature on the final version.

Biden’s comments came as Republicans attacked him for his autopen use on a massive number of official documents.

In June, President Donald Trump sent a memo to the Department of Justice directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the autopen use, and to determine whether it was related to a decline in Biden’s mental state.

‘In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,’ Trump wrote. 

‘This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.’

Also in June, Trump told reporters that he thought it was ‘inappropriate’ to use an autopen at all, though past presidents have used them.

‘Usually, when they put documents in front of you, they’re important,’ Trump said. ‘Even if you’re signing ambassadorships or – and I consider that important, I think it’s inappropriate.’

‘You have somebody that’s devoting four years of their life or more to being an ambassador. I think you really deserve that person deserves to get a real signature… not an autopen signature.’ 

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

As the second-quarter earnings season kicks off, US equity markets are hovering near record highs, buoyed by optimism that many now hope will be validated by incoming corporate results.

Yet expectations for earnings are subdued. Analysts forecast a modest 2.5% year-on-year rise in S&P 500 profits for Q2, making it the weakest earnings season since mid-2023, according to Bloomberg.

Despite recent market strength, the broader outlook has dimmed.

Six of the S&P 500’s 11 sectors are expected to report profit declines.

The full-year growth forecast for the benchmark index has dropped to 7.1%, down from 9.4% in April.

Still, the lowered bar may work in the companies’ favor as the companies can beat the low expectations, said market experts.

Kevin Gordon, senior investment strategist at Charles Schwab, told Bloomberg that the emphasis will be on gross margins to understand the effect of gross margins.

The earnings season unofficially begins Tuesday, with key reports from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and BlackRock.

Other high-profile companies such as J.B. Hunt and Netflix are also set to release results in the coming week.

AI spending dominates big tech outlook

While macroeconomic uncertainty and trade concerns loom, US tech giants continue their aggressive push into artificial intelligence.

Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet are projected to spend approximately $337 billion in capital expenditures in fiscal 2026, up from $311 billion this year, according to Bloomberg.

These investments reflect confidence in AI’s long-term value.

In Q2, the “Magnificent Seven” — Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla — are expected to post a combined 14% rise in profits. In contrast, the rest of the S&P 500 is forecast to see a slight decline of 0.1%.

AI hyperscalers alone spent more than $80 billion in the first quarter of 2025 and are on track to hit $300 billion in collective spending over the next year, further cementing their role as growth engines.

Trade tensions and currency moves add complexity

Despite earlier fears, the impact of President Trump’s tariff policies has yet to fully show in corporate earnings.

According to Bloomberg, net income margins for the S&P 500 are likely to dip to their lowest level since early 2024, though this may be temporary.

Margins are projected to rebound in the coming quarters, assuming cost-cutting or AI efficiency gains materialize.

Across the Atlantic, European firms face more immediate challenges.

A Citigroup index shows consistent earnings downgrades since mid-March, with automakers and miners particularly affected.

A stronger euro — up 13% against the dollar this year — could further pressure export-driven firms.

Back in the U.S., the dollar’s decline is providing a quiet tailwind for multinational companies.

Down 10% year-to-date, the dollar has posted its worst first-half performance since 1973.

Morgan Stanley’s David Adams said the weak currency should support earnings, especially for large-cap firms with significant foreign exposure.

As Lisa Shalett of Morgan Stanley concluded, “It’s a good market for some but not all.”

In a low-correlation, stock-picker’s environment, identifying winners amid mixed earnings may be key to navigating the months ahead.

The post Wall Street braces for weakest earnings season since 2023 amid market highs appeared first on Invezz

Statistics Canada released its June Labour Force Survey on Friday (July 11). The data indicated that 83,000 new jobs were added to the workforce, led by 34,000 new employees in the wholesale and retail trade category and a 17,000 worker rise in the healthcare and social assistance category.

In other positive news for the Canadian job market, the overall employment rate rose by 0.1 percent to 60.9 percent, while the unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percent to 6.9 percent.

The strong labour report came as a surprise to analysts who had been expecting employment rates to be flat month-over-month and the unemployment rate to increase to 7.1 percent. The June data signifies the first notable improvement in the job market since January and breaks a three-month rising trend in the unemployment rate.

Late on Thursday (June 10), US President Donald Trump threatened Canada with a 35 percent tariff on all exports starting on August 1. In his letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said that Canada had imposed unfair trade practices, citing a 400 percent tariff on dairy products.

However, Canada has a trade deficit with the US when it comes to dairy. Imports in 2024 reached a record C$877 million, while exports of Canadian dairy totaled just C$358 million. Canada imposes a tariff rate quota, which limits the amount of duty-free dairy products that can enter Canada. Tariffs are only applied once the quota is exceeded.

Trump also pointed to continued flows of fentanyl into the US, saying, “If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter.”

The president has used fentanyl as a reason for imposing tariffs against Canada since the start of his term, although the Canadian government is already taking action to secure the border further and the flow of the drug through the northern border remains a fraction of what it is at the southern border.

So far in the 2025 fiscal year, which started in October 2024, there have been 58 pounds of fentanyl seized at the Canada-US border. While the quantity of drugs seized coming from Canada has increased from 43 pounds the prior year, the number of events recorded has fallen to 38 from 67 in fiscal year 2024.

In December 2024, Canada announced C$1.3 billion in additional funding for increased security at the border, which included new and expanded detection capacity for illegal drugs. Between February and March, the Canada Border Services Agency conducted a one month drug-seizure operation focused on air, land and sea shipments named Operation Blizzard.

In May, the agency reported it seized 1.73 kilograms of fentanyl during the operation, 1.44 kilograms of which were en route to the United States. Additionally, 67.5 percent of the 2,600 seizures related to any drug ‘were of illegal narcotics coming to Canada from the United States,’ with only 17.5 percent going in the other direction.

Trump also announced on Tuesday (July 8) a 50 percent tariff on copper imports into the United States. The levies were imposed under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which is designed to give the president the power to levy tariffs on imports deemed to be critical to national security.

According to the United States Geological Survey, Canada is the second largest exporter of refined copper to the United States behind Chile and top exporter of copper ore to the country.

The effects of the tariffs may take some time to work into the market. Still, British Columbia and Ontario will feel the impact as the two largest copper-producing provinces.

The copper price skyrocketed on the news to a fresh all-time high of US$5.72 per pound on the COMEX.

Markets and commodities react

In Canada, equity markets were mixed this week. While the S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) fell 0.04 percent to close at 27,023.25 on Friday (July 11), the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) fared better, gaining 4.01 percent to 784.42, and the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) climbed 6.53 percent to 129.79.

US equity markets ended the week largely flat overall, with the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) gaining just 0.21 percent to close Thursday at 6,259.74, the Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) climbing 0.13 percent to 22,780.60 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) falling 0.44 percent to 44,371.52.

In precious metals, the gold price rose 0.56 percent over the week to US$3,356.14 by Friday at 4 p.m. EDT. The silver price reached US$38.53, its highest price since 2011, near the end of trading Friday, before pulling back slightly to end the week up 3.38 percent at US$38.41.

In base metals, copper pulled back slightly from its fresh all-time high mentioned above, but still ended the week with a 10.24 percent gain to US$5.58. The S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) lost 0.98 percent to close at 551.38.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?

Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stock data for this article was retrieved at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market capitalizations greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.

1. Avanti Gold (CSE:AGC)

Weekly gain: 158.33 percent
Market cap: C$10.92 million
Share price: C$0.155

Avanti Gold is an exploration and development company working to advance its flagship Misisi gold project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The project consists of three mining licenses covering an area of 133 square kilometres in the Kibara gold belt and is a 73.5/21.5 joint venture between Avanti and Chinese mining company MMG (HKEX:1208), with the DRC government retaining a 5 percent interest.

An August 2023 technical report demonstrated an inferred mineral resource estimate of 3.11 million ounces of contained gold from 40.8 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 2.37 g/t.

Shares in Avanti rose this week after the company announced on Thursday that it settled the payment dispute between itself, Arc Minerals (LSE:ARCM) and Regency Mining, which Avanti acquired in December 2022.

Prior to its acquisition by Avanti, in April 2022 then-private company Regency agreed to purchase Arc subsidiary Casa Mining, owner of the 73.5 percent interest in the Misisi project. Under the terms of the original deal, Regency agreed to pay Arc in part with US$1.25 million in shares of a public company, which was never fulfilled.

The new settlement agreement will enable Avanti to reduce the amount it owes if it pays within certain timeframes: US$562,500 if it pays Arc by August 31, or US$625,000 by October 31 or US$750,000 by December 31. If the payment is not completed this year, the amount owed will revert to the original US$1.25 million and be due on January 1, 2026.

2. Silver Mountain Resources (TSXV:AGMR)

Weekly gain: 139.68 percent
Market cap: C$27.87 million
Share price: C$1.51

Silver Mountain Resources is an exploration and development company working to restart production at the Reliquias underground mine in Central Peru.

The mine is part of the larger Castrovirreyna project, which consists of three blocks of mineral concessions. The main Reliquias block consists of 245 concessions covering an area of 24,093 hectares. The site also hosts a 2,000 metric ton per day processing plant, with an operating tailings dam.

A May 2024 preliminary economic assessment demonstrated project viability with an after-tax net present value of C$85 million, an internal rate of return of 51 percent and a payback period of 1.8 years.

The included mineral resource estimate showed measured and indicated grades of 4.25 ounces per metric ton silver, 0.41 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 2.02 percent lead, 3.09 percent zinc and 0.32 percent copper from 1.31 million metric tons of ore.

Shares in Silver Mountain gained significantly this week after it announced on Tuesday (July 8) that it was finalizing an agreement with global commodities supplier Trafigura for a US$10 million prepayment facility to advance work at Reliquias.

The company said it would provide further details once definitive documentation is completed.

3. Altima Energy (TSXV:ARH)

Weekly gain: 100 percent
Market cap: C$23.99 million
Share price: C$0.49

Altima Energy is a light oil and natural gas exploration and development company with operations in Alberta, Canada.

Its primary asset is the Richdale property in Central Alberta. The property consists of five producing light oil wells and sits on 5,920 acres of long-term reserves. The property hosts combined proved and probable reserves of just under 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with a pre-tax net present value of C$25.8 million.

The company also owns two wells at its Twinning light oil site near Nisku, seven producing wells at its Red Earth property in Northern Alberta and two multi-zone wells at its Chambers Ferrier liquid gas production property.

Shares in Altima gained this week after it released news on Tuesday that it had completed a private placement for proceeds of up to C$5.5 million. Under the terms of the deal, the company will issue 20 million units at C$0.275 per unit, which each include one common share and one warrant allowing the holder to purchase a common share for C$0.40.

The company said that part of the proceeds would be used to complete field upgrades at its Red Earth and Richdale properties.

4. McFarlane Lake Mining (CSE:MLM)

Weekly gain: 83.33 percent
Market cap: C$14.88 million
Share price: C$0.055

McFarlane Lake Mining is a gold exploration company working to advance a portfolio of properties in Southern Ontario, Canada, with options agreements in place to earn 100 percent interests in the projects.

Its primary focus has been on its McMillan property southwest of Sudbury. The site consists of 12 mining leases over 268 hectares and hosted historic mining in the 1930s.

McFarlane Lake explored the property throughout the first half of 2025. On July 3, the company shared assay results from the final drill hole of its drill program at the project. The drill hole intersected a broad interval of 1.3 g/t gold over 29.5 meters, which included intersections of 6.6 g/t gold over 4.55 meters and 20.1 g/t over 1.45 meters.

In the same announcement, the company reported that a downhole electromagnetic survey of the drill hole located an electromagnetic ‘superconductor’ nearby.

Shares in McFarlane were up this week after it was announced on Monday (July 7) that it would be acquiring the Juby Gold project from Aris Mining (TSX:ARIS) for a total consideration of US$22 million, including US$10 million in cash.

The transaction includes Aris’ 100 percent stake in Juby and its 25 percent stake in the adjacent Knight property, in which Orecap Invest holds the other 75 percent interest.

In a follow-up release on Tuesday, the company said the property is one of Ontario’s largest undeveloped gold properties and highlighted a historical indicated mineral resource of 775,000 ounces of gold from 21.31 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 1.13 g/t gold, plus an inferred resource of 1.49 million ounces of contained gold from ore grading 0.98 g/t.

5. World Copper (TSXV:WCU)

Weekly gain: 75 percent
Market cap: C$14.63 million
Share price: C$0.07

World Copper is an exploration and development company focused on its Zonia copper project in Central Arizona, US. It also owns the Escalones copper project in Chile.

The Zonia property, acquired following a merger with Cardero Resources in January 2022, has seen extensive exploration dating back 100 years and hosted open-pit mining operations until 1975.

In November 2024, the company released an amended resource estimate for the project, showing a total indicated resource of 668 million pounds of contained copper from 112.2 million short tons of ore with an average grade of 0.297 percent, and an inferred resource of 320 million pounds from 62.9 million short tons of ore with an average grade of 0.255 percent.

On February 19, World Copper reported it had entered into a binding agreement to sell Zonia to an arm’s length third party for cash considerations of C$26 million. However, on May 6, World Copper announced that it terminated the agreement.

The company has not released news since. Shares gained this week against a backdrop of US copper tariffs and a surging copper price.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSXV?

As of February 2025, there were 1,572 companies listed on the TSXV, 905 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,859 companies, with 181 of those being mining companies.

Together the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that charges against a doctor accused of destroying COVID-19 vaccines and giving children fake shots at their parents’ request have been dropped. 

‘At my direction @TheJusticeDept has dismissed charges against Dr. Kirk Moore,’ Bondi wrote on X. ‘Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so. He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.’ 

Moore, whose trial got underway Monday, was facing decades in prison for allegedly destroying more than $28,000 in COVID-19 vaccines and fraudulently completing and distributing hundreds of vaccination record cards. 

The Utah-based plastic surgeon was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023. 

Prosecutors say Moore and his three co-defendants ran a scheme out of Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah Inc. to ‘defraud the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).’ 

On Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she was writing a letter to the Justice Department to urge it to drop charges against Moore. 

‘This man is a hero, not a criminal,’ she contended on X. ‘The charges were filed under Biden’s DOJ, not Trump.’

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also praised Moore on X in April, writing, ‘Dr. Moore deserves a medal for his courage and his commitment to healing!’

Greene thanked Bondi on Saturday. 

‘Thank you AG Pam Bondi for dropping the WRONGFUL charges against Dr. Kirk Moore!’ she wrote on X. ‘We can never again allow our government to turn tyrannical under our watch. Thankfully, as soon as I told Pam Bondi about Dr. Moore’s case she swiftly moved to drop the charges against him. This is a big win!’

Bondi wrote that getting the charges against Moore dropped would not have been possible without Greene, ‘who brought this case to my attention. She has been a warrior for Dr. Moore and for ending the weaponization of government.’

Bondi’s actions come as some supporters of President Trump are calling for her resignation after the Justice Department and FBI on Sunday released a joint review that ended theories about an alleged Jeffrey Epstein client list, concluding there was no such list detailing the names of the world’s elite who allegedly took part in Epstein’s history as a sexual predator.

The DOJ also concluded the disgraced financier committed suicide in his New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting further sex trafficking charges. 

Public outrage ensued after the release of a prison surveillance video that the administration used to prove that no one entered Epstein’s cell in the hours leading up to his death.

The 10-hour video, though, has one minute missing, which has fueled conspiracy theories that the administration is participating in a cover-up involving Epstein’s death.

‘President Trump is proud of Attorney General Bondi’s efforts to execute his Make America Safe Again agenda, restore the integrity of the Department of Justice, and bring justice to victims of crime. The continued fixation on sowing division in President Trump’s Cabinet is baseless and unfounded in reality,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt siad.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is also considering resigning over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files after a heated argument with Bondi this week, a source told Fox News Digital this week.

Bongino has not been seen in his office since Wednesday, a source said, adding he has yet to make a final decision about his future. 

Fox News’ Amanda Macias, David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC) chief executive Lip-Bu Tan reportedly conceded in a recent Q&A session with employees that it’s too late for the semiconductor firm to catch up to Nvidia in AI.

“On training, I think it is too late for us,” – Tan noted, adding INTC doesn’t even have a spot on the list of “top 10 semi companies” in the world in 2025.

At the time of writing, Intel stock is down some 15% versus its year-to-date high in mid-February.

Intel stock is not out of the AI race

According to Tan’s remarks leaked via OregonTech, Intel is no longer chasing Nvidia in the data centre race as the battle has already been lost.

Instead, the chip firm is now turning its focus to edge AI. INTC sees it as a more attainable frontier – especially as demand grows for AI-enabled PCs, industrial sensors, and embedded systems.

Tan also highlighted agentic AI, systems that act autonomously without constant human input, as a key growth area. This emerging field could reshape how devices interact with users, from smart assistants to autonomous robotics.

Intel plans to invest in talent and infrastructure to support this shift, with Tan teasing upcoming high-level hires: “Stay tuned. A few more people are coming on board.”

Note that INTC shares are currently down more than 35% versus their 52-week high.

INTC shares to benefit from cost cuts

Intel’s manufacturing struggles have compounded its AI shortcomings. Once proud of its vertical integration, the company now outsources roughly 30% of its chip production to TSMC.

Its flagship 18A node, once touted as a comeback vehicle, is now being reconsidered in favor of the more promising 14A process. Analysts warn that billions in capital expenditures may be written off if Intel shelves external 18A volumes.

Tan’s leadership marks a departure from his predecessor’s expansive IDM 2.0 strategy.

Instead of competing on all fronts, Tan is streamlining operations, cutting costs, and laying off thousands globally. The goal is to focus on what Intel can do well, starting with AI at the edge, not the cloud.

For now, though, Wall Street rates Intel shares at “hold” only.

Intel needs time to regain momentum

Despite the bleak outlook, Tan remains cautiously optimistic. He’s called Intel’s turnaround a “marathon,” not a sprint, and emphasized the need for cultural transformation.

“We need to be humble,” he told employees, urging the company to listen more closely to market demands.

Whether Intel can regain its footing remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the company is no longer pretending to lead the AI race. Instead, it’s recalibrating – hoping that by shifting its focus and shedding legacy baggage, it can carve out a meaningful role in the next chapter of computing.

That said, Intel likely has a long road ahead, which is why analysts’ mean target of $21.50 on INTC stock indicates potential downside of nearly 9.0% from here.

The post Is it too late for Intel stock to catch up in AI? It’s CEO thinks so appeared first on Invezz

 

(TheNewswire)

 

     

   
             

 

July 11, 2025 TheNewswire – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada JZR Gold Inc. (TSXV:  JZR) (the ‘ Company ‘ or ‘ JZR ‘) is pleased to announce that it intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement offering (the ‘ Offering ‘) of up to 5,000,000 units (each, a ‘ Unit ‘) at a price of $0.30 per Unit, to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000.  Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (each, a ‘ Share ‘) and one share purchase warrant (each, a ‘ Warrant ‘). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional common share (each, a ‘ Warrant Share ‘) of the Company at an exercise price of $0.40 per Warrant Share for a period of two (2) years after the closing of the Offering. The Warrants will be subject to an acceleration clause whereby, in the event that the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s common shares traded on TSX Venture Exchange, or any other stock exchange on which the Company’s common shares are then listed, is equal to or greater than $0.75 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, the Company shall have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving written notice to the holders of the Warrants that the Warrants will expire on the date that is not less than 30 days from the date that notice is provided by the Company to the Warrant holders. The Units, Shares, Warrants and any Shares issued upon the exercise of the Warrants will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

 

  The Units will be offered pursuant to available prospectus exemptions set out under applicable securities laws and instruments, including National Instrument 45-106 –   Prospectus Exemptions.  

 

  The Offering may close in one or more tranches, as subscriptions are received.  The Securities will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.  Closing of the Offering, which is expected to occur on or about July 21, 2025, will be subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including approval by the Exchange.  

 

  The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund operations of the fully constructed 800 tonne-per-day gravimetric mill, as well as future exploration work on the Vila Nova Gold project located in Amapa State, Brazil, and for general working capital purposes. JZR has been advised by its Joint Venture Royalty Agreement partner, ECO Mining Oil & Gaz Drilling and Exploration Ltda. (EIRELI) (‘ECO’), that the Mill is fully operational, but ECO is completing a few minor improvements to the Mill to improve operational efficiency. There will be further updates regarding operations in the immediate future.  

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Robert Klenk

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

rob@jazzresources.ca

 

Forward-Looking Information

 

  This press release contains certain ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information in this press release includes all statements that are not historical facts, including, without limitation, statements with respect to the details of the Offering, including the proposed size, timing and the expected use of proceeds and the receipt of regulatory approval for the Offering.  Forward-looking information reflects the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it.  Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.  These factors include, but are not limited to:   the Company may not complete the Offering; the Offering may not be approved by the TSX Venture Exchange;   risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mineral exploration industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks related to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions; risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with the specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks related to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company’s continuous disclosure documents filed with the Canadian securities regulators.  The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.  The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws.  

 

  Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.  

 

None of the securities of JZR have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act’), or any state securities law, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or ‘U.S. persons’ (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy in the United States nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

 

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

 

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

 

 

News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia

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What’s “Froot Loops” in Italian?

The European confectionary company Ferrero has agreed to buy WK Kellogg Co., the manufacturer of iconic American cereals, for $3.1 billion.

The acquisition is set to bring the publicly traded maker of Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies under the privately owned Italian manufacturer of Nutella, Tic Tac and Kinder chocolates.

WK Kellogg, based in Battle Creek, Michigan, was spun off from Kellogg’s in 2023, splitting the company’s North American cereal business from its other snack products like Pringles and Pop-Tarts, a unit that is now owned by the publicly traded conglomerate Kellanova. WK Kellogg, one of North America’s largest cereal makers, saw its shares surge more than 30% Thursday on the news of the deal.

The agreement comes after years of slowing demand for sugary breakfast cereals as many consumers look for healthier options. WK Kellogg came under fire last year when CEO Gary Pilnick said on CNBC that households squeezed by food companies’ price hikes should consider eating “cereal for dinner” to save money, part of a marketing pitch the company was making as an answer to inflation.

Yet snack demand, too, has flagged recently, with The Campbell’s Co. and General Mills each warning this year of slower sales as customers prioritize square meals.

Ferrero Rocher chocolates.Alexander Sayganov / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images file

Ferrero, perhaps best known for its namesake Ferrero Rocher chocolates in gold foil, originated in Alba, Italy, after World War II and is now a multinational food maker headquartered in Luxembourg. The company reported revenue of 18.4 billion euros last fiscal year, up nearly 9% from the one before.

Ferrero executive chairman Giovanni Ferrero described the acquisition Thursday as “a key milestone” in an effort to grow its footprint in North America, where the closely held company sells an array of popular candies.

The deal is among a series of high-profile Ferrero acquisitions in recent years. The firm bought Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and other U.S. candy brands from Nestlé in 2018, then acquired Kellogg’s bakery business, including Famous Amos and Keebler, in 2019 along with the manufacturer of Halo Top ice cream in 2022.

After the transaction closes, WK Kellogg will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrero. The deal is expected to close later this year.

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David Gergen, who worked for four presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, before becoming an academic and political TV pundit, has died. He was 83. 

Gergen died in a retirement home in Massachusetts on July 10, his son said, according to several outlets. 

The Washington, D.C., veteran had been suffering from Lewy body dementia, his son said. 

Those who knew and admired Gergen took to X to express their condolences. 

Former California first lady Maria Shriver wrote on X: ‘David Gergen was total professional and a really kind man. My thoughts are with his family. He loved politics and he loved being in service to this country.’

‘RIP, Mr. Gergen,’ CBS reporter Robert Costa wrote. 

Former Democratic Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. wrote: ‘We lost a good one, a really good one – RIP, my friend David Gergen

Gergen came up with the line that then-candidate Reagan said in the 1980 election: ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’ according to The New York Times. 

He later said of the line: ‘Rhetorical questions have great power.’ 

Of his time with the Nixon administration, Gergen told the Washington Post in 1981, ‘I was young, and I was too naive. It hardened me up a lot. It was an extremely difficult experience emotionally, in terms of belief in people.’ 

After leaving public office, Gergen worked as an editor and columnist, as well as for the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the liberal Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was also a commentator for PBS, CNN and NPR. 

‘To say that I rely on him is an understatement,’ Reagan’s White House Chief of Staff, James A. Baker III, told The Washington Post in 1981. ‘He’s the best conceptualizer, in terms of communications strategy, that we have.’

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US stocks have been in a sharp uptrend since early April, but higher tariffs set to go live on August 1 could reverse some of the recent gains, potentially resulting in meaningful losses in the second half of 2025.

Still, famed investor Jim Cramer says some stocks are currently trading at a significant discount, not because of legitimate reasons, but due to misperceptions only.

Four of those, the former hedge fund manager particularly recommends buying, are: Starbucks, Home Depot, Costco, and McDonald’s – all major names within their respective sectors.

Let’s dive deeper into Cramer’s view on these four behemoths individually.

Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ: COST)

Jim Cramer recommends owning Costco stock on the recent pullback primarily because the retailer relies heavily on a subscription model for revenue, enabling it oto ffer hard-to-beat prices even amid challenging times.

According to the Mad Money host, Issaquah-headquartered Costco will succeed in keeping prices low despite tariffs, potentially leading to an increased footfall over the next few quarters.  

A 0.54% dividend yield on COST shares, while not much, is still an added reason to own them in the back half of 2025.

Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ: SBUX)

Starbucks stock has come under renewed pressure in recent sessions because the US announced a rather steep 50% tariff on Brazil, its primary supplier of coffee beans.

However, Cramer believes the related concerns are overblown, given Starbucks’ scale positions it better than rivals to find a cheaper source of coffee beans.

Moreover, he has immense confidence in the company’s chief executive, Brian Niccol’s, ability to turn this ship around.

Note that SBUX shares also currently pay a dividend yield of 2.56%.

Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD)

Home Depot stock has been out of favour with investors primarily because the US housing market just isn’t showing any signs of a recovery.

Still, Jim Cramer recommends owning HD shares because its business isn’t confined to home sales – the retailer has also been making significant strides in remodelling and renovation via acquisitions.

It’s a crucial element of the company’s overall growth story that’s been discounted in 2025, but stands to drive the Home Depot stock price up over time.

McDonald’s Corp (NYSE: MCD)

Cramer disagrees with the broader narrative that McDonald’s stock has “lost its way,” even though it really hasn’t done much since the start of 2025.

According to the former hedge fund manager, this too shall pass as the fast food behemoth has the marketing and sheer scale to navigate the current macroeconomic environment.  

Much like other names on his list, McDonald’s is also a dividend stock that currently yields 2.37%, making it all the more attractive to own at current levels, at least for the income investors.  

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