Author

admin

Browsing

President Donald Trump said Friday that former President Barack Obama ‘owes me big’ following the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. 

Trump on Tuesday claimed that Obama was the ‘ringleader’ of Russiagate, calling for him to be criminally investigated amid new claims that members of his administration allegedly ‘manufactured’ intelligence that prompted the Trump–Russia collusion narrative. Obama has denied the allegations, with a spokesperson for him describing them as ‘bizarre.’

‘It probably helps him a lot. Probably helps a lot. The immunity ruling, but it doesn’t help the people around him at all. But it probably helps him a lot,’ Trump said Friday. ‘He’s done criminal acts, there’s no question about it. But he has immunity, and it probably helps him a lot… he owes me big, Obama owes me big.’ 

The intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but, at the ‘unusual’ direction of then-President Barack Obama, published ‘potentially biased’ or ‘implausible’ intelligence suggesting otherwise, the House Intelligence Committee found, according to a Fox News report earlier this week.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had declassified a report prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence back in 2020.

The report, which was based on an investigation launched by former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., was dated Sept. 18, 2020. At the time of the publication of the report, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was the chairman of the committee.

The committee focused on the creation of the Intelligence Community Assessment of 2017, in which then-CIA Director John Brennan pushed for the inclusion of the now-discredited anti-Trump dossier, despite knowing it was based largely on ‘internet rumor,’ as Fox News Digital previously reported.

According to the report, the ICA was a ‘high-profile product ordered by the President, directed by senior IC agency heads, and created by just five CIA analysts, using one principal drafter.’

‘Production of the ICA was subject to unusual directives from the President and senior political appointees, and particularly DCIA,’ the report states. ‘The draft was not properly coordinated within CIA or the IC, ensuring it would be published without significant challenges to its conclusions.’

The committee found that the five CIA analysts and drafter ‘rushed’ the ICA’s production ‘in order to publish two weeks before President-elect Trump was sworn-in.’

In a statement Tuesday, Obama denied Trump’s ‘bizarre allegations’ that he was the Russiagate ‘ringleader.’

‘Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,’ Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a statement. ‘But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.’ 

‘These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,’ Obama’s spokesman continued. ‘Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.’ 

Gabbard later told ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ on Wednesday that there were ‘deep state obstacles’ to releasing her information about the Trump-Russia collusion investigation and that some people within the intelligence community (IC) didn’t want it to ‘see the light of day.’

‘There are a lot of deep state actors still here within Washington. President Trump wants us to find the truth. I want to find that truth. The American people deserve the truth, and they deserve accountability,’ she said.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Senate Democrats have begun to ramp up their push for the full release of documents related to the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while Senate Republicans have tried to focus their attention elsewhere.

‘The story Republicans hoped would quietly fade is growing louder by the hour,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.

Schumer has led the charge among Senate Democrats in demanding more transparency on the Epstein issue, and has used the drama in recent weeks as a political cudgel to go after congressional Republicans and the White House.

His remarks come after a recent Wall Street Journal report alleged that President Donald Trump’s name appeared in the documents surrounding Epstein, and that he was told by the Justice Department about it before publicly saying he was not among the untold number of names within the documents.

Trump also ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to ‘produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony’ on the matter, and top Justice Department official Todd Blanche met with Epstein accomplice Ghislane Maxwell in Florida on Thursday to discuss the late pedophile and alleged sex trafficker.

‘It has the stench of a cover-up,’ Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital. ‘The only right outcome here is to release and disclose all the files. There should be no secret meetings or secret deals.’

However, the Epstein saga has not had near the effect in the Senate as in the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent lawmakers home early this week for a monthlong break after some Republicans and Democrats joined forces in their calls to bring the so-called Epstein files out in the open.

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have downplayed the issue, arguing that Congress has far less power to obtain the information than the Justice Department does.

Sen. Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, told Fox News Digital that he does not like ‘duplicating efforts,’ but noted that he is still curious to know more information about the Epstein documents.  

‘I’m like every American who knows anything about this – I’m curious,’ the Wisconsin Republican said. ‘It doesn’t make any sense to me, starting back with his original trial and very light sentence. But I think there are far more important things to worry about.’

Senate Democrats are trying to force the issue, however. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., again tried to introduce a non-binding resolution that called on Bondi to release all files related to Epstein, and the move was again blocked by Sen. Markwaye Mullin, R-Okla. 

Gallego said that the White House continues to make the issue ‘political theater,’ something that began on the campaign trail.

‘They fed this monster, and now they have to figure out the solution to what the American public is asking for, which is, you know, resolution and answers to their questions,’ he said.

Mullin, however, introduced his own resolution that comported with the president’s order for state and federal courts to release all Epstein documents surrounding the criminal investigation and prosecution against him. But when Gallego offered to combine the two, he objected, and accused him of turning the issue into a ‘political football.’

‘One, in this particular case — in a lot of cases — we’re not willing to stretch the truth to tell something that’s not accurate,’ Mullin said. ‘We want to be accurate with what we’re telling the American people. And the truth is, what can Congress do?’

So far, Mullin’s resolution is the only action offered by Senate Republicans in the ongoing Epstein saga. When asked if he would be interested in bringing the resolution to the floor for a vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said ‘obviously there is some interest in taking action on it, and we’ll see how intense that feeling is.’

Still, some Republicans want to focus their efforts elsewhere.

‘I hope we don’t waste our time on that,’ said Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. ‘We’ve got enough to do.’ 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

House Republicans are already discussing contours for a potential second ‘big, beautiful bill’ advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), the 189-member-strong group that acts as a de facto ‘think tank’ for the House GOP, is launching a working group to look at what a second budget reconciliation bill would look like, Fox News Digital has learned.

It’s the largest organized effort so far by congressional Republicans to follow through on GOP leaders’ hopes for a second massive agenda bill.

‘We must capitalize on the momentum we’ve generated in the first 6 months of a Republican trifecta in Washington,’ RSC Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. ‘To fulfill the promises we made to the American people, conservatives must begin laying the groundwork for the second reconciliation bill to ensure we continue to drive down the cost of living and restore America’s promise for future generations.’

House Republicans left Washington on Wednesday to kick off a five-week recess period, where they’re readying to sell the benefits of their first massive agenda bill to their constituents. 

Meanwhile, Pfluger also directed lawmakers part of the new working group to begin reaching out to colleagues, conservative senators, and GOP organizations about potential policy proposals for a new bill, Fox News Digital was told.

The goal of the new group is to create a framework for what a second ‘big, beautiful bill’ could look like, and to recommend that framework to GOP leaders.

The first bill was a massive piece of legislation advancing Trump’s agenda on taxes, the border, immigration, defense, and energy.

It made much of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanent, while imposing new work requirements on Medicaid and food stamps, among other measures.

After passing the House and Senate, Trump signed it into law during a celebratory event on the Fourth of July.

But the political fight to get just one reconciliation bill took Herculean political efforts across both the House and Senate, with debates and even heated arguments ongoing for months before the bill passed.

Notably, however, Republicans did get the legislation to Trump’s desk by July 4 – meeting a goal that many in the media and even within GOP circles thought impossible.

The budget reconciliation process allows the party controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress to pass massive partisan policy overhauls, while completely sidelining the other side – in this case, Democrats.

Reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with a simple majority rather than 60 votes, lining up with the House’s own passage threshold. But the legislation must adhere to a specific set of rules and only involve measures related to fiscal policy.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ earlier this month that he was eyeing multiple reconciliation bills.

‘With President Trump coming back to the White House, and us having the responsibility for fixing every metric of public policy that Biden and Harris and the Democrats destroyed over the previous four years –  so the big beautiful bill was the first big step in that,’ he told host Maria Bartiromo.

‘But we have multiple steps ahead of us. We have long planned for at least two, possibly three, reconciliation bills, one in the fall and one next spring.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

JERUSALEM— The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is under growing pressure to extradite the self-confessed female Hamas terrorist Ahlam Aref Ahmad al-Tamimi, who engineered the terrorist bombing at a Jerusalem pizzeria in 2001 that murdered three Americans among 16 people, half of whom were children.

Frimet and Arnold Roth, the parents of Malki Roth, a 15-year-old U.S. citizen murdered in the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing, held a virtual meeting on July 17, 2025 with Jeanine F. Pirro, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. 

The U.S. State Department has a $5 million reward for information leading to al-Tamimi’scapture, even as reports claim Jordan’s King Abdullah II has played hardball, refusing to extradite the accused mass murderer. 

‘You have the capacity to push for her extradition, to ensure that the 1995 treaty is honored, to show Jordan and its population along with the watching world that harboring terrorists has consequences,’ Arnold Roth told Pirro during the meeting, according to a family press release following the meeting. 

The 24th anniversary of the Aug. 9, 2001 bombing is next month.

Roth added, ‘We’re here today to implore you to act. Jordan needs to know the U.S. cannot tolerate the protection of a murderer of American citizens. U.S. justice needs to be respected by the world and, without hammering this point too hard, by America’s lawmakers and senior officials.’ 

The Roths said that the meeting focused on the need for ‘concrete steps’ to advance the long-delayed extradition of al-Tamimi.  

Al-Tamimi’sterrorist bombing also killed Judith Shoshana Greenberg and Chana Nachenberg in the 2001 attack. ‘All the victims deserve justice,’ Arnold Roth said, stressing that Tamimi’s extradition should become a ‘true priority’ for the U.S. Department of Justice. 

When asked if the extradition of al-Tamimi was raised by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his Wednesday meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, ‘The United States has continually emphasized to the Government of Jordan the importance of holding Ahlam al-Tamimi, the convicted terrorist released by Israel in a 2011 prisoner swap, accountable in a U.S. court for her admitted role in a 2001 bombing in Jerusalem that killed 15 people, including Americans Malka Chana Roth, Judith Shoshana Greenbaum, and Chana Nachenberg. The United States continues to impress upon the Government of Jordan that Tamimi is a brutal murderer who should be brought to justice.’

The State Department referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Justice for more information about the U.S. criminal case against al-Tamimi.

The Justice Department and Pirro’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital press queries.

Al-Tamimi is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. She is the second female to appear on the terrorism list.

Frimet Roth told U.S. Attorney Pirro that ‘We cannot carry this fight alone any longer. Judge Pirro, please, be the voice for Malki and the other American victims. Be the advocate for justice that has been denied for too long. We beg you to act—not for our sake alone, but for the integrity of American law and the sanctity of every life lost to terror.’ 

The Roths also delivered a petition to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in May 2025, with some 30,000 signatures urging the Trump administration to press Jordan for al-Tamimi’s extradition. 

Arnold Roth told Fox News Digital that ‘No senior figure from State has ever, in all the years of our fight for justice, agreed to speak with us. Their treatment of us and of the Tamimi case is deplorable. Victoria Nuland, then one of the top-ranking figures in the State Department. Nuland wrote to us in the names of President Biden and then-Sec of State Antony Blinken, and told us that the Tamimi case was quote ‘a foremost priority’ for the U.S. And that they would keep us informed. She then [they] ignored every follow-up letter that I sent her, and of course so said Biden and Blinken.’

Jordan’s government is a major recipient of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF).

According to a January 2025 U.S. State Department fact sheet, ‘Since 2015, the Department of State has provided Jordan with $2.155 billion in FMF, which makes Jordan the third-largest global recipient of FMF funds over that time period.  In addition, the Department of Defense (DoD) has provided $327 million to the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) under its 333 authority since 2018, making Jordan one of the largest recipients of this funding.’

Al-Tamimi reportedly boasted about her terrorist operation in the Arab media and called for more terrorism against Israel. ‘Of course. I do not regret what happened. Absolutely not. This is the path. I dedicated myself to jihad for the sake of Allah, and Allah granted me success. You know how many casualties there were [in the 2001 attack on the Sbarro pizzeria]. This was made possible by Allah. Do you want me to denounce what I did? That’s out of the question. I would do it again today, and in the same manner,’ she said in 2011, according to a MEMRI translation.

In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department publicly announced that it had charged her with the Jerusalem suicide bombing. 

Fox News Digital sent multiple press queries to Jordan’s government and its embassies in Washington, D.C., and Tel Aviv.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Writing in the New York Times on Monday, longtime Democratic political strategist James Carville outlined a compelling message for Democrats to unite around ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Carville urged Democrats to delay the ‘civil war’ that will eventually erupt between the party’s moderate and progressive wings, and to coalesce around a single ‘oppositional message’ focused entirely on repealing President Donald Trump’s agenda.

With all due respect to Mr. Carville, his myopic focus on a strategy of resisting Trump above all else is simply too narrow to be truly effective.

Put another way, a Democratic agenda built entirely around repealing the Republican agenda may be enough for 2026, but it falls far short of what Democrats must do if they hope to take back the White House in 2028.

Indeed, nowhere in the Times piece is any description of actual policies that Democrats should advance as an alternative to what Republicans are offering, either next year or in three years.

There are no calls for an entirely new economic agenda, one that replaces Democrats’ tendency for profligate spending with a more fiscally conservative plan focused on managing the debt while also protecting the social safety net.

In many ways, Democrats today should look to former President Bill Clinton, who was able to reduce the debt, leave a budget surplus and still protect vital social programs.

Speaker Johnson: Everything is

Moreover, the word ‘immigration’ is not even mentioned. 

This comes despite 2024 election polling showing that immigration was a top issue for voters, and exit polls showing voters trusted Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris by a 16-point margin (52% to 36%), per Fox News.

To that end, if Democrats hope to take back more than just one chamber of Congress, the party needs an agenda that prioritizes securing the border, combined with a pathway to citizenship for legal migrants and Dreamers.

And, while I do agree with Mr. Carville that the midterms will be decided based on kitchen table issues rather than foreign policy, that does not mean Democrats can afford to ignore this issue.

As a party, Democrats must advance an agenda that positively asserts democratic values at home and abroad. 

The Democratic Party is

This entails rejecting the belief of the far left – and increasingly the far right – that any use of American power is inherently bad.

To be sure, formulating an entirely new Democratic agenda takes time. And it will require the emergence of moderate candidates at a time when Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City has energized the progressive wing of the party. 

Nevertheless, as the 2024 election made clear, Democrats cannot afford to run from the center toward the far left. What the party needs is a candidate who can win, not one chosen because they passed progressives’ ideological purity test.

Interestingly, Carville cites former President Clinton as a figure who emerged as Democrats’ ‘savior’ in 1992. 

James Carville takes aim at DNC vice chair as civil war escalates:

But Clinton was able to do so because, at a time when the party was moving further to the left, Clinton dragged the party toward the middle on the economy and crime.

Finally, the crux of Carville’s message – ‘we demand a repeal’ of Trump’s agenda – overlooks the core factor behind who Americans cast a vote for.

Voters choose candidates who have plans and policies that will improve their lives. 

Slogans, no matter how catchy, may work for the midterms, but if Democrats then fail to deliver actual change between 2026 and 2028, its unlikely voters will trust them.

Bill Maher warns Democrats: This looks like

Quite simply, voters want a strong economy, safe streets, a government that is not excessively bloated and secure borders, not candidates whose only agenda is resisting the president. 

Now, this is not to say that the agenda outlined by Carville will not be successful next year – it very well may.

Rather, it is to point out that even if it helps Democrats reclaim the House of Representatives, it will not be enough to take back the White House in 2028.

For that, the party needs to advance its own agenda, one that addresses the above issues and actually provides a real, viable alternative to the Trump-GOP agenda. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

As the global economy shifts toward electrification and clean energy, lithium has emerged as a cornerstone of the energy transition, and the US is racing to secure its place in the supply chain.

Lithium-ion batteries are no longer just critical to electric vehicles (EVs); they’re becoming vital across sectors to stabilize power systems, particularly amid growing reliance on intermittent renewables.

According to Fastmarkets, demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS) is accelerating, driven by data centers, which have seen electricity consumption grow 12 percent annually since 2017.

In the US, where data infrastructure is heavily clustered, BESS demand from data centers alone could make up a third of the market by 2030, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 35 percent.

As the US works to expand domestic production and reduce import dependence, policy uncertainty, including potential rollbacks of EV tax credits and clean energy incentives, clouds the investment outlook.

1. Sociedad Química y Minera (NYSE:SQM)

Year-to-date gain: 10.43 percent
Market cap: US$10.82 billion
Share price: US$40.64

SQM is a major global lithium producer, with operations centered in Chile’s Salar de Atacama. The company extracts lithium from brine and produces lithium carbonate and hydroxide for use in batteries.

SQM is expanding production and holds interests in projects in Australia and China.

Shares of SQM reached a year-to-date high of US$45.61 on March 17, 2025. The spike occurred a few weeks after the company released its 2024 earnings report, which highlighted record sales volumes in the lithium and iodine segments. However, low lithium prices weighed on revenue from the segment, and the company’s reported net profit was pulled down significantly due to a large accounting adjustment related to income tax.

In late April, Chile’s competition watchdog approved the partnership agreement between SQM and state-owned copper giant Codelco aimed at boosting output at the Atacama salt flat. The deal, first announced in 2024, reached another milestone when it secured approval for an additional lithium quota from Chile’s nuclear energy regulator CChEN.

Weak lithium prices continued to weigh on profits, with the company reporting a 4 percent year-over-year decrease in total revenues for Q1 2025.

2. Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC)

Year-to-date gain: 9.67 percent
Market cap: US$719.1 million
Share price: US$3.29

Lithium Americas is developing its flagship Thacker Pass project in Northern Nevada, US. The project is a joint venture between Lithium Americas at 62 percent and General Motors (NYSE:GM) at 38 percent.

According to the firm, Thacker Pass is the “largest known measured lithium resource and reserve in the world.”

Early in the year, Lithium Americas saw its share rally to a year-to-date high of US$3.49 on January 16, coinciding with a brief rally in lithium carbonate prices.

In March, Lithium Americas secured US$250 million from Orion Resource Partners to advance Phase 1 construction of Thacker Pass. The funding is expected to fully cover development costs through the construction phase. On April 1, the joint venture partners made a final investment decision for the project, with completion targeted for late 2027.

Other notable announcements this year included a new at-the-market equity program, allowing the company to sell up to US$100 million in common shares.

3. Lithium Argentina (NYSE:LAR)

Year-to-date gain: 8.46 percent
Market cap: US$467.28 million
Share price: US$2.90

Lithium Argentina produces lithium carbonate from its Caucharí-Olaroz brine project in Argentina, developed with Ganfeng Lithium (OTC Pink:GNENF,HKEX:1772).

The company is also advancing additional regional lithium assets to support EV and battery demand.

Previously named Lithium Americas (Argentina), the company was spun out from Lithium Americas in October 2023.

While shares of Lithium Argentina spiked in early January to a year-to-date high of US$3.10, the share price has been trending higher since June 19 to its current US$2.90 value.

Notable news from the company this year includes its name and ticker change and corporate migration to Switzerland in late January and the release of the full-year 2024 results in March.

In mid-April, Lithium Argentina executed a letter of intent with Ganfeng Lithium to jointly advance development across the Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes basins in Argentina. The plan includes a project fully owned by Ganfeng as well as two jointly held assets majority-owned by Lithium Argentina.

The company released its Q1 results on May 15, reporting a 15 percent quarter-over-quarter production reduction, which it attributed to planned shutdowns aimed at increasing recoveries and reducing costs.

Overall, the production guidance for 2025 is forecasted at 30,000 to 35,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate, reflecting higher expected production volumes in the second half of the year.

Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, currently hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investor Insight

Purpose-built for today’s energy transition, xU3O8 sits at the intersection of technology, finance, and nuclear energy, offering a simplified and transparent alternative to legacy uranium investments amid surging global demand. The xU3O8 token, now accessible on leading global exchanges, is a groundbreaking digital asset that provides direct, efficient exposure to the uranium market.

Overview

Uranium.io is a next-generation platform revolutionizing how investors access and trade physical uranium (U3O8). By leveraging blockchain technology, it enables individuals and institutions to directly own and trade uranium, bypassing many of the inefficiencies, opacity and high costs traditionally associated with uranium exposure. Each xU3O8 token represents real, physical uranium stored securely in a regulated depository operated by Cameco, with Archax, a UK-regulated digital asset firm, as the custodian for the physical uranium ensuring transparency and trust in asset backing.

Diagram of investing in xU3O8

The platform is designed to meet growing investor demand for exposure to uranium, a commodity that is a critical component of the global energy transition. As countries commit to reducing carbon emissions, nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a reliable and scalable source of low-carbon electricity. Governments across North America, Europe and Asia are ramping up their nuclear energy capacities, as part of their net-zero targets. This includes restarting idled reactors, constructing new reactors, and accelerating the development of small modular reactors.

Nuclear power is also emerging as a stable and scalable option for supporting artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, which require massive amounts of electricity to operate. Industry leaders, including Microsoft, have announced nuclear energy investments, and several technology firms have secured long-term agreements for nuclear power.

Like gold and silver before it, uranium is entering a phase of financialization — with physical holding trusts, ETFs, and now platforms like uranium.io offering direct physical uranium ownership via xU3O8, making it more accessible to a wider set of investors.

As traditional financial markets converge with digital innovation, tokenized assets are becoming a preferred vehicle for commodities investing. Uranium.io’s use of the Etherlink blockchain ensures secure, real-time trading with minimal friction — a distinct advantage in an increasingly digitized investment landscape.

Development of the uranium.io platform is led by the team at London-based Trilitech, a group of entrepreneurs and technologists driving blockchain innovations.

With its emphasis on direct fractional ownership and 24/7 worldwide accessibility, xU3O8 is uniquely positioned to serve as the gateway to physical uranium exposure for a global investor base. Alignment with broader energy and digital asset trends makes it a compelling vehicle for those seeking to capitalize on uranium’s strong fundamentals and the disruptive power of decentralized finance.

In July 2025, the company launched its xU3O8 token on KuCoin, MEXC, and Gate.io — ushering in a new era of uranium investment. This simultaneous, multi-platform listing marks a major milestone in the evolution of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, delivering institutional-grade exposure to uranium markets to a combined audience of over 115 million global traders.

By debuting across multiple top-tier platforms, xU3O8 ensures broad accessibility and liquidity for investors:

  • KuCoin – With over 41 million users in 200+ countries, KuCoin offers a full suite of trading services—spot, margin, options, and futures. As a technology-first exchange focused on accessibility, KuCoin shares xU3O8’s mission to dismantle traditional investment barriers.
  • MEXC – Founded in 2018, MEXC serves 36 million users globally and has seen explosive 2024 growth: 143 percent increase in spot trading and 118 percent in futures. Its intuitive platform makes crypto trading “simple, accessible, and rewarding,” mirroring xU3O8’s goal of democratizing uranium investment.
  • Gate.io – Ranked among the top 3 global crypto exchanges by real trading volume, Gate.io boasts 32 million users and supports over 3,600 digital assets. With institutional-grade security and a commitment to 100 percent reserve holdings, Gate.io provides the infrastructure essential for tokenized commodity trading.
Each xU3O8 token represents fractional ownership of physical uranium ore concentrate (yellowcake) securely stored by Cameco in regulated facilities, eliminating the high barriers to entry that once restricted uranium investment to institutions and major corporations.

Company Highlights

  • Uranium.io is a pioneering platform for buying and selling uranium, providing direct ownership of physical uranium via a blockchain-powered token xU3O8.
  • Built on Etherlink, powered by Tezos technology, enabling transparency, low fees, energy efficiency and programmable compliance.
  • FCA-regulated digital asset custodian, Archax, holds physical uranium in trust on behalf of token holders.
  • Physical supply is brokered by Curzon Uranium, a trusted uranium trading and logistics partner with deep industry roots and over $1 billion in uranium trades.
  • The uranium bought on the platform is physically stored at a regulated depository owned and operated by Cameco, one of the world’s leading global uranium providers/converters.
  • Global 24/7 market access offering fractionalized and direct uranium exposure with real-time settlement and cross-border accessibility.
  • Capitalizing on nuclear energy’s role in clean energy transition and the financialization of critical minerals.
  • The company has launched the xU3O8 token across three of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges: KuCoin, MEXC, and Gate.io.

Technology Platform

Uranium.io is built on a secure, decentralized technology stack that integrates blockchain infrastructure, digital asset custody, and real-world commodity supply — delivering unprecedented access and transparency to the uranium market. The platform bridges traditional commodities trading with Web3 innovation, allowing users to seamlessly acquire, hold and trade physical uranium via xU3O8 tokens.

xU3O8

Blockchain Infrastructure: Etherlink, Powered by Tezos

At the heart of xU3O8’s digital asset engine is the Tezos blockchain, a highly secure, energy-efficient and self-amending Layer 1 protocol. Tezos is uniquely suited to power real-world asset tokenization due to its low transaction costs and energy efficiency; on-chain governance and smart contract flexibility; and enterprise-grade security and decentralization.

Tezos’ track record with real-world assets, including tokenized real estate and art, positions it as an ideal foundation for the secure, scalable digitization of uranium ownership.

Digital Custody: Archax

To ensure that each xU3O8 token is backed with physical uranium, uranium.io is supported by Archax, a London-based, digital asset custodian and exchange regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Archax provides regulated asset custody, KYC/AML-compliant onboarding, and real-time asset reconciliation.

Archax brings institutional-grade governance and accountability to the storage and oversight of physical uranium, ensuring that investor holdings are not just theoretical but physically secured.

Physical Supply: Curzon Uranium

Access to physical uranium is facilitated by its partnership with Curzon Uranium, a specialized uranium trading and logistics firm. Curzon acts as the platform’s uranium provider, sourcing, purchasing and delivering uranium from trusted upstream suppliers to secure storage.

Curzon’s decades of experience in uranium procurement adds physical credibility and market depth to the xU3O8 ecosystem — making the platform more than just a digital asset project, but a fully integrated uranium trading platform.

Physical uranium storage: Cameco

The physical uranium ore concentrate (U3O8) is securely stored at a regulated storage facility, operated by Cameco, one of the three globally recognized uranium conversion and storage providers. For transparency, Proof of Reserves is always available on the website and is updated with monthly statements from Cameco.

Together, Tezos, Archax and Curzon Uranium form the digital, custodial and physical backbone of the uranium.io platform. This trio of technologies and partnerships ensures a secure, compliant and efficient path for investors to gain physical uranium exposure — fractionalized, tokenized and tradable 24/7 on a global scale.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Biotech is a dynamic industry that is driving scientific advances and innovation in healthcare. In Canada, the biotech sector is home to companies pursuing cutting-edge therapies and medical technologies.

According to Grandview Research, the global biotech market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.96 percent between 2024 and 2030 to reach a value of US$3.08 trillion.

Read on to learn what’s been driving these Canadian biotech firms.

1. Bright Minds Biosciences (CSE:DRUG)

Year-on-year gain: 2,290 percent
Market cap: C$243.73 million
Share price: C$34.41

Bright Minds Biosciences is focused on developing novel treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders and pain.

Its portfolio consists of serotonin agonists designed to target neurocircuit abnormalities that make disorders like epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression difficult to treat. The company’s drugs have been designed to potentially retain the powerful therapeutic aspects of psychedelic and other serotonergic compounds, while minimizing their side effects, thereby creating superior drugs to first-generation compounds such as psilocybin.

Bright Minds’ BMB-101, an agonist targeting the 5-HT2C receptor, will target classic absence epilepsy and developmental epileptic encephalopathy. An evaluation of Phase II trials done in collaboration with Firefly Neuroscience (NASDAQ:AIFF) determined that BMB-101 stopped seizures in a mouse model of epilepsy, suggesting it could be a vital new treatment.

In October 2024, Bright Mind’s share price surged nearly 1,500 percent in a single session after global pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck announced its intention to acquire Longboard Pharmaceuticals, another firm with a 5-HT2C agonist in its pipeline.

In March of this year, Bright Minds added five world-renowned leaders in epilepsy research to its scientific advisory board.

2. Hemostemix (TSXV:HEM)

Year-on-year gain: 170 percent
Market cap: C$20.44 million
Share price: C$0.14

Hemostemix is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing autologous stem cell therapies, an approach that uses a patient’s own cells to theoretically enhance safety and efficacy. Its main product, ACP-01, is a cell therapy derived from a patient’s blood to promote tissue repair and regeneration in areas affected by disease.

The company announced its first advanced sales orders for ACP-01 on January 29 and has been working to expand internationally and attract new investment.

In July 2025, Hemostemix reported that the unanimous passing of Senate Bill 1768 in Florida, US, means it can begin commercial ACP-01 treatments for ischemic pain in the state in Q4. The bill creates a framework in which healthcare providers can administer stem cell therapies that had not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but meet the bill’s guidelines.

The company projected 2026 sales of C$22.5 million following the news.

Additionally, Hemostemix is currently collaborating with Firefly Neuroscience on a Phase 1 clinical trial of ACP-01 for vascular dementia.

3. Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (TSX:EPRX)

Year-on-year gain: 109.3 percent
Market cap: C$266.36 million
Share price: C$7.20

Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals focuses on developing locally delivered therapeutics for patients with unmet medical needs. Its primary focus has been orthopedics and oncology. Eupraxia acquired EpiPharma Therapeutics in late 2023, absorbing the company’s lead candidate EP-104GI.

In February, the company released positive data from the sixth cohort of its Phase 1b/2a trial for EP-104GI in eosinophilic esophagitis. In July, the company advanced its investigation into the Phase 2b portion after selecting an initial dose based on encouraging safety and efficacy data from the earlier Phase 2a cohorts, with top-line results from the Phase 2b study anticipated in Q3 2026.

4. ME Therapeutics Holdings (CSE:METX)

Year-on-year gain: 33.33 percent
Market cap: C$147.95 million
Share price: C$5.00

ME Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing cancer-fighting drug candidates that can increase the efficacy of current immuno-oncology drugs by targeting suppressive myeloid cells, which have been found to hinder the effectiveness of existing immuno-oncology treatments. Immuno-oncology is a relatively new area of cancer drug research and has shown promising results when used to treat cancer with low survival rates.

ME Therapeutics’ antibody h1B11-12 is designed to inhibit the cytokine G-SCF. Research performed by ME in collaboration with Dr. Kenneth Harder at the University of British Columbia demonstrated that G-CSF appeared to increase tumor growth in breast and colon cancer, as well as a correlation between survival in patients with colorectal cancer and low expression of G-CSF.

The work suggests that inhibition of tumor-secreted G-CSF using h1B11-12 could support the existing treatments. Trial planning efforts are ongoing, and the company expects development of a cell line for future production of the drug to be finished in the latter half of 2025.

The company is also part of an ongoing collaborative effort to develop therapeutic mRNA delivery methods to myeloid cells with NanoVation Therapeutics, a privately owned biotech company that develops customized nucleic acid and lipid nanoparticle technologies to empower genetic medicine. The collaboration has already resulted in two new mRNA formulations, for which testing began on October 4, and has demonstrated encouraging anti-cancer activity in a preclinical model of colorectal cancer.

In May 2025, the company said it would receive up to C$140,000 in funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program to advance its mRNA therapeutic program.

ME Therapeutics is also exploring a listing on the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange.

5. NervGen (TSXV:NGEN)

Year-on-year gain: 28.42 percent
Market cap: C$276.78 million
Share price: C$3.75

NervGen is a clinical-stage Canadian biotechnology company that focuses on developing innovative treatments to enable the nervous system to repair itself following damage from injury or disease.

The company’s core technology targets a mechanism that hinders nervous system repair. When the nervous system is damaged, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans form a “scar.” Initially, CSPGs help contain damage, but their long-term interaction with the PTPσ receptor inhibits repair.

NervGen’s lead drug candidate, NVG-291, is designed to relieve these inhibitory effects, promoting nervous system repair. NervGen is advancing NVG-291 in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for spinal cord injury (SCI), reporting positive data from the chronic cohort in June. It received fast track designation from the US FDA.

NVG-300, a newer preclinical candidate, is being evaluated for ischemic stroke and SCI.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

The second quarter of 2025 was a period of dynamic evolution within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

Critical factors like escalating policy pressures, pipeline pivots by leading companies and the increasingly transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) shaped the landscape and presented both challenges and opportunities for growth.

Escalating policy and tariff pressures

The biopharmaceutical industry is currently grappling with significant headwinds, primarily driven by an evolving and unpredictable tariff landscape. This uncertainty has already impacted market activity, with only two initial public offerings in Q2 compared to five in Q1.

Regulatory shifts and concerns of an imminent trade war caused a nearly nine percent drop in the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF nearly nine percent in the first week of April, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 10 percent global tariff on nearly all goods entering the US.

Subsequent discussions have led to a dynamic and often unpredictable landscape. Throughout May and June, negotiations saw a temporary de-escalation, with some of the more severe tariffs being paused or substantially reduced for many goods until mid-August; however, a cumulative tariff of up to 245 percent on certain Chinese active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has been in effect since April, significantly impacting the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Lingering uncertainties have also persisted; as of mid-July, while direct negotiations are ongoing, the US has signaled an intent to potentially increase the baseline reciprocal tariff rate to 15-20 percent and has threatened a hike of 35 percent on goods currently subject to the 25 percent fentanyl tariff, effective August 1.

Further intensifying the pressure, Trump has recently proposed a dramatic 200 percent tariff on imported finished pharmaceutical products, as well as 30 percent tariffs on the EU and Mexico, slated to begin on August 1.

For pharmaceuticals, the higher import costs for APIs and finished drugs are forcing companies to continuously re-evaluate their supply chains and brace for potential price increases.

Tariffs on steel and aluminium could also increase costs for stainless-steel bioprocessing equipment, lab equipment and medical devices.

Picton Mahoney’s 2025 Mid-Year Report discusses the risks associated with tariffs, including increased recession odds, stagflation risks and the possibility of renewed protectionist policies creating ripple effects across global equity markets. The authors add that building pricing pressures in the US from new tariffs and a weaker US dollar could exacerbate negative economic trends.

The report also highlights that policy uncertainty is bad for corporate planning and could lead to a pause in spending.

Evaluate Pharma’s World Preview 2025 report, released in June, states that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the biopharmaceutical industry is “off the pace so far in 2025”, with the slowdown attributed to uncertainties surrounding US tariffs and drug pricing policy. An unnamed former Big Pharma CEO is quoted as saying, “I’d be holding off dealmaking for 3-6 months until this [tariff framework] plays out”.

The report also indicates that the deals that are happening are “heavily risk-mitigated” and often involve late-stage or marketed assets or, if programs have not yet been finalized, include contingent payments.

M&A trends and pipeline expansion

Despite a slowdown in the market, pharma and biotech companies continued to pursue M&As in the second quarter, seeking to strengthen their product pipelines with a focus on bolt-on acquisitions.

Notably, there was a trend of European pharmaceutical giants acquiring US-based biotechnology firms, such as GSK’s (NYSE:GSK) acquisition of Boston Pharmaceuticals’ subsidiary, BP Asset IX, to gain access to its live disease drug, efinofermin, in a deal valued at up to US$2 billion.

Significant investments were also directed toward immunology, rare diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, underscoring a broader trend in the industry toward targeted pipeline expansion and addressing unmet medical needs across a range of complex conditions.

Sanofi’s (NASDAQ:SNY) US$9.5 billion acquisition of Blueprint Medicines garnered considerable attention due to the startup’s very specific and strong focus within the rare disease space. Many industry observers expect the deal will help grow Sanofi’s portfolio of rare disease treatments.

The acquisitions were diverse in their therapeutic focus, but Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) acquisition of SpringWorks Therapeutics, which specializes in rare and genetically defined cancers, highlighted the ongoing dominance of oncology.

Healthcare policy changes under Trump

AI-driven solutions are continuing to have an impact on life science industries. Several panels at Web Summit Vancouver highlighted how investors are increasingly focused on AI’s potential for significant productivity gains in life sciences, particularly in drug development and synthetic biology, despite challenges in regulation and data integration.

Wesley Chan of FPV Ventures highlighted life sciences as a sector where AI offers significant productivity gains, citing Strand Therapeutics’ AI-developed mRNA cancer therapy as an example of a generational investment opportunity available through the convergence of biology and AI.

Tom Beigala, founding partner at Bison Ventures, said he believes AI and next-generation computational technologies are driving innovation across the entire healthcare system, from making drug discovery easier and more cost-effective to optimizing data utilization and significantly increasing labor and clinical productivity.

Eric Hoskins, partner at Maverix Private Equity, identified AI-guided personalized medicine as one of the “fast movers” poised to bring an abrupt and immediate change to healthcare.

Reflecting this accelerating integration of AI into clinical practice and patient care, Sanofi and Regeneron (NASDAQ:REGN) partnered with Viz.ai, an AI healthcare firm, in May to integrate AI into COPD management.

Looking ahead

As the biotech and pharma sectors head into the third quarter, the outlook remains clouded by policy uncertainty, rising input costs and shifting global trade dynamics. Yet opportunities remain for firms that can navigate the complexity. Large-cap leaders like Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Sanofi have demonstrated that strong fundamentals and strategic pipeline development can drive outperformance, even in turbulent markets.

As far as policy goes, the Trump administration’s inclusion of enhanced orphan drug incentives under the “Big Beautiful Bill” could act as a catalyst for rare disease innovation.

AI remains a transformative force across the industry. As generative models begin to inform pipeline design and clinical trial optimization, companies with robust data strategies and smart manufacturing capabilities are expected to gain a competitive advantage.

“For us, we really like applications of AI where you’ve got proprietary data, in many cases, probably off the shelf for lightly modified AI models, and then going after super high value applications,” said Beigala, a founding partner of Bison Ventures, which has a portfolio spanning AI-enhanced drug discovery, advanced life science tools for pre-clinical testing and synthetic biology applications.

Similarly, investment in domestic CDMO infrastructure and real-time manufacturing analytics will be crucial for supply chain resilience in an increasingly protectionist trade environment.

Looking ahead, commercial-stage differentiation will become more critical than ever. Investors will be watching closely for companies that can combine clinical results, cost control and regulatory readiness to stand out in a cautious market.

“That’s what we look for, these application models where the team is so thoughtful and smart and so uniquely positioned to understand and have access to data that nobody else has,” Chan explained.

Biopharma’s next phase will be defined by measurable progress. In Q3, adaptability, resilience and clear-eyed execution will matter more than ever.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com