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WATCH: Republicans share views on gay marriage decade after Supreme Court decision

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A decade after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in the United States, some Republican leaders still believe in the traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman. 

Fox News Digital spoke with Republican lawmakers on the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark decision that required all states to lawfully recognize and license same-sex marriages. 

Ten years later, some Republican lawmakers still don’t support gay marriage, but they say preventing same-sex couples from getting married is no longer a legislative agenda. 

‘My belief is that a marriage should be a man and a woman,’ Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. ‘I think that’s the basis of all civil societies and all strong nations. It doesn’t mean I don’t love my fellow Americans who take a different view, and clearly there are plenty that do. And whether they are part of same-sex marriages or they just support them, I respectfully disagree.’

Arrington said he is a ‘rule of law guy’ and compared the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that constitutionally protected a woman’s right to abortion for nearly half a century. 

‘Just like with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, that’s the new law of the land. There are a lot of Democrats that have problems with that philosophically, and they’re gonna express that.’

The Texas Republican, a Christian, said he may have his ‘philosophical differences on what defines marriage, but the court has spoken.’

‘I’m going to honor that, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna change my values and my beliefs on what defines marriage,’ Arrington said. ‘To me, there are higher laws than the laws of our country, and those spiritual laws that I follow supersede them.’

Several House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital agreed with Arrington’s sentiment that while they might disagree with gay marriage, they have accepted the ruling as the law of the land. 

‘If you ask Cory as Cory, a person who believes that our Constitution was framed upon our Christian, Shenandoah beliefs, then it’s very clear that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman,’ Rep. Cory Mills, R-Florida, said.

But Mills added, ‘I don’t see where the federal government should be involved in everyone’s bedroom.’

Republican lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital also emphasized it’s a personal choice. 

Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, said he is a devout Roman Catholic, so he doesn’t personally believe in gay marriage. 

‘But I do believe we live in America, and when you’re over 18, you have a right to choose,’ Rulli said. ‘We always support when the Supreme Court has a ruling like that.’

‘Quite frankly, we all have to make our own choices,’ Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., said.’Not everybody believes that it’s a Christian value.’

Like many of his Republican colleagues, McCormick clarified that, despite his personal Christian beliefs, ‘The Supreme Court has decided on that, and I stick to that.’


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Skyharbour’s JV Partner Orano Commences 6-7,000m Summer Drilling Program at the Preston Uranium Project

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Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH ) (OTCQX: SYHBF ) (Frankfurt: SC1P ) (‘Skyharbour’ or the ‘Company’), is pleased to announce that its joint-venture partner, Orano Canada Inc. (‘Orano’), recently commenced a large-scale diamond drilling program at the 49,635-hectare Preston Uranium Project (‘Preston’ or the ‘Property’) located in the western Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada. The drilling program will consist of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 metres of drilling during the summer of 2025. Orano is the majority owner and operator at the project with Skyharbour owning a minority interest of approximately 25.6%.

Location Map of Preston Project:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/Sky_Preston.jpg

2025 Exploration Program at Preston:

The program for the Preston Project will consist of a helicopter-supported diamond drilling campaign, totaling 6,000 to 7,000 metres, with up to 28 holes designed to test high-priority targets across the property at depths ranging from 200 to 350 metres. Primary drill target areas (outlined in Figure 2) include the previously untested Johnson Lake, the Canoe Lake and FSAN target. Target areas are spread throughout the project to ensure assessment credits are met across all claims, while testing perspective trends.

Figure 2: Target Area Overview – Preston Lake Project:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_2_Target_Area_Overview.jpg

Drilling in the Johnson Lake area (Zone 1; Figure 2) will target a broad structural corridor initially identified in an airborne VTEM survey and subsequently refined by a ground-based ML-TEM survey in 2018 and a DC resistivity survey in 2020. Multiple parallel conductors exhibiting moderate to strong responses have been delineated across the grid. A total of 4 to 5 drill holes are planned with an average depth of 350 metres for a total of approximately 1,750 metres, contingent on results. The primary objective is to test ground conductors at structurally complex intersections which are considered highly prospective for uranium mineralization. There has been no drilling completed in the Johnson Lake grid area to date.

Figure 3: Johnson Lake Grid Ground Conductors:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_3_Johnson_Lake_Grid.jpg

The Canoe Lake area (Zone 2; Figure 2) comprises nine conductive trends that remain largely untested, with only one to three historical drill holes completed on each to date. The 2025 program aims to assess high-priority targets for uranium mineralization and to further define Canoe Lake as a prospective discovery corridor within the Preston Lake Project.

A total of 6 to 12 diamond drill holes are planned, totalling approximately 1,200 to 2,400 metres, with an average hole depth of 200 metres. Six zones of interest have been identified based on the review of available airborne and ground geophysical data, characterized by gravity lows near interpreted structural breaks and crosscutting magnetic features. Structural features in the southwestern portion of the grid are of particular interest due to their orientation, which is analogous to the structural trends controlling mineralization at the PLS and Arrow uranium deposits. These targets are on strike with zones of brittle-ductile deformation and hydrothermal alteration observed in historical drilling, supporting their potential for hosting basement-hosted uranium mineralization.

Figure 4:   Canoe Lake Ground Gravity, Zones of Interest and 2025 Targets:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_4_Canoe_Lake_Ground_Gravity_and_Zones_of_Interest.jpg

The FSAN Zone (Zone 3; Figure 2) will be the most extensively tested area in the 2025 program, with both reconnaissance and direct targeting strategies to be employed. Reconnaissance drilling will consist of 3 holes totalling approximately 1,050 metres, focusing on discrete airborne EM anomalies near the intersection of prospective east-west structures. An additional 7 to 14 holes will be drilled using a more direct targeting approach for a total of 1,400 to 2,800 metres. These holes will test gravity low anomalies, areas of magnetic disruption, and sites of high geochemical response, including SGH uranium anomalies and historical surface grab samples with anomalous uranium and pathfinder element concentrations.

Figure 5: FSAN 2025 Ground Gravity Results with Lineament and 2025 Targets:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/news/Figure_5_FSAN_2025_Ground_Gravity_Results_with_Lineament_and_2025_Targets.jpg

The West and Far West Grids (Zone 4; Figure 2) have been designated as contingency targets for the 2025 drill program. These areas encompass the western extent of the PL-1 conductive trend, where historical drilling intersected moderately to strongly graphitic, brittle-ductile fault zones with localized hydrothermal alteration. The structural complexity observed in this area enhances its prospectivity for basement-hosted uranium mineralization and warrants further investigation.

2024 Exploration Program Completed at Preston:

The 2024 field program marked the first exploration activities conducted by Orano at the Preston Project since 2020. The program included a 35.6 km ground Moving-Loop Transient Electromagnetic (ML-TEM) survey over the Preston West and Far West targets, focusing on an airborne VTEM conductor at Preston West and following up on a prior reconnaissance survey at Preston Far West.

A ground gravity survey comprising 2,295 stations was also completed over an area encompassing the FSAN and FSANE trends to help with drill target prioritization. In addition, a Spatiotemporal Geochemical Hydrocarbon (SGH) geochemical survey comprising approximately 1,100 samples was carried out during the summer of 2024. SGH is a cost-effective technique which has been successfully used to detect surficial anomalies associated with buried uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin.

Preston Uranium Project:

In March 2017, Skyharbour signed an option agreement with Orano (formerly AREVA Resources Inc.) that provided Orano an earn-in option to acquire a majority working interest in the 49,635-hectare Preston Uranium Project. The significant potential of the Project has been highlighted by past discoveries in the area by NexGen Energy Ltd. (Arrow deposit), Fission Uranium Corp. (Triple R deposit), and F3 Uranium Corp. (PLN discovery). Exploration at the Project has consisted of ground gravity, airborne and ground electromagnetics, radon, soil, silt, biogeochem, lake sediment, and geological mapping surveys, as well as exploratory drill programs. Over a dozen high-priority drill target areas associated with multiple prospective exploration corridors have been successfully delineated through these methodical, multi-phased exploration initiatives, which have culminated in an extensive, proprietary geological database for the project area.

Joint Venture and Strategic Partnership:

In early 2021, Orano fulfilled its earn-in option on the project by funding exploration expenditures and making the required cash payments. Upon completion of a total of CAD $4.8 million in exploration spending, a joint venture was established between Orano, Skyharbour, and Dixie Gold to advance and develop the project. Orano currently holds a 53.3% interest in the joint venture, with Skyharbour and Dixie Gold holding 25.6% and 21.1% interests, respectively.

Market Maker:

The Company has engaged the services of Independent Trading Group (‘ITG’) pursuant to an agreement dated and starting on July 1 st , 2025 (the ‘Agreement’) to provide market-making services in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange (‘TSX-V’) policies. ITG will trade shares of the Company on the TSX-V and all other trading venues with the objective of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company’s common shares.

Under the terms of the Agreement, ITG will receive compensation of CAD $5,000 per month, payable monthly in advance. The Agreement is for an initial term of one month and will renew for additional one-month terms unless terminated by either party with 30 days’ notice. There is no performance factors contained in the Agreement and ITG will not receive shares or options as compensation. ITG and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities.

Independent Trading Group (ITG) Inc. is a Toronto based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in market making, liquidity provision, agency execution, ultra-low latency connectivity, and bespoke algorithmic trading solutions. Established in 1992, with a focus on market structure, execution and trading, ITG has leveraged its own proprietary technology to deliver high quality liquidity provision and execution services to a broad array of public issuers and institutional investors.

Qualified Person:

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and has been reviewed and approved by Serdar Donmez, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for Skyharbour Resources, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Orano Canada Inc.:

Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Orano Canada Inc. is a leading producer of uranium, accounting for the processing of 16.9 million pounds of uranium concentrate in Canada in 2024. Orano has been exploring for, mining and milling uranium in Canada for more than 60 years. Orano Canada is the operator of the McClean Lake uranium mill and a major partner in the Cigar Lake, McArthur River and Key Lake operations. The company employs over 450 people in Saskatchewan, including about 375 at the McClean Lake operation where over 40% of employees are self-declared Indigenous. As a sustainable uranium producer, Orano Canada is committed to safety, environmental protection and contributing to the prosperity and well-being of neighbouring communities.

Orano Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of the multinational Orano group. As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group’s 17,000 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.

Visit Orano at www.oranocanada.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter: @oranocanada

About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.:

Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with interest in thirty-six projects covering over 614,000 hectares (over 1.5 million acres) of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project, which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison’s Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco’s McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization at the Maverick Zone that returned drill results of up to 6.0% U 3 O 8 over 5.9 metres, including 20.8% U 3 O 8 over 1.5 metres at a vertical depth of 265 metres. Adjacent to the Moore Project is the Russell Lake Uranium Project, in which Skyharbour is the operator with joint-venture partner Rio Tinto. The project hosts several high-grade uranium drill intercepts over a large property area with robust exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drill programs.

Skyharbour also has joint ventures with the industry leader Orano Canada Inc., Azincourt Energy, and Thunderbird Resources at the Preston, East Preston, and Hook Lake Projects, respectively. The Company also has several active earn-in option partners, including CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; TSX-V listed North Shore Uranium at the Falcon Project; UraEx Resources at the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects; Hatchet Uranium at the Highway Project; Mustang Energy at the 914W Project; and TSX-V listed Terra Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project. In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total over $36 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $20 million worth of shares being issued, and $14 million in cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.

Skyharbour’s goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Skyharbour’s Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin:

https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SaskProject_Locator_2024-11-21_v1.jpg

To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Company’s website at www.skyharbourltd.com .

Skyharbour Resources Ltd.

‘Jordan Trimble’
____________________________
Jordan Trimble
President and CEO

For further information contact myself or:
Nicholas Coltura
Investor Relations Manager
‎Skyharbour Resources Ltd.
‎Telephone: 604-558-5847
‎Toll Free: 800-567-8181
‎Facsimile: 604-687-3119
‎Email: info@skyharbourltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward‐looking information or statements’ within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, completing ongoing and planned work on its projects including drilling and the expected timing of such work programs, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of uranium, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company’s views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, and those filed under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather or climate conditions, failure to obtain or maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to obtain or maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), decrease in the price of uranium and other metals, increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward‐looking statements or forward‐looking information, except as required by law. 



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Exploring Mining’s Silver Discussion with Apollo Silver, and Mining Expert Chris Temple

						
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Seasoned Experts in Mining Talk about Silver Market and what’s next for Apollo’s (APGO) (APGOF) Flagship Silver Properties


Investorideas.com, a global investor news source covering mining and metals stocks releases a new episode of the Exploring Mining Podcast. In today’s episode, Cali Van Zant hosts a top tier Silver discussion featuring renowned mining investment expert, Chris Temple, editor and publisher of The National Investor, and Apollo Silver Corp’s. (TSXV: APGO) (OTCQB: APGOF) management; Chairman Andy Bowering and recently appointed President and CEO, Ross McElroy.


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Exploring Mining’s Silver Discussion with Apollo Silver, and Mining Expert Chris Temple 


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Ross McElroy joined Apollo following the successful acquisition of Fission Uranium, a company he co-founded and led as CEO, by Paladin Energy in a $1.14 billion transaction. He is a professional geologist with over 38 years of mining industry experience, both in operational and corporate roles, having worked with majors, mid-tiers, and juniors.


For investors following the silver market and silver stocks, the podcast explores silver’s current market, with Temple noting its technical improvement and chronic supply shortfalls. McElroy highlights silver’s 25% price surge over the past six months, outpacing gold. 


The episode also dives into Apollo’s strategic advancements and updates on their flagship Calico (California) project and Cinco de Mayo (Mexico) project. The company recently expanded the Calico Project land package by over 285%. Already the one of the largest undeveloped silver projects in the US, the additional Calico claims form just one part of Apollo’s aggressive growth strategy. Cinco de Mayo in Mexico is a silver-zinc asset with a historic resource of 50 million ounces of silver and 1.8 billion pounds of zinc.


The combined expertise of the three panel members provides investors with in-depth perspective and insight into what it takes to build a successful mining company in today’s silver market.


Listen to the podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/silver-s-next-big-surge-apollo-silver-s-mining-legends-discuss-with-chris-temple–66749524


Watch on YouTube: 






About Apollo Silver(TSXV: APGO) (OTCQB: APGOF)


Apollo Silver has assembled an experienced and technically strong leadership team who have joined to advance quality precious metals projects in sought after jurisdictions. The Company is focused on advancing its portfolio of two prospective silver exploration and resource development projects, the Calico Project, in San Bernardino County, California and the Cinco de Mayo Project, in Chihuahua, Mexico.


Visit www.apollosilver.com for further information.


Corporate Presentation: https://apollosilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/APGO-Investor-Presentation-2025-06-13.pdf


About Chris Temple


Chris Temple is editor and publisher of The National Investor. He has had an over 40-year career now in the financial/investment industry. Temple is a sought-after guest on radio stations, podcasts, blogs and the like all across North America, as well as a sought-after speaker for organizations. His ability to help average investors unravel, understand and navigate today’s markets is unparalleled; and his ability to uncover ‘off-the-radar’ companies is likewise.


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Hear other episodes of the Exploring Mining Podcast , rated as one of the top 30 mining podcasts to listen to in 2025, 


The Investorideas.com podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, Tunein, Stitcher, Spreaker.com, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts and most audio platforms available.


Visit the Podcast page at Investorideas.com: 
https://www.investorideas.com/Audio/


Research mining stocks at Investorideas.com with our free mining stocks directory at Investorideas.com 


About Investorideas.com – Big Investing Ideas


Investorideas.com is the go-to platform for big investing ideas. From breaking stock news to top-rated investing podcasts, we cover it all. 


Disclaimer/Disclosure: This podcast and article featuring Apollo Silver Corp is paid for content as part of a monthly featured mining stock service (payment disclosure). Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This is not investment opinion. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published/created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/. Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp.


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Senate GOP eyes Medicaid sweetener to save Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

						
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The Medicaid debate among Senate Republicans continues to rage on, but a new proposal geared toward sating concerns over the survivability of rural hospitals could help to close the lingering fissures within the conference.
Senate Republicans are sprinting to finish their work on President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ which is filled with key priorities like making his first-term tax cuts permanent, funding his immigration and border security agenda, and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse across a variety of programs.
But lawmakers are still at odds over changes made in the Senate’s version of the bill to the Medicaid provider tax rate and the effects that it could have on rural hospitals, threatening to derail the legislation near the finish line.
A proposal making the rounds from the Senate Finance Committee obtained by Fox News Digital would create a separate stabilization fund that would go toward aiding and upgrading rural healthcare.
The committee’s proposal would allocate $3 billion annually to states that apply to the program over the next five fiscal years.
But that amount is too low for some senators and far too much for others.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has been working on a similar proposal but would prefer a much higher fund of $100 billion. That number is unlikely to pass muster with her colleagues and still isn’t high enough for her.
‘I don’t think that solves the entire problem,’ she said. ‘The Senate cuts in Medicaid are far deeper than the House cuts and I think that’s problematic as well.’
Collins would prefer a return to the House GOP’s proposed changes to the provider tax rate, rather than the Senate’s harsher crackdown.
The Senate changes to the provider tax rate hit close to home for Collins, whose state’s rural hospitals are already in jeopardy because the state of Maine failed to advance its budget in time, leaving roughly $400 million in Medicaid funding that would have gone to rural hospitals in limbo.
‘Obviously any money is helpful. But no, it is not adequate,’ she said.
Indeed, the changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate, which were a stark departure from the House GOP’s version of the bill, angered the Republicans who have warned not to make revisions to the health care program that could shut down rural hospitals and boot working Americans from their benefits.
The Senate Finance Committee went further than the House’s freeze of the provider tax rate, or the amount that state Medicaid programs pay to healthcare providers on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries, for non-Affordable Care Act expansion states and included a provision that lowers the rate in expansion states annually until it hits 3.5%.
However, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and some Senate Republicans have argued that the provider tax rate is a scam rife with fraud that actually harms rural hospitals more than it helps.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was in the same camp, and has argued that the rate should be nixed completely. He has similarly pushed for a separate fund but wasn’t keen on the cost of the current proposal.
‘I don’t know that we need $15 billion,’ he said. ‘But this needs to be run by CMS.’
And others wanted to see more money injected into a stabilization fund.
‘I think $5 billion a year would more than make them whole,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said.
He contended that, as the only lawmaker who has run a rural hospital, there are only roughly 12 million people on Medicaid in rural America, and that lawmakers should ‘tighten things up’ when it comes to funding the health care program.
He said that being on Medicaid was ‘not the same as having healthcare,’ and added that ‘at best, two thirds of doctors accept Medicaid, and even many of the specialists, when they say they do, they won’t give you an appointment for six months or a year.’
‘Medicaid is not the solution,’ he said. ‘It’s the most broken federal system up here.’ 
  
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Who is Anthony Bernal?: The ‘indispensable’ Biden aide ditching House Oversight probe on his mental decline

						
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The House Oversight Committee says it will subpoena top Biden family aide, Anthony Bernal, after the committee said he refused to testify as part of their investigation into former President Biden’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool that allowed aides to sign pardons, memos and other important documents on Biden’s behalf. 
‘Jill Biden’s longtime aide Anthony Bernal is DEFYING Congress and REFUSING to testify tomorrow about Joe Biden’s cognitive decline after the White House waived his executive privilege,’ the committee posted on X Wednesday after Bernal was expected to testify on Thursday morning.
‘He’s running scared. The cover-up is collapsing. We will subpoena him immediately.’
By proxy, as the first lady’s top aide, Bernal became one of the most influential people in the White House, according to recent reports, and he was expected to face tough questions about what he knew and when he knew about Biden’s mental decline.
‘No one spent more time, whether it was in the motorcade, on the plane, in the private residence at the White House, Camp David, and at both houses in Delaware, nobody spent more personal time around them and their family and the Biden family than Anthony,’ Democratic strategist Michael LaRosa, who served as press secretary to former first lady Jill Biden, told Fox News Digital. 
LaRosa told Fox News Digital that Bernal, former special assistant to Biden and deputy director of Oval Office Operations, was an ‘indispensable’ part of the Biden team whose top priority was ‘protecting the Bidens,’ even if it was politically harmful due to a ‘personal and emotional attachment’ that became more of a familial relationship than a professional one. 
Fox News Digital previously reported on how the book ‘Original Sin,’ by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson, described Bernal as one of the most influential people in the White House who wielded loyalty as a weapon to weed out the defectors.
During the pandemic, Biden traded the campaign trail for lockdown. Bernal and Annie Tomasini, who is expected to testify next month, found their way into Joe and Jill Biden’s pod, shifting the power dynamic of Biden’s so-called ‘Politiburo,’ the group of advisors who steered Biden’s political orbit, the book explained. 
‘The significance of Bernal and Tomasini is the degree to which their rise in the Biden White House signaled the success of people whose allegiance was to the Biden family – not to the presidency, not to the American people, not to the country, but to the Biden theology,’ the authors wrote. 
‘Their instincts, to hide the ball on often frivolous issues is what ultimately got them in trouble,’ LaRosa told Fox News Digital about the ‘bunker mentality’ from Bernal and other aides around Biden. 
‘Their reflexive need to hide and protect was a deficiency and a blind spot and I never understood it.’
A former White House staffer fired back against Tapper and Thompson’s allegations about Bernal in a statement to Fox News Digital earlier this year.
‘A lot of vignettes in this book are either false, exaggerated, or purposefully omit viewpoints that don’t fit the narrative they want to push. Anthony was a strong leader with high standards and a mentor to many. He’s the type of person you want on a team – he’s incredibly strategic, effective, and cares deeply about the people he manages,’ the former White House staffer said. 
Politico reported in 2021 that Bernal’s management style was viewed by some as ‘toxic’ and would sometimes lead to crying staffers. 
LaRosa told Fox News Digital that Bernal has a ‘big heart’ but acknowledged he was one of the more ‘challenging’ people he had to work with. 
Bernal’s appearance before the committee, if it happens, follows testimony from former Biden aide Neera Tanden, who said she was authorized to direct autopen signatures but was unaware of who in the president’s inner circle was giving her final clearance.
When Tanden was asked whether she ever discussed Biden’s health or his fitness to serve as president during her time as a top aide, including during the period of the former president’s widely criticized debate performance last summer, Tanden said she did not. Lawmakers laid out a list of names of officials she could have potentially discussed it with, and Tanden said ‘no’ to each name, according to a source familiar with her closed-door testimony. 
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind, Alec Schemmel and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
  
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Mossad chief thanks US for help with Iran, says ‘mission is not yet complete’

						
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Mossad Director David Barnea thanked the men and women working for the agency after the success of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion. He also expressed his appreciation to the U.S. — particularly the C.I.A. — for their work in countering Iran’s nuclear program.
‘These are historic days for the people of Israel. The Iranian threat, which endangered our security for decades, has been significantly thwarted thanks to the extraordinary cooperation between the IDF, which led the campaign, and the Mossad, which operated alongside it, with the support of our ally, the United States,’ Barnea said.
The Mossad, Israel’s equivalent of the C.I.A., had personnel in Iran ready for the launch of Operation Rising Lion, something that was revealed in unprecedented fashion when the agency released video of its operatives at work.
Ahead of the U.S. strikes in the early hours of Sunday morning, Iran time, there was speculation whether Washington and Jerusalem were coordinating. President Donald Trump made it clear after the strikes that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been working together behind the scenes.
‘I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team — like perhaps no team has ever worked before — and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel,’ Trump said in his address to the nation following the strikes on Iran.
While Barnea expressed his gratitude to Israeli and American forces alike, he also said that ‘the mission is not yet complete.’
‘The Mossad will continue, with determination, to monitor, track, and act to thwart the threats against us—just as we always have—for the sake of the State of Israel and its people,’ Barnea said.
Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, said on Tuesday that the country was assessing the damage and preparing to restore the facilities, according to Reuters. He added that Iran’s ‘plan is to prevent interruptions in the process of production and services.’
Both Trump and Netanyahu vowed to respond if Iran rebuilds its nuclear program.
  
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Central Bank Independence: More Heat than Light

						
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President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again feud with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has market observers apprehensive. Economists, policymakers, businessmen, and commentators are worried about growing threats to the Fed’s independence. If elected officials unduly influence the Fed, the conventional wisdom goes, rising inflation and financial-sector turbulence will surely follow.





America’s central bank is arguably the government’s most powerful and respected agency. For decades it has been relatively insulated from the rough-and-tumble realities of politics. Trump’s badgering of Powell for interest rate cuts transgresses an informal yet fundamental norm of public life. Fed decisions are supposed to be guided by disinterested experts, not demagogic politicians.





But does central bank independence deserve the near-unanimous respect it currently enjoys? There are reasons to be skeptical. Recent scholarship on central bank independence suggests a more nuanced view than the one adopted by the popular and financial press. And in the United States, central bank independence is legally questionable at best, and unconstitutional at worst. We have good reasons to question the feasibility and desirability of central bank independence.





In my new AIER Explainer on central bank independence, I discuss the theory and history behind this tricky concept. I go over the arguments for and against central bank independence, survey important works of scholarship on the topic, and consider the legal and constitutional standing of the Fed. 





The case for central bank independence seems obvious. Rather than hand the reins of monetary policy to politicians, it is better to entrust them to experts and technocrats, who by design are unanswerable to politics. This is supposed to guarantee monetary policymakers are disinterested.





The vast majority of economists think it is a good thing the Fed has a wide berth to operate. And while they acknowledge the Fed’s legal accountability to Congress, they are pleased Congress has been unwilling to specify narrower and more observable goals than “full” employment, “stable” prices, and “moderate” interest rates. 





There is a plausible link in economic theory between central bank independence and good macroeconomic outcomes, such as low and stable inflation. Come election season, politicians have an incentive to run the printing presses to make themselves look better. Bureaucrats, who aren’t elected, don’t. Hence the public and its representatives might rationally choose to remove this specific power (monetary policy) from elected officials’ hands.





It is a compelling argument. But it has several weak spots. Both scholarly investigations and legal realities complicate the triumphalist narrative of central bank independence.





While classic studies of central bank independence find a strong link between political protections for central bankers and low, predictable inflation, more recent scholarship is mixed. As I detail in the Explainer, many of the desirable economic outcomes we associate with an independent central bank are plausibly attributable to strong background commitments to constitutionalism and the rule of law. Good political institutions and a strong civic culture, rather than tenure for monetary technocrats, is how we get good economic outcomes.





As for the law, the US Constitution (art. I, § 8, cl. 5) is quite clear: Congress controls monetary policy. Whatever authority Congress gives to the Fed is not the Fed’s by right. It is a delegation. As I note in the Explainer, “The Fed’s operational independence de facto depends on Congress’s continued goodwill. Congress controls the Fed de jure and can intervene at any time to restrict goal, instrument, financial, or personnel independence.”





A totally independent central bank would violate our commitments to democratic self-governance. Although Congress has often been reluctant to discipline Fed officials, the fact remains that the legislature has the first and last word. Given the Fed’s rather poor performance since 2008 — a global financial crisis, a laboriously slow recovery, and recent sky-high inflation — it’s past time for Congress to act.





Rather than chase the mirage of independence, we should find ways to make Congressional oversight of the Fed more productive. There are many ways legislators could increase central banker accountability without politicizing the central bank. Congress could specify a more concrete monetary policy target for the Fed, put it on appropriations for non-monetary policy duties, change the conditions of continuing service for premier Fed officers, or make a host of other changes to promote responsible behavior. Let us not forget that a mere three years ago, the Fed allowed inflation to reach 9 percent, in clear violation of its price stability mandate. As of this writing, nobody at the Fed has been subject to any professional consequences for this monumental error.





It’s time to put the myths of central bank independence behind us. That includes the boogeyman of politicized monetary policy. Just because Congress can and should discipline the Fed doesn’t mean we want the House Financial Services Committee making interest rate decisions. That’s a false alternative. Instead, Congress must draw up a better framework for our central bank and make sure those who run it do their jobs.





Download the Explainer: What is Central Bank Independence?





		
		
	

	
	
				
	

	
					
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Teachers Unions Think They Own Your Kids 

						
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The teachers unions, led by figures like Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) president Stacy Davis Gates, believe they own your children, and they’re not shy about admitting it. Their fierce resistance to school choice and their brazen claims over the minds of America’s youth reveal a chilling agenda.  





They don’t just want a monopoly on education funding — they want control over the hearts and minds of nearly 50 million students. But the Supreme Court has long affirmed that parents, not unions or the state, hold the fundamental right to direct their children’s upbringing, a principle that exposes the unions’ overreach as an assault on liberty. 





This week, Gates’ hubris was on full display at the City Club of Chicago, where she declared, “The children are always ours. Every single one of them. All over the globe.” She admitted her critics are right when they say her union believes it owns the children in public schools.  





This moment wasn’t a gaffe — it was a confession. Last year, she led a CTU rally chant: “Whose children? Our children!” Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Gates supported in her presidential run, echoed this socialist sentiment in 2022: “When you see our kids, and I truly believe that they are our children, they are the children of our country, of our communities.”  





As bestselling author Michael Malice put it, “Socialists regard your property as their property, but even more nefariously regard your children as their property.” 





The irony is glaring: if the CTU were a parent, it would lose custody for educational neglect and abuse, given the catastrophic failure of Chicago’s public schools. 





In 2023, data revealed that 55 Chicago Public Schools had zero students proficient in either math or reading. Zero. If a parent allowed their child to languish in such an environment, child protective services would intervene. Yet Gates has the audacity to claim these children “belong” to her union, as if their abysmal outcomes are a point of pride rather than a damning indictment.  





The CTU’s fight against school choice exposes their true motives: not to educate, but to control. They work to trap other people’s children in failing government schools, not out of faith in those schools, but to maintain a monopoly on funding and, more sinisterly, on the minds of students for 13 years, seven hours a day. The more kids they keep captive, the more money they can funnel to far-left political agendas and Democratic campaign coffers.  





In 2023, the CTU fought to kill the Invest in Kids Act, an Illinois scholarship program that gave thousands of low-income students access to better schools. Every child who escapes their grip threatens their power. 





The Supreme Court has consistently rejected this kind of authoritarianism. In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the Court struck down an Oregon law that banned private education to enforce ideological conformity, declaring, “The child is not the mere creature of the State.” This landmark ruling affirmed that parents have a fundamental right to direct their children’s education and upbringing.  





Similarly, Meyer v. Nebraska (1923) overturned a state law prohibiting foreign language instruction in schools, protecting parents’ rights to choose educational content that aligns with their values. In Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), the Court exempted Amish families from compulsory schooling laws, upholding their right to educate their children according to their religious beliefs. These precedents make clear that children belong to their parents, not to unions or government bureaucrats. Yet the CTU’s rhetoric and actions defy this settled law, treating students as pawns in an ideological crusade. 





The hypocrisy is galling. Gates, who claims public school children “belong” to her union, sends her own son to a private Catholic school. She once called school choice “racist” — before her personal choices were exposed. This double standard is the union playbook: control your kids while opting out for their own. Meanwhile, Illinois Democrats, allied with the unions, pushed to regulate homeschooling in 2025. Their bill, which passed out of committee on a party-line vote despite over 40,000 registered opponents, aimed to curb parents’ freedom to educate their children independently. Though the bill died, the message was unmistakable: the war on parental rights continues. 





Gates can wield such uncontrolled influence because the CTU is a public sector union, a structure even Franklin D. Roosevelt warned against. Unlike private sector unions, public sector unions like the CTU bargain with government entities funded by taxpayers, using taxpayer dollars — collected through mandatory dues — to lobby against the public’s interests. And if you don’t like it, your kids are held hostage without an escape hatch. 





Emboldened by decades of unchecked power, unions now say the quiet part out loud. But their arrogance is backfiring — it’s free advertising for school choice and homeschooling. Parents are awakening to the reality that unions see their children as political tools, not individuals with unique needs. The Pierce, Meyer, and Yoder rulings remind us that the state — and by extension, its union surrogates — has no claim over our kids. The CTU’s claim of ownership is particularly hollow when 55 of its schools produce zero proficient students, a failure that would disqualify any parent from custody. 





A school choice revolution is already underway. Over the past four years, 17 red states have embraced universal school choice policies, empowering parents to direct education funding to schools or programs that fit their children’s needs. These states understand that dollars should follow students, not prop up failing systems. The Educational Choice for Children Act, included in the Big Beautiful Bill, will supercharge this movement, expanding opportunities in blue states like Illinois, where unions and their allies have stifled families’ options. 





The stakes are immense. Teachers unions aren’t just fighting for funding — they’re battling for ideological dominance. They’ve infiltrated public schools, turning them into machines for shaping the country’s future without raising children of their own. By trapping kids in unionized schools — especially those where zero students meet basic proficiency — they secure both funds and influence to push their agenda.  





But parents aren’t powerless. School choice, backed by Supreme Court precedent, is the key to breaking this monopoly. 





Gates’ chutzpah should rally every parent and citizen who values liberty. The unions’ claim over “our children,” coupled with their educational failures, violates the principle, enshrined in Pierce, that children are not the state’s property.  





Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and the unions will keep targeting homeschoolers, private school families, and anyone who defies their control. It’s time to unleash school choice nationwide and free families from the depraved clutches of the teachers unions once and for all.
		
		
	

	
	
				
	

	
					
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Trump’s “Art of the Deal” Politics Undermines America’s Future

						
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In game theory, a “first-mover advantage” gives the opening player the power to set the rules of engagement. President Donald Trump built much of his political brand — and his Art of the Deal persona — on this idea: act big, set the tone, make others play defense. The strategy is simple: push hard up front, frame the deal, and only backtrack if necessary. It’s a tactic that can yield results in business, where individual stakes are limited and profit-and-loss signals keep players accountable.





But politics and governance aren’t business transactions. They’re repeated, dynamic games with millions of stakeholders, unclear incentives, and no bottom-line feedback. In this setting, the first-mover tactic, combined with erratic unpredictability, doesn’t create leverage — it creates dysfunction.





As Trump himself recently said on the White House lawn:





“I may do it… I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”





That kind of uncertainty may work in a poker game — but it’s catastrophic for the economy. It undermines trust, destabilizes markets, and delays investment. And we’ve seen the consequences of this “nobody knows” governing style play out across nearly every major policy initiative — from trade and taxes to tariffs and pandemics.





Strategic Blunders in Economic Policy





Take trade policy. The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) didn’t improve on NAFTA — it layered on more restrictions, mandates, and regulatory hurdles, making trade less free. It imposed stricter rules of origin, weakened investor protections, and made regional auto manufacturing more expensive. Rather than liberalizing trade, it entrenched protectionism under a new name.





Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs are one of the largest tax increases on Americans. The Tax Foundation estimated that US tariffs imposed from 2018–2020 raised tax revenues by over $80 billion annually and increased consumer costs by an average of $1,277 per household. Retaliatory tariffs from China, the EU, and others directly harmed US exporters, especially in agriculture and manufacturing.





Even the widely publicized “Phase One” trade deal with China fell short. China failed to meet its purchase commitments, and the structural reforms promised — on intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers — never materialized. Strategic ambiguity resulted in economic underperformance.





Uncertainty Is a Tax on Growth





In economics, uncertainty acts like a tax on business decisions. Research shows that policy uncertainty reduces private investment, hiring, and innovation. The Hoover Institution noted that by 2019, Trump’s trade war and erratic regulatory threats were already slowing business investment before COVID hit.





Tax reform followed the same chaotic path. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made some positive moves — cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, doubling the standard deduction, and improving full expensing. But it was undermined by temporary provisions and a lack of spending restraint. The Manhattan Institute found that despite strong pre-COVID growth, the Trump administration added $4.7 trillion to the national debt, including $3.9 trillion in new borrowing from legislation signed into law. 





Why? As I found while working at the White House then, sending fiscal progressives like Steven Mnuchin to negotiate massive spending bills was a mistake. At the White House Office of Management and Budget, we saw how Mnuchin consistently prioritized deal-making over fiscal discipline — resulting in bloated omnibus bills and exploding deficits.





Pandemic Panic and Government Overreach





COVID-19 response amplified these failures. What began as “15 days to slow the spread” became 15 months of federal overreach, lockdowns, and more than $5 trillion in COVID-related spending. Much of it — like enhanced unemployment benefits and state bailouts — was extended long after the emergency faded.





This was not a market correction. It was a government overreaction to previous government failures. The Congressional Budget Office reported that federal spending reached 31 percent of GDP in 2020 — exceeding even World War II levels as a share of the economy. That’s not “stimulus” — it’s control.





The Wrong Game, the Wrong Incentives





In business, unpredictability might create bargaining power. In government, it creates instability. That’s because public policy affects long-term decisions across millions of households and firms. Public choice theory explains how politicians often respond to the wrong incentives — seeking short-term wins instead of long-term outcomes.





We saw it with proposals to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. It’s a private deal, but political posturing — under both Trump and Biden — has turned it into a nationalist spectacle. It’s great that Trump recently approved it, but not after making it politically-charged, more restrictive, and an agreement that presidents shouldn’t get involved in. Likewise, new tariffs on $18 billion in Chinese imports will raise prices, reduce output, not solve perceived trade problems, and be a drag on other pro-growth efforts by Trump.





The outcome? Higher costs. More uncertainty. Less investment. Slower growth.





The Way Forward: Economic Freedom Over Erratic Power





There’s still time to get it right. The presidency is a powerful platform — but it should be used to unleash markets, not micromanage them. That starts with credible first moves that restore fiscal sanity, reduce tax burdens, lift regulatory burdens, and build trust through policy stability.





We should learn from bold reformers like Argentina’s Javier Milei, who are shrinking government and restoring trust in free markets. In the US, we have the tools — we just lack the direction and leadership to a brighter future.





What America needs isn’t another flawed deal. It needs a direction rooted in liberty, stability, and prosperity. As I often say, let people prosper. That’s the real art of leadership.
		
		
	

	
	
				
	

	
					
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​Copper​ Market Hit by Major Supply Squeeze as LME Inventories Drop

						
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One of the sharpest copper supply crunches in recent memory is rattling global commodities markets, as inventories at the London Metal Exchange (LME) plummet and the spot price soars. 


Bloomberg reported that as of Monday (June 23), copper for immediate delivery was trading at a premium of US$345 per metric ton over three month futures, the widest spread since a record squeeze in 2021. 


That dramatic price divergence reflects the market’s acute concerns over access to physical copper, with readily available inventories on the LME falling by around 80 percent this year alone. 


Available stockpiles now cover less than a single day of global demand, amplifying anxiety across the supply chain.






                            Historic backwardation signals market distress                                


Backwardation in metals markets typically suggests that buyers are scrambling to obtain physical supply. In copper’s case, a combination of logistical, geopolitical and structural forces is driving the surge.


LME stockpiles have been rapidly drawn down as traders and manufacturers shift metal to the US in anticipation of potential trade barriers, spurred by US President Donald Trump’s tariff moves. 


That migration has created acute shortages in Europe and Asia. Chinese smelters, responding to the price premium and slackening domestic demand, have begun exporting surplus copper to global markets. Yet those flows have not kept pace with the drawdowns, and China’s own inventories have also dwindled.


The LME had hoped recent regulatory interventions would prevent another disorderly squeeze like the one that disrupted the nickel market in 2022. Last week, the exchange enacted new rules mandating that traders with large front-month positions offer to lend those holdings if they exceed available inventories. 


The so-called “front-month lending rule” is meant to discourage hoarding and promote liquidity.


However, recent copper trading data suggest that no single trader is behind the current squeeze. On Monday, the Tom/next spread — a one day lending rate — spiked to US$69 per metric ton. 


This would only occur if no one entity held enough copper to trigger lending obligations under the new rules, indicating the tightness is likely the result of broad-based market dynamics rather than manipulation.






                            LME tightens oversight                                


As mentioned, the LME has begun cracking down on oversized positions across its metals complex. 


In a June 20 statement, the exchange introduced a temporary, market-wide rule to manage large front-month exposures. Under the updated rules, traders holding positions in the front-month contract for a metal that exceed the total available exchange inventories — excluding any stock they already own — must offer to lend those positions at “level,” meaning they are required to roll them over to the next month at the same price.


The rule aims to rein in aggressive moves by commodities trading houses that have made deep inroads into metals markets over the past year. The LME emphasized in its release that recent market interventions are targeted, adding that the newly introduced rule offers a standardized approach.


Still, the unprecedented depth of copper’s backwardation — now extending years into the future — suggests that broader supply/demand dynamics are at play, beyond what position limits alone can control.


For manufacturers and industrial users, the squeeze presents a serious cost and planning risk. Many rely on the LME as a pricing and hedging mechanism. But when exchange inventories drop this low, even large players can face trouble sourcing metal to meet contract obligations. With exchange-based supply nearly exhausted, companies may increasingly turn to off-market deals or bilateral supply agreements — often at higher prices.


This shift weakens the LME’s role as a central clearinghouse for global copper, and raises questions about its ability to handle future shocks, especially as energy transition policies boost long-term demand for the metal.


Market watchers will also be looking to the next moves from Chinese exporters, US trade policy under Trump and the LME’s enforcement of its new regulations. 




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




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