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We need a Marshall Plan to tackle America’s housing crisis

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Homeownership has long been part of the American dream, but that dream has been deferred.

Households in their 30s have an ownership rate of just 42% — more than 20 points lower than the national average.

The median age of all home buyers is a record-breaking 59, and the age of a first-time buyer is 40 — up from 29 in 1981.

As a solution, the Trump administration is floating a 50-year mortgage.

Though I disagree with that specific idea, I am heartened that they are brainstorming ways to tackle the problem.

We need a Marshall Plan for housing, a collection of broad initiatives to make homes more affordable and put the dream back on track.

The federal government can use its bully pulpit to get changes to red tape and regulations that are holding back building, and encourage policies that would increase housing and decrease costs.

To start, the White House and Fannie Mae should instead promote shorter, 20-year mortgages.

Affordability at the forefront of political issues as shutdown ends

As Ed Pinto of the American Enterprise Institute has argued, a 20-year loan can be paid off ‘when the 30-year-term loan leaves most homeowners saddled with another decade or more of mortgage payments, the cash flow freed up from a paid-off shorter-term loan is available to fund a child’s post-secondary-education needs and later turbocharge one’s own retirement.’

The 20-year loan could be incentivized with a first-time buyer tax credit.

The decline in homeownership is a problem that must be addressed federally and locally.

This would be especially important today when the vast majority of taxpayers no longer itemize their tax returns — which means they cannot avail themselves of the deduction for mortgage interest.

That deduction always favored wealthy buyers of high-end homes anyway — so a targeted tax credit would help those who actually need it far more.

It’s time, as well, for the Trump White House to roll back one of the key initiatives of Elizabeth Warren’s pet project, the Consumer Protection Financial Agency.

The CPFC has pressured banks to limit mortgages to ‘plain vanilla’ mortgages, premised on its rules or what consumers can afford.

Adjustable rate loans and other ‘mortgage products’ can be right for some buyers — who should have a choice of how much risk they want to take in exchange for getting into the home market.

Even a low down payment might be hard to come up with, however, for those who can’t take advantage of generous in-laws.

Those without rich parents might turn to a ‘housing saving account’ — akin to the popular health savings accounts initiated by George W. Bush and which hold some $59 billion and are sheltered from taxation.

The new housing accounts should be tailored only for down payments, however — not long-term maintenance and other homeowner needs.

What Trump can do to help bring housing costs down

Buyers also are allowed today to take out $10,000 from their 401(k) penalty-free to go to a downpayment on a home.

Perhaps it’s time to raise that ceiling.

Of course, it goes almost without saying that even the most creative financing and incentives will fall short of addressing our housing needs without the most important problem: Supply.

There are many reasons why there aren’t enough starter homes.

Trump eyes 50-year mortgage in

Regulation in many cities makes construction difficult.

More retiring Boomers own second homes.

Banks have increasingly bought real estate as an investment and drive up prices.

Low turnover is another reason Gen X buyers have so much trouble breaking into the market.

During COVID, mortgage rates hit record lows and many refinanced.

These owners have a strong incentive not to trade a 3% mortgage for a new home and a much-higher rate.

Another key reason: more and more of us are living in small households or even alone.

The Census Bureau reports that, between 2019 and 2021, the number of households increased by more than 2 million a year.

That means we not only need more housing but more types of housing — many smaller units especially, rather than the two-acre, one house lots common in so many suburbs.

Here is where the limits of Washington’s hard power is reached.

Much of US housing policy is set at the hyper-local level, by planning boards and zoning boards.

That’s why outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams deserves so much credit for his ‘City of Yes’ rezoning in New York, which will permit safe basement apartments and ‘accessory dwelling units’ in parts of the city.

Accessory units — or ‘granny flats’ — can also be the means for older couples to sell the homes to younger households and downsize.

As part of a federal push, though, the Marshall Plan for Housing could encourage these same changes nationwide: Changing zoning to allow more housing; or taking undeveloped state land and providing tax incentives to build on them.

It’s the 18,000 municipalities across the country that are often standing in the way of what might be called naturally occurring affordable housing — small homes on small lots, like those of the original Levittown, where houses were just 750 square feet of living space.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner should urge localities to permit private, unsubsidized, small homes and apartment buildings, or what AEI’s Pinto terms ‘light-touch density.’

It’s far more likely to gain local approval than the subsidized, low-income housing Democrats have long favored, starting with the public housing the socialist Zohran Mamdani wants to revive.

Private building is also less costly; new housing units in California subsidized through the low income housing tax credit can cost upwards of $800,000 per units, a bonanza for developers but not many tenants.

Building costs for any housing, however, will inevitably go up as a result of another Trump policy: his 10% tariff on plentiful Canadian lumber and timber products and a 25% tariff on kitchen cabinets and furniture.

The de facto taxes are causing what the National Association of Home Builders calls ‘headwinds’ holding back new construction.

As a builder himself, he should rethink these tariffs.

Homeownership is a virtuous conspiracy making the nation better.

Owners are more likely to maintain neighborhoods than renters, more likely to improve schools and services by getting involved in local government — the essence of American federalism.

The decline in homeownership is a problem that must be addressed federally and locally.

But the Trump administration can take the lead, with tax breaks and the encouragement of construction.

The president can bring the dream alive again.


 


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India Overhauls Mineral Royalties to Boost Domestic Mining

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India has approved a sweeping overhaul of royalty rates for several critical minerals, continuing its campaign to expand domestic mining and reduce reliance on Chinese imports.

Under the revised framework, graphite with at least 80 percent fixed carbon will be charged a 2 percent royalty based on the average sale price (ASP) determined by the Indian Bureau of Mines, while graphite with lower purity will carry a 4 percent rate.

Caesium and rubidium will each be levied a 2 percent royalty on the ASP of metal contained in the ore, and zirconium will be charged 1 percent.

The government said the changes would encourage more rational bidding in auctions and attract greater private participation in mineral exploration. “The above decision of the Union Cabinet will promote auction of mineral blocks containing caesium, rubidium and zirconium, thereby not only unlocking these minerals but also associated critical minerals found with them, such as lithium, tungsten, REEs, and niobium,” the statement read.

New Delhi has recently pushed to build a self-reliant critical mineral ecosystem amid mounting global supply chain pressures.

China, which produces more than 80 percent of the world’s rare earth elements and controls much of the refining capacity for battery metals, has tightened export restrictions in recent years.

At least nine mineral blocks were offered in the sixth tranche of auctions launched in September, including five graphite blocks, two rubidium blocks, and one each for caesium and zirconium.

These minerals are integral to India’s green industrial transition: graphite is used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, zirconium in nuclear reactors, caesium in precision timing systems such as GPS, and rubidium in fiber optics and night vision equipment.

The royalty revision also complements broader measures under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration to secure strategic minerals and reduce import dependency.

Earlier this year, India approved a US$1.9 billion plan to source critical materials used in batteries, electronics, and agriculture.

In addition, the government weeks ago was reported to be nearly tripling its production-linked incentive (PLI) program for rare earth magnet manufacturing to over 70 billion rupees (US$788 million), a major step up from the initial US$290 million proposal.

Pending cabinet approval, the expanded plan seeks to develop a full rare earth magnet supply chain for EVs, renewable energy systems, and defense applications.

In parallel, the government is also investing heavily in human capital to sustain this growth. The Ministry of Mines, in coordination with the Skill Council for Mining Sector (SCMS), has launched an initiative to train 5.7 million workers in mining-related occupations by 2030.

The skills gap study for 2025–2030 will map future workforce requirements and identify pathways to develop a “future-ready” labor pool capable of supporting new mineral projects.

“The report will come up with a detailed action plan for the sector on ways to impart skills training to millions of workers to cater to the increasing demand from the sector in the near future,” a senior government official told The Economic Times.

India currently imports about 60 percent of its graphite needs and remains a minor producer of most other critical minerals. The Modi administration aims to more than double mining’s share of GDP to 5 percent by 2030 from 2.2 percent today.

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

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Western Copper and Gold Strengthens Board with Appointment of Mark E. Smith

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western copper and gold corporation (TSX: WRN) (NYSE American: WRN) (‘Western’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark E. Smith, P.E., P.Eng., to its Board of Directors (the ‘Board’).

Mr. Smith is a professional engineer with over 45 years of global mining experience. He co-founded and managed Vector Engineering for nearly 25 years, a consulting and engineering firm with a staff of 500 people and offices in seven countries. His technical leadership and judgement have been relied upon by many of the world’s largest mining companies, including BHP, Rio Tinto, Barrick, Newmont, Vale, Glencore, and Teck. Mr. Smith holds a Master’s degree in Civil and Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno.

He has worked extensively in the Yukon, contributing to projects such as Coffee, Macpass, and Mactung, and has advised the Government of Yukon on mine waste and heap leach management practices. More recently, he was appointed by the Government of Yukon to chair the Independent Review Board for the Eagle Mine investigation.

‘We are extremely pleased to welcome Mark to our Board,’ said Sandeep Singh, President & Chief Executive Officer. ‘Mark has a deep understanding of the Yukon and has been a well-respected technical voice in the North for over a decade. His extensive experience and deep knowledge of the territory will be invaluable as we advance Casino through environmental assessment and permitting.’

‘Mark’s addition to the Board builds on Western’s commitment to the highest technical and environmental standards,’ said Raymond Threlkeld, Chairman of the Board. ‘His global expertise will strengthen Western’s ability to sustainably advance a world-class operation in the Yukon.’

‘I’ve dedicated my career to developing successful and environmentally-sound copper and gold projects around the world,’ said Mark E. Smith. ‘From concept to design, construction, operations, and closure, I’ve helped bring hundreds of projects into successful, sustainable production. I’m impressed by the approach taken towards the Casino Project and believe it can have a positive impact on the Yukon. I’m very happy to have been invited to join the Western team.’

ABOUT western copper and gold corporation

western copper and gold corporation is advancing the Casino Project, Canada’s premier copper-gold mine in the Yukon and one of the most economic greenfield copper-gold mining projects in the world.

The Company is committed to working collaboratively with First Nations and local communities to progress the Casino Project, using internationally recognized responsible mining technologies and practices.

For more information, visit www.westerncopperandgold.com.

On behalf of the board,

‘Sandeep Singh’

Sandeep Singh
President & CEO
western copper and gold corporation

For more information, please contact:

Cameron Magee
Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
western copper and gold corporation
437-219-5576 or cmagee@westerncopperandgold.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ (collectively ‘forward-looking statements’) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘plans’, ‘projects’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘envisages’, ‘potential’, ‘possible’, ‘strategy’, ‘goals’, ‘opportunities’, ‘objectives’, or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements herein include statements regarding the Company’s plans to advance the Casino Project through environmental assessment and permitting; expectations regarding the contributions and value that Mr. Smith’s appointment will bring to the Board and the Company; the Company’s ability to sustainably advance a world-class operation in the Yukon; expectations that the Casino Project can have a positive impact on the Yukon; and the Company’s commitment to maintaining the highest technical and environmental standards in the development of the Casino Project.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include but are not limited to the risk of unforeseen challenges in advancing the Casino Project, potential impacts on operational continuity, changes in general market conditions that could affect the Company’s performance; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company’s annual information form and Form 40-F for the most recently completed financial year and its other publicly filed disclosure documents.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, such assumptions and factors as set out herein, and in the Company’s annual information form and Form 40-F for the most recently completed financial year and its other publicly filed disclosure document.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, other factors may cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. These forward-looking statements represent the Company’s views as of the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend to and does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements other than as required by applicable law.

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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/274462

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Copper Quest to Acquire Past-Producing Alpine Gold Mine

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Copper Quest Exploration Inc. (CSE: CQX; OTCQB: IMIMF; FRA: 3MX) (‘ Copper Quest ‘ or the ‘ Company ‘) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an arms-length Option to Purchase Agreement (the ‘ Agreement ‘) dated November 7th, 2025 with 0847114 B.C. Ltd. (‘ Privco ‘), a British Columbia Incorporated company that holds 100% ownership, title, and interest in the Alpine Gold Property (the ‘ Property ‘), located in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia (the ‘ Acquisition ‘).

Highlights of the Alpine Gold Property

  • 2018 NI43-101 Inferred Resource of 268,000 tonnes estimated using a cut-off grade of 5.0 g/t Au and an average grade of 16.52 g/t Au that represents an inferred resource of 142,000 oz of gold (McCuaig & Giroux, 2018).
  • Substantial opportunity to grow the maiden Alpine resource to the east-west and to depth with only about 300m of the roughly 2km long vein system explored to date by underground mine workings and drilling.
  • Estimated 24,000 tonnes Run of Mine mineralized stockpile on surface presenting a possible near term cash flow opportunity.
  • 1,650 meters of clean and dry underground workings accessing sampled and mineable zones.
  • At least 4 additional relatively unexplored vein systems on the Property (Black Prince, Cold Blow, Gold Crown & past-producing King Solomon), all hosting historic high-grade gold values.
  • Road accessible 4,611.49-hectare Property including 15 Crown Grants (1 with surface rights) and 19 staked mineral claims with all-season operation potential (Figure 1).
  • Additions of Mr. Allan Matovich to the Board of Directors. Mr. Ted Muraro and Mr. John Mirko as Technical Advisors on closing. They have a combined mining and exploration experience of 150+ years in the industry.

The 4,611.49-hectare Property is approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the City of Nelson (Figure 1) and hosts the former operating underground mine with a recorded production of approximately 16,810 tonnes of mineralized vein material (Table 1). This material contained 356,360 grams of gold, 222,054 grams of silver, 49,329 kilograms of lead and 17,167 kilograms of zinc. The other 4 significant vein systems on the property will also be explored including the Black Prince and Cold Blow quartz veins approximately 3km to the northeast of the Alpine mine, the Gold Crown vein system 600m southeast, and the past-producing King Solomon vein workings 1.8km to the south. Further information about the Alpine Gold property will be forthcoming in the upcoming weeks.

Brian Thurston, President & CEO of Copper Quest, commented : ‘ With Gold prices at all-time highs, The Alpine Gold property creates a tremendous opportunity to create near term value. I look forward to closing the transaction and welcoming Mr. Matovich, Mr. Muraro and Mr. Mirko to the team.’

Figure 1

Figure 1: Location Claim Map

Appointment of Mr. Allan Matovich as Director

Copper Quest is also pleased to announce that upon closing of the acquisition, Mr. Allan Matovich will join the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Matovich is the principal owner of the Alpine Gold Property.

Mr. Matovich has 60+ years of mining and exploration experience in Canada and the United States. He first started with Cominco in Trail BC working in the smelter operation. Mr. Matovich then started Matovich Mining Industries where they supplied considerable tonnages of siliceous flux materials, lead and zinc concentrates to Cominco for over 20 years. Mr. Matovich then opened up a mining operation in 1997 in Northern British Columbia to supply barite for drilling fluids in the oil and gas industry. This mining operation is still in production today. Mr. Matovich also opened up a barite operation in Washington State that is going into production. He also worked with Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and Newmont and was very successful. In 2000, Mr. Matovich purchased the Alpine Gold Mine and since then has spent a considerable amount of time proving up the project.

Mr. Matovich commented ‘ I am very pleased to bring the Alpine Gold Property to Copper Quest and join as a director. The company has a fantastic portfolio of critical mineral projects advancing and the Alpine Gold Project gives a potential near term cash flow opportunity along with upside to grow the current resource with drilling. I look forward to working with the Copper Quest team to help create value for all stakeholders involved.’

Table 1 – Production History – Minfile (082FNW127) for Alpine Mine for gold (Au) and silver (Ag)

YEAR Tonnes Tonnes Au Grams Ag Grams Est
Grade 		Est
Grade
Mined Milled Recovered Recovered Au (g/t) Ag (g/t)
1988 200 90 198 591 2.20 6.57
*1948 – – 16,889 11,384 25.32 17.07
*1947 – – 2,768 1,866 15.38 10.37
*1946 – – 11,042 5,785 18.59 9.74
*1942 – – 56,079 34,182 824.69 502.68
1941 11,517 11,517 219,350 130,011 18.26 11.29
1940 3,992 3,992 57,852 35,333 14.49 8.85
1939 3 0 62 62
1938 35 0 1,120 902
1915 4 0 1,938
*ore milled not reported

Appointment of Mr. Ted Muraro as Technical Advisor to the Board

Mr. Muraro will be appointed as Technical Advisor to the board on closing of the transaction. Mr. Theodore (Ted) W. Muraro has accumulated over six decades of experience in mineral exploration, including 35 years with Cominco where he advanced through Exploration to serve as the companies Chief Geologist and Internal Consulting Geologist. Early in his career, Mr. Muraro gained underground experience at Keno Hill, HB Mine, Sullivan, and Western Mines. His tenure at Cominco was marked by direct involvement in the discovery and subsequent successful development of the Westmin Mine at Buttle Lake, the Polaris Mine on Little Cornwallis Island in the high Arctic, and Snip Mine on the Iskut River. Following his service at Cominco, Mr. Muraro assumed the role of Vice President, Exploration at Romanex and International Barytex Resources, contributing his expertise to international gold projects.

Mr. Muraro, who was awarded the Spud Huestis award in 2021 for his outstanding contributions to the industry and excellence in exploration, worked as an independent consultant (T.W. Muraro Consulting 1993-2016) on base metal and gold exploration projects around the world until his retirement in 2016. In these later years, he served on several boards as Director and/or Advisor, most recently with Imperial Metals. Mr. Muraro’s working relationship with Al Matovich started in the Rossland Mining Camp and shifted to the Alpine Property in the late 80’s.

Appointment of Mr. John Mirko as Technical Advisor to the Board.

Mr. Mirko will be appointed as Technical Advisor to the board on closing of the transaction. Mr. Mirko has over 40 years’ experience in the mining industry, past President and Founder of Canam Alpine Ventures Ltd. (recently sold to Vizsla Resources Ltd.), currently President and Founder of Canam Mining Corp. and Rokmaster Resources Corporation.

From 1986 to 2010 Mr. Mirko the founder, President-CEO and Director of 4 public mining-exploration companies and a founder and Director of 3 others. He has been self-employed in the sector since 1972 as a prospector, contractor and consultant involved in exploration, development and mine construction of various projects in 12 counties, and commercial production of mineral concentrates and metal products from 5 of the projects.

In 2008, Mr. Mirko was a recipient of the ‘E. A. Scholtz Medal for Excellence in Mine Development’ from the Association for Mineral Exploration of British Columbia, and in 2009, the Mining Association of British Columbia’s ‘Mining and Sustainability Award’ for the MAX Mine.

Mr. Mirko is currently a member in good standing of the Society of Economic Geologists, Inc., the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and AME BC.

Transaction Details

The Agreement provides for the purchase of all the minerals claims and crown grants held by the Privco that make up the Alpine Gold Property. At closing Copper Quest will issue 14,177,517 Copper Quest common shares to Privco at a deemed price of $0.175c per share. The Shares will have a 24-month escrow agreement from closing date.

Additionally, Copper Quest will reimburse $225,000 towards the 2025 expenditures of the Property that was completed earlier this year and a 2 percent NSR will be granted to Privco on closing of the Acquisition with half being able to be bought back for CAD$1-million.

Closing is subject to a 45-day due diligence period, exchange approval and other customary closing conditions. Closing may occur prior to the 45-day due diligence period. A finder’s fee is payable in common shares in connection with the transaction.

Qualified Person

Brian Thurston, P.Geo., the Company’s President, CEO and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects , has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

Gold: Global Demand & Supply

Global demand for gold remains strong, supported by persistent geopolitical uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and ongoing central bank purchases. At the same time, supply growth is limited, with declining reserves at mature mines, few large-scale discoveries, and rising development costs. This tightening supply backdrop highlights the strategic value of advancing new gold projects in secure, mining-friendly jurisdictions. Copper Quest is aligned with these global trends, positioning Alpine to contribute to the next generation of significant gold discoveries.

Stock Options

The Company has granted stock options to Directors, Management, and Consultants of the Company to acquire an aggregate of 2,600,000 common shares in the capital of the Company, pursuant to the Company’s Equity Incentive Plan. The stock options are each convertible into a common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0. 20 until November 13, 2030.

About Copper Quest Exploration Inc.

Copper Quest ( CSE: CQX; OTCQB: IMIMF; FRA: 3MX ) is focused on building shareholder value through strategic acquisitions and the exploration and development of its North American Critical Mineral portfolio of assets. The Company’s land package currently comprises five critical mineral projects that span over 40,000+ hectares in great mining jurisdictions.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Stars Property, a porphyry copper-molybdenum discovery, covering 9,693 hectares in central British Columbia’s Bulkley Porphyry Belt. Contiguous to the Stars Property, Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the 5,389-hectare Stellar Property. CQX also has an earn-in option up to 80% and joint-venture agreement on the 4,700-hectare porphyry copper-molybdenum RIP Project, also in the Bulkley Porphyry Belt.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Nekash Copper-Gold Project, a porphyry exploration opportunity located in Lemhi County, Idaho, along the prolific Idaho-Montana porphyry copper belt that hosts world-class systems such as Butte and CUMO. The project is fully road-accessible via maintained U.S. highways and forest service roads and currently consists of 70 unpatented federal lode claims covering 585 hectares.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Thane Project located in the Quesnel Terrane of Northern BC which spans over 20,658 ha with 10 high-priority targets identified demonstrating significant copper and precious metal mineralization potential.

Copper Quest’s leadership and advisory teams are senior mining industry executives who have a wealth of technical and capital markets experience and a strong track record of discovering, financing, developing, and operating mining projects on a global scale. Copper Quest is committed to sustainable and responsible business activities in line with industry best practices, supportive of all stakeholders, including the local communities in which it operates. For more information on Copper Quest, please visit the Company’s website at Copper Quest .

On behalf of the Board of Copper Quest Exploration Inc.

Brian Thurston, P.Geo.
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Tel: 778-949-1829

For further information contact:

Investor Relations
info@copper.quest

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ (collectively, ‘ forward-looking statements ‘) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, future operations and activities of Copper Quest, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as ‘expects’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘potential’, ‘possible’, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results ‘will’, ‘may’, ‘could’, or ‘should’ occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, risks associated with possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of exploration results, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company’s exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company’s business and prospects. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3309c0ba-17fd-4a57-b498-e8a3c49534fc

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If Gaza’s famine was real, how come it went away so fast?

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For months, headlines warned of an impending famine in Gaza — images of starving children, shattered infrastructure and humanitarian collapse filled the news. On Aug. 22, 2025, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared that while full data was lacking, expert inference indicated famine was underway. Governments pledged aid; humanitarian agencies sounded alarms. Yet today, the word ‘famine’ has nearly vanished from headlines. What happened?

This is not to deny the human suffering in Gaza; it is to ask difficult, necessary questions. Was famine averted, exaggerated or politically reframed?

Famine has been described as a tree swaying in the wind — at some point it cannot recover and cannot be returned upright. But Gaza’s ‘famine tree’ never appeared to fully sway. If aid efforts or local resilience truly prevented catastrophe, where is the evidence? On August 22, 2025, famine was declared, and the global press carried that narrative. Then came a shift to the word ‘starvation.’ Now, even that language has faded.

The distinction matters. Famine is a technical classification grounded in data — household food security surveys, acute malnutrition rates and mortality. Starvation, by contrast, is a moral and legal term implying intent; under international law, using starvation as a weapon constitutes a war crime. In Gaza, this rhetorical shift occurred before comprehensive data was gathered — an escalation of accusation without empirical foundation.

Recovery from famine typically takes eight to 12 months, even under ideal conditions with full humanitarian access and functioning medical systems. Historical precedents — Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and Sudan in 2023 — show that malnutrition persists long after headlines fade. If Gaza truly met famine standards this summer, the signs would still be unmistakable: rising mortality, overwhelmed clinics and a generation of weakened children. Yet no such surge has been confirmed by independent medical reporting.

Another inconsistency is behavioral. True famine unleashes chaos — hunger overrides social norms and people fight to survive. In August, 84% of Gaza aid convoys were reportedly looted. Yet after the Oct. 10 ceasefire, U.N. 2720 data show interceptions fell to 6%, and by November, below 1%. Where did the desperation go? Where is the looting? Where are the crowds of thousands?

Following the ceasefire, Hamas rapidly reasserted control, executing accused defectors and projecting an image of order. Recent videos show bustling markets and calm streets — a façade of normalcy meant to reinforce legitimacy. Within six weeks, famine conditions seemingly vanished. Can that be real?

Israel slams UN-backed famine report for using Hamas data

If famine had truly taken hold, it would not have dissipated so quickly. Either the crisis was overstated, the data manipulated or public perception deliberately managed.

We cannot shy away from uncomfortable questions. Asking what happened to the famine in Gaza is responsible, not callous. Truth demands transparency, even when it challenges narratives we’ve grown accustomed to believing.


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Sanctions Didn’t Destroy Venezuela’s Economy — Socialism Did 

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In recent weeks, the debate over Venezuela has intensified, largely due to the military pressure that the Trump Administration has placed on Maduro’s regime. This has led various political figures, journalists, and analysts to revisit Venezuela’s recent history and the causes that drove the Maduro regime to provoke the worst economic collapse ever recorded in the Western world — an 80 percent GDP contraction in less than a decade. The crisis becomes even more shocking when considering that Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves. 

As with Cuba, defenders of the Venezuelan regime have attributed the country’s economic collapse to US sanctions — which they incorrectly call a “blockade” — rather than to the political, economic, and social model imposed by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. That model brought massive state controls, expropriations, corruption, persecution of the opposition and the press, the destruction of the rule of law, and the elimination of judicial guarantees for investment. 

Recently, Dr. Steve Hall, a professor at Teesside University in England, argued on X that US sanctions were responsible for Venezuela’s economic deterioration. After facing widespread criticism, he made his account private — but this was the chart he shared: 

The graph shows that starting in the year 2000, Venezuela’s economy began to surge, driven by a sharp increase in oil prices. When Hugo Chávez and his socialist movement came to power, oil traded at around $18 per barrel, due largely to the Asian financial crisis at the end of the 1990s. However, in 2003, following the US invasion of Iraq, OPEC cut production, and several global catalysts pushed prices above $100 per barrel — granting the Venezuelan regime unprecedented wealth, which it used to consolidate power at home and finance the “expansion of the revolution” across Latin America. 

The Five Phases of Socialism 

For years, I’ve explained the five stages socialist economies go through once they take power: 

  1. Euphoria 
  2. Peak Prosperity 
  3. Reality Shock 
  4. Collapse into Misery 
  5. Stabilization of Poverty and Totalitarianism 

In Venezuela’s GDP chart, we can see each phase unfold clearly. 

When Chávez came to power, the regime “redistributed” part of the oil windfall through populist missions that temporarily reduced poverty. But soon came the heavy economic regulations, price controls, expropriations, rampant corruption, redistribution without investment, and uncontrolled money printing. Over time, the country entered phase three — the “reality shock” — when the regime’s repressive nature became evident, poverty deepened, and the process of stabilizing misery and consolidating totalitarianism began. 

In Venezuela’s case, phase three began around 2011, phase four around 2013, and phase five — the totalitarian stage — emerged in 2014. That same year, Venezuela’s mass migration crisis exploded, driven by poverty and political repression. 

In 2014, not a single sanction had yet been imposed on the Chávez regime. Still, Venezuela recorded a 4.8 percent GDP contraction and 68.5 percent inflation. In 2015, President Barack Obama imposed the first individual sanctions against regime officials — freezing assets and revoking visas — but the US continued to buy Venezuelan oil, and the country still traded freely with the world. This remained the case until 2019, when President Donald Trump finally sanctioned the state oil company PDVSA, freezing its US assets and banning transactions with American entities. 

However, even before that, in 2018 — when there were still no oil sanctions — Venezuela suffered hyperinflation exceeding 130,000 percent and a GDP drop of 19.6 percent. By then, millions of Venezuelans had fled, fuel lines stretched up to 48 hours, blackouts occurred daily, and shortages of basic goods spawned a black market for deodorant, toilet paper, milk, and meat. 

The Counterintuitive Effect of Sanctions 

Economic sanctions are used by Washington as a coercive tool to punish anti-democratic regimes and US adversaries by cutting off their financial lifelines to weaken or destabilize them. However, in Venezuela’s case, sanctions had a paradoxical effect — they triggered a brief economic rebound. 

Let me explain briefly. 

Venezuela is officially a narco-state led by Nicolás Maduro. Conservative estimates suggest that corruption by regime officials has siphoned off more than $500 billion — money that for years was diverted or invested in Europe and the United States. 

When broader economic sanctions were finally applied, the regime was forced to lift many of its rigid economic controls in order to survive. For several years, a de facto “anarchic market” emerged in Venezuela — to the point that outlets like The New York Times and Bloomberg mistakenly claimed that Maduro was “turning toward capitalism.” 

In reality, Chávista elites, pressured by sanctions, had to withdraw their fortunes from the US and Europe and reinvest them inside Venezuela. They needed to repatriate capital, launder money, and at the same time ease the severe shortages afflicting the country. 

Although it was technically “illegal” to trade in US dollars or any currency other than the bolívar, these restrictions were effectively abolished, along with import and export controls. Markets quickly filled with imported goods, private-sector wages rose, local production slightly recovered, and after an 80 percent GDP plunge over a decade, Venezuela saw small signs of economic life. 

In their struggle for survival, and spurred by sanctions, Maduro’s regime dismantled much of the socialist economic control apparatus — unintentionally allowing market forces to partially heal the damage caused by decades of socialist mismanagement. 

Thus, while one can debate whether sanctions have been effective in weakening an anti-democratic, criminal regime, what cannot be argued is that sanctions caused the worst economic collapse ever recorded in the Americas. The full responsibility lies with socialism itself. 

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I Worked With Ronald Reagan. Here’s What He Really Thought About Tariffs

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When it comes to economic policy, Donald Trump is a statist menace. Full stop.

His obsession with tariffs isn’t grounded in just classic protectionist aid to domestic industries, but actually embodies a much grander and more dangerous Caesarian notion: Namely, that America is a giant corporation and Trump its all-powerful CEO, empowered to gallop around the globe cutting great big beautiful deals to bring investment, jobs, production, societal uplift and foreign policy victories, too, pouring into America’s hinterlands.

In that context, the Donald has tortured the nation’s poorly drafted trade statutes into economic battering rams, thereby enabling him to deploy tariffs for any purpose that suits his momentary fancy. Thus, his initial 25 percent “reciprocal” tariff on Japan was reduced to 15 percent in trade for $550 billion of ill-defined Japanese investments in the US. Likewise, the BRICS were threatened with a 100 percent tariff if they didn’t use the dollar to conduct trade with each other, and India got clobbered with an additional 25 percent tariff because its refineries found it economically expedient to buy the cheapest crude on the market — Russian Urals — in defiance of Washington’s nix on the latter.

In a similar manner, consumers of Chinese imports such as toys and kitchen cabinets got nailed with a 20 percent “fentanyl tariff,” a tax on American buyers, but allegedly to punish Beijing for not stopping the export of the drug’s chemical precursors. Of course, the next one-step-removed intermediates for making precursors like NPP and ANPP can be sourced from almost any chemical industry on the planet, while the only reason there is a US market for synthesized fentanyl in the first place is that Washington’s war on drugs has driven prices of other illicit drugs sky high.

Still, Trump is now crowing that he eased his spanking of Chairman Xi to just 10 percent because at their recent summit, the latter apparently pinky swore that he’d do better limiting precursor exports in the future.

Moreover, the president’s tariff mayhem has little if anything to do with historic tit-for-tat import duties because there flat-out isn’t an unfair tariff problem in today’s world. The weighted average tariff on goods traded internationally has dropped from nearly 10 percent in the early 1990s to barely 2 percent at present.

But the smoking gun lies in America’s own trade statistics, which the president obviously ignores. To wit, in 2024, the US had a massive trade deficit in goods, with exports of $2.06 trillion being dwarfed by imports of $3.27 trillion. But that imbalance had nothing whatsoever to do with tariffs. According to Elon Musk’s Grok 4, the US tariffed these imports at 2.2 percent in 2024, or slightly higher than the average 1.6 percent tariff levied by trading partners on our exports. And it wasn’t non-tariff barriers either: America’s NTBs are among the worst in the world.

No, the problem isn’t bad trade deals and foreign cheats; it’s the fact that the Fed has inflated the bejesus out of domestic prices, wages, and costs for decades. The CPI is up by 700 percent since Nixon severed the dollar’s anchor to gold in 1971, and that has pulled production and wage costs in the US relentlessly higher. It is no wonder, therefore, that thanks to the Fed’s pro-inflation policies, fully loaded manufacturing wage rates at $44.25 per hour in the US tower over those of our competitors, including Japan and the EU. So if you want to find the culprit look no further than the figures below.

Average Fully Loaded Manufacturing Wages Per Hour in 2024

  • Vietnam: $3.50.
  • India: $4.50.
  • Mexico: $5.00.
  • China: $6.00.
  • South Korea: $20.50.
  • Canada: $22.00.
  • Japan: $28.00.
  • UK: $30.00.
  • EU-27: $32.50.
  • USA: $44.25

But if there is no valid predicate for Trump’s unhinged tariffing, his recent slapping of an extra 10 percent tariff on Canada reminds us that Trump’s rendition of Caesarian statism is an exceedingly dangerous thing: Ottawa’s offense was that one of its provinces dared to run a video clip from a full-throated pro-free trade radio address by President Reagan in 1987.

Yes, US imports of $412 billion from Canada in 2024 vastly exceeded exports to Canada of $350 billion, but tariffs had nothing to do with it: The tariff rates were essentially 0.0 percent on both sides thanks to President Trump’s own ballyhooed USMCA free trade agreement.

The latest 10 percent levy on American consumers of Canadian goods, therefore, represents the pure pique of an unhinged wannabe global wheeler and dealer who thinks he’s still playing hardball with plumbing subcontractors in Queens. The fact is, Trump can’t huff and puff his tariffs high enough to eliminate the huge trade deficit with our neighbor to the north because the real problem lies in the Eccles Building.

Meanwhile, Trump’s claim that Ontario’s ad was a fraud because Ronald Reagan loved tariffs, too, is truly preposterous. The Gipper, for whom I worked as Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1981–1985, was a true-blue believer in free markets and would have never dreamed of storming around the globe making ad hoc economic deals while sliding by the seat of his pants. President Reagan believed that government was the problem, not the solution, and that its main job was to get out of the way to the maximum extent possible so that businesses and entrepreneurs operating on the free market could take care of investment, job creation, and the resulting rise in societal wealth.

Yes, he deviated from strict free trade a few times, but I know from personal experience that it wasn’t because he thought tariffs, quotas, or other protectionist measures would help. In the case of the largest deviation from free trade — the 1.68 million cap on Japanese auto imports —   President Reagan got flat-out tricked. 

The protectionists in the Administration led by DOT Secretary Drew Lewis of Pennsylvania and Commerce Secretary Mac Baldrige, a New England manufacturer, fostered a legislated auto quota bill on Capitol Hill and then secretly urged the Japanese to offer a “voluntary” export limit to thwart it. President Reagan was very busy with other things in the spring of 1981, including getting shot, and never did realize there was nothing much “voluntary” about it.

In the case of the semiconductor tariff, it was a case of national security hawks and neocons painting the usual false story that it was too dangerous to rely on semiconductors from Japan. Then again, America had an army of 50,000 troops in Japan, and the island was surrounded by the US Seventh Fleet, while Japan was still essentially disarmed. In this case, Reagan had an unfortunate weak spot for national security canards, not a Trumpian lust for trade restrictions.

The most telling case, however, was when the drumbeat for steel quotas reached a fever pitch. But in this case, the Gipper authorized me to negotiate a deal with the steel industry when Mac Balridge was out of town. I worked hurriedly and cemented a quota deal with the industry that had more loopholes than a block of Swiss cheese, thereby putting Baldrige and the steel protectionists out of business without too much damage done.

At the end of the day, Ronald Reagan would have abhorred the entire Trumpian TariffPalooza. That’s because he knew that in a free economy, the job of the President is to keep the Leviathan on the Potomac at bay, not usurp the jobs, income, and wealth-creating function of free men on free markets.

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Gold Price Rallies “Like a Meme Stock,” Breaks US$4,200 Again

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As its record-setting year continues, gold is on its way to posting its strongest annual performance since 1979, up an impressive 58 percent year-to-date as of Wednesday (November 12).

The yellow metal once again broke past US$4,200 per ounce this week, moving closer to its all-time high of US$4,379.13, reached on October 17. Silver is up 80 percent year-to-date and also on track for its best year ever.

The silver spot price rose on Thursday (November 13) morning to just a few cents shy of its record price of US$54.47 per ounce. Silver futures hit a new record high of US$54.415 per ounce in early morning trading.

Gold rallied this week even amid news that the longest US government shutdown in history was coming to an end — typically the sort of development that would lessen demand for safe-haven assets. Yet continued labor market weakness in the US is priming expectations of further Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in December.

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank, explained that gold is gaining on investor sentiment.

What does it mean to say that gold is acting like a meme stock? Basically, it implies that the gold market is displaying unusual trading dynamics with investment demand at times seemingly more momentum-driven than data-driven.

Gold and silver’s surge may be reflective of the good precious metals vibes investors are now feeling. Social media is buzzing with posts like “GOLD to $5,000!” and trending hashtags like #GoldRush2025 and #SilverSqueeze2.

Gold exchange-traded funds in particular are very popular with retail investors. Sherwood News reported on Tuesday (November 11) that daily call volumes for the SPDR Gold Trust (ARCA:GLD), which is backed by physical gold, had outstripped 1 million by 1:10 p.m. EST, ‘roughly triple their 334,000 average over the last 10 full sessions.’

While the speed and size of the price gains in gold and silver point to a highly sentiment-driven acceleration, this momentum doesn’t discount the strong fundamentals for gold and silver.

Yes, we’re likely to see price pullbacks, but the overall upward momentum is still supported by macro forces such as economic uncertainty, Fed independence concerns, geopolitical risks and in the case of silver, supply worries.

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

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Americas Gold & Silver to Acquire Crescent Silver in US$65 Million Deal

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Mid-tier precious metals producer Americas Gold and Silver (TSX:USA,NYSEAMERICAN:USAS) continues to grow its North American footprint with its intended acquisition of privately owned Crescent Silver.

The two companies inked a US$65 million binding purchase agreement on Thursday (November 13). It includes the past-producing, fully permitted Crescent mine in the Idaho Silver Valley.

Known as “the silver capital of the world,” the region is well known for its immense production of silver, lead and zinc, as well as significant amounts of copper and antimony.

Within this prolific mining district, the Crescent mine is sandwiched between the historic Sunshine and Bunker Hill mines and is just 9 miles from Americas’ Galena complex, an active silver, lead and copper operation.

“The mineralized material at Crescent is the same silver-copper-antimony tetrahedrite material currently processed at Galena,” notes the company’s press release.

The deal comes just one week after the US Geological Survey officially added silver to its list of critical minerals in recognition of the metal’s growing importance to American economic and national security.

Substantial infrastructure is already in place at Crescent, which has a historic 2015 preliminary economic assessment demonstrating the potential to produce 1.4 million to 1.6 million ounces of silver annually.

“Crescent has the potential to be fast tracked into our growing production profile alongside Galena, allowing us to leverage our strong operations team located in the Silver Valley,” said Americas Chair and CEO Paul Andre Huet.

Management believes the company can begin adding feed from Crescent to the Galena mill and generating cashflow from these activities as early as mid-2026. Americas’ team sees plenty of upside on the Crescent property as less than 5 percent of the landholding has been explored, with only two veins delineated for production. In 2026, the company plans to launch a US$3.5 million drill program to test multiple targets both at surface and underground.

The Crescent acquisition includes US$20 million in cash alongside approximately 11.1 million common shares of an equity position in Americas valued at approximately US$45 million.

To cover the cost of the purchase, Americas initially announced it would be conducting a concurrent US$65 million bought-deal private placement via an agreement with Canaccord Genuity and BMO Capital Markets.

Shortly after that news, the company said it was increasing that private placement to US$115 million on strong investor interest. Eric Sprott, Americas’ largest shareholder, will participate in the financing.

“The addition of the Crescent Mine, while potentially improving the project profile of the Company, provides additional synergies only available through rational consolidation and is a transaction that leverages the strength of Paul’s strong operating team in the Silver Valley,” said Sprott, a well-known financier in the mining industry.

Earlier in the week, Americas Gold & Silver published its financial and operational results for Q3. Its consolidated silver production was up 98 percent year-on-year and 11 percent quarter-on-quarter, while its consolidated revenue, including by-product revenue, jumped by 37 percent compared to the same quarter last year to US$30.6 million.

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

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