Patrick Tuohy, global head of sales and marketing Goldstrom, shares his outlook for gold, saying its position as a store of value has been reestablished.
In his view, the yellow metal has found a new price floor at US$3,000 per ounce.
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Apollo Silver Corp. (‘ Apollo Silver ‘ or the ‘ Company ‘) (TSX.V:APGO, OTCQB:APGOF, Frankfurt:6ZF0) is pleased to announce the Company has closed the final tranche of its previously announced upsized non-brokered private placement (the ‘Upsized Offering’), raising gross proceeds of $1,641,503 through the issuance of 455,973 units (the ‘Units’) of the Company at a price of $3.60 per Unit. The Company previously closed the first tranche of the Upsized Offering, as announced in its October 22, 2025 press release, for gross proceeds of $25,134,145. In aggregate, the Upsized Offering raised total proceeds of $26,775,648 through the issuance of 7,437,680 Units.
Each Unit issued pursuant to the Upsized Offering consists of one common share (a ‘Share’) in the capital of the Company and one common Share purchase warrant (a ‘Warrant’). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $5.50 for 24 months from the closing date of the Offering. The Warrants will be subject to an acceleration provision, such that if at any time after the date that is four months and one day after the closing, the Company’s Shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘TSXV’) at a closing price of $7.50 or greater per Share for a period of ten (10) consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry of the Warrants by giving notice to the holders thereof and, in such case, the Warrant will expire on the thirtieth (30th) day after the date of such notice (the ‘Acceleration Provision’).
The Company would like to thank existing and new shareholders including Eric Sprott, Primevest Capital, Sprott Asset Management, Commodity Capital, Jupiter Asset Management and others for their continued support through participation in this financing.
‘We are very pleased with the strong interest in our private placement and deeply appreciate the confidence shown by the institutional, retail, and strategic investors who have backed management’s vision to advance our Tier 1 assets,’ said Ross McElroy, President & CEO of Apollo Silver. ‘The funds raised from this financing position the Company well to advance our Calico Silver Project in San Bernardino County, California, and to support ongoing efforts toward securing surface access and advance the Cinco de Mayo Project in Chihuahua, Mexico.’
In connection with subscriptions received in the Upsized Offering, the Company will pay aggregate finder’s fees totaling $901,395.18, payable in cash and/or Units to BMO Capital Markets, Canaccord Genuity, Red Cloud Securities Inc., Research Capital Corporation and SCP Resource Finance.
The securities issued under the Upsized Offering are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of closing. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Upsized Offering to continue advancing the Calico Silver Project in San Bernardino, California; support community relations initiatives at the Cinco de Mayo Silver Project in Chihuahua, Mexico; cover ongoing property maintenance costs at both projects; and for general corporate purposes. The Upsized Offering remains subject to the final approval of the TSXV.
The Offering included participation by certain insiders of the Company for an aggregate of 405,557 units totaling gross proceeds of $1,460,005.20. Such participation constitutes a ‘related party transaction’ under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (‘MI 61-101’). The issuance of securities to insiders is exempt from the valuation requirement pursuant to section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101, as the Company’s shares are not listed on a specified market, and from the minority shareholder approval requirement pursuant to section 5.7(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the securities issued to related parties does not exceed twenty five percent of the Company’s market capitalization.
The Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act’), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with the requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About Apollo Silver Corp.
Apollo is advancing one of the largest undeveloped primary silver projects in the US. The Calico Silver Project hosts a large, bulk minable silver deposit with significant barite and zinc credits – recognized as critical minerals essential to the US energy and medical sectors. The Company also holds an option on the Cinco de Mayo Project in Chihuahua, Mexico, which is host to a major carbonate replacement (CRD) deposit that is both high-grade and large tonnage. Led by an experienced and award-winning management team, Apollo is well positioned to advance the assets and deliver value through exploration and development.
Please visit www.apollosilver.com for further information.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ross McElroy
President and CEO
For further information, please contact:
Email: info@apollosilver.com
Telephone: +1 (604) 428-6128
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Statement Regarding ‘Forward-Looking’ Information
This news release includes ‘forward-looking statements’ and ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements with respect to the intended use of proceeds from the Upsized Offering; receipt of final approval from the TSXV; the advancement and potential of the Company’s Calico Project and Cinco de Mayo Project; the Company’s plans and expectations relating to exploration, permitting, and future development activities at Calico and Cinco de Mayo; efforts to obtain and maintain surface access and community support at Cinco de Mayo; and the anticipated benefits to the Company and its shareholders. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘plan’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘potential’, ‘target’, ‘budget’ and ‘intend’ and statements that an event or result ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘should’, ‘could’ or ‘might’ occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof.
Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis, and opinions of the management of the Company made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management of the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by the Company as at the date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may have caused actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: risks associated with mineral exploration and development; metal and mineral prices; availability of capital; accuracy of the Company’s projections and estimates; realization of mineral resource estimates, interest and exchange rates; competition; stock price fluctuations; availability of drilling equipment and access; actual results of current exploration activities; government regulation; political or economic developments; environmental risks; insurance risks; capital expenditures; operating or technical difficulties in connection with development activities; personnel relations; and changes in Project parameters as plans continue to be refined. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the price of silver, gold and barite; the demand for silver, gold and barite; the ability to carry on exploration and development activities; the timely receipt of any required approvals; the ability to obtain qualified personnel, equipment and services in a timely and cost-efficient manner; the ability to operate in a safe, efficient and effective matter; and the regulatory framework regarding environmental matters, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company’s expected financial and operational performance and the Company’s plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws .
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
Rio Silver Inc. (‘Rio Silver’ or the ‘Company’) (TSX.V: RYO,OTC:RYOOD) (OTC: RYOOF), announces it has received ‘Conditional Approval’ from the TSX Venture Exchange to close its upsized non-brokered private placement, as described in the company’s press release dated Sept. 25, 2025, for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,200,000.
The offering involved the issuance of 22,000,000 units at a price of 10 cents per unit for gross proceeds to the company of $2,200,000. Each unit consists of one common share and one non-transferable warrant. Each whole warrant is exercisable into one common share at 15 cents per share for three years from closing. If, following the final closing date of the private placement, the company’s common shares close at or above 25 cents on the TSX Venture Exchange (or such other exchange on which the shares may trade) for 15 consecutive trading days, the company may accelerate the warrant expiry date by issuing a news release. The warrants would then expire 30 days from the date of that notice.
In connection with the offering and subject to compliance with applicable laws and TSX-V approval, the company will pay finders’ fees or commissions of $74,520.00. and issued an aggregate of 745,200 non-transferable common share purchase warrants to arm’s-length finders of the company, the ‘brokers warrants’, in consideration for locating purchasers to participate in the offering, with each warrant entitling the holder to acquire one common share of the company at an exercise price of 15 cents also for a period of 3 years from the date of exchange acceptance
The gross proceeds from the issue and sale of the units, excluding warrant proceeds, will be used to acquire and advance certain exploration / exploitation projects in south central Peru, for general working capital purposes and for settlement of debt.
The securities issued in connection with the offering are subject to a four-month hold from the date of exchange acceptance, under applicable Canadian securities laws. The offering is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
Other News
Rio Silver is anticipating exchange approval on the acquisition of the Maria Norte Au-Ag-Pb-Zn project, amended and news released on September 17, 2025, in the coming days.
About Rio Silver
Rio Silver is a resource development company that has been selectively identifying and acquiring precious metal assets that are anticipated to produce near term cashflow to best assist the Company’s exploration / development plans, in a non-dilutive, shareholder friendly way. We remain ever impressed and optimistic by the resilience and ingenuity of our host country as Peru continues to endorse supportive mining policies and continued growth, as evident by the tremendous investment being witnessed throughout Peru.
We seek safe harbour.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF Rio Silver INC.
Chris Verrico
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information,
Christopher Verrico, President, CEO
Tel: (604) 762-4448
Email: chris.verrico@riosilverinc.com
Website: www.riosilverinc.com
This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. 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 or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable laws.
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
Platinum and palladium have their own unique drivers, but both are basking in gold’s glow in 2025.
Of the two, platinum has been the biggest winner in 2025. The price of the precious metal briefly hit a year-to-date high of US$1,725 per ounce on October 16, a 90 percent increase from the start of the year. Although it’s since experienced a pullback below the US$1,600 level, the platinum price remains at 12 year highs.
As for palladium, its price was up nearly 80 percent by October 16 to reach its 2025 peak of US$1,630 per ounce. It too has fallen back since then, currently sitting at the US$1,430 level.
What’s next for platinum and palladium after those price runs? In its annual Precious Metals Investment Focus report, published on October 25, Metals Focus outlines key supply and demand trends, as well as its outlook for prices.
Platinum is no doubt benefiting from strong investor demand for precious metals. But the metal’s robust supply and demand fundamentals are also at play, according to Metals Focus analysts.
Aboveground inventories of platinum remain tight, while future mine production is bogged down in operational challenges. “In Southern Africa, outages and heavy rainfall have disrupted production, while North America is undergoing restructuring,” notes the report.
On the demand side, platinum usage from the jewelry sector has posted significant gains this year, especially in China. As the price of gold skyrockets, platinum jewelry has become a much more attractive alternative. Investment flows into platinum exchange-trade products in China and the US are another key demand driver for the metal this year.
Platinum and palladium prices.
Chart via Metals Focus, Bloomberg.
While platinum prices are at levels not seen in 12 years, palladium prices are only experiencing a two year high.
“Palladium has also benefited at the margin, but remains a laggard, with a more lacklustre fundamental outlook limiting investor enthusiasm,” according to Metals Focus.
Platinum prices will continue to benefit from the overall upward trend in precious metals prices for the remainder of 2025 and well into 2026. The ongoing supply deficit in the platinum market is also highly price-supportive.
Metals Focus is forecasting a third consecutive physical platinum deficit for this year, totaling 415,000 ounces as platinum mine output is expected to decline by 6 percent year-on-year.
Demand is projected to fall by 4 percent largely due to lower output in the glass and automotive sectors.
Platinum’s supply deficit is expected to continue into 2026 and grow to an estimated 480,000 ounces as mine supply falls by 2 percent to a 12 year low (excluding 2020). “With few new projects coming online after years of underinvestment, mine supply is undergoing structural decline,” the report’s authors note.
This will be happening at the same time as an expected 1 percent rebound in demand, buoyed by renewed industrial usage, specifically out of the glass and chemical sector in China.
Even so, Metals Focus cautions that demand out the automotive and jewelry sectors is likely to contract.
The trend toward electrification is the auto industry may have slowed, but it’s still expected to erode platinum demand, especially as catalytic converter manufacturers shift back to more cost-effective palladium.
Metals Focus is forecasting a 2026 average platinum price of US$1,670 per ounce, up 34 percent over the previous year.
Platinum and palladium price outlook.
Chart via Metals Focus, Bloomberg.
Looking over to palladium, Metals Focus has a more bearish view.
The firm is projecting palladium prices to average US$1,350 in Q4 2025, falling to US$1,150 by Q4 2026. Although the palladium market has been in a physical deficit for the past few years, that deficit is expected to shrink from 566,000 ounces in 2024 to 367,000 ounces in 2025 before narrowing even further to 178,000 ounces in 2026.
The same structural issues plaguing platinum are also of course weighing on palladium mine supply, which is forecast to fall by 3 percent in 2026. However, secondary supply is projected to increase by 10 percent as recycling activity recovers.
Overall, total palladium supply is expected to grow by 1 percent for the year. At the same time, demand for palladium is set to decline by just over 1 percent in 2026 on a drop from the automotive sector.
Both platinum and palladium are considered precious metals based on their rarity and use in jewelry fabrication and physical bullion. As such, they both are known to benefit when investor sentiment for safe-haven gold is high.
However, not all precious metals are precious to investors at the same time — just ask silver. Industrial usage of these metals is a much bigger driver of demand compared to the investment space. For 2026, it’s platinum that will continue to ride gold’s rally and provide investors with plenty of upside based on its strong fundamentals.
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, currently hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
President Donald Trump’s tariffs are hitting toy giants Mattel and Hasbro as the critical holiday season nears. Still, both companies see a successful year end ahead.
“This quarter, our U.S. business was again challenged by industry-wide shifts in retailer ordering patterns,” CEO Ynon Kreiz said on Mattel’s recent earnings call. “That said, consumer demand for our products grew in every region, including in the U.S.”
During the most recent quarter, which ended Sept. 30, Mattel said sales slipped 6% globally, led by a 12% decline in North America. International sales rose 3%.
Some of the company’s top performing categories included Hot Wheels and action figures, primarily from the “Jurassic World,” Minecraft and WWE franchises.
Other Mattel brands saw a drop in sales, however, including Barbie and Fisher-Price.
With retail stores waiting until the last minute to assess the level of tariffs that would apply to their holiday orders, Kreiz said “since the beginning of the fourth quarter, orders from retailers in the U.S. have accelerated significantly.”
Retailers “expect strong demand for the holiday and they are restocking,” he added.
Meanwhile, rival toy giant Hasbro’s revenue jumped 8% in the quarter and it raised its financial guidance for the rest of the year.
Key drivers of that included “Peppa Pig” and Marvel franchise toys, as well as the Wizards of the Coast games.
Hasbro “managed tariff volatility with agility” and used price hikes to protect its margins, said Gina Goetter, the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
The company remains “firmly on track” to achieve its financial targets.
“As we calculate the various scenarios of where that absolute rates will play out, we’re really putting all of our levers to work,” she said on the company’s recent earnings call.
“From how we think about pricing, how we’re thinking about our product mix, how we’re thinking about our supply chain, and how we’re managing all of our operating expenses to mitigate and offset the impact” of tariffs, she said.
For its part, Hasbro also saw “softness” in the U.S. during the quarter due to retail chains waiting longer to place holiday orders, but said momentum is accelerating as the season gets underway.
In July, Mattel’s chief financial officer, Paul Ruh, said that the company was raising prices because of tariffs.
“We have implemented a variety of actions that will help us withstand some of those headwinds and those include … supply chain efficiencies and some pricing adjustments, particularly in the U.S.,” Ruh said on the company’s earnings conference call.
“So with that array of actions, we’re able to withstand some of the uncertainty that is mostly coming in the top line,” Ruh said. “Our goal is to keep prices as low as possible for our consumers.”
Still, Kreiz said that “consumers are buying our products and the toy industry is growing.”
He also said that consumers are taking price hikes in stride and those increases haven’t hurt demand: “We are not seeing any slowdown in consumer demand so far.”
Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said the company has also raised some prices, but it was “pretty surgical” in what it chose to adjust.
“In terms of ongoing pricing, I think we just kind of have to see how the holiday goes and the consumer holds up,” he told analysts on the company’s earnings call.
Cocks also cautioned that there may be a two-tier economy forming, something other executives and economists have observed in recent months.
“Right now, I think it’s really kind of a tale of two consumers. The top 20%, particularly in the U.S., continue to spend pretty robustly,” he said. “The balance of households are watching their wallets a bit more.”
On Friday, the Labor Department released the latest consumer price index data, which showed that inflation is rising at a 3% annual pace, up from August’s 2.9%.
In May, Kreiz told CNBC that approximately half of the company’s toys were sourced from China.
Beijing has faced some of the steepest tariffs from Washington of any U.S. trade partner, as Trump has rolled out his disruptive trade agenda this year.
Mattel’s Ruh said the company continued to adjust its supply chains in response to shifting global tariff policies.
“We will be continuing to work with our retailers to make sure that the product is on the shelf,” he said.
At the same time, Hasbro’s Goetter said the company is diversifying its supply chains away from high-tariff countries.
“By 2026, we expect approximately 30% of our total Hasbro toy and game revenue will be sourced from China and 30% of our revenue will be based in the U.S., as we opportunistically lean into our U.S. manufacturing capacity,” she said.
President Donald Trump is cozying up with top ally Japan’s emperor and new prime minister Monday ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Upon arrival in Tokyo, Trump sat down with Japanese Emperor Naruhito, the nation’s symbolic leader, at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.
On Tuesday, Trump will meet Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
The two are expected to bond over their fondness for Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister who was assassinated in 2022.
‘I look forward to meeting the new prime minister. I hear phenomenal things,’ Trump said on Monday. ‘He was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend, the former prime minister. And he was great. He was one of my best … I know they were very close.’
‘I think she’s going to be great,’ he said of Takaichi.
Meanwhile, U.S. and China negotiators reported great progress in Malaysia on a potential trade deal, easing tensions ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting on Thursday.
Relations between the two world leaders had strained over China’s recent crackdown on critical mineral exports and Trump threatened to bring back the 100% tariff on Chinese goods.
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said Sunday talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit had eliminated the need for 100% tariffs, expected to take effect Nov. 1, and that he expects China to delay implementation of its restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets.
Trump and Xi are expected to sign off on the agreement during the meeting if talks go well.
Takaichi took office last week and leads a right-wing coalition. Trump already congratulated the new prime minister on becoming Japan’s first female top leader.
Takaichi is expected to tout Japan’s efforts to increase defense spending, which long sat at 1% of GDP — a figure analysts say falls well short of what the U.S. is pushing for from its allies.
During the meeting with Trump, Takaichi is expected to face pressure to raise defense spending even further to match NATO’s 5% target.
Takaichi has expressed concern about Japan’s reliance on the U.S., but signaled intentions to work closely with Trump. She took office on a recent populist wave in Japan similar to the MAGA movement.
Trump’s suggestion that Japan should pay for U.S. troops in the region has spooked some Japanese officials. Around 60,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan, making it the largest foreign host of U.S. forces.
Adding to those concerns, a trade framework in July placed a 15% tariff on imported Japanese goods, with higher rates for steel, aluminum and auto parts.
Despite these challenges, both sides are expected to use this week’s meetings to reaffirm what Trump has called ‘the most important partnership in Asia,’ setting the stage for his critical summit with Xi later this week.
Next week’s governor races may tell us more about where the shutdown fight is headed than the shutdown itself will show about those elections.
While the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia will look largely untouched by the lapse in government funding, their results could serve as a barometer for public perception over who’s at fault for the standoff dragging out in Washington, D.C.
But only if the results stand out.
Bill Wichterman, former special assistant to President George W. Bush, said the two parties seem entrenched in their positions with no signs of blinking anytime soon. Having seen past shutdown conflicts up close as a policy advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and a chief of staff for other offices, he believes the election results would have to look dramatic to change the resolve of lawmakers.
‘Let’s say it’s normally a 5-point win, and it turns out to be a 15-point win,’ Wichterman said, speaking to the possibility of a Democrat winning in both races. ‘Yeah, that will get people’s attention. But if it’s like a normal 5-point win, whatever the norm is, I don’t think Republicans will look at that as alarming.’
Both Democratic candidates, Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, lead their Republican challengers with just a week to go until Election Day. Republicans Winsome Earle-Sears, the Virginia candidate, and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey both trail by under 10 points.
In the aftermath of a presidential election, Wichterman said a good performance by the minority party isn’t particularly surprising; that would fit the historical trend for how the public reacts to a new president of either party.
‘A Democratic win in those two states? Does that freak out Republicans? No, they’re both blue states,’ Wichterman said.
But if Republican gubernatorial candidates can pull upsets, Wichterman believes that changes things.
‘I think Democrats would look at that and say, ‘My gosh, we’re not doing well. What’s going on here?’ That would be disruptive.’
Government funding ran dry on Oct. 1 when lawmakers failed to reach an agreement over a Republican-led short-term spending bill that would have kept the government open through Nov. 21. Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have opposed the measure on 12 separate occasions, demanding Congress first consider the extension of COVID-era emergency subsidies for Obamacare premiums.
Republicans have rejected those demands out of hand, maintaining that the subsidies have nothing to do with the question of government funding.
Despite the lapse in funding, state-level elections will remain largely unaffected.
On a practical level, the federal government largely leaves states to carry out their own elections and plays a minimal role in their administration. In many cases, the federal government awards funding for states to update, modernize or shore up security for elections.
In one of the most notable examples, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) doesn’t directly help organize state-level elections. Instead, it helps provide funding for security and infrastructure-related expenses through grants established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
New Jersey and Virginia have each already received $272,700 through HAVA grants in 2025. Congress approved that funding in appropriation legislation earlier this year.
Wichterman believes that another way that the election could tip the scales for the shutdown is how the White House reacts. Even if lawmakers in Congress stay put after the election, President Donald Trump’s direction over government funding could force a change in position for lawmakers.
So far, Trump hasn’t budged and has his focus elsewhere. On Monday, Trump traveled to Japan to meet with the country’s emperor, among other officials.
‘I think Democrats have been waiting for Trump to crack [on the shutdown],’ Wichterman said. ‘And he’s not. I’ve been in lots of shutdown fights starting back in ‘95. I know what it feels like when you’re part of a party that’s taking on water. Doesn’t feel that way on the Republican side yet.’
Democrats expressed similar thoughts as they shot down a supplemental funding bill to pay essential government workers. To them, the gridlock on Capitol Hill likely will remain until something provokes Trump to get personally involved in negotiations.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., believes the president is the only Republican voice that matters.
‘He says, ‘Jump,’ they say, ‘How high?’ And so, he’s the one that needs to come to the table,’ Van Hollen said when asked about shutdown-ending negotiations.
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris both remarked in the past few days that they’re keeping their options open for potential 2028 presidential runs.
‘Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,’ Newsom told ‘CBS News Sunday Morning’ when asked if he would give ‘serious thought’ to a 2028 presidential run after the 2026 midterms. ‘I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.’
‘I have no idea,’ Newsom said of whether he would decide to run, adding that he has not let academic struggles from across his life prevent him from working to ascend the political ladder. ‘The idea that a guy who got 960 on his SAT, that still struggles to read scripts, that was always in the back of the classroom, the idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, extraordinary. Who the hell knows? I’m looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. And that’s the question for the American people.’
Newsom long has been floated as a likely Democrat nominee for the presidency, most notably after the unprecedented 2024 race when President Joe Biden dropped out of the running amid heightened concerns over his mental acuity, and then-Vice President Harris took up the mantle in his absence. President Donald Trump ultimately swept the seven battleground states and won the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Harris also left the door open to a potential 2028 presidential run while speaking with the BBC in an interview that aired Saturday. Harris is a longtime California Democrat who has served as San Francisco district attorney, the California attorney general, and a U.S. senator representing California before ascending the political landscape as the nation’s vice president in 2021.
‘I am not done,’ Harris told the British outlet. ‘I have lived my entire career as a life of service, and it’s in my bones.’
Harris said during the interview that her grandnieces would see the first female president ‘in their lifetime, for sure,’ and that she could ‘possibly’ be that woman, according to the BBC.
Harris brushed off polling that shows her as a 2028 Democrat outsider, saying during the interview that she historically has not listened to polling data.
‘If I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office — and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here.’
The 2024 presidential election threw the Democrat Party into a tailspin as it continues searching for its next de facto leader. Harris published a memoir in September detailing her 107 days on the campaign trail after Biden dropped out of the race, which included a handful of shots at the former president that has caused rifts within the party to grow deeper as it looks for fresh leadership.
Both Newsom and Harris are longtime political foes of Trump, who has railed against both of them for promoting left-wing West Coast policies.
Trump, who is term limited and in the midst of his second presidency, welcomed a potential Newsom presidential run back in May, but said the California high-speed rail project intended to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles would prevent him from proceeding in a presidential race.
‘I would love him to run for president,’ he said. ‘I’d love to see that, but I don’t think he’s going to be running because that one project alone — well, that, and the fires and a lot of other things — pretty much put him out of the race.’
The ‘one project alone’ refers to the high-speed rail project that has been plagued by delays and increased costs, with the Trump administration pulling the funding plug on the project in July.
Fox News Digital reached out to the respective offices of Newsom and Harris Monday morning for additional comment on their 2028 remarks and has yet to receive replies.
Washington is barreling into its fifth week of a government shutdown, and despite a handful of payday deadlines for federal workers fast-approaching, there’s been little progress made toward turning the lights back on.
The Senate is expected to again vote on a House-passed plan to reopen the government this week but has failed to advance the continuing resolution (CR) 12 times.
As before, the legislation — which would reopen the government until Nov. 21 — is expected to fail again. The same dispute that triggered the shutdown nearly a month ago remains unresolved.
Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., want an ironclad deal to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, while Senate Republicans want to address the issue only after the government is reopened.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that Democrats’ position had little to do with the actual premium tax credits, nor a desire for negotiations.
‘It’s politics,’ he said.
‘Well, they’d like you to believe that it’s about healthcare,’ he said on the Senate floor last week. ‘It’s not. Republicans have been perfectly clear that we’re willing to have a discussion about healthcare, just not while government funding is being held hostage and all the federal employees that come with that. So if this were really about healthcare, Democrats would be voting in favor of the clean CR as the quickest way to reopen the government.’
In the meantime, payday deadlines for air traffic controllers, military service members, and a funding cliff for federal nutrition assistance programs are right around the corner.
Air traffic controllers are expected to miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday after being partially paid earlier this month.
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has a bill that would fill that funding gap that is expected to be put on the floor for a vote this week. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not yet teed it up.
Then there is the military payday coming on Oct. 31. President Donald Trump previously moved around billions in funding to cover troops’ paychecks earlier this month, but that money is not expected to cover this upcoming pay cycle.
Sen. Ron Johnson’s, R-Wis., bill to pay troops and ‘excepted’ federal workers — meaning federal workers who are currently working during the shutdown but not being paid — was blocked by Senate Democrats last week.
However, there is an effort between Johnson and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., to bring a new version of the bill to the floor. Van Hollen also tried to get his own bill to pay federal workers and troops on the floor last week but was blocked in the process.
Van Hollen, like other Senate Democrats, warned that Johnson’s version of the bill would allow Trump and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought a ‘blank check as to who they’re going to send home and who they’re going to punish by not paying.’
‘Not one of our federal employees, service members, or contractors deserves to be punished for this government shutdown,’ Van Hollen said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘I’m continuing to work to make sure they’re not.’
And on Nov. 1, the same day as the beginning of open enrollment for Obamacare, funding for food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is expected to run out.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats received another blow to their unified front as the shutdown drags on from an outside ally that donates millions of dollars to Democratic political action committees and candidates.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal employees in the nation that represents over 800,000 workers, demanded that Democrats swallow the Republicans’ clean CR to reopen the government.
Everett Kelley, president of the massive union, said in an open letter on Monday that the best path forward was to, ‘Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues,’ and ensure that every federal employee that has been working or furloughed under the shutdown receive back pay.
‘Because when the folks who serve this country are standing in line for food banks after missing a second paycheck because of this shutdown, they aren’t looking for partisan spin,’ Kelley said. ‘They’re looking for the wages they earned. The fact that they’re being cheated out of it is a national disgrace.’
‘It’s long past time for our leaders to put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government,’ he continued. ‘A strong America requires a functioning government — one that pays its bills, honors its commitments, and treats its workforce with respect by paying them on time.’
Hamas says it will hand over another body of an Israeli hostage on Monday, as President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline looms.
If the latest body is handed over, Hamas will still have the bodies of 12 Israeli hostages in its custody. Trump’s deadline will expire Monday night. Hamas has made no mention of the identity of the deceased hostage set to be released.
‘Within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange deal, the Martyr Izz El-Din Al-Qassam Brigades will hand over the body of one of the occupation prisoners, which was recovered today in the Gaza Strip, at 9 PM Gaza time,’ Hamas announced in a statement.
Trump acknowledged on social media Saturday that some of the deceased hostages are ‘hard to reach.’
‘Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. ‘Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely.’
Hours before Trump’s post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with the families of Itay Chen and Omer Neutra, two U.S. citizens who were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
Their bodies are among those still being held by Hamas.
‘We will not forget the lives of the hostages who died in the captivity of Hamas,’ Rubio wrote in an X post. ‘We will not rest until their—and all—remains are returned.’
Authorities believed Chen, a 19-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, but was later declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Huckabee noted Rubio’s visit to Israel was ‘very productive in moving forward’ the U.S.-brokered Gaza peace plan, adding the plan cannot work until all hostages, living and deceased, are released.
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.