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Trump Tariffs to Raise US Medical Device Costs, Hospitals Hold Off on Stockpiling

President Donald Trump’s new round of tariffs —this time targeting copper— has intensified concerns about rising costs across key sectors, including healthcare.

But despite significant price pressures on steel, aluminum, and now copper, all vital to medical device production, there is no indication that US hospitals are stockpiling equipment ahead of expected price hikes, according to recent findings from GlobalData.

Announced earlier this week, Trump’s 50 percent tariff on copper imports matches the doubled rates already in effect for steel and aluminum.

The White House has defended these actions, imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as necessary to protect US national security and revive domestic manufacturing.

But with tariffs applied indiscriminately across all import sources —excluding only the United Kingdom on certain metals—concerns are mounting over the downstream impact, especially on industries reliant on foreign raw materials.

“Although these tariffs are likely to impact distribution and increase consumer costs, some facilities may not have the financial resources to buy devices in advance,” said Amy Paterson, a medical analyst at GlobalData.

“While some markets have seen an increase in spending, it does not appear that healthcare facilities have been stocking up on medical devices in preparation for potential price increases or supply chain disruptions.”

Steel and aluminum are critical materials in the production of surgical tools, implants, diagnostic machines, and hospital infrastructure. Copper, now under the same elevated tariff level, is widely used in imaging equipment, monitors, and wiring for medical devices. All told, the latest tariff decisions mean higher input costs across a range of essential equipment.

GlobalData’s US Healthcare Facility Invoicing Database, which tracks procurement activity across 56 medical device categories, shows no significant increase in healthcare spending between January and May 2025.

Even as May and June data continue to roll in, early signs suggest healthcare purchasing behavior remains steady, not preemptive.

This spending inertia comes despite broader signals that cost pressures on US healthcare providers may worsen. Unlike certain exemptions applied to pharmaceuticals or food products, the latest tariffs make no carveouts for medical equipment or life-saving devices.

This means that hospitals, who are already facing tight budgets and post-pandemic financial strain, may have to absorb higher equipment costs or pass them on to patients.

Taken together, the policy shifts and trade actions illustrate a broader Trump administration approach centered on cutting international dependencies, regardless of sector.

In metals, the administration argues, cheap imports from China and elsewhere have flooded global markets, putting US producers out of business and threatening industrial self-sufficiency.

The move to double tariffs on steel and aluminum reflects that ambition. Copper, added to the list this week, signals a continued hardline stance that could affect everything from defense manufacturing to consumer electronics.

The US imports more than half its aluminum and about one-third of its copper, much of it from countries like Canada and Chile.

By raising costs on these materials, the administration hopes to encourage domestic mining and refining. However, in the short term, US industries are bearing the brunt.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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EVs Now Emit 73 percent Less Than Gasoline Cars Over Their Lifetime, Says ICCT Study

A new analysis from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has found that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sold in Europe today produce 73 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions over their lifetime than comparable gasoline-powered cars

The findings are based on an updated life-cycle assessment (LCA) of all major vehicle powertrain types, including internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), hybrids (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

The report accounts for emissions from vehicle and battery manufacturing, energy production, use and maintenance, while crucially considering changes in the EU’s electricity mix over a car’s operational life.

“Battery electric cars in Europe are getting cleaner faster than we expected and outperform all other technologies, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids,” said lead researcher Dr. Marta Negri. “This progress is largely due to the fast deployment of renewable electricity across the continent and the greater energy efficiency of battery electric cars.”

Further estimates show that BEVs sold this year emit an average of 63 grams (g) of CO₂-equivalent per kilometer (e/km)—down from 83 g CO₂e/km in the ICCT’s 2021 study, and far below the 235 g CO₂e/km estimated for gasoline ICEVs.

The improvement, the ICCT said, reflects rapid decarbonization of Europe’s grid and growing efficiency gains in battery and vehicle production.

When BEVs are powered solely by renewable electricity, their life-cycle emissions fall even further—to 52 g CO₂e/km, or 78 percent lower than those of gasoline cars.

In contrast, the ICCT found that other powertrain types show only limited progress. Plug-in hybrids emit about 30 percent less than gasoline cars over their lifetime, and hybrids achieve just a 20 percent reduction. Natural gas vehicles offer only a 13 percent cut, and diesel cars show emissions similar to gasoline models.

The report also assessed hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. When powered by hydrogen derived from renewable electricity—a technology not yet widely available—FCEVs can reduce emissions by 79 percent compared to gasoline cars.

However, nearly all hydrogen currently used in Europe is produced from natural gas, limiting the actual emission savings to around 26 percent.

Decarbonizing the grid key to BEV success

The ICCT attributes the growing emissions advantage of electric cars to the rapid transition toward renewable energy across the EU.

In 2025, renewables are expected to make up 56 percent of electricity generation, up from 38 percent in 2020. This trend is projected to continue, reaching 86 percent by 2045, based on data from the EU’s Joint Research Centre.

Even with their higher production emissions—largely due to battery manufacturing—electric cars close the “emissions debt” within the first 17,000 kilometers of use, typically within the first one to two years in Europe.

Another purpose of its updated LCA, according to ICCT, was to counter widespread misinformation about electric vehicles’ environmental impacts.

“We hope this study brings clarity to the public conversation, so that policymakers and industry leaders can make informed decisions,” said Dr. Georg Bieker, co-author of the report. “We’ve recently seen auto industry leaders misrepresenting the emissions math on hybrids.”

“Life-cycle analysis is not a choose-your-own-adventure exercise. Our study accounts for the most representative use cases and is grounded in real-world data. Consumers deserve accurate, science-backed information,” he added.

A common misperception, the ICCT notes, is that electric cars are worse for the climate because of their manufacturing footprint.

However, the study concludes that failing to account for the evolving electricity mix and real-world driving patterns leads to distorted comparisons that undervalue electric cars’ advantages.

The full report can be viewed on the ICCT’s website.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Top 5 Canadian Silver Stocks of 2025

Silver prices surged during the second quarter of 2025, surpassing the US$37 per ounce mark and reaching their highest levels in 14 years.

The price movements stem from a tightening supply and demand situation, which has seen above-ground inventories squeezed due to an increasing need from industrial sectors, particularly the growing photovoltaics industry.

However, demand has also increased due to heightened investor interest in alternative safe-haven assets, as gold prices reached record highs. The shifting sentiment comes amid uncertainty over a US trade policy that could reduce the world’s gross domestic product by 1 percent.

Investors have also been spooked by increasing conflict in the Middle East.

How has silver’s price movement benefited Canadian silver stocks on the TSX, TSXV and CSE? The five companies listed below have seen the best performances since the start of the year. Data was gathered using TradingView’s stock screener on July 7, 2025, and all companies listed had market caps over C$10 million at that time.

1. Santacruz Silver (TSX:SCZ)

Year-to-date gain: 321.82 percent
Market cap: C$387.88 million
Share price: C$1.16

Santacruz Silver is an Americas-focused silver producer with operations in Bolivia and Mexico. Its producing assets include a 45 percent stake in the Bolivar and Porco mines, which it shares with the Bolivian government, and a 100 percent ownership of the Caballo Blanco Group mines in Bolivia, along with the Zimapan mine in Mexico.

In addition to its producing assets, Santacruz also owns the greenfield Soracaya project, an 8,325 hectare land package located in Potosi, Bolivia. According to an August 2024 technical report, the site hosts an inferred resource of 34.5 million ounces of silver derived from 4.14 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 260 g/t.

In October 2021, Santacruz acquired Glencore’s (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) 45 percent stake in the Bolivar and Porco mines and a 100 percent interest in the Soracaya project. Under the terms of the deal, Santacruz made an initial payment of US$20 million and was obligated to make an additional US$90 million over a four-year period from the closing of the transaction. Glencore also retained a 1.5 percent net smelter return.

The pair amended the deal in October 2024, giving Santacruz the option to either pay off the US$80 million base purchase price through annual US$10 million installments or to accelerate the repayment by paying US$40 million by November 2025. The deal also includes additional terms such as monthly payments to Glencore contingent on zinc pricing benchmarks.

Santacruz chose the accelerated option through a structured payment plan, which allows it to satisfy the base purchase price of the properties while saving US$40 million compared to the annual installment option. As of its third payment to Glencore on July 7, Santacruz has now paid US$25 million.

In its Q1 2025 production report released on June 12, Santacruz disclosed consolidated silver production of 1.59 million ounces, marking a 1 percent increase from the 1.58 million ounces produced during the same quarter in 2024.

Santacruz shares reached a year-to-date high of C$1.16 on July 7.

2. Almaden Minerals (TSX:AMM)

Year-to-date gain: 318.18 percent
Market cap: C$32.93 million
Share price: C$0.23

Almaden Minerals is a precious metals exploration company working to advance the Ixtaca gold-silver deposit in Puebla, Mexico. According to the company website, the deposit was discovered by Almaden’s team in 2010 and has seen more than 200,000 meters of drilling across 500 holes.

A July 2018 resource estimate shows measured resources of 862,000 ounces of gold and 50.59 million ounces of silver from 43.38 million metric tons of ore, and indicated resources of 1.15 million ounces of gold and 58.87 million ounces of silver from 80.76 million metric tons of ore with a 0.3 g/t cutoff.

In April 2022, Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the initial licenses issued in 2002 and 2003 would be reverted back to application status after the court found there had been insufficient consultation when the licenses were originally assigned.

Ultimately, the applications were denied in February 2023, effectively halting progress on the Ixtaca project. While subsequent court cases have preserved Almaden’s mineral rights, it has yet to restore the licenses to continue work on the project.

In June 2024, Almaden announced it had confirmed up to US$9.5 million in litigation financing that will be used to fund international arbitrations proceedings against Mexico under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

In a December update, the company announced that several milestones had been achieved, including the first session with the tribunal, at which the company was asked to submit memorial documents outlining its legal arguments by March 20, 2025. At that time, the company stated it would vigorously pursue the claim but preferred a constructive resolution with Mexico.

On March 21, the company indicated that it had submitted the requested documents, claiming US$1.06 billion in damages. The memorial document outlines how Mexico breached its obligations and unlawfully expropriated Almaden’s investments without compensation.

The most recent update from the proceedings occurred on May 23, when the company announced that it had established a key personnel retention agreement (KPA) with CFO Korm Trieu and Executive Vice President Douglas McDonald. The KPA is intended as a long-term incentive program to retain employees for their knowledge of the proceedings, and the employees will need to perform certain duties related to the claims.

Under the terms of the agreement, the key personnel will split 4 percent of net proceeds, to a maximum of US$12 million, should Almaden’s claim prove successful.

Almaden shares reached a year-to-date high of C$0.245 on June 30.

3. Avino Silver and Gold (TSX:ASM)

Year-to-date gain: 296.85 percent
Market cap: C$710.8 million
Share price: C$5.04

Avino Silver and Gold Mines is a precious metals miner with two primary silver assets: the producing Avino silver mine and the neighboring La Preciosa project in Durango, Mexico.

The Avino mine is capable of processing 2,500 metric tons of ore per day, and according to its FY24 report released on January 21 the mine produced 1.1 million ounces of silver, 7,477 ounces of gold and 6.2 million pounds of copper last year. Overall, the company saw broad production increases with silver rising 19 percent, gold rising 2 percent and copper increasing 17 percent year over year.

In addition to its Avino mining operation, Avino is working to advance its La Preciosa project toward the production stage. The site covers 1,134 hectares, and according to a February 2023 resource estimate, hosts a measured and indicated resource of 98.59 million ounces of silver and 189,190 ounces of gold.

In a January 15 update, Avino announced it had received all necessary permits for mining at La Preciosa and begun underground development at La Preciosa. It is now developing a 350 meter mine access and haulage decline. The company said the first phase at the site is expected to cost less than C$5 million, which will be funded from cash reserves.

In Avino’s Q1 financial report released on May 13, the company noted that work was progressing at the site according to plan, with blasting and construction of the decline underway. It added that a new drill was working on the haulage ramp to the Gloria and Abundancia veins.

On the production and finance side, the company reported a record quarterly after-tax income of US$5.6 million, 10 percent higher than the US$5.1 million during Q4 2024. Avino also reported a 6 percent increase in silver production to 265,681 ounces. The company attributed the gain to an increase in feeder grade.

Avino shares reached a year-to-date high of C$5.04 on July 7.

4. Excellon Resources (TSXV:EXN)

Year-to-date gain: 238.89 percent
Market cap: C$57.43 million
Share price: C$0.305

Excellon Resources is an exploration and development company that is advancing its recently acquired Mallay silver mine in Peru back into production.

Mining at the site produced 6 million ounces of silver, 45 million pounds of zinc and 35 million pounds of lead between 2012 and 2018 before the operation was placed on care and maintenance.

On June 24, Excellon announced that it had completed its acquisition of Minera CRC, and its Mallay mine and Tres Cerros gold-silver project in Peru.

Excellon began the court-supervised acquisition process in October 2024. On March 11, Excellon announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Adar Mining and Premier Silver, which resolved any outstanding disputes between Adar, Premier, and Minera, and paved the way to complete the transaction.

In the June release, the company stated that it will immediately commence the next phase of its strategy to restart the mine. As Mallay is fully permitted with infrastructure in place, Excellon is aiming for run-rate silver production in Q2 of next year.

Additionally, the company announced on July 3 that it had appointed Mike Hoffman to its board of directors. Hoffman has been in the mining sector for over 35 years, and has experience with developing mines in Latin America.

Shares in Excellon reached a year-to-date high of C$0.315 on July 4.

5. Andean Precious Metals (TSX:APM)

Year-to-date gain: 182.61 percent
Market cap: C$481.71 million
Share price: C$3.25

Andean Precious Metals is a precious metals company with a pair of operating assets in the Americas.

Its primary silver-producing operation is the San Bartolomé facility in the Potosi Department of Bolivia. The onsite processing facility has an annual ore capacity of 1.8 million metric tons. The company has transitioned from conventional mining and is processing feed from both its low-cost fines deposit facility and third-party ore purchases.

Its other producing asset is the Golden Queen mine in Kern County, California, US. It hosts a 12,000 MT per day cyanide heap leach and Merril-Crowe processing facility. A mineral reserve statement showed a measured and indicated silver resource of 11.24 million ounces from 41.81 million MT at an average grade of 8.37 g/t silver. The company acquired Golden Queen from Auvergne Umbrella in November 2023 for total consideration of US$15 million.

On May 6, Andean released its Q1 operating and financial results. During the first quarter of the year, it produced 925,000 ounces of silver across its operations, up 0.9 percent over Q1 2024. However, the company noted that its revenues increased 43.9 percent year-over-year, reaching US$62 million compared to US$43.1 million. The company attributed this increase to higher silver and gold prices.

The most recent news from the company came on June 2 when it announced it entered into an exclusive, long-term agreement with the Bolivian state-owned mining company Corporacion Minera de Bolivia to acquire up to 7 million metric tons of oxide ore from mining concessions in Bolivia.

The ore is located within a 250 kilometer radius of the processing facility at its San Bartolomé operation, where it will process the ore. Under the terms of the 10 year agreement, Andean will immediately receive an initial 250,000 metric tons of ore, with the remaining to be delivered in tranches of 50,000 MT.

Shares in Andean reached a year-to-date high of C$3.25 on July 7.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Cygnus Metals Limited: Issue of Performance Rights

 

Cygnus Metals Limited (‘Cygnus’ or the ‘Company’) advises that it has issued an aggregate of 67,050,000 performance rights (‘Performance Rights’) to directors, and key employees and consultants, under the Company’s Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (‘Plan’).

 

Shareholders approved the Plan and the issue of Performance Rights to directors at the Company’s annual general meeting held on May 14, 2025. The Performance Rights to key personnel were issued on the same terms and conditions as the director Performance Rights, as set out in the notice of annual general meeting released to ASX on April 14, 2025.

 

The Performance Rights vest on the later of (a) one year after their date of issue, and (b) the successful completion of specific key performance objectives within three years from the date of issue. Each vested Performance Right is exercisable to one fully paid ordinary share in the capital of the Company (net of applicable withholdings) and will expire on May 31, 2030 unless exercised on or before this date.

 

The objective of Cygnus’ Plan is to promote the long-term success of the Company and the creation of shareholder value by aligning the interests of eligible persons under the Plan with the interests of the Company.

 

This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of Directors of Cygnus.

 

      

  David Southam  
Executive Chair  
T: +61 8 6118 1627  
E:    info@cygnusmetals.com   		   Ernest Mast  
President & Managing Director  
T: +1 647 921 0501  
E:    info@cygnusmetals.com   		   Media:  
Paul Armstrong  
Read Corporate  
+61 8 9388 1474  
     

 

  About Cygnus Metals  

 

 Cygnus Metals Limited (ASX: CY5, TSXV: CYG) is a diversified critical minerals exploration and development company with projects in Quebec, Canada and Western Australia. The Company is dedicated to advancing its Chibougamau Copper-Gold Project in Quebec with an aggressive exploration program to drive resource growth and develop a hub-and-spoke operation model with its centralised processing facility. In addition, Cygnus has quality lithium assets with significant exploration upside in the world-class James Bay district in Quebec, and REE and base metal projects in Western Australia. The Cygnus team has a proven track record of turning exploration success into production enterprises and creating shareholder value.

 

   

 

 

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

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OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome

SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser that will challenge Alphabet’s market-dominating Google Chrome, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, three of the people said, and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. It will give OpenAI more direct access to a cornerstone of Google’s success: user data.

If adopted by the 500 million weekly active users of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s browser could put pressure on a key component of rival Google’s ad-money spigot. Chrome is an important pillar of Alphabet’s ad business, which makes up nearly three-quarters of its revenue, as Chrome provides user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably, and also gives Google a way to route search traffic to its own engine by default.

OpenAI’s browser is designed to keep some user interactions within a ChatGPT-like native chat interface instead of clicking through to websites, two of the sources said.

The browser is part of a broader strategy by OpenAI to weave its services across the personal and work lives of consumers, one of the sources said.

OpenAI declined to comment. The sources declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Led by entrepreneur Sam Altman, OpenAI upended the tech industry with the launch of its AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. After its initial success, OpenAI has faced stiff competition from rivals including Google and startup Anthropic, and is looking for new areas of growth.

In May, OpenAI said it would enter the hardware domain, paying $6.5 billion to buy io, an AI devices startup from Apple’s former design chief, Jony Ive. A web browser would allow OpenAI to directly integrate its AI agent products such as Operator into the browsing experience, enabling the browser to carry out tasks on behalf of the user, the people said.

The browser’s access to a user’s web activity would make it the ideal platform for AI “agents” that can take actions on their behalf, like booking reservations or filling out forms, directly within the websites they use.

OpenAI has its work cut out — Google Chrome, which is used by more than 3 billion people, currently holds more than two-thirds of the worldwide browser market, according to web analytics firm StatCounter. Apple’s second-place Safari lags far behind with a 16% share. Last month, OpenAI said it had 3 million paying business users for ChatGPT.

Perplexity, which has a popular AI search engine, launched an AI browser, Comet, on Wednesday, capable of performing actions on a user’s behalf. Two other AI startups, The Browser Company and Brave, have released AI-powered browsers capable of browsing and summarizing the internet.

Chrome’s role in providing user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably has proven so successful that the Department of Justice has demanded its divestiture after a U.S. judge last year ruled that the Google parent holds an unlawful monopoly in online search.

OpenAI’s browser is built atop Chromium, Google’s own open-source browser code, two of the sources said. Chromium is the source code for Google Chrome, as well as many competing browsers including Microsoft’s Edge and Opera. Last year, OpenAI hired two longtime Google vice presidents who were part of the original team that developed Google Chrome. The Information was first to report their hires and that OpenAI previously considered building a browser.

An OpenAI executive testified in April that the company would be interested in buying Chrome if antitrust enforcers succeeded in forcing the sale. Google has not offered Chrome for sale. The company has said it plans to appeal the ruling that it holds a monopoly.

OpenAI decided to build its own browser, rather than simply a “plug-in” on top of another company’s browser, in order to have more control over the data it can collect, one source said.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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Sports executive charged with bid-rigging in Texas arena project

Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke was indicted on a federal criminal conspiracy charge related to allegedly rigging a bid to develop, manage, and operate the University of Texas’ basketball and entertainment arena in Austin, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Oak View Group, which will pay $15 million in penalties in connection with the allegations, later Wednesday said that Leiweke “will transition from the position of CEO to” vice chairman of the entertainment venue giant’s board of directors, and remain a shareholder.

Leiweke, 68, is accused in the indictment of conspiring with another would-be bidder on UT’s $338 million Moody Center arena project to induce that second company in February 2018 to drop out of the competition with Oak View Group in exchange for receiving lucrative subcontracts at the 15,000-seat arena.

CNBC has been told the second company was Legends Hospitality, a New York-based venue services company that is majority-owned by Sixth Street Partners, and whose minority owners include the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys.

The indictment in U.S. District Court in Austin says that Leiweke later reneged on that promise to the second company after it dropped its effort to bid on the entire project.

“The arena opened to the public in April 2022, and OVG continues to receive significant revenues from the project to date,” the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Leiweke “rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, in a statement.

Leweike, in a 2022 interview with CNBC, said that the Moody Center was one of his company’s “two most successful arenas.”

The DOJ also said Wednesday that Oak View Group and Legends agreed to pay $15 million and $1.5 million, respectively, in penalties “in connection with the conduct alleged in the indictment against Leiweke.”

Oak View Group’s website says that the company manages 400 sports, entertainment and other venues.

Lewieke, who is charged with one count of conspiracy to restrain trade, is the former CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Before that, he served as CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group.

A spokesman for Leiweke, in a statement to CNBC, said, “Mr. Leiweke has done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity.”

“The Antitrust Division’s allegations are wrong on the law and the facts, and the case should never have been brought,” the spokesman said. “The law is clear: vertical, complementary business partnerships, like the one contemplated between OVG and Legends, are legal.”

“These allegations blatantly ignore established legal precedent and seek to criminalize common teaming efforts that are proven to enhance competition and benefit the public. The Moody Center is a perfect example, as it has resulted in substantial and sustained benefits to the University of Texas and the City of Austin.”

Leiweke, in his own statement, said, “While I’m pleased the company has resolved its Department of Justice Antitrust Division inquiry without any charges filed or admission of wrongdoing, the last thing I want to do is distract from the accomplishments of the team or draw focus away from executing for our partners, so the Board and I decided that now is the right time to implement the succession plan that was already underway and transition out of the CEO role.

Oak View Group, in a statement, said, “Oak View Group cooperated fully with the Antitrust Division’s inquiry and is pleased to have resolved this matter with no charges filed against OVG and no admission of fault or wrongdoing.”

“We support all efforts to ensure a fair and competitive environment in our industry and are committed to upholding industry-leading compliance and disclosure practices,” Oak View Group said.

CNBC has requested comment from Legends.

Chris Granger, who was president of Oak View Group’s division OVG360, has been appointed as interim CEO of Oak View Group by the company’s board.

Granger previously was group president for sports and entertainment of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, and president and chief operating officer of the Sacramento Kings.

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White House accuses Powell of mismanaging Federal Reserve, citing headquarters renovation

President Donald Trump’s budget chief on Thursday said that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell “has grossly mismanaged the Fed” and suggested he had misled Congress about a pricey and “ostentatious” renovation of the central bank’s headquarters.

The broadside by Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought opened up a new front in Trump’s war of words against Powell.

Trump has repeatedly called on the Fed chairman to cut interest rates, without success. He reportedly has considered firing Powell and, more recently, publicly naming the chairman’s replacement months earlier than the end of Powell’s term next spring.

Vought’s letter raises the question of whether Trump will seek to remove Powell for cause, at least ostensibly.

But the Supreme Court in a recent decision strongly suggested that Federal Reserve board members have special protection from being fired by a president.

“While continuing to run a deficit since FY23 (the first time in the Fed’s history), the Fed is way over budget on the renovation of its headquarters,” Vought wrote in a post on the social media site X.

“Now up to $2.5 billion, roughly $700 million over its initial cost,” Vought wrote. “The cost per square foot is $1,923–double the cost for renovating an ordinary historic federal building. The Palace of Versailles would have cost $3 billion in today’s dollars!”

Vought’s tweet linked to a letter he sent Powell that referenced the Fed boss’s June 25 testimony before the Senate Banking Committee.

“Your testimony raises serious questions about the project’s compliance with the National Capital Planning Act, which requires that projects like the Fed headquarters renovation be approved by the National Capital Planning Commission,” Vought wrote.

“The plans for this project called for rooftop terrace gardens, VIP private dining rooms and elevators, water features, premium marble, and much more,” he wrote.

But Powell, in his testimony, said, “There’s no VIP dining room. There’s no new marble. There are no special elevators. There are no new water features. There’s no beehives and there’s no roof terrace gardens,” Vought wrote.

“Although minor deviations from approved plans may be inevitable, your testimony appears to reveal that the project is out of compliance with the approved plan with regard to major design elements,” Vought wrote.

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Italian chocolate giant Ferrero to buy Kellogg’s Froot Loops maker

What’s “Froot Loops” in Italian?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Desperate Gaza doctors cram several babies into one incubator as fuel crisis reaches critical point

Doctors in Gaza say they were forced to cram multiple babies into one incubator as hospitals warned that fuel shortages are forcing them to shut off vital services, putting patients’ lives at risk.

The UN has warned that the fuel crisis is at a critical point, with the little supplies that are available running short and “virtually no additional accessible stocks left.”

“Hospitals are rationing. Ambulances are stalling. Water systems are on the brink. And the deaths this is likely causing could soon rise sharply unless the Israeli authorities allow new fuel in – urgently, regularly and in sufficient quantities,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

An 11-week Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid earlier in the year pushed the enclave’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians towards famine and into a deepening humanitarian crisis. Limited aid deliveries resumed into the besieged enclave in May but aid groups have said it is not nearly enough to meet the scale of the needs.

The director of the Al-Ahli Hospital, south of Gaza City posted a photo on social media Wednesday of multiple newborn babies sharing a single incubator which was taken at another facility, Al-Helou.

“This tragic overcrowding is not just a matter of missing equipment — it’s a direct consequence of the relentless war on Gaza and the suffocating blockade that has crippled the entire healthcare system,” Dr. Fadel Naim wrote in a post on X.

“The siege has turned routine care for premature babies into a life-or-death struggle. No child should be born into a world where bombs and blockades decide whether they live or die.”

The director of Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza said the shortages were forcing them to close kidney dialysis sections so they could focus on intensive care and operating theatres.

Footage from inside the hospital showed doctors using flashlights as they treated patients.

Another facility, the Nasser Medical Complex, said it had 24 hours of fuel left and was concentrating on vital departments such as maternity and intensive care.

Fuel vital for basic services

In addition to fuel shortages, difficulty finding replacement parts for the generators that power Gaza’s hospitals risks is forcing more to shut down.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza issued an urgent statement that the facility’s main generator had broken down due to a lack of spare parts, forcing it to rely on a smaller backup unit.

“Fuel will run out within the coming hours, and the lives of hundreds of patients are at risk inside the hospital wards,” the statement said.

“The hospital’s shutdown threatens to disrupt healthcare services for half a million people in the Central Governorate.”

Beyond hospitals, fuel is essential to keep basic services running in Gaza. The territory relies heavily on imports for cooking, desalination and wastewater plants, and to power the vehicles used in rescue efforts.

Israel has restricted the entry of fuel throughout the conflict, and has previously claimed Hamas could use it to launch weapons.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned of what it called “an unprecedented humanitarian crisis” unfolding in Gaza, in a statement Tuesday and called for a ceasefire and the entry of far greater levels of humanitarian aid.

“Our teams have worked to treat the wounded and supply overwhelmed hospitals as indiscriminate attacks and a state of siege threaten millions of men, women and children,” MSF said.

“We urge Israeli authorities and the complicit governments that enable these atrocities, including the UK Government, to end the siege now and take action to prevent the erasure of Palestinians from Gaza.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com

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Does Putin hit back when Trump criticizes his ‘bullsh*t?’

Is there a direct link between what US President Donald Trump says and what Russian President Vladimir Putin does?

Certainly, the harsh words and bitter violence of recent days in Ukraine suggest the answer is maybe.

First, President Trump vented his frustrations at the lack of commitment from his Russian counterpart to engage in a serious peace process.

“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump blustered in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” he complained.

The very next day, as if infuriated by the remarks, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine, sending 728 drones and 13 missiles to strike cities around the country in multiple waves.

It was a “telling attack,” observed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who condemned the strikes as timed to rebuff peace efforts.

There are apparent signs of a pattern.

Last week, after Trump publicly bemoaned that he had made “no progress” towards a ceasefire after a lengthy telephone call with the Kremlin leader, Russia unleashed yet another massive barrage on Ukraine. It rained down 539 drones and 11 missiles in what Ukrainian officials described as one of the worst attacks of the conflict.

You might be forgiven for thinking that every time President Trump expresses anger, frustration or even negativity about his Kremlin counterpart, the immediate response from Russia is to step up the ruthless punishment it metes out to its Ukrainian neighbor.

But it’s not as straightforward as that.

The problem is, Russia also carries out devastating strikes on Ukraine during periods when the US president is relatively silent about the conflict he notoriously vowed to end in a single day.

On June 29, for example, Moscow launched 477 drones and 60 missiles against Ukraine – at the time, the biggest Russian aerial assault of the war. Yet President Trump had made few significant public comments about Russia in the days before.

Furthermore, when President Trump told fellow G7 leaders of industrialized democracies that he essentially regretted the absence of Putin at the June summit, and criticized previous leaders for kicking Russia out of what was then the G8. Moscow went on to ratchet up attacks on Kyiv, killing at least 28 people in a single night of drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital days later.

Even positive remarks from the US president, which you might reasonably expect to temper any simmering Russian anger at how it is spoken about in the White House, do not appear to act as a brake on the Kremlin’s excesses.

For its part, the Kremlin has played down any suggestion that President Trump’s recent critical outburst has had much impact.

“We are taking it quite calmly,” the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on a daily conference call, adding that “Trump, in general, tends to use a fairly tough style and expressions.”

In reality, Russian military tactics are much more likely to be driven by its own unrelenting military objective of seizing as much territory as possible before the grinding conflict in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, ultimately comes to a halt.

Likewise, the terrifying increase in the use of Russian drones in recent weeks is more likely to be a reflection of missile shortages and increased drone production in Russia than any angry Putin retort to one of President Trump’s off-hand comments.

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