admin

Plus, we break down next week’s market catalysts to watch to help you prepare for the week ahead.

This week’s tech market round-up

The tech space was marked by heightened volatility this week, with sharp swings driven by concerns over inflated artificial intelligence (AI) valuations and mixed economic data.

Global markets gained early in the week, driven by optimism over a US-China trade truce, along with a US$38 billion AI cloud deal between OpenAI and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN).

However, gains were tempered following comments from the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong, where Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) CEO David Solomon warned of a likely 10 to 20 percent pullback in equities within the next 12 to 24 months. Other panelists at the event offered similar projections.

Futures tracking the S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) weakened ahead of the release of Canada’s federal budget, which promises C$925.6 million for sovereign compute capacity, quantum tech funding and support for open banking and stablecoins. The government aims to attract C$500 billion in private sector investment over five years.

US tech stocks sold off again on Wednesday (November 5) amid uncertainty over the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling and short positions by Michael Burry on NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR).

A stronger-than-expected ADP report helped stabilize the tech sector midday, but October jobs data weighed on markets again Thursday (November 6), cooling risk appetite, especially for AI momentum stocks.

Wall Street’s main indexes extended losses to a second session on Friday (November 7) and posted weekly declines as the Volatility Index (INDEXCBOE:VIX) hit its highest level in a fortnight, just one week after the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) and Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) notched their longest winning streak in four and seven years, respectively.

Traders were pricing in a 70.2 percent chance of a 25 basis point interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve in December at the time of this writing, down from 90 percent last week.

3 tech stocks moving markets this week

1. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR)

Palantir reported a strong Q3 earnings beat with a year-on-year revenue increase of 63 percent to US$1.18 billion, exceeding analyst expectations of US$1.09 billion.

Earnings per share were also above forecasts, coming in at US$0.21 compared to expectations of US$0.17.

The company’s total contract value rose to US$2.76 billion, a record high, driven by a 121 percent rise in US commercial revenue and a 52 percent increase in US government revenue.

The company also raised its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to around US$4.4 billion, driven by continued strong AI demand and government contracts. On the earnings call, management expressed confidence in continued growth fueled by AI, emphasizing strategic partnerships with companies like NVIDIA, while acknowledging challenges in the European market and operational scaling.

However, Palantir’s share price dropped about 3 percent in after-hours trading. Analysts attributed the market reaction to concerns over the prolonged US government shutdown potentially impacting contracts, alongside a large bearish bet revealed by Michael Burry’s fund.

The company’s stock is down 14 percent for the week.

2. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Shares of Amazon rallied on Monday morning after announcing a US$38 billion multi-year partnership with OpenAI to run its advanced AI workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, providing access to hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs and specialized AWS chips.

The deal significantly strengthens AWS’s position in the AI cloud market. Investors had a marked reaction to the news, driving Amazon’s shares price to a record high of US$US$254.

However, gains were partially erased during the broader tech sector pullback. Its stock ultimately closed the week down 4.28 percent.

3. NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Shares of NVIDIA have been dragged down this week due to valuation concerns and fears related to US export restrictions on advanced AI chips to China.

During a 60 Minutes interview with Norah O’Donnell on Sunday (November 2) evening that covered a range of topics, President Trump stated NVIDIA’s most advanced AI chips would be reserved exclusively for US companies. The market reacted by sending shares of NVIDIA (up or down?) on Monday morning.

Also on Monday, Microsoft provided an update on its US$15.2 billion planned investment in the UAE, which will include increasing its AI computing power in the UAE by four times to reach the equivalent of 60,400 NVIDIA A100 GPUs in compute power in the country.

NVIDIA shares, also boosted by Loop Capital raising its price target by US$100, rose by over four percent from Friday’s closing price in early trading.

However, a large bearish position against NVIDIA was disclosed from Burry’s fund on Wednesday, adding to downward pressure already on its shares amidst a tech stock sell-off.

During a Thursday press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump “was not interested in selling (the Blackwell chip) to China at this time”.

Meanwhile, during the Financial Times’ Future of AI Summit, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said the West is being held back by “cynicism” and reportedly told the outlet, “China is going to win the AI race.”

Huang has previously warned that US restrictions could backfire by accelerating China’s domestic chip development, arguing the US should stay engaged with Chinese developers to maintain leadership. The company’s shares are down 9.53 percent for the week.

NVIDIA, Palantir and Amazon performance, November 3 to 7, 2025.

Chart via Google Finance.

Top tech news of the week

Tech ETF performance

Tech exchange-traded funds (ETFs) track baskets of major tech stocks, meaning their performance helps investors gauge the overall performance of different sectors.

This week, the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) declined by 4.81 percent, while the Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXQ) saw a weekly loss of 5.2 percent.

The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) decreased by 5.41 percent.

Tech news to watch next week

Next week, investors will hear earnings results from Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), due to report its Q1FY26 earnings on November 12. The company is expected to deliver a year-on-year increase in earnings on higher revenues. Semiconductor equipment supplier, Applied Materials, is also set to report its Q4 earnings on November 13.

AMD will have its Financial Analyst Day on Tuesday (November 11), providing further strategic updates and outlook.

Analysts and investors will also be watching for any sign of an end to the 38-day government shutdown after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled a plan to attach a one year extension to the expiring Obamacare subsidies and to create a bipartisan committee that could negotiate further on how to deal with the subsidies after the government reopened. Majority leader John Thune reportedly told CBS News that the Democratic proposal is a ‘nonstarter’.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Lobo Tiggre: Copper is My Highest-Confidence 2026 Trade, Uranium is Runner-Up

Lobo Tiggre, CEO of IndependentSpeculator.com, shares why copper is his highest-confidence trade for 2026, as well as when he will consider buying.

‘I now have probably more cash to put into play than I’ve ever had sitting on the sidelines waiting for this copper buying opportunity,’ he said.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Top 5 Canadian Mining Stocks This Week: Quarterback Resources Scores with 160 Percent Gain

Statistics Canada released October’s job numbers on Friday (November 7). The data showed a surprise expansion of the Canadian labor market with the addition of 67,000 new jobs during the month, as well as a 0.2 percent drop in the unemployment rate to 6.9 percent.

This marks the second consecutive monthly increase, following 60,000 new workers entering the market in September. The gains over the two-month period also offset the cumulative 106,000 losses that were recorded in July and August.

The biggest gains came in the wholesale and retail trade sector, which added 40,700 new jobs; followed by transportation and warehousing, which added 29,500; and information, culture and recreation, which added 25,200.

The report comes just days after the federal Liberal Party tabled its first budget since winning the election in April. The budget estimates an initial deficit of C$78 billion in 2025-26, which would slowly decline to C$57 billion in 2030.

The budget places greater focus on nation-building, strengthening climate competitiveness, streamlining government activities and reducing annual operational costs by C$13 billion by 2029, while maintaining critical social supports.

Highlighting the budget is a promise for a C$51 billion investment over 10 years for local infrastructure projects and a C$81.8 billion over five years for defence spending C$72 billion of which will be new money.

On the mining side of the equation, the Mining Association of Canada said on Tuesday (November 4) that it applauds the budget for several measures aimed at the Canadian mining sector.

Among them, C$2 billion over five years will be directed to Natural Resources Canada to create the Critical Minerals Sovereign fund, which will be used to invest in critical mineral projects and companies.

The budget will also move the existing Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund into the new First and Last Mile Fund, which will focus investment into near-term projects to get them to production sooner, and provide tax measures so companies can write off capital investments more quickly.

The Mining Association also highlighted the proposed expansion of the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit to include an additional 12 minerals, including bismuth, cesium, manganese, tin and tungsten.

Additionally, the budget indicated that its focus on investing in clean technologies and carbon capture to reduce emissions would eventually render oil and gas emission caps unnecessary.

For more on what’s moving markets this week, check out our top market news round-up.

Markets and commodities react

Canadian equity markets were down this week.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) lost just 0.15 percent over the week to close Friday at 29,912.19.

Meanwhile, the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) had a much more challenging week, falliing 7.63 percent to 885.31. The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) also had a bad week, plunging 7.35 percent to close out the week at 163.51.

The gold price ended the week flat, closing at US$4,000.20 per ounce by 4:00 p.m. EST Friday. The silver price fell slightly, dropping 0.66 percent to US$48.35.

Meanwhile, in base metals, the copper price shed 2.72 percent to US$5.01 per pound.

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) fell 0.2 percent to end Friday at 553.62.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?

Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stocks data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market caps greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.

1. Quarterback Resources (CSE:QB)

Weekly gain: 160 percent
Market cap: C$11.36 million
Share price: C$1.3

Quarterback Resources is an exploration company focused on exploring the Twin gold property in Northwest British Columbia, Canada.

The project is located in the Omineca Mining District near Fort St. James, and consists of 16 mineral claims covering 11,110 hectares. The site has a history of mineral exploration dating back to the 1970s, including 109 drill holes.

Quarterback holds an option to acquire a 100 percent stake in the property through an earn-in agreement in exchange for C$800,000 in cash payments and C$4.74 million in exploration expenditures over a six-year period.

According to a technical report released in November 2024, the company relogged three of the historic holes from the Takla-Rainbow zone, with one hole returning a grade of 2.26 parts per million (ppm) gold, 2.15 ppm silver and 0.19 percent copper over 22.52 meters.

Shares in Quarterback were up significantly this week. Its most recent news came on Wednesday (November 5) when it filed its monthly progress report on the Canadian Securities Exchange website. The company noted that it was proceeding with a Phase 1 exploration program, which is planned to include LIDAR and induced polarization surveys.

2. Mont Royal Resources (TSXV:MRZL)

Weekly gain: 62.5 percent
Market cap: C$47.55 million
Share price: C$0.26

Mont Royal Resources is an Australia-based exploration company focused on a trio of projects in Québec, Canada. The company began trading on the TSXV on November 5 following a merger with Canada-based Commerce Resources.

The merger combined Commerce’s Ashram rare earth and flourspar project and Eldor niobium projects, with Mont Royal’s existing Northern Lights gold-copper-lithium project, all of which are located in Quebec.

In the October 22 news release announcing the completion of the merger, it stated its core focus would be on the Ashram rare earth and flourspar project and that the deal provided a compelling opportunity to establish a new source of rare earths in North America.

Ashram, located near Nunavik, Quebec, has received more than AU$50 million in investment for exploration activities, development studies and resource definition.

According to the project page, a mineral resource estimate from April 2024 produced an indicated resource grading 1.89 percent total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 6.6 percent fluorspar from 73.2 million metric tons of ore.

Although the company did not release project news this week, two of its projects contain minerals that were added to the CMETC as part of the fall budget.

3. Royalties Inc. (CSE:RI)

Weekly gain: 38.46 percent
Market cap: C$11.36 million
Share price: C$0.09

Royalties is focused on building cash flow through the acquisition of mineral and music royalty assets.

The company has a 100 percent interest in the Bilbao silver property in Zacatecas, Mexico, which hosts silver, zinc and lead deposits. As silver prices improve, the company is seeking to monetize the property.

In June, the company reported that its subsidiary, Minera Portree, won its lawsuit against Capstone Copper (TSX:CS,OTC Pink:CSCCF), asserting its ownership of a 2 percent net smelter return royalty on five mineral concessions at the Cozamin copper-silver mine in Zacatecas.

The protracted legal dispute began after Capstone re-assigned the royalty to itself through a 2019 contract without informing or paying Minera Portree.

Under the terms of the judgment, the 2 percent NSR will revert back to Minera Portree along with royalties for the exploitation of concessions between 2002 and 2019. The amounts for those royalties will be set at the execution phase. Capstone Gold is also ordered to pay royalties from the Portree 1 concession from August 2019 to present.

While Capstone appealed the decision, Royalties announced on Thursday (November 6) that an appellate court had upheld the original June decision, deeming the appellant’s arguments inoperative and inadmissible.

4. Africa Energy (TSXV:AFE)

Weekly gain: 31.82 percent
Market cap: C$64.69 million
Share price: C$0.145

Africa Energy is a South Africa-focused oil and gas exploration and development company.

Its flagship asset is Block 11B/12B located approximately 175 kilometers off the south coast of South Africa. The block covers an area of 18,734 square kilometers and depths between 200 meters and 1,800 meters.

It holds a 4.9 percent interest in the asset through its investment in Main Street 1549, a 49/51 joint venture with Arostyle Investments. The three other partners in the asset announced plans to withdraw from the Block 11B/12B joint venture in July 2024, and announced a definitive agreement for the new ownership structure of the Block 11B/12B asset in May of this year.

The restructuring would result in Africa Energy holding a 75 percent stake in the block, with Arostyle Investments holding the remaining 25 percent. This is contingent on the asset being granted the production rights, which requires approval of its environmental and social impact assessment.

Shares in Africa Energy were up this week. Its most recent news came on October 9, when it provided an operational update from Block 11B/12B. The company announced that it had been granted an extension to submit its environmental and social impact assessment until May 4, 2026.

5. Highland Critical Minerals (CSE:HLND)

Weekly gain: 26.87 percent
Market cap: C$79.73 million
Share price: C$4.25

Highland Critical Minerals is an exploration company focused on advancing its flagship Church lithium property in Ontario, Canada.

The project, located near Thunder Bay, Ontario, is situated within the Quetico region. A preliminary exploration program at the property conducted in August 2023 discovered five pegmatites hosting quartz, feldspar and muscovite and returned high lithium grades up to 3 percent lithium dioxide.

In addition to Church, Highland has been working to acquire other critical mineral properties, with the most recent announced on Friday. In the news release, the company said it had entered into a binding letter of intent to acquire mining claims covering 3,138.874 hectares in the Yathkyed Lake Greenstone Belt in Nunavut, Canada, expanding Highland’s critical mineral portfolio.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSXV?

As of May 2025, there were 1,565 companies listed on the TSXV, 910 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,899 companies, with 181 of those being mining companies.

Together, the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

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

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Rich Checkan: Silver to Outpace Gold in 2026, Use This Dip to Buy

Rich Checkan, president and COO of Asset Strategies International, shares his thoughts on the recent pullback in gold and silver prices, emphasizing that both still have room to run.

In his view, silver is set to outpace gold in 2026.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Surface Metals Inc. Grants Options and Provides Update on Financial Marketing

Surface Metals Inc. (CSE: SUR,OTC:SURMF) (OTCQB: SURMF) (the ‘Company’, or ‘Surface Metals’) has granted 250,000 options priced at $0.255 to a consultant, and directors and officers have voluntarily surrendered 499,999 options issued on April 14, 2022 at $3.84 (post consolidation).

As per the press release announced on October 29^th, 2025, IDR Marketing Inc. ‘IDR’, has been retained for a six month period commencing October 29^th to provide public relations strategies, brand awareness, financial and digital marketing services to the Company. IDR is a California Corporation with its registered office located at 100 Oceangate, 12th Floor, Long Beach, CA, USA, 90802. Its principal and president is Linda Josey, an arm’s-length party. Contact details: linda@idrmarketing.com (562) 343-7483.

IDR Marketing Inc. is an independent ad agency providing full-scale integrated marketing and advertising services. Clients trust IDR for brand strategy and awareness, digital marketing, social media and advertising, newswire distribution, article marketing,

About Surface Metals Inc.

Surface Metals Inc. (CSE: SUR,OTC:SURMF) (OTCQB: SURMF) is a North American mineral exploration company focused on advancing a diversified portfolio of gold and lithium projects in Nevada, USA, and Manitoba, Canada. The Company’s Cimarron Gold Project is located in Nye County, Nevada, in a historically productive gold district. Surface’s Clayton Valley Lithium Brine Project hosts an inferred resource of approximately 302,900 tonnes LCE adjacent to Albemarle’s Silver Peak Mine. Surface Metals is also advancing lithium projects in Fish Lake Valley, Nevada, and through a joint venture with Snow Lake Energy in southeastern Manitoba.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Steve Hanson
Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director
Telephone: (604) 564-9045
info@surfacemetals.com

Neither the CSE nor its regulations service providers accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release contains certain statements which may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (‘forward-looking statements’). Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273738

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Politics

Federal judge hits DOJ for ‘indict first, investigate later’ approach in court hearing

A federal judge criticized the Justice Department for allegedly being too quick to indict in high-profile cases on Wednesday.

Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick of the Eastern District of Virginia made the comments during a brief hearing regarding the case against former FBI Director James Comey.

‘Right now, we are in a bit of a feeling of indict first, investigate later,’ Fitzpatrick said in the hearing, which lasted less than an hour.

Fitzpatrick questioned prosecutors about their handling of data acquired from a number of search warrants between 2019 and 2020, information which is now being used in Comey’s case. The judge pressed prosecutors on whether they may have viewed information that may be protected by attorney-client privilege.

Fitzpatrick also noted the size of the trove of documents, saying Comey’s defense team has been placed at a disadvantage with a limited time to view the set.

‘The government has had this for five and a half years … this is an unfair burden the government is placing on the defense, but I don’t see another path forward,’ the judge said.

Comey’s team has sought to have his case dismissed, arguing he is the victim of selective prosecution by President Donald Trump.

The DOJ denied in a 48-page filing that Trump’s September Truth Social post calling on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute prominent political adversaries, including Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York Attorney General Letitia James, had any influence on the decision to bring charges.

‘These posts reflect the President’s view that the defendant has committed crimes that should be met with prosecution. They may even suggest that the President disfavors the defendant. But they are not direct evidence of a vindictive motive,’ prosecutors argued.

‘The defendant spins a tale that requires leaps of logic and a big dose of cynicism, then he calls the President’s post a direct admission,’ they continued. ‘There is no direct admission of discriminatory purpose. To the contrary, the only direct admission from the President is that DOJ officials decided whether to prosecute, not him.’

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Democrats see mandate after 2025 wins — Republicans say it’s a mirage

The battle for control of the House is set to kick into high gear with the 2025 elections in the rearview mirror, and both sides are optimistic about their chances after Tuesday night.

Democrats are flying high after their victories in key elections in Virginia, California and New Jersey, celebrating those wins as a decisive rejection of President Donald Trump’s administration. But Republicans are still confident in their chances of keeping the House next year and are poised to use the far-left’s success in New York City as a nationwide political cudgel.

‘Yesterday was a big night for America and a big night for the Democratic Party, as candidates across the country, up and down the ballot, decisively defeated MAGA Republicans in an extraordinary rejection of the extremism that the American people have been experiencing since Day 1 of Donald Trump’s presidency,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at a press conference Wednesday.

A memo circulated by the Jeffries-aligned House Majority PAC and obtained by Fox News Digital exuded confidence: ‘With less than one year until Election Day, Democrats remain poised to take back the House in 2026 and elect Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker.’

But Jeffries’ counterpart, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had a very different interpretation.

‘There’s no surprises. What happened last night was blue states and blue cities voted blue. We all saw that coming, and no one should read too much into last night’s election results. Off-year elections are not indicative of what’s to come,’ Johnson said at his own news conference. ‘I think that when we go into next year in the midterms, we’re very bullish about the outcome. We have an extraordinary record to run on.’

A House GOP campaign operative who spoke with Fox News Digital was also confident about Republicans’ ability to keep the majority next November, arguing the key lies in voter turnout.

‘I think we actually had a good turnout night. They just had a monster one,’ the GOP operative said of New Jersey, where Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

‘They had midterm turnout in an off-year [governor] race. And so I think it comes down to us continuing to do the work to show that we need people to show up when the president is not on the ballot.’

They also dismissed Democrats’ inroads with Hispanic and Latino voters in New Jersey as recoverable for the GOP.

‘I think it goes back to, across-the-board, getting our voters to show up,’ the GOP operative said. ‘With Hispanic voters specifically, keep putting in the work, and we can’t take them for granted… it’s felt like, in some of those races, that they were not making the attempt to talk to them on our side.’

On the other side, an operative familiar with House Democrat campaigns said they’re taking lessons from a renewed surge of enthusiasm by two groups — Hispanic voters and women.

And while acknowledging the groups were not monolithic, the Democratic operative said most Americans were all focused on the same issue: cost of living.

‘I think it’s just like a very helpful reminder to double down on the issues that people care about most. Poll after poll, public and private, is telling you that Americans in any district care most about the cost of living and rising costs and being able to afford things,’ they said. ‘I think those are the solutions that people want to hear, and we should be proactive in speaking to them.’

The Democratic operative argued that issue drove the successes of Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who defeated GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia and became a main facet of House Democrats’ most contentious campaigns.

Another issue being viewed in opposing lights by both sides is the victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race.

‘The biggest takeaway I have is that not a day should go by when a Republican candidate, a member on the trail, a member of leadership, whoever, whatever branch they’re in, whether state, local, federal, House, Senate, governors, whatever, should talk about Zohran Mamdani,’ the GOP operative said. ‘I think he is the party now, frankly.’

The Democratic source said, ‘We just kind of saw a proof point that it’s not effective, because they were trying this in races across the country here, and it didn’t work.’

They pointed to Republicans’ attempts to tie Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to vulnerable Democrats nationally after her upset victory in 2018.

‘It just doesn’t work,’ they said. ‘Somebody in the Virginia Beach area of the country does not give a s— about who the mayor of New York City is. They care about the cost of living.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Mike Johnson undercuts John Thune on Obamacare negotiations to end shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sharply diverged from his Senate counterpart on Thursday as the upper chamber continues to negotiate a way out of the government shutdown.

Johnson said he would not commit to holding a vote on extending COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year without congressional action.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., however, had been floating a vote on such an extension in exchange for Democrats voting to end the shutdown — which is now in its 37th day.

‘Leader Thune has bent over backwards. He’s offered them a vote. You know what they told him in response? ‘No, we need you to guarantee the outcome of that vote.’ Well, that’s ridiculous,’ Johnson said when asked about holding such a vote by a guaranteed date in the House if the deal succeeds in breaking the logjam.

When pressed again on a vote, he said, ‘No, because we did our job, and I’m not part of the negotiation.’

‘The House did its job on Sept. 19. I’m not promising anybody anything. I’m going to let this process play out,’ Johnson said.

The issue of enhanced Obamacare subsidies has been a matter of debate within the GOP, with some Republicans in more moderate districts calling for at least a year-long extension to give lawmakers time to create a new healthcare deal in its place.

But House conservatives are rejecting any such extension out of hand. Fox News Digital first reported that leaders of the 189-member Republican Study Committee issued an official position earlier Thursday demanding the credits not be extended.

It’s been a key ask for Democrats, however, that such an extension be paired with any federal funding bill before they agree to help end the shutdown.

Senate Democrats are huddling on Thursday afternoon to discuss what they could and could not accept out of a deal to end the government shutdown.

There are a dozen in the caucus who have been meeting to find a way out of the shutdown, but following Democrats’ Tuesday night election sweep, many in their caucus feel emboldened that their shutdown strategy is working and don’t want to let up yet.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he believed Tuesday’s election was ‘having an impact’ on the caucus.

‘It would be very strange for the American people to weigh in, in support of Democrats, standing up and fighting for them, and then within days, for us to surrender without having achieved any of the things that we’ve been fighting for,’ Sen. Chris Murphy said.

The majority of the caucus demands a guarantee on a deal rather than the promise of a process, given that a proposal to extend the expiring subsidies from Democrats without major reforms to the program would likely fail in the Republican-controlled chamber.

But Thune has remained adamant that he can’t promise anything more than a vote and can’t predict an outcome.

‘I made this very clear to them, I can’t guarantee them an outcome,’ Thune said. ‘I can guarantee them a process, and they can litigate the issue, get the vote on the floor, and presumably they have some way of getting a vote in the House at some point, but I can’t speak for the House.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Russia drawing up plans to conduct nuclear tests after Trump announcement

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday his country will draw up plans to conduct nuclear tests after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would do the same last week.

The Kremlin leader said he has asked relevant departments to ‘submit coordinated proposals regarding the possible commencement of work to prepare for nuclear weapons testing.’

‘Russia has always strictly adhered and continues to adhere to its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and we have no plans to deviate from these commitments,’ Putin said at a meeting of the Russian national security council.

The treaty was signed but never ratified by the U.S.

If the U.S. or other signatories of the treaty begin nuclear testing, ‘Russia would also have to take appropriate and proportionate responsive measures,’ Putin added.

In the past week, Trump has both announced the U.S. will reignite nuclear testing and suggested he is working on a deal to denuclearize with Russia and China.

‘We redid our nuclear — we’re the number one nuclear power, which I hate to admit, because it’s so horrible,’ Trump said during a speech at the American Business Forum in Miami.

‘Russia’s second. China’s a distant third, but they’ll catch us within four or five years,’ he added. ‘We’re maybe working on a plan to denuclearize, the three of us. We’ll see if that works.’

Last week, Trump announced on Truth Social, ‘because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.’

The War Department handles the testing of nuclear-capable weapons, while the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) would be responsible for testing explosives.

Some 1400 workers, 80% of the NNSA, are currently on furlough due to the government shutdown.

The U.S. regularly tests nuclear-capable vehicles, missiles and rockets, but the U.S. has not conducted an explosive nuclear test since 1992. Russia’s last known test was in 1990.

Russia last week did claim to test two delivery vehicles: an undersea torpedo known as Poseidon and a nuclear-powered cruise missile.

The U.S. conducted a nuclear-capable weapon test on Wednesday, launching the intercontinental ballistic missile Minuteman III into the air from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It landed 4,200 miles away at a U.S. test site in the Marshall Islands.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president who holds a top post on its security council, wrote on X that ‘No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’,’ adding, ‘he probably doesn’t himself.’

‘But he’s the president of the United States. And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself,’ Medvedev added.

Russia’s defense minister, Andrey Belousov, said Wednesday that he believes the U.S. in general is ‘actively increasing its strategic offensive capabilities.’

‘We must, of course, focus not only — or even primarily — on statements and remarks made by American politicians and officials, but above all on the actual actions of the United States of America.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Kazakhstan joining Abraham Accords, US official confirms

Kazakhstan is expected to join the Abraham Accords, officials confirmed to Fox News on Thursday.

The Abraham Accords, first signed in 2020, currently include three countries that have formalized normalization agreements with Israel: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

Sudan signed a U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords declaration in January 2021 but efforts to formalize diplomatic relations with Israel have since been derailed by internal political unrest.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier that he would return to Washington, D.C., on Thursday night to announce the addition of another country to the accords. Witkoff shared the update during his remarks at the America Business Forum in Miami.

‘This is going to show that the Abraham Accords is a club that many countries want to be a member of and it will be a step for turning the page on the war in Gaza and moving forward towards more peace and cooperation in the region,’ a U.S. official told Axios.

The outlet also reported that Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to make the announcement during a meeting with President Donald Trump.

Trump had recently signaled that more nations may soon be joining the Abraham Accords, with Syria and Saudi Arabia at the forefront of efforts to expand the historic Israel-Arab normalization pact.

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to meet with Trump at the White House next week, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman on Nov. 18.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS