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The White House accused Democrats from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of spreading a ‘cherry-picked’ and ‘false narrative’ Friday after they released another batch of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, this time featuring prominent figures including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Woody Allen.

The release comes about a week after the same group said it ‘received never-before-seen photos and videos of Jeffrey Epstein’s private island that are a harrowing look behind Epstein’s closed doors.’

‘Oversight Dems received 95,000 new photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files!’ Oversight Dems said Friday on X.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Democrats of ‘selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.’

‘Here’s the reality: Democrats like Stacey Plaskett and Hakeem Jeffries were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein AFTER he was a convicted sex offender,’ she added. ‘The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked, and the Trump administration has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents and calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends.

‘It’s time for the media to stop regurgitating Democrat talking points and start asking Democrats why they wanted to hang around Epstein after he was convicted.’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., previously has fired back at accusations that he may have had dinner with Jeffrey Epstein or solicited donations from the disgraced financier. A House GOP effort to censure Plaskett also failed in mid-November.

A White House official also told Fox News Friday that the House Democrats selectively chose some of the photos to release, with random redactions intended for political purposes. None of the documents, the official added, have ever shown any wrongdoing by Trump.

Representatives for Clinton, Gates and Allen did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

Other images released Friday included photos of sex toys. 

On Wednesday, a federal judge cleared the Justice Department to release secret grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman reversed his earlier decision to keep the transcripts under wraps, citing Congress’ recent action on the Epstein files. Berman had previously warned that the contents of the roughly 70 pages of grand jury materials contain little new information.

That move came just one day after Judge Paul Engelmayer granted the DOJ’s motion to unseal separate grand jury transcripts and exhibits in Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal case.

Fox News’ Kate Sprague, Anders Hagstrom, Diana Stancy, Emma Colton and Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

There is still a desire to solve the looming healthcare cliff after dueling votes in the Senate on partisan Obamacare fixes crashed and burned Thursday, but both sides of the aisle are still miles from finding a middle ground.

The enhanced Obamacare subsidies are set to expire by the end of the year, and Congress is gearing up to leave Washington, D.C., at the end of next week until the new year. There are several options on the table, including numerous Senate Republican proposals or just moving ahead with a short-term extension of the subsidies.

But lawmakers have to land on what exactly they want to do, and what could pass the 60-vote filibuster threshold, first.

‘I think the question is, ‘Do the Democrats, after they got their messaging vote done, actually want to engage in a real conversation about this?’’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. ‘Because it didn’t seem like they had a real high level of interest in reforms, but there are some who do. I don’t know if there are enough, but I think we’re going to get a sense of that here very soon.’

Thune echoed what many Republicans in the upper chamber believed: Senate Democrats’ three-year extension of the subsidies was never meant to succeed, but only served as a political messaging exercise.

Still, four Senate Republicans crossed the aisle to vote for Democrats’ plan. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, argued that she voted for both proposals not because both were exactly what she wanted, but because she wanted to get the ball rolling toward a solution.

‘Sometimes around the Senate, we have to demonstrate what we can’t do first before we can get to what we need to do,’ she said. ‘Today was the first step in that process of demonstrating what we can’t do now. Let’s get on with it and fix it.’

Conversely, the GOP’s first attempt wasn’t going to pass muster with Senate Democrats, either. Some in the upper chamber are mulling a short-term extension to the subsidies, be it six months to a year, but that idea doesn’t tackle the several reforms Senate Republicans have demanded for their support.

‘Discussions will continue,’ Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. ‘Both parties are going to find a solution to actually lower the cost of care and put patients in charge and get rid of the waste and the fraud and the abuse and the corruption that has run rampant in Obamacare.’

Whatever happens next will likely be the product of rank-and-file negotiations, not top-level decisions between Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

But there is a growing sense that President Donald Trump should get more involved and dictate exactly what he wants to be done. Trump previously signaled that he wants to move ahead with health savings accounts (HSAs) but in recent weeks has largely stayed an arms’ length away from the Obamacare turmoil in the Senate.

When asked how lawmakers get out of the healthcare jam, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital, ‘We don’t.’

‘Not until Donald Trump decides we get out of it,’ Murphy said. ‘He’s the President of the United States, his party controls the House and the Senate, so the only way we save people from healthcare disasters for Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party, is to decide to fix this.’

Republicans still have several options on the table, including a plan from Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., that marries an extension of the subsidies with HSAs and reforms, and a plan from Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, that would extend the credits for two years, among others.

There’s also the possibility that the healthcare fight continues on into the next year and goes through the partisan budget reconciliation process, which Republicans used earlier this year to ram through Trump’s agenda.

While that’s an option, many in the upper chamber acknowledge that the best way forward is working with the other side of the aisle.

‘I would rather do it on a bipartisan basis, because that’s the way that Congress is supposed to work,’ Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. ‘But if Democrats are intent upon sticking people with either higher premiums and/or $6,000 deductible, we got to do something. So it’s not good for the American people.’

While there are lawmakers who hope the failed votes were the springboard forward, and not a dead end, toward tackling the Obamacare issue, Schumer signaled that it was Republicans’ fault that the subsidies would likely expire.

‘This is their crisis now, and they’re going to have to answer for it,’ he said.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Partisan fights played out publicly in high-profile votes in the Senate this week, but lawmakers are quietly finding common ground in their support of a push to have the unedited footage of Caribbean boat strikes released.

Tucked into the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a provision that would require the Pentagon to release the full, unedited footage of boat strikes carried out in the Caribbean in exchange for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s travel budget to be fully funded.

The Trump administration has come under scrutiny on Capitol Hill for repeated strikes on alleged drug boats from Venezuela over the last several months, which came to a head last week in the wake of the deadly Sept. 2 double-strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea.

‘I think we need to see all of the video footage, particularly of the second strike from Sept. 2,’ Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber don’t know who slipped the provision into the colossal legislative package, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who told reporters, ‘I would imagine that it got added at the leadership level.’

The massive legislative package sailed through the House on Thursday and is set for a series of procedural tests in the Senate beginning on Monday. And many lawmakers broadly support the release of the footage, particularly of the double-tap strike, to Congress.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Fox News Digital that his committee, and ‘maybe the [Senate] Intel Committee,’ should have complete access to the unedited footage.

‘And then, based upon that, we can decide whether or not we would push further,’ Rounds said. ‘But let us look at the facts first.’

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who also sits on the Armed Services Committee, told Fox News Digital that he fully supported the provision and noted that Hegseth and the Pentagon had already released partial footage, treating it like ‘almost a commercial.’

‘So you released part of the video, and you’re banging your chest about it,’ Kaine said. ‘You should release the whole thing.’

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, agreed and told Fox News Digital that it shouldn’t be a roadblock to passage of the broader defense package, either.

‘There’s no excuse for not releasing it. It shouldn’t. If somebody is not releasing something, it usually tells me that they don’t want it to see the light of day,’ he said. ‘I just want the video of the rest of the strike. That’s not me. It’s the American people who need to see this. They need to know what’s being done in their name.’

During the week, the so-called ‘Gang of Eight,’ which includes Republican and Democratic leadership from the Senate and House along with the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees in both chambers, met with Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a briefing on the strikes.

Neither Thune nor Senate Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., commented on the briefing, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., characterized it as ‘very unsatisfying.’

‘I asked Secretary Hegseth, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, would he let every member of Congress see unedited videos of the Sept. 2 strike? His answer, ‘We have to study it well,’’ Schumer said. ‘In my view, they’ve studied it long enough. Congress ought to be able to see it.’

Some Republicans support more transparency on the matter, too, including Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who told Fox News Digital that he didn’t ‘have any problem’ releasing the footage.

But he emphasized that the entire point of the strikes was to combat the flow of drugs into the country.

‘We’re losing sight of the most important narrative, and that is, more Americans have died of illegal drugs in the last seven years than World War I, World War II and Vietnam combined,’ Daines said.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz recently returned from a Middle East swing, touting the ‘amazing progress’ in the implementation of President Donald Trump’s Israel–Gaza peace deal, and telling Fox News Digital that the situation abroad is ‘night and day to where we were a year ago.’

Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with Waltz Thursday evening, just hours after he returned to the United States from the Middle East.

Waltz traveled from the Lebanese border to the Syrian border, the Egyptian border, Jordan to Israel and beyond.

‘The purpose of the trip was to get on the ground and see the implementation,’ Waltz said. ‘We met with the Jordanians, the king, the prime minister and president of Israel — we met with our troops.’ 

Waltz explained that there is a ‘small contingent’ of approximately 100 U.S. troops in Israel — not in Gaza — to help to pull together humanitarian aid and military coordination.

‘We have had air defense assets in Israel for quite some time to deal with attacks from Iran,’ Waltz said. ‘This is now a small headquarters element to provide a coordination — no one was talking to each other, and the U.S. military is doing what it does best.’

Waltz said the U.S. troops in Israel are working with the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, the Israelis, Egyptians and Arab countries, while having contact with Palestinians and ensuring that humanitarian aid is being delivered.

‘From an ‘America First’ standpoint, the United States shouldn’t be doing this alone,’ Waltz said. ‘Burden-sharing is a key component and dozens are helping under President Trump’s leadership.’

Waltz led the charge at the United Nations, implementing the now-adopted resolution that endorses the Board of Peace, sets parameters for Gaza’s transitional governance and launches the International Stabilization Force outlined in Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

Trump’s plan to end the Gaza conflict calls for Gaza to be a de-radicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. It also calls for Gaza to be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza and more.

Under the peace plan, Israeli forces would withdraw from the region, and a temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people of Gaza will be created.

That government will be under the oversight of a new international transitional body called the Board of Peace, chaired by Trump and other members and heads of state.

The resolution makes the plan international law.

‘At the end of the day, Hamas has to go,’ Walz explained. ‘What we cannot let happen is Hamas survives, and the international community pours billions of dollars into the situation — Hamas attacks Israel again, as they previously pledged to do, and Israel responds, and we are in the same situation — we cannot let that happen again. That’s why we are doing things differently this time.’

Waltz pointed to the Board of Peace led by Trump, as well as the newly formed stabilization force, with troops from countries like Indonesia and Azerbaijan — as well as the technocratic committee responsible for turning government services back on.

‘This has never been done before,’ Waltz said. ‘My job was to get the United Nations and the international community to bless that, and we did.’ 

‘The bottom line is this: this was not a big symbolic thing or deal for the president,’ Waltz continued. ‘He is serious about bringing Middle East peace once and for all.’ 

Waltz explained that the ‘next strategic step will be an extension of the Abraham Accords,’ which he described as the president’s ‘true objective.’

Waltz explained that the implementation of the peace deal ‘unlocks the next round of the Abraham Accords.’

‘There are a number of great conversations ongoing,’ he said.

‘We have to remember where we were a year ago, and see everything in perspective,’ he explained. ‘You had Iran marching towards a nuke; Hezbollah launching rockets on Israel; hostages in tunnels, and now you have hostages out; Lebanon has the best chance in a generation; and Iran had its nuclear capabilities obliterated in Operation Midnight Hammer—all in ten months.’

Waltz added: ‘It is truly incredible. It is night and day to where we were a year ago.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

House Republicans have released a 111-page plan for reforming healthcare that they hope to vote on next week.

House GOP leadership aides also told reporters on Friday afternoon that they expected a vote on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies to also happen next week as part of the amendment process to the final bill, called the ‘Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.’ The subsidies have been the subject of fierce inter-party debate for Republicans.

‘We expect that there will be an amendment that I believe is being worked on, so the process will allow for that amendment,’ aides said.

The plan as-is includes provisions to codify association health plans, which allow small businesses and people who are self-employed to band together to purchase healthcare coverage plans, giving them access to greater bargaining power.

Republicans also plan to appropriate funding for cost-sharing reductions beginning in 2027, which are designed to lower out-of-pocket medical costs in the individual healthcare market. House GOP leadership aides said it would bring down the cost of premiums by 12%.

New transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are also in the legislation, aimed at forcing PBMs to be more upfront about costs to employers.

PBMs are third parties that act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical companies and those responsible for insurance coverage, often responsible for administrative tasks and negotiating drug prices.

PBMs have also been the subject of bipartisan ire in Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats accusing them of being part of a broken system to inflate health costs.

But the most divisive measure for Republicans is likely not yet fleshed out. 

A majority of House Republicans are against extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which were designed to get affordable health insurance for more Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democrats voted to pass the enhanced subsidies in 2021 and extended them through 2022 when they controlled Congress.

A group of moderate House Republicans has joined Democrats now in vehemently pushing for those subsidies to be extended again, as millions of Americans face near-certain healthcare price hikes beginning in January.

Two separate bipartisan efforts have been launched to force a vote on extending the subsidies in some form. But any such push would require support from virtually all House Democrats to succeed, and their leaders have not given their blessing to either plan.

‘We’re going to evaluate every single good faith proposal. But it has to meaningfully provide certainty to the American people who are at risk of having their health care ripped away from them,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters on Friday.

But conservatives have warned they would not support any such extension unless paired with significant reforms to what they view as a long-broken system that fuels healthcare price inflation.

‘I think that would be a disastrous plan. I mean, we’ve clearly seen that Obamacare is the Titanic. It’s going down. I think throwing money after it is just going to be wasteful,’ House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News’ Chad Pergram on Friday.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

President Donald Trump is being sued by a historic preservation group seeking to stop construction of his new White House ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration, arguing that it skipped mandatory reviews and failed to seek congressional approval before demolishing the East Wing of the White House.

‘No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,’ the lawsuit stated. ‘And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.’

Attorneys for the nonprofit argued Trump’s project ‘should be immediately halted’ and work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom project should be paused until the reviews are completed.

When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital, ‘President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House – just like all of his predecessors did.’ 

Construction on the ballroom started in October, leading to the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing. The project is being privately funded at an estimated cost of $300 million, up from a $200 million estimate in July when the project was unveiled.

The lawsuit claims the Trump administration failed to submit its demolition plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts and Congress before construction began, arguing it is ‘depriving the public of its right to be informed.’

Additionally, the National Trust said the project violates numerous federal statutes, including the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, and claimed Trump circumvented the Constitution. 

‘The President, acting unilaterally, is wholly without constitutional authority to build or demolish anything on federal Grounds,’ the lawsuit stated.

The National Trust is requesting that a federal judge prevent the Trump administration from continuing work on the Ballroom project until the necessary federal commissions have reviewed and approved the project’s plans, an adequate environmental review has been conducted and Congress has authorized the ballroom’s construction.

The White House is expected to submit plans for Trump’s new ballroom to a federal planning commission before the end of the year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A top Senate Republican argued that if allegations against ‘Squad’ member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that she married her brother to enter the U.S. were true, she’d be breaking several laws.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined the long-standing scrutiny against Omar Friday after President Donald Trump revived the allegations during a rally pushing his affordability agenda in Pennsylvania earlier this week.

In a post on X responding to a White House social media account that charged, ‘Yes, [Omar] married her brother,’ Cruz listed a trio of federal and state laws the progressive lawmaker may have violated.

‘If this is true, then Omar faces criminal liability under three different statutes,’ Cruz said.

Cruz argued that Omar could have committed federal marriage fraud, which stipulates that it is a felony to knowingly enter into a marriage to evade immigration laws, and could lead to up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and deportation.

Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a citizen in 2000. Omar, who is Muslim, has been married legally three times, first in a religious marriage to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002, then to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009 before later divorcing and legally marrying Hirsi. In 2020, she married political aide Tim Mynett. 

Cruz noted that Omar could also be breaking Minnesota’s state incest law, a felony in the state punishable by jail time up to 10 years. He also contended that she could be liable for tax fraud, specifically if joint tax returns were filed while she was not legally married.

That violation would levy up to a $100,000 fine and up to three years in prison.

The Senate Republican’s legal analysis of the situation comes after Trump resurrected the unsubstantiated claims that Omar had married her brother for immigration purposes that have dogged the lawmaker since she entered politics nearly a decade ago. She has denied the allegations.

Still, Trump charged, ‘She married her brother to get in, right?’

‘If I married my sister to get my citizenship, do you think I’d last for about two hours or something less than that? She married her brother to get in,’ he said. ‘Therefore, she’s here illegally. She should get the hell out.’

Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back for comment from Omar’s office.

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GOP House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he plans to commence contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton for ignoring the committee’s subpoenas related to its ongoing probe into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. 

In July, a bipartisan House Oversight Subcommittee approved motions to subpoena Bill and Hillary Clinton and a slew of other high-profile political figures to aid its investigation looking into how the federal government handled Epstein’s sex trafficking case. 

The subpoenas were then sent out in early August, and the Clinton’s were scheduled to testify Dec. 17-18. 

‘It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes. Throughout that time, the former president and former secretary of state have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony,’ Comer said in a press release issued Friday evening.

‘If the Clintons fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January, the Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable.’

Comer’s threats come as Democrats from the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of photos obtained from Epstein’s estate, which included further images of the disgraced financier with powerful figures like President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Thousands of images were reportedly released, with potentially more to come.

Other high-profile figures subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee include James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales.

In addition to testimony from these individuals, Comer and the Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for all documents and communications pertaining to the case against Epstein.

In September, the committee released tens of thousands of pages of Epstein-related records in compliance with the subpoena, and the Oversight Committee indicated the DOJ would continue producing even more records as it works through needed redactions and other measures that must occur before they are released.

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Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN,OTC:SMREF) (OTCQB: SMREF) (‘Sun Summit’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that, due to significant investor demand, it has increased the maximum gross proceeds of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the ‘Private Placement’) from $7 million to $11.5 million. The Private Placement includes a combination of: (i) charity flow-through common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a ‘Charity FT Share’) at a price of $0.14 per Charity FT Share; and (ii) non-flow-through common shares in the capital of the Company (each, an ‘NFT Share’, and together with the Charity FT Shares, the ‘Securities’) at a price of $0.10 per NFT Share. Each Charity FT Shares will qualify as a flowthrough share within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the ‘Tax Act’).

The Company intends to use all of the gross proceeds of the Private Placement for exploration of the Company’s JD, Theory and Buck properties and any other Canadian properties that the Company may acquire, provided that the Company will use an amount equal to the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Charity FT Shares to incur eligible ‘Canadian exploration expenses’ that will qualify as ‘flowthrough mining expenditures’ as such terms are defined in the Tax Act.

‘We are very grateful for the major support we have received from high quality institutional and mining focused investors in this capital raise. This capital will fully fund our 2026 exploration program and help accelerate our progress towards an initial mineral resource estimate at JD,’ said Niel Marotta, Chief Executive Officer of Sun Summit.

The closing of the Private Placement is subject to certain closing conditions, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘TSXV‘). The Company may pay finder’s fees in cash or securities to certain arm’s length finders (each, a ‘Finder‘) engaged in connection with the Private Placement, subject to the approval of the TSXV. Eventus Capital Corp. has been appointed as a Finder in connection with the Private Placement. The Securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The Securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the Securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Sun Summit

Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV: SMN,OTC:SMREF) (OTCQB: SMREF) is a mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of district scale gold and copper assets in British Columbia. The Company’s diverse portfolio includes the JD and Theory Projects in the Toodoggone region of north-central B.C., and the Buck Project in central B.C.

Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.

On behalf of the board of directors

Niel Marotta
Chief Executive Officer & Director
info@sunsummitminerals.com

For further information, contact:

Matthew Benedetto, Simone Capital
mbenedetto@simonecapital.ca
Tel. 416-817-1226

Forward-Looking Information

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements require management to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate, that the management’s assumptions may not be correct and that actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Generally forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as ‘anticipate’, ‘will’, ‘expect’, ‘may’, ‘continue’, ‘could’, ‘estimate’, ‘forecast’, ‘plan’, ‘potential’ and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may include, but are not limited to, the use of proceeds of the Private Placement, the tax treatment of the Charity FT Shares, the terms and completion of the Private Placement, the payment of finder’s fees and obtaining regulatory approval, including approval of the TSXV, for the Private Placement, and the sufficiency of the gross proceeds of the Private Placement to fully fund the Sun Summit’s 2026 exploration plans, and to accelerate its progress towards an initial mineral resource estimate at the JD Property. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect which, without limiting the generality of the following, include: the state of the equity financing markets in Canada and other jurisdictions; the receipt of regulatory approval; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; changes in tax legislation; fluctuations in metal prices; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or the dates specifically referenced in this press release, where applicable. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277951

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

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Japan’s largest copper smelter has secured a rare reprieve in one of the tightest processing-fee environments the industry has ever seen.

According to media reports, Pan Pacific Copper has agreed with Lundin Mining (TSX:LUN,OTC Pink:LUNMF) to roll over treatment and refining charges for 2026 rather than cut them further.

People familiar with the deal said the commercial terms will remain broadly unchanged from this year, preserving a fee structure that has already fallen to historic lows.

TC/RCs, which are the fees miners pay smelters to process copper concentrate, usually move in tandem with global supply trends.

But the collapse this year has been so severe that spot charges have turned decisively negative. Many smelters warn the industry is near breaking point, especially in Asia, where Chinese refiners have built capacity far ahead of available concentrate.

The Lundin-PPC rollover diverges from the wide expectation that fees will fall further next year.

It follows a warning in October from Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) that it plans to abandon the traditional benchmark-setting system to help keep smelters afloat.

The arrangement also suggests miners with long-term industrial ties to Japan are willing to make commercial concessions to avoid further financial stress on their customers.

A spokesperson for Lundin declined to comment on the deal. PPC said it could not address the details of individual contracts.

For decades, annual copper contracts have been anchored by the first major deal of the year, often involving Chinese smelters since the 2010s.

But the system has become strained as the benchmark collapses and Chinese refiners resist setting a price that could turn negative. This year’s benchmark was set at a record low of US$21.25 a ton and 2.125 cents a pound.

The dynamics are particularly complex for Japanese smelters. PPC’s parent, JX Advanced Metals (OTC Pink:JXAMY,TSE:5016), holds a 30 percent stake in Lundin’s Caserones mine in Chile, giving both sides a long-term interest in keeping operations stable.

Last month, PPC announced a plan to merge its purchasing and sales functions with Mitsubishi Materials, a move aimed at strengthening Japan’s collective buying power in a challenging market.

The pressures are most acute in China, where this year’s negative TC/RCs have prompted emergency supply-side intervention.

The China Smelters Purchase Team, representing the country’s largest refiners, recently agreed to cut output by more than 10 percent next year to counter what it called “malignant competition.”

According to Shanghai Metals Market, the CSPT also established new oversight mechanisms to police procurement practices and blacklist suppliers deemed disruptive.

With Chinese smelters at an impasse over the 2026 benchmark, the industry enters the new year without clarity on where the market will settle.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com