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December 20, 2025

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A photo of former President Bill Clinton topless in a dimly lit hot tub with his arms folded behind his head was included in a massive trove of Jeffrey Epstein files released Friday by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In another photo, Clinton is seen wading in a pool next to Ghislaine Maxwell and a woman whose face was redacted by authorities.

Subsequent photos showed Clinton posing with American pop stars Michael Jackson and Diana Ross and seated on a plane next to a female wearing an American flag pin whose face was redacted.

He was also seen smiling arm-in-arm with the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Epstein at what appeared to be a dinner party, wearing a festive shirt.

The locations where the photos were taken were not included, and no context was provided.

White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson took to social media Friday afternoon to comment on the never-before-seen photos of the former POTUS.

‘Here is Bill Clinton in a hot tub next to someone whose identity has been redacted. Per the Epstein Files Transparency Act, DOJ was specifically instructed only to redact the faces of victims and/or minors,’ Jackson wrote. ‘Time for the media to start asking real questions.’

Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, accused the White House of trying to ‘hide [things] forever,’ in a statement on X, implying President Donald Trump continued a relationship with Epstein after his crimes were revealed.

‘The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton. This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they’ll try and hide forever,’ Ureña wrote in the post. ‘So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be. Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton.

‘There are two types of people here,’ he continued. ‘The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.’

The DOJ dumped thousands of documents and hundreds of photos on its website Friday, all supposedly obtained by authorities during investigations into Epstein and Maxwell’s sex trafficking cases. 

Other photos showed interior and exterior views of Epstein’s properties, personal photos of Epstein with various people and heavily redacted potential victim exhibits.

While more than a dozen politically known individuals appeared in the files, Clinton and other notable figures’ inclusion in the files does not necessarily imply wrongdoing.

The document drop was triggered by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the DOJ to make the files public 30 days from its Nov. 19 signing by President Donald Trump.

Some files may be withheld by the DOJ if disclosure would jeopardize an ongoing investigation or prosecution, to safeguard victims’ privacy or to avoid publishing sensitive child sexual abuse material.

Ross’ communications teams did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow would refrain from launching new attacks on other nations provided his country is treated ‘with respect.’

The Kremlin made the remarks during his annual televised press conference in Moscow as concerns persist among European nations that Russia poses a security threat, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

‘Will there be new special military operations? There will be no operations if you treat us with respect, if you observe our interests, just as we have constantly tried to observe yours,’ Putin said.

Putin uses the phrase ‘special military operation’ to describe Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, according to AFP.

He added there would be no further Russian invasions ‘if you don’t cheat us like you cheated us with NATO’s eastward expansion,’ according to the BBC.

The Russian leader also claimed he was ‘ready and willing’ to end the war in Ukraine ‘peacefully,’ though he offered few details suggesting a willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.

The yearly news conference, which typically runs at least four hours, features questions from reporters and members of the public across Russia. 

More than 2.5 million questions were submitted for this year’s event, which focused heavily on the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Putin also noted during the event that the nation’s ‘troops are advancing’ and expressed confidence that Russia will accomplish its objectives through military means if Ukraine does not assent to Russia’s terms during peace talks, according to The Associated Press.

‘Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,’ Putin declared.

As the war drags on, the European Union has just agreed to provide Ukraine with a loan of over $105 billion.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

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It’s not just Minnesota.

The past few weeks have made clear that fraudsters stole billions of dollars from states’ welfare programs, much of it from Medicaid. It also appears that Democratic politicians tolerated the heist for their own political benefit. 

Yet politicians in virtually every state have let waste, fraud and abuse spread like wildfire in Medicaid, putting taxpayers on the hook for an estimated $2 trillion in improper spending over the next decade alone. 

Thankfully, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have given states a reason to clean up this mess and spare taxpayers that pain.

In a new paper, I show how Democrats have turned Medicaid into one of the most fraud-ridden programs in America — and how Republicans are fixing it. While Medicaid has long been plagued with improper spending, Democrats supercharged this crisis in the Obama years.

ObamaCare added tens of millions of able-bodied adults to the program, yet that population is much more likely to be ineligible.

The Obama administration refused to rigorously check eligibility, and the Biden administration adopted the same policy, deliberately hiding an explosion in waste, fraud and abuse. Meanwhile, states refused to police their Medicaid programs, confident that the federal government would look the other way and cover the tab.

The first Trump administration found that 27.4% of federal Medicaid spending was improper in 2020, or about $120 billion at the time. The administration also found that four out of every five improper payments were the result of eligibility errors. This money flowed to people who shouldn’t have been on Medicaid and therefore diverted money and care away from its intended recipients. Five years later, it’s highly likely that at least one in five Medicaid dollars is still wrongly spent.

Call this what it is — an assault on taxpayers. It’s also a clear violation of federal law. States are legally required to reimburse the federal government for Washington’s share of Medicaid payments if their improper payment rates are above 3%, a far cry from the 27.4% rate in 2020.

The Trump administration is once again conducting eligibility checks, but even without that info, it’s all but certain that every state already exceeds the 3% threshold. The only reason they’ve avoided a budget blowout is by receiving so-called ‘good faith waivers’ from Washington. Essentially, states have promised that they’ll tackle fraud and abuse, even when they have no intention of doing so.

Republicans called time on this rigged game in the law President Trump signed July 4. They effectively eliminated good-faith waivers and told states that, starting in 2030, they will be forced to cover the federal share of any improper payments above 3%. While five years may seem like an eternity, it’s an acknowledgment that states have a mountain to climb to bring their error rates into the low single digits. 

Consider Ohio. In 2019, it had an improper payment rate of nearly 45%, giving the Buckeye State the worst record in the nation for waste, fraud and abuse. Based on its most recent spending levels, Ohio would be on the hook for $9.7 billion, equal to roughly 15% of its current state budget. Illinois, with a 35.4% rate, would pay $6.4 billion, a tough ask given the state’s famous fiscal woes. Even states with lower improper payment rates, like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Missouri, would still be looking at annual costs of more than $1 or $2 billion.

Without reform, I estimate that states will pay a combined $100 billion in penalties beginning in 2030. Their only hope to avoid this fiscal pain is to immediately start rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. In the state legislative sessions that start in January, lawmakers should focus on several key reforms.

First, stop allowing Medicaid recipients to self-attest their income, address and other personal information. Using the honor system invites abuse.

Second, review recipients’ eligibility at least twice a year for able-bodied adults and once a year for everyone else, thereby removing ineligible individuals early and often.

Third, cross-check Medicaid data with easily accessible information such as wage, hiring and tax records; returned mail and changes of address; out-of-state food stamp transactions; and prison and death records. These basic good government measures can quickly identify people wrongly receiving taxpayer money.

Waiting to tackle Medicaid fraud is the most foolish thing states can do. So is hoping that Democrats get their wish and successfully repeal Republicans’ Medicaid reforms. That won’t happen while Trump is president. And if states wait to see the outcome of the 2028 election, they may be disappointed. At that point, they’d face an even steeper hill with barely a year to get their act together.

There’s no avoiding the reality that Democrats broke Medicaid — in Minnesota and everywhere else — or that Republicans have given states an urgent mandate to finally root out the waste, fraud and abuse.

 Michael Greibrok is a Senior Research Fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability.

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From a distance, Margarita Island looks like a Caribbean escape. Palm-lined beaches, duty-free shops, and resort towns sell the image of a tropical playground just off Venezuela’s northeastern coast. But U.S. officials say the Venezuelan outpost has become something else entirely: Hezbollah’s most important base of operations in the Western Hemisphere, strengthened by Iran’s growing footprint and the Maduro regime’s protection.

That threat, U.S. officials warn, reflects a broader security challenge emerging from the region. ‘The single most serious threat to the United States from the Western Hemisphere is from transnational terrorist criminal groups primarily focused on narcotrafficking,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at an end-of-year press conference at the State Department on Friday.

‘Margarita Island might be of significance to the U.S. because of its location and the security dynamics around it,’ Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital. ‘It is close to Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, in an oil-rich part of the Caribbean along key maritime routes, and it has long had a reputation for being a major drug-trafficking hub, possibly because it’s off the mainland and there’s not a lot of law enforcement there.’

The island’s isolation, she said, has made it attractive to ‘irregular armed groups, foreign intelligence actors and criminal networks that use it as a departure point for boats carrying illicit shipments out of Venezuela.’

Marshall Billingslea, the former assistant secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes in the U.S. Treasury Department, said Margarita Island now serves as Hezbollah’s key foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

‘From what I have seen and what I have been told, there is a wide range of activities that Hezbollah and to some extent Hamas are engaged in,’ Billingslea told Fox News Digital. ‘Margarita Island is really the center of gravity for their activities.’

In written testimony submitted to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control for an Oct. 21 hearing, Billingslea traced the island’s transformation back more than two decades. Under Hugo Chávez, he wrote, Venezuela ‘opened its doors to Hezbollah, allowing the group to establish a major footprint, including a paramilitary training site, on Margarita Island.’

‘When Nicolás Maduro seized power,’ Billingslea added, ‘the breadth and depth of Hezbollah’s presence in Venezuela dramatically expanded, as did their ties to the narco-terrorist regime and the Cartel de los Soles.’

‘The relationship is very close with the Cartel de los Soles, and it has been so for many, many years,’ Billingslea said, referring to the network of senior Venezuelan officials accused by the United States of drug trafficking.

Billingslea said Hezbollah has embedded itself into Margarita Island’s economy, exploiting the island’s duty-free status and cross-border access to Colombia to generate revenue through smuggling and drug importation. He said the group operates a wide range of companies on the island and also maintains several training camps there.

His testimony also detailed how Venezuela’s state apparatus helped embed Hezbollah inside the country. He wrote that former senior official Tareck El Aissami, while overseeing Venezuela’s passport and naturalization agency, ‘was instrumental in furnishing passports and citizenship documents to Hezbollah operatives as well as a large number of people from Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.’ Between 2010 and 2019, Venezuelan authorities issued more than 10,400 passports to individuals from those countries, according to the testimony.

A May 27, 2020, Justice Department announcement alleged that Diosdado Cabello directed Venezuelan lawmaker Adel El Zabayar to travel to the Middle East to obtain weapons and recruit members of Hezbollah and Hamas for training at clandestine camps inside Venezuela. The filing also describes a subsequent weapons delivery at a hangar controlled by Maduro at the country’s main international airport.

Recent developments in the Middle East have only increased Margarita Island’s importance, Billingslea said. Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon has damaged the group’s military leadership and financial infrastructure, forcing it to rely more heavily on overseas networks.

‘Israeli successes against Hezbollah in Lebanon in particular, including their strikes on the financial infrastructure Al-Qard al-Hassan that operates in Lebanon, are going to have two effects,’ he said. ‘The first is that it is making the fundraising and the revenue generation that comes out of Latin America even more important to the terrorist group. Secondly, we have seen indications that Hezbollah actually has been relocating fighters from Lebanon, several hundred from Lebanon to Venezuela in particular.’

Asked whether that shift moves the threat closer to the United States, Billingslea said Hezbollah is now operating ‘close to the U.S. and further away from the Israelis.’

He said Iran’s role in Venezuela has deepened alongside Hezbollah’s. ‘There is a substantial Iranian footprint in Venezuela related to the trade of weapons and drones, in particular, for gold,’ he said. After suffering losses in the Middle East, he added, ‘the Iranians find themselves even more dependent on that supply of gold in exchange for drones and weapons.’

He said Washington faces a strategic choice. ‘I think the United States has positioned sufficient forces in the Caribbean at this time to take care of the Hezbollah threat,’ he said. ‘But obviously, when you have a terrorist group that has merged into the local population, highly precise intelligence is needed. I believe the Venezuelan opposition possesses a great deal of that intelligence, though it is not clear to me that the United States government is making the best use of that access.’

For Billingslea, the conclusion is cleaner — eliminating Venezuela’s narco-terrorist regime would significantly strengthen U.S. national security.

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A bipartisan Obamacare fix remains out of reach in the Senate, for now, and lawmakers can’t agree on who is at fault. 

While many agree that the forthcoming healthcare cliff will cause financial pain, the partisan divide quickly devolved into pointing the finger across the aisle at who owns the looming healthcare premium spikes that Americans who use the healthcare exchange will face. 

Part of the finger-pointing has yielded another surprising agreement: Lawmakers don’t see the fast-approaching expiration of the Biden-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies as Congress failing to act in time.

‘Obviously, it’s not a failure of Congress to act,’ Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s a failure of Republicans to act. Democrats are united and wanting to expand subsidies. Republicans want premium increases to go up.’

Senate Republicans and Democrats both tried, and failed, to advance their own partisan plans to replace or extend the subsidies earlier this month. And since then, no action has been taken to deal with the fast-approaching issue, guaranteeing that the subsidies will lapse at the end of the year.

A report published last month by Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit healthcare think tank, found that Americans who use the credits will see an average increase of 114% in their premium costs.

The increase can vary depending on how high above the poverty level a person is. The original premium subsidies set a cap at 400% above the poverty level, while the enhanced subsidies, which were passed during the COVID-19 pandemic, torched the cap.

For example, a person 60 years or older making 401% of the poverty level, or about $62,000 per year, would on average see their premium prices double. That number can skyrocket depending on the state. Wyoming clocks in at the highest spike at 421%.

In Murphy’s home state of Connecticut, premiums under the same parameters would hike in price by 316%.

‘When these do lapse, people are going to die,’ Murphy said. ‘I mean, I was talking to a couple a few months ago who have two parents, both with chronic, potentially life-threatening illnesses, and they will only be able to afford insurance for one of them. So they’re talking about which parent is going to survive to raise their three kids. The stakes are life and death.’

Both sides hold opposing views on the solution. Senate Republicans argue that the credits effectively subsidize insurance companies, not patients, by funneling money directly to them, and that the program is rife with fraud.

Senate Democrats want to extend the subsidies as they are, and are willing to negotiate fixes down the line. But for the GOP, they want to see some immediate reforms, like income caps, anti-fraud measures and more stringent anti-abortion language tied to the subsidies.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who produced his own healthcare plan that would convert subsidies into health savings accounts (HSAs), argued that congressional Democrats ‘set this up to expire.’

But he doesn’t share the view that the subsidies’ expected expiration is a life-or-death situation.

‘I’m not taxing somebody who makes 20 bucks an hour to pay for healthcare for somebody who makes half a million dollars a year, that’s what they did,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘All they did was mask the increase in healthcare costs. That’s all they did with it.’

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., similarly scoffed at the notion, and told Fox News Digital, ‘The Democrat plan to extend COVID-era Obamacare subsidies might help less than half a percent of the American population.’

‘The Republican plan brings down healthcare costs for 100% of Americans,’ he said. ‘More competition, expands health savings accounts. That needs to be the focus.’

Democrats are also not hiding their disdain for the partisan divide between their approaches to healthcare.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told Fox News Digital that the idea that this ‘is a congressional failure and not a Republican policy is preposterous.’

‘They’ve hated the Affordable Care Act since its inception and tried to repeal it at every possible opportunity,’ he said, referring to Obamacare. ‘The president hates ACA, speaker hates ACA, majority leader hates ACA, rank-and-file hate ACA. And so this is not some failure of bipartisanship.’

While the partisan rancor runs deep on the matter of Obamacare, there are Republicans and Democrats working together to build a new plan. Still, it wouldn’t deal with the rapidly approaching Dec. 31 deadline to extend the subsidies.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., predicted that the Senate would have a long road to travel before a bipartisan plan came together in the new year, but he didn’t rule it out.

‘It’s the Christmas season. It would take a Christmas miracle to execute on actually getting something done there,’ he said. ‘But, you know, I think there’s a potential path, but it’ll be heavy lift.’

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The palladium price surged upward in 2025 after three years of trending down and sideways.

More than 80 percent of palladium demand comes from the auto sector, where it is used in the production of catalytic converters. Platinum and palladium are mostly interchangeable for this end use, and typically swapped for each other as their prices fluctuate.

Strong growth in demand for electric and hybrid vehicles in recent years has placed downward pressure on palladium prices. On the supply side, Russia is one of the world’s top suppliers of palladium and other platinum-group metals.

In 2025, palladium prices soared by more than 83 percent as of mid-December on supportive demand signals from slowing electric vehicle (EV) adoption trends and concerns about Russian supply reliability.

The price of the metal reached a year-to-date high of US$1,675.50 per ounce on December 17.

What’s the outlook for palladium in 2026? Let’s see what the experts have to say.

Platinum demand depends on auto sector

As for China, data from the China Passenger Car Association shows retail auto sales fell by 8.1 percent in November and dropped by 1.1 percent month over month; however, exports rose 52 percent to a record high of 601,000 units.

“New-energy vehicle sales grew only 4.2 percent year over year, undershooting expectations and reinforcing the theme that the domestic EV momentum is cooling faster than previously assumed,” said Hasan.’The export boom, however, keeps Chinese production elevated and sustains global palladium demand through foreign-market supply chains.”

The global slowdown in EV sales is also beneficial to palladium’s demand prospects. Reuters reported that global EV sales rose by just 6 percent in November on flat sales out of China and a 42 percent drop in North America after the Trump Administration ended the EV tax credit scheme. That’s the slowest growth rate since February of 2024.

“Slower electrification limits the speed of substitution away from palladium-heavy combustionengines, extending the life cycle of auto catalyst demand at a time when supply growth remainsan open question,” Hasn stated.

Looking into 2026, S&P Global sees the outlook for light-vehicle production being dependent on changing US trade policies and emissions standards. Consumer demand could be weighed down by the extra costs brought about by tariffs.

“The broader pattern suggests flattish global production trends for 2026, a scenario that keeps palladium demand growth steady but not spectacular,” Hasn explained.

Another factor that may impact palladium demand in the coming year is the premium reversal and the potential for auto makers to swap platinum for palladium in autocatalysts. Historically, for the most part palladium has traded at a premium to platinum; however, this trend reversed in late 2025 as the platinum market is facing a large supply deficit for the year.

In its September 2025 market update, the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) reported at that time that platinum prices over the preceding twelve months were trading at an average premium of US$59 per ounce to palladium prices. The WPIC said it “expects reverse substitution (i.e. palladium for platinum) to reach 250 koz by 2029f. With palladium now benefitting from reverse substitution, palladium will also relatively benefit (versus platinum) from China 7 emission legislation which we have added into our forecasts from 2028f.”

As of December 17, platinum is trading at a premium of more than US$250 compared to palladium.

Palladium supply facing challenges

Palladium’s price peaks in 2025 are not all related to demand. Production and logistics challenges are also driving prices for the metal. The two geographic regions to watch for supply side trends are Russia and South Africa, by far the two biggest palladium producing countries. Together, they account for more than three-quarters of global palladium production. In Russia, palladium is mainly a by-product of nickel and copper mining, whereas in South Africa the metal is mined as a by-product or co-product of platinum.

In South Africa, platinum and palladium mining operations have been plagued by heavy rain and flooding in 2025. The nation’s mining industry has already been suffering under an energy crisis marked by frequent power outages. To further compound the supply problem, maturing deposits are becoming more expensive to mine and a lack of significant capital investment has led to a dearth of new projects.

In Russia, palladium output is traditionally dependent upon the economic and operational viability of its nickel mines. Since the country’s invasion of Ukraine, logistical challenges have erupted all along the palladium supply chain from mining to export as sanctions and trade restrictions have tightened. This includes the removal of Russian refiners from the London Platinum and Palladium Market ‘Good Delivery Lists’.

Another supply side challenge came in mid-2025 when American palladium producer Sibanye-Stillwater (NYSE:SBSW) headed up a petition requesting that the US International Trade Commission (ITC) investigate anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Russian unwrought palladium. Russian palladium represents about 40 percent of US imports of the metal.

The ITC found that dumped and subsidized Russian palladium imports do pose a threat to the US palladium industry. The Department of Commerce is now conducting a full investigation into the dumping margins and subsidies of Russian unwrought palladium. A determination is expected in January 2026, followed by the final phase of the ITC investigation to be completed in May 2026.

Sterck said the outcome could have an impact on the substitution of platinum for palladium in catalytic converters. “I think going into next year, we should get greater clarity on these investigations, and it’s certainly something that we’ll be watching in terms of trying to inform our estimates for 2026 as a whole,” he added.

In its September 20205 market update, the WPIC projected that the palladium market will likely post supply deficits for 2025 and 2026 before moving into a surplus. That’s with palladium mine supply forecast to decline by 1.1 percent CAGR between 2024 and 2029.

“Notably, the forecast of palladium going into surplus is entirely contingent on recycling supply growth. If this does not materialise then palladium could remain in a deficit for the foreseeable future, which could materially alter palladium value expectations,” stated the report.

Palladium price forecast for 2026

The palladium market is notoriously volatile and highly sensitive to economic swings and supply disruptions. All of this makes forecasting palladium prices challenging.

Precious metals industry service provider Heraeus Precious Metals’ 2026 palladium price forecast is representative of the uncertainty prevalent in this segment of the market. The firm is projecting that prices for the metal will trade in a range of US$950 to US$1,500 next year.

Palladium may face a widening surplus as battery electric vehicles gain market share,” said Henrik Marx, Head of Trading at Heraeus Precious Metals. This would likely place downward pressure on palladium price. However, the firm’s report points out that the metal’s price may receive a boost from a rally in platinum prices.

New York-based precious metals dealer Bullion Exchanges has a base case of US$1,300 to US$1,600 per ounce for palladium in 2026. If EV adoption grows faster than expected, its bearish case for the metal comes in at US$1,100 per ounce. If the supply deficit deepens and Russian palladium faces further sanctions, the firm sees a more bullish case for palladium to soar above US$1,800 per ounce.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (December 19) as of 9:00 pm UTC.

Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.

Bitcoin and Ether price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$88,004.97, up by 3.6 percent over 24 hours.

Bitcoin price performance, December 19, 2025.

Chart via TradingView

Ether (ETH) was priced at US$2,991.30, up by 7.2 percent over the last 24 hours.

Altcoin price update

  • XRP (XRP) was priced at US$1.91, up by 5.7 percent over 24 hours.
  • Solana (SOL) was trading at US$126.85, up by 7.6 percent over 24 hours.

Today’s crypto news to know

MetaPlanet’s US expansion and OTC trading debut

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) of BTC treasury company Metaplanet (TSE:3350,OTCQX:MPJPY) began trading today on the US OTC market under the ticker symbol MPJPY, replacing the previously unsponsored MTPLF ticker, according to an announcement from the company.

This step builds on earlier US expansions. The company, which is based in Tokyo, established a wholly-owned subsidiary called Metaplanet Treasury in Miami, Florida, in May 2025 to handle BTC accumulation and treasury operations with up to US$250 million in capital.

The launch is intended to enhance US investor participation in MetaPlanet’s BTC strategy.

Poland’s parliament approves MiCO-aligned crypto bill over veto

Poland’s lower house of parliament, called the Sejm, approved a crypto-asset market bill today, overriding President Karol Nawrocki’s prior veto. It now heads to the Senate for review, where it potentially faces another veto.

President Nawrocki vetoed the bill earlier in December, citing threats to civil liberties like easy website blocks. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government resubmitted the bill, unchanged. It passed with 241 votes.

The bill aligns Poland with the EU’s MiCA regulation by designating the Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) to oversee crypto exchanges, impose sanctions, and introduce criminal liability for offenses.

US Senate confirms Mike Selig as CFTC Chair

The US Senate has confirmed Mike Selig as the next chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), bringing permanent leadership back to an agency that has operated for months in near-limbo.

Selig’s confirmation passed 53–43 as part of a broader package of federal appointments. The CFTC had been functioning with a single commissioner, Acting Chair Caroline Pham, after multiple resignations hollowed out the five-member panel.

While Pham kept the agency operational, the lack of a Senate-confirmed chair constrained long-term planning, staffing, and coordination with other regulators.

That gap was especially acute as lawmakers debated expanding the CFTC’s role in overseeing spot crypto markets.

CLARITY Act heads for Senate markup in January

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is set to enter Senate markup in January, according to White House crypto and AI adviser David Sacks, putting the bill on a formal path toward passage.

‘We had a great call today with Chairmen @SenatorTimScott and @JohnBoozman who confirmed that a markup for Clarity is coming in January. Thanks to their leadership, as well as @RepFrenchHill and @CongressmanGT in the House, we are closer than ever to passing the landmark crypto market structure legislation that President Trump has called for,’ Sacks posted on X. ‘We look forward to finishing the job in January!’

Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott and Agriculture Chair John Boozman have agreed on the timeline. The bill, which cleared the House earlier this year, aims to settle long-running jurisdiction disputes by spelling out when a token is a security versus a commodity.

Lawmakers are expected to focus amendments on asset classification tests, investor protection standards, and how quickly platforms must register under the new regime.

Another key issue will be how the SEC and CFTC coordinate oversight during the transition period.

If the schedule holds, Congress could finalize a reconciled version later during the year.

Bybit re-enters UK Market via FCA-approved promotion route

Crypto exchange Bybit has resumed operations in the UK after a two-year absence triggered by tighter rules on crypto marketing and promotions.

The platform has restarted spot trading with 100 pairs, using a compliance structure designed to meet the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) financial promotion standards.

Rather than holding its own UK authorization, Bybit is operating under an arrangement with London-based exchange Archax, which is licensed to approve crypto promotions for unauthorised firms.

This route has previously been used by other major exchanges seeking access to British users.

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

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Statistics Canada released November’s consumer price index (CPI) data on Monday (December 15). The data showed all-items inflation rose 2.2 percent compared to November 2024 and 0.1 percent on a monthly basis compared to October.

One contributor to the rise was a 4.7 percent year-over-year increase in grocery prices, higher than the 3.4 percent annual increase in October and the biggest since the 4.7 percent increase in December 2023.

On the other hand, gasoline prices decreased 7.8 percent year-over-year and natural gas decreased by 16.5 percent, although both drops were slightly lower than their respective 9.4 percent and 17 percent declines recorded in October.

StatsCan also released October’s monthly mineral production survey on Friday (December 19). The data reported that mineral production increased across a wide range of metals month-on-month, with iron concentrate the only one seeing a slight decline.

Gold production increased to 18,470 kilograms compared to 16,978 kilograms in September. Meanwhile, copper production rose to 41.34 million kilograms from 36.23 million kilograms, and silver production jumped to 31,522 kilograms from 28,384 kilograms.

Shipments, however, decreased broadly in October. Gold shipments fell to 15,563 kilograms from 19,025 kilograms, and silver shipments sank to 31,502 kilograms from 33,296. Copper shipments fell more considerably to 36.22 million kilograms from 44.04 million kilograms.

Also this week, the Canadian Government approved the merger between mining giants Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) and Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:NGLOY) on Monday.

The move clears a major regulatory hurdle for the C$70 billion deal. Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said that as part of the approval process, the companies agreed to spend C$4.5 billion in Canada over five years and employ 4,000 Canadian workers.

Once the deal is finalized, the combined company will be called Anglo-Teck and will be headquartered in Vancouver, making it the largest company in British Columbia’s history.

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 mixed this week.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) was little changed, gaining just 0.14 percent over the week to close Friday at 31,755.77, while the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) fared a little better, rising 1.04 percent to 977.98.

On the other hand, the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) fell 8.37 percent to close at 168.68 after rising significantly last week.

The gold price continued an upward trend following last week’s rate cut from the US Federal Reserve. It gained 1.36 percent on the week to reach US$4,338.24 per ounce on Friday at 4 p.m. EST.

Meanwhile, the silver price continued to set new records with another substantial weekly gain of 5.75 percent, reaching a new high of US$67.45 per ounce in morning trading on Friday before slipping to end the day at US$67.18.

In base metals, the COMEX copper price ended the week up 0.73 percent at US$5.50 per pound.

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) fell 1.47 percent to end Friday at 542.19.

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. Pacific Empire Minerals (TSXV:PEMC)

Weekly gain: 200 percent
Market cap: C$30.36 million
Share price: C$0.15

Pacific Empire is a gold and copper exploration company focused on its flagship Trident property in central British Columbia, Canada.

Trident consists of a land package covering 6,618 hectares within the Quesnel Terrane and has a history of exploration dating back to its discovery in 1969. The property hosts porphyry mineralization of copper, gold, and silver, with historic drill results at the site including one 102 meter interval grading 0.59 percent copper and 0.24 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold.

Shares in the company gained significantly this week after it released assay results from the upper portion of the first hole of its 2025 winter diamond drill program.

Results from the hole started at a depth of 9 meters and hosted continuous copper-gold mineralization to a depth of 192 meters.

The broad 183 meter interval returned average grades of 0.77 percent copper, 0.51 g/t gold and 3.4 g/t silver over 183 meters. Within that were intervals of 71 meters grading 1.06 percent copper, 0.83 g/t gold and 4.6 g/t silver, and 14.8 meters grading 1.23 percent copper, 0.75 g/t gold and 5.5 g/t silver.

Pacific Empire said the result was the most substantial copper-gold mineralization recorded at Trident to date and that it advances the geological understanding and exploration model for what could be significant porphyry system.

Assays for the lower portion of the first hole and the remaining five holes drilled as part of the campaign are pending.

2. US Copper (TSXV:USCU)

Weekly gain: 72.22 percent
Market cap: C$17.75 million
Share price: C$0.155

US Copper is an exploration company working to advance its Moonlight-Superior project in Northeast California, United States.

The project covers approximately 13 square miles of patented and unpatented federal mining claims in the Lights Creek Copper District, near the Nevada border.

A preliminary economic assessment released on January 6 demonstrated a post-tax net present value of US$1.08 billion with an internal rate of return of 23 percent and a payback period of 5.3 years, assuming a copper price of US$4.15 per pound.

The included mineral resource estimate shows a total indicated resource of 2.5 billion pounds of copper, 21.7 million ounces of silver and 140,042 ounces of gold from 402.83 million metric tons of ore with a grade of 0.31 percent copper, 1.85 parts per million (ppm) silver and 0.012 ppm gold. The majority is hosted at its Moonlight and Superior deposits.

US Copper has not released news since October 14 when it announced the closing of a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of C$750,000.

3. Euromax Resources (TSXV:EOX)

Weekly gain: 66.67 percent
Market cap: C$18.87 million
Share price: C$0.025

Euromax Resources is a development and exploration company working to advance its Ilovica-Shtuka copper project in the southeast of North Macedonia, Europe.

The advanced stage project is composed of two concession agreements that cover 17.1 square kilometers and hosts mineralized deposits of copper and gold.

The most recent feasibility study for the Ilovica-Shtuka project, released in 2016, demonstrated a sulphide mineral resource with measured and indicated quantities of 2.6 million ounces of gold and 1.2 billion pounds of copper, with additional oxide quantities of 280,000 ounces of gold.

Shares in Euromax gained this week after it announced on Monday its intention to issue 122.1 million common shares through a non-brokered private placement, generating proceeds of C$3.97 million.

4. Lode Gold Resources (TSXV:LOD)

Weekly gain: 54.67 percent
Market cap: C$10.61 million
Share price: C$0.325

Lode Gold Resources is an exploration company with projects located in Canada and the United States, including its Fremont gold project in California, US, which hosts a past-producing high-grade gold mine.

The mine sits on 3,351 acres in Mariposa County, which has been mined since the start of the California gold rush in the 1840s.

On March 5, Lode Gold released a technical report for the property, which included an updated mineral resource estimate demonstrating an indicated resource of 120,000 ounces with an average grade of 4.13 g/t gold from 910,000 metric tons of ore, with an additional inferred resource of 1.9 million ounces with a grade of 3.96 g/t from 8.53 million metric tons of ore.

The most recent news from the project came on December 9, when Lode announced that it had entered into a letter of intent with an unnamed mining company to begin work advancing the Freemont project toward production.

As part of the deal, the parties agreed to a 45 day standstill period during which Lode will work to raise capital and repay outstanding debts.

Additionally, Lode announced on December 12 that it was appointing David Swetlow as Lode’s new CFO. He has previously worked as CFO for Lode’s subsidiary, Gold Orogen, which was created to spin off its Yukon and New Brunswick properties.

The spin-off was announced in July 2024 as part of Lode’s restructuring bid and would include its Golden Culvert, Win, and McIntyre Brook properties.

5. Canadian Chrome (CSE:CACR)

Weekly gain: 50 percent
Market cap: C$24.71 million
Share price: C$0.015

Formerly KWG Resources, Canadian Chrome is a chromite and base metals exploration company focused on moving forward at its Ring of Fire assets in Northern Ontario, Canada. It does business as the Canadian Chrome Company.

The firm’s properties consist of the Fancamp and Big Daddy claims, along with the Mcfaulds Lake, Koper Lake and Fishtrap Lake projects. All are located within a 40 kilometer radius, and according to the company are home to feeder magma chambers containing chromite, nickel and copper deposits.

Canadian Chrome is currently working with local First Nations to improve transportation to the region by developing road and rail links. The company announced on November 7 that it had signed a memorandum of agreement with AtkinsRéalis Canada in its capacity as a contractor representing the Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations.

The agreement will allow AtkinsRéalis temporary access rights over some mineral exploration claims in support of work permits for an environmental assessment for the design, construction and operation of a multi-use, all-season road between the proposed Marten Falls community access road and the proposed Webequie supply road.

Once completed, the link will provide improved access to communities and mining companies in the region.

On September 11, Canadian Chrome signed an additional agreement with AtkinsRéalis that will provide the firm access rights to parts of the claims for 13 borehole locations for geotechnical investigations and aggregate source testing.

The most recent news from the company came on December 11, when it set the terms of a C$25 million non-brokered private placement originally proposed on August 26. Changes to the original terms were made following the inclusion of chromium as a critical mineral in the Canadian federal budget announced on November 4, which allows investments in chromium projects to qualify for additional tax credits.

The new terms state that, with every 10 flow-through shares subscribed, five flow-through share purchase warrants will be issued, each entitling the holder to purchase one additional flow-through share for C$2.50 at any time within one year.

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.

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Nevada Sunrise Metals Corporation (TSXV: NEV,OTC:NVSGF) (OTC Pink: NVSGF) (‘Nevada Sunrise’ or the ‘Company’) announced today that it has granted a total of 3,250,000 stock options to directors, officers and consultants of the Company, exercisable at a price of $0.05 per share for a period of five years from the date of grant. The stock options have been granted in accordance with the Company’s stock option plan.

About Nevada Sunrise

Nevada Sunrise is a junior mineral exploration company with a strong technical team based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that holds interests in gold, copper and lithium exploration projects located in the State of Nevada, USA.

Nevada Sunrise holds the right to purchase a 100% interest in the Griffon Gold Mine Project, located approximately 50 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of Ely, NV.

Nevada Sunrise holds the right to earn a 100% interest in the Coronado Copper Project, located approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Winnemucca, NV.

Nevada Sunrise owns 100% interests in the Gemini West, Jackson Wash and Badlands lithium projects, all of which are located in the Lida Valley in Esmeralda County, NV.

As a complement to its exploration projects in Esmeralda County, the Company owns Nevada Water Right Permit 86863, also located in the Lida Valley basin, near Lida, NV.

For Further Information Contact:
Warren Stanyer, President and Chief Executive Officer
email: warrenstanyer@nevadasunrise.ca
Telephone: (604) 428-8028
Website: www.nevadasunrise.ca

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release may contain forward‐looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘potential’ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur and include disclosure of anticipated exploration activities. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward‐looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward‐looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date such statements were made. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward‐looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Such factors include, among others, risks related to future plans for the Company’s Nevada mineral properties; reliance on technical information provided by third parties on any of our exploration properties; changes in mineral project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or metallurgical recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays due to pandemic; delays due to weather; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled ‘Risk Factors’ in the Company’s Management Discussion and Analysis for the Nine Months ending June 30, 2025, which is available under Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Although Nevada Sunrise has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Nevada Sunrise disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

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

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278754

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

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As the world races to meet rising power demand driven by artificial intelligence and advanced computing, cleantech is stepping into a new era of opportunity.

Developing and scaling innovative energy technologies has never been more accessible or cost-efficient, thanks to breakthroughs in AI-driven design, automation and data analytics that are speeding up everything from materials science to grid optimization.

While US climate finance leadership appears uncertain, Canada is emerging as a strong contender for global influence, backed by supportive policy frameworks, abundant natural resources and a deep bench of innovation-focused companies.

Here’s a look at the best-performing Canadian cleantech stocks on the TSX 2025 by year-to-date gains. CSE-listed companies were considered, but none made the list at this time.

Data for this article was gathered on December 16, 2025, using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies with market capitalizations greater than C$50 million were considered.

1. Anaergia (TSX:ANRG)

Year-to-date gain: 187.23 percent
Market cap: C$472.75 million
Share price: C$2.70

Anaergia is a global company that specializes in converting waste, including wastewater and agricultural and municipal solid waste, into renewable energy, clean water and organic fertilizer.

The company has operations in 17 countries spanning North America, Africa, Asia and Europe. In 2025, Anaergia has expanded its global reach through partnerships with companies in Italy and Spain, as well as through a partnership agreement to build a biogas facility in South Korea.

In July 2024, Anaergia closed the third tranche of a C$40.8 million investment deal with Marny Investissement that gave Marny a controlling interest of about 60 percent in Anaergia, supporting the company’s pivot to employ a greater focus on technology sales and operations and maintenance contracts.

The company’s September investor presentation highlights its new strategy of streamlined operations, expanding through global partnerships and selective Build-Own-Operate delivery.

In its Q3 2025 results, the company reported strong financials, with revenue increasing 77 percent year-over-year to C$51.4 million, gross margins expanding to 28.8 percent and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of C$2.6 million.

2. Tantalus Systems (TSX:GRID)

Year-to-date gain: 150.53 percent
Market cap: C$250.03 million
Share price: C$4.76

Tantalus Systems provides technology that gives utilities greater control and insight into their electric grids.

This includes advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), load management systems and grid analytics, all of which contribute to a more efficient and reliable power grid.

One of its key products, TRUConnect AMI, provides real-time data on energy consumption and grid conditions. The TRUFlex Load+DER Management system helps manage energy demand and integrate distributed energy resources like solar power, while TRUGrid Automation optimizes grid operations and improves response to events like power failures.

On July 7, Tantalus announced that it was extending its partnership with EPB in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to deploy 20,000 TRUSense Ethernet Gateways over the next five years, integrating with EPB’s fiber network to enhance grid modernization and operational efficiency.

The company’s annual recurring revenue has grown at an approximate compound annual growth rate of 18 percent since 2016, according to its October presentation.

Its Q3 revenue hit C$14.2 million, up 22.5 percent year-over-year, driven by growth of 30 percent in connected devices and 10 percent in software and services. Its adjusted EBITDA doubled year-over-year to C$1.2 million.

3. Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLDP)

Year-to-date gain: 50.21 percent
Market cap: C$1.09 billion
Share price: C$3.65

Ballard Power Systems is a hydrogen fuel cell technology company that develops, manufactures and sells proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell products that convert hydrogen into clean electricity with zero emissions. The company targets heavy-duty applications like buses, trucks, trains, marine vessels and stationary power.

Recent deals include a December memorandum of understanding with Kolon Industries for fuel cell components and market expansion and a May multi-year agreement for 50 fuel cell engines with Egypt’s MCV to power its intercity buses.

In Q3 2025, Ballard’s revenue surged 120 percent year-over-year to C$32.5 million led by bus and rail deliveries, with gross margins improving to 15 percent and cash reserves at C$525.7 million. The company also cut total operating expenses by 36 percent.

4. Algonquin Power & Utilities (TSX:AQN)

Year-to-date gain: 32.29 percent
Market cap: C$613 billion
Share price: C$8.48

Algonquin Power & Utilities operates regulated electric, water, wastewater and natural gas utilities across the US, Canada, Bermuda and Chile, alongside a retained Hydro Group after divesting its larger renewables business as part of its pure-play regulated utility pivot.

The company completed the sale of its renewable energy assets, excluding hydro, to LS Power in January 2025 for approximately US$2.5 billion. The company declared a Q4 2025 dividend of US$0.065 per common share.

5. Brookfield Renewable Partners (TSX:BEP.UN)

Year-to-date gain: 15.41 percent
Market cap: C$11.41 billion
Share price: C$38.27

Brookfield Renewable Partners owns and operates a global portfolio of hydroelectric, wind, solar and energy storage assets. It also offers sustainable solutions such as nuclear services and carbon capture. The company’s strategy emphasizes long-term power purchase agreements and asset recycling.

Major 2025 deals include a hydropower framework with Brookfield Asset Management (TSX:BAM,NYSE:BAM) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) for up to 3 gigawatts of hydroelectricity capacity, starting with US$3 billion in contracts for 670 megawatts capacity in Pennsylvania.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold direct investment interest in one or more companies mentioned in this article.

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