Locksley Resources (LKY:AU) has announced Locksley Produces High Grade Antimony Concentrate
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Canada One Mining (TSXV:CONE, OTC:COMCF, FSE:AU31) is an emerging explorer focused on the Quesnel porphyry belt, one of Canada’s most prolific critical mineral districts. Its flagship Copper Dome project, adjacent to the 45,000 t/day Copper Mountain mine (702 Mt at 0.24 percent copper, 0.09 grams per ton gold, 0.72 grams per ton silver), offers brownfield porphyry copper potential with strong discovery upside.
The flagship Copper Dome project is a 12,800-hectare, 100-percent-owned land package located just 1.5 km south of Hudbay Minerals’ Copper Mountain mine and 18 km from Princeton, British Columbia. With year-round road access, grid power, water supply, and nearby services, the project requires no camp or helicopter support and sits within a three-hour drive of Vancouver.
Positioned in the lower Quesnel porphyry belt—one of Canada’s most prolific porphyry copper districts—Copper Dome offers compelling exploration potential. Backed by a fully permitted, five-year drill program, the project is poised to deliver near-term results and game-changing catalysts.
Company Highlights
- Flagship Copper Project in Tier-1 Jurisdiction: 12,800 ha Copper Dome land package, adjacent to Hudbay’s Copper Mountain mine, one of Canada’s most prominent copper operations.
- Discovery Thesis: Porphyry cluster-style deposit potential; Copper Mountain deposit analogs average ~150 to 200 Mt.
- Logistics Advantage: Year-round access, no camp/helicopters; 3 to 3.5 hrs from Vancouver; pine-beetle-thinned cover aids access.
- Technical Uplift: Transitioning to four-acid digestion (industry standard) vs. the historical three-acid will, on average, return materially high metal values especially where minerals are more resistant to dissolution.
- Near-term Catalysts: Five-year drill permits in place; upcoming geophysics, geochemistry and drill programs across multiple porphyry copper/gold zones.
- Multiple Assets in Canada: In addition to Copper Dome, Canada One’s other exploration assets include the historical small-scale, past-producing Goldrop property and the Zeus gold project.
- Valuation Upside: Market cap just below C$3 million provides significant leverage to discovery and exploration success.
- Capital Strategy: Management will not finance below $0.10; interim self-funding to minimize dilution.
- Experienced Leadership: Management team is supported by resource veterans such as Dave Anthony, head of the company’s advisory board, past COO of Barrick Africa and current CEO of Assante Gold Corporation (TSX:ASE) with a $1.7 billion market capitalization.
This Canada One Mining profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
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Thanks to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investors don’t have to be tied to one specific stock. When it comes to biotech ETFs, they give sector participants exposure to many biotech companies via one vehicle.
ETFs are a popular choice as they allow investors to enter the market more safely compared to investing in standalone stocks. A key advantage is that even if one company in the ETF takes a hit, the impact will be less direct.
All other figures were also current as of that date. Read on to learn more about these investment vehicles.
1. ALPS Medical Breakthroughs ETF (ARCA:SBIO)
AUM: US$95.57 million
Launched in December 2014, the ALPS Medical Breakthroughs ETF tracks small- and mid-cap biotech stocks that have one or more drugs in either Phase II or Phase III US FDA clinical trials. Its holdings must have a market cap between US$200 million and US$5 billion.
There are 102 holdings in this biotech fund, with about 40 percent being small- and micro-cap stocks. Its top holdings include Cytokinetics (NASDAQ:CYTK) at a weight of 3.62 percent, Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) at 3.51 percent and Avidity Biosciences (NASDAQ:RNA) at 3.43 percent.
2. Tema Oncology ETF (NASDAQ:CANC)
AUM: US$82.42 million
The Tema Oncology ETF provides exposure to biotech companies operating in the oncology industry. Launched in August 2023, it includes companies developing a range of cancer treatments, including CAR-T cell therapies and bispecific antibodies.
There are 51 holdings in this biotechnology fund, of which just over half are small- to mid-cap stocks. Among its top holdings are Revolution Medicines (NASDAQ:RVMD) at a weight of 6.29 percent, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) at 5.47 percent and Genmab (NASDAQ:GMAB) at 5.32 percent.
3. Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares (ARCA:LABD)
AUM: US$78.98 million
The Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3x Shares ETF is designed to provide three times the daily return of the inverse of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index, meaning that the ETF rises in value when the index falls and falls in value when the index rises. Leveraged inverse ETFs are designed for short-term trading and are not suitable for holding long-term. They also carry a high degree of risk as they can be significantly affected by market volatility.
Unlike the other ETFs on this list, LABD achieves its investment objective through holding financial contracts such as futures rather than holding individual stocks.
4. ProShares Ultra NASDAQ Biotechnology (NASDAQ:BIB)
AUM: US$62.42 million
The ProShares Ultra NASDAQ Biotechnology ETF, launched in April 2010, is leveraged to offer twice daily long exposure to the broad-based NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, making it an ideal choice “for investors with a bullish short-term outlook for biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies.” However, analysts also advise investors with a low risk tolerance or a buy-and-hold strategy against investing in this fund due to its unique nature.
Of the 260 holdings in this ETF, the top biotech stocks are Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) at a 5.05 percent weight, Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) at 5.01 percent and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) at 4.93 percent.
5. Tema Heart and Health ETF (NASDAQ:HRTS)
AUM: US$51.68 million
Launched in November 2023, the Tema GLP-1 Obesity and Cardiometabolic ETF tracks biotech stocks with a focus on diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The fund was renamed on March 25 from Tema Cardiovascular and Metabolic ETF, and again on June 27 from the GLP-1 Obesity and Cardiometabolic ETF.
There are 47 holdings in this biotechnology fund, with about 75 percent being large-cap stocks and 22 percent mid-cap. About three-quarters of its holdings are based in the US. Its top biotech holdings are Eli Lilly and Company at a 8.47 percent weight, AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) at 4.39 percent and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) at 4.58 percent.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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The oil market struggled in Q3 as prices continued to soften under mounting supply pressure.
Following moderate gains in H1, prices contracted through Q3, ending the quarter lower than their July 1 start positions.
Brent crude started the period at US$67.10 per barrel and finished at US$65.90, a 1.7 percent decline. Similarly, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) entered the 90 day session at US$65.55 per barrel, slipping to US$62.33 by September 30.
In its recently released energy, oil and gas report for the third quarter, Deloitte attributes the summer price slump to rising global oil inventories and OPEC+ easing production cuts sooner than expected.
“OPEC+ recently announced a 137 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d) production quota increase for October, beginning the reversal of 1.65 MMbbl/d of voluntary cuts that were originally set to stay in place through 2026,” it reads.
Supply has also exceeded demand in the US by 1.6 MMbbl/d between May and August, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), fueling projections of further stock builds for the remainder of the year.
“We expect inventory builds will average 2.1 MMbbl/d in the second half of 2025 and will remain elevated through 2026, putting significant downward pressure on oil prices,” the EIA notes in its September short-term energy forecast.
WTI price performance, December 31, 2024, to October 6, 2025.
Oil prices under pressure amid rising inventories, sluggish demand
Such gains are unusual for the shoulder season, when demand typically dips to around 103 million to 104 million barrels per day, compared to 106 million in summer and winter, Schachter pointed out.
On the flip side, global oil demand in the third quarter remained subdued, with growth projections of approximately 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) for both 2025 and 2026, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
This marks a significant slowdown compared to the 2.8 percent growth observed in 2024.
The IEA attributes this deceleration to factors such as high interest rates, economic uncertainties and structural shifts in energy consumption patterns. Looking ahead, the organization projects a modest rebound in global oil demand, with an anticipated increase of 700,000 bpd in 2026. However, this growth is contingent upon factors such as economic stabilization, energy policy developments, and potential shifts in global trade dynamics.
“Demand is weaker. Inventories are high, OPEC is raising production, and so we have all of that, and we think that we’re going to see WTI below US$60,” said Schachter, adding that he expects to see WTI values sink to the US$56 to US$59 range in the fourth quarter.
Geopolitical tensions drive oil price volatility
Much of the oil price volatility exhibited in the third quarter was driven by geopolitical factors, according to Igor Isaev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, and head of Mind Money’s Analytics Center.
‘Prices have swung sharply, driven by a complex interplay of geopolitical flashpoints, punitive trade policies and structural changes in supply dynamics. From Tehran to Texas, the forces shaping global energy are no longer cyclical — they’ve become groundbreaking, unveiling symptoms of a broader recalibration of energy security and sovereignty.”
As Isaev explained, while these forces aren’t new, they have been especially impactful amid heightened global strife.
“At the heart of recent volatility lies a familiar trio: tariffs, conflict and fragility. US-China trade tensions have resurfaced in the form of targeted energy tariffs, while carbon border adjustments in Europe have added further complexities to global flows,” the expert explained. “Meanwhile, geopolitical instability in Iran, Venezuela, Russia and parts of Africa continues to inject a risk premium into every barrel.”
Despite all the market turbulence, Isaev noted that one steady factor persists — US shale’s balancing act. Once the industry’s great disruptor, shale now serves more as a pressure valve during supply crunches than a growth engine.
However its flexibility is waning. Higher interest rates, escalating service costs and maturing geology, particularly in the Permian Basin, have shifted producers’ focus from expansion to efficiency, he said.
“Its role heading into 2026 will be stabilizing, but not leading.”
For Schachter, the weak price environment falls below the incentive price for US shale producers.
Currently, shale production remains resilient, hitting 13.5 million barrels per day the first week of October, up 200,000 barrels from last year, he said. Producers continue to tap high-quality, tier-one reserves using advanced techniques like longer-reach, multi-leg wells and improved completions, keeping some operations profitable even at US$61.
Oil and gas M&A volume slows, but values surge
As uncertainty abounds companies continue to shy away from deal making. An August report from Wood Mackenzie notes that deal activity in 2025 is down 10 percent, to only 85 sector wide by mid-August.
“The number of deals has been declining progressively since 2022, making this the seventh consecutive half-year drop, with volumes now well below the ten-year average,” the firm’s analysis reads.
Despite the volume decline, values are on the rise.
“At US$71 billion, the overall value of disclosed deals was higher than the half-year average for the last five years, and a huge 80% higher than the unusually low total for the previous half year,” the report continues.
One of the largest deals announced during the quarter was Crescent Energy’s (NYSE:CRGY) acquisition of Vital Energy (TSXV:VUX,NYSE:VTLE), an all-stock deal valued at US$3.1 billion.
The deal will birth one of the 10 largest independent oil and gas producers in the US. The combined company will operate across major basins, including the Eagle Ford, Permian and Uinta.
Although deal volumes have retracted, both Isaev and Schachter anticipate majors heading to market in an effort to bolster their market share.
“M&A activity in North America is likely to accelerate,” said Isaev. “Consolidation will be driven not by land grabs, but by strategic repositioning — especially in LNG, CCS and low-carbon petrochemicals. I expect deals prioritizing operational efficiency, reserve quality and transition alignment over immediate revenue effect.”
For Schachter, majors play a pivotal role in securing today’s oil supply, as well as in funding the innovation for future oil production. “You’re always going to see the big boys go after the medium boys,” he said. “Once you find a good asset, you want to control more and more of it, so you buy other people up. So I think consolidation will be there.”
He went on to note that new technology will open up more plays offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
“We haven’t really talked a lot about discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico for a long time; I think there will be new technology that will be applied to drilling,’ Schachter commented.
Accessing these offshore assets will not be cheap, as he estimates the wells there could cost upwards of US$50 million wells compared to under US$10 million for an onshore well.
“So that’s going to require the big boys to do that. But the prizes can be there, as we found with Guyana,” said Schachter, pointing to the Caribbean nation’s growth from no output to over 600,000 barrels per day currently.
Gas demand weakens as LNG expansion fuels potential Asian growth
After a sharp rebound in 2024, global natural gas demand slowed notably in the first half of 2025 as high prices, tight supply and economic uncertainty curbed consumption.
That was particularly true in Asia, where both China and India posted year-on-year declines.
Starting the third quarter at US$3.43 per million British thermal units, natural gas values contracted through July and August sinking to a year-to-date low of US$2.73 on August 20, 2025.
Values have since regained lost ground ending the three month period in the US$3.35 range.
Natural gas price performance, December 31, 2024, to October 6, 2025.
As noted in the IEA’s Q3 gas market report, Europe’s LNG imports are on track to hit record highs this year, driven by storage needs and reduced Russian pipeline flows.
Meanwhile, China’s imports are falling amid weaker demand and competition for cargoes, and ongoing geopolitical tensions, including the Israel-Iran conflict, have added volatility and uncertainty to an already fragile market.
Isaev underscored the importance of geography and regional tensions in relation to the gas market.
“In the natural gas arena, the pivot is predominantly geographic. European demand has somewhat rebounded, driven by colder winters and a continued retreat from Russian pipeline gas,’ he said.
Asia, by contrast, has seen softer industrial demand and increased reliance on domestic coal. For Canadian and US producers, this shift presents a strategic opening,” Isaev continued.
He went on to explain that LNG export infrastructure expansion, from BC to the US Gulf Coast, and long-term contracts with European buyers are “becoming geopolitical tools as much as commercial deals.”
While Schachter sees moderate European demand growth due to sluggish economic expansion, the longer-term surge is expected from Asia. As he pointed out, countries such as Japan, South Korea, China and Vietnam, which lack domestic reserves, will increasingly import LNG from sources like Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Gulf Coast and Canada.
‘And prices (in Asia) might be US$11 to US$12 compared to US$3.50 in the US,” said Schachter.
Looking ahead, the EIA forecasts that LNG supply growth is expected to surge in 2026 — led by new output from the US, Canada and Qatar — easing market pressures and potentially reigniting demand across Asia.
Oil and gas market forecast for Q4
Moving into the rest of 2025 and early 2026, Schacter warned that weather remains a key wildcard for energy markets.
He recommended watching whether winter will be mild or unusually cold, as Arctic fronts could spike oil and natural gas prices. Early forecasts, including those from the Farmers’ Almanac, suggest a colder-than-normal winter, though factors like El Niño could influence outcomes and add further uncertainty.
The oil and gas sector veteran, who will be hosting his annual Catch the Energy conference in Calgary in mid-October, also cautioned that global geopolitical risks remain a key market driver. Any disruptions in strategic chokepoints like the straits of Malacca or Hormuz, which could block crude shipments, have the potential to push oil prices higher.
‘And if we do, that’s going to be very, very good for the industry.”
Isaev pointed to OPEC+ tactical production, US shale prioritizing capital discipline over output growth, and LNG shipments to Europe and Japan being increasingly influenced by geopolitical dynamics, as key trends to watch.
“When you factor in the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and West Africa, along with the regulatory shifts surrounding carbon pricing and exploration permits, it’s evident that 2025 isn’t just going to be volatile — it’s a year for strategic realignment,” he said. “The advantage will go to those who can skillfully navigate this complexity, foresee critical turning points and invest their capital with both accuracy and creativity.”
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Investor Insight
Metro Mining is one of the few pure-play upstream bauxite companies globally listed on a stock exchange. As a direct exposure to the aluminum sector, Metro offers investors a unique opportunity to benefit from rising global demand driven by industrial applications and growth areas such as electrification, batteries, renewable energy, and lightweight transportation solutions.
Overview
Metro Mining (ASX:MMI) is a low-cost, high-grade Australian bauxite producer with its 100-percent-owned Bauxite Hills mine located 95 km north of Weipa on the Skardon River, Queensland. The mine forms part of a tenement package covering ~1,900 sq km.
Bauxite Hills Mine
As at 31 December 2024, Bauxite Hills contained 114.4 Mt of ore reserves, supporting an ~11-year mine life, with additional mineral resources extending mine life by roughly five years.
Following the infrastructure expansion commissioned in late 2023, the operation is ramping up production during 2025 and remains on track to deliver 6.5 to 7 WMtpa by year end. This positions Metro as one of the lowest-cost global bauxite producers.
The aluminum sector continues to see rising demand growth of around 3 to 4 percent annually, supported by EV manufacturing, renewable energy infrastructure, battery production and lightweight transportation. Market conditions have been strengthened by instability in Guinea, where government actions and weather disruptions have curtailed exports, creating supply uncertainty and reinforcing the importance of reliable Australian producers.
Company Highlights
- Metro Mining’s flagship asset, the Bauxite Hills mine (BHM) in Skardon River, located 95 km north of Weipa in Cape York Peninsula Queensland, benefits from proximity to Asian markets, short haul distances, and a highly scalable, low-cost marine transportation system, ensuring industry-leading operating margins.
- Production ramp-up continuing in 2025 following infrastructure expansion in late 2023. August 2025 shipments reached 753,101 WMT, up 6 percent year-on-year, with year-to-date production of 3.4 Mt, keeping the company on track for its 6.5 to 7 million WMT per annum CY2025 target.
- Targeting a delivered bauxite cost below US$30 per dry ton CIF China, positioning the company firmly within the lowest quartile of global producers.
- End of Q2 2025: Cash balance of AU$28.7 million, secured debt of US$56.6 million, and full-year hedged position at 0.63 US$:A$.
- Ore reserves of 77.7 Mt underpinning ~11 years of mine life, with additional mineral resources providing ~five more years
- Metro Mining maintains robust environmental and social governance, evidenced by receiving the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies’ 2024 Environment Award.
Key Project
Bauxite Hills Mine (Queensland, Australia)
Metro Mining’s flagship asset, the Bauxite Hills mine, is located on the Skardon River, about 95 kilometres north of Weipa in Queensland. The mine is underpinned by 114.4 Mt of ore reserves as at 31 December 2024, providing approximately 11 years of production, with further Mineral Resources extending mine life by around five years.
Bauxite Hills is a straightforward, low-cost DSO operation. The orebody requires no blasting, with only ~0.5 metres of overburden to remove, and short average haul distances of nine kilometres. Ore is screened to below 100 millimetres and hauled to the barge loading facility, where it is transported via tugs and barges to offshore transhippers for loading onto Capesize vessels bound for Asian markets. This efficient marine logistics chain enables Metro to remain in the lowest quartile of global cost producers.
Production continues to build steadily. In Q2 2025, the mine shipped a record 1.9 Mt, generating site EBITDA of AU$54 million and a margin of AU$32 per tonne. In August 2025, shipments reached 753,101 tonnes, a six percent increase from the prior year, with 3.4 Mt shipped year-to-date, putting the mine firmly on track to meet its 2025 target of 6.5 to 7 Mt.
Metro has established offtake agreements with leading global alumina and aluminum producers, including Chalco, Emirates Global Aluminium, Xinfa Aluminium and Shandong Lubei Chemical. To support growth beyond 2025, debottlenecking and optimisation studies are underway to enable potential expansion to 8 Mtpa beyond 2026.
The company is also advancing exploration in surrounding lateritic bauxite terraces. Drilling campaigns are planned across EPM 27611, EPM 16755, EPM 25879 and EPM 26982 during the second half of 2025, with approximately 150 holes scheduled.
In addition, Bauxite Hills hosts a significant kaolin deposit beneath the bauxite ore. Metro is progressing a feasibility study to assess extraction potential, market strategies and product testing, with applications in ceramics, paper, paints and industrial uses.
Management Team
Simon Wensley – CEO and Managing Director
Simon Wensley is a proven industry leader with extensive experience in mining operations and strategic growth. He spent 20 years at Rio Tinto in various operational, project and leadership roles across commodities, including iron ore, industrial minerals, bauxite, alumina, coal and uranium.
Douglas Ritchie – Non-Executive Chair
Douglas Ritchie brings more than 40 years’ experience in resources, previously holding senior leadership roles at Rio Tinto, including CEO of Rio Tinto Coal Australia, chief executive of the Energy Product Group, and group executive of strategy.
Nathan Quinlin – CFO
Nathan Quinlin is experienced in financial strategy and cost optimization, previously serving as finance and commercial manager at Glencore’s CSA mine, managing finance, risk management and life-of-mine planning.
Gary Battensby – General Manager and Site Senior Executive
Gary Battensby has extensive experience in managing large-scale metalliferous mining operations, budget control and regulatory compliance. He previously oversaw teams of up to 350 staff and operations with substantial CAPEX and operational responsibilities.
Vincenzo De Falco – General Manager, Marine Supply & Logistics
With over 15 years of global experience in the shipping and maritime industry, including at IMC and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, Vincenzo De Falco is leading the Metro Marine Team to manage BHM transhipping logistics, including new Floating Crane Terminal (Ikamba) as well as Tug Mandang.
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The Senate remains deadlocked on a path to end the shutdown as it nears its second week, and Republicans’ meager support across the aisle to reopen the government may be crumbling.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Senate Democratic caucus members to join Republicans to reopen the government, given that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has consistently voted against the GOP’s bill.
So far, a trio of Democratic caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have crossed the aisle to reopen the government.
That group has joined Republicans in nearly all five attempts to reopen the government.
But, as time drags on and a deal remains out of reach, at least one is considering changing his vote.
King said ahead of the fifth vote to reopen the government on Monday that he was considering flipping his support of the GOP’s bill, and he argued that he needed ‘more specificity about addressing the problem’ of the expiring Obamacare tax credits.
‘I think this problem is urgent, and just saying, as the leader did on Friday, ‘well, we’ll have conversations about it,’ is not adequate,’ he said.
King’s possible defection comes as Republicans and Democrats engage in low-level conversations on a path out of the shutdown. Those impromptu dialogues have so far not morphed into real negotiations, however.
And the stalemate in the upper chamber has only further solidified both sides’ positions.
Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., want a firm deal in place to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies. Senate Republicans have said that they will negotiate a deal only after the government is reopened and want reforms to the program that they charge has been inflationary and further increased the cost of healthcare for Americans.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has circulated an early plan that includes a discussion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that could be a way out of the shutdown, but so far, it’s in its preliminary stages.
‘It suggests that there be a conversation on the ACA extension for the premium tax credits after we reopen the government,’ she said. ‘But there will be a commitment to having that discussion.’
President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that he would be open to a deal on the subsidies, and he said that negotiations with Democrats were ongoing.
However, Schumer pushed back and called Trump’s assertion ‘not true.’ The top Senate Democrat has also shifted the onus of the shutdown, and lack of negotiations, directly onto House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
‘Clearly, at this point, he is the main obstacle,’ Schumer said on the Senate floor. ‘So ending this shutdown will require Donald Trump to step in and push Speaker Johnson to negotiate.’
Meanwhile, the White House is exerting more pressure on Senate Democrats to cave and reopen the government. A new memo reported by Axios suggested that furloughed federal employees may not have to receive back pay, running counter to a law that Trump signed in 2019 that guaranteed furloughed workers would receive back pay in future shutdowns.
That comes on the heels of a memo from the Office of Management and Budget last month that signaled mass firings beyond the typical furloughs of nonessential federal workers, and it follows the withholding of nearly $30 billion in federal funds for blue cities and states.
Thune argued that ‘if you’re the executive branch of the government, you’ve got to manage a shutdown.’
‘At some point, you’re going to have to make some decisions about who gets paid, who doesn’t get paid, which agencies and departments get priorities and prioritized and which ones don’t,’ Thune said. ‘I mean, I think that’s a fairly standard practice in the event of a government shutdown. Now, hopefully that doesn’t affect back pay … but again, it’s just that simple: open up the government.’
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President Donald Trump met with Edan Alexander, who was freed in May from captivity with Hamas, on Tuesday — exactly two years after Hamas attacked Israel.
This marks the second time Alexander, a 21-year-old American–Israeli who spent nearly 600 days as a hostage after Hamas abducted him after its initial attack on Israel, will visit the White House since his release from captivity. Alexander previously visited the White House in July.
Alexander was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, and headed to Israel when he was 18-years-old to volunteer for the Israel Defense Forces. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv before he was taken hostage by Hamas.
Alexander’s appearance at the White House also comes as the Trump administration has put forth a 20-point plan to end the conflict and return the 48 hostages still in captivity. The plan would require all hostages, both dead and alive, to be returned within 72 hours of Hamas signing off on the deal. It also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw its troops and for a complete disarmament of Hamas.
Trump’s Justice Department has cracked down on Palestinian militant group Hamas, and established a new task force in March aimed at providing justice to the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the group, known as Joint Task Force October 7, would focus on identifying, charging and prosecuting those who conducted the 2023 attacks, which took the lives of roughly 1,200 people — including 47 U.S. citizens. Hamas also took more than 250 people hostage that day, including eight U.S. citizens.
The IDF is the national military for Israel. Hamas has served as the governing body of Gaza.
Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have warned that antisemitic attacks are becoming more common in the U.S., in the aftermath of the ongoing conflict. Antisemitic violence reached a new high in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which recorded 9,354 antisemitic instances of harassment, assault and vandalism in the U.S. in 2024. That is a 5% increase from the 8,873 incidents recorded in 2023 and a 344% increase in the past five years.
‘The October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack was not only a horrific assault on innocent civilians in Israel, including numerous American citizens, but it was also a wake-up call to the threats we face here at home,’ Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital.
‘In the two years following this tragedy, acts of terrorism and targeted antisemitic violence are increasingly common on U.S. soil, as both foreign and domestic terrorists work to inspire lone-wolf actors,’ Garbarino said. ‘Jewish Americans continue to face intimidation and attacks simply because of their faith. This is unacceptable, and anyone who defends these calls for violence is complicit.’
Trump also met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Tuesday amid ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
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Senate Republicans confirmed a staggering tranche of President Donald Trump’s nominees on Tuesday as the government shutdown continues.
Lawmakers voted along party lines to confirm the batch of 107 of Trump’s nominees, a move that whittled down the remaining pending nominees on the Senate’s calendar to double digits. It also came as the upper chamber was deadlocked in the midst of a government shutdown, during which floor votes have largely been dedicated to trying to reopen the government.
The slate of confirmed nominees included many of Trump’s top allies and former candidates that he hand-picked to run in previous elections.
Some of the most recognizable on the list were former Republican Senate candidate and ex-NFL star Herschel Walker, who was tapped as the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, and Sergio Gor, a top advisor to Trump who he picked to be his U.S. Ambassador to India.
Other posts confirmed included a wave of senior administration officials, several prosecutors and the reappointment of Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins to a seat on the commission until 2031.
The vote also marked the second time that Senate Republicans have deployed the new rule change surrounding confirmations since going ‘nuclear’ on Senate rules last month.
Republicans opted to change confirmation rules to allow a simple majority of votes to advance large swathes of nominees in response to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus’ blockade of Trump’s picks that lasted nearly nine months into his presidency.
Typically, subcabinet-level nominees, particularly those with bipartisan support out of committee, are sped through the Senate either by unanimous consent or through a voice vote, two fast-track procedural moves in the upper chamber. But Senate Democrats refused to relent, and Republicans argued they forced their hand on a rules change that they believed would benefit both parties in the future.
The rule change allows for an unlimited number of nominees to be confirmed in a single batch, but includes several procedural hoops to jump through before a final confirmation vote.
Senate Republicans previously confirmed 48 of Trump’s picks last month. Among that batch were Kimberly Guilfoyle, who Trump tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and Callista Gingrich, who was picked to be the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland.
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An expected sixth vote to reopen the government didn’t come to fruition on Tuesday, but lawmakers face a new wrinkle: the possibility that furloughed employees won’t be paid.
The government shutdown marched into its seventh day with both Senate Republicans and Democrats still at odds on a path forward, and no real clear end in sight. The Senate was expected to vote on the GOP’s plan again, but no agreement could be reached to bring the bill, along with the Democrats’ counter-proposal, to the floor.
Both sides are still entrenched in their positions, too. Senate Democrats want a firm deal on the extension of expiring ObamaCare tax credits to earn their votes to reopen the government, while Senate Republicans have promised that negotiations on the credits can happen once the government is open again.
Lawmakers failed to hold a sixth vote to reopen the government Tuesday as a new White House memo warned that furloughed workers may not get paid.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has continued to ramp up his messaging that Americans broadly support their push, and blamed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republicans for not being in session as a major roadblock to progress.
‘Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed and thousands more are working without pay. And meanwhile, House Republicans are getting paid and not working,’ Schumer said. ‘So federal workers working and not getting paid. House Republicans paid and not working. Very bad. Very bad thing for them. Very bad picture for them.’
While lawmakers traded barbs and discussed an off-ramp on Capitol Hill, the latest memo from the White House, first reported by Axios, signaled that up to 750,000 nonessential furloughed federal workers may not be paid.
The memo adds fresh uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of federal employees caught in the political crossfire.
When asked if it was the White House’s position whether federal workers should be paid back pay, President Donald Trump said, ‘I would say it depends on who we’re talking about.’
‘I can tell you this,’ Trump said. ‘The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you’re talking about. But for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.’
Many lawmakers had just learned about the memo as of Tuesday afternoon. It suggested that a 2019 law signed by Trump that guaranteed back pay for furloughed workers in future shutdowns may not have to be followed.
‘I just heard that,’ Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., said. ‘My phones are lighting up.’
When asked if the memo hurt or helped talks, she said, ‘It could get more urgent, it also could tick a lot of people off.’
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that the memo was ‘probably not a good message to send right now to people who are not being paid.’
‘I’m not an attorney, but I think it’s bad strategy to even say that sort of stuff,’ Tillis said. ‘We got a lot of hard-working people there on the sidelines now because the Democrats have put them there.’
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said that she believed that issue had been settled with the 2019 law, but as a ‘back up,’ Congress could pass a bill that any ‘obligations that were incurred during the shutdown are authorized to be paid.’
And Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, argued that regardless of the memo, the law said ‘shall.’
‘I left my law degree in the car, but ‘shall’ is relatively straightforward,’ he said. ‘I think it doesn’t matter at all, because we’re fighting for healthcare.’
The latest pressure tactic on Senate Democrats comes after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed in a previous memo that mass firings could be on the horizon beyond the typical furloughs during a shutdown.
It also comes after OMB Director Russ Vought announced nearly $30 billion in federal funding was set to be withheld from blue cities and states.
Both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wanted to see federal workers get paid, but contended that the issue would go away if Schumer and Senate Democrats reopened the government.
‘My assumption is that furloughed workers will get back pay,’ Thune said. ‘But that being said, this is very simple. Open up the government and this is a non-issue. We don’t have to have this conversation. Everybody gets paid when the government is open.’
Meanwhile, the previous tactics did little to nudge Democrats from their position, and so far, have not killed talks between either side.
But Sen. Jean Shaheen, D-N.H., who has been a key communicator for Senate Democrats in bipartisan talks, said that Vought’s actions weren’t helping matters.
‘It would be a lot easier to resolve the situation if Russ Vought would stop talking,’ Shaheen said.
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Former FBI Director James Comey will be arraigned in federal court Wednesday morning after being indicted on charges of alleged false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
Comey has said he is innocent.
The former FBI director is set to have his first court appearance at 10 a.m. Eastern Time in the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The judge presiding over the hearing is District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Comey was indicted in September by a federal grand jury on two counts: alleged false statements within jurisdiction of the legislative branch and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
The indictment alleges that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation into the disclosure of sensitive information in violation of 18 USC 1505.
The indictment also alleges Comey made a false statement when he stated he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, that statement was false.
Fox News Digital exclusively reported in July that Comey was under criminal investigation by the FBI. The probe into Comey centered on whether he lied to Congress during his Sept. 30, 2020, testimony about his handling of the original Trump–Russia probe at the FBI, known inside the bureau as ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’
‘No one is above the law,’ Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X after the indictment, adding that it ‘reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.’
FBI Director Kash Patel said ‘previous corrupt leadership and their enablers weaponized federal law enforcement, damaging once proud institutions and severely eroding public trust.’
‘Every day, we continue the fight to earn that trust back, and under my leadership, this FBI will confront the problem head-on,’ Patel said. ‘Nowhere was this politicization of law enforcement more blatant than during the Russiagate hoax, a disgraceful chapter in history we continue to investigate and expose.’
He added: ‘Everyone, especially those in positions of power, will be held to account – no matter their perch.’
Comey, after being indicted, posted an Instagram video, denying the allegations.
‘My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,’ he said. ‘We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right.’
‘But I’m not afraid,’ Comey added.
‘My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I am innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith,’ Comey said.
Fox News Digital also exclusively reported that former CIA Director John Brennan is under criminal investigation related to the Trump–Russia probe.
Under federal law, prosecutors have five years to bring a charge, with the five-year mark occurring Tuesday.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The FBI opened its Trump-Russia probe in July 2016, known inside the bureau as ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’
President Donald Trump, during his first term, fired Comey in May 2017.
Days later, Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel to take over the FBI’s original ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation.
After nearly two years, former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which concluded in March 2019, yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election.
Shortly after, John Durham was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ probe.
Durham found that the FBI ‘failed to act’ on a ‘clear warning sign’ that the bureau was the ‘target’ of a Clinton-led effort to ‘manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes’ ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
‘The aforementioned facts reflect a rather startling and inexplicable failure to adequately consider and incorporate the Clinton Plan intelligence into the FBI’s investigative decision-making in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,’ Durham’s report states.
‘Indeed, had the FBI opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation as an assessment and, in turn, gathered and analyzed data in concert with the information from the Clinton Plan intelligence, it is likely that the information received would have been examined, at a minimum, with a more critical eye,’ the report continued.
Durham, in his report, said the FBI ‘failed to act on what should have been — when combined with other incontrovertible facts — a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes during the 2016 presidential election.’
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