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Top 5 Canadian Mining Stocks This Week: Avanti Gold Gains 158 Percent on Misisi Settlement

Investing 12 Mins Read

Statistics Canada released its June Labour Force Survey on Friday (July 11). The data indicated that 83,000 new jobs were added to the workforce, led by 34,000 new employees in the wholesale and retail trade category and a 17,000 worker rise in the healthcare and social assistance category.

In other positive news for the Canadian job market, the overall employment rate rose by 0.1 percent to 60.9 percent, while the unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percent to 6.9 percent.

The strong labour report came as a surprise to analysts who had been expecting employment rates to be flat month-over-month and the unemployment rate to increase to 7.1 percent. The June data signifies the first notable improvement in the job market since January and breaks a three-month rising trend in the unemployment rate.

Late on Thursday (June 10), US President Donald Trump threatened Canada with a 35 percent tariff on all exports starting on August 1. In his letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said that Canada had imposed unfair trade practices, citing a 400 percent tariff on dairy products.

However, Canada has a trade deficit with the US when it comes to dairy. Imports in 2024 reached a record C$877 million, while exports of Canadian dairy totaled just C$358 million. Canada imposes a tariff rate quota, which limits the amount of duty-free dairy products that can enter Canada. Tariffs are only applied once the quota is exceeded.

Trump also pointed to continued flows of fentanyl into the US, saying, “If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter.”

The president has used fentanyl as a reason for imposing tariffs against Canada since the start of his term, although the Canadian government is already taking action to secure the border further and the flow of the drug through the northern border remains a fraction of what it is at the southern border.

So far in the 2025 fiscal year, which started in October 2024, there have been 58 pounds of fentanyl seized at the Canada-US border. While the quantity of drugs seized coming from Canada has increased from 43 pounds the prior year, the number of events recorded has fallen to 38 from 67 in fiscal year 2024.

In December 2024, Canada announced C$1.3 billion in additional funding for increased security at the border, which included new and expanded detection capacity for illegal drugs. Between February and March, the Canada Border Services Agency conducted a one month drug-seizure operation focused on air, land and sea shipments named Operation Blizzard.

In May, the agency reported it seized 1.73 kilograms of fentanyl during the operation, 1.44 kilograms of which were en route to the United States. Additionally, 67.5 percent of the 2,600 seizures related to any drug ‘were of illegal narcotics coming to Canada from the United States,’ with only 17.5 percent going in the other direction.

Trump also announced on Tuesday (July 8) a 50 percent tariff on copper imports into the United States. The levies were imposed under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which is designed to give the president the power to levy tariffs on imports deemed to be critical to national security.

According to the United States Geological Survey, Canada is the second largest exporter of refined copper to the United States behind Chile and top exporter of copper ore to the country.

The effects of the tariffs may take some time to work into the market. Still, British Columbia and Ontario will feel the impact as the two largest copper-producing provinces.

The copper price skyrocketed on the news to a fresh all-time high of US$5.72 per pound on the COMEX.

Markets and commodities react

In Canada, equity markets were mixed this week. While the S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) fell 0.04 percent to close at 27,023.25 on Friday (July 11), the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) fared better, gaining 4.01 percent to 784.42, and the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) climbed 6.53 percent to 129.79.

US equity markets ended the week largely flat overall, with the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) gaining just 0.21 percent to close Thursday at 6,259.74, the Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) climbing 0.13 percent to 22,780.60 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) falling 0.44 percent to 44,371.52.

In precious metals, the gold price rose 0.56 percent over the week to US$3,356.14 by Friday at 4 p.m. EDT. The silver price reached US$38.53, its highest price since 2011, near the end of trading Friday, before pulling back slightly to end the week up 3.38 percent at US$38.41.

In base metals, copper pulled back slightly from its fresh all-time high mentioned above, but still ended the week with a 10.24 percent gain to US$5.58. The S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) lost 0.98 percent to close at 551.38.

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.

Stock data for this article was retrieved at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market capitalizations 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. Avanti Gold (CSE:AGC)

Weekly gain: 158.33 percent
Market cap: C$10.92 million
Share price: C$0.155

Avanti Gold is an exploration and development company working to advance its flagship Misisi gold project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The project consists of three mining licenses covering an area of 133 square kilometres in the Kibara gold belt and is a 73.5/21.5 joint venture between Avanti and Chinese mining company MMG (HKEX:1208), with the DRC government retaining a 5 percent interest.

An August 2023 technical report demonstrated an inferred mineral resource estimate of 3.11 million ounces of contained gold from 40.8 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 2.37 g/t.

Shares in Avanti rose this week after the company announced on Thursday that it settled the payment dispute between itself, Arc Minerals (LSE:ARCM) and Regency Mining, which Avanti acquired in December 2022.

Prior to its acquisition by Avanti, in April 2022 then-private company Regency agreed to purchase Arc subsidiary Casa Mining, owner of the 73.5 percent interest in the Misisi project. Under the terms of the original deal, Regency agreed to pay Arc in part with US$1.25 million in shares of a public company, which was never fulfilled.

The new settlement agreement will enable Avanti to reduce the amount it owes if it pays within certain timeframes: US$562,500 if it pays Arc by August 31, or US$625,000 by October 31 or US$750,000 by December 31. If the payment is not completed this year, the amount owed will revert to the original US$1.25 million and be due on January 1, 2026.

2. Silver Mountain Resources (TSXV:AGMR)

Weekly gain: 139.68 percent
Market cap: C$27.87 million
Share price: C$1.51

Silver Mountain Resources is an exploration and development company working to restart production at the Reliquias underground mine in Central Peru.

The mine is part of the larger Castrovirreyna project, which consists of three blocks of mineral concessions. The main Reliquias block consists of 245 concessions covering an area of 24,093 hectares. The site also hosts a 2,000 metric ton per day processing plant, with an operating tailings dam.

A May 2024 preliminary economic assessment demonstrated project viability with an after-tax net present value of C$85 million, an internal rate of return of 51 percent and a payback period of 1.8 years.

The included mineral resource estimate showed measured and indicated grades of 4.25 ounces per metric ton silver, 0.41 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 2.02 percent lead, 3.09 percent zinc and 0.32 percent copper from 1.31 million metric tons of ore.

Shares in Silver Mountain gained significantly this week after it announced on Tuesday (July 8) that it was finalizing an agreement with global commodities supplier Trafigura for a US$10 million prepayment facility to advance work at Reliquias.

The company said it would provide further details once definitive documentation is completed.

3. Altima Energy (TSXV:ARH)

Weekly gain: 100 percent
Market cap: C$23.99 million
Share price: C$0.49

Altima Energy is a light oil and natural gas exploration and development company with operations in Alberta, Canada.

Its primary asset is the Richdale property in Central Alberta. The property consists of five producing light oil wells and sits on 5,920 acres of long-term reserves. The property hosts combined proved and probable reserves of just under 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with a pre-tax net present value of C$25.8 million.

The company also owns two wells at its Twinning light oil site near Nisku, seven producing wells at its Red Earth property in Northern Alberta and two multi-zone wells at its Chambers Ferrier liquid gas production property.

Shares in Altima gained this week after it released news on Tuesday that it had completed a private placement for proceeds of up to C$5.5 million. Under the terms of the deal, the company will issue 20 million units at C$0.275 per unit, which each include one common share and one warrant allowing the holder to purchase a common share for C$0.40.

The company said that part of the proceeds would be used to complete field upgrades at its Red Earth and Richdale properties.

4. McFarlane Lake Mining (CSE:MLM)

Weekly gain: 83.33 percent
Market cap: C$14.88 million
Share price: C$0.055

McFarlane Lake Mining is a gold exploration company working to advance a portfolio of properties in Southern Ontario, Canada, with options agreements in place to earn 100 percent interests in the projects.

Its primary focus has been on its McMillan property southwest of Sudbury. The site consists of 12 mining leases over 268 hectares and hosted historic mining in the 1930s.

McFarlane Lake explored the property throughout the first half of 2025. On July 3, the company shared assay results from the final drill hole of its drill program at the project. The drill hole intersected a broad interval of 1.3 g/t gold over 29.5 meters, which included intersections of 6.6 g/t gold over 4.55 meters and 20.1 g/t over 1.45 meters.

In the same announcement, the company reported that a downhole electromagnetic survey of the drill hole located an electromagnetic ‘superconductor’ nearby.

Shares in McFarlane were up this week after it was announced on Monday (July 7) that it would be acquiring the Juby Gold project from Aris Mining (TSX:ARIS) for a total consideration of US$22 million, including US$10 million in cash.

The transaction includes Aris’ 100 percent stake in Juby and its 25 percent stake in the adjacent Knight property, in which Orecap Invest holds the other 75 percent interest.

In a follow-up release on Tuesday, the company said the property is one of Ontario’s largest undeveloped gold properties and highlighted a historical indicated mineral resource of 775,000 ounces of gold from 21.31 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 1.13 g/t gold, plus an inferred resource of 1.49 million ounces of contained gold from ore grading 0.98 g/t.

5. World Copper (TSXV:WCU)

Weekly gain: 75 percent
Market cap: C$14.63 million
Share price: C$0.07

World Copper is an exploration and development company focused on its Zonia copper project in Central Arizona, US. It also owns the Escalones copper project in Chile.

The Zonia property, acquired following a merger with Cardero Resources in January 2022, has seen extensive exploration dating back 100 years and hosted open-pit mining operations until 1975.

In November 2024, the company released an amended resource estimate for the project, showing a total indicated resource of 668 million pounds of contained copper from 112.2 million short tons of ore with an average grade of 0.297 percent, and an inferred resource of 320 million pounds from 62.9 million short tons of ore with an average grade of 0.255 percent.

On February 19, World Copper reported it had entered into a binding agreement to sell Zonia to an arm’s length third party for cash considerations of C$26 million. However, on May 6, World Copper announced that it terminated the agreement.

The company has not released news since. Shares gained this week against a backdrop of US copper tariffs and a surging copper price.

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 February 2025, there were 1,572 companies listed on the TSXV, 905 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,859 companies, with 181 of those being mining companies.

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

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

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

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

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

How do you trade on the TSXV?

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

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

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

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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JZR Gold Inc. Announces Private Placement Offering of Units to Raise Up To $1,500,000

Investing 6 Mins Read

 

(TheNewswire)

 

     

   
             

 

July 11, 2025 TheNewswire – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada JZR Gold Inc. (TSXV:  JZR) (the ‘ Company ‘ or ‘ JZR ‘) is pleased to announce that it intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement offering (the ‘ Offering ‘) of up to 5,000,000 units (each, a ‘ Unit ‘) at a price of $0.30 per Unit, to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000.  Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (each, a ‘ Share ‘) and one share purchase warrant (each, a ‘ Warrant ‘). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional common share (each, a ‘ Warrant Share ‘) of the Company at an exercise price of $0.40 per Warrant Share for a period of two (2) years after the closing of the Offering. The Warrants will be subject to an acceleration clause whereby, in the event that the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s common shares traded on TSX Venture Exchange, or any other stock exchange on which the Company’s common shares are then listed, is equal to or greater than $0.75 for a period of 10 consecutive trading days, the Company shall have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving written notice to the holders of the Warrants that the Warrants will expire on the date that is not less than 30 days from the date that notice is provided by the Company to the Warrant holders. The Units, Shares, Warrants and any Shares issued upon the exercise of the Warrants will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

 

  The Units will be offered pursuant to available prospectus exemptions set out under applicable securities laws and instruments, including National Instrument 45-106 –   Prospectus Exemptions.  

 

  The Offering may close in one or more tranches, as subscriptions are received.  The Securities will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.  Closing of the Offering, which is expected to occur on or about July 21, 2025, will be subject to satisfaction of certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including approval by the Exchange.  

 

  The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund operations of the fully constructed 800 tonne-per-day gravimetric mill, as well as future exploration work on the Vila Nova Gold project located in Amapa State, Brazil, and for general working capital purposes. JZR has been advised by its Joint Venture Royalty Agreement partner, ECO Mining Oil & Gaz Drilling and Exploration Ltda. (EIRELI) (‘ECO’), that the Mill is fully operational, but ECO is completing a few minor improvements to the Mill to improve operational efficiency. There will be further updates regarding operations in the immediate future.  

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Robert Klenk

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

rob@jazzresources.ca

 

Forward-Looking Information

 

  This press release contains certain ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information in this press release includes all statements that are not historical facts, including, without limitation, statements with respect to the details of the Offering, including the proposed size, timing and the expected use of proceeds and the receipt of regulatory approval for the Offering.  Forward-looking information reflects the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it.  Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.  These factors include, but are not limited to:   the Company may not complete the Offering; the Offering may not be approved by the TSX Venture Exchange;   risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mineral exploration industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks related to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions; risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with the specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks related to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Company’s continuous disclosure documents filed with the Canadian securities regulators.  The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.  The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws.  

 

  Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.  

 

None of the securities of JZR have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act’), or any state securities law, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or ‘U.S. persons’ (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy in the United States nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

 

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

 

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

 

 

News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia

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DoD Invests US$400 Million in Rare Earth Firm MP Materials

Investing 3 Mins Read

The US Department of Defense (DoD) will become the largest shareholder in MP Materials (NYSE:MP) after agreeing to purchase US$400 million worth of preferred stock in the company, which owns and operates the only rare earth mine in the United States.

The rare earths producer said the proceeds from the investment will fund the expansion of its processing capabilities at the Mountain Pass mine in California and support the construction of a second magnet manufacturing facility in the US.

The materials mined and processed by MP are critical to the production of permanent magnets used in military systems, including the F-35 fighter jet, drones, and submarines.

The US has depended heavily on foreign imports for these materials — primarily from China, which accounted for about 70 percent of rare earth imports in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey.

In a press release issued Thursday (July 10), MP Materials described the agreement as a ‘transformational public-private partnership’ and said it would ‘dramatically accelerate the build-out of an end-to-end US rare earth magnet supply chain and reduce foreign dependency.’

The investment gives the Pentagon newly created preferred stock convertible into common shares, along with a 10-year warrant to buy additional stock at US$30.03 per share.

If fully converted and exercised, the DoD would own 15 percent of MP Materials, based on current share counts as of July 9. That would exceed the 8.61 percent stake held by CEO James Litinsky and the 8.27 percent stake held by BlackRock Fund Advisors.

Litinsky emphasized that the deal does not equate to government control of the company. “This is not a nationalization,” he said in an interview on CNBC. “We remain a thriving public company. We now have a great new partner in our economically largest shareholder, DoD, but we still control our company. We control our destiny. We’re shareholder driven.”

MP’s new magnet facility, called the “10X Facility,” will increase the company’s magnet manufacturing capacity to 10,000 metric tons annually once it begins commissioning in 2028. The exact location of the facility has not yet been disclosed.

The Pentagon has committed to purchasing 100 percent of the magnets produced at the 10X Facility for 10 years.

Additionally, the DoD will guarantee a minimum price of US$110 per kilogram for MP’s neodymium-praseodymium oxide (NdPr), a key material used in magnet production. If market prices fall below that threshold, the Pentagon will pay the difference quarterly.

In return, once the new facility is operational, the government will receive 30 percent of any upside above US$110 per kilogram.

To further support the buildout, MP Materials expects to receive a US$150 million loan from the Pentagon within 30 days to expand its heavy rare earth separation capabilities at Mountain Pass, the only active rare earth mine in the US.

It is also commissioning a magnetics facility in Texas, known as Independence, to bolster its downstream processing capabilities.

As the only domestic miner with vertically integrated capabilities and a clear path to rare earth magnet production at scale, MP Materials now sits at the center of the Biden-to-Trump era effort to bring critical mineral supply chains back to American soil.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Inside longtime Biden aide’s marathon closed-door grilling in House GOP cover-up probe

Politics 4 Mins Read

Ashley Williams, a longtime ally of former President Joe Biden, met with House investigators behind closed doors for nearly six hours Friday as Republicans probe allegations the Democrat’s top aides hid his mental decline.

A source familiar with the transcribed interview told Fox News Digital Williams said she did not ‘recall’ various things ‘an untold number of times.’

‘Examples include she could not recall if she spoke with President Biden in the last week, if teleprompters were used for Cabinet meetings, if there were discussions about President Biden using a wheelchair, if there were discussions about a cognitive test, if she discussed a mental or physical decline of President Biden, if she ever had to wake President Biden up and how she got involved with his 2020 campaign,’ the source said.

Williams told House investigators Biden is fit to be president today, the source said. 

In addition to whether senior aides covered up Biden’s alleged decline, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is looking into whether any presidential orders were signed via autopen without the former commander in chief’s knowledge.

Any allegations of wrongdoing so far have been denied by the ex-president’s allies.

But Republican investigators have pointed to Biden’s disastrous June 2024 debate and subsequent revelations in the media that there were more concerns from Biden’s inner circle about his fitness for office than previously known.

Williams, however, argued he was in command of himself during that debate, the source said.

The former White House aide said nothing to reporters when entering or leaving the committee meeting room for her voluntary interview.

Fox News Digital reached out to Williams’ lawyers for their account of events inside the room.

It was a staff-led meeting, but Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, briefly stopped in for just under 30 minutes to show ‘solidarity’ with the witness, the progressive told reporters afterward.

‘I do think that it is important that I show up because if they are going to make allegations about the former commander in chief, egregious allegations they continue to wage, I want to make sure that I’m in the room to correct the record because a lot of times they like to mischaracterize things,’ she said.

When asked by Fox News Digital if the interview was still ongoing as she exited, Crockett answered, ‘It’s still going. I’m leaving early. I’ve got to get to another thing.’ 

The source who spoke with Fox News Digital said Crockett had come in during the GOP’s questioning session and did not ask any questions herself. Fox News Digital reached out to her office for a response.

Williams is a longtime Biden ally whose time with the Democrat goes back to assisting second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers.

Williams later worked for Biden’s 2020 campaign and presidential transition team. She served as his trip director before being hired by the White House as deputy director of Oval Office operations and a special assistant to the president.

Williams ended her White House tenure as deputy assistant to the president, senior advisor to the president and director of strategic outreach, according to her LinkedIn page.

Notably, the social media page also says Williams still works for the ex-leader as senior advisor in the Office of Former President Joe Biden.

She was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year during Republicans’ investigation into Biden’s cognitive health, but GOP investigators say the former White House blocked her from giving any information.

The Democratic staffer is the third person to appear before committee investigators in recent weeks.

Former Biden White House physician Kevin O’Connor appeared for a sworn deposition Wednesday after being subpoenaed by Comer.

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David Gergen, trusted White House advisor to 4 US presidents across decades, dies at 83

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David Gergen, who worked for four presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, before becoming an academic and political TV pundit, has died. He was 83. 

Gergen died in a retirement home in Massachusetts on July 10, his son said, according to several outlets. 

The Washington, D.C., veteran had been suffering from Lewy body dementia, his son said. 

Those who knew and admired Gergen took to X to express their condolences. 

Former California first lady Maria Shriver wrote on X: ‘David Gergen was total professional and a really kind man. My thoughts are with his family. He loved politics and he loved being in service to this country.’

‘RIP, Mr. Gergen,’ CBS reporter Robert Costa wrote. 

Former Democratic Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. wrote: ‘We lost a good one, a really good one – RIP, my friend David Gergen

Gergen came up with the line that then-candidate Reagan said in the 1980 election: ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’ according to The New York Times. 

He later said of the line: ‘Rhetorical questions have great power.’ 

Of his time with the Nixon administration, Gergen told the Washington Post in 1981, ‘I was young, and I was too naive. It hardened me up a lot. It was an extremely difficult experience emotionally, in terms of belief in people.’ 

After leaving public office, Gergen worked as an editor and columnist, as well as for the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the liberal Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was also a commentator for PBS, CNN and NPR. 

‘To say that I rely on him is an understatement,’ Reagan’s White House Chief of Staff, James A. Baker III, told The Washington Post in 1981. ‘He’s the best conceptualizer, in terms of communications strategy, that we have.’

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Who is Ashley Williams, the longtime Biden aide grilled by House GOP investigators Friday?

Politics 2 Mins Read

Former White House aide Ashley Williams is the latest ex-Biden administration official to appear in the House Oversight Committee’s probe.

Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating allegations that Biden’s former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president’s full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back on those claims.

Williams is the third member of Biden’s White House inner circle to show up, though she said nothing to reporters on her way into the room late Friday morning nor during a brief lunch break in the afternoon.

She’s a longtime Biden ally whose time with the Democrat goes back to assisting then-second lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration, according to a 2019 profile of Biden staffers.

Williams later worked for both Biden’s 2020 campaign and presidential transition team. She served as his trip director before being hired to the White House as deputy director of Oval Office Operations and a special assistant to the president.

Williams ended her White House tenure as deputy assistant to the president, senior advisor to the president, and director of Strategic Outreach, according to her LinkedIn page.

Notably, the social media page also says Williams still works for the ex-leader as senior advisor in the Office of Former President Joe Biden.

Williams is a graduate of Georgetown University, and received a doctorate of Law from the University of Pennsylvania. She also got a Master’s degree in political management from George Washington University.

She was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year in Republicans’ investigation into Biden’s cognitive health, but GOP investigators say the White House blocked her from giving any information.

‘The Biden White House obstructed the Committee’s investigation and refused to make the aides available for depositions or interviews,’ the committee said in a press release this year.

Williams’ Friday appearance was not forced under subpoena, however. She appeared voluntarily for her closed-door transcribed interview.

The Trump White House waived executive privilege for Williams along with several other former Biden aides last month.

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Jasmine Crockett rips Trump ‘regime,’ vows ‘solidarity’ with Biden witnesses during House probe

Politics 4 Mins Read

Progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, made a second surprise appearance at the House Oversight Committee’s closed-door discussions with former Biden administration aides this week, once again criticizing President Donald Trump on the way out.

Crockett surprised reporters when she arrived roughly 15 minutes after House investigators’ transcribed interview with former White House advisor Ashley Williams began, declining to speak on the way in.

The Texas Democrat emerged just over 30 minutes later, saying little about what went on inside but telling reporters she still had ‘absolutely’ no concerns about Biden’s mental fitness while in office.

She said it was important to ‘be there physically’ for Biden allies being interviewed in the GOP probe – even going as far as suggesting the Trump administration created a threatening environment for members of Congress and its own political opponents.

‘It is important…in my mind, to be there for these witnesses. Unfortunately, we know what happens when this regime gets going. We know about the threats that come upon them, that come upon us as members of Congress,’ Crockett said.

‘I think it is important to stand there in solidarity and to at least be there physically so that they don’t feel like they’re alone as they are enduring egregious attacks consistently from this administration.’

Crockett was the only lawmaker seen going in or out of Williams’ meeting with investigators on Friday. The transcribed interview was expected to be staff-led, and lawmakers were not required to attend.

‘Right now, the Republicans continue to act as if this is a main priority. Yet none of them are showing up,’ she said.

‘I do think that it is important that I show up because if they are going to make allegations about the former commander-in-chief, egregious allegations they continue to wage. I want to make sure that I’m in the room to correct the record, because a lot of times they like to mischaracterize things.’

When asked by Fox News Digital if the interview was still ongoing as she exited, however, Crockett answered, ‘It’s still going. I’m leaving early. I’ve got to get to another thing.’

A source familiar with the ongoing proceeding told Fox News Digital that Crockett came in during Republican investigators’ round of questioning and so was unable to make inquiries herself. Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett for a response.

Williams was the former Director of Strategic Outreach under the Biden administration. She did not speak to reporters on the way into her transcribed interview.

Crockett initially caught reporters and potentially even staff off guard when she arrived for the closed-door deposition of Biden’s former White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was there as well, as is the norm for sworn depositions.

Williams, unlike O’Connor, is not on Capitol Hill under subpoena.

During her Wednesday appearance, Crockett declared she never had any concerns about Biden’s mental state while he was president, though she did raise similar claims about Trump.

White House spokesman Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital in response to Crockett questioning Trump’s mental acuity: ‘The Democrats’ rising star has done more to cement the party’s demise than the President she breathlessly supported, the decrepit and feeble Joe Biden. Jasmine continues to prove she’d be better suited as a reality TV star on VH1 than an elected official on Capitol Hill.’

Comer is investigating accusations that Biden’s former top White House aides covered up signs of his mental and physical decline while in office, and whether any executive actions were commissioned via autopen without the president’s full knowledge. Biden allies have pushed back on those claims.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Business

Trump’s tariffs on Brazil could make your coffee even more expensive

Business 5 Mins Read

President Donald Trump’s proposed 50% tariff on Brazilian imports is bad news for coffee drinkers.

Brazil, the largest U.S. supplier of green coffee beans, accounts for about a third of the country’s total supply, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Coffee beans need to grow in a warm, tropical climate, making Hawaii and Puerto Rico the only suitable places in the United States to farm the crop. But, as the world’s top consumer of coffee, the U.S. requires a massive supply to stay caffeinated. Mintel estimates that the U.S. coffee market reached $19.75 billion last year.

The increase in trade duties could leave consumers with even higher costs after several years of soaring coffee prices. Inflation-weary consumers have seen prices for lattes and cold brew climb as droughts and frost hit the global coffee supply, particularly in Brazil. Earlier this year, coffee bean futures hit all-time highs. They rose 1% on Thursday, although still well below the record set in February.

To be sure, there’s still time for Brazil to strike a deal with the White House before the tariffs go into effect on Aug. 1. Plus, food and beverage makers are hoping that the Trump administration will grant exemptions for key commodities. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview in late June that the White House is considering exemptions for produce that can’t be grown in the U.S. — including coffee.

But if that doesn’t happen, coffee companies like Folgers owner J.M. Smucker, Keurig Dr Pepper, Starbucks and Dutch Bros will face much higher costs for the commodity. Giuseppe Lavazza, chair of Italian roaster Lavazza, said on Bloomberg TV on Thursday morning that the latest tariff could mean “a lot of inflation” for the coffee industry.

Roasters will try to mitigate the impact of the higher tariff, but it won’t be easy.

“Every company is always trying to eke out the next efficiency, to dial into their operations or find the way to minimize inflationary pressures, but a 50% tariff on a commodity that fundamentally is not available in the U.S. — you can’t really do much with that,” Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain and logistics for the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group that represents the consumer packaged goods industry.

One mitigation tactic could be to import beans from countries other than Brazil, but companies will likely still be paying more for the commodity.

“A characteristic of tariffs, especially when you have tariffs on multiple countries at once, is that not just the inbound cost rises. It allows the pricing floor to also rise,” Madrecki said. “If you have cheaper coffee in a country different than Brazil, you’re not inclined to sell it at a 30% lower cost. You’re going to try to bump your coffee up a bit more, too.”

At-home coffee brands, like JM Smucker’s Dunkin’ and Kraft Heinz’s Maxwell House, have already been hiking their prices this year in response to spiking commodity costs. More price increases could be on the way for consumers, although retailers may push back.

Keurig Dr Pepper would consider additional price hikes in the latter half of the year to mitigate the impact of tariffs, CEO Tim Cofer said in late April, after Trump introduced his initial round of so-called reciprocal duties.

And Smuckers warned investors on its quarterly conference call in early June that tariffs on coffee were weighing on its profits. Coffee accounts for roughly a third of the company’s revenue.

“Green coffee is an unavailable natural resource that cannot be grown in the continental United States due to its reliance on a tropical climate,” Smuckers CEO Mark Smucker said. “We currently purchase approximately 500 million pounds of green coffee annually, with the majority coming from Brazil and Vietnam, the two largest coffee-producing countries.”

Vietnam, which announced a tentative trade deal with the White House earlier this month, supplies about 8% of the U.S.’s green coffee beans. Under the agreement, the U.S. will impose a 20% duty on Vietnamese imports.

Consumers who prefer a caramel macchiato from Starbucks for their caffeine hit will likely see a more muted impact on their wallets.

After several quarters of sluggish U.S. sales, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in late 2024 that the company wouldn’t raise prices in 2025, in the hopes of winning back customers who had complained about how expensive its drinks had gotten. While it waits for its turnaround to take hold, Starbucks might choose to swallow the higher coffee costs.

The coffee giant also benefits from its diversity — both in suppliers and the breadth of its menu, which now includes the popular Refreshers line. Starbucks imports its coffee from 30 different countries, and roughly 10% of its cost of goods sold in North America comes from coffee.

The new trade duty could mean a 0.5% increase in Starbucks’ North American cost of goods sold, assuming about 22% of its beans come from Brazil, TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. Starbucks’ packaged drinks, which are distributed by Nestle, could see their cost of goods sold increase 3.5%. Altogether, that represents a 5-cent drag on annual earnings per share, according to Charles.

For rival Dutch Bros, higher coffee costs also wouldn’t hurt its bottom line much. Coffee accounts for less than a tenth of the drive-thru coffee chain’s cost of goods sold. Assuming that Dutch Bros sources more than half of its coffee from Brazil, its cost of goods sold would rise just 1.3%, according to Charles’ estimates.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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Stock

How to Find Compelling Charts in Every Sector

Stock 4 Mins Read

Over a number of years working for a large money manager with a rich history of stock picking, I became more and more enamored with the benefits of scanning for constructive price charts regardless of the broad market conditions.  Earlier in my career, as I was first learning technical analysis, I devoured work by stock picking guru Mike Webster and other William O’Neil disciples who advocated for finding strong charts in any market environment.

Given that background, I was super excited this week to apply a true stock picker’s mindset, with the goal of identifying one compelling chart in each of ten S&P 500 sectors.  From Communication Services to Utilities, there are plenty of interesting technical setups and nuances to discuss.  And if you’re wondering why there are only ten charts instead of 11, that’s because I skipped Real Estate.  It’s a smaller sector, which I tend to think of more in terms of sector rotation than specific security selection.

Let’s kick things off with a top-performing chart in Communication Services that is showing all the signs of accumulation.

DoorDash Inc. (DASH)

While the mega cap Magnificent 7 stocks like Meta Platforms (META) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL) tend to grab all the headlines, I’m more intrigued by other names in this sector demonstrating positive technical characteristics.  DoorDash has been making higher highs and higher lows, and remains above three upward-sloping moving averages.

The price is above the 21-day exponential moving average, which is above the 50-day simple moving average, which is above the 200-day simple moving average.  Combined with strong but not excessive momentum, along with improving relative strength, and we have a chart that continues to feature bullish signs in July 2025.

Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG)

If it seems as if DoorDash is a little too overextended, Booking Holdings is a bit earlier on in its breakout journey.  Here we can see a clear resistance level around $5300, with a breakout and subsequent retest confirming a new uptrend phase.

When a chart like this shows a clear and consistent resistance level, the initial breakout can be quite tempting on the long side.  The subsequent pullback to that same breakout point, followed by new support at the breakout point, serves to validate the breakout and confirm the bullish reading.

With charts like BKNG, I like to use the 21-day exponential moving average as an initial warning sign.  As long as the price remains above this short-term trend mechanism, then the uptrend is still intact.  If and when the price violates this moving average, that’s when I like to review the chart to determine whether the stock still deserves a place in my portfolio.

Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX)

Our final example, Boston Scientific, is one that I would argue still has a bit to prove.  We can observe a clear resistance level around $107.50, which was initially set in February and then retested in May and June.  

This is exactly where I would leverage the Alert Workbench on StockCharts to let me know when the price has finally broken above this crucial resistance level.  I love to save potential breakout candidates to a new ChartList, and then set alerts for if and when the price finally breaks above the entry point.  That way, you’re able to identify an opportunity and develop a simple trading plan up front, and then let StockCharts do the “heavy lifting” and keep a close watch on the price action in the days and weeks to come!

To see the other seven charts in all their glory, head over to the StockCharts TV YouTube channel!

RR#6,

Dave

PS- Ready to upgrade your investment process?  Check out my free behavioral investing course!

David Keller, CMT

President and Chief Strategist

Sierra Alpha Research LLC

marketmisbehavior.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/MarketMisbehavior

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice.  The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.  

The author does not have a position in mentioned securities at the time of publication.    Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.

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Stock

How I Triple My Returns With 3x Leveraged ETFs!

Stock 1 Min Read

Investing in triple-leveraged ETFs may not be on your radar. But that may change after you watch this video. 

Tom Bowley of EarningsBeats shares how he uses the 3x leveraged ETFs to take advantage of high probability upside moves. Tom shows charts of 3x leveraged ETFs that mirror their benchmark — TNA (Russell 2000), SOXL (Semiconductors), and LABU (Biotech), and maps out how you can use the setups in these charts to multiply your returns. 

With money rotating heavily into growth stocks, investors should be looking for opportunities. Tom shares charts of indexes, sectors, and individual stocks/ETFs that are displaying technical strength and strong accumulation patterns. 

Ready to multiply your returns while the market’s moving higher? Watch Tom chart out the trades he’s making today. 

This video was published on July 10. Click this link to watch on Tom’s dedicated page. 

Missed a session? Archived videos from Tom are available at this link. 

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