A judge temporarily halted a directive by the Trump administration that imposed a cap on overhead costs that go to universities and other institutions that host federally funded research projects.
The directive, which went into effect Monday, sparked an outcry of criticism from research institutions that argued the new rule would have devastating consequences. It was immediately challenged in court by 22 Democratic state attorneys general, as well as by several leading research universities and related groups in a second lawsuit.
U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley subsequently ruled in favor of the 22 state attorneys general, granting their request for a temporary restraining order that prohibits agencies from taking any steps to implement, apply or enforce the new rule that imposed a cap on facilities and administrative costs that are part of federally funded research grants.
The rule capped overhead costs associated with National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research grants at 15%.
When a grant is awarded to a scientist by the NIH, an additional percentage, on top of the allocated research funding, goes to the facility housing their work to cover these ‘indirect costs.’ According to an announcement about the new funding cap from the Trump administration, that percentage has historically been around 27% to 28% for each grant. But in some cases, negotiated rates can be even higher, such as at the University of Michigan where the negotiated rate for indirect costs is 56%.
The lawsuit from the attorneys general argued the move violated federal law governing the procedures federal agencies must follow when implementing new regulations. They also argued that the move usurped the will of Congress, which, in 2018, passed legislation prohibiting the NIH or the Health and Human Services Department from unilaterally making changes to current negotiated rates, or implementing a modified approach to the reimbursement of indirect costs.
Kelley’s temporary restraining order requires the Trump administration agencies that are impacted by the new rule to file reports within 24 hours to confirm the steps they are taking to comply with her order. Meanwhile, Kelley set an in-person hearing date on the matter for Feb. 21.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the restraining order, but did not hear back at press time. However, after the directive went into effect on Monday, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Fox News Digital, ‘Contrary to the hysteria, redirecting billions of allocated NIH spending away from administrative bloat means there will be more money and resources available for legitimate scientific research, not less.’
Earlier on Monday, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell said the Trump administration had violated his order halting a federal aid funding freeze that sought to pause ‘all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance,’ to ensure federal disbursements aligned with the president’s executive actions.
McConnell ordered the government to ‘immediately restore frozen funding,’ noting that plaintiffs had provided adequate evidence to show the Trump administration ‘in some cases [has] continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds,’ despite his ‘clear and unambiguous’ order lifting the freeze.
JERUSALEM—The president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) apparently capitulated to the Trump administration by claiming to scrap its long-standing program known as ‘pay for slay,’ which provides payments to Palestinian terrorists and their families.
There are, however, conflicting reports about whether the PA ended the program or is trying to hoodwink the Trump administration.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein released a statement on X saying, ‘This is a new deception scheme by the Palestinian Authority, which intends to continue paying terrorists and their families through alternative payment channels.’
On Monday, the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported that Mahmoud Abbas ‘issued a decree law revoking the articles contained in the laws and regulations related to the system of paying financial allowances to the families of prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded, in the Prisoners’ Law and the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers and the Palestine Liberation Organizations.’
WAFA noted that, regarding Abbas’ decree, ‘powers of all protection and social welfare programs in Palestine have been transferred to the Palestinian Economic Empowerment Foundation.’ The Times of Israel reported that it had independently confirmed through sources that the revocation happened.
The pay for slay policy gained public attention when Taylor Force, a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq was savagely knifed to death by a Palestinian terrorist on March 8, 2016, while on a tour of Israel. President Donald Trump signed the Taylor Force Act into law in October 2018, after a vigorous campaign by Force’s parents, Robbi and Stuart Force.
‘Abbas’ announcement seems to be a ruse aimed at pulling the wool over President Trump’s eyes,’ Asher Fredman, a former Israeli government official who now is the executive director of the Misgav Institute for National Security, told Fox News Digital.
‘It appears that the terrorists and families of terrorists who received payments under the PA’s ‘pay for slay’ program will continue to receive the same payments, simply via a ‘foundation’ under the control of Abbas, rather than via a ministry under the control of Abbas.’
Fredman added, ‘It remains to be seen whether Abbas truly ends the pay for slay payments, as well as the virulent terror incitement and antisemitism in PA media, schools and summer camps.’
He said the PA announced that the payments to convicted terrorists are moving from the Ministry of Social Development to an independent Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Foundation. The head of the foundation’s board is the minister of social development. The foundation’s general director is also apparently an employee of the Ministry of Social Development, according to her LinkedIn profile. The linkage suggests that the foundation is closely tied to the PA.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Fox News Digital, ‘We will rejoice when the PA stops financially rewarding Palestinian terrorists for murdering and injuring Israelis. Abbas’ statement makes no such commitment. Mr. Abbas, you either support and abet terrorism or oppose and help end it.’
The Times of Israel reported that PA officials informed the incoming Trump administration about its plan to pull the plug on the ‘pay to slay’ program.
The thinking behind the PA’s decision is to curry favor with the Trump administration and avoid the strained relations that existed during the first Trump presidency. After Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city in 2017, Abbas boycotted the Trump administration.
The Times of Israel wrote that Monday’s ‘decree is Ramallah’s latest effort to improve ties with Washington and amounts to a major victory for Trump, who managed to secure a concession from the PA that repeated U.S. administrations had worked to bring about.’
The PA is based in Ramallah in the West Bank (known in Israel as the biblical region of Judea and Samaria).
Fox News Digital reported after a late 2023 deal involving the exchange of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel for the release of Israeli civilians held by Hamas in Gaza that the freed terrorists would receive monthly payments ranging from approximately $535 to $668 for Jerusalem residents.
Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), summed up a recent trend of foreign leaders caving to the Trump administration. ‘I think it speaks to the Trump effect. Foreign leaders fear crossing the president because he knows how to engage in coercive diplomacy, and it produces outcomes which advance U.S. interests like this. Iran and other countries are watching very carefully how the president pressures other governments, and this will shape their decision-making. Thus far, Tehran has been more risk-averse since President Trump has been in office,’ he told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital questions to the Palestinian Authority were not answered.
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) systems must not become tainted with ‘ideological bias’ and cautioned against coordinating with ‘hostile foreign adversaries’ on AI capabilities.
Vance appeared Tuesday at the AI Action Summit in Paris, where world leaders, top tech executives and policymakers teamed up to hash out tech policy and its intersection with global security, economics and governance. The appearance marked his first foreign trip as vice president.
While the Trump administration has signaled it plans to take an approach that favors deregulation of AI, Vance’s appearance at the summit coincides with recent attempts from the European Union to enforce harsher regulations aimed at promoting greater safety.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and the UK abstained from signing an international document at the conference signed by 60 other countries that aims to prioritize ‘ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy.’ It was immediately unclear why both countries chose not to sign the document.
Here is what is known from Vance’s remarks about the Trump administration’s priorities for the future of AI. First, Vance called for AI systems developed in the U.S. to remain free of ‘ideological bias’ and vowed that the U.S. would ‘never restrict our citizens’ right to free speech.’
That is because Vance said he trusted Americans to create their own thoughts and opinions, absorb information and exchange those thoughts in the ‘open marketplace of ideas.’
‘We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship,’ Vance said Tuesday.
Vance also pushed for a ‘deregulatory flavor’ to emerge at the conference while cautioning against the pitfalls of ‘excessive regulation’ that could hamper a transformative industry. He also vowed that the U.S. would back pro-growth AI policies.
‘We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off, and we’ll make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies and I’d like to see that deregulatory flavor making its way into a lot of the conversations at this conference,’ he said.
Other world leaders who attended the AI Action Summit include French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Shri Modi and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.
Vance also issued a warning to other foreign governments about ‘tightening the screws’ on U.S. tech companies with international footprints, claiming the Trump administration would not tolerate such limitations. He also cautioned against working with adversaries who have ‘weaponized A.I. software to rewrite history, surveil users and censor speech.’
Vance said Tuesday that the U.S. will block such efforts, and ensure that American AI and chip technology is protected from theft and misuse.
‘I would also remind our international friends here today that partnering with such regimes — it never pays off in the long term,’ Vance said.
While Vance said that the U.S. wants to partner with other nations on this front, Macron said Europe could take a ‘third way’ approach in AI innovation and not rely on either the U.S. or China. Macron also called for enhanced ‘international governance’ on AI policy.
‘We want a fair and open access to these innovations for the whole planet,’ Macron said.
Vance’s comments coincide with some recent actions from the Trump administration to advance AI in the U.S.
In January, Trump unveiled a new $500 billion AI infrastructure project called Stargate, a datacenter joint venture between investment holding company Softbank, and tech companies OpenAI and Oracle that Trump labeled the ‘largest AI infrastructure project in history.’
The project includes an initial investment of $100 billion that is slated to grow to $500 billion over Trump’s term in office, and will build ‘colossal’ data centers in the U.S. to power AI.
The Associated Press and Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Anteros Metals Inc. (CSE: ANT) (‘Anteros’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce commencement of inaugural 3D modeling at its 100%-owned critical-mineral-bearing Havens Steady Property (the ‘Property’). The Property boasts a road-accessible Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (‘VMS’) lead-zinc-silver ±copper-gold deposit, is close to hydroelectric power, and is located in an established mining district in south-central Newfoundland. Modelling of recently-digitized historical data will allow for effective targeting of zone extensions and the identification of wider and higher-grade zones, including areas of copper-gold enrichment. Follow-up exploration is scheduled for late spring and early summer 2025.
PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS
Situated in a region renowned for significant Kuroko-type VMS deposits, known for their rich polymetallic characteristics and significant economic yields
Geologically consistent mineral deposit with a 1,000-meter strike length of lead-zinc-silver ±copper-gold mineralization
Notable high-grade intercepts (Table 1), including 2.72 metres of2.1% Cu, 3.6% Pb, 6.17% Zn, 56.42g/t Ag and 1.82g/t Au in historical drill hole HS09-18 from 97.42 to 100.14 metres
Road accessible and proximal to past-producing VMS mine-sites and infrastructure
Approximately 8,150 metres of historical drilling since 1986, the most recent of which was conducted in 2009 (approximately 1,145 metres)
Fully permitted for exploration diamond drilling from the Mineral Lands Division of Newfoundland and Labrador
LOCATION AND MINERAL TENURE
The Property lies 15 kilometres south of the past-producing Duck Pond lead-zinc-copper VMS mine and 40 kilometres southeast of the town of Buchans (Figure 1). The Property is comprised by seven claims covering 175 hectares in the prolific Buchans-Victoria Lake area. Hosted by rocks of the Red Cross Group volcanic belt, the Property hosts high-grade VMS-style base and precious metal mineralization, including critical minerals zinc and copper.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9885/240423_5213bd8154dc49d4_002full.jpg
REGIONAL AND PROPERTY GEOLOGY
The Havens Steady Property is situated within the Central Mobile Belt of the Dunnage Zone in Newfoundland and Labrador. The region is underlain by sequences of Cambrian to Silurian volcanic and sedimentary rocks and related intrusive rocks. The Property borders the Victoria Lake Supergroup, a complex assortment of several distinct volcanic sequences, some of which host world class VMS deposits such as the past-producing Duck Pond VMS Mine, which had reserves of 4.078 million tonnes grading 3.29% Cu, 5.68% Zn, 59.3g/t Ag and 0.86g/t Au and an additional inferred and measured 1.073 million tonnes of 3.04% Cu, 7.05% Zn, 71.2g/t Ag and 0.8g/t Au prior to the commencement of mining operations in 2006 (Canadian Mining Journal, Aug 1, 2006).
The Property is dominated by felsic volcanic rocks interbedded with graphitic argillites and siltstones (Figure 2). Extensive sericitization and silicification within the felsic volcanic units occurs with chloritic alteration associated near zones of massive sulfides and stringer sulfides, including significant occurrences of sphalerite and galena. This geological setting mirrors that of Kuroko-type VMS deposits known for their rich polymetallic content and significant economic yields, as exemplified by the renowned Kuroko deposits in Japan.
Figure 2: Geology, geophysics, and historical drilling at Havens Steady
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9885/240423_5213bd8154dc49d4_003full.jpg
Since acquiring the Property in January 2024, Anteros has performed comprehensive digital compilation of the historical exploration data. Compilation confirmed that previous geophysical work, including airborne electromagnetics, identified multiple conductive anomalies consistent with the presence of sulfide mineralization. Additionally, historic drill programs have outlined multiple zones of high-grade lead, zinc, silver, and copper mineralization demonstrated by the presence of sphalerite and galena with bornite and chalcopyrite in copper-rich zones. The known deposit area has a strike length of at least 1,000 metres and historic drilling shows mineralization extending to over 800 metres below surface.
Anteros has now initiated inaugural 3D modeling of the various mineralized horizons within the deposit. This modeling effort will enable precise targeting of higher-grade zones and the extension of known zones, including those enriched with copper and gold. Drill testing is scheduled to commence in late spring/early summer of 2025, and will become part of an inaugural mineral resource estimate.
HISTORIC DRILLING HIGHLIGHTS
Length-weighted intercepts from historical drill holes completed at Havens Steady appear in Table 1.
Table 1: Length-weighted intercepts from historical drilling at Havens Steady
Drill Hole
From (m)
To (m)
Int. (m)
Cu %
Pb %
Zn %
Ag g/t
Au g/t
ZnEq*
HS-87A-86
33.10
73.60
40.50
0.01
0.68
0.81
8.40
0.07
1.74
including
71.25
72.60
1.35
0.03
1.96
6.03
53.49
0.14
9.53
HS-87-2
9.20
68.90
59.70
0.11
0.17
0.66
8.30
0.23
2.05
including
67.30
67.60
0.30
0.04
0.70
16.30
47.8
0.07
18.67
HS-87-2
103.35
107.10
3.75
0.06
0.72
3.91
n/a
0.12
4.89
HS-88-01
170.00
218.60
48.60
0.01
0.19
0.50
3.70
0.07
0.97
including
170.00
172.00
2.00
0.03
0.35
3.58
19.8
0.07
4.76
HS-88-02
62.50
64.60
2.10
0.27
1.28
4.45
30.81
0.37
8.19
HS-88-03
182.00
250.00
68.00
0.09
0.55
1.45
11.80
0.20
3.04
including
182.40
185.00
2.60
0.91
1.32
6.44
45.68
1.99
17.35
including
191.00
192.00
1.00
0.30
3.56
5.98
32.50
0.55
11.79
including
199.70
201.00
1.30
0.20
3.56
4.52
37.80
0.27
9.39
HS-88-05
286.00
287.00
1.00
0.22
4.48
16.80
21.00
0.21
21.57
HS-88-05
298.00
395.70
97.70
0.04
0.33
1.57
9.20
0.09
2.47
including
298.00
302.00
4.00
0.30
0.74
3.62
21.38
0.14
6.17
HS-88-05
317.00
322.00
5.00
0.09
0.41
2.43
14.40
0.19
3.99
HS-88-05
332.60
337.50
4.90
0.05
0.88
3.64
22.96
0.07
5.31
HS-88-05
345.40
349.40
4.00
0.01
0.49
2.97
15.00
0.07
4.01
HS-88-05
374.60
378.60
4.00
0.01
0.76
4.11
11.90
0.07
5.21
HS-88-06
108.50
109.50
1.00
0.66
0.23
6.52
28.00
0.55
11.30
HS-88-06
130.00
134.00
4.00
0.03
0.67
2.23
5.53
0.07
3.12
HS-88-07
410.40
413.90
3.50
0.14
2.72
9.89
28.43
0.54
14.49
HS-88-07
457.85
460.70
2.85
0.18
1.08
7.13
33.71
0.16
9.97
HS-88-07
476.70
516.70
40.00
0.01
0.26
1.07
7.60
0.08
1.75
including
484.70
487.70
3.00
0.01
0.44
2.72
9.67
0.07
3.55
HS-88-07
504.60
511.70
7.10
0.02
0.58
2.47
16.90
0.11
3.77
HS90-11
573.70
575.20
1.50
0.01
0.84
3.71
15.75
0.01
4.82
HS09-17
68.00
89.90
21.90
0.01
0.28
1.00
6.70
0.03
1.51
including
69.00
73.70
4.70
0.01
0.61
1.69
12.89
0.04
2.64
HS09-18
32.25
34.25
2.00
0.02
0.42
2.11
9.02
0.03
2.82
HS09-18
66.30
68.30
2.00
0.10
0.21
2.26
12.65
0.11
3.45
HS09-18
88.31
88.81
0.50
1.19
1.57
9.70
67.50
2.72
24.46
HS09-18
92.30
100.14
7.84
0.86
1.68
3.64
26.22
0.86
10.78
including
97.42
100.14
2.72
2.10
3.60
6.17
56.42
1.82
22.25
HS09-18
126.50
135.50
9.00
0.44
0.89
3.92
31.46
0.21
7.55
HS09-18
153.90
165.20
11.30
0.08
0.62
2.18
19.06
0.08
3.69
including
158.30
161.30
3.00
0.02
1.07
3.93
24.80
0.05
5.63
HS09-20
92.56
103.10
10.54
0.03
0.47
1.23
16.89
0.07
2.38
including
98.06
99.75
1.69
0.14
1.82
4.01
90.39
0.22
9.25
HS09-20
116.30
125.55
9.25
0.11
0.63
1.76
25.25
0.04
3.47
including
123.05
124.55
1.50
0.16
0.89
3.29
42.83
0.07
6.00
HS09-21
98.38
99.87
1.49
1.26
1.98
5.71
87.61
1.99
19.58
HS09-21
133.77
159.15
25.38
0.10
0.52
1.78
13.74
0.09
3.14
including
142.61
146.61
4.00
0.09
1.54
3.24
27.90
0.20
5.98
*Zinc Equivalent (‘ZnEq’) calculated using US$4.25/lb Cu, $0.8/lb Pb, $1.3/lb Zn, $30/oz Ag, and $2500/oz Au, and assumes 100% recovery
QUALIFIED PERSON
Jesse Halle, P. Geo., an independent Qualified Person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed the technical material contained in this news release and approves the content of the News Release.
ABOUT Anteros Metals Inc.
Anteros is a multimineral junior mining company using data science to target and acquire highly prospective deposits for exploration and development throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. The Company is currently focused on advancing four key projects across diverse commodities and development horizons. Immediate plans for their flagship Knob Lake Property include bringing the historical Fe-Mn Mineral Resource Estimate into current status as well as commencing baseline environmental and feasibility studies.
Director Email: chris@anterosmetals.com | Phone: +1-709-725-6520
Web: www.anterosmetals.com/contact
16 Forest Road, Suite 200 St. John’s, NL, Canada A1X 2B9
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release may contain ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements herein include but are not limited to statements relating to the prospects for development of the Company’s mineral properties, and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market and economic risks, uncertainties and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/240423
The BC government plans to fast track 18 resource projects to reduce the province’s dependence on US trade.
According to the CBC, the mining and energy projects are worth around C$20 billion combined, and are expected to move through the approval process at an accelerated pace amid ongoing trade tensions with the US.
The government has identified resource-dependent communities as the primary beneficiaries, as they are most vulnerable to potential trade disruptions. The projects are expected to employ 8,000 people.
‘We have a huge advantage in British Columbia here with our geographic positioning,’ Premier David Eby said in an email to the CBC. ‘We know that we have what the world needs, and we’re going to use that to our advantage.’
The properties include the Eskay Creek gold-silver project, a historic mine restart in Northwest BC, the expansion of the Red Chris gold-copper mine in the same region and the Highland Valley copper mine extension in Logan Lake.
Other projects cited are the Mount Milligan gold-copper mine near Fort St. James, the Cedar natural gas export facility in Kitimat and the NEBC Connector, a pipeline project transporting natural gas liquids from Northeast BC to Alberta.
BC Energy Minister Adrian Dix confirmed that the government will prioritize permitting and environmental assessments for these projects, though he emphasized that existing regulatory standards will be maintained.
‘It’s critically important that we move through these stages of the process, not to take away from standards, but to ensure that these projects happen in the fastest possible way,’ he said.
US export hub
According to BC Stats, the US accounted for 54 percent of the province’s exports in 2023.
Of those exports, 67 percent were in the wood, pulp and paper, metallic mineral and energy sectors. China and Japan were the next largest markets, representing 14 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
The BC government continues to evaluate additional projects for fast tracking, with further announcements expected in the coming weeks.
Fast tracked projects raise regulatory concerns
Some environmental groups have raised concerns about the fast-tracking decision.
The CBC quotes Jessica Clogg of West Coast Environmental Law, who suggests that economic uncertainty is being used to justify projects that may have otherwise faced greater scrutiny.
‘I do think it’s shameful that resource companies and the business sectors are taking advantage of the current economic instability to apparently put forward a list of potentially risky projects,’ she commented.
Several projects have also drawn opposition from Indigenous groups. The Eskay Creek and Red Chris mines have faced resistance from Alaskan Indigenous governments due to environmental concerns.
In BC, the Tahltan Nation has voiced dismay about the decision to fast track those projects, noting that they are both located in Tahltan territory and pointing to a lack of consultation.
“We fully acknowledge that developments in the United States have raised economic concerns in Canada and we share those concerns,” President Beverly Slater wrote in a February 7 statement.
“For the Tahltan Nation, our priority, as always, is ensuring that our Title and Rights, as well as our human rights, are fully upheld and respected. This involves properly assessing the economic, environmental, social, and cultural dimensions of any project proposed in our Territory consistent with any agreement that has been entered into by the Tahltan Nation and British Columbia pursuant to section 7 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.”
The expansion of the Highland Valley copper mine, owned by Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.A,TSX:TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) has been challenged by the Skeetchestn and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc bands in BC’s interior.
Dix stated that consultations with Indigenous communities will continue. He noted that several wind power projects are structured to be at least 50 percent Indigenous-owned.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
US President Donald Trump has once again raised the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state, this time linking the prospect to the country’s vast array of natural resources.
His remarks, made during an in-flight conversation with reporters on Air Force One, coincided with his plans to levy 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports — including from Canada and Mexico.
‘They don’t pay very much for the military, and the reason they don’t pay much is they assume that we’re going to protect them,’ Trump said. ‘That’s not an assumption they can make, because why are we protecting another country?’
He went on to suggest Canada is “not viable as a country,” hinting that integration with the US could be a solution.
Late last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking behind closed doors to business and labor leaders, was overheard acknowledging that Trump’s talk of absorbing Canada into the US is “a real thing.”
According to CBC, Trudeau’s remarks were accidentally broadcast over a loudspeaker. “Mr. Trump has it in mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country, and it is a real thing,” he said before the audio cut out.
On Friday, Trudeau said Trump’s desire to turn Canada into the 51st state is a “real thing.” Right wing trolls exploded, saying Trudeau was lying. Today, Trump was asked directly and he said … yes, it’s a real thing. When awful people show you how awful they are, believe them. https://t.co/UHcj7blI5Z
— Gil McGowan (@gilmcgowan) February 9, 2025
The Associated Press reported that Trudeau’s office has not responded to requests for comment, but Alberta Federation of Labor President Gil McGowan later confirmed the prime minister’s assessment.
McGowan, who was at the meeting, wrote on social media that Trudeau believes Trump’s real agenda is not just about fentanyl, immigration or even the trade deficit, but about dominating Canada economically — or taking it outright.
Canada-US trade war escalates
Days after Trudeau’s remarks were leaked, Trump confirmed his administration will impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports, reviving a trade war that first erupted in 2018.
Back then, the Trump administration imposed similar tariffs under the justification of national security concerns, prompting Canada to retaliate with counter tariffs on US goods such as orange juice and whiskey.
The dispute ended in 2019, when an agreement was reached to monitor steel and aluminum flows, preventing so-called ‘surges’ in imports. Trump has long criticized the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and has vowed to renegotiate it.
The agreement is scheduled for a mandatory review in 2026, but Québec Premier François Legault called for immediate discussions in a recent social media post to prevent further economic uncertainty.
This is the next four years. Shifting goalposts and constant chaos, putting our economy at risk.
I’m asking the people for a strong, stable, four-year mandate that outlasts the Trump administration to do whatever it takes, to always be ready to protect Ontario. https://t.co/9lht8GlSHd
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) February 9, 2025
Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed those concerns, calling Trump’s trade policies a destabilizing force.
‘This is the next four years — shifting goalposts and constant chaos, putting our economy at risk,’ Ford said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday (February 9).
‘Fentanyl crisis’ at the forefront of trade relations
Trump’s latest tariffs have been tied to his broader concerns over border security, particularly the trafficking of fentanyl and illegal immigration, issues that he raised on the campaign trail.
Earlier this month, he threatened to impose sweeping 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports starting February 1 unless both countries took stronger measures to secure their borders. After negotiations with Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the White House agreed to delay the tariffs for 30 days.
Canada has since announced a US$1.3 billion border security initiative, which includes increased patrols, aerial surveillance and the appointment of a new “fentanyl czar” to coordinate efforts with US officials.
Despite the extension, Trudeau has made it clear that Canada won’t accept blame for America’s fentanyl crisis.
“We need to be very deliberate about how we continue to engage closely with the United States to make the case that Canada is responsible for a tiny part of the North American fentanyl problem, but that we are also bitterly touched by this tragedy,” the prime minister said in public remarks on February 7.
Canada’s resource wealth in the spotlight
Trump’s remarks about Canada’s economic dependence on the US come at a time when the country is making moves to accelerate its critical minerals industry and solidify its spot in the supply chain.
Last week, the BC government shared plans to fast track 18 mining and energy projects worth about US$20 billion.
“They’re being held up in some kind of administrative or regulatory or government process,” BC Premier David Eby said of the assets, which include the Eskay Creek gold-silver project in Northwest BC. “We can expedite that, get those shovels in the ground. And with particular attention to more rural and remote communities.”
The Mining Association of BC welcomed the announcement, pointing out that Canada’s resource sector will play a crucial role in global supply chains; however, other entities have expressed concerns about deregulation.
The province has 17 additional critical mineral projects in the pipeline, with several expected to enter permitting processes this year.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
It’s only three weeks into a fragile ceasefire, and Israel and Hamas are eachratcheting up allegations that the other party has violated the deal.
So far, 16 out of 33 hostages scheduled for release in the current phase of the agreement have been freed by Hamas, and 656 Palestinian prisoners from a list of nearly 2,000 have been released by Israel. But the weekly exchanges may now be disrupted after Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement and said it would postpone Saturday’s hostage release “until further notice.”
Israel has hit back, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying late Tuesday that the Gaza ceasefire will end if Hamas does not release hostages as planned on Saturday.
“If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is completely defeated,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
US President Donald Trump, whose envoy helped mediate the agreement along with officials from Egypt and Qatar, has suggested dismissing the multi-staged approach of the deal altogether and giving Hamas an ultimatum to release all the hostages at once.
Here’s what each side is saying, and where the deal could go from here:
Hamas says Israel violated the deal
On Monday, Hamas threatened to postpone the next hostage release, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire deal by targeting Palestinians with gunfire in various parts of Gaza, delaying the return of displaced people to the heavily bombarded north, and not allowing the agreed humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.
The militant group also accused Israel of delaying the entry of essential medicines and hospital supplies, as well as not allowing tents, prefabricated houses, fuel, or rubble-removing machines into Gaza.
On Tuesday, the Gaza health ministry said that 92 people in the enclave had been killed in Israeli military operations since the ceasefire came into effect.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, said in a social media post on Monday: “We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.”
In a later statement, Hamas added that there was still an opportunity for the release to go forward as planned, saying that Israel has sufficient time “to fulfill its obligations.”
Israel says delay is ‘complete violation’ of deal
Hamas’ postponement is a “complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with his political and security cabinet on Tuesday, where they expected next steps.
Katz said he instructed the military to “prepare at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza.” The Israeli military also said it was raising the level of readiness in southern Israel and that it would reinforce the area to enhance its “readiness for various scenarios.”
Those announcements also come after Israeli forces opened fire on Sunday in the eastern areas of Gaza City, close to the Gaza border, killing three Palestinians, Palestinian authorities said. The incident happened close to the border fence near Nahal Oz, an Israeli kibbutz, or agricultural commune. Following that incident, Katz said: “Anyone who enters the buffer zone, their blood is on their own head – zero tolerance for anyone who threatens IDF (Israel Defense Forces) forces or the fence area and communities.”
What did Trump say?
President Trump has urged Israel to “let all hell break out” and cancel the ceasefire and hostages deal if Hamas does not return those still being held in Gaza by Saturday.
“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock – I think it’s an appropriate time – I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday,
Trump added that all hostages ought to be returned, not two or three “in drips and drabs,” which is the phased manner of releases outlined in the deal.
Pressed on what “all hell” might entail in Gaza, Trump said, “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out – Hamas will find out what I mean.”
Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are part of the team that helped broker the ceasefire, which was finalized with cooperation between the Biden and Trump camps just before the new administration took office.
The US president went on to say that Palestinians would not have a right to return to Gaza under his plan to take US ownership of the enclave and rebuild it.
Trump also told reporters on Monday: “I think a lot of the hostages are dead.” At least 34 of the hostages are dead, according to Israel, though the true number is expected to be higher.
How likely is the ceasefire to hold?
In short, no one knows.
It took about a year of negotiations to reach the current deal. The first ceasefire, in November 2023, lasted about a week.
The current agreement is set up to progress in three distinct phases, the first of which is already halfway through.
As well as the release of 16 hostages so far, phase one has seen the entry of more humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of Gaza. The Israeli military has retained its presence along Gaza’s borders with Egypt and Israel.
Israel has to date released around a third of the nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners agreed for the exchange, some of them held without charge, and others facing life sentences.
Following Israel’s withdrawal from a key militarized zone dividing Gaza, Palestinians began returning to what’s left of their homes in theheavily bombarded north. The “overwhelming destruction of homes and communities in the north” has left people without viable shelter, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which has said “the need for food, water, tents and shelter materials in that area remains critical.”
Meanwhile, negotiations for the second and third phases have barely started.
Netanyahu waited until last weekend – one week after a deadline for further ceasefire talks – to send his delegation to Qatar. Israeli media has speculated that he is simply running out the clock until phase one of the deal expires on March 1.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key member of Netanyahu’s coalition, has threatened to quit the government if Israel doesn’t return to war after the first phase of the truce.
Plastic tubes meander from Rosella’s nose to a nearby oxygen tank that’s bigger than she is, as she flicks through a book of her drawings: a flower, a house, a chicken.
The 9-year-old needs non-stop medical attention for the bone condition she was born with that has left her ribs pushing dangerously on her lungs, one of which is not working as it should.
Rosella and her mother are refugees living in one of nine remote camps dotted along Thailand’s mountainous border with Myanmar.
About 100,000 people live in the camps, having fled decades of fighting between the Myanmar military and ethnic minority rebel groups. The situation at the border has worsened in recent years by the junta’s coup and ensuing civil war.
Mae La is the biggest camp and its US-funded hospital is the only source of health care for more than 37,000 people living there – mostly from the ethnic Karen minority.
When the Trump administration ordered a 90-day freeze on almost all international aid, halting the US’ entire global development network overnight, the camp hospital was forced to shut its doors, sending shock waves through the refugee community.
Video posted by refugees on social media showed patients at the center being lifted from their hospital beds and carried out in hammocks covered in blankets.
Rosella was moved to a nearby improvised health center, along with other patients with chronic conditions. But there are no longer any doctors to treat her.
Numerous aid workers in northern Thailand described widespread panic and confusion following the sudden suspension of aid, especially among those whose work provides life-saving services to some of the world’s most vulnerable and impoverished people on both sides of the border.
“We have never faced a problem like this before,” said Saw Bweh Say, secretary of the Karen Refugee Committee, which represents refugees in the Thai camps.
Anxiety over medicine and food
Refugees in the Thai border camps live a fragile and isolated existence.
They cannot legally work and need a permit to even leave the camp. The Thai government considers the camps temporary settlements, but some communities have been there for generations.
Basic services such as health care, education, sanitation, water and food are provided by international aid donors. In Mae La, and six other camps, those funds come almost entirely from the US – the world’s largest aid donor – through the International Rescue Committee.
Though the camp hospitals are more akin to field clinics, with tin roofs and intermittent power, they are the only source of health care for tens of thousands of people.
“If it’s an emergency, how can we face the situation? That burdens a lot of people here,” said Ni Ni, 62, who has heart failure and kidney disease.
For some, it’s already too late. In nearby Umpiem camp, an elderly lady with breathing problems died after she could not access supplemental oxygen due to the hospital closure, an IRC spokesperson said.
Obtained by CNN
An IRC spokesperson said they had to start shutting outpatient departments and other facilities in the camps following the stop-work order. Management of the medical facilities, equipment and water system has been transferred to Thai authorities and camp commanders, though the IRC continues to source medicine and fuel using non-US funds.
Teams of refugee medics, midwives and nurses are working round-the-clock helping to plug the gaps, while families scramble for alternative treatment for their loved ones.
“Karen families donated medicine and oxygen tanks, but that’s not enough,” said Pim Kerdsawang, an independent NGO worker in the border city of Mae Sot.
Compounding their concerns is the cost of food. Feeding more than 100,000 refugees across all nine camps for one month costs $1.3 million dollars, and the organization that provides the food and cooking fuel says it has only enough money to last for a month and a half.
Refugees use a food card system to buy items in the camp shops, which is paid for by The Border Consortium. The food and cooking fuel are funded by State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), the group said.
“The main concern is not having the means to provide the refugees with food and cooking fuel. So far, there is no alternative to the US grant,” said Leon de Riedmatten, executive director ofThe Border Consortium.
The organization has started prioritizing the most vulnerable refugees who have no income of their own, Riedmatten said, as the aid freeze and continuous arrival of new refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar drains the funds.
Thai hospitals bear the brunt
When Tawatchai Yingtaweesak heard the camp hospitals had shut, his team raced to see how they could help.
Tawatchai is director of the Tha Song Yang hospital, about a 30-minute drive from sprawling Mae La.
With no doctors on duty in the camps, his hospital and several others have stepped in to treat refugees with serious and emergency conditions.
Tawatchai said suddenly closing the US-funded hospital was “dangerous” and, since the aid freeze, his facility has taken in between 20 and 30 refugee patients.
He is working with camp medics and helping to deliver oxygen, among other supplies, but says this can only be a temporary fix. His hospital serves about 100,000 people and while they can cope, he worries that this year’s rainy season will overwhelm them.
Typically starting around June, the monsoon is “high season for disease,” Tawatchai said, with a surge in mosquito-borne diseases and children with pneumonia.
Naw Mary, 32, was rushed to the maternity ward at Tha Song Yang on Sunday, suffering from high blood pressure. Far from her family and home at the camp, she was about to give birth to her first child.
“They said it was risky to deliver a child in the camp without a doctor and facilities so they referred me to this hospital,” Naw Mary said.
Nervous and excited to bring her baby into the world, Naw Mary also said she’s concerned about follow-up care for her newborn and herself.
“Why did they have to stop helping the refugees?” she asked.
‘Those who are really in need’
The pain created by the US aid freeze goes beyond the refugee camps.
They include cuts to vaccine, education and resettlement programs, domestic violence shelters, anti-human-trafficking initiatives, safe houses for dissidents, and help for displaced people.
For more than 30 years, the Mae Tao clinic near Mae Sot has been a lifeline for vulnerable and impoverished migrants from Myanmar. The clinic handles almost 500 patients a day, and 20% of its funding comes from the US.
Now that funding has been put on hold, the clinic has to reallocate part of its budget so their health care services are not impacted.
“This fund we only use for vulnerable people and those who are really in need,” said Saw Than Lwin, deputy director of organization and development at Mae Tao.
Nearby the clinic, aid workers with the Burma Children Medical Fund load boxes of supplies containing food, infant formula baby milk powder, medicine, and eye screening kits, into a van.
It’s headed across the Moei River, a border between Thailand and Myanmar, to help thousands of people just kilometers away displaced by Myanmar military airstrikes and ground attacks.
The needs in Myanmar are huge, aid workers say, where millions of people struggle with hunger, trauma and the constant threat of attacks.
“The places that we’re working in are the remotest areas in all of Burma, very hard to reach communities without other alternatives to medical assistance,” said Salai Za Uk Ling, founder of the Chin Human Rights Organization.
About 30% of CHRO’s funding comes from the USAID and the group, which provides medical and mental health care to tens of thousands of people in Myanmar’s northwest, has had to cut vital services and lay off staff in the past three weeks.
“Rural communities, people who are living in displaced situation, don’t know a whole lot about international politics, all they care about is their daily survival,” Za Uk said.
“How do we even begin to explain to them why this is happening?”
In Myanmar’s Kayah state, also known as Karenni, the aid suspension has meant teachers’ salaries cannot be paid, leaving kids without education, said Banya Khung Aung, founder and director of the Karenni Human Rights Group.
If they had more notice, groups like his could have sourced alternative funding, he said.
Waivers not being processed
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed the US is continuing to provide lifesaving humanitarian aid. Rubio, now the acting administrator of USAID, reiterated last week that he had issued a blanket waiver for lifesaving programs.
“If it’s providing food or medicine or anything that is saving lives and is immediate and urgent, you’re not included in the freeze. I don’t know how much more clear we can be than that,” Rubio said, questioning the competency of organizations that haven’t applied for a waiver.
Even if funds are made available after the 90-day freeze, “who would then communicate to us or be knowledgeable enough to process what is left of the system?” asked Za Uk from CHRO.
“By time that any funding reaches us, unfortunately for those suffering from serious medical condition might be lost.”
In his January 20 executive order, President Donald Trump said the “US foreign aid industry” serves to “destabilize world peace” and is “in many cases antithetical to American values.”
But those affected in northern Thailand are some of the world’s most vulnerable people who rely on US aid to survive.
In Mae La camp, Rosella can’t stray far from her oxygen tank. She needs one tank every two days, her mother said.
Complicating their family’s situation is that Rebecca is five months pregnant. She used to get her ultrasounds and prenatal care at the hospital, but that has all stopped as well.
“I don’t know what to do. There are no doctors to go and see right now for this pregnancy,” she said.
“I’m worried for my daughter and this pregnancy, worried for everyone.”
A couple who bought a London mansion for £32,500,000 ($40,200,000)have been told by a court that they can hand the property back and recoup most of their costs after the house was found to have a huge moth infestation.
Situated on one of the quiet leafy streets just outside Notting Hill, Horbury Villa seemed like the perfect northwest London home. But behind its grand Victorian façade, a colony of moths living in the insulation wreaked havoc across the house, which contains a pool, spa, gym, cinema and wine room.
Iya Patarkatsishvili, the daughter of a Georgian billionaire, and her husband Yevhen Hunyak bought the house in May 2019 from William Woodward-Fisher, a surveyor and residential real estate developer, according to the judgment published Monday.
However, the couple said that once they moved in they found moths on their toothbrushes, towels and wine glasses. The insects also caused damage to their clothes, some of which were thrown away.
At one point, Hunyak said he would kill between 10 and 35 moths every day, while his family and cleaners did the same.
A judge has found in the couple’s favor, ruling that Woodward-Fisher made “fraudulent misrepresentations” and “concealed a serious clothes moth infestation of the insulation in the house” before the sale, according to a press summary of the judgment, published Monday.
Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that Woodward-Fisher had falsely answered three queries before selling the house, including by saying that he didn’t know of any vermin infestation or of any hidden defect in the property.
According to the judgment, Woodward-Fisher’s wife had noticed a problem with clothes moths (Tineola Bisselliella) in early 2018 after new insulation was installed as part of major building works. The help of extermination specialists was enlisted to deal with the problem. She then forwarded some of these emails about the infestation to her husband Woodward-Fisher, the judgment said.
Fancourt noted in his judgment that he didn’t think Woodward-Fisher was “consciously trying to deceive the Claimants. He simply wanted to sell the house and move on.”
As well as granting Patarkatsishvili and Hunyak most of their money back, minus an amount to take into account the period they lived there, Fancourt also awarded them “substantial damages” and all the costs they incurred trying to get rid of the moths.
Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge that he defrauded donors who gave money to a private campaign to build a wall along the U.S. southern border.
Bannon was sentenced to three years conditional discharge but will avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement.
When reporters asked Bannon how he felt as he left the courtroom, he responded: ‘Like a million bucks.’
Bannon’s lawyer told reporters outside the court that there was no way his client could get a fair trial.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.