Female Republicans in Congress are fighting to change the decadeslong narrative that paints Democrats as the party of women, hoping it transcends to significant gains in future elections.
‘We’ve got to get back to our roots of being the party of women,’ Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. ‘I don’t know why we ever allowed the Democrats to hijack the narrative and claim to be the party of women. That’s bull.’
Other GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital about this story noted that cost of living, a cornerstone issue for Republicans in the last election, was as much a women’s issue as anyone else’s.
Republicans have also passed several bills since winning that election that have put women at the focus of conservative policy changes on transgender youth and border security.
‘You should not let the Democrat Party tell you they’re the party of women if they can’t even define what a woman is. So we are going to continue to be strong advocates for young women and girls, whether that’s in professional spaces, in bathrooms or in sports,’ said Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, referencing a recently passed bill keeping biological male student athletes out of girls’ sports teams and locker rooms.
Hinson said she is ‘a working mom fighting for other working moms.’
‘Women are oftentimes the most important decision makers in a household, for example. So, when I’m thinking about economic indicators, how are we going to get more women in the workforce? How can we empower more women and families? How can we support more women in sports?’ Hinson posed.
Historically, Malliotakis pointed out, it was Republicans who led passage of the 19th Amendment that secured women the right to vote. She also pointed out that it was under President Donald Trump that a museum dedicated to women’s history was authorized.
‘President Trump authorized in 2020 the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum. And Joe Biden did nothing with it for four years,’ Malliotakis said. ‘ ‘I’ve been pushing a land transfer for the Smithsonian women’s museum to be built, and I think it makes total sense that we would be the party that would do this, considering our history.’
As a voting bloc, women have favored Democrats and the left in recent history.
Democrats have also blamed Republicans for the conservative-leaning Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, a move that did appear to translate to electoral success in the 2022 midterms.
Progressives were also historically the biggest supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment, legislation that was pushed primarily during the second-wave feminist movement.
However, Republican women like Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., are now arguing that bills like hers, which would deport illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes against women and other Americans, are what it takes to protect women.
‘MAGA is the new feminist,’ Mace wrote on X this month.
Additionally, Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., one of the few Republican women in the 119th Congress’ freshmen class, pointed out that her own story was a testament to GOP meritocracy.
‘I was the largest vote-getter in my whole state out of anybody, as a woman, as the first congresswoman in our state. So I think more than anything else, people want folks who are primed for the job, who are competent and ready,’ Fedorchak said.
‘The cost of everything, making ends meet, helping women manage their multiple roles, getting government out of their lives, helping reinforce the role of parents…these are things that are women’s issues.’
Sen. Mike Lee is continuing to call for the abolition of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
‘Tired of being groped every time you travel? Abolish TSA,’ the senator said in a recent post on X.
‘Make Airport Security Free Of Sexual Assault Again,’ Lee said in another tweet, adding, ‘Abolish TSA.’
In another post, he suggested that President Donald Trump should eliminate the TSA.
Lee suggests that instead of TSA, airlines could handle passenger screening.
‘You may be required to undergo a pat-down procedure if the screening technology alarms, as part of unpredictable security measures, for enhanced screening, or as an alternative to other types of screening, such as advanced imaging technology screening,’ according to the TSA website. ‘A pat-down may include inspection of the head, neck, arms, torso, legs, and feet. This includes head coverings and sensitive areas such as breasts, groin, and the buttocks.’
The agency was established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
‘The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA,’ according to the TSA’s website.
Lee advocated the idea of nixing TSA last year as well.
‘It’s time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn’t do it for them. They’ll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers,’ the senator declared in a post last year on March 11.
Days later, Lee indicated that he had been subjected to a TSA pat down.
‘Update: days after calling to abolish TSA, I got ‘randomly selected’ for the needlessly slow, thorough TSA screening & patdown. Maybe it’s a coincidence. Or not. Impossible to know. That’s part of the problem with having a federal agency in charge of airport security,’ he tweeted on March 14, 2024.
In December, the senator shared a video of a man being subjected to a pat down.
‘It’s unsettling knowing that the TSA does this countless times every day, constantly conducting needlessly invasive, warrantless, suspicion-less searches of law-abiding Americans,’ Lee wrote when sharing the video. ‘Please share if you’d like to abolish TSA,’ he added.
“It doesn’t do any good for your heart, for your mind, for anything,” said Holocaust survivor Jona Laks, 94, about her return to Nazi Germany’s Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
“But it’s necessary,” she said. “It’s necessary for the world to know.”
Monday marks Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp complex, where Laks spent more than a year when she was only about 12 years old.
She and her twin sister, Miriam, experienced horrors in the inhumane medical experiments of SS physician Josef Mengele. Laks was initially lined up to be murdered in gas chambers, but her older sister saved her by shouting that the twins should not be separated.
“As time passes over, things are being forgotten,” Laks said, noting that few are left from her generation to speak out. “The world hasn’t learned its lessons from what happened, from what was done.”
Approximately 1.1 million people were murdered at the concentration camp from 1940 to 1945, many of them Jews but also other victims of the Third Reich including Poles, the Roma, and Soviet prisoners of war.
Michael Bornstein, who survived for seven months inside Auschwitz as a child, said that “nothing will be easy about returning” to the site.
World leaders are also gathered in Poland to mark the camp’s liberation, including Britain’s King Charles, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. But none will speak at the event, which instead aims to focus on the voices of survivors.
All of Auschwitz’s remainingsurvivors are invited to the commemorations and can bring one person for support.
“We are fully aware of how physically demanding and emotionally taxing attending the commemoration event at the site of the former camp can be for them,” the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum said in a statement.
One of the symbols of the 80th anniversary is a freight train car, which will be placed directly in front of the main gate. The train car is dedicated to the memory of the approximately 420,000 Hungarian Jews who were deported to Auschwitz.
The United Nations declared January 27 as the International Holocaust Memorial Day in 2005. Observed annually, it marks the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945 and remembers the six million Jews who lost their lives under theNazis.
Germany’s Scholz said in a Monday statement: “Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, neighbors, grandparents: more than one million individuals with dreams and hopes were murdered in Auschwitz by Germans. We mourn their deaths. And express our deepest sympathy. We‘ll never forget them. Not today, not tomorrow.”
The museum says the event at Auschwitz offers the chance for shared commemoration and global reflection.
It comes at a time of mounting antisemitism in Europe, fueled by conflict in the Middle East which saw Israel launch a war on Gaza in response to terror attacks carried out by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
There has been an increase in antisemitic incidents in Europe since October 2023, with some Jewish community organizations reporting an increase of more than 400%, according to a survey from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), published in June.
Of those surveyed by the FRA, 76% say they hide their Jewish identity at least occasionally and 34% avoid Jewish events or sites due to feeling unsafe.
“Europe is witnessing a wave of antisemitism, partly driven by the conflict in the Middle East. This severely limits Jewish people’s ability to live in safety and with dignity,” FRA Director Sirpa Rautio said.
Events in the Middle East have also prompted a surge in Islamophobic incidents across Europe, including arson, verbal and physical abuse and the targeting of mosques.
NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
VANCOUVER, BC TheNewswire – January 27, 2025 Heritage Mining Ltd. (CSE: HML FRA:Y66) (‘ Heritage ‘ or the ‘ Company ‘) is pleased to announce it has exercised as received its drilling permits in respect to its Zone 3 Extension application (Figure 2) within its flagship Drayton Black Lake project (‘ DBL ‘) (Figure 1). The Company is also pleased to announce it has entered into an additional drill program contract, a labour contract and a Dozer D5 lease to support exploration activities at DBL. The Company’s drilling team is mobilizing as of January 26, 2025 with drilling set to commence February 10 th 2025.
Highlights:
Zone 3 Extension – +10km permit approval for Diamond Drilling (Figure 2)
Labour Contract – 2025 Diamond Drill Program Minimum 4,000m and D5 Dozer Lease
Diamond Drill Mobilization Date January 26, 2025, Drill Start Date February 10, 2025
Click Image To View Full Size
‘We are thrilled to have received our diamond drill exploration permit, we now are fully permitted for the Zone-3 Extension. This area was recently staked in relation to the identification of a new mineralization system, intrusive related gold. Furthermore, securing key contracts in respects to drilling and confirming drill start date is a key update to all Stakeholders. Target areas of interest include: DBL (New Millennium, Zone 3, Zone 3 Extension and Zone 10) and Contact Bay – Rognan Mine Area). We look forward to updating the marketplace in short order on progress.’ Commented Peter Schloo, President, CEO and Director of Heritage.
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 2 – DBL – 2025 Exploration Program and Diamond Drill Permit Area
Qualified Person
Mitch Lavery P. Geo, Strategic Advisor for the Company, serves as a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed the scientific and technical information in this news release, approving the disclosure herein.
ABOUT HERITAGE MINING LTD.
The Company is a Canadian mineral exploration company advancing its two high grade gold-silver-copper projects in Northwestern Ontario. The Drayton-Black Lake and the Contact Bay projects are located near Sioux Lookout in the underexplored Eagle-Wabigoon-Manitou Greenstone Belt . Both projects benefit from a wealth of historic data, excellent site access and logistical support from the local community. The Company is well capitalized, with a tight capital structure.
For further information, please contact:
Heritage Mining Ltd.
Peter Schloo, CPA, CA, CFA
President, CEO and Director
Phone: (905) 505-0918
Email: peter@heritagemining.ca
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains certain statements that constitute forward looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events of the Company. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as ‘seek’, ‘anticipate’, ‘plan’, ‘continue’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘forecast’, ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘project’, ‘predict’, ‘potential’, ‘targeting’, ‘intend’, ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘should’, ‘believe’, ‘outlook’ and similar expressions are not statements of historical fact and may be forward looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements.
Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks include, among others, the inherent risk of the mining industry; adverse economic and market developments; the risk that the Company will not be successful in completing additional acquisitions; risks relating to the estimation of mineral resources; the possibility that the Company’s estimated burn rate may be higher than anticipated; risks of unexpected cost increases; risks of labour shortages; risks relating to exploration and development activities; risks relating to future prices of mineral resources; risks related to work site accidents, risks related to geological uncertainties and variations; risks related to government and community support of the Company’s projects; risks related to global pandemics and other risks related to the mining industry. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward‐looking information should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any forward‐looking information except as required by law.
This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities of the Company in Canada, the United States, or any other jurisdiction. Any such offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein will be made only pursuant to subscription documentation between the Company and prospective purchasers. Any such offering will be made in reliance upon exemptions from the prospectus and registration requirements under applicable securities laws, pursuant to a subscription agreement to be entered into by the Company and prospective investors.
Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.
Cygnus Metals is focused on advancing its highly prospective copper-gold and lithium projects located in prolific mining regions in Quebec, Canada, boasting a high-grade copper and gold resource of 10.8 million tons @ 3.5 percent copper equivalent, and existing infrastructure that includes a 900 ktpa processing facility. The company is strategically positioned to become Quebec’s next copper producer.
Overview
Cygnus Metals (TSXV:CYG) is a copper-gold and lithium exploration and development company, positioning itself as a near-term producer in the prolific Chibougamau region of Québec, Canada. With a clear strategic focus, Cygnus Metals is actively advancing its assets toward production, taking advantage of its brownfields high-grade copper and gold projects, existing infrastructure, and supportive jurisdiction. The company’s overarching goal is to establish itself as Quebec’s next copper producer, with a hub-and-spoke mining strategy centered around its Copper Rand mill.
Following its strategic merger with Dore Copper, Cygnus Metals has consolidated a significant land package in prolific mining regions in Quebec – Chibougamau (copper-gold) and James Bay (lithium) – boasting a high-grade copper and gold resource of 10.8 million tons (Mt) @ 3.5 percent copper equivalent, and existing infrastructure that includes a 900 ktpa processing facility.
Cygnus Metals is currently focused on advancing the Chibougamau project, which is located within an area known for its historical copper and gold production, within the world-renowned Abitibi Greenstone Belt.
The company is unique because it owns the only mill in the area. The Copper Rand mill is designed to process an average of 1,350 tonnes-per-day and will need to be refurbished. This infrastructure gives Cygnus Metals a significant competitive advantage, both in terms of reducing capital expenditure requirements and potentially generating additional revenue streams by processing ore from third-party operations.
Québec, as a mining jurisdiction, provides strong support for mineral exploration and development. It ranks highly in the Fraser Institute’s rankings of mining-friendly jurisdictions, offering political stability, favorable tax incentives, and access to well-established infrastructure, including roads, rail, and power.
Cygnus Metals is led by an experienced and highly skilled management team. Ernest Mast, the company’s president and managing director, has over three decades of experience in the mining industry, including leadership roles at companies such as Primero Mining and Minera Panama (Inmet Mining). Mast’s background in managing junior and small-cap mining companies is well-suited to Cygnus Metals’ current development phase. The broader management and technical teams bring a wealth of operational expertise, with several individuals having extensive experience in exploration, project development, and mining operations in Canada and internationally.
Company Highlights
Cygnus Metals has consolidated a significant land package within the prolific mining regions of Quebec, Canada: Chibougamau and James Bay.
The 100 percent owned Copper Rand mill will be refurbished for future production and will be the only operating mill in the Chibougamau region. The mill will have extra capacity and provides the ability to process its own ore while potentially offering toll milling services to other nearby mining projects.
Cygnus Metals is led by an experienced and highly skilled management team.
Key Project
Location of the Chibougamau Project relative to other major deposits and processing facilities
Cygnus Metals’ assets are located within two well-known mining regions in Quebec, with a long history of production. The company’s current strategy revolves around a hub-and-spoke model, with the Copper Rand mill serving as the processing hub, fed by multiple satellite deposits.
Chibougamau Copper Gold Project
Located within a historic, high-grade mining camp, the Chibougamau copper gold project spans 187 sq km and includes a 900 ktpa processing plant and existing major infrastructure. The project consists of seven exploration targets, three of which have an existing mineral resource 10.8 million tons @ 3.5 percent copper equivalent.
The Chibougamau region has a rich mining history dating back to the early 1900s. With 16 historic mines, the district has produced some 53.5 Mt @ 3.4 percent copper equivalent (1.8 percent copper and 2.1 grams per ton gold) for 945,000 of copper and 3.5 Moz of gold.
The PEA for the project anticipates a mine life of over 10 years, with the potential to produce 53 million pounds of copper equivalent annually. Metallurgical testing at Corner Bay has yielded positive results, with copper recoveries ranging from 96.8 percent to 98.2 percent, and the concentrate is of high commercial quality, making it highly attractive to smelters.
Cygnus is focused on growing the mineral resources base at the Chibougamau project and move towards a feasibility study. The resource base, which currently stands at 3.6 Mt of measured and indicated mineral resources at 3 percent copper equivalent and 7.2 Mt of inferred mineral resources at 3.8 percent copper equivalent, for a total of 10.8 Mt at 3.5 percent copper equivalent for 306 kt copper and 314 koz gold. The project includes three key assets with existing– Corner Bay, Devlin, Cedar Bay and Joe Mann – all located within 50 km of the central 900 ktpa processing facility.
The Corner Bay deposit is the cornerstone of the project, demonstrating exceptional grades and exploration potential, positioning it as one of the highest-grade copper projects in North America. The latest resource estimate, as of 2022, includes 2.7 million tonnes of indicated resources at a grade of 2.66 percent copper and 5.8 million tonnes of inferred resources at a grade of 3.44 percent copper. The deposit remains open in several directions and at depth, suggesting that further drilling could potentially expand the resource base and extend the mine life.
Newly staked ground over the highly prospective Chibougamau Pluton and surrounding anorthositic host rock
Devlin is a smaller satellite deposit located approximately 10 kilometers west of Corner Bay. The project has a measured and indicated resource of 775,000 tonnes at a grade of 2.17 percent copper, along with an inferred resource of 484,000 tonnes at a grade of 1.79 percent copper. While Devlin’s size is modest compared to Corner Bay, it plays a crucial role in Cygnus Metals’ hub-and-spoke mining strategy. Ore from Devlin will be transported to Corner Bay for pre-concentration, before being trucked to the Copper Rand mill for final processing. The company is planning to employ room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods at Devlin, with operations expected to commence shortly after Corner Bay comes online.
Cedar Bay is a past-producing mine located near the Copper Rand mill. It produced 3.9 million tons of ore at an average grade of 1.63 percent copper and 3.21 grams per ton gold during its operating life. Drilling programs have defined in the southwest zone 130,000 tons of indicated resources at a grade of 9.44 grams per ton gold and 1.55 percent copper, and 230,000 tons of inferred resources at a grade of 8.32 grams per ton gold and 2,13 percent copper.
The Joe Mann gold-copper deposit is another component of Cygnus Metals’ hub-and-spoke strategy. Located 60 km south of the Copper Rand mill, Joe Mann produced 1.2 million ounces of gold and 28 million pounds of copper over its mine life, at an average grade of 8.26 grams per ton gold and 0.25 percent copper. The current resource estimate includes 608,000 tons of inferred resources, with an average grade of 6.78 grams per ton gold and 0.24 percent copper.
Board and Management
David Southam – Executive Chairman
David Southam is highly experienced in operations, project development and capital markets across the resources and industrial sectors. He was previously the managing director of Mincor Resources. Southam is non-executive director of Ramelius Resources and non-exec chair of Andean Silver Limited.
Ernest Mast – President and Managing Director
Ernest Mast has 30 years of experience in various technical and executive roles in the mining industry, across a wide range of commodities, geographies and development stages. Mast is on the board of Scottie Resources. Mast previously held the positions of president and chief executive officer at Primero Mining, vice president of corporate development at Copper Mountain Mining, vice president of operations at New Gold and president and CEO of Minera Panama S.A., Inmet Mining Corporation’s subsidiary, developing the $6 billion Cobre Panama project. Mast began his career with Noranda and its affiliates, where he took on roles of increasing responsibility over a 20-year timeframe. Mast is a member of l’Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and has a bachelors’ and masters’ degree in metallurgical engineering from McGill University. Mast also received post-secondary business training at Henley College in the UK and at the Universidad Catolica in Chile.
Mario Stifano – Non-executive Director
Mario Stifano is a seasoned mining executive and chartered professional accountant with over 16 years of experience working with exploration, development and producing mining companies. Stifano is currently the chief executive officer of Galantas Gold. Stifano has held a number of senior executive positions including chief executive officer of Cordoba Minerals, executive chairman with Mega Precious Metals, vice president and chief financial officer with Lake Shore Gold, and vice president and chief financial officer of Ivernia. Stifano has been instrumental in raising over $700 million to explore and fund mining projects, including raising over $500 million at Lake Shore Gold, to develop three gold mines which are currently producing over 180,000 ounces of gold annually, and are now part of the Canadian assets within Pan American Silver.
Kevin Tomlinson – Non-executive Director
Kevin Tomlinson is a structural geologist and investment banker. He is the non-executive chair of Bellevue Gold and of FireFly Metals. Tomlinson has a successful track record in base and precious metals project development.
Raymond Shorrocks – Non-executive Director
Raymond Shorrocks brings a wealth of experience in corporate finance, stockbroking and financial services in Ontario. He was the previous non-executive chair of FireFly Metals and Bellevue Gold. He is the executive chair of Alicanto Minerals.
Brent Omland – Non-executive Director
Brent Omland is the co-CEO of Ocean Partners providing a range of trading services for miners, smelters and refiners globally. He is a chartered accountant and has held CFO roles for publicly listed companies in the resources industry.
When the Trump administration announced a return-to-office mandate this week, it stated Americans “deserve the highest-quality service from people who love our country.”
Federal employees like Frank Paulsen say that comment suggests they aren’t hardworking or loyal.
Paulsen, 50, is the vice president of the Local 1641 chapter of the National Federation of Federal Employees, a federal workers union. He works as a nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Spokane, Washington, and has been teleworking three days a week since 2022. His main job involves processing referrals to send patients to community health care partners, something he can do remotely.
Paulsen said he has been a federal employee for 22 years and is a disabled veteran himself. And he doesn’t think anyone he works with isn’t measuring up.
“I do not believe that I would subscribe to that belief at all,” Paulsen said. “My co-workers are very diligent about getting the work done.”
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order mandating all federal agencies order their employees back into the office full time “as soon as practicable” alongside a directive to end remote-work arrangements except as deemed necessary.
Late Wednesday, administration officials released a more detailed directive demanding the termination of all remote-work arrangements, alongside a statement that it’s a “glaring roadblock” to increasing government performance that most federal offices are “virtually abandoned.”
The GOP has long bemoaned the state of the federal bureaucracy. But the Trump administration appears to be making good on promises to overhaul it, in part supported by Elon Musk, Trump’s biggest donor, who is now serving as a semiofficial adviser.
“This is about fairness: it’s not fair that most people have to come to work to build products or provide services while Federal Government employees get to stay home,” Musk wrote on X following the order’s signing.
Though it represents just a sliver of the nation’s overall workforce, the U.S. government is the country’s largest employer, with more than 2 million civilian employees. Some 162,000 workers alone are located in Washington, D.C., according to data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and federal workers make up over 40% of the city’s workforce.
But most federal workers, like Paulsen, actually work in other parts of the country: Only 7.56% of federal employees work in D.C.
Yet whatever their location, many workers like Paulsen are responding to Trump’s RTO order with concern. There are practical worries: Paulsen has questioned whether the office he works in, which the VA leases, has enough seats for everyone employed by his division. Another VA employee, who requested anonymity because she didn’t want her program targeted, echoed space concerns, especially in settings where sensitive medical information is discussed.
Paulsen said he is planning for a return to the office five days a week no matter what.
“The guidance we give our employees is basically, don’t put yourself in a position to get fired,” he said.
Morale has never been lower on one metastatic cancer research team within the VA, an employee there told NBC News. She requested her name not be used because she didn’t want her team to lose funding. Two people on her team are remote workers and the employee said she works from home two days a week, doing administrative tasks and data analysis.
Guidance was changing by the hour on Thursday, she said. With a contract that renews every three years, the employee said she was told by management at one point to start looking for new jobs, then was later alerted by a higher-up that she fell into the VA’s list of exemptions.
Lunch hour at a restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in 2021.Drew Angerer / Getty Images file
The fate of her remote colleagues and telework options remains unclear, she said. They work with veterans across the country, and the team worried for those whose treatments could be canceled without them.
“It just doesn’t feel good to go into work knowing that you don’t know if you’re going to have a job in a few months,” she said.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture employee who works in Washington, D.C., said he and his colleagues are making backup plans. They all have telework arrangements, and some work remotely — hourslong drives from the nearest federal office. He views the executive order as an attempt to force people to quit. He wanted to remain anonymous because he fears retaliation.
“The feeling is there’s an ax over our heads,” he said.
The Trump administration has said that just 6% of federal employees now work in person. But according to an August report from the Office of Management and Budget, among federal workers eligible for telework — and excluding those who are fully remote — roughly 61% of work hours are now in person.
Among agencies, the Department of Agriculture had the highest percentage of in-person work hours, at 81%; while the Environmental Protection Agency had the lowest, at about 36%.
The Biden administration had already been keeping an eye on return-to-office implementation as the Covid-19 pandemic waned, with regular reports being issued on how much telework was being used by each federal agency.
In December, an OPM survey found 75% of telework-eligible employees had participated in telework in fiscal year 2023, though that was 12 percentage points lower than in fiscal year 2022.
The report said there had been positive results from a hybrid setup.
“Agencies report notable improvements in recruitment and retention, enhanced employee performance and organizational productivity, and considerable cost savings when utilizing telework as an element of their hybrid work environments,” it said.
A GOP-sponsored House Oversight Committee report this week accused the Biden administration of exaggerating in-office attendance, citing “physical and anecdotal evidence,” while accusing it of taking a “pliant” posture toward federal union groups as they sought more generous telework arrangements.
Even as it praised Trump’s desire to improve federal workforce accountability and performance, the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan think tank focused on government effectiveness, said in a statement that the return-to-office order was an example of overreach.
‘While any move toward making the government more responsive to the public should be welcomed, it said, the actions announced in Trump’s workforce-related executive orders put that goal “farther out of reach.”
On a press call with reporters this week, Partnership CEO Max Stier saidtelework is necessary to attract more qualified employees who already tend to enjoy higher salaries in the private sector.
In a follow-up statement, Stier warned of the dramatic impact the order will have on career civil servants’ personal lives.
“The affected employees are everyday people who have to support themselves and their families, and the abrupt and rushed approach chosen here will have a traumatizing impact on not just them but their colleagues who remain in their roles serving the public, as well,” Stier said.
Social media forums frequented by government workers have also lit up, with many raising questions about how agencies were expected to comply given that many have been downsizing their office space.
Even before the pandemic ushered in widespread work-from-home policies, 2010 legislation cited telework for federal employees as a way to reduce office costs and promote resilience in emergency situations, as long as employees continued to meet performance expectations.
The Wall Street Journal reported the government was looking to sell off many of its commercial real estate holdings. NBC News could not independently confirm the report.
Unions representing federal employees have slammed the new policy, saying it would undermine the government’s effectiveness and make it harder for agencies to recruit top talent.
“Rather than undoing decades of progress in workplace policies that have benefited both employees and their employers, I encourage the Trump administration to rethink its approach and focus on what it can do to make government programs work better for the American people,” Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement.
The AFGE’s contracts with major government firms, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Education, establish procedures for telework and remote work in accordance with the 2010 law. The union said the order “doesn’t appear to violate any collective bargaining agreements,” and whether it would file a lawsuit depends on how the policy is implemented.
“If they violate our contracts, we will take appropriate action to uphold our rights,” the AFGE said in a statement.
The NFFE, Paulsen’s union, likewise said the executive orders would “impair critical services” and viewed the termination of remote work arrangements as an attempt to force employees to quit.
“I am worried about this administration violating those contracts with regard to telework,” Randy Erwin, the national president of the NFFE, told NBC News.
One sector that would stand to benefit from the mandate is local business in downtown Washington, D.C.
Gerren Price, the president of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District, which covers an area to the east of the White House, said only about half of the office space within its boundaries is occupied. Price said 27% of that office space is owned and operated by the federal government.
From coffee shops to dry cleaners, local businesses that used to cater to a nine-to-five crowd have closed, Price said.
Leona Agouridis, the president of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, which encompasses an area between the White House and Dupont Circle a mile to the north, said the neighborhood hasn’t felt as busy as it did before the pandemic.
“This will go a long way in bringing back vibrancy that we have lost over the last five years,” Agouridis said.
At the Tune Inn, a restaurant and bar that has served D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood since 1947, general manager Stephanie Hulbert is bringing back a federal worker lunch discount, which the establishment had done away with after the pandemic because no one used it. She knows this policy will change many federal workers’ lives, but hopes they can help each other out.
“I really hope that when these workers do come back, they come and support the small businesses that need it in D.C.,” Hulbert said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get the morale up to where it needs to be.”
On Christmas morning, Estonia’s power grid operators got an unwanted surprise: The Estlink 2 power cable linking them to Finland had failed.
The outage left only the Estlink 1 cable in operation, reducing the electricity flow to Estonia by almost two-thirds.
The rupture had little impact on services due to reserve capacities. However, it sparked fears energy prices would rise while the cable remains offline – potentially for months.
The following day, Finnish officials boarded and detained the Eagle S, a Cook Islands-flagged tanker they said was carrying oil from Russia to Turkey. It had passed over the cable, apparently dragging its anchor, Finnish officials said.
But it was to be the most consequential.
NATO, already tracking incidents of suspected cable-cutting, responded. Within three weeks, the alliance had put a coordinated group of warships to sea specifically to deter such suspected attacks.
Announcing the new surveillance and deterrence mission, dubbed Baltic Sentry, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had “grave concern” about a “growing threat to our critical undersea infrastructure.”
CNN
While NATO had already stepped up Baltic Sea patrols, and increased coordination with national police and border guards from the nations affected, the December 25 incident was only the latest in what the European Union described as “a series of suspected attacks on critical infrastructure.”
Russia denies any role in the damage. But Pevkur doesn’t buy it, blaming Russia’s sanctions-busting ships, a so-called “shadow fleet” of aging tankers accused of seeking to evade Western restrictions on the sale of Russian oil.
“We are taking this as it is, and we know that these vessels, when we talk about the shadow fleet, are a threat, not only from the security point of view, but first and foremost, from the environmental point of view,” Pevkur said.
It is an open skepticism already shared by many in Baltic Sentry.
The Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Sunday it had seized a ship on suspicion of carrying out sabotage, after suspected damage to a communications cable running under the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia.
Suspected Russian connections
“A lot of the ships that we found are acting strangely originate in a Russian port or (are) going to a Russian port,” said Commodore Arjen S. Warnaar, who leads Standing NATO Maritime Group One.
He said ships’ anchors had in some case been dragged “a couple of hundred miles,” adding that in terms of claims the crews had not noticed this was happening, “my guess is, no, a captain does know that” – meaning the anchor dragging was “probably intentional.”
Finnish authorities are yet to announce the findings of their investigation into the Estlink 2 failure.
Russia has denied allegations of involvement in underwater cable sabotage. The Russian Embassy in London last week said NATO was building up naval and air forces under the “fictitious pretext of the ‘Russian threat.’”
Outages’ global impact
Under the Baltic Sea, there are dozens of vulnerable internet and power cables, laid mostly unprotected on the seabed. According to Rutte, more than 95% of internet traffic globally is carried via undersea cables, with some 1.3 million kilometers of such cabling securing an estimated $10 trillion dollars of international trade daily.
Repairs can be costly, and damage can take months to fix. Although undersea networks often have built-in redundancy, a concerted attack could paralyze many nations’ communications networks, jeopardizing hospital surgeries, police responses and more.
Even small outages could deny tens of thousands access to their favorite shows and movies, and impact online shopping and home deliveries.
In a life dependent on the “Internet of Things,” a ship’s anchor dragged hundreds of miles away can ruin your day.
CNN
Only last week, according to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, the British navy was forced to escort what it described as a Russian spy ship through the narrow English Channel, “weeks after it was caught loitering over critical undersea infrastructure in UK waters.”
Just a day earlier, the UK had announced it was sending maritime aircraft to join the Baltic Sentry operation, alongside ships sent by Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
France also has a mine hunting ship in the task group, the CMT Croix du Sud.
Earlier this month, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu decried “aggressive Russian action” after a French maritime patrol aircraft was locked onto by the fire control radar of a Russian S400 air defense system and GPS signals also jammed, while patrolling international airspace as part of Baltic Sentry. GPS jamming is nothing new – for months, it has impeded civilian aircraft landings in the region.
AI helps build ‘patterns of life’
The Baltic Sentry operation is backed up by AI run out of NATO’s new Maritime Centre for the Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure in the UK.
According to Markussen, a Danish naval captain, the team is building “patterns of life” in the Baltic, watching for anomalies, like ships frequently changing direction, loitering or slowing near critical cabling. “We have this picture of the undersea infrastructure, we compare that with the picture of the surface,” he explained.
With the combined resources of warships, AI, high-tech tracking data and F-35 stealth fighter jets to call on, Markussen says reaction time to suspicious behavior will be “within a half an hour or an hour” – a far cry from the 17 hours for which one ship suspected of sabotage dragged its anchor last year.
But with the speed and muscle of this new operation comes danger, Markussen says. “It’s sensitive because it is an area where we have to balance between this moving into something that can become very ugly – and what I mean by that is warfare.”
It’s not as simple as blaming Russia, he says. “Attribution is difficult,” he explains, adding that “the proof, the smoking gun… It’s, very, very difficult.”
Pevkur, Estonia’s defense minister, whose country has deep historic reasons to fear Russia, and is weeks from disconnecting from a joint energy grid with its far larger eastern neighbor, is also cautious about attributing blame. “We have to stick to the rules and also to the legislation, because this is exactly what Putin wants to see,” he says, referring to the need to build a watertight case to avoid Russia exploiting any doubts or loopholes.
Even so, he says, “it’s not a surprise” that the cable cutting came at this time, or in such an ambiguous way. Russia, he says, has form. “They’ve been using the civil vessels all the time. So, we’ve seen that their intelligence ships are marked as civil, let’s say (for) academic purposes, or whatever. So, this is not a surprise for us.” The Kremlin has previously rejected accusations it used civilian ships for gathering intelligence.
Pevkur sees the cable cutting as an extension of the war in Ukraine, saying Putin wants Western nations “not dealing with Ukraine and (instead) dealing with our own problems.”
CNN
Sea drones survey murky depths
At sea, off his coast, the crew of the German minesweeper FGS Datteln is at the sharp end of Baltic Sentry.
Perhaps more than any of the other crews and vessels in Baltic Sentry, they’re transitioning from old-war methods of fighting to the skills of winning a hybrid war. The minesweeper has gone from combatting sea mines to detecting damage to undersea cables.
A few feet above the icy water, on an open deck at the back of the aging warcraft, a rack of red sea drones is stacked up. Each one is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long, powered by four slender thrusters, and requires three sailors to carefully maneuver it above the water before dropping it the last foot into the sea.
Tethered to the ship by thin orange cabling, wound on a hand-cranked drum, images are relayed from the murky ocean floor.
What the drone operators see below the water, long before any repair crews are called in to fix a damaged cable, could be the trigger that tips diplomacy towards the action that Markussen fears.
If irrefutable evidence of Russian malfeasance is found, NATO will have moved another step closer to confronting its adversary.
Two of President Donald Trump’s most vulnerable administration picks will get back-to-back confirmation hearings in the Senate this week.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump nominated to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom he selected to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), will have committee confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Wednesday, Kennedy will have his first hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, who will eventually vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. He will have an additional hearing on Thursday with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), but that committee will not have a vote on the nomination.
Gabbard’s hearing with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will take place Thursday morning.
The two Trump picks were some of the more controversial administration selections. Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democrats with histories of policy positions that clash with what many Republican senators believe.
At issue for lawmakers on both sides is Kennedy’s history of significant criticism of vaccines and vaccination programs. For some Republicans whose states have a large farming constituency, his positions on further regulating agriculture and food production have been cause for concern.
Gabbard’s past policy stances as they relate to national security have given bipartisan lawmakers some reason for pause, since the role she is nominated for is critical to the nation’s safety and defense.
Both of the nominees have taken steps to moderate themselves amid the confirmation process. Kennedy has pushed back on suggestions that he is ‘anti-vaccine’ and explained, ‘If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away.’
‘People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information,’ he said in an interview with NBC News. ‘So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.’
Gabbard recently made a remarkable reversal on a controversial intelligence tool used by the government. And her choice to change her position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) section 702 managed to win her the backing of a Republican senator on the intel committee that she will need to advance out of.
Recently asked whether her change of heart on section 702 had earned his vote, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said, ‘Yeah, I am, and that was a very important piece for me.’
While both nominees have gotten some necessary Republican backing in the relevant committees, not everyone has said whether they will vote to advance the selections. And even if they are voted out of the committees, they could still face an uphill battle to be confirmed by the full Senate.
House Republicans are flying down to South Florida this week for their annual issues conference, where President Donald Trump is expected to speak with lawmakers hashing out the GOP agenda for the next two years.
It’s another sign of the House GOP conference’s push for unity with Trump that the conference is being held at Trump National Doral, his golf course and resort near Miami.
‘He’s going to come and address the Republicans there, and we’re looking forward to that,’ Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed to reporters last week.
Trump has made no secret of his intent to keep a close eye on the Republican majorities in the House and Senate this year, particularly as they discuss how to use their numbers to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.
By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they’re relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are also contending with the debt ceiling being reinstated this month after it was temporarily suspended in a bipartisan deal during the Trump administration.
And coming on March 14 is the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, which Congress has extended twice since the end of the previous fiscal year on Oct. 1.
‘I think obviously everyone is ready to get to work,’ Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. ‘With President Trump’s inauguration behind us, now we’re focused on the task at hand – everything from the border to the tax package, energy and defense and national security, and our debt. What we need to do over the next two years to really fulfill the agenda that we laid out for the American people.’
Lawler said he anticipated reconciliation would be a key focus of Trump’s remarks.
With razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, Republicans can afford few dissenters if they are going to get to the finish line.
Lawler is one of several Republicans who have drawn red lines in the discussions, vowing not to vote for a reconciliation bill that does not lift state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps – limits that have put a strain on suburban districts outside major cities.
He was realistic about setting expectations for their short Florida trip but was optimistic Republicans would eventually come together.
‘I think we’re in the middle of the process and, you know, this is obviously not going to be resolved over these three days,’ Lawler said. ‘But this is, I think, an important opportunity for everyone to really sit down and spend their time going through a lot of these issues.’
Saga Metals Corp. (‘SAGA’ or the ‘Company’) (TSXV: SAGA) (OTCQB: SAGMF) (FSE: 20H) a North American exploration company focused on critical mineral discovery, is pleased to announce the final in-province preparations for the Company’s maiden drill programs at the Double Mer Uranium and Radar Ti-V projects in Labrador, Canada.
Final Preparations at Double Mer Uranium Project in Labrador, Canada:
On January 19, SAGA’s exploration team including Michael Garagan, CGO & Director of SAGA, landed in Labrador. After retrieving equipment from SAGA’s storage facility, the team was able to complete orientations and briefed Air Tunilik, Newfoundland Helicopters and other supportive members on the project plans and objectives.
On January 22, the first winter flight into the Double Mer camp was completed to confirm thickness of the lake ice to ensure Air Tunilik can land its twin otter float plane retrofitted with skis. After confirming the average thickness is 22′, well above the required 19′, the team cleared and organized the camp, preparing for the arrival of equipment and supplies.
The approved landing then allowed SAGA’s crew and Air Tunilik to complete the first Twin Otter flight into the Double Mer camp, offloading supplies and grooming the lake via snowmobile and groomer for future supply runs.
In the early part of the week ahead, SAGA will fly in the remaining camp materials including lumber, piping, generators, stoves, and other required gear. Geominex has been engaged to complete the remainder of the camp refurbishment in preparations for the maiden uranium drill program.
Final Preparations at Radar Titanium-Vanadium Project in Labrador, Canada:
In Cartwright, experienced local heavy equipment operators cleared and prepared the drillers lay down near the targeted Hawkeye zone. As fuel arrived in Goose Bay, a portion was offloaded and stored for transport into the Double Mer camp and the rest was shipped into Cartwright and stored in the Company’s permitted fuel cache.
Heading into Friday, January 24 and over the weekend, SAGA’s team commenced clearing and preparing the drill pads, conducting trail maintenance and reconnaissance over the Hawkeye zone as well as setting up the core shack.
In addition, Gladiator Drilling is due to arrive in Cartwright and will begin the maiden drill program at the Radar Ti-V project.
Michael Garagan, CGO & Director of Saga Metals Corp. discusses drilling strategy: ‘As the final touches are added to the Double Mer camp and Radar’s drill site, it’s clear the only thing more exciting than the maiden drill programs is the team’s sprit. We are fortunate to have an exceptional team and supportive service providers with SAGA this winter. The journey of hard work has led us to this moment—our maiden drill programs! We are all looking forward to getting our hands on the core and seeing the potential of what lies beneath the surface.’
Figure 1: Simeon Alexander and Air Tunilik make first landing on the lake at Double Mer Camp in Labrador
Key Maiden Drill Program Highlights:
Maiden Drill Program: Drilling will commence in Q1 2025 on both projects in Labrador with the Radar Ti-V program starting this week. Both projects are set to drill a minimum 1,500m in their respective zones.
Double Mer Uranium Drilling Location: This drill program will systematically grid and evaluate the anomalies of the Luivik zone, providing comprehensive data on its uranium potential.
Double Mer’s Luivik Zone Potential: The westernmost area of the 18km radiometric trend showcases potential for secondary fluid enrichment that can be conducive to uranium mineralization with 300m width and potentially a 1km strike containing samples up to 0.3692% U3O8 .
Double Mer’s petrographic and petrologic analysis: Indications from the recent study suggest pegmatites in the Luivik zone are genetically related to the pegmatites through the entire 18km trend.
Radar Ti-V Drilling Location: The Hawkeye zone is the most advanced zone with both surface samples and detailed geophysics creating clear drill targets .
Radar’s Hawkeye Zone Potential: Assays have returned consistent values between 2.5 – 11.1% TiO2 and 0.2 – 0.66% V2O5 , confirming the presence of high-grade titanium and vanadium across a potential 1km wide and 4km long trend.
Mineralized System Defined: Advanced geophysics and magnetic inversion interpretation clearly outlines the phases of a layered mafic intrusion and mineralization potential over 600m at depth , creating drill-ready targets.
Double Mer Uranium Project – Labrador, Canada
The Double Mer Uranium Project is Saga Metals’ flagship project, covering 1,024 claims across 25,600 hectares in eastern-central Labrador. Leveraging significant historical exploration, SAGA’s exploration team validated key data and built upon the Company’s understanding of the project’s uranium potential. More recently, SAGA confirmed the presence of uraninite and the genetic leakage between pegmatites along the 18km trend . The Double Mer project boasts surface samples showing uranium oxide (U3O8) concentrations as high as 0.428% U 3 O 8 and scintillometer readings up to 27,000 cps .
Figure 2: Map of the Double Mer Uranium Project highlight the 18km trend verified through surface sample and uranium count radiometrics
Radar Ti-V Project – Labrador, Canada
The Radar Ti-V Property is located 10km south of Cartwright in Labrador, Canada. The project spans 17,250 hectares and benefits from road access, supporting efficient exploration and development. Radar’s Hawkeye zone is the most prospective target on the property with detailed geophysics and surface samples completed to date. Results include 2.5 – 11.1% TiO2 and 0.2 – 0.66% V2O5 and are suggestive of a complex and multi-phased layered mafic intrusion that may be upwards of 1km wide, 4km long and potentially over 600m deep . Recent geophysics completed on the property show very detailed correlation to the rock samples and observed phase changes in the system.
Figure 3: Magnetic inversion of the Hawkeye zone looking east at profile cross section with > 0.02 susceptibility cut off.
About Saga Metals Corp.
Saga Metals Corp. is a North American mining company focused on the exploration and discovery of critical minerals that support the global transition to green energy. The company’s flagship asset, the Double Mer Uranium Project, is located in Labrador, Canada, covering 25,600 hectares. This project features uranium radiometrics that highlight an 18-kilometer east-west trend, with a confirmed 14-kilometer section producing samples as high as 4,281ppm U 3 O 8 and spectrometer readings of 22,000cps.
In addition to its uranium focus, SAGA owns the Legacy Lithium Property in Quebec’s Eeyou Istchee James Bay region. This project, developed in partnership with Rio Tinto, has been expanded through the acquisition of the Amirault Lithium Project. Together, these properties cover 65,849 hectares and share significant geological continuity with other major players in the area, including Rio Tinto, Winsome Resources, Azimut Exploration, and Loyal Lithium.
SAGA also holds secondary exploration assets in Labrador, where the company is focused on the discovery of titanium, vanadium, and iron ore. With a portfolio that spans key minerals crucial to the green energy transition, SAGA is strategically positioned to play an essential role in the clean energy future.
For more information, contact: Saga Metals Corp. Investor Relations Tel: +1 (778) 930-1321 Email: info@sagametals.com www.sagametals.com
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Qualified Person
Peter Webster P.Geo. CEO of Mercator Geological Services Limited is an Independent Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information related to the Double Mer Uranium and Radar Ti-V Projects disclosed in this news release.
Cautionary Disclaimer
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as ‘will’, ‘may’, ‘should’, ‘anticipates’, ‘expects’, ‘believes’, and similar expressions or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the Company’s plans and objectives in respect of the planned drill program. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, environmental risks, limitations on insurance coverage, risks and uncertainties involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and the risks detailed in the Company’s final prospectus in Manitoba and amended and restated final prospectus for British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario dated August 30, 2024, filed under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca, and in the continuous disclosure filings made by the Company with securities regulations from time to time. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
