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A trio of key Trump administration officials — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt — are in the midst of facing their first majorforeign policy test in their high-profile admin roles after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran and President Donald Trump weighs involving the U.S. in the conflict. 

The trio ascended to their roles with widespread fanfare among many MAGA conservatives, though many critics just months ago questioned if their prior careers prepared them for what was to come. The current flaring tensions with the Islamic Republic could be the final arbiter of which side was correct. 

‘President Trump leads from the front, and he has assembled a highly-qualified, world-class team that has helped him achieve numerous foreign policy accomplishments this term,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox Digital on Wednesday when asked about the trio’s test on Iran. ‘The American people trust the President to make the right decisions that keep them safe, and he has empowered his team to meet the moment and advance his foreign policy goals.’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 

Secretary Hegseth was one of Trump’s more controversial nominees among critics, as Democrat lawmakers and left-wing pundits slammed Hegseth as unqualified for the job.

‘This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to serve in combat. And not about whether or not you are qualified to be secretary of defense,’ Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in January. ‘And let me just say that the American people need a secretary of defense who’s ready to lead on day one. You are not that person.’ 

‘Is Pete Hegseth truly the best we have to offer?’ asked Democrat Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, ranking member of the committee. 

Hegseth battled against claims he would lower previous standards for the secretary of Defense and that his vows to strengthen the military could be bluster once he was in the role and juggling oversight of the entire military. 

‘As I’ve said to many of you in our private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,’ he said in his opening statement during his confirmation hearing. ‘He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That’s it. That is my job.’ 

Hegseth was confirmed to the role after Vice President JD Vance issued a tie-breaking vote when Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against the confirmation. 

Hegseth is an Ivy League graduate and former National Guard officer who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay during his military career, which began in 2003. He is also the recipient of a handful of military awards, including two Bronze Stars. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday and was pressed about the Israel–Iran conflict. 

‘They should have made a deal,’ Hegseth said. 

‘President Trump’s word means something — the world understands that,’ Hegseth said, referring to Trump’s repeated pressure on Iran to make a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program as the conflict spiraled. 

‘And at the Defense Department, our job is to stand ready and prepared with options. And that’s precisely what we’re doing,’ Hegseth continued. 

He did not reveal if the U.S. would assist Israel in the ongoing strikes on Iran, but that the Pentagon is in the midst of preparing options for Trump. 

Any potential U.S. involvement in the strikes could pull the country into war against Iran. 

‘I may do it, I may not do it,’ Trump said Wednesday on whether he would order a strike on Iran. ‘I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.’

Hegseth was among high-profile Trump officials who joined Trump in the White House’s Situation Room as the president and his team closely monitor the flaring conflict. 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard 

Director of National Intelligence Gabbard is another Trump official who faced an intense confirmation hearing as critics argued she was unqualified for the role. 

Gabbard is a former Democrat who served in the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, a former member of the House Armed Services Committee and an Iraq war veteran. However, she had never held a formal position within the intelligence community before serving as director of national intelligence. 

Ahead of her confirmation, Gabbard’s critics slammed her as lacking the qualifications for the role, questioning her judgment over a 2017 meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, labeling her as sympathetic toward Russia, and balking at her previous favorable remarks related to former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.

‘Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience and the Constitution of the United States,’ she said during her confirmation hearing. ‘Accusing me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, a guru’s puppet, Modi’s puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.’ 

She ultimately was confirmed in a 52–48 vote. 

Gabbard’s March testimony before the Senate dismissing concerns Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon is back under the nation’s microscope after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran. Israel’s strikes were in direct response to Israeli intelligence showing Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a short span of time. 

Trump was asked about Gabbard’s testimony while traveling back to Washington Monday evening from the G7 summit in Canada, and the president said he did not ‘care’ what Gabbard had to say in previous testimony, arguing he believes Iran is close to building a nuke. 

‘You’ve always said that you don’t believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon,’ a reporter asked Trump while aboard Air Force One on Monday. ‘But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?’ 

‘Very close,’ Trump responded.

‘Because Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon,’ the reporter continued. 

Trump shot back, ‘I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.’

When Gabbard appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in March, she delivered a statement on behalf of the intelligence community that included testimony that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon. 

‘Iran’s cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to U.S. networks and data,’ Gabbard told the committee on March 26. 

The intelligence community ‘continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003,’ she said. She did add that ‘Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.’

‘Iran will likely continue efforts to counter Israel and press for U.S. military withdrawal from the region by aiding, arming and helping to reconstitute its loose consortium of like-minded terrorist actors, which it refers to as its axis of resistance,’ she warned. 

However, as critics picked apart Gabbard’s past comments, the White House stressed that Gabbard and Trump are closely aligned on Iran. 

A White House official told Fox News Digital Tuesday afternoon that Trump and Gabbard are closely aligned and that the distinction being raised between Gabbard’s March testimony and Trump’s remarks that Iran is ‘very close’ to getting a nuclear weapon is one without a difference. 

The official noted that Gabbard underscored in her March testimony that Iran had the resources to potentially build a nuclear weapon. Her testimony in March reflected intelligence she received that Iran was not building a weapon at the time but that the country could do so based on the resources it amassed for such an endeavor. 

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt 

Leavitt is the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, assuming the role at age 27. 

Some liberal critics, such as Joy Behar of ‘The View,’ attempted to discount her appointment when she was first tapped by Trump, and she has since emerged as a Trump administration firebrand during her routine White House press briefings. 

Though Leavitt has overwhelmingly been praised by supporters of the president for her defense of the administration and repeated fiery exchanges with left-wing media outlets during briefings, her tenure has overwhelmingly focused on domestic issues. 

Leavitt has kept the nation updated on issues such as mass deportation efforts, Trump’s ongoing list of executive orders affecting policies from transgender issues to electric vehicles, national tragedies such as the terror attack in Boulder targeting Jewish Americans and Trump’s wide-ranging tariff policy that affects foreign nations. 

Though the administration entered office with a war raging between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ongoing war in Israel after Hamas attacked the country in 2023, the Israel–Iran conflict provides Leavitt with her first major international crisis that could include U.S. involvement. 

Leavitt’s highly anticipated first press briefing since Israel launched its preemptive strikes is scheduled for Thursday. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A Nigerian university is facing backlash after a viral video appeared to show young women who were queuing for exams being checked for whether they were wearing bras before being allowed in.

In the video, one female student appeared to be removed from the queue after one of the women touched her.

Student union leader Muizz Olanrewaju Olatunji said in a post on X Tuesday that the check for bras “is not a new policy” in the school, which he stated, “promotes a dress code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution’s values.”

Olatunji shared parts of what he said were the school’s policies, which described indecent dressing as that which shows sensitive body parts “such as breasts, buttocks, nipples and belly-buttons,” including “any dressing that is capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner.”

A ‘draconian’ policy

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong described the OOU’s bra policy as “draconian” and “arbitrary,” and one that “might amount to some form of sexual harassment.”

“There could be medical explanations for why certain students may not feel comfortable wearing a bra at a particular time,” he said, adding that enforcing the policy “without exceptions, or without taking peculiarities into consideration is arbitrary,” and could lead to legal actions.

Student leader Olatunji said in another post on X Tuesday that talks were ongoing with OOU’s administration “to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com

It’s a big decision, but one where the outcomes get slowly better, either way, every day.

President Donald Trump has yet to determine whether to militarily involve the United States on Israel’s side in its six-day old conflict with Iran. But there is only so much further that the fight can escalate. There is a very palpable – and growing – limit on what Tehran can do.

Israel has already crossed every red line imaginable in Iran’s diplomatic lexicon. It has bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, killed so many military leaders the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is on its third commander in a week, and claimed air supremacy over the country. Short of killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and convincing the US to bomb the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, it is running out of taboos to break.

Iran, for its part, has launched barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel, terrifying civilians, causing some extensive damage, killing nearly 30 people and wounding hundreds more. Yet this is not the existential catastrophe many feared Tehran could unleash. Iran lost nearly 10 times as many civilians as Israel did in the opening 48 hours of the conflict, according to its ministry of health. Tehran is already having to temper its punches – the volleys of missiles it fires vacillating wildly night by night – as it struggles with a depleting inventory of the medium-range ballistic missiles that can hit Israel.

Daily, the list of targets Israel is steadily hitting – at will, largely unopposed – grows. And with that, Iran’s ability to threaten the region shrinks. This must be key to Trump’s impenetrable calculations. And it echoes lessons perhaps learned after his decision – unprecedented and rash as it seemed at the time – to kill the most prominent figure in Iran’s military, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020.

At the time, the assassination, in response to rocket attacks that killed an American soldier in Iraq, seemed a fantastical “gloves off” moment, in which Tehran’s great military might could be unleashed. But that failed to transpire – Iran responded by hitting another American base, where the injuries were mostly concussion. It just did not have the muscle to risk an all-out war with the United States, and that was five years ago. Things have since got a lot worse for the Iranians.

Their main strategic ally, Russia, has come unstuck in an attritional three-year war of choice with Ukraine, meaning Tehran will likely have heard little back from Moscow if it asked for serious military support.

Iran’s nearby proxies – Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Assad regime in Syria – have been removed as effective fighting forces. Hezbollah was undone in a staggeringly brief, brutal but effective Israeli campaign last fall, revealing the militant group to be a hollow threat wildly outdone by the superior technology and intelligence of its southern adversary. The Assad regime suddenly collapsed in December – following years of diplomatic isolation over its horrific abuses in a savage civil war – after Syria’s northern neighbor, Turkey, helped rebels overwhelm Damascus.

Iran has found itself outmatched locally. It has known for years it cannot take on the US.

Those two facts considered, the risk of conflagration ebbs, and Trump’s choices look easier. He could simply hit Fordow, and other relevant nuclear sites, in a single wave of stealth B-2 bomber strikes, inform the Iranians that the US seeks no further confrontation, and anticipate a muted, acceptable retaliation. Iran lacks the inventory to seriously bombard Israel, let alone another, better equipped adversary’s military bases in the region.

Trump could continue to let the Israelis hit targets at will for weeks, while permitting European foreign ministers, who will meet their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday, to present Tehran with slowly worsening terms for a diplomatic settlement. Or Trump could do nothing, and permit Iran’s broad powerlessness to come more clearly into view as its missile stocks dwindle.

But inaction might make Trump look weak and ponderous. Resolving the issue of Iran and the prospect of it developing nuclear weapons would be a much-needed foreign policy win for a White House mired in bratty spats with allies, a stop-start trade war with China, and erratic diplomacy with Moscow over Ukraine. Even Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Israel was doing the Western world’s “dirty work” by taking out the Iranian nuclear threat. Barely anybody apart from Iranian hardliners thinks an Iranian nuclear bomb is a good idea.

The one remaining, huge risk Trump faces is that Iran, which has always insisted its program is peaceful, has a more advanced and secretive nuclear program than his bunker-busters can disable – perhaps now removed from Fordow or other publicly known sites after days of speculation they might be hit.

Such fears seem to fit with the Israeli intelligence assessments they claim expedited their recent campaign. But they would also seem to clash with the idea that further strikes can end any Iranian ambition for an atomic bomb indefinitely.

Secondly, one might argue that, by now, with its Supreme Leader directly threatened and capital’s skies wide open, Iran would have decided to race for nuclear weapons already, if it could. What else would Iran need to have happen to it?

The “known unknowns” – the things we know we do not know, as Donald Rumsfeld would have put it before Iran’s neighbor, Iraq, was invaded by the US in 2003 – are plentiful. And they more or less point in a direction where Iran is weakened, and whatever choice Trump makes is met with a muted or manageable response from Tehran, which will soon need a diplomatic solution to ensure the survival of what remains of its government and military.

The “unknown unknowns” are what mired the US in Iraq. They probably abound, although by definition we don’t know what they are. But they are overshadowed by the simple fact that neither Israel nor the US intends to occupy Iran. And Iran is increasingly too weak to strike back meaningfully, as it watches its decades-old red lines vanish fast from view.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Stallion Uranium (TSXV:STUD,OTCQB:STLNF) is a Canadian exploration company focused on unlocking new discoveries in the underexplored southwestern Athabasca Basin—an emerging frontier with exceptional geological potential. With more than 709,000 acres under control, Stallion holds one of the largest land positions among junior explorers in the region.

As global uranium demand accelerates—driven by over 900 reactors in operation, construction, or planning—Stallion is well-positioned to benefit from a growing supply gap. The Athabasca Basin, known for uranium grades up to 20 times the global average, remains the world’s premier jurisdiction for high-grade uranium exploration.

Stallion Uranium

Stallion Uranium holds one of the largest underexplored land packages in the Athabasca Basin, covering more than 709,000 acres in the highly prospective southwestern region. Using advanced geophysics and a proven exploration framework, the company has systematically identified and ranked nine Tier-1 uranium targets across its portfolio. From these, three high-priority corridors have been selected for near-term exploration—each displaying the key geological and structural characteristics associated with major high-grade discoveries in the Basin.

Company Highlights

  • Large-scale land position: 709,192 acres in the underexplored southwestern Athabasca Basin.
  • World-class exploration address: Athabasca Basin accounts for ~15 percent of global uranium production and hosts the world’s highest-grade deposits.
  • Tier-1 targets: Nine high-priority uranium targets identified; three prioritized for near-term drilling: Coyote, Fishhook and Lynx – each defined by advanced geophysics and ideal structural settings.
  • Discovery-focused leadership: Team responsible for discoveries including NexGen’s Arrow and Hathor’s Roughrider.
  • Strong market fundamentals: Global reactor count rising, while uranium supply remains structurally constrained.
  • Near-term catalysts: Drilling at Coyote planned for H2 2025; expanded geophysics underway across portfolio.

This Stallion Uranium profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*

Click here to connect with Stallion Uranium (TSXV:STUD) to receive an Investor Presentation

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Harvest Gold (TSXV:HVG) is a Canadian junior explorer focused on advancing a portfolio of gold projects in Quebec’s prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt—one of the world’s most productive gold regions, with over 200 million ounces of historical output. Its Mousseau, Urban Barry, and LaBelle properties are strategically positioned within and near the Urban Barry Greenstone Belt, a rapidly emerging gold camp attracting significant exploration activity and investment from majors such as Gold Fields and Osisko Mining.

The Urban Barry Belt hosts major deposits like Windfall (now owned by Gold Fields) and Bonterra’s Gladiator and Barry, making it a hotspot for gold discovery. In a region increasingly dominated by majors, Harvest Gold offers rare early-stage exposure through three large, independently held land packages with road access, infrastructure, and newly cleared ground—setting the stage for high-impact exploration and potential acquisition.

Harvest Gold

Harvest Gold is backed by Crescat Capital, a prominent institutional investor with a strong track record of supporting early-stage discoveries. Crescat’s investment was driven by the endorsement of their strategic advisor, Dr. Quinton Hennigh, a globally recognized exploration geologist. His confidence in the company’s land positioning and geological model is a powerful validation of Harvest’s potential.

Company Highlights

  • Flagship Mousseau Project: Large-scale, advanced-stage exploration property with multiple confirmed gold-bearing shear zones.
  • Tier-one address: All projects located in Quebec’s Urban Barry Greenstone Belt where Gold Fields recently acquired Osisko Mining’s world-class Windfall deposit and much of the rest of the Urban Barry belt.
  • Institutional Backing: Crescat Capital, with renowned Advisor, geologist Dr. Quinton Hennigh, owns approximately 19 percent of Harvest Gold.
  • Skilled Technical Team: Leadership includes seasoned geologists and executives with proven discovery and development track records.
  • Favourable Jurisdiction: Operates in Quebec, a politically stable, mining-friendly province with excellent infrastructure and low exploration costs.
  • Strategic Timing: Recent forest fires have unveiled new outcrops, offering rare exploration advantages. Gold is trading at an all-time high.

This Harvest Gold profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*

Click here to connect with Harvest Gold (TSXV:HVG) to receive an Investor Presentation

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Kim Kardashian fans are going to have to wait a little longer for the highly anticipated NikeSKIMS line.

The activewear line will launch later this year instead of in the spring, like the companies had originally announced, because of production delays, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to speak candidly. The person added that the delays are internal and not because of a supplier or shipping issue.

No date has been determined for the new launch date, the person added.

The person also said the relationship with Kardashian and the brand is still strong and that everyone is on the same page, but they want to make sure they take their time and get the products right.

Nike first announced the Skims partnership in February and said it would include apparel, footwear and accessories. Since then, Heidi O’Neill, one of the key leaders behind the partnership, has left the company.

New Nike CEO Elliott Hill has been betting big on the Skims brand as he looks to re-invigorate the company after recent declines in sales and its business. For Skims, which was last valued at $4 billion, the partnership with Nike brings a growth opportunity as it expands into athleisure.

Nike’s stock is down more than 20% year-to-date.

“The origin of NikeSKIMS is rooted in a desire to bring something new and unexpected to an industry that is craving something different, and to invite a new generation of women into fitness with disruptive product designed to meet their needs in both performance and style,” the company said about the line when they introduced it.

The news was first reported by Bloomberg.

Nike and SKIMS collaboration featuring Kim Kardashian, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, SKIMS.Courtesy: Nike Inc.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

  • All reported holes intersected gold mineralization, reinforcing continuity and improving structural understanding at the Jagger Zone
  • Results support   the Company’s systematic exploration and targeting approach for further resource definition at Kossou

Kobo Resources Inc. (‘ Kobo’ or the ‘ Company ‘) ( TSX.V: KRI ) is pleased to announce additional diamond drill results from the ongoing exploration program at its 100%-owned Kossou Gold Project (‘ Kossou ‘) in Côte d’Ivoire. Results from the Jagger Zone continue to confirm broad zones of mineralisation and extend the footprint of gold-bearing structures along strike and at depth.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250619919405/en/

Diamond Drill Results Highlights:

Jagger Zone:

  • KDD0081
    • 8.0 m at 2.13 g/t Au from 140.0 metres (‘m’), including 2.0 m at 7.00 g/t Au from 140.0 m
  • KDD0082
    • 30.0 m at 0.64 g/t Au from 128.0 m, including 10.25 m at 0.80 g/t Au, from 128.0 m and 2.0 m at 1.90 g/t Au from 143.0 m
  • KDD0083
    • 7.0 m at 1.18 g/t Au from 123.0 m
    • 6.0 m at 2.07 g/t Au from 138.0 m, including 1.0 m at 8.47 g/t Au from 64.0 m
    • 7.3 m at 1.63 g/t Au from 95.0 m
  • KDD0084
    • 8.0 m at 1.41 g/t Au from 88.0 m
    • 21.5* m at 1.14 g/t Au from 106.0 m, including 4.0 m at 1.98 g/t Au from 106.0 m, 4.0 m at 1.27 g/t Au from 115.0 m, and 1.5 m at 4.93 g/t Au from 126.0 m
  • KDD0085
    • 20.0 m at 1.41* g/t Au from 106.0 m, including 5.0 m at 3.70 g/t Au from 121.0 m and including 2.0 m at 8.47 g/t Au from 123.0 m

Edward Gosselin, CEO and Director of Kobo commented: ‘These latest results reinforce the scale and continuity of gold mineralisation at the Jagger Zone. We are encouraged by the width and tenor of the intercepts, which continue to validate our structural model and further support our systematic exploration approach at Kossou. With drilling still underway across our other high-priority targets, we are well-positioned to advance Kossou toward its maiden resource estimate next year as our exploration work continues.’

Jagger Zone Drilling Highlights Scale and Continuity

Results from seven diamond drill holes (KDD0080 to KDD0086), completed on sections JZ 525 to JZ 725 within the Jagger Zone, have been received and continue to expand the Company’s understanding of this highly prospective target (see Figure 1).

Gold mineralisation is hosted within and along the contacts of quartz feldspar porphyry and diorite intrusions, as well as within sheared contacts of basaltic massive and pillowed flow units. These structures define significant, laterally and vertically continuous gold-bearing zones that are traceable along strike and down dip. Notably, wide mineralised intervals in hole KDD0084, including 8.0 m at 1.41 g/t Au from 88.0 m and 21.5 m at 1.14 g/t Au* from 106.0 m (see Figure 2), demonstrate the presence of multiple stacked gold zones across the broader Jagger Shear Zone.

On section JZ 700, gold mineralisation continues to demonstrate strong continuity and consistent geological associations observed in earlier drilling. Notable intercepts include 20.0 m at 1.41 g/t Au* from 106.0 m, including 5.0 m at 3.70 g/t Au, and 7.0 m at 1.20 g/t Au from 154.0 m. These results support the broader interpretation of the Jagger Shear Zone as a robust, multi-zone gold system and correlate well with previously reported drill holes and surface trench KTR030a (see Figure 3 for Section JZ 700.)

Geological and Structural Setting of Gold Mineralisation at Kossou and the Jagger Zone

Gold mineralisation at Kossou is hosted within a N-S trending, steeply west-dipping deformation corridor associated with the regional Contact Zone Fault, which separates basaltic volcanic flows from volcano-sedimentary rocks. Within this corridor, the ‘Jagger Shear Corridor’, brittle-ductile shear zones act as the primary structural controls on gold emplacement, particularly where lithological contrasts occur between basaltic units and intrusive rocks, including diorite and quartz-feldspar porphyry dykes.

At the Jagger Zone, the main shear system is developed within a zone approximately 70-m wide and is closely associated with intrusive contacts. Drill core analysis has identified multiple quartz vein generations related to mineralisation. The V1 vein set consists of quartz veins and veinlets parallel to the S1 foliation, commonly occurring within the main shear zones and bearing gold. The dominant mineralized structures, however, are V2A veins, which trend west-northwest to northwest and are prominent both within and adjacent to the shears. A secondary vein set, V2B, is characterized by sub-horizontal hairline fractures and veinlets, which carry only sporadic gold mineralisation.

Drilling to date indicates that gold mineralisation pinches and swells along strike and at depth, consistent with structurally controlled orogenic gold systems commonly found within the Birimian terrane of West Africa.

Table 1: Summary of Significant Diamond Drill Hole Results

BHID

East

North

Elev.

Az.

Dip

Length

From
(m)

To (m)

Int.
(m)

Au
g/t

Target

KDD0080

228997

775340

338

70

-50

233.05

32.00

34.00

2.00

1.80

Jagger

49.00

51.00

2.00

2.18

Jagger

60.00

61.00

1.00

2.31

Jagger

70.00

76.00

6.00

0.91

Jagger

100.00

102.20

2.20

0.99

Jagger

115.00

117.00

2.00

0.59

Jagger

126.00

127.00

1.00

1.86

Jagger

181.00

182.00

1.00

1.10

Jagger

201.00

207.05

6.05

0.67

Jagger

incl.

205.00

207.05

2.05

1.43

Jagger

221.85

223.00

1.15

1.19

Jagger

KDD0081

228958

775353

333

70

-50

266.05

31.00

32.00

1.00

2.02

Jagger

45.00

46.00

1.00

1.52

Jagger

70.00

72.40

2.40

1.04

Jagger

78.00

80.00

2.00

0.67

Jagger

123.00

124.00

1.00

1.49

Jagger

130.00

133.00

3.00

1.15

Jagger

140.00

148.00

8.00

2.13

Jagger

incl.

140.00

142.00

2.00

7.00

Jagger

175.10

176.20

1.10

1.79

Jagger

KDD0082

228973

775257

364

70

-50

293.05

22.00

23.00

1.00

1.51

Jagger

104.00

105.00

1.00

6.61

Jagger

110.00

111.00

1.00

1.42

Jagger

128.00

158.00

30.00

0.64*

Jagger

incl.

128.00

138.25

10.25

0.80

Jagger

incl.

143.00

145.00

2.00

1.90

Jagger

incl.

148.00

158.00

10.00

0.60

Jagger

161.40

164.00

2.60

0.65

Jagger

KDD0083

229013

775240

361

70

-50

236.05

32.00

33.00

1.00

3.73

Jagger

62.00

63.00

1.00

3.17

Jagger

71.00

72.00

1.00

8.42

Jagger

80.00

84.00

4.00

0.87

Jagger

100.00

101.00

1.00

1.33

Jagger

104.00

105.00

2.00

1.29

Jagger

109.40

117.00

7.60

0.35

Jagger

123.00

130.00

7.00

1.18

Jagger

138.00

144.00

6.00

2.07

Jagger

161.00

163.60

2.60

1.04

Jagger

KDD0084

229018

775216

361

70

-50

164.05

67.00

69.00

2.00

0.83

Jagger

80.00

83.00

3.00

1.00

Jagger

88.00

96.00

8.00

1.41

Jagger

106.00

127.50

21.50

1.14*

Jagger

incl.

106.00

110.00

4.00

1.99

Jagger

incl.

115.00

119.00

4.00

1.27

Jagger

incl.

126.00

127.50

1.50

4.93

Jagger

KDD0085

228982

775175

358

70

-50

182.05

83.00

84.00

1.00

2.38

Jagger

106.00

126.00

20.00

1.41*

Jagger

incl.

113.00

117.00

4.00

1.25

Jagger

incl.

121.00

126.00

5.00

3.70

Jagger

incl.

123.00

125.00

2.00

8.47

Jagger

154.00

161.00

7.00

1.20

Jagger

169.00

172.00

3.00

1.38

Jagger

KDD0086

229024

775165

345

70

-50

143.00

71.60

73.00

1.40

1.63

Jagger

82.00

89.00

7.00

1.04

Jagger

95.00

107.00

12.00

0.68

Jagger

118.00

123.00

5.00

0.69

Jagger

Notes:

Cut-off using 2.0 m at 0.30 g/t Au

Intervals are reported with no more than 3 m of internal dilution of less than 0.3 g/t Au except where indicated*

An accurate dip and strike and controls of mineralisation are unconfirmed at this time and the true width of mineralisation are unconfirmed at this time. Drill holes are planned to intersect mineralised zones perpendicular to interpreted targets. All intercepts reported are downhole distances.

The Company also reports the filing of its audited consolidated financial statements for the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2025, and related management’s discussion and analysis. Copies of these financial statements and related management’s discussion and analysis can be found on the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca as well as on the Company’s website at www.koboresources.com .

Sampling, QA/QC, and Analytical Procedures

Drill core was logged and sampled by Kobo personnel at site. Drill cores were sawn in half, with one half remaining in the core box and the other half secured into new plastic sample bags with sample number tickets. Core samples are drilled HQ to below oxidation level and then is reduced to NQ for the remainder of the drill hole. Samples are transported to the SGS Côte d’Ivoire facility in Yamoussoukro by Kobo personnel where the entire sample was prepared for analysis (prep code PRP86/PRP94). Sample splits of 50 grams were then analysed for gold using 50g Fire Assay as per SGS Geochem Method FAA505. QA/QC procedures for the drill program include insertion of a certificated standards every 20 samples, a blank every 20 samples and a duplicate sample (split of the 1 m original sample) every 20 samples. All QAQC control samples returned values within acceptable limits.

Review of Technical Information

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Paul Sarjeant, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Persons as defined in National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Sarjeant is the President and Chief Operating Officer and Director of Kobo.

About Kobo Resources Inc.

Kobo Resources is a growth-focused gold exploration company with a compelling new gold discovery in Côte d’Ivoire, one of West Africa’s most prolific and developing gold districts, hosting several multi-million-ounce gold mines. The Company’s 100%-owned Kossou Gold Project is located approximately 20 km northwest of the capital city of Yamoussoukro and is directly adjacent to one of the region’s largest gold mines with established processing facilities.

With over 15,000 metres of diamond drilling, nearly 5,900 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling, and 5,900 metres of trenching completed since 2023, Kobo has made significant progress in defining the scale and prospectivity of its Kossou’s Gold Project. Exploration has focused on multiple high-priority targets within a 9+ km strike length of highly prospective gold-in-soil geochemical anomalies, with drilling confirming extensive mineralisation at the Jagger, Road Cut, and Kadie Zones. The latest phase of drilling has further refined structural controls on gold mineralisation, setting the stage for the next phase of systematic exploration and resource development.

Beyond Kossou, the Company is advancing exploration at its Kotobi Permit and is actively expanding its land position in Côte d’Ivoire with prospective ground, aligning with its strategic vision for long-term growth in-country. Kobo remains committed to identifying and developing new opportunities to enhance its exploration portfolio within highly prospective gold regions of West Africa. Kobo offers investors the exciting combination of high-quality gold prospects led by an experienced leadership team with in-country experience. Kobo’s common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ‘KRI’. For more information, please visit www.koboresources.com .

Twitter: @KoboResources | LinkedIn: Kobo Resources Inc.

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-looking Information:

This news release contains ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements’) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as ‘expects’, or ‘does not expect’, ‘is expected’, ‘anticipates’ or ‘does not anticipate’, ‘plans’, ‘budget’, ‘scheduled’, ‘forecasts’, ‘estimates’, ‘believes’ or ‘intends’ or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results ‘may’ or ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, Kobo assumes no obligation and/or liability to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250619919405/en/

For further information, please contact:

Edward Gosselin
Chief Executive Officer and Director
1-418-609-3587
ir@kobores.com

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A Senate fiscal hawk doesn’t believe Republicans can hit their own self-imposed timeline to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

Senate Republicans are racing against the clock to finish work on their version of the president’s colossal bill after the House GOP advanced its offering late last month. 

So far, each of the 10 Senate committees has unveiled a portion of the bill and are fine-tuning each chunk to conform with Senate rules and address concerns among varying factions in the conference.

Republican leaders are gunning to put the package on the floor next week, ahead of a scheduled recess for Independence Day, but Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., believes there is enough resistance against the bill to torpedo that timeline.  

‘I think we have enough people that are saying, ‘No, we’re not going to proceed to the bill prior to July 4.’’ he said. ‘We need more time, but I think our efforts now are concentrated.’

Johnson has long been pushing for far deeper cuts in the package, far beyond the goal of $1.5 trillion set in the House’s offering and the pursuit of $2 trillion in cuts in the Senate’s package to begin putting a major dent in the nation’s deficit.

The lawmaker’s remarks came during a press call where he debuted his 31-page report on the GOP’s quest to ram the president’s agenda through Congress. 

The report offered a variety of scenarios of the deficit and growth impacts the Republicans’ plan could have based on varying levels of compound annual growth rates that varied from over 2%, 3% and 4%. 

The report was meant to be a thumb in the face of the Congressional Budget Office’s findings on the bill and overall state of federal spending and deficits. But it also rejected the arguments made by Republican leaders and the White House in its pursuit of showing the reality of the nation’s fiscal health and the effect the ‘big, beautiful bill’ could have on it. 

Ron Johnson acknowledged the sentiments of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Trump that the spending cuts achieved in the House product were unprecedented but countered that ‘we’ve faced an unprecedented level of spending increase’ since the pandemic.  

‘You can argue about the twigs and leaves on the forest floor, but I’m forcing everybody to take a step back and look at the look at the forest,’ Ron Johnson said. ‘It’s blazing, and we got to put this forest fire out.’

There are others with varying concerns, including the addition of a debt-ceiling hike and proposed changes to Medicaid, who could form a multi-faceted coalition to tank the bill.

Thune can only afford to lose three votes if he hopes to pass the bill, given that the nature of the budget reconciliation process skirts the filibuster and that Democrats have been iced out of the process thus far.

Ron Johnson noted that he hoped Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wouldn’t put the full bill on the floor next week because ‘I really think it’ll be voted down.’

‘If we do vote it down, I don’t want anybody to interpret it as a slap in the face of either Leader Thune or President Trump,’ Ron Johnson said. ‘It’s just saying, ‘Guys, we need more time. The ball has been in the Senate court for two weeks.’

Johnson has been a proponent of breaking up the megabill into two or three chunks, rather than tackling it all in ‘one fell swoop.’ However, he acknowledged there would need to be some kind of mechanism that would allow lawmakers to have ‘at least two, if not three, bites at the apple.’

‘I understand this process is to kind of jam everybody, but let’s not do what Nancy Pelosi did and say, ‘Hey, got to pass this bill to figure out what’s in it,’’ he added. ‘Let’s know fully what’s in it. Let’s do as President Trump asked. … He wants the Senate to make a better bill.’

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  • All three methods tested: BIOX®, POX, and the Albion Process ™ yield over 90% gold recovery
  • Further work to enhance sulphide recoveries through oxidation, as well as gravity, flotation and CIL recoveries, is in progress

Freegold Ventures Limited (TSX: FVL) (OTCQX: FGOVF) (‘Freegold’ or the ‘Company ‘) is pleased to announce further results from the ongoing metallurgical test work currently underway.

Freegold Logo (CNW Group/Freegold Ventures Limited)

The current initiatives are focused on refining the flowsheet options for the pre-feasibility study. This includes testing and ongoing evaluation of sulphide-oxidizing methods such as BIOX®, POX, and the Albion Process™, as well as further gravity, flotation and CIL test work.

Earlier this year, Freegold reported 93% recovery using the Albion Process™ oxidation-CIL, with further test work ongoing.  Comminution tests using half-PQ core have been conducted on over 50 samples from various locations and lithologies within the deposit. These tests provide information to evaluate the trade-off between grind size and liberation versus power consumption, to optimize power requirements and operating costs while enhancing gold recovery.

The BIOX test work has been in progress for several months, and results have shown that gold recovery rates of greater than 90% can be achieved.

2025 PROGRAM

  • Drilling is now underway with three rigs

Conversion of inferred resources into indicated & further exploration drilling.

  • Updated mineral resource
  • Ongoing metallurgical work, focusing on flowsheet optionality with sulphide oxidation is a key part of our strategy to maximize the potential of the resource.
  • Commencement of a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS)

Summary of Gold Recovery using   BIOX®,

A series of BIOX® amenability oxidation tests have been completed using a sulphide rougher concentrate produced from a composite of Golden Summit material sourced from eight diamond drill hole assay rejects.  The duration of the biological oxidation tests conducted was 10, 15, 20, 30 and a duplicate 30 days.  The residue from these BIOX® tests was subjected to CIL treatment, and overall gold recovery from gravity, rougher flotation, BIOX® treatment, and CIL averaged 91% from this suite of test work.

Summary of Gold Recovery using   POX,

Pressure oxidation (POX) treatment of sulphide rougher concentrate, as well as a cleaner concentrate, with lower mass and only marginally lower gold deportment, has been completed.  The POX residue was washed and neutralized and subjected to CIL leaching for gold recovery.  The POX-CIL testwork has yielded an average overall gold recovery of over 92% in a process flowsheet incorporating gravity, flotation, POX, and CIL.

This testwork utilized eight drill core composites comprising 1,192 meters of drill intercepts that represent 587 continuous mineralized intervals, with a total material weight of over 5,100 kilograms. These composites represent different locations and grades within the Dolphin and Cleary area and were created using continuous drill intervals chosen to reflect potential mill feed (Refer to the map below for hole locations.) The selections of drill holes and intervals included the primary gold-hosting lithologies.  These composites were prepared from laboratory assay rejects of fresh rock intervals located well below the existing oxide cap at Golden Summit.  Additionally, four large-diameter PQ holes were drilled during 2024. A total of 7,600 kg has been made available for comminution testing and ongoing metallurgical testwork.

Two additional PQ holes are being drilled in the 2025 program to enhance our metallurgical test work. This work aims to provide data for trade-off studies in the pre-feasibility study, developing a process flowsheet to maximize economic returns. Ongoing tests indicate that part of the mineralization is non-refractory and can be processed conventionally, although additional sulfide processing is necessary for optimal recovery. The September 2024 resource estimate, based on a gold price of $1,973 , included grinding, gravity separation, flotation, regrinding of sulphide concentrate, and CIL treatment, achieving a 72% gold recovery rate at a processing cost of $14 per ton.

The current program is designed to test sulphide oxidation methods, aiming to increase recoveries beyond the 72% gold recovery reported in the September 2024 resource estimate. Each of the three oxidation methods tested successfully demonstrated the potential to achieve gold recoveries exceeding 90%. These methods may increase costs; however, higher gold recoveries and gold prices could offset the additional capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenditures (OPEX ) costs. Ongoing work will focus on identifying the most suitable oxidation method for use in the pre-feasibility study.

Discovery costs at Golden Summit are under $4.00 per ounce. Since 2020, exploration at Golden Summit has transformed the project, evolving to one of North America’s most significant undeveloped gold resources, owing to a revised interpretation, extensive drilling, and a robust metallurgical program. There remains considerable potential for further expansion and optimisation as the project advances. The revised mineral resource estimate, incorporating the 2024 drilling, is expected to be finalised soon.

The current 2025 drilling program aims to upgrade inferred resources to indicated through infill drilling. Drilling for geotechnical purposes, resource definition, and additional metallurgical test holes will also be carried out. A total of 30,000 metres of drilling is planned. Archaeological fieldwork and geotechnical drilling are scheduled to commence shortly, with a fourth drill rig added to enhance exploration efforts. A pre-feasibility study is set to begin later this year.

Link to the Plan Map:

https://freegoldventures.com/site/assets/files/6287/fvl06192025_ddhplan.png

HQ Core is logged, photographed and cut in half using a diamond saw, and one-half placed in sealed bags for preparation and subsequent geochemical analysis by MSA Laboratories in Prince George, BC , and/or Fairbanks, Alaska .  At MSALABS, the entire sample will be dried and crushed to 70% passing -2mm (CRU-CPA). A ~500g riffle split will be analyzed for gold using CHRYSOS PhotonAssay™ (CPA-Au1). From this, 250g will be further riffle split from the original PhotonAssay™ sample, pulverized, and a 0.25g sub-sample analysed for multi-element geochemistry using MSA’s IMS230 package, which includes 4-acid digestion and ICP-MS finish. MSALABS operates under ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 certified quality systems. A QA/QC program includes laboratory and field standards inserted every ten samples. Blanks are inserted at the start of the submittal, and at least one blank every 25 standards.

The Qualified Person for this release is Alvin Jackson, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration and Development for Freegold, who has approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

About Freegold Ventures Limited  
Freegold is a TSX-listed company focused on exploration in Alaska . It holds the Golden Summit Gold Project near Fairbanks and the Shorty Creek Copper-Gold Project near Livengood through leases.

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information, including, without limitation, statements as to planned expenditures and exploration programs, potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, the completion of an updated NI 43-101 technical report, and any other future plans. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, the completion of planned expenditures, the ability to complete exploration programs on schedule, and the success of exploration programs. See Freegold’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31st, 2024 , filed under Freegold’s profile at www.sedar.com , for a detailed discussion of the risk factors associated with Freegold’s operations. On January 30, 2020 , the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. Reactions to the spread of COVID-19 continue to lead to, among other things, significant restrictions on travel, business closures, quarantines, and a general reduction in economic activity. While these effects have been reduced in recent months, the continuation and re-introduction of significant restrictions, business disruptions, and related financial impact, and the duration of any such disruptions cannot be reasonably estimated. The risks to Freegold of such public health crises also include employee health and safety risks and a slowdown or temporary suspension of operations in geographic locations impacted by an outbreak. Such public health crises, as well as global geopolitical crises, can result in volatility and disruptions in the supply and demand for various products and services, global supply chains, and financial markets, as well as declining trade and market sentiment and reduced mobility of people, all of which could affect interest rates, credit ratings, credit risk, and inflation. As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, Freegold has implemented a COVID management program and established a full-service Camp at Golden Summit to attempt to mitigate risks to its employees, contractors, and community. While the extent to which COVID-19 may impact Freegold is uncertain, it is possible that COVID-19 may have a material adverse effect   on Freegold’s business, results of operations, and financial condition.

SOURCE Freegold Ventures Limited

Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2025/19/c8191.html

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President Donald Trump appears to be downplaying talk that some of his long-loyal MAGA supporters are breaking with him over the possibility that the president will order a military strike on Iran.

This amid the nearly week-long daily trading of fire between the Islamic State and Israel, America’s top ally in the Middle East.

‘My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m more in love with them, more than they even were at election time,’ the president said when asked about a GOP rift between some of his most vocal supporters of his America First agenda, and more traditional national security conservatives.

The president, speaking to reporters on Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House, added: ‘I may have some people that are a little bit unhappy now, but I have some people that are very happy, and I have people outside of the base that can’t believe that this is happening. They’re so happy.’

Asked if he would order an attack on Iran to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the president said, ‘I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble.’

The prospect of Trump jumping into the incredibly volatile situation in the Middle East is causing plenty of consternation among some of his top political and ideological allies, and creating divisions within MAGA – a rare moment for a movement that’s been firmly supportive of Trump since his 2016 White House campaign.

 

Some top MAGA voices over the past week have argued against any kind of U.S. military involvement with Israel against Iran, arguing it would contradict Trump’s America First policy to keep the nation out of foreign wars. And they say it would repeat the move more than two decades ago by then-President George W. Bush to attack Iraq, which Trump had long criticized on the campaign trail.

Among those speaking out have been conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a top Trump House ally.

Also voicing concerns while remaining firmly supportive of the president are Charlie Kirk — the conservative host and MAGA-world figurehead who leads the influential Turning Point USA — and Steve Bannon, a prominent MAGA ally and former top adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign.

But there’s been plenty of support for Trump, and for attacking Iran, by other top MAGA world voices.

Also defending Trump this week was Vice President JD Vance, who is a top voice in the America First, isolationist wing of the party.

Vance, speaking to both sides, highlighted Tuesday in a social media post that ‘people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy.’

But Vance stressed that Trump ‘has earned some trust on this issue.’ 

And the vice president added that ‘having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using American military to accomplish the American people’s goals. Whatever he does, that is his focus.’

Trump, speaking with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, said: ‘I don’t want to get involved either, but I’ve been saying for 20 years, maybe longer, that Iran can not have a nuclear weapon.’

‘My supporters are for me. My supporters are America First and Make America Great Again. My supporters don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon,’ the president added.

The current debate within the Republican Party wouldn’t have happened before Trump shook up and remade the GOP over the past decade.

Trump says he may or may not strike Iran:

Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and the president of New England College, highlighted that ‘the divide in the GOP can be traced to Trump’s promises to pull America back from its entanglements in the world.’

And Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist who served at the State Department during Trump’s first term, noted that ‘Donald Trump changed the direction of the Republican Party’ when it comes to American military engagements around the world. 

‘That gave him a new coalition and new political power. This new war in the Middle East is certainly threatening that coalition. While we are not yet involved in a war, chances of escalation are dramatically increased and that certainly has ramifications with the MAGA coalition,’ Bartlett warned.

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