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It’s Elon Musk’s turn for a ‘fork in the road’ as Tesla faces Wall Street scrutiny

It might be time for Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s own fork in the road.  

The electric carmaker is set to report quarterly earnings Tuesday afternoon that may say a lot about which direction Musk and the company he has ridden to immense wealth will go next.  

The company will update investors on revenue, profit and other key figures after months of turmoil as Musk continues to dedicate a large portion of his time to the Trump administration’s attempt to radically remake the federal government, far away from his corporate responsibilities at Tesla, SpaceX and his other companies. 

With Tesla’s stock and brand reputation getting pummeled — and with President Donald Trump’s tariff policy threatening to upend the automotive market, Tesla included — many Tesla investors have called on Musk to scale back or end his government work entirely and return his focus to business.  

The Trump administration has sent “fork in the road” emails encouraging federal workers to consider quitting their jobs.  

Even some of Tesla’s loudest proponents, such as Daniel Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities, have lost patience with how Musk is dividing up his attention.  

“This is a moment of truth for Musk,” Ives told NBC News. “If he picks staying with DOGE and the Trump White House, the future of Tesla could be negatively altered permanently. The brand damage he’s created by being part of the Trump administration has already been a devastating blow to Tesla’s reputation, stock and confidence. … He’s made Tesla into a political symbol, which is one of the worst things that can happen to a consumer brand.” 

DOGE refers to the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk’s team of staffers spread throughout the executive branch helping to order spending cuts. Musk is a “special government employee” who’s expected to leave the Trump administration at some point, but with no set date to depart. 

Musk and Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon on whether he is stretched too thin and, if so, what they might do about it.  

Tesla is due to report earnings after the market closes. It also is scheduled to host a conference call with Wall Street analysts, and Musk sometimes joins the calls.  

Several possible paths lie ahead for Musk and Tesla, and it’s not clear which is most likely. Musk could scale back or end his White House job and spend more time at Tesla. Or he could quit as Tesla CEO and keep his focus on politics, putting the company’s future and brand in someone else’s hands.  

The status quo may also endure, with Musk continuing to bet that he has enough attention for everyone.  

Tesla’s stock price has provided a snapshot of the tumultuous run since Musk threw himself into the Trump administration. While its stock price is almost even with where it traded in the days ahead of the election, its shares are down more than 50% from their December peak. Still, Tesla’s total market cap remains just above $700 billion, well above those of its auto industry competitors but below those of major tech companies. 

On Monday, Tesla shares plunged again ahead of the earnings report, falling 5.8%.  

Tuesday will mark Tesla’s first earnings report since the full extent of Musk’s government role and ambitions became clear. Tesla last reported on its financials on Jan. 29, early in Trump’s second term.  

In the past year, Musk has somewhat aggressively started to pivot Tesla into new possible lines of business, including a proposed Cybercab autonomous vehicle and a potential robotic humanoid called Optimus, although the company hasn’t shipped either of those products and some on Wall Street are skeptical that they’ll be successful.  

In a note to clients, Wells Fargo stock researchers said they expected to hear more from Tesla on Tuesday about Cybercab and Optimus, but they called those subjects “razzle dazzle” that “distract from fundamentals.” Wells Fargo has a price target of $130 a share for Tesla, far below the $227.50 close on Monday and near the low end of analyst price targets, according to The Wall Street Journal.  

Tesla has already issued warning signs about its health. It reported April 2 that vehicle deliveries in the first quarter declined 13% from a year earlier, battered by rising competition and fallout from Musk’s involvement in politics.  

Hundreds of protests at Tesla showrooms have also weighed on the company. Under the banner of a “Tesla Takedown,” opponents of Musk and Trump’s government policies have targeted the company to try to gain leverage over Musk, and demonstrators have continued to swarm Tesla locations, especially on weekends.  

Allen Adamson, a co-founder of Metaforce, a marketing and brand consultancy, said that if any other corporation faced a similar image problem, the board of directors might have stepped in to switch out the CEO. But Tesla’s board is famously close to and supportive of Musk.  

Now, Adamson said, Tesla faces risk whichever path it and Musk follow.  

“Musk is the magic that has fueled the stock price,” he said. “If he steps aside [as Tesla CEO], he takes the rocket fuel out of the Tesla stock price, but if he stays, he’s equally damaging the company’s prospects.”  

One unknown factor is how much of the damage to Tesla’s brand is permanent. In other words: If Musk were to leave the White House and return to business, would there be any improvement in the brand’s public esteem?  

Ives said it’s hard to measure the damage Tesla has sustained.  

“It’s taken on a life of its own that he never expected — this has become something bigger and much more of a raging fire than he ever expected around Tesla,” he said. “He sells a consumer brand globally, and the demand destruction … you can’t wear rose-colored glasses about it, and to not see it would be smoke and mirrors.” 

If Musk does turn his attention back to politics, he’d still have an enormous challenge to rebuild the company’s reputation, Adamson said. He said that Musk would need to stop other polarizing behavior, such as posting on X about controversial topics, and that he would have to improve the company’s innovation. Tesla has launched only one new consumer vehicle since 2020, and that product, the Cybertruck, isn’t widely popular. 

“I don’t think he can pull a rabbit out of a hat fast enough to prevent a continued spiral down,” Adamson said.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Former Biden official ‘pleased’ Trump admin tackling antisemitism

Deborah Lipstadt, who served as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism during much of the Biden administration, has indicated that she is ‘pleased’ the Trump administration is seeking to tackle antisemitism.

‘I’m pleased that they’re addressing it, because that’s what I did for the past three years, which was to really push the Biden Administration to seriously address it. So I am very, very pleased that it’s on their agenda,’ she told the New Yorker. The outlet noted that the conversation with Lipstadt was edited for length and clarity.

Emory University announced in December that Lipstadt would return to the higher educational institution later in the academic year.

Fox News Digital attempted to reach to Lipstadt on Wednesday via the email and number listed on Emory University’s website, but did not receive a response to the comment request by the time of publication.

Lipstadt told the New Yorker that the Trump administration has been ‘calling universities to account.’ 

Gregg Jarrett: American taxpayers

‘I also think there are many Jews, and some non-Jews, too, but many Jews who are disappointed by how universities have behaved since October 7th, and they see a strong – to use Passover terminology – a strong hand being used. Now, whether that hand is being used properly or not raises certain questions about what’s happening,’ she reportedly said, noting, ‘a lot of people were relieved to see this forceful approach. I think, in many respects, it’s going too far.’

She indicated that many colleges have fallen short in tackling antisemitism.

‘Look, the universities failed to address this seriously. And by failing to address this seriously, they failed the Jewish students on campus. They dismissed their grievances. They created an inhospitable atmosphere. We’re now seeing the fruits of that failure. What disturbs me so much is that the debate will now become over whether antisemitism is being used as a weapon to fight against people we don’t like. Antisemitism should not be a cudgel,’ she noted, according to the outlet.

Education secretary vows Trump admin won

‘The fight should be against antisemitism and not against the institutions. The institutions opened the door. Most universities failed miserably to address this, and we’re seeing the consequences of that now,’ she told the New Yorker.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Convicted cardinal demands to be part of conclave to choose new pope, setting up Vatican standoff

A cardinal convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican is claiming he can take part in the forthcoming conclave despite being listed as a “non-elector.”

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, once one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, was ordered by Pope Francis in 2020 to resign the “rights and privileges” of a cardinal after he became embroiled in a Vatican financial scandal.

The Sardinian cardinal previously held the position of “sostituto” (“substitute”) in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State – a papal chief of staff equivalent.

The role offered Becciu walk-in privileges to see the pope and he commanded huge authority across the church’s central government. He was later moved to a position running the Vatican’s saint-making department.

Becciu was convicted of embezzlement and fraud in 2023 and handed a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence. He is the first cardinal to be convicted by the Vatican’s criminal court.

But the cardinal, who has always maintained his innocence, launched an appeal that’s currently still under consideration. He’s allowed to continue to live in a Vatican apartment while this process is underway.

While the Holy See press office has listed him as a “non-elector,” Becciu told a Sardinian newspaper on Tuesday that “there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing.”

The decision of his participation will likely be decided by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who will oversee the conclave proceedings inside the Sistine Chapel.

The investigation into Becciu centered on the Holy See’s disastrous investment in a London property that saw the church lose tens of millions of dollars.

During his papacy, Francis sought to clean up Vatican finances and changed the law to ensure that Becciu, as a cardinal, could be judged by a Vatican tribunal of judges.

Although Becciu lost his rights and privileges as a cardinal, he was never technically removed from the College of Cardinals. He is allowed to take part in the pre-conclave discussions.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 are allowed to vote in a papal election. As it currently stands, there are 135 eligible cardinals who will participate in conclave. Becciu is 76 and still eligible when it comes to his age.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
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Finlay Minerals stakes the JJB Property – within the Bear Lake Corridor of British Columbia

finlay minerals ltd. (TSXV: FYL) (OTCQB: FYMNF) (‘Finlay’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce the staking of 9 mineral claims covering 15,453 hectares (approximately 154 km²) in the northern Bear Lake Corridor of British Columbia . The JJB Property is named in honour of Finlay’s Founder, John J. Barakso who was an early advocate for the potential of the Bear Creek Corridor.

Figure 1. New JJB Property location and expanded SAY Property boundary. (CNW Group/Finlay Minerals Ltd.)

JJB PROPERTY:

The JJB Property is located within a highly prospective 135-kilometer-long belt in the Stikine Terrane, which hosts several significant copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) showings and prospects. Noteworthy nearby projects include Zimtu Capital Corp.’s Copperline Project and Doubleview Gold Corp.’s Red Spring Project. Additionally, porphyry projects along the Bear Lake trend include Imperial Metals’ Cu-Mo Porphyry Bear Lake Project, American Eagle Gold’s Cu-Au-Mo ± Ag NAK Project, Amarc Resources Ltd.’s DUKE Project, and HDI Quartz Mountain’s Cu Porphyry Jake Project.

The JJB area has geology similar to that of the deposits found in the Bear Lake Corridor. Three main copper showings have been identified on the property: Squingula, Quin, and Pat. The Squingula and Quin showings are located near an Eocene intrusion on the west side, characterized by a coincident magnetic high. This magnetic high is surrounded by a low that corresponds with an iron oxide anomaly, potentially indicative of a porphyry target. Both the intrusion and the magnetic and iron oxide signatures are associated with a multi-element geochemical anomaly identified through limited sampling. Mineralization appears to be influenced by major northwest-trending structures and east-west cross structures, with known mineralization occurring at the intersections of these structures.

In 2025, exploration work at the JJB will focus on expanding the geochemical anomalies within the gossanous magnetic low surrounding the magnetic high. Priority will be given to an airborne magnetic survey, along with prospecting and soil sampling.

Details on the JJB Property can be found in the JJB Property Technical Presentation and in the Properties section of the Company website at www.finlayminerals.com .

SAY PROPERTY:

Lying 4 km south of Finlay’s new JJB Property, work continues on the SAY Property, which has recently been expanded with additional staking to the north and south. The SAY Property now totals 26,202 hectares. The SAY Property was acquired in 2024, and an inaugural field program focused on chip sampling and mapping along the 4.3-kilometer-long SPUR Trend. This led to the discovery of the AG Zone and confirmed the continuity of high-grade Cu-Ag mineralization in the East Breccia Zone.

The SPUR is a high-grade Cu-Ag structural vein and breccia target that extends for 4.3 km along the north-northwest Tsaytut Spur ridge * .

The SHEL target area is a Cu-Mo porphyry identified through historic mapping and drilling. SHEL mineralization is reported to be associated with veining and breccias within quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes and lies on the western margin of an unexplored 3 km x 2 km magnetic high * . Historical assays and airborne magnetic data indicate the potential for the expansion of known mineralization in these two target areas.

In 2025, exploration work at the SAY will aim to expand the mineralized footprint of the SPUR and SHEL targets through geological mapping, soil sampling, and an airborne magnetic survey.

Details on the SAY Property, can be found in the SAY Property Technical Presentation and in the Properties section of the Company website at www.finlayminerals.com .

References:

*

Refer to finlay minerals ltd. News Release # 11-24 dated October 3, 2024 entitled: ‘ Finlay Minerals has completed its Inaugural Field Program at the High-Grade Copper-Silver SAY Property ‘ available on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person:

Wade Barnes , P. Geo. and Vice President, Exploration for Finlay Minerals and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has approved the technical content of this news release.

About finlay minerals ltd.

Finlay is a TSXV company focused on exploration for base and precious metal deposits with five 100%-owned and operated properties in northern British Columbia . In addition to the JJB & SAY Properties, the Company holds the:

  • ATTY Property covers 3,875 ha of sub-alpine terrain in the southern Toodoggone region. Exploration on the ATTY Property is also full-funded for 2025 with the signing of an Earn-In-Agreement with Freeport-McMoRan in April 2025.The Toodoggone is a northwest-trending belt of Triassic to Jurassic arc terranes that hosts numerous significant porphyry Cu-Au ± Ag and associated epithermal Au-Ag deposits. The ATTY Property is in between and contiguous to Centerra Gold’s Kemess Project and the joint-venture JOY Project held by Amarc Resources and Freeport-McMoRan. The ATTY Property KEM target has similarities to the Kemess North Trend, which hosts the Kemess Underground and Kemess East deposits.
  • Silver Hope Property covers 21,322 ha and surrounds the past-producing Equity Silver Mine in the prospective Skeena Arch region of central B.C. The Silver Hope contains the Main Trend which is a >2 km Cu-Ag-Au mineralized trend with mineralization starting at surface.  West of the Main Trend is the West Cu-Mo Porphyry which is also mineralized starting from surface. The Property hosts a network of forestry roads and trails and has all-year access from Houston, BC .

Finlay trades under the symbol ‘FYL’ on the TSXV and under the symbol ‘FYMNF’ on the OTCQB. For further information and details, please visit the Company’s website at www.finlayminerals.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Robert F. Brown
President, CEO & Director

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.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain ‘forward-looking information’ and ‘forward-looking statements’ (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements’) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as ‘expect’, ‘plan’, ‘anticipate’, ‘project’, ‘target’, ‘potential’, ‘schedule’, ‘forecast’, ‘budget’, ‘estimate’, ‘intend’ or ‘believe’ and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘should’ or ‘might’ occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding, among others, the exploration plans for the JJB and SAY Properties. Although Finlay believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, the ability of Finlay and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Finlay’s proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Finlay does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE finlay minerals ltd.

Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2025/23/c5360.html

News Provided by Canada Newswire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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Juggernaut Increases Oversubscribed Financing to $8,600,000 due to Strong Demand from Institutions and Accredited Investors

(TheNewswire)

Juggernaut Exploration Ltd.

Vancouver, British Columbia TheNewswire – April 23 rd, 2025 Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V: JUGR) (OTCQB: JUGRF) (FSE: 4JE) (the ‘Company’ or ‘Juggernaut’), further to its April 14, 2025, news release, the Company is pleased to announce an increase in its non-brokered financing of up to $8,600,000. Juggernaut welcomes this strategic investment from Crescat Capital Funds LLC (‘Crescat’) and technical support from Dr Quinton Hennigh. Juggernaut’s Big One Project is garnering strong interest and support from leading institutions and miners globally, confirming the quality of the newly discovered 11 km Highway of Gold surrounding the Eldorado porphyry system on the Big One property. The exciting discovery is in an area of glacial and snowpack abatement next door to the gold-rich porphyry systems at Newmont Mining’s Galore Creek. The Big One Property is a discovery previously announced Jan 20 th (Click Link) with assays up to 79.01 gt gold (2.54 ozt gold) and 3157.89 gt silver (101.5 ozt silver) from over 200 gold-silver-copper rich polymetallic veins up to 8 m wide and striking for up to 500 m that all remain open at surface. The Big One Project covers 33,693 hectares in a world-class geologic terrane with tremendous additional discovery potential in the heart of the Golden Triangle, British Columbia.

Dr. Quinton Hennigh has taken on the role of special technical advisor to the Company. He is the technical consultant for all Crescat’s gold and silver mining investments. Dr. Hennigh is a world-renowned exploration geologist with over 40 years of experience with major gold mining firms, Homestake Mining, Newcrest Mining, Newmont Mining, and Kirkland Lake/Fosterville. In just the last five years, Dr. Hennigh was instrumental in several material discoveries, including Goliath / Surebet, Newfound / Queensway, SCM / Isidorito, Eloro / Iska Iska, Snowline / Valley, Sitka / RC Gold Project, and Tectonic / Flat.

Dr. Hennigh stated , ‘The Big One gold-silver project has a very similar feel to Goliath’s Surebet gold discovery. To date, reconnaissance prospecting and sampling conducted by Juggernaut’s exploration team have identified a multitude of multi-meter thick quartz-sulfide veins, many of which have yielded +oz per tonne Au and multi-oz per tonne Ag assays. Early indications suggest there is a genetic association of veins with late-stage magmatism in the area, an association seen at Surebet. This season, Juggernaut has a clear mandate to follow up on these results with detailed mapping and channel sampling, much like Goliath did during the early days of the Surebet discovery. The Company’s mission is to get as many targets as possible ready for drill testing either late season or for 2026. I am very eager to see if a new ‘Surebet’ type discovery is in hand.

View Juggernaut videos by Clicking Here .

The charity flow-through funding will consist of up to 8,000,000 charity flow-through units (‘CFT Units’), priced at $0.825 each, for gross proceeds of up to $6,600,000. Each CFT Unit will consist of one charity flow-through common share plus one warrant to purchase one non-flow-through common share at $0.75 for a sixty-month period with a forced accelerated conversion after 10 consecutive trading days at or above $1.50, callable at management’s discretion.

Juggernaut is concurrently raising up to 4,000,000 hard dollar units priced at $0.50 each for gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000. Each hard dollar unit will consist of one common share plus one warrant at $0.75 for a sixty-month period with a forced accelerated conversion after 10 consecutive trading days at or above $1.50, callable at management’s discretion, upon completion of the charity flow-through and hard dollar financings for a combined total of $8,600,000, which is projected to close on or before May 15, 2025. The proceeds will be used to explore Juggernaut’s properties located in Northwestern B.C. and for general working capital.

‘Gold exploration is all about swinging for the fence. Persevering with a diversified portfolio of great management and technical teams with bold targets is the key. The cool thing about Juggernaut is that it has the same geologic team as the one behind Goliath Resources, where their Surebet gold discovery has already been a home run, based on personal experience. We are happy to invest in Juggernaut and this team. It’s time for Big One, which may be the best target yet for this company and team. We are eager to support them with capital for another at-bat.’ – Kevin Smith, CFA, Founder & CEO of Crescat Capital .

Directors and officers of the company may acquire securities under the placement, which participation would be a ‘related party transaction’ as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 (‘MI 61-101’). Such participation is expected to be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101.

Mr. Dan Stuart, Director, President, and CEO of Juggernaut, states:

‘We are pleased to strengthen our relationship, both with Crescat Capital as a strategic investor and Dr. Hennigh as a Special Technical Advisor and investor. I look forward to working with our partners who bring a proven track record of both financial and technical strength. This will enable Juggernaut to unlock the full potential of its assets over the long term, building value for all shareholders. This investment and strategic partnership, coupled with the ongoing support and interest from other globally recognized Institutions and senior miners, is a strong endorsement that clearly demonstrates the significant near-term discovery potential of our 100% controlled properties. Post financing, Juggernaut will have an extremely tight capital structure of just 28,744,084 shares, no debt, and a strong cash position of ~ $9,000,000. As such, we are well-positioned to move forward with our plans of drilling The Big One Discovery. With much anticipation, we look forward to executing the inaugural exploration program and reporting results.’

The Company may pay finder’s fees of the gross proceeds from the financing in cash, and compensation options on units being sold. This non-brokered private placement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. All shares issued pursuant to this offering and any shares issued pursuant to the exercise of warrants will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date.

About Crescat Capital LLC

Crescat is a global macro asset management firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Crescat’s mission is to grow and protect wealth over the long term by deploying tactical investment themes based on proprietary value-driven equity and macro models. Crescat’s goal is industry-leading absolute and risk-adjusted returns over complete business cycles with low correlation to common benchmarks. Over the last several years, Crescat has been building activist stakes in a portfolio of precious metals explorers to express one of its primary macro themes. The company’s investment process involves a mix of asset classes and strategies to assist with each client’s unique needs and objectives, and includes Global Macro, Long/Short, Large Cap, and Precious Metals funds.

About Juggernaut Exploration Ltd.

Juggernaut Exploration Ltd. is an explorer and generator of precious metals projects in the prolific Golden Triangle of northwestern British Columbia. Its projects are in world-class geological settings and geopolitical safe jurisdictions amenable to Tier 1 mining in Canada. Juggernaut is a member and active supporter of CASERM, an organization representing a collaborative venture between the Colorado School of Mines and Virginia Tech. Juggernaut’s key strategic cornerstone shareholder is Crescat Capital.

For more information, please contact

Juggernaut Exploration Ltd.

Dan Stuart

President, Director, and Chief Executive Officer

604-559-8028

info@juggernautexploration.com

www.juggernautexploration.com

Qualified Person

Rein Turna P. Geo is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, for Juggernaut Exploration projects, and supervised the preparation of, and has reviewed and approved, the technical information in this release.

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

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

Certain disclosures in this release may constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties relating to Juggernaut’s operations that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements, including its ability to complete the contemplated private placement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES. THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR AN INVITATION TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED IN IT.

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

News Provided by TheNewsWire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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’60 Minutes’ producer leaves show, citing a loss of journalistic independence

The top producer at CBS’ “60 Minutes” announced Tuesday he would step down from the newsmagazine because he had lost his journalistic independence.  

“Over the past months, it has … become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Bill Owens said in a memo to staff members, which was obtained by NBC News. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes,’ right for the audience.” 

“So, having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,” Owens added.  

Owens’ departure comes during a tumultuous chapter for “60 Minutes.” President Donald Trump has sued CBS for $10 billion over an October interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that the president claims was deceptively edited. The network has denied that claim. 

Trump amended the lawsuit earlier this year, upping his damages claim to $20 billion.

“Former President Donald Trump’s repeated claims against ‘60 Minutes’ are false,” CBS News said in a statement in October. “The interview was not doctored” and the show “did not hide any part of Vice President Kamala Harris’s answer to the question at issue.”  

In a separate statement, “60 Minutes” said it gave an excerpt from its interview with Harris to the Sunday morning program “Face the Nation,” which used a longer section of the former Democratic presidential candidate’s answer to a question.

“Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point,” the statement said. “The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment.”  

Bill Owens, Executive Producer of 60 Minutes, CBS News
Bill Owens, Executive Producer of 60 Minutes, CBS News, in Toronto on June 22, 2022.Piaras Ó Mídheach / Sportsfile via Getty Images file

Trump has repeatedly lambasted the venerable newsmagazine over its reporting on him and his administration.  

In a post on Truth Social on April 13, for example, Trump wrote: “Almost every week, 60 Minutes … mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all.” He appeared to take issue with segments about the war in Ukraine and his interest in acquiring Greenland.  

Trump added that he believed CBS should lose its broadcast license and “pay a big price.” He said he hoped Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr would “impose the maximum fines and punishment.”   

Owens’ exit, first reported by The New York Times, also comes at a pivotal moment for CBS’ parent company, Paramount. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, reportedly needs the Trump administration to approve her media conglomerate’s sale to Skydance Media, a production and finance company run by David Ellison, the son of tech mogul Larry Ellison. 

The New York Times reported in late January that Paramount was in settlement talks with Trump. The Times later reported that Owens told staff members he would not apologize for the Harris interview as part of any prospective settlement. NBC News has not independently verified either report. 

In his memo to staff, Owens said “60 Minutes” would “continue to cover the new administration, as we will report on future administrations. We will report from war zones, investigate injustices and educate our audience. In short, ‘60 Minutes’ will do what it has done for 57 years.”  

“Thank you all, remain focused on the moment, our audience deserves it,” Owens said in closing.  

Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News, notified company employees by email that Owens would be leaving and touted his work at the company.

“Tom and I are committed to 60 Minutes and to ensuring that the mission and the work remain our priority,” McMahon said, referring to CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski. 

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Vance issues ultimatum to Russia, Ukraine on peace negotiations

Vice President JD Vance told reporters in India that the U.S. had offered Russia and Ukraine ‘a very explicit proposal’ to end the war that has been ongoing for over three years: make a deal or risk the U.S. walking away.

‘We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the U.S. to walk away from this process. We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work,’ Vance told reporters.

The vice president also said that ‘the only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine.’

Vance’s comments come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he would not be attending talks in London aimed at facilitating a ceasefire. On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Rubio would not be attending the talks due to ‘logistical issues.’ 

The secretary later wrote in a post on X that he was planning on ‘following up after the ongoing discussions in London and rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months.’

During Tuesday’s briefing, Bruce also said Gen. Keith Kellogg, special presidential envoy for Ukraine, would represent the U.S. at the talks in London.

On Friday, Rubio suggested that the U.S. might walk away from negotiations to end the war within ‘a matter of days,’ despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire deal. Trump later told the press that Rubio was ‘right in saying that we want to see it end.’

‘Think about it, every day a lot of people are being killed as we talk about, you know, as they play games, so we’re not gonna take that,’ Trump told reporters. He also said he thinks the U.S. has a ‘good chance’ of bringing peace to Ukraine and Russia.

Security experts, however, are not as confident that peace is on the horizon, as some warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace.

Trump seems to be hoping to entice Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop the fighting with talk of how both countries could benefit from doing business with the U.S. after the war ends. He made the remark after Ukraine and Russia’s temporary Easter ceasefire ended. Both Ukraine and Russia accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

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Trump insists Ukraine-Russia peace deal is close, but mistrust in Putin leaves experts skeptical

President Donald Trump this week said he is ‘very’ optimistic that Ukraine and Russia will enter into some sort of deal in the coming days, but security experts are still sounding the alarm that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace. 

A feeling of geopolitical whiplash is surrounding Washington after the Trump administration last week said it would abandon peace efforts if a ceasefire cannot be secured, though days later Trump said there is a ‘very good chance’ a deal will be reached this week.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about what it would mean should the U.S. walk away from one of Trump’s top campaign trail issues: ending the war in Ukraine. 

The administration also has not clarified if Washington would take retaliatory measures against Putin, as Trump threatened to do last month.

‘Simply because Trump hasn’t announced any consequences yet does not mean that he doesn’t plan on taking some anti-Russia measures,’ former DIA intelligence officer and Russia expert Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital. ‘Trump almost certainly intends for his economic warfare against China to serve as an example to Putin how far Trump is willing to go to compel his adversaries to his will.’

‘But unlike the China case, there’s no similar dependence between the U.S. and Russia. Trump’s decision on Russia is much more complicated, more risky and requires more thought,’ she added. ‘He may or may not take draconian economic steps against Russia, as Putin may take devastating, non-kinetic actions against the U.S. 

‘It’s Trump’s risk tolerance vs. Putin’s now,’ Koffler said. ‘And both like to win and both have risk tolerance way above average.’

The White House did not respond to questions by Fox News Digital on whether the U.S. would still aid Ukraine in some capacity, particularly given recent restrictions on military aid Trump has implemented on Kyiv, like refusing to sell Patriot missiles previously used to defend civilian populations from Russian strikes and that cost $1.5 billion a piece.

‘If we want to be a global superpower, and we want to deter aggression, not with U.S. troops on the ground, but in general, to deter aggression because it is good for our national security, then we should continue to support Ukraine,’ former CIA Moscow Station Chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s a tiny percentage of the Department of Defense budget.’

‘The return on investment is pretty high,’ he added, referring to the $66.5 billion in military assistance Washington has provided Kyiv since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, compared to the $841.4 billion defense budget congressionally approved for 2024 alone, a figure which Trump has pushed to increase.

A Ukrainian delegation was set to meet with Trump administration officials in London on Wednesday alongside other European partners, including representatives from the U.K., France and Germany.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly set to return to Moscow this week to continue negotiations with Russian officials, though the Kremlin has not indicated they are anywhere near agreeing to ceasefire terms, let alone a peace deal.

A spokesperson for Putin, Dmitry Peskov, on Tuesday reportedly said the issue of Russia’s invasion was too ‘complex’ to achieve a quick fix and warned against rushing into a deal.

‘It is not worth setting any rigid time frames and trying to get a settlement, a viable settlement, in a short time frame,’ he said.

The Kremlin’s position has given credence to repeated warnings from security experts that Putin is not interested in securing a peace deal with Ukraine. 

‘There’s no indication that Putin wants to stop the war,’ Hoffman said. ‘That isn’t surprising. Because for a war to end, somebody has to win or both sides have to be so tired they can’t continue to fight. 

‘Russia is the invader, so you have to stop them in order to have an end of the war,’ he added. ‘The one consistent thing here is Putin is continuing to fight. His objective is to overthrow the government in Ukraine. He’s going to keep fighting until he feels like he has accomplished that goal or he can’t fight anymore.’

Koffler echoed Hoffman’s position: ‘Putin will be pursuing the same strategy regardless of Trump’s actions; that is continuing the war of attrition until Ukraine capitulates or is completely destroyed and the government collapses.’

‘Putin would like to string Trump along and will continue to try doing so,’ she added.

A report by the Moscow Times on Tuesday cited sources close to Putin and said the Kremlin chief is looking to reorder the global ‘spheres of influence’ by negotiating leverage points between the U.S. and adversaries like Iran and North Korea. 

The article claimed that Putin would attempt to get Trump to either force a less-than-desirable deal for Ukraine or potentially stop the U.S. from aiding Kyiv by proposing personally enticing deals, like allowing Trump to build a hotel in Moscow, and geopolitical wins, like securing a nuclear agreement with Iran and a ‘peace deal’ in Ukraine.

Fox News Digital could not verify the report’s claims, but Koffler agreed it could be a strategy that Putin is looking to employ as the U.S. pushes deals across Europe and the Middle East. 

‘He could promise Trump not to share certain sensitive technologies to these two [nations],’ Koffler said. ‘And he could convince Iran not to operationalize and weaponize its nuclear program in exchange for Trump’s promise not to target Iran’s nuclear facilities in a kinetic strike and to lift sanctions from Russia. 

‘The important aspect of all of this is to give these adversaries face-saving opportunities, which is not a strong point for the U.S. style of diplomacy,’ Koffler said. ‘But Putin’s ability to convince Trump and Trump’s decision calculus are two different things.’

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EPA fires or reassigns hundreds working on ‘environmental justice’

President Donald Trump’s administration is firing or reassigning over 450 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency as part of a larger push to eliminate ‘environmental justice’ programs.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the employee moves on Monday, saying 280 staffers were being fired, and 175 others would be reassigned. The cut roles were in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and EPA regional offices.

‘EPA is taking the next step to terminate the Biden-Harris Administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environmental Justice arms of the agency,’ a spokesperson told Axios.

Zeldin explained at a Monday press conference that tax dollars put toward environmental justice issues were widely misspent.

‘The problem is that, in the name of environmental justice, a dollar will get secured and not get spent on remediating that environmental issue,’ he said.

The firings come the same week that Zeldin launched talks with Mexico about eliminating sewage contamination that flows over the border from Tijuana to pollute California’s coastlines.

Zeldin visited San Diego to discuss the issue on Tuesday, noting that one of the affected areas is the training grounds for Navy SEALs.

‘The Americans on our side of the border who have been dealing with this… for decades, are out of patience,’ Zeldin said Tuesday. ‘There’s no way that we are going to stand before the people of California and ask them to have more patience and just bear with all of us as we go through the next 10 or 20 or 30 years of being stuck in 12 feet of raw sewage and not getting anywhere.’

‘So we are all out of patience,’ he continued. ‘There’s a very limited opportunity. We’re in good faith, both on the American side and also on the Mexican side, what’s being communicated by the new Mexican president is an intense desire to fully resolve this situation.’ 

Veterans sound the alarm on Mexican sewage crisis sickening Navy SEALs off California coast

Zeldin said that he met with Mexican officials for about 90 minutes Monday night to discuss the sewage spewing into U.S. waters — and relayed that the Mexican environmental secretary wants to have a ‘strong collaborative relationship’ with the U.S. to end the pollution. 

‘I will be speaking with the chief of staff to the Mexican environmental secretary to ensure that over the course of the coming days, over the course of the next couple weeks, that we are able to put together a specific statement from both countries on a mutual understanding of what Mexico is going to do to help resolve this issue,’ he said.

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

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Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes near Istanbul as scores injured in panic

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Istanbul on Wednesday leading to scenes of panic in the Turkish metropolis, officials said.

The quake occurred in the Sea of Marmara close to Silivri, which lies around 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the west of the city, and aftershocks are continuing, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD)..

Istanbul authorities said there had been no loss of life but that 151 people were injured after “jumping from heights due to panic.”

No residential buildings were damaged, authorities added, but one abandoned building collapsed in the central Fatih District.

In February 2023, Turkey experienced one of its deadliest earthquakes in the last century, when a 7.8 magnitude quake struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in the southern Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles).

That quake also hit northern Syria, killing more 50,000 people across both countries.

With two key fault lines in its vicinity – the North Anatolian and the East Anatolian – Turkey is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, a reality that has amplified concern over Istanbul’s earthquake preparedness.

Once the capital of the Byzantine and the Ottoman empires, the densely populated city is home to around 16 million people. It lies precariously close to the North Anatolian fault, which passes within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of Istanbul and through the Sea of Marmara, according to the Geological Society of London.

Historically, that fault has led to several disastrous earthquakes, including a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck the nearby city of Izmit in 1999, killing over 17,000 people, and displacing an estimated 500,000 others.

An earthquake occurs when the Earth’s crust shifts abruptly, with energy radiated out as seismic waves and shaking that can violently impact people, buildings and infrastructure.

Those waves and factors related to the shifting ground determine an earthquake’s magnitude, as measured through 10 on the scale most commonly used to describe quakes. An earthquake that measures between 6 and 6.9 is classified as “strong.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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