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NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Stallion Uranium Corp. (the ‘ Company ‘ or ‘ Stallion ‘ ) ( TSX-V: STUD ; OTCQB: STLNF ; FSE: FE0 ) further to its news release of July 8 th 2025, the Company provides certain updates in respect of its technology licensing agreement dated July 7 th 2025 (the ‘ Technology Licensing Agreement ‘), amongst the Company and Matthew J. Mason (the ‘ Lessor ‘). The Lessor holds the exclusive license to certain proprietary technology and know-how that can be used to assist in area prioritization selection for the purposes of exploration for minerals (the ‘ Technology ‘), which was developed by an arm’s length Ph.D. geologist (the ‘ Licensor ‘).

In particular, the Lessor obtained its license in the Technology pursuant to the terms of a binding term sheet dated February 6 ^th , 2025, amongst the Lessor and the Licensor (the ‘ Underlying Agreement ‘). Pursuant to the terms of the Underlying Agreement, the Lessor’s license in the Technology shall be for a period of 2 years. In connection with the grant of the license to the Lessor from the Licensor, the Lessor and the Licensor shall form an unincorporated joint-venture whereby the Licensor shall contribute the Technology, and the Lessor shall contribute funding and marking expertise to collaboratively advance the development of the Technology. As of the date hereof, the Licensor has advanced funds of GBP280,000 pursuant to the Underlying Agreement.

Furthermore, the 3,750,000 common shares of the Company payable to the Lessor pursuant to the Technology Licensing Agreement shall be subject to a tier 2 value escrow agreement, with 10% of the escrowed securities being releasable at the time of the Final TSX-V Bulletin, and 15% of the escrowed securities being releasable every six months thereafter until released in full.

For more information regarding the Technology Licensing Agreement and the Technology, please refer to the Company’s news release of July 8 ^th , 2025.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. None of the securities issued pursuant to the Technology License Agreement have been, or will be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, or any state securities laws.

About Stallion Uranium Corp.:

Stallion Uranium is working to ‘Fuel the Future with Uranium’ through the exploration of roughly 1,700 sq/km in the Athabasca Basin, home to the largest high-grade uranium deposits in the world. The company, with JV partner Atha Energy holds the largest contiguous project in the Western Athabasca Basin adjacent to multiple high-grade discovery zones.

Our leadership and advisory teams are comprised of uranium and precious metals exploration experts with the capital markets experience and the technical talent for acquiring and exploring early-stage properties. For more information visit stallionuranium.com .

On Behalf of the Board of Stallion Uranium Corp.:

Matthew Schwab
CEO and Director

Corporate Office:
700 – 838 West Hastings Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia,
V6C 0A6

T: 604-551-2360
info@stallionuranium.com

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.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, ‘forward-looking statements’) that relate to the Company’s current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as ‘will likely result’, ‘are expected to’, ‘expects’, ‘will continue’, ‘is anticipated’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘estimated’, ‘intends’, ‘plans’, ‘forecast’, ‘projection’, ‘strategy’, ‘objective’ and ‘outlook’) are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements and may involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this material change report should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date they are made.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement .

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Investing

Silver Crown Announces Amendment

(TheNewswire)

TORONTO, ON TheNewswire – August 1, 2025 Silver Crown Royalties Inc. ( Cboe: SCRI,OTC:SLCRF; OTCQX: SLCRF; FRA: QS0) ( ‘Silver Crown’ ‘SCRi’ or the ‘Company’ ) is pleased to announce it has executed an amendment (the ‘ Amendment ‘) to its silver royalty agreement originally dated December 13, 2024 (the ‘Agreement’ ) with PPX Mining Corp. ( TSXV: PPX; BVL: PPX) ( ‘PPX’ ) with respect to a silver royalty (‘ Silver Royalty ‘) on the Igor Project. The Amendment changes the capital deployment structure of the second tranche of the purchase price for the Silver Royalty (the ‘ Second Tranche Payment ‘) and the commencement date of the quarterly minimum Silver Royalty payments under the Agreement (the ‘ Minimum Royalty Payments ‘).

The Second Tranche Payment, originally set at US$1,470,000 and payable on or before August 6, 2025, has now been divided into two payments, with Silver Crown paying US$833,000 of the Second Tranche Payment to PPX today and with the remaining US$637,000 of the Second Tranche Payment now being due on or before December 31, 2025. Additionally, the commencement date for the Minimum Royalty Payments has been deferred from October 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, subject to earlier commencement upon the startup of metallurgical operations at the Beneficiation Plant.

In accordance with the terms of the Agreement as amended by the Amendment, the payment of the first US$833,000 of the Second Tranche Payment today increased Silver Royalty payable to SCRi to the cash equivalent of 5.1% of the silver produced at the Igor Project (to an aggregate 11.1%), and the total payable silver ounces under the Silver Royalty increased by 76,500 ounces (to an aggregate total of 166,500 ounces). Upon payment of the remaining US$637,000 of the Second Tranche Payment on or before December 31, 2025, the Silver Royalty will further increase by 3.9% of the cash equivalent of the silver produced at the Igor Project (to a total of 15%), and the total payable silver ounces under the Silver Royalty will increase by an additional 58,500 ounces (to an aggregate total of 225,000 ounces) as contemplated by the Agreement.

Peter Bures, Silver Crown’s CEO, stated, ‘Increasing our royalty to 11.1% of the cash equivalent of the silver produced at Igor 4 (up from 6% in the first half of the year) is expected to be instrumental to our revenue growth in the immediate term. Amending the Second Tranche Payment offers flexibility to our partners as they continue to develop their infrastructure and presents an opportunity for SCRI to deploy capital in a more advantageous manner for shareholders. Furthermore, adjusting the Minimum Royalty Payments to a more advantageous timeline enables for any fine tuning during the initial phase of the Beneficiation Plant’s operation. We emphasize that the overall transaction terms remain unchanged per the Agreement: SCRI is still expected to receive the cash equivalent of 225,000 silver ounces over the next four years, of which approximately the cash equivalent of 1,600 silver ounces have already been delivered and will now be delivered at an increased rate.

ABOUT Silver Crown Royalties INC.

Founded by industry veterans, Silver Crown Royalties ( Cboe: SCRI | OTCQX: SLCRF | BF: QS0 ) is a publicly traded, silver royalty company. Silver Crown (SCRi) currently has four silver royalties of which three are revenue-generating. Its business model presents investors with precious metals exposure that allows for a natural hedge against currency devaluation while minimizing the negative impact of cost inflation associated with production. SCRi endeavors to minimize the economic impact on mining projects while maximizing returns for shareholders. For further information, please contact:

Silver Crown Royalties Inc.

Peter Bures, Chairman and CEO

Telephone: (416) 481-1744

Email: pbures@silvercrownroyalties.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains certain ‘forward looking statements’ and certain ‘forward-looking information’ as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘should’, ‘expect’, ‘intend’, ‘estimate’, ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘continue’, ‘plans’ or similar terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, SCRi anticipates that Elk Gold will pay this residual amount owing on or before March 31, 2025. Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual actions, events or results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: the impact of general business and economic conditions; the absence of control over mining operations from which SCRi will purchase gold and other metals or from which it will receive royalty payments and risks related to those mining operations, including risks related to international operations, government and environmental regulation, delays in mine construction and operations, actual results of mining and current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; accidents, equipment breakdowns, title matters, labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions in operations; SCRi’s ability to enter into definitive agreements and close proposed royalty transactions; the inherent uncertainties related to the valuations ascribed by SCRi to its royalty interests; problems inherent to the marketability of gold and other metals; the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; industry conditions, including fluctuations in the price of the primary commodities mined at such operations, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and fluctuations in interest rates; government entities interpreting existing tax legislation or enacting new tax legislation in a way which adversely affects SCRi; stock market volatility; regulatory restrictions; liability, competition, the potential impact of epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises on SCRi’s business, operations and financial condition, loss of key employees. SCRi has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. SCRi undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management’s best judgment based on information currently available.

This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities of the Company in Canada, the United States or any other jurisdiction. Any such offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein will be made only pursuant to subscription documentation between the Company and prospective purchasers. Any such offering will be made in reliance upon exemptions from the prospectus and registration requirements under applicable securities laws, pursuant to a subscription agreement to be entered into by the Company and prospective investors. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

CBOE CANADA DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

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Investing

Harvest Gold Announces Closing of Non-Brokered Private Placement with Crescat Capital as Lead Investor

(TheNewswire)

Vancouver, British Columbia TheNewswire – August 1, 2025 ‑ Harvest Gold Corporation (TSXV: HVG,OTC:HVGDF) (‘ Harvest Gold ‘ or the ‘ Company ‘) announces that, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘ Exchange ‘) and further to its news release of July 3, 2025, it has closed its non-brokered private placement raising gross proceeds of $2,295,549.86 (the ‘ Offering ‘).

The Offering consisted of 11,660,199 units (the ‘ Units ‘) at a price of $0.075 per Unit for proceeds of $874,514.93 and 13,533,666 charity flow-through units (the ‘ CFT Units ‘) at a price of $0.105 per CFT Unit for proceeds of $1,421,034.93.

Crescat Capital LLC (‘ Crescat ‘), as the lead investor in the Offering, purchased 5,866,666 Units, bringing its non-diluted ownership of Harvest Gold common shares to approximately 19.73%. Crescat’s participation constitutes a ‘related party transaction’ as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (‘ MI 61-10 1′). Such participation is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 based on the exemptions provided in Section 5.5(c) Distribution of Securities for Cash and Section 5.7(b) Fair Market Value Not More than $2,500, 000, respectively.

Quinton Hennigh, Geologic and Technical Advisor at Crescat Capital LLC states: ‘Harvest Gold has, in my view, a very attractive land position over a highly prospective greenstone belt that hosts the nearby Windfall deposit. Although in the early stage, Harvest Gold’s team collected solid geophysical and geochemical data that define some compelling green field targets. They are now set to conduct their first drill program to test these targets. I find it refreshing to see a company tackle something bold and new like this and look forward to seeing what they encounter.’

Rick Mark, President and CEO of Harvest Gold states: ‘We are grateful to Crescat and the outstanding group of investors who have supported us in this round and over the past two year as we established ourselves in Quebec. I am very pleased to say that the drilling at Mosseau will begin shortly and that, concurrently, we will be exploring Urban Barry and Labelle for the first time.’

Each CFT Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a ‘ Common Share ‘) and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each, a ‘ Warrant ‘), each of which qualifies as a ‘flow-through share’ (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)). Each Unit consists of one Common Share and one Warrant. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share (each, a ‘ Warrant Share ‘) at a price of $0.12 per Warrant Share for a period of two years following the closing date of the Offering (the ‘ Expiry Date ‘).

The Company anticipates using the proceeds from the issue and sale of the Units for the 2025 drilling campaign, various other exploration expenses and general working capital.

The gross proceeds raised from the CFT Units will be used by the Company to incur eligible ‘Canadian exploration expenses’ that qualify as ‘flow-through mining expenditures’ (as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the ‘ Qualifying Expenditures ‘) related to the Company’s projects in Québec. The Company will renounce Qualifying Expenditures with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2025, in an amount of not less than the total amount of the gross proceeds raised from the issuance of the CFT Units, and incur such expenses by December 31, 2026.

All securities issued will be subject to a four-month hold period pursuant to securities laws in Canada, expiring on December 1, 2025.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid finder’s fees consisting of $19,790 cash and 263,867 non-transferable finder’s warrants (the ‘ Finder’s Warrants ‘) to arm’s length finders. Each Finder’s Warrant is exercisable at $0.12 until the Expiry Date.

About Harvest Gold Corporation

Harvest Gold has three active gold projects focused in the Urban Barry area, totalling 329 claims covering 17,539.25 ha , located approximately 45-70 km east of the Gold Fields Windfall Deposit.

The Company’s board of directors, management team and technical advisors have collective geological and financing experience exceeding 400 years.

Harvest Gold acknowledges that the Mosseau Gold Project straddles the Eeyou Istchee-James Bay and Abitibi territories. Harvest Gold is committed to developing positive and mutually beneficial relationships based on respect and transparency with local Indigenous communities.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rick Mark
President and CEO
Harvest Gold Corporation

For more information please contact:

Rick Mark or Jan Urata
@ 604.737.2303 or info@harvestgoldcorp.com

Neither 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 Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed ‘forward looking statements’. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Harvest Gold expects to occur, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘potential’ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur.

Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the final approval of the Offering by the Exchange; the anticipated commencement of drilling at Mosseau and initial exploration at Urban Barry and Labelle; the Company’s exploration plans and strategy; the expected use of proceeds from the Offering; and the Company’s intention to incur and renounce Qualifying Expenditures under the Income Tax Act (Canada) within the prescribed timelines.

Although the Company 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 may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. 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. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act’), or any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) or persons in the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws of the United States or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities within any jurisdiction, including the United States. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements.

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Economy

Ontario cancels internet deal with Musk’s Starlink as part of U.S. tariff fight

The Canadian province of Ontario has canceled a C$100 million ($68.12 million) satellite high-speed internet contract with Elon Musk’s company Starlink, following through with a vow by the province’s premier to cut ties in retaliation for U.S. tariffs imposed on Canada.

Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s minister of energy and mines, confirmed the cancellation of the contract for internet services at an unrelated news conference in Toronto on Wednesday. Lecce, who oversees broadband connectivity in Canada’s most populous province, didn’t say how much the termination would cost.

“I can confirm that the premier has fulfilled his word, which is to cancel that contract because of the very reasons he cited in the past,” Lecce said. “We are standing up for Canada.”

Under the terms of the deal, which Ontario signed last November, Starlink was to provide high-speed internet access to 15,000 eligible homes and businesses in more remote communities.

In February, Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to end the agreement with Starlink in response to U.S. President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on Canadian goods. He later postponed the cancellation after Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on tariffs.

SpaceX, Starlink’s parent, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk headed Trump’s drive to shrink the federal government and was a close ally before falling out with the president.

Canada and the U.S. are working on negotiating a trade deal by August 1, the date Trump is threatening to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said talks were at an intense phase while reiterating that a deal that would remove all U.S. tariffs was unlikely.

Lecce said Ontario has taken other measures against the U.S., including restricting the ability of U.S. companies to bid on provincial government contracts, removing U.S.-made alcoholic beverages from store shelves and working to decouple the province’s energy sector from the U.S.

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Economy

Apple crushes Wall Street expectations as iPhone sales soar

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple on Thursday reported sales and profit that far surpassed expectations, showing that its efforts to re-route its sprawling global supply chain away from U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war have so far succeeded.

Apple said it earned $94.04 billion in revenue for its fiscal third quarter ended June 28, up nearly 10% from a year earlier and beating analyst expectations of $89.54 billion, according to LSEG data. Its earnings per share of $1.57 per share topped expectations of $1.43 per share.

Sales of iPhones, the Cupertino, California, company’s best-selling product, were up 13.5% to $44.58 billion, beating analyst expectations of $40.22 billion.

Apple has been shifting production of products bound for the U.S., sourcing iPhones from India and other products such as Macs and Apple Watches from Vietnam. Still, the company had warned investors that U.S. tariffs could cost it $900 million in the fiscal third quarter, and it trimmed its annual share buyback program by $10 billion, a move analysts viewed as helping to free up cash to remain nimble in uncertain times.

The ultimate tariffs many Apple products could face remain in flux, and many of its products are currently exempt. Sales in its Americas segment, which includes the U.S. and could face tariff impacts, rose 9.3% to $41.2 billion.

In an interview with Reuters, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company set seasonal records for upgrades of iPhones, Macs, and Apple Watches. He said Apple estimates about 1 percentage point of its 9.6% of sales growth in the quarter was attributable to customers making purchases ahead of potential tariffs.

“We saw evidence in the early part of the quarter, specifically, of some pull-ahead related to the tariff announcements,” Cook told Reuters, though he also said the active user base for iPhones hit a record high in all geographies.

The U.S. is still negotiating with both China and India, with Trump saying India could face 25% tariffs as early as Friday. However, analysts said India could still retain cost advantages for Apple in the longer term.

Tariffs are only one of Apple’s challenges. The company faces competition from rivals such as Samsung in a tough market for premium-priced mobile phones. On the software front, Apple faces challenges from Alphabet, which is quickly weaving AI features into its competing Android operating system.

Apple has delayed the release of an AI-enriched version of Siri, its virtual assistant, but Cook said the company is “making good progress on a personalized Siri.” He also said Apple, which has thus far not engaged in the massive capital expenditures of its Big Tech rivals to pursue AI, is “significantly growing” its investments in artificial intelligence.

“Apple has always been about taking the most advanced technologies and making them easy to use and accessible for everyone, and that’s at the heart of our AI strategy,” Cook said.

Apple faces regulatory rulings in Europe that threaten to undermine its lucrative App Store business. Apple said sales from its services business, which includes the App Store as well as music and cloud storage, were $27.42 billion, topping analyst expectations of $26.8 billion.

Sales of wearables such as AirPods and Apple Watches were $7.4 billion, missing estimates of $7.82 billion. Mac sales of $8.05 billion beat expectations of $7.26 billion, while iPads hit $6.58 billion in sales, missing expectations of $7.24 billion.

In Greater China, where Apple has faced long delays in approval to introduce AI features on its devices, sales were $15.37 billion, up from a year ago and above expectations of $15.12 billion, according to a survey of five analysts from data firm Visible Alpha.

Apple said gross margins were 46.5%, beating analyst expectations of 45.9%, according to LSEG estimates.

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Economy

JPMorgan marks 1,000th branch opening since 2018 expansion plans

JPMorgan Chase has built 1,000 new branches in seven years. That’s more locations than most of its competitors operate in total.

The bank is marking the milestone opening in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday where Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon is attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The firm has roughly 5,000 branches, the most of any American bank, according to Federal Reserve data from March.

“It’s a great marker for us to be able to say, you can see our commitment over time and we’re on a marathon with regard to this expansion,” said Jennifer Roberts, the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, in an interview. “A thousand [branches] is significant — a thousand is bigger than many regional competitors have at all.”

In 2018, JPMorgan operated bank branches in 23 states and said it would expand into as many as 20 new markets over the following five years with about 400 new locations. By 2021, the firm said it had branches in all 48 lower states. And last February, JPMorgan announced a new, multibillion-dollar investment to open another 500 new locations by 2027.

JPMorgan said over the past seven years, Chase has opened more bank branches than all of its large bank peers combined. However, many of JPMorgan’s competitors have recently announced plans to expand their own footprints as the quest for deposits heats up.

Bank of America recently announced a branch expansion, with plans to open 150 new centers by 2027. And Wells Fargo plans to add branches, especially now that it’s fulfilled a regulatory consent order that had been constraining its growth.

The industry-wide growth plans could help reverse a trend dating back to the 2008 financial crisis in which the U.S. has seen the net number of bank branches plummet. The combination of fewer overall banks and the advent of online banking has broadly made brick-and-mortar locations lower priority. However, in recent years, especially amid the population migration during and after the pandemic, banks have been reorienting their footprints to capture more deposits.

Expanding in Charlotte puts JPMorgan head-to-head with rival Bank of America, which is headquartered there and has 71% market share in the city, according to KBW and S&P Global Market Intelligence data.

Roberts said after this latest opening, Chase will have about 75 branches in North Carolina. She said that the bank is expanding there due to its “young, fast-growing population” and that there’s a “lot of wealth coming into that area” as well.

JPMorgan said at its investor day in May that its newer branches are expected to ultimately contribute more than $160 billion in incremental deposits. The firm said each new branch breaks even within four years.

JPMorgan said when its expansion is complete, Chase will have added more than 1,100 branches, renovated 4,300 locations and entered 80 new markets. It also expects that 75% of the U.S. population will be able to reach one of its branches within an “accessible drive.”

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Politics

Bernie Sanders to force Senate vote on blocking arms sales to Israel

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., plans to force a vote on banning arms sales to Israel, a move that will prove to be a test for Senate Democrats whose position on the Jewish state has shifted in recent weeks.

Sanders, an independent who routinely caucuses with Senate Democrats, announced he would force a vote on a pair of resolutions to block the $675 million sale of thousands of bombs and guidance kits for the bombs and to halt the sale of ‘tens of thousands’ of automatic rifles to Israel.

‘U.S. taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars in support of the racist, extremist Netanyahu government,’ Sanders said in a statement. ‘Enough is enough.’

It’s not the first time Sanders has pushed to block arms sales or military aid to the Jewish state. Since December 2023, just months after the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, the lawmaker has either introduced or forced votes on resolutions five times, each intended to block military aid and billions of dollars in munitions and arms.

His latest attempt comes after photos revealed starving children in Gaza, which he squarely blamed on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

‘The time is long overdue for Congress to use the leverage we have — tens of billions in arms and military aid — to demand that Israel end these atrocities,’ he said.

The vote, expected late Thursday, comes as Senate Democrats have undergone a tonal shift on Israel since the events of Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas executed a brutal attack on Israeli soil.

Sanders’ last attempt earlier this year that sought to block over $8 billion in arms sales, saw 15 Senate Democrats vote for it, while all Senate Republicans voted against it. Though the resolutions are likely to fail as his previous attempts have, more Democrats are expected to vote alongside him.

Earlier this week, 40 Senate Democrats wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and called on the administration to push for ‘a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance and services throughout the Gaza Strip.’

Senate Republicans have largely blamed the reported conditions in Gaza on Hamas, with some calling for more food aid making its way into the Gaza Strip. President Donald Trump vowed that more food centers, administered by Israel, would be coming.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he shared Trump’s view and that there was a desire to ‘meet that need and alleviate that pain.’

‘But you got to understand, too, that when you got a terrorist group like Hamas operating in that region, they intercept and divert a lot of that food aid that’s going in there,’ he said. ‘That’s the challenge that the Israelis have. That’s the challenge that we have and other nations around the world.’

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Politics

New tech-focused MAHA initiatives will usher in ‘new era of convenience,’ improve health outcomes, Trump says

President Donald Trump and several key health advisors in his Cabinet held a formal event Wednesday at the White House unveiling new efforts to improve healthcare technology and partnerships with private-sector technology companies.

The ‘Make Health Tech Great Again’ event laid out a new voluntary commitment from several major tech and tech-healthcare firms aimed at developing a better process for digital health record sharing, which Trump admin officials said would ultimately improve health outcomes for Americans. In addition to the commitment, the new health tech efforts will also include the development of personalized tools meant to help patients obtain greater control of their health information to make more informed decisions.

‘For decades, America’s healthcare networks have been overdue for a high-tech upgrade, and that’s what we’re doing. The existing systems are often slow, costly, and incompatible with one another,’ Trump said from the White House during the Wednesday afternoon event. ‘But with today’s announcement, we take a major step to bring health care into the digital age, something that, is absolutely vital. We’ve got to do it. Moving from clipboards and fax machines into a new era of convenience, profitability and speed and, frankly, better health for people.’

The event announcing the Trump administration’s plan to advance a ‘next-generation digital health ecosystem,’ was attended by representatives of companies, including Apple, Google, Samsung, Amazon, OpenAI, Anthropic, Epic, Oracle, Athena Health, and Noom, who will be participating in the voluntary pledge aimed at improving health record sharing. As part of the pledge, the companies will ‘voluntarily’ share information with each other, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also present at the Wednesday event.

‘For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health,’ Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement Wednesday ahead of the event. ‘That ends today. We’re tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that serves the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again.’

The Trump administration is partnering with more than 60 companies to bolster how health information is shared electronically, including through the use of apps, and beef up the interoperability of health information networks, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The apps aim to address issues including diabetes and obesity management, and provide beneficiaries with AI assistants to walk through symptoms, provide care options, and assist with scheduling appointments. Other functions that the technology aims to solve are providing digital check-ins to streamline services and cut down on paper intake forms.

‘It gives [patients] a sense of responsibility and allows them to measure the interventions if they change their diet, if they change their exercise, it can show you how many steps you took today, it can tell you if your glucose is spiking, and all of that information will now be available to American citizens,’ Kennedy said Wednesday.

The White House event is a follow-up to the request for information notice that the CMS posted in May requesting information from stakeholders on ways to beef up health technology interoperability.

Other technological advances on the health front include plans for CMS to launch an app library on Medicare.gov to best direct beneficiaries to the right digital health tools, according to CMS.

‘The average Americans are tired. They’re tired of waiting for a doctor’s appointment. They’re tired of waiting for the surprise of what your hospital bill is going to offer. That’s being addressed,’ CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz added Wednesday.

‘They’re tired of waiting for access to their medical records. You own your medical records, they’re yours. Why you can’t have access to them is a stunning reality in modern-day America,’ Oz continued. ‘They’re also tired of waiting for Washington to take action. And this president early on emphatically stated that wasn’t going to happen anymore. And today we made that vision into a reality.’

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Politics

Inside Biden confidante Steve Ricchetti’s ‘combative’ eight-hour grilling in House Oversight cover-up probe

A member of former President Joe Biden’s inner circle sat with House Oversight Committee investigators for a marathon closed-door interview that lasted more than eight hours on Wednesday.

Steve Ricchetti, who served as counselor to the president for all four years of Biden’s term, was described as ‘combative and defensive’ during his voluntary meeting, a source familiar with the sitdown told Fox News Digital.

The source described Ricchetti as defiant in the face of doubts about Biden’s mental acuity, though he ‘admitted that they all knew President Biden’s age was an issue and were dealing with it as a political matter,’ they said.

‘Mr. Ricchetti stated that he believed President Biden had the ability to be president and that he was performing the capacity of president every day. He believes that Joe Biden is capable to being president today, and that he could have won in 2024,’ the source told Fox News Digital.

Ricchetti, a longtime Democratic operative and lobbyist, first began working for Biden in March 2012 when he was appointed counselor to the vice president under former President Barack Obama. He was elevated to be Biden’s chief of staff in December 2013.

He touted his closeness to Biden over the last 13 years, the source said, and described having personal relationships with former first lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden as well.

Ricchetti’s own children were also close to the White House during Biden’s tenure – at least three of them had jobs in the Democratic administration at some point.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is investigating whether Biden’s top White House aides concealed signs of mental decline in the president, and if that meant executive actions were signed via autopen without his knowledge.

Ricchetti is the seventh ex-Biden aide to come in, but just the fourth to appear on voluntary terms. Former White House doctor Kevin O’Connor and former White House aides Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal all pleaded the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions.

Ricchetti told investigators that he was not involved in O’Connor’s physical evaluation letters for Biden, ‘but he did have conversations with senior staff on how to communicate and present President Biden’s physical evaluation letters,’ the source told Fox News Digital.

He also defended Biden’s frequent gaffes, describing them as ‘common mistakes’ that anyone could make, the source said.

‘He said the frequency of these mistakes have not increased since Joe Biden was vice president,’ the source said.

The majority of questioning during the eight-hour session came from Republicans – the source said Democrats frequently attempted to change the topic to discuss President Donald Trump.

Ricchetti said nothing to reporters when leaving the meeting on Wednesday evening.

No lawmakers were present for the sitdown, as is usually the case with such transcribed interviews.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ricchetti’s attorney for comment but did not hear back by press time.

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Politics

Let liberals lose their minds over Sydney Sweeney while I go jeans shopping

If you haven’t heard the name Sydney Sweeney before, odds are you definitely know her name now if you consume any news at all. American Eagle featured the actress in their new ad campaign that kicked off last week, and liberal women lost their ever loving minds.

What triggered their spiral this time? Sydney has ‘good genes’ and she’s wearing ‘jeans.’

Outrageous, I know.

This good genes/jeans word play game, well it’s a whole lot of Nazi propaganda with some racism thrown in and linked to eugenics.

If you’re not a White liberal woman, I’ll try to simplify. In liberal math, good genes + jeans = Nazi.

I know, that wasn’t on our flashcards growing up.

The next time you compliment a friend on her looks, resist the urge to mention good genes. Sally down the street will think you’re calling her a Nazi, when really you just want to know what face cream she’s using.

If the good genes/jeans word play were a clue on ‘Jeopardy!’ liberals would answer: ‘I’ll take Sydney Sweeney is a Nazi for $1,000, with a side of eugenics and white supremacy.’

Let’s ask the politically incorrect elephant in the room question — If you’re putting a large chunk of money behind an ad to sell jeans targeted at Gen Z, are you going to put someone with good genes or bad genes in front of the camera?

To quote ‘The Godfather’ — ‘It’s not personal, it’s strictly business.’

It also doesn’t surprise me that the perpetually outraged liberal and mostly women who have piled on over this campaign seem to ignore one more fact. According to Fox News, ‘100 percent of net proceeds from Sweeney’s ‘Sydney Jean’ – which is embroidered with a butterfly to represent domestic violence awareness – will be donated to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit that provides free and confidential text-based mental health support and crisis intervention.’ That sure doesn’t sound like Nazis and eugenics to me.

This week, ‘Good Morning America’ (GMA) didn’t miss the chance to showcase just how unserious they are by jumping on the jean — or gene — meltdown.

Maybe GMA gambled on their viewers not having that first cup of coffee yet, so they wouldn’t notice their fuzzy Nazi math. Is it any wonder that Americans’ trust in the media is at its lowest in more than five decades, according to a Gallup poll?

Going back to the vault, circa 1980, Brooke Shields did a Calvin Klein jeans ad with the same American Eagle/Sydney Sweeney ad vibe. ‘Genes’ and ‘jeans’ were used interchangeably, as well as phrases like ‘natural selection’ and ‘survival of the fittest.’

GMA was around back then, but I don’t recall co-host Joan Lunden doing a Nazi propaganda segment calling out Brooke Shields or Calvin Klein. Then again, that was when history was still being taught in school.

Ironically, the eugenics trigger is the greatest self-own for White liberal elites, whose holy grail is abortion on demand — anytime, any place, any reason. Legalized abortion has long been one of the most effective ways to reduce populations who are deemed less than.

The White liberal class is largely all in.

In 2018, then-Pope Francis said, ‘I have heard that it’s fashionable, or at least usual, that when in the first months of pregnancy they do studies to see if the child is healthy or has something, the first offer is: let’s send it away, I say this with pain. In the last century, the whole world was scandalized about what the Nazis did to purify the race. Today we do the same, but now with white gloves.’

If you’re a woman who’s ever been pregnant, or if you’re the dad supporting the woman, you know doctors highly encourage having screenings for chromosomal disorders such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. They don’t do this because they can cure these chromosomal disorders in utero. They push these tests so you can eliminate the ‘less than perfect problem.’

If only these same liberal women were as upset about the fate of unborn babies as they are about jeans.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the fact that American Eagle has ‘American’ in its name makes it obvious they’re Nazis. Thankfully, self-appointed experts have the freedom to warn us all from a non-American platform like X.

This week is one of those times I’m grateful to be spending the end of the summer in the South, where sanity tends to rule the day. If I were home — where I’m outnumbered by the White liberal outrage class by about 50-1 — I’m quite confident that between their pique rage hours of Starbucks and Chardonnay, I’d be on the receiving end of the Sydney Sweeney faux fury.

These people need a time-out — away from all cameras and keyboards … preferably with a history book.

Never underestimate the left’s ability to overplay their hand. They are screamers, but when they scream, conservatives are the ones who quietly act. Think Bud Light.

Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey likes to say the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, so it’s no surprise that American Eagle’s stock is up more than 15% since the campaign’s rollout last week.

I’ll be among those contributing to the rise of American Eagle’s stock when I take my girls back to school shopping. Spending my money somewhere that has the left spiraling over an imaginary offense — sign me up.

Sydney Sweeney may have good genes, but the screamers may be the ad American Eagle never knew it needed.

It’s back to school season, and the silent actors are shopping loudly.

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