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The House of Representatives unanimously voted against a provision that allows Republican senators whose phone records were seized by former Special Counsel Jack Smith to sue the federal government.

The provision was included in the recently passed bill to end the 43-day government shutdown, which President Donald Trump signed into law last week.

Despite supporters saying the provision is necessary to give senators recourse when the executive branch oversteps its constitutional bounds and reaches into congressional communications, the last-minute inclusion of the measure outraged both Republicans and Democrats, underscoring the ever-present tensions between the House and Senate.

The repeal passed 426 to 0, with 210 Democrats and 216 Republicans in the tally.

Dubbed ‘Requiring Senate Notification for Senate Data,’ the provision would allow senators directly targeted in former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation to sue the U.S. government for up to $500,000.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., who was involved in crafting part of the successful funding deal, told Fox News Digital he had even been afraid it could derail the final vote to end the shutdown.

‘It had been added in the Senate without our knowledge,’ Cole said. ‘It was a real trust factor … I mean, all of a sudden, this pops up in the bill, and we’re confronted with either: leave this in here, or we pull it out, we have to go to conference, and the government doesn’t get reopened.’

It was placed into the bill by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and given the green light by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sources confirmed to Fox News Digital last week.

Thune put the provision into the bill at the request of members of the Senate GOP, a source familiar with the negotiations told Fox News Digital, which included Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 

It was a big point of contention when the House Rules Committee met to prepare the legislation for a final vote last Tuesday night. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Morgan Griffith, R-Va., all shared House Democrats’ frustration with the measure, but they made clear it would not stand in the way of ending what had become the longest shutdown in history.

Even Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appeared blindsided by the move.

‘I had no prior notice of it at all,’ Johnson told reporters last week. ‘I was frustrated, as my colleagues are over here, and I thought it was untimely and inappropriate. So we’ll be requesting, strongly urging, our Senate colleagues to repeal that.’

Those Republicans agreed with the motivations behind their Senate counterparts wanting to sue but bristled over the notion that it would come at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.

Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital the senators ‘have been wronged, no doubt in my mind’ but added its scope was too narrow.

‘This provision does not allow other Americans to pursue a remedy. It does not even allow the President of the United States, who was equally wrongfully surveilled and pursued by the Justice Department — they didn’t even include President Trump in this,’ Rose said.

And while several senators who would be eligible for the taxpayer-funded lawsuits have distanced themselves from the issue amid uproar, others have stuck to their guns.

‘My phone records were seized. I’m not going to put up with this crap. I’m going to sue,’ Graham said on ‘Hannity’ Tuesday night. He said he would be seeking ‘tens of millions of dollars.’

Cruz also told Fox News Digital that he did not support repealing the provision.

And Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., defended the provision in comments to Politico. 

‘I’d like for us to be able to defend our branch when DOJ gets out of control,’ he said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., similarly suggested to reporters on Wednesday that he was in favor of the measure.

‘I would just say, I mean, you have an independent, co-equal branch of government whose members were, through illegal means, having their phone records acquired — spied on, if you will, through a weaponized Biden Justice Department,’ Thune said. ‘That, to me, demands some accountability.’

He added, ‘I think that in the end, this is something that all members of Congress, both House and Senate, are probably going to want as a protection, and we were thinking about the institution of the Senate and individual senators going into the future.’

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Republican legislation brewing in the House of Representatives aimed at addressing civil litigation transparency is sparking concern from some conservative organizations that fear it could chill donor participation and make it more difficult for Americans of modest means to hold ‘woke’ companies accountable. 

In a letter sent earlier this week, Tea Party Patriots Action urged the House Judiciary Committee to reject HR 1109, introduced by GOP Reps. Darrell Issa, Scott Fitzgerald and Mike Collins, which is known as the Litigation Transparency Act of 2025.

It’s aimed at ensuring greater transparency in litigation, requiring parties receiving payment in lawsuits to disclose their identity. 

The letter warns that ‘sweeping disclosure mandates in this bill threaten our core American principles of personal privacy, confidentiality, and freedom of speech and association.’

‘This legislation would require litigants to preemptively disclose detailed information about private financial arrangements, such as litigation funding agreements, independent from the discovery process and without any finding of relevance by a judge,’ the letter, signed by over a dozen conservative groups, including America First Legal, Defending Education, Heartland Institute and the American Energy Institute, states.

‘The bill’s forced disclosure mandates would broadly apply to any number of political organizations, religious groups, law firms, or individual plaintiffs that rely on outside support to vindicate their rights.

‘If adopted, H.R. 1109 will have a chilling effect on free speech and association and directly threaten the privacy rights of Americans,’ the letter warns. ‘The end result will be fewer Americans having the resources or willingness to bring legitimate claims, which threatens to undermine future legal battles over issues critical to our movement.

‘The privacy interests at stake here are not abstract. We have seen how disclosure regimes can be easily weaponized by bad actors, particularly those seeking to attack and intimidate political opponents.’

Issa told Fox News Digital Wednesday afternoon there is ‘misinformation’ circulating about what the bill actually proposes to do, and there will be a ‘small update tomorrow to clarify one item.’

‘What’s actually happened is language has been put in to assure groups that we’re not looking to overturn NAACP v. Alabama or any of the other historical 501(c) privileges that you don’t turn over your donor list and so on,’ Issa said. ‘That was something that Obama and Biden tried to do a couple of times. We want nothing to do with that. We’re only asking that if there is a material funder slash partner in a lawsuit, that they be disclosed.

I fully respect and appreciate the concerns of people who want to make sure that this does not turn into a burdensome discovery of, for example, a nonprofit’s hundreds, thousands or millions of donors.

‘We share the concern of all these groups that we wanted to make sure we believed we were on solid ground as written, but in an abundance of caution, my staff and all the parties worked to try to come up with the most straightforward, effective way to say, of course, you don’t have to disclose your donors.’

Proponents of the legislation, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, call it a ‘vital step toward ensuring that our legal system remains a tool for justice rather than being a playground for hidden financial interests.’

In his press release announcing the legislation in February, Issa said, ‘Our legislation targets serious and continuing abuses in our litigation system that distort our system of justice by obscuring public detection and exploiting loopholes in the law for financial gain.

‘Our approach will achieve a far better standard of transparency in the courts that people deserve, and our standard of law requires. We fundamentally believe that if a third-party investor is financing a lawsuit in federal court, it should be disclosed rather than hidden from the world and left absent from the facts of a case.’  

The press release explained that hundreds of cases a year involve civil cases funded by undisclosed third-party interests as an investment for return from hedge funds, commercial lenders and sovereign wealth funds through shell companies and that there are often investor-backed entities who seek hefty settlements from American companies that end up ‘distorting the free market and stifling innovation.’

The conversation about the legislation reignites an ongoing showdown between insurers and large corporations that have made the case that third-party funding drives abusive suits and inflated settlements. Some argue there’s a need for more transparency about those who fund litigation and for limits to speculative investment in lawsuits against advocacy-oriented nonprofits and legal networks. Those groups argue they are the only mechanism for those without deep pockets to take legal action against well-funded companies. 

Many advocacy-oriented nonprofits and legal networks simply don’t hand over charitable donations to a lawsuit. Instead, they use structured litigation vehicles, limited liability companies, donor-advised funds or legal defense trusts that front the costs of a case and are reimbursed, sometimes with interest, if the case wins or settles. The process is known as non-recourse or outcome-contingent funding, meaning the investor only gets money back if the case succeeds.

Nonprofits like Consumers’ Research have been using litigation finance in recent years to push back against ‘woke capitalism’ to counter ESG and DEI policies. And the group’s executive director, Will Hild, told Fox News Digital it has been ‘all too easy for major companies to use their outsized influence and powerful market shares to push an ideological agenda with little to no recourse.’

Hild told Fox News Digital he views the legislation as an ‘attack’ on one of the ‘few tools Americans have to hold powerful, woke corporations accountable.’

Hild added, ‘Even worse, it imposes dangerous disclosure mandates that would force plaintiffs to expose confidential litigation funding agreements. This bill blatantly tips the scales in favor of woke corporations and makes it far harder for victims to secure the resources they need to fight back.’

The letter from the conservative groups also expresses fear that ‘compelled disclosure of private financial arrangements would force litigants to unveil the identity of donors — violating donor privacy rights and exposing them to threats of harassment and retaliation.’

In a Tuesday op-ed in The Hill opposing the legislation, Alliance Defending Freedom founder Alan Sears pointed to Supreme Court decisions he says have ‘affirmed that forced disclosure of private association undermines fundamental freedoms.’

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Rep. Fitzgerald said, ‘As reiterated to these groups in multiple discussions, it remains Congress’ intent to protect the First Amendment rights of those who contribute to political groups and religious organizations, consistent with the Supreme Court’s opinion in Citizens’ United.’

Organizations that have endorsed the bill have pointed to concerns about foreign funding in courtrooms, specifically from China, including High Tech Investors Alliance, which said in a press release it commends the legislators who put it forward for ‘defending American businesses against the exploitation of our courts by foreign adversaries and unscrupulous hedge funds.’

‘For too long, a lack of transparency has allowed shell entities to manipulate the legal system to prey on American employers, concealing their predatory practices and identities of their financial backers,’ HTIA said. ‘As President Trump takes bold action against aggressive economic maneuvers by China and other countries, Congress must also act decisively to protect our judges and juries from becoming tools in the economic warfare waged by antagonists.’

Leonard Leo, who operates a vast network of conservative nonprofits and is linked to Consumers’ Research, told Politico earlier this year that ‘while there are areas, like mass tort, where litigation financing has been abused and could be reformed, it has always been a critical tool for the conservative movement to advance the public good by taking on the liberal woke agenda.’

The House Judiciary Committee did not mark the bill up Tuesday, and Fox News Digital is told it will be marked up on Thursday at 12 p.m. 

‘If someone is acting as a principal litigant, either directly or one step removed, then you have a right to face them. You have the right to cross-examine them. You have a right to know if they receive your trade secrets that were exposed and disclosed in litigation. These things are all important,’ Issa said.

He added the legislation does not require materials to be turned over to the defendant, and a judge can review them in private.

Issa continued, ‘We just want to make sure that the judge knows that just as the markman is a required part of determining what a patent means, that it’s a responsibility of the judge to determine who the litigants are and, as appropriate, disclosing them is required. And that last part has always been ignored a little bit. We’re only making sure that that discovery is asked for and evaluated at a minimum by the judge or magistrate overseeing the case.’

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The Senate is once again finding a moment of bipartisan unity in its fury over a recently-passed law that would allow lawmakers to sue the federal government and reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money as a reward.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to grapple with the inclusion of a provision in a package designed to reopen the government that would allow only senators directly targeted by the Biden-led Department of Justice (DOJ) and former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation to sue the U.S. government for up to $500,000.

Both Senate Republicans’ and Democrats’ ire at the provision is multi-pronged: some are angry that it was tucked away into the Legislative branch spending bill without a heads-up, others see it as nothing more than a quick pay day for the relatively small group of senators targeted in Smith’s probe.

‘I think it was outrageous that that was put in and air dropped in there,’ Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital. ‘It’s outrageous. It’s basically just a cash grab for senators to take money away from taxpayers. It’s absolutely outrageous, and needs to be taken out.’

The provision was included in the spending package by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on request from lawmakers in the GOP. And it was given the green light by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The provision is narrowly tailored to just include senators, and would require that they be notified if their information is requested by the DOJ, be it through the subpoena of phone records like in the Arctic Frost investigation or through other means. The idea is to prevent the abuse of the DOJ to go after sitting senators now and in the future.

Thune pushed back on the notion that lawmakers weren’t aware the provision was in the bill, given that the entire package was released roughly 24 hours before it was voted on, but acknowledged their frustration over how it was added was warranted.

‘I think I take that as a legitimate criticism in terms of the process, but I think on the substance, I believe that you need to have some sort of accountability and consequence for that kind of weaponization against a co-equal branch of the government,’ Thune said.

Schumer, when asked about the anger brewing on both sides of the aisle, heaped the blame on Thune, but noted that it was an opportunity to get protection for Democrats, too.

‘Look, the bottom line is Thune wanted the provision, and we wanted to make sure that at least Democratic senators were protected from [Attorney General Pam] Bondi and others who might go after them,’ Schumer said. ‘So we made it go prospective, not just retroactive, but I’d be for repealing all the provision, all of it. And I hope that happens.’

The House is expected to vote on legislation that would repeal the language, and many in the upper chamber want to get the chance to erase the provision should it pass through the House. Whether Thune will put it on the floor remains in the air though.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was one of the eight senators whose records were requested during Smith’s probe. He told Fox News Digital that he was neither asked about the provision, nor told about it, and like many other lawmakers, found out about it when he read the bill.

‘I just think that, you know, giving them money –- I mean making a taxpayer pay for it, I don’t understand why that’s accountability,’ he said. ‘I mean, the people who need to be held accountable are the people who made the decisions to do this, and, frankly, also the telecom companies. So I just, I don’t agree with that approach.’

He also took issue with the fact that the provision was narrowly tailored to only apply to the Senate, and argued that it could be reworked to only provide for declaratory judgement in court rather than a monetary one.

‘I could see the value of having a court say this was illegal and ruling against the government,’ Hawley said. ‘I think it’s the monetary provisions that most people, including me, really balk at. Like, why are the taxpayers on the hook for this, and why does it apply only to the Senate?’

The provision set a retroactive date of 2022 to allow for the group of senators targeted in Smith’s Arctic Frost probe to be able to sue. That element has also raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital that he supported repealing the provision, but wanted to fix it.

‘The best way to be able to handle it, I think, is to be able to fix it, take away the retroactivity in it,’ he said. ‘The initial target of this whole thing was to make sure this never happened again.’

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told Fox News Digital that the provision was a ‘total mess,’ and raised concerns on a bipartisan basis.

Not every Senator was on board with ditching the provision, however.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made clear that he intends to sue the DOJ and Verizon, his phone carrier, and argued that he didn’t believe that the provision was self-dealing but rather to deter future, similar actions. He also wants to take the provision, or the core idea of it, a step further.

Graham said that he wanted to open up the process to others, including dozens of groups, former lawmakers and others affected by the investigation.

‘Is it wrong for any American to sue the government if they violated your rights, including me? Is it wrong if a Post Office truck hits you, what do you do with the money? You do whatever you want to do with the money,’ Graham said.

‘If you’ve been wronged, this idea that our government can’t be sued is a dangerous idea,’ he continued. ‘The government needs to be held accountable when it violates people’s rights.’

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tx., was far more succinct. When asked if he would support a repeal of the provision, he told Fox News Digital, ‘No.’

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A U.S. citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia for criticizing the royal family online was freed Wednesday by Saudi authorities, ending a four-year ordeal in the country, according to media reports.

Saad Almadi’s release came just a day after President Donald Trump met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington, D.C., per the New York Post.

Almadi, 75, a retired engineer and U.S. resident since 1976, was detained in 2021 during a family visit to Riyadh and later sentenced to more than 19 years in prison on terrorism charges tied to a series of posts online.

The charges were reduced to cyber crimes, and although he was released from prison in 2023, Almadi was held in the country under an exit ban which prevented him from going back home to the U.S.

The Almadi family issued a statement Wednesday celebrating the good news and thanking Trump.

‘Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States!’ they said.

‘This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Sebastian Gorka and the team at the National Security Council, as well as everyone at the State Department.’

A third portion of the statement expressed appreciation to others who had supported the case over the years.

‘We extend our thanks to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh for keeping our father safe, and to the nonprofit organizations and members of Congress who fought for his freedom,’ the statement read.

Almadi’s case also drew attention from human rights groups and U.S. lawmakers after he was accused of terrorism over 14 social media posts.

One suggested that a street in Washington be renamed after Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

U.S. pressure to lift Almadi’s exit ban had also intensified since Trump’s May visit to Saudi Arabia.

The president’s national security advisor, Sebastian Gorka, also met with Almadi’s son at the White House.

The Foley Foundation, which advocates for Americans detained overseas, praised the news Wednesday, saying it was ‘so excited’ the family’s fight had finally succeeded.

Per reports, Almadi was flying to the U.S. from Riyadh on Wednesday, according to his family, after Trump and the crown prince set foot on stage at a forum in Washington.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Sebastian Gorka, the Department of State and The White House for comment.

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A bid by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to force a censure of her fellow House Republican and remove his committee assignments failed on Wednesday night.

Mace introduced a censure resolution against Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., earlier in the day, accusing him of stolen valor among other alleged improprieties.

Mills rose in his own defense on Wednesday night to call for a vote to refer the measure to the House Ethics Committee and deny her accusations.

His counter-effort succeeded, with the House voting 310-103 to send the matter to the ethics panel — effectively squashing Mace’s effort for an immediate punishment.

Seven House Republicans voted alongside Mace to move the censure vote forward. They are Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Kat Cammack, R-Fla., Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Joe Wilson, R-S.C.

The 310 lawmakers who voted against Mace’s move included both Democrats and Republicans.

Twelve lawmakers, including members of the House Ethics Committee, voted ‘present.’

Mace introduced the censure as a privileged resolution, a mechanism aimed at forcing House GOP leaders to reckon with a piece of legislation in the immediate future.

The resolution accused Mills of a wide variety of improprieties, including misrepresenting his military service and working as a private military contractor while serving as a member of Congress. 

She also cited several media reports alleging Mills assaulted past romantic partners while being accused of threatening another woman he was also reportedly involved with. Mills previously denied those allegations.

In addition to censuring him, Mace’s resolution would have also removed Mills from his roles on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Armed Services Committee if successful.

Hours before the vote, however, the House Ethics Committee announced it would open an investigation into Mills via a new subcommittee — a move Mace criticized as an effort to neuter her push.

‘This is a naked attempt to kill my resolution to censure Rep. Cory Mills. Common sense tells us we don’t need an investigative subcommittee to decide if Cory Mills, who a Court found to be an immediate and present danger of committing dating violence against a woman, should serve on committees related to national security. Or the testimony of soldiers and the stolen valor,’ Mace said.

Notably, however, the House Ethics Committee is the traditional first step when lawmakers are accused of impropriety.

It comes after House Democrats threatened to pursue a retaliatory censure against Mills Tuesday evening in response to Republicans trying to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., the Virgin Islands’ nonvoting representative in the House, over her ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Plaskett censure failed after three House Republicans voted ‘no’ and three more voted ‘present,’ however, along with every Democrat rejecting the measure. Democrats did not appear to pursue the censure against Mills after that.

Mace had accused Mills of participating in a ‘backroom deal’ at the time to avoid a censure, adding, ‘I have the General who ‘recommended’ him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it and never personally signed it.’

Mills’ office told Fox News Digital there was never a deal, however, and had expected his censure to move forward on Tuesday night. He also voted in favor of censuring Plaskett.

Mace introduced her resolution after sending a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday accusing Mills of ‘credible accusations he misrepresented his military service’ and ‘credible accusations of having committed crimes against women.’

Mills has previously denied wrongdoing in reports of both sets of allegations.

He also criticized the move in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s latest stunt is a politically motivated attempt to grab headlines and settle personal scores. The American people deserve better than fabricated accusations and theatrics at a time when Republicans should be focused on governing,’ Mills said.

‘The claims on my valor that she’s pushing are baseless, recycled, and already publicly disproven. I fully deny them, just as I always have. This is not oversight, it’s attention-seeking dressed up as accountability.’

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U.S. taxpayers are footing nearly $250 million a year in SNAP benefits spent on fast-food meals across just nine states, most of which are blue states, according to Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.

Nine states, including Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia — all of which are Democrat-run states except for Virginia — are opted into a SNAP program called the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), which has spent nearly $250 million a year on hot meals, including fast-food, Ernst’s office found. 

The modern day Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was established in 1964 under the Food Stamps Act to provide basic food needs such as meats and fruits and vegetables to financially vulnerable Americans. Hot foods or foods ready for immediate consumption were not eligible for purchase under the program as its main mission was to provide staple foods to be prepared at home. 

A 1977 loophole, however, allowed states to opt into a program called the Restaurant Meals Program, which was established to allow homeless individuals who do not have a kitchen to purchase prepared meals using SNAP benefits, according to Ernst’s office. The eligibility for the program expanded in the following years to include disabled individuals, the elderly and their spouses, according to the office. 

Nine states are opted into the program, which requires participating restaurants to sign an agreement with the state that is then authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the SNAP program writ large. Restaurants that participate in the program were historically a small group but have since expanded, most notably in California in the Biden era, Ernst’s office said. 

California expanded its program statewide, for example, in 2021 that allowed restaurants to accept CalFresh benefits via SNAP at a swath of top fast-food chains stretching from McDonald’s to Domino’s Pizza to Jack in the Box. 

Ernst’s office found that from June 2023 to May 2025, more than $475 million in taxpayer dollars funded Restaurant Meals Program meals at fast-food establishments. During that same time period, $524 million in taxpayer funds were spent through the Restaurant Meals Program overall, meaning California accounted for more than 90% of the nation’s total Restaurant Meals Program funds from June 2023 to May 2025, according to the office. 

‘The ‘N’ in SNAP stands for nutrition not nuggets with a side of fries,’ Ernst told Fox News Digital. ‘I wish I was McRibbing you but $250 million per year at the drive-through is no joke and a serious waste of tax dollars. I hate to be the one to say McSCUSE ME, but something needs to be done because taxpayers are not lovin’ it.’

The data found that between June 2023 and May 2025 $41.4 million funds went through Restaurant Meals Program in Arizona, $3.6 million in New York, $1.3 million in Michigan, $995,900 in Rhode Island, $649,000 in Massachusetts, $479,000 in Illinois, $308,500 in Virginia and $8,600 in Maryland. 

Ernst’s introduced legislation Thursday, dubbed the McSCUSE ME Act, to rein in the scope of the Restaurant Meals Program. Specifically, the bill would continue allowing homeless, elderly and disabled individuals to continue using the program, but ending spousal eligibility. 

The legislation also would reel in which vendors are able to participate in the program, specifically restricting fast-food vendors in favor of grocery stores that have hot bars to better ensure availability of healthy prepared food options. The legislation would also require states to produce public annual reports showing how many vendors participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, the number of participating beneficiaries and total costs for the program, Fox News Digital learned. 

The report and legislation comes after the U.S. government just emerged from the longest government shutdown in history, at 43 days, that included putting the food assistance program under heightened scrutiny over fraud and concern as recipients saw disruptions to their access. 

Upon the reopening of the government, the Trump administration is requiring all SNAP beneficiaries to reapply for the program in an effort to prevent fraud. 

Federal spending on SNAP overall climbed to record highs under the Biden administration, Fox News Digital previously reported, at $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022 during the pandemic. By the Biden administration’s final year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

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Investor Insight

Standard Uranium offers high-grade uranium discovery potential in the Athabasca Basin. With a fully funded drill program scheduled for spring 2026 at its flagship Davidson River project, and joint ventures on other highly prospective projects, the company provides investors early stage exposure to the emerging nuclear energy market.

Overview

Standard Uranium (TSXV:STND,USOTC:STTDF,FRA:9SU0) is a uranium exploration and project generation company focused on advancing high-grade uranium discoveries within the world-famous Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan, Canada.

With a mission to “supply the fuel for a clean energy future,” Standard Uranium is focused on discovering and developing basement-hosted and unconformity-related uranium deposits that can power the growth of nuclear energy. Its dual-track model combines aggressive exploration at its flagship Davidson River project with a robust project generator platform, advancing multiple projects through partnerships while generating non-dilutive cash flow in operator fees, share payments, and royalties.

With 13 projects totaling more than 235,000 acres, Standard Uranium offers investors exposure to both immediate discovery catalysts and long-term portfolio value. Its leadership team brings deep geological expertise and operational experience across the Athabasca Basin, complemented by disciplined capital management.

As global governments reaffirm nuclear energy’s role in achieving net-zero targets, Standard Uranium is positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for secure, high-grade uranium supply from Canada.

Company Highlights

  • Flagship Davidson River Project: Large-scale, high-priority exploration asset in the southwest Athabasca Basin, along trend from NexGen’s Arrow and Paladin Energy’s Triple R uranium deposits, positioned for a significant uranium discovery.
  • Extensive Portfolio in the Athabasca Basin: Over 235,000 acres (95,000+ hectares) across 13 projects in Canada’s premier uranium district, including active joint ventures at Sun Dog, Corvo, and Rocas.
  • Project Generator Model: Leverages strategic partnerships to fund exploration and generate cash flow while retaining upside through 25 percent ownership and a 2.5 percent net smelter return (NSR) royalty on joint-venture projects.
  • Fully Funded for Davidson River Drill Campaign: Financing completed to support 8,000 to 10,000 meters of drilling at Davidson River, planned for spring 2026.
  • Rocas Drill Program: The first-ever drill program to be conducted on Rocas will commence in winter 2026, comprising approximately 1,800 metres.
  • Corvo Drill Program: A skid-assisted diamond drill program totalling approximately 3,000 metres is planned for winter 2026, which will mark the first drill program on the Project in more than 40 years.
  • Riding the Nuclear Power Renaissance: Positioned to benefit from global decarbonization trends and a long-term rise in uranium demand.
  • Proven Team: Led by experienced geologists and exploration professionals with a track record of discoveries in the Athabasca Basin.

Key Projects

Davidson River Project

Located in the southwest Athabasca Basin, approximately 25 kilometres west of NexGen’s Arrow deposit and Paladin Energy’s Triple R deposit, the Davidson River project spans 30,737 hectares across 10 contiguous mineral claims. The property lies along the same structural trends that hosts these globally significant discoveries.

To date, Standard Uranium has drilled 16,561 metres across 39 holes, intersecting wide, graphitic-sulphidic shear zones, structural deformation, and alteration features characteristic of high-grade basement uranium systems. Recent multiphysics and machine learning-assisted surveys conducted in partnership with Fleet Space Technologies and GoldSpot Discoveries have provided new three-dimensional imaging of subsurface structures, identifying refined targets along the Warrior, Bronco and Thunderbird corridors.

The company is preparing for an 8,000 to 10,000-meter diamond drill campaign scheduled for spring 2026, marking its most comprehensive program to date. With modern targeting data and strong geological indicators, Davidson River represents the company’s clearest path to a transformational discovery in the southwest Athabasca Basin.

Sun Dog Project (JV)

Located in the northwestern Athabasca Basin near Uranium City, the Sun Dog project consists of nine mineral claims totaling 19,603 hectares. This highly prospective property sits in a historically productive uranium district that remains underexplored by modern methods.

Surface sampling has identified several uranium-rich showings, including modern grab samples returning grades up to 3.58 percent U₃O₈. The project’s targets are associated with structural intersections and alteration zones consistent with basement-hosted and unconformity-related uranium systems.

Standard Uranium has partnered with Aero Energy, under a three-year earn-in agreement, allowing Aero to acquire up to a 100 percent interest in the project. The partnership structure ensures ongoing advancement at Sun Dog with Standard Uranium retaining a 2.5 percent NSR royalty, providing continued exposure to discovery success without direct funding requirements.

Corvo Project (JV)

The Corvo project in the eastern Athabasca Basin covers 12,265 hectares and represents one of Standard Uranium’s most promising partner-funded assets. The project lies along three major magnetic low and EM conductor trends extending for nearly 29 kilometres of prospective strike length.

The project is currently being advanced under a joint venture with Aventis Energy, which is funding exploration work through a three-year earn-in agreement. Standard retains a 25 percent ownership interest and a 2.5 percent NSR, while acting as operator during the earn-in phase.

Historical drilling and sampling have confirmed uranium mineralization, including the “Manhattan” showing, where modern surface grab samples collected by the company in 2025 returned assays up to 8.10 percent U3O8. These results highlight the property’s potential to host near-surface, high-grade uranium deposits.

Rocas Project (JV)

The Rocas project, located in the southeastern Athabasca Basin region, lies approximately 75 km southwest of the Key Lake mine and mill and covers 4,002 hectares along a 7.5-km northeast-trending magnetic low and EM conductor corridor.

Surface exploration has confirmed uranium mineralization at outcrop, with historical grab samples grading up to 0.5 percent U₃O₈ across nearly 900 metres of strike length. Historical surveys have also identified lakebed geochemical anomalies and structural features that indicate potential zones of hydrothermal alteration, ideal settings for basement-hosted uranium deposits.

In 2025, Standard Uranium executed an option agreement with Collective Metals, granting the partner 75 percent earn-in over three years in exchange for staged cash payments, share issuances, and $4.5 million in exploration spending. Standard retains a 25 percent ownership interest and a 2.5 percent NSR, while acting as operator during the earn-in phase.

Eastern Athabasca Exploration Projects

Beyond its flagship and joint-venture assets, Standard Uranium holds eight additional exploration-stage properties across the eastern Athabasca Basin, including Ascent, Canary, Atlantic, Cable Bay, Ox Lake, Umbra, Brown Lake and Sable. Together, these projects cover over 43,000 hectares of highly prospective ground along established uranium trends near recent discoveries by Denison Mines and IsoEnergy.

These projects represent the company’s pipeline of future partnerships and discovery opportunities, ensuring consistent exploration activity across the Basin.

Management Team

Jon Bey – Chairman, CEO, and Director

Jon Bey is a capital markets executive with over two decades of experience in the junior exploration industry. Bey has explored for uranium, gold, silver, diamonds and oil and gas in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. He has public company experience across several sectors and with companies listed on the TSX, TSXV, CSE and LSE exchanges. Bey is the chairman of Ophir Metals and the founder and managing director of the Steel Rose Group of companies.

Sean Hillacre – President & VP Exploration

Sean Hillacre has over a decade of experience as an economic geologist in the Athabasca Basin uranium district, including five years at NexGen Energy as part of the technical team progressing the Arrow uranium deposit toward production. A high-energy, results oriented geoscientist, Hillacre brings a unique and balanced background integrating academic geoscience with industry experience, along with a comprehensive understanding of project development.

Vivien Chang – Chief Financial Officer

Vivien Chuang is a chartered professional accountant (BC, Canada) with more than 15 years of experience in the resource and mining sector. She was a former CFO of Azincourt Energy, BluEnergies, Muzhu Mining, and Northern Empire Resources, K2 Gold Corporation and Chakana Copper (formerly Remo Resources). Currently, she is VP Finance of Jasper Management and Advisory and president of VC Consulting, which provides CFO and other financial accounting and compliance services to a number of companies.

Neil McCallum – Lead Technical Director

Neil McCallum has over 15 years of experience primarily in North American mineral deposit exploration, with a focus on targeting and discovery of unconformity-related uranium deposits. He is currently a project manager at Edmonton-based Dahrouge Geological Consulting. McCallum has managed and conducted uranium exploration in and around the Athabasca Basin and other jurisdictions for multiple companies.

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Brightstar Resources Limited (ASX: BTR) (Brightstar or Company) provides the following update on the proposed acquisition of 100% of the fully paid ordinary shares and options in Aurumin Limited (Aurumin) by Brightstar by way of Court-approved share scheme of arrangement (Share Scheme) and option scheme of arrangement (Option Scheme, together the Schemes) under Part 5.1 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

Unless otherwise specified, capitalised terms used in this announcement have the same meaning as given in Aurumin’s Scheme Booklet dated 9 October 2025 (Scheme Booklet).

RESULTS OF THE SECOND COURT HEARING

Brightstar is pleased to announce that the Supreme Court of Western Australia (Court) has made orders approving the Schemes under which Brightstar will acquire 100% of the shares of Aurumin and all Aurumin options will be cancelled in exchange for new Brightstar options.

Aurumin intends to lodge an office copy of the Court’s orders with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on Friday, 21 November 2025, at which time the Schemes will become legally effective. Aurumin expects that the ASX will suspend Aurumin shares from trading on the ASX with effect from the close of trading on Friday, 21 November 2025.

SANDSTONE PROJECT UPDATE

  • Brightstar and Aurumin currently have six drilling rigs operating in Sandstone, targeting material Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) growth and infill drilling key deposits to enable an increase in confidence classification
  • Post implementation, the consolidated MRE at Sandstone increases to 2.4Moz @ 1.5g/t Au (pro forma basis with Aurumin)1, with the group total MRE increasing to 3.9Moz @ 1.5g/t Au
  • A Mineral Resource upgrade for Sandstone is targeted for release in 1H CY26 following significant exploration drilling over the past 12 months (+70,000m completed to date)
  • Workstreams proceed on the consolidated Pre-Feasibility Study, with mining engineering, metallurgical, geotechnical, approvals and permitting activities continuing apace to fast-track the eventual development of the Sandstone Gold Project (targeted for FID in 2H CY27)
  • The successful development of Sandstone, in conjunction with the near-term production expansion of Brightstar’s Menzies-Laverton asset base, underpins Brightstar’s aspirational production target of +200,000oz pa.

Brightstar’s Managing Director, Alex Rovira, commented:

“We are delighted to see the overwhelming support from Aurumin securityholders for the Schemes. This is the first time in over a decade the Sandstone Greenstone Belt has been consolidated under one ownership, with production last occurring in Sandstone when the gold price was less than A$1,000/oz.

Despite the limited systematic exploration history as a result of the fragmented ownership, upon completion of the Schemes, Brightstar will emerge with a Mineral Resource of approximately 2.4Moz @ 1.5g/t at the Sandstone Gold Project that is largely constrained within the top 150m from surface. Notably, we see significant potential for Mineral Resource growth following the ~70,000m of drilling already completed in Sandstone by Brightstar, with a targeted ~120,000m of drilling planned for completion prior to the Pre- Feasibility Study targeted for release in mid-2026.

In our view, the Sandstone district potentially represents one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in the WA goldfields in the hands of a junior/emerging company, with the potential for a multi-decade mine life across both open pit and underground operations.

The development of our Menzies, Laverton, and Sandstone Gold Projects is central to delivering on our vision and positioning Brightstar as an emerging mid-tier Western Australian gold producer.”


Click here for the full ASX Release

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Gina Rinehart, owner and CEO of private Australian mining company Hancock Prospecting, has become the largest shareholder of rare earths company MP Materials (NYSE:MP).

Rinehart’s stake in MP, which she owns via Hancock, now stands at 8.4 percent.

According to Bloomberg, Hancock added 1 million shares to its MP position in the third quarter. After MP’s share price doubled during the period, it became the top holding in Hancock’s portfolio.

MP owns and runs the Mountain Pass rare earths mine in San Bernardino County, California. The mine was revived by MP in 2017 and achieved first rare earths concentrate production in 2018.

In 2024, the company produced a record 45,455 metric tons of rare earth oxides in concentrate, as well as 1,294 metric tons of neodymium-praeseodymium (NdPr) oxide, also a record amount.

Mountain Pass is currently the only operating rare earths mine in the US, and is gaining attention as the US seeks to establish a rare earths supply chain outside of China. In July, the US Department of Defense (DoD) agreed to buy US$400 million worth of preferred stock in the company, a move that MP called a ‘transformational public-private partnership.’

On Wednesday (November 19), MP deepened its DoD relationship with a partnership to establish a joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden); together they will develop a rare earths refinery in Saudi Arabia.

‘This agreement will be beneficial to MP and our industry, and it further aligns U.S. and Saudi interests,’ said James Litinsky, MP’s founder, chair and CEO, in a press release shared by the company that day.

‘The formation of the joint venture also underscores MP Materials’ role as an American national champion, and it demonstrates how our fully integrated platform can project U.S. industrial capability abroad.’

Earlier this year, the Trump administration said Dateline Resources’ (ASX:DTR,OTCQB:DTREF) Colosseum mine, located 10 kilometres from Mountain Pass, could continue operations under its existing mine plan.

A bankable feasibility study is currently being completed for Colosseum, and is due for completion in early 2026.

Rinehart’s rare earths investments

Rinehart is the wealthiest person in Australia, holding a net worth of US$23.9 billion.

According to Forbes’ 100 billionaires list, she was the 61st richest person globally as of March 7, 2025.

Besides MP, she is also the largest shareholder of Arafura Rare Earths (ASX:ARU,OTC Pink:ARAFF), with Hancock’s first investment in that company tracing back to December 2022.

On October 29, Arafura said it was conducting a AU$475 million financing to further advance its Nolans project. Nolans is expected to eventually supply approximately 4 percent of the world’s NdPr oxide.

Arafura said Hancock committed AU$125 million to the placement, bringing its stake in the firm to 15.7 percent.

Hancock also holds an interest in Lynas Rare Earths (ASX:LYC,OTCQX:LYSDY), with Rinehart raising her stake in the company to 8.21 percent in January via the purchase of about 10 million shares.

In 2023, Hancock Prospecting was reported to back Brazilian Rare Earths (ASX:BRE,OTCQX:BRELY) before it went public, taking a 5.85 percent stake. Brazilian Rare Earths listed on the ASX in December 2023.

Through Hancock, Rinehart also holds investments in lithium, copper and many more commodities. Click here to read about her mining investments and work in the sector.

Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Osisko Metals Incorporated (the ‘ Company or ‘ Osisko Metals ‘) ( TSX: OM,OTC:OMZNF ; OTCQX: OMZNF ; FRANKFURT: 0B51 ) is pleased to announce new drill results from the Gaspé Copper Project, located in the Gaspé Peninsula of Eastern Québec.

Osisko Metals CEO Robert Wares commented: ‘These latest results continue to confirm significant higher-grade mineralization in the southern extension, with hole 30-1136 returning 64.5 metres averaging 2.70% Cu. We remain highly confident about the growth of our project and look forward to the updated Mineral Resource Estimate in early 2026.’

New analytical results are presented below (see Table 1), including 21 mineralized intercepts from eight new drill holes. Infill intercepts are located inside the 2024 MRE model ( see November 14, 2024 news release ), and are focused on upgrading inferred mineral resources to measured or indicated categories, as applicable. Expansion intercepts are located outside the 2024 MRE model and may potentially lead to additional resources that will be classified appropriately within the next MRE update. Some of the reported intercepts have contiguous shallower infill as well as deeper expansion (noted on Table 1 below as ‘Both’). Maps showing hole locations are available at www.osiskometals.com .

Highlights:

  • Drill hole 30-1136
    • 284.5 metres averaging 0.41% Cu (0.43% CuEq – expansion)
    • 138.0 metres averaging 1.45% Cu (1.52% CuEq – expansion), including 64.5 metres averaging 2.70% Cu (2.82% CuEq – expansion)
  • Drill hole 30-1120
    • 598.5 metres averaging 0.28% Cu (0.37% CuEq – infill and expansion)
  • Drill hole 30-1129
    • 881.0 metres averaging 0.22% Cu (0.30% CuEq – infill and expansion)
  • Drill hole 30-1133
    • 550.5 metres averaging 0.28% Cu (0.36% CuEq – infill and expansion)
  • Drill hole 30-1134
    • 309.0 metres averaging 0.17% Cu (0.27% CuEq – infill and expansion)
    • 228.5 metres averaging 0.41% Cu (0.52% CuEq – expansion)
  • Drill hole 30-1138
    • 685.8 metres averaging 0.27% Cu (0.35% CuEq – infill)
  • Drill hole 30-1139
    • 873.0 metres averaging 0.23% Cu (0.29% CuEq – infill)
  • Drill hole 30-1140
    • 105.0 metres averaging 0.43% Cu (0.50% CuEq – infill)

Table 1: Infill and Expansion Drilling Results

DDH No. From (m) To (m) Length (m) Cu % Ag g/t Mo % CuEq* % Type**
30-1120 143.0 415.5 272.5 0.22 1.84 0.005 0.25 Infill
And 541.5 1140.0 598.5 0.28 1.60 0.023 0.37 Both
(including) 541.5 784.1 242.6 0.22 1.60 0.023 0.32 Infill
(including) 784.1 1140.0 355.9 0.32 1.60 0.024 0.42 Expansion
30-1129 16.9 897.9 881.0 0.22 4.32 0.014 0.30 Both
(including) 16.9 645.9 629.0 0.23 1.61 0.011 0.28 Infill
(including) 645.9 897.9 252.0 0.20 2.08 0.023 0.30 Expansion
And 1013.6 1063.5 49.9 0.21 2.70 0.009 0.25 Expansion
30-1133 26.0 51.0 25.0 0.24 1.74 <0.005 0.25 Infill
And 205.5 226.5 21.0 0.11 1.31 0.009 0.15 Infill
And 247.5 294.0 46.5 0.12 1.08 0.011 0.17 Infill
And 310.5 861.0 550.5 0.28 1.89 0.018 0.36 Both
(including) 310.5 744.0 433.5 0.28 1.79 0.018 0.36 Infill
(including) 744.0 861.0 117.0 0.3 2.27 0.019 0.38 Expansion
30-1134 46.5 339.0 292.5 0.17 0.81 0.008 0.20 Infill
And 393.0 702.0 309.0 0.17 0.74 0.027 0.27 Both
(including) 393.0 577.1 184.1 0.18 0.84 0.021 0.26 Infill
(including) 577.1 702.0 124.9 0.14 0.60 0.037 0.28 Expansion
And 780.0 1008.5 228.5 0.41 1.67 0.027 0.52 Expansion
30-1136 17.0 301.5 284.5 0.41 2.83 <0.005 0.43 Expansion
(including) 151.5 169.5 18.0 1.35 7.40 <0.005 1.42 Expansion
And 376.5 514.5 138.0 1.45 10.8 <0.005 1.52 Expansion
(including) 379.5 444.0 64.5 2.70 19.0 <0.005 2.82 Expansion
30-1138 29.7 715.5 685.8 0.27 1.47 0.018 0.35 Infill
30-1139 7.0 26.0 19.0 0.35 2.59 <0.005 0.37 Infill
And 78.0 951.0 873.0 0.23 1.78 0.011 0.29 Infill
30-1140 5.5 61.0 55.5 0.29 2.08 <0.005 0.30 Infill
And 124.5 187.5 63.0 0.16 1.90 0.011 0.22 Infill
And 355.5 460.5 105.0 0.43 3.08 0.012 0.50 Infill
And 493.8 687.0 193.2 0.16 1.10 0.021 0.25 Both
(including) 493.8 609.0 115.2 0.16 1.17 0.026 0.27 Infill
(including) 609.0 687.0 78.0 0.16 1.01 0.014 0.22 Expansion
And 787.3 856.5 69.2 0.22 1.33 0.039 0.37 Expansion

* See explanatory notes below on copper equivalent values and Quality Assurance/Quality Controls.
** ‘Both’ indicates drill holes that have contiguous shallower infill as well as deeper expansion intercepts.

Discussion

Drill hole 30-1120, located on top of Copper Mountain near the centre of the 2024 MRE model, cut two significant mineralized intervals including 272.5 metres averaging 0.22 % Cu and 1.84 g/t Ag, followed by 598.5 metres averaging 0.28% Cu, 1.60 g/t Ag and 0.023% Mo, extending mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 1140 metres.

Drill hole 30-1129, located on the western flank of Copper Mountain, cut two mineralized intervals including 881.0 metres averaging 0.22 % Cu and 4.32 g/t Ag and 0.014% Mo (which includes 200 metres of depth expansion), extending mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 897.9 metres.

Drill hole 30-1133, located on the western flank of Copper Mountain, cut three mineralized intervals including 550.5 metres averaging 0.28 % Cu, 1.89 g/t Ag and 0.018% Mo (infill). This hole extended mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 831 metres, ending in the porphyry intrusion core of the Copper Mountain deposit.

Drill hole 30-1134, located near the south-western lip of the Copper Mountain open pit, cut three mineralized intervals including 309.0 metres averaging 0.17 % Cu, 0.74 g/t Ag and 0.027% Mo (infill) as well as a deeper intersection of 228.5 metres averaging 0.41 % Cu, 1.67 g/t Ag and 0.027% Mo (expansion), extending mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 1008.5 metres.

Drill hole 30-1136, located 125 metres south of the southern margin of the 2024 MRE model, cut two mineralized intersections, all expansion outside the current resource model, including 284.5 metres averaging 0.41 % Cu and 2.83 g/t Ag within (and above) the B and C Zone skarn horizons, as well as 138.0 metres averaging 1.45 % Cu and 10.8 g/t Ag from 45 metres above the E Zone horizon to 88 metres below it. This latter intersection included a high-grade interval of 64.5 metres averaging 2.70 % Cu and 19.0 g/t Ag that comprised dense sulfide vein/breccia zones located above and below the E Zone horizon, the latter consisting of replacement massive sulfides averaging 9.1% Cu over 4.5 metres. The vein/breccia zones are similar to what was encountered in drill hole 30-1128, located 95 metres west of 30-1136 ( see November 12, 2025 news release ). The massive sulfides in drill hole 30-1136 are located in what was previously described as the tabular E-28 Zone at Gaspé Copper, defined over a 240 m X 40 m area but never mined. However, the sulfide vein/breccia zones around the E Zone horizon were not previously documented in this area, and their extent and orientation are presently unknown.

Drill hole 30-1138, located near the southern lip of the Copper Mountain open pit, cut one mineralized interval of 685.8 metres averaging 0.27 % Cu, 1.47 g/t Ag and 0.018% Mo (infill). This hole confirmed mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 725 metres, ending in the porphyry intrusion core of the Copper Mountain deposit.

Drill hole 30-1139, located on top of Copper Mountain near the centre of the 2024 MRE model, cut two significant mineralized intervals including 873.0 metres averaging 0.23 % Cu, 1.78 g/t Ag and 0.011% Mo confirming mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 815 metres.

Drill hole 30-1140, located near the eastern margin of the 2024 MRE model, cut five intersections of mineralization, 55 to 193 metres thick and distributed in ‘layer cake’ fashion from surface, including 105.0 metres averaging 0.43 % Cu, 3.08 g/t Ag and 0.012% Mo extending mineralization in this area to a vertical depth of 856 metres.

Mineralization at Gaspé Copper is of porphyry copper/skarn type and occurs as disseminations and stockworks of chalcopyrite with pyrite or pyrrhotite and minor bornite and molybdenite. One prograde and at least five retrograde vein/stockwork mineralizing events have been recognized at Copper Mountain, which overprint earlier, bedding replacement skarn and porcellanite-hosted mineralization throughout the Gaspé Copper system. Porcellanite is a historical mining term used to describe bleached, pale green to white potassic-altered hornfels. Subvertical stockwork mineralization dominates at Copper Mountain whereas prograde bedding-parallel mineralization, that is mostly stratigraphically controlled, dominates in the area of lower Copper Mountain, Needle Mountain, Needle East, and Copper Brook. High molybdenum grades (up to 0.5% Mo) were locally obtained in both the C Zone and E Zone skarns away from Copper Mountain.

The 2022 to 2024 Osisko Metals drill programs were focused on defining open-pit resources within the Copper Mountain stockwork mineralization ( see May 6, 2024 MRE press release ). Extending the resource model south of Copper Mountain into the poorly-drilled prograde skarn/porcellanite portion of the system subsequently led to a significantly increased resource, mostly in the Inferred category ( see November 14, 2024 MRE press release ).

The current drill program is designed to convert the November 2024 MRE to Measured and Indicated categories, as well as test the expansion of the system deeper into the stratigraphy and laterally to the south and southwest towards Needle East and Needle Mountain respectively. The November 2024 MRE was limited at depth to the base of the L1 skarn horizon (C Zone), and all mineralized intersections below this horizon represent potential depth extensions to the deposit, to be included in the next scheduled MRE update in Q1 2026.

Most holes are being drilled sub-vertically into the altered calcareous stratigraphy that dips 20 to 25 degrees to the north. The L1 (C Zone) the L2 (E Zone) skarn/marble horizons were intersected in most holes, as well as intervening porcellanites that host the bulk of the disseminated copper mineralization.

Table 2: Drill hole locations

DDH No. Azimuth (°) Dip (°) Length (m) UTM E UTM N Elevation
30-1120 0.0 -90.0 1141.0 316225.0 5426398.0 742.5
30-1129 0.0 -90.0 1140.0 316000.0 5426215.0 709.9
30-1133 0.0 -75.0 861.0 315800.0 5426324.0 658.5
30-1134 0.0 -90.0 1008.5 315300.0 5426573.0 547.4
30-1136 0.0 -90.0 681.0 316389.0 5425544.0 563.0
30-1138 358.0 -69.0 783.0 315612.0 5426495.0 583.0
30-1139 0.0 -59.0 951.0 316020.0 5426400.0 744.0
30-1140 0.0 -90.0 936.0 316417.0 5426177.0 682.1


Explanatory note regarding copper-equivalent grades

Copper Equivalent grades are expressed for purposes of simplicity and are calculated taking into account: 1) metal grades; 2) estimated long-term prices of metals: US$4.25/lb copper, $20.00/lb molybdenum, and US$24/oz silver; 3) estimated recoveries of 92%, 70%, and 70% for Cu, Mo, and Ag respectively; and 4) net smelter return value of metals as percentage of the price, estimated at 86.5%, 90.7%, and 75.0% for Cu, Mo, and Ag respectively.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Bernard-Olivier Martel, P. Geo. (OGQ 492), an independent ‘qualified person’ as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (‘NI 43-101’).

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Mineralized intervals reported herein are calculated using an average 0.12% CuEq lower cut-off over contiguous 20-metre intersections (shorter intervals as the case may be at the upper and lower limits of reported intervals). Intervals of 10 metres or less are not reported unless indicating significantly higher grades .   True widths are estimated at 90 – 92% of the reported core length intervals.

Osisko Metals adheres to a strict QA/QC program for core handling, sampling, sample transportation and analyses, including insertion of blanks and standards in the sample stream. Drill core is drilled in HQ or NQ diameter and securely transported to its core processing facility on site, where it is logged, cut and sampled. Samples selected for assay are sealed and shipped to ALS Canada Ltd.’s preparation facility in Sudbury. Sample preparation details (code PREP-31DH) are available on the ALS Canada website. Pulps are analyzed at the ALS Canada Ltd. facility in North Vancouver, BC. All samples are analyzed by four acid digestion followed by both ICP-AES and ICP-MS for Cu, Mo and Ag.

About Osisko Metals

Osisko Metals Incorporated is a Canadian exploration and development company creating value in the critical metals sector, with a focus on copper and zinc. The Company acquired a 100% interest in the past-producing Gaspé Copper mine from Glencore Canada Corporation in July 2023. The Gaspé Copper mine is located near Murdochville in Québec s Gaspé Peninsula. The Company is currently focused on resource expansion of the Gaspé Copper system, with current Indicated Mineral Resources of 824 Mt averaging 0.34% CuEq and Inferred Mineral Resources of 670 Mt averaging 0.38% CuEq (in compliance with NI 43-101). For more information, see Osisko Metals’ November 14, 2024 news release entitled ‘Osisko Metals Announces Significant Increase in Mineral Resource at Gaspé Copper’. Gaspé Copper hosts the largest undeveloped copper resource in eastern North America, strategically located near existing infrastructure in the mining-friendly province of Québec.

In addition to the Gaspé Copper project, the Company is working with Appian Capital Advisory LLP through the Pine Point Mining Limited joint venture to advance one of Canada s largest past-producing zinc mining camps, the Pine Point project, located in the Northwest Territories. The current mineral resource estimate for the Pine Point project consists of Indicated Mineral Resources of 49.5 Mt averaging 5.52% ZnEq and Inferred Mineral Resources of 8.3 Mt averaging 5.64% ZnEq (in compliance with NI 43-101). For more information, see Osisko Metals June 25, 2024 news release entitled ‘Osisko Metals releases Pine Point mineral resource estimate: 49.5 million tonnes of indicated resources at 5.52% ZnEq’. The Pine Point project is located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, NWT, close to infrastructure, with paved road access, an electrical substation and 100 kilometres of viable haul roads.

For further information on this news release, visit www.osiskometals.com or contact:

Don Njegovan, President
Email: info@osiskometals.com
Phone: (416) 500-4129

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as ‘expects’, or ‘does not expect’, ‘is expected’, ‘interpreted’, ‘management’s view’, ‘anticipates’ or ‘does not anticipate’, ‘plans’, ‘budget’, ‘scheduled’, ‘forecasts’, ‘estimates’, ‘potential’, ‘feasibility’, ‘believes’ or ‘intends’ or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results ‘may’ or ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to, among other things: the tax treatment of the FT Units; the timing of incurring the Qualifying Expenditures and the renunciation of the Qualifying Expenditures; the ability to advance Gaspé Copper to a construction decision (if at all); the ability to increase the Company’s trading liquidity and enhance its capital markets presence; the potential re-rating of the Company; the ability for the Company to unlock the full potential of its assets and achieve success; the ability for the Company to create value for its shareholders; the advancement of the Pine Point project; the anticipated resource expansion of the Gaspé Copper system and Gaspé Copper hosting the largest undeveloped copper resource in eastern North America.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management, in light of management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, including, without limitation, assumptions about: the ability of exploration results, including drilling, to accurately predict mineralization; errors in geological modelling; insufficient data; equity and debt capital markets; future spot prices of copper and zinc; the timing and results of exploration and drilling programs; the accuracy of mineral resource estimates; production costs; political and regulatory stability; the receipt of governmental and third party approvals; licenses and permits being received on favourable terms; sustained labour stability; stability in financial and capital markets; availability of mining equipment and positive relations with local communities and groups. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information are set out in the Company’s public disclosure record on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under Osisko Metals’ issuer profile. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Neither the TSX Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission, or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/06cd450e-6dd1-4bb1-9cb3-57f034bdcec9
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0ba7427-cd3f-48be-b979-2deb58625656

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