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E-Power Resources

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Investor Insight

E-Power Resources offers investors high-grade exposure to the rapidly expanding flake graphite sector through one of Québec’s most promising districts. With a strategic land position, near-surface discoveries, and a leadership team experienced in exploration and capital markets, E-Power is positioned to help supply North America’s critical battery materials chain.

Overview

E-Power Resources (CSE:EPR) is a Montréal-based company focused on advancing its flagship Tetepisca graphite property in Québec’s North Shore region. The company’s mission is to delineate and develop a high-grade, near-surface flake-graphite resource capable of supplying future North American battery-anode demand.

Since entering the Tetepisca district in 2019, E-Power has systematically advanced its project from regional geophysics to mapping, sampling, drilling and metallurgical testing. This disciplined exploration pipeline has confirmed the presence of district-scale, high-purity graphite mineralization within the same geological sequence that hosts neighboring deposits such as Focus Graphite’s Lac Tetepisca and Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Uatnan, which together hold more than 120 million tons (Mt) measured + indicated at approximately 14 percent Cg.

Graphite demand is accelerating globally as electric-vehicle production and energy-storage capacity expand. Québec’s hydroelectric grid, pro-mining policy environment, and rapidly developing anode-manufacturing infrastructure make it a world-class jurisdiction for low-carbon graphite development. Within this setting, E-Power’s land position, grade profile and technical results uniquely position the company to become a core participant in Canada’s graphite-to-battery supply chain.

Company Highlights

  • Flagship project in Québec’s premier graphite district: 100-percent-owned Tetepisca Property, 234 contiguous claims covering ≈ 12,840 ha, the largest land position in the district
  • Exceptional grades: 2025 surface sampling returned up to 68.7 percent Cg (carbon in graphite form) at the Graphi-Centre target, among the highest reported globally
  • High-purity metallurgy: 2024 bulk sampling produced concentrates grading up to 96.4 percent Cg, validating commercial potential.
  • Strategic infrastructure advantage: ~220 km from Baie-Comeau and within trucking distance of a planned 200,000 tons per year (tpy) graphite-anode facility, anchoring Québec’s battery-materials hub.
  • Surging Market Demand: With global battery production accelerating, the graphite market is forecast to soar, positioning E-Power to benefit from one of the most dynamic growth trends in the energy materials sector.
  • Led by Experience: Backed by a strong, technically skilled management team, E-Power is strategically positioned to advance North American graphite independence and capture growing demand in the energy transition economy.

Key Project

Tetepisca Graphite Project

The Tetepisca graphite property is approximately 220 km north of Baie-Comeau, covering 234 contiguous claims (~12,840 ha) in the heart of the Tetepisca Graphite District (TGD). The property is 100-percent-owned by E-Power and hosts the same graphitic metasedimentary units that define the district’s producing and feasibility-stage assets.

District-Scale Opportunity

The TGD is an emerging flake-graphite camp that now hosts more than 120 Mt of measured and indicated resources averaging ~14 percent Cg across nearby projects such as Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Uatnan and Focus Graphite’s Lac Tetepisca deposits.

E-Power controls the largest contiguous land position in the district, strategically covering the same graphitic metasedimentary horizons that host these deposits. The district’s proximity to the planned 200,000 tpy graphite-anode facility in Baie-Comeau creates a unique alignment of resource, infrastructure and processing capability, positioning E-Power as a potential key upstream feed source for Québec’s integrated graphite-to-anode supply chain.

2024–2025 Exploration Results

E-Power’s work since 2021 has validated the property’s high-grade, near-surface potential.

  • The 2025 Phase 1 program returned grab samples up to 68.7 percent Cg at the Graphi-Centre target, one of the highest surface graphite grades reported globally.
  • New discoveries on the northern claim block (N3 and N4 targets) yielded multiple samples exceeding 20 percent Cg, extending graphite mineralization across more than 330 meters of strike within continuous conductive trends.
  • The Syndicate Trend, a 12 km linear conductor in the southwest, produced a new showing with grades of 54.7 percent Cg within a broader corridor that includes a historical drill intercept of 12.74 percent Cg over 9.55 meters.
  • Metallurgical test work from 2024 bulk sampling confirmed high-purity concentrates of up to 96.4 percent Cg, with additional mineralogy and flake-size distribution studies underway to define commercial product potential.

E-Power’s 2025–2026 work program will focus on advancing the Tetepisca property toward an initial resource estimate. Key activities include expanded fieldwork and metallurgical testing at the Graphi-Centre, Captain Cosmos and Syndicate showings; follow-up ground and drone-borne geophysical surveys to refine drill targets; and a focused drilling campaign designed to define near-surface, high-grade graphite zones. In parallel, the company is initiating early environmental baseline and access studies to support future development and potential partnerships within Québec’s growing graphite-to-anode supply chain.

Management Team

Jean-Michel Gauthier – Chief Executive Officer

Jean-Michel Gauthier contributes significant expertise in capital markets, corporate development and strategic positioning within the resource sector. His focus will be on ensuring the optimal deployment of capital and maximizing the inherent value of the Tetepisca Project as it advances through key de-risking stages.

Mark Billings – Chairman of the Board

Mark Billings is a highly respected finance professional in the Canadian resource sector, bringing extensive investment banking and corporate finance experience. His prior roles, including VP corporate finance at Desjardins Securities, provide a crucial foundation for guiding E-Power’s capital formation and strategic financing plans necessary for the Tetepisca Project’s development phases.

Jamie Lavigne – Chief Operating Officer

Jamie Lavigne is a professional economic geologist with over 30 years of experience in exploration and mine development. He has worked with major Canadian and Australian mining companies and several junior explorers and operates his own consulting firm. Lavigne holds a B.Sc. from Memorial University and an MSc. from the University of Ottawa. He is a member of L’Ordre des Géologues du Québec and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists.

Paul Haber – Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Paul Haber brings over 20 years of experience in corporate finance and capital markets. He has served as CFO, board member, and audit chair for numerous public and private companies, including XTM (CSE:PAID), South American Silver (TSX:SAC), and Migao Corporation (TSX:MGO). A CPA and CA, Haber began his career at Coopers & Lybrand and holds an Honours B.A. in Management from the University of Toronto. He also holds a Chartered Director designation from the DeGroote School of Business and the Conference Board of Canada.

Christian Falk – Advisory Board Member

Christian Falk is co-founder of Camet AG, Zug Switzerland and Vega Metals Trading in Montreal, Canada. He offers more than 16 years of global mining and metals trading experience, including significant tenure with Glencore International AG. His expertise in global graphite and critical metals markets will be critical in formulating E-Power’s downstream commercial strategy and understanding customer specifications.
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Copper Price Hits All‑time High on Supply Constraints and Trade Fears

Investing 3 Mins Read

The copper price climbed to a fresh record on Tuesday (January 6), with persistent supply disruptions and trade uncertainty pushing the metal to a nearly 30 percent rally since October.

Benchmark three month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose as much as 3.1 percent in early trading to an all‑time high of US$13,387.50 per metric ton before settling slightly lower, but still above US$13,200.

The jump marks another milestone in a rally that first saw copper breach US$12,000 late in December last year.

Copper is widely used across the industrial economy, from construction and power infrastructure to electric vehicles and data centers that support artificial intelligence growth. Analysts attribute the gains to a combination of production setbacks at major mines and heightened concerns that prospective US trade tariffs could further disrupt flows.

Large copper-mining operations such as Freeport-McMoRan’s (NYSE:FCX) Grasberg complex in Indonesia have faced challenges since last year, while a strike at Capstone Copper’s (TSX:CS,ASX:CSC,OTC Pink:CSCCF) Mantoverde mine in Chile has reduced output prospects in one of the world’s top copper‑producing nations.

The threat of new tariffs under the Trump administration has also shaped expectations. Traders have moved to ship refined copper into the US ahead of any potential levies, tightening supply elsewhere. Furthermore, data show copper stocks in Comex warehouses have jumped to more than 450,000 metric tons, well above last year’s levels.

Copper outlook for 2026

Market watchers expect many of the forces that drove copper through 2025 to persist.

Supply constraints are expected to remain acute this year as aging mines and capacity shortfalls weigh on availability. New projects such as Arizona Sonoran Copper Company’s (TSX:ASCU,OTCQX:ASCUF) Cactus project and the long‑anticipated Resolution mine in the US are still years from significant output.

Copper demand is projected to grow as the global energy transition accelerates.

“A huge amount of this tightness has to do with US tariff concerns,” she said.

China, the world’s largest copper consumer, is also shaping the outlook. Despite weakness in its property sector, the country posted economic growth and is expected to prioritize copper‑intensive sectors under its new five year plan.

Longer‑term projections from industry groups suggest structural demand growth will outpace supply additions.

A UN report estimates that copper demand could rise 40 percent by 2040, requiring substantial investment and new mines just to keep pace. Likewise, Wood Mackenzie forecasts that copper demand will increase 24 percent by 2035, while the International Copper Study Group predicts a refined copper deficit of 150,000 metric tons in 2026 alone.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Alain Corbani: Gold to Hit US$5,000 Near Term, What About Silver?

Investing 1 Min Read

Alain Corbani, head of mining at Montbleu Finance and manager of the Global Gold and Precious Fund, sees the gold price reaching US$5,000 per ounce in the near term.

He sees real interest rates and the US dollar as the key factors to watch, but noted that other elements are also adding tailwinds.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Top 4 NASDAQ Genetics Stocks (Updated January 2026)

Investing 5 Mins Read

Discoveries made by companies in the genetics sector help support every other life science industry in a variety of ways.

One of the genetic sector’s major contributions is the discovery of new genetic drivers of diseases. Genetic testing has grown substantially over the last few years, thanks to advances in technology; growth has also been spurred by an increase in chronic diseases and the continuing development of test kits for therapeutic areas with unmet medical needs.

Gene therapy is also a huge driver of growth in the overarching genetics market. This important segment of the life science market is focused on how genes can help treat or prevent serious conditions in patients. This includes the potential for healthcare professionals to implement gene therapy at the cellular level instead of using medication or surgery, replacing ‘faulty’ genes with new ones to potentially cure diseases.

Pharma and biotech companies often dabble in genetics along with their core disciplines, meaning that some firms may also have operations in other areas.

The top NASDAQ genetics stocks listed below have products related to gene therapy, genetic testing, genetically defined cancers and rare genetic diseases.

Data for this list of genetics stocks on the NASDAQ was collected on December 31, 2025, using TradingView’s stock screener, and stocks with market caps above US$50 million were considered.

1. Avidity Biosciences (NASDAQ:RNA)

Year-over-year gain: 143.8 percent
Market cap: US$10.87 billion
Share price: US$72.14

Avidity Bioscience is a biopharma firm developing a new form of RNA therapy called antibody oligonucleotide conjugates (AOC) that target the genes causing rare muscle diseases.

Through its proprietary AOC platform, Avidity developed programs for three rare muscle diseases: AOC 1001 for myotonic dystrophy type 1, AOC 1044 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and AOC 1020 for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. The company is also working to expand its pipeline into cardiology and immunology.

In October 2025, Avidity entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Novartis (NYSE:NVS), which will include the company’s late-stage neuromuscular programs (AOC 1001, 1020, 1044) and the AOC platform, for US$12 billion.

Avidity’s early-stage precision cardiology programs will spin off into a new public company prior to closing in H1 2026. The spin-off will also have rights to use and develop the AOC platform for cardiology applications.

2. Wave Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE)

Year-over-year gain: 36.52 percent
Market cap: US$3.13 billion
Share price: US$17.12

Wave Life Sciences is another clinical-stage firm focused on unlocking insights from human genetics to deliver RNA-based medicines. The company’s PRISM platform is targeting both rare and prevalent disorders. Its pipeline includes clinical programs for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and Huntington’s disease, as well as a preclinical program for WVE-007 in obesity.

Wave Life Sciences advanced its PRISM RNA platform across multiple programs in 2025. It is also performing a Phase 1 trial testing its WVE-007 obesity candidate, which is an investigational INHBE GalNAc-siRNA using Wave’s proprietary SpiNA design.

In December, the company reported positive interim data from the WVE-007 trial, which showed that a single dose resulted in sustained Activin E reduction, supporting infrequent dosing. Target engagement updates and body composition readouts are planned for Q1 2026.

3. UniQure (NASDAQ:QURE)

Year-over-year gain: 33.15 percent
Market cap: US$1.47 billion
Share price: US$23.86

UniQure is a gene therapy company focused on patients with severe medical needs. In November 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the company’s gene therapy Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec), which is the world’s first gene therapy for hemophilia B.

Today, uniQure’s proprietary gene therapy pipeline includes treatments for patients with Huntington’s disease, refractory temporal lobe epilepsy, ALS and Fabry disease.

Its gene therapy pipeline advanced in 2025, with positive Phase I/II topline data for Huntington’s disease candidate AMT-130 showing 75 percent slowing of disease progression at three years via cUHDRS, alongside 60 percent functional capacity preservation.

While data from the Phase I/II study led the FDA to grant AMT-130 breakthrough therapy designation in April, in December the agency told UniQure it believes the data may not be adequate to support a pre-biologics license application under the accelerated approval pathway. The company is pursuing a follow-up meeting.

4. Stoke Therapeutics (NASDAQ:STOK)

Year-over-year gain: 186.96 percent
Market cap: US$1.81 billion
Share price: US$31.74

Stoke Therapeutics is another biotech company with a focus on developing RNA medicine. With its proprietary research platform TANGO, which stands for targeted augmentation of nuclear gene output, the company is developing antisense oligonucleotides to selectively restore protein levels.

Stoke’s first product candidate, zorevunersen (STK-001), is in clinical testing for the treatment of Dravet syndrome, a severe form of genetic epilepsy. The company is also developing STK-002 for the treatment of autosomal dominant optic atrophy, an inherited optic nerve disorder.

Both candidates advanced in 2025, with STK-001 enrolling patients in Phase 3 after positive long-term data showed seizure reductions and cognitive gains. Likewise, STK-002’s clinical development program is being informed by results, presented in October, of a Phase 1 two year natural history study on the disease progression of autosomal dominant optic atrophy.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Trump orders US withdrawal from 66 ‘wasteful’ global organizations in sweeping ‘America First’ crackdown

Politics 3 Mins Read

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. to withdraw from 66 international organizations, ordering executive departments and agencies to cease participation in and funding of entities the administration says no longer serve U.S. interests.

The memorandum follows a State Department review ordered earlier this year under Executive Order 14199 and applies to 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 United Nations entities, according to the White House.

In the memorandum, Trump said he reviewed Secretary Rubio’s findings and determined it is ‘contrary to the interests of the U.S. to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support’ to the listed organizations.

The order directs all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to effectuate the withdrawals as soon as possible. For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to the extent permitted by law.

The administration framed the move as part of Trump’s broader ‘America First’ agenda aimed at restoring American sovereignty and ending taxpayer support for organizations it views as wasteful, ineffective or contrary to U.S. interests. 

Review of additional international organizations remains ongoing, according to the White House.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the withdrawals fulfill a key commitment of Trump’s presidency.

‘Today, President Trump announced the U.S. is leaving 66 anti-American, useless, or wasteful international organizations,’ Rubio said in a post on X. ‘Review of additional international organizations remains ongoing.’

Rubio said the administration concluded the institutions were ‘redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity.’

‘It is no longer acceptable to be sending these institutions the blood, sweat, and treasure of the American people, with little to nothing to show for it,’ Rubio said. ‘The days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over.’

The list includes organizations involved in areas such as climate, energy, development, governance, migration and gender policy, according to the White House. The White House published the full list alongside the order.

Rubio said the withdrawals reflect a shift in how the administration views international engagement.

‘We will not continue expending resources, diplomatic capital, and the legitimizing weight of our participation in institutions that are irrelevant to or in conflict with our interests,’ Rubio said. ‘We seek cooperation where it serves our people and will stand firm where it does not.’

The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Lindsey Graham says Trump backs Russia sanctions bill

Politics 3 Mins Read

President Donald Trump is in favor of a Senate bill to impose new sanctions on Russia, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Wednesday.

Graham made the statement after meeting with Trump, saying the Senate could vote on the legislation ‘hopefully as early as next week.’ A bipartisan group of senators has been drafting the suite of sanctions and negotiating to secure White House support for months.

‘After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator [Richard] Blumenthal and many others,’ Graham said Wednesday.

‘Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent,’ he added.

The bill seeks to dry up funding for Russia’s war machine, both by targeting Russian industries as well as other countries that purchase Russian oil, such as China and India.

Agreement on the bill came just as U.S. forces on Wednesday seized two sanctioned tankers in the Atlantic Ocean. The first was the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea, while the second was the M/T Sophia, in the Caribbean.

The North Atlantic Sea seizure comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Russia had sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the tanker.

The vessel had spent more than two weeks attempting to slip past U.S. enforcement efforts targeting sanctioned oil shipments near Venezuela, the outlet reported.

‘The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world,’ said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after the tanker was seized.

Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela in mid-December.

Meanwhile, U.S. forces say the M/T Sophia was conducting ‘illicit activities’ in the Caribbean and is being escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard to the United States for ‘final disposition.’

‘Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will defend our Homeland and restore security and strength across the Americas,’ said SOUTHCOM.

U.S. Navy SEALs flown by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (‘Night Stalkers’) seized the sanctioned Marinera tanker, previously named Bella 1, between Iceland and Britain, officials told Fox News.

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.

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Al Gore sounds ‘climate crisis’ alarm as Trump yanks US from UN initiatives

Politics 2 Mins Read

Former Vice President Al Gore on Wednesday condemned President Donald Trump’s move to withdraw the U.S. from United Nations-linked climate initiatives.

Gore claimed in a post on X that ‘the most significant challenge of our lifetimes’ is ‘the climate crisis.’ 

‘The ongoing work of the IPCC, UNFCCC, and other global institutions remains essential to safeguarding humanity’s future,’ he asserted, referring to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

‘By withdrawing from the IPCC, UNFCCC, and the other vital international partnerships, the Trump Administration is undoing decades of hard-won diplomacy, attempting to undermine climate science, and sowing distrust around the world,’ he wrote.

Trump issued a memorandum ordering U.S. withdrawal from the two initiatives that Gore mentioned as well as scads of other entities.

The president’s memorandum lists the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change under a grouping of ‘Non-United Nations Organizations.’ But the website ipcc.ch states, ‘The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.’

In the memorandum, the president declared that he has ‘determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to the organizations listed in section 2 of this memorandum.’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, ‘As this list begins to demonstrate, what started as a pragmatic framework of international organizations for peace and cooperation has morphed into a sprawling architecture of global governance, often dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests.’

Gore, who served as vice president alongside Democratic President Bill Clinton, lost the 2000 presidential contest to Republican George W. Bush.

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US may be involved in Venezuela for years, Trump says

Politics 3 Mins Read

President Donald Trump predicted that U.S. involvement with Venezuela could be a years-long venture, rather than a short-term one.

In the early hours of Saturday, U.S. forces arrested dictator Nicolás Maduro in a daring overnight operation. Trump announced the move in a Truth Social post, saying that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been ‘captured and flown out of the country’ after the U.S. ‘carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela.’

Following the operation in Venezuela, Trump said the U.S. would ‘run’ the South American nation, without going into details about what that would entail.

‘We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,’ Trump said.

The president told The New York Times on Wednesday that he anticipated the U.S. would be running Venezuela and extracting oil from its reserves for years following the historic operation that ended with the arrest of Maduro. The deposition of Maduro sparked conversations about control over Venezuela’s oil. Venezuela holds more than 300 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, nearly quadruple those of the U.S.

Trump announced on Tuesday that Venezuela would be turning over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of ‘high-quality,’ sanctioned oil to the U.S. He said the oil will be sold at market price, and he will control the proceeds to ensure it is ‘used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!’ The president also added that the oil would be transported directly to unloading docks in the U.S. via storage ships.

When asked by the Times about how long the U.S. would retain political oversight of Venezuela, Trump said it would be ‘much longer’ than six months or even a year, though he did not give a specific timeline. Additionally, Trump told the Times that the interim Venezuelan government — which is full of Maduro loyalists — was ‘giving us everything that we feel is necessary.’

When speaking with the Times, the president did not explain why the U.S. recognized Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s new leader instead of backing opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado. The Times reported that Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rodríguez speak ‘all the time.’

‘I will tell you that we are in constant communication with her and the administration,’ Trump told the Times.

Notably, Trump did not give a timeline for when Venezuela would hold elections. 

The Times pointed out that from the late 1950s until Hugo Chavez took power in 1999, Venezuela had a history of democratic elections. After Chavez died in 2013, Maduro took his place and eventually won the subsequent election. He ruled Venezuela until he was deposed on Jan. 3, 2026.

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Senate Republicans push to deport, denaturalize fraudsters amid Minnesota scandal

Politics 3 Mins Read

A cohort of Senate Republicans wants to ensure that both illegal immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens who are convicted of fraud are booted from the country.

The lawmakers, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., are pushing new legislation that would modify an existing, decades-old law that underpins immigration policy in the country to either deport or revoke the citizenship of convicted fraudsters.

Their bill, the Fraud Accountability Act, comes on the heels of the ever unfolding Minnesota fraud scandal, where federal prosecutors estimate that up to $9 billion in taxpayer money was stolen through a network of fraudulent fronts posing as daycare centers, food programs and health clinics, among others.

‘Anyone who comes to the United States and steals from American taxpayers by committing fraud should be deported,’ Blackburn said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘The fraud schemes we have seen in Minnesota and across the country are a betrayal of hardworking American taxpayers, and individuals like the Somali scammers in Minnesota should be subject to both deportation and denaturalization for these crimes,’ she continued. ‘The Fraud Accountability Act would hold these criminals accountable for robbing American taxpayers.’

The situation in Minnesota has become a hot topic on Capitol Hill since lawmakers returned for the new year and the start of a new legislative session this week. In its wake, it torched the political career of Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who lawmakers say oversaw the alleged multibillion-dollar scandal.

The legislation would modify the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a law enacted in the 1950s that governs the country’s immigration policies, including visas, green cards, and citizenship, among several other enforcement matters.

Tweaks to the INA would include making any fraud conviction a deportable offense for noncitizens, mandatory detention of noncitizens convicted of fraud while deportation proceedings are ongoing, and would require automatic denaturalization of naturalized U.S. citizens convicted of fraud.

Notably, the legislation would allow for deportation for fraud convictions at any dollar amount; current law dictates that removal only kicks in if the amount hits $10,000 or higher. It would also effectively allow any court to handle denaturalization proceedings.

There is also a retroactivity clause, which stretches the denaturalization process for fraud committed on or after Sept. 30, 1996.

Blackburn is joined by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in the Senate, while a House version of the bill will be introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga.

Cornyn introduced a similar bill geared toward deporting illegal immigrants, specifically for deadly drunken driving incidents, on Wednesday.

‘The rampant and unprecedented fraud uncovered in Minnesota involving Somali-run childcare centers and nonprofits is unconscionable, and Governor Walz’s complete deflection of any responsibility for this massive theft of U.S. taxpayer dollars under his watch is cowardly but unsurprising,’ Cornyn said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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Cannabis Market 2025 Year-End Review

Investing 6 Mins Read

2025 marked a turning point for investment in the cannabis sector, shifting the focus toward operational resilience and consolidation after a sluggish 2024.

Key market drivers included an upswing in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity as stronger multi-state operators (MSOs) acquired distressed assets, alongside pivotal regulatory developments.

The central theme for the year was the expected US federal shift to Schedule III, a policy rollercoaster that culminated in an executive order to expedite rescheduling, focusing investor flows into scaled, cashflow-positive MSOs.

Internationally, incremental legalization in Europe, particularly the momentum in Germany, broadened the global footprint and provided new export channels for North American producers.

Within market trends, profitability pivoted away from bulk flower to high-margin consumables, with infused pre-rolls and edibles driving category growth and supporting a rerating of resilient operators.

US cannabis rescheduling a core shift

After 2024’s punishing drawdowns, cannabis navigated a high-stakes policy rollercoaster in 2025.

The sector bottomed in Q1 as anticipated US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) rescheduling hearings were delayed, but ignited in late Q3 and Q4 as the narrative shifted toward a decisive executive-led reclassification.

This momentum culminated in US President Donald Trump’s December 18 executive order, which expedites rescheduling and CBD access. It triggered a parabolic surge followed by a violent ‘sell the news’ correction.

“Cannabis is not just a volatile sector or industry. It is the most volatile place,” said Dan Ahrens, managing director and portfolio manager of the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (ARCA:MSOS). “It just proves the point, once again, that we really, really need this federal reform to be officially completed.”

Indeed, 2025 brought plenty of ups and downs. The year opened with Schedule III buzz, which came after prior Department of Health and Human Services recommendations and initial DEA scheduling proposals from late 2024; however, proceedings ground to a halt after the DEA postponed a key January hearing by over 180 days due to administrative turnover, bias claims and leadership gaps post-election. These disruptiosn kept Section 280E tax penalties in place and banking access frozen, keeping margins for MSOs compressed.

Meanwhile, House spending bills included language prohibiting the Department of Justice (DoJ) from spending any funds on rescheduling efforts, while Senate Farm Bill revisions redefined hemp to exclude intoxicating derivatives like delta-8 THC, capping them at trace levels and effectively imposing a nationwide hemp ban on high-potency alternatives.

The MSOS ETF’s portfolio construction exemplified the broader trend of investor flows concentrating into scaled, cash-flow-positive MSOs amid reform volatility. The fund’s top three holdings — Curaleaf Holdings (CSE:CURA,OTCQX:CURLF), Trulieve Cannabis (CSE:TRUL,OTCQX:TCNNF) and Green Thumb Industries (CSE:GTII,OTCQX:GTBIF) — accounted for over 68 percent of its total holdings as of December 31, underscoring confidence in these operators as resilient proxies for US cannabis maturation while smaller single-state players face dilution.

MSOS managers reinforced the shift in the year’s third quarter by trimming three underperformers from the ETF: 4Front Ventures (CSE:FFNT), Lowell Farms (CSE:LOWL) and Gold Flora.

Despite stalls in momentum, Trump kept hope alive in the cannabis sector throughout the year.

In September, he called cannabis reform an “80-20 issue” with broad public backing, and posted a Truth Social video promoting CBD for seniors and suggesting Medicaid coverage.

Those moves, alongside Representative Greg Steube’s (R-FL) Marijuana 1-to-3 Act, aimed at legislatively shifting cannabis to Schedule III, drove a surge in Q3 without any underlying procedural progress.

As mentioned, the December 18 executive order injected fresh life into the sector, directing the DoJ and DEA to expedite cannabis rescheduling to Schedule III, while launching a CMS Innovation Center pilot for federal health programs to cover hemp-derived CBD as early as April 2026, with up to US$500 annual reimbursement for eligible patients.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz previously endorsed Medicare reimbursement for CBD therapies during his confirmation hearings, framing them as “low-risk, high-impact” options for age-related ailments.

European cannabis legalization and international growth

2025 brought incremental legalization or medical frameworks in multiple jurisdictions, including Czechia, Malta, Poland, Switzerland and Luxembourg, broadening the investable global footprint.

This continental momentum has directly boosted North American producers through export ramps and licensing deals, with Canadian licensed producers capturing 43 percent of Germany’s Q2 imports alone.

The country’s CanG framework and adult‑use reform, which came into effect in April 2024, have made it Europe’s most important legal market, with 2025 medical sales expected to see explosive year-on-year growth.

Cannabis company trends in 2025

In 2025, cannabis companies pivoted toward operational resilience and product innovation amid persistent commoditization pressures. After 2024’s wholesale flower price declines, down roughly 32 percent since 2021 by some estimates, stronger MSOs like Tilray Brands (TSX:TLRY,NASDAQ:TLRY) are demonstrating pricing power through branded products and category expansion into edibles, vapes and infused pre-rolls.

Deal flow rebounded from 2024’s US$1.17 billion trough, with US transactions reaching US$2.1 billion.

Against that backdrop, cash-rich MSOs pursued distressed roll-ups in oversupplied states like California and New York, with Vireo Growth’s (CSE:VREO,OTCQX:VREOF) acquisitions in Minnesota and New York exemplifying the trend, achieving critical mass with premium valuations amid hemp restrictions.

Private equity and creative deal structures dominated in the cannabis market, preparing operators for federal reform, while consolidating fragmented retail.

Investor takeaway

2025 marked a transformative year for cannabis, with regulatory breakthroughs and market maturation set against the backdrop of volatility. Trump’s execuctive order has brought new life into the sector in the US with the promise of not only banking and tax relief, but also bipartisan momentum for normalization; however, investors remain cautious.

“Everybody is waiting for it to be real and for it to be completed. Because even though we think the executive order was huge … nothing’s complete yet. Nothing’s official yet,” explained Ahrens.

Looking to 2026, he emphasized that the path forward for cannabis isn’t a straight line, but rather a series of volatile ‘waves’ tied to incremental regulatory milestones. Ahrens anticipates that while the finalization of Schedule III should trigger an initial move, it is merely the first domino; subsequent upside depends on the DoJ providing clear guidance for state-legal adult-use programs and the eventual passage of banking reform.

While he does foresee cannabis stocks uplisting to major exchanges, and Big Pharma companies beginning to make acquisitions in the space, Ahrens remains cautious about timing, noting that even with a signed order, large institutional banks will likely keep the ‘blockade’ in place until the legal ink is truly dry.

Ultimately, while 2025’s executive action has established a concrete foundation for federal reform in the US, the cannabis sector remains poised in a state of high-stakes volatility, with its full maturation dependent on official completion of milestones in 2026 and beyond.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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