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Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH ) (OTCQX: SYHBF ) (Frankfurt: SC1P ) (‘Skyharbour’, ‘SYH’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive repurchase agreement (the ‘Strategic Agreement’) with Denison Mines Corp. (‘Denison’ or ‘DML’) whereby Denison will acquire an initial project interest in Skyharbour’s Russell Lake Uranium Project (‘Russell’ or the ‘Project’) and the parties have agreed to enter into four separate joint venture agreements at closing on various claims making up Russell (the ‘Transaction’). The Project is strategically located in the central portion of the Eastern Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan, with access to regional infrastructure, including an all-weather road and powerline.

Russell Lake Project Location Map:
http://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/2025-11-14%20SKY-RussellLake-Updated.jpg

Highlights:

  • Strategic Agreement represents combined total project consideration of up to CAD $61.5 million consisting of cash or share payments to Skyharbour totalling up to $21.5 million (including $18.0 million before year end) plus expenditures totalling up to $40.0 million for Denison to acquire between a 20% and 70% ownership interest over seven years in the claims making up Russell, with Skyharbour owning the remaining interests.
  • Denison (TSX: DML; NYSE American: DNN), a leading uranium mining company with a market capitalization of over $3 billion, is developing the Wheeler River Project (‘Wheeler River’), which shares a 55 kilometre border with Russell. Denison is an existing, large corporate shareholder of Skyharbour and now joins the Company as a strategic, active, funding partner at Russell.
  • The Project will be divided into four different joint ventures, including Russell Lake (‘RL’), Getty East, Wheeler North, and the Wheeler River Inlier Claims, of which Skyharbour will retain initial ownership interests of 80%, 70%, 51%, and 30%, respectively. Denison can then earn up to a 70% interest in the Wheeler North and Getty East properties through option agreements.
  • The technical teams of Denison and Skyharbour will work cooperatively to advance and unlock value across the joint ventures, employing top-tier exploration and development expertise in the region.
  • Denison has committed to a minimum of $4 million in exploration expenditures over the first two years at Wheeler North and Getty East combined, as well as agreeing to fund to maintain its pro-rata 20% participation interest in the RL claims through 2029 up until such time that total exploration expenditures on the property reach $10 million.
  • Skyharbour to remain operator with an 80% ownership interest at the RL claims comprising over 53,192 hectares of the original 73,314 hectare Russell Lake Project. The Company will also act as operator during the first earn-in at Getty East with Denison sole funding the exploration in order to fulfill the earn-in option criteria.
  • Skyharbour to benefit with a substantial financial commitment from Denison before year end to help fund its uranium exploration and corporate activities through 2026. The Company will also generate revenue from its operator fee at the McGowan Lake exploration camp at the Project.
  • Skyharbour will continue to directly advance its high-grade Moore Uranium project as well as the RL claims at Russell, while partner companies fund exploration at some of the Company’s other projects.

Jordan Trimble, President and CEO of Skyharbour, stated: ‘This is a transformative transaction for Skyharbour and our shareholders as it represents a major stamp of approval for Russell with up to $61.5 million in combined project consideration coming in. We are very pleased to expand upon our long-standing relationship with Denison and to partner with their team to advance one of the more prospective exploration projects in the Athabasca Basin proximal to existing and developing mines. Denison’s success in exploring, permitting, and developing the neighboring world-class Wheeler River Project will provide considerable insight and experience as we jointly pursue success at Russell. Further, this transaction delivers on our belief that Russell should be treated as multiple different projects due to the abundance of targets and sheer scale of the land package in one of the most prolific uranium exploration corridors in the world. The structure and terms of the Strategic Agreement allow Skyharbour to continue exploring as operator at the majority of the claims at Russell, while participating in the future success that Denison seeks as operator at the Wheeler North and Wheeler River Inlier claims. Furthermore, we will receive a significant amount of cash and Denison shares to help fund our exploration efforts and corporate activities through 2026.’

David Cates, President and CEO of Denison, further commented: ‘As Denison nears receipt of final regulatory approvals for the Phoenix In-Situ Recovery mine proposed for our flagship Wheeler River property, we are also making measured investments in our project pipeline – including our next development assets and high-potential exploration properties. Given its proximity to Wheeler River, Denison has had an interest in adding Russell to our property portfolio for much of my nearly two decades with the Company. This transaction achieves that objective by providing Denison with the opportunity to lead and participate in exploration efforts across four newly created joint ventures, which are designed to drive collaboration between Denison and Skyharbour’s technical teams. We are excited to build on our long-standing relationship with Skyharbour and accelerate the evaluation of this exceptional package of highly prospective ground.’

Reorganization of the Russell Lake Project:
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/Russell-Map-New.jpg

Upon closing of the Strategic Agreement, Denison will earn an initial project interest in each of the four new Russell exploration projects including a 49% interest in the Wheeler North claims, a 20% interest in the RL claims, a 30% interest in the Getty East claims, and a 70% interest in the Wheeler River Inlier claims.

  1. Wheeler North (51% SYH, 49% DML ; subject to additional earn-in options ) : The yellow claims in the map above represent 16,409 hectares over eight claims. The claims host some of the exploration targets located proximal to Wheeler River, including the Grayling and Fork Zones. Upon closing of the Transaction, Denison will have the option to increase its interest in Wheeler North to a 70% interest in these claims and Denison will become the operator of Wheeler North as described in more detail below.
  2. Russell Lake or RL (80% SYH, 20% DML) : The pink claims in the map above represent 53,192 hectares over 16 claims. These claims are located north and west of Skyharbour’s Moore Project and host numerous exploration target areas including Christie Lake, NE Russell, Blue Steel, Taylor Bay, South Russell, and Kowalchuk Lake. In order to maintain its initial interest in RL, Denison has agreed to fund its pro rata share of up to a maximum of C$10.0 million in total project expenditures. Upon the closing of the Transaction, Skyharbour will remain operator of RL.
  3. Wheeler River Inliers (30% SYH, 70% DML) . The blue claims in the map above represent 608 hectares over two claims. These are inlier claims within Denison’s Wheeler River project hosting the West Russell and C-Block exploration target areas. DML will become operator of the Wheeler River Inliers.
  4. Getty East (70% SYH, 30% DML ; subject to additional earn-in options ) . The green claim in the map above representing 3,105 hectares is host to the Little Man Lake exploration prospect. The claim borders Cameco’s Cree Zimmer property which holds its Key Lake operations to the south.  Upon the closing of the Transaction, Skyharbour will remain operator of Getty East; however, Denison will have the option to become the operator and acquire up to a 70% interest in this joint venture as described in more detail below.

Transaction Details:

The consideration payment will consist of a $2 million cash payment immediately upon execution of the Strategic Agreement (the ‘Upfront Payment’), and deferred consideration of $16 million (the ‘Deferred Consideration’) payable on or before December 31 st , 2025.

The Deferred Consideration shall be payable in two tranches, each of which may be paid in cash or shares of Denison at Denison’s election, including $8 million on or before the fifth business day prior to December 21 st , 2025, and another $8 million within 10 days of December 21 st , 2025. Closing of the transaction (‘Closing’) is expected to occur on or before December 21 st , 2025.

The current exploration camp at McGowan Lake on the Project will continue to be operated by Skyharbour and an administrative fee will be payable by Denison to Skyharbour. The claims comprising Russell are subject to various existing underlying royalties to other parties.

The Transaction is subject to customary approvals, including Skyharbour obtaining TSX Venture Exchange approval. The Transaction will be considered a Reviewable Transaction under TSX Venture Exchange policies as David Cates is a director of both Denison and Skyharbour.

Denison Earn-In Options:

The Earn-In Option Agreements grant Denison an option to earn additional interests in Wheeler North and Getty East.

Wheeler North Earn-In Option :

Under the terms of the Wheeler North Earn-In Option Agreement, Denison may acquire up to a 70% interest in Wheeler North. The option agreement contains two (2) phases, as summarized below:

Phase 1: To earn an additional 11% interest in Wheeler North (increasing Denison’s ownership to 60%), Denison must:

  • Incur $10.0 million in exploration expenditures at Wheeler North within 48 months of Closing, of which $2.5 million in exploration expenditures must be completed within 24 months of Closing, and
  • Make a cash payment in the amount of $1.5 million to Skyharbour within 48 months of Closing.

Phase 2: To earn an additional 10% interest (increasing Denison’s ownership to 70%) in Wheeler North, Denison must complete the requirements of Phase 1, plus the following:

  • Incur an additional $15.0 million in exploration expenditures at Wheeler North within 7 years of Closing, and
  • Make a further cash payment in the amount of $2.0 million to Skyharbour within 7 years of Closing.

Getty East Earn-In Option Agreement:

Under the terms of the Getty East Option Agreement, Denison may acquire up to a 70% interest in Getty East. The option agreement contains two (2) phases, as summarized below:

Phase 1: To earn an additional 19% interest in Getty East (increasing Denison’s ownership to 49%), Denison must incur $5.0 million in exploration expenditures at Getty East within 48 months of Closing, of which $1.5 million must be completed within the first 24 months of Closing.

Phase 2: To earn an additional 21% interest in Getty East (increasing Denison’s ownership to 70%), Denison must complete the requirements of Phase 1, plus incur an additional $10 million in exploration expenditures within 7 years of Closing. Upon completion of the Phase 2 earn-in option criteria, Denison will have the option to become the operator in this joint venture.

Russell Lake Uranium Project Overview:

The Russell Lake Project is a large, advanced-stage uranium exploration property totalling 73,314 hectares strategically located between Cameco’s Key Lake and McArthur River Projects, and adjoining Denison’s Wheeler River Project to the west and Skyharbour’s Moore Uranium Project to the east. The northern extension of Highway 914 between Key Lake and McArthur River runs through the western extent of the property and greatly enhances accessibility, while a high-voltage powerline is situated alongside this road.

Skyharbour’s New 80% Owned RL Project:

The claims making up the RL Project constitute over seventy percent of the original Russell project area and will continue to be explored by Skyharbour as the operator and 80% owner. Denison will acquire a 20% interest and has agreed to fund to maintain its pro-rata participation interest in the RL claims through December 31 st , 2029, or until such time that total expenditures on the properties have reached $10 million.

The RL claims have numerous highly prospective targets that Skyharbour will continue to advance. The Christie Lake target area contains basement-hosted uranium mineralization with historical drilling returning 0.17% U 3 O 8 over 0.4 metres at 436.4 metres depth in hole CL-10-03, hosted within a strongly hematized breccia. A prospective clay altered basement fault system runs throughout this area.

The Blue Steel target area comprises graphitic metasediments that were last drilled in 2008. The full extent of the graphitic corridor remains unknown and completely untested. Historical geophysics indicate potential faulting along this corridor, highlighting it as a priority area for follow-up work using modern geophysical methods to refine drill targets.

The Kowalchuk area, situated within the southern Russell claims, is another prospective area on the RL claims, with multiple inferred structural trends passing through it. This area has seen only limited modern geophysical coverage to date.

In addition to the aforementioned target areas, there are many kilometres of untested EM conductors on the RL claims underlain by rocks of low magnetic intensity, suggestive of the presence of prospective graphitic meta-pelitic basement lithologies typical of Athabasca-style uranium systems. With limited modern exploration conducted over the past 12 years, the RL claims remain underexplored and highly prospective for both expanding known mineralized zones and making new discoveries.

Advisors and Counsel:

Haywood Securities Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Skyharbour in connection with the Transaction, and AFG Law LLP and DuMoulin Black LLP are acting as legal counsel to Skyharbour.

Qualified Person:

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Serdar Donmez, P.Geo., VP of Exploration for Skyharbour as well as a Qualified Person.

About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.:

Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with interest in thirty-seven projects covering over 616,000 hectares (over 1.5 million acres) of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project, which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison’s Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco’s McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization in several zones at the Maverick Corridor. Adjacent to the Moore Project is the Russell Lake Uranium Project, which hosts widespread uranium mineralization in drill intercepts over a large property area with exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drilling programs.

Skyharbour also has joint ventures with industry leaders Denison Mines, Orano Canada Inc., Azincourt Energy, and Thunderbird Resources at the Russell, Preston, East Preston, and Hook Lake Projects, respectively. The Company also has several active earn-in option partners, including CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; TSX-V listed North Shore Uranium at the Falcon Project; UraEx Resources at the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects; Hatchet Uranium at the Highway Project; CSE-listed Mustang Energy at the 914W Project; and TSX-V listed Terra Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project.

In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total to potentially over $76 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures and over $42 million in cash and share payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.

Skyharbour’s goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Skyharbour’s Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin:
http://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY-SaskProject-Locator-2025-11-14-Updated.jpg

To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Company’s website at www.skyharbourltd.com .

Skyharbour Resources Ltd.

‘Jordan Trimble’

Jordan Trimble
President and CEO

For further information contact myself or:
Nicholas Coltura
Investor Relations Manager
Skyharbour Resources Ltd.
Telephone: 604-558-5847
Toll Free: 800-567-8181
Facsimile: 604-687-3119
Email: info@skyharbourltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements, including receipt of TSXV approval to the Transaction and the closing of the Transaction. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, exploration and development successes, regulatory approvals including TSXV approval, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedarplus.ca for further information.

 

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Nick Hodge, publisher at Digest Publishing, is most bullish on copper and uranium in 2026, but also believes gold and silver prices have further to go despite recent gains.

‘We are in the middle of a precious metals bull market,’ he said. ‘Silver hasn’t had its day yet, so I think that’s a pretty good indicator that we’ve still got some time to go.’

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced new efforts to ‘clean up’ the nation’s energy sector amid a corruption scandal and near-constant attacks from Russia.

Zelenskyy met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Sunday morning, saying he called on lawmakers to revamp the leadership at the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate and the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate, in addition to other efforts to expunge Russian influence in the sector.

‘In full coordination with law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies, ensure the renewal of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and to promptly complete the competition for the position of Head of ARMA so that the new Head of the Agency can be selected by the end of this year,’ Zelenskyy wrote on X.

He further called on lawmakers to ‘promptly conduct an audit and prepare for sale the assets and shares in assets that belonged to Russian entities and to collaborators who fled to Russia. All such assets must operate one hundred percent in Ukraine’s interests – to support our defense and to contribute to Ukraine’s budget.’

The new energy initiative also comes after a former associate of Zelenskyy’s was accused of being the mastermind behind a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving nuclear energy.

Tymur Mindich, who was once Zelenskyy’s business partner, was identified by Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs as being the orchestrator of a scheme involving top officials and Ukraine’s state nuclear power company. Prior to the scandal, some feared Mindich’s growing influence over Ukraine’s lucrative industries that he had access to because of his ties to Zelenskyy.

Mindich allegedly exerted control over loyalists who then pressured contractors for Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power company, demanding kickbacks to bypass bureaucratic obstacles. The requested kickbacks were reportedly as high as 15%.

Zelenskyy himself was not implicated in the investigation.

The new effort comes as Zelenskyy says that his team is ‘working to ensure another start to negotiations’ on ending the war with Russia.

‘We are also counting on the resumption of POW exchanges – many meetings, negotiations, and calls are currently taking place to ensure this. I thank everyone who is helping. Thank you to everybody who stands with Ukraine,’ Zelenskyy wrote.

Ukraine’s president further said that he is preparing for a full week of diplomacy with Greece, France and Spain, as well as renewed negotiations over prisoner of war exchanges with Russia.

Zelenskyy will meet with officials in Greece on Sunday to discuss natural gas imports, while talks with France on Monday and Spain on Tuesday will center on bolstering Ukrainian air defenses.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Americans have delivered the same message in the last two elections: make life affordable again. 

They are tired of working harder for less, while the cost of everything — from housing to education to insurance — keeps rising. The affordability crisis touches every household, and its biggest driver is the one Washington refuses to tackle seriously: healthcare. 

Healthcare now consumes nearly one-fifth of our economy. It is the largest single cost for employers, the fastest-growing burden on families, and the quietest drain on national growth. Every dollar businesses spend on bloated health costs is a dollar not available for higher wages, new jobs or investment. Every dollar families spend on premiums or out-of-pocket costs is a dollar they can’t use for savings, housing or opportunity. Until we fix healthcare, we can’t fix affordability. 

It’s not that Washington ignores healthcare — it’s that it thinks about it too narrowly. Politicians obsess over temporary subsidies, tax credits and program expansions that make insurance more expensive to subsidize but never make care itself more affordable. The current fight over extending COVID-era insurance subsidies is a perfect example. Even supporters of Obamacare now admit that the ‘Affordable’ Care Act turned out to be unaffordable. Their answer is to borrow more money to prop up a system that keeps getting worse. That is not reform — it’s surrender.

There are three truths both parties must face. 

First, the system is already too expensive and locked in a pattern that guarantees it will grow more unaffordable every year. 

Second, 60 years of bureaucratic control — public and private — have utterly failed to contain costs.

Third, we must build a new model that relies on patients, doctors and employers — not massive government and insurance-company bureaucracies — to achieve the change Americans want. 

That model is not theoretical — it already works in the rest of our economy. When people have access to clear prices and quality information before making decisions, competition drives innovation, choice and lower costs. Technology has made this possible in every industry, from travel to retail to manufacturing. If the same principles applied to healthcare, we could unleash that same power to lower costs and improve quality. 

Instead, our opaque, bureaucratic system hides prices and multiplies middlemen. The average family of four now spends roughly $27,000 a year on health insurance — about the cost of a new Chevrolet or Toyota every 12 months. Most families don’t see the full bill because their employer or the government pays much of it, but that just means their wages are smaller. Paying the equivalent of a new car every year just for coverage is why Americans list affordability as their top economic concern.

Worse, nobody knows what anything costs — not patients, not families, not even the self-funded employers who pay the claims for their plan members. Bills arrive months after care, after passing through a maze of third-party administrators, repricers and billing vendors. That secrecy fuels waste, fraud and frustration. It’s estimated that 30% to 50% of all healthcare spending is administrative rather than medical. In short, America’s healthcare system has more middlemen than medicine. 

And who benefits? Powerful interest groups, insurers, consultants and bureaucracies that profit from complexity and confusion. As Tom Cruise shouted in ‘Jerry Maguire’: ‘Show me the money.’ Behind the speeches and lobbyists defending this broken system are people determined to protect their share of a bankrupting status quo. 

Second, 60 years of bureaucratic control — public and private — have utterly failed to contain costs.

Politicians can’t fight every entrenched interest group — but millions of patients and doctors armed with real price and quality information can. Transparency gives power back to those who actually deliver and receive care. When they can see what things cost, they can make smarter choices, reward efficiency and hold wasteful players accountable. Transparency doesn’t just lower prices — it changes who holds the power.

That’s why President Donald Trump’s price-transparency executive order in his first administration was a genuine breakthrough. It required hospitals and insurers to publish negotiated prices and, through the No Surprises Act, directed officials to create Advance Explanations of Benefits (AEOBs) so Americans could know their costs before receiving care. Trump started the transparency revolution. Under the Biden administration, enforcement stalled, and patients never saw the full benefit. 

Now Trump has the chance to finish what he began — and make transparency permanent. 

The administration has the authority to act right now under his ‘radical transparency’ executive order issued earlier this year, the No Surprises Act, and existing Employee Retirement Income Security Act authority. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should immediately issue and enforce AEOB rules. The Department of Labor should guarantee employers access to complete claims and pricing data while protecting patient privacy. If the administration moves quickly, Americans could begin receiving AEOBs in 2026 — and Trump could rightfully claim a historic victory for transparency, competition and higher wages before the midterms. 

Congress should reinforce this effort by passing the bipartisan Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, led by Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Colorado Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper. The bill secures employer access to data and ensures no third-party administrator can hide prices from the people who pay the bills. The executive branch can act today; Congress should make it permanent.

When every patient and employer can see prices, markets will clean out waste on their own. Transparency gives employers the power to negotiate directly with providers and patients the ability to choose wisely. Prices in the open create competition that middlemen can’t survive and costs they can’t hide. The ripple effect — lower costs, higher wages, more investment — will strengthen every part of the economy. 

If America truly wants to make life affordable again, healthcare transparency is where we start.

It’s bold. It’s achievable. And it’s the single biggest step we can take to restore prosperity for working families.   

Disclaimer: Gingrich 360 has consulting clients in the healthcare industry which may be impacted by changes to healthcare laws. 

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From new stealth bombers to AI-enabled drones, the U.S. and China are reshaping airpower for a Pacific showdown – each betting its technology can keep the other out of the skies.

The U.S. is charging ahead with its next-generation F-47 fighter, while China scrambles to catch up with jets designed to match the F-35 and F-22.

After a brief program pause in 2024, the Air Force awarded Boeing the contract in March for the F-47, a manned sixth-generation fighter meant to anchor America’s next air superiority fleet. The first flight is expected in 2028.

At the same time, the B-21 Raider, the stealth successor to the B-2, is deep into testing at Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force plans to buy at least 100 Raiders – each built to survive inside heavily defended Chinese airspace.

The Pentagon is also betting on Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCAs – drones designed to fly alongside fighters as ‘loyal wingmen.’ Prototypes from Anduril and General Atomics are already in the air. Officials say CCAs will let one pilot control several drones at once.

China outpaces the rest of the world in the commercial drone market, but that doesn’t necessarily give it the advantage from a military perspective. 

‘I’m not sure that’s really true. In terms of high-end military drones that are really important to this fight, the U.S. still has a pretty significant edge.’ said Eric Heginbotham, a research scientist at MIT’s Center for International Studies. 

He pointed to the Air Force’s stealth reconnaissance platforms – the RQ-170 and RQ-180 – and upcoming ‘loyal wingman’ drones designed to fly with fighters as proof that the U.S. still leads in advanced integration and stealth technology.

China’s leap forward

China’s airpower modernization has accelerated as the U.S. reshapes its force. Beijing has zeroed in on three priorities – stealth, engines and carriers – the areas that long held its military back.

The Chengdu J-20, China’s flagship stealth fighter, is being fitted with the new WS-15 engine, a home-built powerplant meant to rival U.S. engines.

‘It took them a while to get out of the blocks on fifth generation, especially to get performance anywhere near where U.S. fifth gen was,’ Heginbotham said. ‘The J-20 really does not have a lot of the performance features that even the F-22 does, and we’ve had the F-22 for a long time.’

Meanwhile, China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, was commissioned this fall – the first with electromagnetic catapults similar to U.S. Ford-class carriers. The move signals Beijing’s ambition to launch stealth jets from sea and project power well beyond its coast.

Together, the J-20, the carrier-based J-35, and the Fujian give China a layered airpower network – stealth jets on land and at sea backed by growing missile coverage.

Chinese military writings identify airfields as critical vulnerabilities. PLA campaign manuals call for striking runways early in a conflict to paralyze enemy air operations before they can begin. Analysts believe a few days of concentrated missile fire could cripple U.S. bases across Japan, Okinawa and Guam.

‘The U.S. bases that are forward deployed – particularly on Okinawa, but also on the Japanese mainland and on Guam – are exposed to Chinese missile attack,’ said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ‘In our war games, the Chinese would periodically sweep these air bases with missiles and destroy dozens, in some cases even hundreds, of U.S. aircraft.’

Heginbotham said that missile-heavy strategy grew directly out of China’s early airpower weakness.

‘They didn’t think that they could gain air superiority in a straight-up air-to-air fight,’ he said. ‘So you need another way to get missiles out – and that another way is by building a lot of ground launchers.’

Different strategies, same goal

The two militaries are taking different paths to the same target: air dominance over the Pacific.

The U.S. approach relies on smaller numbers of highly advanced aircraft linked by sensors and artificial intelligence. The goal: strike first, from long range, and survive in contested skies.

China’s model depends on volume – mass-producing fighters, missiles, and carrier sorties to overwhelm U.S. defenses and logistics.

‘U.S. fighter aircraft – F-35s, F-15s, F-22s – are relatively short-legged, so they have to get close to Taiwan if they’re going to be part of the fight,’ Cancian said. ‘They can’t fight from Guam, and they certainly can’t fight from further away. So if they’re going to fight, they have to be inside that Chinese defensive bubble.’

Both sides face the same challenge: surviving inside that bubble. China’s expanding missile range is pushing U.S. aircraft farther from the fight, while American bombers and drones are designed to break back in.

The fight to survive

Heginbotham said survivability – not dogfighting – will define the next decade of air competition.

‘We keep talking about aircraft as if it’s going to be like World War II – they go up, they fight each other. That’s not really our problem,’ he said. ‘Our problem is the air bases themselves and the fact that aircraft can be destroyed on the air base.’

China, he warned, is preparing for that reality while the U.S. is not.

‘They practice runway strikes in exercises, they’re modeling this stuff constantly,’ Heginbotham said. ‘Unlike the United States, China is hardening its air bases. The U.S. is criminally negligent in its refusal to harden its air bases.’

Cancian’s war-game findings echo that vulnerability. He said U.S. surface ships and aircraft would likely have to fall back under missile fire in the opening days of a conflict.

‘At the initial stages of a conflict, China would have a distinct advantage,’ Cancian said. ‘Now, over time, the U.S. would be able to reinforce its forces, and that would change.’

Looking ahead

The Pentagon’s fiscal 2026–27 budget will determine how fast the U.S. can build out its F-47s, B-21s and CCAs – systems that will shape American airpower through the 2030s.

China’s rapid modernization is closing what was once a wide gap, but the U.S. still holds advantages in stealth integration, combat experience and autonomous systems.

‘The ability to protect our aircraft, whatever form those aircraft take, on the ground is going to be central to our ability to fight in the Asia theater,’ Heginbotham said.

‘Survivability is going to be key… The ability to protect and disperse your firepower is going to be central to whether we can really stay in this game.’

For decades, U.S. air dominance was taken for granted. In the Pacific, that advantage is no longer guaranteed. 

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday that the Cartel de los Soles, a powerful criminal network tied to Venezuela’s top leadership, will be labeled as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). 

The move appears to be an escalation in Washington’s stance toward the Venezuelan government and could lead to military action against the Maduro regime. 

In a statement, Rubio confirmed the U.S. will formally designate the cartel as an FTO later this month.

The designation, which is to take effect Nov. 24, targets the criminal network allegedly led by Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his regime.

According to the State Department, ‘Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.’

‘Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government,’ the statement read.

‘The Cartel de los Soles, in coordination with other terrorist organizations including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, is responsible for terrorist violence across our hemisphere and for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.’

The announced action is being taken under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the State Department to designate foreign entities engaged in terrorist activity. 

The designation will become official once it’s published in the Federal Register.

The Cartel de los Soles had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorism.

In an accompanying post on X, Rubio said:

.@StateDept intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.

The statement came as President Trump reiterated that the U.S. was intent on stopping drug dealers and drugs filtering into the country.

‘We’re stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country,’ Trump told reporters Sunday night.

‘And I actually told Marco and some of the people our secretary of state is doing a great job, by the way. I said, ‘Go to Congress and let them know we’re not letting drugs come through Mexico. We’re not letting them come through Venezuela,” he added.

Trump’s comments came just after he said that the government may be having discussions with Venezuela as well as confirming whether the new cartel designation would mean the U.S. government could now target Maduro’s assets or infrastructure.

It allows us to do that,’ Trump confirmed while mentioning talks with the Venezuelan leader.

‘We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,’ he said before adding, ‘We’ll see what happens.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of State for comment.

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President Trump is calling on House Republicans to vote to release files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, insisting he has ‘nothing to hide’ and accusing Democrats of using the case as a distraction from GOP accomplishments.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump urged House Republicans to vote in favor of releasing the documents, describing the controversy as a ‘Democrat hoax perpetrated by radical left lunatics.’

‘As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat ‘Shutdown,” Trump wrote.

Trump pointed to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) previous release of thousands of pages of Epstein-related documents. 

He also noted that the agency is investigating possible ties between Epstein and ‘Democrat operatives’ including former President Bill Clinton, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

‘The House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE!’ Trump said.

He added, ‘All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT, which is the Economy, ‘Affordability’ (where we are winning BIG!), our Victory on reducing Inflation from the highest level in History to practically nothing, bringing down prices for the American People, delivering Historic Tax Cuts, gaining Trillions of Dollars of Investment into America (A RECORD!), the rebuilding of our Military, securing our Border, deporting Criminal Illegal Aliens, ending Men in Women’s Sports, stopping Transgender for Everyone, and so much more!’

Trump also argued that if the Democrats ‘had anything,’ it would have surfaced prior to last year’s presidential election.

‘Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory,’ Trump said. ‘Some ‘members’ of the Republican Party are being ‘used,’ and we can’t let that happen. Let’s start talking about the Republican Party’s Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein ‘TRAP,’ which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday the DOJ would probe prominent Democrats after new emails revealed ties to Epstein.

In an X post Friday afternoon, Bondi said Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, would take the lead on the investigation.

‘Clayton is one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country,’ Bondi wrote in the post. ‘As with all matters, the Department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House, Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman and Larry Summers for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that the suspect wanted in connection to the attack on U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s office in New Jersey this week has been taken into custody.

The FBI had identified the suspect Friday night as Keith Michael Lisa. 

Bondi said in an X post on Saturday morning that thanks to the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations, the suspect wanted in the attack on Habba’s office ‘is now in custody.’

‘No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. Attorneys or the destruction of their offices,’ Bondi wrote.

The FBI said Lisa was wanted for allegedly entering the Peter W. Rodino Federal Building in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 12, 2025, while in possession of a bat.

‘After being denied entry, he discarded the bat and returned,’ the FBI said. ‘Once inside the building, he proceeded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office where he damaged government property.’

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Lisa on Thursday in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark after he was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, the FBI added.

Bondi had announced Thursday that an individual attempted to confront Habba on Wednesday night, ‘destroyed property in her office’ and then ‘fled the scene.’

‘Thankfully, Alina is ok,’ Bondi added. ‘Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country.’

Habba said following the incident that, ‘I will not be intimidated by radical lunatics for doing my job.’

Lisa, 51, was described by authorities as being around 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing between 200 and 230 pounds.

The FBI said Lisa has ties to New York City and Mahwah, N.J., and ‘should be considered dangerous.’

On its website, the Justice Department said that as Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General, Habba ‘is responsible for overseeing all federal criminal prosecutions and the litigation of all civil matters in New Jersey in which the federal government has an interest.’

‘Including the offices in Newark, Camden, and Trenton, Ms. Habba supervises a staff of approximately 155 federal prosecutors and approximately 130 support personnel,’ the Justice Department said.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Saturday that the suspect wanted in connection to the attack on U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s office in New Jersey this week has been taken into custody.

The FBI had identified the suspect Friday night as Keith Michael Lisa. 

Bondi said in an X post on Saturday morning that thanks to the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations, the suspect wanted in the attack on Habba’s office ‘is now in custody.’

‘No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. Attorneys or the destruction of their offices,’ Bondi wrote.

‘We got him. This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence toward law enforcement,’ Habba wrote on X on Saturday in reaction to the arrest. ‘Now justice will handle him.’

The FBI said Lisa was wanted for allegedly entering the Peter W. Rodino Federal Building in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 12, 2025, while in possession of a bat.

‘After being denied entry, he discarded the bat and returned,’ the FBI said. ‘Once inside the building, he proceeded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office where he damaged government property.’

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Lisa on Thursday in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark after he was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property, the FBI added.

Bondi had announced Thursday that an individual attempted to confront Habba on Wednesday night, ‘destroyed property in her office’ and then ‘fled the scene.’

‘Thankfully, Alina is ok,’ Bondi added. ‘Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country.’

Habba said following the incident that, ‘I will not be intimidated by radical lunatics for doing my job.’

Lisa, 51, was described by authorities as being around 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing between 200 and 230 pounds.

The FBI said Lisa has ties to New York City and Mahwah, N.J., and ‘should be considered dangerous.’

On its website, the Justice Department said that as Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General, Habba ‘is responsible for overseeing all federal criminal prosecutions and the litigation of all civil matters in New Jersey in which the federal government has an interest.’

‘Including the offices in Newark, Camden, and Trenton, Ms. Habba supervises a staff of approximately 155 federal prosecutors and approximately 130 support personnel,’ the Justice Department said.

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In his iconic dissent in Morrison v. Olson (1988), the late, great Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia brilliantly articulated why the Independent Counsel Statute unconstitutionally intruded upon the Executive Branch. This dissent laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court’s current constitutionalist majority to restore sanity to separation-of-powers jurisprudence by returning power to its rightful place: the Executive Branch, all of whose power is vested in the President of the United States who is elected by all Americans.

Leftists and other anti-democratic big-government types call this view the ‘unitary executive theory.’ In reality, it is just Article II of the United States Constitution. We The People loan executive power to our duly-elected President; we do not divvy it up among unelected, leftist federal bureaucrats. Scalia’s most famous line in the Morrison dissent was his characterization of the statute as ‘a wolf in wolf’s clothing,’ a play on the idiom of ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing.’ Scalia was illustrating how the violation of the separation of powers was unambiguous.

Former U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf of Massachusetts is another wolf in wolf’s clothing, despite his effort–aided by the leftist media–to package himself otherwise. Wolf was appointed to the bench by President Reagan in 1985, but he is no judicial conservative. Wolf received the stamp of approval from the most leftist home-state duo in Senate history: Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. The reason the approval of these radical senators was necessary lies in a century-old Senate tradition called the blue slip. Home-state senators can veto nominations of U.S. district judges, U.S. attorneys, and U.S. marshals. Nominees will not move forward without the return of blue slips from both home-state senators. Senators will not relinquish this extraordinary power because they are power-hungry and self-serving. They want to hand-select the federal prosecutor who could indict them, the federal judge who could try them, and the federal marshal who could escort them to prison.

Recently, Wolf resigned from his lifetime appointment. He had assumed senior status (a form of semi-retirement) during the Obama administration, allowing Obama—instead of the next Republican president–to appoint a leftist to replace Wolf in full-time judicial service. According to Wolf, President Trump has disregarded the rule of law in innumerable ways. Wolf wants to speak out about it and serve as a self-appointed spokesman for sitting judges who cannot. Wolf also has blasted the Supreme Court, claiming that the constitutionalist majority has enabled President Trump. Wolf has whined the Court has ruled 17 out of 20 times in the Trump administration’s favor on its emergency docket. Wolf has compared this success rate to that of players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and Sammy Sosa during Major League Baseball’s steroid era.

Wolf’s claim is absurd. The administration has succeeded so much at the Supreme Court thanks to its stellar team of legal all-stars, headed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Solicitor General John Sauer. Many other brilliant attorneys also deserve credit for the administration’s sterling Supreme Court performance.

Moreover, the rulings by Wolf’s fellow activist judges are clearly partisan and lawless. How many cases does Wolf think the administration should have won before the Court? Eight out of 20? Ten? Twelve? His statistical conspiracy gibberish is devoid of even a scintilla of legal analysis. Wolf is only interested in peddling nonsense to bash justices he plainly detests. Wolf also conveniently ignores the other side of the statistical coin. According to analysis from former top Senate counsel Michael Fragoso, district judges in Massachusetts ruled against the Trump administration on 27 out of 29 temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. Wolf apparently has no issue with this disparity; rather, he seems to view these rulings as coming from beacons of judicial integrity.

Wolf has a history of conspiracy hogwash. For over a decade, he pursued a baseless case against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, history’s greatest justice. According to Wolf, Thomas had wilfully failed to make required disclosures. The Judicial Conference categorically rejected Wolf’s theory. Yet, over a decade after the case had been closed, Wolf testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee chaired by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, another partisan and deranged conspiracy theorist. During one exchange, Wolf told a U.S. senator that former Reagan Solicitor General Rex Lee would have been disturbed by, as Wolf saw it, unethical behavior of Thomas. That senator was Mike Lee of Utah, and Solicitor General Lee was his deceased father. Sen. Lee rightfully erupted at Wolf’s despicable statement.

Sitting judges cannot speak out against President Trump according to the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. They cannot use Wolf as their mouthpiece, either. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees need to subpoena Wolf to determine which judges are trashing President Trump through Wolf. If Wolf refuses to divulge the information, he should face contempt of Congress charges just like Trump allies Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro did.

If the identities of judges who speak through Wolf to bash President Trump become public, every one of those judges must face impeachment proceedings. No matter how difficult conviction by a two-thirds Senate supermajority will be, these rogue judges must suffer through the impeachment process to deter them and other judicial embarrassments from engaging in blatantly unethical behavior. These radical judges are illegally and dangerously subverting the will of American voters.

Wolf is a Sheldon Whitehouse, not a Ronald Reagan. Wolf plans to serve as the vehicle by which sitting judges can attempt to circumvent ethical constraints. He has spouted risible conspiracy tripe to denigrate the Supreme Court in general and Thomas in particular. He even has stooped to the all-time low of bringing up a senator’s deceased father in a pathetic attempt to score a few cheap political points. In short, Wolf is a disgrace to the federal judiciary, and his resignation is welcome news. Good riddance to this wolf in wolf’s clothing.

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