US Critical Minerals Push: Trump announced $3bn in mining and battery-related projects, including a $1.4bn Defense loan for Sila Nanotechnologies, $400m for scandium expansion, and $150m for rare-earth-free magnet production, alongside Export-Import Bank financing for copper, graphite, tantalum and niobium projects. Mining Education Funding: The same roundtable backed over $180m in mining-school grants, with DOE support for workforce programs and DoD funding for Colorado School of Mines, South Dakota School of Mines, and Johns Hopkins. Workforce & Supply Chain Politics: UNR’s Sandoval said the grants aim to close a major gap in US mining graduates versus China as half the workforce nears retirement. Precious Metals Tax Change: Kyrgyzstan raised income tax rates for gold and silver miners and processors to capture windfall profits and boost budget revenue. Corporate/Project Updates: Tocvan reported a near-surface gold-silver hit at Gran Pilar in Mexico; Metalsource launched expansion drilling at Silver Hill in North Carolina; Vault began a drone magnetic survey at War Bond tungsten in Nevada. Market/Operations: Sotkamo Silver swung to profit with record quarterly revenue; CATL’s Yichun lithium mine stayed shut pending permits. Labor Dispute: BHP faces potential Port Hedland strike losses as unions plan stoppages affecting iron ore shipments. Security: Armed robbers struck a mine in Bindura, Zimbabwe, stealing carbon and equipment.