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  • Summer of Superman: A history of the ‘Man of Steel’ across radio, television and film

    Summer of Superman: A history of the ‘Man of Steel’ across radio, television and film

    David Corenswet, (bottom left photo by Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com), is the latest actor to don the iconic blue suit and red cape and play Superman on the big screen, joining a fraternity that includes, clockwise from top left, Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill and George Reeves. James Gunn’s “Superman” opens July 11.Photos courtesy cleveland.com and Getty Images

    CLEVELAND, Ohio – James Gunn’s new “Superman” film is making headlines all over the world this summer, but the character’s appearances across radio, television and film stretch all the way back to the late 1930s.

    Many readers’ awareness begins with entries from the 1970s – namely the 1978 feature film “Superman: The Movie” starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve.

    If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

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  • Tennis NZ » Michael Venus splits with Nikola Mektic, reunites with Yuki Bhambri

    Tennis NZ » Michael Venus splits with Nikola Mektic, reunites with Yuki Bhambri

    Michael Venus has parted ways with Nikola Mektic as his doubles partner and agreed to team up with India’s Yuki Bhambri.

    Venus confirmed that he and Mektic, from Croatia, had agreed before Wimbledon that this would be their last tournament together, with both of them deciding they should part ways.

    “We get on and nothing’s really happened,” Venus said. 

    “We just have a different philosophy or view on how we both like to go about things.

    “We’ve been trying to find a way to make it work, but it feels like one person’s always going away from what they’re naturally comfortable doing to try and balance it out. 

    “So we talked and we both thought maybe it made more sense to try and find someone that we can work well with.”

    Venus and Mektic started 2025 as a team and had instant success, winning the ASB Classic.

    They also reached the semifinal in Miami and got to the final at Queen’s prior to Wimbledon.

    But they have failed to win more than one match at 11 tournaments this year, including Wimbledon.

    Venus said there were a few factors on and off the court which led to the split.

    “It’s a little bit of everything, to be honest, on court, practice wise, how we like to go about things,” he said. 

    “Some people like to warm up closer to matches. Some like far away. How you like to practice the day before matches, how you want to work on things individually or as a team. If you have a different view on how you think should do it, that’s the tricky part. 

    “We still get on well and have had some good results, but we feel like for both of us to achieve or keep going with what we’re wanting to do, that we think it would help to have someone else that we work well with.”

    Teaming up with Bhambri completes a circle for Venus, as they played doubles together at the beginning of their careers. 

    “I’ve known Yuki for a long time. We played the challenges together. Played Aussie Open for the first time together, when we got a wildcard and made third round there (in 2014).

    “Obviously, he played singles for numerous years, and then he focused on doubles for the last couple years, and his ranking is at a point now where we could play (35). So we’ll start over the summer and see how it goes through it.”

    Venus and Bhambri’s first tournament together will be in Los Cabos, Mexico, which starts on July 14.


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  • Why tyre management was key to winning the Sprint Race

    Why tyre management was key to winning the Sprint Race

    It was an excellent few days at Silverstone for Campos Racing with Mari Boya coming out on top in a wet Feature Race.

    This made it an English double for the Spanish outfit after Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak claimed his and Thailand’s first FIA Formula 3 win in the Sprint.

    READ MORE: Several drivers penalised following Silverstone Feature Race

    But just how did the Campos driver do it on Saturday? Well, it had a lot to do with tyre management. Not just his, but also from the others around him, and here’s how…

    MAKING THE STRONG START

    With 30 cars in F3, being at the front is always preferrable, and for Inthraphuvasak, making sure he stayed in the lead from reverse grid pole was key.

    The Thai driver did just that, making a clean getaway, while Théophile Nael had an excellent start from fourth to overtake Christian Ho down the Wellington Straight for second.

    Inthraphuvasak made a good start from pole to keep the lead into Turn 1

    But there was an early Safety Car, with Brando Badoer and Nikola Tsolov having collided at Turn 4, leaving the PREMA Racing driver stranded in the gravel.

    Racing resumed on Lap 5, but those three laps behind the Safety Car would have helped the Hard tyres last longer, but they still required some managing.

    BACK TO RACING

    Once the action got back underway, Inthraphuvasak was having to hold off Nael, while behind them, Martinius Stenshorne made a decisive move to the inside at Turn 4 on Ho for P3.

    READ MORE: Round 7 Thoughts from the Top 3

    At the end of Lap 5, the top three were the only drivers in the 1:48s, with Nael the quickest of the trio. The VAR rookie’s 1:48.373 was over a tenth faster than the other two.

    Nael improved to a 1:47.541 on the next lap and overtook Inthraphuvasak for the lead. The Campos driver and the rest of the top 10 all stayed in the 1:48s, as the Frenchman looked to get out of DRS range.

    The VAR driver stayed in the 1:47s on Lap 7, but this time he was joined by Inthraphuvasak, who after the race said:

    Nael got ahead of Inthraphuvsak early on in the Sprint Race
    Nael got ahead of Inthraphuvsak early on in the Sprint Race

    “I saw that he was pushing really hard behind. He got passed me and from that point on I tried to manage, but I stayed within DRS of him so that he doesn’t pull away too much.”

    Stenshorne also improved his time by a tenth to a 1:48.010 looking to stay with the top two.

    THE TIMES BEGIN TO DROP

    Nael’s next two laps were in the 1:48s as the rest of the field settled into management. But on Lap 10, VAR called on him to give back the place to Inthraphuvasak after they believed he had overtaken him off track.

    FEATURE RACE: Boya takes Silverstone win after rain and Red Flag

    From Lap 11 to 13, the majority of the drivers fighting for the points were all in the 1:49s, but if you look close enough, this is where we began to see the signs of struggle.

    Nael was eight-tenths slower than Inthraphuvasak on Lap 13, who completed a 1:49.107. That was at least three-tenths quicker than any driver in the top 10. Only Ivan Domingues and Tuukka Taponen, in 18th and 19th respectively, matched the race leader.

    This was partly the Campos driver looking to pull away – which he did as by the start of Lap 14, he was 1.4s clear out in front.

    Stenshorne managed his pace well early on in third place
    Stenshorne managed his pace well early on in third place

    But it was also because of Nael’s struggles, as he could be seen sliding around through the corners, especially at Copse.

    Stenshorne, who had managed his tyres better, eventually made his way past his VAR rival for P2 into Stowe corner. On that lap, the Hitech TGR driver and Inthraphuvasak were in the 1:49s, while Nael was a second of the pace with a 1:50.579.

    THE FINAL FEW LAPS

    Stenshorne had clearly kept his tyres in great shape. On Lap 15, he completed a 1:48.976, three-tenths quicker than Inthraphuvasak.

    READ MORE: Round 7 Post Sprint Race Press Conference

    By not pushing too early, he had pace in hand towards the end, while Nael slipped into the clutches of Laurens van Hoepen and Boya by doing a 1:50.280.

    Nael eventually lost P3 to Boya – before two penalties dropped him to P19 in the final classification – but Stenshorne remained in the 1:48s on Lap 16 and 17.

    On Lap 16, the McLaren-backed driver took another three-tenths out of Inthraphuvasak, who responded matched him with a 1:48.9 on Lap 17 to keep the Hitech car out of DRS range.

    In the end, Inthraphuvasak crossed the line to win by 1.7s, giving him a deserved victory.

    Inthraphuvasak claimed his first win in Formula 3 in the Sprint
    Inthraphuvasak claimed his first win in Formula 3 in the Sprint

    WHY WAS THIS POSSIBLE?

    On the road, Nael finished fourth but his pace dropped off massively and he lost a second a lap to Inthraphuvasak from Lap 12 onwards.

    The Thai driver and Stenshorne had clearly managed their tyres well early on, opting against pushing too hard at the start, so that they could have some performance at the end. Their ability to dip into the 1:48s proved that.

    READ MORE: Léon hoping for more points on Sunday after valuable lessons in Sprint Race

    It was the same for Boya, who finished third. The Spaniard had consistent pace throughout, starting in the 1:48s and only dropping into the 1:49s late in the race.

    No matter the compound or the circuit layout, tyre management is a key skill for the drivers, and if you master it, you will be rewarded.

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  • FPX Nickel Receives Multi-Year Area-Based Permit and Commences 2025 Drilling Activities at Baptiste Nickel Project

    FPX Nickel Receives Multi-Year Area-Based Permit and Commences 2025 Drilling Activities at Baptiste Nickel Project

     

    (TheNewswire)

      

    Vancouver, British Columbia, July 3rd, 2025 TheNewswire – Prismo Metals Inc. (the ” Company “) (CSE: PRIZ) (OTCQB: PMOMF) is pleased to announce that it has signed option agreements to acquire 100% interest in two historic high-grade precious and base metal mines — the Silver King and Ripsey mines — both located in Arizona’s prolific Copper Belt near its flagship Hot Breccia project.

     

    Additional information on the Silver King and Ripsey mines as well as Prismo’s other projects (Hot Breccia and Palos Verdes) is available on Prismo’s Youtube channel at:   

       

      Exceptional Grades and Untapped Potential  

     

    Discovered in 1875, the Silver King mine is one of Arizona’s most important historic producers, yielding nearly 6 million ounces of silver at grades of up to 61 oz/t. Remarkably, selected samples from small-scale production in the late 1990s returned grades as high as 644 oz/t silver (18,250 g/t) and 0.53 oz/t gold (15 g/t), indicating that high-grade mineralization remains. Additionally, the presence of freibergite (AgCuSbS) suggests a potential for antimony, a critical mineral with growing strategic demand.

     

    The Ripsey mine, located 20 km west of Hot Breccia, is also an historic gold-silver-copper producer with significant upside. Historic sampling has returned up to 15.85 g/t gold and 276 g/t silver, yet no modern exploration has been conducted.

     

      Strategic Location — World-Class Neighbors  

     

    The Silver King mine sits only 3 km from the main shaft of the Resolution Copper project — a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP and one of the world’s largest unmined copper deposits with an estimated copper resource of 1.787 billion metric tonnes at an average grade of 1.5% copper (1) . This unique land position is fully surrounded by Resolution Copper’s claim block, offering strategic upside.

     

    “The Silver King and Ripsey mine projects are exciting additions to our Arizona portfolio. We see an opportunity to create near term value through immediate exploration on a historic high-grade silver producer with antimony potential that has seen limited modern exploration by drilling both laterally and at depth into a prospective source formation, said Gordon Aldcorn, President of Prismo. “We look forward to getting our exploration team back in the field, advancing our exciting projects and revitalizing investor interest in the Company.”

     

    The Silver King mine was discovered in 1875 and produced ore with as much as 10,000 ounces per ton silver in near surface workings (2) . Underground production through 1889 is estimated at almost 6 million ounces of silver at grades of between 61 and 21 ounces per ton. During a second period of production from 1918 to 1928, 230,000 ounces were produced at a grade of 18.7 ounces per ton.  No significant production has occurred after 1928.

     

    The orebody at Silver King is a steeply west-dipping pipelike stockwork and breccia zone that was mined on eight levels to about 300 meters depth below a glory hole at the surface. The pipe is described as a dense stockwork with local breccia zones and a quartz core (3) .  Records indicate that due to variations in mineralogy, much of the upper portion of the body was evidently not mined. The current owners (the ” Optionor “) rehabilitated the main shaft in the late 1990s, opened the upper levels of the mine and produced a small tonnage. Assay certificates from this period show selected samples with 400 to 600 ounces per ton silver with 0.2-0.5 oz/t gold and some base metals. Virtually no modern exploration has been carried out at the mine providing significant exploration upside and multiple drill targets.

     

    The Ripsey mine is a historic gold-silver-copper producer located about 20 km west of the Hot Breccia project. Historic mine workings consisting of tunnels and shafts on several levels were developed along a vein over about 400 meters of strike length and 160 meters vertically. A small tonnage of mineral was produced by the Optionor in the late 1990’s. Sampling by Dr. Craig Gibson from the mine workings has yielded 15.9 g/t gold and 275 g/t silver over 0.75 meters and 8.7 g/t gold, 181 g/t silver, 3% copper and 9% zinc over 1 meter. No modern exploration has been carried out at the project, providing significant exploration upside and multiple drill targets.

     

    The Company plans to conduct a detailed mapping and sampling program at both projects at surface exposures and in accessible workings.  A drill program is planned for Silver King, with about 1,000 meters initially. The Silver King drill program is designed to test the mineralized body at four elevations as well as lateral to the pipelike body. De-watering of the Silver King shaft to gain access to the upper levels may also be undertaken as submersible pumps are in place.

     

    “This is a fabulous opportunity for the Company. Both projects are high-grade and are easily accessible and may be associated with porphyry copper mineralization. We also look forward to evaluating the potential for antimony at Silver King. We’re excited to begin exploration immediately to test the Silver King’s pipelike mineralized body at multiple depths and laterally,” said Dr. Craig Gibson , Chief Exploration Officer. “This region is world-class for porphyry systems and base and precious metals, and we believe these mines have significant untapped potential.”

     

        
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    Location of the Company’s projects withing the Arizona Copper Belt

     

        
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    Land map of the Silver King mine.

     

        
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    Drone view of the Silver King mine.

     

         

     

    The Silver King mine in the late 1800’s.

     

        
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    Small scale mining in the upper levels of the Silver King mine in the late 1990’s.

     

      Deal description  

     

    Prismo has the option to acquire a 100% interest in both the Silver King and Ripsey mines. Prismo can earn a 100% interest in the Ripsey mine by issuing one million shares to the Optionor, paying the Optionor US $10,000 within six months of the signing of the option agreement (the ” Effective Date “), US $10,000 on each anniversary of the Effective Date and US $1 million to the Optionor within five years of the Effective Date. Prismo does not have minimum work commitments as part of the Ripsey option agreement.

     

    Regarding the Silver King mine, Prismo can acquire a 100% interest in three stages. Prismo must issue one million shares to the Optionor, pay the Optionor US $10,000 within six months of the Effective Date, and US $10,000 on each anniversary of the Effective Date. To earn a first 50% interest, Prismo must incur no less than US $500,000 in expenditures on or before the first anniversary of the Effective Date, incur no less than an additional US $2.5 million expenditures on or before the third anniversary of the Effective Date and issue to the Optionor two million shares. Prismo can acquire an additional 30% interest by incurring no less than an additional US $3 million in expenditures, paying the Optionor US $1 million and issuing to the Optionor two million shares before the fifth anniversary of the Effective Date. Prismo can elect to form a joint venture at anytime after earning it initial 50% interest. The option agreement and joint venture agreement terms and conditions contain standard buyout and dilution terms regarding the final 20% interest.

     

      Private Placement  

     

    Prismo is also pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the ” Private Placement “) of five million units of the Company (” Units “) at an issue price of $0.05 per Unit for minimum gross proceeds of $250,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (a ” Share “) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole warrant, a ” Warrant “). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Share for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of issue at an exercise price of $0.10.

     

    The Private Placement will also be made available to existing shareholders of the Company who, as of the close of business on July 1st, 2025, held Shares (and who continue to hold such Shares as of the closing date of the Private Placement), pursuant to the existing securityholder exemption set out in BC Instrument 45-534 – Exemption From Prospectus Requirement for Certain Trades to Existing Security Holders (the ” Existing Securityholder Exemption “). The Existing Securityholder Exemption limits a shareholder to a maximum investment of CAD$15,000 in a 12-month period unless the shareholder has obtained advice regarding the suitability of the investment and, if the shareholder is resident in a jurisdiction of Canada, that advice has been obtained from a person that is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction. If the Company receives subscriptions from investors relying on the Existing Securityholder Exemption exceeding the maximum amount of the Private Placement, the Company intends to adjust the subscriptions received on a pro-rata basis.

     

    The Units issued pursuant to the Private Placement and the Existing Securityholder Exemption will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date of the Private Placement under applicable Canadian securities laws, in addition to such other restrictions as may apply under applicable securities laws of jurisdictions outside Canada.  

     

      The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Private Placement for general corporate purposes. The Company may pay finder’s fees to eligible finders in connection with the Private   Placement, subject to compliance with applicable securities laws and Canadian Securities Exchange policies.  

     

      The securities being offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons or persons in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.  

     

      Debt Settlements  

     

      Prismo also announces that it has entered into debt settlement agreements (the ”   Settlement Agreements   “) with certain creditors of the Company (the ”   Creditors   “) pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue to the Creditors, and the Creditors agreed to accept, an aggregate of 160,000  shares of the Company (each, a ”   Share   “) in full and final settlement of accrued and outstanding indebtedness in the aggregate amount of $11,000 (the ”   Debt Settlement   “).   All securities issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange.  

     

      Share and Warrants Issuance  

     

      A private company dealing at arms’ length with Prismo, its officers and directors, had certain rights into the Silver King and Ripsey mines (”   PrivateCo   “). In consideration for PrivateCo relinquishing its rights in the Silver King and Ripsey mines in favor of the Company, Prismo has agreed, subject to regulatory approval, to issue PrivateCo five million units (the ”   Units   “). Each Unit is comprised of one common share (a ”   Share   “) and one share purchase warrant (a ”   Warrant   “). The Shares will become free trading as to 25% every six months from the Effective Date. Two million of the Warrants will be exercisable at $0.10 (”   First Tranche   “) and three million Warrants will be exercisable at $0.15 (”   Second Tranche   “), all for a period of three years. The shares from the exercise of the Warrants will become free trading as to 25% every six months from the Effective Date. In addition, the exercise of the First Tranche is conditional on Prismo having raised $1.5 million from parties introduced to Prismo by the principals of PrivateCo and the exercise of the Second Tranche is conditional on Prismo having raised $3.0 million from parties introduced to Prismo by the principals of PrivateCo.  

     

      Qualified Person  

     

       Dr. Craig Gibson, PhD., CPG., a Qualified Person as defined by NI-43-01 regulations and Chief Exploration Officer and a director of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this news release. Other than the sampling conducted by Dr. Craig Gibson as indicated herein, the data presented in this press release was obtained from public sources, should be considered incomplete and is not qualified under NI 43-101, but is believed to be accurate. The Company has not verified the historical data presented and it cannot be relied upon, and it is being used solely to aid in exploration plans.   

     

      1)     https://resolutioncopper.com/about-us/    

     

      2)   Galbraith, F, 1935, Geology of the Silver King area, Superior, Arizona, Univ. of Arizona thesis, 153p plus plates.  

     

      3)   Blake, W.P., 1883, Description of the Silver King Mine, Arizona, New Haven, 48p plus plates.  

     

      About Prismo Metals Inc.  

     

      Prismo (CSE: PRIZ) is a mining exploration company focused on advancing its Hot Breccia copper project in Arizona and its Palos Verdes silver project in Mexico.  

     

      Please follow @PrismoMetals on   ,   ,   ,    Instagram    , and  

     

      Prismo Metals Inc. ,   1100 – 1111 Melville St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3V6  

     

      Contact:  

     

      Alain Lambert, Chief Executive Officer    alain.lambert@prismometals.com   

     

      Gordon Aldcorn, President    gordon.aldcorn@prismometals.com   

     

      Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information  

     

      This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “intends” or “anticipates”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “should”, “would” or “occur”. This information and these statements, referred to herein as “forward‐looking statements”, are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management’s expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things: the timing, costs and results of drilling at Hot Breccia.  

     

      These forward‐looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things: delays in obtaining or failure to obtain appropriate funding to finance the exploration program at Silver King and Ripsey. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that: the ability to raise capital to fund exploration and the timing of such exploration.  

     

      Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-   looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.  

     

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

     

    Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

     

     


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  • “What a weekend!” – Aston Martin Aramco Academy Driver Mari Boya shines at Silverstone

    “What a weekend!” – Aston Martin Aramco Academy Driver Mari Boya shines at Silverstone

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  • Royal Gold agrees acquisitions worth $3.7bn as record prices drive sector consolidation – Financial Times

    Royal Gold agrees acquisitions worth $3.7bn as record prices drive sector consolidation – Financial Times

    1. Royal Gold agrees acquisitions worth $3.7bn as record prices drive sector consolidation  Financial Times
    2. Royal Gold launches friendly $5-billion takeovers of Sandstorm Gold, Horizon Copper  The Globe and Mail
    3. RGLD Stock Alert: Halper Sadeh LLC Is Investigating Whether the Merger of Royal Gold Inc. Is Fair to Shareholders  Business Wire
    4. Royal Gold’s $3.5 Billion Bet On Canadian Mining Expansion  Finimize
    5. Royal Gold Announces Major Acquisitions to Boost Portfolio  TipRanks

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  • Tesla Investors Have a Message for Elon Musk: Stay Away From Politics

    Tesla Investors Have a Message for Elon Musk: Stay Away From Politics

    Elon Musk is diving headfirst back into politics, and Tesla investors are not happy about it.

    The electric carmaker’s stock fell more than 7% on Monday as investors digested Musk’s renewed feud with President Donald Trump and his announcement that he would set up a new political party.

    After polling users on his social media platform X, the billionaire unveiled “the America party” on Sunday, with Trump responding that Musk had “gone off the rails.”

    It comes just months after the Tesla CEO told shareholders that he would be spending less time on politics and turning his full attention to the EV giant, which has had a difficult year so far.

    Tesla’s sales have collapsed worldwide amid renewed EV competition and backlash over Musk’s work at DOGE, and the company is currently in the middle of a critical robotaxi launch in Austin.

    For Tesla investors and analysts who have already witnessed the stock decline 22% this year, Musk wading back into the political fray is the last thing they want to see.

    “We expect that investors are growing tired of the distraction at a point when the business needs Musk’s attention the most and only see downside from his dip back into politics,” wrote William Blair analysts Jed Dorsheimer and Mark Shooter in a note on Monday.

    “We would prefer this effort to be channeled towards the robotaxi rollout at this critical juncture,” added the analysts. The investment firm downgraded Tesla to the equivalent of hold on the back of the expected negative impact of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

    Wedbush Securities analyst and Tesla Bull Dan Ives, who previously called on Musk to spend more time on Tesla while the billionaire was working on DOGE earlier this year, said that things had now “taken a turn for the worst” with Musk’s latest political move.

    “Musk diving deeper into politics and now trying to take on the Beltway establishment is exactly the opposite direction that Tesla investors/shareholders want him to take during this crucial period for the Tesla story,” wrote Ives in a note on Sunday.

    Monday’s share price fall reflects a wider trend in Tesla’s stock in recent months. Shares have tended to fall when Musk is more focused on politics, while rising when he has shown a public commitment to Tesla.

    In the four weeks after Musk said he would step back from DOGE and focus on his EV firm in April, Tesla’s share price rose 40%.

    In March, when Musk held a surprise livestream to discuss Tesla’s ongoing projects, shares jumped 13% in the following week’s trading.

    ‘What is this guy doing?’

    Musk’s decision to form a new political party, which he has suggested will take on Republicans and Democrats and focus heavily on reducing government spending, also sparked renewed questions from some quarters about his future as Tesla’s CEO.

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    Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

    Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

    Former DOGE advisor James Fishbank announced on Sunday that his anti-DEI investment firm, Azoria, would postpone a planned Tesla ETF in response to Musk’s actions, which he criticized as a “ridiculous stunt.”

    “I encourage the Board to meet immediately and ask Elon to clarify his political ambitions and evaluate whether they are compatible with his full-time obligations to Tesla as CEO,” said Fishbank in a letter posted on X, which he said had been sent to Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm.

    “I remain hopeful that Elon will return his full attention to Tesla. If not, I trust the Board will take appropriate action,” he added.

    Tesla shareholder and frequent Musk critic Ross Gerber also weighed in on Monday, saying that “no one wants the Elon First party” and accusing Tesla’s board of failing to rein Musk in.

    Gerber has previously called on Musk to step down as Tesla CEO, and told BI last week that the billionaire’s war of words with Trump was the “nail in the coffin” for the EV maker.

    “You’re at this kind of point where it’s like, ‘What is this guy doing?’ You know? You’re supposed to be selling cars and robotaxis, and instead we’re fighting with the President of the United States,” Gerber previously told BI.

    Tesla and Musk did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.


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  • Fed bans Wyoming ex-banker over charity embezzlement

    Fed bans Wyoming ex-banker over charity embezzlement

    Dive Brief:

    Dive Insight:

    Hickman was an employee of the bank from July 2021 until her termination in June 2023 while simultaneously working as a bookkeeper for the nonprofit.

    “Hickman’s conduct constituted violations of law or regulation, and involved personal dishonesty,” the Fed said in its consent order.

    The former banker joined Jonah Bank of Wyoming as a mortgage loan processor and later became a commercial banking assistant, according to her LinkedIn profile. Although the Fed doesn’t name the nonprofit she worked for, her LinkedIn profile indicates that she worked as a part-time executive assistant at Two Fly Foundation for 11 years, from April 2012 to June 2023. 

    Hickman has also worked at the McMurry Group of companies as an accounting specialist and in the lease administration department for more than a decade. Now, she works as a grant writer for community and business development at Central Wyoming Counseling Center.

    Two Fly organizes a fly fishing tournament every year the Thursday and Friday before Mother’s Day in Casper, Wyoming, to raise money for charities in the state. Since its founding in 2005, the organization has donated more than $3.2 million to 28 charities, according to its website.

    The enforcement action, which bans Hickman from participating in any affairs of the banking industry, doesn’t stop the Fed or any state agency from taking any other actions against Hickman. However, the central bank agreed not to take further action against Hickman on matters addressed in the order based on currently known facts, it said. She cannot return to work in the banking industry without written approval from the central bank.

    The former banker neither admitted nor denied any wrongdoing but consented to the Fed’s order and agreed to comply with all the provisions mentioned.

    The roughly $531 million-asset Jonah Bank of Wyoming, based in Casper, is a community bank with a state charter that specializes in commercial lending. Established in 2006 to support the state’s small businesses and their employees, the lender operates four locations in Cheyenne and Casper.

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  • Red Blood Cell Insight Boosts Artificial Blood Production

    Red Blood Cell Insight Boosts Artificial Blood Production


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    Scientists from the University of Konstanz and Queen Mary University of London have identified a key molecular trigger that facilitates a crucial step in the formation of red blood cells.

    The finding could advance research efforts into artificial blood production, the researchers say, though clinical applications remain distant.

    The research is published in Science Signaling.

    The role of CXCL12 in red blood cell formation

    Red blood cell production, known as erythropoiesis, naturally occurs in the bone marrow. Stem cells mature into erythroblasts, which then develop into erythrocytes (red blood cells). In the final phase of this development, erythroblasts expel their nucleus, creating more internal space for hemoglobin – a protein that enables oxygen transport. This process is unique to mammals.

    Although much is known about the maturation of stem cells into red blood cells, the mechanism prompting nuclear expulsion was unclear.

    The research team, led by Dr. Julia Gutjahr from the Institute of Cellular Biology and Immunology Thurgau at the University of Konstanz, has identified that the chemokine CXCL12 can initiate this step. 

    “We discovered that the chemokine CXCL12 found mainly in bone marrow can trigger such nucleus expulsion, albeit in an interplay with several factors. By adding CXCL12 to erythroblasts at the right moment, we were able to artificially induce the expulsion of their nucleus,” said Gutjahr.

    Mechanism reveals new function of chemokine receptors

    The study found that CXCL12 interacts with red blood cell precursors differently than it does with other cell types. While other cells migrate in response to CXCL12, erythroblasts internalize the molecule, even transporting it into the nucleus. This internal action enhances cell maturation and assists in nucleus expulsion.

    The research suggests that chemokine receptors may have intracellular roles in addition to their established function on the cell surface and may inform future techniques for improving the efficiency of artificial blood production.

    “Importantly, apart from immediate practical application for the industrial production of red blood cells, our results brought a completely new understanding of cell biological mechanisms involved in erythroblast responses to chemokines,” added senior study author Antal Rot, a professor of inflammation sciences in the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London.

    “While all other cells migrate when stimulated by CXCL12, in erythroblasts this signalling molecule is transported into the interior of the cell, even into the nucleus,” Rot continued. “There, it accelerates their maturation and helps to expel the nucleus. Our research shows for the first time that chemokine receptors not only act on the cell surface but also inside the cell, thus opening entirely new perspectives on their role in cell biology,”

    Challenges in sourcing cells for artificial blood

    Artificial blood production typically starts with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood or bone marrow. These cells can achieve nucleus expulsion in approximately 80% of cases. However, the limited availability and high demand for these cells makes this approach insufficient for large-scale applications.

    Recent advancements in cell reprogramming have allowed for the transformation of other cell types into stem-like cells, which can then be guided to produce red blood cells. Yet, this method is slower and less efficient, with successful nucleus expulsion occurring in only 40% of cases.

    “Based on our new findings highlighting the key role of CXCL12 in triggering nuclear expulsion, we can expect that using CXCL12 should bring significant improvement in producing red blood cells from reprogrammed cells,” said Gutjahr.

    The research team hopes that new advances aiding large-scale artificial blood production could lead to immediate, meaningful improvements for patients.

    “Even though body cells are readily available, the lab-based production process will remain complex. But it would enable the targeted generation of rare blood types, help bridge shortages or allow individuals to reproduce their own blood for specialized treatments in many different diseases,” said Gutjahr.

    Reference: Gutjahr JC, Hub E, Anderson CA, et al. Intracellular and nuclear CXCR4 signaling promotes terminal erythroblast differentiation and enucleation. Sci Signal. 2025;18(891):eadt2678. doi: 10.1126/scisignal.adt2678

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  • Financial services giant Prudential crafts agentic AI strategy

    Financial services giant Prudential crafts agentic AI strategy

    Prudential Financial might have been founded in 1875, but its IT stack is definitely next-generation.

    The 150-year-old company has 38,000 employees who serve 50 million customers in more than 50 countries. Bob Bastian, chief information and technology officer, leads the company’s agentic AI initiative, which is built on Salesforce’s Agentforce for Financial Services.

    We discussed with Bastian the company’s deliberate approach to rolling out AI services for its various insurance, retirement products and mutual funds.

    How would you describe Prudential’s AI strategy?

    Bob Bastian

    Bob Bastian: Because we’re a regulated business, we give a lot of thought to how we’re using AI. Our main strategy is thinking about how to build governance so it does exactly what we need it to do for our customers and stakeholders, but at the same time, it’s protected, it’s governed and we think about data management right out of the gate.

    Then we say, “Where would it provide the most value for our customers or advisors?” We’ve created various use cases that help us understand that value proposition. Or, in the case of something like underwriting — something we’ve been doing for quite a while — we have multiple tests [of AI tools] against our underwriting to make sure that we’re getting valid results.

    When you saw generative AI for the first time, did you immediately see use cases?

    Bastian: I enjoy technology overall. I just love to understand how things work. My first thought was, “Okay, I need to understand more about how this is coming together.”

    After understanding about LLMs [large language models] and RAG [retrieval augmented generation] and all the other technical details that go into it, I started to think about how this can apply itself to the insurance, annuity and advisor spaces. Everything that we’ve come up with focuses on a human in the loop, just because of how GenAI is structured. It’s important for us to make sure that we still have humans thinking about what is happening. We are a company that generates a lot of documentation. We want to ensure that we get the right policy, contract and type of products out there in production. It necessitates a lot of information, and GenAI can help pull that information together. Many of our use cases are set up around that.

    What are examples of operational use cases?

    Bastian: We have a use case for group insurance claims. They’re different based on each company’s contract and the company’s state regulations. So if I’m on the phone with a customer, I have to go out to different places to pull that information together. With what we’ve done with GenAI, we know who the customer is, we know what company they work for, and we know what state they’re coming from. We gather all that information so that, instead of trying to find different documents, CSRs [customer service representatives] can focus on the customer and be very empathetic.

    We also have another use case for advisors. It pulls together information about who they’re meeting. We have wholesalers [who support financial advisors] as well as advisors. In the wholesaler space, we’re pulling together information about the people they’re meeting with so that they can come well prepared. That makes them a lot more productive.

    Do you employ multiple LLMs for different functions, or are you a one-LLM shop?

    We give a lot of thought to what the right LLM is for the job.
    Bob BastianChief information and technology officer, Prudential Financial

    Bastian: We are not a one-LLM shop. Different LLMs are optimized for different things. We give a lot of thought to what the right LLM is for the job. We also give thought to how we’re going to apply it; what is the right risk for our customers, stakeholders, advisors, whomever else. So we’re very protective how we’re using LLMs, which ones we’re using and which ones are the best for any given use case.

    What are you doing with Salesforce agents and Financial Services Cloud?

    Bastian: They have done some great things in our wholesaler space, as mentioned above. We consolidated our customer service across all our businesses onto Salesforce. We consolidated all our claims — except for disability claims — onto Salesforce. Our retirement business, our U.S. life insurance business, group insurance business and everything is on Salesforce.

    On the sales side, we’re using agentic AI to help with call logging. If a CSR meets with a customer or a wholesaler meets with an advisor, it logs what happened during that meeting. The agents can go off and deal with follow-ups. Agentic is great at summarizing how we met with [an advisor], how they want to do these types of cases in the future and what follow-ups are needed, then it will set those up in Salesforce and deal with those background pieces. We think we can save at least half a day per week, just on different follow-ups and setting up other things in Salesforce. So that’s a great use case beta that we’re starting.

    On the service side, there’s a lot that goes on after a call. When a customer calls up and has a service request, there are a bunch of other things, different follow-ups, different background things that happen with administration systems and others. We’re in a beta there where an agent can do some of those things. [This allows] the CSR to get on the next call and be more empathetic to the conversation that they’re having — as opposed to having to think about the call log, follow-ups or the things that they have to do in the background. This agentic force helps us get through many of the background [tasks] so that our advisors or CSRs can stay focused on the customer.

    What advice do you have for your peers experimenting with or evaluating agentic AI?

    Bastian: One thing is to keep customers at the heart. How do you make your CSRs better with the customer? How do you make them more empathetic? How do you make it a great relationship, so when a client calls up Prudential, they feel like the agent is listening to them? Design your agents keeping in mind how to enable better interactions.

    The other thing, especially for our industry — whether it be bank, financial services or asset management — is that we’re regulated, so you’ve got to think that through first. Don’t go off and create a bunch of agents that do a bunch of things that could get you into trouble. Think through the governance before you get down the path of thinking about agentic.

    If you focus on a customer at the heart of it and you really balance yourself with governance and regulatory, that space in the middle that allows the human to do the best that they can when they’re on the call or when they’re meeting with an advisor. That’s the path to greatness on some of this.

    Don Fluckinger is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget. He covers customer experience, digital experience management and end-user computing. Got a tip? Email him.

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