(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A Texas judge has temporarily blocked Beto O’Rourke’s shady fundraising campaign to bankroll “runaway Democrats”—the group of state legislators who fled Texas to stall redistricting efforts.
On Friday, Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey issued a temporary injunction against O’Rourke and his group, Powered by People, barring them from raising funds or covering expenses for the Democrats while a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton moves forward.
The order came just hours after Paxton sued O’Rourke and Powered by People, accusing them of misleading donors by falsely advertising the campaign as a political effort rather than a slush fund for personal expenses.
In her ruling, Fahey said the court found “imminent harm” that could cause the state to be irreparably injured, meeting the threshold for such an order.
“Because this conduct is unlawful and harms Texas consumers, restraining this conduct is in the public interest,” Fahey said.
Paxton celebrated the ruling in a statement, declaring: “The Beto Bribe buyouts that were bankrolling the runaway Democrats have been officially stopped.”
He added, “People like Robert believe Texas can be bought. Today, I stopped his deceptive financial influence scheme that attempted to deceive donors and subvert our constitutional process. They told me to ‘come and take it,’ so I did.”
(José Niño,Headline USA) As Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. ramps up calls for public release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files, his Republican primary has become a battleground between pro-Zionist donors and an increasingly Israel skeptic voter base.
Massie has teamed up with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, to force a House vote on a bill that would require the Justice Department to disclose documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s associates.
Massie has now resorted to spearheading a discharge petition, a rarely used procedure, to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson and bring the issue to a vote, per a report by NBC News. He argued that transparency is owed to the American public and that campaign promises must be kept.
In recent weeks, Massie has become both a lightning rod and a surprise focal point for a rift within Republican ranks. Despite often being on the outs with Donald Trump and GOP leadership, his demand for the Epstein files’ release has earned him tentative support from some MAGA-aligned voices who are dissatisfied with Trump’s and Johnson’s approach.
Polls suggest there is broad public backing for disclosure of the Epstein list, including among Trump’s base, with CBS News/YouGov polling indicating that 89% of U.S. adults want all Epstein-related records unsealed.This issue has currently pitted segments of the GOP grassroots against party leaders who warn about hasty action and the need to protect victims’ privacy.
The primary challenge against Massie has intensified with the intervention of the super PAC called MAGA Kentucky, which is spending heavily to unseat him. Massie alleges that the funding comes from a billionaire donor whose name reportedly appears in Epstein’s so-called black book and that this donor frequently contributes to both Speaker Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
The timing and resources behind MAGA Kentucky’s attack ads have only fueled Massie’s suspicions that political and personal interests are motivating the opposition to full transparency about Epstein.
The billionaire most prominently alleged to be funding efforts to unseat Congressman Thomas Massie is Paul Singer, founder of Elliott Management Corporation. Singer, recognized as one of Wall Street’s most influential hedge fund figures, has contributed $1 million to MAGA Kentucky (MAGA KY), a super PAC formed with the explicit goal of defeating Massie in the 2026 Republican primary.
MAGA KY was launched in late June 2025 and has already raised $2 million, according to the latest disclosures. The group has spent at least $1.2 million on advertising opposing Massie, with some estimates placing total outlays as high as $1.5 million to $1.8 million.
Its primary donors are Paul Singer ($1 million), Preserve America PAC—associated with Miriam Adelson ($750,000)—and hedge fund manager John Paulson ($250,000).
The super PAC is managed by seasoned Republican operatives Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, both with longstanding ties to Donald Trump’s campaign team.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Beloved wrestler Hulk Hogan appeared in the sky at his farewell sendoff last week in Clearwater, Fla., according to reports.
At sundown last night in Clearwater, the Hulkster appeared in the sky.
“The Hulkster,” whose birth name was Terry Bollea, died of a heart attack on July 24 at the age of 71.
A photo originally posted to the social media of Nashville disc jockey Dee Jay Silver showed a cloud formation mimicking one of the WWE superstar’s signature poses during his private funeral on Tuesday.
“We said our final goodbyes to my hero today!” Silver posted. “We saw you in the sky looking over us! Hulkamania will live forever brother.”
A childhood hero to many of a certain age, Hogan was the franchise face of professional wrestling during the golden era of the “sport.”
Long silent about his politics in public, he re-emerged during the 2024 Republican National Convention to endorse President Donald Trump, becoming one of the unequivocal highlights of the heavily watched event, which once again thrust him into the forefront of the national Zeitgeist amid a resurgent MAGA movement.
Coming just days after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania nearly felled Trump for good, Hogan’s fiery speech at the RNC captured the shock, outrage and determination that 77 million voters would share ahead of November landslide election.
“As an entertainer, I try to stay out of politics, but after everything that’s happened to our country over the past four years—and everything that happened last weekend—I can no longer stay silent,” Hogan said during his RNC speech.
“[W]hat happened last week, when they took a shot at my hero and they tried to kill the next President of the United States—enough was enough,” he continued, ripping off his shirt. “And I said, ‘Let Trump-a-mania run wild, brother; let Trump-a-mania rule again. Let Trump make America great again.’”
Following Hogan’s death, Trump led the list of high-profile celebrities and public figures paying tribute to him.
“Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon—who long presided over the WWE with her husband, Vince, during its heyday—also honored the legendary all-American.
“I had the privilege of knowing and working with Hulk Hogan for over 40 years,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Hulk was a dear friend and member of our WWE family. His legacy in and out of the ring will always be remembered. He was one of a kind!”
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him atx.com/realbensellers.
(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) The first U.S. Attorney officially cleared by the Senate in President Donald Trump’s second term could offer a major clue as to what the Republican administration is planning to prioritize—and, more importantly, where.
Despite the frustrating foot-dragging from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who adjourned for Congress’s summer recess with a long list of Trump nominees left to confirm, the Senate managed to approve Judge Jason A. Reding Quiñones to be the DOJ’s new head of its South Florida office.
Trump lauded Senate Republicans for their success in defeating the stall tactics of Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer with a 51–41 cloture vote.
“The Radical Left Democrat Senators are doing everything possible to DELAY these wonderful and talented people from being approved,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If George Washington or Abraham Lincoln were up for approval, the Dems would delay, as long as possible, then vote them out.”
Reding Quiñones, a former federal prosecutor in Miami and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, was appointed to his judgeship last year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The left-leaning newspaper quickly pounced on the DOJ confirmation by highlighting his record of “poor evaluations from supervisors relating to incompetence.”
Indeed, Reding Quiñones is likely to become a prime target for Democrats intent on waging a smear campaign in the weeks and months to come. His jurisdiction makes him a strong candidate to lead the forthcoming investigation into the Russia-gate conspiracy, as noted by investigative reporter Paul Sperry.
DEVELOPING: Trump's just-confirmed South Florida US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñone previously served in DOJ's Nat'l Security Division. Leading candidate to take on Russiagate conspiracy case. South Florida district includes Mar-a-Lago. GOP donor (state) …https://t.co/mvPGmMqiBr
Just days after the Senate confirmation, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi—herself a former Florida prosecutor—announced that the Justice Department had directed an unnamed prosecutor to present grand-jury evidence based on the criminal referrals from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Reding Quiñones’s district includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, a location central to the conspiracy case following the Biden administration’s controversial 2022 FBI raid.
Depending on what charges are brought, the federal statute of limitations for many criminal acts expires five years after their commission. That point was not lost on critics of former special prosecutor John Durham, who allegedly slow-walked his investigation into failed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and a bevy of intelligence-community co-conspirators in 2016 and 2017.
In addition to a ticking clock, Durham faced a significant uphill battle in the courts, failing to get any serious convictions from the D.C. district, where corrupt judges and biased juries let off culprits like Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann and FBI “resistance” operative Kevin Clinesmith with slaps on the wrist.
But political insiders, including former House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes, have noted that conspiracy charges would encompass every act, suggesting a sweeping probe that would draw in the more recent plots against Trump as part of a coordinated effort, along with the 2016 Russia-collusion hoax.
“The biggest hoax of all … was the raid at Mar-a-Lago, and I think that could hold some keys, whatever evidence can be found there and how it relates to all of this, which is essentially just a ‘Get Trump’ hoax, all in one,” Nunes told former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who was Trump’s original pick to be attorney general in his current term.
Devin Nunes: the Mar-o-Lago Raid is the key to the Grand Conspiracy case which encompasses the Russia Hoax, the Ukraine Impeachment Hoax, the Hunter Biden Laptop Hoax etc pic.twitter.com/uAIDNNV6ME
Although putting the focus of the prosecution on Mar-a-Lago might ensure a fairer trial, some remained skeptical that Bondi and her DOJ prosecutors could connect the dots on such a grand scale.
Former Fox News star Bill O’Reilly said Tuesday that the grand jury would likely need to be empaneled where “all of this alleged conspiracy fraud took place”—in Washington, D.C., or New York.
“I mean, you might be able to get into Virginia because that’s where the CIA is—Langley—but boy, you’re not going to be able to get it into Florida, Texas, or a red state,” O’Reilly said, according to The Wrap.
Former Biden administration attack dog Jack Smith used a D.C. grand jury to indict Trump for mishandling classified information related to the Mar-a-Lago raid, but the case itself was ultimately relocated to Florida, where Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed it.
For an entire year, the classified docs investigation was handled by a DC grand jury overseen by hyper partisan Trump hater and Obama appointee Beryl Howell.
Even though alleged crimes occurred in Palm Beach, FLA
(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged last week that the sanctuary city had “reached a point of no return” in its fiscal recklessness and would need a major tax hike to bail it out.
“The systems that people rely upon—education, health care, housing, our transportation—they are woefully underfunded, and everyone knows that,” Johnson said, according to CBS News.
“Everyone knows what, you know, my commitment is to progressive revenue,” he continued. “I can’t do this by myself.”
Johnson, a “defund the police” advocate, was reacting to a pension bill signed by Democrat Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker that would increase benefits for police and firefighters, estimated to cost an additional $11 billion for Chicago.
Democrats have controlled the Windy City since April 1931. However, Johnson shocked many with his 2023 election, running to the left of his widely unpopular predecessor, Lori Lightfoot.
He has advocated for socialist policies and faced backlash for his embrace of illegal immigrants, even offering $9,000 per household in rent and moving subsidies to lure illegals to the city at the peak of the Biden administration’s open-border policies.
Johnson’s personal spending has also been a point of concern, such as a $30,000 bill for salon trips, which reportedly came from his campaign coffers.
The current fiscal crisis comes as no surprise. The city announced last year that its 2025 budget faced a $1 billion shortfall. It estimated a similar shortage for 2026.
The City Council already voted against an increase in property taxes, but Johnson is considering alternative ways to tax ultra-wealthy residents.
“Everything has to be on the table. Everything has to be on the table,” Johnson said in July.
Chicago has roughly 127,000 millionaires and 25 billionaires—including members of the Pritzker family, which owns the Hyatt hotel chain.
Johnson denied that his policies would lead to an exodus of wealthy Chicagoans, claiming it had increased by 24% in recent years.
“This notion somehow that we’re scaring millionaires away, it’s just the opposite,” he said.
“Not that I know a whole bunch of millionaires, but do you know what they talk about when they do engage with me?” he added. “They talk about community safety. They don’t talk about taxes. Their No. 1 issue is community safety, and as we continue to see the trend moving a positive direction, that allows for our economy to grow.”
New York City faces a similar prospect of insolvency pending the outcome of its upcoming mayoral election. Averred communist Zohran Mamdani is currently leading the pack, which also includes incumbent mayor Eric Adams, disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and perennial Republican candidat Curtis Sliwa.
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him atx.com/realbensellers.
(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Project Veritas on Thursday released a shocking whistleblower account alleging that former Attorney General William Barr colluded with lawfare activists including Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to prevent President Donald Trump from being reelected.
The exposé came courtesy of Brazilian journalist Patrícia Lélis, who previously worked for Howard Stirk Holdings, a media company owned by prominent political commentator Armstrong Williams.
In a previous installment, Lélis outlined close ties between Barr and Williams, implicating them in a visa-fraud operation that involved creating fake companies to supply E-2 visas for high-dollar foreign investors, the Gateway Pundit reported.
🚨BREAKING: Whistleblower: Former Attorney General Bill Barr and Media Figure Armstrong Williams are Running Illegal Visa Fraud Scheme for Foreign Billionaires
But the real fireworks began to fly in the second installment, where Lélis said Trump’s former top lawman was among the many deep-state insiders actively conspiring against the once and future president.
“I remember the biggest conversation they had at that point is like, ‘What kind of charge that we can bring against Trump?'” Lélis recounted in the video.
“And that’s when Bill Barr—and I will never forget that—Bill Barr was like, ‘We should bring RICO, because it’s a very difficult type of charge to defend.”
Such allegations of a complex and convoluted racketeering conspiracy to steal the 2020 election were precisely what Willis ultimately lodged in her case against Trump and 18 codefendants.
The case was dropped, however, after Willis’s own ethical lapses came to light, including her romantic relationship with top prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Willis, who campaigned in 2020 on a “Get Trump” platform with backing from billionaire George Soros, first convened a grand jury in May 2022.
But by February of the following year, her fishing expedition appeared to be unraveling, with little solid ground for establishing that Trump and his allies had illegally meddled in Georgia’s electoral process beyond the scope of federal authority.
According to notes provided by Lélis, Barr and Williams were among the participants in a Feb. 27, 2023 meeting with Willis, during which the RICO strategy was devised.
Barr “was very focused in bringing case because, he explained to Fani Willis, the RICO charge is one of the most hard to defend in court” Lélis told Project Veritas.
“… [U]nder American law, the RICO charge can be anything,” she continued. “Like, it’s not very specific, so people who are charged with RICO case, they have a very hard time to defend themselves.”
Lélis said that, at the time of the meeting, she had no knowledge of Willis’s lawfare case.
“She presented herself as someone who’s close to Armstrong, someone who’s an attorney,” Lélis said. “All the time I was like, “OK”—it’s like one more meeting that we had.”
At other meetings, Lélis said discussions included Jack Smith’s federal case against Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021 uprising at the U.S. Capitol, as well as the Justice Department’s 2022 raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
“It was like they’re planning and they are creating crimes and situations to go after everyone,” she said.
A community note accompanying the Project Veritas posts on X denounced Lélis as a “pathological liar” who had fled Brazil after a failed run for office. However, its only verifiable sourcing was a Justice Department press release from the final week of the Biden administration linking her to the visa scam that she appeared to be blowing the whistle on.
Lélis herself said that in the videos that she was being set up for persecution by the powerful allies of Barr and Williams.
Trump recently imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil, citing the government corruption as the prime motivator.
Barr and Trump fell out shortly before the end of Trump’s first term, reportedly in a heated exchange about Barr’s failure to investigate vote fraud in the 2020 election.
The two-time AG, who had previously filled the role under former CIA-Director-turned-President George H.W. Bush, was recently subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to provide testimony in its forthcoming Jeffrey Epstein probe.
Barr personally oversaw the taskforce investigating the failures that led to Epstein’s supposed suicide in a New York detention center as he was due to face trial for operating a sweeping pedophile ring that ensnared many powerful elites.
Barr’s father, Donald, hired Epstein to work as a teacher at New York’s prestigious Dalton School prior to the billionaire investor’s mysterious rise to wealth and power.
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him atx.com/realbensellers.
Dean Cain, the superstar actor who played Superman in the 1990s, said he will join President Donald Trump’s ICE.
Cain made the announcement in an Instagram video posted Wednesday and reiterated the move during an interview on Jesse Watters Primetime Thursday night.
“I’ve spoken with some of the officials at ICD and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent ASAP,” Cain said. “They will have 80,001 recruits for their 10,000 positions.”
BREAKING 🚨 American actor and icon Dean Cain has officially confirmed he will be joining ICE 🔥
Cain, who is also a reserve police officer and a sworn sheriff—likely in ceremonial capacities—said he’s ready to serve however he’s needed.
Asked whether he’d be hopping out of ICE vans to apprehend illegal aliens, Cain replied: “I will do whatever the director wants me to do.”
Though he doubted he’d be put in that position, he added, “But I would be there in a heartbeat,” he added.
Cain is one of many stepping up to join ICE as the Trump administration seeks to expand the agency to counter the unprecedented wave of illegal immigration into the U.S.
In the interview, Cain spoke about the need for leadership and praised individuals like Dan Bongino and Daniel Penny as examples of Americans standing up when it matters.
“These brave men and women need somebody to stand up for them,” he said. “So rarely, you know, these days do we see that. Someone like Daniel Penny stands up and gets vilified, Dan Bongino stands up and gives up 5 million a year and takes his position at the FBI.”
He added, “This is the kind of thing where people have to step up. Hopefully, a whole bunch of other former officers, former ICE agents will step up and we will meet those recruitment goals immediately and we will help protect this country.”
Asked if he would take the $50,000 sign-up bonus, Cain replied: “I don’t think I’m going to be eligible. I don’t think they will give it to me. but in true Pocahontas fashion.”
(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) Following through on his pledge to use all means necessary to find, arrest and return absconding House Democrats to Texas, the Texas House, led by House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, sued Democrats hiding out in California.
The Texas House on Saturday sued Democratic state Reps. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, Gina Hinojosa, Ann Johnson, Ray Lopez, Mary Ann Perez and Vincent Perez.
The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court of California, County of Tehama. Joining Texas as plaintiff is Newport Beach-based Dhillon Law Group.
This is the second lawsuit the Texas House filed against absconding Democrats, who left their home state to prevent a vote on Republicans’ Congressional redistricting effort. The first was filed against 33 Democrats in Illinois, The Center Square reported.
“The Texas House stands ready to conduct the work expected of us by our constituents, but until the absent members return, our state will continue to do without critical disaster relief and solutions for a more prepared and resilient Texas,” Burrows said. “This political game holding up our efforts has gone on long enough. All members will eventually have to come back, but the business before the House is too important to wait on the outside political influences pushing these members to delay the inevitable.”
Burrows signed civil warrants Monday for the arrest of 56 Democrats who failed to return to Austin, ensuring no quorum would be reached. Only six Democrats showed up. By Friday, only nine had, bringing the total of members present to 95. One hundred are needed for a quorum. Without reaching a quorum, the Texas House can’t vote on bills, including disaster relief for Hill Country flood victims.
By Friday, Burrows said, “all hands were on deck” to locate, arrest and return missing Democrats, The Center Square reported. He also said the state would be suing Democrats in other states. Next to be sued were those hiding out in California.
“The members who fled have been given ample time and opportunity to return on their own accord, and because they have continued to refuse their responsibilities to their constituents and return to Texas, the State has no choice but to pursue additional legal remedies to compel their return from other states,” Burrows said.
“Our full focus is on stopping this dereliction of duty and restoring quorum in the Texas House as soon as possible so we may return our time, attention, and resources where they most matter – on the critical issues of the special session call.”
Burrows issued arrest warrants pursuant to his authority under Article III, Section 10 of the Texas Constitution and Rule 5, Section 8, of the Texas House Rules, which states that when the speaker issues a “call of the house,” which Burrows did on Monday, “[a]ll absentees for whom no sufficient excuse is made may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found.”
The California lawsuit is similar to the one filed in Illinois, requesting the California court to domesticate Texas warrants issued by the Texas House of Representatives against legislators who absconded.
The lawsuit cites the same Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution, stating, “The United States Constitution, federal statute, and the doctrine of comity between states demand otherwise. This Court must give full faith and credit to warrants duly issued by the Texas House of Representatives that compel these civil servants to return to Texas and to their civic responsibilities.”
“Texas requests and is entitled to the assistance of its sister State, the State of California, to enforce the Quorum Order and Quorum Warrant as to each of the Texas House members breaking quorum and evading civil arrest in California,” the lawsuit states. “Texas seeks enforcement of the rule of law in California, the assistance of California law enforcement officials, and this Court’s assistance, to lawfully return to Texas the Defendant legislators who fled to California to evade their duties to participate in the ongoing Special Session of the Texas Legislature.”
It asks the court to “issue a rule to show cause why Respondents should not be held in contempt,” to initiate contempt proceedings against them “for unlawfully seeking to evade Texas’s duly issued Quorum Warrants,” and set a hearing as soon as possible. If it doesn’t, “Texas is threatened with immediate and irreparable harm,” the lawsuit argues.
(Money Metals News Service) Silver may have recently touched $40 per ounce, intraday, but according to Peter Krauth, author of The Great Silver Bull and publisher of the Silver Stock Investor newsletter, this rally is far from over.
In a wide-ranging interview with Mike Maharrey on the Money Metals Podcast, Krauth discussed the recent silver surge, underlying supply-demand dynamics, and why he believes silver remains deeply undervalued—with much more upside to come.
(Interview Starts Around 7:18 Mark)
Silver Rally Hits $40, Then Consolidates
Silver saw an aggressive rally in mid-2025, reaching a peak of $40 per ounce (intraday), before pulling back to around $37.50. Peter Krauth attributes the breakout to a growing recognition that the silver market is fundamentally undersupplied.
For over a decade, manufacturers, particularly in electronics and solar industries, have been drawing from above-ground stockpiles, delaying the need for fresh mining supply. But those inventories are dwindling.
“I’d say we’re probably somewhere around three-quarters through those stockpiles,” Krauth noted. “There’s private silver out there, but it will only come to market at much higher prices.”
He emphasized that this isn’t the end of the rally. Krauth expects $45 silver by the end of 2025, with a realistic shot at breaking the all-time high of $50 in 2026.
Supply Crunch: A Structural Deficit
According to data from the Silver Institute, the silver market remains in deep deficit. While the 2025 deficit is estimated at 117 million ounces, down slightly from 148 million ounces in 2024, Krauth warns that these figures understate true demand. When physical and ETF investment flows are included, 2025 could end up being the third-largest deficit on record.
“Someone’s starting to really pay attention and buy into silver,” Krauth said.
Gold-Silver Ratio Still Signals Undervaluation
Despite the rally, silver remains historically cheap relative to gold. The gold-silver ratio currently hovers around 83-85, far above the long-term average of 55-60. Krauth believes the ratio could compress significantly during the bull run, potentially falling to 40.
“That alone implies a major upside for silver,” he said.
Trade Tensions and Physical Premiums
Krauth also addressed the impact of trade and tariff concerns. While there was initial panic that silver might face import tariffs similar to industrial metals, those fears were unfounded. Still, the threat led to massive flows of silver from London to the U.S., not to exchanges, but to private warehouses—a sign that large institutions were preparing for potential disruptions.
In the process, physical silver premiums rose, lease rates increased, and traders began prioritizing real metal over futures.
“Anyone who wants silver isn’t as comfortable relying on futures anymore,” Krauth observed.
Industrial Demand Rising Fast
Silver is no longer just a monetary metal. Krauth highlighted its expanding industrial use, second only to oil in total applications. From solar panels and electronics to defense systems and EVs, silver demand is exploding.
He pointed to rising military and defense budgets in Europe, noting that Germany and other nations have amended laws to allow for higher defense spending. Silver’s role in drones, missiles, and electronic systems means this trend could add 2–3% more demand, on top of an already tight supply market.
Primary Silver Mining Still Rare
Roughly 75% of silver comes as a byproduct from other mining operations (e.g., zinc, copper). Only 25% comes from primary silver mines. Krauth emphasized that this makes the supply side extremely inelastic.
“Even at $50 silver, miners focused on other metals won’t ramp up silver production; it’s just a bonus for them.”
Worse, some miners might reduce output if silver prices rise, choosing to exploit lower-grade deposits more profitably. This “reverse economics” is why Krauth believes higher prices won’t necessarily bring more silver to market – a key bullish signal.
Gold Leads, Silver Follows & Then Surpasses
Historically, silver lags gold during the early phases of a bull market, only to catch up and often surpass gold in percentage gains.
“In seven of the last nine gold bull markets, silver outperformed,” Krauth said.
Silver’s Portfolio Role: Underowned and Misunderstood
Citing research from Oxford Economics and the Silver Institute, Krauth highlighted how underowned silver is in global portfolios. While a 6% allocation may be optimal in a medium-risk portfolio, average exposure currently sits below 0.5%.
“That gap alone points to tremendous upside,” he argued. “Even conservative investors should have some silver exposure.”
The Great Silver Bull: A Reference Guide
To cap the conversation, Maharrey praised Krauth’s book The Great Silver Bull as a reference manual for investors. Krauth noted that it’s designed for both beginners and experienced investors, covering silver’s history, investment thesis, and tactical strategies.
He also announced that Ted Butler, a well-known silver analyst, is now collaborating with him on his newsletter, Silver Advisor, available at SilverStockInvestor.com and TheGoldAdvisor.com.
A legal organization challenging President Donald Trump’s administration on multiple fronts filed a new lawsuit on Friday seeking the release of records detailing the handling of the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The group Democracy Forward sued the Justice Department and the FBI for senior administration officials’ communication about Epstein documents and any regarding correspondence between him and Trump.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, appears to the be first of its kind. The group says it submitted requests under the Freedom of Information Act for the records related to communications about the case in late July that have not yet been fulfilled.
“The court should intervene urgently to ensure the public has access to the information they need about this extraordinary situation,” said Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of the Democratic-aligned group, in a statement. The federal government often shields records related to criminal investigations from public view.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Democracy Forward has filed dozens of lawsuits against Trump’s Republican administration, challenging policies and executive orders in areas including education, immigration and health care.
The decision sparked frustration and anger among online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and elements of Trump’s base who had hoped to see proof of a government cover-up.
The Trump administration has sought to unseal grand jury transcripts, though that has been denied by a judge in Florida. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public.
A similar request for the work of a different grand jury is pending in New York.
The House Oversight Committee has also subpoenaed the Justice Department for files on the investigation, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to Trump and other former top officials.
Since Epstein’s 2019 death in a New York jail cell as he awaited trial for sex trafficking charges, conservative conspiracists have stoked theories about what information investigators gathered on the wealthy financier and who else knew about his sexual abuse of teenage girls.
Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and says he cut off their relationship long ago, and he has repeatedly tried to move past the Justice Department’s decision not to release a full accounting of the investigation. But lawmakers from both major political parties have refused to let it go.
