China's Rare Earths Aren't as Rare as You Think
The commentary that ensued revealed profound anxieties about alleged Western vulnerabilities. The New York Post accused the Chinese of 'kneecapping US industry.' The BBC declared that the communist nation had dealt 'a major blow to the US,' while the Economist warned that China's control of rare earths was a 'weapon that could hurt America.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
Democrats storm out over Republican vote to advance Trump court pick Emil Bove
Democrats stormed out of a Senate committee meeting as Republicans voted to advance controversial Trump judicial pick Emil Bove for a lifetime federal appeals court seat. The vote of approval by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee means Bove will now face a vote from the full Senate. Bove became part of Trump's inner circle as his criminal defense lawyer during his Manhattan criminal case for business fraud related to payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump appointed him to a senior position in the Justice Department before nominating him to sit on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia. Shortly before the Senate Judiciary Committee considered Bove's nomination, a whistleblower alleged that Bove advocated for the department to ignore court orders and make sure deportation flights take off no matter what. On July 16, more than 900 former Justice Department employees signed a letter urging the committee to reject his nomination. This story is developing and will be updated.


New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
China threatens to squash Panama ports deal unless its shipping giant gets an equal stake: report
China has threatened to block a deal for dozens of global ports – including two near the Panama canal – if its own shipping giant doesn't get a sizable stake, according to a report Thursday. The deal, valued at around $20 billion, hands over more than 40 global ports owned by Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-Shing to US asset manager BlackRock and Mediterranean Shipping Company. China is demanding that Cosco, its largest shipping firm, be an equal partner to BlackRock and MSC in the deal, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. A Cosco Shipping container freighter in the Port of Hamburg. BlackRock, MSC and Li's firm, CK Hutchison, are all open to that idea, sources said. MSC, Cosco and the Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. BlackRock declined to comment. The firms are currently staring down a July 27 deadline, when exclusive talks between the three partners will end and Cosco can be added to the deal. But that change will likely anger President Trump, who has viewed the deal as a national security win as he argues that the US needs to 'take back' the waterway. Chinese officials, meanwhile, have told Chinese state-owned companies to freeze any incoming deals with Hutchison or other businesses linked to Li, sources told the Journal. The inclusion of Cosco emerged as a way to nudge the deal forward following intense US-China trade talks in Switzerland, Bloomberg reported last month. A view of the Panama City skyline and Balboa port. Nicola78/Wirestock Creators – Chinese authorities have told BlackRock, MSC and Hutchison that without Cosco's inclusion in the deal, Beijing will take steps to block the sale, sources said. And the firms involved in the deal can't afford to burn bridges with China. BlackRock and Hutchison both have interests in the nation, and MSC is one of the largest shippers of Chinese exports in the world. Italian billionaire Gianluigi Aponte's family-run business, MSC, has emerged as the lead investor in the deal, though BlackRock is notably expected to take over the two key Panama ports included in the sale. The deal is expected to position MSC as the world's largest terminal operator. It wouldn't be the first time China has squashed such a deal. In 2014, it blocked a major shipping alliance between MSC, Denmark's AP Moeller-Maersk and France's CMA CGM.


Gizmodo
a minute ago
- Gizmodo
Trump Moves to Kill California's Dreams of High-Speed Rail
President Donald Trump's feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom is hitting the Golden State's long-awaited high-speed train project with yet another setback. The U.S. The Transportation Department announced Wednesday that it is rescinding $4 billion in funding for a bullet train project that aims to connect Los Angeles with San Francisco. 'Governor Newsom and the complicit Democrats have enabled this waste for years,' said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy — a former cast member of MTV's The Real World: Boston and ex–Fox Business co-host — in a press release. 'Federal dollars are not a blank check; they come with a promise to deliver results.' The California High-Speed Rail project, approved by voters in 2008, was pitched as an 800-mile rail system linking Northern and Southern California, with trains traveling at speeds up to 220 miles per hour. A planned second phase would extend the line further, reaching Sacramento in the north and San Diego in the south. The project was initially projected to cost $33 billion and be completed by 2020. But after years of delays and escalating construction costs, the estimated price tag has now surged past $100 billion. Governor Newsom and other California officials are not happy with the news and have signaled that they could take legal action. 'Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley. We won't let him. With projects like the Texas high-speed rail failing to take off, we are miles ahead of others,' Newsom said in a statement. 'We're now in the track-laying phase and building America's only high-speed rail. California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action.' California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri, who is spearheading the project, also called the move 'illegal,' stating that the grants are legally binding and the Authority has met all its obligations. For his part, Trump posted on social media that he has 'freed' the citizens of America from 'California's disastrously overpriced, 'HIGH SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE.' 'The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED.' This marks the latest clash between the Trump administration and Governor Gavin Newsom, who have sparred over everything from the state's transgender rights laws to the deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles. Newsom also fired back at Duffy after the Transportation Secretary posted a video on X criticizing the high-speed rail project. 'Won't be taking advice from the guy who can't keep planes in the sky,' Newsom wrote in response.