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A Huge Cache of Critical Minerals Found in Utah May Be the Largest in the U.S.
A Utah company says it has unearthed a massive deposit of minerals crucial for building electric vehicles, semiconductors, satellites, magnets, and more. The discovery could reshape the clean energy supply chain.
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Senator Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on a Chemical He Claims Treats Everything from Autism to Cancer
Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he’s giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It is all lunacy,” one expert said.
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The Year the US. Doubled Down on Critical Minerals
President Donald Trump spent most of 2025 hacking away at large parts of the federal government. One tiny corner of regulation, however, has actually grown under Trump: the critical minerals list. The list of metals became a top priority under Trump. But what even are they?
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New Study Explains Why People Fall for Fake News
In a world where misinformation spreads faster than fact, a new study is offering insight into why so many people fall for fake news, even when they suspect it’s false.
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How Does Immigration Affect the U.S. Economy?
Immigrants have long played a critical role in the U.S. economy, filling labor gaps, driving innovation, and exercising consumer spending power. But political debate over their economic contributions has ramped up under the second Trump administration.
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The U.S. Got Out from Crippling Levels of Federal Debt Before, and It Can Do It Again
The total federal debt of the United States passed a new milestone on October 21, 2025, reaching $38 trillion for the first time. But we’ve been here before – after borrowing heavily to fund our World War II efforts and the efforts of the Allies — and we got out of it.
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Gun Dealers Are Major Source of Trafficked Firearms
Licensed gun dealers are a major source of firearms that end up illegally trafficked, according to a new analysis using federal data. The report estimates that 1.27 million guns will have been trafficked nationwide by 2026.
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More Industries Want Trump’s Help Hiring Immigrant Labor After Farms Get a Break
Restaurants, construction and landscaping businesses have lost the most workers, a Stateline analysis found. Now, industries with large immigrant workforces are asking for relief as they combat labor shortages and raids.
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Australia Must Make the Most of the U.S. Critical-Minerals Pivot
For the first time in years, the US conversation on critical minerals has matured beyond broad rhetoric. What was once a generic discussion about “critical minerals” has shifted decisively to developing supply chains for specific minerals. And perhaps most importantly, the dialogue is no longer confined to government-to-government statements: it now involves dozens of mining and refining.
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What’s the Best Way to Expand the U.S. Electricity Grid?
Growing energy demand means the U.S. will almost certainly have to expand its electricity grid in coming years. What’s the best way to do this? A study by MIT researchers illuminates choices about reliability, cost, and emissions.
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Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
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China: An Emerging Software Power
China’s early success in global AI competition, bolstered by continued massive state investment and other advantages, could help it extend its dominance in international markets for manufactured goods to the software realm.
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The Effects of the 1942 Japanese Exclusion on US Agriculture
The U.S. government’s 1942 Japanese relocation program removed the advantage that high-skilled Japanese farmers had given to local agriculture on the West Coast. Whether the forced evacuation contributed to national security is open to question, but it was certainly costly.
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U.S. Can’t Overcome Manufacturing Gap with China
The United States should not kid itself. It will not recover its manufacturing position from China in any foreseeable future. Assuming zero growth of China’s manufacturing sector for the next 20 years, closing the manufacturing gap would require U.S. manufacturing to grow at a torrid rate of 6 percent per year. That’s just implausible.
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G20 Johannesburg Endorses Critical Minerals Framework
The Trump administration is trying to diversify critical minerals supply chains and reduce dependence on China, but this goal cannot be achieved without broad and deep cooperation with other countries. The U.S. absence from the 2025 G20 discussions on critical minerals weakens collective efforts to counterbalance China’s influence.
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The long view
Bookshelf: The Waning Dominance of U.S. Dollar
Perhaps the greatest threat to the dominance of the dollar may come from the US itself. US government debt is basically ‘out of control’, representing 120 percent of GDP, and neither political party has a serious plan to bring it back under control.
A Turning Point: U.S. Recognizes Agriculture as a Domain of Defense
The US has legitimized the role of food supply in national defense. It has recognized that in a world of rupture, a nation that cannot feed itself cannot defend itself. A new policy effectively ends the era of agriculture functioning solely as a commercial sector.