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Japanese researchers have reportedly succeeded in mining mud thought to contain rare earth elements from a seabed some 5,700 meters underwater. The exploration vessel Chikyu, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, has been conducting a test excavation of the mud since January. The seabed is within Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Pacific, roughly 150 kilometers southeast of the Japanese island of Minamitorishima. The test was held under a project led by Japan's Cabinet Office. Officials say the retrieval of mud began last Friday, and work to haul it onto the vessel took place...

Greenland rarely draws global attention. But as ice melts and great powers inch closer, the world’s largest island has become a strategic prize — one that caught President Donald Trump's eye long before most Americans were paying attention.

At first blush, Trump’s insistence on Greenland sounds outlandish, but recall over 20 yrs ago I began warning of foreigners aggressively claiming Arctic resources and waterways - while America slept. Russia was flagging underseas energy sources, our inventory of icebreakers dwindled to ONE reliable (against DOZENS of foreign-flagged vessels), and DC ignored my concerns of countries hogging new transportation routes that would screw us over. In explaining Alaska’s strategic location (30% of which is in the #Arctic) I was mocked for ringing the warning bells… but really I was just before my time. So now that attention is finally paid,...

For those asking in the comments, Dr. James Tour's company that he references is Metallium Ltd. Ticker symbol in the US is MTMCF. (This is NOT a sponsored episode. We have no financial relationship with Dr. Tour's company. We just think his tech sounds really cool.) == In a few years, America may not need to buy critical minerals from China anymore, says synthetic chemist and nanotechnologist James Tour. Why? Because of a method called flash Joule heating that he and his team have been studying at Rice University. China currently has a near monopoly on global processing capacity of...

A project heralded by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and accelerated by President Donald Trump stands to deal a huge blow to China’s dominance in the nanotechnology, energy and automotive sectors as the GraphiteOne site near Nome uncovered vast reserves — for which Beijing previously accounted for 90% of production. As of 2024, the U.S. was at least 93% import-dependent on both rare earth elements (REEs) and graphite itself, according to the International Energy Agency, and the Graphite Creek deposit has already been dubbed the largest such tranche in the U.S. But, this week’s announcement that REEs were discovered in addition...

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are due to meet in South Korea next week. However, it is uncertain whether they actually will. Such is the shocking state of the world’s most important relationship. For weeks, America and China have been lashing out at each other. America has tightened tech-export restrictions and threatened higher tariffs; China has wielded sanctions and restrictions on rare earths. The two sides communicate poorly. In the White House there is a belief that America has the upper hand in this test of nerves and pain-tolerance. Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, says China is “weak”. But the...

Kevin Rudd, Australia’s ambassador to America, who trash talked Trump in the past found himself getting some payback in the Oval Office duding the US/Australia meeting. Not a great idea to get into fights with Trump, Chuckle.

Donald Trump's presidential victory means some U.S. allies may have to reckon with prior scathing remarks as their countries prepare to build diplomatic ties with a president-elect whose return they may not have anticipated. “The most destructive president in history,” Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd said of Trump in 2020, who “drags America and democracy through the mud.” “A woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath” and a “profound threat to the international order,” David Lammy, the U.K.'s current foreign secretary, said in 2018. “A political pyromaniac who must be put before a criminal court,” Jean Asselborn, then-foreign minister for Luxembourg, said...

Australia’s ambassador to the US has deleted comments he had previously made online about Donald Trump, criticising him as “destructive” and a “traitor to the West”. Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister, said his remarks did not reflect the view of the government and he was “looking forward” to working with the president-elect. Dr Rudd, who scrubbed his social media days before Mr Trump’s election victory, wanted to “eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued,” his office said. The ambassador became the latest in a list of high-profile figures to distance themselves from disparaging remarks made about Mr Trump...

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has asked the government to nominate him for the United Nations top job, the foreign minister said on Monday. Julie Bishop said Rudd wanted the government’s endorsement to succeed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose second five-year term ends Dec. 31. That decision would be made by Australia’s next cabinet, which will be named Monday following July 2 elections. …

President Trump tore into a foreign ambassador on Monday who badmouthed him in the past after signing a multibillion-dollar, rare-earth and critical minerals deal with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “Did an ambassador say something bad about me?” Trump asked Albanese when a journalist mentioned Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd’s prior remarks vilifying the 45th and 47th president. “Where is he? Is he still working for you?” Albanese informed Trump that Rudd, a former prime minister and Australia’s top diplomat in Washington since 2023, was sitting across the table, prompting Trump to ask, “You said bad? “Before I took this...

Why Washington Must Accelerate the U.A.E. Chip PartnershipThe United States and China are locked in a technology cold war. Beijing’s latest move—restricting exports of rare earth minerals critical to advanced manufacturing of everything from semiconductors to defense systems—shows that China is willing to weaponize every advantage it has. But the trade war is only part of the story. China’s quest to become a hegemonic power runs through the Gulf, where it seeks to establish a military presence to secure energy and shipping routes vital to its economy. For years, Beijing has courted the region’s energy and capital-rich states through the...

The U.S. doesn’t produce the minerals and metals needed for renewable energy, microchips or military technology. Authorities want to change that as quickly as possible.Major oil companies are drilling in East Texas again, but not for oil. This time, they're after lithium for batteries and other rare elements.Chevron and Halliburton announced East Texas projects this summer. Exxon has acreage across the border in Arkansas. Smackover Lithium, a joint venture of a Norwegian oil giant and a Canadian miner, announced in late September the discovery of the most lithium-rich fluids ever reported in North America, measured deep beneath its Texas claims...

President Trump and President Xi Jinping are locked in a fresh trade war standoff—and Beijing is betting the U.S. stock market will blink first. China’s escalating economic retaliation is timed with precision, and the message is clear: Xi believes Trump won’t risk another market meltdown. That assumption could shape every policy move over the next few weeks and shift investor sentiment worldwide. From rare-earth sanctions to new export controls and shipping-related penalties, China is tightening the screws just as President Trump threatens 100% tariffs on Chinese goods. Meanwhile, both countries prepare for a high-stakes summit later this month in South...

China has just played its rare-earth card — and the shock waves reach far beyond trade. On October 9, Beijing imposed sweeping new export controls on a broad array of rare-earth metals and high-tech components. These obscure elements — neodymium, dysprosium, samarium, holmium, erbium, and others — are the hidden arteries of modern power. They magnetize motors that steer drones and electric vehicles, harden the guidance systems of missiles, and enable the high-temperature performance of GPUs — the silicon engines that drive artificial intelligence. Whoever controls rare earths holds a potential chokehold on the digital and military age. [SNIP] Weaponized...

On Friday, President Trump made two posts on Truth Social in response to China’s announcement of stringent export controls on rare earth elements (REE) and related processing equipment. In the first post, he appeared to threaten to cancel his meeting with Xi at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea. More importantly, in his second post, he announced an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports in response to Beijing’s economic coercion, effective November 1 or earlier. If implemented, this would bring the total tariff rate for China to 130%.pic.twitter.com/5TcdNuNWv2— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 10, 2025pic.twitter.com/TtnPx2l2er— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47)...

In a groundbreaking development, the United States has initiated the opening of a new rare earths mine for the first time in over seven decades. This historic project, situated in Wyoming, has the potential to transform the U.S. economy and bolster its national defense. The discovery was documented in a recent economic viability study published by an independent source, which estimates that the Brook Mine holds up to 1.7 million tons of rare earths and critical minerals, with a vast untapped area still to be explored. The mine is poised to significantly reduce America’s reliance on foreign sources of these...

The Trump administration is reportedly weighing two proposals to remove China from critical U.S. supply chains. One option involves negotiating a rare earth mineral trade deal directly with the Myanmar junta. The other, and potentially more strategic, approach is to bypass the junta entirely and engage with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a powerful ethnic armed group that controls resource-rich territory and has been fighting the junta since it nullified Myanmar’s democratic election and seized power in 2021. Engaging with the junta risks legitimizing a brutal regime responsible for widespread atrocities, including airstrikes and ground assaults on civilians, hospitals, schools,...

30 years of war settled. America gets rare earths extraction deal out of it. Congo and Rwanda kiss and make up. Trump gets credit. Biden blew the conflict off. President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed representatives from Rwanda and the Congo to the White House after he announced the U.S. secured a "wonderful" treaty between the two countries. Trump said he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were able to broker a deal for "one of the worst wars anyone’s ever seen," describing the treaty as a "tremendous breakthrough," while Rubio called it "an important moment" after 30 years of...

As U.S. tariffs tighten the screws on China’s export machine, Beijing is striking back with strategic precision. Export restrictions on rare earths are now Beijing’s latest move to break down European trade barriers and push back against escalating pressure from Washington.In today’s global trade standoff, the gloves are off. The U.S. is wielding its market clout -- 25% of global consumption originates from the American domestic market. Anyone in the export business must deal with the United States. China, meanwhile, holds an current monopoly on rare earths -- and is making it clear it will not hesitate to weaponize that...