How Trump and Biden’s Focus on Minerals Became Core to U.S. Foreign Policy How Trump and Biden’s Focus on Minerals Became Core to U.S. Foreign Policy
The New York Times
China dominates in critical minerals, and President Trump has turned to high-pressure tactics to acquire them.
President Trump’s intense interest in Ukraine’s minerals seemed to come from out of the blue.
He dispatched his Treasury secretary to Kyiv this month to negotiate with Ukraine’s leader, then began ratcheting up the pressure publicly in what appeared to critics like a Mafia don’s extortion scheme.
“I want security of the rare earth,” he said.
But critical minerals have been on Mr. Trump’s mind since at least 2017, when he signed an executive order on them during his first term. They also caught the attention of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
And Mr. Trump’s recent comments on Ukraine’s assets were not the first time in his new term that he has mentioned taking over a country’s mineral holdings.
The president has talked about acquiring minerals in Greenland and Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada told a group of business leaders that Mr. Trump’s focus on Canada’s minerals meant his threats to annex the country were “a real thing.”
Marlon Rabanales-Pretzantzin was charged with second-degree murder in a Long Island court on Thursday. Authorities said he had acknowledged hurting the child.
On spending, oversight and other issues, Republican lawmakers have willingly ceded power traditionally reserved for Congress to the Trump White House.
Trade wars with allies could spiral as the president tries to get trading partners to back down from retaliation with new threats of his own.
The mother at the center of the case, January Littlejohn, was a guest of the first lady Melania Trump at President Trump’s speech to Congress last week.
Thomas John Sfraga appropriated the name from a scheming “Seinfeld” character as he bilked friends and neighbors. He was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Thursday.
The president offers many reasons for imposing tariffs, including revenue, leverage over competitors and job creation. But history suggests a more complex history.
The nonprofit No One Left Behind has raised millions of dollars for flights and other assistance to prevent Afghans from being stranded abroad and face retribution from the Taliban.
At least 800 education department research employees and outside partners have lost jobs. The cuts will decimate research and data collection.
There were protests, arrests, the departure of the school’s president. Then, a new administration arrived in Washington.
Trial-court judges continue to block the president’s agenda with injunctions that apply across the country. Some conservatives want to limit that power.
Stuck to lampposts and floorboards, reminders of Covid’s darkest days are everywhere.
Republicans in the Minnesota House lost a one-seat edge in the Capitol, where tensions over party dominance have simmered for weeks.
Five years later, the coronavirus pandemic may seem far away and foggy, or as visceral as yesterday. Here are some stories of those enduring changes.