Critical Mineral Reserve May Reduce Supply
Shock, But May Have Unintended Consequences,
Experts Say
Posted By: J. Arthur Brown, 2/7/2026 11:03:05 AM
President Donald Trump announced Monday the creation of a critical mineral reserve that will function a lot like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Project Vault, as it is called, will store minerals in the same way the SPR stores crude oil, with the goal of shielding domestic manufacturers from supply shocks. (snip) These minerals are used in a range of technologies, including military applications and consumer electronics. The project could help address this vulnerability the U.S. has, but as with any government program, it comes with some potential unintended consequences, experts say.
people like this.
people like this.
person likes this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "J. Arthur Brown"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by
J. Arthur Brown"
FBI Secretly Prepared For Disputed Election
And Political Violence In 2020, Bombshell
J6 Memos Show 7 replies
And Political Violence In 2020, Bombshell
J6 Memos Show 7 replies
The FBI conducted a tabletop exercise in summer 2020 that imagined what kind of violence might ensue in a contested 2020 presidential election that year, devising strategies like undercover informants and mass prosecutions for minor crimes that it would later use with the Jan. 6 riot, documents obtained by Just the News show.
(snip) Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's Select Committee on January 6 [,] (snip) said the memos show the
FBI had far more concerns about a disputed election and violence than it acknowledged during the Biden years and yet failed to adequately alert the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021 tragedy.
Dems Decide ICE Body Cameras Are Bad
11 replies
Dems have been calling for ICE body cameras, but as I noted a few days ago "Body cameras have far more consistently proven that law enforcement acted correctly than otherwise (snip.)" Now, the Dems are pivoting to warning about the dangers of ICE body cameras "A push to put body cameras on all ICE agents has Democrats running into a new problem: fear that the technology will provide another avenue for mass surveillance of protesters." (snip) What they really mean is that having footage of their riots on cameras would be bad for their rioters who are also their activist base.
Federal officials announced on Feb. 4 that approximately 700 immigration enforcement personnel would be withdrawn from Minnesota effective immediately, equating to approximately 25% of all agents deployed to the area. (snip) [R]oughly 2,000 immigration enforcement personnel would remain in the area (snip) [--] a sustained enforcement footprint well above historical norms for a single metropolitan area. (snip) Federal officials explicitly linked the reduction to increased cooperation from state and local authorities, including agreements by county jails to transfer individuals subject to immigration holds. (snip) The drawdown functions less as de-escalation than as enforcement consolidation.
Borrowing from novelist James Hilton, who coined the word "Shangri-La" to describe a Tibetan utopia in a 1933 novel, Franklin Roosevelt gave that name to a peaceful retreat we know as Camp David. For California Gov. Gavin Newsom (snip) [i]t stands for a hellish homeless housing nightmare (snip.) [Cody Holmes, President of Shangri-La, was indicted for] embezzling more than $2 million in taxpayer funds slated for homeless housing (snip.) Even after federal prosecutors exposed the massive fraud, Newsom (snip) [hasn't] severed ties with the embattled developer and ha[s] kept political donations from the firm's executives. Newsom also allowed the construction firm to continue to tout his endorsement (snip.)
The Department of Homeland Security fired a senior Customs and Border Protection official on Thursday after it was revealed that the officer had been allegedly leaking sensitive, personal information about CBP personnel, as well as negotiations regarding the border wall to the press, sources within the department told Fox News Digital. The official, who was unnamed, was marched out of his CBP office in Washington, D.C., after DHS discovered the leak, sources said. (snip) The news comes just days after a Fox News Digital investigation uncovered a communications network being used by (snip) [anti-] ICE agitators across the country.
Update On National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe's
Remarkable Recovery Following Attack By
Afghan National 1 reply
Remarkable Recovery Following Attack By
Afghan National 1 reply
In December, 2025, The Gateway Pundit reported on the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House that killed 20-year old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, and left National Guardsman, 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, in critical condition. (snip) Wolfe's recovery has continued to move forward, and by mid-December, he was moved from the hospital to an inpatient rehab facility. On Tuesday, Wolfe shared his first public message (snip) [:] "I'm grateful to be alive. Thank you for your prayers and support," he wrote. "It's all been overwhelming and I'm trying still and determined. It's been hard to go through something like this. Thank uou for everything."
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching an investigation into ABC's "The View" amid the agency's crackdown on equal time for political candidates, Fox News Digital has learned. Last month, the FCC announced it will require the broadcast networks to adhere to the "statutory equal opportunities requirement," citing the Communications Act of 1934, "including the airing of late-night and daytime talk shows." A source at the FCC told Fox News Digital that Monday's "View" appearance by Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico triggered the probe.
Critical Mineral Reserve May Reduce Supply
Shock, But May Have Unintended Consequences,
Experts Say 7 replies
Shock, But May Have Unintended Consequences,
Experts Say 7 replies
President Donald Trump announced Monday the creation of a critical mineral reserve that will function a lot like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Project Vault, as it is called, will store minerals in the same way the SPR stores crude oil, with the goal of shielding domestic manufacturers from supply shocks. (snip) These minerals are used in a range of technologies, including military applications and consumer electronics. The project could help address this vulnerability the U.S. has, but as with any government program, it comes with some potential unintended consequences, experts say.
FBI Director Kash Patel says his agency has resumed an aggressive counterintelligence offensive against China and its Communist Party (CCP) that had been sidelined during the Biden presidency but is concerned the prior administration may have "buried" the truth about dangerous biolabs on U.S. soil tied to Beijing. (snip) Jia Bei Zhu was arrested in 2023 on allegations he was running an illegal biological lab in Reedley, Calif.. On Saturday, the FBI and local police raided a similar biolab in Vegas (snip.) Police and lawmakers say the two labs are closely connected. (snip) [A House committee] highlighted Zhu's links to the (snip) CCP in a 2023 report.
Removing adolescents' healthy body parts under the guise of treating gender dysphoria could soon become a "thing of the past" as doctors reckon with the reality of financial penalties. A detransitioner's landmark $2 million victory in her malpractice case and the first major medical association's new opposition to "gender-affirming" surgeries for minors will force medical professionals to seriously weigh the consequences of offering these procedures (snip.) [HHS] announced in December proposed rules that would strip Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that perform sex change procedures on minors.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta fell all over himself Thursday claiming that the California Department of Justice was working to tackle fraud in the state. (snip) Friday morning, the Small Business Administration upstaged AG Bonta and announced it has uncovered $8.6 billion in suspected fraud tied to Covid-era relief lending in California and has suspended more than 111,000 borrowers in the state. (snip) SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the borrowers are suspected of improper activity involving federal pandemic programs, including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that there were more than 180 vehicle attacks on officers over the first year of President Trump's second term in office. There have been 182 [such] vehicle attacks (snip) since Jan. 21, 2025 (snip.) "Sanctuary politicians with their rhetoric comparing ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, slave patrols, and the secret police and encouraging illegal aliens to evade arrest have incited violence against law enforcement," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Tucson, Ariz. — The sheriff investigating the apparent kidnapping of "Today" show anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother was spotted sitting near the front row at a college basketball game Saturday night, even as Guthrie and her two siblings posted a plaintive plea on Instagram for the safe return of their mother. Fox News Digital obtained photos of Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is facing increased scrutiny as the investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance drags on, attending a matchup between the University of Arizona and Oklahoma State. Early Sunday morning will mark one week since Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her suburban Tucson home.
A radical left-wing group in Los Angeles has published a shocking 40-page roadmap to transform the nation’s second-largest city into a bizarre socialist experiment.
The Democratic Socialists of America’s LA chapter wants to straight-up seize private property through a “creative use of eminent domain,” take control of your neighborhood grocery store, and replace cops with unarmed social workers while shutting down jails.
Their Communist fever dream wishlist includes banning Airbnbs, grabbing golf courses for public housing, allowing non-citizen immigrants to vote in local elections, enforce a school curriculum that supports social justice and eliminating all fossil fuel use by 2035. The 3,500 member group has already helped elect several candidates
A Complicated Week
16 replies
The attention of those less politically minded is focused on the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy -- always fodder for the would-be Colombos and Miss Marples -- and the Olympics. Yet this week saw some victories for the administration along with some serious unfinished business. The ousted dictator Nicolás Maduro seems isolated, depressed, and devoid of funds sufficient to hire teams of lawyers to defend him. Any claims he might have for immunity seem destined to fail. The evidence establishes he was born in Colombia; his claim falls because only a native Venezuelan is entitled to hold the office of president.
A damning on-site investigation has revealed that the winery co-owned by Ilhan Omar’s husband is nothing more than a phantom operation, fueling suspicions of fraud amid scrutiny of her skyrocketing wealth.Angela Rose, the journalist behind the probe, visited the listed address in Santa Rosa, California, only to discover glaring discrepancies that point to a shell company setup.“I visited the principal address of ESTCRU winery. This winery is co owned by US Rep of Minnesota Ilhan Omar’s husband, Timothy Mynett, yet seems to allegedly be a shell business used to launder funds,” Rose stated in her report.
New York City Council member Zohran Mamdani called for a coordinated government response to what he described as growing threats facing immigrant communities, while urging faith leaders to play a central role in supporting residents who may be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mamdani made the remarks while outlining his vision for how city government and community institutions should respond during times of crisis.
He argued that city agencies must operate in a unified manner and said religious leaders are essential partners in reaching immigrant populations across New York City.
The worst-case scenario for Olympian Lindsey Vonn came just seconds into the women's downhill final in Cortina, Italy, on Sunday afternoon.
Vonn's body struck a gate as she made her first big jump less than 13 seconds into her run, altering her momentum and direction, prompting a scary crash as she flung sideways and bombed out.
The race was on hold for more than 20 minutes as Vonn was tended to on the course. The scene at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre was eerily quiet, as thousands at the bottom of the mountain, including Vonn's family, were left stunned and largely speechless.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Seattle Seahawks used a dominant defense and the strong running of game MVP Kenneth Walker III on Sunday to crush the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
It was the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl title in four appearances. It came 12 years after Seattle defeated Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII -- a fitting nod to the 12th man that has fueled the energy at Seahawks’ home games.
The game, before 70,823 fans at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, showcased a punishing, opportunistic defense by the Seahawks that rendered Patriots quarterback Drake Maye mostly ineffective all night.
For days, Luis Ramirez had an uneasy feeling about the men dressed as utility workers he'd seen outside his family's Mexican restaurant in suburban Minneapolis. They wore high-visibility vests and spotless white hard hats, he noticed, even while parked in their vehicle. His search for the Wisconsin-based electrician advertised on the car's doors returned no results. (Snip) As the sweeping immigration crackdown in Minnesota continues, legal observers and officials say they have received a growing number of reports of federal agents impersonating construction workers, delivery drivers and in some cases anti-ICE activists. Not all of those incidents have been verified
Here’s the new euphemism for someone who kills another person while demanding what the victim has: “requestor.”
According to a news report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jarvis Davis was hanging out in an apartment unit, eating a fast food order, when his friend, who had just finished his own meal but was still hungry, “requested” a french fry from young Jarvis. Jarvis declined to hand over his food, and the “requesting” friend then pulled out a gun and shot Jarvis in the head: [snip]A young black man gunned down in cold bold—where is the leftist outrage? They’ll wage war and burn down a city for a career criminal deadbeat dad,
Democrats push hard for every possible advantage in elections, but courts sometimes draw a line.
U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen Jr. delivered a ruling that defined those lines by rejecting a Democratic demand for early voting sites on three North Carolina university campuses. His ruling carried an unmistakable tone of impatience toward a case that tried to dress political convenience as constitutional necessity. The College Democrats of North Carolina argued that without on-campus sites, students would need to travel off campus to vote, imposing time and transportation burdens on young voters.
That's the premise Judge Osteen rejected, making clear that elections aren't built to require perfect comfort;
The uproar over the Trump video tells you more about the left’s narrative machine than it does about what actually happened. What they want you to see is “Trump posts racist monkey video about the Obamas.” What they do not want you to see is context, intent, or basic honesty about how the clip ended up on his Truth Social feed in the first place. Let’s get something out of the way: the post should never have been made, and whoever was responsible was careless for not previewing the entire video first.
The original post from Trump’s Truth Social account was about voter fraud and election integrity, not about the Obamas.
Dems Decide ICE Body Cameras Are Bad
11 replies
Dems have been calling for ICE body cameras, but as I noted a few days ago "Body cameras have far more consistently proven that law enforcement acted correctly than otherwise (snip.)" Now, the Dems are pivoting to warning about the dangers of ICE body cameras "A push to put body cameras on all ICE agents has Democrats running into a new problem: fear that the technology will provide another avenue for mass surveillance of protesters." (snip) What they really mean is that having footage of their riots on cameras would be bad for their rioters who are also their activist base.
Comments:
This article's "experts" avoid the central question Trump's critical mineral reserve seeks to address: what becomes of our access to these crucial minerals in the midst of a major conflict, particularly given China's chokehold on many of them? It also ignores another Trump initiative: mining and refining more of these minerals in the US. Most so-called "rare earth minerals" are rare to us only because our soi-disant governing class has disdained mining in recent decades. The Reserve would guard against military vulnerability while increased mining eliminates the need for the Reserve. Trump knows good and well that the basic problem is that we don't produce and refine these minerals ourselves.