Economy

Uyuni’s Southern Pivot

Bolivia's Lithium Joins the Hemispheric REE-naissance As the Trump administration accelerates America's critical minerals independence through landmark legislation and domestic breakthroughs, a quiet but seismic shift is unfolding 4,000 miles south in the blinding white expanse of Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni. The world's largest lithium reserve-23 million metric tons of "white gold" buried beneath the iconic salt flat-is on the cusp of integration into the Western Hemisphere's emerging battery metals ecosystem. President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, inaugurated just over a month ago, has signaled a pragmatic review of stalled Chinese and Russian contracts, opening the door to U.S.-led partnerships that could extend…

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Utah’s Hidden Vein

A Domestic Jackpot Fuels America's Rare Earth Revival Just days after the REalloys-SRC partnership lit a fire under North American rare earth ambitions, Mother Nature delivers a plot twist straight out of a Western: A colossal trove of critical minerals unearthed in the sun-baked Utah desert, promising to turbocharge the U.S. decoupling drive. Announced on Wednesday, by Ionic Mineral Technologies, this Silicon Ridge discovery-unearthed while chasing clay for nanosilicon batteries-uncovers 16 rare earth and critical minerals in concentrations that could rival global heavyweights. Dysprosium, terbium, neodymium, plus lithium, cobalt, and scandium: All in ionic clays ripe for low-impact extraction. It's as…

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America’s REE-naissance

Decoupling from China Through Policy, Partnerships, and Hemispheric Hustle In the high-stakes arena of global supply chains, where rare earth elements (REEs) underpin everything from F-35 fighter jets to electric vehicles and wind turbines, the United States is orchestrating a masterful "flip" in 2025. China's longstanding dominance-controlling about 90% of global REE processing through outdated, polluting methods-has long exposed Western vulnerabilities, as seen in the 2010 export curbs that spiked prices tenfold. But under the Trump administration's aggressive playbook, this dependency is crumbling. Framed by the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), which elevates REEs to "strategic assets" on par with energy…

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Navigating the Metacrisis of Young American Men

Tackling Systemic Barriers for a Disengaged Generation of Men A multifaceted crisis grips young American men, sparking intense discussions across academic platforms, policy arenas, and social media. John Ehrett’s recent article in Commonplace, "Young Men Refuse to Fight in the Hunger Games Economy," diagnoses this as a "metacrisis" driven by systemic randomness, where traditional avenues to stability-education, employment, relationships, and housing-have transformed into unpredictable lotteries. This expository analysis delves into five interlocking arguments: systemic randomness is exacerbated by immigration displacement, which undermines work ethic solutions rooted in flawed education and labor policies, necessitating a blend of cultural and policy reforms. Central…

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Make America Affordable Again

Trump’s Urgent War on the Cost-of-Living Donald Trump did not wait for the 2026 midterms to feel the heat. The off-year elections, the 43-day Democrat government shutdown, and the looming Obamacare subsidy cliff all delivered the same message: Americans still can’t afford life. The President responded with an avalanche of initiatives under one banner: Make America Affordable Again. The Urgency Is Real-and Self-Inflicted by Democrats For 43 days this fall, Democrats shut down the government rather than pass clean funding without permanently extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies they themselves had deliberately set to expire on December 31, 2025. It was the…

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A Better Option Than Rebate Checks

A Case for Capital Gains Tax Relief Over Tariff Rebate Checks: Igniting Sustained Economic Growth In the wake of President Donald Trump’s bold tariff agenda, generating over $214.9 billion in 2025 alone, the United States stands at a pivotal economic crossroads. Two competing proposals have emerged to harness this tariff windfall: Trump’s $1,000-$2,000 rebate checks for American households, funded by tariff revenues, and a capital gains tax cut, as advocated in my columns "Friday Forecasting" and "It's Time to Cut the Capital Gains Tax", featuring tiered rates for U.S. stocks and a flat rate for foreign gains, as outlined in the…

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America Needs an Interest Rate Cut Now

Time for a Rate Cut: Powell’s Inaction Is Costing American Families and Small Businesses The Federal Reserve, under Chair Jerome Powell, is once again dragging its feet, and American families and small businesses are paying the price. The June 2025 Producer Price Index (PPI) report, released July 16, 2025, shows inflation cooling-flat month-over-month and 2.3% year-over-year, below the expected 2.5%. Coupled with a flat June Consumer Price Index (CPI) at 3.0% year-over-year, the data screams for a rate cut now, not in September or Q4. Powell’s history of missteps-too slow to raise rates during the “Bidenflation” surge of 2021-2022 and now…

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Fisking Sen. Ron Johnson’s 2025 Budget Reconciliation Analysis

Analysis of "FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation: Facts, Figures, and Analysis" by Senator Ron Johnson Introduction Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) authored the "FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation: Facts, Figures, and Analysis" report, released on June 18, 2025, which examines the U.S. federal budget’s fiscal challenges. Notably, Johnson is also recognized for producing an immigration chart that gained historical significance during a July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump, unscripted, turned to reference this chart on illegal immigration-originally shared with him by Johnson during an April 2024 plane ride-when he was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt.…

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It’s Time to Cut the Capital Gains Tax

Analysis: Capital Gains Tax Cuts and the Prospects for H.R. 1 The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), poised to reshape America’s economic landscape through reconciliation, presents a rare opportunity to ignite robust growth by including a capital gains tax cut. Whether modeled on Sen. Ted Cruz’s inflation-indexing approach or James Kay’s tiered-rate structure, a capital gains cut is a critical investment-focused complement to the bill’s consumption-driven tax relief, such as eliminating taxes on tips and overtime. This dual strategy maximizes economic impact, spurring both spending and investment to deliver unparalleled bang for the buck. The Taxpayer Relief Act of…

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Wednesday Windings

Midweek Quick Takes This week’s debates have thrust antisemitism, political violence, and media accountability into sharp focus, exposing deep divides in American discourse. On The Tara Palmeri Show, Scott Jennings clashed with the host over the roots of political violence, citing incidents like the May 22, 2025, assassination of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and the June 1, 2025, Boulder attack, injured 12 people with Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel event, as evidence of left-wing antisemitic aggression. A CNN panel on NewsNight with Abby Phillip further highlighted tensions, with conservative voices challenging denials of antisemitism among progressive figures like…

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