China Strategically Manipulating Strategic Mineral Markets and Disadvantaging the West, Expert Says

Mining

During a visit to Portugal, a senior U.S. official claimed that China is flooding the market in lithium as a “predatory” tactic to drive down global prices and beat back competition. If prices are low, the theory goes, it’s hard to attract investors and make mine development in the West economically attractive. 

Reuters reported Jose Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment at the U.S. Department of State said at a briefing earlier this month that China was looking at the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which provides government funding for the development of critical minerals and domestic manufacturing, and responding to the competition it may create. 

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Commentary: Polls Underestimate Trump Because He Appeals to Americans Who Are Less Political

Trump and Crowd

One of the largest takeaways from Trump’s unexpected success in 2016 – and the inability of pollsters to accurately predict the support he earned in both 2016 and 2020 – is that Trump has continuously appealed to Americans who are less politically engaged.  

Adding to the issue, is that Americans with lower political engagement are also generally harder to recruit into political surveys to share their opinions. We see this theme repeatedly, with low propensity voters, especially first-time voters, being much more likely to support Trump than highly active voters. At the same time, lower frequency voters are much harder to reach in polls before election day.

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Report: Most Counties Have Little or No Local News Sources

News Room

A new study reveals that a majority of American counties have either one local news outlet or none at all, following a rise in closures of local newspapers.

As reported by Axios, the data compiled by the Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism reveals that over half of the United States’ 3,143 counties have either one local media outlet, or zero; this amounts to approximately 55 million people with limited or no access to local news.

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Music Spotlight: Ashley Wineland

Ashley Wineland

When Ashley Wineland’s song, “Tumbleweed,” came across my email, I knew from the heartfelt song that I wanted to feature the artist. The more I dug into her bio, the more intrigued I became.

I was interested in how Wineland got her start in music. She said, “I have always had a strong love for the performing arts and just telling stories, especially in front of people.”

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