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Wyoming’s First New Coal Mine in Decades to Extract Rare Earths

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

The developer of what would be the first new coal mine in Wyoming in decades is launching a potentially half-billion-dollar effort to extract rare earth metals from the fossil fuel that is crucial for tech products and military hardware. The only operating U.S. rare earths mine is at Mountain Pass in California. Nearly all of the nation’s supply comes from China, the source of nearly 90% of the world’s supply. Wyoming’s First New Coal Mine in Decades to Extract Rare Earths – electrifiED

China Is Quickly Eroding America’s Lead in the Global AI Race by Liza Lin, Josh Chin, Raffaele Huang

William Attardi on July 2, 2025

Chinese artificial-intelligence companies are loosening the U.S.’s global stranglehold on AI, challenging American superiority and setting the stage for a global arms race in the technology. In Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, users ranging from multinational banks to public universities are turning to large language models from Chinese companies such as startup DeepSeek and e-commerce giant Alibaba’s alternatives to American offerings such as ChatGPT. OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains the world’s predominant AI consumer chatbot, with 910 million global downloads compared with DeepSeek’s 125 million, figures from researcher Sensor Tower show. American AI is widely seen as the industry’s gold standard, thanks to advantages in computing semiconductors, cutting-edge research and access to financial capital. The competition, some industry insiders say, has set the world on the path toward a technological Cold War in which countries will have to decide to align with either American or Chinese AI systems. China Is Quickly Eroding America’s Lead in the Global AI Race – WSJ

How A Lighting Firm Is Quitting China for Cambodia

William Attardi on July 1, 2025

 Lucidity Lights, a maker of lamps and other lighting products, accelerated its production shift from China to Cambodia in response to rising tariffs and changing global trade dynamics. Company officials said trade policies in President Donald Trump’s first term served as a wake-up call to move production. Lucidity has now moved 70% of its manufacturing to Cambodia and plans to fully exit China. Until last year, his company’s products—lamps and other lighting goods sold to retailers including Walmart and Home Depot—had been made in China.The transition has allowed Lucidity to secure new retailer contracts and boost revenue this year despite ongoing logistical and supply chain challenges in Cambodia.  The Wall Street Journal

GE Appliances Moves Washing Machine Production from China to Kentucky with $490 Million Investment

William Attardi on June 27, 2025

GE Appliances announced a nearly half-billion-dollar project Thursday that it says will create 800 new jobs and shift production of clothes washers from China to its massive manufacturing complex in Kentucky. GE Appliances says nearly all the steel used in its U.S. manufacturing for its appliances comes from American steelmakers. The redesigned factory will become its most advanced manufacturing plant for clothes washing production, the company said, featuring the latest in automation, robotics and material-handling technologies including automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots.  GE Appliances shifting washing machine production from China to Kentucky | AP News

Electric Vehicles Catching on in the United States and Around the Globe By Rick Laezman

William Attardi on June 12, 2025

While still a relatively small portion of the total number of vehicles on the road, electric vehicles are catching on, and their numbers are growing. The trend is happening around the globe and in various states in the United States.According to the “Global EV Outlook 2025” report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), global sales of electric cars are climbing. They are on track to surpass 20 million in 2025, which would account for over a quarter of cars sold worldwide. That’s also an increase of 35% from the same time last year.In a country-by-country comparison, China maintains its position as the EV market leader. EVs account for almost half of all Chinese car sales in 2024.In the United States, electric car sales grew by about 10% year-on-year, reaching more than one in 10 cars sold. Electric Vehicles Catching on in the United States and Around the Globe – Electrical Contractor Magazine

Trump Says China Trade, Tariff Deal ‘Done,’ Awaits His and Xi Jinping’s Approval

William Attardi on June 11, 2025

President Trump on Wednesday announced that the deal with China “is done,” and is awaiting his and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s approval. ,” Trump postedon Truth Social.  “OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!). WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!” Trump says China trade, tariff deal ‘done,’ awaits his and Xi Jinping’s approval | Just The News

Tariff Tracker, May 12: An Agreement with China

William Attardi on May 12, 2025

The temporary agreement is seen as a potential breakthrough for negotiations with multiple countries.  In what is being described as a major trade breakthrough, the U.S. and China have agreed to slash tariffs for 90 days while both sides negotiate a new agreement. The decision has pushed stocks up on Monday, and is a solid beginning to what may be a long-term agreement. Chris Kuehl, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Armada, tells us that while some questions remain, a long-term agreement will go a long way toward helping American manufacturing.  Tariff Tracker, May 12: An Agreement With China – electrifiED

Supply Chain Bill Passes the House 

William Attardi on May 2, 2025

On April 28, the House of Representatives passed the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. John James (R-MI). The bill establishes a Supply Chain Resiliency Program within the Department of Commerce, using AI and quantum computing to anticipate and mitigate supply chain disruptions from natural and man-made disasters. It includes an Early Warning System, fosters public-private collaboration, and incentivizes domestic manufacturing to reduce reliance on adversarial nations like China. Supply Chain Bill Passes the House  – tEDmag

Artificial Intelligence Can Be America’s Strategic Advantage by Manisha Singh

William Attardi on February 28, 2025

The world is shifting from great power competition to global strategic advantage, and artificial intelligence can be America’s great strategic advantage. Like every other significant innovation in the last century, AI was created in the U.S. Both allies and adversaries are racing to surpass our economic and security capabilities. America must accelerate in the race to mobilize AI for great strategic advantage. President Trump has made the point about American dominance in AI emphatically. Among the flurry of initial executive orders is an EO focused specifically on “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.” It directs the development of an AI Action Plan to “act decisively to retain global leadership in artificial intelligence.” The unwritten part being that thThe AI face off is between the land of the free and the Chinese communist party. America cannot afford to lose.e most sinister challenge emanates from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).  Artificial Intelligence Can Be America’s Strategic Advantage

Name, Image Likeness (NIL) – NIL legislation has transformed the college sports landscape. The Supreme Court, NCAA, and student-athletes all played a role in the new compensation rules. NCAA long argued that amateurs are understood as those who do not profit off of their athletic performance and college sports fans and consumers demanded amateur play on the collegiate level. That argument was denied by the Supreme Court. Student-athletes can now be paid for their autograph, developing their own merchandise, promoting products or services, and event appearances due to their personal celebrity. Now, athletes are starting their own brands, endorsing brands, and becoming their own brands. While the Supreme Court and NCAA passed Name, Image, and Likeness into affect, schools still have their own specificities around the new rule. One of the most important hurdles for student-athletes now is to use these guidelines properly. That is to say athletes must understand how the state they play in or school they attend may affect the way they can utilize now-legal NIL rules. Rules on school logo restrictions, what products may or may not be sponsored, as well as other guidelines, differ from state and school. Athletes are also expected to inform universities of NIL deals and contracts they decide to engage in. Social media and personal branding are now more important than ever. And this is just the beginning.