WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump has stepped up his push this month to reduce China’s hold over critical minerals, the raw materials used in electric vehicles, smartphones, advanced weapons systems, and many AI-related tools.

China controls about 70% of global rare earth mining and as much as 90% of processing. The Trump administration says that kind of control puts the United States at risk, especially after Beijing used export limits and pricing pressure to sway markets.

At the center of the plan is Project Vault, a nearly $12 billion strategic stockpile announced on February 2, 2026. It’s backed by a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, plus $2 billion from private investors.

The goal is to build reserves of minerals such as rare earths, lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The White House says the stockpile will help protect U.S. manufacturers from supply disruptions, calm price swings, and support more mining and processing at home.

Critical Minerals Ministerial

“American businesses have risked running out of critical minerals during market disruptions,” Trump said during the Oval Office event. “Project Vault keeps our workers and industries from getting hit by shortages.” The announcement followed China’s recent limits on rare earth magnets, which rattled supplies tied to semiconductors, drones, and electric vehicles.

Two days later, the administration brought together the first Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4, with officials from 54 countries. Attendees included India, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several resource-rich nations in Africa and Latin America.

Vice President JD Vance promoted the idea of a preferred trade group among allies. The proposal included enforceable price floors, shared stockpiles, and tariffs meant to counter China’s practice of driving prices down by flooding markets with cheaper supply.

Alongside the meeting, the U.S. signed 11 new bilateral frameworks and memorandums of understanding (MOUs). Partners included Argentina, Peru, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. The agreements focus on joint projects, pricing guardrails, access to financing, and expanding refining and processing capacity, areas where China still holds the upper hand.

One of the biggest headlines is a growing U.S.-India partnership. An interim trade framework released February 6 sets the tone, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer calling it a deal that opens “one of the largest economies in the world for American workers.” It includes two-way tariff changes and supply chain commitments meant to reduce dependence on China.

Building US Supply Chains

Under the framework, India would cut or remove tariffs on a wide range of U.S. industrial products and farm goods, including dried distillers’ grains, soybean oil, tree nuts, and wine. In return, the U.S. would impose an 18% reciprocal tariff on certain Indian exports such as textiles, apparel, leather, and machinery, while lifting tariffs on others, including generic drugs, gems, and aircraft parts.

India also agreed to buy $500 billion in U.S. goods over five years. The list includes energy (oil and gas), coking coal, aircraft, precious metals, and tech items such as graphics processing units used in AI and data centers.

The framework is not limited to minerals, but it fits the broader goal of building supply chains less exposed to China. India took part in the ministerial talks and has also explored related arrangements with countries like Brazil and Canada.

Many analysts see this as a shift in geopolitics. By signaling support for a U.S.-led minerals group, India shows it shares Washington’s interest in cutting reliance on Beijing. That matters as New Delhi works to expand its own mining and processing base. The interim agreement also supports a longer-term U.S.-India trade deal that began taking shape in 2025 under Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The administration is also using executive action. A January 2026 order on imports of processed critical minerals puts more weight on negotiations with other countries. It also raises the possibility of tariffs or import limits if partners do not cooperate. These steps build on earlier work, including updates to U.S. critical minerals lists and new incentives tied to domestic production.

U.S.-China Tensions

Skeptics question whether the strategy can hold up over time, pointing to past policy swings and China’s deep lead in infrastructure and processing know-how. Backers say the mix of stockpiles, allied trade rules, and country-by-country deals marks the strongest U.S. push yet on minerals policy.

With U.S.-China tensions still high, the White House is framing these moves as part of an “America First” push to secure materials tied to economic strength and defense readiness. Billions of dollars are now in motion, and more countries are lining up behind new rules. The administration says it wants to do more than compete; it wants to break China’s grip on the materials that will shape the next few decades.

The next several months will show whether these announcements turn into real mines, refineries, and supply contracts that lower risk for the U.S. industry. For now, Trump’s latest actions have redrawn lines in the global critical minerals fight, with allies coordinating more closely and China facing a more organized challenge.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – A wave of online chatter has put The Washington Post under a harsh spotlight, after unverified claims spread that owner Jeff Bezos approved a large round of layoffs aimed at staff seen as strongly critical of former President Donald Trump. The posts and anonymous tips describe it as a sharp change in direction, tied to the idea that partisan anger no longer drives subscriptions the way it once did.

What is clear is that many large newsrooms have faced pressure from rising costs, weaker ad demand, and changing reader habits. What is not clear is whether the Post carried out firings based on political labels, as some commentators claim.

The Washington Post has not publicly confirmed an ideologically focused layoff plan, and the details moving around online remain difficult to verify.

The claims still landed with force because they fit a larger story that many readers already believe, that major outlets built years of coverage around Trump and now have to adjust.

A Washington Post Media Reset

The rumor centers on a simple idea: that the Resistance-era playbook has stopped paying the bills. For years, Trump coverage drove constant attention across cable news, social platforms, and subscription sites. Critics of that approach say some outlets slipped into advocacy and lost the trust of readers who wanted straighter reporting.

Supporters argue the coverage matched the moment and held power to account.

Either way, the market has changed. Social platforms have shifted what they promote, audiences have splintered, and readers have more options than ever, from newsletters to podcasts to independent video channels. When loyalty drops, budgets tighten fast. That is true across the industry, not just at one newspaper.

Several media companies have already trimmed staff in recent years, and many have reworked opinion pages and coverage priorities to keep subscribers from leaving. That context helped the Washington Post rumors catch fire.

According to the accounts circulating online, the alleged cuts targeted reporters, editors, and opinion writers whose work was tied closely to aggressive Trump-era framing. Some posts even claimed the newsroom used internal scoring systems to flag certain language or topics. Those claims have not been supported with verifiable documents, and no official public memo has been authenticated.

The same is true for the most repeated number, which is roughly 300 journalists who were shown the door. Without confirmation from the company or independent reporting that can verify names and totals, the figure remains an allegation.

A related thread in the rumor mill is financial strain. Like many publishers, the Post has faced a tougher subscription market than it enjoyed earlier in the decade.

Advertising has also been volatile, and brands often avoid outlets seen as political lightning rods. Those pressures are real across media, even if the most dramatic claims about specific losses and private cash infusions cannot be confirmed from public information alone.

Staff Reaction, Union Anger, And the Risks of a Political Narrative

The reports also include claims that employees were informed by email, that severance varied by tenure, and that reactions spilled onto social media soon after. Some posts describe the move as a punishment for speaking out, while others cheer it as a long-overdue cleanup. As with other parts of the story, individual screenshots and anonymous accounts are easy to share and hard to validate.

Any newsroom union would be expected to push back hard against cuts viewed as political, both on principle and on labor grounds. Critics of the alleged purge have framed it as an attack on press freedom. Supporters have framed it as overdue accountability for bias. Without verified details, the debate has turned into a proxy fight over trust in the media itself.

That is part of why this story has traveled so far. Even people who doubt the claims often accept the broader point, that the business incentives that shaped Trump coverage for years are shifting.

Bezos has rarely offered detailed public commentary on day-to-day newsroom choices, and owners often speak in broad terms about independence and standards. In the absence of a clear, on-the-record explanation, observers fill the gap with guesses about motive.

Some believe any major changes at the Post would be about widening the audience and lowering the temperature.

That could mean fewer political crusades, more local accountability reporting, and more emphasis on beats that reliably bring readers back, such as business, tech, health, and lifestyle. Others expect the Post to keep a strong political voice but tighten standards and separate news reporting from opinion more clearly.

One reason the rumors keep spreading is that both sides see a version of what they expect, either a billionaire owner forcing a new tone or a newsroom finally facing the costs of its choices. Both ideas are easy to sell online.

What This Means for Media Under Trump’s Second Term

Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, every political newsroom has faced the same problem: how to cover a constant stream of conflict without turning the coverage into a loop of outrage.

Audiences are tired, trust is fragile, and competitors are everywhere. Independent creators can break stories, frame narratives, and pull attention in minutes. Traditional outlets still matter, but they no longer control the conversation.

That creates pressure to publish faster, choose stronger language, and chase clicks. It also creates pressure to slow down, get the facts right, and stop talking past large parts of the country. Those goals collide daily.

If the Washington Post is making major staffing or strategy changes, it would likely reflect that tension. If the current claims are exaggerated or false, the episode still shows how quickly a narrative about media bias can attach to a brand and spread.

For now, the loudest version of the story remains unproven. What is proven is the bigger trend: a strained news business, a divided audience, and a political era that rewards heat while punishing trust.

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HUSTON, Texas – Elon Musk said Monday that SpaceX is acquiring his AI startup, xAI, in an all-stock deal that puts the combined company at $1.25 trillion. The announcement rippled across tech and finance, since it creates what appears to be the most valuable private company ever. Musk called it “the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth.”

Based on the terms shared, the merger pegs SpaceX at about $1 trillion, up from recent secondary market estimates near $800 billion. It values xAI at $250 billion, a bit above its January 2026 funding round, when it raised $20 billion. xAI investors will receive SpaceX shares through an exchange ratio that converts their holdings into stock of the new combined company. Reports citing banking materials and people familiar with the documents put the implied price at roughly $527 per share.

By size alone, this is the biggest merger ever reported. It lands just months after xAI’s rapid rise, driven by its Grok chatbot lineup and big spending on compute, including the Colossus supercluster. SpaceX, at the same time, continues to lead commercial space with reusable Falcon rockets, ongoing Starship work, and the growing Starlink satellite internet network, now used by millions worldwide.

A deliberate link between AI and space

In a memo posted to SpaceX’s website, Musk framed the acquisition as a logical step for two companies he already treats as connected. “This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission: scaling to make a sentient sun to understand the Universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!” he wrote. He also pointed to practical overlap, including using Starlink for low-latency data movement that can support AI training and inference.

The merger also puts fresh attention on Musk’s long-running idea of data centers in orbit. With xAI’s model work combined with SpaceX launch capacity and space hardware, the new company could place large compute systems in space. Supporters say that could help with Earth-based limits like power use and land needs for giant AI clusters. Analysts have floated the idea that this approach could strengthen Musk’s hand versus rivals such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.

This deal also follows earlier consolidation across Musk’s companies. In 2025, xAI bought the social platform X (formerly Twitter) in a separate stock swap, giving xAI access to a huge stream of real-time posts and conversations that can feed Grok training. With SpaceX now taking in xAI, the structure pulls rockets, satellites, social media, and advanced AI into one company. Some watchers have started calling it the “Muskonomy,” now fully assembled.

Market buzz and worries from some investors

The reaction was quick. On Tuesday, shares of public space-related firms moved higher, as investors priced in more momentum for the sector. Still, the news didn’t land the same way for everyone. Some SpaceX minority holders raised concerns that SpaceX may be rescuing a high-spend AI company. Reports say xAI has been burning about $1 billion per month. Those critics also point to dilution, since SpaceX is issuing stock to complete the purchase, right before a possible public listing.

Multiple reports say SpaceX is preparing for an initial public offering as soon as June 2026. If that happens, the post-merger company could price above $1.25 trillion, with talk reaching $1.5 trillion or higher. A listing on that scale would rank among the largest IPOs ever and put the company in the same market-cap conversation as Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia.

Musk’s personal net worth could climb sharply on paper as well. He reportedly holds about 43% of SpaceX, which now includes xAI. That stake boosts his position as the value of the combined business rises, especially as Tesla’s market cap sits around $1.58 trillion. The SpaceX-xAI combination now looks like a serious challenger in the private-to-public storyline.

Big promises, big execution risk

The upside is clear, but so are the headaches. A company that spans space launch, satellite internet, AI models, and social media is likely to draw more regulatory attention. Expect closer review around competition, data access, and how much influence one owner has across several key industries.

There’s also the basic work of combining two intense cultures. xAI has scaled fast, powered by heavy spending on chips and data centers. SpaceX runs on tight engineering discipline and mission schedules. Bringing those priorities under one roof will test management, timelines, and focus.

Supporters see the deal as a direct expression of Musk’s long-term plan: use AI to speed up space progress, and use space infrastructure to push AI forward. As one industry insider put it, “If anyone can make space-based AI a reality, it’s the man who’s already revolutionized rockets and electric cars.”

Now that the merger is out in the open, attention turns to what comes next. If the IPO arrives this summer, it could reset expectations for how private giants enter public markets, and it could lock in Musk’s boldest corporate structure yet.

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