With Venezuela and Iran, Is the U.S. Trying to Revive the Petrodollar?
Control over Venezuela and Iran’s oil can revive the petrodollar. The U.S. pushes regime change to dictate oil currency and maintain hegemony.
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War Signals, Quiet Channels, and Venezuela’s Discounted Barrels
An analyst in Caracas tries to make sense of Trump’s aggression against Venezuela.
Read more...U.S. Automakers Navigate Rising Metal Costs and Supply Woes
Beleagured US automakers, who remain important employers, face new tsuris in tariff costs and scarcity of key minerals.
Read more...Trump’s Appellate Court Tariff Loss: It Isn’t Over Until the Fat Lady Sings
Trump is likely to win his retaliatory tariff battle at the Supreme Court and even if not, he’s too fond of this bludgeon to give it up.
Read more...James Galbraith: From the Fossil-Fuel Civilization Into …? Economics Gets a Biophysical Reality Check
James Galbraith argues that economics can’t keep ignoring that energy and resources for production are no longer abundant and easy to access
Read more...Economists Wake Up to West’s Trade and Technology Dependence on China
Useful data on and discussion of China’s dominance of inputs and technologies essential to the West.
Read more...Africa’s Minerals Are Being Bartered for Security: Why It’s a Bad Idea
A minerals-for-security deal among the DRC, Rwanda and the US is as bad as the Ukraine “raw earths” security commitments.
Read more...‘Farming in the Dark’: Brooke Rollins’ Leadership, DOGE’s Grip and the Cost to American Agriculture
In her first six months, Donald Trump’s second agriculture secretary has altered the course of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She says prosperity is ‘just around the corner.’ But staffing cuts and restricted research could have long-lasting impacts.
Read more...US Shale Can’t Scale If No One’s Left to Work It
A form of class warfare hits shale players Too few young workers like the industry and its long-term career prospects.
Read more...China’s Rare Earths Weapon Could Kill Europe’s Auto Industry
More on US and European car-makers’ vulnerability to China’s new rare earths licensing regime.
Read more...“The US Trade Deal Is a Bad Deal, and It Has the Potential to Get Worse”
The first US trade “deal”, with the UK, looks as ugly as one might have expected.
Read more...Underage Workers, Millions of Dollars and Trucks Full of Dead Chickens — Inside the Business of Killing in Response to Bird Flu
The federal government has a single contractor to assist with killing infected flocks, leading to delays and the use of controversial culling methods.
Read more...Several Hundred Workers Who Keep Invasive Pests Out of the US Accept Trump’s Buyouts
As many as 700 USDA workers on the frontlines of pest detection and crop protection have accepted deferred resignation offers. Their departure could slow inspections, delay outbreak response and leave the nation’s crops exposed to invasive species — which could harm the agricultural economy.
Read more...Trade War Just Crashed Crude. Demand Might Be Next
Are the tariffs more likely to change patterns in the global oil market than really kill oil demand?
Read more...USDA Cuts Hit Small Farms as Trump Showers Billions on Big Farms
The dollars helped schools and food banks buy from small farmers, boosting the local food system.
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