The Mineral Imperative, Trump, and The Art of the Deal – by Amanda Van Dyke (Substack – April 19, 2026)
Amanda van Dyke argues that while the United States has long relied on China for critical minerals, a new wave of legislation is reshaping the "mineral imperative" and strengthening domestic supply chains. Recent policies, including the Critical Minerals Act, aim to fund mining, processing, and battery manufacturing in the U.S. By broadening focus to the entire "molecules economy"—energy, chemicals, fertilizer, shipping and finance—the article suggests America’s systemic advantages can offset China’s leverage in rare‑earth chokepoints. The shift reflects a strategic pivot toward industrial resilience and geopolitical security.
Call for Chapters: “Urban Operations: War, Crime, and Conflict , Vol. 2”
KeyPoint Press has issued a call for chapters for Volume 2 of *Urban Operations: War, Crime, and Conflict*. The edited volume will explore how rapid urbanization—now housing 81% of the global population—reshapes warfare, crime, and security. Prospective contributors may address topics ranging...
Afghans Comb Riverbed in Search of Gold Dust (Radio France International – April 16, 2026)
Afghan villagers in Kunar province have turned to manual gold prospecting as formal jobs vanish, sifting dry riverbeds with water‑powered sieves to collect dust‑size nuggets. Men like 45‑year‑old Delawar abandoned construction work to create their own income, hauling rocks and...
Are You Overpaying for a Lab-Grown Diamond? – by Tomi Joseph-Raji, Jeremy McDonald and Asha Tomlinson (CBC News Marketplace –...
In 2024 Toronto couples Daniel Ng and Olivia Chan chose lab‑grown diamonds because they cost about 90% less than natural stones. CBC Marketplace’s investigation reveals that virtually identical lab‑grown diamonds are being sold at widely varying prices, suggesting many shoppers...
Trump, Iran, and the Stress Test of Western Alliances
The ongoing Iran war has escalated beyond a regional conflict, testing the cohesion of Western alliances under President Donald Trump. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have sent oil prices soaring, forcing NATO members to balance security commitments with economic...
Barre Moves to Ban Public Nudity
Barre, Vermont, introduced its first public nudity ordinance in the city’s 200‑year history after a nude‑taxi operator in nearby St. Albans inquired about permits. The council modeled the measure on Burlington’s recent ban, imposing fines starting at $100 for violations....
Now You Can Run Steam Games in Linux on some Handhelds that Ship with Android
Valve released Proton 11 beta 1, merging its Proton compatibility layer with the FEX emulator to run x86 Windows games on ARM‑based Linux devices. The open‑source ROCKNIX OS has added native Steam support for Android handhelds that use Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, allowing users...
“VUCA on Steroids”: Why Your ‘Front Office’ Needs a Culture Reset, Not Just AI
The article argues that front‑office transformation starts with culture, not AI, emphasizing leadership vision and a customer‑first mindset. It calls for integrating marketing, sales and service into a unified, intelligence‑led growth engine rather than isolated cost centers. Buchanan of EY...
Pickle's Julia O'Mara Is Building a Nationwide Closet, One Community at a Time
Julia O'Mara, a materials‑science graduate with finance experience at Blackstone, co‑founded Pickle in 2021 as a social polling app for fashion choices. User comments revealed a demand for borrowing items from peers, prompting a pivot to a community‑driven closet‑sharing platform....
The $1.5 Trillion Double Standard: The U.S. War Economy Has a Naming Problem
The Trump administration has submitted a FY2027 defense budget request of $1.5 trillion, adding $445 billion—over 40% more than the current fiscal year. The request includes a $1.1 trillion base budget plus $350 billion in mandatory resources, driving spikes in aircraft, missile, shipbuilding and...
Monday Afternoon News Updates: Negotiations or War? — 4/20/26
The post outlines a rapid escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions, noting U.S. military and civilian aircraft landing at Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base and Iran’s refusal to resume negotiations until Washington lifts its blockade. President Trump signaled he might consider pausing...
Tesla Q1: Guidance Is More Important Than Results
Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings are expected to deliver adjusted EPS of $0.33, aligning with consensus, but the company projects a cash‑burn of $1.96 billion, markedly higher than analysts anticipate. Full‑year guidance has been trimmed, with revenue now forecast to fall 6%...
WEBINAR: Intrinsic Techniques in RF Power Amplifier Design
Keysight’s second RF Power Amplifier Design master‑class webinar dives into intrinsic modeling techniques for GaN transistors, complementing traditional load‑pull methods. The session showcases a Class J PA built around an intrinsic‑node model, demonstrating how waveform engineering and Fourier‑based impedance mapping boost...
ADG 4/20: Brake Dancing
Edmunds reports that 30.9% of trade‑ins for new vehicles carried negative equity in Q1 2024, the second‑highest quarterly reading on record. The average underwater balance rose to $7,183, a 42% increase over the past five years, while 90.2% of those...
MG4 Range Reshaped for Australia: Big and Small Batteries Gone, but Keen Pricing Retained
MG has refreshed its Australian MG4 lineup, dropping the 51 kWh and 77 kWh variants in favor of a single 64 kWh battery model and a high‑performance XPOWER version. The Essence 64 starts at $39,990 AUD (≈$26,000 USD) and the XPOWER at $47,990 AUD (≈$31,600 USD), representing...
HARFANG PROVIDES WINTER EXPLORATION UPDATE
Harfang Exploration Inc. released a winter update covering its four wholly‑owned projects in Québec and Ontario. The company completed a maiden 1,300‑metre diamond drill program at the Mista Cu‑Au‑Ag target on the Serpent property, with assay results expected in May....
Placeholder Partners and Frictionmaxxing Fatigue
The After School Monday Edition outlines a wave of cultural and marketing shifts, from Coachella brand activations now topping tens of millions of dollars to AI‑generated influencers flooding festival feeds. It flags the rise of “frictionmaxxing,” a luxury‑focused experience model,...
Which Desktop 3D Printing Features Are on the Way Out?
The article maps the rapid maturation of desktop 3D printers, highlighting features that have already become relics—glass beds, manual leveling, clip‑on plates, LCD panels, and slow‑printing architectures. It then spotlights a second wave of technologies poised to fade, such as...
Just How High Has Owner-Ops' Truck-Trailer Maintenance Cost Moved?
In its latest bi‑annual update, ATBS reported that the average owner‑operator spent over $14,000 on truck‑trailer maintenance in 2025—about $250 a week or 15 cents per mile on roughly 94,000 miles. The firm emphasized that rising upkeep is the leading cause...
Kash Patel Sues The Atlantic
FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, alleging the magazine published false claims about his excessive drinking and unexplained absences that senior sources said threatened national security. Patel argues the outlet acted with actual malice...
PROPTECH-X : Why CRE Portfolios Tech Is Often Overbuilt, Under-Integrated, and Underperforming
Commercial‑real‑estate owners have built tech stacks piece‑by‑piece, ending up with overlapping networks, siloed platforms and spreadsheet bridges. The resulting architecture is overbuilt, under‑integrated and drives higher CapEx, OpEx and operational friction. Industry experts argue that simplifying to a standardized, owner‑controlled...
Piermont Valley (CMCAF) to Combine with Tigerless Health in $280M Deal
Piermont Valley (ticker CMCAF), a special purpose acquisition company, announced a definitive agreement to combine with digital‑health firm Tigerless Health. The merger values Tigerless at approximately $280 million, providing the startup with public‑market liquidity and growth capital. Upon closing, Tigerless will...
4/20 and the Real Estate Hangover Nobody Is Talking About
California commercial property owners who chased the 2020‑2023 regulated‑use licensing boom now face a hard‑money hangover. Many acquired retail, cultivation, and warehouse spaces with high‑interest short‑term loans that mature before licenses were granted or businesses opened. As a result, properties...
As Cuba’s Grid Fails, Solar Power Becomes a Lifeline
The Trump administration’s 2026 fuel blockade has crippled Cuba’s oil‑dependent grid, leading to daily blackouts that exceed 20 hours and a humanitarian crisis in hospitals and streets. In response, Cuba’s renewable share jumped to 10% in 2025, driven by a...
Drake Says Judge in Defamation Case Didn’t Properly Consider Whether “Reasonable People” Might Believe Slur in Kendrick’s Diss Track
Drake has appealed Judge Jeanette A. Vargas's dismissal of his defamation suit against Universal Music, contending the court misapplied the “reasonable listener” standard. He argues that the Super Bowl‑aired release of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” with dedicated...
737 MAX – Boeing Aims for 53/Month in 2026
The FAA lifted the 38‑per‑month production cap on the 737 MAX in March 2026, moving to a performance‑based oversight model that relies on Boeing’s Safety Management System metrics. Boeing’s CFO confirmed the company can now pursue a Rate 47 target, with a...
Watch Nick Shirley Confront California Dems Trying to Criminalize Exposing Fraud
Independent journalist Nick Shirley confronted California lawmakers about Assembly Bill 2624, a proposal that would make it illegal to expose fraud through investigative reporting. In a 25‑minute video, Shirley questioned legislators on the bill’s intent, prompting a hostile exchange with...
AI Medical Misinformation Fooled Every Major Chatbot
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg fabricated a fake skin disease called bixonimania and posted two bogus preprints in early 2024. Major AI chatbots—including Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Perplexity AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT—mistook the fictitious condition for a real medical disorder and...
Supreme Court Will Hear Religious Liberty Case on Catholic Preschools and LGBTQ Families
On April 22 the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a lawsuit by a Littleton, Colorado preschool that was excluded from the state’s universal pre‑K program because it would have to admit LGBTQ children and families....
Supreme Court Will Hear Religious Liberty Case on Catholic Preschools and LGBTQ Families
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a Colorado Catholic preschool’s claim that exclusion from the state’s universal preschool program violates the First Amendment because it forces admission of LGBTQ children and families....
Used Car Inventory Continues to Tighten, But Prices Drop Only Slightly
Used‑car inventory hit its lowest level since 2019, falling 5.9% year‑over‑year to 1.95 million units on dealer lots. Despite the squeeze, average listing prices rose only 0.7% in March to $25,390, a modest increase partly driven by tax‑refund spending. Daily sales...
'It's Going to Happen': Harvey CEO Details Why AI Is Here to Stay in the Legal Industry
Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg told a NYU Law audience that artificial intelligence is no longer a pilot project but a core component of modern legal practice. He highlighted how Harvey’s AI platform accelerates contract review, document drafting, and litigation finance...
The Most Valuable Asset Class Is Disinformation
The post reframes disinformation as a for‑profit industry with a classic supply chain: costly newsroom producers, cheap content creators, powerful buyers such as fossil‑fuel and tobacco firms, and digital platforms that auction audience attention. It highlights the collapse of newsroom...
Southwest Is Now Charging For Window Seats That Don’t Have Windows
Southwest Airlines now charges passengers for specific seat assignments, including “window” seats that on its Boeing 737‑800 and 737‑MAX 8 fleet sometimes sit beside a solid wall rather than an actual window. The practice mirrors recent consumer complaints that sparked class‑action...
What Do Spine Surgery Patients Want, Above All Else?
A new Level I systematic review and meta‑analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials involving 5,657 patients and more than 9,200 return‑to‑work (RTW) data points shows cervical disc replacement (CDR) enables faster work resumption than anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)....
Phenom Reports on MK Plus Progress to Commercialization, the Solid-State Vanadium Battery Company
Phenom Resources announced that its 5%‑owned partner MK Plus is moving toward commercial rollout of vanadium solid‑state batteries. The Japanese firm has secured a manufacturing facility in Sweden and received an EU Certificate of Availability plus a 2.5 GWh order from...
InvestorTalk Alert: Robin Dunbar From Grid Metals Corp. To Host on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM EST
Grid Metals Corp. will host Robin Dunbar on InvestorTalk Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 9:00 AM EST. The company is advancing its 100%‑owned Falcon West property in Manitoba, where recent Phase 2 drilling returned 12.9% Cs₂O over 3.8 m and a high‑grade 20.45%...
Designer Notes #93: Charles Cecil – Part 1
Veteran game designer Charles Cecil, co‑founder of Revolution Software and creator of the Broken Sword series, sits down with Soren Johnson for a deep‑dive interview. The conversation touches on off‑beat tax avoidance tactics from the 1990s, a notorious fax incident...
Warner Bros. Discovery and Irenic’s Plan for SNAP With Dr. Paul Nary – Special Situations Report Podcast Episode 63
Episode 63 of the Special Situations Report Podcast features Wharton professor Paul Nary discussing four high‑profile corporate actions. The conversation covers Warner Bros. Discovery’s widening bid spread, Irenic Capital’s activist campaign targeting Snap, Bill Ackman’s intricate proposal for Universal Music...
A Shopify Early Look and a Thank You Gift
The author announced the official launch of a new Shopify storefront this month, inviting newsletter subscribers to participate in a pre‑launch experience. The post emphasizes exclusive access and a thank‑you gift for early supporters. By embedding direct store links in...
Seasonality in American Housing
Redfin’s research shows that seasonal swings in new home listings vary sharply across U.S. metros. Warm‑weather regions like Florida, Phoenix and Las Vegas experience modest listing fluctuations, while colder areas and high‑demand markets such as San Francisco, Boston and Seattle see...
DOJ’s UnitedHealth-Amedisys Deal Remedy Keeps Healthcare Antitrust in Focus
The U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with UnitedHealth Group over its proposed acquisition of Amedisys, requiring the sale of substantial assets to address antitrust concerns in home health and hospice markets. The agreement, backed by a coalition of...
US Navy Conducts Autonomous Minehunting Operations in the Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. Navy has begun autonomous mine‑hunting operations in the Strait of Hormuz after intelligence indicated Iranian mines. The effort employs Textron’s Common Uncrewed Surface Vessel with AQS‑20 sonar and General Dynamics’ Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish UUVs, supplementing a limited return...
AI Algorithm Helps Optimize AGR, and Save Amine, Steam and Power
Yokogawa has deployed autonomous‑control AI agents, based on its Factorial Kernel Dynamic Policy Programming (FKDPP) reinforcement‑learning algorithm, to optimize acid‑gas‑removal (AGR) at Saudi Aramco’s Fadhili gas plant. The agents were trained in a simulated environment, validated for safety, and integrated...
Chinese University of Glasgow Student Arrested After Offutt Spotting Trip
A 21‑year‑old Chinese aeronautical engineering student at the University of Glasgow was detained by the FBI at New York’s JFK airport for photographing U.S. Air Force aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base, home to Strategic Command. Authorities charged him under...
The Weekly Preflight: 5 Things I'm Watching | Week of April 20, 2026
The U.S. Navy’s destroyer USS Spruance seized the Iranian‑flagged cargo ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman, firing into its engine room before Marines boarded the vessel. Iran responded with drone strikes, raising concerns about escalation and prompting insurers to monitor...
What Patients Value in Data Reuse for Oncology Research: A Multi-Stakeholder Qualitative Study to Inform the European Health Data Space...
A new multi‑stakeholder qualitative study examined what oncology patients value when their health data are reused for research. Conducted in Belgium, the research highlights patients’ demand for transparent consent, robust data security, and clear societal benefits. Findings are intended to...
3D Systems Launches SLA 825 Dual With Dual-Laser Technology
3D Systems unveiled the SLA 825 Dual, a large-format resin printer that incorporates two 4 W lasers to accelerate curing. The machine offers an 830 × 830 × 550 mm build volume, roughly 22% larger than the company’s prior SLA offerings. 3D Systems claims the dual‑laser architecture delivers...
Buzzworks Chefs Train With Master Chefs Of Great Britain
Buzzworks’ culinary teams attended an elite patisserie masterclass organized by The Master Chefs of Great Britain at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh. The hands‑on session taught advanced pastry techniques, presentation standards, and creative innovation, forming part of a corporate sponsorship that...
Quantifying Cyber Risk
The article argues that cyber risk must be quantified to answer concrete business questions, not merely to produce abstract loss figures like $420 million. It stresses that quantification should start with the adverse impact on enterprise objectives and use scenario‑based ranges...