The Globalist Trump heads to Israel as hostages are released. Plus: China-US trade tensions
Oct 13, 2025
Guest
Guy De Launay
Guest
Blaise Eong
Guest
Natalia Sobravia Perea
Guest
Zoe Grunwald
Guest
Alison Kaplan-Summer
Guest
Jonathan Femby
This discussion features Jonathan Femby, a journalist with insights on US-China trade tensions, focusing on rare earth policies and their geopolitical implications. Alison Kaplan-Sommer reports from Tel Aviv, detailing the celebratory atmosphere surrounding Trump’s visit and the recent release of Israeli hostages amid complex negotiations in Gaza. Zoe Grunwald covers the political landscape in France and the UK, highlighting Macron's cabinet reshuffle and rising far-right influence. Meanwhile, Natalia Sobravia Perea examines Peru's political instability and Blaise Eong reports on youth turnout in Cameroon's elections.
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China's Rare Earth Chokehold
- China controls about 90% of processed rare earths despite holding ~60% of reserves, giving it strategic leverage.
- Western dependence is on China's processing capacity more than raw deposits, making decoupling slow and costly.
Escalation As Pre‑Meeting Positioning
- The Trump–Xi tensions are partly posturing ahead of their APEC meeting as each side seeks leverage.
- Markets react to brinkmanship, raising risks for regional economies and supply chains.
Start Domestic Rare‑Earth Processing Now
- Diversify supply chains and invest in domestic processing to reduce strategic vulnerability.
- Expect years of ramp-up for new mines and processing capacity, so act now.