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Economy

Arctic clouds.
AM Briefing

‘A Critical Phase’

On China’s H2 breakthrough, vehicle-to-grid charging, and USA Rare Earth goes to Brazil

AM Briefing

Total Waste

On Eli Lilly’s nuclear, Sunrise Wind, and Brazil’s minerals

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AM Briefing

SunZia Rises

On Minnesota mining, DAC being back, and desalination dividends

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AM Briefing

Saipan’s ‘Total Darkness’

On Trump’s dubious offshore wind deal, fast tracks, and missed deadlines

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The Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s Blockade in Force

On a rare earth jumpstart, Constellation’s warning, and V.C. Summer

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An NOAA facility.

NOAA Money

On California geothermal, Vineyard Wind, and Congolese metals

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AM Briefing

Trump’s Blockade

On Hungary’s political earthquake, mining in Argentina, and the Sam Altman attack

Donald Trump.
<p>Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images</p>

Current conditions: A storm corridor is set to pummel a swath of the United States from the Plains to Great Lakes for the next days • Super Typhoon Sinlaku is barreling toward Guam, where it is poised to make landfall as the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, while to the south Cyclone Vaianu forces hundreds of evacuations on New Zealand’s North Island • Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s sprawling capital, is facing days of intense thunderstorms as floods displace cars in the Caribbean’s largest city.


THE TOP FIVE

1. Trump threatens to blockade the Strait of Hormuz as Iran talks collapse

Contrary to popular parlance, the Strait of Hormuz hasn’t been closed these past few weeks. It’s just been closed to any cargo not approved by the Iranian government. As I told you last week, a Wall Street analyst who went on a Gonzo reporting mission armed with Cuban cigars and packets of Zyn nicotine pouches to the Persian Gulf chokepoint concluded that billions of dollars of goods were passing through the waterway, but only on Iranian-flagged ships or Chinese vessels enjoying the benefits of political alignment with the Islamic Republic. After talks this weekend failed to reach a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States is planning a naval blockade to prevent any ships from passing and subject Tehran to the same pressure Washington is facing from the closure. That’s what President Donald Trump announced Sunday in a series of posts on Truth Social. In a reversal of last week’s ceasefire deal, Trump said the U.S. would “interdict every vessel” in international waters that passed through the Strait of Hormuz after paying Iran a toll, calling such a levy “illegal” and “world extortion.”

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AM Briefing

$17 Billion

On rare earths, groundwater, and Antarctic krill

Solar panels.
<p>Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images</p>

Current conditions: Hawaii is bracing for flooding from its third kona storm this year after the other two dumped a combined six feet of rain on some parts of Maui’s mountains • A major landslide on Italy’s Adriatic coast has severed the A14 highway • Heavy rain in Azerbaijan deluged the capital city of Baku.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Liberal champions of clean energy win control of Arizona’s biggest utility

Arizona’s biggest public utility, the Salt River Project, just held an election for the seats on its board — and liberal champions of clean energy swept. A slate of candidates campaigning under the name Clean Energy Team will now hold an eight-to-six majority at the utility that serves power and water to millions of customers. The race drew national attention, and proved, according to The New York Times, “surprisingly contentious.” On one side were the Sierra Club and Hollywood climate activist Jane Fonda. On the other were local business leaders and Turning Point USA, the conservative group Charlie Kirk founded. While two candidates from the latter slate won seats, proponents of renewable energy will dominate policymaking at the utility for the first time. “We can show that the utility can be successful and profitable and still support renewable energy,” Randy Miller, a former board member who backed the clean energy slate and now serves on an advisory council for the board, told Politico. “It’s no longer a question about whether it’s possible.”

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