🇨🇳💎 China’s rare earth squeeze: US F-35 jet fighter production at risk

The delays in licenses could cause serious disruptions for US and European firms relying on Chinese minerals, with Tesla, Ford and Lockheed Martin voicing concerns.

💥 Why it matters:

▪️Lockheed Martin, Tesla, Ford sweating over magnet shortages

▪️Europe’s window to avoid production chaos ‘rapidly closing’, German industry warns

🔋 What’s happening?

In April, Beijing expanded export restrictions on seven rare earth elements and magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and fighter jets like the F-35, in response to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The Financial Times says it is unclear whether China has started approving exports to the US after Washington and Beijing agreed to reduce tariffs for 90 days at talks in Switzerland in May.

Trump imposed high tariffs on Chinese imports in April, with China responding in kind – leading to tariffs of 145% on Chinese goods in the US and 125% by China – before both sides agreed to temporarily reduce tariffs by 115% to 30% and 10%.

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⚰️Former CIA chief predicts Ukraine’s shelf life?

David Petraeus has graciously given Ukraine a survival estimate of four to six more months in the fight against Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime has “a margin of safety” for at least that long, the ex-CIA Director told Ukraine’s NV radio.

👉Petraeus also expressed confidence that US support will continue, and hinted that more sanctions on Vladimir Putin are in the pipeline, claiming that Russia’s national welfare fund might run dry “sometime next year.”

❓Pinning hopes on the next sanctions round doing what the previous ones didn’t?

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European country to Telegram: ‘Censor conservatives - for democracy!’ (Durov says ‘hard pass’)

The plot: An unnamed European govt (🥖) demanded that Telegram "silence conservative voices" ahead of Romania’s election.

💬 Durov’s clapback:

▪️"I flatly refused."

▪️"You can’t ‘defend democracy’ by destroying it."

▪️"Or ‘fight election interference’… by interfering." (🤯)

Irony is delicious: This is the same EU that frets over "disinformation" while manufacturing it.

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☢️🤝 Iran mulls nuclear deal with Arab states and US

🇮🇷Tehran is considering the idea of creating a nuclear consortium involving Middle Eastern countries and the US, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said.

💬 "If this progresses further and the issue is raised seriously, we may consider it and express our opinion."

✍️The New York Times reported that the proposal was made by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as an alternative to the US demand for Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

👉It would allow Tehran to enrich uranium to 3.67% and supply it to Arab countries for civilian purposes, with international observers working at nuclear facilities.

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🚨 German troops in Moldova: EU stepping stone to war with Russia?

🇲🇩🇩🇪 The deployment of a German military advisory group to Moldova is part of the EU’s long-term preparations for war against Russia, says Andrey Safonov, lawmaker from Transnistria’s Supreme Council.

📍The German presence in Chisinau follows a Moldova-Germany defense agreement signed in Berlin, aimed at boosting military cooperation between the countries amid NATO's increased presence.

🗣 Safonov warns:

💬 “This is a step toward reshaping Moldova’s army into a NATO-style force… The EU appears to be preparing for a conflict with Russia in the late 2020s or early 2030s.”

He also claims a new Euro-globalist military bloc—led by Germany, France, and the UK—is taking shape, with ambitions targeting the former Moldavian SSR, including strategic interests in southern Ukraine and Odessa.

💬 "Perhaps the Germans seek control over Moldova itself. But they'll face resistance from the Romanians, who covet the absorption of the entire former Soviet Moldavia. We're seeing a tangled web of interstate disputes alongside shared anti-Russian objectives—a truly globalist project. This objectively increases the risk of renewed war on the Dniester," Safonov concluded.

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🗣Trump Treasury chief blames Biden for Moody’s credit downgrade

💬 “Moody’s is a lagging indicator – that’s what everyone thinks of credit agencies,” Scott Bessent said after the last of the big three credit rating agencies stripped the US of its triple-A rating.

💬 “We didn’t get here in the past 100 days. It’s the Biden administration and the spending that we have seen over the past four years that we inherited,” Bessent told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, adding that the Trump administration is “determined to bring the spending down and grow the economy.”

Moody’s downgraded the US on May 16, citing rising debt and political gridlock affecting fiscal policy. The US had previously been rated Aaa by Moody’s since 1917. Fitch downgraded the US to AA+ in 2023, citing fiscal deterioration, debt and gridlock. S&P did so in 2011, citing political instability and a heavy debt burden ($14.7 trln, pretty quaint compared to today’s $36.8 trln).

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💴💵China’s unloading of US Treasuries: quiet DOLLAR-DITCHING STRATEGY in action

News that the UK has replaced China as the second-biggest foreign holder of US Treasuries is a sign of the Asian nation’s long-term policy goal of expanding the reach of its own currency without “rocking the boat” of global financial stability, says economist Alasdair Macleod.

🇨🇳While China’s Treasuries holdings fluctuate over time, “the background is that China in the long term wants to do away with the dollar,” Macleod, a leading independent money and credit specialist, explained to Sputnik.

💬 “China is making fairly positive moves in that direction to spread the use of her own yuan for trade rather than the dollar within certainly the ASEAN nations. And also, that will be extended to members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and also BRICS.”

To that end, the recent opening of Shanghai Gold Exchange vaults in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia are important steps toward the internationalization of the yuan for trade.

💬 “It is absolutely clear, particularly since President Trump came into office, that the Asian hegemons, China and Russia, have been keen to distance themselves from depending on the West for finance, for capital, for political influence and commercial trade. And to that extent, China has particularly been switching her export markets away from America,” Macleod said.

➕According to the economist, it’s important to distinguish between Chinese and British/Japanese investment in US Treasuries.

China’s holdings are owned by the People’s Bank of China, whereas in the UK and Japan it’s financial institutions, banks, investment managers and offshore US interests looking for superior bond yields.

💬 “It’s very different in character compared to China,” Macleod said. China sees its Treasury holdings as part of its foreign exchange reserves, accumulated mainly through its massive trade surpluses with other countries, and used to manage dollar holdings and ensure currency exchange rate stability.

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🇺🇸🇮🇷Witkoff outlines US’s ‘one very, very clear RED LINE’ in Iran talks

🗣“We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability,” the Trump special Middle East envoy said, adding that the US has “delivered a proposal to the Iranians” meant to address the issue “without disrespecting them.”

Earlier Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that Iran would “never abandon our peaceful nuclear program,” and would “not accept coercion” on the issue. “They want to sanction us? We’ve been under sanctions for a lifetime,” he said.

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✈️Тrump’s Treasury chief SHUTS DOWN CNN host on Qatari Air Force One jet gift

There are 100 billion reasons for the US to accept the Qatari gesture, Scott Bessent told Jake Tapper after the host pointed out that no country would give away a $400 million jet “just to be nice.”

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👊🏻Rubio hits back at critics over US policy on Afrikaner refugees

🗣“We’ve often been lectured by people all over the place about how the United States needs to continue to be a beacon for those who are oppressed abroad – well, here’s an example where we’re doing that,” the US secretary of state told CBS’ Face the Nation.

59 white South Africans arrived in the US on Monday as part of what the Trump administration has said would be a larger relocation, sparking a firestorm of criticism from liberals accusing Trump of fast-tracking or prioritizing them over other asylum seekers. President Trump has characterized the treatment of Afrikaners as a “genocide.”

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🪖Can Israel defeat the Houthis if it struggles with Hamas? Ex-IDF Air Defense Commander calls for reality check

🗣“The question is not why we aren’t doing anything significant, but whether it is possible to defeat an organization that’s 2,000 km away,” Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovich, commander of Israel’s Air Defense Forces from 2015-2018, told Israeli media.

A regional alliance was unable to defeat the Houthis “in seven years, the Americans declared a unilateral ‘victory’ after two months. Deadly attacks [by Israel, ed.] will not bring results,” Haimovich stressed.

Regarding the war with Hamas, Haimovich said the goal of ‘defeating’ the militia is unrealistic. “Hamas is an ideology…The concept of ‘destroying Hamas’ has no hold on reality.”

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💸Bewildered Bessent asks how previous administrations allowed US to be ripped off on trade for so long😬

🗣“With a few exceptions, the countries are coming with very good proposals for us,” the Trump Treasury secretary told CNN.

“These are excellent proposals, but I wonder – how did we get here?” Bessent asked.

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Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan takes lead in Romanian presidential run-off

📊 Exit poll results:

Nicușor Dan (incumbent): 54.9%

George Simion (opposition): 45.1%

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🇷🇴Opposition eurosceptic candidate George Simion claims victory in the Romanian presidential election, defying earlier exit polls.

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🇷🇴 Romania’s Eurosceptic opposition leader says there are 1.7 MILLION dead people on electoral list

💬 “We have an emergency line on WhatsApp where all Romanian citizens can check if one of their relatives who are dead, or one of their friends, may have voted,” George Simion told supporters Sunday amid the second round of Romania’s scandal-plagued presidential elections.

Simion, who became the voice of frustrated Romanians after the cancelation of last year’s vote following independent populist candidate Calin Georgescu’s first round victory, has accused France of trying to steal the new vote, but vowed that “the will of the people will be done” and that there will be no repeat of “stolen” elections.

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🇮🇷 Iranian president: West will stoke Middle East conflicts to keep oil flowing

If oil stops flowing from the Persian Gulf, Western countries would find themselves paralyzed, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, state agency SNN reports.

In response, they would pit Middle Eastern nations against each other so they could grab their oil at bargain prices, and hand them weapons in return to keep the conflict going, he said.

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✈️Simonyan takes a dig at Durov: 'Free speech hero? Tell that to RT & Sputnik

It's a pity that when Telegram CEO Durov blocked RT and Sputnik channels in Europe, he forgot about his noble ideals, said Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik’s parent media group.

She was commenting on the Telegram CEO’s decision not to restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels amid the presidential election taking place in the country.

🍿 The drama:

▪️An unnamed European government – illustrated with a French baguette – asked Telegram to "silence conservative voices" in the Romanian presidential election.

▪️Durov's response: "I flatly refused. You don’t ‘save democracy’ by killing it."

🤡 The hypocrisy:

▪️2022: Telegram blocked RT/Sputnik in EU

▪️2025: ‘Free speech absolutist’ Durov suddenly remembers his principles.

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🔸 Putin defines Russia's goals in Ukraine: "LONG-TERM PEACE & SECURITY"

🔸 China’s unloading of US Treasuries: quiet DOLLAR-DITCHING STRATEGY in action

🔸 NO NUKES, NO SECRETS: Iran doubles down on nuclear red lines

🔸 Trump Treasury chief blames Biden for Moody’s credit downgrade

🔸 Europe must brace for surge in arms smuggling, ‘drone drug gangs’ once Ukraine conflict ends - report

🔸 German troops in Moldova: EU stepping stone to war with Russia?

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🇸🇰 Slovakia’s Fico had to undergo THREE surgeries in aftermath of assassination attempt, deputy PM reveals

💬 “Robert Fico’s condition was very serious, as he had undergone three operations. At the time we only publicized two of them,” Deputy PM and Defense Minister Robert Kalinak told Slovak TV on Sunday.

The third operation was not reported because it could have caused significant public concern, Kalinak said.

On May 15, 2024, a gunman fired five shots at Fico in the town of Handlova, hitting him in the abdomen and shoulder. Fico was operated on for five hours during the first of his publicized surgeries, and two in the second. He returned to office in July, forgiving his attacker and calling for national reconciliation.

The suspect remains in custody awaiting trial, scheduled to begin in July. Authorities say the attack was politically motivated, and don’t rule out a conspiracy, despite the suspect’s claim that he acted alone.

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⚡️ Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer with bone metastasis, a statement from his personal office said.

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❗️ Netanyahu approves resumption of Gaza aid

According to a statement issued by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, the blockade has been lifted because "the development of a hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip would endanger the continued operation to defeat Hamas."

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