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U.S. hit by worst national security breach since WikiLeaks

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U.S. national security agencies are reviewing how they share their most sensitive secrets inside the government

 
U.S. officials are scrambling to identify the source of what could be the most damaging leak of highly classified intelligence since the WikiLeaks publication of thousands of government documents a decade ago.

At a press briefing at the White House, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said they were working on getting to the bottom of it.

“We’re taking this very, very seriously. There is no excuse for these kinds of documents to be in the public domain. They don’t deserve to be in the public domain. They deserve to be protected. If there are actioned that need to be taken as we learn more about the extent of what happened here, we’ll obviously take those.”

Three U.S. officials told Reuters that national security agencies were reviewing how they share their most sensitive secrets inside the U.S. government after the recent release of dozens of confidential documents that appeared online and are dealing with the diplomatic fallout.

Some of the most sensitive information is purportedly related to Ukraine’s military capabilities and shortcomings.

Information about multiple U.S. allies was also leaked.

One of the documents gave details of internal discussions among senior South Korean officials about U.S. pressure on Seoul to supply weapons to Ukraine, and its policy of not doing so.

On Monday, South Korean lawmakers said they “strongly regret that the U.S. had been illegally spying on allies.”

Ticker News’ affiliate has reviewed more than 50 of the documents, labeled “Secret” and “Top Secret,” that first appeared on social media sites in March.

The Department of Justice meanwhile has opened a criminal investigation into the disclosure of the documents.

Although the release appears to be the most serious public leak of classified information in years, officials say it so far does not reach the scale and scope of the 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables that appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2013.

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Is President Biden securing a ‘made in America’ supply chain for critical minerals?

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Rare earths elements are responsible for some of the most important materials involved in electric vehicle production, battery making, renewable energy systems and technology manufacturing.

 
Last year, President Joe Biden said he wanted to make rare earths an important domestic policy initiative and he signed an executive order to review gaps in the domestic supply chains for rare earths, medical devices, chips, and other key resources.

The Department of Energy announced a $30 million initiative to tap into researching and securing the U.S. domestic supply chain for rare earths and other important minerals in battery-making production.

But at the same time, President Biden also blocked the mining of rare earth minerals on more than 225,000 acres of federal land for more than 20 years.

Is it possible for the U.S. to change course and again have a seat at the table in producing rare earths elements?

To discuss further, Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp. joined us.
#rareearthelements #rareminerals #China #UnitedStates #Veronicadudo #luisamoreno

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Is the West too reliant on Chinese rare earth exports?

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Rare earths elements are needed to make iPhones, advanced batteries, military night-vision goggles and MRI machines. According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.

 
Critical earth minerals are a necessity for humans around the world.

They are essential to our modern-day lifestyles and critical in the creation of things such as iPhones, electric vehicles, and advanced precision weapons.

While the United States is dependent on other countries for many minerals, there is no country that America is more dependent on than China. And all these minerals come at a price.

Rare earths elements are needed to make everything from the technology we use every day like smart refrigerators and advanced batteries to night-vision goggles used by the military to MRI machines which are crucial to the medical field.

Many in the government, business, and science sectors have long raised concerns about how to ensure the West’s continued supply of these critical earth minerals.

The United States was once a dominant player in the rare earths supply chain, but for decades, that global market has been dominated by China.

According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.

Last year, the Biden administration even touted a new plan for the United States to rival China and end their decades-long dominance of rare earth metals market.

So, how reliant is the West on Chinese rare earth exports?

Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp joined us to discuss. #rareearthelements #china #unitedstates #greenagenda #veronicadudo #luisamoreno #trade

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Moscow says sending F-16 jets to Ukraine is a “colossal risk”

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As Ukraine braces a summer of violence, Kyiv is pleading for more air support from NATO

 
U.S. President Joe Biden recently granted his backing for Kyiv’s pilots to be trained on F-16 fighter jets.

These jets can be used in a variety of combat scenarios, including air-to-air or gound-attacks.

In fact, the U.S. Air Force has described these jets as a “relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system.

Thousands of F-16s have been sent around the world. However, Kyiv has been requesting for this support for months.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky believes there is “substantial progress” in convincing western allies to equip Kyiv with fighter jets.

Zelensky said the jets are a “key component” of gaining an advantage over Russian forces.

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