Trump restricts e-waste exports to keep critical minerals at home

President Trump signed a presidential determination Thursday giving the Commerce Department authority to block exports of used batteries and other electronic waste containing critical minerals. The order targets so-called e-waste — including tungsten and shredded battery material known as black mass — that companies currently ship overseas. The U.S. exports nearly 33,000 metric tons of such material per month, according to the Basel Action Network, much of it laden with lithium and other recoverable minerals.

The move fits into a broader administration push to build domestic recycling capacity and reduce dependence on China for minerals that underpin defense systems and clean energy supply chains. A separate deadline already on the books requires defense contractors to stop purchasing minerals of Chinese origin by January 1, 2027, adding urgency to the effort to develop alternative domestic sources.

Watch for the Commerce Department's follow-on rulemaking, which will determine how broadly the export restrictions are drawn and which materials and destinations are covered. Companies in the recycling, battery, and mining sectors should track this closely — it represents both a potential supply windfall for domestic processors and a compliance obligation for those currently moving e-waste abroad.

The U.S. added 43 companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List on Friday, barring their goods from American markets over alleged human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region. The additions — the first under the Trump administration — push the total number of listed entities from 144 to 187. Among the newly banned firms is Hunan Aihua Group, one of China's largest capacitor manufacturers, a component used widely in consumer electronics and industrial equipment. Other additions span the pharmaceutical, metals, and cotton sectors. For supply chain managers and procurement teams, the expanded list narrows the field of permissible Chinese suppliers and increases the compliance burden on companies sourcing components from Xinjiang-linked manufacturers. Importers should audit tier-two and tier-three supplier relationships immediately.

Analyst Gordon Chang warned Thursday that easing restrictions on Chinese driverless technology imports could create serious national security vulnerabilities, as Waymo reportedly seeks to purchase Chinese-manufactured vehicle chassis. Chang argued that Chinese-connected vehicles could be remotely weaponized or disabled by Beijing. The concern is relevant to investors and executives in the autonomous vehicle sector as the regulatory environment around Chinese automotive technology grows more contested.

The sponsor of the Connected Vehicle Security Act pushed back Friday against criticism that the legislation would force Mercedes-Benz out of the U.S. market, noting that Chinese shareholders could simply divest to bring the company into compliance. The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously and has more than 80 bipartisan co-sponsors. The legislation reflects growing congressional consensus that China's state-subsidized auto overcapacity poses a direct threat to U.S. industry.

The Philippine Department of National Defense said Friday that foreign state-backed academic and cultural exchange programs require greater scrutiny, citing concerns about Chinese state-linked institutions influencing local education. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro framed transparency about foreign state funding as a core national governance duty. A U.S.-based think tank investigation identified China's Jinan University as the primary training destination for Chinese-language teachers in Chinese-Filipino schools, adding weight to Manila's concerns.

House lawmakers are pressing DoorDash to explain its use of a Chinese artificial intelligence model, raising questions about data security and the company's exposure to foreign technology dependencies. The inquiry reflects a broader congressional push to scrutinize U.S. companies that integrate Chinese AI tools, with potential implications for tech firms across the gig economy and platform sectors.

A U.K. high court dismissed a legal challenge Friday to planning permission for a large Chinese embassy complex near the Tower of London, allowing construction to move forward. The Royal Mint Court residents' association had argued the site posed terrorism and diplomatic immunity risks. The ruling removes a significant legal obstacle to one of the most contested diplomatic construction projects in Britain in recent years.

Oil prices climbed Friday after Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported stopping two vessels attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz and turning back four tankers, compounding energy supply anxiety already elevated by a drone attack on ships at a Mediterranean Egyptian port earlier in the week. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly one-fifth of global energy shipments, and Iran has blocked most commercial traffic through the waterway since the start of a five-month conflict. London's marine insurance market has widened its high-risk Red Sea zone in response to escalating incidents. With Houthi forces also threatening the Bab el-Mandeb strait, shippers and energy traders now face disruption risks across multiple chokepoints simultaneously — a scenario that keeps upward pressure on crude prices and freight costs.

The Trump administration is exploring the reopening of closed oil refineries, including a shuttered facility in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, to help bring down gasoline prices elevated by the Iran conflict. The St. Croix refinery is of particular interest because it was built to process Venezuelan crude and holds a strategic geographic position. Industry executives told Politico that discussions have ranged from the Virgin Islands to California.

President Trump convened his Cabinet at Camp David on Friday for only his third visit to the presidential retreat in his second term, with the Iran conflict and its toll on gasoline prices expected to dominate the agenda. The five-month-old war — initially projected by Trump to last weeks — has driven fuel costs higher and dragged down his approval ratings. A Reuters-Ipsos poll released this week found only one in three Americans support the war, the lowest reading since the conflict began, a warning sign for Republicans heading into November midterms.

After the Supreme Court struck down most of Trump's tariffs in February, the administration rebuilt its trade barriers through forced labor investigations targeting dozens of trading partners, creating a new tariff framework that will be difficult for any future administration to dismantle. For businesses, the practical result is a durable layer of import taxes that compress margins and push up consumer prices, with limited political appetite on either side to remove them quickly.

The Bureau of Reclamation released a final environmental impact statement Friday requiring Nevada, Arizona, and California to reduce Colorado River water use by roughly 20% over the next two years, with the possibility of deeper cuts depending on hydrology. The plan governs operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead through 2036. Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — face no mandatory cuts but may voluntarily conserve up to 200,000 acre-feet. Agriculture, real estate development, and utilities across the Southwest face material operational constraints under the new framework.

Conservative donors including hedge fund manager Brian Heywood are funding mailers targeting Washington state Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen ahead of the Aug. 4 primary, seeking to weaken the main sponsor of the state's new high-earners income tax. The tax, set to take effect in 2029, faces a repeal effort through Initiative 645 this fall. The strategy aims to drain Democratic resources ahead of competitive swing-district races rather than flip Pedersen's solidly liberal Seattle seat.

Republican Senators John Cornyn, Thom Tillis, and outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy have declined to commit to supporting Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, complicating the confirmation of Trump's former personal defense lawyer who has been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi was fired in April. The holdouts reflect unresolved Republican discomfort over a proposed $1.8 billion Justice Department settlement fund that critics call a slush fund. Blanche's confirmation trajectory is uncertain until he provides written assurances that the fund will never be activated — something he has not yet done. Separately, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is promoting a $22 billion plan to renovate Dulles International Airport.

The Senate education committee approved bipartisan legislation Thursday that would block the Trump administration's piecemeal effort to gut the Education Department by transferring its programs to other agencies. The bill faces long odds in the House, where competing legislation would codify the administration's moves, and Trump is unlikely to sign it. Still, the vote marks the sharpest congressional rebuke yet of the administration's strategy of using interagency agreements to shift tens of billions in federal education programs out of the department.

Anthony Fauci could face a criminal contempt of Congress referral after refusing to answer more than 100 questions before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Committee chair Rand Paul has said he will call a vote next week on a contempt referral. Legal experts say prosecution would face significant hurdles, but the confrontation tests the outer limits of congressional authority to compel testimony from former executive branch officials.

President Trump called Friday for the Senate to immediately confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, even as a proposed $1.8 billion Justice Department settlement fund continues to block his path. The fund, tied to a lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, would distribute money to presidential allies with no restrictions and bar the IRS from auditing Trump's returns. Two Republican senators have demanded written assurances the fund is permanently dead before they vote yes — assurances Blanche has not provided.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted Thursday to advance Erica Schwartz's CDC director nomination 12-10 and Sean Kaufman's ASPR administrator nomination 12-11 to the full Senate. HELP Chair Bill Cassidy, who expressed prior concern about Kaufman's past criticism of hepatitis B vaccine birth doses, said he was assured Kaufman would not set vaccine policy if confirmed. The narrow margins reflect ongoing Republican unease about nominees' records on public health orthodoxy.

The Democratic Women's Caucus called Thursday for a House Ethics Committee investigation into Rep. Max Miller of Ohio following a New York Times report containing domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife. Miller is running for reelection in a competitive House seat, and the allegations — which include claims of physical violence — add political risk to a race Republicans need to hold their majority.