PanFa War; Supply Chain, and Sabotage of Food Supply

[Body-by-Guinness]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-east-coast-dockworkers-head-043104467.html

Where is Ronald Reagan when we need him?

Happening just up the road. They've already stomped a truck driver that tried to get into the port, claiming he "tried to hit" a protestor illegally blocking access to the B-more port. Their demands? A 70% pay raise (after having turned down a 50% offer), and an end to automation of the port as a means of preserving jobs. Average pay, I've read, is currently $80K/year.

The good news is Luddites like these only make the crash worse when it does arrive.

[ccp]

https://abc7ny.com/post/port-strike-2024-update-longshoremens-association-ila-contract/15378528/#:~:text=ELIZABETH%2C%20New%20Jersey%20--%20Tens%20of%20thousands%20of,effect%20could%20hurt%20a%20large%20swath%20of%20Americans.

Can anyone imagine what AI will do to workers?

Members of teamsters:

https://teamster.org/who-we-represent/

[Crafty_Dog]

"Can anyone imagine what AI will do to workers?"

A lot of people are in the process of becoming economically "unneeded".

[Crafty_Dog]

October 11, 2024
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Copper: Now and in the Future
Geopolitical challenges in copper mining are significant, particularly in Latin America and Africa.
By: Geopolitical Futures

Copper

(click to enlarge)

Copper is crucial to the global economy, and its importance is only going up. Historically, copper has been vital in construction, electrical networks and transportation. But now it is also in high demand as the world shifts toward green technologies and the electrification of transportation. Due to its high conductivity, durability and resistance to corrosion, copper is used in electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines.

Major copper mining regions include Latin America, particularly Chile, which produces a quarter of the global supply. Other key producers are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, Indonesia and China. While Chile dominates copper mining, it refines only 8 percent of the global total, down from 12 percent in 2015, exporting more than half its copper concentrate. That mostly goes to China, the leader of the copper refining industry, controlling about 60 percent of global capacity. By comparison, Europe and the U.S. each contribute 20 percent of global mining production, followed by Australia and Canada. Europe holds the second-largest share of the refining market, with 20 percent.

Geopolitical challenges in copper mining are significant, particularly in Latin America and Africa. Latin America faces growing social and environmental unrest, such as strikes and protests. For example, demonstrations forced the closure of the Cobre Panama mine, and indigenous protesters disrupted mining in Peru. These issues threaten the stability of the copper supply. China's dominance in copper refining also poses risks, particularly during trade conflicts or supply chain disruptions.

[Crafty_Dog]

https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/an-inflation-hurricane-is-shorting

[Crafty_Dog]

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) urged Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to invoke the Defense Production Act to boost domestic production of IV fluids. American Hospital Association chief physician Chris DeRienzo said the IV fluid shortage “is a massive hole in the supply chain.”

[Crafty_Dog]

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/11/it_s_all_about_control_the_elite_plan_for_the_great_food_reset.html

[Crafty_Dog]

Michael Yon focused heavily on the role of fertilizer:

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( USDA RELEASES MONEY TO SPUR DOMESTIC FERTILIZER: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA will invest $116 million to expand domestic fertilizer production across nine states. USDA has invested $517 million to expand 76 fertilizer production facilities since the program was created in 2022. (Ag economists cite higher input costs as a significant factor for a U.S. ag economy recession. The U.S. imports 20% of fertilizer, so expanding domestic production will likely mitigate some risk to U.S. supply chains and lower price pressure on U.S. farmers. – R.C.)

[Crafty_Dog]

Shouldn't we be quite a bit further along on the way on this than introducing a bill to give $5B to an agency?

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(3) LAWMAKERS REINTRODUCE DRUG SUPPLY CHAIN BILL: Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) said they reintroduced the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act. The bill will give $5 billion to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to upgrade domestic drug manufacturing, and require federal agencies to purchase domestically manufactured drugs. (U.S. drug supply chains are vulnerable to disruption due to reliance on overseas production. American drug makers also rely on overseas facilities and subcontractors. This bill attempts to create a domestic market through government purchases, but environmental regulations are likely to impede the expansion of cheap drug production. – R.C.)

[Crafty_Dog]

(2) RAHM EMANUEL CALLS FOR ENFORCING DEFENSE CONTRACTS: U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said defense contractors should be barred from buying back stock, and be blocked from bidding on contracts for missing deadlines and going over estimated costs.
The “atrophied defense industrial base” is the weak link in America’s strategic posture, and big defense contractors have “zero sense of urgency” or understanding of how they are undermining U.S. deterrence and security commitments, Emanuel added.
Why It Matters: The gutted U.S. defense industrial base is the result of long term economic policies that offshored manufacturing and increased U.S. reliance on vulnerable overseas supply chains. The incoming Trump administration said it will push for reindustrialization of the U.S., but this will likely run up against the projected 2027 timeline of a crisis or conflict with China. – R.C.

[ccp]

(2) RAHM EMANUEL CALLS FOR ENFORCING DEFENSE CONTRACTS: U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said defense contractors should be barred from buying back stock, and be blocked from bidding on contracts for missing deadlines and going over estimated costs.
The “atrophied defense industrial base” is the weak link in America’s strategic posture, and big defense contractors have “zero sense of urgency” or understanding of how they are undermining U.S. deterrence and security commitments, Emanuel added.
Why It Matters: The gutted U.S. defense industrial base is the result of long term economic policies that offshored manufacturing and increased U.S. reliance on vulnerable overseas supply chains. The incoming Trump administration said it will push for reindustrialization of the U.S., but this will likely run up against the projected 2027 timeline of a crisis or conflict with China. – R.C.

couldn't agree more /  why do contractors spiral costs over budget and get away with that?
too bad RE to my knowledge never said this when HIS guy was the Prez and he was WH chief.

[Crafty_Dog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ydB97sNcmo&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0e94Jg1Tekp7dFKAG2rE8MKGPxPSvW0x6aCoGMQdOu7_EUxOLioTw2RKw_aem_XZPniNU9VUnt9JcL7euoqQ

[Crafty_Dog]

(6) TEXAS FACTORIES CONCERNED OVER SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS: According to the latest Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas manufacturers in the electronics, food, and plastics industries said they were concerned about possible supply chain disruptions caused by tariffs on foreign imports under the Trump administration. A plastics and rubber manufacturer said tariffs on imports from Mexico are “the biggest existential threat” to the plastics industry in seven decades.

[ccp]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/oil-tanker-sabotage-crew-were-161439409.html

[Crafty_Dog]

(4) TRUMP DOE TO REFILL STRATEGIC OIL RESERVE: Energy Secretary nominee Chris Wright said the Department of Energy (DOE) will refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) under the incoming Trump administration. Wright said the SPR is a national security safety valve, and not a price control mechanism.

========

Pithily stated and quite right!

[Crafty_Dog]

( GALLIUM FOUND IN ALASKA MINE: Nova Minerals announced its 2024 exploration program found gallium in one of its Alaskan mines.
According to the United States Geological survey, this is the first domestic primary gallium since 1987. The USGS also says gallium refining primarily resides with America and its allies.
China ceased exporting primary gallium in 2024, and controlled 98% of the world’s production in 2022.
Why It Matters: While the report does not include tonnage estimates, this will help move gallium production into a secure domestic supply chain. Gallium is critical to high-end military technology production. - J.V.

[Crafty_Dog]

second

(2) CHEMICAL LAW, EPA UNDERMINING U.S. DRUG PRODUCTION: During a House Energy Committee hearing, American Chemistry Council CEO Chris Jahn said the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) evaluation process under the Lautenberg Act has been excessively slow, and pushed drug makers to buy drug precursor chemicals from oversea suppliers.

The EPA’s proposed exposure limits for drug precursor chemicals is significantly lower than global standards, making it difficult for U.S. drug makers to produce medicines domestically, Jahn added.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) said that since the Lautenberg Act was passed, EPA fees imposed on drug makers that want to produce or import a chemical have increased by 1,380%, while 63% of EPA reviews were delayed by more than a year.

Why It Matters: Officials have warned that U.S. medicine and precursor chemical supply chains are vulnerable due to heavy reliance on overseas manufacture. Lawmakers proposed solutions including easing regulations on chemicals, and tying chemical fees to the EPA speeding up reviews. The fee schedule is up for renewal in 2026, and lawmakers could use renewal to push EPA to speed up reviews and remove regulatory uncertainty that has pushed drug makers to import drugs and precursors rather than produce them domestically. - R.C.

[Crafty_Dog]

(7) MORGAN STANLEY: WORLD MOVING TOWARDS SUPPLY CHAIN PRESSURES: In a note to clients last week, Morgan Stanley advised that the world is “entering a new phase of supply chain pressures” because the phase of relatively simple nearshoring is complete, leaving more complex supply chains to be reoriented.

“Policy makers are pursuing trade barriers and supply chain realignment in the name of national and economic security… The pressure to rewire global commerce for a Multipolar World is building.”

Analysts describe three major challenges: “the US lacks manufacturing capacity; China continues to take [manufacturing] market share; and Mexico lacks necessary inputs, requiring greenfield rather than brownfield investment.” (Brownfield investment includes upgrading existing industrial facilities, while greenfield investment means that ‘green fields’ like forests and pastures will need to be cleared in order to build new industrial areas.)

Why It Matters: Inflationary pressure tops the list of concerns because the heavy lifting of supply chain reorientation is starting. These shifts are more complex due to intricate inputs; more concentrated because there are fewer key suppliers; and more disruptive due to the distance of moving manufacturing from the East to the West. Morgan Stanley analysts describe the new round of strained supply chains as “a persistent risk” that will in some cases result in increased costs passed along to consumers. - M.S.

[Crafty_Dog]

https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/defending-europe-without-us-first-estimates-what-needed?fbclid=IwY2xjawI-cq5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQ97ZDMXlAoEk0MkVP-mgGpPxZVjeq8_6E5MKZei79vuTLe_0t9mB6fWWQ_aem_zSHd3z32CyOD1IeMGUI-dw