U.S. Politics 28 April 2026

South32 Gets Alaska Copper Permit Lift, Hermosa Still in Focus

South32 Gets Alaska Copper Permit Lift, Hermosa Still in Focus

South32 Ltd’s U.S. copper-zinc joint venture has cleared a step, getting into a federal permitting program. The Australian miner now has a more defined route for this North American critical-minerals prospect, as it keeps looking at costs for the bigger Hermosa project. Arctic Project in Alaska, owned by Ambler Metals LLC, the 50/50 JV between South32 and Trilogy Metals, is now listed as a FAST-41 “Covered Project,” Trilogy said. FAST-41 creates deadlines for coordinated reviews of large mining and infrastructure projects in the U.S., but it does not actually approve them.
May 16, 2026
Trump’s Tariff Plan B Targets Economies Behind 99% of U.S. Imports

Trump’s Tariff Plan B Targets Economies Behind 99% of U.S. Imports

Public hearings kick off Tuesday as the Trump administration resets its trade strategy, pivoting to traditional statutes after the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s sweeping emergency tariff plan. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it’s teeing up two days of testimony on whether 60 economies are falling short on banning and policing imports tied to forced labor. Time’s tight. The temporary 10% import surcharge, slapped on via Section 122 of the Trade Act as a balance-of-payments measure, can’t last more than 150 days unless lawmakers step in. Right now, it’s set to expire at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 24, according to a Federal Register notice.
April 28, 2026