TYB
Houthis fire ‘hypersonic’ missile at Tel Aviv
Israel claims to have shot down the incoming rocket without casualties
The Houthi movement that controls much of Yemen claimed on Monday to have successfully struck a target near Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile. Israel said the missile was shot down on approach and caused no casualties.
The Yemeni Shia group has blockaded the Red Sea and launched missiles and drones at Israel for months, seeking to halt West Jerusalem’s offensive against the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised address on Monday that a “military target” near Tel Aviv was successfully struck with a hypersonic missile, declaring the operation a success.
https://www.rt.com/news/609456-houthi-missile-tel-aviv/
Tennessee lawmakers could look at water fluoridation next session
Florida's surgeon general issued a guidance on Nov. 22 about a possible neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure.
Tennessee could be one of the next states to address fluoride levels in drinking water as some question its benefits versus possible risks.
The debate over fluoridation reignited after statements from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for secretary of Health and Human Services.
"On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water," Kennedy said in a post on X. "Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease."
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/tennessee-lawmakers-could-look-water-fluoridation-next-session
"Many of these minerals have military applications…"
With many minerals, the U.S. government can increase domestic mining, processing, and recycling to help mitigate future supply cutoffs from China. Of course, building and expanding domestic capacity will take time, significant capital, and appropriate government policies, but it can be done.
However, for some minerals—such as bismuth and tungsten—the United States simply lacks the mineral reserves, scrap, and substitutes to fill supply gaps from a Chinese export ban. For instance, China supplied over 60 percent of America’s bismuth consumption from 2019 to 2022, and the United States has not produced bismuth since 1997. The U.S. National Defense Stockpile also has no inventory of bismuth.
For such minerals, the U.S. government—in addition to seeking to boost domestic production—should both increase inventories in the National Defense Stockpile and sign right-of-first refusal (ROFR) offtake agreements with existing overseas mineral producers. Such steps will help buttress the United States against future export bans.
With stockpiling, the U.S. government should acquire minerals from domestic producers when possible but prioritize acquiring supply wherever it is available including from China. For instance, with both bismuth and tungsten, China is far and away the world’s largest producer: it produces 80 percent of the world’s bismuth and 81 percent of its tungsten.
The second policy is signing ROFR offtake agreements with existing overseas mineral producers for their uncontracted production. In ROFR agreements, the U.S. government would have the first right—but not the obligation—to purchase a certain volume of mineral production before it is offered to other buyers.
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/us-must-fortify-itself-against-future-mineral-export-bans
Dramatic Video Shows Black Sea Storm Splitting Russian Oil Tanker In Half
Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible "safety violations" after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre Volgoneft 212 tanker, with 15 people on board, split in half with its bow sinking, footage published by state media showed, with waves washing over its deck.
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/dramatic-video-shows-black-sea-storm-battering-russian-oil-tankers