CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Retired Commander of the West Virginia National Guard, Major General Bill Crane will be joining in on discussions regarding the need to strengthen America’s starter battery supply chains.

Crane is going to be a panelist at a CQ/ Roll Call briefing in Washington D.C. on Tuesday morning that’s sponsored by the Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC), who promotes supply chain security for the batteries in American vehicles.

During the briefing, Crane and other officials will not only be discussing battery supply chain necessities, but the importance of bolstering critical mineral production and ensuring national security amid rising global instability.

Crane recently came on MetroNews Midday to talk about everything the panel would be holding discussions on Tuesday.

He said this need of securing supply chains was something that first came about during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 when China was implementing measures that significantly had an impact on global supply.

“We realized how our supply chains are really controlled by China, because we couldn’t get masks, gowns, and all of those medical supplies, and we really learned a lot during that time, and so, it’s the same thing you’re seeing today,” Crane said.

China currently dominates 48% of the global supply.

Now, with two-thirds of U.S. access to critical minerals like antimony, that is used for strengthening batteries in vehicles and devices being cut off, as well as tensions with China escalating, Crane said this conversation is more crucial than ever as it deals with protecting American jobs, industrial capacity, and national security.

Crane said 100% of those Rare Earth minerals are processed in China and are sent back to the U.S.

He said while the U.S. has some processing capabilities, it’s not to the degree that the country needs, and this coalition wants to make sure that we have those capabilities so that we have control over our own supply chains.

“It’s absolutely critical for our defense, every vehicle, every plane has a battery in it, all of our weapons systems have some kind of a rare Earth element piece to it, so again, it’s really critical for us to control those supply chains,” he said.

Key topics during the event will include:

.Protecting America’s starter batteries

.Reducing reliance on foreign-controlled minerals like antimony

.Advancing U.S. battery recycling and innovation to build a secure, circular domestic supply chain

Crane said that everything that we must have in order to create and advance the modern society we enjoy today comes down to these rare earth elements that are currently controlled by China.

“We want to build our own stuff here in America so we can trust it and know that it’s safe,” he said.

He added that all of our devices, such as what’s in our solar panels, our iPhones, and our critical infrastructure all contain these elements.

Crane said the next step is in making some kind of investment in ensuring we can process these minerals ourselves and control our own destiny.

He said a promising aspect in potentially solving this issue is found in coal ash, mostly from coal processed right here in Appalachia as it contains a lot of rare earth elements.

“So, you know, what was a by-product of burning coal to produce the power, now you can reprocess it and actually extract rare earth elements out of the coal ash,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Crane was selected to be on this panel for being a champion in helping to modernize America’s defense and industrial capabilities, and is a strong advocate for domestic battery manufacturing and resilient supply chains that support both military and civilian infrastructure,

Crane served as the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard from 2021 to 2025 with the Critical Infrastructure Protection Battalion under his command.

He is a 36-year Army veteran and engineer. Once commanding the 111th Engineer Brigade, Crane was instrumental in improving the nation’s homeland defense, emergency response and critical mineral security.

He said Tuesday’s panel will be made up of himself and eight others with expertise all around. Crane further explained how the panel was going to go.

“There’s some folks from Israel, there will be other corporate partners there as well,” Crane said. “We’ve also set up a meeting after the event, we’re going to try and sit and talk with Senator Capito for a little bit and explain that to her as well.”

Other confirmed speakers include:

Adam Muellerweiss, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Clarios; President, Responsible Battery Coalition
Craig Singleton, Senior Director, China Program, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Micah Thompson, Senior Manager, Energy and Utilities, Advance Auto Parts
Lisa Jacobson, President, Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Elected Officials and Policymakers – To Be Announced

The event gets underway from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday. You can stream the event on securingamericanbattertech.com.

CeeDee Lamb signed a massive extension with the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2024 season and then put together another impressive campaign.

The fifth-year pro recorded more than 1,100 yards for the fourth season in a row while hauling in more than 100 receptions for the third. He did so despite dealing with a brutal shoulder injury throughout the year. No one else was there to consistently draw the defense’s attention away from him either.

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That’s not going to be the case in 2025, thanks to the addition of George Pickens. Added in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickens is being called the best No. 2 wide receiver Lamb has worked with. Lamb, however, doesn’t agree.

Lamb and Pickens were together at Kyler Murray’s celebrity charity softball game and said there’s no WR1 and WR2 combo with them. They also said it’s not 1A and 1B, but rather, they give Dallas two No. 1 wide receivers.

That might be a nightmare for opposing teams, but Micah Parsons just finds the humor in it. The Dallas pass rusher shared a video of the two receivers, saying Lamb “done found a new best friend.”

Dallas is coming off a frustrating 7-10 campaign. While injuries played a huge part in that, they still struggled on offense when they were fully healthy due to a lack of weapons outside of Lamb.

Pickens, as well as rookie running back Jaydon Blue, hope to change that as the Cowboys look to get back on track.

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Lionel Messi isn’t used to losing, and it’s not something he’s taking lightly amid Inter Miami CF’s poor form. 

While the Argentine has enjoyed immense success since joining Inter Miami in 2023, the club’s recent run has seen them win just once in their last seven games in all competitions. 

This week also ranked as one of the most challenging. The Herons lost 4–1 to Minnesota United, then picked up a 3–3 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes, and ended the eight days with a 3–0 loss in the Florida Derby against rivals Orlando City SC. 

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner let fans know his thoughts after the derby in an interview with Apple TV. 

“It’s a difficult time, but we’re going to come through this,” Messi said. “Now we’ll really see if we’re a team. These are difficult times. When everything is going well, it’s very easy, but when difficult times come — like now — we have to be more united than ever, be a real team, and get through it.”

The loss pushed Miami’s MLS record to 6-3-4 and dropped them to sixth in the Eastern Conference, a low point after they had already crashed out of the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals against the upstart Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 

It also raised further questions about how the team will respond throughout the rest of the MLS season and how they will fare as one of the league’s representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup next month, where they will take on Al-Ahly, FC Porto and Palmeiras in the group stage. 

“We’re coming off a period of bad results,” added Messi. “But we have to keep working and think about what’s next. With three or four games left in May, we [have to] finish the best possible way to be able to face the Club World Cup.”

Miami won the Supporters’ Shield in 2024 with a record of 22-4-8 and set an MLS regular season points record of 74, but they have looked a shell of that team in how they have played under first-year manager Javier Mascherano in 2025. 

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When looking at what went wrong against Orlando, Messi pushed back on referee Guido Gonzalez, who allowed play to restart quickly in the first half, leading to Luis Muriel’s opening goal, assisted by a long ball from Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. 

“We had a great first half, we were attacking, creating scoring chances. Then there was a strange play where one of their players gave the [Orlando] goalkeeper a pass and the referee said he didn’t know the rule and didn’t see it that way, from there came their long pass and the goal,” Messi said, having also received a yellow card or dissent in the 75th minute, his third caution of the season.

“[These are] not excuses, but there are always issues with referees and I think MLS has to look at some of the officiating.”

It marked time this week that Messi has been at odds with an official, after getting into an altercation with referee Joe Dickerson midweek, in which San Jose Earthquakes manager Bruce Arena had to hold him back from a potential red card. 

Amid the struggles, rumors have surrounded Messi’s future at Inter Miami. His current contract is set to expire at the end of the season. 

While he refused to answer questions on his future in the Apple TV interview, he could be enticed to stay after the club extended his longtime teammate and former FC Barcelona left back, Jordi Alba, through the end of the 2027 season.

“To sign Jordi for the next two years is important to show stability, and hopefully, in a few weeks, we can have some news about Leo,” Mascherano added post-game. “I think it will be very, very important for the club, the fans, and for MLS.”

As for how Miami might find their way back into the win column, they will have to look ahead to next week’s clash with the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union. 

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