China’s communist government moved last week to ban exports of three key energy minerals – gallium, germanium, and antimony – to the United States as tensions between the two world powers continue to escalate during the presidential transition period. The three minerals at play in this US/China trade war have a wide range of applications, including for the military, batteries, and renewable energy.

“In principle, the export of gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials to the United States shall not be permitted,” the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a written directive published December 3.

An Escalating US/China Trade War

China’s latest move to limit exports of rare earth and critical energy minerals with military applications to the US market came a day after the Biden administration announced enhanced semiconductor export controls specific to China, the third such crackdown in the past three years. The US limits will apply to 140 Chinese companies and will limit exports of the kinds of high-bandwidth chips that are crucial for development of AI applications for military and other purposes.

Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a release that the latest move is intended to prevent China from “advancing its domestic semiconductor manufacturing system, which it will use to support its military modernization.”

The US has become self-sufficient in producing some of the minerals in question in times past. But the decision by policymakers and regulators in the US and other OECD nations to make the approval of new mines near-impossible starting in the 1970s put an end to that, enabling China to move to dominate the mining, processing, and supply chains for these key minerals over the last 40 years. As a result, these countries and others have become largely reliant on imports from China for their needs.

An Opportunity Related To Antimony

Where antimony is concerned, this could all be about to change. As a reference for those unfamiliar with this critical mineral, I detailed the myriad military and technological applications for antimony in a story published in May 2021. That is one of a series of stories I’ve written here since 2021 about the efforts by mining company Perpetua Resources to restart the mothballed Stibnite Mine in central Idaho.

Originally established as a gold mining operation in 1927, the Stibnite mine later discovered a large store of antimony, and was able to supply over 90% of the antimony – crucial to the production of tungsten steel – required by the US military during World War II. Output from the mine went into a gradual decline following the War, and it was mothballed in 1996. Recognizing a growing need for new domestic resources of antimony, Perpetua Resources acquired the mine and has been working for well over a decade now to obtain the federal state and federal permits needed to reopen its operations.

In addition to the again-rising needs of the military, antimony is also a critical ingredient in most modern technologies, including those critical to the success of electric vehicles and wind and solar power development. From a national security standpoint, it is now obviously problematic that the U.S. is now unable to supply the vast majority of its antimony needs. Perpetua Resources believes that, once reopened, the Stibnite Mine can provide up to 35% of US needs of this critical mineral.

In a timely coincidence of events, relief could be on the way. The U.S. Forest Service announced in September the publication of a draft record of decision (ROD) authorizing Perpetua to start up operations at the Stibnite mine. If all goes to schedule under the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act, the final decision could come before the end of December.

Anticipating that positive outcome, and in response to the rising trade war between the US and China, Perpetua Resources announced Monday it has entered into a non-binding agreement with Sunshine Silver Mining & Refining to explore the potential for the domestic processing of the antimony recovered from he Stibnite mine.

“Stibnite gold project is the only identified domestic reserve of antimony, and with final federal decisions expected in a matter of weeks, Perpetua is ready to work with US companies to help secure domestic production of antimony,” Perpetua CEO Jon Cherry said.

A wise person once observed that timing is everything in life, and the looming completion of this complex permitting process related to the Stibnite Mine seems a prime example barring further delays. It could become a fortunate example of one door flying open as another closes.

But it is key to remember that the US has to this point been sourcing the vast majority of its antimony needs from China and that it will take months if not years to bring this single mine to full production. Then there’s the fact that antimony is but one of an array of rare earth and critical energy minerals for which similar supply issues will now exist in the wake of the Chinese embargo.

The Bottom Line: A Big Mess To Clean Up

As he ramped up his administration’s attempt to force a heavily subsidized energy transition on the American public in 2021, Joe Biden famously committed to mount a “whole of government effort” to secure new supply chains outside of Chinese domination for these mineral needs. To date, these efforts have been sporadic and largely unsuccessful. This reality, combined with this accelerating trade war between the US and China and the interminable state and federal permitting processes now threaten to fully stall an already slowing transition.

When he assumes office on January 20, President-elect Donald Trump and his appointees are going to have one big mess on their plate where these minerals are concerned unless this US/China trade war is quickly resolved.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal appeals court is expected to hear arguments Tuesday afternoon over whether Idaho should be prohibited from enforcing a strict abortion ban during medical emergencies when a pregnant patient’s life or health is at risk.

The state law makes it a felony to perform an abortion unless the procedure is necessary to prevent the death of the patient. President Biden’s administration sued Idaho two years ago, contending the law violates a federal rule called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, because it prevents doctors from performing abortions that save their patients from serious infections, organ loss or other major medical issues.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case earlier this year, but bounced it back to the lower court on a procedural issue, leaving unanswered questions about the legality of the state abortion ban.

Idaho officials have argued in court filings that the state abortion ban doesn’t violate EMTALA. Instead, they say the fetus or embryo should be considered a patient with protections under EMTALA as well. They also argue that doctors have enough wiggle room under the law to use their best judgment about when to treat pregnant people with life-threatening medical conditions.

“Taking EMTALA for what it actually says, there is no direct conflict with Idaho’s Defense of Life Act,” attorneys representing the Idaho Legislature wrote in court filings earlier this month. “Nothing in EMTALA requires physicians to violate state law. And nothing in Idaho law — whether in EMTALA-covered circumstances or beyond — denies medical care to pregnant women.”

About 50,000 people in the U.S. develop life-threatening complications during pregnancy each year. Those complications can include major blood loss, sepsis, or the loss of reproductive organs. In rare cases, doctors might need to terminate a pregnancy to protect the health of the pregnant person, especially in cases where there is no chance for a fetus to survive.

But some state abortion bans have made medical decisions that once seemed clear feel particularly fraught for emergency room physicians. Complaints that pregnant patients were turned away from U.S. emergency rooms spiked in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“These harms are not hypothetical,” Idaho’s largest hospital system, St. Luke’s Health System, wrote in a friend-of-the-court brief in October. “In all of 2023, before Idaho’s law went into effect, only one pregnant patient presenting to St. Luke’s with a medical emergency was airlifted out of state for care. Yet in the few months when Idaho’s new abortion law was in effect, six pregnant St. Luke’s patients with medical emergencies were transferred out of state for termination of their pregnancy.”

One of those patients had severe preeclampsia — a condition that causes dangerously high blood pressure that can be fatal if untreated — and the others had premature rupture of their membranes, putting them at risk of life-threatening infections, St. Luke’s said.

“The stakes could not be higher,” ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project Deputy Director Alexa Kolbi-Molinas said Monday. She noted recent news reports in Texas about women who died after being denied appropriate treatments for incomplete miscarriages. “The reality is, exceptions don’t work. They don’t actually protect the health and rights of pregnant people regardless of what is written on the page, and that is just the reality when you threaten physicians with criminal penalties.”

Fresno State will play in a bowl game two days before Christmas, marking its 33^rd bowl game in program history.

The Bulldogs will play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 23 at 11:30 PST. Last year, Fresno State defeated New Mexico State 37-10 in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, their fifth straight bowl game victory, the Associated Press reported.

Here’s what you need to know about the game if you plan to attend or watch it.

Who is playing in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

Fresno State will face Northern Illinois in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2024.

Where is the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

The bowl game will be held at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, home to the Boise State University football program.

How can I watch Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

Fans can watch the bowl game on ESPN.

How to get tickets for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 2024

Tickets for the bowl game are available for purchase on ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $20 for the bowl game.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl parking

Fans attending the game in person can purchase parking ahead of the game. Ticket prices for parking depend on the location, and parking starts at $10, according to the bowl game.

When did Fresno State last play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

The Bulldogs previously played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2010, although it was known as the Humanitarian Bowl then. Northern Illinois defeated Fresno State 40-17 in that game, according to Fresno State.

Albertsons Stadium bag policy

Attendees of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium are permitted to bring in clear bags that are plastic, vinyl or PVC and that do not exceed 12” by 12” by 6”, according to the stadium.

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.