Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming, for Wednesday, December 4th. I'm Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom - brought to you by the Cowboy State Daily Morning Show with Jake. From 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday, Cowboy State Daily's Jake Nichols takes you deeper into the stories that matter - and keeps up with the news, weather and sports in your part of Wyoming. Just tune into Cowboy State Daily Dot Com and join the conversation.

The leaders of Wyoming's budding rare earth mining startups were feeling vindicated Tuesday after China announced a ban on exporting several critical minerals to the United States.

The Chinese ban announced Tuesday includes gallium, used to make semiconductors, and germanium, used for infrared and fiber optics technology. China also banned antimony, used for military explosives, and super hard materials like tungsten, used for armor-piercing bullets and shells.

Cowboy State Daily's Renee Jean reports that the ban is actually good news for Wyoming's emerging rare earth industry.

"China has a 90% Stranglehold basically, on the world supply of many of these critical minerals… but it's invigorating to the Wyoming rare earths folks who are already here working on standing up a domestic supply chain, they are years ahead of other states. Here in Wyoming, thanks to these efforts, we've got at least two or three rare earth mine locations, plus we have the Upton plant, which is pioneering a brand new process… which would make a truly domestic supply chain."

Wyoming's huge head start over other American states can only be a benefit in what is definitely becoming something of a rare earths arms race.

Read the full story HERE.

One of the looming questions about the upcoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is whether he will pardon all 1,500-plus people who have either been convicted or face charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.

Cowboy State Daily's Leo Wolfson reports that the chances that Trump will issue such pardons increased over the weekend, when President Joe Biden surprised many by issuing a wide-sweeping pardon to his son Hunter for the federal gun and tax evasion charges he was facing. But many Wyoming Republicans aren't sure a blanket pardon would be the right step to take.

"Even Campbell County Commissioner Scott Clem, who invited a January 6 participant to speak in Gillette last year, said he would like for Trump to not pardon people who committed violent acts on January 6, and specifically acts against law enforcement officers… Jack Speight, former chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party and a former federal prosecutor, agreed and said that he would hate to see anyone who you know did acts of violence committed that day get basically a free pass."

And a blanket pardon could upset some of Trump's moderate Republican allies in Congress, who have already said Trump shouldn't pardon anyone who attacked police.

Read the full story