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Posts by Louis V. Galdieri

A Reminder that Antofagasta’s Copper and Nickel Mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters is a Coordinated Political Project In my most recent post about the Senate vote to overturn the Rainy River Watershed Mineral Withdrawal, I made the simple point (for what seems the umpteenth time, forgive me) that this latest bid to hand over the Boundary Waters to a foreign mining company is part of a coordinated political project, one that stretches back to Trump's first term and with connections to Project 2025.

A Reminder that Antofagasta’s Copper and Nickel Mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters is a Coordinated Political Project

In my most recent post about the Senate vote to overturn the Rainy River Watershed Mineral Withdrawal, I made the simple point (for what seems the umpteenth time, forgive me)…

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The Senate Vote on HJR 140 Is Not a Green Light to Mine Near the Boundary Waters, and There are Ways to Remedy the Harm Done Two days before the Senate voted last week to overturn the 20-year Rainy River Watershed Withdrawal, I sent this letter to the Globe and Mail: Nathan Vanderklippe’s reporting on the effort to undo …

lvgaldieri.com/2026/04/18/t...

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Another delay in the Boundary Waters litigation will open the door to even more political finagling No one should be surprised by the Joint Status Report just filed in the Boundary Waters litigation before the DC District Court of Appeals. Twin Metals, joined by the federal government, has asked for yet another 180-day abeyance. The mining company clearly sees that it has little chance of succeeding at law, so it has joined forces with the federal government, the putative defendant in this case, to keep the Twin Metals project on…

Another delay in the Boundary Waters litigation will open the door to even more political finagling

No one should be surprised by the Joint Status Report just filed in the Boundary Waters litigation before the DC District Court of Appeals. Twin Metals, joined by the federal government, has asked…

2 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
Anti-War or Anti-Trump? You can be anti-Trump but still pro-war. Among Trump’s political opponents are those who criticize his execution of the Iran war, but don’t oppose waging war against Iran per se, or those who disapprove of the way he went about things in Venezuela, “but,” or those who decry his belligerence over Greenland, not because it is a belligerent resource-grab but on the grounds that it alienates NATO allies.

Anti-War or Anti-Trump?

You can be anti-Trump but still pro-war. Among Trump’s political opponents are those who criticize his execution of the Iran war, but don’t oppose waging war against Iran per se, or those who disapprove of the way he went about things in Venezuela, “but,” or those who decry…

3 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
Atomos, Firmware, and Fraud A reasonable person would conclude, after looking at this Sony FX3A page on the Atomos site and reading the word "Yes," that the "Touch to Focus" function on the Shinobi II monitor works with the Sony FX3A camera. And a reasonable person might then rely on that "Yes," that affirmation, that assurance by the manufacturer, to make a decision. A reasonable person might decide, say, to purchase a Shinobi II monitor in order to take advantage of its Touch to Focus feature.

Atomos, Firmware, and Fraud

A reasonable person would conclude, after looking at this Sony FX3A page on the Atomos site and reading the word "Yes," that the "Touch to Focus" function on the Shinobi II monitor works with the Sony FX3A camera. And a reasonable person might then rely on that "Yes,"…

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So great that Heather dedicated today's Letter to the threat posed by HJR 140 to the Boundary Waters.

The latest on the Chilean billionaire who stands to profit from all this:
lvgaldieri.com/2026/02/22/t...

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The Chilean billionaire who wants to mine copper and nickel near the Boundary Waters can’t even be bothered to pay his DC sewer bill? Kalorama Sewer_ 2025115942Download Law professor and ethics watchdog Richard Painter put it bluntly back in 2019: Jared and Ivanka’s landlord — a billionaire from Chile who rents them their mansion…

@rwpusa.bsky.social how right you were.
lvgaldieri.com/2026/02/22/t...

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The Chilean billionaire who wants to mine copper and nickel near the Boundary Waters can’t even be bothered to pay his DC sewer bill? Kalorama Sewer_ 2025115942Download Law professor and ethics watchdog Richard Painter put it bluntly back in 2019: Jared and Ivanka’s landlord — a billionaire from Chile who rents them their mansion in D.C. — will use the Boundary Waters as his toilet. Pro-sulfide mining politicians in Minnesota and Washington are handing him the washroom key. Seven years later, the key to the billionaire’s commode is now turning in the lock.

The Chilean billionaire who wants to mine copper and nickel near the Boundary Waters can’t even be bothered to pay his DC sewer bill?

Kalorama Sewer_ 2025115942Download Law professor and ethics watchdog Richard Painter put it bluntly back in 2019: Jared and Ivanka’s landlord — a billionaire from…

1 month ago 1 1 0 0
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Donny McCaslin 16 Feb 26

Donny McCaslin with the Ari Hoenig Quartet last night at Smalls. Sony A7iii FE 1.8 85mm.

lvgaldieri.com/2026/02/17/donny-mccasli...

2 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Hitchhiking As A Type of Women’s Emancipation in the Early Thirties This scene from director Mervyn LeRoy's 1934 Heat Lightning brings me back to the observation that American women in the 1920s and 30s pioneered and popularized the practice of hitchhiking. Women like Doris Poggendee and Nettie Matthews, Barbara Starke, Nancy Youse, Betty Simpson, the McManus Sisters, or Allen Ginsburg’s mother Naomi – all could have been models from which these two characters were drawn. 

Hitchhiking As A Type of Women’s Emancipation in the Early Thirties

This scene from director Mervyn LeRoy's 1934 Heat Lightning brings me back to the observation that American women in the 1920s and 30s pioneered and popularized the practice of hitchhiking. Women like Doris Poggendee and Nettie…

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What Happens to the Appeal in Twin Metals v. US if the Senate Passes HJR 140? Forbes Magazine has excerpted and posted the same moment from the Rules Committee hearing on House Joint Resolution 140 that I did the other day: Pete Stauber's embarrassing concession that he brings HJR 140 on behalf of a Chilean conglomerate, a foreign company that will ship Minnesota's ore to China for processing. This was just minutes after the congressman gravely warned that "China, our adversary," has “stranglehold” over critical and rare earth minerals.

What Happens to the Appeal in Twin Metals v. US if the Senate Passes HJR 140?

Forbes Magazine has excerpted and posted the same moment from the Rules Committee hearing on House Joint Resolution 140 that I did the other day: Pete Stauber's embarrassing concession that he brings HJR 140 on behalf of…

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Antofagasta’s Lobbyists Deliver “An Outrageous Abuse” of the Congressional Review Act It’s a little hard to sit through the video of yesterday’s Rules Committee hearing on House Joint Resolution 140, but it's worth it just to see Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez coax Pete Stauber to acknowledge that any copper Antofagasta pulls out of the ground in northern Minnesota is going to end up “on a boat, in China.” So I excerpted that moment, above.

Antofagasta’s Lobbyists Deliver “An Outrageous Abuse” of the Congressional Review Act

It’s a little hard to sit through the video of yesterday’s Rules Committee hearing on House Joint Resolution 140, but it's worth it just to see Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez coax Pete Stauber to…

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And Boundary Waters defender Rebecca Rom just wrote to explain that Stauber doesn't know the law here, or he's just trying to pull a fast one. I added her explanation in a postscript.
And yeah, I corrected the spelling of Marcy's name.

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Here is a response, which I hope is constructive.
bsky.app/profile/lvga...

3 months ago 0 0 0 0

cc: @emptywheel.bsky.social, who got me thinking about this.

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If We’re Talking about the Violent Occupation and Colonization of Minnesota, Let’s Also Talk about the Play for Minnesota’s Critical Minerals The ever-prolific docket watcher and political commentator Marci Wheeler put up a video the other day where, in her words, she "laid out how Trump's invasion of Venezuela is like his invasion of Minnesota: Tribute and obeisance." I have been wanting to draw and explore that same analogy, but I am reluctant to paint with the broad brush Wheeler uses here.

If We’re Talking about the Violent Occupation and Colonization of Minnesota, Let’s Also Talk about the Play for Minnesota’s Critical Minerals

The ever-prolific docket watcher and political commentator Marci Wheeler put up a video the other day where, in her words, she "laid out how Trump's…

3 months ago 0 0 1 2
François Moutin, 8 Jan 26 François Moutin with the Pilc Moutin Hoenig Trio last night at Jazz Genius. (The trio plays tonight and tomorrow night as well.) Sony A7iii. 85mm 1.8.

François Moutin, 8 Jan 26

François Moutin with the Pilc Moutin Hoenig Trio last night at Jazz Genius. (The trio plays tonight and tomorrow night as well.) Sony A7iii. 85mm 1.8.

3 months ago 0 0 0 0
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Goddard and Newman On Resource-Hoarding Hyper-Elites Stacie E. Goddard and Abraham Newman urge us to take off our "Westphalian blinders" if we are to make sense of the bullying, extortion, and belligerence that now passes for US foreign policy. Their paper on "neo-royalist cliques" addresses a theme I've discussed from time to time on this blog: "a return to the 'patrimonial' state, with rational-legal bureaucracies displaced by personalized rule and 'extra-legal' sovereignty." …

Goddard and Newman On Resource-Hoarding Hyper-Elites

Stacie E. Goddard and Abraham Newman urge us to take off our "Westphalian blinders" if we are to make sense of the bullying, extortion, and belligerence that now passes for US foreign policy. Their paper on "neo-royalist cliques" addresses a…

3 months ago 0 0 0 0
Chasing Returns Leaves a Big Carbon Footprint This chart is from the World Inequality Report 2026, published this week by the World Inequality Lab. The authors explain: Most emission estimates traditionally attribute greenhouse gases to the final consumers of goods and services. This “consumption-based” approach highlights differences in lifestyle and consumption patterns. However, it overlooks another critical dimension of responsibility: capital ownership. Focusing on ownership highlights investor agency:

Chasing Returns Leaves a Big Carbon Footprint

This chart is from the World Inequality Report 2026, published this week by the World Inequality Lab. The authors explain: Most emission estimates traditionally attribute greenhouse gases to the final consumers of goods and services. This…

4 months ago 0 0 0 0
The crackpot king loses his bid to shut down offshore wind Back in January, I wondered whether wind investors had standing to sue the Trump administration over the inauguration day memorandum suspending all federal approvals for offshore wind projects. It turns out the answer is yes, but the investors I had in mind -- individual and big name institutional investors -- are not the stakeholders who prevailed at the Massachusetts District Court yesterday in…

The crackpot king loses his bid to shut down offshore wind

Back in January, I wondered whether wind investors had standing to sue the Trump administration over the inauguration day memorandum suspending all federal approvals for offshore wind projects. It turns out the answer is yes, but the…

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A Second Adjournment Vibe Check on QQQ The Invesco QQQ shareholder meeting has been adjourned for a second time, because the company once again failed to muster the votes they need for their UIT-ETF conversion scheme. Invesco came awfully close on this round, with "over 50% of shares" voting with management and for the conversion. That leaves them with less than one point to gain by December 19th, when the shareholder meeting is expected to resume.

A Second Adjournment Vibe Check on QQQ

The Invesco QQQ shareholder meeting has been adjourned for a second time, because the company once again failed to muster the votes they need for their UIT-ETF conversion scheme. Invesco came awfully close on this round, with "over 50% of shares" voting with…

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The Center for Biological Diversity Claps Back at House Republicans With blatant disregard for First Amendment protections, Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee are now conducting sham investigations into civil society groups who "oppose mining in Northern Minnesota and otherwise negatively influence America’s natural resource and energy priorities." A December 1 letter from representatives Bruce Westerman (R-Ark), Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) accuses the Center for Biological Diversity, the Wilderness Society, Earthjustice, "and other similar radical groups" of "collusion" with "the Biden administration" and makes not-so-veiled threats about the groups' tax-exempt status.

The Center for Biological Diversity Claps Back at House Republicans

With blatant disregard for First Amendment protections, Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee are now conducting sham investigations into civil society groups who "oppose mining in Northern Minnesota and otherwise…

4 months ago 1 1 0 0
A Global Politics That Will Finally Save the World? All of us must do our part and subject world leaders to extreme and relentless public pressure. The challenge of stranding potentially trillions of dollars in fossil capital and rebuilding the world is enormous. Of course, global leaders and officials will take the easier, cowardly road if they can get away with it. As we cross the 1.5C threshold into uncharted climatic territory, …

A Global Politics That Will Finally Save the World?

All of us must do our part and subject world leaders to extreme and relentless public pressure. The challenge of stranding potentially trillions of dollars in fossil capital and rebuilding the world is enormous. Of course, global leaders and…

4 months ago 0 0 0 0
Where are Grinevsky’s Notes? And why am I only just now learning about Andrei Gromyko's three rules for negotiating with the West? 1) demand the maximum – do not meekly ask, but demand that which has never been yours; 2) present ultimatums – do not hold back on threats, since you will always find people in the West who are willing to negotiate; and…

Where are Grinevsky’s Notes?

And why am I only just now learning about Andrei Gromyko's three rules for negotiating with the West? 1) demand the maximum – do not meekly ask, but demand that which has never been yours; 2) present ultimatums – do not hold back on threats, since you will always find…

4 months ago 1 0 0 0
Alt Text for Pete Hegseth’s November 1st Boat Strike Video Like many of the boat strike videos posted to social media by Trump, Hegseth, and the White House, the video of the attack conducted in the Caribbean on November 1st was edited and heavily redacted before its release. Like the other videos, it masquerades as "unclassified" public disclosure, but it discloses almost nothing at all. We are being asked to rely on the stories Hegseth and other administration figures tell when they post these videos on social media.

Alt Text for Pete Hegseth’s November 1st Boat Strike Video

Like many of the boat strike videos posted to social media by Trump, Hegseth, and the White House, the video of the attack conducted in the Caribbean on November 1st was edited and heavily redacted before its release. Like the other…

5 months ago 0 0 0 0
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All the Boat Strike Videos, To Date, in Chronological Order In my last couple of posts (here and here), I've been trying to look closely at some of the latest boat strike videos, call out some of their features, and discuss the information they offer as well as the information they withhold. It might also be helpful to look at all the boat strike videos in a single chronological sequence.

All the Boat Strike Videos, To Date, in Chronological Order

In my last couple of posts (here and here), I've been trying to look closely at some of the latest boat strike videos, call out some of their features, and discuss the information they offer as well as the information they withhold. It…

5 months ago 1 1 0 0

Updated this post with the news that Mexican authorities failed to rescue the lone survivor of these latest boat strikes.

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How the Boat Strike Videos Dehumanize and Gamify Murder The latest boat strike video shows US military attacks on four boats in the Eastern Pacific. The strikes killed 14 people and left one survivor, who is, according to Pete Hegseth, now in the hands of Mexican authorities. Edited together to show three strikes in different locations, these videos have many of the features called out in my first post on this topic…

How the Boat Strike Videos Dehumanize and Gamify Murder

The latest boat strike video shows US military attacks on four boats in the Eastern Pacific. The strikes killed 14 people and left one survivor, who is, according to Pete Hegseth, now in the hands of Mexican authorities. Edited together to…

5 months ago 1 1 0 1

cleaned this up a bit and added a few thoughts.

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Some Notes on the Latest Boat Strike Video This morning, I downloaded the latest of the boat strike videos that the Secretary of Defense is posting on Twitter. (That sentence alone is kind of mind blowing, but let’s leave that discussion for another day.) After watching it a few times, I am starting to put together some notes and seeing if I can have some conversations about the boat strike videos the administration has put out.

Some Notes on the Latest Boat Strike Video

This morning, I downloaded the latest of the boat strike videos that the Secretary of Defense is posting on Twitter. (That sentence alone is kind of mind blowing, but let’s leave that discussion for another day.) After watching it a few times, I am…

5 months ago 0 0 0 1