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  China controls the rare earths the world buys - can Trump's new deals change that? US President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of deals on his Asia visit to secure the supply of rare earths, a critical sector that China has long dominated. The deals with Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia differ in size and substance and it's too early to assess their tangible impact. But they all include efforts to diversify access to the minerals that have become essential for advanced manufacturing, from electric vehicles to smartphones. The agreements, which aim to lock partners into trading with the US, are a clear bid to reduce dependence on China, ahead of a key meeting with its leader Xi Jinping. They could eventually challenge Beijing's stranglehold over rare earths, but experts say it will be a costly process that will take years. "Building new mines, refining facilities, and processing plants in regions such as Australia, the United States, and Europe comes ...
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Top prosecutor resigns after being told to drop case against NYC mayor Eric Adams

The top US prosecutor in Manhattan has resigned after refusing an order to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Danielle Sassoon, a conservative lawyer recently promoted by President Donald Trump, said dismissing the case would set a "breathtaking and dangerous precedent".

Sassoon's departure - along with at least two other top justice department officials - is the latest sign of disquiet over sweeping changes the Trump administration is making in federal law enforcement.

In an indictment last September, Adams is alleged to have accepted gifts totalling more than $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours. He denies the charges.

The case was initially brought by officials appointed by former President Joe Biden.

But on Monday, a Trump appointee, acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove, ordered Sassoon and New York prosecutors to drop the case, saying it "restricted" the mayor's ability to address "illegal immigration and violent crime" - a key goal of Trump's administration.

Bove did not address the merits of the case and noted that the justice department would reserve the right to reinstitute the charges after New York City's mayoral election in November.

Sassoon refused to drop the case, however, setting out her reasoning in a letter to Bove's boss, Attorney General Pam Bondi, on Thursday and saying she saw no "good faith" reason for dropping the case.

"Because the law does not support a dismissal, and because I am confident that Adams has committed the crimes with which he is charged, I cannot agree to seek a dismissal driven by improper considerations," she wrote.

Sassoon said her office held a meeting with Bove and lawyers for Adams on 31 January in which the mayor's representatives offered "what amounted to a quid pro quo", saying Adams would be able to help with administration policies "only if the indictment were dismissed".

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, denied that there was any deal tying immigration enforcement with the dropping of the case.

  • Foreign bribes, cheap flights: What is Eric Adams accused of?
  • US justice department tells prosecutors to drop NYC mayor's corruption case

He said in a statement: "The idea that there was a quid pro quo [with the Trump administration] is a total lie. We offered nothing and the department asked nothing of us."

In a letter accepting her resignation, Bove accused Sassoon of attempting to "continue pursuing a politically motivated prosecution despite an express instruction to dismiss the case".

He also said that other prosecutors who worked on the Adams case would be placed on leave and would be subject to an internal investigation - and that Sassoon would be investigated as well.

Two other justice department prosecutors resigned on Thursday: John Keller, acting head of the public corruption unit, and Kevin Driscoll, a senior official in the department's criminal division.

Later on Thursday, US media outlets reported three additional prosecutors with the justice department's corruption unit also resigned.

Sassoon, 38, joined the federal prosecutor's office in Manhattan in 2016 and was part of the team that prosecuted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

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