01-26-2026 | United States government and top tech firms make billion-dollar moves reshaping minerals, finance, and AI.

COMPANIES. United States government invests in United States Rare Earth. The United States government takes a ten percent stake in United States Rare Earth as part of a one billion six hundred million dollar package. The deal supports a rare-earth mine and magnet facility. Funding combines direct government investment and private commitments. Officials plan investor calls and implementation steps this week. This move boosts domestic production capacity for critical minerals. THE ECONOMY. Federal Reserve to hold rates. The Federal Reserve is expected to keep the federal funds rate at three point five to three point seven five percent. Three quarter-point cuts were made last year. Economists warn no immediate further easing. Officials will highlight the outlook for future policy. A hold signals caution as labor markets remain strong and inflation components stay sticky. POLITICS. Federal agents kill citizen in Minneapolis. Federal immigration agents shot a United States citizen over the weekend. Protests and vigils erupted in Minneapolis. Local officials demand investigations. The White House defends parts of the operation. Eyewitness accounts and video prompted scrutiny. Some Border Patrol personnel will leave the city. INNOVATION. IonQ buys SkyWater Technology. Quantum computing firm IonQ acquires SkyWater Technology for one billion eight hundred million dollars. The acquisition creates a vertically integrated quantum hardware platform. It accelerates domestic chip manufacturing and strengthens the supply chain. Nvidia invests two billion dollars in CoreWeave to expand artificial intelligence data-center capacity by two thousand thirty.