Axios

There's a growing push to use new technology to boost U.S. copper processing amid surging demand from the AI boom.

Why it matters: The U.S. has decent copper resources, but the majority of processing happens in large, toxic smelters overseas, much of it in China.

Willie Nelson has become an unlikely barometer of America's biggest infrastructure fights. He once protested the Keystone XL pipeline and fracking. Today, he's fighting data centers.

Why it matters: The American icon's latest cause underscores how the politics surrounding AI infrastructure are beginning to resemble the last decade's fights over fossil fuels.

The U.S. auto industry's retreat from China is accelerating, while Chinese carmakers are inching closer to the American market despite attempts to keep them out.

Why it matters: China once represented a lucrative growth opportunity and manufacturing base for American automakers, but those ties are unraveling as Chinese rivals like BYD and Geely expand their reach around the world.

AGent Energy, a startup that integrates backup generators into the grid during emergencies, raised $11 million in seed funding co-led by Spero Ventures and MassMutual Ventures.

Why it matters: Power demand is rising quickly, straining grids and helping drive up electricity bills.

Brittany Kelm, one of the White House's senior energy advisers, is leaving to work for Sable Offshore, a small oil company with a big political footprint.

Why it matters: Sable Offshore was at the center of a dispute between California and the Trump administration, which invoked the Defense Production Act in March to cut regulatory red tape to help the company quickly boost oil production.