President Trump this week threw his full support behind a massive project to turn a sacred Apache site outside Phoenix into one of the world’s largest copper mines, meeting with mining executives at the White House and ridiculing a recent court decision that temporarily halted the transfer of federal lands to their companies.

Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met in the White House on Tuesday with several executives from Rio Tinto and BHP, the two multinational mining companies behind the planned Resolution Copper mine. As proposed, the mine would turn Oak Flat — a long-preserved site of rocky outcroppings and desert waterways in the Tonto National Forest — into a nearly 2-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep industrial crater.

Trump also posted about the project on his Truth Social site, calling the three-judge U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel that blocked the transfer a “Radical Left Court” and saying it was “sad” that “Radical Left Activists” could stall such a project.

“3,800 Jobs are affected, and our Country, quite simply, needs Copper — AND NOW!” Trump wrote.

He also wrote, without evidence, that those fighting the mine are “Anti-American” and working on behalf of “other Copper competitive Countries.”

The San Carlos Apache Tribe, which is among the plaintiffs suing to block the mine, called the court’s decision a “last minute victory” in its ongoing battle to save the land.

“The Apache people will never stop fighting for Chí’chil Biłdagoteel,” tribe Chairman Terry Rambler said in a statement, using the traditional Apache name for Oak Flat. “We thank the court for stopping this horrific land exchange and allowing us to argue the merits of our pending lawsuit in court.”

Trump’s decision to directly weigh in further elevates the already large profile of a monumental legal battle. It has aligned environmental activists and religious liberty proponents, and has major implications for the nation’s ability to meet its rapidly growing demand for copper, which is an essential element in telecommunications networks, electric vehicles and other growing technologies.

Oak Flat was federally protected land for decades. Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe describe it as sacred land home to spiritual guardians akin to angels, and say it has been used for coming-of-age and other tribal ceremonies for generations.

In 2004, prospectors discovered that one of the world’s largest copper ore deposits, estimated to hold enough copper to supply up to a quarter of U.S. demand, sat 5,000 to 7,000 feet below the surface.

The battle to extract the deposit has raged ever since, but particularly since 2014, when former Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake inserted language mandating the land transfer into a last-minute defense appropriations bill.

A lawsuit brought by the group Apache Stronghold and led by Apache elder Wendsler Nosie Sr. resulted in a split 9th Circuit ruling against the Apache and in favor of the mining companies in March 2024.

In May, the Supreme Court declined to hear an Apache appeal of that decision, clearing the way for the U.S. Forest Service to issue a final environmental impact report and hear a last round of public comment before handing the land over to Resolution Copper.

The decision marked a major loss to the mine opponents, but it did not end other lawsuits filed to stop it — including one filed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and another by a group called the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition.

On Aug. 15, a district judge in Arizona issued an order clearing the way for the land transfer to move forward Tuesday.

The groups appealed, and the three-judge 9th Circuit panel put the District Court decision on hold Monday, pending its own hearing of arguments over the transfer — one of which is that the federal government bypassed a required step in the environmental review process.

The panel — composed of two Clinton appointees and one Trump appointee — said it was not taking a position on the merits of those arguments, and would expedite the case, with all briefs due by Oct. 14.

The court’s reprieve, if only temporary, was cheered by Apache groups and other organizations whose members use the Oak Flat land for rock climbing and other recreation. Some also spoke out against Trump’s remarks, calling them anti-American.

Rambler, the San Carlos tribe chairman, said the mine’s opponents “are working to save the U.S. from making a disastrous decision that would give up American resources to foreign interests,” and that Trump had been “misinformed” to think otherwise by the mine’s supporters.

Rambler said BHP and Rio Tinto are foreign companies with ties to Chinese state-owned companies and will be exporting the copper taken from Oak Flat — “likely to China.”

Rambler said he looks forward “to sitting down with the administration and providing factual information to protect American assets.”

Nosie, in a statement provided to the The Times, also accused Trump of siding with foreign interests over those of Indigenous Americans.

“Our nation cannot survive if we sacrifice what is sacred in pursuit of temporary profits,” he said.

He said the Apache people are grateful for all of the support they have received from people of all political stripes and religious backgrounds, who he said have recognized the fight for what it is — a “moral one.”

“If we destroy our sacred land and poison our environment, we are betraying our children and grandchildren and hurting ourselves,” he said. “The future of the entire human race is at stake.”

A Resolution Copper spokesperson said the company is confident the 9th Circuit will “ultimately affirm” the District Court’s “well-reasoned” ruling in favor of the land transfer.

“Over the past 11 years, the Resolution Copper project has undergone a rigorous, independent review under the National Environmental Policy Act, led by the U.S. Forest Service. This review has included extensive consultation with numerous Native American Tribes with ancestral ties to this land, local communities, civil society organizations, and a dozen federal, state, and county agencies,” the spokesperson said. “The collaborative process has directly led to major changes to the mining plan to preserve and reduce potential impacts on Tribal, social, environmental, and cultural interests.”

The spokesperson said the project has other local support and “the potential to become one of America’s biggest copper mines, contributing $1 billion annually to Arizona’s economy and creating thousands of local jobs in a region where mining has played an important role for more than a century.”

Tuesday’s meeting at the White House included Trump and Burgum, as well as current Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm, incoming Rio Tinto Chief Executive Simon Trott and BHP Chief Executive Mike Henry, as well as other White House officials.

The Resolution Copper spokesperson said the discussion centered on “the mining industry’s capacity to deliver long-term domestic supplies of copper and other critical minerals” from the Oak Flat deposit.

MEXICO CITY — The presidents of Mexico and the United States said Thursday that punishing new tariffs on Mexican goods exported across the border would be put off for 90 days as the two nations continue negotiations on the contentious levies.

The long-awaited announcement came after Presidents Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum had a morning telephone conversation, the latest in a series of phone calls in which the Mexican leader has urged her U.S. counterpart not to impose more tariffs on her nation — the United States’ largest trading partner.

Trump called the phone conversation “very successful” in a post on Truth Social, adding: “More and more, we are getting to know and understand each other.” The two North American leaders have yet to meet in person.

Posting on X, Sheinbaum said she had “a very good call” with Trump and that the two nations agreed to keep talking for 90 days “to construct a long-term agreement in line with dialogue.”

In his comments, Trump said that many Mexican imports would continue to face a 25% tariff that the president has said is needed to force Mexico to cut down on smuggling of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid linked to tens of thousands of deaths in the United States.

Mexico is fighting to reverse proposed 25% tariffs on auto imports and 50% tariffs on imports of copper, steel and aluminum, among other levies. Trump said those tariffs — along with the 25% fentanyl tax — would remain in place during the 90-day negotiating period.

However, many Mexican goods continue to be exported tariff-free under the terms of the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which Trump signed during his initial term.

President Trump’s move to impose a 50% tariff on U.S. copper imports targets a vital metal that is widely used in many products and industries. That could lead to higher prices for everything from appliances and electronics to cars and home repairs, economists and industry experts said.

Mr. Trump announced the copper duties late Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, saying they will take effect Aug 1. 

“Copper is necessary for Semiconductors, Aircraft, Ships, Ammunition, Data Centers, Lithium-ion Batteries, Radar Systems, Missile Defense Systems, and even, Hypersonic Weapons, of which we are building many,” he wrote. “Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense! Why did our foolish (and SLEEPY!) ‘Leaders’ decimate this important Industry? This 50% TARIFF will reverse the Biden Administration’s thoughtless behavior, and stupidity. America will, once again, build a DOMINANT Copper Industry.”

Price jump

Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, said copper is an integral component in electrical wiring and plumbing, as well being used as a heat conductor in radiators and household appliances. He worries that a hefty copper tariff will trigger inflation. 

Copper prices had already surged 13% on Tuesday, reaching a record high, after Mr. Trump floated the possible tariff.

“It’s bad news all around,” Young said of Mr. Trump’s proposed copper tariff. “If companies’ costs go up they pass them along to consumers, so we’d see higher prices for home repairs and anything that uses copper.” 

Copper tariffs could also make maintaining the nation’s electric grid more expensive and drive up household energy costs, Young said. “It would negatively affect the electricity industry and anybody who uses electricity.”

Mr. Trump has said that tariffs provide financial incentives to ramp up domestic production, including of critical materials like copper, and help create manufacturing jobs.

“America cannot be reliant on foreign imports of the copper that’s necessary for key military hardware, infrastructure and everyday electronics,” White House Spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “The Trump administration is committed to reshoring manufacturing that’s critical [to] our national and economic security with a two-pronged approach of tariffs and a full suite of supply-side reforms like deregulation and the pro-growth tax cuts of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill.” 

Ripple effects

The biggest users of copper — and therefore most exposed to the tariff increase — include a vast range of industries, covering everything from construction to semiconductors, electric vehicles and renewable energy components such as solar panels, according to industry data. 

Daan de Jonge, copper demand and prices lead analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, said in a research note that “a 50% price hike will have inevitable ripple effects on the cost of new infrastructure, the cost of housing the cost of fridges, cars, air conditioning.”

For consumers, that means the cost of appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as EVs, would likely rise if this 50% tariff goes into effect, according to analysts. 

“Copper is an important element in development of semiconductors and electric vehicles. And the tariff announcement caused prices to go up quite dramatically, so you can tell it’s a pretty big deal,” Veronique de Rugy, a professor of political economy and senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, told CBS MoneyWatch. “The reason President Trump picked copper is because it’s such a big deal for a lot of important things.” 

Carveouts for key partners?

The U.S. relies heavily on copper imports from Chile, followed by Canada.  The U.S.’s net copper imports met 53% of U.S. demand for copper last year, according to Morgan Stanley research. 

Experts note that Mr. Trump isn’t certain to hike duties on copper, saying his proposal could be aimed more at securing concession from exporters. 

“These are two examples of countries that the U.S. could offer some sort of quota or export restraint relief to as part of a broader deal,” UBS chief investment strategist Kurt Reiman told CBS MoneyWatch, referring to Canada and Chile. A revamped U.S. trade policy could also include carveouts for foreign copper suppliers, he added

Although the U.S. could ramp up domestic copper production, it would take years to significantly increase output, Reiman said. “We aren’t ready. The mines would have to be built out, and that’s typically a multi-year process.”

The sectoral tariff threats come after Mr. Trump this week announced stiff new tariff rates on 20 nations that have not yet reached trade agreements with the U.S and that he said would take effect on Aug. 1. He outlined the new rates, posted in nearly identical letters on Truth Social, as a 90-day pause on so-called “reciprocal” levies was set to expire on Wednesday.

AFP

contributed to this report.

An attempted — and unsuccessful — copper theft in Van Nuys caused a widespread internet outage Sunday affecting swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, a Spectrum spokesman confirmed to The Times.

“This morning, our lines were cut due to vandalism in Van Nuys that also affected our services in other parts of Los Angeles and Ventura,” said spokesperson Dennis Johnson. In an update on the company’s progress in restoring service, Johnson said late Sunday afternoon that “technicians restored services in Ventura this morning, and services continue to be restored this afternoon in Los Angeles.”

The incident Johnson attributed the incident to copper wire thieves — who were looking for copper in a place where there was none.

The company said that one or more individuals cut multiple fiber lines that were on the poles, apparently climbing trees to gain access. The lines were cut sometime after midnight.

Users reported on social media that their internet was out in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday and throughout the day — with some voicing frustration over the disruption occurring on Father’s Day.

On X, user @strappyheels wanted to know: “Will customers get credit on their bill since the outage has been ongoing since 2am and there is no ETA?”

Another apparent customer, @5cottFive expressed disbelief on social media at Spectrum’s posted explanation citing “a criminal act of vandalism.”

“There’s no way a single act of vandalism took out regional internet for all of Ventura and Los Angles counties,” the user posted. “This is a serious outage spanning from Ventura, Ojai, Simi, The Valley, and apparently all the way down to Anaheim.”

But the outage was not universal or as long-lasting for some. At 4:57 p.m., @Ladybugzz21 posted that her internet in the San Fernando Valley was working.

Work to restore some areas was continuing into the evening, the company stated.

The company has had to make “thousands” of fiber splices to repair the lines, a process that is time consuming, even with the help of extra crews that were called in, a company statement said: “The fibers need to be spliced in the lines to restore services.”

In its statement, Spectrum said that the severing of wires has become “an issue affecting the entire telecommunications industry, not just Spectrum, largely due to the increase in the price of precious metals. These acts of vandalism are not only a crime, but also affect our customers, local businesses and potentially emergency services.”

The statement noted: “Spectrum’s fiber lines do not include any copper.”

The company said it was working with the Los Angeles Police Department in offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest: “Anyone with information on this act of vandalism can contact Spectrum at (833) 404-TIPS or 8477 or reach out to local law enforcement.”

The Supreme Court declined Tuesday to hear an Apache religious challenge to the construction of a massive copper mine on Oak Flat, a swath of untouched federal land in Arizona that tribe members consider sacred and irreplaceable.

The decision, which leaves intact a lower court’s ruling against the tribe members, marked a major loss for Apache Stronghold, a group that has long argued that the mine’s construction would violate their religious rights by permanently wiping out a unique sacred site used for Apache religious ceremonies.

It allows the U.S. Forest Service to move forward with plans to issue a final environmental impact report and hear a last round of public comment before issuing a decision on transferring the land to Resolution Copper, a joint venture by the multinational mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP Group.

Wendsler Nosie Sr., an Apache elder and leader of the Apache Stronghold, said in a statement that his group would continue to defend the land about 70 miles east of Phoenix — including through other court battles challenging the mine and an appeal to Congress to intervene.

“We will never stop fighting — nothing will deter us from protecting Oak Flat from destruction,” Nosie said. “We urge Congress to take decisive action to stop this injustice while we press forward in the courts.”

Vicky Peacey, Resolution Copper’s general manager, said in a statement that the company was pleased the lower court’s decision will stand.

“The Resolution Copper mine is vital to securing America’s energy future, infrastructure needs, and national defense with a domestic supply of copper and other critical minerals,” Peacey said.

She said the project has “significant community support” and “the potential to become one of the largest copper mines in America, add $1 billion a year to Arizona’s economy, and create thousands of local jobs in a region where mining has played an important role for more than a century.”

The high court’s majority did not articulate a stance in the case, but by declining to hear it sided with a heavily divided panel of judges in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that ruled against the Apache in March 2024.

However, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote a dissent — joined by his fellow conservative, Justice Clarence Thomas — saying the majority’s decision not to take the case was “a grievous mistake” and “one with consequences that threaten to reverberate for generations.”

Gorsuch said he had “no doubt” that the high court would have heard the case “if the government sought to demolish a historic cathedral” rather than a Native American sacred site.

“Faced with the government’s plan to destroy an ancient site of tribal worship, we owe the Apaches no less,” Gorsuch wrote. “They may live far from Washington, D.C., and their history and religious practices may be unfamiliar to many. But that should make no difference.”

Gorsuch said no one could “sensibly” argue against the significance of the case. “As the government has made plain, it intends to clear the way for Resolution Copper to begin the destruction of Oak Flat imminently,” he wrote.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., another conservative, did not participate in the conversation or decision in the case, though a reason was not provided.

The case touches on a host of politicized issues, including federal land use, religious liberty and efforts to balance corporate interests with limited natural resources and environmental degradation. It also has confounded traditional political divides, including by uniting conservative religious organizations and liberal environmental groups behind the Apache.

The fight between Apache Stronghold and Resolution Copper has been ongoing for years.

Nosie and other Stronghold members have traveled the country since the 9th Circuit ruling against them to raise awareness about their effort. Resolution Copper has continued billions of dollars’ worth of preparations for the mine in the surrounding area, where it has other mining operations, and provided substantial financial support to local officials in the nearby town of Superior, Ariz. — which is braced for an influx of mining employees and their families and the accompanying strains on infrastructure.

At the core of the Apache challenge to the mine is their argument that the mine would not just hamper their ability to practice their religion, but obliterate it.

Oak Flat, on the edge of the Tonto National Forest about an hour outside Phoenix and not far from the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, is used by the Apache for sweats and for coming-of-age ceremonies known as Sunrise Dances, where young girls are ushered into womanhood. The Apache believe the land is blessed by their creator and home to spiritual guardians akin to angels, and researchers have found the site is archaeologically significant not just to the Apache but to Hopi, O’odham, Yavapai and Zuni tribes.

Oak Flat also sits atop one of the world’s largest untapped copper ore deposits — with enough estimated copper to supply up to a quarter of U.S. copper demand. Such demand has exploded with the proliferation of telecommunications networks, electric vehicles and other technologies that use the element.

The land in question had been under federal protection for decades, until Republicans added language allowing the federal government to sell or swap the land to the mining companies into a must-pass defense bill in 2014. Federal planning records show that extracting the deposit would over the course of several decades turn Oak Flat — which the Apache call Chí’chil Bildagoteel — into a nearly two-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep industrial crater.

Resolution Copper has said it has worked closely with Native American advisors and worked to avoid important Apache sites in its planning, including nearby Apache Leap. Peacey said the company has been working for more than a decade to “preserve and reduce potential impacts on Tribal, social, and cultural interests,” and will continue to do so.

Apache Stronghold asked the Supreme Court to take up the case after an 11-judge panel of 9th Circuit judges split 6-5 in favor of the federal government’s right to use its land as it chooses. Such splits in circuit decisions often get the attention of the high court, but not always.

Judge Daniel P. Collins, an appointee of President Trump, authored the majority opinion. He wrote that Apache Stronghold’s religious claims failed because, while the federal government’s transfer of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper might interfere with the Apaches’ practice of their religion, it did not “coerce” them into acting contrary to their beliefs, “discriminate” or “penalize” them, or deny them privileges afforded to other citizens.

He wrote that Apache Stronghold had essentially asked the government to give them “de facto” ownership of a “rather spacious tract” of public land, which had to be rejected.

Collins was joined by four other Trump appointees and an appointee of President George W. Bush.

In his dissent Tuesday, Gorsuch wrote that the 9th Circuit “encompasses approximately 74% of all federal land and almost a third of the nation’s Native American population,” so its ruling that the government could destroy a sacred native site on federal land would now govern most if not all “sacred-site disputes” in the country moving forward.

He said that ruling would not just threaten native sites, but all religious sites on federal land — including many churches.

Luke Goodrich, an attorney for Apache Stronghold and senior counsel at the religious rights law firm Becket, said it was “hard to imagine a more brazen attack on faith than blasting the birthplace of Apache religion into a gaping crater,” and the court’s “refusal to halt the destruction is a tragic departure from its strong record of defending religious freedom.”

Times staff writer David G. Savage in Washington contributed to this report.