📊 Guyanese Bauxite, Preakness Stakes, and Amazon vs. Walmart

Mineral calculus, Triple Crown switch, and last-mile showdown.

May 17, 2026

Greetings! Happy Preakness Stakes Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🌎 GLOBAL NEWS

🇬🇾 America eyes Guyana’s bauxite. America is looking harder at Guyana’s bauxite. The Iran war has turned energy and minerals into strategy with a customs form. American Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg met Guyanese President Irfaan Ali this week. Guyana’s oil boom already made the South American country louder. Its bauxite reserves now add another layer: bauxite is essential for aluminum, which is essential for industry, energy, transport, and defense. President Trump’s administration is also seeking Latin American resource deals in Venezuela and Brazil. Benjamin Gedan of the Stimson Center said Guyana is leading a regional supply reversal. Washington is also watching China. Chinese companies have won major contracts in Guyana. Bosai Minerals is the dominant operator in Guyana’s bauxite sector. Guyanese officials say American firms have been less aggressive than Chinese competitors. Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud said Guyana wants American investment. He also said Guyana wants value added processing and better energy generation. The new resource map is being drawn in ports, mines, and boardrooms.

🇦🇷 Argentina’s beef habit breaks. Argentina is eating less beef. That is not a small cultural footnote. It is a national mood swing. Buenos Aires butcher Jorge García now sells more chicken and pork alongside beef. Red-meat consumption has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years. In April 2026, annual per-capita beef consumption was 44.5 kilograms. One year earlier, it was 49.5 kilograms. In 2006, it was 63.4 kilograms. President Javier Milei’s austerity program is part of the pressure. He inherited annual inflation of 211% in December 2023. His government cut nearly one-third of public spending. It eliminated 13 ministries. It laid off about 30K public employees. It also cut subsidies for electricity, gas, water, and transportation. Beef prices rose more than 60% over the past year. Average Buenos Aires beef prices reached 18,500 pesos, or about $13, per kilogram in May. Exports rose 54% in the first quarter to nearly 200K tons. Argentina’s table is still carnivorous, but it is now negotiating with arithmetic.

🇺🇸 LOCAL NEWS

🏇 Preakness leaves Pimlico’s noise behind. Preakness Day moved with less thunder this year. The 151st running is being held at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt. That has changed the entire temperature of the day. The race once came with rowdy infield crowds and live music. Laurel offered a quieter scene. Its own future is uncertain. It may eventually become a training facility. Attendance for Saturday’s race was capped at 4,800. The Triple Crown is already off the table. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is not running. Iron Honor entered as the 9-2 morning-line favorite. Taj Mahal, Chip Honcho, Incredibolt, and Ocelli were also among the top contenders. Ocelli finished third in the Derby at 70-1. Taj Mahal brought local appeal for trainer Brittany Russell. He has won all three career races at Laurel. The race is set for National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and Peacock. Post time is scheduled for 7:01 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

🚆 Long Island’s commuter spine goes dark. The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) shut down Saturday. It is North America’s largest commuter rail system. Unionized workers struck for the first time in three decades. The railroad serves New York City and its eastern suburbs. It ceased operations just after midnight. Five unions representing about half the workforce walked off the job. The dispute centers on salaries and health care premiums. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) runs the railroad. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the agency gave unions what they wanted on pay. Kevin Sexton of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said no new talks were scheduled. The last LIRR strike was in 1994. It lasted two days. Penn Station showed ghost trains marked “No Passengers.” The disruption threatens about 250K weekday riders if it continues. Gov. Kathy Hochul urged Long Islanders to work from home where possible. MTA shuttle buses cannot replace the whole system. A rail strike turns one labor dispute into a regional circulatory problem.

🗂️ MISC

📦 Retail giants chase rural speed. Walmart ($WMT) and Amazon ($AMZN) are racing into rural delivery. The prize is larger than old retail logic assumed. Morgan Stanley estimates rural shoppers could represent up to $1T in annual sales. Walmart starts with geography. Roughly 90% of American residents live within 10 miles of a Walmart store. About 45% of its Supercenters sit in places under 20K people. Amazon invested $4B last year to bring same-day or next-day delivery to 4K smaller cities, towns, and rural communities. CEO Andy Jassy said Amazon customers receiving same-day deliveries doubled in 2025. Amazon is using AI tools to forecast demand. It is also opening micro hubs in rural areas. FedEx ($FDX), UPS ($UPS), and the postal service are scaling back some rural delivery. Dollar General ($DG) has expanded same-day delivery to more than 17K stores. Tractor Supply ($TSCO) plans 150 new delivery hubs this year. Rural America is no longer an edge case, but the next checkout lane.

🧠 The Vatican puts AI on trial. Pope Leo XIV has created a Vatican study group on AI. His first encyclical is expected to focus on technology, dignity, and peace. The Vatican said the group reflects concern over AI’s rapid spread and its effects on humanity. Leo signed the encyclical 135 years after Pope Leo XIII dated “Rerum Novarum.” That older text became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought. It addressed workers, capitalism, employers, and the Industrial Revolution. Leo XIV has already linked that legacy to the AI revolution. The new text is expected to place AI inside Catholic teaching on labor, justice, and peace. University of Notre Dame philosophy professor Meghan Sullivan said the church may become an adult in the room. The Vatican has warned against replacing human intelligence with machines. It has also raised concerns about AI data centers’ energy and water needs. The Rome Call for AI Ethics began in 2020. Microsoft ($MSFT), International Business Machines ($IBM), and Cisco ($CSCO) signed it. The coming encyclical may challenge President Trump’s faster-development posture. In the end, Rome wants a conscience clause.