Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The push for securing American access to rare earth elements has become a key feature of the early foreign policy agenda of the second Trump administration. A crucial component of modern technology and a lynchpin of American national security, their supply is controlled largely by China, creating a significant geopolitical challenge which the president seems intent on addressing. Why Are Rare Earths So Important? "The importance of rare earth and other critical minerals is hard to overstate," Jane Nakano, Energy Security and...