Battlefield rare earths: How the U.S. lost to China
Planet Money
- Published
- April 24, 2026
- Duration
- 34:15
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Jun 10, 2026
Discusses At one point in history, one U.S. company monopolized the rare earths industry. Then China took over…
Summary
At one point in history, one U.S. company monopolized the rare earths industry. Then China took over the industry. Can the U.S. bring it back?Rare earths are critical to making, like, everything. From smart phones to electric vehicles to microwaves. They’ve also become a powerful political weapon for China, which controls the majority of mining and proces…
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Show notes
At one point in history, one U.S. company monopolized the rare earths industry. Then China took over the industry. Can the U.S. bring it back?Rare earths are critical to making, like, everything. From smart phones to electric vehicles to microwaves. They’ve also become a powerful political weapon for China, which controls the majority of mining and processing of rare earths. Today, we have the story of the rise and fall of America’s rare earth industry told through that single company. It’s a co