Rare earth elements have become one of the hottest topics in U.S. politics. These 17 metallic elements are challenging to obtain yet crucial to a variety of high-tech products, including defense and aerospace applications. Currently, China dominates this market, accounting for nearly 70% of the world's supply of these resources. The United States is moving quickly to hedge against the risks of relying on a potential adversary for such scarce materials, recently announcing a significant investment in USA ...