So I'm standing in front of what's likely the second largest rare earth mine in the world.

That's our colleague John Emont at a mine called Mountain Pass, out in California's Mojave Desert.

It looks like the Grand Canyon. It's this giant crater that's been dug for decades now.

And you just see these ridges of red and gray stone and...

John visited the mine back in June.

And he went to see it because it's the site of the U.S.'s

largest underground reserve of rare earth minerals.

These minerals are used to make special magnets that are crucial for all kinds of things.

I asked John to explain them.

Rare earth magnets are extremely powerful.

They can attract objects hundreds of times, their weight, and they're very useful in things

like electric motors, which are used in automobiles, including electric vehicles.

They're used in headphones and, you know, for audio devices.

They have a lot of military uses, So they're needed in missile systems.

They're needed in F-35 fighter jets.

They're needed in nuclear submarines.

They're very important for a range of high technology applications.

Most of the rare earth magnets that are used today come from China.

And as geopolitical and economic tensions between the U.S. and China grow, the U.S. is trying

to get back in the game.

The mine John visited is at the center of the country's effort to build up its rare earth

capacity, and the issue has become increasingly urgent.

...