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Apple Just Gave This Rare-Earth Company $500m

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

 It’s been a long time since an expensive magnet has been able to sport a “Made in America” sticker, but recent massive investments in one private company could change all that. Apple announced yesterday that it would commit to a $500 million deal with the only US-based rare-earth producer, MP Materials.  The company was founded in 2017 to bring production back to Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine in Southeast California, about 50 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada, which is the second largest rare-earth mine in the world—and the only one operational in the US.  MP Materials’ stock has skyrocketed almost 500% since going public in 2020. Morning Brew crew@morningbrew.com

Wyoming’s First New Coal Mine in Decades to Extract Rare Earths

William Attardi on July 16, 2025

The developer of what would be the first new coal mine in Wyoming in decades is launching a potentially half-billion-dollar effort to extract rare earth metals from the fossil fuel that is crucial for tech products and military hardware. The only operating U.S. rare earths mine is at Mountain Pass in California. Nearly all of the nation’s supply comes from China, the source of nearly 90% of the world’s supply. Wyoming’s First New Coal Mine in Decades to Extract Rare Earths – electrifiED

Remembering the Solemn Purpose of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday in May to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the years immediately following the American Civil War (1861–1865), which caused massive casualties—roughly 620,000 soldiers dead, about 2% of the U.S. population at the time. Communities across the North and South began spontaneously decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags, a practice that gave rise to the original name: Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, Major General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—a powerful Union veterans’ organization—issued General Order No. 11. This proclaimed May 30, 1868, as a nationwide “Decoration Day” to honor those who died in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday expanded to honor all American service members who died in any war, not just the Civil War.  In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to create more three-day weekends for federal employees. This moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May, effective in 1971, when it was also officially named “Memorial Day.” As one 1868 quote put it: “That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”