The U.S. is opening its first new Wyoming coal mine in decades to extract both coal and critical rare earth metals, inching the country closer to the Trump administration’s energy independence goals.

Wyoming's first new coal mine in 50 years is said to be operating soon but it won't rely on the fossil fuel to make money.

The global supply of heavy rare earths hinges in part on the outcome of a months-long battle between a rebel army and the Chinese-backed military junta in the hills of northern Myanmar.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in Ranchester, Wyoming, on Friday for the ribbon cutting to open the first U.S. rare earth mine in 70 years.

Nintendo’s Switch 2 videogame machine uses a rare-earth magnet to attach its hand-held controllers to the main console, according to a teardown.

The European Parliament condemned China on Thursday over its export restrictions on rare earths and insisted the European Union must reject any attempts by Beijing to use the restrictions to force concessions from the bloc.

A diplomatic breakthrough with China is the only short-term fix for easing the shortage of rare-earth magnets, a top executive at one of the largest auto components maker said, as the exports curbs by the East Asian nation chokes the production of electric vehicles.

The deal would see the Defense Department take a 15% stake in MP Materials and spend billions of dollars investing in the company and purchasing its output.

Further bolstering domestic priorities, state-run IREL (India) Limited was directed in June 2025 to suspend a 13-year-old export agreement with Japan, redirecting rare earth supplies for local use to reduce reliance on Chinese imports. Also Read: '2026 Election Will Be Fought To Form A BJP-Led NDA Government': Amit Shah In Kerala

China Northern now expects to report a surge in first-half net profit to 900 million yuan to 960 million yuan, equivalent to $125.3 million to $133.7 million. At the top end of the range, that would be a more than 21-fold increase from the 45.4 million yuan in net profit reported for the first half of 2024.