China Tightens Rare-Earth Grip on U.S. Firms, Threatening Trade Clash NYT - Energy & Environment By: Keith Bradsher 22 June 2026 at 14:34 The move targets two U.S. manufacturers at the center of the Trump administrationβs effort to rebuild the domestic supply chain for critical magnets. Β© Steve Marcus/ReutersMP Materialsβ open-pit rare-earth mine in Mountain Pass, Calif., in 2020.