Cupertino meets Nevada.

That’s right, Apple just invested $500 million in Vegas-based MP Materials (MP), a move that’s shaking up global supply chains and challenging the dominance of international players in rare earth magnets.

Here’s why this is a game changer: MP Materials is widely recognized as the only fully integrated rare earth element (REE) producer in the United States.

Apple’s deal is about more than money; it's a commitment to American-made rare earth magnets built at MP’s Fort Worth, Texas facility.

Apple CEO Tim Cook himself calls this partnership a testament to “American innovation.”

He adds: “Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the U.S.”

Specifically, magnets are the backbone of iPhones, electric vehicles, wind turbines and, yes, even America’s next-generation defense technology.

The neodymium magnet is a very strong, permanent magnet made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, boron and more. It’s the most powerful type of rare-earth magnet commercially available.

According to Apple, the plan is to create “an entirely new pool of U.S. talent and expertise in magnet manufacturing,” with magnets from Texas shipped worldwide to feed the insatiable demand for REE-based products.

But that’s just the beginning…

Your Rundown for Friday, July 18, 2025...

Securing America’s REE Future

The Apple-MP alliance is all-in on transforming the industry, building not only massive manufacturing lines but also a dedicated rare earth recycling facility at Mountain Pass, California.

It’s a bold vision: American workers. American mining. American tech. The stuff Jim Rickards calls our “American Birthright.”

For years, the U.S. has been dangerously dependent on foreign (mainly Chinese) supply for REE.

That’s why Apple’s partnership with MP Materials marks more than a business deal; it’s a shot across the bow for global competitors and a clarion call to American miners and policymakers alike.

The plan is ambitious. Not only will MP ramp up magnet manufacturing for Apple, but the recycling operation at Mountain Pass will process scrap mining output as well as recycled feedstock from old iPhones.

Apple says nearly all the magnets in its devices are already made from 100% rare earths, and it’s working to innovate even further by exploring “novel magnet materials [to] enhance magnet performance.”

This collaboration represents a new dawn for American mining and manufacturing, laying the groundwork for a self-reliant nation, one powered by the ingenuity, grit and resolve that built America in the first place.

As the global appetite for rare earths grows, the world will be watching Apple and MP Materials deliver the supply chain independence Jim Rickards champions, inspiring a full-scale revival of America’s strategic industries.

One thing’s certain: The race for rare earth elements is on, and for those ready to mine, manufacture, build — and recycle — the future’s bright.

Market Rundown for Friday, July 18, 2025

S&P 500 futures are up 0.05% to 6,345.

Oil is up 1.80% to $68.77 for a barrel of WTI.

Gold’s up 0.60% to $3,365.10 per ounce.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is down 0.20% to $119,200.