Can the U.S. Catch Up in the Critical Minerals Race?

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  Hey, what's news listeners?

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  It's Sunday, June 8th.

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  I'm Kate Boulevant for The Wall Street Journal.

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  This is What's News Sunday,

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  the show where we tackle the big questions about the biggest stories in the news by reaching out to our colleagues across the newsroom to help explain what's happening in our world.

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  On today's show, the race to secure critical minerals is well underway,

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  and the US is scrambling to catch up with its number one rival,

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  China, in a race with major national security implications.

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  These minerals play a key role in many modern technologies,

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  from fighter jets and semiconductors to smartphones and electric vehicle batteries.

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  Since returning to the White House,

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  President Trump has made securing supply chains for these minerals a top priority.

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  whether Trump's strategy to put the US back in first place is working.

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  Back in 2020,

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  President Trump declared a national emergency over US dependence on foreign critical minerals.

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  Fast forward to today,

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  and a recent report from the International Energy Agency shows that China continues to dominate,

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  accounting for up to roughly 80% of global supply growth of copper and lithium between 2020 and 2024.

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  Despite lots of talk from Washington, setting up global supply chains is hard work,

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  especially when doing so isn't necessarily lucrative for businesses.

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