Mules, Moonshine, and Magnets

Reporter Noah Berman and editor Tom Mitchell take us to small-town North Carolina, where a new magnet factory has set up shop. Vulcan Elements wants to make magnets without sourcing any materials from China — a difficult task, because Chinese companies monopolize the supply and production chain for the rare earths needed in the process.Also in this episode, an excerpt from this week's Q&A with Kei Koizumi, former Deputy Director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and a preview of our upcoming issue, which you can read this weekend at thewirechina.com Follow us on social media:https://x.com/thewirechinahttps://bsky.app/profile/thewirechina.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/thewirechinahttps://www.instagram.com/thewirechina/?hl=en