WASHINGTON: MP Materials MP.N unveiled a multibillion-dollar deal with the US government on Thursday (July 10) to boost output of rare earths and help loosen a stranglehold by top producer China on the minerals vital for military applications, electric vehicles and wind turbines. The US Department of Defense (DoD) will become the biggest shareholder in MP, the only integrated US producer of the 17 minerals, of which China controls 90% of global processed output. The DoD will also guarantee a