Materials

• Shares of Lam Research and Applied Materials surged during the afternoon trading session following news of geopolitical easing. • The stock jump occurred after President Trump canceled planned military strikes on Iran and indicated that a peace deal could be reached over the weekend. • While Applied Materials saw a significant spike, analysts note the company's high volatility, with 27 moves exceeding 5% over the past year.

• MIT researchers reported a new lithium extraction approach that could make it cheaper and more energy-efficient to recover battery-grade lithium from hard rock deposits. • The method uses a liquid solution inspired by a bathroom renovation product, works at room temperature, can be reused, and may cut costs by about half compared with current techniques. • The advance matters because lithium supply is a key bottleneck for batteries and the energy transition, and the team says the leftover waste could be repurposed into useful materials.

Carmaker gives one of biggest warnings yet of conflict’s impact on businesses while Trump tariffs also take tollToyota has reported a £3bn hit from costs from the war in Iran, as prices of parts and materials soared and sales dropped.The world’s biggest carmaker said profits declined in its financial year to March as it was “likely unable to absorb newly added impact from the Middle East”, in one of the largest warnings yet of the war’s impact on businesses. Continue reading...

• Artificial intelligence has identified new materials significantly stronger than conventional metal alloys through machine learning analysis of material combinations. • MIT researchers used AI to discover a 3D printable aluminum alloy that demonstrates five times greater strength, with efficiency improving dramatically under specific conditions. • This AI-driven materials discovery could accelerate development of advanced materials for aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing applications.

Chad Bianco, running for governor, previously confiscated 650,000 ballots for baseless voter fraud investigationSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA Republican sheriff in California has confiscated additional ballot materials from a special election, escalating his conflict with state lawmakers who say he is conducting a baseless investigation into claims of voter fraud.On Tuesday, Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff who is running for governor, was already at the center of a legal controversy after seizing 650,000 ballots from last year’s special election. Earlier this week he ordered his office to seize 426 additional boxes of ballot materials as part of the alleged criminal investigation, prompting criticism from lawmakers including Rob Bonta, California’s Democratic attorney general. Continue reading...