Power
power
Jon Keegan

Dominant Chinese drone maker ditches geofencing that kept its drones out of US no-fly zones

Chinese drone maker DJI has removed strong restrictions from its software that prohibited its drones from flying in US restricted airspace.

Previously, DJI had implemented “geofencing” that would not allow its drones to fly past Federal Aviation Administration “no-fly zones.”

The change in policy now removes this restriction, and replaces it with a warning message to the user, which they can dismiss. DJI said in the announcement of the change that the move aligns with its policy for the EU, which it implemented last year. DJI’s global policy head told The Verge that they have not seen any “evidence of increased risk” since implementing the policy in the EU.

DJI’s drones make up 70% to 90% of the American drone market. The change could have major consequences for public safety. Responding to questions from The Verge, DJI confirmed that the change means there’s nothing stopping DJI drones from being flown over sensitive government buildings like the White House, military installations, or areas where public emergencies are taking place.

Just last week, a consumer drone collided with a firefighting plane over the Los Angeles wildfires, putting the plane out of commission.

The widespread adoption of low-cost drones has thrust the technology to the center of airspace regulation and trade policy. Amazon, Walmart, and Google all have started using drones for retail delivery, and the use of cheap drones in the war in Ukraine has revolutionized combat.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security warned law-enforcement agencies that the country is not prepared for the threat of weaponized drones.

DJI will no longer stop drones from flying over airports, wildfires, and the White House

DJI will no longer stop drones from flying over airports, wildfires, and the White House

The change in policy now removes this restriction, and replaces it with a warning message to the user, which they can dismiss. DJI said in the announcement of the change that the move aligns with its policy for the EU, which it implemented last year. DJI’s global policy head told The Verge that they have not seen any “evidence of increased risk” since implementing the policy in the EU.

DJI’s drones make up 70% to 90% of the American drone market. The change could have major consequences for public safety. Responding to questions from The Verge, DJI confirmed that the change means there’s nothing stopping DJI drones from being flown over sensitive government buildings like the White House, military installations, or areas where public emergencies are taking place.

Just last week, a consumer drone collided with a firefighting plane over the Los Angeles wildfires, putting the plane out of commission.

The widespread adoption of low-cost drones has thrust the technology to the center of airspace regulation and trade policy. Amazon, Walmart, and Google all have started using drones for retail delivery, and the use of cheap drones in the war in Ukraine has revolutionized combat.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security warned law-enforcement agencies that the country is not prepared for the threat of weaponized drones.

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Walt Hickey
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Traders are getting more and more pessimistic about the government shutdown ending any time soon

The market expects the shutdown to last well into November.

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OpenAI’s internal Slack messages could cost it billions in copyright suit

Authors and publishers suing OpenAI over copyright infringement were granted access to internal OpenAI communications about the deletion of a pirated books dataset, and now want to review attorney communications.

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US corporate spending on private flights for executives has ballooned in recent years

The median expense spent by America’s largest companies on air travel jumped 66% from 2020 to 2024.

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Claire Yubin Oh

OK, so when was the longest shutdown in US history?

The US government officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday after senators failed to agree on a last-minute funding bill. Though initially shrugging off the threat of a shutdown during yesterday’s session, stocks were mildly in the red on Wednesday as investors reacted to what is now the 11th shutdown in the government’s history.

Until this latest shutdown, there had been 20 government funding gaps experienced since 1976 — though not all ended in a full shutdown, with full closure averted in half of those cases.

Indeed, prior to the 1980s, funding gaps didn’t typically have major effects on government operations, with agencies continuing to operate on the basis that the funding would come eventually. However, a more stringent interpretation of the rules led to a stricter appropriations process from the early 1980s onward, with many subsequent funding gaps resulting in a shutdown of affected agencies (unless the gaps were quickly fixed or occurred over a weekend).

Obviously, the duration of the latest shutdown is still unclear, but it will continue until Congress passes a funding bill — most likely via a “continuing resolution,” which has ended every shutdown since 1990. Data analyzed by USAFacts suggest that it might not be a one- or two-day affair, as funding gaps have lengthened in recent years.

Government shutdown patterns
Sherwood News

Indeed, the last shutdown, which began in December 2018, ended up becoming the longest in history, at a whopping 34 days. By the time the government reopened in January 2019, about $3 billion (in 2019 dollars) had been wiped from the GDP in Q4, per data from the Congressional Budget Office, with approximately $18 billion in “federal discretionary spending” delayed over the roughly five-week stretch.

power
Max Knoblauch

GM climbs following upgrade, report that Trump administration seeks stake in its lithium mine partner

Shares of General Motors rose more than 2% in premarket trading Wednesday following an upgrade of the stock by UBS from “neutral” to “buy.” The firm also hiked its price target for GM by 45% to $81.

Also likely elevating GM was a Reuters report that the Trump administration is exploring taking a 10% stake in Lithium Americas, the automaker’s partner in a yet to open Thacker Pass lithium mine. Shares of Lithium Americas surged 68% in the premarket.

GM, which invested $625 million into the lithium mine last year, holds a 38% stake in the joint venture. The mine is expected to become the Western Hemisphere’s primary lithium source in 2028, when it’s slated to open, producing enough of the metal to make 800,000 electric vehicle batteries.

Prior to its plans for Lithium Americas, the Trump administration last month said it would take a 10% stake in Intel. In July, it announced a 15% stake in rare earths miner MP Materials.

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