power

Jon Keegan1/15/25

FTC sues John Deere over right to repair

In the last week of Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan’s tenure, the agency sued John Deere for “unfair corporate tactics” that have made repairs to the company’s farm equipment difficult and expensive.

In a press release announcing the lawsuit, which was joined by the attorneys general of Minnesota and Illinois, Khan said:

“The FTC’s action today seeks to ensure that farmers across America are free to repair their own equipment or use repair shops of their choice — lowering costs, preventing ruinous delays, and promoting fair competition for independent repair shops.”

The FTC alleges that Deere’s use of proprietary software and repair tools (limited to authorized dealers) effectively gives the company a monopoly on repairs for Deere’s equipment.

Under Khan’s leadership, the FTC has investigated and settled with other companies for violations related to right to repair, including Harley-Davidson and barbecue-grill maker Weber.

FTC, States Sue Deere & Company to Protect Farmers from Unfair Corporate Tactics, High Repair Costs

FTC, States Sue Deere & Company to Protect Farmers from Unfair Corporate Tactics, High Repair Costs

“The FTC’s action today seeks to ensure that farmers across America are free to repair their own equipment or use repair shops of their choice — lowering costs, preventing ruinous delays, and promoting fair competition for independent repair shops.”

The FTC alleges that Deere’s use of proprietary software and repair tools (limited to authorized dealers) effectively gives the company a monopoly on repairs for Deere’s equipment.

Under Khan’s leadership, the FTC has investigated and settled with other companies for violations related to right to repair, including Harley-Davidson and barbecue-grill maker Weber.

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Claire Yubin Oh10/1/25

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 Knoblauch9/24/25

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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