Top Stories; American farmer demands right to repair own equipment amid soaring costs: 'Money is tight'
Top Stories — Sunday, September 7, 2025
What is trending in the USA today? Here is Breaking News:
- American farmer demands right to repair own equipment amid soaring costs: 'Money is tight' — Fox Business
- Cardiologist Draws Outcry With Claim Tying Vaccines to Royals' Cancer — nyt News
- Viral photo shows Bernie Sanders, AOC and Mamdani together in NYC ahead of 'Fighting Oligarchy' rally — Fox News
American farmer demands right to repair own equipment amid soaring costs: 'Money is tight'
Source: Fox Business • Published: 9/7/2025, 5:46:07 AM
American farmers say they are being squeezed not only by rising costs but also by ongoing restrictions that prevent them from fixing their own equipment, leaving them stuck with hefty bills and long wait times for repairs they could often handle on their own.
Virginia farmer John Boyd Jr. told FOX Business that when one of his John Deere tractors has a diagnostic trouble code, displayed to indicate problems, his equipment shuts down completely until a technician arrives. It can take weeks to schedule a service appointment, causing him to lose precious time that could be spent in the field, he said.
"We really need the right to repair our own equipment and access to technology to do so," Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, told Fox Business. "Money is tight for farmers. … It would help cut through a lot of red tape."
Making the situation more frustrating, he said many of the issues are simple fixes that farmers are capable of handling themselves. They often just do not have access to the software to diagnose and repair or can become at risk of voiding their warranty if they attempt to fix it themselves, according to Boyd Jr.
Farmer John Boyd Jr. told FOX Business that when one of his tractors has a diagnostic trouble code, his equipment will shut down completely until a technician arrives. (John Boyd Jr.)
Boyd Jr. also said that equipment service appointments can cost as much as $1,000 — a massive bill for farmers that are already struggling with rising costs of inputs like seed and fertilizer, he said.
Farmers face an estimated $3 billion in annual losses from tractor downtime and an additional $1.2 billion in excess repair costs due to their reliance on dealerships for repairs, according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
"I should not have to wait two weeks for a service technician to come out here and put a damn alternator on my tractor, which I have the skill set to do, and be put on a waiting list," Boyd Jr. said.
The company logo of agricultural machinery tractor manufacturer John Deere is displayed during the LAMMA Show 2025 at NEC Birmingham on January 15, 2025, in Birmingham, England. (John Keeble/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Boyd Jr. argued that if farmers buy their agricultural equipment but are unable to fix it themselves, it raises the question: who really owns it — the farmer or the manufacturer?
"We understand that it's a business decision for them, but it's also a business decision for us," Boyd Jr. said. "… We need America's farmers, and we need support, especially in the troubling times and the months that are going to come to pass."
The Agricultural Right to Repair Act, first introduced in February 2022 by U.S. Senator Jon Tester, seeks to give farmers and independent repair shops access to necessary diagnostic and repair tools. In January, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Deere & Company, accusing the manufacturer of unfair practices that increased repair costs for farmers while also preventing them from "the ability to make timely repairs on critical farming equipment."
The Agricultural Right to Repair Act, first introduced in the 117th Senate, seeks to give farmers and independent repair shops access to necessary diagnostic and repair tools. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post / Getty Images)
In July, John Deere launched its Operations Center PRO Service, a subscription offering diagnostic and repair tools, machine details and remote code access. Pricing starts at $195 per machine annually, with higher amounts for fleets and service businesses.
"The launch of Operations Center PRO Service is a significant milestone that adds to John Deere's existing tools, and it reaffirms our longstanding commitment to empowering customers to choose how they repair their equipment," Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support at John Deere, told FOX Business in an email. "Importantly, our development of these tools reaffirms John Deere's support of customer self-repair. We view continuously enhancing self-repair as consistent with our mission to ensure John Deere customers have the best machine ownership experience possible."
In 2023, the American Farm Bureau Federation and John Deere also signed a memorandum of understanding to give farmers and independent mechanics greater access to repair tools and information.
Read the full story at Fox Business.
Cardiologist Draws Outcry With Claim Tying Vaccines to Royals' Cancer
Source: nyt News • Published: 9/7/2025, 4:19:20 AM
A British cardiologist suggested without evidence on Saturday that Covid-19 vaccines might have been a factor in the cancer suffered by members of the British royal family, drawing swift condemnation from the government, health experts and cancer support groups.
The cardiologist, Dr. Aseem Malhotra, made the claim during a 20-minute speech at the annual conference of Reform U.K., the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage — which distanced itself from his remarks after they provoked an outcry.
Speaking from the main stage at the party's two-day event, Dr. Malhotra said on Saturday that he had been told by a professor of oncology that "he thinks it's highly likely that the Covid vaccines have been a factor, a significant factor, in the cancer of members of the royal family."
The British government quickly denounced the claim as dangerous to public health.
"When we are seeing falling numbers of parents getting their children vaccinated, and a resurgence of disease we had previously eradicated, it is shockingly irresponsible for Nigel Farage to give a platform to these poisonous lies," the health secretary, Wes Streeting, said. "Farage should apologize and sever all ties with this dangerous extremism."
Health charities also attacked the comments. "There is no good evidence of a link between the Covid-19 vaccine and cancer risk," the group Cancer Research said. "The vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against the infection and prevent serious symptoms."
Later on Saturday, Mr. Farage's party distanced itself from Dr. Malhotra's comments, without criticizing him directly.
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Read the full story at nyt News.
Viral photo shows Bernie Sanders, AOC and Mamdani together in NYC ahead of 'Fighting Oligarchy' rally
Source: Fox News • Published: 9/7/2025, 4:16:32 AM
A viral photo showing Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in Astoria lit up social media on Saturday.
Senator Sanders is set to headline a Brooklyn town hall on his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour where he is expected to stump for Mamdani, according to reporting from the New York Times.
The post went up around 3:36 p.m. and quickly drew more than 350,000 views. The three progressive figures smiled together in Queens, a shot fans cheered and critics mocked.
The photo of the three arguably most recognizable faces in the modern far-left camp was simply captioned, "A perfect afternoon in Astoria."
BERNIE SANDERS, ZOHRAN MAMDANI TEAM UP TO 'FIGHT OLIGARCHY' IN NYC
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pose for a photo in Astoria, Queens, Sept. 6, 2025. (@ZohranKMamdani via X)
Sanders, 84, and Mamdani, 33, marched together earlier this week in Manhattan's Labor Day parade side-by-side while holding up a "Power in Unity" banner. Governor Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, also participated.
Mamdani has pitched himself as a democratic socialist focused on affordability. The Assemblyman promises free buses and state-operated grocery stores funded by higher taxes on the wealthy. He capped grassroots donations at $8 million.
Sanders, who grew up in Brooklyn, has used his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour to lift the voices of younger progressives like Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez. Both remain popular with the left wing of New York Democrats.
AOC, SANDERS WELCOME MAMDANI TO DC FOR HIS CAPITOL HILL DEBUT, URGING RELUCTANT DEMS TO 'GET TO KNOW HIM'
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani spoke to supporters at a canvass launch event in Prospect Park on Aug. 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
The photo also triggered blowback. "Three millionaires talking about socialism," one user posted. Another joked, "The last thing your money sees before it dies." Others wrote, "3 communists walk into a bar, they demanded the workers pay for everything."
Mamdani is expected to appear on stage with Sanders at his rally, scheduled for 6:00 pm at Brooklyn College's Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts.
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Representatives for Zohran Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.
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