In this articleFThis photo shows Ford 2018 and 2019 F-150 trucks on the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge Complex on September 27, 2018 in Dearborn, Michigan.Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty ImagesDETROIT – Ford Motor will halt or cut production at eight North American plants for varying periods of time through June due to an ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips impacting the auto industry.Affected vehicles range from the Ford Mustang and Escape crossover to the highly profitable F-150 pickup and Bronco Sport SUV, the company confirmed following an internal memo of the plans that was obtained by CNBC.”Our teams continue making the most of our available semiconductor allocation and will continue finding unique solutions to provide as many high-quality vehicles as possible to our dealers and customers,” Ford said in an emailed statement.The shutdown announcements come a day after President Joe Biden visited a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, where he voiced support for more domestic chip production so something like the current shortage doesn’t happen again.Biden visited a new plant that will produce Ford’s upcoming electric F-150 beginning next year. It’s connected to Ford’s Dearborn Truck plant, which is one of two facilities that produce the full-size F-150 pickup.The impacted plants are as follows:Chicago Assembly Plant in illinois will be down the week of May 31 and will operate on a reduced schedule the week of June 7.Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan will be down the weeks of May 31 and June 7.Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri– truck line – will be down the weeks of May 31 and June 7 and will operate on a reduced schedule the week of June 14.Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico will be down the weeks of June 21 and June 28Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky will be down starting the week of May 31 through mid-July, which includes an already-scheduled summer shutdown period.Oakville Assembly Complex in Canada will be down the weeks of May 31 through June 28.Ohio Assembly Plant will produce only Super Duty Chassis cabs and Medium Duty trucks the weeks of May 31, June 7 and June 14.The cuts come weeks after Ford CEO Jim Farley warned investors that the company expected to lose about 50% of its planned second-quarter production, up from 17% in the first quarter.Ford expects problems from the chip shortage to reduce its earnings by about $2.5 billion in 2021, the high end of its previous guidance for the year. More

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Ford is once again cutting production of its F-150 pickup truck and two other vehicles next week due to the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips.
It also will cut production of the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus crossovers.
Ford has been impacted particularly hard by the lack of chips, losing about 50% of its planned production in the second quarter.

2021 Ford F-150 Limited

DETROIT — Ford Motor is once again cutting production of its highly profitable F-150 pickup truck and two other vehicles next week due to the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips.
The automaker on Thursday confirmed its Oakville Assembly Plant in Canada and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri will be down the week of Aug. 30. Oakville builds the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus crossovers. Kansas City assembles the F-150.

Ford also will cut two of three shifts next week at its Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan, which produces the F-150.
“Our teams continue making the most of our available semiconductor allocation, finding unique solutions to provide as many high-quality vehicles as possible to our dealers and customers,” the company said in a statement.

The Kansas City plant was already down this week due to the chip shortage.
The parts shortage has caused rolling shutdowns of automotive assembly plants globally throughout this year. Ford has been hit particularly hard by the lack of chips, losing about 50% of its planned production in the second quarter.
The origin of the shortage dates to early last year when Covid caused rolling shutdowns of vehicle assembly plants. As the facilities closed, the wafer and chip suppliers diverted the parts to other sectors such as consumer electronics, which weren’t expected to be as hurt by stay-at-home orders.
The problem is expected to cost the global automotive industry $110 billion in revenue in 2021, according to consulting firm AlixPartners.

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Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wears a ground prototype of the new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), during a demonstration on Oct. 15, 2019.Joel Kowsky / NASAElon Musk offered SpaceX’s services to help NASA make its next-generation spacesuits, after a watchdog report on Tuesday said the agency’s current program is behind schedule and will cost more than $1 billion.”SpaceX could do it if need be,” Musk wrote in a tweet.Musk’s company has developed and made flight suits for astronauts who launch into orbit in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. The flight suits are primarily designed to protect the astronauts in case of a fire inside of the spacecraft, or if the cabin depressurizes. Building spacesuits would be a more complex and challenging endeavor, given the need to survive outside of a spacecraft in the harsh environment of space.NASA spokesperson Monica Witt, in a statement to CNBC on Musk’s offer, pointed to the agency’s request last month to companies in the space industry for feedback on “purchasing commercial spacesuits, hardware, and services.”From left: Mission specialist Thomas Pesquet of the ESA, pilot Megan McArthur of NASA, commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA, and mission specialist Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA.SpaceXMusk’s proposal came in response to a report by NASA’s inspector general – which is the investigative office which audits the agency for fraud and mismanagement – on the work being done to develop a new line of Extravehicular Mobility Units, which are informally called spacesuits.Astronauts on board the International Space Station use spacesuits “designed 45 years ago for the Space Shuttle” program, the report noted. The IG also highlighted that those spacesuits have been “refurbished and partially redesigned” over the past decades to continue working.The space agency has started three different spacesuit programs since 2007, the inspector general found, and has spent $420.1 million on development since then. Additionally, the report said NASA “plans to invest approximately $625.2 million more” on development, testing and qualification to complete a suit for a demonstration on the ISS and two suits for the crewed mission to the moon – for a total cost of “over $1 billion” through 2025.NASA Inspector GeneralBeyond the soaring cost, the inspector general said delays “attributable to funding shortfalls, COVID-19 impacts, and technical challenges” have eliminated the chance the spacesuits are ready in time. The spacesuits will “not be ready for flight until April 2025 at the earliest,” the report said. NASA originally said the spacesuits would be ready by March 2023.NASA needs new spacesuits for its Artemis program, which was announced by former President Donald Trump’s administration and has continued under President Joe Biden. Artemis is expected to consist of multiple missions to the moon’s orbit and surface in the years ahead, with NASA aiming to land astronauts on the lunar body by 2024. Although NASA has stuck to the 2024 goal, the inspector general has warned repeatedly that the schedule is threatened by several major programs that are key to Artemis’ success.Musk earlier this year called the 2024 timeline “actually doable,” after SpaceX became one of the critical pieces of Artemis by winning a $2.9 billion contract to use its Starship rocket to deliver astronauts to the moon’s surface.The spacesuits have a multitude of different components, which the inspector general noted are supplied by 27 different companies. That’s a point Musk also highlighted, saying in a tweet that it “seems like too many cooks in the kitchen.”SpaceX did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment on whether the company has begun work on its own spacesuits. While the company hasn’t publicly disclosed spacesuit plans, it is one of nearly 50 companies that expressed interest in NASA’s program to purchase privately developed spacesuits and spacewalk services.Become a smarter investor with CNBC Pro.Get stock picks, analyst calls, exclusive interviews and access to CNBC TV. Sign up to start a free trial today.TVWATCH LIVEWATCH IN THE APPUP NEXT | More

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 20: Fans hold banners opposing Chelsea signing up for the newly proposed European Super League ahead of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on April 20, 2021 in London, England.Chloe Knott – Danehouse | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesLONDON — Plans for a breakaway elite soccer league in Europe have already unraveled, following widespread criticism and even threats of government intervention.Announced on Sunday, the European Super League was designed to rival the UEFA Champions League format, which is currently Europe’s top annual club competition.Twelve of Europe’s wealthiest teams had signed up as founding members of the new league, and it was being backed with $6 billion in debt financing from JPMorgan. But the move sparked outrage among lawmakers, governing bodies, former players, fans, managers and pundits, with many concerned about the ramifications for the structure of domestic competitions.Many saw it as a cynical project and highly controversial, as the permanent members of the league could not be relegated.Chelsea became the first club on Tuesday evening to signal that it was jumping ship, with fans protesting against the plans outside its West London stadium ahead of a Premier League match.Manchester City quickly followed with official confirmation of their withdrawal, and then England’s other four clubs pulled out just hours later.John Henry, the principal owner of Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox, said in a video shared on Twitter on Wednesday: “I want to apologize to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I’ve caused over the past 48 hours.”Arsenal apologized in an open letter to their fans that was published on the team’s website on Tuesday.”The response from supporters in recent days has given us time for further reflection and deep thought,” the letter reads. “It was never our intention to cause such distress, however when the invitation to join the Super League came, while knowing there were no guarantees, we did not want to be left behind to ensure we protected Arsenal and its future.”It continues: “As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League. We made a mistake, and we apologize for it.”Spain’s Atletico Madrid and Italy’s Inter Milan abandoned the league on Wednesday but four teams (Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus) are still yet to pull out. However, Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli did say on Wednesday that the project cannot proceed. Shares of Juventus, one of the three Italian teams that would have been part of the new league, fell by as much as 12% in trading on Wednesday morning.”Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure put on them, we are convinced our proposal is fully aligned with European law and regulations,” the ESL said late Tuesday.It added that it is “convinced that the current status quo of European football needs to change.”UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin had condemned the project, describing it as “a spit in the face” of all soccer lovers. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed to “thwart” it, and likened it to a “cartel.”The teams that originally agreed to play in the ESL included:England: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal.Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.Italy: Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.On Monday evening, the chairman of the European Super League, Florentino Perez, said the plans to form the new breakaway elite competition were designed “to save” soccer.He pushed back against the widespread criticism by claiming that change is necessary because young people “are no longer interested” in the sport.—CNBC’s Sam Meredith contributed to this article. More