The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently banned noncompete agreements. These contracts "restrict a worker's ability to switch employers within their industry," said The Washington Post, and have been used by employers for decades, with approximately 20% of workers in the U.S. under noncompete agreements across a variety of leadership levels and industries.

But while employers claim noncompetes protect company information, workers claim noncompetes trap employees in their current jobs. And removing noncompete agreements will boost competition for labor and increase the creation of new businesses, said the FTC. The decision is part of a broader plan by the Biden administration to enact stronger antitrust laws, but the FTC's rule is being challenged in court and may take several months to go into effect if accepted. 

Effect on workers
The FTC's rule would allow workers to "pursue better opportunities, shake up the market and push megacorporations toward fair practices," Liz Zelnick, the director of the economic security and corporate power program at Accountable U.S., said to the Post. The rule would affect approximately 30 million Americans, including those under existing noncompete agreements.

There are a limited number of exceptions to the rule. Noncompete agreements that were "already reached with company CEOs, presidents and senior business executives who have 'policy-making' authority and are paid more than $152,000 per year" will hold, but new agreements cannot be made, said Yahoo Finance. 

Effect on employers
Employers, other than those that are exempt, will no longer be able to enforce noncompete agreements or issue new ones. This could lead to a shift in the workforce and rise in competition. Employers are also more likely to require their employees to sign nondisclosure agreements, prohibiting the spreading of sensitive information as a measure to protect intellectual property. "Companies that focus on creativity and keeping their employees engaged will thrive in this new era of mobility," said Forbes. 

As Germany grapples with the growing threat of far-right violence, the Stuttgart trial of nine suspects, part of the so-called Reichsburger movement, linked to a plot to violently overthrow the German government is underway. The trial is the first of three "marathon" hearings that will see 27 people tried for their involvement in the alleged plot in the coming months, said The Independent. 

Who was involved and what was the plan? 
Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, a 72-year-old estate agent supposedly descended from minor aristocracy, is the alleged ringleader. Had the coup been successful, he would allegedly have become Germany's chancellor. Another high-profile conspirator, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, is a judge and former representative of the far-right Alternative for Germany. 

The group is accused of planning to violently storm the Bundestag parliament building and detain prominent politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz. According to investigators, Reuss' group believed Germany was run by members of a "deep state" and that the country "could be liberated with the help of a secret international alliance," said France 24. 

What is Reichsburger? 
First arising in the 1980s, Reichsburger is a relatively "disparate" movement of conspiracy theorists and neo-Nazis who reject the legitimacy of Germany's post-WWII Federal Republic, said Deutsche Welle. Its membership was long estimated to be in the hundreds, but German intelligence agencies believe the movement could now comprise as many as 20,000 people. Of those, it says some 2,300 are "prepared to use violence." 

How serious is the threat? 
Once dismissed as "harmless cranks," in recent years Reichsburger has been viewed as a growing security concern, said Deutsche Welle. The potential threat posed by the group "became most spectacularly apparent" when police raids uncovered the suspected plot. Reuss' group had amassed 380 guns, 350 bladed weapons and about 148,000 rounds of ammunition, said prosecutors. The trial is expected to continue until January 2025, but due to the case's complexity, it could run for several years.