EU Approves Air Defense Package for Ukraine

The European Commission announced on8/24/2026, a €6.1 billion ($7.12 billion) Defense Procurement Package to Bolster Kyiv’s Defenses amid Intensified Russian Aerial Attacks. The Funding is Earmarked for Air and Missile Defense Systems, Interceptor Missiles, Munitions, and Radar Stations that Ukraine needs Uurgently.

It directly addresses Russia’s Escalated use of Ballistic Missiles and Jet-Powered Drones, with Ukraine Recording 376 Missile Strikes on 7/2026. Escalating Threat: Russia has Increased Long-Range Strikes and Drone Assaults, making Rapid Deployment of Air Defense Assets Critical.

EU Commitment: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe is “stepping up” to Protect Ukraine’s People and Sovereign Skies, Pledging to Deliver “what it needs, when it needs it” Defence Industrial Support: The Package also aims to Strengthen Ukraine’s Defense Iindustrial Capacity, with €28.3 billion Allocated in 2026 under the Broader €90 Billion Ukraine Support Loan for 2026–2027.

The Commission is urging Faster Deliveries by Destocking Existing Stocks, Reprioritizing Orders, and Ramping Up Production. Oversight: Ukraine must Submit Signed Contracts with Defense Firms; the Commission will Review them before Disbursing Funds to Ensure Ccompliance. This €6.1B Package adds to €16 Billion already Approved for Defense Procurement, of which €8.35B Billion has been Disbursed.

The Total EU and Member State Support since 2022 Exceeds €220 Billion, including €3.8 Billion from Proceeds of Immobilized Russian Assets.

Political and Strategic Significance: The Announcement coincided with a Coalition of the Willing Meeting in Kyiv, Attended by European Leaders, including António Costa and Luc Frieden, and Supported by NATO and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Meeting Aimed to Co-Ordinate further Air Support, Energy Supplies, and Security Guarantees for Ukraine as it Approaches Winter.

In Summary: The €6.1B Air Defense Package is a Targeted, Urgent Measure to Counter Russia’s Intensified Aerial Assault, Eensuring Ukraine can Defend its Skies and Population, while Reinforcing its Long-Term Defense and Industrial Resilience.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Fires U.S. Forest and National Park Service Workers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which Oversees the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), announced that 2,000 USFS Probationary, Non-Firefighting Employees were being Let Go. At least 1,000 Probationary Employees of the National Park Service, which is under the U.S. Interior Department, were also Terminated, including those who Worked as Secondary Firefighters.

Secretary Brooke Rollins (R), 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture since 2025, said: "fully supports Trump directive to improve government, eliminate inefficiencies, and strengthen USDA's many services to the American people." "We have a solemn responsibility to be good stewards of the American people's hard-earned taxpayer dollars and to ensure that every dollar spent goes to serve people, not the bureaucracy," the USDA Statement reads.

While hosting a roundtable in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday with U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighters, Rollins praised their response to the devastating January wildfires in Los Angeles County that decimated the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Following the meeting, the USDA released a statement, saying, Rollins is "committed to ensuring that the United States has the strongest and most prepared wildland firefighting force in the world to save lives and protect our beautiful homeland."

But the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) told ABC News that the USFS cuts will severely weaken the agency's ability to respond to wildfires. Steve Gutierrez, NFFE's national business representative, said that based on data the union requested from the USFS, the number of fired probationary non-fire personnel is about 3,400.

Flaherty said that in the past five years, 40% to 50% of his job was fighting wildfires as part of what the Forest Services refers to as "militias" comprised of trained secondary firefighters. "When a fire breaks out, we're out there like everybody else getting into the fray," Flaherty said. Gutierrez, a former USFS firefighter, told ABC News that the cuts affect about 10% of the U.S. Forest Service's total workforce. He said many of the terminated employees held dual jobs, like Flaherty, including working as firefighters responding to all-hands-on-deck blazes throughout the country.

“When I say 'non-fire personnel,' we can’t totally think that they don’t ever touch fire, that they’re not important," Gutierrez said. "They’re all part of this logistical machine that helps support fire. They’re either ecologists, they’re mechanics, they’re pilots, they’re water systems operators, they’re grants and agreements folks, they're land management, minerals and geologists to help recovery efforts from the aftereffect of fire." He added, "They support all of what happens before fire, during a fire and after a fire."

Gutierrez said some of the federal employees who got fired had just helped battle the Los Angeles fires just weeks ago. “They just fought this fire in LA, one of LA’s most devastating wildfires that we’ve ever had and now they’re terminated because they have 'poor performance,'" Gutierrez said. "It’s just crazy to me that you can be so utterly disrespectful and ultimately it's a slap in the face to these brave men and women who have risked their lives for the American public."

Making matters worse, Gutierrez said, is an imposed hiring freeze, which has stalled the annual task of "fuels management," which means clearing federal lands of fire hazards like dead trees and overgrown brush. "If we’re not able to get that process moving immediately, fires are not going to just be, like, small. These fires are going to get exponentially bigger. Communities are going to burn and people are going to die, and that’s what’s going to happen," Gutierrez said. "It's not going to be just a California problem. It's going to be a United States problem. I mean, there are several states, New Jersey, for example, they had a fire every year, every month for the past year. There was a fire in New York, right there in Manhattan. It's not going to stop. It's a national issue."

Flaherty said that when he got a call in Louisiana from his forest supervisor relating that he was terminated effective immediately with no severance package, he was initially told he'd have to get his own transportation back to Oregon. "He offered no solution whatsoever, despite being fully aware of the fact that I would be stranded in Louisiana and unable to make travel arrangements short of purchasing myself a ticket. I was not in Louisiana on my own time, I was there on official travel and his plan was to, I guess, just wing it," Flaherty said.

Flaherty said his union, the NFFE, intervened and got the USFS to cover his transportation by temporarily rescinding his termination until it got him back to Oregon. "It's just really sad that the top of the food chain doesn't understand the impacts of what they're doing when they swipe their pen," said Gutierrez, responding to Flaherty almost being stranded in Louisiana. "They don't understand the complexities of the entirety of the government." Flaherty said the "insult still rings true even though I am back home."

“To me, that just kind of sums up how callous and poorly thought out all of this is," Flaherty said. "I have deep, deep concerns for the amount of stress that everybody has been put through in every agency, and it just continues. It’s harming people’s physical and mental well-being, and it’s criminal."

Eric Anderson said that in June 2024 he landed a job as a biological science technician and lead fire effects monitor for the National Park Service, after working since 2021 as a seasonal employee. “I spent two years, three years working as a temporary hire to keep my face seen, to improve my qualifications, to gain more experience. And now, I finally get into a position that I knew three years ago, OK, my predecessor, is probably going to be retiring. I think I can improve my qualifications and become useful to do that position. And I worked toward it, I applied, and I got the position."

Like Flaherty, Anderson, 48, a married father of two high school-aged children, told ABC News that he was fired in what he called, "the Valentine's Day massacre." “You finally get your dream job that you’ve been working toward for many years, and it just got pulled out from under you for politics," said Anderson, who was stationed at the Indiana Dunes National Park on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. He said he received his dismissal letter in his email inbox from an Interior Department administrator he had never met.

"The Department determined that you have failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment because your subject matter knowledge, skills, and abilities do not meet the Department's current needs, and it is necessary and appropriate to terminate, during the probationary period, your appointment to the position of BioScience Tech (Fire Eff. Monitor)," reads the dismissal letter Anderson shared with ABC News. "This is a lie. This says I'm fired because of my performance and my inability to do the job and that I'm no longer needed. My performance evaluations are excellent, and I'm crucial to the program. I have qualifications that we need within our unit to function," Anderson said. "It’s a bit maddening."

A former Peace Corps volunteer from 2000 to 2002 in Kenya, East Africa, Anderson said he used to work as a consultant in the private sector and took a huge pay cut when he joined the NPS as a seasonal employee "My bosses worked really hard to justify that I should be kept on, noting that in my position description, yes, it says biological science technician, but if you just read down a few lines, you see the box checked that says wildland firefighter, which was supposed to be in the protected ones that weren't getting fired," Anderson said. In his job as a biological science technician, he said he would collect plant samples for analysis and prepped parklands in the winter months for the fire season, eliminating hazardous fuels by conducting prescribed or controlled burns. His work also included rehabilitating burned land.

"When bulldozers come through trying to protect towns, someone has to put that back together. So, we worked very much on how do we keep this from washing down the mountain during the next atmospheric river," Anderson said. "By mid-August or so, we’re pretty much done with our sampling at various parks around the Great Lakes that we go to, and then we are available to do wildland fire or help as collaterals for wildland fires," Anderson said. "A lot of the people that were let go in the last week were also collateral firefighters."

In September, Anderson worked on the front lines of the Line Fire that burned more than 44,000 acres in and around the San Bernardino National Forest and threatened the community of Highland, California. In August 2023, Anderson said he helped battle the Happy Camp Complex Fire, which burned more than 21,000 acres in the Klamath National Forest in Northern California's Siskiyou County. He just returned in January from conducting prescribed fires in the Florida Everglades.

“Maybe, this is that Peace Corps volunteer in me that looks for mission-driven work. I know that's just my personality type. I need to be working somewhere that I feel it’s important," Anderson said. "I very much want to go back and work for the place that I was just fired from. I live what I do. These are all very qualified, excellent people doing good work that needs to be done and they're just slashed without any real cause." On Friday, the Trump administration reversed a hiring freeze for seasonal National Park Service employees, allowing the system to fill crucial roles to help maintain maintain and operate popular parks ahead of the summer season, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.

The memo will allow NPS to hire a total of 7,700 workers, up from the three-year average of 6,350. The memo does not mention the roughly 1,000 probationary NPS employees laid off this week as part of the Trump administration's larger effort to trim the federal workforce. Bill Wade, the executive director of the association of National Park Rangers, told ABC News the one-month delay in hiring seasonal workers, on top of the firing of probationary park rangers, could impact tourists this summer at some of the country's most popular national parks.

"It’s pretty safe to say that in many parks, at least for the start of the season, visitors are going to probably see some sort of impact and a decline in their experience," he said.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Judge Rules USPS Violated Order

A Judge Ruled that the Justice Department (DOJ) Violated Her Order Blocking the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from Imposing New Restrictions on Mail-in-Voting.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani's Ruling Leaves in Place, Her Prohibition against the USPS Tracking Mail-in-Ballots through Barcodes for the 9/3/2026 Election. But the Legal Wrangling continues in both Cases.

The USPS Announced on 8/21/2026 that it Adopted the Policy, even though Talwani in Massachusetts Temporarily Blocked it in Two Cases. Then the Supreme Court Overturned Her Block 8/24/2026 in the Case involving 23 States. But a Nationwide Block Remains-in-Place, which the Government Acknowledged, in the Case Dealing with Voting-Rights Groups.

Talwani Ruled 8/25/2026 that the DOJ hadn't Appealed Her Decision in the Nationwide Case. She said the Issuance of the Final Policy Ignored the Court's Explicit Directive Not to "initiate or complete" Rulemaking. But She took no further Action, because Her Nationwide Block Remains in Place.

The Court Battle came after Trump (R) Signed an Executive Order (EO) in 3/2026 Directing Agencies to Compile a List of Confirmed U.S. Citizens Eligible toVvote in each State, and to use Federal Data to Help State Election Officials Verify which Voters are Eligible.

The USPS Service Proposed that States provide Lists of Registered Voters and the Individual Barcodes Associated with every Mail-Ballot, to Check them as they are Districted to Help Prevent Fraud. A Group of 23 States Challenged the Policy in One Lawsuit, and Groups led by the League of Women Voters, filed a similar Lawsuit Argued that the Postal Service has No Role in the Administration of Elections.

The Supreme Court Overturned Talwani's Block against the Policy in 23 States because it came before the USPS had Finalized the Policy. But the Day after they Did. Sp the Nationwide Block Remains in Place. The Unsigned Decision said it "does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful." "On that score, time will tell," the Majority wrote in the Unsigned Opinion.

The DOJ asked Talwani on 8/25/2026 to Lift the Nationwide Block under the Same Logic as the States’ Case. TheDOJ quoted the Supreme Court Ruling that the judge Rrelied “on a string of speculations” and made a Decision based on “future events that may not occur as anticipated, or indeed may not occur at all.”

Opponents of the Policy have Strived to Prevent it being Put-in-, because of Concerns it would Confuse Voters and Discourage Voting.

But the DOJ said the Opponents could Change their Lawsuits to Argue against the Final Version of the Policy.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Putin wants Control of Russia’s Infrastructure

Russian President Vladimir Putin has Signed a Decree giving the Government Powers to Temporarily take Control of “critical infrastructure” across the Country, if Private Owners Fail to Protect it from escalating Ukrainian Attacks.

The New Measure comes as Moscow and Kyiv Ramp-Up their Air Campaigns, with Ukrainian Strikes Deep into Russian Territory Sparking Fuel Shortages and Bringing the War Closer to Home for Ordinary Russians.

Kyiv has stepped up Attacks in recent days on Ozon Logistics Hubs in Russia, a Competitor to the frequently Targeted E-Commerce Giant Wildberries – as it Seeks to Undermine Moscow’s War-Driven Economy. The Decree, which came into Fforce on 8/25/2026, says the New Measures are being introduced “in connection with the growing threats to the security of critical infrastructure facilities of the Russian Federation.”

It Covers a Raft of Sectors, according to the Decree, including fuel and Energy Infrastructure, Communications, Transport, and Logistics Facilities, among others.

If Owners do Not take Sufficient Steps to Ensure the “Security” of such Facilities or Restore their Functioning Quickly enough after Attacks, the Government can decide to Implement “Temporary Administration,” the Decree States. This Effectively hands the Russian State Control of the Owner’s Property, Property Rights, and Shares.

Kremlin Sspokesperson Dmitry Peskov on 8/25/2026 said, “quite often the owners of enterprises do not pay proper attention to taking measures to ensure security, anti-drone security.”

He also nodded to the Support of Western Nations for Kyiv as another Reason why Moscow “must take measures” to, as He put it, “ensure our own security.”

Asked which Companies could Fall under the Remit of the Degree, Peskov told Reporters the Situation would be “analyzed primarily by the government, by the relevant agencies. Wherever security measures are not being taken in critical areas, corresponding proposals will be submitted,”. Meanwhile, Russia has Increasingly been Launching High-Speed Missile Attacks across Ukraine, Exploiting Kyiv’s Shortage of US-made Patriot Air Defense Interceptors, which the Country Heavily relies upon to Shoot Down Ballistic Missiles. It’s a Sshortage that has been made Wworse due to a Global Supply Crunch amid the Iran War.

Russia Launched Two Missiles and 150 Drones at Ukraine Overnight into Tuesday, with 124 Drones Shot Down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Amid the Interceptor Shortage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had received a “small number of Patriot missiles,” Ukrainian S media Outlet Ukrinform Reported8/25/2026.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Farmers Crisis as Trump's Tariffs and Iran War Raise Costs

For nearly 16 years, Wendy Johnson has tried to build an Iowa farm that could survive the kinds of economic shocks that drove farmers out of business when she was growing up in the 1980s. She diversified her operations, growing corn, small grains, and soybeans, while also raising sheep, cattle, pigs, and chickens. She opted to sell directly to consumers and transitioned a portion of her 1,200 acres to organic production. She avoided debt and even planted trees to protect her soil and livestock.

But the latest crisis has defied her careful planning: Trump’s (R) tariffs and his war with Iran, have driven up the cost of fertilizer, fuel, and machinery, just as weak crop prices have made it harder to cover those rising expenses. “I am afraid that we’re looking into the barrel of another farm crisis,” said Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer, who estimates her profits are down by as much as 50%. “And we all know historically what that did to our rural communities.”

Johnson is among hundreds of thousands of American farmers who say they are desperate for relief from Washington, as Trump administration policies raise costs and slash profits. Just last week, Trump slapped 50% tarTffs on Canada, a critical source of fertilizer and farm equipment. And he wrote in a Truth Social post that he would pause tariffs on some imported ground beef in an effort to lower grocery prices, infuriating U.S. cattle ranchers who say the move would undermine domestic herders.

Meanwhile, the federal farm bill, the traditional source of agricultural subsidies, crop insurance and other support for farmers, is hopelessly out of date, and a divided Congress is far from agreement on how to replace it. To tide over rural America, Republican leaders are trying to pass $12 billion in emergency aid. But their plan would pair that money with billions of dollars for the war with Iran, the very conflict that has helped drive up fuel costs and added to the squeeze on farmers in the first place.

That combination gets mixed reviews in farm country. While some industry groups, such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, have backed it, others have argued that it is counterproductive to tie the money to funding for the Iran war. “While we support providing immediate relief to farmers … we are troubled by funding that perpetuates a costly military conflict that risks further disrupting global markets, increasing input costs, and contributing to the economic pressures already weighing on farm operations,” the National Farmers Union wrote in a July letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA, 4th District) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY, 8th District).

Aaron Lehman, President of the Iowa Farmers Union, echoed that sentiment. “I’m glad lawmakers are trying to find a way to help farmers,” Lehman said. “But this approach is not the right one.” When the House returns to Washington later this month, passing a farm aid package remains near the top of the legislative to-do list. Iowa is particularly critical heading into the Nov. 3rd midterm elections, with three competitive House seats and a competitive Senate race. In a state that has not had a Democratic governor in nearly two decades, even that race in Iowa is competitive, according to the Cook Political Report.

Nationally, roughly a dozen competitive House seats have a significant concentration of agricultural areas, as well as multiple competitive Senate races. Republican leaders, trying to hang on to narrow majorities in both chambers, are especially eager to demonstrate their ability to deliver for a key constituency. “Right now, if you’re growing something in the ground, you’re losing money. And it’s not just a crop, it’s virtually every crop, and it’s virtually every region of the country,” said Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-AR).

While farmers say getting the emergency aid is crucial, many called it a “Band-Aid” at best. Agriculture industry groups said the funding must be accompanied by long-term policy that addresses the structural problems threatening their livelihood. Russell Boening, a Texas farmer who runs his family’s operation with his brother, is facing a similar squeeze to Johnson in Iowa. The farm grows corn, grain sorghum and wheat, as well as raising cattle. But crop revenue has fallen below the cost of their production as fertilizer and other inputs have become more expensive. Boening estimates the farm’s bottom line has taken as much as a 40 percent hit in some areas.

The emergency aid is “needed,” he said, adding that farmers in South Texas are already seeking operating loans for 2027 so they can begin planting in January. But Boening urged Congress to get to work on longer-term policies because “farmers don’t want to come there every six months for a bridge payment for farmer assistance.” Ben LaCross, president of the Michigan Farm Bureau, also supports the emergency assistance, noting that farmers have been struggling with rising costs and weak commodity prices for more than a decade. He praised the Trump administration’s efforts to expand market opportunities for agricultural commodities, and said farmers need a new farm bill that further expands markets and helps reduce the cost of fertilizer and other inputs.

The current farm bill — a multiyear law that sets national policy for agriculture and nutrition — is nearly eight years old. With the law originally designed to be renewed every five years, Congress has temporarily extended the legislation three times as lawmakers have failed to reach an agreement on updated policies. The latest extension will expire at the end of September.

But Congress is nowhere near an agreement on a new policy framework. Republicans want to increase funding for commodity farmers to help offset rising production costs, while reducing federal funding for food stamps. Democrats, who oppose altering the food aid benefits, blocked Republicans from advancing the bill out of the Senate Agriculture Committee in early August. The committee will continue work when senators return from recess in mid-September.

Boozman and Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) played key roles in advocating for emergency farm aid. The money was included in a party-line package Republicans are rushing to pass before the Midterms. Along with funding for farmers, that package includes two other GOP priorities: Iran War funding and stricter rules for voting. GOP lawmakers aim to use the complex reconciliation process to pass the package through both chambers with a simple majority, forgoing the need for Democratic support. But for that plan to work, it would require near-unanimous support from Republicans, does not have.

GOP Senators had hoped to Vote on a framework for the Package before they left Town for the August Recess, but those Plans were Scrapped amid lingering Concerns from multiple Lawmakers within the Conference. Between those Concerns and a Tight Legislative Calendar, the Path to Passing Help for Farmers before Nov. 3rd is looking increasingly Difficult.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Ukraine Hits Major Russian Shopping Hubs

Ukraine on 8/24/2026 marked its Independence Day with huge Drone attacks on Three Major Russian Oonline Shopping Hubs and an Audacious Bid to Strike Vladimir Putin's Military Rosmodrome. The dramatic Explosions igniting infernos at a trio of Ozon Marketplace Logistics Centres came as Andy Burnham made His First Foreign Trip as Premier to Kyiv.

Separately, NATO Scrambled Two F-16 Fighters in Romania after a Suspected Russian Drone Crossed into its Airspace in the Târgu Bujor area after Overflying Moldova. 'Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, from the 86th Air Base in Borcea, and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were taken off the ground to monitor the situation,' said a Defence Ministry Statement in Bucharest.

Kyiv has for Weeks mounted a Campaign Targeting Russia's Wildberries, the Country's Top Online Retailer and often Dubbed Russia Amazon, Alleging it Supplied Components to the Military. Ozon is Russia's Second-Largest Online Marketplace, with its Pick-up Points and Delivery Boxes Ubiquitous across the Country. After Ukrainian Units Hit the 15 Largest Logistics Hubs of Wildberries, it is now Ozon's turn,' Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Saturday, Ahead of Three continuous Days of Strikes on Ozon Hubs. Ozon said 'a fire broke out' at a Logistics Centre in Makhachkala, in Southern Russia, following a Drone Attack at around 5.00am on 8/24/2026.

'According to Preliminary Information, there are several Wounded' with No Danger to their Lives, the Firm said in a Telegram Message. Aditionally, Ozon Warehouses in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk, also in the Country's South, were 'evacuated due to the threat of a drone attack', with No Injuries or Damage to the Facilities.

Ozon said earlier in the Night that a 'Major Fire' was Burning at One of its Logistics Centres in Krasnodar after a Drone Aattack. 'All systems operated as designed, and we promptly evacuated staff. Preliminarily, there are no casualties,' the Ccompany said. In Kyiv, Burnham is expected to hand over Top Secret Missile Plans at Ukraine's Independence Day Celebrations later today, and accept an Award recognising the UK's Ssupport.

European Defence firm MBDA has been given Permission to Share Information on UK Components for the Long-Range Scalp Missile, the French-produced Version of the UK's Storm Shadow. The 'deep precision strike' Missiles use Shared French and British Technology, and could now be Pproduced in Ukraine. The PM, who Travelled to the Ukrainian Capital Overnight by Train, said: "On Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence, its people should be in no doubt": The UK is Behind You.

"In the fight and the rebuilding to come, we stand with Ukraine. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down till there is a lasting peace." Burnham joined French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European Council Chief António Costa, at Talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a Meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Russia said Relations with Britain are at 'an unprecedentedly low level' as it Ordered its Ambassador Andrey Kelin back to Moscow, after Seven years in Post.

Drone Threats were announced on both Saturday and Sunday, due to a Ukraine 'massive UAV attack on the territory of Arkhangelsk region', but the Authorities sought to Restrict Information about the Attack. Smoke was seen rising from the Vicinity of the Military Spaceport, around 1,000 miles from Ukraine. A Warehouse belonging to the Kuchenland Home Goods Chain was also Ablaze in Krasnodar City,after a Ukrainian Drone Strike. Ukrainian Drones also Attacked Kamensk-Shakhtinsk, in Rostov Region, amid Reports a Military Equipment Base was Ablaze.

'Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, from the 86th Air Base in Borcea, and an IAR-330 SOCAT Helicopter were Monitoring the Situation, said a Defence Ministry Statement in Bucharest. Kyiv has for Weeks mounted a Ccampaign Targeting Russia's Wildberries, the country's top online retailer and often dubbed 'Russia's Amazon' Alleging it Supplied Components to the Military.

Ozon is Russia's Second-Largest Online Marketplace, with its Pick-Up Points and Ddelivery Boxes ubiquitous across the Country. 'After Ukrainian units hit the 15 largest logistics hubs of Wildberries, it is now Ozon's turn,' Ukraine's Defence Ministry Said, ahead of Three continuous Days of Sstrikes on Ozon Hubs. Ozon said 'a fire broke out' at a Logistics Centre in Makhachkala, in Southern Russia, following a Drone Attack at around 5.00am on 8/24/2026.

'According to preliminary information, there are several wounded' with no danger to their lives, the firm said in a Telegram message. Additionally, Ozon warehouses in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk - also in the country's south - were 'evacuated due to the threat of a drone attack', with no injuries or damage to the facilities. Ozon said earlier in the night that a 'major fire' was burning at one of its logistics centres in Krasnodar after a drone attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz,and European Council Chief António Costa, at Talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a Meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Russia said Relations with Britain are at 'an unprecedentedly low level' as it Ordered its Ambassador Andrey Kelin back to Moscow, after Seven years in Post. It follows the Kremlin Warning of 'consequences' over UK drones being used by Ukraine to strike far into Russia. The recent attacks on the warehouses - typically easier to reach than heavily defended military installations - have already delivered economic losses worth billions of dollars.

Smoke was seen Rising from the Vicinity of the Military Spaceport, around 1,000 miles from Ukraine, but there was No Confirmation of any Damage. Early 8/24/2026, a Successful Soyuz-2.1b Carrier Rocket Launch was carried out from Plesetsk, Carrying an Unidentified Defence Ministry Payload. A Warehouse belonging to the Kuchenland Home Goods Chain was also Ablaze in Krasnodar City, after a Ukrainian Drone Strike.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Proposes Large Fee for H-1B Visas

The Trump (R) Administration plans to Charge Employers seeking Skilled Foreign Workers through the H-1B Visa Program a $103,265 Fee, a Proposed Regulation posted on 8/24/2026 says. Revenue from the Fee would be used to Run the Legal Immigration system, the Document says, including Funding for Federal Immigration Courts and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Trump’s Administration Argues that the H-1B Program has been used to take Jobs away from Americans, and that the current System fails to Prioritize the most Exceptional Foreign Workers. Trump tried to Iimplement a similar $100,000 Fee in 2025. through a Presidential Pproclamation, but it was Invalidated by a Federal Judge in 6/2026.

The H-1B Program, Created by Congress in 1990, provides Employers with Visas for 65,000 Skilled Foreign Workers Annually, with another 20,000 Visas Available for Workers with Advanced Degrees from U.S. Universities. The proposed Regulation contends the New Fee would make Employers “less likely to hire an H-1B worker over a qualified and highly-skilled American.” The Regulation cites a Working Paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that found H-1B Workers made, on Average, about 15% Less than American Counterparts.

In the 6/2026 Ruling against the Fee, U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin of Massachusetts said Trump Unilaterally Imposed an Illegal Tax, Bypassing Congress, and Failed to Consider the Impact of His Actions on Sectors Experiencing Labor Shortages that Rely on the H-1B Program to Hire Physicians, Nurses, and Teachers. The Trump Aadministration Appealed the Ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit and Requested it be Paused Pending the Appeal, but the Request was Denied in late 7/2026.

The New Proposed Regulation, set to formally Publish in the Federal Register on 8/25/2026, Seeks to Carve a Different Legal Path by proposing to use the Fees to Offset the Cost of Running the Immigration Ssystem. It Exempts some Groups, such as most U.S. Colleges, Universities and Nonprofit Hospitals affiliated with Academic Institutions. But unlike 2025 Proposal, it would Apply to many People who already Reside in the U.S., Not just those Submitting Petitions from Abroad.

“This makes it much broader,” said Jeremy Neufeld, director of immigration policy at the Institute for Progress, a nonpartisan think tank. The proposed rule would restrict a major pathway for foreign guest workers that is widely used by Silicon Valley tech companies, among other businesses. Industry critics say that the fee would diminish the United States’ competitive edge against China, India and other countries in a variety of research and tech industries, as well as harm a number of industries that depend on foreign professionals.

“This is again an illegal tax,” said Charles Kuck, who practices immigration law in Atlanta. Amazon has received the most H-1B visas in recent years, with more than 9,300 approved petitions in fiscal year 2026 through June 30, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data. Other top users of the H-1B program in 2026 have been India-based IT and Outsourcing Companies Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys, followed by American Tech Companies Apple and Microsoft.

Neufeld said Expanding the Fee Requirement to Applicants already in the U.S. could Lead to a Significant Reduction in the Number of H-1B Petitions that Companies Request. “I would be very surprised if even large companies pay this fee for many of their H-1Bs,” He said.

Sorokin’s Decision to Strike Down Trump’s Original $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee came in Response to a Lawsuit from 20 States, led by California and Massachusetts. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an Association of Top Research Universities in a Separate Lawsuit in 2025. Criticized Trump’s earlier Fee, saying H-1B Workers fill Critical Jobs in the Medical,Mmanufacturing, and Technology Fields.

The Federal Jjudge in that Ccase, Sided with the Trump Administration in 12/2025, Lleading the Chamber of Commerce and University Association to Appeal. The Administration estimates the New Proposed Regulation would Generate an Estimated $8.8 billion Annually. Nearly $3 billion would go to the Federal Immigration Courts and Be used to Support more than 8,400 Hires, including Immigration Court Judges.

ICE, already Funded to Historic Levels, would receive roughly $1 billion, to Pay for Vetting of Immigration Applications and the Administration of the Student Visa Program, the Proposed Regulation says. It says U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would use the Money to Offset $3 Billion in Existing Costs, and Several other Agencies involved in Immigration Processing would also Receive Funds.

The Public will have 30 days to Comment on the New Proposed Regulation following its Publication to the Federal Register on 8/24/2026. the Proposal says. It can take Months or even Years to Finalize Regulations. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) generally does Not Refund Filing Fees, including when a GVisa Ppetition is Denied. The Proposed Regulation does Not Address,whether the New $103,265 Fee would be Refundable.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker