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DHS Proposes Largest Immigration Fee Ever: $103,265 Per H-1B Visa
DHS Proposes Largest Immigration Fee Ever: $103,265 Per H-1B Visa The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule this week that would impose a $103,265 fee on every H-1B visa petition subject to the annual lottery cap, including those eligible for the advanced-degree exemption [3, 4]. The fee would stack on top of all…
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State Department Freezes All Immigrant Visa Interviews Worldwide
State Department Freezes All Immigrant Visa Interviews Worldwide The State Department on Wednesday paused immigrant visa, or green card, interview appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, saying consular officers need additional training to screen applicants for the risk they could become dependent on public benefits [1, 2]. A department spokesperson said the goal is…
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CIA Chief’s Secret Moscow Trip Confirmed by Trump: “Something May Come Out of It”
CIA Chief’s Secret Moscow Trip Confirmed by Trump: “Something May Come Out of It” CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow on Tuesday, his first visit to Russia since taking office, flying aboard a military transport plane from Joint Base Andrews through Riga, Latvia before landing in the Russian capital [1, 2].…
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ICE Arrests Hit Trump-Era Record in July as Most Detainees Have No Criminal History
ICE Arrests Hit Trump-Era Record in July as Most Detainees Have No Criminal History U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July 2026, the highest monthly total of President Trump’s second term and a 15% jump from June, according to newly compiled federal data reported this week [1]. More than half of those…
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Trump Sends Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress, Tying Reactor Riches to Israel Normalization
Trump Sends Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress, Tying Reactor Riches to Israel Normalization President Donald Trump on Wednesday formally submitted a U.S.-Saudi Arabia civil nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress, opening a 90-legislative-day review period under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act. The 30-year accord would let American companies, led by Westinghouse, build AP1000 reactors…
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Israel Weighs Booting the UK From Its Own Gaza Ceasefire Command Center
Israel Weighs Booting the UK From Its Own Gaza Ceasefire Command Center Israel is considering expelling British officials, and possibly German and Italian representatives as well, from the International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), the U.S.-led multinational hub in Kiryat Gat that monitors the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Financial Times reported Thursday [1, 2].…
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Locked Exits, Dead Newborns: Islamabad Hospital Fire Exposes Rot in Pakistan’s Health System
Locked Exits, Dead Newborns: Islamabad Hospital Fire Exposes Rot in Pakistan’s Health System A fire tore through the nursery of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad early Wednesday morning, killing 14 newborn babies out of 15 housed in the ward. Hospital officials say the blaze, which broke out around 6:45 a.m. on…
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Glacial Collapse Buries Himalayan Border Towns, Leaves Nearly 1,500 Missing
Glacial Collapse Buries Himalayan Border Towns, Leaves Nearly 1,500 Missing A wall of glacial rock, ice and mud collapsed into a Himalayan river along the Nepal-Tibet border early Wednesday, sending flash floods tearing through towns and trekking routes in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and China’s Gyirong county. The U.S. Geological Survey determined the disaster…
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Blake Lively Wins Her Case Against Justin Baldoni — Then Gets 5 Cents on the Dollar
Blake Lively Wins Her Case Against Justin Baldoni — Then Gets 5 Cents on the Dollar A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Blake Lively will receive just over $400,000 of the roughly $8 million in legal fees she had sought from actor-director Justin Baldoni following their legal battle over the 2024 film “It Ends With…
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Tim Curry, the Man Who Made “Different” Cool, Dies at 80 — and Every Fandom He Built Loses Something Different
Tim Curry, the Man Who Made “Different” Cool, Dies at 80 — and Every Fandom He Built Loses Something Different Tim Curry, the English actor whose five-decade career produced two of the most enduring figures in cult and horror cinema, died at his home in the Toluca Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles this week at…