Grocers Lawsuit, Visa Fee, & Dehydration Test

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
August 25, 2026

Good Morning! Today’s edition is 907 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap:

First-time reader? Sign up here!

New York City grocers filed two lawsuits Monday seeking to block Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan for five city-supported grocery stores, arguing the publicly subsidized competitors would have an unfair advantage over private businesses. The stores are expected to open next year.
The stores would aim to sell groceries 30% below typical retail prices, supported by $70 million in taxpayer-funded capital spending to build out the five locations. The city would also cover rent and property taxes, while private operators would handle staffing, inventory, and daily operations.
The grocers, many of them immigrant- and minority-owned businesses, argue they cannot compete on equal terms with stores whose major real-estate costs are publicly funded, comparing the potential disruption to the reason large retailers such as Walmart have historically faced resistance entering the city. Mamdani says five subsidized stores in a city with more than 1,000 grocery stores are unlikely to significantly disrupt the broader market.

European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv Monday to mark 35 years since Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union, as Russia's invasion stretches into its fifth year. Nearly a dozen European leaders attended amid stalled U.S.-led peace efforts and months of little movement along the front line.
The gathering brought new pledges of military support, including a British move that could help clear the way for French-Ukrainian production of SCALP long-range missiles inside Ukraine. Leaders also discussed Ukraine's worsening shortage of Patriot interceptors ahead of winter, when Russia has repeatedly targeted the country's power grid.
Meanwhile, long-range attacks continued on both sides of the border. Russia said it intercepted 351 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine reported strikes on Russian defense and commercial facilities. Russia also targeted Ukrainian ports and energy infrastructure, with a drone strike in Chernihiv injuring 18 people.

The Trump administration is proposing a $103,265 fee for each worker an employer seeks to hire through the H-1B visa program. The process currently only costs employers several thousand dollars in government fees. The new charge would apply to the 85,000 H-1B visas capped each year and would come on top of existing filing costs.
The H-1B program was created in 1990 to allow U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for specialized jobs temporarily. It has since become a major recruiting tool for technology companies and other employers seeking workers in fields such as engineering, software development, and medicine. Applications have routinely exceeded the number available.
Demand for H-1B visas has routinely exceeded the number available, fueling debate over whether the program fills genuine shortages of specialized workers or allows companies to substitute foreign labor for Americans. The $103,265 fee is still only a proposal and must go through the federal rulemaking process before taking effect.

President Trump announced new 50% tariffs on Canadian automobiles, auto parts and steel starting Jan. 1, 2027. (More)

The Supreme Court lifted a block on Trump’s mail-voting order, allowing work on federal voter lists and new ballot procedures to proceed as legal challenges continue. (More)

The human-caused Hawk Fire near Reno has burned more than 15,000 acres, forcing 42,000 people to evacuate and putting another 45,000 under evacuation warnings. (More)

An armed group released video of hundreds of people reportedly abducted from a mosque during raids in Nigeria last week. (More)

Mexican cattle exports to the U.S. resumed Monday after a yearlong screwworm-related suspension, starting with 700 cattle per day through an Arizona border crossing. (More)

Iran threatened countries cooperating with new U.S. sanctions targeting its trade, which could test whether major partners including China, India and Russia continue doing business with Tehran. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Monday (S&P -0.28%, Nasdaq -0.76%, Dow +0.26%), as a major chip stock selloff weighed the S&P and Nasdaq down. (More)

Taiwan indicted nine people, including Nvidia and Super Micro employees, over the alleged illegal export of AI servers containing restricted Nvidia chips to China. (More)

Nvidia began full production of its Groq 3 LPX racks, bringing technology from its $20 billion Groq acquisition to market for high-speed AI inference. (More)

Deshaun Watson won Cleveland’s starting quarterback job over Shedeur Sanders after missing last season while recovering from two Achilles ruptures. (More)

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleaded no contest Monday to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an Ohio prostitution sting. (More)

Kit Harington is joining HBO’s Harry Potter series as Gilderoy Lockhart, replacing Nicholas Hoult after scheduling conflicts forced Hoult to exit the role. (More)

Researchers developed a system that breaks down food-grade plastic into carbon compounds, then uses engineered yeast to convert them into edible ingredients for foods including cookies. (More)

A study found meal timing was associated with longevity, with mortality lowest among U.S. adults eating their first meal around 7–8 a.m. and last around 7–8 p.m. (More)

A new purple fabric reflects nearly 88% of solar radiation, allowing it to remain cooler than both white and conventional purple cotton during outdoor testing. (More)

Where to find the world’s oldest living things.

See photos of baby red pandas born at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Quiz: Can you differentiate between foods and places?

The “two-second” dehydration test.

Your feedback helps us provide the best newsletter possible.