GM!
TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
September 1, 2025
Callisto: Dirty Battered Iceball
Its surface is the most densely cratered in the Solar System but what's inside? Jupiter's moon Callisto is a battered ball of dirty ice that is larger than the planet Mercury. It was visited by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s and 2000s, but the recently reprocessed featured image is from a flyby of NASA's Voyager 2 in 1979. The moon would appear darker if it weren't for the tapestry of light-colored fractured surface ice created by eons of impacts. The interior of Callisto is potentially even more interesting because therein might lie an internal layer of liquid water. This potential underground sea is a candidate to harbor life similar with sister moons Europa and Ganymede. Callisto is slightly larger than Luna, Earth's Moon, but because of its high ice content is slightly less massive. ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper missions are now headed out to Jupiter to better investigate its largest moons.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Area 51 secret revealed: NASA scientist answers what the mysterious restricted land is actually used for: 'I could tell you, but…'
Last Updated: Sep 01, 2025, 04:11:00 PM IST
Synopsis
A new WIRED interview has shed light on the enduring mystery of Area 51.
NASA astrobiologist David Grinspoon clarified that the Nevada base is used to test experimental military aircraft, not alien spacecraft. Despite official statements, speculation persists, fueled by recent wildfires and decades of secrecy.
Acknowledged by the CIA only in 2013, the site remains a cultural symbol of UFO folklore, while the real search for extraterrestrial life continues elsewhere.
Few places on Earth stir as much speculation as Area 51. Tucked away in Nevada’s desert, this highly classified U.S. Air Force facility has long been the centerpiece of alien folklore, conspiracy theories, and Hollywood scripts.
Since its establishment in 1955, the base remained hidden from public consciousness until 1989, when whistleblower Robert Lazar claimed he had worked there on alien spacecraft.
For decades, many have wondered whether UFOs or extraterrestrial experiments were truly part of its operations. Now, a NASA scientist has given perhaps the clearest answer yet.
“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you”
In an interview with WIRED, David Grinspoon, Senior Scientist for Astrobiology Strategy at NASA, addressed the burning question directly. Joking first with the classic quip, “Well, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” Grinspoon quickly clarified:
“Area 51 is a place where experimental military aircraft are tested. This is common knowledge, and that’s all I know, and I’ve seen no evidence that it’s anything else,” he said.
His matter-of-fact response cuts through decades of speculation, pointing instead to the base’s original purpose: a testing ground for advanced aviation, from the Cold War era U-2 spy planes to modern experimental technology.
Fire, folklore, and flying saucers
Despite official statements, Area 51 continues to fuel imagination. Just last month, a massive blaze known as the Gothic Fire scorched more than 30,000 acres near the facility after a lightning strike.
The smoke plumes, captured on livestream, triggered a fresh wave of online chatter linking the fire to UFO cover-ups. Social media platforms lit up with tongue-in-cheek reactions.
One Redditor quipped, “I bet someone was microwaving fish and the aliens had enough of the smell,” while another suggested the truly valuable assets were safe underground, untouched by wildfire.
Why the fascination endures
Part of the allure is the secrecy itself. Area 51 was only officially acknowledged by the CIA in 2013, after a Freedom of Information Act request.
Even today, its activities are classified as Top Secret, which makes the lack of concrete details fertile ground for speculation.
The surrounding region has leaned into its reputation, with Nevada’s “Extraterrestrial Highway” and the nearby town of Rachel drawing tourists eager for a brush with mystery.
Beyond Area 51: The bigger cosmic question
Interestingly, Grinspoon’s conversation with WIRED also touched on the Fermi Paradox — the puzzle of why, in a galaxy so vast, humanity has yet to find evidence of other civilizations.
As he explained, our search has barely scratched the surface: “If the Universe is an ocean, we’ve basically searched a teacup full of water.”
So while Area 51 may not be hiding alien spacecraft, the search for extraterrestrial life continues on a much grander stage.
The answer, it turns out, is far less otherworldly but no less intriguing: Area 51 is not a UFO vault but a test bed for cutting-edge military aviation.
Yet the mix of government secrecy, desert isolation, and cultural myth-making ensures it will remain an icon of mystery — even if the aliens are, for now, still out there.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/area-51-secret-revealed-nasa-scientist-answers-what-the-mysterious-restricted-land-is-actually-used-for-i-could-tell-you-but-/articleshow/123633335.cms
https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/famelab/bio/david-grinspoon.html
https://www.psi.edu/staff/profile/david-grinspoon/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r_p_ZE2Gxo
https://www.space.com/science/climate-change/official-death-count-of-2023-hawaii-wildfires-doesnt-capture-true-toll-study-suggests
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/climate/articles/10.3389/fclim.2025.1611198/full
Official death count of 2023 Hawaii wildfires doesn’t capture true toll, study suggests
September 1, 2025
In August 2023, the deadliest fires the U.S. had seen in a century tore through Lāhainā, Maui, devastating the town and taking the lives of between 100 and 102 people, according to an official death count at the time — and, as the planet warms and the climate changes, scientists expect wildfires to grow in number.
Now, two years after those tragic Lāhainā wildfires, researchers have taken a closer look at the true mortality rate associated with the disaster by examining "excess deaths" in the region.
This is a measure of the number of deaths that exceeded what's called the "baseline," or the number of deaths to be expected in a given region from any cause, not just wildfires.
The team found that all-cause mortality increased by 67% during the month of the fires. This is a big deal because it suggests the true toll of the fire is much larger than what was captured in official counts.
The study's authors think the rise was largely due to indirect deaths not caused by the blaze itself, but rather factors like chronic health conditions being exacerbated or someone facing a disruption in their ability to access medical care.
The authors say their findings put a finer point on the need to find better emergency preparedness, access to medical care and ecological solutions to prevent future tragedies in communities as global warming, primarily driven by human activities like burning coal, continues to increase the severity of natural disasters.
This is particularly true for Hawaii, where new developments and tourism demands on the land may have made it more vulnerable to wildfires.
"Native Hawaiians, for the centuries preceding colonization, had ways of stewarding the land so that there were built in mechanisms to mitigate climate crises and effects from potential wildfires," Michelle Nakatsuka, co-author of the study and medical student at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Space.com.
Her paper corroborates other recent research, which suggests the public health impact of the Maui fires are greater than what our health-tracking systems are able to initially catch.
A separate study published in August in JAMA, for example, linked the Maui fires to lingering respiratory problems and mental health problems like depression.
As natural disasters become more common, studying not just the direct mortality rate but a medical system’s ability to absorb an increased burden of non-fatal health effects becomes imperative.
Why 'indirect' death numbers from wildfire are harder to find
Indirect deaths are typically missing from official death counts of disasters including wildfires, because they refer to people dying from causes not as easily attributed to the disaster itself, which mean getting caught in the fire or dying later at a hospital from wounds.
JAMA research on last winter's Los Angeles fires, for example, found that while there were 30 direct fatalities reported from the fires, more than 400 more deaths may be linked back to the disaster due to factors like poor air quality and disruptions in health care.
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Smoke from wildfires, for example, may be especially harmful for people with pre-existing conditions that affect the lungs. Heat waves, which have been named the deadliest form of natural disaster in the U.S., also affect people unevenly.
Similar to the groups most at risk when the need to evacuate other disasters arise, people with lower mobility, older adults, very young children and people with certain existing health conditions are the most vulnerable to high temperatures.
Looking beyond direct deaths and instead at measures such as excess mortality may provide a more layered view on how wildfires or other natural disasters affect a particular community.
"What this shows really is that the impact of wildfires extends beyond the official deaths that are reported," Nakatsuka said. "And there's more insight that can be gained, I think, by looking at both direct and indirect deaths as can be captured by all-cause excess mortality."
Local solutions for a global climate problems
One problem potentially plaguing Maui and the Hawaiian islands' responses to natural disasters is a turn away from older, pre-colonial systems that may naturally be better suited to help prevent the spread of fires, according to Nakatsuka and the others of the Frontiers paper.
These systems have to do with the layout of the land.
"They had a lot of what's called 'green breaks,' so ways to keep the land wet and resilient," Nakatsuka explained.
This includes fish ponds (loko i'a) and other wetlands Nakatsuka said would help break up fires, should they occur. Water diversion and the way the resource is also a factor, according to Nakatsuka.
While the process looks different today, and much is diverted to more modern structures like shopping malls, water diversion in places such as Maui used to be laid out naturally flowing from the mountains to the ocean in land division called ahupuaʻa.
"It was basically these sort of pie slices that ran from the mountain to the ocean," Nakatsuka said. "And so in each slice of land, you sort of had everything a community would need to keep themselves alive."
What's more, removing invasive, more flammable grasses from the Hawaiian islands may also be an important step.
"Invasive grasses have been found to be actually more flammable than a lot of endemic species," Nakatsuka said. "Especially given their square square footage, you would expect them to be a lot less flammable than they actually are."
Importantly, looking for local-level ways to improve resilience to disaster involves bringing local leaders to the table. Indigenous solutions are not only not only culturally relevant, Nakatsuka said, but "in addition, very scientifically sound.
"I think by really allowing indigenous people to participate in policy decisions, we set ourselves up to protect our communities better," she said.
"These are the people who have been stewarding the land well for centuries before colonization happened, and know how to keep the people and the land healthy."
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https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter/Double_trouble_Solar_Orbiter_traces_superfast_electrons_back_to_Sun
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Smile/Smile_factsheet2
Double trouble: Solar Orbiter traces superfast electrons back to Sun
01/09/2025
The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter mission has split the flood of energetic particles flung out into space from the Sun into two groups, tracing each back to a different kind of outburst from our star.
The Sun is the most energetic particle accelerator in the Solar System. It whips up electrons to nearly the speed of light and flings them out into space, flooding the Solar System with so-called ‘Solar Energetic Electrons’ (SEEs).
Researchers have now used Solar Orbiter to pinpoint the source of these energetic electrons and trace what we see out in space back to what’s actually happening on the Sun.
They find two kinds of SEE with clearly distinct stories: one connected to intense solar flares (explosions from smaller patches of the Sun’s surface), and one to larger eruptions of hot gas from the Sun’s atmosphere (known as ‘coronal mass ejections’, or CMEs).
“We see a clear split between ‘impulsive’ particle events, where these energetic electrons speed off the Sun’s surface in bursts via solar flares, and ‘gradual’ ones associated with more extended CMEs, which release a broader swell of particles over longer periods of time,” says lead author Alexander Warmuth of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), Germany.
A clearer connection
While scientists were aware that two types of SEE event existed, Solar Orbiter was able to measure a large number of events, and look far closer to the Sun than other missions had, to reveal how they form and leave the surface of our star.
“We were only able to identify and understand these two groups by observing hundreds of events at different distances from the Sun with multiple instruments – something that only Solar Orbiter can do,” adds Alexander.
“By going so close to our star, we could measure the particles in a ‘pristine’ early state and thus accurately determine the time and place they started at the Sun.”
The study is the most comprehensive of SEE events to date, and produces a catalogue that will only grow through Solar Orbiter’s lifetime.
It used eight of Solar Orbiter’s ten instruments to observe more than 300 events between November 2020 and December 2022.
“It’s the first time we’ve clearly seen this connection between energetic electrons in space and their source events taking place at the Sun,” adds co-author Frederic Schuller, also of AIP.
“We measured the particles in situ – that is, Solar Orbiter actually flew through the electron streams – using the probe’s Energetic Particle Detector, while simultaneously using more of the spacecraft’s instruments to observe what was happening at the Sun.
We also gathered information about the space environment between the Sun and spacecraft.”
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Flight delays
The researchers detected the SEE events at different distances from the Sun. This let them study how the electrons behave as they travel through the Solar System, answering a lingering question about these energetic particles.
When we spot a flare or a CME, there’s often an apparent lag between what we see taking place at the Sun, and the release of energetic electrons into space. In extreme cases, the particles seem to take hours to escape. Why?
“It turns out that this is at least partly related to how the electrons travel through space – it could be a lag in release, but also a lag in detection,” says co-author and ESA Research Fellow Laura Rodríguez-García.
“The electrons encounter turbulence, get scattered in different directions, and so on, so we don’t spot them immediately. These effects build up as you move further from the Sun.”
The space between the Sun and the planets of the Solar System isn’t empty. A wind of charged particles streams out from the Sun constantly, dragging the Sun’s magnetic field with it.
It fills space and influences how the energetic electrons travel; rather than being able to go where they like, they are confined, scattered, and disturbed by this wind and its magnetism.
The study fulfils an important goal of Solar Orbiter: to continuously monitor our star and its surroundings to trace ejected particles back to their sources at the Sun.
“Thanks to Solar Orbiter, we’re getting to know our star better than ever,” says Daniel Müller, ESA Project Scientist for Solar Orbiter.
“During its first five years in space, Solar Orbiter has observed a wealth of Solar Energetic Electron events. As a result, we’ve been able to perform detailed analyses and assemble a unique database for the worldwide community to explore.”
Keeping Earth safe
Crucially, the finding is important for our understanding of space weather, where accurate forecasting is essential to keep our spacecraft operational and safe.
One of the two kinds of SEE events is more important for space weather: that connected to CMEs, which tend to hold more high-energy particles and so threaten far more damage.
Because of this, being able to distinguish between the two types of energetic electrons is hugely relevant for our forecasting.
“Knowledge such as this from Solar Orbiter will help protect other spacecraft in the future, by letting us better understand the energetic particles from the Sun that threaten our astronauts and satellites,” adds Daniel.
“The research is a really great example of the power of collaboration – it was only possible due to the combined expertise and teamwork of European scientists, instrument teams from across ESA Member States, and colleagues from the US.”
Looking ahead, ESA's Vigil mission will pioneer a revolutionary approach, operationally observing the 'side' of the Sun for the first time, unlocking continuous insights into solar activity.
To be launched in 2031, Vigil will detect potentially hazardous solar events before they come into view as seen from Earth, giving us advance knowledge of their speed, direction and chance of impact.
Our understanding of how our planet responds to solar storms will also be investigated further with the launch of ESA’s Smile mission next year.
Smile will study how Earth endures the relentless ‘wind’, and sporadic bursts, of fierce particles thrown our way from the Sun, exploring how the particles interact with our planet's protective magnetic field.
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Stunning Revelations at Ground Zero: OEM Cop Blocked from Entering Building 7 by Man with Machine Gun
August 31, 2025
Richard Bylicki reports that WTC security was greatly increased in the days before 9/11
It’s not often that a new interview with someone who was at Ground Zero on 9/11 yields stunning and previously unknown facts.
It is also rare that someone who was right in the middle of the emergency response at the World Trade Center is willing to stand behind the statement that the towers were brought down in controlled demolitions.
But that is just what happened on the latest episode of 9/11 Free Fall.
Host Andy Steele and cohost Craig McKee were blown away by some of the revelations from Richard Bylicki, who was a police officer assigned to the mayor’s Office of Emergency Management.
(Bylicki was also deputy commissioner of the OEM in Nassau County, working under Richard Rotanz, who was a guest on Free Fall earlier this summer).
Bylicki reports that when he tried to re-enter Building 7 after the destruction of the South Tower, he was met by an unidentified man with a machine gun and wearing a tactical vest.
Bylicki says that even though he identified himself as a New York City police officer who had every right to enter the building, the man refused to let him enter.
He recounts that the man said, “I don’t care who you are, you’re not coming back in the building.”
Bylicki also reports dramatically heightened security measures that were being taken around the World Trade Center for about 10 days before 9/11.
These included cars and trucks going into the WTC being checked using dogs as well as mirrors on wheels, employed to look under the vehicles to ensure that nothing was attached.
His incredible account further includes how on 9/11 he arrested a man near Ground Zero who had been driving a van that had a mural on the side showing the Twin Towers being hit by a plane.
The van was empty, Bylicki reports, and the man was later released.
Bylicki also describes how the water pressure in Building 7 went to zero a minute or so after the South Tower was hit.
This part of his story was included in the 2003 report “Saving City Lifelines: Lessons Learned in the 9-11 Terrorist Attacks” (p. 16).
It's an incredible interview that no one who cares about the 9/11 evidence will want to miss!
https://www.ae911truth.org/news/1085-stunning-revelations-at-ground-zero-oem-cop-blocked-from-entering-building-7-by-man-with-machine-gun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7KNuWNaW1E
Northern lights may be visible in these 18 US states tonight
September 1, 2025
A potent cannibal solar storm is on its way and could put on a spectacular northern lights display across the U.S tonight.
A fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME), launched by a long-duration M2.7 flare from sunspot AR 4199 on Aug. 30, is expected to slam into Earth's magnetic field late on Sept. 1 into early Sept. 2 (UTC), according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
When it arrives, the CME is likely to spark a G2 (moderate) to G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm, with a chance of reaching G4 (severe) levels, according to NOAA and the U.K. Met Office.
That means auroras could extend much farther south than usual — potentially giving millions across the northern and even central U.S. a shot at catching the lights.
What's causing the aurora activity?
The expected auroras are being driven by a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) — a huge cloud of charged solar plasma and magnetic field launched from the sun — that erupted on Aug. 30 from sunspot AR4199.
The CME is forecast to slam into Earth's magnetic field late on Sept. 1 or early Sept. 2 (UTC), potentially triggering strong G3-level geomagnetic storming, with a chance of G4 (severe) conditions, according to both the U.K. Met Office and NOAA.
If this level of storming occurs, auroras could be visible much farther south than usual — possibly reaching into mid-latitude states such as Oregon, Illinois, and New York, and even lower depending on storm strength.
However, this may be more than a typical CME event.
Space weather physicist Dr. Tamitha Skov pointed out that there may actually be two Earth-directed solar eruptions involved in this event, with one possibly catching up to and merging with the other.
In a post on X, Skov explained that "the larger one catches up with the smaller one just ahead of Earth," which could trigger an initial disturbance before the main storm hits.
"Impact is expected by late September 1. G2+ conditions possible," she added. This type of interaction, where one CME overtakes another, is known as a "cannibal CME" — a possibility that may be unfolding with this event.
As of the latest forecasts, the CME has not yet arrived, but geomagnetic storming is expected to begin late Sept. 1 (UTC) and may continue through Sept. 3, offering multiple nights of potential northern lights displays — if skies are clear and dark.
When and where can you see the northern lights?
According to NOAA's Kp index forecast, geomagnetic storming is expected to build through Sept. 2, peaking at Kp 6.67 (G3 storm) between 06:00 and 09:00 UTC (2 a.m. to 5 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 2.
That makes Monday night into Tuesday morning (Sept. 1–2) the best window for aurora viewing. Additional minor to moderate storming may continue into Tuesday night, Sept. 2–3.
Based on the latest NOAA aurora forecast map, the following 18 U.S. states appear fully or partially above the aurora view line:
States that could see the northern lights tonight
Alaska
Montana
North Dakota
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
Maine
South Dakota
Vermont
New Hampshire
Idaho
Washington
Oregon
New York
Wyoming
Iowa
Nebraska
Illinois
Auroras are highly unpredictable, so even if you're within the view line, your chances improve with clear skies, low light pollution, and a good view facing north.
https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-these-18-us-states-sept-1-2-2025
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/what-know-about-labor-day-night-g2-g3-storm-watches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY9EW4nPhAI (Solar Storm Tonight, Deadly Quake, Amazing Discovery | S0 News Sep.1.2025)
Hundreds killed in Afghanistan earthquake
1 Sep, 2025 10:04
At least 800 people have been killed and over 2,800 injured after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the country’s Information Ministry has said, noting that the death toll is likely to rise.
The quake is reported to have struck at around midnight local time (GMT+4:30), with its epicenter near the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, about 120km east of Kabul, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The initial quake was soon followed up with a 4.5-magnitude aftershock and another 5.2-magnitude earthquake.
“Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces.
Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people,” spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on X, adding that all available resources will be mobilized to save lives.
In Kunar, one of the hardest-hit provinces, houses collapsed and whole villages have reportedly been flattened. “Children are under the rubble.
The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble,” a villager from the region has told the media, pleading for people to come help pull out those who have been trapped.
Casualties have been reported across the Nur Gal, Sawki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapa Dara districts, the information ministry noted, adding that figures remain preliminary due to difficulties reaching remote areas in the mountainous region.
Military helicopters and rescue teams are intensifying efforts to evacuate the injured and deliver aid. With mountain passes cut off and communications disrupted, officials warned that the full scale of the devastation may take days to assess.
Taliban officials have appealed to international aid organizations to urgently provide medical supplies, tents, and rescue equipment. Iran has already offered to send humanitarian aid.
The disaster comes less than two years after a series of powerful tremors in Herat Province killed more than 2,400 people in October 2023, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest quakes in recent history.
https://www.rt.com/news/623847-afghanistan-devastating-earthquake/
https://twitter.com/news_az/status/1962390933976043909
https://twitter.com/aima_kh/status/1962410087328182319
More bodies exhumed in mass cult case
1 Sep, 2025 10:04
Kenyan authorities have uncovered more than 30 bodies in a remote village, in a case tied to an alleged religious cult headed by self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie, Reuters reported on Friday.
Government pathologist Richard Njoroge was cited as confirming that seven bodies were recovered on Thursday in Kwa Binzaro, bringing the total number exhumed in the area over the past week to 32.
Forensic teams continue searches, combing dense shrubland for concealed graves.
“We have exhumed seven bodies and also collected 54 body parts which are spread distances away from the graves. So they look like they were spread by, excavated and eaten by wild animals,” the pathologist said.
Kwa Binzaro lies about 30km from Shakahola, where prosecutors say alleged cult leader Mackenzie instructed his followers to starve themselves in anticipation of the end of the world in order to “meet Jesus.”
In 2023, more than 430 bodies were exhumed from dozens of mass graves in the nearby Shakahola forest. Autopsies revealed that most victims had died of starvation, while some, including children, were allegedly beaten or strangled.
Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church and self-proclaimed pastor, has been charged in separate cases with terrorism, murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and child torture and cruelty.
He was arrested in April 2023 after police rescued 15 emaciated church members.
At least 11 suspects are being investigated for alleged involvement in organized crime, radicalization, facilitation of terrorism, and murder.
In July, a Malindi court authorized Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations to exhume bodies from shallow graves in the Kwa Binzaro area.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said initial findings suggest victims may have been starved or suffocated under extreme religious practices. Police added that survivors could not account for several missing children, raising suspicions of foul play.
In August, Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen linked the graves in Kwa Binzaro to Mackenzie’s cult.
Following the mass graves discovered in Shakahola, Kenyan President William Ruto’s government pledged tighter regulation of religious groups and stronger community-based surveillance.
https://www.rt.com/africa/623845-more-bodies-exhumed-in-kenya/
Trump moves to axe over 500 US state media staff
1 Sep, 2025 08:44
US President Donald Trump has ordered more than 500 jobs to be slashed at state-funded propaganda outlets, in the latest move to cut what his administration views as wasteful or partisan government spending.
The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which in 2024 had a budget of some $882 million, oversees Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other state-funded broadcasters, announced the cuts to 532 positions on Friday.
Acting chief executive Kari Lake said the move would “help reduce the federal bureaucracy, improve agency service, and save the American people more of their hard-earned money.”
Lake did not detail which divisions would be most affected, but said the agency would “improve its ability to function and provide the truth to people across the world who live under murderous Communist governments and other tyrannical regimes.”
In June, USAGM issued layoff notices to more than 600 employees. VOA director Michael Abramowitz was placed on administrative leave and later dismissed.
During related litigation, the government disclosed that 486 of the workers targeted under the “reduction-in-forces” plan were VOA staff.
Last week, US District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the administration had not followed proper procedure in firing Abramowitz.
Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA later became a Cold War propaganda tool under the CIA.
Trump has labeled its current incarnation a “leftwing disaster” and “Democrat mouthpiece,” and in June called on Republicans to “kill” the outlet.
Russia revoked VOA’s radio license in 2014 and fully banned the broadcaster in 2022, citing biased coverage of the Ukraine conflict.
https://www.rt.com/news/623798-trump-moves-to-fire-most/
Drone debris sparks fire at Russian power substation in Krasnodar Krai, officials say
September 1, 2025 6:10 am
Debris from a downed Ukrainian drone caused a fire at a power substation in the town of Kropotkin in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, local authorities reported in the early hours of Sept. 1.
The blaze was quickly contained, and "preliminary reports indicate no injuries," the regional administration said on Telegram.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims. Officials did not immediately disclose the scale of the strike or the extent of any damage.
Air raid alerts sounded for hours overnight across several regions in southern and southwestern Russia, according to statements posted on official Telegram channels.
Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said flights at airports in Saratov, Volgograd, and other cities were temporarily suspended to ensure air safety.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure in the region since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, particularly taking aim at Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure as part of its strategy to undermine funding for the Kremlin's war chest.
A few days earlier, Ukrainian drones struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar and Samara regions, according to the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi.
Russian Telegram channels reported explosions were heard by local residents starting 2:30 a.m. local time on Aug. 30 in Krasnodar Krai, amid reports of drones flying overhead.
Videos posted to social media appear to show a large blazes emanating from a both oil refineries.
Krasnodar Krai, situated just east of occupied Crimea and separated by the Kerch Strait, has become an increasingly frequent target of Ukrainian drone strikes.
The region's military infrastructure is critical for Russia's air operations in the south and over the Black Sea.
https://kyivindependent.com/drone-debris-sparks-fire-at-russian-power-substation-in-krasnodar-region-officials-say/
Russian drone attacks Kharkiv region: Man injured, fire breaks out in Slatyne
01.09.2025 18:24
In the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv region, a 74-year-old man was injured following a Russian FPV drone strike.
This was reported by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
“According to the investigation, on September 1 around 09:00, an enemy FPV drone struck near a civilian vehicle in the village of Spodobivka, Kupiansk district.
The 74-year-old driver sustained injuries. The vehicle was damaged,” the statement reads.
A pre-trial investigation has been launched into the commission of a war crime (Part 1, Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Later that day, around 13:30, Russian forces launched another FPV drone strike on Slatyne in the Kharkiv district.
“The drone crashed and detonated in an open area, igniting dry vegetation.
The fire spread across 300 square meters and was contained by firefighters within half an hour,” reported Viacheslav Zadorenko, head of the Derhachi City Military Administration.
As previously reported, on August 31, eleven settlements in the Kharkiv region came under Russian attack. One person was killed and three others were injured.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4031758-russian-drone-attacks-kharkiv-region-man-injured-fire-breaks-out-in-slatyne.html
https://t.me/zadorenko_v/14528
SSU detains Russian agents preparing new missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and Odesa
01.09.2025 12:30
The Security Service of Ukraine detained Russian agents who were preparing new missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and Odesa.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the SSU.
According to the case materials, the suspects were supposed to identify and share the locations of the Defense Forces with the invaders.
The agents also spread information about the consequences of enemy strikes on civilian infrastructure to repeat attacks.
It was established that both agents acted separately but had a common handler, whose identity has already been detected by SSU cyber specialists.
To collect intelligence, the suspects went to the field, photographed potential targets, and recorded their coordinates.
Thus, in Kyiv, a 31-year-old native of temporarily occupied Melitopol was detained, who had been dispatched by Russian military intelligence to spy in the capital of Ukraine.
According to the instructions of the Russian military intelligence, the agent was supposed to identify and share with the Russians the locations of repair bases of the Defense Forces’ military equipment.
In addition, the perpetrator monitored the time intervals of the largest gatherings of people near recruitment centers in the Kyiv region, which the enemy planned to target from the air.
In Odesa, a former servicewoman was exposed, who, after being discharged from the military, began to cooperate with Russian military intelligence.
In exchange for money from the Russians, the woman passed them the coordinates of the deployment of maritime guard units, border guards, and the National Guard in the port city.
However, as the investigation established, the agent never received the promised money from the Russian Federation.
SSU investigators served both suspects with a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).
The perpetrators are being held in custody without the right to bail. They face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
As reported by Ukrinform, the SSU foiled a resident of Sviatohirsk in the Donetsk region who had been passing data to the Russian invaders about the deployment points and movement routes of the Defense Forces in the Lyman direction.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4031610-ssu-detains-russian-agents-preparing-new-missile-and-drone-strikes-on-kyiv-and-odesa.html