Trump proposes new fee on skilled-worker visas.
Today's events
Skilled-worker visas.
Trump's Labor Day proclamation said his administration is proposing a new fee on H-1B visa petitions, and credited his tariffs with bringing companies home and adding over 900,000 jobs.1Sep 7 · WHBrazilian brass rod.
Commerce preliminarily found that Termomecanica Sao Paulo sold brass rod in the United States below normal value between December 2023 and May 2025; case briefs are due within 21 days.2Sep 8 · CommerceSixth-generation spectrum.
The Federal Communications Commission's Technological Advisory Council meets October 1 to advise on 6G development and on using artificial intelligence to share and administer spectrum.3Sep 8 · FCCDrug import filings.
The Drug Enforcement Administration published seven notices in one Federal Register issue: five applications to import or manufacture controlled substances, one revoked physician registration and one rescinded order.4Sep 8 · DOJSelect-agent registry.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened comment on a revised collection tracking who may possess, use and transfer dangerous pathogens and toxins; comments close November 9.5Sep 8 · CDCAndorra partnership.
Rubio marked Andorra's national day by pointing to the principality's work with American technology companies on digital infrastructure and financial-sector security, and to openings for U.S. investment.6Sep 8 · StateListeria recall.
Made Fresh Salads of Bay Shore, New York recalled every ready-to-eat deli salad and cream cheese it distributed across Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx over possible Listeria contamination.7Sep 6 · FDANew-technology payments.
Medicare set a December 9 town hall on which fiscal-2028 applications for new-technology add-on payments show substantial clinical improvement, the test that decides extra hospital reimbursement.8Sep 8 · HHSWildfire risk gap.
A U.S. Geological Survey team surveyed 38 communities where housing meets wildland across the West and found homeowners consistently rate their own fire risk lower than trained assessors do.9Sep 8 · USGS
This week
Venezuela oil deal.
The White House said Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth signed an agreement on September 2 giving the United States majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves across 17 Venezuelan fields, most previously run by Russian or Chinese firms. A new private company, North American Blue Energy Partners, will operate them. The deal led the September 3 brief; the White House said it came at zero cost to the United States.1Sep 2 · WHTanker strikes.
Central Command destroyed or disabled three Iranian crude carriers — the Downy, Stark 1 and Kylo — on September 5, after Revolutionary Guard ballistic missiles missed a U.S. carrier and a destroyer. It was the second escalation of the week: on September 1 the same command struck Guard air-defense, radar, maritime, mine-laying and communications sites across Iran. Both rounds led their briefs, on September 6 and September 2.2Sep 5 · CENTCOMAlaska drilling permits.
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management proposed on September 4 pre-set criteria that would fast-track drilling permits and pipeline rights-of-way for qualifying production sites in the National Petroleum Reserve; comments close November 9. It ran in the September 6 and 7 briefs, the same week the Energy Information Administration reported regular gasoline at $4.07 a gallon nationally and $5.21 on the West Coast.3Sep 4 · InteriorCarolina Principles.
Twenty economies, China, Russia and the European Union among them, closed a two-day Commerce-hosted ministerial in Chapel Hill on September 3 with a consensus statement and a set of principles on artificial intelligence, intellectual property and supply chains. It was the week’s only item in which Washington, Beijing and Moscow signed the same text, and it led the September 4 brief.4Sep 3 · WHTrade deficit.
The goods-and-services gap widened to $88.6 billion in July from $71.2 billion in June, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported September 3, driven by a $14.4 billion jump in capital-goods imports — computers, computer accessories and semiconductors. The day before, Customs and Border Protection opened rulemaking that would require importers to identify every party in a shipment’s supply chain and hand over foreign export filings.5Sep 3 · BEASeptember rate decision.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on September 3 he would back holding rates at the September 15–16 meeting if the new signs of disinflation hold, but that an increase may be warranted if August data show the improvement was fleeting. The White House reported the next day that employers added 162,000 jobs in August, nearly triple forecasts, with manufacturing up 16,000.6Sep 3 · Fed
Allied Governments
Downing Street call.
Britain's prime minister told Trump the UK supports U.S.-led Ukraine peace talks and pressed for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.aSep 7 · UK No.10British space strategy.
Britain published a £7.8 billion national space strategy running to 2030, including £880 million for space surveillance and control and £2.8 billion for military satellite communications.bSep 7 · UK MoDNepal flood grant.
Japan approved a $3 million emergency grant for Nepal's flash-flood victims, split evenly between the World Food Programme, the Red Cross federation and the migration agency.cSep 8 · Japan MoFA
Voices
“[W]e are proposing a new fee on H-1B visa petitions that will encourage companies to invest in qualified Americans before looking overseas for labor.”
Labor Day Proclamation, President Donald J. Trump · Sep 71
“[The Council will advise on] studying advanced spectrum sharing techniques, including the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the utilization and administration of spectrum.”
FCC Technological Advisory Council notice · Sep 83
“The United States values Andorra as a steadfast friend that shares our commitment to national sovereignty and a secure, prosperous future for its citizens.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio · Sep 86
“[Termomecanica Sao Paulo S.A.], a producer/exporter subject to this administrative review, made sales of brass rod at less than normal value.”
Commerce Dept. preliminary determination · Sep 82
“[Listeria monocytogenes is] an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.”
Made Fresh Salads recall notice, FDA · Sep 67
“Results also indicated that, even if motivated to reduce their own wildfire risk, homeowners may lack the specific knowledge necessary to undertake meaningful actions.”
USGS Wildfire Research Team · Sep 89
Sources
- White House, “Labor Day, 2026” (presidential proclamation), September 2026. whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/…/labor-day-2026
- Federal Register, “Brass Rod From Brazil: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2025” (International Trade Administration, Commerce), September 8, 2026 issue. federalregister.gov/…/brass-rod-brazil-preliminary-results
- Federal Register, “Federal Advisory Committee Act; Technological Advisory Council” (Federal Communications Commission, notice of public meeting), September 8, 2026 issue. federalregister.gov/…/fcc-technological-advisory-council
- Federal Register, “Importer of Controlled Substances Application: Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC” (Drug Enforcement Administration) — one of seven DEA notices in the September 8, 2026 issue. federalregister.gov/…/dea-importer-fresenius-kabi
- Federal Register, “Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Possession, Use, and Transfer of Select Agents and Toxins, 42 CFR 73), September 8, 2026 issue. federalregister.gov/…/cdc-select-agents-data-collection
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Andorra National Day,” press statement by Secretary Marco Rubio, September 8, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/andorra-national-day
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Made Fresh Salads, Inc. Recalls Ready to Eat Deli Style Salads and Cream Cheese Because of Possible Health Risk,” September 6, 2026. fda.gov/safety/recalls/…/made-fresh-salads-recall
- Federal Register, “Medicare Program; Town Hall Meeting on the Fiscal Year 2028 Applications for New Technology Add-On Payments” (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), September 8, 2026 issue. federalregister.gov/…/medicare-new-technology-town-hall
- U.S. Geological Survey, “FORT Science in Action 2026, Part 5: Helping communities adapt to wildfire,” September 8, 2026. usgs.gov/centers/…/helping-communities-adapt-to-wildfire
- UK Prime Minister's Office (No.10), “PM call with President Trump of the United States: 7 September 2026.” gov.uk/government/news/…/pm-call-president-trump
- UK Ministry of Defence, “New space strategy will bolster UK defences against threats from space,” September 7, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/new-space-strategy
- Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Emergency Grant in Response to the Flash Flood Disaster in Nepal,” September 8, 2026. mofa.go.jp/press/release/…/nepal-flash-flood-grant