Shoppers are going nuts over these low cost hearing aids that are virtually invisible. Discover how these affordable hearing aids are changing the lives of people everyday.

Over 150,000 happy customers are already loving their new way of hearing. Don’t let overpriced hearing aids hold you back—order yours today.

Learn More

What you need to know

Ukraine send elite forces to plug gaps in Donbas

Ukrainian units on the ground say the breakthrough by small Russian infantry groups near Dobropillia is being contained, with some areas already retaken. There is so far no evidence of large Russian formations exploiting the breach. Information, however, is still limited; the situation should become clearer in the coming days.

The elite 1st Azov National Guard Corps has taken up defensive positions along the approaches to Dobropillia and the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk road, this is the sector where Russian forces have penetrated 10–25km (6–16 miles) into the rear of Ukrainian lines.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is receiving much of the blame for the setback in the Donbas.

Syrskyi remains unpopular with many Ukrainian soldiers, who see him as a Soviet-trained career officer trapped in an outmoded style of military thinking. Since Zelensky replaced Zaluzhnyi with Syrskyi last year, critics argue the war has become a contest between two Soviet-style armies, with Ukraine losing the advantage of its Western training.

In an unexpected move on Monday, Zelensky said Ukrainian men under the age of 22 would be allowed to travel abroad, instructing the government to implement the change. He has refused to lower the age of male conscription to 18; it stands at 25, having previously been 27. Ukraine’s continuing disadvantage is manpower, set against a Russian war machine willing to spend lives for limited territorial gains.

Zelensky has nevertheless sought to downplay manpower concerns by citing Russian losses. Although unverified, the figures he references suggest Russia suffers an average of 531 fatalities a day, compared with 18 for Ukraine.

Zelensky arrives in Berlin today for a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The leaders will join a video conference with European heads of state, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Friday’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump is due to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Some concern has been voiced about allowing Russian military aircraft to land at a sensitive U.S. military facility, though the Pentagon has not publicly pushed back.

America First

Mexico extradites 26 prisoners to the U.S. amid cartel cases

Mexico on 12 August extradited 26 prisoners to the U.S., accused of links to major drug-trafficking organizations, the second such mass handover this year after a group of 29 in February.

Mexico’s attorney general’s office and security ministry said the transfer was carried out from multiple prisons following U.S. Department of Justice requests, with Washington assuring that the death penalty will not be sought.

U.S. officials said the group includes figures tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.

Reported names among the 26 include Abigael González Valencia (“El Cuini”), Servando Gómez (“La Tuta”), Juan Carlos Félix Gastélum (“El Chavo Félix”) and Leobardo García Corrales, though Mexican authorities have said they will release the full list at a later briefing.

Politically, the extradition comes as President Donald Trump has linked tariff threats and potential military action against cartels to Mexico’s cooperation. President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has emphasized collaboration while rejecting any unilateral U.S. operations on Mexican soil. Further bilateral security arrangements are reportedly under discussion.

Rubio says U.S. terror listing of the Muslim Brotherhood is in the works

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his department is working on designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. He noted that any action would need to address the movement’s disparate international branches separately, and he anticipated legal challenges once listings are announced.

Under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department may designate a foreign group: if it is foreign, engages in terrorism or has the capability and intent to do so, and threatens U.S. national security. Congress must be notified seven days before publication in the Federal Register, after which criminal prohibitions on providing “material support” apply and assets can be blocked. Judicial review lies in the D.C. Circuit.

Past attempts to apply an umbrella designation have stumbled over definitional and evidentiary hurdles. Some have argued that the Muslim Brotherhood is more of an ideology than an actual organization or movement.

In practice, any U.S. action would likely name particular organizations, such as national “societies” or offshoots, rather than a notional worldwide Brotherhood. Expect litigation testing whether the administrative record meets the statute’s findings for each listed entity, and whether due-process claims can succeed.

Some U.S. partners have already proscribed the Brotherhood or affiliates (Jordan most recently), while others have scrutinized the movement without banning it outright. Divergent approaches among allies suggest that any U.S. move will trigger diplomatic debate as well as domestic court review.

What to watch next

Move fast and break things

Tech rules as markets set records, U.S. deficit grows & BLS nominee stirs debate

Nvidia (ticker: NVDA) now accounts for more than 8% of the S&P 500, the highest weighting for a single stock in the index’s history.

While this clearly demonstrates the dominance of tech, particularly Artificial Intelligence, in the markets, the dominance of one firm is not unusual in the history of American stock trading.

Despite surging tariff revenues, the U.S. budget deficit in July was 10% higher than a year earlier. In the month, the U.S. government collected $338 billion and spent $630 billion, leaving a $291 billion shortfall. More than one in four tax dollars last month went to interest payments.

The White House on Tuesday posted “Are you tired of winning?” alongside an Investopedia headline reading: “Dow Jones Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite Close at Record Highs as Stocks Surge After CPI Report Boosts Rate-Cut Hopes.”

The economy, overall, is in strange territory. Markets and macro indicators are flashing records across the board, despite the growing federal debt: stocks, home prices, Bitcoin and gold are all at all-time highs, as are the money supply and the national debt, while consumer prices have risen at roughly 4% a year since January 2020, about twice the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

President Donald Trump said he would nominate Dr. E.J. Antoni as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, praising him as an economist who will ensure “honest and accurate” data. The announcement follows the dismissal earlier this month of the previous incumbent after BLS revisions suggested labor-market weakness. Antoni has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” that should be “sunset,” remarks likely to draw scrutiny at his confirmation hearing.

Birth pangs in the birthplace of civilization

Israel encourages Gaza departures as resettlement and a new offensive loom

Israel will allow Palestinians to leave Gaza as it prepares a new military offensive. Officials say departures will be managed in stages, with priority given to humanitarian cases.

Adding fuel to the fire for those accusing Israel of genocide, in an interview with the Israeli outlet i24NEWS, later reported by the Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for the idea of a “Greater Israel,” a concept associated with the far religious right that envisions expansion into neighboring countries, including Jordan and Egypt. Netanyahu did not outline specific steps.

Negotiating teams in Doha and Cairo are working to craft an arrangement that would avert a full Israeli assault on Gaza City, the largest urban center in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli units have been observed gathering outside the Gaza Strip, seemingly in preparation for an assault on Gaza City, which may come as late as October, or much earlier.

Europe's center of gravity shifts east, politics moves right, hostility to migrants from the south rises, as ties with the U.S. fray

U.S. criticizes UK’s record on free speech as EU weighs message-scanning rules

The U.S. State Department has accused the UK of “significant human-rights issues,” including curbs on free speech.

The assessment appears in an updated edition of the department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance holidayed in the Cotswolds.

The report says conditions in the UK “worsened” in 2024, citing credible accounts of limits on freedom of expression and of crimes, violence or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism since the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. While free speech is “generally provided for,” the document highlights areas of concern where political speech deemed hateful or offensive has been restricted.

Separately, Italy, Greece, Denmark, France and Spain are developing identity-based age-verification regimes, akin to provisions in Britain’s Online Safety Act.

The European Union’s so-called chat-control proposal is slated for a vote on 14 October 2025. The measure would require scanning content sent through messaging apps, including private messages and photos on users’ devices. Only three EU member states, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, have so far said they will vote against.

Center of Gravity sign up link: https://www.namea-group.com/the-daily-brief