September 6, 2026 – Short News

Today in our news briefs: The Starbucks boycott and the fight for a $17 minimum wage, Saxony-Anhalt heads into the election with the AfD at 41 percent, record diesel and gas prices are putting Republicans under pressure ahead of the midterms, serious problems after Russian animal vaccines, and around 50 Pentagon employees have been put through polygraph tests over media leaks.

Starbucks Boycott Continues - Workers Demand a $17 Minimum Wage and Finally a Contract

The boycott of Starbucks is continuing over Labor Day weekend. Workers are demanding at least $17 an hour, better staffing in stores and stronger workplace protections. Support is now coming from the AFL-CIO and the Chicago Teachers Union. Starbucks Workers United is saying it plainly: anyone spending money at Starbucks right now is supporting a company that violates labor rights instead of the baristas behind the counter every day. Since the first successful unionization of a store in Buffalo in 2021, the union has grown to around 12,000 members. Nearly 700 Starbucks stores are now unionized. In 2025 alone, the union won 125 elections and had an 82 percent win rate.

At the same time, the political headwinds are getting stronger. The Trump-shaped National Labor Relations Board now has a Republican majority and is overturning decisions that had previously helped workers. In August, the board ruled in Starbucks' favor in a dispute over whether workers from unionized stores could pick up shifts at non-union stores. In July, a union election in Seattle was also thrown out because two mail-in ballots had been counted. Decisions from the Biden era are being rolled back as well. More than 600 cases involving possible labor law violations are still pending against Starbucks. That makes a binding contract even more urgent for the union before more cases disappear or are decided against it.

The workers have already seen that pressure works. This summer, Starbucks pulled a silica-based powder from its lineup after baristas complained about coughing and sneezing. A doctor brought in by the union found no long-term health risk, but criticized Starbucks for not properly evaluating the product's possible effects on workers and customers before using it. The company initially defended the powder and later removed it anyway. For Starbucks Workers United, this was not a voluntary concession, but the result of collective pressure.

The boycott is therefore set to continue until there is a contract. That also includes walkouts like those during the "Unicorn Frappuccino" weekend in August, when workers were not supposed to take time off despite the limited-time drink being difficult to make. The striking workers' slogan was as short as it was clear: "No contract, no coffee."

Saxony-Anhalt Heads Into the Election - AfD at 41 Percent in Final Poll

A new state parliament will be elected in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, and the final published poll before the vote has the AfD clearly in front. The Forschungsgruppe Wahlen poll from September 3 puts the party at 41 percent. The CDU is at 23 percent, the Left at 11.5 percent, the SPD at 8.5 percent and the Greens at 6 percent. The BSW is at 4 percent and the FDP at 3 percent. An outright majority for the AfD is not in sight, but it would become the strongest party by a wide margin.

AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is already openly talking about becoming minister-president. Even if his party fails to win a majority of its own, he wants to put himself forward for election in the state parliament. That would mean the question after the vote would not only be who became the strongest party, but also whether and how the other parties could agree on a government without the AfD. It is also worth noting that, according to the poll, many voters are still undecided, meaning the final result could still move.

The day before the election, thousands of people took to the streets in Magdeburg against the AfD and in support of democracy. Organizers spoke of 15,000 to 20,000 participants, while police said around 10,000 people attended several events across the state capital. Activist Luisa Neubauer accused the AfD of wanting to attack civil liberties and democratic foundations. Members of Silbermond, musician Sebastian Krumbiegel of Die Prinzen and Kerstin Ott also appeared at the rally.

So just hours before the polls open, two very different pictures stand side by side: on one side, an AfD that is well ahead of every other party in the final poll and is claiming the office of minister-president. On the other, thousands of people demonstrating publicly in Magdeburg against an AfD-led state government. On Sunday, we will find out how large the AfD's lead actually is - and whether it ultimately translates into political power.

Republicans Under Pressure Ahead of the Midterms as Fuel Prices Hit Record Highs

Diesel prices in the U.S. rose to their highest level ever on Saturday. The national average is now $5.88 a gallon, while gas is around $4 a gallon in many places. For Republicans, this is coming at the worst possible time, two months before the midterm elections. Internal party polling reportedly shows that many voters are directly blaming the price increases on Donald Trump's war with Iran. One Republican campaign operative put the problem plainly: "Diesel is at an all-time high. Gas is about $4 a gallon. We can't message that away."

Even more uncomfortable for Republican candidates is the fact that they can hardly distance themselves from Trump. His supporters are needed in many crucial races, and anyone who attacks the president publicly risks losing exactly those votes. One Republican insider put it this way: "We have no choice. We're stuck on the boat with him whether we like it or not." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tried on Saturday television to explain the record diesel prices by pointing to Russia and Ukraine. Russia, he said, had been one of the world's biggest diesel exporters and had stopped exports, putting pressure on the global market. At the same time, Duffy claimed that only Trump was working to bring prices back down.

The problem does not end at the gas pump. Diesel powers farm machinery and the trucks that deliver food to supermarkets. According to the Independent Grocers Alliance, fuel costs can account for around 15 to 30 percent of total food costs. If diesel keeps rising, some of that will later show up at the grocery store checkout. That is exactly where Trump promised during the 2024 campaign that prices would start coming down from his first day in office. Instead, fuel and grocery costs are now rising at the same time, while Republicans are left trying to explain to voters just weeks before the election why another record has been set under Trump.

After Dog Deaths, Now Problems With Cats - Russian Vaccine Manufacturer Under Pressure Again

In Russia, cat owners in several regions are reporting serious health problems after vaccinations with "Multifel-4" made by domestic manufacturer Vetbiochim. Reported symptoms include fever, vomiting, refusal to eat and severe weakness, and in serious cases paralysis and seizures. At a private animal shelter near Moscow, eight kittens were vaccinated at the end of July, five of them became ill and one died. There is also the case of a three-year-old Maine Coon from Barnaul that became seriously ill after a vaccination last year and died despite treatment. However, there is still no scientifically proven link between the vaccine and the illnesses.

The case is especially serious because Vetbiochim came under criticism only a few weeks ago over another vaccine. After vaccinations with "Multikan-8," dog owners reported heavy drooling, diarrhea, vomiting and high fever. According to Russian media reports, at least 160 dogs are said to have died, while other reports put the number at around 300. The exact number has not been confirmed because the figures are being collected mainly by pet owners themselves. The affected vaccine batch was first recalled by the manufacturer and was later officially taken off the market by Russia's veterinary regulator. Some owners reported diagnoses of Aujeszky's disease, while Vetbiochim said after its own investigation that the relevant viral genome had not been found in the vaccine.

With "Multifel-4," the company is so far rejecting the allegations. It says some of the packaging shown on social media is from older versions that are no longer sold. According to Vetbiochim, no official reports of adverse reactions in animals have been received. Among pet owners, however, trust has been badly damaged. In comments, people are now saying that vaccinating with the company's products feels like a "lottery" where nobody knows how their pet will react.

There is another problem that goes far beyond Vetbiochim. After many Western manufacturers pulled back from Russia, imported animal vaccines have become harder to obtain. The number of foreign suppliers fell from 29 to 20 between 2022 and 2023, while Russian vaccines reached a record market share of 67 percent in 2024. Popular products such as "Nobivac" are no longer officially imported directly into Russia and in some cases can only be obtained through Belarus or individual clinics. Veterinarians are still warning against stopping vaccinations altogether. In cases of doubt, they recommend antibody tests after vaccination and, if necessary, another vaccination with a different approved product.

Pentagon Goes After Its Own People - Around 50 Employees Put Through Polygraph Tests Over Media Leaks

At the Pentagon, the search for internal leakers has now reached a scale that is unusual even for the U.S. military. Around 50 employees of the Joint Staff were put through polygraph tests in August, including officers and civilian employees. Among other things, they were asked whether they had passed classified information to journalists. Investigators were reportedly especially interested in reports about shrinking U.S. ammunition stockpiles. According to people familiar with the investigations, the tests were not only about finding possible sources. They were also meant to make clear to employees what could happen if internal information keeps reaching the media.

The Pentagon itself is officially keeping quiet and says only that it does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters. At the same time, it says information leaks are taken seriously and that such incidents are investigated. What remains unusual is how broad the operation was. Comparable polygraph testing of such a large number of employees in the immediate orbit of the military leadership has not taken place in the modern U.S. military. Those affected were people working in an area where highly sensitive military information is handled every day.

The trigger was a series of reports in the American media about declining U.S. missile stockpiles, including Patriot air-defense missiles. In early August, it was reported that Donald Trump had backed away from large-scale strikes against Iran because military leaders warned that doing so could deplete U.S. air-defense missile supplies in the Middle East too severely. According to those reports, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, personally warned Trump about it. Just a few weeks later, dozens of employees from that same military environment had to answer whether they were the ones who had passed such information to the press.