## 'This Is Oligarchy': Nearly 100 Billionaires Are Funding Susan Collins' Reelection Bid

Authored by commondreams.org

A new analysis of campaign finance data shows that nearly 100 billionaires and their spouses have contributed to Republican Sen. Susan Collins' reelection bid so far, funneling nearly $10 million to the incumbent's campaign committee and PACs supporting her effort to fend off progressive challenger Graham Platner.

Platner's reelection bid has received donations from billionaires George Soros, Pat Stryker, Jon Stryker, Christy Walton, and Jennifer Pritzker.

Those contributions represent "a fraction of 1% of his total haul," The Maine Monitor noted.

The Democratic candidate's campaign said Thursday that "grassroots donors chipping in $200 or less have given Graham Platner $9.6 million.".

In 2017, Collins voted for legislation that delivered massive tax breaks to large corporations and American billionaires, whose collective wealth surged to $8.1 trillion last year.

On top of billionaire funding, Collins' campaign has benefited from massive ad spending by dark-money groups such as One Nation.

The group, which is aligned with Sen. Mitch McConnell, has spent more than $19 million on advertising for Collins so far. »

### Ukraine's Latest Drone Class Is Crippling Russia's Supply Bridges

Authored by businessinsider.com

In several social media posts over the last five days, the 1st Separate Assault Regiment posted first-person-view drone footage showing uncrewed systems repeatedly flown into the bridge's surface from above.

In past years, Ukraine instead damaged Russia's supply bridges by relying largely on sabotage or artillery systems such as the US-made HIMARS.

These drones fly further and hit harder than typical grenade-carrying quadcopters, but are cheaper to produce than the long-distance drones Ukraine uses to attack Russia's military-industrial base. »

### Final Fantasy VII Revelation director says today’s RPGs need more player agency because fans may be satisfied just watching streams

Authored by automaton-media.com

Last week, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the remake trilogy’s much-awaited final installment, is coming in the spring of 2027.

“One thing RPGs like Final Fantasy need to be careful about today is the possibility that people might simply watch a stream and feel satisfied without ever playing the game themselves.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation is scheduled to release in Spring 2027 for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox on PC), Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X❘S. »

### Russia Confiscates $7.6Bln in Assets in Largest Nationalization Yet

Authored by themoscowtimes.com

Moshkovich, 58, founder of major agricultural producer Rusagro and ranked 51st on Forbes Russia's list of the country's wealthiest businessmen, has been held in pre-trial detention since March last year.

In May, Moscow's Khamovniki District Court ordered the nationalization of Rusagro, one of Russia's largest agricultural companies.

Rusagro is the country's second-largest pork producer, third-largest sugar producer and controls more than 800,000 hectares of agricultural land. »

### Israel deports French journalist over coverage critical of its policies in Gaza and the West Bank

Authored by apnews.com

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Froussard had the required travel authorization and had applied for a press visa to work in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, RFI said.

“This is not the first case in which the Israeli government decides that the journalist coverage is ‘one-sided,’” the FPA said in a statement. »

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