As President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are preparing to meet over a peace deal on Ukraine, some of the more-than 200,000 Ukrainian refugees living in the U.S. are grappling with losing their protected status.

DeWitt

Ukrainian refugees who fled to DeWitt, Iowa, have become valued members of the local community, filling workforce gaps and establishing new lives. However, with the expiration of their two-year work permits and no renewal from the current U.S. administration, many now face the prospect of losing their jobs and homes.

Community members and employers have expressed concern over the situation, noting that most European countries are renewing such permits while the U.S. has not. Refugees say it is still unsafe to return to Ukraine, and local supporters argue that those who have followed the rules and contributed should be allowed to stay. The uncertainty has left families anxious about their future and the possibility of having to uproot their lives once again.

Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. grapple with losing protected status

Liana Avidesan and most of her family fled Ukraine in 2023 to build a new life in America's heartland. What have you liked about Iowa? People, very kind here. The state has become a lifeline. This is our new community. More than 75 Ukrainians have now resettled in the small town of DeWitt, Iowa, which calls itself the Crossroads to Opportunity. Angela Bolanz has helped many of them find housing and a paycheck. I get a phone call every week from employers saying, do you have anybody from Ukraine who needs a job? Because we have a workforce shortage in Iowa and our population has been declining. To find people that want to work and take pride in their work, to our standards, is not easy. I want more Ukrainians if they want to. You want more. Absolutely. Sam Hare runs this window replacement company and employed Avidesan, her husband, and cousin. But in May, their two-year work permits expired. Most European countries are renewing Ukrainian refugee work permits. The Trump administration is not. This is a red state. Yes. Who did you vote for? I voted for Trump. If you had the president or the administrations here, you would say what? These people are hard to find and come by. They've been through upheaval just to get here and then all of a sudden, what they thought they were building towards is shaken. When people do the right thing and follow the rules, they should be rewarded. If you could talk to President Trump, what would you say? All Ukrainians work, have their jobs. They pay taxes. I think it's fair to give them a chance. So you bought this house? Yeah, we bought this house. That's a pretty big deal. Yeah. If you had to sell the house to leave here, how would that be for you? It would break my heart, really. Ah. Some might say they were never promised that they could stay here permanently. So why shouldn't they have to move on? They were promised to stay until it's safe to return. It's not safe to return. It's not even close. And when we make a promise to people, I feel we keep it. Boland says many more work permits are about to expire, leaving Ukrainian refugees in limbo. They may not be forced to leave, but without a job, they can't afford to stay. Can you imagine what that uncertainty must be like for these families? No, no. I lay awake at night sometimes worrying about my son and whether or not he, you know, did well on a math test. Can you even imagine laying there at night wondering, am I going to have to pack up tomorrow? It sounds like you feel guilty. I feel very guilty. Yeah. We've been the big brother to Ukraine for many, many decades. These families know America and our kindness and our generosity better than we do. Thank you, thank you. And I'm the one that brought him here. Yeah. And now I'm going to put them through that trauma again by making them have to go back to Ukraine or to another country. Would you go back to Kyiv? It's not safe to go back to Kyiv. Every day, every night, it's bombing. And I have a lot of videos from my mom. This is my mom. Having endured the pain of leaving everything behind, Avity's son and her 15-year-old daughter now hope the opportunity of DeWitt won't also slip away. You've really been embraced by this community. Yes, yes, yes. I'm starting to feel like I'm at home. And home is where you want to stay. Yeah.

After almost four decades of a bloody conflict that until recently had no end in sight, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement in the presence of the US President Donald Trump. Notably absent in this historic moment is Russia, which no longer plays a central role in the South Caucasus.

Washington

Azerbaijan and Armenia sign historic agreement

Montana's governor said that the dayslong manhunt for the suspect in a bar shooting has ended. 45-year-old Michael Brown was taken into custody on Friday.

Anaconda

Montana bar shooting suspect captured after weeklong manhunt

President Trump announced Friday that he will hold a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska. The summit comes as Russia has been pushing to keep all the Ukrainian territory it gained from its invasion. Nancy Cordes and Margaret Brennan have the latest.

Ukraine Invasion

Trump, Putin to hold meeting in Alaska next week

The U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas in its investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. CBS News' Jake Rosen reports.

New York

Trump's DOJ subpoenas New York AG Letitia James

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday (August 7), as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.

Moscow

Kremlin says Trump, Putin to meet soon; Ukraine seeks role for Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump's rushed deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal or face more sanctions has arrived without much movement from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump deadline for Russia to reach ceasefire arrives

Protesters in Israel are voicing their concerns about a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet to take over Gaza City. CBS News' Debora Patta has more.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full military control of Gaza and push a new offensive, despite mounting international criticism over the war’s human toll and growing hunger crisis.

Israel intends to take full control of Gaza, Netanyahu says

U.S. President Donald Trump said that there is a good chance he'll meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin soon over Russia's war with Ukraine.

Trump says 'good chance' he'll meet with Putin soon

U.S. President Donal Trump officially began levying higher import taxes on dozens of countries on Thursday (August 7), just as the economic fallout of his months-long tariff threats was beginning to create visible damage to the U.S. economy.

Global Tariffs

Higher U.S. tariffs officially take effect

The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., earlier this year has been charged with federal hate crime charges. CBS News Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Hate crime charges filed in killings of Israeli Embassy staffers

As Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits his sentencing, his lead attorney Marc Agnifilo says he has not talked to anyone at the White House about a possible pardon.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorney says he hasn't had talks about a pardon

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, blamed Hamas when asked about starvation in Gaza, saying, "Hamas has not allowed the food to get to the people who are hungry." Huckabee also addressed questions over the controversial aid sites.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel faces questions over starvation in Gaza

On "T-Day," the US began enforcing Trump's new tariffs, raising average rates from 2% to 15% after a 90-day pause allowed some countries to negotiate reduced deals while others, like India and Brazil, faced hikes. These tariffs have generated over $150 billion in revenue by July, impacting various sectors and aiming to address trade imbalances.

U.S. begins collecting Trump's new global tariffs

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he plans to call the leaders of China and India, to discuss a joint response to new US tariffs. The announcement came as Brazil and India were hit with 50 percent levies - the highest imposed by President Donald Trump.

State of Rio de Janeiro

Brazil halts U.S. trade talks as Lula condemns new tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations after trade talks reached a deadlock.

Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on India over Russian oil imports

President Trump has been briefed about the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia, the White House press secretary says. At least five soldiers were shot before a suspect was apprehended, officials say.

Fort Stewart

Five soldiers shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia; suspect apprehended

A Russian official said President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had a "useful and constructive" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

Witkoff, Putin had 'useful and constructive conversation'

The U.S. aims to deploy nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, targeting the first launch by decade’s end. A new NASA directive, revealed by Politico and AFP, calls for appointing a nuclear power czar to choose two commercial proposals within six months, aiming to outpace a Chinese-Russian collaboration.

NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars

Japan held a memorial service and ceremony for victims and the remaining survivors of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, marking its 80th anniversary and renewing pledges of working towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary since U.S. atomic bombing

The U.S. is warning travelers as cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne illness, spreads in China. Health officials in China have ordered mass disinfection measures. The region near Hong Kong reported more than 7,000 cases in recent weeks.

Beijing

U.S. warns travelers as cases of chikungunya increase in China

Japan has commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing during World War II. Ceremonies at Peace Memorial Park honoured the victims of the 1945 nuclear attack by US forces.

Japan’s Hiroshima marks 80 years since U.S. atomic bombing

Multiple media outlets in Israel have reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a complete military takeover of Gaza, while almost 600 former Israeli military and security officials are petitioning Washington to stop the fighting.

Netanyahu reportedly wants complete Gaza takeover

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he had a productive talk with President Trump focused on ending the war with Russia. CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd has more.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy holds 'productive talks' with Trump about war

Family members of two of the victims from the 2023 implosion are demanding tougher regulations following the damning report released on Tuesday. Five people died when the submersible imploded off the coast of Newfoundland.

Breakdown