Today's Headlines and Commentary

The final tally of U.S. troops deployed to the southern border in anticipation of the migrant caravan moving northward through Mexico has increased to 8,000 total troops, reports the Wall Street Journal.

A U.S.-backed military offensive against the Islamic State in Syria has been stalled as the militant group shifts its tactics form the battlefield in Iraq to guerilla tactics in other parts of the Middle East, says the New York Times.

A Russian fighter jet made two passes within a few dozen feet of a U.S. surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, a move that Pentagon officials said put the pilots and crew at risk, reports the Journal.

The Taliban is stronger than it has been at any other point in the 17 years since it was first deposed by the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan, reports the Journal. The terrorist organization now controls half of Afghanistan’s territory.

Dozens of soldiers and law enforcement officers were killed in nine Taliban attacks on Monday and Tuesday against security bases and outposts in Afghanistan, says the Times.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

David Priess argued that undermining the president from within the administration is an ethical minefield that should be avoided.

Molly Reynolds explored why spots on the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee are in such high demand for the upcoming 116th Congress.

Matthew Kahn shared the Congressional Research Service’s report in the 25th Amendment’s treatment of presidential disability.

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