Today’s Headlines and Commentary

Ten people, including seven children, were killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul on Sunday, according to the New York Times. Survivors said the strike killed an aid worker for an American charity organization and a contractor with the U.S. military. A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said the target of the strike was a van filled with explosives that the Islamic State-Khorasan Province had planned to use in another attack on the Kabul airport. He said the strike hit a valid target but that the military was investigating reports of civilian casualties.

Rockets were fired at the Kabul airport early Monday, but as many as five were intercepted by a missile defense system, according to the Washington Post. A U.S. official said there are no initial reports of American casualties. A Taliban spokesperson said there are no reports of Afghan deaths, and the group is investigating the incident.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that China could play a “constructive and positive role” in reconstruction and economic development in Afghanistan, reports the South China Morning Post. Since the Islamist group has taken power, China has called for the international community to allow the Taliban time to prove itself on issues of human rights, even as thousands are attempting to flee based on fears of a reprise of the repsressive regime before 2001. Suhail said, “We are ready to exchange views with China on how to forge ahead in terms of boosting our mutual relations, establishing peace in the region, and its assistance in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.”

Ida has left at least 1 million people without power after it made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, reports the Washington Post. It has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but forecasters still warn of dangerous storm surges. The storm’s center will move through southwestern Mississippi today, risking even more power outages. Officials in Louisiana are urging residents to remain cautious. Gov. John Bel Edwards told people to “remain where you are” on Monday morning, and the National Weather Service in New Orleans said to “be EXTREMELY safe today as weather hazards remain in effect.”

The Department of Education opened civil rights investigations into five states’ bans on school mask mandates, according to the Washington Post. Letters sent to officials in Iowa, South Carolina, Utah, Oklahoma and Tennessee allege that the policies restricting local school districts from requiring masks prevent schools from protecting students especially vulnerable to severe illness from the coronavirus. The investigations follow President Biden’s announcement earlier this month that he directed the department to take action against states that interfere with districts’ decisions to impose a mask mandate.

Two anonymous sources said Kira Yarmysh, the spokeswoman for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, has left Russia, according to Reuters. One source said she has flown to Helsinki. Earlier this month, a Russian court imposed 18 months of restrictions on her freedom of movement, ruling that she violated coronavirus safety rules during a protest in support of Navalny last winter. Russian authorities have cracked down on opposition leaders leading up to parliamentary elections next month, and many of Navalny’s allies have fled the country rather than face restrictions or imprisonment.

A report from a United Nations agency says North Korea appears to have restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor which produces plutonium, according to the BBC. Relying on satellite images, the International Atomic Energy Agency said the reactor has been discharging cooling water since July, suggesting the site is operational again. The IAEA reports that this is the first sign of activity at the nuclear complex since December 2018 when former President Trump met Kim Jong-un in Singapore. The agency, which was expelled from the country in 2009, said the developments are “deeply troubling” and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

ICYMI: This Weekend on Lawfare

Natalie Orpett shared a job announcement for the Justice Department’s new Cyber Fellowship program.

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