Today’s Headlines and Commentary

Fighting between Taliban and resistance forces has intensified in the northern province of Panjshir, the last rebel stronghold in Afghanistan, according to Al Jazeera. Taliban leaders say attempts at a peace agreement have failed in the province as they are set to announce the formation of a new government in Kabul soon. Residents say the clashes have forced at least 400 families to flee the region.

The U.S. economy added 235,000 jobs last month, a sharp drop from gains made earlier in the summer, according to the New York Times. Economists had projected the economy would add 725,000 jobs. President Biden said the Delta variant of the coronavirus is to blame for the slowdown, telling reporters, “There’s no question that the Delta variant is why today’s job report isn’t stronger. I know people were looking, and I was hoping, for a higher number.”

The Commerce Department is shutting down a security unit that it found launched improper investigations and collected information on its employees and other citizens, according to the Washington Post. The internal review conducted by department lawyers found that the Investigations and Threat Management Service did not have “adequate legal authority” for the criminal investigations it had pursued for 15 years, including conducting counterespionage and background checks on U.S. residents with little oversight. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo promised that the department would accept the review’s recommendations, saying, “We are committed to maintaining our security, but also equally committed to protecting the privacy and civil liberties of our employees and the public.”

Gun manufacturer Remington Arms, the company being sued by families of nine people killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, has subpoenaed academic records of five of the students killed, according to NPR. Remington, which has filed for bankruptcy twice, manufactured the Bushmaster assault-style AR-15 rifle that was used in the shooting. Attorneys for the families in the suit asked the court for the subpoenaed records to be sealed. Their lead attorney Joshua Koskoff told reporters there was “no explanation” for the subpoenas, saying, “The records cannot possibly excuse Remington's egregious marketing conduct, or be of any assistance in estimating the catastrophic damages in this case. The only relevant part of their attendance records is that they were at their desks on December 14, 2012.”

At least six people were wounded in a stabbing at a supermarket in New Zealand, according to the BBC. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the “terrorist attack” was carried out by an unnamed Sri Lankan national, a supporter of the Islamic State who had been under police surveillance. Police shot and killed the man within 60 seconds of the attack. Of the six people injured, three are in critical condition.

China and the United States failed to reach an agreement on a public climate roadmap during talks between Chinese officials and U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, according to the South China Morning Post. China said it would follow its own plan rather than bow to U.S. pressure ahead of a United Nations climate summit in November. Kerry presented a list of proposals, including a public commitment to the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit of global warming targeted in the 2015 Paris Agreement and a moratorium on financing overseas coal-fired projects, but a source familiar with the talks said China would not agree to Washington’s demands.

ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare

Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which BuzzFeed News reporter Joe Bernstein talks to Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic about the disinformation industrial complex in this week’s installment of Arbiters of Truth.

Hayley Evans explained the importance of the United Kingdom’s Overseas Operations Act and command paper on Northern Ireland legacy.

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