Lab-Leak Debate Just Got Even Messier | California Fights Fire with Fire | Playing Defense Is Totally Fine, and more

The only way for the U.S. and its allies to deal with the newly empowered Haqqani network is through shrewd statecraft and multilateral engagement. Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the network’s founder, has led the terrorist group since 2015, while also serving as the Afghan Taliban’s second-in-command. In recent weeks, he was installed atop the powerful Interior Ministry, with de facto control of the nation’s domestic security and intelligence operations, while filling key military and civilian positions including control of passports and identity cards. Mr. Haqqani’s appointment all but ensures that his group’s influence and terror network will grow, both within and beyond the region.

Colombia Car Bomb in June Targeted U.S. Troops, Militants Say  (The National)
A car bomb at a Colombian military base in June, which injured 44 soldiers including two US military advisers, was claimed by dissident members of a militant group on Wednesday. Most of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as Farc, laid down their arms after a historic 2016 peace agreement. But a small number of militants, infamous for their role in the country’s illegal cocaine trade, have vowed to continue fighting. Admitting to the bombing, as well as an attempt to shoot down a helicopter carrying Colombian President Ivan Duque, also in June, was announced by militant commander Javier Alonso Velosa. Mr Velosa commands some of the estimated 2,500 Farc militants still fighting the government. He was interviewed by local media in Catatumbo on Wednesday, where he said that the attack targeted “the North American advisers and the leaders of the brigade”, the latter a reference to Colombian military commanders. Farc was formed in 1964 as an anti-government Marxist-Leninist movement in Colombia’s jungle-covered and impoverished hinterlands, after a surge in inequality and poverty in rural areas, which led to a rise in support for Communism, and a series of harsh government crackdowns.

Neo-Nazis Are Still on Facebook. And They’re Making Money  (Erika Kinetz, AP)
All told, there are at least 54 Facebook profiles belonging to 39 entities that the German government and civil society groups have flagged as extremist, according to research shared with The Associated Press by the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit policy and advocacy group formed to combat extremism. The groups have nearly 268,000 subscribers and friends on Facebook alone. CEP also found 39 related Instagram profiles, 16 Twitter profiles and 34 YouTube channels, which have gotten over 9.5 million views. Nearly 60% of the profiles were explicitly aimed at making money, displaying prominent links to online shops or photos promoting merchandise. Click on the big blue “view shop” button on the Erik & Sons Facebook page and you can buy a T-shirt that says, “My favorite color is white,” for 20 euros ($23). Deutsches Warenhaus offers “Refugees not welcome” stickers for just 2.50 euros ($3) and Aryan Brotherhood tube scarves with skull faces for 5.88 euros ($7). The Facebook feed of OPOS Records promotes new music and merchandise, including “True Aggression,” “Pride & Dignity,” and “One Family” T-shirts. The brand, which stands for “One People One Struggle,” also links to its online shop from Twitter and Instagram.

Safeguarding New York City Against Extreme Weather  (James Barron, New York Times)
What Hurricane Ida told climate experts and urban planners in New York about infrastructure that wasn’t built for torrential rain.

Playing Defense Is Totally Fine  (Luke Hartig, The Atlantic)
The U.S. has built many layers of protection against attack, and toughness doesn’t require endless war.

U.S. Military Eyes Prototype Mobile Nuclear Reactor in Idaho  (Keith Ridler, AP/ Techexplore)
The U.S. Department of Defense is taking input on its plan to build an advanced mobile nuclear microreactor prototype at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho.
The department began a 45-day comment period on Friday with the release of a draft environmental impact study evaluating alternatives for building and operating the microreactor that could produce 1 to 5 megawatts of power. The department’s energy needs are expected to increase, it said.

California Fights Fire with Fire to Protect Giant Sequoias  (Paula Ramon, AFP / Physorg.com)
The so-far successful battle this month in California to save the world’s biggest trees from ever-worsening forest blazes seems to offer an important lesson: You can fight fire with fire.