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"Thought is a national product, issued, like survival, on a day to day basis. There you go. Until tomorrow." - ― Douglas Woolf





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Two ISIS-claimed bombs detonated in Kabul on Wednesday — the first (a suicide bomber) to kill civilians; the second (a car bomb) to kill first responders and journalists. At least 20 people were killed in the attacks (including two Afghan journalists reporting on the initial blast), and another 70 were wounded.
Location: Dasht-e-Barchi in western Kabul, what al-Jazeera calls "home to many members of the mainly Shia Muslim Hazara ethnic minority that has been targeted in the past" by ISIS in Afghanistan.
Said President Ashraf Ghani: "An attack on civilians and media workers of the country is an attack on freedom of speech and crime against humanity."
Said the NATO-led Resolute Support military mission in Afghanistan: "Journalists are necessary pillars of democracy. We all rely on their skills, integrity and courage. We mourn the dead, hope for the best for the wounded and salute the brave editors and reporters who continue their mission."
The one-two punch echoed an April 30 attack in Kabul that killed at least two dozen (including nine journalists).

Looking ahead, AJ writes "Wednesday's attack underlined the danger in Kabul as elections approach next month, as well as the threat facing the Hazaras — a Persian-speaking minority that has long faced discrimination." [The D Brief, September 6, 2018]











CANDIDATES







ON THE AIRWAVES — Congressional Leadership Fund is airing its first ads in GOP Rep. Dave Brat's VA-07 today, according to Advertising Analytics, which has tracked about a quarter-million in TV spending from the House Republican super PAC flowing into Richmond over the next two weeks. Brat faces Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer whose unredacted security clearance application was obtained by CLF's researchers due to "human error " by the U.S. Postal Service in response to a public records request. CLF has since criticized Spanberger for teaching English at a Saudi-funded Islamic school in Virginia that became controversial after a former valedictorian was convicted of supporting terrorism. (The CIA did not find Spanberger's employment controversial enough to deny her a security clearance — she disclosed the job on her application and started working for the agency in 2006.) [POLITICO's Morning Score, September 6, 2018]









DIM FUTURE FOR TRUMP TRADE RESOLUTION: The debate Wednesday in the House Ways and Means Committee over a resolution urging Trump to turn over documents explaining his China trade strategy and related trade moves was probably the high-water mark for the legislation, a Democratic aide acknowledged on Thursday.
There is little expectation that House Republican leaders will schedule a vote on the measure, even though it was not formally rejected by the panel and was reported out of committee with "no recommendation." Still, the debate gave Democratic lawmakers the opportunity to express pent-up frustration about how Trump's trade moves are affecting businesses in their districts and reassert that Congress has constitutional authority over trade, even though it has ceded a lot of power in that area to the White House.
"There is nothing more important, in my view, than the Constitution. Trade authority rests in Congress ultimately — Article I, Section 8 — and we need to take the reins and seek a sensible strategy here," said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), the author of the provision.

A number of other Democrats echoed that view, especially the assertion that there is no clear strategy behind Trump's tariff moves. "On China, we have no idea what the end game is," Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said. "For now, the administration only seems to want to escalate the conflict and not engage in any meaningful negotiations. ... Meanwhile, our farmers and businesses are getting locked out of a key market for their products." [POLITICO's Morning Trade, September 7, 2018]


NEARING THE FUNDING FINISH LINE: Annual defense spending legislation is making headway and could be largely wrapped up this week, according to House Defense Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger, as the House and Senate hammer out the differences in their versions of the bill.
"We conferenced with the Senate today and our report is due in the morning," she said of a Thursday meeting between the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Defense Appropriations panels. The subcommittee is expected to report any remaining open issues to the full House Appropriations Committee today.
A quick finish to the funding would be a coup for defense hawks, who have put on a full-court press to get a full year of Pentagon funding in place by the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. Still, the defense bill likely won't advance until appropriators hammer out a final Labor-HHS-Education spending measure. The two measures were paired by the Senate to garner bipartisan support.

Senate conferees named: While staff and appropriators have been ironing out their differences in recent weeks, the minibus still needs to go through a formal conference process before it can be filed and finally considered. Following the House, the Senate officially named seven conferees on Thursday. [POLITICO's Morning Defense, September 7, 2018]


IN THE CLEAR: The House passed legislation Thursday that would speed up export approval for small quantities of liquefied natural gas that qualify for categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act. The bill, H.R. 4606 (115), from Rep. Bill Johnson cleared the chamber 260-146, Pro's Anthony Adragna reports. The legislation codifies an existing DOE rule that went into effect in August that allows the agency to expedite applications to export LNG in quantities up to 140 million cubic feet per day. [POLITICO's Morning Energy, September 7, 2018]










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EUROPE






WATER — COMPROMISES, COMPROMISES: MEPs reached a draft agreement on amendments to a Commission proposal to overhaul legislation governing drinking water quality. A document obtained by our colleagues on Morning Agri shows that EU lawmakers continue to tackle tricky subjects, such as the inclusion of a provision protecting access to clean water as a human right and a stringent list of materials and chemicals that can come into contact with drinking water. If passed, it would be the first European citizens’ initiative to become law. The Parliament is expected to vote on the file on September 10. [POLITICO Brussels Influence, September 7,2018]

Life and death: An important piece of legislation comes before the House on Tuesday — the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill, which will make organ donations “opt out” rather than “opt in.” [POLITICO Sunday Crunch, September 9, 2018]



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