Axios

The U.S. has sanctioned four Iranian intelligence operatives for their role in an alleged campaign to silence critics of the Iranian government, the Treasury Department said Friday.

Driving the news: The four operatives planned to abduct Masih Alinejad, a New York City-based Iranian-American activist, according to the Treasury Department. They have also targeted other Iranian dissidents in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.

Lyft and Uber will cover all legal fees for drivers sued under a new Texas law that imposed a ban on abortions after six weeks.

Why it matters: The law is one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S., and prohibits the practice after a fetal heartbeat is detected — before many people know they are pregnant, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes.

President Biden met with locals in Louisiana on Friday to offer federal assistance less than a week after Hurricane Ida tore through the Gulf Coast and destroyed millions of homes, AP reports.

Why it matters: Ida has killed at least 48 people in the Northeastern U.S. and 13 in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Over one million people were still without power in Louisiana as of Tuesday morning.

The Women's March will convene nationwide mass mobilization events next month to protest a controversial new abortion law in Texas, the group announced Friday.

Why it matters: The law bans abortions after six weeks and does not exempt cases of rape or incest. Considered one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the U.S. since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the new law has incited widespread outrage among abortion-rights advocates.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Friday that at least 50,000 Afghans are expected to be admitted into the United States after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.

Why it matters: The effort to evacuate more Afghans is part of what Mayorkas called an "enduring commitment" to help those who aided Americans and those who are vulnerable under Taliban rule.

A U.S. government road safety regulator is investigating yet another fatality involving a Tesla and its use of partially automated driving systems, AP reported Friday.

Why it matters: Critics, including the National Transportation Safety Board, have said Tesla needs to implement a stronger system to ensure drivers are paying attention to the road.

The White House on Friday announced an executive order aimed at supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities to "advance equity in economic and educational opportunities for all Americans, including Black Americans," per the order.

The big picture: The order follows a commitment that President Biden made on the campaign trail to increase funding for HBCUs and make the first two years of college at such institutions free, among other things.

President Biden signed an executive order on Friday directing the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to pursue a declassification review of documents related to the FBI's investigations of the 9/11 attacks.

Why it matters: Victims' families have told the president they will object to his presence at next week's 20th-anniversary memorial events unless he declassifies documents that they believe will show the Saudi Arabian government supported the attacks.

President Biden on Friday appointed Jack Markell, a former governor of Delaware, to temporarily lead the Afghan resettlement effort in the United States, per the Washington Post.

Why it matters: The massive push to resettle Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule faces considerable challenges, including the screening and housing of tens of thousands of people.

A gunmaker being sued by nine families of Sandy Hook shooting victims has subpoenaed school records belonging to five children and four educators who were killed, the Connecticut Post reports.

Driving the news: Lawyers representing the nine families in court on Thursday sought to seal the records requested by the now-bankrupt Remington company.

33-year-old Jacob Chansley, widely known as the "QAnon Shaman,"pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of obstruction of an official proceeding for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Why it matters: Chansley, who donned a distinctive horned headdress and face paint on the day of the attack, was widely viewed as the face of the pro-Trump insurrection.

There is "no question" that the Delta variant is to blame for the disappointing August jobs report, President Biden said in remarks on Friday, a fact that he argued underscores the importance of continuing to vaccinate Americans and passing his economic agenda.

Why it matters: The U.S. economy added only 235,000 jobs last month, significantly lower than what economists expected in part because of the surge in new coronavirus cases driven by the Delta variant.

In defending his state's new abortion ban, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday used business migration as his shield: "The people who are not wringing their hands are the people who create jobs that run businesses."

Why it matters: Business leaders have become America's new politicians, swinging their outsized influence on civil rights in Indiana, voting rights in Georgia and public health throughout the pandemic.

Retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) told CNBC on Friday that he does not believe former President Trump should be the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, calling his behavior after the 2020 election "completely unacceptable."

Why it matters: Toomey largely supported Trump and his agenda during his first term, but became one of seven Senate Republicans to vote to convict the former president after he was impeached for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Democrats' Beltway drama over their $3.5 trillion spending package could influence the outcomes at a critical United Nations climate summit this fall.

Driving the news: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is calling for a "pause" in senior Democrats' plan to move a $3.5 trillion package that would include major clean energy and climate measures.

The White House is boosting its cadre of climate science experts.

Driving the news: Philip Duffy, a physical scientist, has joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as a climate science adviser in the new climate and environment division.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) indicated Thursday he could support a law banning abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, saying it was "interesting" and that he was "going to look more significantly at it."

Why it matters: States with Republican governments — newly emboldened by the Supreme Court's decision to leave Texas' law in place — could soon attempt to enact their own near-total abortion bans.

Democrats say they're itching for a political fight over abortion rights — and that it will help them in the 2022 midterms. But even if they're right, they’re still losing the war.

The big picture: The Supreme Court appears to be barreling toward rulings giving red states significantly more power to restrict women's access to abortions, if not to ban the procedure outright.

New Zealand police shot dead a man after he entered an Auckland supermarket and stabbed multiple people in an "ISIS-inspired" terrorist attack on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Details: Authorities said six people were taken to hospital, three with critical injuries, after the stabbing at the supermarket in LynnMall shopping center. The attacker was a known "violent extremist," Ardern said at a briefing.

An ISIS militant pleaded guilty Thursday to all charges related to his participation in a "brutal" scheme to capture, torture and ultimately behead hostages in Syria, including four Americans, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Why it matters: Alexanda Amon Kotey, a former British citizen who was part of an ISIS cell dubbed "The Beatles," is among those responsible for the 2014 executions of American journalist James Foley and other hostages, according to the DOJ.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Thursday that it will no longer require disaster survivors living on inherited land to prove homeownership before they can access federal assistance for rebuilding.

Why it matters: The policy disproportionately impacts Black families, whose land is often passed down informally rather than through legal deeds and wills, according to a Washington Post analysis published in July. The change comes on the heels of Hurricane Ida.

Minnesota prosecutors upgraded charges Thursday against Kim Potter, the former police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop.

Why it matters: Potter is now charged with first-degree manslaughter in addition to a prior charge of second-degree manslaughter, but activists have pushed for murder charges during protests in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, AP notes.