Inside the CIA-backed 'Zero Units' and Luigi Mangione in court: Morning Rundown

D.C. shooting suspect was part of a CIA-backed unit whose veterans have struggled in the U.S. Luigi Mangione returns to court. Aaron Rodgers' downward trend.

In today’s newsletter: The D.C. shooting suspect was part of a heavily vetted CIA-backed unit whose veterans have faced hardships in the United States. A key hearing could determine the evidence allowed in Luigi Mangione’s trial. And the Pittsburgh Steelers see another loss as Aaron Rodgers struggles.

Here’s what to know today.

Evacuees board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 20, 2021.Taylor Crul / U.S. Air Force via AFP - Getty ImagesBefore Rahmanullah Lakanwal was accused of shooting two National Guard members, he was part of a secret unit of Afghans who operated under CIA direction and hunted down Taliban commanders in highly dangerous missions.

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They “took malignant actors off the battlefield and saved American lives, period,” said Andrew Sullivan, who served as an officer with the Army’s First Division in Afghanistan and is now executive director of a nonprofit that helps resettle Afghans who worked for the U.S. military during the war.