Vox Sentences - The GOP’s refugee divide

Dissent in the GOP on Afghan refugees; Israel’s Covid-19 surge brings new vaccine data.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

The GOP is split on Afghan refugees

Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

• With an estimated 88,000 Afghans in line for Special Immigrant Visas, the Biden administration was caught unprepared to effectively offer refuge to the tens of thousands of Afghans who helped the US military and are now at risk of retaliation from the Taliban. [Vox / Nicole Narea]
• By not beginning mass evacuations months ago, the Biden administration has effectively stranded thousands of Afghans, who are now waiting in an enormous backlog for the special visa program in a situation where their lives are likely at stake. [The New York Times / Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Annie Karni]
• Bipartisan efforts in Congress and among state governors are attempting to offer greater protection and resettlement for Afghan refugees. [NBC News / Dareh Gregorian]
• But the nativist wing of the Republican Party is arguing against supporting refugees in the same breath as they attack President Biden for not doing enough to protect Afghans from the Taliban. In Georgia, Gov. Brain Kemp (R) is being criticized from his right for committing to offer refuge for Afghans. [Newsweek / Samantha Lock]
• As some Republican lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) call for increased help for refugees, prominent right-wing figures including Tucker Carlson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Stephen Miller are pushing xenophobic fears about changing America. [The Washington Post / Marianna Sotomayor]
• Former President Donald Trump’s stance has proven unclear; he initially criticized the Biden administration for taking out military personnel before evacuating Afghans who have helped the US, but flip-flopped after a photo of a crowded plane of Afghans went viral, saying the policy should be Americans first. [Politico / Marc Caputo]
• Earlier in the week, Biden granted Secretary of State Anthony Blinken an additional $500 million for urgent migration needs, including for SIV applicants. [NBC News / Sahil Kapur]

Despite high vaccination rates, Israel is experiencing a Covid surge

• Two months ago, Israel seemed to have nearly stamped out the coronavirus, with case counts hovering at 200 per day. Now, with more than 50,000 active cases, the country is entering a new wave of infections. [The Times of Israel]
• The new rise in case counts — driven by the delta variant — suggests that the vaccine’s effectiveness is waning, particularly against the more contagious variant. [BBC News]
• The daily new case rate has doubled in two weeks, though vaccine shots — which 78 percent of eligible Israelis have received — are showing strong protection against severe cases, seemingly even more so for those with booster shots. 1.1 million Israelis having already received their third vaccine shot.  [The New York Times / Isabel Kershner]
• Experts say the situation in Israel is a warning to the rest of the world. Israel began its vaccine campaign in December 2020, meaning that early recipients have reached the eight-month mark in which some studies have shown  vaccine effectiveness begins to decrease. [Science / Meredith Wadman]
• Israel is now contending with the possibility of a new lockdown. The country also updated its travel list, banning travelers from hotspots and requiring a quarantine for most. [Haaretz]

The Taliban have responded to protests against their rule with violence, with at least one person dead and multiple people injured. [The Associated Press / Ahmad Seir, Rahim Faiez, Kathy Gannon, and Jon Gambrell]

• The White House will direct nursing homes to require their employees to be vaccinated, using federal funding as leverage. [BuzzFeed News / Kadia Goba]
• Over 40 million customers, both past and present, of T-Mobile have had their personal data breached. [The Washington Post / Chris Velazco] 
• An investigation into new “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards revealed a history of disparaging and inappropriate comments about women. [The Ringer / Claire McNear]

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“Our state was settled by refugees fleeing religious persecution 170 years ago. Their descendants have a deep understanding of the danger and pain caused by forced migration and an appreciation for the wonderful contributions of refugees in our communities.”

[Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, on offering to accept Afghan refugees]

This common chronic condition — where tissue similar to what grows inside the uterus grows elsewhere in the body — is barely understood. So why is a condition so prevalent and painful still so unknown? It has a lot to do with who gets to ask research questions. [Spotify]

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