Vox Sentences - Another voting rights attempt

The House passed a new voting rights bill; Biden is sticking with the August 31 deadline to leave Afghanistan.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

Voting rights passes House on party lines

Eric Gay/AP

• On party lines, the House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — Democrats’ latest attempt to protect the right to vote. [ABC News / Briana Stewart]
• The bill’s passage was met with support from voting rights groups and disdain from Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — whose party is actively passing bills restricting the right to vote in numerous states — called the bill “unnecessary.” [CBS News / Sophie Reardon]
• The bill would address the weakening of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the Supreme Court by restoring preclearance, which allows for federal oversight of states with histories of voter discrimination, and lower the legal standard for what constitutes voter suppression created by the Supreme Court in recent decisions. [Washington Post / Eugene Scott]
• If passed, the bill would ensure that Texas, for example, would need federal approval for any new map-drawing or elections laws — like the bill state Republicans are attempting to pass — to ensure they have no discriminatory impact on voters of color. [Texas Tribune / Abby Livingston]
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the Senate will take up the legislation when it returns in September. [NPR / Juana Summers]
• To pass the Senate, Senate Democrats must either find 10 Republicans willing to vote for the bill or amend the filibuster to create an exception for voting rights bills — something Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have been opposed to. [The Hill / Marty Johnson]
• Given those challenges, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is almost certainly doomed in the Senate, and state-level GOPs will continue to pass restrictive voting bills. [CNN / Chris Cillizza]

Biden maintains August 31 deadline

• President Biden declined to extend the Afghanistan withdrawal deadline past August 31, saying the US military was on pace to finish evacuations by the initially agreed upon withdrawal date. [Reuters]
• Biden said an extension of the deadline would make US military personnel a prime target for ISIS affiliates, and that each additional day on the ground brought added danger to troops. The success of the evacuations will depend on the Taliban’s continued willingness to allow access to the airport. [NYT / Michael D. Shear, Annie Karni, and Eric Schmitt]
• But the time frame does not allow for the evacuation of many Afghans who helped the US effort. A Pentagon official said that would be the case regardless of the deadline. [CNN ]
• Meanwhile, lawmakers in both parties have urged Biden to extend the deadline, arguing that evacuating every last American is worth the risk of continued troop presence. [Washington Post / Karoun Demirjian]
• Two members of the House, Reps. Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Seth Moulton (D-MA), traveled to Kabul to gather information. Their trip angered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the US military for putting personnel in danger and wasting critical seats on planes leaving Kabul. [NPR / Alana Wise]

Former football player Herschel Walker has announced he will run for the Senate as a Republican in Georgia. [AP / Jeff Amy]

• OnlyFans reversed its decision to ban sexually explicit content on the platform after sex workers protested the change. [Politico / Leonie Cater]
• A new study from Johnson & Johnson found that a booster shot significantly improved the antibody count in recipients of the one-dose vaccine. [NYT / Carl Zimmer]
• Al Capone’s granddaughters are auctioning off his estate, including his favorite pistol. [Chicago Sun Times / Mitch Dudek]

Support our journalism

“While literacy tests and poll tax no longer exist, certain states and local jurisdictions have passed laws that are modern-day barriers to voting. So as long as voter suppression exists, the need for full protections of the VRA will continue.”

[Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), on the need to strengthen voting rights protections]

How should doctors consider race? Lee Adams explores the role race plays in medicine and if it should be reevaluated in our final episode of Glad You Asked. Want to catch up on our full season? Watch all episodes of our YouTube Original series right here.  [YouTube]

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