Vox Sentences - Explosions at Kabul airport

Explosions at Kabul airport underscore fears of attack; Israel’s new prime minister has different aims than Biden.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

Two blasts at Kabul airport

Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images

• Amid the US and its allies' attempts to evacuate as many people as possible by the August 31 deadline over fear of becoming a target for terrorist attacks, two explosions occurred outside the airport today. [CNN / Barbara Starr, Kylie Atwood, and Ivana Kottasová]
• Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that as of Thursday morning, two blasts occurred near the airport’s Abbey Gate. Hours before, the US Embassy in Afghanistan had issued a warning to Americans, recommending they avoid the airport unless given specific instructions by US personnel. [Washington Post / Rachel Pannett, Ellen Francis, and Erin Cunningham]
• Afghan and US officials said the attacks were from suicide bombings and gunmen suspected to be from the Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan, and that at least 60 Afghans and 12 US service members have been killed. [AP / Sayed Ziarmal Hashemi, Jill Lawless, and Jon Gambrell]
• After the explosion, several European allies have halted evacuations or decided to stop their efforts in advance of the deadline, citing fears of further attack. [CNBC / Amanda Macias]
• Over the past day, Western nations involved in the evacuation had become increasingly concerned about the potential of an attack from the ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, which has likely seen its membership increase after the Taliban freed prisoners in the various provinces they overtook. [AP]
• Given that the evacuation deadline is just days away, President Joe Biden has acknowledged that he cannot guarantee a flight for many Afghans who helped the US military. [NYT / David Zucchino]
• The State Department has estimated that about 1,500 Americans remain in Afghanistan; 4,500 have already been successfully evacuated. [AP / Robert Burns, Ellen Knickmeyer, and Matthew Lee]

Biden and Bennett to hold first meeting

• New Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will hold his first meeting with President Joe Biden today. Bennett is the first new prime minister in 12 years, but his priorities are still far from Biden’s. [WSJ / Thomas Grove and Dov Lieber]
• Though Bennett is expected to advocate his positions to Biden in a more understated way, without former PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s proclivity for bold statements before Congress or on American networks, he is still right-wing. [Al Jazeera / Joseph Stepansky]
• Bennett and Biden are notably divided on Iran — Bennett, like his predecessor, is opposed to any nuclear agreement between the US and Iran. [USA Today / Michael Collins]
• And Bennett does not seem any more committed to achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace than Netanyahu was — he wants to expand West Bank settlements, which Biden is against, and does not support a two-state solution. [NYT / Patrick Kingsley and Isabel Kershner]
• One area that Bennett and Biden are expected to establish a working relationship on is intelligence-sharing — Netanyahu had reduced Israel’s intelligence communication with the US after Biden took over from former President Donald Trump. [Jerusalem Post]

In the first sentencing for one of the six men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Ty Garbin received a prison sentence of six years and three months. [NPR / Jaclyn Diaz]

• For the first time since January, 100,000 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 in the US. [Washington Post / Bryan Pietsch, Jacqueline Dupree, and Adela Suliman]
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is touring Iowa and Indiana this weekend to promote Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget bill as moderates say they want to lower the price tag. [Politico / Burgess Everett]
• Thirty-year-old Spencer Elden, who was the naked baby depicted on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind album, is suing the band, alleging that the image is child pornography. [BuzzFeed News / Ellen Durney]

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“Evacuation operations in Kabul will not be wrapping up in 36 hours. We will continue to evacuate as many people as we can until the end of the mission.”

[Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, on how the attacks on Kabul airport affect the US’s evacuation plans]

Vox's Jamil Smith talks with author Clint Smith about his book How the Word Is Passed, which documents the writer's personal journey visiting sites that embody the legacy of American slavery. They discuss the power of this re-confrontation, how to bridge the gaps in education and awareness of America's past, and the experience of Black writers in a nation that is "a web of contradictions." [Spotify]

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