Vox Sentences - The Kabul attacks

The Supreme Court has struck down the eviction ban; dozens died in the attacks on Kabul Airport.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

No more eviction moratorium

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

• In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s moratorium on evictions, siding with landlords rather than tenants. [WSJ / Jess Bravin and Brent Kendall]
• The ban was set to expire on October 3. By cutting it short five weeks early, the decision leaves millions of renters in limbo as state agencies struggle to distribute federal rent relief. [Politico / Katy O’Donnell and Josh Gerstein]
• The majority opinion, from the court’s six conservatives, said that while there is a strong public interest in combating the coronavirus, the CDC policy went beyond the scope of what is allowed, even if desirable. [Slate / Elliot Hannon]
• In the majority opinion, the justices said that a further extension of the eviction ban would need to come from Congress. That's unlikely, given a lack of Republican support in the Senate. [CNN / Tierney Sneed]
• Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the dissenting opinion, arguing on behalf of the court’s three liberals that because the ruling affects millions of people, the court needed to hear full arguments and briefings on the case rather than rule on it in a summary proceeding. [NYT / Adam Liptak and Glenn Thrush]
• Breyer added that given that 90 percent of counties have high transmission rates, the Court should respect the CDC’s policy. [The Guardian]
• In a statement, the White House expressed disappointment at the ruling and called on states and localities to enact their own eviction moratoriums in order to protect renters. [CBS News / Melissa Quinn]

The aftermath of Kabul

• The attacks at Kabul International Airport yesterday killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 US service members. ISIS-K, a Taliban enemy and ISIS offshoot, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings. [NPR / Joe Hernandez]
• Addressing the nation, President Biden praised those killed as heroes and said the attack was the unfortunate manifestation of warnings he had been giving about the potential for terrorist activity. He said the military would “hunt down” those responsible. [USA Today ] 
• US military personnel said they are on alert for further attacks. Evacuations will continue through the August 31 deadline, with the potential for an extension. [NBC News / Ahmed Mengli and Rhea Mogul]
• Biden’s Afghanistan policy has been criticized from both sides, but after the attacks, GOP senators including Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called for his resignation. If Republicans take back the House in 2022, they can create a Benghazi-like series of hearings and investigations into Biden’s conduct regarding Afghanistan. [The Hill / Celine Castronuovo]
• The Biden administration is also receiving criticism for giving a list of names to the Taliban of who they should permit through checkpoints to the airport. The administration defended it as necessary given that the Taliban control access, while others said it was equivalent to giving the group a kill list. [Politico / Lara Seligman, Alexander Ward, and Andrew Desiderio]

Justice Stephen Breyer, who is 83 and one of the Supreme Court’s three liberals, said he is considering when to retire and does not think he will serve until he dies. [NYT / Adam Liptak]

• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank may reduce its bond purchases by the end of the year over fears of inflation. [The Hill / Sylvan Lane]
• Gavin Grimm, the transgender student who took his bathroom policy case all the way to the Supreme Court, will receive $1.3 million from a Virginia school board, ending the decade-long case. [BuzzFeed News / Nicole Fallert]
• China banned the ranking of celebrities by popularity in an effort to combat stan culture. [NYT / Alexandra Stevenson, Amy Chang Chien, and Cao Li]

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“This is not about trust. But because they control large swaths of the country ... we have to coordinate with them.”

[White House press secretary Jen Psaki, on the US military’s relationship with the Taliban]

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