Obamacare survives | Juneteenth now a holiday | Covid in Kabul

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, JUN 18, 2021 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   Congratulations. We made it to another Friday.    It was a momentous week for Supreme Court decisions. A bipartisan agreement on infrastructure began to take shape, even as progressive Democrats lodged some sharp complaints. Hurricane season is off to an active start, raising fears of a disastrous summer and autumn. And the United States has its first new federal holiday in decades.    Here's what's happening: Juneteenth is now a holiday: President Biden on Thursday signed a bill making Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, the first federal holiday since President Reagan signed off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the early 1980s. Juneteenth, which is June 19, falls on Saturday, so the federal government decided to give workers the day off today. Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to debate a potential bipartisan deal on reforming law enforcement in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and several others at the hands of police. Obamacare remains a BFD: The Supreme Court once again turned back a Republican challenge to the Affordable Care Act. Signed in 2010, Obamacare has since become the foundation of much of the American health care system – and it is now popular with voters after costing Democrats control of the House a decade ago. The law's durability and impact are likely on top Biden officials' minds as they look to enact an ambitious legislative agenda focused on infrastructure, green energy and family support that could set the economic tone for decades to come.  Outbreak in Kabul: American forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan ahead of a Sept. 11 deadline, but the Covid surge in that nation is complicating things. The State Department put the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on lockdown after more than 100 people at the post became infected with the coronavirus. Still, this week the Pentagon said it was halfway through the gargantuan withdrawal process. Thanks for reading CNBC Politics. Have a great weekend.   Thoughts? Email us at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.    Subscribe to CNBC's daily podcast "The News with Shepard Smith," which provides deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day's most important stories. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Obamacare survives after Supreme Court rejects latest Republican challenge The Supreme Court ruled against Texas and other Republican-led states seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its latest high court test. Biden signs Juneteenth bill, creating new federal holiday commemorating end of slavery in U.S. Juneteenth National Independence Day is the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Supreme Court sides with Catholic adoption agency that refuses to work with LGBT couples Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Philadelphia violated the First Amendment by refusing to contract with Catholic Social Services. Biden and Putin agree to resume nuclear talks, return ambassadors to posts President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks and return ambassadors to their foreign posts. House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization as Senate prepares to take action Congress is moving to rein in presidential war powers nearly a decade after the Iraq War ended. Covid outbreak forces lockdown at U.S. Embassy in Kabul as cases surge in Afghanistan The U.S. Embassy in Kabul was placed on lockdown Thursday as Covid cases surge in Afghanistan. 11 GOP senators back bipartisan infrastructure plan, boosting its chances of moving forward Broader Republican support boosts the chances of a bipartisan plan passing, but lawmakers would still need to win over skeptical Democrats. Tropical storm likely to hit U.S. this week as hurricane season gets off to an active start The first tropical system of the Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to make landfall in the U.S. this week, according to the National Hurricane Center. Biden is on track to fall short of vaccinating 70% of American adults by the Fourth of July About 65% of U.S. adults are at least partially vaccinated. Roughly 13.6 million would have to get their first shot over the next 18 days to meet Biden's goal. Biden unable to reach agreement with Turkey's Erdogan over Russian missile system deal during NATO summit In December, the Trump administration slapped sanctions on Turkey for buying the S-400 missile system, a move typically not seen among NATO allies.     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2021 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS