promoearn: Boost it or lose it

Wednesday, August 18

Nurse Carla Brown (R) applies an adhesive bandage after vaccinating two residents in their home on August 17, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Brown embarked on a personal mission to save lives and vaccinate members of underserved communities in Baton Rouge after her husband David died of COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccine booster shots start rolling out next month. And the U.S. is helping thousands flee from Afghanistan. It's Wednesday's news.

It's official: COVID-19 vaccine booster shots will roll out next month. The U.S. is working to evacuate thousands of people per day from Afghanistan. And millions of T-Mobile accounts were exposed in a data breach.

👋 Hey! It's Laura. Here's Wednesday's news, just for you.

But first, are any of y'all missing a kangaroo? 🦘 A rogue roo has been spotted wandering around rural Pennsylvania – but nobody seems to know where it came from.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to roll out in Sept.

As cases of the highly contagious delta variant continue to spread across the country, the Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled plans to begin offering COVID-19 booster shots on Sept. 20 for adults who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The U.S. will provide a third shot to Americans who received their second vaccine dose at least eight months ago, pending authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna continue to be effective in reducing risk of hospitalization and death, federal officials said new data show the vaccines' effectiveness decreases over time. People who received the single-dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine will likely also need an extra shot, but officials said they're still collecting data.

•	New news: Biden announces nursing homes must vaccinate workers.
•	COVID-19 booster shots are coming soon. But is it too soon?

US evacuates thousands from Afghanistan

Just days after the Taliban took over Afghanistan's government and Kabul's international airport turned chaotic, the U.S. is working to evacuate as many as 2,000 people a day. The Taliban have agreed to allow "safe passage" from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, said Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser.A timetable for completing the evacuation has yet to be worked out with the nation's new rulers. The White House said 13 flights on Tuesday airlifted 1,100 U.S. citizens, permanent residents and their families from the Kabul airport, adding that the pace was expected to pick up Wednesday and through the week. The blame game in the nation's capital intensified as critics – including leaders in Congress – pounced on claims by Biden administration officials that they had no clue the Taliban would take Afghanistan so quickly and without a fight.

👉 Catch up on the latest updates from Afghanistan.

•	What you should (and shouldn't) say to Afghanistan war vets right now.
•	Perspectives on the 'forever war' from those who saw it up close.
•	How to help people fleeing Afghanistan and those still in the country.

In this image released by the US Central Command Public Affairs, US Army soldiers board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft prior to departure for Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Allies Refuge at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, August 13, 2021.

RYAN BROOKS, US Central Command (CENTCOM)/AFP

What everyone's talking about

•	Surprise! Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost welcome first child together.
•	'It was traumatic': Former reporter says she was raped by MLB player.
•	Dog owner saved the day when a gator dragged his dog into a pond.
•	'Salad doesn't cure COVID, Connor': Baltimore vaccine memes go viral.
•	Andrew Cuomo put in for retirement. How much his pension could be.
•	Bear in dumpster scared a California man; now, he's suing the condo.

R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial begins

R&B star R. Kelly faced a criminal trial jury for the first time in 13 years as federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday began laying out a sweeping case of multiple sex-crime charges, including racketeering and trafficking of women and young girls. Kelly, 54, is accused of leading "a criminal enterprise" of managers, bodyguards and other employees who allegedly helped him recruit women and underage girls for sex and pornography, and to cross state lines for that purpose. The trial is expected to last about a month. Kelly has been held since 2019 awaiting trials in four separate state and federal sex crimes cases.

•	Jury selected: 7 men, 5 women will hear R&B singer's sex trafficking case.
•	Pre-trial development: Jury to hear how R. Kelly illegally married Aaliyah.
•	R. Kelly's first trial on sex-trafficking charges: Here's what to expect.

In this courtroom artist's sketch made from a video screen monitor of a Brooklyn courtroom, defendant R. Kelly, top left, listens as Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Melendez, center, makes opening arguments, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021 in New York. The prosecutor described sex abuse claims against Kelly, saying the long-anticipated trial now underway was "about a predator" who used his fame to entice girls, boys and young women before dominating and controlling them physically, sexually and psychologically.

Elizabeth Williams, AP

Hurricane Grace forms, Henri eyes Cape Cod

Fred's all but dead. Now, it's time to face Grace. The second hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season formed Wednesday morning. With 75 mph winds, Hurricane Grace brought heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the Cayman Islands on Wednesday before trudging toward Mexico where it could soak the Yucatan Peninsula with up to a foot of rain. Tropical Depression Fred is expected to move across New England as the system slowly transitions into a non-tropical low. As for Henri? Still a tropical storm, but could pick up to hurricane strength by Friday, and changes in its forecast track place Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in its possible path – though there remains plenty of uncertainty as to where it will go, according to the National Hurricane Center.

In this image provided by New Hanover County Fire Rescue, members of North Carolina's Task Force 11, based in New Hanover County, are shown during rescue efforts in Canton, N.C, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. Authorities said that dozens of water rescues were performed after the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dumped rain on the mountains of North Carolina.

New Hanover County Fire Rescue via AP

Real quick

•	Child dies of a rare infection caused by 'brain-eating' amoeba.
•	These men are innocent of murder. Why are they still in jail?
•	Parent rips mask off of a teacher, district pleads for 'space and grace.'
•	Olympian auctions silver medal to help a baby get heart surgery.
•	Hall of Fame MLB announcer suspended for offensive on-air comment.

Millions of T-Mobile accounts exposed

If you've ever been a T-Mobile customer or even thought about being one, keep reading. About 7.8 million postpaid accounts and more than 40 million records of current and potential T-Mobile customers were compromised by a data breach. T-Mobile said the data included first and last names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver's license or ID information. The names, phone numbers and account PINs for roughly 850,000 active prepaid accounts also were exposed. T-Mobile said it will offer affected customers two years of free identity protection services – and recommends that postpaid customers change their account PINs.

T-Mobile's data was compromised.

Alastair Pike, AFP via Getty Images

A break from the news

•	📈 Teen stock trading is on the rise. Should parents be worried?
•	🚙 Road trip loop: Beautiful beach towns across the Midwest.
•	🚿 The Rock takes a cold shower every day. Should you?

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.