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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers, and welcome to Wednesday. An announcement on the need for a COVID booster shot could come today, the world still has its eyes on Afghanistan and Haiti has had to deal with a tropical storm in the immediate aftermath of a major earthquake. |
| Steve is here with Wednesday's news. |
| 🌎 New this morning: A record number of migrants came to the border in July. This is why the U.S. isn't seeing a typical "seasonal migration" trend. |
| ✝ Would you get the COVID-19 vaccine if the Pope Francis asked you to? Well, in a video message released Wednesday morning, he is asking. He calls it "an act of love." |
| 🏫 "This will be a tough year": Thousands of kids are in COVID-19 quarantine across the nation already, and the school year has just begun. |
| 🚨 "Jason's sacrifice will never be forgotten": More than 50 days after he was shot in the head while on patrol, Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor died Tuesday, according to the department. |
| ⚾ "I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody": Detroit Tigers analyst Jack Morris apologized Tuesday night for making a racist comment about the Los Angeles Angels star two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who is Japanese. |
| 📺 "You are going to be one of the biggest stars to emerge from this show": The "America's Got Talent" judges, including Simon Cowell, heaped praise on 9-year-old opera singer Victory Brinker, the first-ever recipient of the group Golden Buzzer. Other acts didn't fare so well. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear about the blame game in Washington after the Taliban takeover. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| What else is happening today: |
US announcement on COVID booster shots could come Wednesday |
| As early as Wednesday, U.S. authorities are expected to recommend an extra dose of the vaccine for all Americans eight months after they get their second shot, according to two Associated Press sources. President Joe Biden's official schedule Wednesday includes Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris receiving a briefing from members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team and Biden delivering remarks "on the COVID-19 response and the vaccination program." The move is being driven by both the highly contagious delta variant and preliminary evidence that the vaccine's protective effect starts dropping within months. The move would be an about-face from the federal government's earlier recommendation that only the severely immunocompromised need boosters. Some experts say it's a reasonable response to emerging data. Others worry there's not enough real-world research to launch another huge vaccination push. |
Taliban says it will allow 'safe passage' from Afghanistan in US airlift |
| The Taliban have agreed to allow "safe passage" from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser said, although a timetable for completing the evacuation has yet to be worked out with the nation's new rulers. The White House said 13 flights 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. On Tuesday, the Taliban declared "amnesty" for government officials and vowed to uphold women's rights under Islamic law – promises met with skepticism in Washington. The blame game in the nation's capital intensified Tuesday 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. |
More of the continued mayhem in Afghanistan |
| 🌏 Significant items seized: The White House says that a "fair amount" of U.S. military equipment provided to Afghans is now in the hands of the Taliban. |
| 🌏 "Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased": The Air Force is investigating human remains found aboard the C-17 cargo plane and other potential deaths after panicked Afghans swarmed the aircraft at the Kabul airport. |
| 🌏 "I am begging you guys": One Florida veteran keeps fighting to bring his Afghan interpreter over to the U.S. |
| 🌏 What you can do: This is how to help the people fleeing Afghanistan and the families who are still in the country. |
 | | Hundreds of people gather outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. | | STR, AP | |
Opinion pieces on what is unfolding in Afghanistan |
| 🔵 New from Andrew Bacevich: The latest report of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction highlights 20 years of failure in Afghanistan. |
| 🔵 A former soldier who served overseas speaks out: After serving there, Afghanistan is close to my heart, but we were right to leave. |
| 🔵 Column from Suzette Hackney: Our eyes don't deceive us: The men are fleeing Afghanistan. Where are all the women? |
| 🔵 From the USA TODAY Editorial Board: The world sees inside Afghanistan because of journalists. The Biden administration must help keep them safe. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Afghan-Americans fear for the safety of their loved ones |
 | | Haris Tarin, a 42-year-old Afghan-American, spoke to USA TODAY. | | USA TODAY graphic | |
| In the United States, Afghan-Americans like Haris Tarin, 42, are reliving a painful past while also realizing time is ticking and they have no idea of when they will see their loved ones again. |
| 🌏 Few women were seen in the photo inside the U.S. military plane leaving Afghanistan: Here's why that is the case. |
📸 Photo of the day: Hundreds flee Kabul on an American jet 📸 |
 | | Almost 650 Afghan civilians are packed into Reach 871, a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane flown from Kabul to Qatar on Aug. 15. | | Provided by Defense One | |
| As the Taliban seizes control of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans went to Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital city of Kabul in hopes of fleeing. Amid the chaos, some Afghans were able to board a departing U.S. Air Force plane. According to U.S. defense and security news site Defense One, the plane evacuated about 640 people Sunday night. It was reported the plane wasn't expected to have that many people, but more were able to board through its half-open ramp. |
| Head here to see more images of the chaos at the airport as Afghans attempted to flee the nation and the Taliban's rule. |
Fred drenches Southeast US; Grace expected to become a hurricane |
| A weakening Tropical Depression Fred is forecast to dissipate by Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said. By Thursday, central Appalachia and parts of the mid-Atlantic could see 2 to 4 inches of rain, with some areas reaching half a foot. Fred left thousands of Florida Panhandle residents without power in the hours after its late Monday landfall. Fred also spawned several apparent tornadoes in Georgia and North Carolina. Meanwhile, the tail end of Tropical Storm Grace was forecast to bring up to 15 inches of rain to an already-damaged Haiti before departing and moving toward southeastern Cuba and Jamaica. Forecasters said it could be near hurricane strength as it approaches Mexico's Yucatan peninsula late Wednesday or early Thursday. And a third storm swirling in the Atlantic, Henri, was, in the near term, expected to circle widely around the island of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔴 "It's a lot more than baseball at that point": Oakland Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt was carted off the field after taking a line drive to the head Tuesday night. |
| 🔵 "Mr. Depp is most gratified by the Court's decision": Actor Johnny Depp has scored a big win over Amber Heard as a Virginia judge has rejected her bid to throw out his defamation suit. |
| 🔵 "It's no longer part of my life": Actress Laura Prepon revealed in a new interview she hasn't practiced Scientology "in close to five years." |
| 🔵 Case settled: A Florida school district will pay $300,000 to a teacher who displayed a Black Lives Matter flag over her classroom door. |
| 🔵 "We can't wait to share more soon": U.S. secretary of transportation and former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and his husband writer Chasten Buttigieg share that they've become parents. |
 | | Former Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg hugs his husband Chasten following his Iowa Caucus Watch Party event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 4, 2020. | | USA TODAY photo and graphic | |
R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial opens in New York |
| Opening statements are set to begin Wednesday in New York in the first trial of R&B star R. Kelly , accused of multiple federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors accuse Kelly, 54, 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. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published Tuesday |
| 🦠 Currently in isolation: Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to his office. Abbott is fully vaccinated and was asymptomatic after testing positive. |
| 💲 A 25-cent raise can lead to a total loss: This is why a small pay increase can be a disaster for some working families who stand to lose benefits. |
| 🔵 "Darth Gator": A man tackled an alligator after the reptile bit its handler at a child's birthday party. |
After emotional press conference, Naomi Osaka to face Coco Gauff |
| Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka is set to face rising American tennis star Coco Gauff in the Round of 32 Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open in Ohio. The event is airing on the Tennis Channel. The Western & Southern Open is Osaka's first tournament since the happiness of lighting the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in her native Japan and the disappointment of being upset in the third round of the women's tennis tournament. Her visit to Ohio got off to an emotional start when she broke down in tears and briefly stepped away from her first new conference since May. Osaka has been in the spotlight this season as she withdrew from the French Open and, later, Wimbledon to preserve her mental health. She wrote a piece titled, "It's O.K. to not be O.K." for Time magazine in July. Osaka has said that she will donate her winnings from the tournament to help victims of the Haiti earthquake that struck Saturday. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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