Good morning. It's Thursday, Aug. 19, and we're covering protests in Afghanistan, a major data breach, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Afghanistan Protests

At least two people were killed and a dozen injured after Taliban fighters opened fire on a group protesting Afghanistan's new regime in the eastern city of Jalalabad yesterday. The crowd was reportedly attempting to raise the Afghanistan national flag—and lower the Taliban flag—in the city square in anticipation of the country's independence day, observed today. The incident was one of a number of instances of violence across the country yesterday.

Meanwhile, US troops have secured the Kabul airport, with officials saying they will be able to transport up to 9,000 people per day. Despite the ramp-up, Afghan citizens otherwise eligible to leave have reportedly been harassed and prevented from reaching the airport, which has been surrounded by Taliban checkpoints.

In related news, former President Ashraf Ghani resurfaced in the United Arab Emirates after fleeing Afghanistan, where officials said he would be welcomed on humanitarian grounds. 

T-Mobile Breach

The personal information of more than 47 million current, former, and prospective T-Mobile customers was obtained in a sophisticated cyberattack, the company confirmed yesterday. While hackers did not gain access to financial data, customers' names, physical addresses, Social Security numbers, driver's license information, and unique mobile phone identifiers were reportedly accessed. 

The details follow news that the dataset had been posted for sale on dark web forums. Hackers claimed to have accessed almost the entirety of T-Mobile's 104 million total accounts, but were only offering a subset of the stolen data at a price of 6 Bitcoin, or about $270,000. Experts said the blend of data accessed is particularly worrisome (paywall, Wired), as it will likely allow hackers to craft elaborate phishing schemes and potentially even break two-factor identification.

See the worst data breaches thus far in 2021.

Vaccine Effectiveness 

COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech appeared to decrease in their effectiveness in guarding against infection while maintaining their ability to prevent severe hospitalization and death, a trio of new studies suggests.

In a large-scale study, efficacy in preventing hospitalization was 86% between two and 12 weeks, and 84% from 13 to 24 weeks after full vaccination. In New York, data showed a drop in protection against infection 92% to 80% over 12 weeks, but no drop in hospitalization rate. A third study showed efficacy for nursing home patients dropping to 53% over the course of months, with pending studies on the rate of severe cases. Find the studies here.

Following the news, the White House formalized its guidance on booster shots. Third shots of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will become available Sept. 20, and are meant to be administered eight months after full vaccination. 

Data also suggest the delta variant has fully spread through the US, with the strain now accounting for almost 99% of new cases.

The US is averaging around 138,000 cases and nearly 700 COVID-19 deaths per day. Eight states—Florida (153 average deaths per day), Texas (98), Louisiana (50), Mississippi (28), Arkansas (28), Georgia (28), Missouri (28), and Alabama (26)—account for 63% of new deaths. See data here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Magic Spoon

> Garth Brooks cancels remaining concerts in 2021 over COVID-19 concerns; Brooks' concert last week in Nebraska drew more than 90,000 fans (More)

> Sean Lock, comedian best known for British comedy panel show "8 Out of 10 Cats," dies at 58 from cancer (More)

> Oklahoma tops Virginia 9-1 to win Little League Softball World Series (More) | Little League World Series begins today from Williamsport, Pennsylvania; only American teams competing due to COVID-19 (More)

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Science & Technology

> Study finds fructose, a simple sugar found in fruits and plants, expands the interior surface of the gut; same mechanism from high-fructose corn syrup may drive obesity (More)

> Scientists grow rudimentary eye-like organs connected to lab-grown brain cells; the eyes are capable of sending signals to the brain based on visual stimuli (More)

> Facebook releases data on the most-viewed content on its platform in recent months for the first time in company history; move is meant to counter perceptions that it primarily drives political content (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets slide (S&P 500 -1.1%, Dow -1.1%, Nasdaq -0.9%) following release of minutes from Federal Reserve meeting (More)

> Free stock trading app Robinhood sees revenues double over last year in first report as public company, but warns of slower trading (More) | Chipmaker Nvidia reports record sales and profits (More) 

> Maven Clinic becomes first women’s and family health US unicorn (private company worth $1B or more) after securing financing from leading venture capital firms and Oprah Winfrey (More) | Apeel Sciences, maker of technology that provides an extra peel to keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer, raises $250M at $2B valuation (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> At least 35 people missing in western North Carolina after severe flooding yesterday; high waters were driven by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred (More)

> Cuba passes social media laws banning posts critical of the government; move follows July anti-government protests, the country's largest demonstrations in two-and-a-half decades (More)

> Havana Syndrome reported by at least two US diplomats stationed in Germany; the mysterious illness, thought to be an attack by malicious actors, has struck Western diplomatic staff in various locations since 2016 (More) | What we know about the syndrome (More)

IN-DEPTH

The Sopranos of Berlin

GQ | Joshua Hammer. The inside story of the crime family pulling off daring jewel heists in cities across Europe. (Read)

Lost at Sea

Boston Mag | Kevin Koczwara. The true story of a 1982 shipwreck that left five experienced sailors stranded on a lifeboat. Only two would survive, after watching their crewmates succumb to delirium and sharks. (Read)

WORDS TO INVEST BY

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ETCETERA

How Americans feel about cancel culture.

Steal $600M, give it back, get a job offer.

More terrifying footage of Boston Dynamics' robots.

Scientific progress is being stymied by Microsoft Excel.

Chill out in this giant Russian pipe.

The hard seltzer revolution is complete.

The hidden melodies of the world's subways. (paywall, NYT)

Taliban fighters burn amusement park—after enjoying the rides.

Clickbait: That's not how you fill up a car radiator.

Historybook: Fashion designer Coco Chanel born (1883); Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, hosts first race (1909); HBD former President Bill Clinton (1946); RIP comedian Groucho Marx (1977); Final US combat brigade leaves Iraq (2010).

"Years ago, I tried to top everybody, but I don't anymore. I realized it was killing conversation."

- Groucho Marx

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