Good morning, it's Monday, Aug. 16. The Taliban toppled the Afghan government over the weekend, while on the other side of the world, Haiti was rocked by another devastating earthquake. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.

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NEED TO KNOW

Kabul Falls

The Taliban captured the Afghan capital of Kabul yesterday, the final conquest in an accelerated offensive that overwhelmed nearly every major city in the country in a matter of weeks. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, reportedly to neighboring Tajikistan. Western officials scrambled to evacuate remaining diplomatic staff, workers, and Afghan citizens who aided the US and Afghan government.

The city's fall comes roughly three months after the US and NATO began a final withdrawal from the country. It also marks a de facto end to the two-decade, Allied-backed effort to establish a democratic Afghan-led government.

US officials were reportedly caught off guard by the speed of the Taliban advance. Kabul's capture—effectively the end of the campaign—came just 10 days after the group captured its first of the country's 34 provincial capitals. As recently as Aug. 11, Biden administration officials projected Kabul may fall within 30 to 90 days.

Human rights groups have decried reports of atrocities in areas captured by the group. The previous Taliban regime, which ruled from 1996-2001, received international condemnation for its oppression, particularly among women and young girls.

It is currently unclear how the international community will approach a renewed Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. See key leaders of the Taliban here.

Quake Rocks Haiti

At least 1,297 people were killed and more than 5,700 injured after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti Saturday. The epicenter was located along the country's southwestern peninsula roughly 80 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince (see map). The disaster comes amid political chaos—Haiti's former president, Jovenel Moïse, was killed in a brazen July assassination. 

The quake was stronger than the 7.0-magnitude strike that devasted Haiti in 2010. So far, the death toll has fallen far short of the previous quake, which claimed up to 300,000 lives and left 1.5 million people homeless. The country is particularly prone to earthquakes, sitting near the intersection of the North American and the Caribbean tectonic plates.

Rescuers are racing to recover survivors from the rubble, with efforts threatened by the incoming Tropical Storm Grace, which is expected to pass over the country late today and overnight.

See photos of the aftermath here.

Starliner Shelved

Boeing will indefinitely ground its Starliner space vehicle as it probes a technical malfunction, officials announced over the weekend. The reusable capsule had originally been scheduled to launch last fall before a series of delays pushed it to early August, when it failed a series of preflight checks that resulted in a scrubbed launch. Reports suggest the vehicle experienced a series of malfunctioning valves in its propulsion system—the entire capsule is being returned to Boeing's factory for further testing. 

Boeing was one of two companies—the other being SpaceX—awarded multibillion-dollar grants under NASA's effort to develop private-sector crew transport capabilities. The uncrewed test flight was scheduled at the behest of Boeing, who footed a $410M cost, after software issues prevented a first test flight from docking with the International Space Station.  

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Tyler Gilbert pitches no-hitter in first career start; was eighth of MLB season, tying a record from 1884 (More)

> Nanci Griffith, Grammy-winning country folk singer-songwriter, dies at 68 (More) | First openly gay US Ambassador James Hormel dies at 88 (More)

> Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Horatio Sanz sued for allegedly sexually assaulting an underage girl (More)

Science & Technology

> Failure of NASA's Perseverance rover to collect Martian rocks may be due to the ground in the Jezero Crater, a former lakebed; results suggest the geology is made up of crystalized magma (More)

> Apple ordered to pay $300M in patent dispute over its 4G wireless technology in iPhones and iPads; Apple accused the company, Optis, of being a patent troll (More) | What are patent trolls (More)

> US government data show July was the hottest month globally in 142 years of recordkeeping; land and ocean temperatures were measured versus the 1981-2010 average (More) 

Business & Markets

> US consumer sentiment index drops to lowest level since 2011 on growing delta variant worries (More)

> Hyatt Hotels to acquire resort operator Apple Leisure Group from private equity firms for $2.7B (More)

> Cap table management software provider Carta raises $500M at a $7.4B valuation (More) | What is a cap table? (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> New South Wales, Australia, goes on lockdown as a COVID-19 outbreak from its capital city of Sydney spreads (More) | Average new US cases near 130,000 per day; roughly 78,000 patients are hospitalized, with deaths averaging 650 per day (More)

> Biden administration approves 25% boost in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, colloquially called food stamps, to about $157 per month; boost is the largest increase in the program's history (More)

> California's Dixie Fire passes the one month mark, having burned through 540,000 acres at 31% containment as of this morning (More) | Watch the flames spawn a fire tornado (Watch) | At least 6,000 homes under evacuation orders as the Parleys Canyon Fire burns near Salt Lake City (More)

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ETCETERA

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Historybook: Gold is discovered in Canada’s Yukon Territory, sparks Klondike gold rush (1896); RIP Babe Ruth (1948); Sports Illustrated is first published (1954); HBD Madonna (1958); RIP Elvis Presley (1977); RIP Aretha Franklin (2018).

"One must dare to show what he wants."

- "Madonna" Louise Ciccone

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