The Short List

Thu Aug 24 2023

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

Former President Donald Trump will be arrested this evening in Georgia. Candidates faced off at the first Republican debate. And mortgage rates are the highest they've been in 20 years – is any relief in sight?

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. It's Thursday, and there's a whole lot of news, so let's get to it!

But first: Today's the day. ☕️🎃 Can you smell it in the air? Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte is officially back, along with some brand-new fall drinks.

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

Trump to surrender at Georgia jail

Trump is expected to surrender to authorities Thursday evening to face the fourth criminal case against him – and the second for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In the current case, Trump and 18 co-defendants are accused of trying to steal the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The former president will be booked at the notorious Fulton County Jail in downtown Atlanta, but likely won't stay there long given his stature and the worldwide attention on the case. The process is expected to yield a historic first: a booking photo of a former American president. 👉 Follow our live coverage.

•	From Rudy Giuliani to Jenna Ellis: These are Trump's allies who have surrendered.
•	Mark Meadows turns himself in at Fulton County jail ahead of Friday deadline.

News Fulton County Georgia Indictment Of Donald Trump

Protesters stand outside the at Fulton County Jail intake center in Atlanta, GA. on Aug 24, 2023, waiting for the arrival of former President Donald Trump.

Katie Goodale, USA TODAY

Presidential campaigns kick off with first GOP debate

And they're off! Now that the first GOP presidential debate is over, the five-month sprint to the Iowa caucuses and early primaries is just beginning. So what's next? For starters, any contender will have to overcome the candidate who wasn't on stage in Milwaukee − Trump, who leads by huge margins in polling. The coming weeks will bring a winnowing of the large field and a guessing game about whether anyone new will enter the fray. 🔎 A look at what could come next.

What went down:

•	Candidates criticized Vivek Ramaswamy's lack of experience, while the entrepreneur said his background was a better asset to lead a "revolution."
•	DeSantis took no swings at Trump, spending more time railing on Hunter Biden while characterizing the U.S. as a country that has lost its way.
•	Former Vice President Mike Pence got some support for the issue that has been the biggest anchor of his candidacy: his refusal to interfere in the congressional counting of electoral college votes as Trump wanted.

So, who won? Here's how voters reacted. And what did candidates get right (or wrong)? We fact-checked them.

From the Opinion desk:

•	DeSantis needed to be someone else. Sadly, he was himself. \| Rex Huppke
•	Who needs Trump? Ramaswamy was a fine stand-in. \| Jon Gabriel
•	With Trump absent, Republicans focus on serious issues. \| Ingrid Jacques

From left, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy joke with one another at the Republican presidential debate Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Network

What everyone's talking about

•	The 6 most shocking moments from HBO's new Bishop Sycamore documentary.
•	Judge orders R. Kelly, Universal Music Group to pay $507K in royalties for victims.
•	FIFA opens disciplinary case against official who kissed player at World Cup.
•	Boarding pass, please? Now stand on this scale. Airline will soon weigh passengers at the gate.

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What brought down Russian mercenary's plane?

After Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was apparently killed in a suspicious crash of his private plane, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences Thursday to the family of his onetime friend. "He was a man of difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life," Putin said, as reported by state media. A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment found the plane crash was caused by an intentional explosion, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. One of them said the blast was in keeping with Putin's "long history of trying to silence his critics." 👉 Here's the latest.

In this image taken from video, smoke and flames rise from a crashed private jet near the village of Kuzhenkino, Tver region, Russia, on Aug. 23, 2023.

Mortgage rates reach highest level since 2001

Homebuyers' purchasing power diminished further in August as mortgage rates continued their upward march, averaging 7.2% over the week ending on Thursday, the highest level since 2001, according to newly released data by Freddie Mac. Mortgage rates climbed to the highest levels in more than two decades the week prior averaging 7.09%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.5%. But hopefully, a slight increase in new homes on the market will provide a bit of relief, according to Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater. 🏡 What you need to know.

A break from the news

•	👩‍💻 Think you've been hacked? Take a 60-second security check.
•	🥪 Easy to make, easy to eat: 12 ways to simplify school lunch prep.
•	📲 Need to make a private call? How to do it – no star 67 needed.
•	🥰 Watch: Couple's sweet travel video turns into a surprise double proposal.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.