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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu Jul 31 2025

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. "Zootopia 2" is the cinema news we needed.

Take a look at Thursday's news:

•	Texas Republicans released their proposed new congressional map.
•	The United States is taking a sharp turn in how it addresses homelessness.
•	Who's getting dealt by today's MLB trade deadline?

A pre-2026 redistricting race is heating up

Democrats across the country are searching for ways to block or counter a Trump-led effort by Republicans to redraw Texas' congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections

This is a rare mid-decade redistricting in Texas. The president and Republicans hope that shifting boundaries in Texas could help the GOP pick up as many as five seats in the 2026 race for control of the U.S. House.

•	What could a new map look like? There would still be 38 total seats in the Texas delegation under the new maps — leaving it second only to California's 52 seats. But five Texas seats would be redrawn in a bid that Republican envision giving their candidates a leg up with more GOP voters.
•	A partisan scramble to draw maps: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, made a trip to Texas on Wednesday (the same day Republicans released their proposed map). Democrats coast-to-coast have promised a full-scale counterattack should the Lone Star State move forward with redistricting.
•	Are you a Texan wanting to get involved? The El Paso Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, prepared a guide on how to make your voice heard.

A wave of relief

The earthquake that hit a Russian island was among the most powerful ever recorded, and forecasters immediately feared it could spur cataclysmic walls of water thousands of miles away in Hawaii, California and Alaska. But hours later, evacuation warnings were lifted for nearly all of the U.S. Damage was determined to be minimal — at least in the U.S. so far, with Honolulu's dangerous traffic gridlock the main impact.

•	And surfers had another question about the tsunami: Can we surf it?

A surfer catches a wave off Waikiki Beach after authorities downgraded earlier tsunami warnings in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday.

Marco Garcia, REUTERS

More news to know now

•	"Judge Jeanine" Pirro pushed election falsehoods. She's Trump's pick for D.C. prosecutor.
•	A suspect was arrested in the killing of a couple hiking in Arkansas.
•	Kamala Harris left the door open for a potential 2028 presidential run.
•	NTSB criticized the FAA for failing to act before the fatal D.C. plane crash.
•	Ending greenhouse gas emissions standards could cost American drivers more, not less.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Drastic changes are coming to homeless services

President Donald Trump has long criticized how the U.S. manages homelessness, and argues public streets aren't safe for either the homeless or residents. Now, the president has declared that organizations for the homeless receiving federal funding mustfocus first on locking up people with drug or mental health challenges. Longtime social workers, medical experts and mental health service providers say a law and order approach will likely worsen homelessness across the country, particularly because Trump's order contains no new funding for mental health or drug treatment. Additionally, they say the president appears to misunderstand the fundamental driver of homelessness: People can't afford housing.

The Fed didn't cut interest rates this week. But here's when they might

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday between 4.25% and 4.5% — exactly as interest-rate traders' bets had predicted after the policy-making body's meeting in June. Traders now see the Fed's Oct. 29 meeting as the most likely chance for an interest rate cut. That means short-term interest rates — which are heavily influenced by the Fed's decisions — could remain elevated for several more weeks.

•	Popular medications and your bed sheets: These are the everyday goods impacted by Trump's 25% tariff on Indian imports.
•	The U.S. will set a 15% tariff on South Korean imports under a new deal ahead of a Friday deadline.

Today's talkers

•	Was it a Celsius or a High Noon?
•	This pup braved rising waters inside a flooded apartment.
•	We're following hot people around NYC with "Ellie for the Girls."
•	The SKIMS seamless sculpt face wrap is ... giving "medieval torture."
•	Kevin Richardson gave a look behind the Backstreet Boys' stunning Sphere concerts.

A major deadline for MLB today

There are still several difference-makers on the market so baseball fans can expect a flurry of activity as the 2-25 Major League Baseball trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET approaches. Perhaps today is the day we see starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen make shifts? Here are some of the top players who could be on the move ahead of Thursday's deadline.

•	Just for fun, we assembled eight of the most impactful players who could move.
•	The Mariners landed slugger Eugenio Suárez in a trade with the Diamondbacks.

Photo of the day: Goodbye, Ozzy

Fans, friends and family bid farewell to Ozzy Osbourne at his funeral procession Wednesday through his home city of Birmingham, England. The Black Sabbath frontman died July 22 at the age of 76, a little over two weeks after his final live performance with his Black Sabbath bandmates. Scroll through for photos of the rock legend's funeral proceedings.

Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne arrive to view tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne from fans in his home city of Birmingham, England, on Wednesday.

Leon Neal, Getty Images

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.