Daily Briefing: How did the Maui fires start?

At least 36 people have died in the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, Maui County wrote in a statement posted online. Also in the news: COVID-19 cases are climbing in the U.S., but aren't nearly as high as previous spikes. Taylor Swift has outwitted us again, announcing "1989 (Taylor's Version)" on 8/9.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. "Girl dinner." "Girl math." "Lazy girl job." Why do we keep adding "girl" to everything?

Now here we go with Thursday's news.

At least 36 people have died in fires burning through Hawaii, county reports

Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane D

ora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, killing at least 36 people and leaving behind smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood.

Officials are unsure what started the ongoing blazes, but experts said they suspect human development on the island is at least partly to blame for the destruction.

• Wildfires have quadrupled in Hawaii in recent decades, and many scientists say the culprit is unmanaged, nonnative grasslands planted by plantations and ranchers and others unfamiliar with the island's native ecosystems.

• Travel to Maui is discouraged: Officials said earlier that 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.

• For Lahaina residents, getting out of the danger zone made for a surreal journey of trying to find an unclogged escape route amid blistering heat.

Here's how you can donate or volunteer to help those affected in Maui and a look at a historic 200 year-old church destroyed by the blaze.

Presidential candidate in Ecuador assassinated

An Ecuadorian presidential candidate known for speaking up against corruption was shot and killed Wednesday at a political rally in the capital of Quito amid a wave of startling violence in the South American country. President Guillermo Lasso confirmed the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio and suggested organized crime was behind his slaying. Villavicencio was one of eight candidates in the Aug. 20 presidential vote. Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said that one suspect died in custody from wounds sustained in a firefight after the killing, and police detained six suspects following raids in Quito. Read more

• Russia's latest attack injured dozens of rescue workers and was condemned by the United Nations.

• 41 people are believed dead following a migrant shipwreck between Italy and Tunisia.

• An American nurse and her daughter were released after being kidnapped in Haiti.

More news to know now

• House Republicans issued a new report on Joe Biden corruption … that again offers no evidence.

• Can Kevin McCarthy avoid a government shutdown? He's facing his biggest test yet.

• Texas arrests that are separating migrant families may hinge on a key element: Landowners' permission.

• Three relatives are dead after a suspected mushroom poisoning at a family lunch in Australia.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, Donald Trump's Twitter account info turned over to special counsel as part of search warrant. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

COVID rates are climbing but nowhere near what they were

Rates of COVID-19 are ticking upward nationwide but the country is unlikely to see the kind of widespread infections and hospitalizations seen over the last three summers, experts said. While COVID-19 will probably never completely go away, vaccines, antivirals, masks and other prevention tools, along with improved care for the very sick, has transformed an urgent crisis into a manageable disease. Unlike previous summer surges that were mostly caused by the arrival of a new COVID-19 variant, experts say rates are on the rise now because of human behavior. Read more

• Everything to know about the new COVID variant Eris — and tools to protect yourself.

• Will it be a recession or a soft landing? Pay attention to these indicators.

• An Ozempic and Mounjaro user sued companies claiming the potential for severe stomach issues was not disclosed.

Is Ohio a bellwether on abortion rights?

Ohio voters issued a temporary reprieve to abortion-rights supporters Tuesday when they rejected a proposal to make it harder to amend the state constitution. But an expensive, nasty fight over abortion access in Ohio is only beginning. Voters said no to Issue 1, a measure that would have required 60% of voters to enact new amendments − instead of a simple majority. Issue 1's defeat is good news for backers of the abortion-rights measure, but it doesn’t ensure an easy victory in November. Ohio is the only state voting on abortion rights this year, making it the epicenter of the fight over reproductive rights just over a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Read more

• Here are three takeaways about the abortion fight after Ohio voters rejected the contentious measure.

• Tommy Tuberville is ''prepared to burn the military down'' over his abortion protest, a Democratic senator said.

• Five ways the first GOP debate can boost or break the candidates.

Just for subscribers:

• The Montgomery Riverfront brawl was an evil scene. Not long ago, they would've gotten away with it.

• Mars helicopter "Ingenuity" piloted by NASA smashes flight expectations.

• Photos give rare glimpse of history: They fled the Nazis and found safety in Shanghai.

• A study links testicular cancer among military personnel to ''forever chemicals.''

• How a Gospel album featuring a drag queen topped Christian music charts.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. 

Taylor Swift reveals '1989 (Taylor's Version)'

Taylor Swift has unveiled “Taylor’s Version” of her triumphant pop breakthrough, 2014’s “1989.” The album will be available Oct. 27. The ever-clever Swift dropped the news on 8/9 (get it?), which coincided with the last date of the first leg of her Eras tour at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles. The tour, a colossal success that will traverse South America, Japan, Australia and Europe, returns for more North American dates in October 2024. The rerecorded “1989” will contain 21 songs, five of them previously unreleased "from the vault." The album is the fourth among Swift’s catalog to be issued as “Taylor’s Version,” an exercise she began to reclaim her artistic ownership after the sale of her original master recordings in 2020. Read more

• The Swift impact: Eras Tour stop is boosting Los Angeles' GDP by estimated $320 million.

• Swifties' friendship bracelet craze creates spikes in jewelry sales during Eras Tour.

Quick hits

• Which NFL playoff teams will return in 2023? Ranking all 14 from most to least likely.

• Robbie Robertson, The Band's lead guitarist and primary songwriter, has died at 80.

• School cafeterias face a budget crunch. That means school lunch prices could rise.

• Lil Tay, a viral influencer and child rapper, has died at 15.

• The Big Ten, Big 12 conference realignment has thrown college sports for a loop. What's next?

Photo of the day: Drone captures Florida beach lifeguards forming human chain

Joseph Osborne was flying his drone over the water off Flagler Beach in Florida when he spotted lifeguards forming a human chain to rescue a boogie boarder who had drifted too far from the shore. Read more

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 or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maui fires, Lahaina, Hawaii, Ecuador, COVID, Eris, abortion, '1989 (Taylor's Version', NFL: Daily Briefing