A historic jail booking

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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.

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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.

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.
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.

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:

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

From the Opinion desk: 

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

What everyone's talking about

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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.
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

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.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's Georgia arrest, GOP debate, mortgage rates: Thursday's news