Will the Mar-a-Lago mystery be revealed?

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·6 min read
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A judge ordered the release of the redacted Mar-a-Lago search warrant. Abortion "trigger" bans take effect in multiple states. And an increase in heat waves is basically inevitable (thanks, climate change) – but experts say there's hope.

👋 I'm Laura Davis. It's Thursday. Buckle in – it's time for the news.

But first, meet Nugget the cow! 🐮 Nugget's annual contribution to global warming is about 220 pounds of methane – a significant carbon hoofprint when you look at the global scale. So researchers are trying something new. Can seaweed reduce methane in cows?

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Redacted Mar-a-Lago affidavit to be released Friday, judge orders

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the release of a redacted version of the Justice Department's affidavit that supported the unprecedented search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. When will it be made public? By noon Friday. FBI agents seized 11 sets of classified documents – but the contents are still unknown. The affidavit could shed light on what FBI agents were looking for and why. Prosecutors oppose unsealing the affidavit because it could compromise the investigation, arguing the redactions would be so extensive as to render the document useless. Catch up on the latest updates.

Why are some people so salty about Biden's loan forgiveness program?

President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness announcement Wednesday sparked a flurry of social media response from grateful borrowers, political supporters and opponents alike. But there was also a noticeable wave of resentment from people who paid off their student loans in the past. Check out the responses here.

  • Outrage: Sentiments included anger over having worked and sacrificed to pay off student loans, only to have others' debt be forgiven, and outrage that tax dollars will be used to cover other people's loans after paying off their own.

  • The flip side: Many people have had the opposite reaction to the resentment, instead expressing their happiness in seeing others not have to go through what they did to repay their loans.

  • Double standard? Others noted the difference in sentiment when Payment Protection Program loans – given during the pandemic by the Small Business Administration – were forgiven compared with the current debt forgiveness program.

What else is in the plan? Do I qualify? What to know about Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

  • Discretionary income cut for student debt repayments. What is it?

  • Biden's student debt forgiveness is a potential midterm boon for Democrats – and a major gamble.

President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Wednesday.
President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt forgiveness in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Wednesday.

What everyone's talking about

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As 'trigger' laws take effect, 4 more states ban nearly all abortions

New laws banning abortion take effect Thursday in four states – Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas – two months after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion. A look at what's changing in these states.

  • What is happening and why? The bans result from "trigger" laws, bills approved in the past to ban abortion that would take effect only if the Supreme Court overturned Roe and gave states the power to make laws about the procedure.

  • How many states have bans? Are more coming? Thirteen states have trigger bans that have taken effect, are scheduled to or are being reviewed by the courts. They already have taken effect in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and South Dakota. Without Roe, some project as many as 26 states will restrict abortion at some point.

Dani Thayer, left, and Marina Lanae, right, both of Tulsa, Oklahoma, hold pro-choice signs at the state Capitol, Wednesday, April 13, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
Dani Thayer, left, and Marina Lanae, right, both of Tulsa, Oklahoma, hold pro-choice signs at the state Capitol, Wednesday, April 13, 2022, in Oklahoma City.

Deadly heat waves are likely to increase, but experts say there's hope

A dramatic increase in deadly heat waves is now likely inevitable, a study published Thursday says. But there's still hope that temperature increases due to human-caused climate change can be curbed, which would avert even more catastrophes. Even if the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement are met, study authors warn that heat waves are destined to become more prevalent. Heat already kills more Americans each year than any other weather hazard, according to the National Weather Service. Is there anything that can be done? We dig in to the study here.

Part of the Guadiana river has dried up and gives way to dry land under the Puente de la Mesta medieval bridge in Villarta de los Montes, in the central-western Spanish region of Extremadura. Scientists say human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events including heatwaves and droughts more frequent and more intense.
Part of the Guadiana river has dried up and gives way to dry land under the Puente de la Mesta medieval bridge in Villarta de los Montes, in the central-western Spanish region of Extremadura. Scientists say human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events including heatwaves and droughts more frequent and more intense.

Real quick

Victory for Vanessa Bryant: A federal jury awarded Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, $16 million in a civil trial that went into graphic detail about photos from the scene of the helicopter crash that killed the basketball star. Here's what we know about the trial.

Families scattered by Ukraine war face starkly different realities

A Ukrainian fighter waits for more ammunition. In Kyiv, signs of normalcy mix with threats. And in Chicago, a nurse fears for loved ones in Ukraine. Half a year after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, USA TODAY reporters reconnected with Ukrainians across the globe who first shared their experiences during the early stages of the war. Some are struggling under Russian occupation or living amid fierce combat and shelling, while others are adapting to new countries and a new normal. Several said they worry public attention to the war and its toll is waning. Here are their stories.

👉 Europe's largest nuclear plant forced off the grid: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in the middle of intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops, was temporarily disconnected from the power grid when fires damaged the sole transmission line, leading to a large blackout and increased concerns about a disaster. Thursday's updates.

Ukrainian servicemen talk outside their bunks in the village where their unit is currently staying in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022.
Ukrainian servicemen talk outside their bunks in the village where their unit is currently staying in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Redacted Mar-a-Lago search affidavit, abortion trigger laws, student loan forgiveness, Ukraine war. It's Thursday's news.