Daily Briefing: Rebuilding Maui won't be easy

The death toll from a historic fire that roared through a Maui community rose to 96 Sunday as rescue teams picked through the devastation. Also in the news: A fourth indictment against former President Donald Trump could come this week in a Georgia grand jury investigation and how queer teachers grapple with anti-LGBTQ policies.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Coffee shops continue to fall short on diversity.

Now, here we go with Monday's news.

Maui rescue teams search ruins

Communities began looking ahead to a long recovery from last week’s crushing wildfire that demolished a historic Maui town and killed at least 96 people and destroyed over 2,000 residential buildings.

The search for the dead is far from over and that the death toll probably would rise, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier warned.

• No official cause of the Lahaina fire has been determined, but several factors appear to have conspired to create the largest natural disaster in state history.

• Locals are questioning whether residents were given warning as the wildfire swept through. There are also questions about whether the area had the resources to help people, including enough firefighters.

• Rebuilding Maui won't be easy: The fire left behind a stench of noxious fumes, toxic debris and particulate matter that could make people sick.

Keep reading: Lahaina, his hometown, was in flames. He looked for a way out. Then he heard the screams.

Potential charges against Trump in Georgia case loom

Donald Trump, who already faces three indictments, including a federal indictment over alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, could face a fourth in the coming days. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is set to begin presenting her case before a Georgia grand jury investigating the former president this week. The Georgia case would zero in on Trump’s specific efforts to overturn his loss in the state in 2020. A key center point in the investigation is likely a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he appeared to threaten him with a criminal charge and asking him to “find 11,780” votes. Read more

• Hunter Biden's case may hang over Joe Biden's 2024 campaign with a special counsel.

More news to know now

• One more person has been charged in the Alabama riverboat brawl.

• Video shows ''mob'' steal up to $100,000 worth of items at Nordstrom in Los Angeles.

• Nervous about a tick bite? Here's what to know about Lyme disease from symptoms to treatment.

• At age 12, he fled the Taliban to try to save his family. Then he faced years in U.S. custody.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, a look at an upcoming Supreme Court decision on disability testers. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Pennsylvania house explosion kills five, including child

Five people, including a child, are dead after a house exploded in Pennsylvania Saturday morning, destroying three structures and damaging several other houses, authorities said. First responders said there were people trapped under debris, two houses on fire, multiple homes damaged. It appeared “as if one house had exploded,” said officials, who are still investigating the cause of the incident. Rafal Kolankowski, who lives a few houses away, said the explosion broke his windows and knocked him and his wife to the ground: “It looks like a bomb hit our neighborhood.” Read more

LGBTQ teachers face ramped up attacks and threats of 'indoctrination'

As teachers across the country begin the 2023-2024 school year, they face a number of anti-LGBTQ+ education laws and ramped-up attacks by conservatives. While some members of the right, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have attacked LGBTQ+ teachers for “indoctrinating” students, many teachers say that narrative is harmful and inaccurate. Instead, queer teachers say they are just trying to exist and do their jobs while making their students feel safe and respected. Read more

• Texas teen was told girls of color couldn't do well. She's graduating college at 14.

• Millions watch their ''digital diaries'': Influencers want to show you what college is really like.

• Want to make sure your child's school is safe? These are the questions parents should ask.

Just for subscribers:

• How Louisville's Whiskey Row went from ''left behind'' to the tourism jewel of downtown.

• Remote jobs are here to stay. But WFH's real enemy isn't the office: It's solicitors.

• Plastic weighing as much as the Eiffel Tower pollutes the Great Lakes yearly. High-tech helps.

• Funyuns and flu shots? A gas station company ventures into urgent care.

• Kelsea Ballerini opened up about moving on post-divorce, finding joy and discovering herself.

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

Lack of confirmed military leaders due to abortion protest

Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, has been nominated to take over as chief of naval operations after the current leader steps down on Monday. But her historic appointment hasn't been finalized due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold of military promotions that began in February. The Alabama Republican has held up more than 200 military promotions for senior military jobs that require Senate confirmation, arguing that some Department of Defense abortion policies − such as provisions on paid leave and traveling expenses − violate federal law. Read more

• Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley says we ''have to stop demonizing'' women who have abortions.

Quick hits

• The 1975 faces a $2.7 million demand by a music festival organizer after a same-sex kiss controversy.

• Here's why ''Red, White & Royal Blue'' is the gayest movie this summer.

• ''Nobody Needs to Know'' by Pidgeon Pagonis, August Wilson biography: Here are 5 new must-read books.

• A Seattle Mariners fan surprised Félix Hernández at the team's Hall of Fame ceremony.

• Here are our rankings of SEC quarterbacks in 2023, from Jayden Daniels and Joe Milton to Graham Mertz.

Photo of the day: Bills safety Damar Hamlin makes 'remarkable' return

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made his return to the football field on Saturday, seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest during a January game. Hamlin made his debut in the Bills' preseason opener win against the Indianapolis Colts, making a fourth-down tackle in the first quarter. 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 wildfire, Trump Georgia case, LGBTQ, abortion, Damar Hamlin: Daily Briefing