Daily Briefing: Trump will be absent, but not silent

Eight GOP candidates will take the debate stage Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the first Republican primary debate. But the roster does not include current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Also in the news: Concerns about near misses are in focus at the Federal Aviation Administration and India attempts to make moon-landing history.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Would you give Fyre Festival a second chance?

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

Trump to use Carlson conversation as debate counterprogramming

Former President Donald Trump won't be present at tonight's GOP primary debate, opting for a pre-taped interview that will leave him free to watch the debate live and use social media to share criticism of his Republican rivals with his supporters. The Republican frontrunner will speak in a recorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that is expected to air Wednesday on the social media platform formally known as Twitter. Trump has long claimed he shouldn't give rivals who are polling far behind him the chance to take shots. But the former president's absence has left some voters wondering: Is the first Republican debate just an audition to be Trump's running mate?

• How are these candidates preparing for the first 2024 debate? USA TODAY Network reporters reached out to a slate of Republican presidential candidates to see how they hope to compete this week.

• Analysts will be paying attention to how Trump's absence affects everyone else.

• The field of presidential candidates for 2024 is already uniquely diverse.

Biden administration announces $1 billion for COVID-19 vaccine trials

The Biden administration has said it intends to spend $5 billion on Project NextGen to help develop new tools to protect against COVID-19. The $1 billion will be split among four smaller biotechnology companies that might otherwise struggle to afford the large cost of a clinical trial comparing their newer vaccines against currently available ones, officials said. The first specific allocations of the money involve $1 billion for midstage COVID-19 vaccine trials to begin this fall, $300 million for the development of a new monoclonal antibody to protect people who are immunocompromised, and $100 million to explore new technologies to help prevent and treat the infection. Read more

• What is Powassan virus? What to know about the disease caused by a tick bite.

• As maternal deaths rise, CDC says pregnant women report negative experiences at doc visits.

More news to know now

• The final trial for those charged in a bizarre plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor begins Wednesday.

• Mark Meadows has asked a federal court to block his Georgia arrest.

• Video of officer fatally shooting a Black man after traffic stop was released by Indianapolis police.

• The 98-year-old mother of Kansas newspaper publisher died the day following the police searches that have led to a debate over press freedoms.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, a look at how former President Donald Trump's surrender in Georgia will play out. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Tropical Storm Harold slams Texas with heavy rain

Tropical Storm Harold, dubbed “Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine" until reaching tropical storm strength early Tuesday, could slam south Texas with up to seven inches of rain into Wednesday, experts said, and potential tornadoes are possible across south Texas through the afternoon. Harold was pushing inland over Texas on Tuesday with gusty winds and pounding rain, bringing much-needed moisture to the drought-stricken state but also threatening tornadoes and flash flooding. The storm is the first tropical storm of the hurricane season to make landfall in the state. Read more

• Hilary has edged up Lake Mead water levels.

• Flooding on sunny days? How El Niño could disrupt weather in 2024 – even with no storms.

• Mayor Karen Bass called Texas governor ''evil'' for busing migrants to Los Angeles during Tropical Storm Hilary.

FAA responds to increased scrutiny on aviation safety

Remember when a FedEx cargo plane was cleared to land on the same runway a Southwest jet was preparing for takeoff in Austin? With headline-grabbing close calls and a recent New York Times investigation, aviation safety has been in the spotlight for months. According to Federal Aviation Administration data, near-miss accidents where planes nearly hit each other have increased nearly 25 percent in the last decade, with about 300 such accidents in the most recent 12-month period for which reports are available. And a big contributor to the rise in near misses seems to be understaffing at air traffic control centers. Read more

• USPS keeps losing money, potentially putting people who depend on mail delivery at risk.

• Feds fined a ship company $2 million for dumping oil and garbage into ocean off the U.S. coast.

Just for subscribers:

• The race to save a New Jersey house where a Revolutionary War patriot was murdered.

• Can we talk Wegmans? Why it's time for a ''chat checkout'' lane at grocery stores.

• Opinion: Biden has ignored Ohio's pleas for help. His response to East Palestine is inexcusable.

• Here's a look at Michael Oher's Ole Miss recruitment, the Tuohys impact and the ''Blind Side'' fallout

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

MLK’s ‘I have a dream’ speech looms large 60 years later

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought together a legion of speakers pivotal to the Civil Rights Movement. A quarter of a million people were there on Aug. 28, 1963. The four words “I have a dream" stand out from King's speech that touched economics, police brutality, peaceful protests, voting and, of course, an end to racism.

In 2023, three years after a summer of protests in the wake of multiple incidents of police brutality, an exclusive USA TODAY series examines whether the United States has made sufficient progress since the march.

• Memories from the crowd at MLK’s March on Washington: An estimated quarter of a million people flocked to the National Mall that day in what would become the largest civil rights demonstration at the time.

• Where do MLK’s hopes for Black homeownership stand? One of the biggest roadblocks to building wealth for Black Americans is still in place: The housing gap has widened from the time it was legal to discriminate based on race.

• Black history is under attack: Opportunities to learn a more inclusive version of the country’s history are becoming more common in the nation’s public schools. And already, they’re being stamped out.

Quick hits

• In a California Pride flag shooting, a suspect is identified and a community is galvanized.

• ''Ahsoka'' review: Rosario Dawson's fan-friendly 'Star Wars' show lacks ''Andor'' ambition.

• Have Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande parted ways with Scooter Braun?

• Perspective: Dwayne Haskins wasn't just a tragic case. He was a husband, quarterback and teammate.

• The conference realignment will leave Pac-12 in pieces and shift alliances.

Photo of the day: India presses on with lunar mission

India's space program is set to make double history Wednesday with the planned landing of its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft in the moon’s mysterious south polar region. The world is watching the progress of Chandrayaan-3 after the loss of Russia's Luna-25, which crashed into the lunar surface Sunday preparing for a pre-landing orbit of the moon. 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: GOP debate, Trump Carlson interview, COVID, FAA, Texas, Scooter Braun, MLK, India, space: Daily Briefing