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A billionaire walks across the earth

A group of civilians are scheduled to conduct the first private orbital spacewalk from a SpaceX capsule on Thursday. Newbies and veterans alike shined onstage at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. Francine was downgraded to a tropical storm after winds knocked out power to thousands of Louisiana residents.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I am Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing Writer If you're in one of these states, you may be able to see the Northern Lights.

A normal Thursday stroll through space

Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman will become the first private astronaut to step outside a spacecraft as part of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission. Isaacman will hold onto a Skywalker device installed on the outside of the Dragon spacecraft, essentially a handrail system that he will use to maneuver and stabilize himself – a difficult task in a pressurized spacesuit in the weightlessness of space. SpaceX has pushed back the launch time of a civilian spacewalk to just before 6 a.m. Thursday, but gave no reason for the delay. Read live updates on the spacewalk from Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Taylor Swift creates sacred ground at the VMAs

Taylor Swift will be celebrating after making history at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday night. The “Tortured Poets Department” singer won seven awards on Wednesday, including the night's top prize for Video of the Year.

This makes Swift the solo artist with the most VMA wins of her career and the artist with the most video wins of the year.

  • Her victorious evening came on the (cat's) tail an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election. On the VMA stage, Swift kept her political momentum going, urging viewers to register to vote and acknowledging the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, saying, “We all lost, and that's the most important thing about this day.”
  • Swift also wants Post Malone to stop calling her “ma'am.” In her acceptance speech for best collaboration, Swift praised her polite “Fortnight” song partner.
  • Our brutally honest performance reviews: The 40th The show's 2019 incarnation included performances by chart-toppers and classics, with opener Eminem, VMA newcomer Chappell Roan in a medieval vibe, Sabrina Carpenter's “Espresso” aesthetic, a career medley by Video Vanguard Award winner Katy Perry, and show-closing LL Cool J.

More news now on Thursday

How is the weather today? Check your local weather forecast here.

Francine downgraded due to power outages in Louisiana

Hurricane Francine has been downgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to become a tropical depression by Thursday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest warning. Francine hit the Louisiana coast as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands. The region is at risk of widespread flooding as towns are inundated by the rain. Read more

The escalating violence in the West Bank is creating another front

After nearly a year of brutal war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel finds itself at the center of a powder keg of numerous interconnected conflicts in the Middle East. A steady escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon. A looming open confrontation with Iran. Attacks by the Yemeni Houthis. And now, increasing deadly violence in the West Bank. Here's an update from USA TODAY foreign correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard on what's happening with each of them.

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Paying rent always hurts, but maybe less than in previous months

Inflation slowed to a three-year low in August as falling gasoline and used-car prices offset further price increases in services such as rent, auto insurance and airfares. The report likely supports the Federal Reserve's plans to start cutting interest rates next week, but some economists noted that the rise in services costs pushed up an underlying price indicator and could help underpin a modest quarter-percentage-point cut. Read more

Photo of the day: Shadows of grief

During a solemn memorial service on Wednesday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center at Ground Zero in New York City, relatives and friends wrote the names of the September 11 victims on pieces of paper.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer for USA TODAY. Sign up for the email newsletter here. Want to send Nicole a message? Email her at [email protected].

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