World News: Americans missing in Nepal

Monday, August 31

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Welcome to Monday, Daily Briefing readers:

•	Trump says Kristen Welker of "Meet the Press" will be reported to the FCC.
•	A mom's website tracks who profits from ICE.
•	New Colts WR Keenan Allen was arrested for a DUI.

Nicole Fallert here, try our News Quiz.

Americans among missing in Nepal

Dozens of Americans are included in the nearly 600 foreign nationals reported as missing by Nepali officials following a glacier collapse that unleashed a catastrophic mudslide across the Himalayas. The death toll neared 800, authorities said Sunday.

And separately, back in the U.S. over 60 people were evacuated from Grand Canyon National Park amid flash floods.

Meanwhile, climate experts are asking if an El Niño turns out to be the strongest on record, as many forecast models suggest, what will a historically strong El Niño look like stacked on top of the planet’s unprecedented warming?

Bishok Kadel, 43, inspects his damaged house following the flash floods and a mudslide, in Devighat, Nuwakot district in Nepal on August 30, 2026. Adnan Abidi, REUTERS

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•	Americans are fighting big tech together: From data centers to teen safety online, backlash against the initiatives of Silicon Valley is forming a unique coalition of liberals and conservatives.

Take a look

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifts off

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, encapsulated in its payload fairing, on Aug. 25. Sydney Rohde (Rocz)

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Sunday. – NASA's newest orbital observatory promises unprecedented wide-angle views of the cosmos, including distant galaxies, black holes and planets that may resemble those in our own solar system.

Books

Audiobooks go Hollywood

Readers are increasingly looking for immersive audiobook experiences, with music, sound effects or full-cast narration by notable names. User demand for GraphicAudio titles grew by nearly 300% between 2023 and 2025, a company spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY in an email. Publishers are responding enthusiastically.

Before you go

•	Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan, Mitski and more celebrated feminine power with Olivia Rodrigo
•	Four-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic was ousted in Round 1.
•	Parents struggle to talk about money more than sex.

Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

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DON'T MISS

Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to Lake America for US users

An image from Google shows Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America, at least in the United States, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to rename the body of water sitting between the United States and Canada. Trump's order, which he signed in the Oval Office on Aug. 27, instructs the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formalize the change within 30 days. As he signed the order, Trump compared the move to his action last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Google

Is it Lake Ontario or Lake America? For Google Maps users, it now depends on where you're located.