Daily Briefing: A familiar wave of dread

You may be one of many parents preparing for another school day Friday in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Georgia this week. Public health officials face new challenges fighting West Nile virus. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL 2024 season opener by a toe's length.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert , Daily Briefing author. How did country music star Faith Hill find a murder victim? Listen to USA TODAY's new true crime podcast "Murder on Music Row" to find out.

Parents' ever-complicated role in school gun violence

Extra "I love you" texts; emails to principals; tears with kids: Parents across the U.S. are coping with anxiety and frustration as they grapple with yet another deadly school shooting this week.

Parents have a renewed sense of foreboding about sending their children into school environments . Many told USA TODAY they feel schools can’t guarantee their kids' safety.

• “I’m sick of holding my breath" : Parents like Florida mom Katie Hathaway told USA TODAY they're tired of wondering how their children could be traumatized by the fear of being gunned down at school.
• New charges complicate the role of parents in school gun violence : The father of the suspected shooter who opened fire at Apalachee High School on Wednesday, killing two teachers and two students, was charged Thursday in connection with the attack. Authorities previously spoke to Colin Gray, who told sheriff's deputies he owned hunting rifles but they were not accessible to his son, Colt Gray.
• When are parents to blame? : Remember just a few months ago, Jennifer and James Crumbley became the first parents of a mass school shooter in the U.S. to be convicted of involuntary manslaughter after their son, Ethan, went on a shooting rampage at Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30, 2021.

Hunter Biden pleads guilty to tax charges

In a surprise move Thursday, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all nine federal tax charges he faced, derailing a weekslong trial as jury selection was scheduled to begin and avoiding the embarrassment of delving into an period of his life when he was addicted to crack cocaine. Read more

Friday's headlines to know

• These notable Republicans appeared on podcasts accused of Russian ties.
• Feds raided homes of NYC mayor's top aides .
• A New York judge will sentence Trump on Sept. 18 in a Manhattan hush money case .
• Without Social Security reform , Americans may lose big .
• The Boeing Starliner is prepared to undock Friday from the International Space Station, leaving behind its two-person crew.

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

Judge sets deadlines to consider challenges in Donald Trump election case

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan set a timeline for debating whether former President Donald Trump is immune from election conspiracy charges. Chutkan said she would not be taking Trump's concurrent presidential campaign into consideration in setting deadlines. Chutkan anticipates her ruling on whether the charges should be dismissed will be appealed to the Supreme Court, so she said she could not yet set a trial date. The legal debate over Trump's immunity could take months.

Inside the 25-year fight to defeat West Nile virus

Inside their air-conditioned homes, many New York residents likely didn’t know that health officials had found mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus a few blocks away in late August. Late summer is peak mosquito season. Exactly 25 years ago, West Nile first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in New York City before it spread across North America. Public health officials have adapted by spraying pesticides to kill off Culex mosquitoes before they can infect people with the virus. But warming temperatures in recent years have made it easier for mosquitoes to multiply and spread diseases. Read more

Keep scrolling

• As Alex Morgan announces her retirement, here's a look at her storied soccer career .
• When the group chat is about finding alien life .
• Michael Keaton explained how Jenna Ortega made the new "Beetlejuice"' movie happen .
• Here are our predictions for Week 2 of college football .
• Will Tiafoe v. Fritz at the U.S. Open yield a successor for American men's tennis ?

A toe-curling finish to the 2024 NFL opener

The Baltimore Ravens found out football is a game of inches on Thursday night. On the final play of the game and down 27-20, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambled around the 10-yard line and somehow found tight end Isaiah Likely in the back of the endzone as the clock hit zero. It appeared the touchdown made it a 27-26 game and Baltimore was thinking of going for the two-point conversion to steal a victory. But the touchdown was reversed after the receiver's toe barely was out of bounds, giving the Chiefs the win. Read more

Photo of the day: She's got edge

On a brief break from her Eras Tour, superstar Taylor Swift returned to Arrowhead Stadium to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce as the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Baltimore Ravens.

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 .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: A familiar wave of dread