Daily Briefing: The Big Bend's first Cat 4 storm

Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm as it barreled through Georgia early Friday, hours after it hammered the Florida Gulf Coast. A federal indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams contains damning iPhone-related blunders. The fall films and shows we're watching (and not watching).

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert , Daily Briefing author.

Helene downgraded to tropical storm

Helene is unleashing life-threatening storm surge, winds and flooding rain early Friday, hours after a devastating landfall in the Big Bend coast of Florida.

Helene made landfall at about 11:10 p.m. ET near Perry, Florida, with 140 mph winds, making it the first known Category 4 storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend region since records began in 1851.

• Further weakening is expected as the storm moves inland . But officials fear more fatalities would be discovered on Friday, though it would likely be several hours before any rescue personnel could head out to help those in need.
• It's too early yet for detailed damage reports from the counties that Helene ripped across. But the National Hurricane Center says Category 4 storms threaten well-built framed homes with "severe" damage, potentially losing both roofs and walls.
• Track Helene's path : Weather officials in Florida said further weakening is expected as the storm moves inland.

🌧 Keep reading: Local officials scolded residents for ignoring Helene evacuation orders.

Eric Adams and the missing password

Who among us hasn’t misplaced a password? Last November, New York Mayor Eric Adams told FBI agents he’d made an innocent mistake by changing – and then forgetting – the passcode to his mobile phone, making it more difficult for investigators to probe its contents. A five-count federal indictment unsealed in Manhattan on Thursday says it was more than just a slip of the mind by the mayor of America's Big Apple. The 57-page indictment is riddled with mobile phone shenanigans .

More news to know now

• Here's how obesity in America has evolved
• An exclusive new poll shows Trump holds lead over Harris in Arizona .
• U.S. offers $20 million for Iranian in plot targeting a top Trump official .
• What's it like to debate Tim Walz ? What about JD Vance?

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

Alabama carries out the nation's second nitrogen gas execution

Alan Eugene Miller became the second man in the nation executed by nitrogen gas Thursday when the state of Alabama put him to death for a 1999 triple homicide. The state put Miller to death after failing to do so by lethal injection in 2022. The method has drawn national and international scorn and media attention, including a protest from the Vatican, due to its untested history and perceived physical effects on the condemned. Multiple witnesses, including five journalists and members of Smith's family, saw Smith heaving against his restraints and convulsing as the nitrogen flowed, and it appeared to take him several minutes to lose consciousness. Read more

Donald Trump to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Former President Donald Trump plans to meet Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as America's role in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has become a factor in the 2024 election. During his visit to the U.S. this week for United Nations meetings, Zelenskyy and supporters have alleged Trump's calls for peace in the region involve Ukraine giving up territory to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The Ukraine president said that "my feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how." Read more

Keep scrolling

• The Dallas Cowboys pulled out a win in a sloppy Thursday Night Football contest.
• Hoda is leaving "Today."
• Prepare to get an assigned seat on Southwest next year .
• We're all wondering if Lana Del Rey is married to an alligator tour guide .
• Are flying, venomous Joro spiders moving north ?

What to watch (and not watch) this weekend

A number of blockbluster and binge-worthy shows arrive at cinemas and your screens this autumn. USA TODAY's critics have the reviews you need to read (attention for some spoilers) to pick what to watch this weekend.

• We're skipping "Megalopolis": Francis Ford Coppola's latest is too weird for words .
• If you're feeling spooky season: "Rosemary's Baby" is a horror classic but one that hasn't been revisited to death. That's why "Apartment 7A" as a 1960s-set prequel is intriguing, if not exactly creeptastic .
• Want classic Hollywood film charm? Brad Pitt and George Clooney bring just that in "Wolfs."
• For your romance bug: Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are electric and sexy in "Nobody Wants This."

Photo of the day: Donning her 'Patterns'

Kelsea Ballerini donned an eye-catching print at Thursday night's People's Choice Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. The star, whose upcoming album "Patterns" drops next month, joined fellow songwriters for a night celebrating fan-favorite tunes. Click here for more photos of the 2024 PCAs.

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: The Big Bend's first Cat 4 storm