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'Apocalyptic' wildfires rage in Hawaii

Laura L. Davis   Paste BN

Fierce wildfires raging in Hawaii send residents and tourists scrambling for safety. And summertime COVID-19 rates are climbing, but should we worry?

👋 Hello Wednesday! It's Laura Davis here with all the news you need to know.

But first: What's in a name? 🤷‍♀️ Subway offered free subs for life if you changed your name to "Subway." Nearly 10,000 people signed up.

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Raging inferno explodes in a matter of hours in Hawaii

Wind-whipped wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, forced hundreds of evacuations Wednesday, overwhelmed hospitals and even sent some residents fleeing into the ocean as parts of the island turned into a raging inferno in a matter of hours. Homes and businesses went up in smoke in historic Lahaina Town, where blazes fueled by wind from Hurricane Dora, which was passing 500 miles to the south. Maui County officials said multiple structures have burned and multiple evacuation orders are in place as emergency crews battle the flames. Lahaina resident Tiare Lawrence said the scene looked like something out of the apocalypse, with people running for their lives, adding that the homes of everyone she knows in Lahaina have been burnt down. Here's the latest coverage.

📸 Photos: Devastating wildfires rage through Maui.

🔎 Trump's Twitter account

What's in Trump's Twitter account? Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for the former president’s long-dormant Twitter account in January, according to a court document unsealed Wednesday. The warrant directed Twitter, now called X, to produce records related to the @realDonaldTrump account, and the request was so secret that the company was prohibited from disclosing its existence. Twitter complied, three days late, and a federal judge fined the company $350,000 for missing the deadline. Trump used Twitter during his effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, actions that are at the heart of Smith’s recent indictment against the former president. Here’s what we know.

What everyone's talking about

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COVID rates rising in much of the country

Rates of COVID-19 are ticking upward nationwide, but the U.S. is unlikely to see the kind of widespread infections and hospitalizations seen over the last three summers, experts said. Summers of 2020, 2021 and 2022 saw increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. This summer, the upswing is coming later and is much smaller, hospitalization and wastewater data suggests. Plus, while COVID-19 will probably never completely go away, vaccines, antivirals, masks and other prevention tools, along with improved care for the very sick, have transformed an urgent crisis into a more manageable disease. Here's a closer look at this year's situation.

$1.58 billion Mega Millions winning ticket sold in Florida

One lucky player in Florida matched all six Mega Millions numbers in Tuesday night's drawing to win an estimated $1.58 billion, the largest jackpot yet. But that number is basically for bragging rights – the cash option for the jackpot is about $783.3 million. The winning ticket was sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach, the Florida Lottery said, so if you bought your ticket there, check those numbers!

  • So what would Short List readers do with the Mega Millions jackpot? Pay Dad's medical bills, take the dog and run, keep it a secret, give it to animal rescues, the military, scholarships – maybe even buy a beach house, a farm, or even the New York Yankees! Hey, why not? You can't take it with you, might as well live the dream. Thanks to everyone who responded to yesterday's question!
  • Didn't hit the big time? Here's when the next drawing will be. And while we're at it, here's what not to do if you ever win the big bucks.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at Paste BN. She loves new Twitter pals and emails from readers: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to Paste BN here.

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