Daily Briefing: Check the space toilets

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY Thu, April 2, 2026 at 10:46 AM UTC

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Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Start the morning with these reads:

A deal was reached to end the Homeland Security shutdown.

Is the U.S. military making deadly AI mistakes?

UConn men and women could pull off a dual championship.

Nicole Fallert here. Just did some pilates. Thursday's news includes an update on the Artemis II mission, takeaways from a presidential address last night and one mother's journey to have her symptoms be acknowledged.

Astronauts are off to the moon!

NASA's Artemis II mission is on the way to the moon Thursday, when crew will be in a high Earth orbit and conduct systems checks, such as testing the Orion capsule's life support, propulsion, navigation and communications systems to ensure the spacecraft is ready to travel deeper into space. And yes, they'll make sure the space toilets work.

It's a historic moment: The Artemis II mission comes more than 50 years after humanity last left Earth's orbit. The four astronauts won't land on the moon, but they'll complete essential steps for moonwalks to come.

“We are going for all humanity,” astronaut Jeremy Hansen said seconds before lifting off on at 6:35 p.m. ET on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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For my fellow space nerds: Check out Artemis II's cute mascot and follow the mission with online Artemis II tracker.

More news to know now -

A rosy Iran picture: In a 19-minute address last night, President Trump gave little indication about when the Iran war might conclude. But he made it clear that he is prepared to leave a messy and problematic situation behind.

Texans unite against Trump wall: An unlikely coalition of Texans of diverse backgrounds and opposing politics are uniting to fight Trump's plan to spend billions on a border wall here in the state's rugged Big Bend region.

State election officials in spotlight: Secretaries of state are elected officials tasked with administering fair and secure elections. The role is increasingly in the political crosshairs of Trump's efforts to crackdown on election practices.

Supreme Court

SCOTUS debates Trump's birthright citizenship policy

A demonstrator outside the US Supreme Court as the court hears Trump v. Barbara in Washington, DC, on April 1, 2026.

Demonstrators rallied outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices debated a lower court's rejection of Trump’s argument that children of parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not entitled to citizenship. While not issuing a quick rejection, key conservative justices seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments for its legality.

Health & Wellness

Doctors blamed her symptoms on motherhood. She actually had mold illness.

In 2018, pregnant with her third child, Kate Ames was exhausted. Her OB/GYN told it was normal mom fatigue and suggested therapy. Years later, when doctors and air quality experts found her symptoms were caused by undiscovered mold in her home, her relief turned to anger. Why hadn't they listened to her in the first place?

Before you go -

Kyle Cook weighed in on the "Summer House" drama.

Megan Thee Stallion said her hospitalization was a "wake-up call."

Help KitKat track 400K stolen candy bars.

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top US news today: Latest on Iran, Artemis II in the Daily Briefing

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