5 things to know for Aug. 18: Hurricane Hilary, Maui, Trump, Mortgage rates, Facebook

1. Hurricane Hilary

Hurricane Hilary has intensified into a Category 4 storm as it approaches Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The system is expected to weaken over the weekend as it brings rain and thethreat of flooding to parts of Californiaand the Southwest US. The latest forecasts show Hilary’s center israpidly intensifyingnear Baja California Sur, prompting Mexican officials to issue a hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings. Heavy rainfall is also expected to begin impacting the Southwest today and through early next week, with the most intense downpours likely on Sunday and Monday. Still, there remains a wide range of outcomes as small deviations inthe hurricane’s trackcould change the forecast for the most intense rain and wind.

2. Maui wildfires

Maui’s emergency management chiefresigned Thursday, citing health reasons, a day after he defended the silence of the island’s warning siren system during the deadly wildfires. A spokesperson for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency announced last week that no one attempted to activate the island’s80-alarm outdoor siren systemas the fires spread — a move which may have saved many lives, according to officials. Also facing scrutiny isHawaiian Electric, the largest power company on Maui, after it failed to shut down power lines during the dangerous fire conditions. While the exact cause of the fires remains unknown, a class action lawsuit has been filed against the power company alleging that the wildfires were caused by energized power lines that were knocked down by strong winds.

Maui EMA administrator asked if he regrets not sounding warning sirens. Hear his reply

3. Trump

Former President Donald Trump is asking the federal judge overseeing his criminal election subversion case toset the trial for April 2026. Among other things, Trump’s team argued that special counsel Jack Smith’s proposed2024 timelinefor the trial would conflict with the other criminal and civil cases in which the former president is a defendant — including the classified documents case brought by Smith, the hush money case in New York and the Georgia election subversion case. Trump’s team has askedUS District Judge Tanya Chutkanto instead set the trial for April 2026. Chutkan, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ultimately will decide the trial start date, a decision she is likely to make by the end of the month.

4. Mortgage rates

Mortgage rates in the US have soared to theirhighest level in 21 yearsas potential home buyers face low inventory. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.09% this week — a significant increase from 5.13% a year ago, data from Freddie Mac shows. This week’s average rate is the highest the 30-year fixed-rate has been since April 2002 when it was 7.13%. Mortgage rates have spiked during the Federal Reserve’s historicinterest rate-hiking campaign, pushing home affordability to its lowest level in several decades. Buying a home is more expensive because of the added cost of financing the mortgage, and homeowners who previously locked in lower rates are reluctant to sell. The combination of low inventory and high costs has squeezed would-be homebuyers, sending home salesabout 20% lowerthan a year ago.

5. Facebook

If you’ve been a Facebook user in the US within the past 16 years, you have roughly one week left to file for payment in the company’s $725 million data privacy case. Facebook’s parent, Meta, in December agreed to pay the massive sum to settle a host of privacy-related class action lawsuits alleging, among other things, that Facebook let third parties access its users’ private data and that of their friends without users’ permission. That private information may have included everything from birthdays and hometowns to more personal information, such as private messages. The amount of each share of the settlement will depend on how many people file valid claims and how long the account has been active. To file online, you must submit your claim using this form before midnight on Friday, August 25.