5 things you need to know Thursday

Editors | USA TODAY

Trump goes to Florida to view Irma damage

President Trump will travel to Florida on Thursday to survey the damage from Hurricane Irma. Trump tweeted Wednesday that he will "meet with our great Coast Guard, FEMA and many of the brave first responders & others." Trump, eager to be seen as in charge of disaster response, also traveled twice to Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. At least 17 people in Florida have died under Irma-related circumstances, and police are investigating the deaths of eight nursing home patients who died of heat-related causes following the loss of air conditioning after Irma.

Russia begins major war games

Russia's military kicks off a week of major combat exercises Thursday involving 12,000 troops, 70 aircraft, 250 tanks and 10 warships. The war games — dubbed Zapad 2017 — will be just over the border from NATO members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Moscow insists the games are not a threat, but NATO has warned they could be a precursor for military actions against Russia's Eastern European neighbors. Congress last month levied sanctions against Russia for its alleged meddling in the U.S. election, its annexation of Crimea and its ongoing military operations in Ukraine. Zapad 2017 was planned long before the sanctions.

Nashville to remember singer Troy Gentry

Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday will host a celebration of the life of country music star Troy Gentry, who died last week at age 50. The service will be open to the public. Gentry, one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, was killed Friday in a helicopter crash in Medford, N.J., just before the group was set to perform. Formed in Lexington, Ky., Montgomery Gentry had been performing for more than two decades, producing hits such as Hillbilly Shoes, Something to Be Proud Of, and Gone. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.

DeShaun Watson to start at quarterback for the Texans

The Houston Texans will make a quarterback change after only one week. Deshaun Watson will start over Tom Savage on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to the NFL Network. Watson took over in the second half of Sunday's 29-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after Savage completed just seven of 13 passes for 62 yards and lost two fumbles. Watson, a rookie from Clemson, led Houston to its only score of the day, a 4-yard touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins. He also lost a fumble and threw an interception.

Berkeley braces for visit by right-wing speaker Ben Shapiro

The University of California — Berkeley will seal off large parts of its campus like a fortress with a closed perimeter and a “very large” visible police presence Thursday, as conservative commentator Ben Shapiro plans a speech. Authorities anticipate demonstrations and are preparing for possible violence as the former Breitbart editor comes to campus. Meanwhile, Breitbart News executive chairman and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon will join far-right commentators Ann Coulter, Shapiro and Milo Yiannopoulos at an event later this month in Berkeley, Yiannopoulos announced in a statement earlier this week .