The Excerpt
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The Excerpt
Get context, not just headlines. Every weekday The Excerpt brings USA TODAY's award-winning journalists from across the nation together to unpack America's most pressing stories — from politics and culture to sports and entertainment — with host Dana Taylor.
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Which blockbuster movies defined 2025's year in film?
2025 showcased A-list movie stars, long-awaited finales and a K-Pop smash that no one saw coming. From “Sinners” to “Wicked: For Good,” “One Battle Af...
The books we couldn’t stop reading in 2025
From romantasy fever to dystopian deep dives, 2025 delivered a year of midnight book parties, big feelings, bold worlds and stories that became cultur...
Younger progressive Democrats will challenge older incumbents in 2026
After losing all 3 branches of power in 2024, progressive Democrats are hungry for the opportunity to reshape the party along ideological, generationa...
RFK Jr. succeeds in changing hepatitis B recommendation
Last Friday, Centers for Disease Control vaccine advisers changed the recommendation of a routine hepatitis B shot for all newborns, a change widely v...
Trump gets his peace prize at FIFA 2026 World Cup draw
The much-anticipated draw for the 2026 World Cup took place at the Kennedy Center in DC on Friday. Did Team USA end up with a favorable grouping? A to...
Now just plain Andrew. The former Prince’s fall from grace.
As Prince Andrew loses his titles and royal privileges, new questions are rising about accountability, secrecy, and the future of the monarchy. Histor...
A US-backed peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine stalls
A leaked Trump administration plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine has triggered debate among U.S. allies and sharp pushback from Kyiv. As negotiations...
US military strikes against Venezuelan vessels face legal and operational scrutiny
There have been 21 U.S. military strikes against Venezuelan vessels since September, with a total of 83 casualties, all without Congressional approval...
Inside the dismantling of the Education Department
The Trump administration has begun carving up the Education Department, signing six new agreements that shift major K-12 and higher ed programs to oth...
DOGE is done. What did the agency accomplish?
After less than a year, the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, is done. The controversial cost-cutting initiative was initiall...
For Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, truth has always been a matter of trust
Since its inception back in 2001, Wikipedia has become a trusted source for information. The online encyclopedia took hold despite initially being a p...
The enduring hope of Dr. Jane Goodall
In 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived with her mother at Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in western Tanzania. What followed was truly a story for...
DOJ charges against James Comey and Letitia James dismissed
On Monday, a judge ordered that charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both targets of President...
Army investigates Fort Hood OBGYN accused of abusing patients
A woman told USA TODAY that nearly a year ago she walked into the OBGYN's office in Fort Hood, an Army base in Texas, because she wasn't sure what to...
Politicians are fighting to redraw congressional maps across the country
In states like Texas, California, Kansas and beyond, politicians are fighting to redraw congressional maps that could shape power in America for years...
Dick Cheney’s power, controversies and legacy
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was remembered this week at a Washington memorial as a defining figure in modern Republican politics. USA TODAY Wash...
When preventable infections turn deadly behind bars
A USA TODAY exclusive investigation found thousands of in-custody deaths that could have been easily prevented. USA TODAY Investigative Data Reporter...
Can sports survive prop betting?
Before a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 opened the flood gates to legalized sports betting across the country, the proposition bet or prop bet – picking...
Why are young voters drawn to Mamdani?
If the meteoric rise of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani illustrates one thing, it’s this: affordability, or a lack thereof, has energized you...
Will the remaining Epstein files ever see the light of day?
The Epstein files are back in the news, with fresh speculation about how deep President Donald Trump’s involvement goes. A new trove of 20,000 pages r...
Teens are turning to AI for connection, with dangerous results
Teenagers are increasingly using AI chatbots for friendship, emotional support, and even romance. When 14-year-old Soul Setzer III formed an intense b...
What drives us to carry out acts of kindness for total strangers?
In honor of World Kindness Day — we’ve partnered with the Humankind team at USA TODAY for a deeper exploration on the topic of compassion. What drives...
The government shutdown caused a lot of pain for Americans
Nobody seems to have gotten everything they wanted out of the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Not the Democrats. Not the Republicans. And definitely...
Golden parachutes for failed college football coaches become the norm
College football season this year is…. different. How so, you ask? It’s not just the breakout success of Indiana’s Hoosiers and the crushing disappoin...
Migrants are heading south now, not north
After record highs in 2024, border crossings have collapsed. ICE raids, deportations and new asylum limits are now driving a wave of reverse migration...
How an unlikely alliance saved the U.S. fishing industry
It wasn’t so long ago that America’s fisheries were in a state of collapse, with cratering fish stocks and well-meaning but impractical government reg...
Are Trump's tariffs legal? The Supreme Court hears arguments
By imposing sweeping tariffs on foreign imports, President Donald Trump has turned US trade policy on its head. The question now before the Supreme Co...
Democrats escape the political wilderness with Mamdani win
Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Nov. 4 election not only makes him the leader of the Big Apple; It also turns him, for better or worse, into one of th...
How SNAP became a political pawn in the government shutdown
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — feeds 42 million Americans. But during the ongoing government shutdown, it’s been caught in...
Thoughts on America's 250th birthday
On July 4th 2026, America will celebrate its 250th birthday. The United States is the world’s oldest and still-evolving experiment in democracy. From...
Love gore and horror, the dark and scary? There’s a scientific reason why.
True crime, horror movies, even haunted houses — psychologist Coltan Scrivner says they all tap into a survival instinct. He explains how morbid curio...
At 28, Malala Yousafzai is finally finding her way
At 28, Malala Yousafzai’s life so far has been anything but ordinary. When she was just 15, she was shot by the Taliban on her way to school, targeted...
Government shutdown enters week five with no end in sight
It has been 29 days since the federal government entered a shutdown, now just a week away from this becoming the longest government shutdown in US his...
Is the AI boom fueling the next stock market bubble?
The stock market is surging again, led by a handful of tech giants betting big on artificial intelligence. But is this genuine growth or déjà vu from...
The NBA is reeling from an explosive gambling scandal
What do you get when you mix the NBA with the Italian mafia and then add in some poker? Perhaps one of the most explosive gambling scandals the sports...
Adult sleepaway camp and the high cost of feeling like a kid again
Who doesn’t like a weekend getaway? A nice hotel room, spa treatments, room service, sure – but a cabin with strangers? Adult sleepaway camps are havi...
Will changes to the H-1B visa program preserve jobs for Americans?
The H-1B visa program — a key pipeline for skilled foreign workers in tech — has recently been upended by President Donald Trump. A recent executive o...
Why do US students continue to fall behind in reading and math?
America’s high school seniors are falling behind. The decline in math and reading scores is more than a statistic. It’s a warning sign about our futur...
WNBA hits a new peak, but money is still a sticking point
As the contract deadline of October 31st approaches, negotiations are at a standstill, and players and fans alike are contemplating the very real poss...
California Prop 50 voting underway. Will the decision neutralize Texas redistricting?
California voters are already casting ballots in what is likely the most important contest of 2025, one that will play a substantial role in deciding...