The Excerpt

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 After Another” to “KPop Demon Hunters,” Hollywood had lots to smile...

From romantasy fever to dystopian deep dives, 2025 delivered a year of midnight book parties, big feelings, bold worlds and stories that became cultural touchstones. USA TODAY Books Reporter Clare Mulroy joins The...

After losing all 3 branches of power in 2024, progressive Democrats are hungry for the opportunity to reshape the party along ideological, generational and other factional lines in 2026. Fueled by an increasing anger...

Last Friday, Centers for Disease Control vaccine advisers changed the recommendation of a routine hepatitis B shot for all newborns, a change widely viewed as a victory for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F...

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 total of 48 teams, drawn into 12 groups of four nations each, will...

As Prince Andrew loses his titles and royal privileges, new questions are rising about accountability, secrecy, and the future of the monarchy. Historian Andrew Lownie joins us to unpack the Epstein files, the palace...

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 continue in Moscow and European capitals, critics say the revised...

There have been 21 U.S. military strikes against Venezuelan vessels since September, with a total of 83 casualties, all without Congressional approval or oversight. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has recently...

The Trump administration has begun carving up the Education Department, signing six new agreements that shift major K-12 and higher ed programs to other federal agencies. USA TODAY Congress reporter Zach Schermele...

After less than a year, the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE, is done. The controversial cost-cutting initiative was initially led by the equally controversial tech billionaire Elon Musk. Did...

Since its inception back in 2001, Wikipedia has become a trusted source for information. The online encyclopedia took hold despite initially being a punchline for late-night talk show hosts like Stephen Colbert. But...

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 the ages. Her work transformed how humans interact with and...

On Monday, a judge ordered that charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both targets of President Donald Trump, be dismissed. What led to both cases being tossed, and...

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 take for her sinus infection during her pregnancy. She said that the...

In states like Texas, California, Kansas and beyond, politicians are fighting to redraw congressional maps that could shape power in America for years to come. The question many are asking is whether 2025’s...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was remembered this week at a Washington memorial as a defining figure in modern Republican politics. USA TODAY Washington bureau chief Susan Page breaks down his complicated legacy...

A USA TODAY exclusive investigation found thousands of in-custody deaths that could have been easily prevented. USA TODAY Investigative Data Reporter Austin Fast explains what the records reveal about sepsis, medical...

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 one statistic in a game to place a wager on that has nothing to do...

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 young voters. But that’s not the only term voters and politicians are...

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 released last week has everyone talking about how much Trump knew and...

Teenagers are increasingly using AI chatbots for friendship, emotional support, and even romance. When 14-year-old Soul Setzer III formed an intense bond with a character on Character AI, his mother didn’t know what was...

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 us to carry out acts of kindness for total strangers and how can we...

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 not the American people whose healthcare premiums are set to...

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 disappointment of Penn State, although those are both noteworthy developments...

After record highs in 2024, border crossings have collapsed. ICE raids, deportations and new asylum limits are now driving a wave of reverse migration. Arizona Republic Immigration Reporter Daniel González shares what...