The Excerpt
USA TODAY’s daily news podcast, The Excerpt (formerly 5 Things), brings you a curated mix of the most important headlines seven mornings a week. We also deliver special deep-dive episodes on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons on the most compelling topics in culture, entertainment, sports, politics, and more. Give us fifteen minutes a day, we'll give you all of the headlines, none of the chaos. Hosted by Taylor Wilson and Dana Taylor.
Episodes
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 world has ever seen. Over thirty people have now been indicted according to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. as part of two investigations known as Operation Royal Flush and Operation Nothing But Net. Beginning as early as 2019, defendants in the case are accused of using w...
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 having a moment, but what’s driving the boom? These retreats promise connection in a time when many adults feel lonelier than ever. Are adult sleepaway camps a good way to make genuine connections or are they just a bit of fun? USA TODAY Mental Health reporting fellow Rachel Hale...
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 order now mandates that companies to pay $100,000 per application, a move the White House says will protect American jobs.
But critics warn it could shrink the talent pool, raise costs and push innovation overseas. So what’s really changed, who benefits the most and how might t...
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 future. If the next generation is leaving high school and stepping into adulthood with fewer core educational skills than the generation before, where does that leave them as they try to compete at colleges and universities, and in the workforce? And where does it leave the nation...
As the contract deadline of October 31st approaches, negotiations are at a standstill, and players and fans alike are contemplating the very real possibility of no 2026 season. What are the big sticking points and how might players pivot? USA TODAY Sports Columnist Nancy Armour and USA TODAY's National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson join USA TODAY’s The Excerpt to dig into all of it.
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 which party controls the U.S. House for the last two years of President Donald Trump's time in office. Many voters are frustrated, angry and wanting to push back against President Trump or Governor Gavin Newsom − from the rural, Republican North State to liberal enclaves alon...
USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Aysha Bagchi breaks down the indictment of Trump critic and ex-National Security Adviser John Bolton in a documents investigation.
A federal appeals court won’t allow President Donald Trump to deploy troops to Illinois as part of his recent crackdown. Plus, a Chicago judge orders ICE to wear body cams.
USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer tells us why a judge blasted...
Since June of 2025, thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed to four US cities – Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago and Memphis. And, if President Donald Trump has his way, Portland, Oregon, will be fifth on the list. Trump says the deployments are a push to crack down on crime and to support his widespread deportation efforts. But when a president deploys the National Guard over the objections of governors...
USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe discusses what's at stake in a major redistricting case.
President Donald Trump says he's considering strikes on land to combat Venezuelan drug cartels. Plus, the Trump administration has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert action in Venezuela.
A judge temporarily halts Trump shutdown layoffs.
High costs. Limited supply. No insurance coverage. All of these are motivating some patients to cook up unregulated “gray GLP-1” drugs at home. Health experts are worried. Why are people willing to risk injecting homemade drugs in an unregulated, non-sterile medical environment and what needs to change before access and safety improve? USA TODAY Wellness Reporter Nicole Fallert joins The Excerpt to share her reporting on t...
The federal government’s partial shutdown has reached its 15th day.
President Donald Trump says Hamas will disarm or the U.S. will force them 'perhaps violently.'
USA TODAY White House Correspondent Bart Jansen recaps the move to award the late Charlie Kirk the Medal of Freedom.
The Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones' appeal of a $1.4 billion Sandy Hook judgment.
USA TODAY Senior National Political Correspondent Sarah D. Wire te...
USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page puts President Donald Trump's role in recent Israel-Hamas peace proceedings in context.
USA TODAY Congressional Reporter Zach Schermele has the government shutdown latest, as the Education Department lays off roughly 20% of its workforce.
The collapse of coral reefs has driven the world across its first climate tipping point.
All remaining living Israeli hostages have been released, while some 2,000 detained Palestinians are released. Plus, President Donald Trump speaks to Israel's Parliament.
USA TODAY Money and Personal Finance Reporter Medora Lee takes a look at recessions on the state level.
Little progress emerges toward getting out of a government shutdown.
USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer gives us some of the historical ...
If you spend any time on YouTube, and most of us do, then you’ve probably watched or at least heard of MrBeast. Last check, he had 444 million subscribers with videos that routinely get hundreds of millions of views. MrBeast is literally at the top of the YouTube food chain. But off platform, one of his ventures appears to have stalled out. In 2022, he announced a partnership with East Carolina University to offer a creden...
USA TODAY National Correspondent Michael Collins tells us about one family's fight to bring hostage loved ones home.
Gazans trek to their ruined homes, as Trump plans a visit to the Middle East amid a ceasefire.
USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison breaks down President Donald Trump's mass layoffs of federal workers.
Trump announces an additional 100% tariff on China imports.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
Israeli forces start pulling back from parts of Gaza.
USA TODAY Breaking News Reporter Michael Loria has the latest from Chicago as President Donald Trump's National Guard deployments face legal tests.
The Trump administration airs a video at U.S. airports blaming Democr...
This is banned books week. It’s a week that highlights how a few loud voices have shaped what kinds of books are pulled from school and library shelves. Who gets the final word, not on which books should be read, but on access? And what’s been the impact on those caught in a fight they didn’t start – our teachers and librarians? USA TODAY Books Reporter Clare Mulroy joins USA TODAY’s The Excerpt to discuss the banning of b...
President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to implement the first phase of a White House peace plan aimed at ending Israel's onslaught in Gaza, and securing the release of hostages.
USA TODAY Breaking News Reporter Michael Loria has the latest from Chicago, where residents say a Trump immigration blitz is upending daily life.
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Palisades Fire.
We’re nearly at the end of day eight of the government shutdown, the first time this has happened since 2018 when President Donald Trump was last in office. Hundreds of thousands of employees who have been deemed non-essential have been furloughed and there’s little movement in Washington toward an agreement that would get the wheels churning again. Some would argue that the gridlock in Washington was already a form of gov...
USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison has some of the latest from the federal government shutdown, including the president's controversial remarks about furloughed workers.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is grilled by and insults Democrats in a Senate hearing.
Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe breaks down oral arguments over Colorado's ban on 'conversion therapy.'
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