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
Patagonia is worth billions. But founder Yvon Chouinard never wanted the title of billionaire. From his days as a dirtbag climber to his reluctant role as CEO, Chouinard built one of the world’s most influential outdoor brands — then shocked the business world by giving it all away. Author David Gelles whose biography of Chouinard "Dirtbag Billionaire" is out now, joins The Excerpt to talk about Chouinard’s unconventional ...
Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University yesterday.
Poland's military said it shot down Russian drones. USA TODAY Deputy World Editor Dan Morrison discusses the fallout.
A new federal lawsuit accuses FBI Director Kash Patel of illegally firing top bureau officials.
USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page shares her perspective on ...
Accurately forecasting hurricanes has improved over the past few decades with the use of satellites, NOAA’s airborne Hurricane Hunters and numerical weather prediction models. But with warming waters and the potential for an increase in major hurricanes, every bit of data helps. That’s where sharks and their dorsal fins might come in. Researchers are studying sharks to see if they can gather and transmit useful data regard...
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his MAHA Commission release their long-awaited second report on childhood health. USA TODAY White House Correspondent Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy breaks it all down You can also listen to our deep dive on RFK Jr’s contentious Senate hearing from last week here.
Immigration arrests begin in Chicago as President Donald Trump's "Operation Midway Blitz" hits a fever pitch.
A slew of documents about Jeffrey Epstein with purported messages from President Trump and President Bill Clinton have been released.
USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe breaks down the Supreme Court’s decision to lift restrictions on LA immigration stops.
The Department of Homeland Security says it’s launching Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
President Donald Trump vows to protect prayer in schools.
USA Today Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe shares highlights from an exclusive interview with the Supreme Court justice.
Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in Georgia are heading back to South Korea soon.
USA TODAY Money Reporter Bailey Schulz breaks down data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing American moms are leaving the workplace.
A 15-year-old is the first millennial Catholic saint.
For Robert F Kennedy Jr, it was never going to be a smooth road as Secretary of Health and Human Services given the controversy surrounding his well-documented vaccine hesitancy. But his stewardship of the agency is now at a crisis point as the nearly 80-year-old CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reels from a series of worrying red flags. Is this cornerstone agency created to safekeep American public heal...
USA TODAY Money Reporter Bailey Schulz breaks down the latest disappointing jobs report.
President Donald Trump says Americans should take vaccines that are “not controversial.”
USA TODAY National Security Reporter Cybele Mayes-Osterman tells us about the change in Army recruitment.
President Donald Trump has changed the name of the Department of Defense.
The Powerball jackpot hits its second-highest ja...
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled during an explosive hearing Thursday.
USA TODAY National Correspondent Chris Kenning discusses what Medicaid cuts mean for parts of the Appalachian U.S.
USA TODAY First Amendment Reporting Fellow BrieAnna Frank takes a look at how 'South Park' is satirizing President Donald Trump, and what the First Amendment has to say.
Giorgio Armani has died at 91.
Picture this, a powerful synthetic opioid that quietly morphs into one of the nation’s most lethal drug crises. A drug that can be slipped undetected into heroin, counterfeit pills...the nation’s bloodstream. You’ve seen and may have even been touched by the devastating impact of fentanyl. And now, a different class of ultrapotent synthetic opioids called nitazenes are following an eerily familiar path. Just how dangerous ...
USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer takes a look at Wednesday comments from Epstein victims, as they push for the release of more records.
President Donald Trump responds to this week's military parade in China.
USA TODAY National Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran explains how the Trump administration plans to expand ICE detention into the notorious Angola prison.
More than 1,000 HHS workers demand RFK Jr...
America’s young men are lost. At least, that’s what they’re telling us online. From feeling disconnected in school, relationships, and even purpose, to loneliness, our nation’s boys are turning to the internet for answers and guidance. And that’s where they find the “manosphere”: a world of influencers promoting strength, stoicism… and often, misogyny. “Extremely Normal," a new investigative series by USA TODAY’s National ...
An appeals court has rejected President Donald Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans.
Military strikes killed 11 on an alleged 'drug vessel' from Venezuela.
USA TODAY White House Correspondent Bart Jansen breaks down a judge's move blocking President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in California. Plus, Illinois responds to Trump's troop plans.
The House Oversight Committee released thousands of p...
USA TODAY's Zachary Schermele takes a look at some of the major looming issues as lawmakers return from an August recess.
China's President Xi Jinping convened the leaders of Russia and North Korea Tuesday.
Former CDC directors say Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health actions should alarm every American.
USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe discusses what the high court might consider in a case centered on whether v...
A judge Sunday issued a restraining order blocking the Trump administration from deporting 10 unaccompanied migrant Guatemalan children.
President Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order mandating a voter ID requirement.
USA TODAY Government Accountability Reporter Erin Mansfield talks about the popularity of mail-in voting, even as Trump wants to eliminate it.
At least hundreds are dead after a devastating earthqua...
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, the landmark musical venue of Preservation Hall is once again the center of the city's lively community of musicians. Ben Jaffe, its creative director, shared his story of resilience and hope with USA TODAY National Correspondent Rick Jervis.
Please let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com.
Episode transcript availab...
A divided U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that most of President Donald Trump's tariffs are illegal.
USA TODAY's Zach Schermele discusses the conversation over whether taxpayer money should be used for private schools' safety.
The Trump administration is making plans for an immigration crackdown in Chicago as soon as next week.
USA TODAY Money Reporter Bailey Schulz breaks down what economists are saying about possible Fed ra...
Families remembered 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski the day after this week's Minneapolis shooting.
USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page talks about lessons from Hurricane Katrina 20 years later.
Thousands settled elsewhere after Katrina hit New Orleans. See a map here.
USA TODAY Reporter Andrea Riquier discusses how Katrina became 'the storm that told us what was to come' for climate and insu...
The vice president sat down with USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers to share his thoughts on issues both controversial (the firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the deployment of National Guard troops to American cities, the contentious White House meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy back in February) and mundane (President Donald Trump’s new White House décor and the engagement of Travi...
Vice President JD Vance sat down with USA TODAY for an exclusive interview Wednesday.
Two children were killed in a Minneapolis church shooting.
USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard discusses reports in Denmark about U.S. covert operations in Greenland.
The White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarez after she refused to quit in a dispute with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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