The Excerpt

The ketamine blind spot on college campuses

Why are more people talking about ketamine? USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer explains what the drug does and why researchers say there's still limited

Why DOGE is back at the Supreme Court

Why is DOGE back before the Supreme Court? USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe explains the fight over government transparency, what records watchdog gro

ICE said it wasn't tracking protesters. Then we got records.

USA TODAY Investigative Reporter Nick Penzenstadler explains how reporters fought for months to obtain ICE records and what they uncovered inside an "agitator" tracking s

Why 5 million Americans lost SNAP benefits

Five million Americans have already fallen off SNAP rolls, and experts say that may be just the beginning. Sarah D. Wire, senior national news reporter for USA TODAY, exp

Christa Pike's lawyers warned of issues before her botched execution

Convicted murderer Christa Pike was sentenced to death by lethal injection on September 30th, but somehow survived. Her situation has surprised many, but new reporting su

The warning signs Nicole Brown Simpson’s family missed

Author and domestic violence advocate Denise Brown reflects on the warning signs her family missed before Nicole Brown Simpson’s death. She explains what she later learne

America needs tradespeople. Why can’t they find jobs?

America needs electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople. So why are newly trained workers still struggling to get hired? Rachel Barber, USA TODAY money reporter, expl

Data centers made this county rich. Then came the backlash

For years, Loudoun County, Virginia, treated data centers as an economic success story. Fast-track approvals attracted major developers, and the tax windfall paid for pub

Hakeem Jeffries on the Democratic Party's agenda if they win the House

With just over a month to go before the midterm elections, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins The Excerpt to discuss the rise of the DSA within the Democratic pa

Cornell received 1,200 sexual violence reports. Few led to expulsion

Cornell University received more than 1,200 reports of sexual violence between 2018 and 2024, but only a fraction resulted in formal investigations and disciplinary actio

Cancer is falling nationwide. Except in Iowa.

Cancer rates are declining across most of the United States. But Iowa is moving in the opposite direction. Iowa now has one of the nation's highest cancer incidence rates

Gretchen Carlson: The fight isn't over

Ten years after taking on Roger Ailes, Gretchen Carlson, former Fox News anchor, reveals what changed for women who speak out and where justice still fails them. She refl

Can tech companies stop AI deepfakes from spreading?

Bad actors rarely remain on a single platform. Sean Litton, former president and CEO of the Tech Coalition, explains how they can move between social media, gaming, messa

A record number of ICE employees are leaving. Why?

A record number of employees are leaving ICE, even as the agency hires thousands of workers to expand enforcement operations. Ignacio Calderon, a USA TODAY data reporter,

Why Republicans are suddenly worried about Texas

Texas is rarely considered a political battleground, so why are Republicans spending heavily to defend it? USA TODAY Chief Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey expla

Trump threatens Iran in fiery UN speech. What's next?

From Iran and Cuba to Ukraine and NATO, President Trump's UN visit touched nearly every major foreign policy challenge facing the United States. Francesca Chambers, USA T

What happens when the White House bans reporters?

This fight is bigger than which reporters enter the White House. BrieAnna Frank, USA TODAY First Amendment reporting fellow, explains why fewer journalists with firsthand

Andy Beshear talks faith and a possible 2028 run for president

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear joins USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page on The Excerpt to talk about his new book, the midterms and if he will run for president

She asked for help. Her doctor dismissed her concerns

A pregnant mother's struggle with untreated depression became a lasting lesson in what can happen when patients don't feel listened to. Ken Alltucker, a national correspo

Her father was denied a class trip to D.C. Now she may join the Senate

Illinois Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton could make history if she's elected to the U.S. Senate, but her campaign is also rooted in a deeply personal family story. USA TODA