USA TODAY US Edition
CULTURAL CHILLS
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – Brooklyn-Eden can’t wait to step into this year’s “Sinners” house at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights. ● “I love ‘Sinners’ as a film, obviously because it represents my cultural background, and it’s so exciting...
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IL candidate could make Senate history
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s father was raised in the small town of Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Population: 5,962. Henry W. Wiggins Jr. wanted to attend his Clearfield High School trip, alongside the class of 1951, to visit the U.S. Capitol in...
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Study eyes private equity’s role in childcare
Anew study sheds light on an ongoing discussion over corporate expansion in childcare across the country, particularly of large childcare chains owned by private equity companies. Private equity has gotten a bad rap in other care industries such as...
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Costco sells connections
With their busy schedules, Los Angeles besties and social media influencers Analyse Talavera and Carmen Rene Smith don’t always spend as much time together as they’d like. Their solution? Tag-teaming their Costco errands. • The outings double as...
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Finding the good amid the painful
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. A new book by USA TODAY nation enterprise editor Jeremy Redmon explores war, fatherhood, love and loss. This excerpt is drawn from “Tell the Kids I Love Them: A Memoir,” published Sept. 15 by the...
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Beshear weighing White House bid
With the energy of Democratic Socialists of America and their progressive kin grabbing midterm headlines, can an earnest, moderate, Bible-quoting governor from a red state emerge as the Democrats’ standard-bearer two years down the road? Andy Beshear...
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Blood donations by young people plummet
The nation’s blood centers have long relied on high school and university blood drives not only as a dependable and sizable donation source, but as an introduction to young people about the importance of donating. The COVID-19 pandemic that began in...
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Disabled Americans losing out on life
ATLANTA – Nick Papadopoulos clenched the bed at his nursing home. It had no guardrails, and he was terrified he would roll off. A wispy woman floated in from another room, confused, and crawled into bed with him. Papadopoulos, 38, yelled and hit the...
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Oprah’s AHA to capture wonder
Oprah Winfrey is blotting my face. • Blame an unseasonably warm September day in New York City, but apparently, I’d gotten a little bit shiny. Before we roll cameras, she hugs me warmly, then goes to work with a tissue. • She does it in a way that...
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Economy stuck in no man’s land
HAVANA – Óscar Fernández marveled at the rows of dehydrated mango and pineapple as he stood in the aisle at a Trader Joe’s in Washington, DC, wondering how to get his Cuban company’s mango slices on those shelves. By the end of a prestigious six-week...
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Attacks still shaping nation
A woman reads the names of victims at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York on Sept. 8.
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Separated by immigration, bound by love
Nicholas Miller hasn’t tried Taco Bell. Or Whataburger. Not because they are hard to find; they are everywhere in Austin. He is saving them for Irina Miller, his wife, for when her green card clears and she crosses the border for the first time. •...
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Man in the Red Bandanna
When the left wing of United Airlines Flight 175 cut through the south tower sky lobby, those who survived the impact didn’t know if there was a way out. ●Then, they heard Welles Crowther’s voice. “I found the stairs,” he told them. ●Crowther led them...
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Scientists ponder near-death enigma
Outside the emergency room entrance, Katie Winschief floated above her body as paramedics put her in a wheelchair and rushed her toward the hospital doors. ● Everyone on the ground grew smaller as she drifted higher, until all she could see was their...
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8 Black nominees seek governorship
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is running for reelection and is rumored to be a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, but he has taken on another initiative in 2026: electing more Black governors. ● Moore, 47, is one of just three Black Americans ever...
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Frequent Flockers
At least 19 police and sheriff ’s office employees in five states were arrested, fired, put on administrative leave or placed under investigation over the past two months for using Flock Safety’s vast network of license plate reader cameras to track...
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‘The streets are empty’
MIAMI – Jean-Marie Denis raised a metal gate and unlocked his Little Haiti bookstore, stocked with books printed in Creole and French. His shop sits next door to the Little Haiti cultural complex, designed like a turn-of-the-century Haitian...
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Comfort care
CHEEKTOWAGA, NY James Braithwaite is waiting by the door of his home when Nicole Golding arrives from hospice. • He knows he’s dying. But it doesn’t feel like the end is near. • “How are you doing today?” Golding asks as he leads her to a seat at his...
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Who really runs college football?
In today’s college sports landscape, power no longer resides solely on the sidelines or in the commissioner’s office. It sits in television boardrooms, law firms, courtrooms, congressional hearing rooms and donor suites. A judge can reshape athlete...
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Rags to rhinestones and into our hearts
D Dolly Parton, the “Queen of Country,” had a personality as bold as her signature blond coif and rhinestone-encrusted outfits. The beloved singer, who died Tuesday, Aug. 25, at age 80, is being remembered by the music world, Hollywood and millions of...
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LOVE, ALWAYS
Dolly Parton, the country music icon with a personality as bold as her signature blond coif and rhinestone-encrusted outfits, died Tuesday, Aug. 25. She was 80 years old. The music legend was known for hits such as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,”...
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Parents detained, ‘leaving us all alone’
WEST PALM BEACH, FL Federal immigration authorities in Florida detained a Lake Worth Beach couple on Aug. 9 as their family of seven drove away from church. They were on the way to buy shoes for their four youngest children before school resumed the...
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‘No age limit’ on adventure
Ellie Hamby and Sandy Hazelip have seen the Northern Lights in Finland, sailed down the Amazon River at night, and ridden the Trans-Siberian Railway – and they did it all in their 80s. Hamby and Hazelip are the 85-year-old best-friend duo behind the...
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Scams target seniors with help of AI
It’s the kind of call that makes Clayton LiaBraaten’s blood boil. LiaBraaten, senior executive spokesperson at Truecaller, a Caller ID and spam-blocking app, said a man called in recently asking for help. His mother, a grieving widow, had been scammed...
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3 days documenting an evolving response
The first video captures the eerie, mundane moments of that morning. Through the windshield, viewers see vehicles speeding by, then halting in bumper-to-bumper traffic along Interstate 66. A sign shows they’re about 5 miles from the Pentagon. Inside...
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Beloved town feels its heart beating again
Set between the mountains and coastline of Southern California, the community of Pacific Palisades is at a turning point. It has been just over a year and a half since powerful Santa Ana winds and a drought fueled the biggest fire in Los Angeles...
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Immigration cases sped through court
Lines stretched out the front doors of courthouses. Overflow seating set up in hallways. Classroom-style exchanges, with judges asking people to raise their hands in response to generic questions about their cases. These are some of the scenes playing...
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Summer camp made possible
GLEN SPEY, NY – In the Catskills, down an unassuming road shaded with ash trees, stands a 125acre campus with all the makings of a traditional summer camp: a lake flanked by kayaks and paddle boards, a climbing wall, a field house for singalongs and...
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Cuban artist freed
MIAMI – Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara hugged his son with the gnawing dread that it might be the last time. No one had heard from Otero for days. Not since Cuban agents whisked him to this safe house near Playas del Este in Cuba after completing a...
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‘Sanctuary’ cities face losing federal money to process rape kits
No federal money for bulletproof vests in Santa Cruz, California; no ambulances for paramedics in Beaverton, Oregon; no money to process rape kits in Fresno Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz was furious to learn that the Trump administration is...
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It’s like a family resort, but some kids come to die
SAN LEANDRO, CA − Daniel Lockwood’s parents say he squealed with enthusiasm the whole last hour of their four-hour drive to George Mark Children’s House on June 1. Upon their arrival, Sarah and Kevin Lockwood help their son, who has several diagnoses...
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We need better heroes, and Spain answers call
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ − At this level, any coach can find great players. Finding players who are also good people and willing to put the team ahead of themselves – that’s the challenge. In this day and age, when so many people are out only for...
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Wildfire seasons grow in ferocity
Anew heat wave will bring another round of scorching temperatures as fires in the West continue to grow in what already has been a deadly fire season. The Babylon Fire in Utah now covers 100,000 acres, and the Aspen Acres Fire in Colorado is nearing...
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Hawaii rebuilding after fires and floods
HAWAII – To most travelers, Hawaii is paradise. This perennial destination draws visitors eager to experience its stunning beaches, cascading waterfalls, and rich culture, guided by the warmth of aloha. However, it’s been a different reality for many...
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Is it lights out for fireflies?
For many Americans, fireflies (or lightning bugs, depending on where you live) are an iconic sign of summer, lighting up warm evenings with their twinkling glow. ● Fireflies are little beetles in the family Lampyridae. There are more than 175 species...
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Judges step up
Michael Donnelly is used to speaking to the public through his judicial opinions. No more, the former Ohio Supreme Court justice said. So Donnelly, along with a bipartisan group of sitting and retired state and federal judges, did what their...
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GOP on alert over midterms
When Ashton Reed voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, he was drawn by Trump’s vow to recharge the economy and curb the inflation that many around his hometown of Jackson, Missouri, blamed on then President Joe Biden. ● Reed, 22, who has worked at...
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A lifeline by delivery
LOUISVILLE − Carmen Deulofeu tapped a few buttons on her laptop in Kentucky, and 1,000 miles away in Havana, her sister suddenly could feed her family. Basics that are often absent from Cuba’s grocery shelves or unattainable on a Cuban salary were all...
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American Girl dolls reach beyond playtime
The first time I discovered the word journalist was in an American Girl book. I was in elementary school when I fell in love with Kit Kittredge, a doll with my same short blond hair and love of writing. ● I didn’t own the Kit doll, but I devoured her...
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World Cup fever fuels soccer imports surge
America has caught World Cup fever, and it is showing up in an unlikely place: trade data. Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the United States alongside Canada and Mexico, it was not only fans gearing up to see their teams in action –...
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Campaign funds for childcare?
Liuba Grechen Shirley was nursing two children when she decided to run for Congress in 2018. • During the day, she gave speeches and knocked on doors with a baby wrapped to her chest and a toddler at her side. In the afternoons, she relied on her...
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Heir wants a Trump deal
The corded phone near Raúl Castro’s desk buzzed inside his wood-paneled office like it was 1984. This time, someone else answered. Raúl Castro – Cuba’s former president, brother to Fidel – was, instead, waiting at home for news from his lunch date: his...
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Nation celebrates supersize Fourth
Fireworks burst above marbled monuments honoring America’s forefathers for roughly 40 minutes as sun-drenched and rain-soaked Americans watched. The past-midnight display sparkled above the National Mall and on screens across the United States, marking...
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LEARNING LINCOLN’S LESSONS
The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems plucked from ancient Greece and deposited on a Kentucky hilltop. One for each year of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. ● If the first eight steps, rising amid the site’s...
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Young cadets live their ‘Jack Sparrow dreams’
ABOARD THE USCGC EAGLE – Two dozen sailors balanced on ropes hanging high above this ship, their bodies swaying in the wind. The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels buzzed the masts. Whistling and cheering, crowds gathered on the dock below. The Coast Guard cutter...
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Johnson reflects on turbulence in balancing power
It’s a challenging time to be the nation’s No. 3 leader, even with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s political party in command. Sometimes it’s a challenging time because of that, with President Donald Trump testing and pushing the boundaries of executive...
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Shrinking Lake Powell faces risk of ‘dead pool’
Lake Powell – the massive Colorado River reservoir that produces power for millions of homes across the West – is the emptiest it has ever been entering the hottest part of the summer. And the worst is still to come. • Although the lake’s levels have...
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A glimpse into the West Wing
Perched in a White House waiting room during World War II, Norman Rockwell watched a cross-section of Americans file in to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt – soldiers, lawmakers and beauty pageant winners. They came in uniform, in heels and with...
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Purchasing a home now even harder
Housing is fundamental. We all need a roof over our heads. We all need someplace to raise our families, cook our meals and escape from the world. ● So it’s a cruel state of affairs that we seem to be getting it so wrong. ● That’s the idea at the heart...
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July 4th travelers reach new highs
Despite rising travel costs, Americans are still packing their bags for Fourth of July getaways. This year, AAA projects that a record 72.2 million Americans will travel, including 61.4 million who will hit the road, for the holiday period between...
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Some feeling left out of USA birthday bash
About this series USA 250 is our nationwide initiative to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary – the nation’s history, places and people. PHILADELPHIA – As the city gears up for America’s 250th birthday party, artists at Huddle, a gallery in the...
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Your dream vacation could be a ‘dead zone’
It was at a lodge in the middle of the Amazon rainforest where Johan Konst was completely disconnected from the rest of the world for the first time. h The Dutch traveler was exploring Brazil with friends on a trip in April 2023. The group had visited...
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Futuristic caregiving
At first glance, Codey looks like a nightmarish character from the year 3000. • The machine’s beady, glowing, hazel eyes could be perceived as off-putting. And while his 3-foot frame and friendly facial expressions are designed to make him...
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‘Happy they’re back’ after drug addiction
The proudest moment of Kim Humphrey’s fatherhood wasn’t when his son aced a test, got married, or became a dad himself. It was the day his son turned himself in to the police. That day, Humphrey said, was the day he got his son back after a 10-year...
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Black gay men seek a voice in Congress
This fall, a 27-year-old Black gay man named Elijah Manley is the best-funded challenger to 20-year veteran Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, who is facing the political fight of her life to remain in Congress. ● At 59, Wasserman Schultz, a...
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Support often scarce for grieving workers
In March 2019, Diana Wisdom’s teenage son, Bryce, texted that he had blood in his urine. Rushed to the hospital, he was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer. Doctors removed his right kidney. It was just the start of 16 months of treatment....
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This is no ordinary presidential library
Barack Obama’s presidency was like none that came before. That’s also true of the Obama Presidential Center, being dedicated June 18 on the South Side of Chicago. The edifices that presidents build after they leave office reveal their preferred view...
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Genetic testing ‘a slap in our face’
When the International Olympic Committee announced it was banning transgender women athletes from competing in women’s events beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Veronica Ivy was disheartened, but not necessarily surprised. Ivy, who is...
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‘One rule’ for 179 years: Patriotism, not politics
SOUTH BOSTON, VA – Inside this cavernous warehouse off U.S. Route 58, thin strips of red and white cotton cascade over nearly every surface. The strips are piled high in plastic bins, sprawled over tables and fed underneath bobbing needles. The whir...
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Algorithms amplify pressure on parents
Riddled with postpartum anxiety, with a 3-year-old and a 1-yearold on either hip, Kristin Gallant, of the viral brand Big Little Feelings, remembers looking around her neighborhood and scrolling social media for a clue. A clue, she said, as to what...
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2-year-old born deaf can hear with therapy
TARRYTOWN, NY – For Sierra Smith and her son, Travis, who was born deaf, a new gene therapy has been life-changing. The therapy, a surgically delivered drug developed by Regeneron, called Otarmeni (rhymes with “harmony”), recently received accelerated...
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