Do you think DOGE has helped to shrink the federal government or was it all for show? We asked and you answered on Forum. The series from USA TODAY's Opinion team is dedicated to showcasing views from across the political spectrum on issues that Americans are starkly divided on. If you'd like to weigh in on a different topic, you can find more questions at usatoday.com/forum. And if your submission is selected for print, we might invite you to add your voice to a future special bonus episode like this one.

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Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

President Donald Trump's tax bill passed in a key House committee vote.

USA TODAY White House Reporter Davis Winkie talks about an understaffed nuclear agency hit by DOGE and safety worries.

Russia Sunday launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the war, before President Donald Trump is set to discuss a proposed ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday.

Officials are investigating what caused a Mexican navy ship to veer off course and strike the Brooklyn Bridge.

USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe takes a look at some of the justices' upcoming decisions after adjourning for the summer.

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It’s well known that childcare has become extraordinarily expensive, costing many families nearly a quarter of their income. The fertility rate, as we've covered previously on The Excerpt, remains at a historic low. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is floating a range of ideas to encourage people to have more children while encouraging women to stay home to care for them. Have these trends paved the way for the pronatalism movement to gain traction? Karen Guzzo, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, joins The Excerpt to share her expertise on the movement.

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The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Trump administration Friday.

USA TODAY Reporter Michael Collins discusses how a federal judge scolded the Trump administration for refusing to provide details about what it has done to return a Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador.

Moody's downgrades the U.S. credit rating.

Vice President JD Vance will attend Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass. The trip could set the tone for the Trump administration's relationship with the new pope.

Some workers are job hopping for fertility benefits.

USA TODAY National Correspondent Elizabeth Weise discusses the growing popularity of driverless ride services.

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Arwa Damon, former CNN Senior International Correspondent and president and founder of INARA, joins The Excerpt to discuss the latest concerns about starvation in Gaza. Arwa wrote an essay earlier this week for the Atlantic Council detailing Gazans' famine fears.

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Bart Jansen breaks down Supreme Court arguments over President Donald Trump's efforts to limit birthright citizenship.

What can we expect from this summer's Trump birthday military parade?

Staffing cuts leave the National Weather Service scrambling to cover vital shifts.

Join The Excerpt and author Niall Harbison, whose story we featured, on Reddit for an AMA from 11:30-12:30 ET in the r/IAmA subreddit.

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For over 40 years, the conservative Washington think tank Heritage Foundation has issued a “Mandate for Leadership” to guide incoming Republican administrations. The centerpiece of its latest version is Project 2025, a roughly 900-page blueprint created with input from more than 100 conservative groups. It outlines how President Donald Trump’s second administration could reshape the federal government. What are the goals of Project 2025 and what roadmap does it lay out for deconstructing the administrative state? Author David A. Graham, a staff writer with The Atlantic, is out with a new book on this very topic. “The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America,” is on bookshelves now. He joins us on The Excerpt to discuss whether or not Trump’s policy choices align with Project 2025 so far and what might lie ahead.

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Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where he talked about measles, vaccines, fluoride and more.

USA TODAY Education Reporter Zach Schermele discusses why the Trump administration's policies could jeopardize the tens of billions of dollars foreign students bring to colleges and cities.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused a House Democrat of defending a terrorist after he suggested she was ignoring a court order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported.

Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova has been charged with smuggling as she fights deportation.

USA TODAY Senior Reporter Jessica Guynn takes a look at a wave of legislation targeting diversity, equity and inclusion that's moving through Republican-controlled statehouses.

Why are woodpeckers attacking cars?

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There’s something to cold hard cash. You can hold it; you can smell it; it feels a certain way in your pocket. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump directed the Treasury Department to stop minting pennies. What happens as the world of currency goes increasingly digital? Will traditional currencies soon become a thing of the past? And who stands to benefit, and who might this rapid shift be hurting? Neha Narula, Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, joins The Excerpt to take a closer look at this transition period for money and how it might evolve.

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Lawmakers spent hours debating legislation that would enact sweeping tax cuts, raise the debt ceiling and add restrictions to benefit programs. 

President Trump pledges to end sanctions against Syria to "give them a chance of greatness.”

Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine testified against ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs. Plus, USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer breaks down what is at stake for the Hip-Hop mogul.

Eric and Lyle Menendez are eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge hands them a new sentence. 

Baseball star Pete Rose has been posthumously removed from Major League Baseball’s permanently ineligible list. USA TODAY MLB Reporter Gabe Lacques tells us more about this decision.

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U.S. Stocks surged Monday after this week's US-China tariff deal. But a rally in Asian stocks overnight fell off and the dollar also wobbled.

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy talks through President Donald Trump's drug price executive order.

Hamas has freed US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, as Israel says no to a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Gaza's population faces critical risk of famine.

The Trump administration welcomed 49 white South Africans to the U.S., after granting them refugee status as alleged victims of racial discrimination.

A screwworm threat forces the U.S. to halt cattle imports from Mexico.

USA TODAY Youth Mental Health Reporting Fellow Rachel Hale discusses how sports betting addiction is gripping some young men.

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