The Excerpt

Bob Manson is a retired teacher from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He’s also a superfan of independent bookstores. So much so that he has now visited over 600 of them across the country. At each one, he talks with the owners and some regulars and then writes about what makes that particular bookstore special in his ongoing blog, The Indie Bob Spot. While he wasn’t named as anyone’s running mate on the presidential ticket, Bob’s story of a small-town regular guy who took a passion and made it his own, is now inspiring book lovers and readers all over America. Bob Manson joins us on The Excerpt to discuss his travels and why he finds independent bookstores so captivating.

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Former President Donald Trump will return to the Oval Office after winning several critical battleground states. Find the full results here.

USA TODAY Senior National Political Correspondent Sarah D. Wire reports from Philadelphia on how Pennsylvania voters viewed the candidates and the polarizing politics in their state.

Republicans have won control of the Senate.

Americans voted to protect abortion rights in several states, while a ballot amendment in Florida failed.

USA TODAY National News Reporter Lauren Villagran relays what some voters said about their experiences at the polls.

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Election Day has arrived. How are the candidates spending their final hours on the campaign trail?

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison discusses some of the things that could swing today's outcome.

Whatever happens, Donald Trump will leave behind a changed Republican Party.

USA TODAY National Music Writer Melissa Ruggieri looks at the musical legacy of Quincy Jones.

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Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris made some of their final pitches to voters over the weekend.

USA TODAY Congress & Campaigns Reporter Riley Beggin talks through the allies Kamala Harris or Donald Trump would have in Congress if elected.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says Donald Trump would seek to remove fluoride from water if elected.

Quincy Jones has died.

USA TODAY National Correspondent Elizabeth Weise gives us some surprising facts about apples.

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There's have been two assassination attempts, a last-minute candidate switch. There are not one, but two global wars, both of which are heating up. The news is overflowing with dire predictions of dictatorship and death threats against election workers. And all of this, sits atop an economy that almost no one feels is going well, despite record stock market gains, low unemployment and rising wages. Americans are feeling anxious. What’s happening? USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes has been talking with voters and poll workers across the nation and shares stories from the frontlines of the 2024 election.

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USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen breaks down how Tuesday's election could impact Republican nominee Donald Trump's fate in several cases.

Hiring slowed down in October.

The Supreme Court rejects a GOP request to stop Pennsylvania from counting some provisional ballots. Plus, hear what new exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk polling found in the key battleground state.

USA TODAY Host and Producer Zulekha Nathoo talks about 'Healing After Helene,' a new documentary looking at the devastation and rebuilding in North Carolina's mountain communities.

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USA TODAY Senior National Political Correspondent Sarah D. Wire discusses preparations ahead of Tuesday at election offices nationwide.

New polls show mixed results in battleground states.

USA TODAY Education Reporter Zach Schermele talks about the importance of the college vote.

Police reveal the description of the suspect in ballot box burnings.

On Día de Los Muertos, activists honor the dead and decry social ills.

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In a groundbreaking federal class action lawsuit, 40 of America’s wealthiest colleges and universities are accused of conspiring to overcharge students with divorced or separated parents. The lawsuit claims these institutions required students to disclose the financial assets of their noncustodial parents, reducing the amount of financial aid available to them. USA TODAY Education Reporter Zachary Schermele joins The Excerpt to share how these universities got away with this alleged scheme until now.

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The high court allows Virginia to resume its voter roll purge. Studies have found a negligible number of suspected noncitizens vote, but Republicans have made removal of suspected noncitizens a focus of their voter integrity lawsuits this year.

USA TODAY National Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran talks about the election's impact on companies involved with deportations.

What do foreign betting markets say about the election?

We learn about the history of trick-or-treating from Halloween historian Lisa Morton.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series champions.

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Deepfake videos are spreading rapidly, fueled by sophisticated open-source AI models. MIT researchers reveal that most of these videos are non-consensual porn, targeting celebrities like Taylor Swift. But now even high school and middle school students, predominantly females, are being targeted. UCLA Professor John Villasenor joins The Excerpt to parse through the legislative and technological efforts to curb this surge of illicit content. We discuss the challenges of regulating AI-generated images, the importance of international cooperation, and offer practical advice for parents to protect their children from cyber sexual violence.

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