As another very hot summer approaches, a surge in demand for air conditioning is inevitable. But the nation’s electrical grid is aging and overtaxed in some areas. There were major failures last year in Texas. Meanwhile, solar and wind projects want access to new customers while oil and gas interests would prefer that this not happen so fast. The established utilities want to keep their monopolies after all. How can regulators, businesses and government leaders navigate this minefield successfully to benefit the American people? Ari Peskoe, the director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School’s Environment and Energy Law Program, has some ideas for what could help reinforce the country's electrical infrastructure.

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USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Aysha Bagchi has the latest after closing arguments in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial wrapped up.

Democrats will nominate President Joe Biden in a virtual session to ensure he's on the Ohio ballot.

USA TODAY Investigative Data Reporter Austin Fast has the latest on PFAS chemicals and efforts by some utilities to get them out of the water supply. Check out the PFAS levels in your neck of the woods.

Americans keep leaving big cities for smaller towns even after COVID.

NASA has discovered a potentially habitable exoplanet 40 light years from Earth.

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Former President Donald Trump's hush money trial moves to closing arguments.

USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard looks at the implications of a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize the state of Palestine.

Financial aid experts are raising new concerns about a difficult timeline for students hoping to rely on financial aid this summer.

USA TODAY Senior Reporter Jessica Guynn discusses how some brands are pulling back on Pride Month merch and promotions.

Basketball legend Bill Walton has died at 71.

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Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 35 in southern Gaza.

USA TODAY Reporter Karissa Waddick explains what Vietnam War activists are saying decades later, amid current college protests against Israel's war in Gaza.

Tornadoes kill at least 15 in the central U.S.

USA TODAY National Correspondent Elizabeth Weise explains why orcas near Spain have been ramming and sinking boats in recent years. Check out our Deep Dive episode on orcas with Michael Weiss, research director at the Center for Whale Research.

It's Memorial Day. Take a minute of silence to remember fallen soldiers.

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Sales for electric vehicles in the U.S. and worldwide will reach their highest levels ever this year. But a big sticking point remains. Even with tax incentives and rebates, the price for EVs is still thousands of dollars higher than their gas-guzzling cousins. The Biden administration set 2030 as the goal for when half of all new vehicles sold would be electric powered. The question is, can we get there? Duncan Wood, vice president for strategy & new initiatives at the Wilson Center, a non-profit thinktank, joins The Excerpt to talk about the possibilities and what it will take for this growing market to mature.

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For a moment, George Floyd's murder changed everything. Are those days gone? USA TODAY Chief Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey discusses.

The U.N.'s top court orders Israel to halt its military offensive into Rafah.

USA TODAY Sports Columnist Dan Wolken talks through the implications of an NCAA deal to let schools pay their players.

Documentarian Morgan Spurlock has died at 53.

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The 2024 NOAA hurricane season forecast is here - and a record number of storms are expected.

USA TODAY Congress Reporter Riley Beggin discusses how a failed Senate border bill is creating a campaign opportunity for vulnerable Democrats.

Hijacking, mobs and combat are threatening Gaza humanitarian aid from a new U.S. pier.

The Justice Department is suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster to reduce ticket prices.

USA TODAY Money, Markets and Personal Finance Reporter Medora Lee talks about surging home insurance prices.

Today marks the 2-year anniversary of the Uvalde school shooting.

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As the world warms and aspirations to reach net-zero carbon emissions slide further and further away, climate scientists and engineers are looking at solutions, that to some, might sound like they’re straight out of science fiction. By taking on climate control with technology, experts say geoengineering can be a tool to help mitigate and remove greenhouse gases from the climate system and may be essential to reducing global temperatures. Wake Smith, author of “Pandora’s Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention,” and a lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, joins The Excerpt to discuss these developments in climate intervention.

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Ireland, Norway and Spain are recognizing a Palestinian state.

USA TODAY National Correspondent Will Carless discusses how former President Donald Trump is spreading QAnon posts as he campaigns.

Nikki Haley says she'll vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.

Another controversial flag flew over a home of Supreme Court Justice Alito.

USA TODAY Personal Finance Reporter Daniel de Visé discusses why first-time homebuyers are waiting to buy.

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On March 27th, 2023, a mass shooter at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, opened fire, killing three students and three staff members. In the aftermath of yet another U.S. school shooting, Tennessee legislators passed a bill permitting teachers and other school faculty to arm themselves. They’re not alone. According to the Giffords Law Center, roughly half of all states allow school employees who have concealed carry permits to carry firearms on school grounds. Opposition to the Tennessee bill has been fierce. Still, the question remains: how do we keep our schools safe from gun violence? Rachel Wegner, children’s reporter for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY network, joins The Excerpt to discuss Tennessee’s controversial new law.

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