Stalin Makes a Comeback in Putin's Wartime Crackdown on Dissent
With President Vladimir Putin tightening the screws of repression as his invasion of Ukraine drags on, the Soviet dictator is making a comeback as a victorious World War II leader rather than the man responsible for the deaths of millions of his citizens. Russia's Communist Party, still the second-largest in the parliament, voted this month to press for full political rehabilitation of Stalin, who's shown flanked by children offering flowers and gratitude in the metro station sculpture unveiled in May.
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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Texas man moved his family to Russia to flee LGBTQ+ values. Here's what we know
In July 2025, a claim circulated online that a Texas father had moved his family to Russia before enlisting in the country's armed forces and fighting on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. While it was true that Derek Huffman moved his wife and three daughters to Russia and enlisted in the military there, we found no proof that Huffman ever fought on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. The Huffmans documented their move and Derek Huffman's enlistment on their YouTube channel. In a since-removed video, DeAnna Huffman, Derek Huffman's wife, expressed concern that her husband would be sent to the front lines. However, Tim Kirby, the founder of American Villages in Russia who helped secure housing for the Huffmans, told Snopes over email that Derek Huffman "was never involved in front line combat." Derek Huffman's exact location and role within the Russian armed forces remained uncertain at the time of this writing. In July 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that a man from Texas named Derek Huffman moved his family to Russia to avoid "woke" values but ended up joining the Russian armed forces and fighting on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. One X claim recounting the Huffman family's story claimed that Huffman had "disappeared somewhere in eastern Ukraine." The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Instagram (archived), Bluesky (archived), Reddit (archived) and TikTok (archived). Snopes readers searched our site to find out if the claim was true. The Huffman family documented their move to Russia on their YouTube channel, including a video of the family arriving in Russia in April (archived) and another in May (archived) about Derek Huffman's enlistment with the Russian armed forces. In a since-deleted video (archived), DeAnna Huffman, Derek Huffman's wife, expressed fears about Derek Huffman being sent to the front lines after he enlisted, something the family hoped to avoid. The most recent video (archived) showing Derek Huffman, posted on June 15, showed the father of six in military fatigues talking about being away from the family. Russian media also reported that Derek Huffman moved his family to Russia before enlisting. However, exactly what role Derek Huffman was fulfilling in the Russian armed forces and where were unclear at the time of this writing. Tim Kirby, a travel blogger who founded the expat village where the family lives, told Snopes over email on July 22 that Huffman was "doing the work that is inline with what he agreed to during his sign up negotiations." According to DeAnna Huffman's since-deleted video, her husband had wanted to be a war reporter or in a "repair battalion," owing to his extensive experience in welding. Kirby said Derek Huffman "was never involved in front line combat from what I understand and he is certainly not doing so now." We reached out to DeAnna Huffman through the Huffman Time YouTube channel to ask if she knew whether Derek Huffman was in active combat on the Russian front lines. We also reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm whether Derek Huffman had enlisted with the country's armed forces and what role he was carrying out. We await replies to our queries. Tracking the Huffmans The family, as seen on their Huffman Time YouTube channel, consisted of DeAnna and Derek Huffman, their three daughters and a dog. According to reports, the couple has three adult sons between them who remain in the U.S. In May, Derek Huffman told Russia Today the family first moved from Arizona to Texas to escape "LGBT propaganda." However, after one of Derek Huffman's daughters "learned about lesbians from a girl in her class," the Huffmans decided "something had to change." Derek Huffman said in a March 9 video that "concerns over LGBT indoctrination in the American schools" were a primary reason the family made the move. On April 5, Kirby posted a video (archived), titled "The arrival of the second family to the American Village in Russia" that showed the Huffmans on VK, a Russian social media platform. Around a month later, Huffman Time posted a video (archived) showing the family getting their Temporary Residence Permit. This visa, established by decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin, allows people "from countries where neoliberal values are promoted at the state level" a fast-track way to enter, work and live in Russia for three years. The U.S. was one of more than 40 countries where citizens could seek the Temporary Residence Permit. Huffman enlisted for Russian citizenship By the end of May, Derek Huffman had evidently decided that he wanted more than just a Russian visa. In a video recorded in Nizhny Novgorod, Huffman said he would enlist in the Russian armed forces as a way to get his family Russian citizenship. Huffman explained in a May 26 video that if he signed and served a one-year contract with the Russian armed forces he and his family could get Russian citizenship immediately. He said (at 8:10): A big part of it for me is about the respect and earning our place here in Russia, earning our citizenship. You think about America, people just come on in. They're given everything. They just don't really assimilate and they're just there for the free handouts. I don't want anyone here in Russia or anywhere to be able to say we don't belong here. And if I go put my body on the line for Russia, I defend the country, our new country, I've earned our place here and nobody can tell me different or tell my family different that we don't belong here. Huffman said in the video that he would join the "special military operation" (the term used by the Russian government to describe the war in Ukraine) "today." Around three weeks later, on June 15, former Ukrainian politician Anton Geraschenko posted a video showing DeAnna Huffman talking about her husband's deployment. In the footage, Huffman said that it seemed as if the armed forces would send her husband to the front lines. According to Huffman, unnamed people had petitioned for Derek Huffman to serve as a war reporter rather than in active combat, but that request was denied. "They" then attempted to place him on a "repair unit" to utilize his welding experience, which also did not happen, according to DeAnna Huffman. DeAnna Huffman also said that recruits in the foreigner's unit received instruction in Russian, a language the family had not yet mastered: He's kind of struggling a little bit with that and not getting really any training because, unfortunately, when you are taught in a different language and you don't understand the language, how are you really getting taught? You're not. So, unfortunately he feels like he is being thrown to the wolves right now. Huffman also said that though her husband had not yet been paid for his time in the armed forces, officials had asked him to contribute money to help pay for supplies. She said that the family was lobbying "public figures" to get a safer deployment for him. The clip Geraschenko shared did not appear on the Huffman Time YouTube channel at the time of this writing. Comments on a June 28 video, titled "Russia: Big Water Adventures with Our Husky & Family Update!" that showed DeAnna Huffman wearing the same (archived) shirt and glasses as the Geraschenko clip, seemed to suggest that the Huffmans removed the clip from that video before re-uploading it. One commenter wrote, "Wait, we already saw this a week ago!?" to which another replied, "The previous video was attacked by bots because of the same topic and had to be deleted, leaving only the part about the lake." On June 16, Huffman Time uploaded a video of Derek Huffman in army fatigues sending a Father's Day video to his family. Huffman did not say in the video where he was, which is standard procedure for deployed soldiers to preserve operational security. However, it seemed that the Huffmans' money issues were persistent despite his seemingly active enlistment. On June 24, Kirby, the man who helped the Huffmans secure housing through American Villages in Russia, posted (archived) on VK asking people to send money to the Huffmans, who were still without an income due to delays with Derek Huffman's paychecks from the armed forces. The Huffman Time YouTube channel replied to a comment on a July 15 video that Derek Huffman was "fine" but that the family would not "give details or videos for everyone's safety." DeAnna Huffman said (archived) in the video that "He is alive and safe and just counting down the days. He will be finishing up his army and coming home and visiting. We miss him very much," referring to Derek Huffman. DeAnna Huffman also said she was due to fill out citizenship paperwork for herself and her daughters. Huffman did not respond to media inquiries by Russian media in July about where her husband was. In an interview with Russian-language media Vot Tak, Kirby said the family was tired of "Kyiv trolls" contacting them about the family's choices but did not comment on where Derek Huffman was. American Villages. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025. "Huffman Time." YouTube, Accessed 22 Jul. 2025. Shared Values EN – Welcome to Russia. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025. "Кабмин РФ утвердил список стран с политикой, противоречащей традиционным ценностям." 20 Sep. 2024, "Многодетный американец сбежал с семьёй в Россию от ЛГБТ-пропаганды и ушёл на СВО." RT на русском, 21 May 2025, Новости, Р. И. А. "Зачем многодетный американец перевез семью в Россию и ушел на СВО." РИА Новости, 20250609T0800, ""Они Хотят, Чтобы Мы Были Толстыми и Тупыми". Американец Сбежал в Россию От "ЛГБТ-Пропаганды" — и Оказался На Передовой." Новая Газета Европа, 1753107300000, "Почему мы уехали из Америки в Россию?" Семья Хаффман пояснит русским людям. 12 Jul. 2025, Рыбалкин, Сергей. ""Американская деревня" на два дома: в Подмосковье провалился проект поселения для граждан США, ищущих "традиционные ценности". Один из них ушел на войну." Vot Tak, Accessed 22 Jul. 2025. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Examining reports Texas man who moved family to Russia died in Ukraine war
In late July 2025, amid high media interest in Derek Huffman, a Texas man who moved his family to Russia to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S., a claim (archived) circulated online that Huffman had died in combat after enlisting in the Russian armed forces. One X user wrote, "American Derek Huffman, who fled to russia over 'LGBT propaganda,' was killed on the front lines by a drone strike." The user attributed the claim to The Maltese Herald, a news site from Malta that ran the story on July 23, 2025. The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived), Reddit (archived) and TikTok (archived). Snopes readers searched our page, asking whether the claim was true. We found no evidence Huffman had died in combat at the time of this writing. The Huffman Time YouTube channel, where the family documented their move to Russia, told several commenters on July 24 that Derek Huffman was alive. We also found no evidence of a reported video showing Huffman's death. DeAnna Huffman, Derek Huffman's wife, told Snopes via email on July 25 that "we are not doing any interviews or answering any questions at this time." A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the department was "aware of unconfirmed media reports of a U.S. citizen killed in Ukraine," and reiterated a warning against U.S. citizens traveling to Russia. We also reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm whether Derek Huffman had died in combat and await a reply. The claim appeared to stem from a July 23 report in The Maltese Herald. That report, which the Herald has since updated, claimed Derek Huffman died in a drone strike on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war. It further claimed that footage of Huffman's death circulated online, but did not provide any links. We reached out to The Maltese Herald to ask why it initially believed the story to be true and await a reply. The updated version of the Herald's report included screenshots of the Huffman Time YouTube channel, run by DeAnna Huffman in her husband's absence, denying reports of his death. Despite this, the report still included the sentence "Derek Huffman, the US citizen from Texas, has been confirmed killed on the Ukrainian front lines by a drone strike." The Maltese Herald also had not updated an X post (archived) that claimed Derek Huffman died in combat. DeAnna Huffman, via the Huffman Time YouTube Channel, replied to a comment on July 24 reading, "Update: Derek has passed," writing in a series of comments: Why are you here lying? He's with his unit and for safety, not allowed to. Let people talk and lie. We know the truth, and when safe, it will eventually be widely seen. Yes, I understand you believe everything that the news says… and my husband and I have been laughing about it. You're more than welcome to believe the lies. Huffman said her husband was "alive and well." We found no reports in Russian media about Derek Huffman dying. On July 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media he had not previously heard about Huffman joining the armed forces but that it was possible for foreigners to volunteer. Snopes previously reported that Huffman enlisted with the Russian armed forces as a way to secure Russian citizenship for his family. Huffman said he moved himself, his wife and three daughters from Texas to Russia in order to escape LGBTQ+ values in the U.S. "Anti-Woke Dad Who Moved Family to Russia Sent to War Zone." The Daily Beast, 20 Jul. 2025, Bennetts, Marc. Texan Who Fled 'Woke' America Has Been Sent to Putin's Front Line. 22 Jul. 2025, "Derek Huffman Confirmed Killed by a Drone Strike." The Maltese Herald, 23 Jul. 2025, Huffman Time. "Girls Show Their Art, Summer Hats & Russian Life Updates 🇷🇺 | Big News & Fun Moments!" YouTube, 15 Jul. 2025, Reyes, Ronny. American Who Joined Russian Army to Escape "woke" US Has Been Sent to the Frontlines, Wife Says. 22 Jul. 2025, "Песков прокомментировал данные о добровольце из США Хаффмане на СВО." TACC, Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
Israel, US recall teams from Gaza truce talks; violence near aid distribution continues
On Friday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: Israel and the United States recalled their delegations from Gaza ceasefire talks for consultations Thursday. Plus, hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. USA TODAY Senior National Columnist for Health and Wellness Laura Trujillo takes a closer look at President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein's relationship over the years. Two GOP senators call for a special counsel to probe former President Barack Obama over the 2016 Trump-Russia investigation. USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison discusses a new executive order that makes it easier for cities and states to remove homeless people from the streets. Hulk Hogan has died at 71. Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here Taylor Wilson: Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Friday, July 25th, 2025. This is USA TODAY's The Excerpt. Today controversy over US humanitarian aid deliveries and Gaza as hunger concerns grow. Plus we discuss an executive order making it easier to remove homeless people from the streets. And we remember Hulk Hogan. ♦ Israel and the US recalled their delegations from Gaza ceasefire talks for consultations yesterday with US envoy, Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of failing to act in good faith in the talks. It marked the latest setback in efforts to secure a deal that would bring a ceasefire to Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Earlier this week, more than 100 largely aid and rights groups called for governments to take action as hunger spreads in Gaza. More than 800 people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. Women going to pick up aid for their families yesterday said US contractors organizing distribution asked them to come to pick up goods and then fired tear gas and pepper spray at them. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the aid organization, the GHF said a limited amount of pepper spray was used to prevent civilian injury due to overcrowding. GHF, a US and Israeli-backed organization began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May. The UN has called the GHF's model unsafe and a breach of humanitarian in impartiality standards, which GHF denies. Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University Alex de Waal outlined some of the criticisms speaking to Reuters. Alex de Waal: The ration that they are providing is less than the humanitarian ration provided by the United Nations. None of the specialized services such as supplementary therapeutic feeding for malnourished children are a part of this package. These are all the reasons why the United Nations and most professional humanitarians are very critical of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation scheme. Taylor Wilson: You can read more on ♦ Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche said he met Jeffrey Epstein's longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, yesterday and will meet her again today. She's serving a twenty-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee after a jury convicted her of sex trafficking in 2021. The meetings come as President Donald Trump and his administration face continued pressure to release additional information about the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein. But what do we know about Trump and Epstein's relationship over the years? I spoke with USA TODAY Senior National Columnist for Health and Wellness Laura Trujillo for more. Laura, thank you so much for joining me on this. Laura Trujillo: Thanks for inviting me. Taylor Wilson: Let's just start here. How did the Trump, Epstein relationship originate? Laura Trujillo: From what we understand they really became friends around 1990. This is when Epstein bought a mansion about two miles from Trump's Mar-a-Lago, which he just bought about five years before. And they both, if you think about this, were really rich guys from New York, both really doing well and two miles isn't that far apart when you're two rich guys with mansions, you end up in the same social circles. We really don't know if they were best friends or something like that. We know they ran with the same group. We know they were at dinner parties together and at different events, but we're really not sure how close they were. Taylor Wilson: You touched on this, Laura, but in terms of where they would actually hang out, we know South Florida is involved here, New York City. Was this really about Mar-a-Lago? Was it about the infamous Epstein Island? Where would they run into each other? Laura Trujillo: It seems to be both New York and Florida, mostly at Mar-a-Lago. And that's a lot of photos that we have from events at Mar-a-Lago, mostly with models, with cheerleaders, parties, that type of thing. And in New York, we don't know at this point if there were trips to Epstein Island that has not shown up yet, but we also don't have all of the files. We know that Trump was on Epstein's plane between Florida and New York, but that doesn't tell us where he went. Taylor Wilson: Laura, I know you touched on this in your piece, how are modeling agencies and beauty pageants really a part of this story and their relationship? Laura Trujillo: Mostly Trump has talked about enjoying spending time with women and young women. He really didn't make a secret of this. Epstein lived a little bit quieter than Trump. I think we know that having heard Trump, he likes to talk about it. He bragged about getting access to young women on some interviews we've heard with Howard Stern. They both were involved with modeling agencies, so Epstein invested in one. We also later learned that Epstein used scouting models as a way to procure underage girls. With Trump, he started an agency in 1999. It had a lot of legacy models, and in fact, Melania was a model there before he met her. And it did have some teen models as well. Trump also, as we know, bought beauty pageants. He owned the Miss Universe Pageant, Miss Teen Pageant, and he seemed to really like to talk about that. And we've got stories of him going into the dressing rooms at these pageants and sort of making a joke about it. But I think sometimes when you hear quotes decades later, they may ring true in a different way. Taylor Wilson: All right, so Laura, what finally led to their falling out? Laura Trujillo: We think, which this is definitely a rich guy thing, they both wanted to buy the same mansion in Palm Beach, and it turned out that Trump outbid Epstein for it. And when he outbid him, it was for $41 million. And then Trump turned around and flipped it for 95 million a few years later to a Russian billionaire. And so that's one of the things people talk about. Another is that other reports say that Epstein and Trump broke up after Ghislaine Maxwell solicited the daughter of a Mar-a-Lago member. And the father complained to Trump, and that's when Trump said he kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for being a creep, so we don't know exactly what happened, but we know that those were two things that have come up. We do know that Epstein was at Trump's wedding in 2005, but that's really the last time they've been linked. Taylor Wilson: All right, so how has Trump addressed Epstein since taking the Oval Office? Is there any difference this term also versus Trump's first term? Laura Trujillo: I have, in 2019, Trump was saying he wasn't a fan of Epstein. And at that point he also was alleging that Bill Clinton was connected to Epstein's death, so there was a real call at that time from Trump to learn more about the Epstein client list and to find out if there was this wider child abuse conspiracy. Moving forward into this term and this week, we've seen so much about Epstein just swirling around the President with the MAGA movement promising all of these revelations and Trump now seeming to say he's fine with these files being released, but we've got Republicans pushing back and so it's going to be interesting to see what happens. Taylor Wilson: Lots of developments still to come. Laura Trujillo is a senior national columnist covering health and wellness for USA TODAY. Thanks, Laura. Laura Trujillo: Thank you. ♦ Taylor Wilson: Two Republican senators are calling for the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether former President Barack Obama and his staff were involved in an effort to undermine Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The push by Senators Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn comes after national intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard, in a press briefing earlier this week, alleged she had evidence the Obama administration promoted a contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump, arguing that it was not true. Russia did attempt to interfere in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump, but according to former special counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 final report and a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee assessment. Trump has long said the investigations into his first White House campaign and its connections with Russia are a hoax. ♦ President Trump yesterday took executive action, making it easier for cities and states to remove homeless people from the streets. I spoke with USA TODAY White House correspondent Joey Garrison to learn more. Thanks for joining me, Joey. Joey Garrison: Hey, thanks for having me on. Taylor Wilson: Joey, what will this executive order do about homelessness? Joey Garrison: President Trump took executive action on Thursday signing an order that really makes it easier for cities and states really encourages them to remove homeless people from the streets and from encampments and move them over to rehabilitation and treatment centers. This is done in a couple of ways. First of all, Trump is directing his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to challenge judicial precedents both at the federal and state levels, try to reverse those precedents and consent decrees that currently limit the ability of local and state governments to remove homeless people from the streets. The order also sets forth, though this part is a little unclear, redirecting federal funds to these centers where Trump wants to move homeless people to. And it's not clear exactly how much money will be allocated for this or from where that money is going to be coming from. And also, he's ordered several federal agencies, including HHS and HUD, to start prioritizing federal grants to states and cities that prohibit homeless encampments, so this is a direct incentive for the federal government to crack down on homelessness camps. And so that's the big things that this sweeping homeless EO from Trump seeks to accomplish. Taylor Wilson: And Joey, what did we hear from the White House about why they feel this is necessary in this moment? Joey Garrison: Trump has long talked about the homeless issue in the country. He makes the comments often about Washington DC when he is driving around in the presidential vehicle he looks out the window and sees these homelessness camps. It's always been something that he's talked about. It falls under this law and order umbrella that Trump has long talked about. And there are numbers to back up, the fact that homelessness is at an all-time high in the country right now, HUD does an annual count of the number of people sleeping on the streets on a single night each year. And last January 2024 they counted over 770,000 on a single night. That was a 18% increase over the previous year. And so there is an issue, of course, with the rise of homelessness in many cities. Taylor Wilson: Wow. Trump's action here follows a major Supreme Court move as well earlier this year on homeless camps, Joey, what did they decide? Can we go back to that for a moment? Joey Garrison: Yeah, that's a huge point, what's going on in the background here. In June, just a month ago, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals can be arrested and fined for sleeping and public spaces. They upheld a homelessness ban in a City of Grant Pass, Oregon that prohibits homeless people from sleeping outdoors. In that city they have fines starting at $250 per individual as well as jail time for repeat offenses. You have this opinion, which was a six three conservative majority ruling that essentially upholds cities and states banning homelessness in their communities. And so with that authority upheld by the Supreme Court, you're seeing this real proactive executive order from Trump for cities and states to really go after homelessness in their cities. Taylor Wilson: Well, Joey, as for this week's executive order, are we hearing any pushback? What do critics say about this latest action out of the White House? Joey Garrison: Not surprisingly, a lot of homelessness advocates are condemning this, and I think there's a lot of questions here. First of all, this idea of removing people from where they live on streets to centers. There's a lot of questions whether these rehabilitation centers, whether there's enough beds to house an entire homelessness population. You look at cities on the West Coast like Los Angeles and San Francisco, which have really large numbers of homeless people. I think a lot of homeless advocates say the best way is to address the housing problem right now in this country. The affordability issue with buying a home has never been greater really than it is right now. They argue that this isn't the right way to try to tackle this problem, that it's really rather inhumane to sweep the streets of people who are living there. Taylor Wilson: Joey Garrison covers the White House for USA TODAY. Thank you, Joey. Joey Garrison: Thanks so much. ♦ Taylor Wilson: Hulk Hogan has died. Hogan, whose legal name is Terry Bollea was influential on the rise of wrestling worldwide and WWE's first major star. As WWE became the dominant wrestling company, his stardom grew and he headlined the first nine editions of WrestleMania with his most iconic moment coming at WrestleMania III in 1987. Defending the World Heavyweight Championship against longtime rival, Andre the Giant Hogan picked him up and delivered the body slam heard around the world, and his popularity spread outside the ring with appearances and TV shows and movies. He wasn't without scandal though, he testified admitting he took steroids. And then in 2015 he was caught on tape making racist comments that severely tarnished his popularity and legacy. WWE distanced itself from Hogan in the fallout, but he eventually returned to making appearances with the company in 2018. He made his last appearance for WWE in January. Hulk Hogan was 71. ♦ Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. We're produced by Shannon Rae Green and Kaely Monahan, and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. You can get the podcast wherever you get your pods, and as always, you can email us at podcasts at I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.
