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USA Today
03-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
House clears key hurdle on tax megabill
On Thursday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: The House has cleared a hurdle on President Donald Trump's bill of legislative priorities. USA TODAY National Correspondent Marco della Cava puts Diddy's trial in context after a verdict. A federal judge has blocked President Trump's asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border. Kilmar Abrego Garcia experienced "severe beatings" and "psychological torture" at a prison in El Salvador, according to a new court filing. USA TODAY Youth Mental Health Reporting Fellow Rachel Hale discusses why LGBTQ+ youth are twice as likely to be homeless. Clayton Kershaw joins the 3,000 strikeout club. The U.S. men's soccer team advances to the Gold Cup Final to play Mexico. 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. Taylor Wilson: Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Thursday, July 3rd, 2025. This is USA TODAY's The Excerpt. Today the latest on Trump's mega bill as House lawmakers continue working, plus breaking down the verdict in Diddy's trial, and LGBTQ+ youth are twice as likely to be homeless. ♦ House Republicans have cleared a key procedural hurdle to get President Trump's signature legislative bill to his desk by a self-imposed July 4th deadline tomorrow. The House started debating Trump's legislative package of tax reductions and Medicaid cuts yesterday. But Republican leaders struggled to chart a path to victory with their narrow majorities in Congress. The House later voted 219 to 213 to move forward, setting up a final vote of yes or no on Trump's domestic agenda, ending taxes on tips and overtime, cutting Medicaid and bolstering border security. Still the vote doesn't guarantee the bill will succeed since several lawmakers who oppose its $3.3 trillion price tag are still seeking changes as of early this morning. You can stay up on all the latest with ♦ A verdict was delivered yesterday in the weeks-long trial of Sean Diddy Combs. I spoke with USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava for more. And a heads-up, Marco had to join me while in transit, so apologies for the choppy audio. Thank you for joining me, Marco. Marco della Cava: Hey, thanks for having me in talking about this. Taylor Wilson: All right, so as for the verdict itself, what did we hear, and I guess what sentencing might Diddy now face? Marco della Cava: The jury took three days to deliberate, and Sean Combs basically got a pretty light verdict as it goes. Essentially, he was facing life in prison for racketeering, but that charge did not stick and the jury just found him guilty on essentially crossing state lines for prostitution. Taylor Wilson: What did we hear from witnesses throughout this trial, Marco, some of whom really put themselves and their intimate stories out there on the stand? Marco della Cava: Throughout the many weeks of test testimony, we heard essentially horrific stories from women about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Sean Combs. At the same time, many of these same women confessed that they loved him and did want to spend time with him, and were eager to really try and win him over. But at the same time, the defense teased out of many of them, essentially admissions that they really loved this man and they were really hoping to get him to commit to a serious relationship. And as a result of that desire, they went ahead with a lot of his wishes, which included them having sex with multiple other men. Often they cried on the stand, a couple of them testified anonymously. These were obviously people who are really shaken, if not broken by these experiences with this man. But in the end, obviously the jury did not feel that they were forced to do anything per se, even if many of them said, I felt in fear of my life and certainly in fear of my career disappearing if I said anything, if I brought this up. So in a sense, it's really something that is going to cause future witnesses in cases like this to think twice. Taylor Wilson: As for the defense approach to this case, I know you and I have previously talked about their concessions essentially, that Diddy was no saint. They kept leaning in on these claims. Was that part of their strategy in the waning days of this trial? And how did they also attempt to discredit the witnesses who testified? Marco della Cava: The defense essentially was saying that the witnesses were in a relationship with Combs and they knew what they were getting into, and therefore this is not a criminal issue. Taylor Wilson: You're right about the Me Too movement in this piece, Marco, what might be the legacy of the Diddy trial in the context of Me Too? Marco della Cava: Essentially, it's far different from R. Kelly. It's far different from Harvey Weinstein. It's essentially vindication for Sean Combs that he might have an extreme lifestyle. He might actually be an abuser, but that the government, in a sense cannot charge him with criminal activities in relationship to the way he lived his life. That, many people feel, will essentially cast a shadow over other future cases where women would maybe hesitate now to come forward and share their very painful stories with the world through court testimony. Taylor Wilson: Marco della Cava is a national correspondent with USA TODAY. Thanks, Marco. Marco della Cava: Thank you. ♦ Taylor Wilson: A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's asylum ban at the US-Mexico border saying Trump exceeded his authority when he issued a proclamation declaring illegal immigration and emergency and setting aside existing legal processes. The judge's opinion stated that Trump's January proclamation blocking all migrants engaged in the invasion across the southern border, as he put it from claiming asylum or other humanitarian protections went beyond his executive power. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the challenge to Trump's asylum ban in February, arguing it violated American laws and international treaties. Trump's border restrictions went beyond a similar ban put in place by former President Joe Biden in 2024. Key parts of the Biden ban were blocked by a separate federal judge in a lawsuit also led by the ACLU. Since Trump took office, the number of migrants caught crossing the border illegally as dropped to record lows. ♦ Kilmar Abrego Garcia experienced severe beatings in psychological torture in a notorious high security prison in El Salvador after he was deported by the Trump administration. According to a new court filing. The filing in federal court yesterday also says that Abrego Garcia experienced severe sleep deprivation and nutrition so inadequate that he lost 31 pounds while he was at the Terrorism Confinement Center, also known as CECOT in El Salvador. The new details from Abrego Garcia's treatment at CECOT come as part of a lawsuit filed by his wife against the Trump administration, which is seeking to have the matter thrown out because he has since been returned to the United States. An indictment accuses Abrego Garcia of conspiring to bring immigrants into the US illegally from various central and South American countries. He's pleaded not guilty. ♦ LGBTQ+ youth are twice as likely to be homeless. I spoke with USA TODAY Youth Mental Health reporting fellow Rachel Hale to learn more. Rachel, thanks for wrapping on. Rachel Hale: Thanks for having me. Taylor Wilson: So let's establish some of the data here at the top. What portion of young people experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ+ and how likely are LGBTQ+ youth to be homeless Rachel Hale: Though they make up 7% of the youth population, LGBTQ youth account for 40% of the young people experiencing homelessness in the United States and as a category LGBTQ youth are more than twice as likely to experience homelessness as their peers. Taylor Wilson: And Rachel, we should say also that Black, transgender and non-binary young people who report the highest indicators of poor mental health, face the highest risk of youth homelessness. In terms of all these numbers for young LGBTQ plus people in general, what are the contributing factors here, Rachel, what did you find? Rachel Hale: Part of it is that LGBTQ young people are less likely to access mental healthcare than their peers, partially because of affordability, but a lot of teens also cite not wanting to obtain permission from a parent. And we know that the largest cited reason and reports for homelessness from queer youth are people saying that they were shut out and rejected by their families. Taylor Wilson: So tell us about some of the young people you spoke with, Rachel, for this piece and their challenges with homelessness. Rachel Hale: So I spoke with some people who were younger and other people who had come out of the system years ago and were worried that the same stigma still existed or that enough hasn't been done to address the problem in this year since. One of those people was Eden Campbell McCollum. He told me that as a young person at 18 years old, he aged out of the foster care system and was sleeping on the number seven train in New York each night. He would take the subway to his job at Burger King and spent a lot of nights looping its route to Flushing. So it was the only place where he could get heat that provided kind of a brief break from New York City's winters. So again, someone who dealt with systemic issues coming out of the foster care system. But what complicated things is that he also had confusion about his gender identity. He didn't know any transgender people at the time, this would've been in the 1980s, and didn't have the language to describe what he was experiencing, but he knew he was different and that his parents wouldn't have accepted him. Someone one night saw him falling asleep on the train and connected him to Covenant House, one of the shelters in New York that was able to offer him care. But too many people are still going through the same thing that he experienced. Taylor Wilson: Wow. Well, as for this moment, specifically, Rachel, how are young members of this community navigating this climate under President Donald Trump and some of his administration's cuts? Rachel Hale: Advocates say that concerns for homeless youth are really heightened right now. Most recently on June 17th, the administration instructed the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to end its specialized services for LGBTQ youth. Within the next month, nearly 1.3 million young LGBTQ people have used support from that hotline since its launch in 2022. A day later, the Supreme Court also upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. So there's a number of things that have changed in the current administration that have led people to have additional concern about visibly being queer and also about seeking LGBTQ specific care. Taylor Wilson: What's the answer here? I mean, is there a solution to this devastating problem? Rachel Hale: I think that advocates who have been through this system are always trying to think of what that answer looks like. But one thing that the people I spoke with kept coming back to was that the services they accessed at these youth shelters we're really vital. So for example, Eden told me that making sure that young homeless people are having access to life skills building programs. So looking at how a checking account works and what it means to have a statement come through every month from your credit card. Just those basic things that you might not learn growing up. Another thing that Eden said is that accessing queer spaces in their youth were really important. Communities where there are other LGBTQ youth and life skill specific training are two really important things. And also amid current changes in the administration, continuing to make sure that there are spaces where LGBTQ youth feel welcome. Taylor Wilson: All right, another great piece from you Rachel. Rachel Hale covers youth mental health for USA TODAY. Thanks, Rachel. Rachel Hale: Thank you so much. ♦ Taylor Wilson: Clayton Kershaw has joined an exclusive club. The longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace last night became the 20th pitcher in Major League baseball history to strike out 3000 batters. You can read more about his storied career and why his manager called him a unicorn with a link in today's show notes. ♦ US Men's National Soccer Team took down Guatemala last night, two to one to make the Gold Cup Final. He'll take on Mexico on Sunday after Mexico beat Honduras last night in the nightcap. You can follow along with USA Today Sports. ♦ And later today, can an AI chatbot be your therapist? Some bots are masquerading as licensed therapists and are failing in dangerous ways. Vaile Wright: The challenge is that because these AI chatbots are not being monitored by humans who know what good mental health care is, they go rogue and they say very harmful things. Taylor Wilson: Dale Wright a psychologist with the American Psychological Association, sat down with my colleague Dana Taylor, to discuss the real world implications of unmonitored AI therapists and what can be done to make them better. You can catch that conversation later today, beginning at 4:00 PM Eastern Time. ♦ Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and as always, you can find us on email@ I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
What to expect after Pope Francis' death
What to expect after Pope Francis' death | The Excerpt On Wednesday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: USA TODAY National Correspondent Marco della Cava talks about his experience covering conclaves and what to expect from the process to select a new pope. The Trump administration proposes a major shake-up of the State Department. Health Secretary RFK Jr. says eight artificial dyes will be phased out of the U.S. food supply. USA TODAY Investigative Reporter Nick Penzenstadler discusses the latest on a pair of men deported to El Salvador. Tesla profits plummet. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@ 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 Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025. This is The Excerpt. Today, what's next after the death of Pope Francis. Plus, a major overhaul of the State Department might be on the way. And we discussed the latest on a pair of deported men in El Salvador. ♦ In the wake of Pope Francis's passing we now move toward his funeral set for Saturday, and later a conclave when the next Pope will be selected. I spoke with USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava, who previously covered a pair of conclaves, to learn more about what's next. Hello, Marco, thanks for joining me on this. Marco della Cava: Yeah, my pleasure. Taylor Wilson: So, tell us a bit first about your experience covering conclaves and even a papal funeral. Marco della Cava: Yeah. Well, I was sent over to Rome by USA TODAY when John Paul II was ailing, and I think he literally died when I landed. And so, I ended up covering his funeral about a week later in St. Peter's Square, which was very dramatic. And then I stayed on for a couple of weeks as the conclave unfolded that then elected Pope Benedict. And then I went back a dozen years ago because Benedict rather abruptly decided to sort of retire, and so I went back and covered the election of the late Pope Francis. Taylor Wilson: Wow. And so, what really stood out to you, Marco, from those reporting trips? Marco della Cava: Well, it's a combination of things. It is sort of how political the actual voting ends up being, as many people might have gleaned from watching the movie Conclave, which was Oscar nominated this year. It does a pretty accurate job of talking about the different factions and one person in the end, one cardinal in the end has to get two-thirds of the vote. So, it's all the jockeying to get that person all of those votes. That's all happening under lock and key in the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican dormitories. You don't know anything of what's going on during that time, but on the outside you've got all the faithful, the pilgrims, which this year actually is amazing, it's the jubilee year for the Vatican, for the Catholic Church, which they've been preparing for a year, and it's where they invite Catholic pilgrims from all over the world to just come to Rome. So, it's going to be an amazing site with all the crowds gathering out front and then waiting as that smoke goes from black to white, and the white smoke means that they've actually picked a pope. Taylor Wilson: All right. And in terms of what to expect this week, Marco, we now know the funeral will be Saturday. World leaders and others expected to descend on Rome for this. What else should we expect for the funeral? Marco della Cava: Well, the funeral apparently will be in St. Peter's Square, which is exactly where the one for John Paul II was. His casket made the rounds in the square and people were very moved, many of them trying to touch the casket. So, that actual funeral procession and then the funeral mass outside, very dramatic, very filled with tradition and amazing pageantry. And then when that's over, basically a bit of quiet probably after that. And then once all the cardinals, 252 of them, arrive in Rome, those who don't already live there, then they start going into the conclave and then you'll see people gathering every day in the square, waiting for that smoke. Usually twice a day. In my experience, it was two votes a day. Taylor Wilson: Wow. In terms of just functionally, as you mentioned this Conclave movie last year, the timing of all this is really fascinating. Folks have been talking about this process for months. What will it functionally look like this time around, Marco? And what can you tell us about the expected timeline here? Marco della Cava: Well, timeline-wise, typically the conclave starts, call it 15, 20 days or so after the funeral. It allows everyone to get settled and situated. And then once they start gathering and meeting and then actually taking the votes, you literally know nothing other than that smoke. Now, in Rome, you've got lots of newspaper reporters who literally only write about the Vatican and they're going to be spinning all sorts of conjectures about who the front-runners are. Is it somebody that's going to be progressive like Pope Francis was, or is it somebody who's going to be more conservative? I've already read suggestions that they might go with a cardinal who's got a lot of international experience. There's one gentleman who spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and that might be somebody they might go with given all the world events. So, it'll be interesting to see which way they go. And there hasn't been an Italian pope in a while, and typically Italian popes are something, well, the Italians certainly like. Taylor Wilson: Right. Should be a fascinating next few weeks. Marco della Cava is a national correspondent with USA TODAY. Thank you, Marco. Marco della Cava: You bet. ♦ Taylor Wilson: The Trump administration is proposing a major overhaul of the State Department. The move would eliminate more than 100 offices, including some working on war crimes and rights advocacy, to ensure the agency is in line with Trump's America-first priorities. The plan would eliminate 132 of the department's 734 bureaus and offices according to an internal State Department memo seen by Reuters. Undersecretaries will submit plans to reduce staff by 15%. The shakeup comes after thousands of government employees have already been laid off as part of Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to shrink the federal government. ♦ Eight artificial dyes will be eliminated from medications and the nation's food supply by the end of 2026. That includes those found in candy, ice cream, soft drinks, and jams according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The artificial dyes detailed during a news conference yesterday are used to offset color loss due to exposure to light, temperature extremes, as well as to provide color to colorless and fun foods according to the Food and Drug Administration. For years, Kennedy has railed against so-called big food and big pharma and blamed what he's called the nation's chronic disease epidemic on additives and junk food, including during his campaign for president in the 2024 Democratic primaries, and then as an independent. After endorsed, President Donald Trump, Trump incorporated those ideas into his own campaign and they're now part of the new administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda. A study by California's Environmental Protection Agency in 2021, linked consumption of synthetic food dyes to hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children. Similar studies also previously prompted the European Union to restrict food coloring. ♦ Lawmakers are pushing for answers on a Venezuelan stylist and asylum seeker sent to El Salvador. I spoke with USA TODAY investigative reporter Nick Penzenstadler to learn more about Andry Jose Hernandez and for some of the latest on another deported man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Nick. Hiya, sir. Nick Penzenstadler: Hey, Taylor. Thanks for having me on. Taylor Wilson: Thanks for hopping on. So, just starting with this, who is Andry Jose Hernandez and what's his deportation story? Nick Penzenstadler: So, we know about him as the 31-year-old hairstylist from Venezuela. He came to the United States and claimed asylum as part of protected class being a gay member in Venezuela and says he was discriminated against. So, he came here seeking asylum and then was recently sent to El Salvador as part of this recent roundup. Taylor Wilson: All right. So, how and why are lawmakers really pushing for his release? Nick Penzenstadler: So, he is one that has been alleged to have been tied to this Tren de Aragua criminal gang. And he insists that he is not. And it seems like the biggest allegation is that he had these tattoos that tied him to that gang. He insists the tattoos have nothing to do with the gang and they're a reference to his mother and father. But nonetheless, he is in this infamous prison in El Salvador. Taylor Wilson: Tell us about CoreCivic. What is this and how does it enter this story? Nick Penzenstadler: Hernandez was detained and questioned at this Otay Mesa Detention Center, which is run by CoreCivic, a private detention center group. And in part of their screening process, they alleged he was a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. Despite his insistence that he wasn't, they noted that he had these tattoos and they signed a report saying so. And the people who worked on that report, among them was this Charles Cross Jr. who we were backgrounding and discovered was a former Milwaukee police officer who was fired in 2012 after a string of misdeeds, and he had a misdemeanor criminal case. So, he's now working for CoreCivic and was involved with this man who was then later deported by ICE. Taylor Wilson: Okay. And in terms of the administration's perspective here, and also just I guess what we hear from CoreCivic, what do we hear from both of those camps? Nick Penzenstadler: We should mention that Robert Garcia, the Democratic lawmaker from California, has kind of attached himself to this case and he's lobbying for Hernandez's return. He has now sent these oversight letters to both ICE and CoreCivic, wanting to know more about this process. So, ICE has said that he was correctly identified as a member of this gang and deported. CoreCivic has said they do this screening for the gang affiliations as part of their safety protocol, and that any decisions for a deportation are made by ICE and not relying on their evaluations. Taylor Wilson: Democratic lawmakers traveled to El Salvador this week. This, of course, comes after another Democratic lawmaker, that was Senator Chris Van Hollen, went last week and met with another deported man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. What can you tell us about this week's lawmaker trip, Nick, and how is it now part of a broader push, I guess, from US lawmakers making these in-person visits to Central America? Nick Penzenstadler: Right. So, there was this group of four Democratic lawmakers that went down there this week to push for their return. They were meeting with Salvadoran officials and the US Embassy to see what was being done, if anything, to "facilitate" the return of these folks. They have said that they're going to do everything they can to try to push for these answers, but I think a lot of this is going to come down to what the courts say. Taylor Wilson: And speaking of Kilmar, I mean, he was, of course, a big part of this conversation last week and the week prior. What's the latest on him, Nick? Nick Penzenstadler: His attorney is arguing that the government is failing to turn over some of the information they're seeking. This is the discovery and it's the expedited discovery phase as Judge Xinis has said, where she wants a fast response from the government to lay out what evidence they have, what authorities they're quoting, and what they're relying on to keep him abroad. And this has come to a little bit of a pinch point where his attorneys say, the government has not produced this, the government says they have, and they want a hearing from the judge. The judge ordered the government to provide more information, and she had some pretty strong language calling it willful and a bad faith refusal to comply with her orders. And she has ordered them to respond by 6:00 P.M. Wednesday with better answers. Taylor Wilson: All right. Nick Penzenstadler is an investigative reporter with USA TODAY. Thank you, Nick. Nick Penzenstadler: Thank you. ♦ Taylor Wilson: Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he would soon be spending less time with the Trump administration after first quarter earnings fell short of expectations. Net income for the quarter was down 71% at Tesla after a decline in vehicle deliveries with the company battling growing competition from foreign brands, shifting trade policies, and growing backlash to the brand after Musk aligned himself with the Trump administration. The slump comes as Tesla, along with other automakers adjust to auto tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. In a Tuesday financial report, Tesla said rapidly evolving trade policy has impacted the global supply chain and the company's cost structure. While Tesla assembles its vehicles in the US, the automaker is exposed to tariffs because it imports parts from other countries. ♦ One of President Donald Trump's more controversial cabinet appointments was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services. Health experts are now weighing in on his tenure so far with some strong criticisms. Dr. Richard Besser: What we've seen so far from the secretary who says that he's interested in chronic disease, he's basically come in and wiped out all of the expertise that the Centers for Disease Control is focused on chronic disease. Taylor Wilson: That was former acting CDC Director Dr. Richard Besser. Dr. Besser joined my colleague Dana Taylor to talk through some of the medical community's concerns. You can find that episode right here beginning at 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time. ♦ Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. And if you use a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.
