Matt Gaetz couldn’t beat the criticism and controversy. He withdrew his nomination to be President-Elect Donald Trump’s Attorney General. Trump quickly named Florida’s top prosecutor, Pam Bondi, in his place. USA TODAY Congress & Campaigns Reporter Riley Beggin gives the inside details on what happened.

Matt Gaetz isn’t the only controversial pick President-elect Donald Trump has announced. He continues to fill his Cabinet at a breakneck speed, outpacing other recent presidents, including himself during his first term.

The architect of two of the most controversial policies from Donald Trump’s first term – the Muslim ban and the family separation police at the border – will again play a prominent role in Trump’s second presidency, likely leading the rollout of Trump’s promise for mass deportation.

Judges at the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense chief for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity for its military response in Gaza.

Bluesky – the relatively new social media platform created by the founders of Twitter – continues to rapidly grow, reaching 20 million users – many, who signed up after Donald Trump was elected earlier this month.

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In the US, demand for power from AI data centers is skyrocketing, driven by the intensive computational requirements of its models, which often require vast amounts of energy for both training and operation. Then there are also AI’s carbon emissions. In many cases, the electricity used to power the AI data centers today relies on nonrenewable energy sources such as coal or gas. Can we afford AI’s huge environmental costs? Landon Marston, an associate professor at Viriginia Tech’s Environmental and Water Resources Engineering program, joins The Excerpt to discuss how engineers and policymakers are approaching solving for AI in the long-term.

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California police have released details about a sexual assault report into Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Defense Department. Plus, the House Ethics Commission has reviewed records detailing $10,000 in Venmo payments Matt Gaetz allegedly made to two women in the panel's probe. Gaetz is Trump's nominee for attorney general.

USA TODAY Democracy Reporter Erin Mansfield discusses allegations of sexual abuse against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

USA TODAY Education Reporter Zach Schermele takes a look at the future of higher education, and examines Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Education - Linda McMahon.

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AI applications in vertical farming have the potential to usher in a new model that not only yields a high volume of quality product, but also offers a much smaller carbon footprint in terms of resources and the space necessary to deploy them. By incorporating AI, robotics and vertically stacked crops in controlled environmental conditions, the vertical farming model might be a gamechanger in the agricultural sector. Hiroki Koga, co-founder and CEO of Oishii, the company behind the world's largest indoor vertical farm, joins The Excerpt to share his insights into how AI is transforming farming potential.

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What's next for President-elect Donald Trump's hush money sentencing?

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers talks through how the Biden administration is addressing aid to Ukraine in its final weeks.

Donald Trump taps TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Plus, he picked Linda McMahon to be education secretary.

USA TODAY National Correspondent Rick Jervis discusses immigrant advocates' concerns about children under Trump immigration plans.

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Israel has intensified its bombardment in and around Beirut, and Hezbollah has kept up missile fire into Israel, while U.S.-led diplomacy progresses.

USA TODAY National Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran discusses President-elect Donald Trump's comment about using the military to carry out mass deportations.

President Joe Biden asks Congress for $100 billion to aid recovery from hurricanes and other disasters.

USA TODAY Wellness Reporter Charles Trepany talks about why some Gen Z men are shifting to the right.

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The Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory.

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers discusses how world leaders are approaching the transition from Biden to Trump.

As President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House, climate-change experts are preparing for another fight.

USA TODAY Congress, Campaigns and Democracy Reporter Sudiksha Kochi talks about how Donald Trump could still face some pushback from members of his own party, despite GOP trifecta control in Washington.

Forensic science failures persist as labs fail to adopt standards.

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President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a multitude of promises from mass deportations to banning transgender athletes. But perhaps the area that American voters said they were most persuaded by is the economy. From enacting tariffs on foreign goods to slashing taxes for both individuals and businesses, Trump’s vision of economic populism is about to be put to the test. How might the Trump administration impact the economy in his second term? USA TODAY Money Reporter Medora Lee joins The Excerpt to decode what his various proposals might mean for the economy.

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