USA TODAY

By fall 2024, student attendance in #Fresno Unified School District had nearly rebounded from the surge in absenteeism triggered by pandemic-related school closures, Superintendent Carlos Castillo said.

But after #PresidentTrump was elected to a second term with promises to ramp up #deportations of undocumented immigrants, absences spiked again.

Across five school districts in California’s #CentralValley, student absenteeism rose by an average of 22% in January and February — the first two months of Trump’s new term — compared with the same period during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. The increase was most pronounced among elementary school students.

Read more: www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/05/tr…

5 hours ago | [YT] | 179

USA TODAY

#PresidentTrump will sign an executive order on Sept. 5 changing the name of the #DepartmentofDefense to the "Department of War," reviving a name that was abandoned during a 1947 Cabinet reorganization.

The move, confirmed by a #WhiteHouse official, is intended to reflect what #DefenseSecretary #PeteHegseth has described as the administration's effort to instill the "warrior ethos" across the armed forces.

Trump suggested the change during remarks to reporters on Aug. 25. "It used to be called the Department of War, and it had a stronger sound," Trump said. "And as you know, we won World War I, we won World War II. We won everything."

Read more: www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/04/do…

7 hours ago | [YT] | 88

USA TODAY

Amid a historic run, the estimated Powerball jackpot has risen once again to a staggering $1.8 billion, making it the second largest in lottery history.

The projected pot was increased by roughly $100 million in an update on Friday, Sept. 5, less than 48 hours ahead of the next drawing on Saturday, Sept. 6.

But, what are odds you'll win the Powerball? It's more likely you'll be being hit by lightning. In other words – if you’re not lucky – you’d have to buy 292,201,338 Powerball tickets with all variations to win just once.

Here’s a list of what you’re more likely to encounter than winning the Powerball jackpot.

Read more at: www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/09/04/what-ar…

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USA TODAY

Giorgio Armani, the famed Italian fashion designer who achieved elegance and timelessness through simplicity, has died. He was 91.

Armani "worked until his final days," the Armani Group said in a statement Thursday, Sept. 4, announcing his death.

Armani combined the flair of the designer with the acumen of a businessman, running a company that turned over some $2.7 billion a year.

He had been unwell for some time, and was forced to drop out of his group's shows at Milan's Men's Fashion Week in June, the first time in his career that he had missed one of his catwalk events. 

Read more: www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2…

1 day ago | [YT] | 135

USA TODAY

It's a 'Love Story!' Where will our gym and English teacher tie the knot?

That's the question on every Swiftie's mind after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement announcement broke the internet last week.

While they have yet to announce any wedding plans, people are already curious about when and where the big day could take place.

The experts at travel platform Skyscanner looked at the couple's relationship history and Swiftie lore to narrow down potential destinations that could be their wedding locale – and why these places are worthy of a trip all on their own.

Here are some potential wedding destinations for Swift and Kelce, according to Skyscanner.

Read more at: www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2025/09/03/taylor-sw…

1 day ago | [YT] | 52

USA TODAY

Senators alarmed by chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grilled Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over what some are calling his politicization of vaccine policy and his past promises not to interfere in scientific decisions.

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has promoted misinformation about public health, recently ousted his hand-picked CDC director, Dr. Susan Monarez, with President Donald Trump's backing in a blowup that saw several top officials quit the agency.

The hearing before the Senate Finance Committee comes as Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again commission delivered an action plan to the White House to combat chronic diseases in U.S. children. That plan has yet to be released to the public.

Kennedy has been criticized for his mixed messaging on a measles outbreak, firing a vaccine advisory panel and cutting $500 million in funding for developing mRNA technology, which is used in the two most common COVID-19 vaccines.

Live updates: www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/04/rf…

1 day ago | [YT] | 563

USA TODAY

The Trump administration announced a review of the Smithsonian Institute, starting with eight of its high-profile museums. USA TODAY visited five and interviewed nearly 50 museumgoers on their views. www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/03/tr…

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2 days ago | [YT] | 125

USA TODAY

China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un met publicly for the first time as part of an event in Beijing to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two. www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/09/03/russi…

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2 days ago | [YT] | 117

USA TODAY

President Donald Trump is plowing ahead with efforts to change election rules despite initial court rulings that he doesn’t have the power to do so. www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/01/tr…

2 days ago | [YT] | 155

USA TODAY

Kraft Heinz will split into two listed companies, one focused on groceries and the other on sauces and spreads, the U.S. packaged foods maker said on Tuesday, seeking to jump-start growth after years of sluggish sales.

The move dismantles the decade-old merger between H.J. Heinz Co and Kraft Foods Group, which was backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital, that created a $45 billion packaged food giant.

"Kraft Heinz's brands are iconic and beloved, but the complexity of our current structure makes it challenging to allocate capital effectively, prioritize initiatives and drive scale in our most promising areas," said Miguel Patricio, executive chair of the Kraft Heinz board.

Read more at: www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/09/02/kraft-hein…

3 days ago | [YT] | 79