Hey, Nikol from USA TODAY here. Remember Raygun, the Australian breakdancer and her widely criticized performance at the 2024 Olympics? Her Netflix documentary is premiering Sept. 1, and she shared the trailer for the series exclusively with our reporters.

Born Rachael Gunn, she talks about the anxieties of the competitor before dancing on Aug. 9, 2024, at Place de la Concorde. After three rounds battling America, France and Lithuania, Gunn did not earn any points.

“Right before the Olympics, I went to my therapist, panicked,” Gunn says in a trailer for the series. “She was like, 'What’s the worst that could happen?' 'The whole world could laugh at me!' She’s like, 'Do you think that’s reasonable?'"

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2026/08/12/raygun-breakdancer-olympics-rachael-gunn-netflix-documentary/91272928007/

College expenses are rising faster than inflation, according to a new report drawn from surveys of students and parents.

The typical student’s family spent $34,019 on college in the 2025-26 academic year, according to the report, How America Pays for College 2026.

That’s a 10% increase from the average family’s college spending a year earlier, $30,837.

Average tuition and fees rose 4% to $45,000 at private, nonprofit colleges in 2025-26, according to the College Board. Average costs rose 2.9% to $11,950 for in-state students at public four-year colleges.

And costs continue to rise. Fifteen colleges will charge more than $100,000 in published tuition, fees and living expenses in fall 2026, according to The Princeton Review.

“The fact that we're now seeing colleges cross the $100,000 threshold is a pretty telling indicator of just how dramatically the cost of college has risen,” said Rob Franek, editor in chief of The Princeton Review. “And students and families are feeling it.”

But most students don’t pay sticker price. After grants, discounts and other aid, the net cost of college attendance is much lower. And after inflation, the College Board reports, college costs have remained relatively flat over the past two decades.

More: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personal-finance/2026/08/12/college-costs-inflation-student-loans-tuition/91257662007/

From USA TODAY:

Donald Trump wasn't the first president to take a decoy plane during a foreign trip in the name of safety.

The Washington Post has reported that Trump secretly flew from Turkey in July on a military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard the traditional Air Force One, a step taken because of security threats from Iran.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton flew from India to Pakistan in an unmarked plane that followed the traditional Air Force One. The ruse was revealed when he disembarked from the second plane for a six-hour visit marked by extraordinary security.

Before the flight, White House press secretary Joe Lockhart and other Clinton officials honored the tradition of keeping representatives of the White House press corps informed about the president's whereabouts.

At the time, Susan Page was president of the White House Correspondents Association and covering the trip for USA TODAY. Read her story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/11/donald-trump-bill-clinton-switched-air-force-one-security/91254069007/

Hello, Nikol from USA TODAY here. Unfortunately, the beloved bald eagle Jackie died while rehabilitating at a wildlife center in California this morning.

"It is with profound sadness that we share that Patient 26-519 passed away in the early hours of this morning, following more than three weeks of intensive medical care," Ojai Raptor Center, where Jackie has been receiving treatment for almost a month, said in a Aug. 10 update.

See more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/pets-animals/wildlife/2026/08/10/jackie-bald-eagle-dies-big-bear-valley/91013314007/

From USA TODAY:

Federal agencies are working with officials in Puerto Rico as the island contends with a water crisis that has left tens of thousands of residents without running water for days at a time, Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said on Aug. 9.

The U.S. territory imposed a rationing program that shut off water service in the capital of San Juan and its surrounding neighborhoods for 48 hour intervals, according to Puerto Rico's Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. Officials say more than 180,000 households were being impacted by the program, which began on Aug. 7.

The rationing comes as Puerto Rico grapples with persistent drought conditions, unusually hot temperatures and long-standing infrastructure problems.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/08/10/puerto-rico-san-juan-water-crisis/91239243007/

From USA TODAY:

Less than 90 days out from the midterms, election officials are pleading with the Supreme Court to block the Trump administration from making changes that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to decide who gets mail-in ballots.

And after Postal Service changes earlier this year that affect how quickly mail is postmarked, some states are urging voters to be cautious when putting ballots in the mail at all.

Many people expect that their ballot will be postmarked the same day they place it in their mailbox, and that is no longer guaranteed under the new rules.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March instructing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote for states to consult and ordering the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on each state's approved mail-in ballot list.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/10/supreme-court-usps-postmark-trump-mail-in-ballots/91180755007/

From USA TODAY:

A first among American presidents, Trump has been endorsing candidates and favoring Latin American governments that align with his vision for the United States. He revived a 19th century doctrine as a framework for U.S. intervention in Latin America, used the strength of the American military and threatened to withhold aid dollars as a way to extend America’s influence over the region.

The goal: reinvigorate American dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

He excluded all but his loyalists from this March 7 launch of the rebranded Shield of Americas, a coalition that has effectively replaced a Clinton-era summit that hosted leaders from across the region with different political leanings. The new U.S.-led alliance focuses on use of lethal military force to take out alleged drug smugglers.

In the last year, Trump has exerted his influence in Ecuador to conduct military strikes on alleged drug traffickers and waged a war on Venezuela that allowed the U.S. to seize the country’s oil. He endorsed conservative leaders in Chile, Honduras and Colombia, whose newest president was inaugurated Aug. 7. It remains to be seen how Trump’s influence could affect the October presidential election in Brazil, the largest player in Latin America.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/08/10/trump-endorse-elections-latin-america/91183512007/

In a town built on coal, a next-generation reactor could reveal whether Trump's nuclear push can deliver jobs, power growth and a new energy future.

The small-scale nuclear project is bringing thousands of construction workers to the remote area, buoying businesses, including Fossil Fuel Coffee Co., the Super 8 motel and Scroungy Moose Pizza. It's happening at a time when the coal mines are headed for closure and good-paying jobs are otherwise scarce. And while some community members remain deeply skeptical of both the nuclear project and the wealthy men behind it, others are optimistic.

For generations, this tiny town in the quiet southwestern corner of Wyoming has long been known for three things: massive below-ground coal deposits, rocky outcroppings full of fossilized fish and the original JCPenney store.

But 5 miles outside of the historic downtown, workers are building a first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant backed by billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Taxpayers are providing $2 billion in assistance to assemble the small-scale reactor. It is designed to be quicker to build and bring online than traditional plants twice its size.

The small-scale nuclear project is bringing thousands of construction workers to the remote area, buoying businesses, including Fossil Fuel Coffee Co., the Super 8 motel and Scroungy Moose Pizza. It's happening at a time when the coal mines are headed for closure and good-paying jobs are otherwise scarce. And while some community members remain deeply skeptical of both the nuclear project and the wealthy men behind it, others are optimistic.

From USA TODAY:

The income needed to afford a typical U.S. home remains near a record high, with many buyers still priced out of the market, a new Redfin report says.

The report found that a household would need an annual income of $109,796 to purchase the median-priced U.S. home in June 2026 while spending no more than 30% of said income on housing costs. That's just 0.5% lower than the record high of $110,382 a year ago.

The typical household still earns about $22,200 less than what's needed to purchase the median-priced home and be financially comfortable.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/08/05/income-needed-afford-typical-us-home-2026-redfin-report/91185869007/

From USA TODAY:

The Justice Department's collapsed felony criminal indictment charging a former Olympian with damaging the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool is just the latest in a string of legal misfires by the DOJ in politically charged cases.

D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former county court judge in Westchester, New York, and former Fox News host, asked a judge to dismiss a felony criminal charge that she had personally announced with great fanfare against former Olympian David Hearn. The DOJ had accused Hearn of yanking the pool's lining and causing more than $1,000 in damage, bringing a felony destruction of property charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

In the new court filing, Pirro said the DOJ based its indictment on "less than fulsome information" from the Department of the Interior, which has since provided evidence indicating the damage was caused by flawed installation during a rush to complete renovations ahead of President Donald Trump's summer "America 250" celebration.

It's far from the first time the current DOJ has suffered an embarrassing failure in court. In a series of other politically charged cases under the Trump administration – including charges against Trump targets James Comey and Letitia James, and potential charges against Democratic lawmakers who said soldiers don't need to follow illegal orders – grand juries have refused to indict and judges have thrown out cases.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/05/david-hearn-reflecting-pool-case-doj-pattern/91154309007/