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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.