Is America still the land of hope?

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It’s been nearly a decade since the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, or SAKI, has been put into place, a relatively new grant program that takes aim at the decades-old problem of unprocessed sexual assault kits. Since its founding in 2015, SAKI has handed out nearly $350 million dollars in grant money to 90 local and state agencies across the U.S. But for many rape survivors, the program's promise of justice has fallen short. Thousands of kits still went untested and in many communities, there were few arrests or convictions. What went wrong? USA TODAY Investigative Reporter Tricia Nadolny joins The Excerpt to discuss what she learned in her investigation into what really happened with America’s rape-kit backlog.Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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On the cusp of an historic election, where partisan divides are tearing both families and communities apart, USA TODAY went out looking for hope in America. Over the course of the summer, USA TODAY reporters visited six towns, all named Hope, to gauge the mood of the voters. Podcast host Dana Taylor's visit to Hope, Arkansas was among them and was featured in part one of this series on Hope in America, which aired last Sunday. Following our reporting on the ground, USA TODAY conducted an exclusive poll with voters. USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page joins The Excerpt to share her insights.Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At least nine people were killed, and thousands injured, including Hezbollah fighters, when pagers exploded in Lebanon. Hezbollah has blamed Israel as tensions continue along the Lebanon-Israel border.USA TODAY Democracy Reporter Erin Mansfield breaks down polling from the nonpartisan World Justice Project on whether or not Americans will accept election results.Grassroots organizations in Georgia are working to register voters of color to push back against what they call voter suppression efforts.USA TODAY Sports Columnist Nancy Armour explains how footage for Simone Biles' Netflix documentary could be the smoking gun in Jordan Chiles' medal appeal.STI rates are skyrocketing among older Americans.Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer discusses the Secret Service measures on Sunday surrounding the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, and what's next for the suspect.A range of celebrities 'love' Taylor Swift after Donald Trump's 'hate' comment.USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison takes a look at how Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris fare in a new exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from Pennsylvania.The Coast Guard's Titan submersible hearing has begun.Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former President Donald Trump is safe after another assassination attempt.USA TODAY Democracy Reporter Erin Mansfield takes a closer look at Democrats' voting rights agenda.GOP officials say states could punish colleges that divest from Israel. Could they?USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub breaks down the new FDA mammogram guidelines.'Hacks' and 'Shogun' win big at the Emmys.Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

America has always been the land of promise. For a better life for yourself and your family. For a better world, for your neighbors and countrymen. For a better future for all of humanity. But does America still have hope? Amid bitter partisan divides throughout our country, USA TODAY recently visited six small communities to gauge the mood of the voters. What do they all have in common? They’re all named Hope. For this episode, Dana Taylor visited the largest and most diverse of them all - Hope, Arkansas. (Bill Clinton clip courtesy of The Clinton Foundation)Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer explains what experts are saying about police failures to see the suspected Georgia school shooter as a threat.Former President Donald Trump held his first post-debate rally in Arizona Thursday. Plus, he says he won't debate Vice President Kamala Harris a second time. We also hear about some new developments to his legal issues.A judge overturns North Dakota's abortion ban.USA TODAY Personal Finance Reporter Daniel de Visé talks about the surgeon general's warning on parenting.The Pac-12 adds four Mountain West schools.Episode Transcript available hereAlso available at art19.com/shows/5-ThingsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.