Actor and author Andrew McCarthy set out to reconnect with old friends. What followed was a 10,000-mile road trip and a deeper look at something many men struggle to talk about: loneliness.

Along the way, McCarthy met men across the country, asking a simple question — are you lonely? Their answers reveal how friendships fade over time, why many men avoid vulnerability and what gets lost when connection disappears. USA TODAY Books Reporter Clare Mulroy speaks with McCarthy about what he learned on the road, how his own friendships changed and why showing up might be the simplest — and hardest — way to rebuild them.

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Income inequality in the U.S. is surging, reminiscent of the Gilded Age, according to Inequality.org, a project of the Institute for Policy Studies. According to the Congressional Budget Office, between 1979 and 2021 the average income of the top 0.1 percent of households grew almost 27 times as fast as that of the bottom 20 percent. Which brings us to a question being asked across the country today: Should the very rich be subject to a special tax? USA TODAY Personal Finance Reporter Daniel de Visé joins The Excerpt to discuss the possibility of a wealth tax.

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Only 90 miles separates the U.S. from Cuba, a roughly one-hour flight from Miami. But while close geographically, decades of geopolitical tensions have created a deep and lasting divide. That divide is now being tested by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers joins The Excerpt to discuss the current crisis in Cuba and the evolution of Marco Rubio.

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