Chris Brennan

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Chris Brennan

The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will meet in conclave on May 7 at the Vatican to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88. It's supposed to be a solemn time for reflection on the legacy of the papacy and the future of the church. But for President Donald Trump, it's an opportunity ‒ not to be the next pope but to distract you from the developing damage he has brought to America's economy.

1 week ago | usatoday.com | Chris Brennan

Elon Musk is the world's richest man, so it's fair to expect him to know a thing or two about money and math. But now that Musk is wrapping up his time as President Donald Trump's "special government employee" in charge of fracturing the federal government with chaos, confusion and concern, it's also fair to ask a few questions. Here's one: Does Musk know that $160 billion is just 8% of $2 trillion?

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Chris Brennan

Who is Mark Carney? He's Canada's newest prime minister — but he's also a father of four, pizza lover and an Oilers fanHe might be a household name, but there's plenty that people don't know about Carney — including his go-to TV show. It’s been a whirlwind 2025 for …

2 weeks ago | capecodtimes.com | Chris Brennan

Canada just showed America – and maybe the Democratic Party can learn a lesson here – that Trump's chaos can be kept in check if enough people recognize him as a very real threat to democracy. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Sounds familiar, right? But Trump's pugnacity punched the Conservative Party right in the ballot box. How toxic was Trump for the party?

2 weeks ago | usatoday.com | Chris Brennan

Canada, you may have heard, is a completely different country just to the north of America and overwhelmingly has no interest in becoming our 51st state, despite President Donald Trump's odd fixation on annexing our ally. Canadians don't vote directly for a prime minister. But they did, in the April 28 national election, vote very specifically against Trump.