USA TODAY - October 20, 2026

Oct 21, 2026

USA TODAY’s Tuesday, October 20, 2026 issue covers major U.S. policy and public life developments. Reporting details federal actions tied to women’s health, including an executive order creating a new Women’s Health Division at the NIH and a White House task force, with Melania Trump highlighting research priorities. Sports and national news segments also feature wealth and debt trends, NBA player rankings, and political reporting focused on Zelenskyy and U.S.-Ukraine support. A separate feature describes death row spiritual advisers offering comfort to the condemned.

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CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

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The Nation's News

Women’s health policy and NIH executive order

Death row spiritual advisers offer solace

Zelenskyy feud and alarms about U.S. support

Fed survey shows wealth is still up, but so is debt Americans’ median net worth slowed to 2% in 2022-2025, yet many are late on debt. In Money We find clues from ranking the Top 100 NBA players Columnist: Knicks, Thunder, Cavaliers and 76ers starters may have a say about Finals. In Sports USA TODAY THE NATION'S NEWS | $3 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2026 LISA O'CONNOR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Cardellini faces her fears as Jason’s mom The actress connects with audiences in a new way in the “Friday the 13th” prequel series“Crystal Lake” and even gets to sing. In Life First lady Melania Trump’s new efforts position her as an advocate for women’s health. ANGELA WEISS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES FILE First lady takes on women’s health Executive order creates new division at NIH Laura Trujillo USA TODAY First lady Melania Trump pressed her husband’s administration to give women’s health greater priority in medical research, USA TODAY has learned – a push that culminated Oct. 19 in an executive order creating a new division at the National Institutes of Health. The president established a new Women’s Health Division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House Women’s Health Task Force aimed at overhauling how the federal government approaches women’s health, according to a White House document obtained in advance exclusively by USA TODAY. The initiative has included a flurry of meetings setup by the first lady herself inside the East Wing including working sessions with physicians, and other experts in the public and private sectors. She met with officials from Health and Human Services. She wanted to understand gaps in care. “I acted quickly and organized working sessions between the doctors who I originally consulted, East Wing policy makers, the President, Secretary Kennedy, and other key stakeholders to shape this Executive Order, establish the task force, and create anew department within the NIH, dedicated to women’s health exclusively,”the first lady said in a statement exclusively provided to USA TODAY by her senior adviser, Marc Beckman. The first lady led the event in the Rose Garden, giving a speech highlighting the need for women’s health research, using artificial intelligence to speed up health discoveries, ensuring care is accessible and affordable, and approaching topics that previously weren’t discussed. “It was abundantly clear that women’s health care needs to be modernized, the research gap closed, and further, the need to accelerate the discovery of treatments and cures was glaring,” Melania Trump also said in the statement. The new division won’t replace the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, which has safeguarded women’s health since 1990 . Its broader mandate will extend beyond research, coordinating agencies to accelerate scientific discoveries and improve See FIRST LADY, Page 4A QIJFAF-02005y(O)N ©COPYRIGHT 2026 USA TODAY, A division of USA TODAY Co., Inc. HOME DELIVERY 1-800-872-0001, USATODAYSERVICE.COM “I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. So thereby, I’m expected, by my good Lord’s help, to handle it.” Rudy Kalis ‘They know I care’ ILLUSTRATION BY TIFFANY CLEMENS/USA TODAY; AND GETTY IMAGES Death row spiritual advisers offer solace to the condemned Molly Davis Nashville Tennessean | USA TODAY NETWORK – TENNESSEE NASHVILLE T he woman leaned over to look into the man’s face. The room was quiet aside from her prayers. h “You are a child of God,” she told him.“You always will be.” h He wasn’t breathing anymore. But she kept on. h “Teach us, teach us, teach ushow to love one another,” she said. h She held his head in her hands and bent down to kiss the left side of his face. It was goodbye. Later, in the suffocating heat of August in Tennessee, Diana Gallaher repeated the last words of Anthony Darrell Hines as she had heard them that morning. “Tell my son I love him,” he said from the gurney inside Riverbend Maximum Securi

FAQs

What executive order was created related to women’s health?

An executive order established a new Women’s Health Division at the National Institutes of Health and created a White House Women’s Health Task Force to overhaul how the federal government approaches women’s health.

How did Melania Trump describe the goal of the women’s health initiative?

She said the effort would modernize women’s health care, close research gaps, and accelerate the discovery of treatments and cures while improving accessibility and affordability.

What concern is raised in reporting about Zelenskyy and U.S.-Ukraine support?

The reporting says the leaders’ public rupture could jeopardize U.S. support by affecting intelligence sharing, satellite technology, and weapon sales.

Oct 21, 2026

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