August 20, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. More than 24 racecars will race around D.C.’s National Mall this weekend on a course that passes by art and history museums, raising concerns about the safety of the works inside. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

A sign on a bus stop wall says: THE NATIONAL DEBT IS $39 TRILLION AND GROWING. Cars pass by on a road on the right side of the frame.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The U.S. government's debt surpassed $40 trillion yesterday, and there are no signs that it will decrease. So far this year, Washington has added more than $2 trillion to the deficit.

🎧 The rapid growth of the debt is happening because the government is spending significantly more than it receives, NPR’s Scott Horsley tells Up First. The government will spend more than $1 trillion this year just to pay interest on the debt, which is about 15% more than it spent on interest last year. Horsley says what’s remarkable is that debt is hitting a new high during relative prosperity, leaving the U.S. with less fiscal flexibility when the next major challenge arises.

U.S. oil companies have signed deals with Venezuela this week, the first such deals between the two countries in nearly two decades. Hunt Oil Company signed a contract to expand oil and gas production, while SLB signed an agreement for oil exploration. The deals come about eight months after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

🎧 Venezuela needs billions of dollars to rebuild after a devastating earthquake in June, Natalie Weber of NPR's network station Houston Public Media says. The contracts mark a milestone after oil companies have been hesitant to engage with Venezuela. But analysts say rebuilding the country’s oil production will require significant money and time, while political uncertainty may push companies toward short-term agreements.

President Trump reupped claims of widespread illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens with the help of an unusual Census Bureau report that appears to have ties to a think tank aligned with him, NPR has learned. Trump said that the bureau's initial analysis of more than 128 million voter records shows that over 24,000 noncitizens voted illegally in the 2020 presidential election. The seven-page unauthored report says it utilizes information from a 2020 commercial voter file and various federal administrative records. Data and election experts say the report's conclusions are questionable. A Census Bureau employee, who NPR has agreed not to name due to fears of workplace retaliation, says that the team behind the report included people affiliated with the America First Policy Institute, established by officials from Trump’s first administration.

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Life advice

In this illustration, a pair of hands holds a video game controller while the word “START” shows up on a screen in front of the hands and controller.

Westend61/Getty Images

Are you feeling restless in life? Try a side quest – an activity outside your usual routine that can spark your creativity. Life Kit shares tips for finding one:

🎨 Think of how you liked to play as a kid. Turn an old favorite into an adult activity, like taking an improv class if you loved pretend play.
🎨 Pick something you don't know how to do. A new activity can build skills that may even help with your main pursuits.
🎨 Don’t overthink it. Follow your curiosity and finally try something you've been putting off, like an acting class.

For additional advice on finding your perfect side quest, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

New from NPR

STEVE DRUMMOND

npr senior editor

An illustration of a man and a woman sitting at microphones for a podcast. Behind them is a wall of photos in frames.

Tatyana Alanis for NPR

Since we launched the NPR Student Podcast Challenge in 2018, we’ve heard from tens of thousands of young people. We’ve heard compelling stories about Tater Tots, about subsistence hunting in Alaska; the pros and cons of tattoos; and what it’s like to live through a mass shooting.

We’ve had interviews, too: a fifth-grader talking to the survivor of a Japanese incarceration camp in World War II and a college student’s conversations with his grandparents about aging and dementia.

Over the years, we’ve noticed that some of the best student podcasts feature young people talking to their elders, telling their stories.

People over 65 make up the fastest growing part of the U.S. population. There are roughly 60 million people in that age group, with distinct challenges and opportunities and life experiences.

And so, this month we launched the NPR Senior Podcast Challenge — a chance for anyone over 65 to sit down at the mic and hit “record.”

From the entries we receive we’ll pick the best ones, and put them on NPR. And we’ll bring our Grand Prize winner to our studios in Washington, D.C., to listen as their story airs live on Weekend Edition Sunday.

Here’s our launch page with details and we’ve also got all the rules here, and tons of advice on how to get started.

The main point is, you don’t need a lot of expertise or fancy microphones and equipment.

All you need is a story to tell.

3 things to know before you go

This image traces the orbital paths of all known stars orbiting the massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

1

Researchers have discovered a fast-moving star at the center of the Milky Way that could offer insights into gravity and a black hole.

2

Elbridge Gerry, an early figure in the American Revolution, created a redistricting plan to protect his allies, leading to the term "gerrymander."

3

In this week's installment of Far-Flung Postcards, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley visits Trouville-sur-Mer, a Normandy beach town just two hours by train from Paris that feels a world away.

Get headlines from your local NPR station.

Visit NPR.org to find your local station.

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This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.