August 12, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. The second-largest school system in the United States is kicking off the 2026–2027 academic year with sweeping new limits on students' screen time. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

A man voting at a booth that says “Vote” and has American flags on it.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Voters in six states cast their ballots yesterday. The results reveal ongoing conflicts in both parties ahead of the November midterms. In Democratic primaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Connecticut, voters leaned toward younger, more progressive candidates who oppose President Trump's immigration policies. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a progressive candidate, won her U.S. Senate primary over a centrist opponent. In Wisconsin, democratic socialist candidate Rep. Francesca Hong was narrowly defeated by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for the gubernatorial nomination. Amid low approval ratings, Trump's endorsements had mixed outcomes in the Republican primaries. Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham got enough support to advance to a runoff election for her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat. But despite the president's support, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell lost his primary for governor of Minnesota. Here are four key takeaways from last night's elections.

🎧 Minnesota has not gone for Trump in the last three presidential elections, Minnesota Public Radio’s Clay Masters tells Up First. He adds that it's important for Republicans in the state to be willing to disagree with the president. Lindell lost to the state's Speaker of the House, Lisa Demuth, who was widely seen as the establishment favorite despite lacking Trump's endorsement and that of the state's Republican Party.

President Trump has confirmed that he was secretly moved from Air Force One to a different aircraft while in Turkey last month due to a threat from Iran. Aboard the president’s regular plane were White House staff, military personnel, Secret Service and journalists, essentially serving as unknowing decoys.

🎧 The press and the White House have a level of cooperation to ensure the president's movements are independently covered, especially in high-risk situations, NPR's Tamara Keith says. Often, embargoes are used to prevent information from being released until the president is safe. But Keith says the Trump administration ditched the press entirely and went to great lengths to continue the ruse after the immediate danger had passed, including having the Justice Department send FBI agents to serve subpoenas to journalists covering the security issues related to that flight. White House journalists traveling with the president work to ensure that the American public doesn't have to rely solely on the government’s word on what happens. This role is even more crucial during times of war and rampant conspiracy theories, Keith says.

Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, has promised Trump that he will disarm Iran-backed paramilitary groups, which are on the Iraqi government payroll but operate independently from the government. Since the start of the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran, these militias have intensified their attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions and military installations in Iraq.

🎧 NPR’s Jane Arraf spoke with Sheik Kathim al-Fartousi, the spokesman for Kata'ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS), a militia that refuses to disarm. The U.S. placed a $10 million bounty on the group's leader three years ago, and he's maintaining a low profile. Al-Fartousi told Arraf that KSS considers diplomatic missions to be forbidden targets, arguing that the military and intelligence functions at the U.S. Embassy no longer have protected status. He added that KSS has never targeted the American embassy itself, but rather the military base within the embassy compound. KSS and some other militias are also promising retaliation against Saudi Arabia for recent attacks on bases, while others are pushing for diplomatic solutions.

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Life advice

An illustration of a man with glasses standing around several shopping bags. The image has the words “Life Kit” and “3 types of financial guilt (and how to cope).”

Abi Inman/NPR

You may be experiencing financial guilt if spending or not spending money makes you feel ashamed or regretful. This guilt can prevent you from improving your financial situation, or enjoying the money you already have. Financial planner Lauryn Williams breaks down three types of financial guilt and provides advice on how to address them. Life Kit has taken that guidance and shared it in an informative comic strip.

🛍️ Feeling regret from overspending? Acknowledge the mistake you made, but don’t judge yourself for it. Then work on your “guilt-free budget,” which can help you feel more financially prepared.
🛍️ Does unequal income in your relationships make you feel guilty? Have a conversation to remind everyone that they contribute differently to the household and that you are a team.
🛍️ Having negative feelings about not spending enough on others? Ask yourself why you are feeling guilty and then make a plan to decide how much you can reasonably give.

For additional guidance for spending and saving without guilt, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

Picture show

Large crowds of pilgrims fill the area between the two holy shrines in Karbala at sunset, with the illuminated dome and minarets of Imam Hussein's shrine visible in the background.

Mohammed Sawaf for NPR

Twenty million pilgrims gathered in the holy city of Karbala this year for the commemoration of Arbaeen, the story of Imam Hussein's killing 1,400 years ago. This year's attendees are drawing parallels to the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his family, by Israel and the United States. Many see the killing as an injustice against Shia Muslims. Iran says more than 3 million of its pilgrims attended Arbaeen ceremonies. Despite wars ranging across the Middle East, people expressed gratitude and grief during the pilgrimages. See photos from the festival.

3 things to know before you go

An aerial view of Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center, as seen from the Washington Monument.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

1

A Washington, D.C., superior court judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd more than $250,000 after he canceled his annual performance over the addition of Trump's name to the center.

2

A federal judge in Boston expanded a block yesterday on a portion of the president's executive order restricting mail-in voting for this year's midterms. This ruling bans the U.S. Postal Service from implementing directives nationwide.

3

A team from Santa Clara University is using a new AI chatbot to streamline the complex process of repatriating more than 100,000 artifacts stolen by Nazis.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

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