NPR Up First: U.S. Debt Milestone, Venezuela Oil Deals, and Census Bureau Report Controversy

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.

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

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

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.