U.S. debt tops $40 trillion. And, new census report Trump is touting raises concerns

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 federal government's accumulated debt has reached a record $40 trillion, according to a daily update from the Treasury Department. Government spending is expected to exceed tax revenues by more than $2 trillion this year. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America hide caption

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.

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.

Feeling stuck, bored or restless in life? You might be ready to start a side quest. In video games, it's a mission that deviates from the main storyline, helping to build the world's lore . In the real life, it's an activity that doesn't serve any other purpose than bringing more whimsy into your day to day. Westend61/Getty Images/Westend61/Westend61 hide caption

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:

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.

This image traces the orbital paths of all known stars orbiting the massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. One of the stars, S301, approaches the black hole very closely. At its closest approach, the star travels over 15,000 miles per second. Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics hide caption