Russia-Ukraine; Campaign funds; France protests : NPR

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Today’s high tales

The 2026 midterm elections are set to become the most costly on file. More than $15 billion has been raised to affect the consequence and management of Congress.

Election staff course of ballots for the California state main at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on June 5. California’s comparatively sluggish vote depend has put “a big target on its back,” as one election knowledgeable instructed NPR.

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

🎧 Democratic nominees in House and Senate races are raking in unbelievable quantities of donations, even though the Democratic Party stays unpopular, NPR’s Stephen Fowler says. Republicans are also unpopular, largely due to points like the battle in Iran, fuel costs and the financial system. A few megadonors, such as Elon Musk, are donating cash to tremendous PACs to strive to push voters to elect Republicans. In the 13 aggressive races highlighted in the Cook Political Report, Republicans are being outraised by a 5-to-1 margin. Both events are spending closely, indicating that Democrats might have a likelihood to win in several places. Currently, 75% of deliberate advert buys are in toss-up races or these leaning Republican.

➡️ Some of the most aggressive congressional races might not be called until days after Election Day. Here’s why.

➡️ The NPR App has all of NPR’s election protection in one place — from the greatest tales across the nation, to the points that matter shut to house. Browse headlines, playlists, podcast episodes, movies and more, all on the 2026 Election tab.

At least one particular person died and more than a dozen were injured in a main Ukrainian drone strike yesterday on Saint Petersburg, Russia’s former imperial capital. The attack focused strategic websites, including a key port oil terminal. Over the weekend, Russian missile strikes in Ukraine killed at least 11 folks. This battle continues as President Trump says that relieving stress on Russia is the greatest manner to finish the battle.

🎧 The current attack on Saint Petersburg seems to mark the largest one on the metropolis since Russia’s 2022 invasion, NPR’s Charles Maynes tells Up First. While it’s unclear how many drones struck the metropolis, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 1,000 drones across numerous areas that night time. Trump seems to be working to shield Russian oil amenities after reducing a deal with President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel. The transfer was aimed at reducing fuel costs for U.S. voters before the midterm elections. Trump has called earlier Ukrainian strikes a “disgrace,” even as Russia continues to strike Ukraine, Maynes says. He provides that the president blames President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for attacks that allegedly elevate U.S. gasoline costs, despite economists attributing the value improve primarily to Trump’s battle in Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced violence over the weekend that he says has overshadowed largely peaceable protests across the nation. The unrest started as a pupil protest for higher circumstances and has expanded to embrace public-sector staff protesting excessive vitality costs, the rising price of dwelling and social inequality. The Interior Ministry reported about 2,300 arrests and almost 1,000 injured cops.

🎧 NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley, who was in the streets of Paris yesterday, witnessed burned bikes, shattered glass and graffiti on looted shops saying issues like “tax the rich.” She spoke with 23-year-old Sarah Berlia, who says she believes these actions come from a annoyed technology going through dwindling rights and alternatives. Beardsley says the protest tradition in France typically attracts “troublemakers,” but the scale of present occasions is large. The protests have had political implications, as France is six months away from a presidential election. Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has joined the protesters, while far-right chief Marine Le Pen, who is main in the polls, has condemned the violence and the authorities.

Living higher

Tony Stepanow, from Finland, attends a sauna during the International Sauna Congress 2026 in Oslo, Norway, Sept. 25, 2026.

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Siv Dolmen for NPR

Living Better is a particular sequence about what it takes to keep wholesome in America.

Saunas are gaining renewed consideration in the wellness world for their potential to enhance psychological well being. This development displays the rising curiosity in the broader wellness motion and social connection, particularly post-pandemic. While scientists perceive how saunas have an effect on the cardiovascular system, they are just starting to discover their impression on psychological well being. Here’s what they know so far.

🥵 When our pores and skin detects warmth, it sends indicators to a primitive mind space that prompts our physique to cool down. This pathway also influences temper and pleasure, which is related with melancholy.

🥵 Heat triggers an anti-inflammatory response related to the results of train, which is recognized to assist with melancholy and other psychological well being points.

🥵 Heating folks up can act like a “thermoregulatory workout,” serving to their our bodies cool down more effectively over time.

Picture present

Jennifer Teresa Villanueva’s aunts, cousins, grandmother and uncle collect around the eating desk for an afternoon brunch at house in Chicago in 2018.

Jennifer Teresa Villanueva

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Jennifer Teresa Villanueva

Artist Jennifer Teresa Villanueva has captured her household’s on a regular basis life through her lens for eight years, revealing moments of love, care and sacrifice within their Chicago house. The private undertaking took root in 2018, sparked by her grandmother’s hospitalization. It began as a manner to higher perceive her grandmother’s every day routines, and quickly it blossomed into a heartfelt exploration of the immigrant expertise. “I am interested in what happens when the camera enters a home where everyone already knows one another,” Villanueva instructed NPR. “There is no distance between photographer and subject. I am photographing the people who raised me, and I am also photographing the home that raised me.” See pictures from the undertaking and learn more about Villanueva’s work.

3 issues to know before you go

Noah Adams adjusts his headphones in the National Public Radio studio in Washington Feb.16, 1987.

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Charles Tasnadi/AP

Noah Adams, a author and broadcaster who hosted All Things Considered for 18 years, has died. He was 84 years previous.

Trump announced over the weekend that he plans to shut and renovate the East Potomac Golf Links course in Washington, D.C. The golf course is already at the heart of a authorized battle.

An Air Force service member died Saturday after a rappelling accident during a pregame ceremony at the Alamodome forward of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s soccer sport against Navy. (via Texas Public Radio)

This publication was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

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Russia-Ukraine; Campaign funds; France protests : NPR

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