From record national debt to a failed NASA rescue mission and scrutiny of a Trump aide, here are stories that made headlines this past week. Or skip down to the quiz to test your news savvy.
US national debt rises past $40T threshold
WASHINGTON — Total U.S. debt topped $40 trillion for the first time, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, drawing fresh warnings that a fiscal crisis is brewing as ballooning costs for social safety-net programs and interest payments far outstrip revenues held back by tax cuts.
The Treasury’s daily cash and debt balances statement showed total public debt outstanding at $40.047 trillion Tuesday, which includes Treasury securities held by the public of $32.266 trillion and intra-governmental debt holdings of $7.782 trillion.
The Treasury also announced support measures for long-duration bonds after an upward march in yields unnerved global investors.
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Israel’s army launches probes into the killing of Hind Rajab but rights groups say its investigations rarely deliver accountability.
Israel acknowledges it killed Gaza girl, family
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military acknowledged Wednesday that its troops opened fire on a car carrying Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, 5, and her family members in Gaza in 2024 and said it opened a criminal investigation.
Hind Rajab’s killing was one of the most high-profile incidents involving civilian deaths during Israel’s military assault in Gaza, launched after the 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
She died after being pinned down in a car for hours, begging Palestinian medics by mobile phone to send help, while her aunt, uncle and three cousins already lay dead. An ambulance was dispatched but dispatchers soon lost contact.
Twelve days later, the bodies of the girl, her relatives and two ambulance workers were recovered from the area.
Trump gives media tour of White House projects
President Donald Trump shakes a man's hand Wednesday after signing a stone that will be inserted into the helipad under construction on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday led reporters on a tour of White House construction projects he hopes will cement his legacy. The helipad on the South Lawn is near completion, Trump said, after he ordered it to be redone to eliminate a gradual slope meant to help drain rainwater. On Friday, the Supreme Court allowed work to continue on his White House ballroom project while a lawsuit that aims to stop it plays out.
In other news
Poll: A majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump and his family inappropriately profited from cryptocurrency since his return to power and his policy decisions are influenced by his private business dealings, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Monday.
Lawsuit: Disney and its ABC unit sued the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to block an early review of licenses for eight ABC stations, arguing the Trump administration seeks to punish the network over its broadcast content.
Inoculations: U.S. kindergarten vaccination coverage fell 0.1% during the 2025-2026 school year, continuing a downward trend since the onset of COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Monday.
North Korea: President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year, and said the Asian nation held 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons.
Kennedy Center: In a court filing Tuesday, a Democratic board member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said she’ll seek a court order blocking Republican President Donald Trump’s name from being added again to the building’s facade, months after a federal judge said only Congress could rename the Washington venue.
Mission aborted: A mission to rescue NASA’s aging Swift observatory was canceled Wednesday after the spacecraft launched to tug the satellite to a higher orbit suffered technical issues in space, rescue craft owner Katalyst Space said.
The water cooler — trending news
Hayden Panettiere attends the March 6, 2023, premiere of 'Scream VI' in New York City.
Hayden Panettiere (1989-2026): The actor Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in TV series like “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died last Sunday at age 36. Her representative confirmed her death to USA Today. With a prolific career in TV and film, she was vocal about her troubles with addiction and the effects of childhood stardom.
Cancer vaccine: Moderna and Merck said Wednesday that a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, tested with Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence and spread of melanoma, a major success in a new field of cancer treatment. It was the first positive late-stage trial result for an mRNA cancer vaccine, which trains a patient’s immune system to fight tumors by targeting specific mutations in those cells.
Writer E. Jean Carroll leaves the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 6, 2024, in Manhattan, N.Y.
Verdict stands: Rebuffing President Donald Trump for a second time, the Supreme Court declined Monday to hear his appeal of a $5 million verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the former magazine columnist.
Bill Rasmussen (1932-2026): ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen died Tuesday at age 93 from complications of Parkinson’s disease, the network announced. He and his son Scott founded the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network in 1979 as a cable channel based in Connecticut. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame last year.
Big number
$133 million: The sum people already bet on 2026 U.S. midterm elections, surpassing the $92.4 million wagered during the 2024 congressional election cycle, the Anti-Corruption Data Collective said Monday.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks July 12, 2025, during a rally at the Kehoe Iron Works in Savannah, Ga.
Quote of the week
“He doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said last Sunday of President Donald Trump, drawing attention to the Republican leader’s close aide Natalie Harp, 35.
