In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton.

The federal debt now tops $38 trillion for the first time ever.

NPR's Scott Horsley reports the government has added a trillion dollars in new debt in

just the last two months.

Even with big suez of the federal government temporarily idled by the shutdown, spending continues to outpace tax

revenues, leaving the government to rely on borrowing to make up the difference.

The cost of the growing debt is compounded by today's interest rates, which are higher than they were a

few years ago. Last month alone, the government had to spend $91 billion just to cover interest

payments on the debt that outpaced every other line item in the federal budget except for Social

Security. Fiscal watchdog Michael Peterson warns interest costs are likely to crowd out other important investments, acting like a drag on the broader U.S. economy.

Scott Horsley-NPR News, Washington.

North Carolina Republicans finished passing a new congressional map today.

They hope it'll ease the party's path to winning an 11th seat in the state.

The North Carolina newsroom's Adam Wagner reports from Raleigh.

North Carolina's new map shifts hundreds of thousands of voters between the first and third

districts in the eastern part of the state. Republicans have said their goal is to gain an advantage

in the state's only swing district, one currently held by Don Davis, a Democrat. But Democrats, like state representative

Gloristine Brown, say the new map intentionally dilutes the power of black voters.

...