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Today’s top stories

The 2026 midterm elections are set to become the most expensive on record. More than $15 billion has been raised to influence the outcome and control of Congress.

• 🎧 Democratic nominees in House and Senate races are raking in incredible amounts of donations, even though the Democratic Party remains unpopular, NPR’s Stephen Fowler says. Republicans are also unpopular, largely due to issues like the war in Iran, gas prices and the economy. A few megadonors, such as Elon Musk, are donating money to super PACs to try to push voters to elect Republicans. In the 13 competitive races highlighted in the Cook Political Report, Republicans are being outraised by a 5-to-1 margin. Both parties are spending heavily, indicating that Democrats might have a chance to win in several locations. Currently, 75% of planned ad buys are in toss-up races or those leaning Republican.
• ➡️ Some of the most competitive congressional races might not be called until days after Election Day. Here’s why.
• ➡️ The NPR App has all of NPR’s election coverage in one place — from the biggest stories across the country, to the issues that matter close to home. Browse headlines, playlists, podcast episodes, videos and more, all on the 2026 Election tab.

At least one person died and more than a dozen were injured in a major Ukrainian drone strike yesterday on Saint Petersburg, Russia’s former imperial capital. The attack targeted strategic sites, including a key port oil terminal. Over the weekend, Russian missile strikes in Ukraine killed at least 11 people. This conflict continues as President Trump says that relieving pressure on Russia is the best way to end the war.

• 🎧 The recent attack on Saint Petersburg appears to mark the largest one on the city since Russia’s 2022 invasion, NPR’s Charles Maynes tells Up First. While it’s unclear how many drones struck the city, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 1,000 drones across various regions that night. Trump seems to be working to protect Russian oil facilities after cutting a deal with President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel. The move was aimed at lowering gas prices for U.S. voters before the midterm elections. Trump has called previous Ukrainian strikes a “disgrace,” even as Russia continues to strike Ukraine, Maynes says. He adds that the president blames President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for attacks that allegedly raise U.S. fuel prices, despite economists attributing the price increase mainly to Trump’s war in Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced violence over the weekend that he says has overshadowed largely peaceful protests across the country. The unrest began as a student protest for better conditions and has expanded to include public-sector workers protesting high energy prices, the rising cost of living and social inequality. The Interior Ministry reported about 2,300 arrests and nearly 1,000 injured police officers.