US national debt doubles in a year, with payments costing more than Medicaid

**Christy Strawser** (0:00)
The day's biggest stories, the people behind the headlines, the conversations you won't hear anywhere else. I'm Christy Strawser, you're listening to Audacy's On Deadline. The Democrats are coming, the Democrats are coming. If you want to shout that like Paul Revere and do it in his old stomping grounds, you may be in luck. Boston and Philadelphia are finalists for the big Democratic National Convention.
KOW City Hall Bureau Chief Pat Loeb has the story.

**Pat Loeb** (0:27)
The Democratic National Committee winnowed the list of potential sites for its next convention from 6 to 3 The finalists besides Philadelphia are Boston and Denver. Philadelphia holds a strong hand, having just hosted FIFA World Cup games, the MLB All-Star Game and multiple America 250 events. It also has a more recent track record as DNC host, having won high marks for the 2016 convention, Boston last hosted in 2004 and Denver in 2008 The 2016 convention brought an estimated $230 million in economic activity to the region. That was less than organizers had predicted, but likely helped the city land other big events.

**Christy Strawser** (1:14)
If that seems early, you're not going to believe this. It's pumpkin spice latte season already.

**Shannon Golden** (1:20)
It may still feel like summer, but fall has arrived for coffee drinkers. That's right. The pumpkin spice latte is back. KCBS's Shannon Golden tested a couple of the autumn drinks at some of the chains already offering it.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:31)
We'll have to wait another week to order Starbucks's classic PSL, which launches the 25th, but Panera is already advertising its pumpkin flavored drinks.
Oh, I like the sugar crystals on that one. As is Dunkin. It was very, very, very sweet. So I think Panera, I think Panera has my vote if I have to choose. I'd say I'm in the camp that feels it's just a bit too early to roll out. I haven't seen it fall just yet, but several folks I spoke with in front of both spots, like Lisa, are glad to see it back for the season.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:02)
I just came from Home Goods and they have like all their Halloween decorations out, so I feel like I love Halloween, so I don't think it's too early also in the Bay Area or in San Francisco. Summertime is pretty cold, so it fits the vibe.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:18)
And it seems like a lot of people have been looking forward to it. Yelp searches for pumpkin spice latte reportedly increased by more than 300% last month.

**Shannon Golden** (2:29)
And for American Airlines, it's back in time to 2015
The airline says it's adding seatback screens on all of its narrow body aircraft, which it removed to save weight about a decade ago. Turns out people don't really prefer to use their own device. The new screens will have 4K displays, Bluetooth pairing for audio and USB charging, that is. American is also revamping cabins and adding more premium seating.

**Christy Strawser** (2:56)
Whether you love it or hate it, it's worth noting the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks will set you back between $5.75 and $7.25, with exact pricing varying by your specific city, local store and choice of hot or iced. Please don't get them on by now pay later programs. Although it turns out that's what the US has been doing with a lot of goods. Here's WCCO in Minneapolis.

**SPEAKER_6** (3:22)
The national debt has now hit a staggering $40 trillion, double where it was a year ago, says ABC's Rebecca Jarvis.

**Rebecca Jarvis** (3:29)
This didn't happen overnight under both Republicans and Democrats. The government has been spending more than it makes in taxes for 26 years on everything from health care to stimulus benefits to tax cuts and spending.
Just like those credit card bills, the longer you ignore it, the worse it gets, the tougher the choices. You can think of our national debt like your own credit card. When you spend and you can't pay for it, those interest payments, they surge, and that is exactly what is happening right now. The US is paying more than a trillion dollars just in interest on that debt. That is more than what we spend on things like Medicare, veterans benefits and defense. It's tough to even wrap your head around this number, but I want to put the $40 trillion in real terms. First, it makes borrowing more expensive. A new mortgage, your credit cards, those costs can and are going up. Two, it fuels inflation. And three, it makes it harder for the government to spend on things like health care, education, our roads and our defense.

**Christy Strawser** (4:32)
So we have less money than we should as a country thanks to massive loads of debt. Well, at least there's one thing no longer tempting our wallets. Columbia House music is going the way of the dinosaur.