Economic Warfare On Iran, White House Ballroom, Bond Market Warning Signs

President Trump is doubling down on economic pressure against Iran, threatening consequences for any country that provides a lifeline as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prepares to detail the plan next week. The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on President Trump’s White House ballroom project, which a lawsuit argues needed congressional approval and the administration is now framing the ballroom as a military complex. Investors sold off both stocks and bonds as the yield on government debt hit its highest level in nearly two decades, despite efforts by the Treasury to calm the market. Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Emily Kopp, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Paige Waterhouse and Nia Dumas. Our director is Kaity Kline. We get engineering support from Carleigh Strange. Our technical director is Eowyn <> Fain. And our executive producer is Jay Shaylor. (0:00) Introduction (1:54) Economic Warfare on Iran (5:47) White House Ballroom (9:44) Bond Market Warning Signs See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy 🔗 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: 📩 Get the full transcript and daily news alerts: 👉 https://goo.su/rXoU5U8 👈 📌 Support the show by visiting our sponsors and partners. 🎧 New episodes every morning at 6 AM ET.