Escalating Attacks Between US & Iran, Inflation Hits Three-Year High, World Cup Opens

The U.S. unleashed a second straight night of strikes on Iran with President Trump saying Iran is taking too long to negotiate, as Iran fires back at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan and Trump reveals U.S. efforts to help oil tankers slip past the Iranian blockade. Inflation jumped to its highest level in more than three years last month, largely driven by soaring gas prices since the war with Iran began, leaving many families like Emily Inlow in Kentucky struggling as wages fail to keep pace with rising costs.And the 2026 World Cup kicks off today in Mexico City, the world’s biggest sporting event already shadowed by protests, geopolitical tensions, and disputes over which teams and fans can even enter the United States.Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Pallavi Gogoi, Tara Neill, Mohamad El-Bardicy and John Stolnis. It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.Our director is Christopher Thomas.We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.And our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.(0:00) Introduction(02:23) Escalating Attacks Between US & Iran(06:12) Inflation Hits Three-Year High(10:04) World Cup OpensSee 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.