June 29, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. Get ready for a sizzling July 4 weekend. Forecasters warn that extreme heat will sweep across most American states this week. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks at a mic during a news conference.

Hadi Mizban/AP Photo/Hadi Mizban/AP

This weekend, tensions flared between the U.S. and Iran as the two countries exchanged fire while under a ceasefire agreement. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for launching drone and missile strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait yesterday, according to state-run Iranian media. These attempted strikes followed new U.S. military action against Iranian targets. This latest exchange jeopardizes ongoing negotiations for a lasting ceasefire and marks the most significant escalation since the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month. During a tour of the Gulf Arab states last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. and Iran were planning to meet on Monday or Tuesday for technical talks.

🎧 A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, told NPR last night that “nothing has been canceled, and talks are on track for the coming days.” Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, however, was quoted by Iranian media on Monday saying that while consultations continue with mediator Qatar, technical talks with the U.S. are not yet planned for this week and will be held only “when the conditions are met”. He did not elaborate. The conflict remains between the U.S. and Iran over who controls the Strait of Hormuz, NPR’s Carrie Kahn tells Up First. During Rubio’s recent visit to the region, he told Gulf allies that the major waterway will remain open. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the responsibility for these arrangements lies with Iran and no other country or entity.

The search for survivors continues nearly five days after two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela. The official death toll is nearing 1,500, and thousands of people are still unaccounted for. Families and volunteers are tirelessly digging through collapsed buildings throughout the northern coast and in neighborhoods of Caracas, the country's capital, in hopes of finding people alive.

🎧 Yesterday, NPR's Eyder Peralta, who is in Caracas, visited the site of what used to be a 16-story building, which now lies in ruins. A rescue crew arrived but deemed it too dangerous to search through. Peralta witnessed a couple of dozen family members climbing through the rubble and picking random areas to dig. At times, the smell of death became stronger, causing them to dig even faster. This smell is one of the hardest parts of the rescue and recovery efforts, Peralta says. The rescuers say that the real opportunity to save people happens within the first three days, but everyone with a missing loved one is waiting for a miracle at this point. Help is incredibly limited here. As big trucks move through the streets, some people stand in front of them, saying, "No, you need to go to my building to find my loved ones." Peralta says there is a lot of anger and resignation among the people in the region. It can be seen as people walk through damaged buildings, trying to salvage their belongings, fully aware that the structures could collapse at any moment, he adds. They believe that they won't receive any assistance, so they are trying to get what they can.

Just over a year ago, President Trump set an ambitious goal for American companies to build at least three new experimental nuclear reactors by July 4, 2026. Shortly afterward, he signed an executive order formalizing this initiative. The Department of Energy launched its Reactor Pilot Program, designed to help companies quickly build and operate test reactors, in part by significantly reducing the regulatory requirements. With less than a week to go, two companies have already reached their goal of switching on their reactors. Other companies are nearing the deadline, and all of this progress has been made in less than a year. Some critics are concerned that the accelerated testing by these companies may compromise safety.

Trump has announced he's nominating Lance Schroyer as the next director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Schroyer has a background as an Oklahoma state trooper and previously served in the U.S. Marines. His nomination comes after months of scrutiny regarding the agency's aggressive immigration tactics and follows the resignation of Todd Lyons as acting ICE director at the end of May. David Venturella, a longtime ICE official and former executive of a private prison corporation, has been leading the agency in an acting capacity since June.

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Life advice

An illustration of a man and a woman sitting back-to-back with each other. The man wears an orange shirt and the woman wears a pink top. Two scribbles are drawn above their heads.

iStockphoto

Your partner wants to have a baby, but you prefer to remain child-free. Psychotherapist Merle Bombardieri has been helping couples with this issue for decades. Many couples can discover a middle ground, provided they are open to exploring different possibilities, she says. Here are some exercises that can help clarify the situation and lead to a solution that minimizes regrets:

👶 Bombardieri says that for the vast majority of couples, feeling 100% certain about their decision is unrealistic. Instead, aim for 80% certainty. Since any choice may lead to some regret, focus on which option you'll regret the least rather than if you'll regret your decision at all.
👶 To help couples gain clarity, try the solo exercise called the "chair dialogue." Find a quiet space and set up two chairs facing each other: one for "parenthood" and the other for "child-free." Sit in each chair, making your strongest case for becoming a parent or staying child-free. After both of you complete the exercise, come together to discuss what came up.
👶 Rate how strongly you each feel about your decision on a scale from 0 to 10. Zero means you would never want to have kids and 10 means you were put on this Earth to have children.

For additional guidance for when you are on the fence about parenthood, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

Picture show

Horse-mounted riders circle atop a hill at the Battle of Little Bighorn National Monument. Many people hold flags as they ride.

Kadin Mills/NPR

On the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, hundreds of members and descendants of 19 tribal nations gathered at the battle site to commemorate their historic victory and celebrate the resilience of their cultures. They came together in Montana to watch Native American riders on horseback charge onto the same land their ancestors did many years ago when they defeated the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry, commanded by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. Some riders wore traditional headdresses and regalia, while others opted for tank tops and T-shirts. Many carried their tribal flags as a show of unity — the same unity that enabled their swift victory on June 25, 1876. Custer's goal was to force Native Americans onto reservations after the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874. Indigenous peoples living off reservations were then instructed to report to U.S. field offices, known as Indian Agencies, or be deemed hostile. Native American leaders organized various villages and tribes in a resistance effort. Numerous battles erupted in what are now Montana and South Dakota as military forces attempted to push the remaining groups onto reservations. Read about what this victory means to Native descendants and see photos from the event here.

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3 things to know before you go

A helicopter drops water on the Cottonwood Fire in Beaver, Utah. White smoke fills the air.

Ty ONeil/AP

1

Three firefighters were killed and two others were injured on Saturday while battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced.

2

Currently, 5 million fewer people are enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans compared to last year’s record high, according to data released on Friday.

3

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says that he and his children were investigated by Child Protective Services due to an anonymous report, which was later found to be false.

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