Good morning.You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.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.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.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 acc...