Why America’s Upper Middle Class Is Growing

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, News

4.1 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

P.M. Edition for April 6. New research shows that the upper middle class has tripled in size over the last 50 years. Economics reporter Rachel Ensign explains what’s helping people move up the income ladder. Plus, Iran has rejected a cease-fire proposal from the U.S. a day before President Trump’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And OpenAI and Anthropic are both expected to go public later this year. Journal reporter Berber Jin takes a deep dive into their finances and finds their Achilles’ heel is the soaring costs needed to train new AI models. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:26.8	Visit Indeed.com slash next hire and sponsor your job today.
0:33.0	A day before President Trump's deadline on Iran, the country rejects a proposal for a ceasefire.
0:38.8	Plus, a new report shows that the upper middle class is getting bigger and richer, even if people in it don't feel that way.
0:45.2	So people may be upper middle class on paper, but if they can't afford to send their kids to college easily or buy a home, that doesn't really feel very affluent to them.
0:57.3	And astronauts on the Artemis Mission break a more than 50-year-old record.
1:01.7	It's Monday, April 6th.
1:03.4	I'm Alex O'Slef for the Wall Street Journal.
1:05.8	This is the PM edition of What's News, the top headlines, and business stories that move the world today.
1:16.2	It's the day before President Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the street of Hormuz.
1:21.5	Earlier in the day, Iran rejected a proposal from the U.S. and regional mediators for a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for opening
1:28.4	the strait. President Trump said Tehran's counterproposal for a ceasefire is, quote,
1:32.7	not good enough, though he called it a significant step. During a press conference this afternoon,
1:38.0	President Trump answered a reporter's question about how negotiations between the two countries
1:42.1	were going. Would a new ceasefire include Israel, or would it just be between Iran and Iran?
1:46.8	I can't talk about ceasefire.
1:48.0	But I can tell you that we have a active, willing participant on the other side.
1:55.1	They would like to be able to make a deal.
1:56.7	I can't say any more than that.
2:00.3	Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth said that today and tomorrow would see the largest volume
	...

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