Middle-class Americans are falling behind

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business' Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. You can listen to an audio version of the newsletter by clicking the same link. New York CNN — America's middle class is feeling the heat from sky-high interest rates and persistent inflation. Middle-class income growth has lagged behind that of the upper class since 1970, according to a Pew Research Center report published May 31. The report defines middle-income households as having incomes that are two-thirds to twice that of the US median household income. The…