U.S. Pauses Iran Strikes Amid Growing Risks, and Measles Cases Hit a New Record

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**Tracy Mumford** (0:32)
From the New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Monday, July 27th. Here's what we're covering.

**SPEAKER_5** (0:43)
You told Axios that you were considering a massive attack on Iran. What is the tipping point for you to make the decision?

**SPEAKER_6** (0:51)
Well, I can't tell you that. Right now, we're talking to them, so maybe there won't be a tipping point, and maybe there will, and we're ready to go.

**Tracy Mumford** (0:58)
After 13 straight nights of attacks on Iran and multiple threats to target the country's infrastructure, The Times has learned that President Trump has now set aside plans to escalate the conflict, at least for now.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:12)
Maybe they will cry uncle, or maybe they'll just give up, or maybe they're just going to a cave and hide.

**Tracy Mumford** (1:17)
The change in approach came after Trump met with top advisors and senior members of his cabinet on Friday. According to two people briefed on the discussions, one of the big concerns was that intensifying the conflict could drain the U.S.'s stockpile of air defense munitions in the Middle East. US military officials have said the stock of Patriot interceptor missiles, for example, is already concerningly low, at the same time as Iran's been launching thousands of drones and missiles at all kinds of targets in the region— at Israel, at US allies, and at American military bases. Each Iranian attack compounds the problem since defense strategy calls for firing two interceptors at each incoming missile, so defensive stockpiles are used up twice as fast. The stockpile concerns are just one of several considerations that would make returning to major combat operations risky.
Trump and his aides are also wary of alienating key American allies in the Gulf who've been targeted by Iran in retaliation, as well as the growing energy crisis set off by the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The people briefed on the discussions told the Times that few, if any, in the president's inner circle believed that Trump's talk of escalating the conflict was wise. Plus, one senior US official said the recent strikes have had the opposite effect of what was intended and have enabled Iranian leaders to keep the focus on an external threat rather than having to deal with the country's internal divisions.
In the US, cases of measles have now hit a new record, according to data released by the CDC. Authorities have reported more than 2,300 cases this year, the most since the virus was declared eliminated back in 2000 Infection rates of the highly contagious disease have been climbing recently as vaccination rates have dropped. One expert told the Times that measles finds people who aren't immune, quote, like a heat-seeking missile. More than 70% of the confirmed cases have been among children. In many cases, their parents opted them out of the measles vaccine, while others were too young to get the shot. Some have been hospitalized with dangerous complications like pneumonia and brain swelling. Getting measles under control in the US would require a nationwide push to improve vaccination rates. But experts say that seems unlikely under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has downplayed the risks of measles and pushed for research into whether vaccines are unsafe. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said federal authorities had launched a, quote, aggressive outbreak response and that the CDC has provided assistance to communities facing high caseloads. But a former chairman of the CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee said, We have seen virtually no national messaging. We have seen no ad campaigns. Adding, I think that really tells us something about their priorities.
Now, two other quick updates on the Trump Administration. Federal officials have admitted to canceling billions of dollars in funding to states simply because those states didn't back President Trump in the 2024 election. When the grants, which were for energy projects, were canceled last year, the administration claimed that it was a move to protect taxpayer funds from waste. But this month, in response to a lawsuit challenging those funding cuts, officials filed court documents saying the grants had been terminated based solely on political criteria. The documents said that none of the grants were canceled because of, quote, any programmatic, statutory, cost reduction or performance-based factor. The canceled funds would have gone to hundreds of energy projects, including upgrades to electrical grids in California and Oregon, and efforts to reduce methane leaks in Colorado. By contrast, energy grants kept flowing to states that went for Trump in 2024 and which are represented by Republicans. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.