Alex Ossola

Aisha El-Muslim is our development producer.

Chris Zinsley is our deputy editor.

And Falana Patterson is The Wall Street Journal's head of news audio.

I'm Alex Osola.

Thanks for listening.

Will President Trump order a military strike on Iran?

Is he stepping back?

Maybe.

Plus, Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota.

And why a new way to extract copper could help feed the data center boom.

It's Thursday, January 15th.

I'm Alex Ocele for The Wall Street Journal.

This is the PM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.

It's been a busy day for the Trump administration.

President Trump has been weighing attacking Iran, where the government has met widespread demonstrations with a heavy crackdown.

Today, we're reporting that U.S.

and Middle Eastern officials told the White House that a large-scale strike against Iran was unlikely to make the government fall and could instead spark a broader conflict.

U.S.

officials said they will monitor how Tehran handles protesters before deciding on a potential attack.

WSJ national security reporter Alex Ward says there are other reasons why President Trump may be easing off.