Trump Calls Iran Strikes a ‘Trifle,’ and the Latest on the Hantavirus Outbreak
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I gave my brother a New York Times subscription. We exchange articles. And so having read the same article, we can discuss it. She sent me a year-long subscription so I have access to all the games. The New York Times contributes to our quality time together. It enriches our relationship. It was such a cool and thoughtful gift. We're reading the same stuff. We're making the same food.
We're on the same page. Learn more about giving a New York Times subscription as a gift at nytimes.com slash gift. From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. Today's Friday, May 8th. Here's what we're covering.
Is the ceasefire with Iran still on?
Yeah, it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle.
President Trump says that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is still in effect, even after the two countries exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday.
If there's no ceasefire, you're not going to have to know. You're just going to have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran.
The president followed his comments up with the threat of more attacks, saying Iran, quote, better sign their agreement fast. He was referring to a new deal that's on the table. It's a proposal from the U.S. that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting for 30 days, while the countries work toward a more comprehensive long-term agreement.
They want to sign it, I will tell you. They want to sign it a lot more than I do.
The temporary deal does not address the key points of the conflict, like the future of Iran's nuclear program, which have stalled all the previous negotiations. Recently, President Trump has been making efforts to minimize the ongoing hostilities, calling them a trifle, a skirmish, and a mini-war, as the conflict has proved to be deeply unpopular with the American public and increasingly expensive. Even some Republicans in Congress have been growing impatient. Yesterday, Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan, who is facing a tough re-election race this year, proposed a bill to wind down the war. Barrett, who is an Army veteran, said the president has sole authority to lead troops during wartime, but, quote, I've lost too many friends on the battlefield to allow that to happen without Congress exercising its constitutional role, saying he wanted safeguards and a clear deadline.
Meanwhile, there's also been continued fighting in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire there. The agreement has curbed the violence somewhat, but Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging daily attacks in the southern part of the country. And this week, Israel launched an airstrike in the suburbs of Beirut. It hit an apartment building in a densely populated area where Hezbollah holds sway. The Israeli military said it was targeting and killed a commander of the Iran-backed militia. But the attack risked further destabilizing the already shaky temporary truce. The Trump administration is watching closely, as renewed fighting there could complicate any U.S. agreement with Iran, which has insisted that Israeli strikes in Lebanon end.
Now, two quick updates on the federal government.
What updates did Trump provide about the Iran ceasefire?
First, infectious disease experts are warning that the U.S. response to the hantavirus outbreak shows the country is ill prepared to deal with future public health crises. The current outbreak on a cruise ship has left three people dead and at least five sick. Some passengers have scattered around the world, though, requiring them to be monitored elsewhere. There are six in the U.S., and experts say the CDC has been sluggish to respond. The agency has been largely silent, and it took nearly a month after the first death to set up a response team. That timing is what worries experts more than the virus itself, which they note rarely spreads among people. Some former public health officials say the Trump administration's deep staffing cuts at the CDC have hamstrung the agency.
And new federal data shows the U.S. government appears to have reached a worrying new milestone, with the country's debt growing larger than its total economic output.
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