Trump Flip-Flops on Strait of Hormuz Plan, and U.S. Cyclospora Outbreak Spreads
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The New York Times app has all this stuff that you may not have seen. The way the tabs are at the top with all of the different sections. I can immediately navigate to something that matches what I'm feeling. I go to games always. Doing the mini, doing the wordle. I loved how much content it exposed me to. Things that I never would have thought to turn to a news app for. This app is essential. The New York Times app. All of the times, all in one place. Download it now at nytimes.com slash app.
From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, July 15th. Here's what we're covering. After announcing a drastic plan for the U.S. to charge ships a fee to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump quickly backtracked on his own proposal yesterday.
Frankly, it's better because I don't like the idea of a fee. It's got to remain free because otherwise others will do the same thing.
And he returned to the approach he had at the start of the war, that the U.S. will strike Iran, quote, very hard until the country agrees to make a peace deal. The U.S. military said it carried out a new round of attacks overnight that stretched for seven hours.
The only way you can negotiate with these people is through strength, and the only strength is military strength.
Analysts say the abrupt flip-flop underscores how much Trump seems to be relying on impulse and improvisation as he tries to confront an adversary that is not bending. He has pivoted between tactics, at times contradicting his own administration and himself. One expert on Iran told The Times, "...on the one hand, he keeps saying, we want to make a deal with you guys and make Iran a thriving economy. And on the other hand, he says, I'm going to obliterate your civilization." Another analyst said that much of the president's foreign policy this term, whether it's tariffs or the U.S. 's new role in running Venezuela, has depended on the willingness of other countries to make concessions. But with Iran, quote, he's encountered a country that is not willing to play by his set of rules.
The Iranian military launched its own strikes overnight, targeting U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Officials in all three countries said the attacks were being intercepted. Meanwhile, new federal data released yesterday showed that last month, when the ceasefire was still in place, inflation slowed.
We've seen oil prices come down over the last few weeks, and that has flowed through to gas prices. But we also saw broader improvement. Even when you strip out energy, we saw slower inflation in June. And so that's an encouraging sign that we might see some continued progress on inflation as the year goes on.
Ben Castleman is The Times' chief economics correspondent.
The big caveat, of course, is that oil prices have been rising again. This data was from before the ceasefire began to break down. And so as oil prices rise, that's going to affect prices in July and August and going forward.
Now, a few other quick updates on the Trump administration, starting with the immigration crackdown.
What prompted Trump's sudden reversal on charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz?
As of yesterday, ICE officers have been ordered not to carry out most traffic stops, following back-to-back deadly shootings in Texas and Maine, where agents fired on drivers after pursuing their vehicles.
I think it's going to be a short pause, and I'm confident that ICE is well-trained and the vehicle stops, and you're going to see us keep moving forward.
In an interview on Fox News, White House border czar Tom Homan said the order is not a policy change, but a temporary pause, quote, to make sure we're doing the right thing. Since Trump returned to office and pushed for more aggressive immigration enforcement, 22 people have been fired on by federal agents, nearly all of them while in vehicles. Beyond questions about traffic stops, the recent shootings have also highlighted the slow rollout of body cameras to ICE agents. Earlier this year, DHS pledged that the government would, quote, rapidly acquire and deploy the technology.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–3:26
2
What prompted Trump's sudden reversal on charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz?
3:26–6:08
3
How does Trump describe the U.S. military approach to Iran after the flip-flop?
6:08–8:36
4
Why do analysts say Trump's improvisation is failing with Iran?
8:36–9:21
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Headlines
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