The Headlines - What to Know About the Israel-Lebanon Cease-Fire, and R.F.K. Jr.’s Shifting Tone on Vaccines

Episode Date: April 17, 2026

Plus, the Friday news quiz. Here’s what we’re covering: 10-Day Cease-Fire Between Israel and Lebanon Goes Into Effect, by Euan Ward, Isabel Kershner, Eric Schmitt and Thomas Fuller Hegseth Again Threatens Attacks on Iran’s Civilian Infrastructure, by John Ismay White House Declines to Offer Congress an Estimate of Iran War Cost, by Tony Romm In Las Vegas, Trump Brushes Off Rising Fuel Prices, by Chris Cameron Trump to Nominate Doctor Who Has Publicly Supported Vaccines as C.D.C. Director, by Apoorva Mandavilli Utah Becomes the New Center of U.S. Measles Cases, by Teddy Rosenbluth Roger Adams Dies at 71; Invented the Rolling Sneakers Known as Heelys, by Richard Sandomir Tune in, and tell us what you think at [e-mail]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, April 17th. Here's what we're covering. My colleagues and I are walking down the main highway that connects Beirut to southern Lebanon. We left our car because the traffic coming down here is so bad. Thousands of families who were displaced from their homes in the south have been making their way back since the announcement of a ceasefire. Times reporter Christina Goldbaum is on the ground in Lebanon, where a 10-day cease-day ceasefire. Fire went into place late last night, intended to stop the fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed militant group, Hezbollah. Since the Israeli military has bombed the two main bridges connecting the north to the south along this highway, there's now just this one crossing, kind of dirt, ad hoc road crossing

that people are using. Their cards are going one by one across, meaning that many are probably going to stay here throughout the day, maybe even through tonight, trying to get back to their homes in the south. Now, there's still this kind of uneasy feeling. People have been telling us that they aren't sure whether the ceasefire will hold or what will come next. But many have also said that they at least want to go and see their homes, see their lands, and get a sense of what is left after the last month and a half of war. Israel's been carrying out its latest military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon since March.

More than 2,100 people have been killed and more than a million have been displaced, according to Lebanese authorities. The fighting has also threatened to derail the U.S.'s ceasefire with Iran. With that in mind, the U.S. had really been pushing for this deal. President Trump was the first to announce it. The thing to know is that the agreement is technically between Israel and Lebanon, and the Lebanese government doesn't have direct control over Hezbollah. But the militant group has abided by some previous deals the Lebanese government negotiated.

Hasbola hasn't said if it will accept this truce, only that its actions will be, quote, based on how developments unfold. On Israel's part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country's troops will remain in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire. He referred to the land Israel has taken control of there as an expanded security zone and said, quote, we are not leaving. Now, three quick updates on the war with Iran. First, our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations,

should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal? Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth renewed his threat to target Iran's power plants. Under international law, intentionally attacking energy infrastructure like that could be a war crime. We'd rather not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button. Since talks between the U.S. and Iran collapsed this past weekend, the Trump administration has been trying to, trying to turn up the pressure on Iran, including with a naval blockade on all ships coming or going from the country. Also, I just want to confirm this. You have no idea, none, how much has been spent on the war so far? We don't have that figures right now, I think in part because it's fluctuating on a day-and-day-all basis.

On Capitol Hill yesterday, the White House budget director sidestepped questions about the price tag of the war, saying at one point that he wouldn't even give a general cost range. Earlier this month, analysts estimated that the U.S. was spending around $1 billion a day in its campaign against Iran. And last update. Don't forget, we're having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices, which everybody said was going to $2.50. At a speech in Las Vegas yesterday, President Trump brushed off rising fuel prices caused by the war's disruptions to the global oil supply. According to AAA, the average gas price for drivers in the U.S. right now is over-fifference. $4 a gallon. Airline tickets are more expensive, too, because of higher jet fuel costs.

Trump downplayed the effect of that on Americans as he worked to project confidence about the broader U.S. economy. He highlighted the stock markets performance and talked up the boosted tax refunds many Americans have been getting, telling the crowd, quote, I just want to say, you're welcome. In Washington, the Trump administration appears to be backing off from some of its most strident vaccine skepticism, which was championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Can you tell me, is the MMR vaccine safe and effective? Yes or no? The MMR vaccine? Yes or no? Yes. It's safe for most people. In a hearing with lawmakers yesterday, Kennedy himself agreed that the measles vaccine is safe and

effective. Can you agree that getting the vaccine is a lot safer than getting measles? Yes. Terrific. He also acknowledged that two children who died of measles during an outbreak in Texas earlier this year, might have survived if they'd been vaccinated. The Secretary's comments were far from an outright embrace of the shots, but they stood in stark contrast to his past rhetoric. For years, he's pushed baseless claims about vaccines being dangerous. Recently, the White House had urged him to stop focusing on vaccines ahead of the midterms and to talk about less politically fraught issues like healthy eating. Also yesterday, President Trump announced his new pick to lead the CDC, and he chose Dr. Erica Schwartz,

a former deputy U.S. Surgeon General who has publicly supported vaccines. The administration's shift in tone on the topic comes as the country's simmering measles outbreak continues to spread. Recently, Utah has become the new center of it. Health authorities there have reported nearly 600 cases. Most have been children and around 50 people have been hospitalized. The spread in Utah is notable because unlike other recent measles outbreaks, like those in Texas and South Carolina that have been tied to insular religious communities, these cases are appearing in the broader population.

One infectious disease doctor in Salt Lake City told the times that many families of the sick children that he's been treating are not anti-vaccine, but they've delayed shots over concerns about possible side effects amid what he called an epidemic of misinformation. This month, Maine could become the first state in the country to ban new data centers. The centers have been popping up in fields, farmland, and forests across the U.S. as tech companies rush to get the computing power they need for artificial intelligence. The construction boom has raised concerns, though, about how much water and electricity they use,

and the potential for that to drive up utility costs for people who live nearby. Now, lawmakers in Maine have approved an 18-month more. moratorium on any construction of big new computing facilities, and the bill is in the governor's hands. The effort to push back on data centers, though, in Maine and in other states, which are actively considering similar restrictions, could set up a clash with the Trump administration. The president has threatened to sue states and withhold federal funding if they restrict the AI industry's growth. Plus, efforts to block new construction can also be controversial on the local level. In Maine, for instance, one data center project was pitched as a way to revitalize

an old abandoned mill and create new jobs in an industry that's become a critical piece of the U.S. economy. One of the developers of the project told the times, quote, people are afraid of AI. I'm afraid of AI. But guess what? It's coming. And finally, is a wheel in your soul. It's Helies, and it's all about fun. The inventor who put wheels inside of shoes, Creating Healy's, the got-a-have-it trend of the early 2000s, has died at age 71. It's always been about good vibes. Being free to roll whenever, wherever. Roger Adams basically grew up on skates.

His parents owned a roller rink in Tacoma, Washington, and they had him up on wheels at nine months old. He didn't really tap into that expertise, though, until much later in his 40s when he found himself at something of a dead end. He was going through a divorce and hating his job as a psychologist. At that point, he had a vision for shoes that could roll on demand. And he built a prototype in a friend's garage. He cut the heel out of a sneaker and popped in a wheel. Healy's were born.

By 2008, the company was selling over 7 million pairs a year. You would go to the mall. You would just hear the sounds of wheels, just like going everywhere. You would see a kid just kind of like walking along normally. And then they would suddenly kind of transformers stuff. like grow a pair of wheels beneath their feet and just kick off and start gliding. And this would happen all the time. Ash Wu works on the obituary desk at the times.

I was talking with my editor and I volunteered to try a pair on again after a very long hiatus. I haven't worn them since I was probably 10 years old. So I was grabbing onto every available railing that I could find so that I wouldn't slip and fall. Ash said one big takeaway from trying on Helies as an adult. caution is key. Though the company was a runaway success earning Adams millions, its shoes were not a hit with ER doctors. At one point, they even landed at the top of a list of worst toys because of the risk of head and spinal injuries that can come with suddenly, you know, turning your shoes into roller skates. A few years into the craze, Adams left the Healy's company and pretty much stayed out of the public eye, though he did continue to file patent. for other wearable roller devices. Those are the headlines. If you'd like to play the Friday News Quiz,

stick around. It is just after these credits. This show is made by Will Jarvis, Margaret Cedifa, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Sam Dolnik, Miles McKinley, and Zoe Murphy. Now, time for the quiz.

Every week, we ask you a few questions about stories the Times has been covering. Can you get them all? First up, if you've already gotten to those filings, well, great. But if not, you may want to take a pause and listen up right now. Wednesday was Tax Day. Now, if that sounds like news to you, I'm very sorry to be the one telling you that. Anyway, in honor of Tax Day, we have a question about audits.

The chance of being audited by the Internal Revenue Service has dropped sharply over the last decade. It actually seems to be as low as it has. ever been since at least the 1950s, according to a Times analysis of IRS data. Your question, what percent of personal income tax returns are audited? The answer? 0.36%. By that measure, statistically, you'd have a better chance of correctly guessing a coin toss eight times in a row.

Your chance of being audited does go up, though, if you're a higher earner. The wealthiest households, those bringing in 10 million plus, have been audited at rates closer to 11%. Next one. An iconic piece of American infrastructure is turning 100 years old. It has been on a million postcards. It still inspires many, many road trips. We will give you a hint here in song. What is it?

If you ever plan to motor west. Think the wide open road. The answer? Get your kicks on Route 66. Route 66. In its heyday, the legendary roadway stretched for more than 2,400 miles from Illinois to California. It is actually no longer in a future. official U.S. highway. It got left in the dust by the interstate system, but it still captures

the American imagination with all of its desert vistas, roadside motels, and kitchy tourist traps, like my personal favorite, the world's second largest rocking chair. And last question. In recent years, a number of big food trends have gone really viral, in part because they're just super eye-catching. Think of the borderline neon green of macha. or the ooey-goey-looking pistachio centers of Dubai chocolate. And... I love the purple color. It smells so good.

One of the latest is an ultra-vivid purple ingredient. That's been a Filipino staple for centuries, but has really taken off in the U.S. recently. So many of you told me I should try this one, and I'm so happy I did. Your question, what is the name of that oh-so-purple ingredient? The answer? Ube, which is a type of. of yam. If you knew it, it might be because you've been bombarded by Ube ice cream at Trader Joe's,

Ube Machiatos at Starbucks, the list goes on. It's all part of an arms race among food companies that seems to have become as much about looks as about taste. One flavor expert told the times his company's next big bet is on dark sweet cherry. Talking about the fruit, he said they taste terrific, and this is the important part, they're Instagram friendly. That's it. That's it. for this week's news quiz. I'm Tracy Mumford. The headlines will be back on Monday.