In our news wrap Friday, the CDC says the U.S. has seen more cases of measles so far this year than in all of 2025, a massive outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce has expanded to four additional states, Iran responded to U.S. strikes by launching waves of attacks targeting American bases in the region and at least 10 people were killed by a Russian ballistic missile strike in the Kyiv region.
Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other headlines with two health updates from the CDC. The agency says the U.S. has now seen more cases of measles so far this year than in all of 2025. More than 2,300 infections have been reported nationwide, making this the worst year for the disease since 1991.
Outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah, and Arizona have sickened hundreds of people, most of them unvaccinated. The spike comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has downplayed the risk of measles and raised questions about the benefits of vaccines.
The CDC also says a massive cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from Mexico has now expanded to four additional states, bringing the total to nine. Officials say cases of the severe stomach illness are now in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. That’s an addition to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
The CDC has now confirmed nearly 2,000 cases across those nine states and at least 98 hospitalizations, though the number of suspected cases nationwide is much higher.
Turning now to the war with Iran, President Trump provided few clues this afternoon on whether he would order a major escalation of attacks. Speaking in the Oval Office this afternoon, Trump said there are a lot of possible exit strategies for the U.S. and he refused to answer a question about whether any strikes on civilian infrastructure, which he has threatened, would be a war crime.
Instead, he insisted that talks are ongoing and that the U.S. remains ready to carry on with its attacks.
President Donald Trump:
We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them. So I think, while we’re talking, we will see what comes of it.
Amna Nawaz:
Meanwhile, Iran struck U.S. military targets in the region earlier today in response to the latest U.S. strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran will not bow to U.S. bullying and said the U.S. must change its approach towards negotiations.
The Israeli military is deploying more troops to the occupied West Bank after one of the deadliest shootings there in months. Palestinian health officials say the Israeli military shot and killed four Palestinians in the village of Tell in the Northern West Bank.
The bodies of those killed were taken to a nearby hospital. Four others were wounded, some of them critically. In the meantime, Israelis buried a 32-year-old reserve soldier who was killed in the shooting, one of at least two Israeli fatalities. Both sides are offering different accounts of what led to the shooting.
In Ukraine, officials say at least 10 people were killed by a Russian ballistic missile strike today in the Kyiv region and nearly 100 others injured. The attack happened near a defense industry event. It comes a day after President Zelenskyy met with the American defense manufacturer Raytheon, which makes the Patriot air defense systems that Ukraine says it needs.
In the meantime, in St. Petersburg, plumes of black smoke stretched into the sky after the latest Ukrainian drone attack on warehouses owned by Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries. Kyiv says the retailer supplies the Russian military, which the Kremlin denies.
In Western Europe, raging forest fires are forcing tens of thousands of people to flee. In Southwestern France, fires have consumed around 50 square miles, not far from Bordeaux, since Wednesday. Some homes were reduced to rubble. Authorities in Spain have declared a national emergency as fires burn near Madrid. Shelters are filled with evacuees.
One survivor described how quickly the flames consumed his home.
Enrique Martin, Wildfire Survivor (through interpreter):
I had to run from my house. It was a ball of fire, and if I’d been five minutes later, it would have wiped us out. My wife put her foot down, and that proved crucial.
Amna Nawaz:
The fires come as Europe has suffered intense heat waves in recent weeks. Both France and Spain are getting help from neighboring countries to combat the flames.
Member states of the International Criminal Court reportedly voted today to dismiss the tribunal’s chief prosecutor over allegations of sexual misconduct.
British barrister Karim Khan was first accused of misconduct related to a female aide nearly two years ago. He denies any wrongdoing. It’s the first time an ICC chief prosecutor has been removed from office. And it comes as the Trump administration has launched renewed efforts to dismantle the body, saying the court is a threat to America’s sovereignty.
In Georgia, a teenager pleaded guilty today to all 55 counts in a school shooting that killed four people and injured several others; 16-year-old Colt Gray, who was charged as an adult, entered the plea after previously pleading not guilty. He was 14 at the time of the shooting at Apalachee High School in 2024, about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Gray faces a minimum sentence of life in prison, though the judge can decide whether he should be eligible for parole. In March, Gray’s father was found guilty of second-degree murder, among other charges, for giving his son the gun that was used in the shooting.
On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed, even as oil prices cooled for the first time in a week. The Dow Jones industrial average added more than 230 points. The Nasdaq slipped about 160 points, or more than half-a-percent. The S&P 500 ended the day nearly flat.
And LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers for his record 24th season. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer made the announcement on social media, writing — quote — “This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.”
Terms have not been made public, but ESPN is reporting that he’s set to sign a two-year $8 million deal. Sixer fans are rejoicing, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who proclaimed today LeBron James Day in the commonwealth.
