NEWSENCE

  WASHINGTON STATE — A child has died amid a measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico, marking the first measles-related death in the U.S. in a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In response, health officials in Washington state are urging residents to stay vigilant and ensure vaccinations are up to date as concerns grow over the potential spread of the disease. Dr. James Lewis, a health officer with the Snohomish County Health Department, stated, “We have not seen an uptick yet in Washington, but it’s certainly possible that we could end up seeing an increase in cases, just as some places in the country have.” The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported six confirmed measles cases in 2024, with none reported so far this year. However, Dr. Lewis noted that there have already been two confirmed measles exposures in the state in 2025. "None of those exposures resulted in illness, likely due to prior immunity," he said. ...

The NFL Scouting Combine is in progress in Indianapolis amid a tidal wave of free agency and trade rumor. The big headlines involve the reported sit-down of Raiders minority owner Tom Brady with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at a ski resort. The Giants are also interested in Stafford as they sort out their quarterback options. But the NFL Draft is only one aspect of the offseason calculus. With free agent contracts signed, needs will fluctuate with every team, so the draft calculus will become more defined later in March. Some headline players, like Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp, and Jonathan Allen, are still in possible displacement via trade, impacting roster building league-wide. One of the major news developments from Wednesday night is Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, who is being considered a potential No. 1 overall draft pick. Carter has a foot injury that may require surgery, but his agent indicates that the recovery period is estimated at eight weeks. If that's the ca...

  The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in an employment discrimination case brought by a straight woman who was twice passed over for positions in favor of gay colleagues. The case follows the court’s 2023 decision to strike down race-conscious college admissions and comes amid the Trump administration’s push to dismantle diversity-focused policies. While some conservative groups had hoped for a broad ruling on workplace diversity initiatives, the justices appeared poised to issue a narrow decision, affirming that anti-discrimination laws apply equally to all employees. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch noted the unusual agreement among justices and lawyers from both sides, acknowledging that the lower appeals court erred by imposing stricter requirements on majority-group plaintiffs proving workplace discrimination. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh suggested the ruling could be short and unanimous, simply stating that discrimination based on sexual orientation—whether against gay or straig...

  WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday barred reporters from Reuters and other major news organizations from covering President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting of his second term, enforcing a new media access policy. Reporters from the Associated Press, Reuters, HuffPost, and Der Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper, were denied entry. However, TV crews from ABC and Newsmax, alongside correspondents from Axios, The Blaze, Bloomberg News, and NPR, were allowed to attend. On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced that the White House would now control which media outlets could cover the president in smaller spaces, such as the Oval Office, shifting away from the traditional White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA)-managed press pool system. For decades, the AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters have been permanent members of the White House press pool, which rotates coverage among select television, radio, wire, print, and photojournalists to ensure broad acce...

Greenpeace is set to go on trial on Monday before a North Dakota jury in a high-stakes lawsuit that could potentially bankrupt the organization. The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by Dallas-based company Energy Transfer, which accused Greenpeace of orchestrating disruptive protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation nearly a decade ago. Activists argue that the lawsuit is an attempt to suppress free speech and set a dangerous precedent for protest groups, asserting that Greenpeace only played a supporting role in demonstrations led by Native Americans. “This trial is a critical test of the future of the First Amendment, both freedom of speech and peaceful protest under the Trump administration and beyond,” said Greenpeace’s interim director, Sushma Raman, in public remarks on Thursday. Energy Transfer declined to comment ahead of the trial. However, in a statement released in August, the company stated that the lawsuit against Gr...