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It’s been a year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, and international health authorities say they will meet in April to determine if the U.S. has lost its measles-free designation. Experts fear the vaccine-preventable virus has regained a foothold and that the U.S. may soon follow Canada in losing the achievement of having eliminated it. The reevaluation is largely symbolic and hinges on whether a single measles chain has spread uninterrupted within the U.S. for at least 12 months. Public health scientists around the country are investigating whether the now-ended Texas outbreak is linked to active ones in Utah, Arizona and South Carolina. But doctors and scientists say the U.S. — and North America overall — has a measles problem, regardless of the decision. “It is really a question of semantics,” said Dr. Jonathan Temte, a Wisconsin family physician who helped certify the U.S. was measles-free in 2000. “The bottom line is the conditions are sufficient to allow this many cases to occur. And that gets back to de-emphasizing a safe and effective vaccine.” Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 2,144 measles cases across 44 states — the most since 1991 — and nearly 50 separate outbreaks. The problem has been years in the making, as fewer kids get routine vaccines due to parental waivers, health care access issues and rampant disinformation. More recently, Trump administration health officials have questioned and sown doubt about the established safety of vaccines at an unprecedented level while also defunding local efforts to improve vaccination rates. “The most important thing that we can do is to make sure the people who aren’t vaccinated get vaccinated,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center. “We have not issued a clear enough message about that.” A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said Thursday that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has consistently emphasized vaccines as the best way to prevent measles, adding that the CDC is responding to outbreaks and working to increase vaccination rates. As of Thursday, the department said it doesn’t have evidence that a single chain of measles has spread for a year. Measles finds the unvaccinated There is little room for error in trying to stop measles. The virus is one of the most contagious, infecting 9 out of every 10 unvaccinated people exposed. Community-level protection takes a 95% vaccination rate. The current rate nationally is 92.5%, according to CDC data, but many communities fall far below that. The patient in Texas’ first known case developed the telltale rash on Jan. 20, 2025, according to state health department data. From there, the outbreak exploded. Officially, 762 people fell ill, most of them in rural Gaines County, and two children died. Many more got sick and were never diagnosed: 182 potential measles cases among children in Gaines County went unconfirmed in March 2025 alone, state health officials said, a possible undercount of 44% in that county. Such data gaps are common, though, making it especially hard to track outbreaks. Many people living in communities where the virus is spreading face health care barriers and distrust the government. Contact tracing so many cases is also expensive, said behavioral scientist Noel Brewer, who chairs the U.S. committee that will finalize the data for international health officials. Research shows a single measles case can cost public health departments tens of thousands of dollars. CDC data on measles is still among the best worldwide, Brewer said, but “the U.S. has changed its investment in public health, so we’re less able to do the case tracking that we used to do.” Genetic sequencing can fill some gaps. But that’s not always enough to say the outbreaks are connected. Genetically, the measles virus doesn’t change as often as, say, flu. “Within an outbreak, everybody is going to look the same,” said Justin…

With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the New England Patriots are gearing up for the AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos. After Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury, the Patriots will be up against a familiar face – backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. “I feel bad for Bo, but Jarrett Stidham, the backup, he’s pretty good, he’s pretty sharp, so I think we don’t lose a whole lot,” said Scott Nelson, a Broncos fan. Stidham will have something to prove on Sunday. He was first drafted by the Patriots in 2019 and was traded after three seasons. Stidham spent a year with the Las Vegas Raiders and has been in Denver ever since. “I think in his advantage, he’s got a great defense, he’s got a great offensive-minded head coach, he’s been in the system for a few years and he’s at home. The crowd’s going to be in his favor,” said former Patriots center David Andrews, who played on the team with Stidham. Not to mention, Stidham has the advantage of knowing he’ll be playing on Sunday and has all week to prepare. “He’s a good player. And I would say the one thing when I look at Jarrett, he’s been coached by two of the best offensive coaches that you could ever ask for by Josh McDaniels and by Sean Payton,” said former Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. “He’ll be prepared to go.” Hoyer served as a backup quarterback alongside Stidham during the Tom Brady era. They’re still friends, and Hoyer said Stidham shouldn’t be underestimated. “I don’t think that Patriot fans should just assume that this is going to be an easy win out there in Denver,” Hoyer added. “They have a really good team, and Jarrett’s a good player.” The Patriots have struggled in Denver in the past, and Andrews hopes this young Patriots team can rewrite the story. “There’s a lot of history with us not doing well in Denver in these types of games, so I think it’s a huge opportunity to kind of right some wrongs,” Andrews said. Playing at higher altitude in Denver is literally a game changer, as explained by Dr. Adam Tenforde. “You’re going to see kickoffs, and maybe even field goal attempts, that will be longer than typical, at sea level, just because there’s less air resistance,” said Tenforde, a physician with Mass General Brigham Sports Medicine. He said the sidelines may look different with supplemental oxygen and more hydration stations, since there’s less moisture in the air and players are more likely to get dehydrated. With the change in environment, the Patriots will have to prepare both physically and mentally if they want to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. “It’s probably going to change a little bit of the strategy for how long players stay in for plays and try to take recovery in-between plays so they can maximize performance,” Tenforde added. More on the Patriots New England Patriots 20 hours ago Seven intriguing storylines in Patriots-Broncos AFC Championship Game NFL 22 hours ago AFC Championship Game history ahead of another Patriots-Broncos showdown New England Patriots Jan 19 Fans cheering on Patriots as they head to Denver after ‘euphoric' win

Students at Brown University are returning to campus in Providence, Rhode Island, after the deadly mass shooting that claimed the lives of two students and left several injured. Members of the school community are preparing to start a new semester on Wednesday, amid heightened security measures in response to the tragedy. Some students have reported increased police presence, which provides a sense of security, but also serves as a stark reminder of the horrific event that occurred on campus on Dec. 13. “It’ll be interesting. I think it’ll be a big change,” said Brown PhD student Jacob Kuntzleman. “I’m hoping to get a chance to see my friends and talk to them and see how they’re doing.” Two students, Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, were killed in the shooting, which injured nine others and left the school community on edge during the dayslong manhunt for the killer. “I wasn’t here that day, so I’m OK, but I know some people in my research group, for example, were a little shaken up by the whole situation,” added Philipp Wagenknecht, a university staff member working in the building. “But I think things can return to normal after a while. It just takes time.” The Mayor of Providence, Brett Smiley, confirmed that the additional security measures will extend beyond the university to the surrounding city areas. He also indicated that the city is in the final stages of hiring an external consultant. “The city law department is finalizing a third-party reviewer contract,” said Smiley. Earlier this month, the university announced the “Brown Ever True” initiative, which focuses on mental health resources for recovery. “We begin as a community that will grieve even as we recover — that will reflect and remember, even as we heal and seek repair,” Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a statement. “We are a community that feels loss, while at the same time reclaiming all that it is to be Brown.” A memorial service or activity in honor of the victims is expected to take place later this month. More on Brown University Brown University Jan 14 1 month after Brown University shooting, Providence mayor calls for external review Shootings Jan 8 Inside the Brown University shooting: What students saw, feared, shared Brown University Jan 6 Brown University reopens to staff Tuesday ahead of spring semester

A judge has ordered that actor Timothy Busfield be released from jail during a detention hearing on child sex abuse charges. The order Tuesday by state district court Judge David Murphy is linked to accusations that Busfield inappropriately touched a minor while working as a director on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady.” The judge ordered the defendant released on his own recognizance, pending trial. Busfield will be supervised upon release by a pretrial service in Albuquerque, and can leave the state to live at home, the judge said. Busfield, an Emmy Award-winning actor who is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” was ordered held without bond last week at his first court appearance. Busfield called the allegations lies in a video shared before he turned himself in. Celebrity News Jan 13 Actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in amid child sex abuse allegations Actors Jan 10 Actor Timothy Busfield accused of child sex abuse in New Mexico At the hearing Tuesday, Busfield was handcuffed and dressed in an orange jail uniform at the hearing in a New Mexico state district court, while wife and actor Melissa Gilbert watched from the court gallery. Gilbert was tearful while exiting the courtroom after the judge ordered Busfield’s release. Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the 1970s to ’80s TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” is on the list of potential witnesses submitted ahead of the hearing. Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest earlier this month on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady.” According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the police department says a child reported Busfield touched him on private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was 7 years old and another time when he was 8. The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble. On Monday, Busfield’s attorneys submitted two brief audio recordings of initial police interviews in which the children say Busfield did not touch them in private areas. The attorneys in a court filing argue that the complaint characterizes the interviews as a failure to disclose abuse, but an “unequivocal denial is materially different from a mere absence of disclosure.” According to the criminal complaint, one of the boys disclosed during a therapy session that he was inappropriately touched by the show’s director. Those records were obtained by police during the investigation. Arguing Tuesday for Busfield’s continued detention, Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch called evidence of abuse against Busfield strong and specific. “The boys’ allegations are supported by medical findings and by their therapist,” Brandenburg-Koch said. “Their accounts were specific and not exaggerated.” She also described a documented pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority and grooming behavior by Busfield over the past three decades. Prosecutors also say witnesses have expressed fear regarding retaliation and professional harm. “GPS is not going to tell this court if he is around children or talking to witnesses,” Brandenburg-Koch said. Busfield’s attorneys have argued that the allegations emerged only after the boys lost their role in the TV show, creating a financial and retaliatory motive. The filings detailed what the attorneys said was a history of fraud by both the boys’ father and mother. They cited an investigation by Warner Bros. into the allegations that found them unfounded. Busfield also submitted letters vouching for his character, and his attorneys say he passed an independent polygraph test. Legal experts say New Mexico is among a few states that allow polygraph evidence in…

In just one week's time you are going to have an opportunity to dive into the world of Shrinking season 3. This means a lot of moments... The post Shrinking season 3 video: See a new Brett Goldstein scene! first appeared on CarterMatt.