Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other headlines in Texas, where officials announced the first death from a recent measles outbreak. They say the victim was an unvaccinated school-aged child who was hospitalized in West Texas last week.
There are at least 124 confirmed cases of the highly contagious respiratory illness across nine Texas counties. They have been mostly reported among children, many of them unvaccinated. There are also nine cases in Eastern New Mexico. Today’s fatality is the nation’s first reported death from measles since 2015.
At today’s Cabinet meeting, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said there were actually two deaths from the recent outbreak, though the second fatality has not been confirmed.
At the Supreme Court today, justices seem to side with an Ohio woman who brought a lawsuit claiming workplace discrimination because she is straight. Marlean Ames says she was passed over for a promotion at the Ohio Department of Youth Services in favor of a gay woman and then demoted in favor of a gay man. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said today that workplace discrimination — quote — “whether you are gay or straight is prohibited. The rules are the same whichever way it goes.”
If the High Court rules in her favor, it could make it easier for people to pursue such so-called reverse discrimination claims.
A Baltimore judge is considering whether to reduce the life sentence for Adnan Syed to time served. It’s just the latest twist in a case that rose to national prominence as the subject of the “Serial” podcast more than a decade ago. Syed was released from prison in 2022 after prosecutors found problems with the case. They asked the judge to overturn his murder conviction for the death of his high school ex-girlfriend back in 1999.
Today, both prosecutors and his attorney said the 43-year-old doesn’t pose a risk to public safety. Last night, prosecutors withdrew an attempt to vacate his murder conviction outright, meaning that it remains on the books.
In the Middle East, an Israeli security official says that Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages tonight. It’s the last scheduled handover under the cease-fire’s first phase, which is due to expire in just days. The men Hamas named range in age between 50 and 85. They’re being swapped for roughly 600 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel had delayed the prisoner release since Saturday, citing Hamas’ treatment of hostages during previous exchanges. In the meantime, thousands of Israelis lined the streets during the funeral procession for deceased hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. The bodies of the mother and her two young sons were handed over by Hamas last week.
At the funeral, Yarden Bibas, who survived Hamas’ captivity, said goodbye to his wife and children.
Yarden Bibas, Husband and Father of Deceased Israeli Hostages (through interpreter): Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. I think about everything we went through together. There are so many beautiful memories. I can’t kiss or hug you, and it’s breaking me and killing me. Shiri, please watch over me.
