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West Texas measles outbreak climbs to 58, with four saying they were vaccinated – The Texas Tribune
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An outbreak of measles in West Texas has grown to 58 cases, including four patients who said they were vaccinated against the disease.

Ten more cases were added to the Department of State Health Services’ count Tuesday, including for the first time the four who self-reported they were vaccinated against the disease, according to the agency’s latest update. A spokesperson with DSHS said health investigators are in the process of confirming whether the four were, in fact, vaccinated against measles and how many doses they may have received.

DSHS initially warned of two cases of measles in underage children in Gaines County in late January. The disease has since spread to four other counties and 58 people — most of whom are children — but 45 of the cases are still in Gaines County. Lubbock County, which reported a single case, is the largest county in which a case was reported.

Thirteen patients have been hospitalized, according to DSHS, and spokesperson Lara Anton said officials are still unsure what the initial source of exposure was. The outbreak is Texas’ largest in more than 30 years, and comes at a time where vaccination rates among children have dropped. Almost 97% of Texas kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles in 2019, compared to 94.3% in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary; Widespread Firings Coming to FDA, CDC – Food Safety Magazine
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Changes are coming to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump Administration with the recent confirmation of presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., J.D. (RFK Jr.) as Secretary, amid talks of major workforce reductions at HHS agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, RFK Jr., known for his “Make America Healthy Again” (“MAHA”) agenda, was confirmed as HHS Secretary in a 52-48 Senate vote. Shortly after confirmation, he signed President Trump’s executive order, titled, Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, which orders “executive departments and agencies that address health or healthcare,” including agencies responsible for food safety, to “focus on reversing chronic disease.”

Iran unveils new drones in military drill: What to know – Al-Monitor
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps introduced a number of new drones during large-scale war games on Monday. The drills come as Iran works to shore up its strength in the face of increasingly hostile relations with the US and Israeli governments.

The drill, “Great Prophet-19,” is taking place in Shavariyeh, in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan, and features Iranian-made drones “for surveillance and precise fire control,” senior IRGC commander Hamidreza Bahmani told IRNA.

IRNA said that the drill “aims to evaluate the effectiveness of defense plans against possible attacks, among other objectives.”

During the drill, Iran unveiled seven new kamikaze and reconnaissance drones, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported, including:

• The Bina reconnaissance drone with an operational range of 40 kilometers

• The Qandil 4 and 5 reconnaissance drones, with a range of 100 kilometers and a flight endurance of five and 10 hours, respectively

• The Arbaeen vertical take-off and landing drone with a range of 10 kilometers and carrying a seven-kilogram warhead

• The Raad 2 kamikaze drone with a range of 20 kilometers and a five-kilogram warhead

• The Raad 3 kamikaze drone with a range of 100 kilometers and a 12-kilogram warhead

• The Saeqeh suicide drone with a range of 20 kilometers and a one-kilogram warhead

• The Redwan loitering drone, with a range of 20 kilometers and a flight duration of 20 minutes

Mark Zuckerberg Follows Elon Musk’s Footsteps As Meta Reportedly Plans Major Investment Into AI-Powered Humanoid Robots – Yahoo Finance
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Mark Zuckerberg could be following Elon Musk’s footsteps, as Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly planning a significant investment into AI-powered humanoid robots.

What Happened: Meta is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to spearhead this initiative, according to Bloomberg.

The tech giant plans to develop its own humanoid robot hardware, initially focusing on household tasks. The broader aim is to create AI, sensors, and software for robots that other companies will manufacture and sell.

Meta has started discussions with robotics firms like Unitree Robotics and Figure AI Inc.

Woman Defends Ending Lives of Three Babies in Abortions: “I Never Felt I Was Doing Them Harm”– www.lifenews.com
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A woman who had three abortions describes saying goodbye to two of her preborn children. She says of her first aborted baby:

“I was young and much more centered on myself and my life circumstances than on the baby. I was not really in contact with this baby.”

Later on, she had two more abortions, 18 months apart. She says:

“I was able to go inside myself and have an intimate relationship with these two babies. I was older, wiser, and able to focus on the meaning of these two close experiences…

Actually, I felt I was talking to the same being both times. I felt gratitude because he/they accompanied me during difficult times. I never felt I was doing them harm.

Just before the abortion for each of them, I asked the lady who showed me the ultrasound screen to give me five minutes alone with the baby, before the intervention. I spoke to each of them in a fluid, soft manner, more like saying, “Thank you, see you later…”

No, Pro-Life Laws Have Not Increased Infant Mortality– www.lifenews.com
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Last week, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study that purportedly shows that recently enacted pro-life laws were causing higher infant mortality rates.

The study analyzed the impact of 14 state-level pro-life laws that either effectively banned abortion or protected preborn children after six weeks’ gestation. It considered state-level infant mortality data from 2012 to 2023. This study has received a great deal of uncritical coverage from many mainstream media outlets including the New York Times, CNN, BBC, The Hill, Time, and USA Today.

Not surprisingly, there is less here than meets the eye. The data indicate that overall infant mortality rates increased in 2022 but declined in 2023. Additionally, 2023 saw infant mortality rate declines in both the group of states with strong pro-life laws and the group of states with permissive abortion policies. There is no consistent upward trajectory in infant mortality. Furthermore, infant mortality rate trends appear fairly similar in both groups of states.

Texas Church Invited Drag Queen Who Threatened Trump Supporters– www.louderwithcrowder.com
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Even if voting for Kamala was the morally superior thing to do, which it was not, a church should never be advocating for violence against anyone who disagreed with them. However, one Texas “church” took this opportunity to mock Christianity and hold a “Drag King’s” Sermon.

What was even the point besides virtue signaling how much they despise half the country? How can these people claim to be inclusive of everyone while mocking the people they are supposed to lead?

According to the “Cathedral of Hope’s” Facebook page, this sermon was intended to share a message of “love, welcome, and inclusion.” However, it’s unclear how one does that while calling to Kill Trump Voters and mocking Texas Governor Greg Abbott because he is in a wheelchair.

The church also claimed the event was so that they church can “bless and affirm those who use drag as an art form and affirm their transgender siblings made in the image of God.” And the most insane thing about that claim is that to accept transgenderism as truth, you would have to accept the notion that God makes mistakes, which he does not.

New hate speech laws tackling antisemitism to be introduced in NSW parliament today – ABC News
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New laws will be introduced into the New South Wales parliament on Tuesday which the government says will “confront hate speech”, and establish a new criminal offence for intentionally inciting racial hatred.

Attorney-General Michael Daley said the legislation is designed “to crack down on the really unacceptable spate of escalating and troubling graffiti, racial hatred and antisemitism we’ve seen lately in New South Wales”.

It would create a new criminal offence for intentionally inciting racial hatred, with a maximum penalty of up to two years’ jail, or fines of up to $11,000, if found guilty.

A proposed law could force California health insurers to explain claim denials – Los Angeles Times
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When Colleen Henderson’s 3-year-old daughter complained of pain while using the bathroom, doctors brushed it off as a urinary tract infection or constipation, common maladies in the potty-training years.

Henderson, however, suspected it could be something worse, and asked for an ultrasound. The doctor and ultrasound technician told her that her insurance provider, UnitedHealthcare, would not cover it, but Henderson decided to do it anyway, charging the $6,000 procedure to her credit card. Then came the news: There was a grapefruit-sized tumor in her toddler’s bladder.

China seeks cooperation with Japan amid tariff row with US – The Mainichi
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 Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday urged Japanese business leaders to “join hands” with Beijing, as the world’s second-largest economy remains engaged in a tariff war with the United States following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House last month.

In talks with a Japanese business delegation led by Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren, and other officials, Wang called for a “rules-based settlement” of the trade conflict between Beijing and Washington, apparently referring to a mechanism under the World Trade Organization.

The world’s two largest economies imposed additional tariffs on each other’s imports earlier this month, with China also filing a complaint with the WTO over the new U.S. duties.

Leonard Peltier to be released following sentence commutation in FBI killings– abcnews.go.com
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Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier is set to be released from a Florida prison Tuesday based on former President Joe Biden having commuted his life sentence for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents, a decision that elated Peltier’s supporters while angering law enforcement officials who believe in his guilt.

For nearly half a century, Peltier’s imprisonment has symbolized systemic injustice for Native Americans across the country who believe in his innocence. The decision to release the 80-year-old to home confinement was celebrated by supporters.

“He represents every person who’s been roughed up by a cop, profiled, had their children harassed at school,” said Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe who has advocated for Peltier’s release.

At least 31 dead after bus crash in Bolivia | World News– news.sky.com
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At least 31 people have died after a bus crash in Bolivia, police have said.

An officer said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 2,600 ft (800m) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla.

Among the injured, 10 adults and four children were taken to hospital, with several in intensive care, a healthcare official said.

The mountainous route the vehicle was on has lots of twists and turns, the police officer said, adding that speed could have been another factor in the accident.

Police arrest alleged leader of anarchist vegan cult tied to series of crimes, including CBP agent murder – Fox News
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The alleged leader and another member of a fringe group of vegan activists on the West Coast, who have been tied to a series of crimes and the murder of a Border Patrol Agent, have been arrested.

The Maryland State Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that Jack “Ziz” LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, Michelle Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, and another person were arrested Sunday afternoon on a number of charges unrelated to the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland.

Police said that shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, LaSota was arrested and charged with trespassing, obstructing and hindering, and firearm in vehicle, while Zajko was arrested on the same charges in addition to resisting arrest, and handgun on person in Frostburg, Maryland.

GOP Senators Put Red Cross on Notice After ‘Neutral’ Aid Organization Participates in Hamas Propaganda Ceremony– freebeacon.com
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