
News Wrap: Child dies from measles amid West Texas outbreak
Clip: 2/26/2025 | 6mVideo has Closed Captions
News Wrap: Child dies from measles amid West Texas outbreak
In our news wrap Wednesday, an unvaccinated child has died in the West Texas measles outbreak, Supreme Court justices seemed to side with a woman who brought a lawsuit claiming workplace discrimination because she is straight and a Baltimore judge is considering whether to reduce the life sentence for Adnan Syed to time served after prosecutors withdrew an attempt to vacate his murder conviction.
Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...

News Wrap: Child dies from measles amid West Texas outbreak
Clip: 2/26/2025 | 6mVideo has Closed Captions
In our news wrap Wednesday, an unvaccinated child has died in the West Texas measles outbreak, Supreme Court justices seemed to side with a woman who brought a lawsuit claiming workplace discrimination because she is straight and a Baltimore judge is considering whether to reduce the life sentence for Adnan Syed to time served after prosecutors withdrew an attempt to vacate his murder conviction.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAMNA 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 translator): 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.
AMNA NAWAZ: Hamas says Shiri and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli forensic teams say there's evidence that they were killed by Hamas.
New data suggests that a yearslong decline in the nation's Christian population has leveled off.
Results of a Pew Research Center survey out today found that 62 percent of U.S. adults identify as Christian.
That number has held steady since 2019, after falling from 78 percent in 2007.
And whether Christian or not, a vast majority of Americans considered themselves spiritual, with 83 percent saying they believe in God or some kind of universal spirit.
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos announced today that the paper's opinion pages will focus on defending -- quote -- "personal liberties and free markets."
In a social media post, Bezos says he told employees that -- quote -- "Viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others."
Critics say it's the latest rightward shift at The Post under Bezos, aimed at pleasing President Trump.
Bezos insists that newspapers these days should not offer a broad-based opinion section, saying that the Internet does that job.
Following today's announcement, The Post's opinion editor, David Shipley, announced he is stepping down.
On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed after a recent run of losses.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped nearly 200 points on the day.
The Nasdaq added nearly 50 points, or about a quarter of a percent.
The S&P 500 ended virtually flat.
And actor Michelle Trachtenberg has died.
She got her start as a child actor, most notably on Nickelodeon's "The Adventures of Pete & Pete."
Trachtenberg was just 10 years old when she shot to fame in the 1996 film "Harriet the Spy."
She later co-starred on hit TV shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer and "Gossip Girl."
New York City police say they responded to a 911 call early today and found Trachtenberg unconscious and unresponsive.
No criminal involvement is suspected and investigation is ongoing.
Michelle Trachtenberg was just 39 years old.
Still to come on the "News Hour": advocacy groups react to a court order blocking President Trump's ban on refugees; Panama's deputy foreign minister discusses his country's role in the U.S. immigration crackdown; and the upcoming Met Gala shines a spotlight on the cultural impact of Black men's fashion.
Advocacy groups respond to Trump's ban on refugees
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How advocacy groups are responding to a court blocking Trump's ban on refugees (5m 54s)
Arrington defends plan that slashes spending, cuts taxes
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'A lot of bloat': Rep. Arrington defends GOP budget plan that slashes spending, cuts taxes (8m 36s)
Black men's fashion in the spotlight at upcoming Met Gala
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Cultural impact of Black men's fashion in the spotlight at upcoming Met Gala (7m 21s)
A look at the errors on DOGE's 'wall of receipts'
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A look at the misleading and incorrect claims on DOGE's 'wall of receipts' (5m 50s)
Panama official on his country's role in U.S. deportations
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Panama government official describes his country's role in Trump's immigration crackdown (8m 44s)
Trump and Musk preview more cuts to federal workforce
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Trump and Musk preview more cuts to federal workforce in first Cabinet meeting (3m 58s)
U.S. deporting migrants to Central American stopovers
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U.S. deporting migrants to Central American stopovers regardless of country of origin (5m 25s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipMajor corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...