"during a visit to college station, the U.S. health secretary said autism and diabetes deserve more attention than measles."
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| | | tribune journalists bring you trusted information about what matters in texas.
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good morning, texas ⛅️ here's today's brief | | Mae Lackey wrote this edition of The Brief. |
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⭐️ ️TOP STORY |  | U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins looks on as Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a press conference during a visit to the Norman E. Borlaug Building in College Station on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Photo by Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune. |
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In visit to Texas, RFK Jr. said autism, diabetes deserve more attention than measles | STORY BY TERRI LANGFORD | U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a visit to Texas on Tuesday that measles deserves less attention than other chronic diseases, while downplaying the number of deaths that have occurred in the state's historic outbreak of the virus. | During a visit to Texas A&M University in College Station, Kennedy said that Europe's measles deaths are higher than the U.S.' "four deaths in 20 years," two of whom were Texas children this year. | He also said more attention should be focused on chronic conditions like diabetes, as well as autism, which Kennedy has previously linked to the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. The scientific community has widely debunked the theory, asserting the vaccine does not cause autism. | "Every child who gets measles gets a headline," Kennedy said during the visit alongside Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. "When I was a kid, there were 2 million measles cases a year and nobody wrote about them." | In recent months, Kennedy has been criticized for his response to the Texas-centered measles outbreak. He has questioned the role measles had in the deaths of three individuals confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year and praised private medical providers who have used alternative treatment methods on measles patients. | Public health officials have repeatedly said that two doses of the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent measles.
Kennedy stressed on Tuesday that his agency has to take care of Texans who want to vaccinate, but also Texans who do not.
He also said measles cases are slowing as officials are doing well to manage the outbreak. | While Tuesday's state measles update shows the number of cases slowing in Gaines County, the heart of the outbreak, areas new to the outbreak, such as El Paso, are showing a faster rise in cases. On Tuesday, El Paso had 11 new cases, a 45% increase since Friday. | More than 660 measles cases have been reported in Texas. Track the spread here. | |
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⭐️ ️TOP STORY |  | Tents are pitched in front of Austin City Hall protesting camping bans on May 10, 2021. Texas lawmakers are debating legislation advocates say will make the state's homelessness problem worse. Photo by Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune. |
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Advocates fear Texas lawmakers are about to worsen the state's homelessness crisis | STORY BY JOSHUA FECHTER | As thousands of Texans sleep on the streets, Republicans in the Texas Legislature are advancing bills that advocates fear will worsen the state's homelessness crisis. | GOP lawmakers have advanced bills to force cities to ramp up enforcement of a statewide ban on homeless encampments and block homeless service providers from operating near schools. Advocates warn some legislation they've pushed could accelerate evictions, potentially driving up homelessness as a result. | Nearly 28,000 Texans lacked stable housing last year — an 8% increase since before the pandemic. Over 12,000 were unsheltered, living outside or in places not meant for habitation. | Advocates argue these proposals fail to address root causes of the state's homelessness crisis, especially the shortage of affordable housing. | "A lot of legislators feel like the cities aren't doing their job," said Eric Samuels, who heads the Texas Homeless Network. "The presumption is they're not already working to prevent and end homelessness, which is far from the case." | Senate Bill 241, authored by Sen. Pete Flores, would require cities to let residents file formal complaints over encampments. If not resolved within 90 days, the attorney general could intervene and bill the city through its sales tax revenue. The bill cleared the Senate earlier this month by a 22-8 vote. | Senate Bill 38 aims to crack down on squatters. Tenants' advocates have said that the bill would speed up the eviction process and reduce legal protections for the state's 4.2 million renter households. Senators approved it, 21-8, in April. | Meanwhile, bills that advocates say could help people escape homelessness have yet to hit the floor in either chamber — like a proposal to help people experiencing homelessness regain crucial personal identification documents such as birth certificates and driver's licenses. | |
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🎙️TRIBCAST | | The Texas Lottery Commission has rarely made headlines, but for the past few months, it's been the focus of a scandal. In this week's episode, Matthew and Eleanor talk to Texas Tribune reporter Ayden Runnels about lottery couriers and whether a $95 million prize winner was legitimate.Watch a video recording of the podcast on our website or subscribe to the TribCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS. New episodes every Tuesday. |
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🏅 BEST OF THE TRIB | The Texas House gave unanimous approval on Tuesday to a bill that would improve how law enforcement responds to mass shootings. House Bill 33, filed by Rep. Don McLaughlin, former Uvalde mayor, would mandate law enforcement agencies across the state to create crisis response policies to prevent delayed responses like the one that occurred during the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary. The Texas Lottery Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to ban courier companies from selling lottery tickets online, a reversal from officials' earlier claims that the agency could not regulate the services. Compared to 2017, more Texans see immigration as harmful and want undocumented immigrants deported, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Texas Lyceum. While immigration ranked as the state's top issue, respondents had mixed views on its specific impacts. The poll surveyed 1,200 adults in Texas, about 69% of whom are registered voters. Mexico has agreed to send up to 420,000 acre-feet of water to the Rio Grande Valley by October to help pay off its growing water debt to the U.S., the State Department announced Monday. The water deliveries would still fall short of the total amount owed under a 1944 treaty. The Texas Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that aims to clarify when doctors can perform an abortion under the state's near-total ban. Senate Bill 31, which is backed by anti-abortion groups, medical and hospital associations and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, clarifies when exactly a doctor can legally provide an abortion under the existing laws. Lawmakers discussed a bill Tuesday that would create new rules for school districts that want to split into smaller entities, months after a controversial, now-abandoned plan to break up Keller ISD raised questions about whether the district could do so without voters' input. On Tuesday, the Texas House approved House Joint Resolution 6, which will ask voters to spend $1 billion on water projects annually. If the Senate approves it, the measure will be on ballots in November.
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SPONSOR CONTENT | | | TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY | | TWU's FAST Academy speeds prep for foster alumni | |
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| Nationally, fewer than 9% of students who have been in foster care will graduate from a higher education institution. But through an innovative program, Texas Woman's University is working to change that. Read more. |
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📰 BEST OF THE REST | Paywall content noted with $. | Police shooting: After fatally shooting Timothy Randall during a 2022 traffic stop, Sgt. Shane Iversen of the Rusk County Sheriff's Office told a colleague, "I just smoked a dude." Dashcam footage, released nearly two years later through a lawsuit, shows Randall pleading and fleeing unarmed, sparking concerns about the use of excessive force. (NBC News) Dementia: In Starr County, Texas, where dementia affects one in five adults, families often provide care at home due to cultural traditions and limited medical resources. The crisis, driven by poverty and chronic illness, has spurred new research into its causes and the community's resilient caregiving. (The Atlantic, $) UPS layoffs: UPS plans to cut 20,000 jobs and close 73 facilities this year as it reduces the amount of Amazon shipments it handles. The company said it aims to streamline operations amid economic uncertainty, while reporting better-than-expected first-quarter earnings. (Associated Press)
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👥 JOIN US | | ⏰ Here's your last chance to save big on TribFest tickets. | There's still time to get the best price of the year on tickets for The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Nov. 13–15! | TribFest puts you at the center of the conversations that matter on the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and more. You won't want to miss three days of conversations that ignite your curiosity and inspire action. | Buy tickets now at a special rate, but act fast! Prices go up tonight at 11:59 p.m. CT. | We can't wait to welcome you in November! | TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. |
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👋 THE LAST WORD | "This is not a time to take your foot off the gas." | — Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine and vocal vaccine proponent, on containing the measles outbreak. |
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I wonder how many court cases are going against RFK Jr? Probably a few.
ReplyDelete"We wants our red dye,"said the dems,just to reflexively oppose any Trump ideas.
--GRA