The family mourning America’s first measles death in a decade

Summary

Apple News Today: The Family Mourning America’s First Measles Death in a Decade

Released on March 20, 2025

Host: Shemitah Basu

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Measles Outbreak in West Texas: A Community in Mourning

The episode opens with a harrowing account of a measles outbreak that has plagued over 300 individuals across West Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Centered in Gaines County, Texas, this outbreak marks the first measles-related death in the United States in a decade—a somber milestone that underscores significant lapses in public health vigilance.

Shemitah Basu introduces the issue:

"Authorities in Texas are now saying the outbreak could take up to a year to contain." [00:05]

Freelance reporter Tom Bartlett provides an on-the-ground perspective from Seminole, a small town of approximately 7,000 residents:

"It's way out in the desert. You pass through long stretches between towns where there isn't much other than, you know, oil pump jacks and it's a small town, it's about 7,000 people in Seminole." [01:14]

Bartlett recounts his interview with Peter, a 28-year-old construction worker whose five-year-old daughter succumbed to measles:

"According to Peter, they were sent home with cough medicine and told that she should recover at home. They later returned to the hospital and according to Peter, her condition just worsened. She was eventually put on a ventilator and passed away." [01:50]

Peter expressed skepticism about the MMR vaccine, believing that contracting measles was a natural immunity booster:

"He considers getting measles a normal part of life and that he heard measles strengthens your immune system, which is not true." [02:13]

Shemitah Basu highlights the broader implications:

"For Peter and his family, this girl's death is a private tragedy. But Bartlett says the fact that she died of measles in 2025 is a signal that something has gone wrong in the nation's approach to public health." [04:03]

The Role of Vaccination Hesitancy and Community Impact

Bartlett delves deeper into the community's vaccination rates and underlying factors:

"The official numbers in Gaines county show just 82% of kindergarteners have had the MMR vaccine, well below the 95% threshold required to maintain herd community." [03:12]

The Mennonite community in Seminole faces unique challenges, with many children being homeschooled or attending private schools that do not mandate vaccination data collection. Additionally, political influences exacerbate the situation, as highlighted by the community's perception of being unfairly targeted:

"Peter said he thought his community was being unfairly singled out." [02:58]

Bartlett questions the sustainability of public health victories:

"This is a disease we thought had been eliminated. It was a great public health victory. And so is this outbreak and is this tragic death a sign that we're moving away from the vaccines that really brought us to elimination?" [04:17]

Vice President Vance’s Unprecedented Involvement in TikTok Negotiations

Shifting focus, Shemitah Basu transitions to the high-stakes negotiations surrounding TikTok's ownership:

"Vice President Vance has now taken on a direct role in that deal." [05:26]

Dawn Chmieleski of Reuters elaborates on Vance's unconventional role:

"JD Vance has been placed in the role of effectively investment banker to sort of entertain offers for US Buyers to take over this asset." [05:26]

This involvement is atypical for the White House, which traditionally intervenes in cases of national security or monopolistic practices. The potential buyers include high-profile figures such as Frank McCourt, Alexis Ohanian, Kevin O'Leary, and Jimmy Donaldson (Mr. Beast):

"There are many people reportedly in the mix to make an offer for TikTok." [07:01]

Chmieleski underscores the administration’s commitment:

"This high level, unusual involvement by the office of the vice president and indeed the president, really underscores how critical the administration considers this issue in preserving TikTok." [07:30]

NCAA Tournament Insights: Key Players and Teams to Watch

As the NCAA tournament commences, Shemitah Basu and Justin Williams from The Athletic break down pivotal figures and strategies.

Men’s Tournament: Cooper Flag and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo

Justin Williams highlights Duke’s standout freshman, Cooper Flag:

"He's the star freshman for Duke that really has in the consciousness of basketball fans for a few years... probably going to be the number one overall pick in the next NBA draft." [08:12]

Despite an ankle injury, Flag is expected to lead Duke towards the national championship:

"If he plays to the capability that he's shown this year, Duke's definitely going to be in that conversation for a national championship." [08:38]

Williams also points to Michigan State and legendary coach Tom Izzo as significant contenders:

"This might be the best chance he's had in a national championship for himself and also for the Big Ten." [09:01]

Women’s Tournament: Juju Watkins and Paige Beckers

In the women’s bracket, Sabrina Merchant focuses on Juju Watkins of USC and Paige Beckers of UConn:

"They were both national Player of the year candidates. They both lead teams that have a chance to win a national title." [09:33]

The tournament’s seedings sparked controversy, particularly USC’s placement as a number one seed over UCLA:

"Lindsey Gottlieb honestly had, like, the pace of a boxer... pointing out that if UCLA was to earn that title, then USC... should be higher than the fourth number one seed." [09:58]

Other Notable News Stories

Greenpeace vs. Energy Transfer

A North Dakota jury has ruled against Greenpeace in a lawsuit filed by Energy Transfer over alleged misinformation campaigns related to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline:

"The jury... ordered Greenpeace to pay more than $600 million in fines." [10:28]

Greenpeace vows to appeal, asserting the penalties could bankrupt the organization.

Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady

Amid ongoing economic uncertainties fueled by Trump’s tariff policies, the Federal Reserve has decided to maintain current interest rates:

"Despite inflation easing slightly last month, the escalating trade wars could raise prices for consumer goods." [10:28]

The Fed anticipates two more rate cuts this year, though economic growth projections have been adjusted downward.

Defense Department’s Jackie Robinson Webpage Controversy

The Defense Department faced backlash after unintentionally removing content about Jackie Robinson’s military service, following a memo aimed at curbing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives:

"A DOD official told ABC News that [the page] was mistakenly removed and has since been restored." [10:28]

This incident is part of a broader trend of content removal across government websites, including historical commemorations.

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For comprehensive coverage of these stories and more, listeners are encouraged to explore the Apple News app and stay updated with live scores and the latest developments.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the March 20, 2025 episode of Apple News Today, providing a detailed overview for those who have not listened to the podcast.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Thursday, March 20th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News today. On today's show, Vice President Vance's unusual role in the TikTok talks, the big names to know in the NCAA tournament and why a government webpage about Jackie Robinson was scrubbed and restored. But first, to the measles outbreak that has now infected more than 300 people across West Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Authorities in Texas are now saying the outbreak could take up to a year to contain. The outbreak is centered in Gaines county on the border of Texas and New Mexico. Texas health officials said Tuesday 279 cases have been identified since late January and and 36 people have been hospitalized. There has been one death in Texas, a 6 year old child, the first measles death in the country in a decade. Tom Bartlett is a freelance reporter and recently traveled to the town of Seminole in Gaines county to write about this for the Atlantic.

[Tom Bartlett]

It is way out in the desert. You pass through long stretches between towns where there isn't much other than, you know, oil pump jacks and it's a small town, it's about 7,000 people in Seminole.

[Shemitah Basu]

There's a big Mennonite community there. The six year old who died was part of that community. Bartlett asked locals in the town if they knew the family who had lost their child. And after driving around a bit, he was pointed to a nondescript building that was a Mennonite church. That's where he met a man named Peter.

[Tom Bartlett]

He's a construction worker. He's 28 years old. He had five children, one of whom got measles and very tragically passed away.

[Shemitah Basu]

Bartlett says Peter's daughter had been sick for three weeks and she was treated by doctors about an hour away at the closest hospital that could take take serious cases.

[Tom Bartlett]

And according to Peter, they were sent home with cough medicine and told that she should recover at home. They later returned to the hospital and according to Peter, her condition just worsened. She was eventually put on a ventilator and passed away.

[Shemitah Basu]

Peter's daughter was unvaccinated against measles, and Bartlett reports Peter himself also expressed doubts about the MMR vaccine, saying he considers getting measles a normal part of life and that he heard measles strengthens your immune system, which is not true. In fact, according to studies from the Harvard T.H. chan School of Public Health, measles not only weakens the immune system, it can even result in a complication called immune amnesia, where the body forgets how to protect itself against infections. For several years, leaving children extremely vulnerable. Bartlett told us Peter knew why his town was in the news. He heard President Trump had been asked about the outbreak there. But. But Peter said he thought his community was being unfairly singled out.

[Tom Bartlett]

What he said and what others said is they felt as if we're not the only community that gets measles. Others have gotten it. There have been other outbreaks. And I think it's good to note that there's nothing specifically in the Mennonite religion that forbids vaccination or modern medical care.

[Shemitah Basu]

And yet vaccination rates are low in this community. The official numbers in Gaines county show just 82% of kindergarteners have had the MMR vaccine, well below the 95% threshold required to maintain herd community. And most likely that number is inaccurate anyway because many kids in the Mennonite community there are homeschooled or in private schools that aren't required to collect data on vaccines. Bartlett said people there are also acutely aware of how political the conversation has become.

[Tom Bartlett]

I had some people express to me that this was because this is now sort of caught up in a political context because our current Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy, has in the past been extremely skeptical of vaccines, including the MMR vaccine. And so I think some of them saw this as bound up in a political discussion that doesn't really have anything to do with us.

[Shemitah Basu]

For Peter and his family, this girl's death is a private tragedy. But Bartlett says the fact that she died of measles in 2025 is a signal that something has gone wrong in the nation's approach to public health.

[Tom Bartlett]

This is a disease we thought had been eliminated. It was a great public health victory. And so is this outbreak and is this tragic death a sign that we're moving away from the vaccines that really brought us to elimination? And have we kind of given up this important public health victory? Is that what this means? Is this sort of a sign of what's to come? And I think that's kind of what everyone else is wrestling with.

[Shemitah Basu]

Let's check in on a story we haven't talked about for a minute. TikTok and who's going to own it. You might recall that last year President Biden signed legislation requiring the Chinese owner of the app ByteDance, to sell it to a non Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States. Earlier this year, President Trump pushed back the deadline for that ban until April 5th. In recent days, Vice President Vance told NBC News that he thinks a deal could be in place by that deadline. And Vance has now taken on a direct role in that deal. Dawn Chmieleski is a US Correspondent for Reuters.

[Dawn Chmieleski]

JD Vance has been placed in the role of effectively investment banker to sort of entertain offers for US Buyers to take over this asset. And he and his staff have been providing direction to bidders, you know, making suggestions about how to adjust the offer. So this is an incredibly unusual role, though, for the White House to play.

[Shemitah Basu]

While unusual, it's not entirely unprecedented for the White House to get involved in the dealings of publicly traded companies. Chmielski cited some other examples.

[Dawn Chmieleski]

The government intervened in Nippon Steel's attempts to take over U.S. steel, and it was an intervention to protect a crucial US Asset. So that's the role the government can typically take. It also typically intervenes when there's a monopoly, and the government needs to play a role to ensure that consumers are protected against predatory practices. Brokering and sale of an app is apart from that.

[Shemitah Basu]

The White House and members of Vance's team did not respond to Reuters request for comment, and neither did TikTok. As for Trump's role in all of this, Trump is the one who kicked off the initial bid to ban TikTok during his first term back in 2020, but he has since reversed his position. And more recently he said he has a warm spot for the app because, as he put it, it helped him win more younger voters in the most recent election. He also has said that the US could take a sizable stake in the company.

[Tom Bartlett]

You take 50% of TikTok for the approval that TikTok can continue in business and they'd have a great partner. The US Would be their partner, but the US Essentially would be paid for doing that half of the value of TikTok.

[Shemitah Basu]

There are many people reportedly in the mix to make an offer for TikTok. One group of interested investors includes Frank McCourt, a former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reddit co founder Alexis Ohanian, and Canadian investor Kevin O'Leary. Jimmy Donaldson, the social media star who goes by Mr. Beast, is also in talks to potentially join that group. Beyond that, it's hard to know what sort of deal could or will emerge, but Chmielski says it is clear that this means a lot to the White House.

[Dawn Chmieleski]

This high level, unusual involvement by the office of the vice president and indeed the president, really underscores how critical the administration considers this issue in preserving TikTok, an app that's broadly popular here in the US.

[Shemitah Basu]

Now to college basketball, where the NCAA tournament starts today for the men, tomorrow for the Women. And in these first few days of play, there are a dizzying number of games to follow. So to help orient you before the madness begins, we asked Justin Williams, senior writer with the Athletic, to tell us about some of the big names to watch on the men's side.

[Justin Williams]

I think the biggest name people have to know is Cooper Flag. He's the star freshman for Duke that really has in the consciousness of basketball fans for a few years, even as a high schooler. Probably going to be player of the year for college basketball this year, probably going to be the number one overall pick in the next NBA draft.

[Shemitah Basu]

But one big question is how Flag will perform. He injured his ankle in the ACC tournament last week, but all signs point.

[Justin Williams]

That he's going to be healthy and able to play. And if he is, and if he plays to the capability that he's shown this year, Duke's definitely going to be in that conversation for a national championship.

[Shemitah Basu]

When it comes to coaches, Williams says, pay attention to Michigan State. They're a number two seed, led by head coach Tom Izzo. No Big Ten team has won a national title in the men's tournament since Izzo and the spartans back in 2000.

[Justin Williams]

But really, this Michigan State team kind of came out of nowhere, won the Big Ten in the regular season, and I think it'd be pretty fascinating if Michigan State could go on this run. I don't know that we're at the end of Tom Izzo's career, but we're certainly in, you know, kind of the. The winter, the later stages of his career, and this might be the. The best chance he's had in a national championship for himself and also for the Big Ten.

[Shemitah Basu]

As for the women's tournament, athletic staff writer Sabrina Merchant says there are two players to keep an eye on. Juju Watkins, a sophomore at USC, and Paige Beckers, a senior at UConn.

[Sabrina Merchant]

They were both national Player of the year candidates. They both lead teams that have a chance to win a national title. And, of course, they are once again on a collision course for the Elite Eight this season. Unfortunately, as opposed to a potential final.

[Shemitah Basu]

Four matchup, UConn is a number two seed. USC is a number one seed, though it was the last team to get that ranking, which USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb was not happy about on Selection Sunday.

[Sabrina Merchant]

Lindsey Gottlieb honestly had, like, the pace of a boxer, like, getting ready for a fight as she was discussing her grievances with this particular decision, essentially pointing out that if ucla, a deserved number one overall seed, was to earn that title, then usc, a team that beat UCLA twice during the course of the regular season, should be higher than the fourth number one seed. I think it's perfectly reasonable argument, but one of the reasons I believe Lindsey Gottley was upset is because it sets her up on a path to once again play Yukon, which is far and away, I would say, the best number two seed of the crop.

[Shemitah Basu]

For all the latest tournament updates, check out the March Madness hubs on Apple News and you can get live scores super fast on the lock screen of your iPhone by downloading the Apple Sports app. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following A North Dakota jury ruled against Greenpeace in a case over its role in the 2016 and 2017 protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. The company behind the pipeline Energy Transfer, sued Greenpeace, claiming the environmental group used a quote misinformation campaign which incited people to protest. The Guardian reports that the jury, half of whom have ties to the fossil fuel industry, agreed with Energy Transfer and ordered Greenpeace to pay more than $600 million in fines. Greenpeace, which has denied the claims, has said a large penalty could bankrupt the organization. It also says it will appeal the decision. In economic news, the Federal Reserve says it is holding interest rates steady as Trump's tariff policies create uncertainty around the economic outlook, CNBC reports despite inflation easing slight last month, the escalating trade wars could raise prices for consumer goods. The Fed is expected to cut rates two more times this year, but the rate at which it expects the economy to grow is slightly lower than forecasted in December. Inflation for the year is also expected to end higher than previously thought, and the Defense Department deleted and then restored content from its website that highlights Jackie Robinson's military service. The scrubbing of the content comes after a memo from the Pentagon that calls for removing any content that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion. Robinson, who is best known for breaking baseball's color barrier, was drafted into military service in 1942 but was court martialed after he refused to sit at the back of an army bus because of the color of his skin. He was later acquitted and eventually honorably discharged after multiple news outlets highlighted the disappearance of the Robinson webpage, a DOD official told ABC News that was mistakenly removed and has since been restored. This incident follows the removal of a slew of other content across government websites, including a page that celebrated one of the Marines who was famously pictured raising the American flag at iwo Jima in 1945. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming coming up next. It started off as a specialty Korean market, but now H Mart is a beloved billion dollar empire. Bloomberg businessweek examines how it got so popular. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.