'The measles virus in Texas keeps spreading like, well, measles'

A sign points to measles testing facilities in Seminole, Texas

(Image credit: Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

published 1 May 2025

'Is measles coming back in a big way?'

The Wall Street Journal editorial board

The "best time to worry about sliding childhood vaccination rates was yesterday, but today is better than tomorrow," says The Wall Street Journal editorial board. These measles "numbers are coming out of a model, not some crystal ball." The "bottom line is that if vaccine coverage continues to drop, the inevitable result will be needless deaths and hospitalized patients, including many children." Parents can "opt out of vaccines over vague objections that needn't be religious or medically sound."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Philadelphia "appropriated $2 million to purchase drone technology to support the Philadelphia Police Department," and "one thing is clear: They are working," says Jalon Alexander. The city "needs more pilots, and the department plans to purchase an additional 18 drones to support the force." Philadelphia "should triple that — to save lives and improve our quality of life." Drone use "should also be expanded beyond violent crime to combat nonviolent crimes like illegal dumping."

As a "Vietnamese American who immigrated to the United States at age 9, I had hoped to reflect on progress in reconciliation and share my advocacy," says Erin Phuong Steinhauer. But we are "still a long way from true healing and that reconciliation remains far off." Healing "requires honest reckoning with the past and active participation." Trauma "becomes intergenerational, passed down like an invisible inheritance." The U.S. has "taken steps to address the war's aftermath, but they remain insufficient."

The "noticeable uptick in labor organizing in the wake of the Covid pandemic has led many journalists and academics to make big claims about where the union movement might be heading," says Benjamin Y. Fong. But there is "good reason to question inflated talk about labor's recent 'banner years.'" Despite "renewed interest in unionization and high public approval of unions, union density continues its seemingly inexorable decline." If the "percentage of people in unions shrinks, something clearly is not working."

Explore More

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.