1 Childhood Vaccine Exemptions For Personal Or Religious Reasons Hit New Record
The number of American parents choosing not to vaccinate their children rose sharply last school year, according to new data released yesterday by the CDC. During the 2025-26 school year, 4.2-percent of kindergartners, about 155,000 kids, had at least one vaccine exemption, up from 3.6-percent the year before. It marks the fourth consecutive year the national exemption rate has hit a new record, and the vast majority are nonmedical. Dr. David Margolius, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, called the rise disappointing but not surprising, blaming a lack of clear messaging at the national level about vaccines. The numbers come as the U.S. endures its worst year for measles since 1991. As of yesterday, the country had logged 2,566 cases in 2026, with ongoing outbreaks in several states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Utah.
2 Justice Department Asks Court To Restart Case Against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court yesterday to reinstate the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man deported by the Trump administration last year. It wants to reverse a lower court order that found the charges were vindictive in nature. In May, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a criminal indictment against Abrego Garcia, who had been accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling immigrants into the country illegally. In its filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the Justice Department denied the prosecution was vindictive, saying it had multiple legitimate reasons to pursue the case. Abrego Garcia was charged last year with two counts of human smuggling stemming from a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where officers found numerous people in his vehicle; he pleaded not guilty.
3 Penn State Frat Brothers Charged With Running Cocaine Trafficking Ring
Two Penn State University fraternities were at the center of a cocaine trafficking ring, leading to charges against 14 people, Pennsylvania's Office of Attorney General announced yesterday. Officials said the cocaine was cut and packaged mainly at the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses before being sold, mostly to other Penn State students. Two members, Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson, were the main suppliers, making regular trips to Philadelphia and New York for large quantities of the drug. Thirteen of those charged were Penn State students at or around the time of the operation from 2023 to 2024. Attorney General Dave Sunday said cutting and packaging cocaine was, for some pledges, an indoctrination into the fraternities. The 14th defendant, the father of a student, is accused of trying to conceal evidence. Penn State placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension and said it does not recognize Sigma Chi as an organization.