US nears 1,000 measles cases with infections confirmed in 26 states, CDC data shows

The U.S. is close to reaching at least 1,000 measles cases for the third time in eight years.

At least 72 new measles cases have been confirmed in the last week, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far this year, there have been total of 982 cases in 26 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

New map shows how to spot the measles risk level in your ZIP code

Just six measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data.

About 94% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, the CDC said.

Meanwhile, 3% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 4% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.

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The current measles situation in the U.S. is partly being driven by a large outbreak in South Carolina that began last year, with 962 cases recorded as of Friday, according tostate health officials.

Last year, the U.S. recorded 2,281 measles cases, which is the highest number of national cases in 33 years, according to the CDC.

It also marked the first U.S. deaths recorded from measles in a decade,two among school-aged unvaccinated childrenin Texas anda third among an unvaccinated adultin New Mexico.

The CDC currentlyrecommendspeople receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC said.

However, federal data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024-2025 school year,92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen in the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019-2020 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month marked one year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, with infections soon spreading to neighboring counties and other states.

Public health expertspreviously told ABC Newsthat if cases in other states are found to be linked to the cases in Texas, it would mean the virus has been spreading for a year, which could lead to a loss of elimination status.

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February 20, 2026

US nears 1,000 measles cases with infections confirmed in 26 states, CDC data shows

The U.S. is close to reaching at least 1,000 measles cases for the third time in eight years. At least 72 ne...

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All truckers and bus drivers will be required to take commercial driver's license tests in English

All truckers and pass drivers will have to take their commercial driver's license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Florida already started administering its tests in English.

Currently, many states allow drivers to take their license tests in other languages even though they are required to demonstrate English proficiency. California offered tests in 20 other languages. And Duffy said that a number of states have hired other companies to administer commercial driver's licenses tests, and those companies aren't enforcing the standards that drivers are supposed to meet.

"And the third party tester is participating in the scam because they are not adequately testing the people who went through a sham school," Duffy said.

He said every American wants drivers who get behind the wheel of a big rig to be well-qualified to handle those vehicles. But Duffy said that for too long the problems in the trucking industry were "allowed to rot and no one's paying attention to it for decades."

"Once you start to pay attention, you see that all these bad things have been happening. And the consequence of that is that Americans get hurt," Duffy said. "When we get on the road, we should expect that we should be safe. And that those who drive those 80,000-pound big rigs, that they are well-trained, they're well-qualified, and they're going to be safe."

The campaign will also now expand to go prevent fraudulent trucking companies from getting into the business while continuing to go after questionable schools and ensure states are complying with all the regulations for handing out commercial licenses.

Earlier this week, the Transportation Departmentsaid 557 driving schools should closebecause they failed to meet basic safety standards. And the department has been aggressively going after states that handed out commercial driver's licenses to immigrants who shouldn't have qualified for them ever since a fatal crash in August.

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A truck driver who Duffy says wasn't authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Floridathat killed three people. Other fatal crashes since then, including one in Indiana that killed four earlier this month, have only heightened concerns.

Duffy said that the registration system and requirements for trucking companies will be strengthened while Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration inspectors conduct more spot checks of trucks and commercial driver's license schools.

Currently, companies only have to pay a few hundred dollars and show proof of insurance to get registered to operate, and then they might not be audited until a year or more later.

That has made it easy for fraudulent companies that are known in the industry as chameleon carriers to register multiple times under different names and then simply switch names and registration numbers to avoid any consequences after crashes or other violations.

Officials are also trying to make sure that the electronic logging devices drivers use are accurate, and that states are following all the regulations to ensure drivers are qualified to get commercial licenses.

After that Indiana crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration knocked the company that employed the driver out of service and pulled the DOT numbers assigned to two other companies that were linked to AJ Partners. Tutash Express and Sam Express in the Chicago area were also disqualified, and the Aydana driving school that the trucker involved in the crash attended lost its certification.

Immigration authorities arrested that driver because they said the 30-year-old from Kyrgystan entered the country illegally. Authorities say he pulled out and tried to go around a truck that had slowed in front of him and his truck slammed into an oncoming van.

In December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration took action todecertify up to 7,500 of the 16,000 schoolsnationwide but that includedmany defunct operations.

Duffy said the companies involved in that Indiana crash were all registered at the same apartment. In other cases there might be hundreds of these chameleon companies registered at a single address.

byAdministrator

in

February 20, 2026

All truckers and bus drivers will be required to take commercial driver's license tests in English

All truckers and pass drivers will have to take their commercial driver's license tests in English as the Trump admi...

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What Rebecca Gayheart has said about husband Eric Dane, his ALS journey

Eric Dane's wifeRebecca Gayhearthas been frank about her relationship with the "Grey's Anatomy" actor and his ALS battle.

The couple, who dated for 10 months before marrying in 2004, have broken up and reconciled as coparents in recent years.

Gayheart, 54,filed for divorce from Danein 2018 after 14 years of marriage, butfiled to dismiss the divorcein March 2025, according toE!andPeople. The model, who shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, with the "Euphoria" actor, dismissed the filing a month before Dane publicly revealed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis.

Actor Eric Dane has died following a battle with ALS. He was 53. He leaves behind two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and wife Rebecca Gayheart. Look back at the family through the years when they joined together in the public eye.

Actress Rebecca Gayheart and actor Eric Dane attend the Chrysalis 3rd annual Butterfly Ball at a private residence on April 17, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart and husband Eric Dane attend the afterparty for the opening night of "Steel Magnolias" on Broadway on April 4, 2005, in New York City. The pair married in 2004.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart arrive at the premiere of A&E original film "Wedding Wars" at the ArcLight Theater Dec. 4, 2006, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart watch the show at the 6th annual General Motors TEN event at Paramount Studios on Feb. 20, 2007, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane arrive at the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Valentine's Day" held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Feb. 8, 2010, in Hollywood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Billie Beatrice Dane, Georgia Dane and guests attend the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Built To Amaze! show on March 21, 2013, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Georgia Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and Billie Beatrice Dane attend Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2013, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and their daughters attend the Huggies Snug & Dry and Baby2Baby Mother's Day Garden Party held on April 27, 2013, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Georgia Dane and Billie Beatrice Dane attend the 14th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 6, 2015, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane and their family attend Amazon Video's Tumble Leaf Family Fun Day hosted by Au Fudge on Sept. 13, 2015, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Billie Beatrice Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Georgia Dane and Eric Dane attend the 15th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball at a private residence on June 11, 2016, in Brentwood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Billie Beatrice Dane and Georgia Dane attend the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017, in Brentwood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Eric White, Patricia Arquette, Rosetta Getty, June Getty, Balthazar Getty, Violet Getty, Eric Dane, Billie Beatrice Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and Georgia Dane at the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017, in Los Angeles.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Dane and his daughters Billie Beatrice Dane and Georgia Dane attend the Los Angeles premiere of "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on May 30, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Eric Dane's family journey in photos

Actor Eric Dane has died following a battle with ALS. He was 53. He leaves behind two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and wife Rebecca Gayheart. Look back at the family through the years when they joined together in the public eye.Actress Rebecca Gayheart and actorEric Daneattend the Chrysalis 3rd annual Butterfly Ball at a private residence on April 17, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California.

Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' star,dies at 53 following ALS battle

Gayheart toldE!in April –a day before Dane's announcement– that the pair were still the "best of friends" and that she still looks at her marriage as a "huge success" despite the couple no longer being together.

"I think it's important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It's just a season. It wasn't a failure," she continued. "We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years, and we had two beautiful kids. So I think that's a successful relationship, and that's how we look at it."

Two months after revealing his diagnosis, Dane, 53, toldDiane Sawyerthat Gayheart is the first person he calls when he needs support. "I talk to her every day," he said. "And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her."

Eric Dane praisedas 'heroic' in tributes from 'Euphoria,' 'Charmed' costars

On a November episode of the "Broad Ideas" podcast, she further explained her decision to call off the divorce, with the actress saying she wanted to set an example for their daughters.

"I am definitely trying to show them that we show up for people no matter what. And he is our family. He is your father," she said, though admitting the situation is "complicated."

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She added: "We show up and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it. And that we will get through it the best we can."

Eric Dane was perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka "McSteamy," in the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," but he also has other memorable roles under his belt.

Revisit the late actor's best roles, starting with a scene from "Grey's Anatomy" with Ellen Pompeo in 2006.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Hamish Linklater, Eric Dane and Russell Hornsby, stars of ABC medical drama "Gideon's Crossing," during a press tour party in July 17, 2000, in Pasadena.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Members of the cast of "Burlesque": Eric Dane, Stanley Tucci, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet and Julianne Hough in a portrait made at the Four Seasons Hote in 2010.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Adam Baldwin and Eric Dane in 2014's "The Last Ship."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

How Eric Dane became a TV and film favorite. His best roles

Eric Dane was perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka "McSteamy," in the ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," but he also has other memorable roles under his belt.Revisit the late actor's best roles, starting with a scene from "Grey's Anatomy" with Ellen Pompeo in 2006.

In December, Gayheart penned an essay forThe Cut, writing that the family "spending all this time together" was "nice" and "really positive" for their kids, though, "It's not that they have the hopes of us being together – kids always dream of their parents getting back together, and I think now ours don't because they understand the reality of the situation."

Rebecca Gayheart defends'complicated' relationship with Eric Dane

She admitted that their relationship may be "confusing for people."

"It's a very complicated relationship," she told the outlet. "Our love may not be romantic, but it's a familial love."

Dane died Thursday, Feb. 19, at age 53, his representative, Melissa Bank, confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY.

"With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS," the statement said. "He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.

"He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always," the statement concluded. "Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he's received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."

Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eric Dane death – Rebecca Gayheart on husband, his ALS battle

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February 20, 2026

What Rebecca Gayheart has said about husband Eric Dane, his ALS journey

Eric Dane's wifeRebecca Gayhearthas been frank about her relationship with the "Grey's Anatomy" actor ...

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Plea from 911 official in Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Don't call with thoughts and opinions

The 911 communications center fielding tips inNancy Guthrie's disappearancehas been swamped by calls.

But many of those calls are not from people seeking to provide potentially actionable leads, said Cecila Ochoa, dispatch manager for the Pima County Sheriff's Department. They're from people who want to share theories, premonitions and opinions, she said.

"If you're thinking about calling in a tip or a lead or if you have specific information regarding the case, I ask that you take a moment and think — is this tip viable, is it credible?" she said. "What we don't want are the opinions and the thoughts and kind of wondering, are investigators doing a, b, c and d."

In an update Wednesday, the department said that it does not track how many Guthrie-related calls the center has received since her family reported her missing Feb. 1. But its overall call volume has soared.

In the first 18 days of February 2025, the department said, there were 20,808 calls. In the same time period this year, there were 31,608. More than 23,000 of those calls were administrative, including calls to the non-emergency line, the department said. The rest were 911 calls.

The FBI said Wednesday that it has received more than 19,000 tips, and the sheriff's department said that hundreds of personnel from various law enforcement agencies are involved in a case it has described as a possible abduction.

Some 400 FBI agents and sheriff's deputies are still working the case as the three-week mark quickly approaches.

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Guthrie, 84,was last seen around 9:45 p.m. Jan. 31. The FBIreleased security video and still images last weekfrom her home in Catalina Hills, an unincorporated community in the Tucson area, showing a masked man with a gun, backpack and gloves appearing to tamper with a doorbell camera in the overnight hours of Feb. 1.

The agency has since described that man, who is believed to be between 5' 9 inches tall and 5'10 " tall and was wearing a 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack, as a suspect.

That suspect was also seen wearing a holster. Firearms expert John Correia said it appears to be a universal fit holster and isn't one an experienced gun owner would use.

"This does not strike me as a highly trained professional," he told NBC News.

A glove that appeared to match the ones worn by the suspect was found roughly 2 miles from Guthrie's home and contained DNA from an unknown male, authorities have said. That DNA does not match samples gathered from Guthrie's home, nor does it match any samples in the FBI's DNA database, CODIS.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators plan to use genetic genealogy, a forensic tool that combines traditional genealogical research with DNA analysis, to test a partial biological sample found at Guthrie's home.

The department has not said whether there were signs of forced entry at the house. Blood found on Guthrie's porch is believed to be hers, Nanos said.

"TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie has posted several videos on social media, joined in some by her brother and sister, pleading for their mother's return and begging for her potential abductor to make contact with their family. Savannah Guthrie has said the family is willing to pay.

byAdministrator

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February 20, 2026

Plea from 911 official in Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Don't call with thoughts and opinions

The 911 communications center fielding tips inNancy Guthrie's disappearancehas been swamped by calls. But...

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