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Measles Outbreak in South Carolina Leads to Serious Complications; Supreme Court Allows California to Use New Congressional Map; Other News
A measles outbreak in South Carolina has led to serious complications in some children, while the Supreme Court cleared the way for California to use its new congressional map. These were among the top news stories on February 4, 2026.
In South Carolina, the measles outbreak that began in October had climbed to 876 cases as of February 3, with 700 of those reported since the beginning of the year, according to state epidemiologist Linda Bell. Some children affected by the outbreak developed encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, a rare but severe complication of measles that can lead to convulsions and cause deafness or intellectual disability, according to Wired. The surge in cases could signal another challenging year for the United States, which saw more than 2,267 cases in 2025, the highest in 30 years. Declining vaccination rates across the country are believed to be driving the resurgence.
In election news, the Supreme Court allowed California to use its new congressional map for this year's midterm election, according to NPR News. This decision clears the way for the state's gerrymandered districts as Democrats and Republicans continue their fight for control of the U.S. House. The map was implemented after voters approved a ballot measure allowing the state's Democratic leaders to temporarily replace the state's congressional map to help Democrats win five additional U.S. House seats.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by relatives of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. airstrike last year reached a U.S. court, according to NPR Politics. The lawsuit alleges extrajudicial killings.
In other news, researchers found no evidence of censorship on TikTok after a U.S.-led investor group took over the social media platform's U.S. operations earlier this year, according to NPR News. Some users had claimed political topics were being suppressed, specifically videos about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and posts related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Finally, The Atlantic writer Robert Kagan warned that the U.S. is "on the edge of the consolidation of dictatorship" as former President Trump violates norms, laws, and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, according to NPR.
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