| WORDS OF WISDOM | | “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” | | DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER | | Good morning! Today, we’re covering the CDC vaccination advisory for all American international travelers, the Supreme Court declining to take up to key Second Amendment cases, and the second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.
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All Americans Traveling Abroad Should Get Measles Vaccine, CDC Says The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a major update to its measles vaccination guidance, urging all Americans traveling internationally, regardless of destination, to get vaccinated amid a resurgence of the disease in the United States and abroad.
“All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine,” the CDC said in a May 28 update. The agency recommends two doses for everyone aged 12 months or older, spaced at least 28 days apart, and a single early dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months who will be traveling. “Most people who bring measles into the United States are unvaccinated U.S. residents who get infected during international travel,” the agency added.
The new travel alert marks a significant shift from previous CDC guidance, which prioritized vaccination only for those heading to outbreak-prone regions. Experts say the expanded recommendation reflects a growing risk of infection in transit—especially on airplanes and in airports.
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Supreme Court Declines to Challenge Maryland ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear two high-profile challenges to state gun-control laws—one in Maryland banning semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15, and another in Rhode Island prohibiting magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Both denials came in a list of orders released on Monday. The list did not provide an explanation for the denials. However, three justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch—dissented, indicating that they would have taken up the cases.
In the Maryland case, sometimes referred to as an “assault weapons” ban, Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred with the majority in its decision to deny review, but said the Supreme Court “should and presumably will” address the constitutionality of AR-15 bans within the next term or two.
The Rhode Island case, Ocean State Tactical v. Rhode Island, challenged a 2022 state law banning large-capacity magazines, passed shortly after a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The law gave owners six months to modify, surrender, sell, or transfer such magazines. (More) | |
Russia and Ukraine Conclude Second Round of Talks, Prepare Prisoner Swap Delegations from Ukraine and Russia ended their second round of cease-fire negotiations in Turkey after just an hour. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the two sides were preparing for a new prisoner swap, and the Ukrainian delegation delivered a list of deported Ukrainian children to Russia that Kyiv wants returned home.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said before the talks began that the aim of the June 2 meeting, the second of its kind, was to evaluate the two sides’ conditions for a cease-fire, to facilitate more prisoner exchanges, and to discuss a possible meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. “The eyes of the whole world are focused on the contacts here,” Fidan said.
Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky headed the Kremlin team. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led negotiations for Kyiv. “We are insisting on a full and unconditional end to the killing now,” Umerov said in a press conference following the talks. (More) | | MORE TOP NEWS | | | | | | | | | | | | PREMIUM | | | | INSPIRED | | | | A WORD FROM ADVERTISER | | | | CULTURE |  | | Why Impromptu Play Matters | | Filled with sweetness, humor, and the good ol’ American values of determination and a solid work ethic, the 1942 movie “The Pride of the Yankees” tells the story of baseball great Lou Gehrig from his boyhood to his final days battling the disease that now bears his name.
There are many scenes worth pondering in this classic film, but the opening comes to mind today—largely because of the novelty it presents to our current culture.
The scene shows a group of boys playing a game of baseball. Played in an empty lot surrounded by New York tenements and shops with makeshift bases, the game isn’t the well-organized, adult-supervised Little League ventures we see today. Instead, it’s a pick-up game, and the only adults who make an appearance are the shopkeeper and policeman who run after young Gehrig for breaking a window.
We need to make scenes like this one—yes, even with the angry shopkeeper and policeman—a regular part of our daily landscape again. In fact, children need to play pick-up baseball games and more impromptu games in general.
We often bemoan the loss of childhood pastimes, such as baseball games, primarily for the lack of exercise and fresh air. Those are, of course, good things that we should encourage, but author Neil Postman suggests at least four other reasons why it’s time that adults begin backing off and letting kids play all kinds of games—from baseball to hide-and-seek—on their own again.
Conflict Resolution—Pick-up games teach children to resolve conflicts on their own.
Responsibility—Since no adults are present, children must take responsibility for their own actions.
Imagination—Kids learn to transform the available equipment into useful playthings for their games.
Energy Over Ego—These impromptu games are played for pleasure rather than reputation, in contrast to organized sports. | | | | | EPOCH TV | | | | | | OPINION | | | | | | EPOCH FUN | | | |
