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by Brittney Melton March 2, 2025 Good morning. This week, the search for missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 resumed, NPR’s chief diversity officer announced will to retire in May, and Duolingo’s owl mascot came from the dead. Best of NPR The measles outbreak continues to spread in northwest Texas and New Mexico, sparking questions like: How bad is it? And could it impact me? After all, measles is one of the most contagious diseases on Earth — more than Ebola, smallpox or just about any other infectious disease. NPR Widespread vaccination eliminated the disease in the U.S.; however, before that, around 400-500 children used to die from it yearly. But a vaccine's power to beat an outbreak falters when vaccination rates drop.  Nationwide, measles vaccination rates have been dropping for years. The rate is currently at 92.7%. Kindergarten vaccination rates are much lower in some communities, which allows the disease to spread.  In areas where under-vaccinated people are grouped together, measles has the potential to cause reasonably sized outbreaks, says Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. This is one reason some counties in Texas have become vulnerable. For example, in Gaines County, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, the measles vaccination rate is below 82%. That's much lower than the 95% threshold needed to protect communities from this outbreak. And Gaines County isn’t alone. Half of the counties in Texas have lower than recommended measles vaccination rates among kindergarteners. Check out this interactive map of the state’s rates and read about the factors Lessler says will determine how far this outbreak spreads.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message The Week That Was Elon Schoenholz/Getty Foundation Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Kahn are some of the most recognizable names in modern American architecture.  Their buildings are studied and praised for their “less is more” ethos.  Harvey Gantt, Charles McAfee and and the late Walter Livingston Jr. embraced modernism too, with one key difference. Those architects are Black. They have been overshadowed and often overlooked for years. Now, some buildings designed by Black modernists are finally being recognized. A partnership between the Getty Foundation and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund provided $4.6 million over three years to preserve 24 modern sites across the U.S, providing long overdue recognition for the work of Black architects. The number of people in the U.S. who identify as Christian has declined significantly over the last 20 years. But that trend may be leveling off, according to a new Pew Research study. The study surveyed 37,000 Americans and found that 62% identify as Christian. In comparison, 78% said they were Christian in a similar study in 2007. The new study also found that nearly three in 10 people identify as religiously unaffiliated, meaning they could be atheist, agnostic, or have no religion in particular. Here’s a closer look into the study's other findings.  The tax credit for electric vehicles got a major update during the Biden administration, to make it more accessible and beneficial for buyers. The credit, worth up to $7,500, is now available as a rebate at the time of purchase, allowing buyers to reduce the vehicle's price or even use it as a down payment rather than waiting months to receive a credit on their tax returns. This is particularly good news for individuals with lower incomes and smaller tax bills, who may not benefit from the credit during tax season. The IRS launched a new online portal for the 2024 tax year to facilitate this change. However, not all dealerships have signed up for this new system, leading to complications for some EV buyers when filing their tax returns. There will be 525,600 minutes in 2025. And that's precisely how many minutes we plan to be here with fair, not-for-profit reporting and programming. Today and every day, your voluntary, enthusiastic support is what makes that possible. We must all do what we can for this public service to thrive. Now is the time to donate generously. Donate Now ➔ Podcast Club  Ashley Landis/AP Close All Tabs, via KQED — TikTok's Vibe Shift: It has been over a month since chaos ensued for TikTok users in the U.S. The app went down, then came back with a thank-you message to President Trump for his help. Since this whirlwind of events, many want to know: Has the app gone conservative and was the ban all a ruse? With many conspiracies swirling online, internet culture expert Taylor Lorenz, who has been following the ban from the beginning, joins host Morgan Sung to get to the bottom of some of the burning questions people had post-”ban” . Their conversation doesn't stop at TikTok: They also discuss other platforms' political leanings and how Trump's second term has allowed more space online for right-leaning creators. Listen to this episode with me and let me know your thoughts here. Your response could be featured in next week's newsletter. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Hawai‘i Public Radio (edit station). This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen. Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can  sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more!