Measles outbreaks are growing along the Utah-Arizona border and in South Carolina, where hundreds are in quarantine. Between Friday and Tuesday, South Carolina health officials confirmed 27 new measles cases in an outbreak in and around northwestern Spartanburg County. Church leaders have been “very helpful,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell.

U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to make official a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender patients at Catholic hospitals. The step formalizes a yearslong process for the U.S. church to address transgender health care. From a Baltimore hotel ballroom, the bishops overwhelmingly approved revisions to their ethical and religious directives that guide the nation’s thousands of Catholic health care institutions and providers.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is seeking a solution with Belgium on the issue of the provision of Russian funds to support Ukraine. On Thursday, Merz said that he was taking the Belgian government's concerns seriously.