The D.C. Department of Health confirmed a case of measles in the District on Tuesday morning.

The person who was diagnosed traveled through several places in D.C. while contagious, including an Amtrak train.

Health officials warn about potential exposure at these locations and times:

• Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train Southbound on March 19, 7:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.
• Amtrak Concourse, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 on March 19, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
• MedStar Urgent Care Adams Morgan, 1805 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009 on March 22, 7 p.m.-11 p.m.

What the D.C. Department of Health says about possible exposure

In a press release, health officials are asking residents to contact the health department immediately to report any suspected cases and arrange for public health testing.

“If you have never received a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries), you may be at risk of developing measles.

Anyone who was exposed and is at risk of developing measles should watch for symptoms until 21 days following the date of their last exposure.

If you notice the symptoms of measles, immediately isolate yourself by staying home and away from others.

Contact your healthcare provider immediately. Call ahead before going to your healthcare provider’s office or the emergency room to notify them that you may have been exposed to measles and ask them to call the health department to help protect other patients and staff.“

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court in D.C. appears to be divided on President Donald Trump’s use of a 200-year-old wartime law to deport people allegedly tied to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. 

A D.C. judge has blocked him from using the law for now. A decision is expected soon as time is of the essence for both sides. 

Monday’s argument was about a procedural question, but the court’s decision will determine whether the Trump administration can immediately resume deporting people under a law from 1798 called the Alien Enemies Act. The law gives the president wartime power to detain and deport people in the country who are from an enemy nation. 

Judge Challenges Trump:

Judge Patty Millett, an Obama appointee, pressed the DOJ’s lawyer about using the law now when it was intended for wartime. She said it’s only been used three times in history — the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. 

Millett forcefully questioned whether people who have already been removed — or will be — under this law were given notice and a chance to challenge their association with Tren de Aragua. 

“Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act than has happened here, when the proclamation required the promulgation of regulations and they had hearing boards before people were removed.” D.C. Circuit Judge Millett said. “I mean, y’all could have picked me up on Saturday and thrown me on a plane thinking I’m a member of Tren de Aragua and say somehow it’s a violation of presidential war powers for me to say, ‘excuse me, no I’m not. I’d like a hearing.’”

The other side:

DOJ lawyers argued that the judge’s order blocking deportations, including ordering planes on their way to El Salvador to turn around, represents an extraordinary intrusion on the president’s powers when it comes to foreign affairs and national security. Typically, the president is at the apex of his constitutional powers when dealing with foreign nations and matters of national security. 

The DOJ’s lawyer seemed to find an empathetic ear from Trump-appointed Judge Justin Walker.

“I’m wondering if you can point me to a district court TRO or injunction that survived an appeal and stopped an ongoing, partially overseas, national security operation in the way that this — at the time at least — did order planes to take foreigners from international waters to the United States,” Walker said.

What’s next:

Monday’s arguments were delivered in front of a three-judge panel made up of Millett, Walker and Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson, appointed by George H.W. Bush, who remained silent. 

Henderson was on the panel that unanimously held that Trump did not have broad presidential immunity before getting overturned by the Supreme Court. She will likely be the deciding vote. 

Cherry blossom season has arrived in Washington, D.C., where pink and white flowers dot thousands of trees around the city as this year’s peak bloom approaches. To celebrate the iconic springtime sight, locals and tourists alike can participate in the National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual event series that runs for four weeks and features a mix of art, music, food and more.

Originally a gift from Japan to the United States, the capital’s cherry blossoms appear along the Tidal Basin and in parks near several of the capital’s monuments and memorials. 

Images show buds unfurling on cherry trees around the Tidal Basin, where flowering branches create some dazzling views in the foreground of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument. This picture was taken Friday, March 21, when peak bloom had not even arrived yet:

The National Park Service determines the cherry blossoms’ “peak bloom” date by predicting when 70% of the blossoms on the Yoshino cherry trees, which are the most common type of cherry tree planted along the Tidal Basin, will be open. 

Typically, peak bloom occurs between the last week of March and the first week of April, according to the park service, which notes that forecasting the peak is impossible to do more than 10 days ahead of time. The average peak bloom date falls on April 3, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which similarly advises that the exact timing varies from year to year because warmer temperatures can encourage an earlier bloom. 

Peak bloom is expected to happen sooner than the average date in 2025, with the park service estimating it will occur at some point between this Friday, March 28, and next Monday, March 31. The Yoshino trees usually bloom over the course of multiple days.

The park service’s National Mall branch announced Sunday that D.C.’s cherry trees had reached “stage 5 – Puffy white,” which is the final stage before peak bloom.

“The blossoms are starting to show, now we’re just waiting on them to open,” the agency wrote in a social media post. “Peak Bloom is next!”

There are a multitude of opportunities for people to enjoy the cherry blossoms in D.C. before they disappear for the year. The city’s Cherry Blossom Festival offers an extensive lineup of events, which are mostly free and pay homage to the city’s culture and history. 

Held to commemorate the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo’s then-mayor Yukio Ozaki to Washington, D.C., the festival draws more than 1.5 million to a range of programs, according to its website. The events include a kite festival and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

Jeff Reinbold, the superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said in a statement that instilling community-wide appreciation for the cherry trees is a big part of the festival’s mission.

“The National Park Service takes great pride in the work we do to care for the stars of this festival – the 3,700 cherry trees, which are both natural and cultural treasures of our city and our nation,” Reinbold said. “We encourage all visitors to the Festival to be good stewards of the trees and join us as “cherry blossom protectors” to help us preserve them for future generations and Festivals.”