Recent news reports point to the rising cases of whooping cough or pertussis in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pertussis cases were lower than usual during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, as of week 39, reported on September 28, 2024, more than five times as many cases have been reported, compared to the same time in 2023. Several states have issued warnings about this trend on their websites. This summer, there was a pertussis outbreak among college students in the Lynchburg area of Virginia.

The new Supreme Court session will begin, as it always does, on the first Monday in October. As the justices take their seats come October 7, they will do so with ever fewer Americans impressed by the black robes, the Vatican-like intrigues taking place in the marble redoubt on First Street, the authoritative tone of increasingly partisan decisions that are almost impossible to reverse, no matter how infuriating or inexplicable.

Next Wednesday morning, what’s left of the iconic Tropicana Las Vegas resort-casino will be imploded. The implosion is set for 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 9, and the spectacle is expected to attract hundreds of people eager to witness the hotel’s last moments.