The first plane carrying passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship left Spains Canary Islands on Sunday for Madrid, where they will be taken to a military hospital.

Spanish nationals were the first to leave the MV Hondius, which remains anchored off Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa. The ship arrived hours earlier.

None of the more than 140 people on the Hondius has shown symptoms of the virus, Spains health ministry, the World Health Organization and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions said.

Those disembarking and personnel working at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife were wearing protective gear during the evacuation process, including face masks, hazmat suits and respirators.

The entire operation is proceeding normally, Spanish Health Minister Mnica Garca said.

RELATED STORY | CDC sidelines itself as hantavirus cruise ship outbreak grabs global attention

Passengers and some crew members from more than 20 nationalities on board will be evacuated throughout Sunday into Monday.

After reaching Madrid, those evacuated on the first plane will be under quarantine, Spanish health authorities say. Only the 14 Spanish nationals on board will quarantine in the country.

Authorities have said the passengers and crew members disembarking will be checked for symptoms, have no contact with the local population and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Spains health and interior ministers are supervising the operation in Tenerife.

Pope Leo XIV thanked the Canary Islands for allowing the arrival of the Hondius.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isnt easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.

Passengers and crew members disembarking are leaving behind their luggage, and are allowed to take only a small bag with essential items, a cellphone, a charger, and documentation.

Some crew, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to Rotterdam, Netherlands, where it will undergo disinfection, Spanish authorities said.

The expected sailing time to Rotterdam is around five days, the cruise company said.

Evacuation and quarantine plans

The U.S., the United Kingdom and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens. Americans on board will be quarantined at a medical center in Nebraska.

Twenty-nine people will be on board the Dutch charter flight, including Dutch nationals and people of other nationalities, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

Five French passengers will be repatriated Sunday, and will be hospitalized for 72 hours for monitoring, after which they will quarantine at home for 45 days, France's Foreign Ministry said.

U.K. passengers and crew will be hospitalized for observation once they are flown home, British authorities say.

Australia is sending a plane, expected to arrive on Monday, to evacuate its nationals and those from nearby countries such as New Zealand, Garca said. Its plane will be the last to leave Tenerife, she said.

Norway has sent an ambulance plane to Tenerife with personnel trained to transport patients with high-risk infections, its Directorate for Civil Protection told public broadcaster NRK.

The ambulance plane is owned by the European Union, but operated by Norway.

Countries monitor suspected cases

British Army medics have parachuted onto the remote South Atlantic territory of Tristan da Cunha, where one of the 221 residents has a suspected case of hantavirus.

The patient was a passenger on the MV Hondius and disembarked last month.

The U.K. defense ministry says a team of six paratroopers and two medical clinicians jumped Saturday from a Royal Air Force transport plane, which also dropped oxygen and medical equipment.

Tristan da Cunha is Britains most remote inhabited overseas territory, about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the nearest inhabited island, St. Helena. The group of volcanic islands has no airstrip and is usually accessible only by boat on a six-day voyage from Cape Town, South Africa.

Meanwhile, a Spanish woman in the southeastern province of Alicante suspected of being infected tested negative for hantavirus, Spanish health authorities said Saturday.

The woman was a passenger on the same flight as the Dutch woman who died in Johannesburg after traveling on the cruise ship.

A federal government watchdog will open an investigation into the Trump administration's handling of files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Scripps News has learned, following a request from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) Congresss independent watchdog agency will review DOJ's processes in reviewing, redacting, and releasing the Epstein files, a spokesperson told Scripps News in an email Tuesday.

The official declined to provide any further details as to who would be leading the review or when any findings would be released publicly.

RELATED STORY | Bondi skips House deposition on Epstein files, faces contempt threat

The first thing GAO does once it has accepted work is determine the full scope of what we will cover and the methodology to be used, the spokesperson said. At this time, we cannot provide any estimates on a completion date.

The Epstein Transparency Act, passed near-unanimously by the House and Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump last fall, mandated that the Department of Justice (DOJ) release all unclassified records related to Epstein and his associates by December 19, 2025.

The law included specific language concerning what types of redactions were allowed in those documents: names and information could only be redacted in narrow circumstances to protect survivors identities and privacy, but redactions intended to protect individuals from reputational harm were explicitly prohibited.

ICYMI | Virginia Giuffre's family continues the fight for justice for Epstein survivors

suing the DOJ and Google over the disclosure.

The GAO investigation comes in response to a letter last month from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), calling on GAO to conduct such an inquiry.

wrote, joined by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ben Ray Lujn (D-New Mexico) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois).

RELATED STORY | Inspector general reviewing DOJ's handling of Epstein files

But when it came to information identifying powerful business and political figures who are alleged coconspirators or material witnesses, DOJ appears to have heavily redacted those records, the lawmakers continued. This horrific scandal is one where powerful, wealthy men groomed, abused, and raped young women, men, and children. It is critical to understand what led to DOJs failure to redact the victims information and re-victimize those individuals while violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act in its redactions of information related to their alleged abusers.

The White House declined to comment, deferring to the Justice Dept. Officials with the DOJ did not immediately responded to inquiries about the new review.

announced its own review of DOJs handling of the Epstein files. That review will examine whether the department properly identified, redacted and released records as required under the law, a DOJ OIG spokesperson said in a statement, adding that a public report detailing the findings will be released once the review is complete.

Health officials in South Carolina confirmed 124 new measles cases since Friday, as the outbreak in the northwestern part of the state balloons following the holidays.

There is a second, separate measles outbreak along the Arizona-Utah border, where 418 people have been infected since August.

Last year was the nations worst year for measles spread since 1991, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. confirmed 2,144 cases across 44 states. Three people died, all of them unvaccinated.

Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus thats airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000, though the country is at risk of losing that achievement.

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. Most kids will recover, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

RELATED STORY | This disease has no cure, and its suddenly spreading fast again

The CDC defines an outbreak as three or more related cases.

How many measles cases are there in South Carolina?

South Carolina has logged 434 cases as of Tuesday in an outbreak centered in Spartanburg County.

The outbreak has rapidly grown in the last month to one of the worst in the nation. Hundreds of children have been quarantined because of school exposures, some more than once. A person with measles also exposed people at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia on Friday.

The case count could soon rival an outbreak last year in Texas, where 762 cases were reported and two children died. Experts believe that was likely an undercount.

How many measles cases are there in Utah and Arizona?

The outbreak in the border towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona an area nicknamed Short Creek continues to grow.

Arizona health officials added nine new cases Tuesday, for a total of 217 in Mohave County. Utah officials added two cases Tuesday for a total of 201.

Experts in both states have said they are concerned about undercounts.

RELATED STORY | US childhood vaccination rates fall again as exemptions set another record

We did see our cases slow and then pick back up again after the holidays, said Nicole Witt, of the Arizona Department of Health Services. We're hopeful we'll see the end of this outbreak soon but, right now, we continue to see the same trickle of cases week over week.

What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

After two doses, the shot is 97% effective against measles and its protection is considered lifelong.

Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates above 95% due to herd immunity. But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.

Its normal for parents, or anyone, to have questions about vaccinations -- but what happens if your pediatrician urges a shot thats under attack by the Trump administration?

Thats getting more likely: The nations leading doctors' groups are in an unprecedented standoff with federal health officials who have attacked long-used, lifesaving vaccines.

The revolt by pediatricians, obstetricians, family physicians, infectious disease experts and internists came to a head when an advisory panel handpicked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged an end to routine newborn vaccination against hepatitis B, a virus that can cause liver failure or liver cancer.

That vaccine saves lives, helped child infections plummet and has been given safely to tens of millions of children in the U.S. alone, say the American Academy of Pediatrics and other doctors' groups that vowed Tuesday to keep recommending it.

But thats not the only difference. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is now examining possible changes to the entire childhood vaccination schedule, questioning certain ingredients and how many doses youngsters receive.

RELATED STORY | Is it too late to get a flu shot before Christmas gatherings?

Pushing back, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its own recommendations for youngsters. Other medical groups plus some city and state public health departments that have banded together also are issuing their own advice on certain vaccines, which largely mirrors pre-2025 federal guidance.

We owe our patients a consistent message informed by evidence and lived experience, not messages biased by political imperative, Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, told reporters Tuesday.

But Nahass acknowledged the inevitable consumer confusion, recounting a relative calling him last weekend for advice about hepatitis B vaccination for her new grandbaby.

Most Americans dont have a Cousin Ronnie to call. They are left alone with fear and mistrust, he said, urging parents to talk with their doctors about vaccines.

Hepatitis B isn't the only vaccine challenge. Kennedys health department recently changed a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines dont cause autism. Federal agencies also moved to restrict COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, and are planning policy changes that could restrict future flu and coronavirus shots.

But when it comes to vaccine advice, "for decades, ACIP was the gold standard, said Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious disease physician and Stanford University researcher.

The panel once routinely enlisted specialists in specific diseases for long deliberations of the latest science and safety data, resulting in recommendations typically adopted not only by the CDC but by the medical field at large, he said.

Last weeks meeting of Kennedys panel, which includes vaccine skeptics, marked a radical departure. CDC specialists werent allowed to present data on hepatitis B, the childhood vaccine schedule or questions about vaccine ingredients. Few of the committee members have public health experience, and some expressed confusion about the panel's proposals.

At one point, a doctor called in to say the panel was misrepresenting her studys findings. And the panels chairman wondered why one dose of yellow fever vaccine protected him during a trip to Africa when U.S. children get three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is designed to protect children for life from a virus they can encounter anywhere, not just on a trip abroad. And other scientists noted it was carefully studied for years to prove the three-dose course offers decades of immunity evidence that a single dose simply doesnt have.

RELATED STORY | CDC panel revamped by RFK Jr. votes to scrap hepatitis B birth dose schedule

If theyve got new data, Im all for it lets see it and have a conversation, said Dr. Kelly Gebo, an infectious disease specialist and public health dean at George Washington University, who watched for that. "I did not see any new data, so shes not changing her vaccine advice.

Committee members argued that most babies' risk of hepatitis B infection is very low and that earlier research on infant shot safety was inadequate.

Especially unusual was a presentation from a lawyer who voiced doubt about studies that proved benefits of multiple childhood vaccines and promoted discredited research pointing to harms.

I dont think at any point in the committees history, there was a 90-minute uninterrupted presentation by someone who wasnt a physician, a scientist, or a public health expert on the topic let alone someone who, who makes his living in vaccine litigation, said Jason Schwartz, a vaccine policy expert at Yale University.

By abandoning data and the consensus of front-line doctors, the ACIP is actively burning down the credibility that made its recommendations so powerful, added Stanfords Scott. Most parents will still follow their pediatricians, and AAP is holding the line here. But the mixed messages are precisely what erode confidence over time.

Trump administration health officials say its important to restore choice to parents and to avoid mandates. Thats how the panel's hepatitis B recommendation was framed that parents who really want it could get their children vaccinated later.

Parents already have a choice, said Dr. Aaron Milstone of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The government makes population-wide recommendations while families and their doctors tailor choices to each persons health needs.

But many doctors dont or cant do their own lengthy scientific review of vaccines and thus had relied on the ACIP and CDC information, Yales Schwartz noted.

They rely on trusted expert voices to help navigate what is, even in the best of times, a complicated landscape regarding the evidence for vaccines and how best to use them, he said.

Thats a role that the pediatricians and other doctors' groups, plus those multistate collaborations, aim to fill with their own guidelines while acknowledging it will be a huge task.

For now, ask your questions, bring your concerns and let us talk about them, said Dr. Sarah Nosal, of the American Academy of Family Physicians, urging anyone with vaccine questions to have an open conversation with their doctor.

Respiratory virus season is officially here again and doctors are already seeing some early flu cases in their offices.

Small numbers, but definitely the flu season is getting started, said Dr. Timothy Hendrix, Chief Medical Officer, AdventHealth Centra Care.

Symptoms include a cough, runny nose, body aches, fatigue, and fever. Its estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 people die from the flu each year.

Influenza is different than your typical cough and cold, upper respiratory virus. It is more severe and it lasts longer. So it could be a week before you start feeling better, said Hendrix.

To avoid severe symptoms, hospitalizations, and to increase your odds of not getting sick at all, many doctors recommend people get the flu vaccine.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | President Trump gets updated COVID, flu vaccines during physical

Its going to reduce the chances of you ending up in the hospital with complications because youre building up that immunity, said Hendrix.

Theres no reason to suffer. If youve had bad flu, its bad, said Dr. Jill Roberts, professor at the USF College of Public Health.

Generally, October is a really good time to get the flu vaccine, said Dr. Laura Arline, Chief Quality Officer at BayCare.

They each told the Scripps News Group in Tampa They that getting the vaccine now will help ensure you have good coverage throughout the flu season. Getting vaccinated by the end of October is ideal. Although anytime youre able to get the shot will give you protection.

Do it now while youre thinking about it, while its convenient, said Hendrix.

Anyone 6 months and older is eligible for the shot. As a reminder, its normal to experience mild symptoms after a flu shot.

As you know, the flu shots sometimes can make you feel little crummy. Theyre supposed to. Your immune system is actually acknowledging the presence of the flu shot, and you can feel a little bit crummy, said Roberts.

RELATED STORY | Flu deaths among US children reach 15-year high, CDC reports

Other ways to avoid getting sick include frequent hand washing and avoiding being around people who are sick.

But also, getting plenty of sleep, right? People who dont get that 7 hours of sleep a night are at increased risk of upper respiratory viruses, including the flu," said Hendrix. "People who dont have a nice, balanced diet. So all these different aspects of healthy living, regular exercise, these things can all keep you healthy and help prevent you from getting the flu when youre exposed to those viruses."

Scripps News Group in Tampa.

The Arizona State Fair is celebrating 140 years of fun this month! Brianda Martinez, Arizona State Fairs marketing director, gives ABC15 a sneak peek at what the fair has to offer beginning September 20.

KEY INFORMATION

NEW FOOD

Heres a taste of whats coming to the fair!

Here's what to expect:

CANDIED WATERMELON

COTTON CANDY CAKE

We have a cotton candy cake, which is kind of like a celebration for the 140 years of the Arizona State Fair. So, it's just like a multi-layered cake made entirely of fluffy cotton candy. So that's fun for the whole family you can share it with your friends, with the kids, whoever you want, explained Martinez, who added that the cake is topped off with sugar crystals.

WATERMELON TACO

GIANT MOZZARELLA STICK

PICKLE SPLIT

So, it's kind of like a banana split, but with a dill pickle; [its] cut in half, then topped with pineapple whip, sour candy spaghetti, Chamoy, and Tajin, said Martinez.

CANDIED PINEAPPLE

PUMPKIN SPICE FUNNEL CAKE

Famous PUDN

COLISEUM CONCERT SERIES

OMNIUM CIRCUS 

If you're looking for a little bit more... For the kiddos, we're thrilled to welcome the Omnium circus again. They used to be here in 2022 and they're returning for 2024....You can catch a breathtaking performance, including hand-balancing acts, aerial stunts, the acrobatics, all that. It's a fully inclusive experience. It's perfect for the whole family. Those tickets start at $25, and it also includes fair admission. So fair admission is $15. So for $10 more, you can enjoy a very fun, family-friendly activity inside the Coliseum, shared Martinez with ABC15.

GRANDSTAND SERIES

The Arizona State Fair is more than just rides and food it's a hub for family fun and it comes with tons of free, thrilling activities for everyone [that is] included with your fair admissions [like] entry to the Grandstand Series - it's packed with epic entertainment every night of the fair, said Martinez.

THE ANIMAL EXHIBITS & INTERACTIVE GAMES

DEALS TO KNOW & SAVING MONEY

Feel Good Fridays:

$3 Taste of the Fair:

Read & Ride:

Armed Forces Day:

Friends 55+:

There could be another shortage of sriracha sauce on the horizon.

first reported by USA Today.

The California-based company recently told its wholesale buyers the red jalapeo chili peppers the key ingredient needed to make the hot sauce arent red enough, USA Today said, based on a letter the outlet obtained.

As a result, Huy Fong Foods will reportedly halt production until after Labor Day, which is Sept. 2.

Its unclear whether this will affect the company's other products that contain the peppers: chili garlic sauce and sambal oelek.

When asked about the sriracha production issue, Huy Fong Foods told Scripps News it had no comment.

Red jalapeos and green jalapeos, primarily sourced from Mexico, are the same pepper picked at different points of ripening. The green peppers are picked at a younger age, while the red peppers are left on the vine to mature longer.

a website that documents hot pepper varieties, the red jalapeos are spicier and sweeter than their younger counterparts. While green jalapeos are the most common chili peppers on store shelves, red ones are rarer and more expensive to grow because of the longer upkeep.

blamed crop failure on a shortage.

Tesla knocked $2,000 off the prices of three of its five models in the United States late Friday, another sign of the challenges facing the electric vehicle maker led by billionaire Elon Musk.

The company cut the prices of the Model Y, a small SUV that is Tesla's most popular model and the top-selling electric vehicle in the U.S., and also of the Models X and S, its older and more expensive models. Prices for the Model 3 sedan and the Cybertruck stayed the same.

The cuts reduced the starting price for a Model Y to $42,990 and $72,990 for a Model S and $77,990 for a Model X.

The move came the day after Tesla's stock tumbled below $150 per share, eliminating all gains made over the past year. The Austin, Texas, company's stock price has dropped about 40% so far this year amid falling sales and increased competition. Discounted sticker prices are a way to try to entice more car buyers.

Musk posted early Saturday on X, the social media platform known as Twitter before he acquired and renamed it, that the cost of an entry-level Tesla was as low as $29,490 once a federal tax credit and gas savings were factored in.

Industry analysts have been waiting for Tesla to introduce a small electric vehicle that would cost around $25,000, the Model 2. Media reports this month that Musk planned to scrap the project created more uncertainty over the company's direction, although Musk called them untrue.

The price cuts ended a long workweek at Tesla, which announced Monday that it was cutting 10% of its staff globally, about 14,000 jobs. The company also said it was recalling nearly 4,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after discovering the accelerator pedal can get stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash.

On Saturday, Musk confirmed he had postponed a planned weekend trip to India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing "very heavy Tesla obligations." He said on X that he looked forward to rescheduling the visit for later this year.

Tesla is scheduled to announce its first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.

The company reported earlier this month that its worldwide sales fell sharply from January through March as competition increased worldwide, electric vehicle sales growth slowed, and earlier price cuts failed to lure more buyers.

It was Tesla's first year-over-year quarterly sales decline in nearly four years.

Arizona for Abortion Access said they have gathered 500,000 signatures, which is beyond the number needed to get the measure on the ballot in November.

"It's very validating," said Dawn Penich, the Communications Director for the group.

She said that's well above the minimum threshold, which is around 384,000 signatures.

If they succeed, voters will be deciding on a constitutional amendment on abortion. If passed the amendment would allow access until the point of viability.

"What this measure does is return the decision-making power to the people who matter most; that's the patient themselves, their own health care provider and their own family," said Penich.

"It Goes Too Far" told ABC15 the language of the measure is too vague.

"Voters deserve to know the truth," said Cindy Dahlgren with It Goes Too Far. "They deserve to know what they will lose."

Dahlgren said she and others believe it would create uncertainty when it comes to medical safety.

"Well, unfortunately, most of the voters are not being told that under this unregulated unlimited abortion amendment, they will lose the required medical doctor and those critical common sense safety standards that are in place right now," said Dahlgren.

Dahlgren tells ABC15, that abortion is currently legal in Arizona up to 15 weeks and there are safety precautions in place.

"That's nearly four months, and we also have those safety precautions in place to protect girls and women," said Dahlgren. "And it is reckless to give all of that up."

future of the 15-week law, currently on the books in Arizona, remains up in the air.

ABC15 political reporter Rachel Louise Just dives into the topic of abortion and how it could play a huge role in the upcoming election:

Penich said as November inches closer, they're not slowing down. Arizona for Abortion Access plans to gather even more signatures ahead of the July deadline.

"Our goal is to collect ultimately, around double what we need," said Penich. "That's to ensure that we have turned in enough valid voter signatures to meet that requirement."

But those with "It Goes Too Far" said they are staying focused as well. Dahlgren insisted voters have been given half-truths when it comes to this measure.

"So, we are committed to ensuring that voters know that regardless of how long it takes," said Dahlgren. "We did not have our eye on July when we got into this, we have our eye on November."

Arizona for Abortion Access told ABC15 they should know by around August whether the measure will officially be on the ballot in November.

ABC15 will stay on top of this story and bring you the latest updates as they become available.