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7K Students Have Left Maine’s Public School System Since Elimination of Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions
It’s been five years since the state of Maine repealed philosophical and religious exemptions to the vaccine requirement to attend public schools.
Since then, the Department of Education says 200 students have been dropped because of their vaccination status.
Another 7,000 have voluntarily left the system and started homeschooling, although it’s unclear to what extent vaccine policy played a role.
EXCLUSIVE: Inside The ‘Penal Platoon’ Hell Marines Found Themselves In After Refusing COVID Jab
One moment he was refusing the COVID vaccine, the next, Marine Cruz Marquis suddenly found himself placed in a “penal platoon” for his commitment to individual liberty.
“This isn’t a story about me,” Marquis told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an exclusive interview. “This isn’t a story about any particular individuals who defied a government order. In my mind, this is about a slice of life, a slice of what the state was able to do and what they were able to get away with during the pandemic. This story, though it may be reported, is just the tip of the iceberg of what kind of repression the state was able to reap during the COVID pandemic.”
The Biden administration imposed a military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 2021, forcing service members to choose between receiving the shot or risking disciplinary action and separation. Thousands were ultimately discharged for refusing the vaccine, and Marquis says his refusal carried consequences that went far beyond simply ending his Marine Corps career.
Miami Archbishop Hits Back at AG Uthmeier Over Catholic Schools’ Vaccine Rules
As season vaccinations ramp up, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski is accusing Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier of “bullying” Catholic schools in a dispute over religious freedom, public health and state scholarship funding.
In Monday’s episode of State Affairs’ “Between the Lines with Dara Kam” podcast, Wenski elaborated on the clash between the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops and Uthmeier over religious exemptions to school vaccination requirements.
Catholic schools do not offer religious exemptions for the vaccines at issue because the Catholic Church does not consider them objectionable under its teaching, said Wenski, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami. “Somebody going to a Catholic school expects the Catholic school to be Catholic,” he said.
Firefighters Appeal Ruling Over Vaccine Religious Accommodation
A group of eight firefighters in Washington state are appealing a court ruling after they lost their jobs for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, First Liberty said Friday. The legal group representing the firefighters asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court’s ruling against them.
The firefighters, who worked for the city of Redmond, Wash., all objected to its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for reasons of faith, according to court documents. The city allegedly denied the firefighters religious accommodations and fired them. WORLD has contacted the city of Redmond and the Redmond Fire Department and will update this story with any response received.
The Redmond firefighters’ case is one of a few arising from an August 2021 proclamation from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee that required Washington healthcare workers to vaccinate against COVID-19.
The Redmond case is separate from, but similar to, a case of firefighters from Snohomish County, Wash., who also asked for religious accommodation to opt out of COVID-19 vaccinations. In that case, the firefighters this summer sought permission to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. A third such case arose with a firefighter for the City of Bellevue, Wash.
California Reaches $6 Million Settlement in 23andMe Data Suit
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday the state reached a $6 million settlement with the company formerly known as 23andMe to resolve claims that it failed to protect customer during a 2023 data breach that affected nearly 7 million people nationwide.
The deal comes after Chrome Holding Co. agreed to pay $18 million to 42 states in July in connection with the breach, which allegedly included 23andMe customers’ personal information and genetic data. The holding company also agreed to disburse $46.7 million under a prior settlement reached with US data breach claimants in June.
Chrome, which had data exposed that affected more than 855,000 Californians, will pay $6.01 million to the California Attorney General’s Office for it to provide consumer relief to its affected residents, according to a joint stipulation in federal bankruptcy court, which was executed on Oct. 16. California also agreed to dismiss all pending appeals and other legal actions against Chrome with prejudice upon receipt of payment. Neither party admitted liability.
Think Social Media Protects Your Data? Platforms Have Racked up $26 Billion in Privacy Penalties Since 2020
Social media platforms thrive on personal data, but failing to protect it is proving exceptionally costly. Since 2020, the world’s top 10 social networks have accumulated more than $26 billion in privacy-related fines and regulatory settlements worldwide.
According to a study published by cybersecurity firm Surfshark, the lion’s share of this astronomical financial penalty belongs to one parent company: Meta. Between Facebook and Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg’s tech empire is responsible for an overwhelming 91% of the worldwide total, racking up $23.7 billion in penalties.
Facebook alone accumulated $14.3 billion in penalties, while Instagram accounted for $9.4 billion. TikTok placed a distant third, tallying $1.6 billion in fines across global jurisdictions.
