Army Reenlists Nearly Two Dozen Soldiers Ousted for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine
The Army has reenlisted more than 23 soldiers who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said Monday, rushing to implement President Donald Trump’s order that troops be rehired and given back pay.
Three people rejoined active duty Army service, and more than 20 came back either to the National Guard or the Reserve, the Army said. The soldiers have signed their contracts and were sworn in, and the active duty troops were reporting to their units, the Army said.
None of the other services has completed reenlistments yet, but all are reaching out to former troops. The Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and Navy set up new websites on Monday to provide information for service members looking to reenlist. And they are sending letters and emails and making calls to those who were discharged.
Trump has argued that the vaccine mandate wrongly pushed troops out and suggested that many would return. In an executive order signed a week after he took office, Trump said the vaccine mandate cost the military “some of our best people” and he vowed to “rehire every patriot who was fired from the military with … backpay.”
Can You Get a Real ID After May 7? Application Deadline Looms
As the deadline for Real ID approaches, many Americans are racing to secure the necessary identification for domestic air travel and access to federal buildings. With appointment delays and high demand across state DMVs, concerns are rising about the ability to meet the deadline, leaving some would-be travelers uncertain about their plans for the coming months.Newsweek has contacted TSA for comment via email.
The May 7, 2025, deadline for obtaining a Real ID is quickly approaching, and it’s set to impact millions of Americans who rely on it for domestic air travel and access to federal facilities.
Standard driver’s licenses will no longer be accepted for boarding domestic flights or entering federal facilities. Instead, travelers aged 18 and older will need a Real ID-compliant license or another form of federally recognized identification, such as a passport.
California Bill Would Loosen Restrictions on the Use of Digital Currency
A California bill that would allow all businesses and individuals in the state to accept digital asset payments, such as cryptocurrency, and prohibit government restrictions on the use of digital currency, is being considered by a legislative committee.
Introduced by Assemblyman Avelino Valencia earlier this year, Assembly Bill 1052 was recently reviewed by the state Assembly’s Banking and Finance Committee before it was amended and re-referred back to the committee on April 1 for further scrutiny.
If passed, the bill would authorize an individual or business in California to accept digital financial assets such as Bitcoin for the sale of goods or services. It would also deem the use of a digital financial asset as a valid and legal form of payment in a private transaction.
Currently, California law will prohibit a person from engaging in digital financial asset business activity starting on July 1, 2026, unless the person is licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation or is exempt from that licensure requirement.
Global Study Supports the Immunity Debt Hypothesis for Flu After COVID Restrictions
The COVID-19 pandemic led many countries around the world to implement strict public health measures like lockdowns, social distancing, mask wearing and travel restrictions. While these steps were crucial and effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19, they also had an additional effect — a dramatic drop in cases of other illnesses like influenza and respiratory viruses.
However, once restrictions were lifted, countries saw cases of flu surge dramatically. The phenomenon has been called the “immunity debt,” where populations become more susceptible to infections after extended periods of reduced exposure. While the hypothesis was widely accepted, until now there has been little evidence to back up the theory.
Published in Advanced Science, a recent study conducted by a team of researchers from NDORMS, University of Oxford and international collaborators highlights the significant changes in the transmission patterns of flu following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and supports the population immunity debt hypothesis.
How Does Facial Recognition Technology Work and Where Is It Being Used?
Artificial intelligence is catching on with America’s pastime, something thousands of Twins fans learned at Target Field over the weekend. Facial recognition helped make their entry quick and more secure. So, how does the technology work? And where else is it being used?
Ballpark greetings fans are used to hearing while lining up to enter Target Field now come with a technological twist. “If you have signed up for Go Ahead Entry, this is your line,” one usher announced. There are now cameras scanning faces instead of tickets through MLB’s new Go Ahead Entry system, powered by AI.
“The accuracy of these recognition models have gone up significantly,” said Dr. Manjeet Rege, director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence at St. Thomas University. “The one that is being used in Go Ahead lanes is using NEC’s NeoFace technology that has an accuracy of 99.85%.”
Each person’s face is unique, so the software maps dozens of positions on a person’s face. It includes characteristics like where the ear lobe falls, the width of a nose or the mouth, the distance between the eyes and the position of the corner of the eyes.
