No More COVID Vaccines: Last Few Colleges Drop Mandates After Trump Order
Confirmed this week, all colleges and universities in the U.S. have dropped their COVID-19 vaccine mandates following President Donald Trump’s executive order on the issue, according to a group tracking the mandates.
The final two colleges with mandates, as reported by No College Mandates, confirmed this week that they are ending the vaccination requirement. Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and Reed College in Oregon were the last two on the list.
No College Mandates founder Lucia Sinatra told The College Fix that Bryn Mawr confirmed to her that its mandate is over. According to the representative from the college, the information will be updated on its website by May, she said.
Rep. Andy Biggs Urges Defense Secretary to Look Into Army Pilot Being Kicked out Over Vaccine Mandate
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) on Thursday wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking him to look into the case highlighted by Breitbart News of an Army Black Hawk pilot facing discharge next month stemming from the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate nearly four years ago.
“I’m asking @SecDef to look into CW3 Budge’s case. Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate was unconstitutional, and none of our service members should face termination over it — especially not years after the fact,” Biggs posted on X, along with the letter.
Biden Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered that every service member take the coronavirus vaccine or be kicked out of the military, resulting in more than 8,000 troops being involuntary discharged, and an estimated tens of thousands more choosing to leave and not reenlist.
How Disease Detectives Are Hunting for Viruses at Major U.S. Airports
In the past year, over 135 million passengers traveled to the U.S. from other countries. To infectious disease experts, that represents 135 million chances for an outbreak to begin. To identify and stop the next potential pandemic, government disease detectives have been discreetly searching for viral pathogens in wastewater from airplanes. Experts are worried that these efforts may not be enough.
The CDC’s Traveler Genomic Surveillance Program tests wastewater from airplanes, looking for pathogens that may have hitched a ride with passengers on long-haul international flights. This program operates with participating airlines at four major airports: Boston, San Francisco, New York’s John F. Kennedy, and the Washington, D.C., area’s Dulles.
CBS News received exclusive on-site access to this program, which launched in September 2021 and has since expanded, thanks to a federal government grant of $120 million.
DOD Advances Biometric Security While DHS Faces Privacy Concerns
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit report has raised red flags about privacy vulnerabilities in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) HART system. Meanwhile, however, the Department of Defense successfully migrated to the cloud its Automated Biometric Identification System, offering valuable lessons in biometric IT acquisitions.
The contrast between these two programs underscores the importance of proactive risk management, robust security frameworks, and clear governance policies. As federal agencies continue to adopt advanced biometric technologies, balancing innovation with privacy protection will be critical in ensuring both security and civil liberties are upheld.
One of the central privacy concerns with HART is the potential for mass surveillance and tracking. GAO warned that the system’s vast database could enable the government to monitor individuals on an unprecedented scale, raising questions about civil liberties and data protection.
Privacy advocates have cautioned that without robust safeguards, HART could be used beyond its intended scope, leading to surveillance of law-abiding individuals and communities. The system’s integration with other government databases and law enforcement networks amplifies these risks, making it imperative for DHS to implement strict access controls and oversight mechanisms, GAO said.
