Oral Arguments Begin in Asante Religious Discrimination Lawsuit
Oral arguments for a lawsuit involving over 60 people who were fired from Asante for not getting covid vaccines took place Wednesday afternoon. Back in 2021, a statewide mandate was issued requiring hospital workers to be fully vaccinated with few exceptions including religious exemption.
Employees at Asante who did not receive a covid vaccine were placed on unpaid leave, an accommodation Pacific Justice Institute Staff Attorney Ray Hacke argues was not sufficient. Hacke says this unpaid leave was actually more like a suspension, punishing those for pursuing their religious beliefs, by forcing them to find employment elsewhere.
He adds Providence took in many people who left Asante at this time, accommodating them without problem.
“If you go and look through the declarations that my clients had to file, you would see just the pattern of bullying for people who chose not to get vaccinated,” Hacke.
DeSantis Calls for Legislation to Permanently Ban mRNA Vaccine Mandates, Add Vaccination Status Protections
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Tampa to call for legislation to permanently ban mRNA vaccine mandates and add vaccination status protections to the state’s Bill of Rights.
DeSantis said a sunset provision to ban mRNA COVID-19 vaccine mandates will expire soon, which is why he is calling on the Florida Legislature to make the ban permanent.
“You should not be forced to take an mRNA shot against your will, and that should be the right of every Floridian,” DeSantis said. “If a sunset happens, it will also allow schools in higher ed to be able to institute some of these mRNA mandates.”
DeSantis said he also hopes the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removes the COVID-19 vaccine from the childhood immunization schedule.
The governor also called for an update to Florida statutes to prohibit healthcare providers and facilities from discriminating against patients based on their vaccination status.
How a Well-Funded Libertarian Group Pushed West Virginia Toward Loosening Vaccine Requirements
Mountain State Spotlight reported:
In a meeting extending late into the night last week, lawmakers in the House Health Committee watched a parade of doctors in white coats and alarmed mothers testify for and against loosening vaccine requirements.
“The development of all these things came from aborted babies and cell lines and whatnot,” said Chanda Adkins, a former delegate and anti-vaccine activist. “That does bother me.” But in the middle of her presentation, Del. Scott Heckert, R-Wood, got a text, and piped up.
“I come in here with a pretty open mind about all sides of the story,” he said. “I received a message where they put my face, picture and phone number and email address out.”
“Big Pharma won’t back down — but neither will we!” read part of the mass text urging people to contact their lawmakers.
House Bills Would Sunset Some Vaccines and Increase Religious Exemptions
At a time when childhood immunization rates are declining nationally and Texas is experiencing a serious measles outbreak, the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee heard testimony Wednesday on two vaccine bills.
House Bill 357 would take away the state Health and Human Services Commissioner’s power to make rules that add new vaccines to the state schedule of required childhood vaccinations and would delegate the power to authorize new vaccines to the legislature instead.
The bill also would allow three vaccination requirements on the current schedule to expire on June 30, 2026: chickenpox, Hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B, a type of flu that is more serious in children under five and can lead to complications including pneumonia and meningitis.
Marines and Soldiers Discharged for Refusing the COVID-19 Vaccine Show Limited Interest in Rejoining
Roughly 650 Marines and Army soldiers who were forced out of the military for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine have so far expressed interest in returning to the force under an executive order from President Donald Trump, officials said this week.
The number represents about 8% of the roughly 8,200 troops who had been discharged. The total, officials say, confirms military leaders’ early view that many troops have moved on with their lives. They have been allowed to rejoin since 2023, and Trump’s offer of providing back pay may be a factor in spurring a bit more interest now.
The Army and Marine Corps have been sending out emails, texts and phone calls to service members discharged for refusing a pandemic-era order to get the vaccine. The Navy and the Air Force are planning to begin their efforts to contact service members, but are waiting for additional guidance. The totals would likely increase once their formal notices go out.
Reitz: There’s Still Much to Learn 5 Years After Michigan’s COVID Lockdowns
Five years ago on March 10, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here in Michigan, the pandemic inflicted a toll, with 40,000 confirmed deaths, according to the state. Five years later, the consequences of Michigan’s lockdowns deserve to be examined.
Elected leaders appear reluctant to assess how they handled the crisis. President Donald Trump has muted his comments about his pandemic decisions. And former President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci. What crimes could Fauci have committed? We don’t know because they have not told us.
Whitmer summed up her performance in “True Gretch,” a 2024 memoir. “Our response to Covid wasn’t perfect, but I believe that the steps we took saved lives,” she wrote.
What mistakes did the state make? Whitmer did not elaborate.
Meta Fights Facebook Scam Ads With Facial Recognition
Meta says it has obtained regulatory approval to roll out a trial for its facial recognition system built to fight off malicious online adverts linked to the faces of celebrities as a bait.
According to Independent UK, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said it will pilot the software in the UK and later in the European Union.
Scam ads linked to public figures have been reported in the UK with a BBC presenter Naga Munchetty cited as once being a victim of deepfake ads that used her face.
The system is already being trialled in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
The outlet quotes Meta as explaining that the system functions by flagging “celeb-bait” ads it suspects, and then tries to match the face linked to the ad to the profile photo of the celebrity in question, to determine if they are real.
