Pete Hegseth ends navy flu vaccine mandate: What to know

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Welcome to The Logoff: Hello readers — Donald Trump introduced a last-minute extension to the US-Iran ceasefire on Tuesday, hours earlier than the settlement was set to run out. It’s excellent news, nevertheless it doesn’t supply a lot readability about what comes subsequent: The standing of negotiations stays up within the air, and Trump has stated that the US blockade on Iranian ships and ports will stay in impact.

We’ll have extra for you on that story as soon as we all know extra, however for now, right here’s one other Tuesday story out of the Trump administration that shouldn’t be ignored: Pete Hegseth’s Protection Division is ending necessary flu vaccines for troopers.

What occurred? On Tuesday, Hegseth introduced the top of the US navy’s decades-old mandate requiring all DOD personnel to obtain annual flu vaccines, which he described as “restoring freedom to our Joint Drive.”

Why the change? In a video announcement, Hegseth related the flu vaccine mandate with a now-ended coverage requiring Covid-19 vaccines for servicemembers, which he described as “denying them easy medical autonomy and the liberty to specific their spiritual convictions.”

“If you happen to, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, imagine that the flu vaccine is in your finest curiosity, you then’re free to take it. It's best to,” he stated. “However we is not going to drive you. As a result of your physique, your religion, and your convictions usually are not negotiable — your well being.”

What’s the large image? Hegseth’s “freedom” rhetoric is disingenuous. There’s an extended record of requirements and necessities the navy imposes on troopers, together with some round grooming and bodily health which were tightened beneath Hegseth.

The change additionally appears more likely to have a measurable impression on the well being of service members. According to the Military Times , the mandate has been “a significant component in decrease charges of hospitalizations amongst service members than nationwide U.S. charges.”

And with that, it’s time to log out…

I loved how NPR approached this recent story about NASA’s Voyager 1 house probe, which just lately needed to shut off one other instrument to maintain going.

Clearly, it’s not completely excellent news for the small craft, which is now greater than 15 billion miles from Earth and slowly operating out of energy — nevertheless it’s additionally a welcome reminder that it’s nonetheless on the market and conducting one thing outstanding, virtually 50 years after launch and lots of a long time previous its supposed five-year lifespan.