Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights over the weekend, citing air traffic control issues and “disruptive weather.”
“ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation,” the airline said in a tweet Saturday.
ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation. We appreciate your patience as we accommodate affected Customers, and Customer Service wait times are longer than usual. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/o1scQJ5lLb
“We are working hard behind the scenes to minimize challenges and fully recover the operation as we take care of displaced Crews and Customers as quickly as possible,” the company said.
Alan Kasher, who oversees daily flight operations, told staff in a note on Saturday: “We experienced significant impact in the Florida airports [Friday] evening after an FAA-imposed air traffic management program was implemented due to weather and resulted in a large number of cancellations.”
But some on social media are claiming the mass flight cancellations were due to air traffic controllers walking out en masse to protest the vaccine mandate.
“Southwest is trying to cover up over 800 flights being cancelled today, including my connecting flight home from Chicago. They are officially claiming ATC issues and inclement weather, while it is sunny throughout the north east,” one user claimed.
“The truth is that pilots are on strike due to vaccine mandates placed by Southwest requiring pilots to be vaccinated or risk being fired.”
(Part 2) due to vaccine mandates placed by Southwest requiring pilots to be vaccinated or risk being fired. Because Southwest refused to hear the pilots’ concerns thousands of passengers found out last minute that their flight would be canceled and were given
“Because Southwest refused to hear the pilots’ concerns thousands of passengers found out last minute that their flight would be canceled and were given a rescheduled flight in 2 days. Because they claimed ATC issues, they refuse to refund anything or comp hotel rooms for passengers.”
Another user claimed an insider revealed that air traffic controllers at the Jackson International Airport walked out over the vaccine mandates, but a “total news blackout” is preventing the story from surfacing.
“Jacksonville center ATC controllers walked out last night over the vaccine mandate,” the insider said. “Shut the whole thing down. Total disaster for us and other airlines. Total news blackout, be sure to spread the word.”
Is there a media blackout on last night’s air traffic controller walkout in Jacksonville, FL?
“The new vaccine mandate unlawfully imposes new conditions of employment and the new policy threatens termination of any pilot not fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021,” the legal filing said.
“Southwest Airlines’ additional new and unilateral modification of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement is in clear violation of the RLA.”
Southwest Airlines announced last week that all 60,000 employees must take the COVID injection or receive an exemption by Nov. 24.
American Airlines also saw hundreds of its own employees protesting the vaccine mandate outside its corporate headquarters in Fort Worth last Thursday, further evidence that the vaccine mandate is extremely unpopular within the airline industry.
A 16-year-old student in Wyoming was arrested and the entire school was placed on lockdown — all because she refused to wear a mask.
Grace Smith, 16, had already been suspended twice from Laramie High School in Wyoming for refusing to wear masks in class.
As the brave student attempted to go to class unmuzzled once again, she was met with police and given a $500 citation. When she was told to leave the school, she refused to comply. At that point, she was handcuffed and arrested.
As the situation unfolded, an announcement over the loudspeaker said that “we are in a lockdown, please stay in your rooms.”
Meet Grace. She's a 16 year old girl who's showing more courage than most men right now. She's refusing to comply with the mask mandate her Wyoming school board is trying to force. She was fined and arrested. Here's her arrest. She's a hero.
According to a report from RT, Grace will be expelled if she continues to collect suspensions — but the high school junior has no intention of backing down. “I’m growing up in a country where I’m supposed to have my God-given rights to protect, and they’re being taken away,” she told the Laramie Boomerang.
“Everybody has the freedom to wear a mask if they choose, but I believe everybody also has the right to not wear a mask if they choose.”
The Smith family has hired an attorney to fight back.
A GiveSendGo fundraiser to help them has already raised over $18,000. “Grace is a high school junior. She is a beautiful young lady who is kind, caring, and compassionate. She loves dance and theater and is a good student. Grace has chosen to exercise her rights and attend school without wearing a mask. The local school board has voted to enforce a universal mask policy that we believe is unlawful and in violation of the constitution of the state of Wyoming,” the fundraising page explains.
“Grace has endured suspensions and was arrested for not wearing a mask. She has also been targeted by peers and school staff members for exercising her rights,” the fundraising description continues. “Grace is raising funds to help with the legal cost of defending her civil liberties and the civil liberties of other students in Wyoming who are enduring the same unlawful treatment. By supporting this fight for their liberties, you are helping ensure the rights of every citizen of the state of Wyoming.”
(Change.org) On November 19, 1976, at about 2:33 a.m., the Cypress Police Department received a call from the Well’s Fargo alarm company regarding an activation of a silent burglar alarm at the Pomeroy’s medical clinic. Two officers, Agent James Worden and Officer Scott Atkinson, were dispatched to the call. Sergeant Don Sowma, the shift supervisor, responded as well. The other two remaining Cypress units, Officer John Schaefer and Officer Robert Tinnell, also responded to assist with a perimeter around the building.
A check of the exterior of the building and rooftop did not reveal any forced entry. A closer inspection revealed an unlocked window with fresh footprints on the windowsill and interior floor. Through that same window, a crowbar was also observed inside the building.
A search of the doctor’s office did not reveal any suspects, so officers proceeded to enter the attached art gallery. Upon opening the door leading into the art gallery, officers heard noises. As Sergeant Don Sowma stepped into the doorway, he was shot once by Bobby Joe Denney, a cowardly criminal that was hiding inside the gallery.
Denney fired a second round as other officers attempted to rescue Sergeant Sowma. Agent Worden exited the building and quickly made his way to another door forcing entry back into another portion of the building. From that location, Agent Worden and assisting officers were able to remove Sergeant Sowma, who was transported to La Palma Hospital. While at the hospital, Sergeant Sowma succumbed to his injuries which were caused by a single, .38 caliber gun shot wound to the chest. Unfortunately, Sergeant Sowma did not have the added protection of a bullet proof vest since this type of protection was very uncommon in 1976.
Bobby Joe Denney, who had entered the business through an unlocked window to steal drugs and money, remained barricaded inside the building for the next several hours. He ignored orders to surrender despite tear gas deployment. Later that morning an entry team breached the building, and after firing one round at the team of officers, Bobby Joe Denney surrendered his .38 revolver and was taken into custody without further incident.
Bobby Joe Denney, a 32-year old drifter who had been living with friends in Hawaiian Gardens, was the son of the Carter County (Oklahoma) Sheriff. At the time of his arrest, Denney was a fugitive and a parole violator from an Oklahoma burglary conviction. During his trial for the murder of Sergeant Sowma, Denney was convicted and sentenced to life. He remains in custody despite several parole attempts.
Sergeant Donald Sowma was the type of individual that could be counted on during any circumstance. He was a great friend, peace officer, and supervisor. Sergeant Sowma’s tragic death at age 44 was a loss to those who worked with him, to the community he served, and to his loving family. At the time of his death, Sergeant Sowma was survived by his wife Colleen and their four children: Michael Robert, James Patrick, Donald Jack Jr., and Donna Marie Sowma. May his memory live on as we vow to never forget Donald Jack Sowma.
Please join us in signing this petition, to honor Sergeant Sowma’s sacrifice and ensuring justice for the Sowma family by keeping his murderer in prison.
(Des Moines Register) Former President Donald Trump returned to Iowa Saturday for his first visit to the state after losing the presidential election in November, launching a multifront assault on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats he said were taking the nation to the “brink of ruin.”
Trump, who spoke for more than 90 minutes, rattled off a long list of campaign-style promises and joked about a potential new slogan, but stopped short of announcing a reelection bid.
“We’re going to take America back,” he said.
He repeated false claims that the 2020 election was “rigged.” He continued to cast doubt on the results, including in Arizona which just concluded a review of the state’s largest county’s votes and found no evidence of a stolen election.
And in front of thousands of whipped-up supporters, he endorsed both U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, which has for decades launched the presidential nominating contests for both major political parties.
“You proved why Iowa should continue to vote first in the nation, that’s right. First in the nation,” Trump said, referencing his 8-point margin of victory in Iowa in November 2020.
Trump criticized Biden for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and multiple pieces of domestic legislation that have clogged up Congress — which Democrats control by slim margins — for months.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Trump said, later encouraging his supporters to turn out en masse next fall for the 2022 midterm elections.
“We must send the radical left a message they will never forget,” he said.
Trump’s visit comes as more Iowans feel more favorably toward him than they ever have, according to the latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll. Overall, 53% of Iowa adults hold favorable feelings toward Trump. It’s even higher among his fellow Republicans, with 91% feeling favorably toward him.
‘Iowa, what a place’: Trump gives some love to the Hawkeyes — and recalls his victory
Despite his dark message about the Biden administration, Trump was upbeat about Iowa during his visit.
“As disastrous as the Biden administration has been, no one can blame the great state of Iowa, because boy we did really — we did really good here,” he said. “Iowa, what a place.”
He took the stage shortly after the University of Iowa scored a come-from-behind victory against Penn State in a game that was displayed on large screens during the rally’s pre-program.
“Hello, Iowa, and congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeyes!” Trump said, kicking off his remarks. “That was a big win today!”
“We have with us tonight a great American patriot, a man who truly loves Iowa — loves Iowa,” Trump said. “He’s a young — very young guy. He’s strong. And he’s very handsome. He fights like no other. When I’ve needed him for help he was always there.”
As for Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has not formally announced her reelection campaign, Trump hinted that an endorsement could be coming very soon.
“I said, ‘Kim, do you want me to endorse you tonight or later?’ And she said, ‘Sir, this is Chuck Grassley’s night.’ How nice is that?” the former president said.
Iowa, national Democrats criticize state Republicans for supporting Trump after Jan. 6 riot
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn criticized Iowa Republicans for supporting Trump after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in January.
“Iowa Republicans have tied themselves to a man who attacked the foundations of our democracy throughout his time in office,” Wilburn said in a statement. “Just nine months ago, he incited a violent mob to attack his own Vice President and threaten the lives of lawmakers who were simply fulfilling their constitutional duty to certify our election.”
A slew of Iowa’s top Republican leaders warmed up the crowd ahead of Trump, including Reynolds, Grassley and U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
“I was just there this week,” she said. “You know who’s never been there? Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They don’t care. They don’t care what’s happening at the border.”
“They don’t respect you,” she said of Democrats. “They don’t respect your faith, your values. They don’t think you’re capable of making your own decisions and they don’t think you should. And this is what America looks like under Democratic leadership but I’m here to tell you we’re fighting back.”
National Democrats slammed Trump’s visit to Iowa. Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, said Trump’s grip on the Republican party “is the anvil around their necks going into 2022.”
“The Republican Party remains beholden to a president who oversaw millions of lost jobs, hundreds of thousands of lives lost, and a violent assault on the Capitol and police officers,” Moussa said in the statement. “While Republicans have failed to lead, President Biden and Democrats continue to deliver for Iowans and Americans in ways Trump and Iowa Republicans are desperate to claim credit for.”
Trump supporters from near and far gather at Iowa State Fairgrounds
Hours before the rally began, thousands of supporters and merchants selling Trump paraphernalia lined up at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Among the revelers was T. Trump, a Vietnamese immigrant who traveled with other Vietnamese immigrants from California. T. Trump and others said they legally changed their last names to “Trump” out of respect for the “king.”
“When you have a king that really works hard … the people take over his name,” T. Trump, 55 and wearing an American flag themed cowboy hat, said. “We came here for freedom. We don’t want to lose this country. You were born free, you want to live free, you want to die free.”
Diana Johnson, 66, and Lori Ediger, 58 — sisters from Nebraska — were also in line Saturday. They arrived at the fairgrounds at 5:30 a.m.
Ediger was so excited, she couldn’t sleep, she said.
“This guy’s a man of his word,” Ediger said. “He does what he says he’s going to do.”
Both were decked out in American flag themed clothing and Trump 2024 attire.
“Biden shouldn’t be in the White House,” Johnson said. “Period.”
Sheryl Robins, a retired nurse from Osceola, said she was glad to see the level of energy inside the fairgrounds. It was her first Trump rally since 2016.
She said she likes how Trump brought the background of a businessman to the White House and how he supported veterans and the economy. She said she’s been unhappy with how Biden has handled those issues.
“He ruined our economy, gave all that free money out, and look what he did to our military (and) the Afghans,” she said, adding that her husband is a Vietnam War veteran.
Inside the gate of the fairgrounds, David Lage, an evangelist from Ankeny, said he believes Trump will win again in 2024, and he plans to support him unless the former endorsed someone else.
“Trump’s for the country. He’s for America. He’s for Jesus,” he said.
Trump’s remarks didn’t impress everyone in attendance. Darcy Shelton, a health care worker from Des Moines, said she has supported Trump in the past but did not enjoy Saturday’s speech.
“I thought he was more full of himself than anything,” said Shelton, who wore a Trump flag draped around her shoulders. “…It was more about the election being stolen from him than about the American people.”
Shelton, who said she’s an independent, said she’s displeased with the Biden administration — particularly his vaccine mandate for health care workers. But she said she’d like to see someone else other than Trump run in 2024. She said she particularly likes Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose name has been floated as a possible candidate.
Trump hints at 2024 ambitions
Although Trump talked briefly about electing Republicans to Congress next year, his speech also sounded like that of a candidate seeking another run at the presidency.
“We will quickly complete the border wall and we will end illegal immigration, once and for all,” he said, running through a list of promises. “We will have to start it all over again — it would have been so much better if we had an honest election, but we’ll be able to do it again.”
At one point, he speculated that Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, would run for president.
“Let’s run against Stacey Abrams, I’d like that,” he said.
Trump has left open the door to trying to reclaim the White House, though he hasn’t made any official declarations. According to the Washington Post, Trump was eager to announce his 2024 candidacy in August as the American withdrawal from Afghanistan turned chaotic. Advisers talked him out of it with how a formally declared candidacy introduces new rules about fundraising and media appearances, according to the Post.
Trump never left the political arena, even as he boarded Marine One to leave the White House shortly before Biden’s inauguration in January. He had already launched a political action committee, dubbed Save America, soon after it was clear Biden won the electoral college in November.
Trump openly eyeing the Republican nomination for president for a third consecutive time hasn’t necessarily cleared the field of other potential rivals in 2024, though none have formally declared.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, all Republicans, have visited the state this year.
The Chinese regime has notified local authorities to prepare for a large-scale outbreak of COVID-19, according to leaked internal documents obtained by the Chinese Epoch Times.
One document, titled “Notice of Further Strengthening of Epidemic Prevention” was issued by the Chinese regime’s State Council, and forwarded by Fujian provincial government to local authorities on Sept. 30.
The other is a “National Day Epidemic Prevention Notice” issued by the State Council on Oct. 1 and distributed by the Fujian provincial officials to local authorities.
The documents are both marked “extra urgent.”
Both notices request enhanced preparations for an emergency response to the outbreak, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) putting forward at least two standards for local authorities.
One is to build central isolation sites, with local authorities required by the end of October to set up isolation centers and rooms of not less than 20 rooms per 10,000 people. The scale of each isolation site must be more than 100 rooms.
According to public data, the population of Fujian Province in 2020 was 41.54 million. As of Sept. 19, the province has set up 35,691 quarantine rooms in 296 central sites.
Based on the standard in the epidemic prevention notice, Fujian Province will need to build at least 83,000 quarantine rooms by the end of October, which is around 47,000 rooms in less than a month.
According to one expert, the requirements for the COVID-19 quarantine sites reveal the real situation of the pandemic in China.
Dr. Sean Lin, a former virology researcher at the U.S. Army Research Institute, told The Epoch Times: “This reflects the CCP’s concern about the rise of the epidemic. It must have been concealing the true epidemic in mainland China, otherwise it would not suddenly issue a national notice of emergency preparedness.”
“Notice of Further Strengthening of Epidemic Prevention” requires the establishment of a five-layered control system.
It states: “Township and street CCP cadres, community grid staff, grassroots medical workers, police, and volunteers shall jointly implement community epidemic prevention,” such as “strictly implement[ing] community prevention and control,” or locking down residential communities.
Lin said that the control system is actually to tighten social management in local areas, and “the CCP’s purpose is to tighten control.”
“If there is no nucleic acid test, all the CCP’s epidemic prevention measures are the same as political campaigns. For example, you can be quarantined at any time and put in a quarantine site. And the quarantine sites can also be a place of political persecution,” Lin said.
“No matter who you are, as long as the CCP says that you tested positive in a nucleic acid test, it will deprive you of all your rights. The CCP’s quarantine sites are actually an alternative form of concentration camp.”
The testimony provided a preview of the Rittenhouse defense strategy
A use of force expert testified that Kyle Rittenhouse’s decision to shoot three rioters was justified at a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday. “A citizen in that position, given those indicators, would it be reasonable for them to believe they were about to be assaulted?” said use of force expert John Black. “I would argue yes.”
Black spent hours analyzing the shootings and the events leading up to them. Rittenhouse is facing multiple charges, including homicide, for shooting Kenosha rioters Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz on Aug. 25, 2020. Rosenbaum and Huber were killed while Grosskreutz was wounded after being shot in the hand.
The expert testified that based on the video footage, Rittenhouse had reason to believe Rosenbaum intended to grab his weapon and use it on him, justifying Rittenhouse’s decision to shoot. “Now the firearm is a potential weapon for both parties,” Black said. “Now we have a potential wrestling match.”
Black also testified on the other two shootings. Regarding the shooting of Anthony Huber, the expert again concluded that Rittenhouse’s decision to shoot was reasonable. A video released not long after the shooting shows Huber hitting the teenager over the head with a skateboard while attempting to grab his rifle.
Moments after Huber was shot, Gage Grosskreutz can be seen approaching Rittenhouse. He initially put his hands up, but then raised a handgun. Rittenhouse then shot him in the bicep. Black considered the use of force against Grosskreutz, who later remarked that his only regret was “not killing the kid”, justified as well. The expert also testified that Rittenhouse maintained control of his gun and was not aimlessly shooting at the crowd.
Rittenhouse’s lead attorney, Mark Richards, is trying to persuade Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder to let Black testify at the trial in November. Schroeder is holding off on making a decision until he also hears testimony from a prosecution expert on use of force on Oct. 25. The judge also declined to drop a weapons charge against Rittenhouse, though he said he is open to revisiting the matter.
The first cars to emerge from Tesla’s new Berlin factory should roll off the production line as early as next month, CEO Elon Musk said at the site of the plant on Saturday, but added that volume production would take much longer to achieve.
Musk hopes to get the green light in coming weeks to start production at the site. The latest consultation on public concerns towards the site closes on Oct. 14, after which the Environment Ministry will make a decision.
“Starting production is nice, but volume production is the hard part,” Musk told a cheering audience at a festival at the plant site, many of whom livestreamed the speech on social media. “It will take longer to reach volume production than it took to build the factory.”
He said volume production would amount to 5,000 or “hopefully 10,000” vehicles per day, and battery cells would be made there in volume by the end of next year.
He also defended the factory against critics of its environmental impact, saying that it used “relatively little” water and that battery cell production was “sustainable”.
Some local residents and environmental groups are unhappy https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/teslas-gigafactory-electrifies-california-germany-culture-clash-2021-10-07 with Musk’s approach, which they say flies in the face of German business culture.
“I would tell him to stop building electrocars but rather fly to Mars,” said Manu Hoyer, who led a small protest of locals who oppose the project on environmental grounds, saying it will pollute drinking water.
Brandenburg’s economy minister has put the chances of the factory gaining approval to operate at 95%.
Tesla has submitted plans to invest 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) in a battery plant with 50 GWh capacity next to the site, outstripping Volkswagen’s planned 40GWh capacity site in Salzgitter.
Musk said Tesla was worried that recruiting sufficient staff would be an issue, calling for people to apply from “all over Europe”.
He said he hoped the battery plant would reach volume production by the end of next year.
POPSTAR RECEPTION
The company offered 9,000 tickets to the festival, with residents of Brandenburg state given priority.
“Look, Mummy! A Tesla,” shouted an excited 9-year old called Emil, one of many children lined up with parents waiting for a 90-minute site tour.
Fans cheered and laughed when Musk took the stage at sunset, welcoming him like a popstar.
“This day is unique,” said Tesla fan Fred Schroeder. “The Tesla factory in Germany will be opened to the public for the first time. That is a very special day.”
Another had driven his Tesla from Milton Keynes in Britain, despite not having a ticket. He said it was worth it just to see the site from the outside.
Pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell is suing the Department of Defense, seeking to block the Pentagon from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Powell’s Texas-based group Defending the Republic announced Wednesday that it had filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on behalf of 16 active-duty service members “in support of their right to refuse” the coronavirus vaccine.
“Through the filing of this lawsuit, we make clear that these service members — those who serve their country with honor — are not the property of the U.S. government, and the Constitution does not allow them to be treated as such,” the group said on its website.
The complaint was first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday.
The Pentagon mandated all service members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in late August, immediately after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech.
On Monday, the Pentagon said its 700,000 civilian employees will have to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22.
The Pentagon did not set a deadline for when all service members must be vaccinated and instead allowed each branch to make that determination.
The Navy on Aug. 30 gave active-duty sailors and Marines 90 days to get vaccinated and reservists 120 days.
The Air Force has required active-duty personnel to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 2 and all Air National Guard and reserve members will have to be vaccinated by Dec. 2.
More than 380,000 service members were partially vaccinated as of Sept. 30, and 1.3 million were fully inoculated, according to Pentagon data.
In an updated version of the complaint filed Wednesday, the plaintiffs argued that the mandate imposes “unconstitutional conditions by forcing Plaintiffs to choose between violation of their constitutional rights or facing life-altering punishments.”
The complaint also seeks a court ruling that says the FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s vaccine is unconstitutional.
In addition to Austin, the suit names Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock as defendants.
The FDA told The Hill that it does not comment on possible, pending or ongoing litigation.
The Hill has reached out to the Pentagon and the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
Powell’s lawsuit isn’t the first to challenge the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate. Two service members filed a suit in a Colorado federal court last week attempting to block the agency from requiring all troops to be vaccinated.
The legal challenges follow multiple lawsuits filed by Powell last year alleging that the 2020 election was rigged against former President Trump.
Earlier this year she was hit with a $1.3 billion lawsuit from voting technology company Dominion Voting Systems for claiming without evidence that the company rigged the election.
Sixteen unvaccinated athletes won another round in their legal battle to play sports, despite Western Michigan University’s mandate that all of its inter-collegiate athletes get the COVID-19vaccination shot.
In a unanimous published decision issued Oct. 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio, held that the university violated the athletes’ First Amendment rights.
All 16 athletes had filed for religious exemptions, which, according to the court, the university “ignored or denied.”
The court stated: “The university put plaintiffs to the choice: Get vaccinated, or stop fully participating in intercollegiate sports. By conditioning the privilege of playing sports on plaintiffs’ willingness to abandon their sincere religious beliefs, the university burdened their free exercise rights.”
The three-judge panel denied a request by the university to stay a lower court’s preliminary injunction that stopped it from enforcing the vaccination mandate.
The mandate would have barred the athletes from playing in games, or even practicing with their teams, unless they were immunized against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
Attorney David Kallman, senior counsel with the Great Lakes Justice Center, who represents the athletes, told the Epoch Times: “It’s a great win for our clients and for religious liberty.”
According to Kallman the court’s decision is now a “binding precedent” in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
In a press release, Kallman wrote: “The Sixth Circuit Court vindicated their (his clients) religious convictions and that they can continue to be part of their teams.
“We trust all parties can move forward in a spirit of cooperation to uphold the important constitutional issues at stake, as well as taking appropriate measures to ensure the safety of everyone at WMU.”
The order affirms: “The First Amendment, as incorporated through the 14th Amendment, prevents a state from ‘prohibiting the free exercise’ of religion.”
The 14th Amendment also guarantees equal protection under the law.
Western Michigan University has no vaccination mandate for the student body as a whole.
However, its athletes are still required to wear masks at practice and be regularly tested for the virus. Those policies were not addressed in the athletes’ complaint.
University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said that his own daughter, who recently turned 12-years-old, has not received her COVID-19 vaccination despite the state’s mandate for students.
The governor said, according to the Los Angeles Times, that his daughter has not been vaccinated because she has “a series of other shots to get first.”
“Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps, and more,” Newsom said of the statewide mandate for students. “Why? Because vaccines work.”
This is not the first time that Newsom has been accused of hypocrisy for exempting himself and his family from coronavirus restrictions he urges others to follow.
He pulled his son from a camp over the summer after photos surfaced of the children playing basketball indoors without masks.
Last year, Newsom was photographed dining indoors with 11 others at a lavish restaurant without masks despite telling state residents to avoid large gatherings.
“The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradictory, and I’ve got to own that. So I’m going to apologize to you,” he said during a briefing following the outing.
According to California’s COVID-19 website, only 56 percent of children ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated while just over 8 percent are partially vaccinated.
Ex-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell sues over Pentagon vaccine mandate
Pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell is suing the Department of Defense, seeking to block the Pentagon from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Powell’s Texas-based group Defending the Republic announced Wednesday that it had filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on behalf of 16 active-duty service members “in support of their right to refuse” the coronavirus vaccine.
“Through the filing of this lawsuit, we make clear that these service members — those who serve their country with honor — are not the property of the U.S. government, and the Constitution does not allow them to be treated as such,” the group said on its website.
The complaint was first reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday.
The Pentagon mandated all service members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in late August, immediately after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech.
On Monday, the Pentagon said its 700,000 civilian employees will have to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22.
The Pentagon did not set a deadline for when all service members must be vaccinated and instead allowed each branch to make that determination.
The Army is requiring service members to be vaccinated by June 30.
The Navy on Aug. 30 gave active-duty sailors and Marines 90 days to get vaccinated and reservists 120 days.
The Air Force has required active-duty personnel to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 2 and all Air National Guard and reserve members will have to be vaccinated by Dec. 2.
More than 380,000 service members were partially vaccinated as of Sept. 30, and 1.3 million were fully inoculated, according to Pentagon data.
In an updated version of the complaint filed Wednesday, the plaintiffs argued that the mandate imposes “unconstitutional conditions by forcing Plaintiffs to choose between violation of their constitutional rights or facing life-altering punishments.”
The complaint also seeks a court ruling that says the FDA’s approval of Pfizer’s vaccine is unconstitutional.
In addition to Austin, the suit names Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock as defendants.
The FDA told The Hill that it does not comment on possible, pending or ongoing litigation.
The Hill has reached out to the Pentagon and the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
Powell’s lawsuit isn’t the first to challenge the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate. Two service members filed a suit in a Colorado federal court last week attempting to block the agency from requiring all troops to be vaccinated.
The legal challenges follow multiple lawsuits filed by Powell last year alleging that the 2020 election was rigged against former President Trump.
Earlier this year she was hit with a $1.3 billion lawsuit from voting technology company Dominion Voting Systems for claiming without evidence that the company rigged the election.