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US Pentagon Launches Outreach to Rehire Troops Discharged Over COVID Vaccine Refusal

United States: The Pentagon initiated a campaign to entice former service members discharged without consent for vaccine resistance by sending letters of apology this week as the first step towards reintegration, according to their personnel readiness official, as reported by The Hills.

DOD Begins Apology Campaign and Outreach

Leadership at the Defense Department, including President Trump together with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, demonstrate their enthusiasm toward welcoming military personnel affected by COVID vaccine refusal and the previous Pentagon vaccination requirements, according to the department’s acting deputy undersecretary Tim Dill, who made this announcement to reporters on Tuesday.

“They never should have had to leave military service, and the department is committed to assisting them in their return,” Dill said.

DOD this week started delivering apology letters and service restoration information to service members discharged because of their COVID-19 vaccine position.

Dill explained that emails, direct phone calls, websites establishing recruitment information on Monday, and social media messaging form additional elements of their outreach efforts.

Any member serving in a U.S. military service, including National Guard and Reserve personnel, needed to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or face mandatory discharge during August 2021. Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin maintained that the requirement ensured military readiness by protecting unit readiness, but the Pentagon eliminated it in January 2023.

The reinstatement option became available to military members discharged because of COVID vaccine refusal. Military branches recorded minor reinstatement numbers among veterans who left their service in January 2023 as they discovered most veterans continued with their civilian lives. The branches reported less than 100 reassignees among the more than 8,700 personnel who faced discharges during this period.

Trump Administration Pushes for Reinstatement of Troops Discharged Over COVID Vaccine Refusal

Through the Jan. 27 executive order President Trump provided, service members discharged because of vaccine requirements could rejoin without benefit reductions and with simpler medical evaluations.

“In spite of the scientific evidence, the Biden Administration discharged healthy service members — many of whom had natural immunity and dedicated their entire lives to serving our country — for refusing the COVID vaccine,” according to a fact sheet released with the order. “Government redress of these wrongful dismissals is overdue.”

The program demands military service between two and four years and includes multiple bureaucratic procedures for service members previously discharged due to COVID vaccine refusal that must be completed. Dill explained that the offer would remain active for just one year.

The roughly 100 returning military personnel cannot earn back pay benefits after the executive order’s implementation.

“There is not currently a mechanism that we have provided for them to put in for the same calculations that we’re doing for those that would return today,” Dill said.

He mentioned an “administrative process that needs to happen” and stated that “the process could take several months” for those who do seek to return to service. Making sure people wishing to return fulfill medical retention requirements would be part of that.

Additionally, soldiers, airmen, and sailors would get a figure that would enable them to “stand financially in the same position they would have stood in had they never been discharged,” as opposed to a big windfall of back pay.

Very few former military members have decided to resume service after they were dismissed for COVID vaccine refusal. The Associated Press found that the Army welcomed back approximately 23 soldiers after discharging them due to vaccine refusal.

According to Hegseth during his X broadcast on Tuesday, “MANY more” discharged troops would “come back soon.”

Branch-Specific Policies Vary

People seeking military re-enlistment face an unclear timeline depending on their service branch since the Navy provides definite information about reinstatement procedures. Navy documents published Monday specified that reinstatement candidates will get a reimbursement that includes their military pay and other benefits.

The payment amount derives from basic salary and food allowance, housing benefits, and recruitment bonuses that personnel would have accumulated if they had never received discharge orders. The determination of financial benefits received from military service would require that all income and Department of Veterans Affairs payments since leaving the service would be subtracted from the total.

Prior to asking sailors to decide about reentry, the final proposed payment will be fully disclosed. Under the Navy documents, all reenlistment funds would be distributed through quarterly payments, which would be taxed federally and at the state level, as reported by The Hills.

Returning sailors become obligated to serve the Navy for four years after they receive reinstatement.

Dill explained that all service members who want to reenlist must satisfy military health requirements, pass physical and moral tests, and provide complete tax documentation and relevant paperwork. Service members maintain until April 1, 2026, the opportunity to request reinstatement.

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Every U.S. Rice Sample Tested Shows Arsenic, Cadmium, or Lead

Be smart about the rice you consume and how you prepare it to reduce your loved ones’ intake of potentially dangerous heavy metals.

United States: A new study by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures has uncovered that many rice brands sold in U.S. supermarkets—especially in cities like New York and Miami—contain measurable and potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals. Every single rice sample tested had detectable arsenic, with one-quarter exceeding FDA limits set for infant rice cereal, as reported by HealthDay.

Infant Rules Don’t Apply to All

Although the FDA implemented a maximum arsenic level for infant rice cereal in 2021, no such rule exists for regular rice consumed by millions—including toddlers and young children. Researchers stress this loophole as a public health concern.

Major Brands, Major Findings

The report tested rice from 145 brands including Trader Joe’s, Ben’s, and Goya. Results showed heavy metal concentrations ranging from 63 to 188 parts per billion (ppb), with some samples reaching as high as 240 ppb. Arsenic was the most commonly found, followed by cadmium.

TOXIC ARSENIC IN RICE INCREASES WITH TEMPERATURE & CO2
Multiple very bad health effects.
Risk already recognized
Danger limit being exceededhttps://t.co/MIa4xewDK0 #rice #climatechange. #globalwarming pic.twitter.com/Q7pTPlqcrm
— Peter D Carter (@PCarterClimate) May 16, 2025

Industry Response: Consumers Deserve Reassurance

The USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumer concerns but insisted current arsenic levels in rice pose no significant public health risk, as reported by HealthDay.

How to Reduce Your Risk

The report offers key tips for safer consumption:

Cook it like pasta: Drown your rice in water (6–10 cups per 1 cup of rice) and let it brew.

Switch it up: Switch to grains such as quinoa, barley, or couscous, since they contain less heavy metals.

Pick safer varieties: Look for white rice from California, sushi rice, Thai jasmine, or Basmati rice from India. Stay away from brown rice, Southern-grown white rice and arborio rice imported from Italy (Suggested Alternative: Skip those three varieties as they may contain higher levels of metals).

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News

Houston Wastewater Detected Measles Weeks Before Outbreak, Study Finds

Early detection and prevention of measles can be done by monitoring for the virus in wastewater.

United States: Measles virus showed up in Houston’s sewage water several weeks before the big measles outbreak happened in Texas in January, according to a new study.

Early Warning Signs in Wastewater

Wastewater samples taken on Jan. 7 were found to have measles virus DNA in them, which was reported by scientists in the American Journal of Public Health, as reported by HealthDay.

According to the researchers, the City of Houston Health Department found and reported two cases of measles in adults not vaccinated for the disease on January 17th. The survey is based on people living in the same areas where the water treatment plants supplied water.

Measles Resurgence in Texas

In all, 717 people in Texas had measles as of May 13, reported the Texas Department of State Health Services. Two children who have not been vaccinated have died.

#Measles in the #Sewers? #WastewaterSurveillance Offers Early Warning for #Outbreaks. #Houston @BCMTailorLabs @saracregeen @MikeTisza @bcmhouston @TEPHI_Texas @RiceUNews @UTHealthSPH #AJPH https://t.co/RNxDxBIaFV @DiscoverMag pic.twitter.com/xrlAPDCbsY
— From the Labs at Baylor College of Medicine (@BCMFromtheLabs) May 15, 2025

“With lessons learned from the Houston measles detection event, we are now working with our public health partners to gather data on the current measles outbreak in West Texas,” lead researcher Michael Tisza, an assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in a news release.

“Our program has been monitoring measles in wastewater from those sites as well, hoping the information can help officials get ahead of this virus,” Tisza said.

The sampled Houston treatment plans help more than 218,000 people, according to the researchers.

Researchers found that testing wastewater before an outbreak revealed that these methods can prepare officials for an infectious disease.

Wastewater Testing: A Promising Public Health Tool

“Systematically sequencing the genetic material in wastewater reveals dynamic changes in human viruses circulating in a community,” senior researcher Anthony Maresso, chair of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor, said in a news release.

“Importantly, analyzing these viral changes in wastewater can improve our understanding of outbreaks and transmission and inform public health preparedness, just as one uses meteorological data to better understand and predict weather patterns to anticipate potentially dangerous conditions,” Maresso said.

According to the researchers, there had not been any measles viruses found in any of the 821 wastewater samples collected in Houston in the past 31 months.

“Because no other cases have been reported and the detections occurred in the same area where the travelers resided, it is reasonable to assume that the measles signal detected in wastewater is from the two infected cases, which underscores the high sensitivity of the method,” Maresso said.

Vaccination Still the Best Defense

Co-researcher Eric Boerwinkle, dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, said that “this work underscores the ability of sophisticated wastewater analyses to serve as an early detection system benefitting public health, healthcare, and communities in preventing a measles outbreak in Houston.”

If they haven’t already, Boerwinkle advised individuals to acquire the measles vaccine, as reported by HealthDay.

The best way to stop the contagion of measles is the MMR vaccine, since it has already proven to be both safe and effective.

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Health

Your Smartphone Might Predict How Well You Recover from Injury

With more smartphone data, there will be better ways to predict and guide recovery in orthopedics.

United States: According to a study published on May 9 in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, smartphone data — including step count, walking speed, and gait — can predict how well someone recovers from bone or hip injuries. The findings suggest that mobility patterns before an injury may offer powerful insights into a patient’s post-surgical progress, as reported by HealthDay.

Data That Speaks Volumes

The study, led by Dr. Brian Shear at the University of Maryland Medical Center, followed 107 adults who had previously undergone surgery for a broken leg or hip. Using data from participants’ Apple iPhones, researchers analyzed their pre-injury activity levels — specifically, their steps, speed, and gait — and compared it with their recovery progress.

Patients who were more active before their injury tended to recover faster and return to mobility more easily. “This novel approach has the power to reshape how orthopedic care is delivered,” Dr. Shear explained.

A New Era of Personalized Rehab

The study found that patients with higher daily step counts before their injury had better recovery outcomes. Likewise, those with faster walking speeds and consistent gait patterns pre-injury also healed more effectively — highlighting the predictive value of everyday mobility metrics.

With this knowledge, doctors are able to plan treatments better, detect possible issues in patients’ progress earlier, and give patients more precise timelines for recovery.

Expanding the Technology’s Use

Senior researcher Nathan O’Hara, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, announced plans to broaden the study’s scope to include other areas of orthopedics like sports medicine, joint replacement, and shoulder or foot surgery, as reported by HealthDay.

An app is also under development to support this initiative, with multicenter clinical trials expected to begin later this year.

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