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Supreme Court sides with Navy in challenge to COVID-19 vaccine requirements by SEALs

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WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Friday sided with the Biden administration in a battle over COVID-19 vaccine requirements for a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces who sought a religious exemption.
Nearly three dozen Naval personnel, including 26 members of the elite Navy SEALs, asserted the Navy’s vaccine requirements violated the First Amendment’s guarantee that people may practice religion without government interference.
But President Joe Biden’s administration countered that lower court rulings siding with servicemembers usurped the Navy’s authority to deploy them and execute missions.
The court issued an unsigned order Friday that put a lower court’s ruling on hold.
“Under Article II of the Constitution, the president of the United States, not any federal judge, is the commander in chief of the armed forces,” Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion. “In light of that bedrock constitutional principle, ‘courts traditionally have been reluctant to intrude upon the authority of the Executive in military and national security affairs.'”
Three conservatives, Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, dissented from the decision.
“By rubberstamping the government’s request for what it calls a ‘partial stay,’ the court does a great injustice to the 35 respondents – Navy Seals and others in the naval special warfare community – who have volunteered to undertake demanding and hazardous duties to defend our country,” Alito wrote in a dissent joined by Gorsuch. “These individuals appear to have been treated shabbily by the Navy, and the Court brushes all that aside. I would not do so, and I therefore dissent.”
Vaccine requirements are “the least restrictive means of furthering the Navy’s compelling interests in ensuring that members of the Special Warfare community are as physically prepared as possible to execute their demanding missions and in minimizing avoidable risks to mission success,” the government had told the high court.
A federal trial court in Texas blocked the Department of Defense from enforcing the COVID-19 requirements. Asserting that the Navy had granted hundreds of medical exemptions but had not been nearly as generous with religious objectors, the Louisiana-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit also sided with the SEALs.
Well over 90% of the military has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including at least 98.5% of active and reserve members of the Navy. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has asserted that vaccines are a valid and necessary medical requirement to protect service members and their families and ensure the combat readiness of the force.
The Supreme Court has largely ducked the issue of COVID-19 requirements. Last year, it repeatedly declined to take up challenges to state vaccine mandates in Maine, New York and at a public university in Indiana. Most of those cases were focused on whether states could impose mandates without a religious exemption.
But in January, the court halted enforcement of Biden’s testing-or-vaccine requirement for large employers, ruling his administration lacked the authority to impose that mandate. The justices, however, permitted a federal vaccine mandate for people employed at health care facilities that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid. That measure affects roughly 10 million workers.
Contributing: Associated Press
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Ruud van Nistelrooy makes next job decision as Man Utd plan coaching appointment

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That decision failed to pay off, however, with the Red Devils sacking Moyes after just 10 months in charge.
After the current West Ham boss came Van Gaal, who arrived with big things expected due to his past success at the likes of Barcelona and Ajax.
Giggs was hoping to get the Red Devils job himself, which was why he stayed, but both ended up leaving nearly six years ago.
When Jose Mourinho took over, he opted to maintain his close relationship with Rui Faria – who had previously worked under him at clubs such as Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Fair departed in the summer of 2018, though, with Michael Carrick then given a place on Mourinho’s bench.
Carrick stayed to work under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian also regularly picking up the thoughts of Phelan and Kieran McKenna throughout his spell in the dugout.
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High cholesterol: Blood pressure drug linked to significant reduction in good cholesterol

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“Though they’re commonly used to treat different forms of heart disease, beta-blockers can significantly reduce HDL levels.”
Among the beta-blockers that cause this are Corgard (nadolol), Inderal (propranolol), Tenormin (atenolol), Zebeta (bisoprolol).
These drugs are widely used in the treatment of angina, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, heart attack and high blood pressure.
But despite concerns about their effect on cholesterol, scientists stress that the benefits of beta-blockers far outweigh the risks.
VeryWell Health adds: “If your beta-blocker affects your cholesterol significantly, your doctor may lower your dose or switch you to a different medication.”
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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez not on same page over Saudi Arabia GP after missile attack

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However, after a four-hour meeting between race officials and the teams, it was confirmed the race would go ahead despite the attack. It had been reported that a number of the competing drivers were concerned for their safety following the nearby explosion.
Despite this, an agreement was finally reached to race at 2:30am local time, after team chiefs left the lengthy meeting to confirm: “We will be racing.” A statement from Formula 1 confirmed Sunday’s race would go ahead as planned. It read: “Formula 1 has been in close contact with the relevant authorities following the situation that took place today. The authorities have confirmed that the event can continue as planned and we will remain in close contact with them and all the teams and closely monitor the situation.”
Unsurprisingly, there were a number of mixed views on whether the race should go ahead, and this is clearly apparent in the Red Bull setup. This comes after advisor Helmut Marko revealed that drivers Verstappen and Perez are not on the same page when it comes to racing.
JUST IN: F1 drivers ‘had concerns’ about Saudi Arabia GP as new details emerge after missile attack
On the issue, Marko told Sky Germany: “Max is a bit more relaxed about it. Perez is a little bit scared, but when you live in Mexico City there’s not much more security. We have the pandemic, we have the war in Europe and now we have a missile attack 20 kilometres away. This is no longer normal or pleasant.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s race though, the Austrian advisor is firmly on the side of Verstappen and the race officials, supporting the idea of the race taking place. He commented: “I really think it’s the right thing to do. As I said, these drone attacks are common, I think. They have a very good defence system. Why this one didn’t work remains to be seen. It’s not the first drone, after all. But it’s the first one to strike on such a scale.”
The attack took place during Friday’s first practice session, and it was Red Bull’s star man Verstappen who was one of the first to realise something was wrong after reporting on his team radio that he could ‘smell burning’. Initially, the Dutchman thought the smell was coming from either his or one of his rival’s cars, however it then became clear that an explosion had taken place just a few miles from the track.
Giving an insight into Verstappen’s initial worries, Marko said: “Max radioed us, he thought his car had caught fire because there was an intense burning smell. We were informed a drone had been sent from Yemen. The Saudis have a defence system and for some reason the drone was not intercepted.”
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