A Clinton-appointed federal judge has ruled that the U.S. military cannot bar HIV-positive individuals from enlisting if they've temporarily rendered their viral loads undetectable through the use of costly antiretroviral drugs, which usually require daily use. Judge Leonie Brikema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia previously handled two consequential cases in which she ruled against certain military service restrictions on HIV-compromised individuals — persons who if left unmedicated could possibly succumb to opportunistic infections and/or infect their comrades. Citing her own opinions in those cases, Brikema asserted in her Aug. 20 ruling that the Pentagon's "policies prohibiting the accession of asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals with undetectable viral loads into the military are irrational, arbitrary, and capricious." "Even worse, they contribute to the ongoing stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals while actively hampering the military's own recruitment goals," continued Brikema. 'HIV is an infectious, incurable, bloodborne disease with several possible ways in which the disease could be transmitted to other service members.' The lawsuit that precipitated Brikema's ruling was brought on behalf of three HIV-positive individuals and a leftist advocacy group. The first, Isaiah Wilkins, is an HIV-positive 24-year-old homosexual who receives HIV-related health care from the VA Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He has to take pills to suppress his viral load. Wilkins seeks to enlist in the Army. According to a 2023 Congressional Research report, the Pentagon's Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division estimated that between January 2017 and June 2022, 1,581 service members were newly diagnosed with HIV. The second plaintiff is Carol Coe, a 33-year-old transvestite living in Washington, D.C. He contracted HIV while serving in the military, then left the military in 2013 to get a sex change. Coe attempted to re-enlist in 2022 but was unsuccessful on account of his infectious disorder. The third plaintiff is Natalie Noe, an Australian now living as a permanent resident in California. She was similarly told that her HIV positivity was a negative where recruiters were concerned. To manage her HIV, Noe takes pills daily and is injected with an antiretroviral therapeutic every three to six months. The trio were joined in their action by Minority Veterans of America — a leftist advocacy group committed to "social and structural change" that has worked to guarantee access to "abortion and contraception, and gender confirmation surgery through VA for veterans." 'We are pleased the court has eliminated the last discriminatory policy that barred people living with HIV from seeking enlistment or appointment to the military.' The suit was filed against the Department of Defense in November 2022. According to the original complaint, medical advances in HIV treatments "should have led to an overhaul of military policies related to people living with HIV. Instead, the Department of Defense and the Army — and all military departments — have maintained the bar to enlistment and appointment of people living with HIV." The suit claimed that policies barring HIV-positive prospects from enlisting violated the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act. Court documents indicate that the Pentagon argued that: the military's HIV policies are rationally related to promoting the health and readiness of the armed forces. For example, defendants continue to argue that asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals with undetectable viral loads may not take their daily medications properly, which would result in their viral loads rising; that HIV is an infectious, incurable, bloodborne disease with several possible ways in which the disease could be transmitted to other service members, such as through battlefield blood spatter or transfusions; and that HIV is associated with various comorbidities and side effects that could harm a service member's health. The Pentagon further suggested that: the science is clear about the meaningful risk of infection that comes with blood-to-blood transmission "even for individuals with an undetectable viral load"; restrictions on HIV-positive enlistees is "rationally related to the goal of ensuring that safe blood supplies are available for use in combat medical care"; "'deployment may make it more likely that' HIV-positive individuals 'could experience viral rebound' due to the 'increase[d] ... risk that [they] will not maintain strict adherence to their' HIV medications"; "recruiting HIV-compromised individuals would impose disproportionately higher financial costs on the military compared to individuals without HIV," given antiretroviral therapy costs between $1,800 and $4,500 monthly; and that it is rational to preclude incurable disease-compromised persons from joining to "ensur[e] a healthy military." Brikema, evidently unpersuaded by these arguments, has enjoined the Pentagon from barring HIV-compromised individuals with undetectable viral loads from joining the military. "We are pleased the court has eliminated the last discriminatory policy that barred people living with HIV from seeking enlistment or appointment to the military," stated Gregory Nevons, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, an outfit that helped file the case. "Americans living with HIV no longer face categorical barriers to service careers — discharge, bans on commissioning, bans on deployment and finally bans on enlisting." "This is a victory not only for me but for other people living with HIV who want to serve," said plaintiff Isaiah Wilkins. The Military Times indicated that the Pentagon declined to comment on the ruling. While HIV-compromised candidates have been given the green light to enlist, the Pentagon still has prohibitions on the recruitment or retention of persons with certain maladies, such as Crohn's disease, kidney abnormalities, asthma, anemia, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, various sleep disorders, and excessive sweating. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Florida judge sentenced a Filipino national to 30 years in federal prison for recording child porn by planting multiple hidden cameras in guest rooms on a major cruise ship, according to authorities. Some of the victims who were secretly recorded were reportedly children as young as 2 years old. Arvin Joseph Mirasol — a 34-year-old citizen of the Philippines — had worked as a stateroom attendant aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Symphony of the Seas, a cruise ship that can accommodate a maximum capacity of 6,680 guests. 'I want to control it, but I can't.' A cruise ship passenger reached under the sink to get a roll of toilet paper and discovered a hidden camera attached to the counter under the sink in the guest's bathroom. The guest notified the cruise ship's security regarding the hidden camera on Feb. 25. Cruise ship security detained Mirasol until the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on March 3. Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection officials boarded the ship and launched an investigation. Law enforcement seized Mirasol’s electronics, including his cell phone and a USB stick. Investigators discovered that Mirasol’s electronics "contained numerous videos of children in various stages of undress," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The press release added, "The focus of the videos was on the children’s genital areas." Homeland Security Investigations agents were able to identify the children seen in the videos. The children ranged in age from 2 to 17. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida stated that one of the videos on the recording devices showed Mirasol installing a camera in a guest's bathroom. Investigators noted that Mirasol had been placing cameras in passenger cabins since December 2023. According to prosecutors, Mirasol would also enter the guests' rooms while they were showering, hide under their beds, and secretly record them exiting the shower with his cell phone. "I want to control it, but I can't," Mirasol told investigators while being questioned, according to the affidavit. When asked how he decides which rooms to place cameras in, Mirasol allegedly told investigators, "If I like who is in that room, I place it." He informed investigators that he would target teenage girls ages 16 and over, the affidavit read. Mirasol was arrested in March by Broward County deputies. Mirasol pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. On Wednesday, Mirasol was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa Damian. Royal Caribbean said in a statement released in March, "We have zero tolerance for this unacceptable behavior. We immediately reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here! Broward County Sheriff's Office

There are plenty of JRPGs coming out all the time, with this year alone giving us acclaimed launches such as Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Still, new projects from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest creator Square Enix remain exciting, especially when they involve the revival of a long dormant series. This is certainly the case with Visions of Mana, which is on Steam today and marks the first new mainline entry to the Mana series to come out since Dawn of Mana launched on the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2006. Continue reading Square Enix RPG Visions of Mana revives beloved series after 18 years MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The best RPG games, The best action-adventure games, The best anime games

Five years ago, Green Hell left Early Access on Steam and went on to become one of the most recognizable survival games to come out during an enormous wave of them. Next to the dinosaur filled Ark: Survival Evolved, the watery depths of Subnautica, and the frozen vistas of The Long Dark, Green Hell stuck out for its depiction of life in a stretch of Amazonian jungle. Its creator, Creepy Jar, has stuck with the project in the time since, continuing to add to the game with a series of improvements and additions that will now, finally, come to an end with next week's final update. Continue reading Legendary survival game Green Hell to end development with next update

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