Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
President Donald Trump’s administration has dramatically reshaped health and medical research by rolling back federal funding from institutions that have diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and by cutting federal funding for research projects that the administration considers related to DEI.As of Aug. 20, 2025, the National Institutes of Health has terminated over 5,100 grants totaling over US$4.4 billion in research funding. Likewise, the National Science Foundation, which seeks among other things to advance the nation’s health, has rescinded over 1,700 research grants totaling over $1 billion in funding.These terminations have disproportionately affected projects that study the experiences of marginalized groups…
Tesla has scaled its California “Robotaxi” program at a lightning-fast pace.To date, the automaker has registered 1,655 vehicles for its ride-hailing service in the state, a spokesperson from the California Public Utilities Commission told Business Insider. The company has registered 798 drivers, the spokesperson said.That’s up from 28 cars and 128 drivers in August, when the service launched, according to the CPUC.The vehicle number reflects car that have been approved for use, not the actual operational fleet number. The spokesperson also said the carmaker isn’t required to update the state as it adds new drivers, which means the current number…
Tesla is going all in on its “Robotaxi” service — and putting factory workers and sales staff in drivers’ seats to make it happen.The electric-car maker has started recruiting workers off factory lines to operate its ride-hailing fleet. Tesla is offering production associates and material handlers extra hours and pay to take on the role of AI operator, according to posters that appeared at its California factories earlier this month.The AI operators sit in the driver’s seat, actively monitoring the vehicle while Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is engaged, and taking over when needed. Tesla plans to eventually release the software…
Call it the Great Freeze — or the Great Frustration.Business Insider spoke with dozens of job seekers across generations in 2025, some of whom have been unemployed for more than a year.They voiced a wide range of frustrations about their searches — including slow hiring timelines, so-called “ghost jobs,” suspected ageism, employers going silent midway through the process, overwhelming competition for each role, and the belief that AI filters are often screening their résumés before a human ever sees them.Their job-finding journeys come at a time when employers are hiring at one of the lowest rates since 2013.Whether the job…
The United States is reviewing the social media accounts of some visa applicants, adding another hurdle for workers and other visitors to clear under the Trump administration.It’s also adding a hurdle for embassies processing those visa applications.The State Department said in June that certain visa applicants would have their online activity vetted as part of its screening process. Six months later, the department expanded the list of visas that were subject to “online presence reviews.”The new rule has complicated the visa application process, causing significant delays for approvals.They have also rattled some companies, including Google and Apple, whose legal counsels…
Nightmare alert.Washington health officials warned residents that heavy rain and floodwaters could sweep rats into the sewer systems and up into their … well … toilets!The Seattle and King County public health department issued the warning in a Facebook post on Thursday.”The heavy rain and floodwaters may sweep rodents into the sewer systems,” the post said. “If a rat visits your toilet, take a deep breath and follow these tips,” it added, along with infographics outlining what to do if a rat appears in your commode.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe infographics instruct residents to stay calm, close the toilet lid and flush. If the…
ChatGPT users can now tweak the chatbot’s warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use, according to a social media post from OpenAI. These options (as well as similar adjustments to ChatGPT’s use of headers and lists) now appear in the Personalization menu and can be set to More, Less, or Default. They allow users to further customize ChatGPT’s tone, on top of the existing ability to set a “base style and tone” — including the Professional, Candid, and Quirky tones that OpenAI added in November. ChatGPT’s tone has been an ongoing issue this year, with OpenAI rolling back one update for being…
Governor Kathy Hochul has signed the RAISE Act, positioning New York as the second U.S. state to enact major AI safety legislation. State lawmakers passed RAISE Act in June, but following lobbying from the tech industry, Hochul proposed changes to scale the bill back. The New York Times reports that Hochul ultimately agreed to sign the original bill, while lawmakers agreed to make her requested changes next year. The bill will require large AI developers to publish information about their safety protocols and report safety incidents to the state within 72 hours. It will also create a new office within…
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not unusual for a 20-something to text Mom in a panic from the doctor’s office, seeking help answering a question. And patients of any age can struggle to recall all their medicines — or forget to mention a concern.Getting the most out of a doctor’s visit requires some advance preparation. Even the professionals plan ahead.“It is really hard — even for me as a doctor going to see my own family doctor — to remember the things that I wanted to bring up,” said Dr. Sarah Nosal, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “The…
When Brent Rasmussen lost his balance early one morning in December 2023, he knew something was seriously wrong.”All that went through my mind was ‘Oh, this is gonna be bad,” Rasmussen, now 79, told CBS News. “Everything started to spin. I grabbed the wall and my face slid down the wall. I could see the floor coming.”Rasmussen hit his face hard on the floor. Blood was pouring out of his nose, but he couldn’t stand or call for help. It took about an hour for his dog to find him and start barking, alerting his wife. Tenesa Rasmussen called 911…