Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

A delayed advisory panel meeting and shifting vaccine policies under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are making it difficult for people to get updated Covid shots.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices must issue recommendations on who should get a Covid vaccine in order for pharmacists in certain states to administer the shots.In recent years, the committee met earlier in the summer so that shots were available ahead of the winter respiratory season. This year, the group isn’t scheduled to meet until Sept. 18.Ethan Slavin, a spokesperson for CVS, one of the country’s largest…

TechCrunch Disrupt isn’t just about showcasing the startups of tomorrow — it’s also about surfacing the boldest ideas shaping technology today. Thanks to the support of our partners JetBrains and Greenfield, the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 program, happening October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, brings two must-see sessions that put AI front and center. Monday, October 27 — Builders Stage 1:40 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. PTWho’s Defining AI’s Future in 2025? The AI Disruptors 60 UnveiledPresented by Greenfield Partners We’ve seen it with the internet, and again with mobile: moments when technology reshapes everything. Now it’s AI’s turn — and…

COVID-19 cases are ticking up in the U.S. as children head back to school and the country prepares to enter the colder weather months.For the week ending Aug. 9, the COVID hospitalization rate was 1.7 per 100,000, double the rate from two months ago, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Additionally, for the week ending Aug. 23, 11.2% of weekly tests came back positive for COVID, up from 3.3% the prior two months, CDC data shows.Despite the increases, metrics remain much lower than in previous years.MORE: Leading pediatrician group recommends COVID vaccine for infants, toddlers in…

Waymo’s self-driving cars include a valuable resource for law enforcement: a bunch of cameras.Police have long sought data from tech companies, like Amazon and others, during their investigations. Now they are doing the same for self-driving cars. Waymo installs 29 cameras in each robotaxi, prompting some to question how much access authorities have to footage captured during rides.During an interview on the “Hard Fork” podcast published on Friday, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the company adheres to a legal process.”On the question of when and how law enforcement gets access to our data, we make that publicly known,” Mawakana said.…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding its warning about radioactive shrimp, recalling more brands due to possible contamination.The federal health agency said earlier this week nearly 18,000 bags of frozen Kroger Mercado Cooked Medium Peeled Tail-Off Shrimp and 26,460 packages of cocktail shrimp, both from Seattle-based Aquastar Corp, were recalled because of potential contamination with the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 (Cs-137).Earlier alerts had warned about contamination among Walmart’s Great Value shrimp and frozen shrimp sold by California-based company Southwind Foods.MORE: More shrimp recalled due to possible radioactive contamination, FDA saysThe FDA said all of the brands were processed by…

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Brian Schottenheimer will make his head coaching debut with the Dallas Cowboys a week after losing elite pass rusher Micah Parsons, probably his best player, in a trade with Green Bay.The longtime NFL assistant and son of the late Marty Schottenheimer, a 200-game winner in the league, doesn’t seem inclined to blink, even in the face of the NFL opener in prime time against defending champ and NFC East rival Philadelphia on Thursday.“I stared right down the barrel of the gun and said, ‘Hey, I want to win a Super Bowl,’” Schottenheimer said Friday, a day…

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Determined to be No. 1 on any front in this wild new world of marketing in college sports, Colorado introduced a branded sideline bathroom for Deion Sanders in its opening game against Georgia Tech.Friday night’s sponsor: Depend undergarment.This is not simply some silly bathroom joke.The Colorado coach was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer and needs to frequently use the restroom. The portable privacy tent is right next to the Buffaloes bench so if he needs to go, he doesn’t have far to go.Earlier this month, Sanders wrote on social media about relying on Depend, which makes…

Denver school officials pushed back Friday against a U.S. Education Department finding that its all-gender bathrooms violate Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination, accusing the Trump administration of using that law to promote an “anti-trans agenda.”In a statement, Denver Public Schools said the department did not cite any statutes or legal cases to back up its finding, announced Thursday, that multi-stall, all-gender bathrooms are unlawful, and vowed to support LGBTQ+ students, families and their supporters. However, the district has not decided whether to convert two all-gender bathrooms that sparked the probe back into boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, spokesperson Scott Pribble…

More companies are recalling tens of thousands of packages of imported shrimp sold at Walmart, Kroger and other U.S. stores because they may contain radioactive contamination, according to federal notices.AquaStar USA Corp. of Seattle is recalling more than 26,000 packages of refrigerated cocktail shrimp sold at Walmart stores in 27 states between July 31 and Aug. 16. The company is also recalling about 18,000 bags of Kroger-branded cooked, medium peeled, tail-off shrimp sold at stores in 17 states between July 24 and Aug. 11.At the same time, H&N Group Inc., a wholesale seafood distributor in Vernon, California, is recalling more…

Meta says it’s changing the way it trains AI chatbots to prioritize teen safety, a spokesperson exclusively told TechCrunch, following an investigative report on the company’s lack of AI safeguards for minors. The company says it will now train chatbots to no longer engage with teenage users on self-harm, suicide, disordered eating, or potentially inappropriate romantic conversations. Meta says these are interim changes, and the company will release more robust, long-lasting safety updates for minors in the future. Meta spokesperson Stephanie Otway acknowledged that the company’s chatbots could previously talk with teens about all of these topics in ways the…