Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

For more than 60 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has heavily relied on an independent expert panel to establish vaccine recommendations.But for the first time in its history, no one is currently serving on that advisory committee after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all its 17 sitting members on June 9.Noel Brewer, a professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, had been on the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), since July 2024 before the firings blindsided him.“It’s surprising… shocking,” he said. “None…

The best Dolby Atmos soundbars create an immersive sense of 3D audio, with sound effects spread not just around your listening area, but also over your head. This means falling rain, swooping helicopters, and soaring birds can sound like they’re actually coming from above. Top Dolby Atmos soundbars accomplish this with up-firing audio drivers that bounce sound off your ceiling and back down to your ears. Our reviewers have been covering home audio products for over a decade and have used that experience to test the best Dolby Atmos soundbars for different needs. The Samsung HW-Q990C earns our highest recommendation. It’s a powerful…

OpenAI has launched o3-pro, an AI model that the company claims is its most capable yet. O3-pro is a version of OpenAI’s o3, a reasoning model that the startup launched earlier this year. As opposed to conventional AI models, reasoning models work through problems step by step, enabling them to perform more reliably in domains like physics, math, and coding. O3-pro is available for ChatGPT Pro and Team users starting Tuesday, replacing the o1-pro model. Enterprise and Edu users will get access the week after, OpenAI says. O3-pro is also live in OpenAI’s developer API as of this afternoon. O3-pro…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Aaron Judge only watched his latest prodigious homer long enough to make sure it was out of Kauffman Stadium.Yankees manager Aaron Boone? He made sure to find the best possible vantage point to see it land.That ended up being 469 feet away from the plate, right on top of the Royals Hall of Fame in left field. It was the third-longest homer in the majors this season, and the two-run shot propelled New York to a 10-2 win over Kansas City on Tuesday night.“I made sure to jump up and get a good spot where…

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a proposal that would ban teaching antisemitism at the state’s public K-12 schools, universities and colleges and expose educators who violate the new rules to discipline and lawsuits.On Tuesday, the Democratic governor said the bill is not about antisemitism but rather about attacking teachers.“It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits,” she said in a statement. “Additionally, it sets a dangerous precedent that unfairly targets public school teachers while…

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republicans at the North Carolina legislature gave final approval Tuesday two pieces of legislation that would compel state agencies to participate in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and would toughen a recent law that required sheriffs to help federal agents seeking criminal defendants. The series of House and Senate votes on the measures could mean an early showdown between the GOP-controlled General Assembly and new Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who since taking office in January has tried to build rapport with lawmakers on consensus issues like Hurricane Helene aid. Stein has yet to a veto a…

Microsoft may be about to clinch a major customer for its main Copilot AI offering.In a recent meeting, Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff told employees that a customer with more than 1 million Microsoft 365 licenses will be adding Copilot, according to people who attended. These people asked not to be identified discussion private matters.It’s unclear how far along the discussions are, or whether the deal will change or pan out. The details of how this customer will be charged may also be in flux. Microsoft typically sells per-seat software licenses that cost a certain amount each month, however, the…

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers added another ring to his collection before he even signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.The four-time NFL MVP quarterback and Super Bowl champion said Tuesday after his first practice with the Steelers that he got married “a couple months ago.”Rodgers was spotted wearing a ring on his left ring finger in a photo the Steelers shared after the 41-year-old signed a one-year deal to join the team for the 2025 season.When asked if the ring was an indication he was married, Rodgers replied, “Yeah, it’s a wedding ring.” He wore the ring on Tuesday while participating…

Apple’s stock price has been bleeding this year, and it looks unlikely that the company’s big “Liquid Glass” design overhaul will be anything more than a Band-Aid.Wall Street was largely unimpressed by the announcements at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where the company showed off its glass-like software design coming this fall to Apple’s gadget lineup.While the sleek look has its fair share of early fans, the elephant in the room was Apple’s continued challenges and delays in catching up in the AI race.Apple is known to take a slow-and-steady approach — “Not first, but best,” as CEO Tim…

A day after Apple announced operating system overhauls at WWDC 2025, Google launched its own set of major software upgrades for phones. Starting Tuesday, a new release of Android 16 is rolling out to Google’s Pixel smartphone lineup, adding group chat to RCS, AI-powered edit suggestions to Google Photos, and support for corporate badges in Google Wallet. The release also focuses on better accessibility support and improved customization for messaging and contacts. Separate from Android 16, Google also announced upgrades as a part of its regular feature updates for eligible Pixel phones, “Pixel Drop.” Android 16 improvements Android 16 now…