RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Advisor Sparks Controversy Over Polio Shot Doubts

Kirk Milhoan, the newly appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ignited controversy after questioning the necessity of the polio vaccine during a recent podcast appearance. Milhoan's remarks, made on the podcast "Why Should I Trust You," prompted a strong rebuke from the American Medical Association (AMA), according to Ars Technica.

Milhoan, a pediatrician, made a range of comments during the hour-long interview that raised concerns among medical experts. The AMA responded with a "scathing statement" after Milhoan's podcast appearance, Ars Technica reported.

Russia Allegedly Abusing Interpol to Target Critics

A leak of thousands of files from Interpol revealed Russia's alleged abuse of the international policing agency to target critics abroad. According to the BBC World Service and French investigative outlet, Disclose, the data suggests that Russia is using Interpol's wanted lists to request the arrest of political opponents, businessmen, and journalists, claiming they have committed crimes. The data, provided by a whistleblower, exposed the extent of Russia's alleged abuse, which includes targeting individuals like businessman Igor Pestrikov, who fled Russia in 2022 and later discovered Moscow had placed him on a wanted list, according to Hacker News.

OpenAI Expands Focus to Scientific Research

OpenAI is making a concerted effort to integrate its large language models (LLMs) into scientific research. The company launched a new team, OpenAI for Science, in October, dedicated to exploring how its LLMs can assist scientists and tailoring its tools to support them, MIT Technology Review reported. Since the debut of ChatGPT, OpenAI's technology has impacted various aspects of daily life. Mathematicians, physicists, biologists, and others have reported that LLMs, particularly GPT-5, have aided them in making discoveries or finding solutions they might have otherwise missed.

Tech Companies Increase Age Verification for Chatbots

Tech companies are increasingly implementing age verification measures for AI chatbots due to growing concerns about the potential dangers children face when interacting with them. MIT Technology Review reported that this issue is becoming a new battleground, with the Republican Party supporting laws in several states that require sites with adult content to verify users' ages.

Researchers Study LLMs as Complex Systems

Researchers are adopting new approaches to understand large language models (LLMs), treating them as complex biological or neurological systems. According to MIT Technology Review, these researchers are studying LLMs as if they were "city-size xenomorphs" to better understand how they work and what their limitations are. Despite the widespread use of LLMs, even their creators do not fully understand how they function.