The U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed a new panel to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) last week, sparking concern among autism advocates who fear the group's composition could promote dangerous pseudoscientific treatments. Meanwhile, the Winter Olympics kicked off in Italy on Friday, and OpenAI and Anthropic launched competing AI coding models, setting the stage for an "AI coding war," according to industry observers. U.S. births also fell slightly in 2025, according to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kennedy's new IACC lineup includes individuals with ties to theories linking autism to vaccines, raising alarms about potential shifts in government-funded research and guidance on autism services. The IACC is typically composed of experts in autism research, policy experts, and autistic individuals. "Autism advocates are now worried the group could pave the way for dangerous pseudoscientific treatments going mainstream," according to Wired.
In the tech world, OpenAI released GPT-5.3-Codex, its most advanced coding agent to date, on Wednesday. This announcement coincided with Anthropic's unveiling of Claude Opus 4.6, marking the beginning of what VentureBeat described as the "AI coding wars." The two companies are also slated to air competing Super Bowl advertisements on Sunday.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina officially began on Friday, featuring a ceremony that included fireworks, a performance by Mariah Carey, and a dancing stovetop espresso maker. Celebrations were held in multiple locations, including Milan's San Siro Stadium and the clusters of Livigno, Predazzo, and Cortina, according to NPR Politics.
U.S. births decreased in 2025, with approximately 3.6 million births reported through birth certificates, about 24,000 fewer than in 2024. This decline confirms predictions by some experts, according to Fortune, who doubted the 2024 increase marked an upward trend. The CDC's data, which accounts for nearly all births in 2025, may see a slight increase as final tallies are compiled.
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