The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to review Moderna's application for an mRNA flu vaccine, a move that the company said blindsided them, according to a news release late Tuesday. This decision comes amid growing scrutiny of the agency under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been criticized for his anti-vaccine stance.
Moderna's announcement follows a period of tension between the FDA and vaccine developers. According to Ars Technica, Kennedy has already reduced childhood vaccine recommendations and canceled $500 million in research funding for mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic threats. The FDA's decision to reject Moderna's application is the latest in a series of actions that have raised concerns within the scientific community.
In other news, the National Cancer Institute is using federal funds to study whether ivermectin, a deworming drug, can cure cancer, Ars Technica reported. This decision has been met with criticism, as large clinical trials have concluded that ivermectin is not effective against COVID-19, and there is no scientific evidence to support its use in treating cancer. Critics have called the study "absurd," especially given Kennedy's known skepticism of vaccines and other established medical treatments.
Meanwhile, employees at Salesforce are circulating an internal letter to CEO Marc Benioff, urging him to denounce recent actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The letter, which has not been previously reported, specifically cites the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as catalysts, calling them a "devastating indictment of a system that has discarded human decency," according to Wired. The letter also calls for a ban on the use of Salesforce software by immigration agents and support for federal legislation to reform the agency. The letter is being organized amid Salesforce's annual leadership kickoff event in Las Vegas.
In a separate development, Health Secretary Kennedy is promoting a government website, Realfood.gov, which encourages people to use Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok to get answers about food. According to Wired, the website provides resources on the administration's new dietary guidelines, which were released in January and advise people to consume more protein than previously recommended.
Finally, OpenAI is disputing an AI watchdog group's allegation that it violated California's new AI safety law with the release of its latest coding model, GPT-5.3-Codex. A violation could expose the company to millions of dollars in fines. An OpenAI spokesperson told Fortune that the company was "confident in our compliance with frontier safety laws, including SB 53." The controversy centers on GPT-5.3-Codex, which OpenAI released last week as part of an effort to regain its lead in AI-powered coding.
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