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RFK Jr. Wants to End Mental Health Screenings in Schools. Experts Say It’s a Bad Idea
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon want schools to do away with mental health screenings and therapy. Instead, they argue in a Washington Post opinion piece that schools “must return to the natural sources of mental well-being: strong families, nutrition and fitness, and hope for the future.”
In the op-ed, the two secretaries mention a recent bill signed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, which requires all schools in the state to offer mental health screening tests, starting with third graders.
The screenings are standardized questionnaires that ask children about their feelings and well-being.
Arizona Doctors and Hospitals Lose Immunity From COVID Negligence Lawsuits, Court Rules
Arizona Capital Times reported:
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that state lawmakers acted illegally when they voted to immunize doctors and hospitals from negligence claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a split decision on Sept. 12, the justices voided a 2021 statute that was designed to provide liability protection for medical professionals dealing with novel diseases with no known treatment.
Lawmakers said they wanted to ensure that doctors and hospitals would continue to treat patients amid the pandemic without the fear of lawsuits.
But Justice James Beene, writing for the majority, said that legislation runs afoul of a provision of the Arizona Constitution which says “the right of action to recover damages for injuries shall never be abrogated.” And that language, he said, is “unequivocal.”
Not everyone agreed. Justice Clint Bolick, in his dissent, said the “police powers” of the state to protect public health are enough to justify the legislation shielding medical professionals from liability in the face of an unprecedented emergency. And that protection, he said, was needed to “encourage physicians to take the risk of treating COVID-19 patients without the benefit of full knowledge about the interaction of the virus with ordinary medical procedures.”
Parental Support for School Vaccine Mandates Remains High in US
The overwhelming majority of American adults — 70% — support school mandates or requirements for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to a new poll from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. This percentage is higher than even two years ago and contradicts recent messaging from the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Earlier this month, Kennedy told the media that he does not believe the federal government should mandate any vaccine, and in the Make America Healthy Again Commission report released last week, Kennedy said parents need to consider the pros and cons of childhood vaccines. In referencing parents, Kennedy said in the report, “Many of them have concerns about the appropriate use of vaccines and their possible role in the growing childhood chronic disease crisis.”
But in the poll, conducted this April as the nation faced major measles outbreaks, 1,653 adults said they would choose a requirement over parental choice when it comes to MMR vaccines, “because of the potential risk for other children and adults when children are not vaccinated.” Only 18% of those polled said, “parents should be able to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children who attend public schools even if their decision not to vaccinate creates health risks for other children.”
AI Meeting Notes Are Recording Your Private Conversations
Artificial intelligence has slipped quietly into our meetings. Zoom, Google Meet and other platforms now offer AI notetakers that listen, record and share summaries. At first, it feels like a helpful assistant. No more scrambling to jot down every point. But there’s a catch. It records everything, including comments you never planned to share.
Many people are discovering that AI notetakers capture more than project updates and strategy points. Jokes, personal stories and even casual side comments often slip into the official meeting summaries.
What might feel harmless in the moment, like teasing someone, chatting about lunch plans or venting about a frustrating errand, can suddenly reappear in a recap email sent to the whole group. In some cases, even affectionate nicknames or pet mishaps have shown up right alongside serious action items.
Chicago Man Sues Home Depot Over Facial Recognition at Self-Checkout
Retail Customer Experience reported:
A Chicago man has filed a class-action lawsuit against Home Depot, alleging the company is illegally using facial recognition technology at its self-checkout kiosks without customer consent. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 1 by Benjamin Jankowski, claims the practice violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, according to a Yahoo! News report.
Jankowski claims he noticed a green box around his face on the self-checkout screen during a visit to a Chicago store, which he alleges indicated a biometric scan was being performed, according to the complaint. The lawsuit asserts Home Depot failed to obtain written consent from customers or publicly disclose its data retention policies, both required by BIPA.
Home Depot had previously announced in 2023 that it was rolling out “computer vision” to assist employees with inventory, but the lawsuit alleges the technology was later expanded to self-checkouts to help mitigate theft without explicit customer notification.
The suit, which seeks to represent all individuals whose facial geometry was collected in Home Depot’s 76 Illinois stores, seeks $5,000 for each alleged violation.
