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Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine rule won’t start for 90 days

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Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine mandates likely won’t take effect for 90 days and would include only chickenpox and a few other illnesses unless lawmakers decide to extend it to other diseases, like polio and measles, the health department said Sunday.

The department responded to a request for details, four days after Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, said the state would become the first to make vaccinations voluntary and let families decide whether to inoculate their children.

It’s a retreat from decades of public policy and research that has shown vaccines to be safe and the most effective way to stop the spread of communicable diseases, especially among children. Despite that evidence, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed deep skepticism about vaccines.

Florida’s plan would lift mandates on school vaccines for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenza and pneumococcal diseases, such as meningitis, the health department said.

“The Department initiated the rule change on September 3, 2025, and anticipates the rule change will not be effective for approximately 90 days,” the state told The Associated Press in an email. The public school year in Florida started in August.

All other vaccinations required under Florida law to attend school “remain in place, unless updated through legislation,” including vaccines for measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps and tetanus, the department said.

Lawmakers don’t meet again until January 2026, although committee meetings begin in October.

Ladapo, appearing Sunday on CNN, repeated his message of free choice for childhood vaccines.

“If you want them, God bless, you can have as many as you want,” he said. “And if you don’t want them, parents should have the ability and the power to decide what goes into their children’s bodies. It’s that simple.”

Florida currently has a religious exemption for vaccine requirements. Vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, the World Health Organization reported in 2024. The majority of those were infants and children.

Dr. Rana Alissa, chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said making vaccines voluntary puts students and school staff at risk.

This is the worst year for measles in the U.S. in more than three decades, with more than 1,400 cases confirmed nationwide, most of them in Texas, and three deaths.

Whooping cough has killed at least two babies in Louisiana and a 5-year-old in Washington state since winter, as it too spreads rapidly. There have been more than 19,000 cases as of Aug. 23, nearly 2,000 more than this time last year, according to preliminary CDC data.





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Trump ally Charlie Kirk reported shot at Utah college event

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Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas.

John Locher | AP

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was reportedly shot on Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley University.

“What we know currently is that Charlie Kirk was about 20 minutes into his presentation when we heard shots fired from a nearby building and to the best of our knowledge he was hit and taken with his security team away from the premises, and the courtyard was cleared,” a UVU spokeswoman said.

The university said at least one shot was fired at Kirk.

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” Trump wrote.

FBI Director Kash Patel said, “We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.”

“Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response,” Patel said.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.



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Apple isn’t packing a charging cable in with the AirPods Pro 3

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The AirPods Pro 3 seem like a solid upgrade, but they have one significant drawback: Apple isn’t including a charging cable in the box, MacRumors reports. Apple spells it out right on the AirPods Pro 3 tech specs page, saying in the “In the Box” section that “USB‑C Charge Cable sold separately.” That means that if you want to charge the case for the AirPods Pro 3, you’ll need to use a charging cable you already have, buy a new one, or use a wireless charger.

For a lot of people, this may not be a huge issue, especially if you already have a bunch of USB-C cables lying around the house. It’s arguably a little more environmentally friendly, since it might mean fewer people lose or throw away yet another cable.

But I’m the type of person who likes to stash away the additional cables I get with my tech, even if I don’t need them at the time — having an extra cable in storage has come in handy more times than I care to admit. And with Apple having already stopped packing in things like wall plugs and headphones with iPhones, and now I’m wondering if it may someday stop including a charging cable in the box with iPhones, too.



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Travis Kelce explains ‘frustrating’ collision that resulted in Xavier Worthy injury

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce detailed the “frustrating” play in which he collided with Xavier Worthy and sent the wide receiver to the sideline for the majority of the Chiefs’ loss to the Chargers on Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast.

“I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy,” Kelce said. “I was trying to kind of set up my guy to be able to get into position, and it all just happened pretty quick. I just got to be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league, there’s no excuse for me running into my own guys like that.”

Kelce said Worthy “had his guy beat” and if the collision hadn’t happened, “the game starts completely different.” Worthy was ruled out with a right shoulder injury shortly after the play. The Chiefs never led the Chargers in the 27-21 defeat in Brazil on Friday.

“(Worthy’s) one of our best players, he’s going to take that step to be one of the best receivers in the National Football League, and I run into him and all of a sudden one of the biggest pieces of the game plan is out of the game,” Kelce said. “One of the fastest guys in the league — speed kills in this league — now they (the Chargers) don’t have to worry about that.”

On Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid said neither surgery nor injured reserve — which would keep Worthy out for at least four weeks — is being considered. Reid said Worthy would not participate in practice on Wednesday and his status is day to day.

“Those two won’t practice today,” Reid said Wednesday, referring to Worthy and rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals. “Both are doing better. They’re working on it and making progress, but not ready to go today for sure.”

Earlier this week, Reid said, “As far as injuries go, I know Xavier’s (Worthy) the big question, and he’s rehabbing and working his shoulder. We’ll just see where it goes.”

Worthy was the Chiefs’ leading receiver last year as a rookie. He entered 2025 as the Chiefs’ top option, especially with Rashee Rice serving a six-game suspension for this role in a March 2024 high-speed crash. Kelce said he owes Worthy “big time,” and he could “barely even f—ing play the rest of that first half.”

“I literally took one of my players out. That’s one of the most frustrating parts, and it’s hard to get your juices back going knowing you just hurt a guy,” Kelce said. “It’s a frustrating way to start out the season. It’s a frustrating way to start out the game. You can take some good from that second half, but at the end of the day, man, we just got to be able to win up front, be accountable on the back end and be able to start fast and finish stronger.”

On Sunday, the Chiefs host the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX.

(Photo: Amanda Perobelli / Reuters via Imagn Images)



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