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Oct. 8, 2025, 6:11 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 8, 2025, 6:12 AM EDTBy Elmira AliievaScientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for developing a new form of molecular architecture.Kitagawa is a professor at Kyoto University in Japan while Robson is a professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Yaghi is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the United States.“Through the development of metal-organic frameworks, the laureates have provided chemists with new opportunities for solving some of the challenges we face,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.The trio created molecular constructions that can be used to harvest water from desert air and capture carbon dioxide, the academy said.“They have found ways to create materials, entirely novel materials, with large cavities on their inside which can be seen almost like rooms in a hotel, so that guest molecules can enter and also exit again from the same material,” said Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.“A small amount of such material can be almost like Hermione’s handbag in Harry Potter. It can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume,” he added. Elmira AliievaElmira Aliieva is an NBC News intern based in London.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

Japanese scientist Susumu Kitagawa, Australian Richard Robson and American Omar M. Yaghi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for developing a new form of molecular architecture.“Through the.

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Oct. 8, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Aria BendixA Covid vaccine rollout unlike any other has given rise to confusion over who’s eligible and concerns that the shots might be harder to obtain this fall — especially for young children. Unlike in past years, when the vaccines were approved and recommended for everyone 6 months and older, the Food and Drug Administration this summer approved updated Covid shots only for people 65 and older and those with medical conditions that put them at risk of severe illness. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it recommends Covid shots for the same groups, based on people’s own decision-making or conversations with their doctors. The change has created hurdles for people who want the shots but don’t obviously fit into either category — especially parents who want their infants or toddlers vaccinated. But for the most part, it hasn’t prevented adults from getting vaccinated.Younger adults must now attest either online or in person at pharmacies that they have health conditions that qualify them for the vaccine. The CDC’s list of conditions is broad — it includes pregnancy, physical inactivity, being overweight, mental health conditions and a history of smoking. So many adults seeking shots say it’s easy to find something that describes them or to stretch the truth without pushback. CVS’ and Walgreens’ websites simply prompt people to confirm that they’re eligible before they book appointments and offer an option to learn more about the CDC’s list of risk factors. A prescription isn’t required.Bobby McClanahan, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, said he signed up for a vaccination appointment on the CVS website about two weeks ago even though he didn’t think he had any underlying conditions that would put him at risk of severe Covid. If necessary, he was prepared to say he had asthma, even though he doesn’t.But the website didn’t ask for specifics — he merely agreed to the terms and conditions and was able to get vaccinated.The pharmacist was enthusiastic that he was there, McClanahan said: “She just told me to encourage people to come in and get a vaccine booster.”Dr. Michelle Fiscus, a pediatrician and the chief medical officer at the Association of Immunization Managers, said that per the CDC criteria, “the majority of Americans would actually qualify to get a Covid-19 vaccine.”Insurance plans — including private plans, Medicare and Medicaid — still largely cover Covid shots. McClanahan said he had no trouble getting his provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield, to do so. “I’m walking out of CVS and I opened my Blue Cross Blue Shield app on my phone and the claim was already there, showing that I owed nothing,” he said.However, vaccinating infants and toddlers is proving more challenging, since their shots are typically administered in doctors’ offices, which have less consistent supplies than pharmacies. Walgreens offers Covid vaccinations only for kids ages 3 and up, and CVS’ minimum age is 5 years. (Some states, such as Kansas and Illinois, have even higher age requirements.)Several pediatricians told NBC News that they are still vaccinating healthy children because of the CDC language that allows for shared decision-making between doctors and patients. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend Covid vaccinations for all babies ages 6 to 23 months, along with older kids who are at high risk of severe disease or haven’t had Covid shots before. (Parents can choose to get healthy children boosters this year if they desire, according to the AAP.)“I really agree with the AAP language, saying that anybody that wants a Covid vaccine for their child should be able to get one,” said Dr. Alexandra Yonts, an attending physician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.Samantha Cramer, the mother of a 2-year-old in Kissimmee, Florida, said she went on a wild goose chase to find a vaccination for her daughter, Alice.Pharmacies weren’t an option, and the family’s pediatrician didn’t have the specialized refrigeration to store the shots, Cramer said. Calls to her local health clinic and a major hospital system in the area revealed neither were offering Covid shots to toddlers. Cramer and her husband considered traveling to Georgia to get Alice vaccinated.“We were just like, ‘Do you want to take a trip up to a state that’s chill about this? Do we need to go out of state to get her vaccinated?’” she said.In a last-ditch effort, Cramer asked for advice on Reddit. A user recommended MinuteClinics — health clinics inside CVS pharmacies that vaccinate kids ages 18 months and up. Cramer tried three locations: One wasn’t accepting walk-ins, and another said the pediatric vaccine was out of stock, but Alice was finally vaccinated at the third.“The choice to not vaccinate is infinitesimally easier now than it is to vaccinate,” Cramer said. The reason some pediatric hospitals don’t have updated Covid vaccines available yet is that they waited for the CDC’s final recommendations before they ordered them. The agency took two weeks to formally adopt the guidance determined by its vaccine advisory committee. (Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the panel’s previous 17 members in June and subsequently appointed 12 new members, many of whom have expressed skepticism about Covid vaccines.) The final CDC guidance paved the way for shots to be distributed through the Vaccines for Children Program, which provides free shots for uninsured or underinsured kids.Nemours Children’s Health — a pediatric hospital network with locations in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida — was one of the health systems that delayed its Covid vaccine rollout until the CDC recommendation came out. Dr. Matthew Davis, Nemours’ enterprise physician-in-chief, said the network should receive doses soon.“I’m confident that parents and guardians who want to vaccinate their kids against Covid-19 will be able to do so,” he said. “There are some additional steps in terms of counseling around shared decision-making and documentation, but those steps shouldn’t be a full barrier to kids getting vaccinated when their parents and guardians make the choice to do so.”Aria BendixAria Bendix is the breaking health reporter for NBC News Digital.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

Amid new restrictions on eligibility for Covid vaccines, younger adults are attesting they qualify at pharmacies. But getting infants and toddlers vaccinated is more difficult.

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Oct. 8, 2025, 5:08 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 8, 2025, 5:26 AM EDTBy Freddie ClaytonPresident Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will join Gaza ceasefire talks in Egypt on Wednesday, as Hamas said the two sides had taken an initial step toward a key point of the U.S. plan to end the devastating war. The arrival of the U.S. delegation, as well as the leader of mediator Qatar, comes after a second day of indirect talks as Israel and Palestinians mourned the two-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks and the brutal conflict that has followed. Hamas released a statement Wednesday saying that a list of Palestinian prisoners who would be released under a deal had been provided to Israel. “The mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles to implementing the ceasefire, and a spirit of optimism prevails among all,” the militant group said. The release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza and of 1,950 Palestinian prisoners are key parts of Trump’s 20-peace proposal.Israel has not yet commented on the Hamas statement.Top Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said Tuesday that the group had come “to engage in serious and responsible negotiations.”Hamas was ready to reach a deal, but needed a “guarantee” to end the war and ensure “it is not repeated,” he told Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV.Israel has pressed ahead with an aerial and ground assault on Gaza City amid the talks.Anadolu via Getty ImagesAn Israeli army soldier at the October 7 attacks memorial at the Nova Festival grounds in southern Israel on Tuesday.John Wessels / AFP via Getty ImagesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment on the status of the talks, but told Israelis Tuesday they were in “fateful days of decision.”Trump expressed optimism about the talks, telling reporters in Washington there was “a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East.”Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani is also set to join the talks, which are taking place in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.Qatar wants international guarantees, led by the U.S., that what is negotiated in Egypt will lead to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the entry of more aid, and a permanent end to the war, foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told Saudi Arabian news channel al-Hadath on Tuesday. Israel has continued its assault on Gaza while the talks have been taking place. Its military campaign has killed more than 67,000 people, reducing much of the enclave to rubble following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages.There were somber gatherings across Israel on Tuesday to mark the attacks, including in the country’s south where families and friends paid respects to the more than 370 victims killed at the Nova music festival.Palestinians, meanwhile, reflected on two years of brutal conflict and their hopes for an end to the devastation.Alaa Abu Daraz.NBC NewsAlaa Abu Daraz and her children left their home in eastern Gaza on October 7, and two years later they are yet to return, living on the streets as they seek safety.“Our children are left in the streets, with no tent, no shelter, not even a blanket,” she told NBC News this week. “We managed through the summer and survived the heat, but the winter is unbearable; one cannot live or do anything in these conditions.”Israel has faced mounting global isolation over its assault. A new aid flotilla bound for Gaza that included a number of Americans was intercepted by the Israeli army Wednesday, days after the detention of activists on board a high-profile flotilla fueled international outrage.Eight U.S. citizens were “likely abducted” by Israeli forces while on international waters, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Wednesday.Freddie ClaytonFreddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London. 

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will join Gaza ceasefire talks in Egypt on Wednesday, as Hamas said the two sides had taken an initial.

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Oct. 8, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Angela Yang and Jared PerloLynn White was out of options. Behind on payments for her mobile home in Long Beach, California, and facing an eviction notice, she had no money for a lawyer. So she accepted a court-appointed attorney and lost.But White wanted to appeal. So, she decided to consult ChatGPT. Having previously used AI to generate videos for her small music production business, she thought it might be able to help in the legal arena, too.“It was like having God up there responding to my questions,” White said after using the chatbot and an AI-powered search engine called Perplexity to help represent herself in court.

- Latest News - October 8, 2025

With generative AI tools available to anyone with an internet connection, a rising number of litigants are using ChatGPT to assist in their legal cases.

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