Experts Push Back At Trump Admin Over Autism & Tylenol Link

24:14But while the Russians are verbally beating up on the U.S.'s NATO partners, Moscow is pushing a key incentive for President Trump. All this just days after Russia put on large-scale naval drills, launching cruise missiles from nuclear-powered subs. Russian President Vladimir Putin offering President Trump another olive branch, saying Russia is willing to extend a nuclear arms treaty between Washington and Moscow. Naturally, this would require conditions for its full-scale resumption and take into account the entire range of efforts aimed at normalizing bilateral relations and resolving fundamental security contradictions.

24:57Some key words there, Erika, coming from Russian President Vladimir Putin. And certainly one of the things, of course, that the Russians have been saying for a very long time, that to them this whole process that's going on right now, the whole thaw between the U.S. and Russia is only in part about solving the crisis in Ukraine, but first and foremost for the Russians about a normalization of relations between the U.S. and Russia. Erica. Fred Plakin, appreciate it from Moscow. As we return to this big announcement now from ABC, the ladies of The View also weighing in about their network just hours before we learned of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night return.

25:34That's ahead.

25:40We are back with the breaking news and our pop lead, which intersects, frankly, with the politics lead. Jimmy Kimmel will be back on the air hosting his late night show tomorrow night. In a statement, a spokesperson telling CNN, quote, we've spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy. And after those conversations, we reached the decision to return to the show on Tuesday. The move comes just hours after the hosts of The View, which of course also airs on ABC, broke their silence on Kimmel's suspension. Did y 'all really think we weren't going to talk about Jimmy Kimmel? No one silences us.

26:17I don't understand how in this country, where the first amendment made to the Constitution was to guarantee freedom of the press and freedom of speech, the government itself is using its weight and power to bully and scare people into silence. Let's jump in with our panel. So what the Goldberg had said to today, you know, they basically wanted to wait a beat to see how things played out. It's interesting, though, it was a long beat because, of course, we had a Brendan Carr was on Scott Jennings radio show. I believe it was on Thursday talking about his thoughts on The View after the Kimmel debacle.

26:52I just want to play a little bit of that. And I think it's worthwhile to have the FCC look into whether The View and some of the programs that you have still qualify as bona fide news programs and therefore exempt from the equal opportunity regime that Congress has put in place. What do you make of the statements we heard from the ladies on The View today and the decision to do it today? Oh, I think they absolutely have the right to do this. we are in the middle of a free speech test. And the question is, as a society, are we going to have a society where people have access to the best information to make the best choices?

27:29And that includes people who are watching television or online or in schools, or they go to museums and they have exhibits of whether or not there are pictures of slavery or in museums. We ought to be able to have the best information or else we're going to have a population that's not equipped for a world that requires us to be smarter, faster, and more agile than ever before. And that's what makes me nervous is that we are dumbing down America in a time we have to be our most competitive. It's been interesting to see, though, how the conservatives are dumbing down, but also how we're seeing this unite people.

27:59I mean, you have Ted Cruz warning about this being sort of a mafia. The Wall Street Journal calling it perhaps his finest hour. You're seeing a lot of people who would never in a million years agree with anything Ted Cruz said uniting behind him saying, hey, this is really a bridge too far, and he's not the only Republican. How much of that message do you think is getting through to the administration? But look, I don't think anyone wants the FCC to regulate specifically what things are permitted to be said on television versus what they're not. But let's look at the big picture of what happened today.

28:26Jimmy Kimmel was allowed back on air. The posture of the FCC has not changed. Their interest in regulating licenses has not changed. Maybe this was all really about the fact that someone named Jimmy Kimmel said things that were distasteful, untrue, and disgusting about a person who was murdered while exercising his own free speech. Maybe the most obvious answer and the most obvious explanation of what happened is just the truth, that this company realized that they had a problematic host of a show whose ratings are in decline. His Nielsen rating is a.35. To give you an idea of what that means, that means that there were probably more people in the Charlie Kirk Memorial inside the stadium than there are in the entire Mountain Time Zone who watched Jimmy Kimmel at night.

29:06That's the bigger problem. It's not the bigger problem. It is the bigger problem. The bigger problem is the government of the United States threatening private companies to say we could do this the easy way or the hard way. That's not the way our government is supposed to. But they didn't feel threatened. They just put Jimmy Kimmel back on, didn't mention anything about the FCC. They didn't say they were intimidated by the FCC, and they're going forward. Again, this goes back to a show that's losing, by some estimates,$40 million and what they're going to do to recover their audience. Well, why is the Trump administration trying?

29:37I think they have a real problem with recovering an audience after the distasteful comments he made. It's also, I mean, look, look, television is in decline. As someone who, you know, makes for a living in television, sadly, I have to admit to that. But the reality, too, is we are talking about free speech, right? And you may not have liked the comments that he made that were not directly about Charlie Kirk. It's important to state the facts here, right? He wasn't making a comment about Charlie Kirk. He was talking about the response to it. And it is important to note that he did put out a statement initially, right, expressing his condolences and his sympathies for Erica Kirk and for their children, which I would hope everyone would feel that way.

30:10But when we talk about where we are as a nation and when we talk about the right to free speech, it did strike me, right, the number of people who talked about an overreach, all of this happening as you have the Secretary of Defense saying, hey I want to crack down on reporting at the Pentagon. Even President Trump was asked about that and President Trump was asked if this is the right move. Should we limit what reporters can do and say? Should we make them sign a 17-page pledge to say we're not going to get information or report on information, basically, unless it's clear by the Pentagon? The President, Joe, said no.

30:43He said, I don't think we should do this. Reporters are going to get the information they're going to. Why is it that Secretary Hegseth is so concerned about reporters and information in the Pentagon? Look, I think Trump did pull back on what the Secretary of War did say. I think there's no question about that. But if you look at some of the document, right, to quote from the document, He was trying to limit, quote, unprofessional conduct that sought to disrupt Pentagon operations and, quote, attempts to improperly gain information, right? That doesn't seem unreasonable to people who have this notion that the Pentagon should be a secure place.

31:16When I came here to CNN, I'm a guest. I got a badge. I have to follow the rules. I wasn't able to just walk around aimlessly. Reporters at the Pentagon, too. I mean, that's what our colleagues have to do at the Pentagon. They have to wear their badges. They can't just walk around freely. But let's also be honest why they're there. You guys, CNN, other networks, send reporters there to build relationships with people in the Pentagon in attempts to get information. You can't say he's mad about what reporters are trying to do when reporters are actually trying to do that. I don't blame them for trying to regulate, establish some order.

31:46Again, no one is saying that these reporters, that CNN has to say whatever they want to say about the Department of War. They're not saying you don't have a right to say what you want to say. They're saying that if you want to come to the building, follow the rules, wear a badge, and that's that. Well, the Secretary of Defense wants to do one thing, which is we'll limit the number of people who have access to information. But the truth is, the way Americans find out what the Defense Department is doing that are uncomfortable is because someone whispers to a reporter or someone hands them a document and says, oh, this may not be classified, but you should just know where we are on the schedule.

32:18This is something that the American public needs to know in order to be able to make qualified judgments about its government. And if we tell reporters that they can't participate, they can't talk to individuals inside the building without permission, that's just going to limit the information that Americans have to know what the elites are up to. What is interesting is that both of these instances have really sparked quite the conversation, right? Which, if we're talking about Venn diagrams of pop culture and politics, it certainly is spanning also across the political spectrum. Great to have both of you with us.

32:47Appreciate it. Thank you. A new point of isolation for the United States as it stands with Israel today, despite Israel's actions in Gaza. What does that mean moving forward? That's next.

33:00I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of the Chasing Life podcast. We're going to talk to Dr. Jennifer McIntyre. She's a microbiologist and also founder of Food Safety Strategy, which consults with food companies about how to deal with food safety, including cyclospora. Also, perhaps most importantly, we'll tell you what you can realistically do to protect yourself beyond the standard guidance to wash your fruits and veggies. If we look at outbreaks that have happened in the past, we usually hypothesize that there was water that was contaminated with raw sewage, including from somebody or maybe a few people who were carrying cyclospora.

33:43Listen to Chasing Life, streaming now, wherever you get your podcasts.

33:50In our world lead this afternoon, the United Nations, France, joining more than 145 other countries in formally recognizing a Palestinian state. Now, the United States, notably, is not one of those countries. Several other key allies, though, including the United Kingdom and Canada, announcing they, too, will now recognize a Palestinian state. The shift playing out as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifies and as Israel tightens its grip on Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting there will be no Palestinian state and that these countries are, quote, giving a massive prize to terror.

34:25Joining us now from outside the U.N. is the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danone. It's good to have you with us, Mr. Ambassador. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that he is preparing for Israel to enter what he calls an era of isolation. What exactly does that look like for Israel? Well, we just saw what happened in the General Assembly. We saw the hypocrisy, the theater, countries coming and demanding demands from Israel, ignoring the reality of what's happening on the ground, the fact that we have still 48 hostages in Gaza. But we are determined. We are determined to finish the job and to bring back all the hostages.

35:03You know, I listen very carefully to the speeches today. many leaders said we expect Hamas not to be part of the equation in the future. But no one actually explained how it's going to be accomplished, because they know it's only on our shoulders. That's the duty to make sure Hamas will be out of the game. So we will continue. We will finish the job and we will create a better opportunity, not only for Israelis, but also for the Palestinians in Gaza. In terms of creating better opportunities, as you know, a short time ago, Emmanuel Macron of France announced that his country will officially recognize the state of Palestine.

35:38He said that this is, in his view, the only solution that would actually allow Israel to live in peace. And when it comes to Hamas, over the weekend in an interview with CBS, he said he believes this move will actually help to isolate Hamas. Here's a little bit more of what he had to say. Hamas is just obsessed by destroying Israel. But I recognize the legitimacy of so many Palestinian people who want a state, who are a people. They want a nation. They want a state. And we should not push them towards Hamas. If we don't offer them a political perspective and such a recognition, the unique answer will be security.

36:21And they will be completely trapped by Hamas as the unique option. AMNA NAWAZIER, So, as you hear him arguing there, when it comes to the Palestinian people, he's saying this is an important alternative to make sure they don't turn to Hamas and go with Hamas. Are you concerned moving forward here? And he points out he believes the continuing surge of Gaza could actually drive people to become not only more anti-Israel, but drive them to support Hamas. What is the plan to make sure that doesn't happen for Palestinians? Well, I think it's exactly the opposite. I think that what we are seeing is like virtual reality.

36:56You know, President Macron doesn't know the facts. Only yesterday Hamas put a statement thanking him for conveying this show at the UN and basically telling him that that's the continuation of October 7th. So when Hamas is praising you, one should know that there is a problem with what he is doing. And basically what we saw here was support for terrorism, not for peace. You know, we are a peaceful nation. We signed peace treaties with so many countries. But in order to do that, you have to sit down and negotiate, not to come to the UN and have empty declarations. And I would add my point. In one of the interviews, President Macron mentioned that there is no Hamas in Judea and Samaria.

37:33You know, he's wrong again. Unfortunately, Hamas is there and they are active there. And even the PA can acknowledge that they have issues dealing with radicals in Judea and Samaria. So maybe he has like a different aspirations for the region, but he has to face reality. We are there. We know what's happening on the ground. That's why we are committed to make sure that Israel is a safe place and Hamas is not there. Sundown tonight, of course, will mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Hamas today released a propaganda video of a 24-year-old hostage, Alano Hel, urging the U.S. to stop supporting Netanyahu's decisions.

38:08Now, the family has asked the media not to show that video. What is your message tonight to hostage families as they mark Rosh Hashanah, as they welcome in a new year, without their loved ones? We are praying for the hostages. You know, we know two years, it's a very long time. We know that the physical conditions of the hostages, you know, we cannot describe the details, unfortunately. And you mentioned the videos that we're receiving, you know, they want to hurt the families. But we are committed to bring them home. And I hope that this year, this Jewish New Year, will bring with it a new message that the hostages will come home.

38:44And we want to finish this war. Don't be mistaken. We have no desire to stay in Gaza or to prolong this war. We want to finish with it. But what we saw here at the UN, it's actually supporting Hamas. It doesn't support ending of the war. Ambassador Denny Janot, we need to leave it there. Thank you. Thank you very much, Erica.

39:08Thanks so much for joining us here on The Lead. I'm Erica Hill in today for Jake Tapper. And we begin with the news coming out of Washington. Plenty happening, of course, in the nation's capital. This hour, President Trump's message to Pam Bobby. It is a direct message. The U.S. Attorney General suggesting that she take action against his political opponents, people he calls, in the president's words, guilty as hell. So just how far will Donald Trump push his AG after other prosecutors backed off? Plus, the TikTok takeover, the new changes coming for the wildly popular app and what it all could mean for your own algorithm and stunning new language coming that links children and autism to Tylenol when used by pregnant women.

39:54This was the president just moments ago. Don't take Tylenol if you're pregnant and don't give Tylenol to your child when he's born or she's born. Don't give it. Just don't give it. It is important to note, to stress, decades of evidence shows that Tylenol is safe. The head of the FDA will be here with the administration's new claim ahead this hour. Also, the fine for Syracuse University, accusing the team of faking injuries during Saturday's football game. Let's get you straight, though, to the breaking news. Out of the White House, President Trump's comments just moments ago linking children and autism to Tylenol when used by pregnant women.

40:37CNN's Kristen Holmes was in the room when the president made a number of incredible claims. Kristen, there is a lot of pushback on this announcement, but the secretary of health, the president, really standing firm there. They are. And a couple of things to note here. So part of the big announcement was the fact that the FDA will now advise doctors that there is this link, they say, between autism and acetaminophen. They also said there would be a warning label that was put on acetaminophen, which is essentially Tylenol, warning pregnant women of the risks of taking it. But we had a lot of questions that went unanswered.

41:10And yes, there is an enormous amount of pushback, but we still don't have entire clarity on the picture here. President Trump at one point saying that we looked at things differently than others did. That was something we also heard from the press secretary, Carolyn Levitt, that they were looking at things through a new lens. But some of what he said goes against so much of what we have heard. And I'm not just talking about the links to autism. That, of course, is something, as you mentioned, that there has been an ongoing debate about. We have heard from medical professionals for decades that Tylenol is safe, but this has been a theory and something that has been studied at length because of potential concerns.

41:51But there are also questions in what he said that go back to women getting pregnant and what we've been told by medical professionals for decades. One of them, for example, is that he said that women should just tough it out if they get a fever, that they shouldn't take Tylenol or acetaminophen under any circumstances. To be very clear, there is no alternative for pregnant women. Every other painkiller or fever reducer has shown adverse side effects. So Tylenol is the only option. Women are told that it is incredibly dangerous, particularly in the first trimester, to reach a high fever. It could lead to miscarriage.

42:28It could lead to complications for both the mother and the baby. And President Trump continued to say there was no downside to wading through the fever, to toughing it out, to just not taking Tylenol. Again, that was the question that I would have asked had he taken that question. I think it's one that many women are going to be deeply concerned about. Of course, the other fear in this is that if women do get a high fever, that they won't take it because they're going to be afraid that it will lead to autism. but instead it could lead to other birth defects. So we're waiting to see what kind of a fact sheet that the White House puts out on this.

43:06They've referenced several studies. They went and they said that they looked at them again, as I said, in a different way. They studied them in a different way. There's a lot of questions as to why now. And one point to make here is that President Trump and RFK, the HHS secretary, had promised that they would have answers on autism by September. However, it is now September. The big questions are, did the data change? What do they what were they looking at that seem different than the studies that we've been really discussing and have been in and out of mainstream media? Erica. It's not as though this has been some kind of just fringe thing.

43:42This has been something that has been under discussion for decades. But ultimately, health providers said and ruled that it was safer to use Tylenol and that it was safe to use Tylenol in pregnancy, particularly if you needed it. Yeah, there has been a significant amount of study, as you point out. Kristen at the White House, really appreciate it. Thank you. Also, just a note, stay with us just ahead this hour. I'll be speaking with the FDA commissioner specifically about these new recommendations and what the science is behind them. That's still to come here. Meantime, in our law and justice lead, President Trump is ramping up his attacks against his political enemies.

44:18At Charlie Kirk's memorial on Sunday, Trump taking a much different approach than that of Kirk's widow, Erica Kirk. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry. I am sorry, Erica. Well, the president's remark come just one day after he also publicly put pressure on the attorney general, Pam Bondi, to prosecute his political enemies. In a truth social post mentioned three of his adversaries, former FBI Director James Comey, New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, and then added, quote, we can't delay any longer.

45:14It's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice and indicted me five times over nothing. Justice must be served, as you see that last part there in all caps, now. I want to bring in now my panel of legal experts, civil rights attorney Maya Wiley and former Trump attorney Bill Brennan. It's good to have both of you with us. You know, the White House Press Secretary, Caroline Levitt, was asked about this repeatedly today as to specifically whether the president is weaponizing the Justice Department. Here's what she had to say. We are not going to tolerate gaslighting from anyone in the media or from anyone on the other side who is trying to say that it's the president who is weaponizing the DOJ.

45:53It was Joe Biden and his attorney general who weaponized the DOJ. He wants accountability for these corrupt fraudsters who abused their power, who abused their oath of office to target the former president and then candidate for the highest office in the land. So we should point out once again, there is no evidence that Joe Biden was involved in any of these decisions. So, Bill, is it is it fair and accurate to say that Biden and only Biden weaponized the DOJ? Well, no. I mean, I think if you look back in our history, you know, whoever is in office, in power, if you will, has the reins, so to speak.

46:31And, you know, the old saying comes to mind, you campaign in poetry and you govern in prose. The president tends to wear his emotions on his sleeve. But, you know, if you look at that message that allegedly was sent from the president to General Bondi, the president certainly entitled to his opinion. But General Bondi operates independently. And we have a wonderful system of checks and balances. We have the judiciary, the legislative branch, the executive branch. There's a procedure to indict people. The prosecutor gets a case, goes before a grand jury between, you know, a number of people that decide whether they're indicted or not.

47:14But, you know, the other side, to take it back, not to duck your question, but to take it back to the other administration, when General James, Leticia James, ran her whole campaign, and you can look at YouTube or Google these things, the whole campaign was, elect me and I'll get Trump. I'll figure something out. I'll find something out. And, you know, that again, that's campaign rhetoric. I, you know, I don't hold her accountable for what she did, but she did say those things. So I trust the system. I trust General Bondi. I think she's a very competent, responsible attorney general. And I wouldn't be too freaked out, if you will, over that particular message.

47:57I think the system will operate the way it's operated for more than just about 250 years. And I think we'll be just fine. Maya, do you trust the system? Is this business as usual? This is very, very, very far from business as usual. I mean, it is certainly true that a sitting president has the opportunity to consider and have his executive appointees, including the attorney general, advance policy. But there's a big difference between policy and prosecution. I mean, what we've seen is very different we've seen purges of attorneys who are deemed not to be ones that the this sitting president might like that's dangerous we've seen the same in the FBI the it's not just that Donald Trump campaigned on the notion that he would seek retribution it's that we have actually seen people he has appointed including the US Attorney in Virginia who said I don't have enough evidence in a sense.

48:59What he was saying is, I don't have enough evidence to indict. That is supposed to carry the day because it's driven by evidence and not by political retribution. We also have the fact that Pam Bondi actually was making statements that seemed to advance a political agenda when it came to the Epstein files. And so there are many different things we should be concerned about, and that's why so many attorneys across the spectrum are very concerned about the independence of prosecutorial power. On the heels of what happened in Virginia, my colleague Kristen Holmes actually asked Caroline Levitt earlier today whether if if Attorney General Bondi was told to pursue something if there wasn't enough evidence there to bring a case against to charge some of the president's perceived political enemies would she also be out Caroline Levitt really dodged the question she didn't answer it but but Bill as we as we watch how things are playing out you don't seem to have any concerns about here what if she can't deliver what the president wants what if the evidence isn't there how do you think that plays out here's why I don't have a, you know, a fire alarm concern, even if, and I don't agree with this for a minute, but even if it was a situation where the president was attempting to put his thumb on the scale, I don't believe General Bondi would do anything but the right thing.

50:15But even if she didn't, there's a process. And the process is, the case is, there's two ways you can charge. And the main way as by indictment. And that process is grand jurors are impenetable, they are given facts and evidence, and they decide whether or not to return an indictment. Not General Bondi, not President Trump. So you'd have to get through that firewall, if you will. And then it goes before either a magistrate judge for an initial appearance or a district court judge. And those judges would decide if the case is worthy of further prosecution. So, again, there's campaign rhetoric. There's things that are said in private.

50:56There's things that are said in public. But there's a system that has worked well for 250 years, and I believe in that system. And, again, if you look at the three individuals mentioned in that memo, Mr. Comey, in violation either of DOJ policy or at least a longstanding tradition, within less than 100 days of the election, when Hillary Clinton released a statement that, oh, we're going to reopen that investigation. I mean, you could say that was lawfare. Mr. Schiff was yelling, give us Barabbas, every opportunity you could to try to bring some charges against President Trump. And General James ran on a campaign.

51:37Bill, I'm going to have to cut you off there. You've also cut into Maya's last word time. So, Maya, I'm sorry. Bill, you're a great defense attorney, Bill, and we're seeing that in action. And all I can say is remember that this is the president that actually, in his first term, fired Jim Comey for not agreeing to be loyal and said that he was going to have loyalty tests. Just want to say that. Maya Wiley, Bill Brennan, appreciate you both joining us. Bill, I've got to cut you off. We're going to get in big trouble. Maya, you get first and last word next time. Thank you both. We are also looking ahead to the president's major address tomorrow.

52:12Of course, he said to give that to the United Nations General Assembly. What will he have to say about Israel? As so many other nations and allies are making notable announcements about what is playing out in Gaza and also their recognition of a Palestinian state. Plus, we'll speak with the FDA commissioner about the breaking news out of the White House. The administration's new claims, although no evidence linking autism to children, linking autism in children to acetaminophen use during pregnancy. That's ahead.

52:45In our law and justice lead, the man accused of attempting to kill Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year, resting his case today without testifying in his own defense. CNN's Randy Kay has been following this trial, which is frankly a bit of a bizarre trial. Ryan Ruth doesn't have a defense attorney. He was representing himself. Randy, how did all this play out today? Well, Erica, we've been waiting with great anticipation to find out whether or not he was going to take the stand in his own defense. And late this afternoon, he told the judge he did not plan to testify. That was quite a loud horn here.

53:16The judge asked him, did you have enough time to decide? And his response was a year, because it was one year ago that Ryan Ruth was arrested. He did call three witnesses to the stand. One was a former Marine sniper who testified that he did test fire the SKS rifle that was found at the scene. He said it jammed after only being able to fire once. The prosecution now disputed the capability of that weapon on cross-examination. He also called on two friends to testify to his character, but he did veer off topic with each of the three witnesses. The judge did her best to try and rein him in before finally just cutting him off on his direct questioning.

53:54We had a chance to speak with with his daughter Sarah outside court. She's been in court every day about her father's decision not to testify and here's what she told us. I feel like he really didn't have another choice. After seeing how rigged it is, why would he put himself in that position? You know, that would be stupid. It's obviously all rigged. It's all bullshit. So Randy, what happens next at this point? At this point, the prosecutors have rested, the defense has rested. So now the jury instructions have been given to the jury by the judge that happened late this afternoon. And deliberations will begin following closing arguments tomorrow morning.

54:39Those start at 9 a.m. Each side has an hour and 45 minutes for their closing arguments, including rebuttal. So we'll see how long it takes for the jury to decide if convicted Ryan Ruth is facing life in prison. Erica. All right, Randy, I appreciate it. Thank you. So this was the first day on the job for Mike Walton, his new gig as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. His notable comments today about Russia and it repeatedly violating NATO airspace. Will President Trump take the same tone?

55:12A monumental day at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, topping our world lead this hour with clear messages to both Israel and Russia. France joining most of the rest of the world in recognizing a Palestinian state, a move that's been condemned by Israel and the United States. Well, in an emergency session, European leaders blasted Russia for violating Estonia's airspace last Friday, causing NATO jets to scramble. It was also notably the first day on the job for Mike Walton, his new role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. You'll recall, of course, he was ousted as Trump's national security advisor after that Signal group chat scandal.

55:45Joining me now, Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York. He's the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Nice to have you here in the studio with us. So when we look at what is happening across town at the UN today, so much is focused today, of course, on Palestinian, recognizing Palestinian statehood. I spoke just a short time ago with Israel's ambassador to the UN, and he was commenting on some of what we heard from President Macron today. He said, Macron said he feels this isolates Hamas, right? That this is, in his view, sort of giving the Palestinian people a voice. Ambassador Danone said that this is really support for terrorism, in his view.

56:18It is not support for peace and that President Macron doesn't know the facts. How would you assess what we're seeing in this moment? I think that what the world is calling for is an end to the war in Gaza because they see every day the number of individuals, women, children, men, you know, reporters being killed, buildings and people running around. and see the humanitarian disaster that has evolved there. Folks can't get food. So I think what you hear is the world is saying, and people in Israel, let's end the war in Gaza, let's return all of the hostages, and then we begin to focus on what takes place next.

57:07And I have been a firm supporter of a two-state solution. I think that's the only way that you have some real peace in the Middle East. The question is how and what's the appropriate way to get there. And there has to be some negotiations. You can't just declare it because that doesn't make it be. There has to be some negotiations that take place to get there. And I think that's what's important. Is the recognition of Palestinian statehood, the first step to those negotiations, in your view? In my view, saying that we need to have. You can't take the fact of having a Palestinian state away. We need to have it.

57:46I think that's the goal, and I think everyone should be saying that there should be a Palestinian state. That's the easy part. The hard part is the negotiations to get there and who is to negotiate it. And so, you know, for me, in my viewpoint, we also need to have a Palestinian voice. That cannot be Hamas. Right. And it does not seem that at this juncture that the Palestinian authority has the authority of the Palestinians to be the one that's there. So part of what my plea is, is to some of those nations that I believe want to see a two state solution, is to come to a solution or come to someone who could be at the table.

58:31I do also want to get your take on what we're seeing in terms of what's happening in Russia with the war in Ukraine. Here's the new U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz. This was during the emergency meeting today about Russia being in Estonia's airsprays. Take a listen. Russia either wants to escalate and pull more countries into this conflict with Ukraine or doesn't have full control of those who operate its fighter planes and drones. It cannot be that Russia accidentally violates three times in two weeks European airspace. And if it was accidentally, it was a mistake, there has been plenty of time for Russian Federation to apologize.

59:14Questions about whether it was accidental or not. What has meaningfully changed, in your view, since the meeting with President Trump and President Putin in terms of what we are seeing in the war in Ukraine? There's nothing changed. The president has been played. And so, you know, I've heard from my Republican colleagues and from the president talking about we've got to get peace through strength. What we've seen is not peace through strength when it comes to Russia. What we've seen is weakness due to appeasement. He's just been appeased and utilized by Vladimir Putin for the entire time. And I think that, you know, when you assess what must be going on and what appears the president is letting happen is what he said before he became president.

1:00:02Let Russia do whatever the hell they want to do. So I've seen nothing change. There has been not one, not any additional pressure at all. And just think of it. Look, when President Zelensky first came to the United States of America, we all have that, what took place in the White House. He brings Vladimir Putin to America with red carpet and have our troops bowing to him. That should say something to all Americans as to where Donald Trump really is in regards to Russia and its aggression in Ukraine. And then really basically silence when you talk about what just took place with flying close to the Poland airspace with drones.

1:00:52and now what is taking place in Estonia. President Zelensky, of course, said to be here this week. I believe he is set to meet with the president as well. We will see what, if anything, comes out of that. Congressman, appreciate you taking the time to come into the studio today. Thank you. I'll be meeting with him also. Well, we look forward to you following up and letting me know how that meeting went. Very good. Thank you so much. Thank you. Still to come here, the algorithm changes. Coming to TikTok, the Trump administration announcing new management. First, though, the head of the FDA, who was just with the president, And what he has to say about this new directive to spread the word to doctors about what the administration thinks about Tylenol and its alleged ties to autism.

1:01:34There's nothing much to say. Don't take Tylenol if you're pregnant. And don't give Tylenol to your child when he's born or she's born. Don't give it. Just don't give it. The breaking news in our Healthly, despite debatable evidence, the Trump administration making a claim today of a link between using Tylenol during pregnancy and rising autism rates in children. President Trump and top administration officials say pregnant women should refrain from using the pain relief medication unless they have a high fever. The recommendation, though, is drawing criticism from some in the medical community.

1:02:08Joining me now is the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marnie McCary. It's good to have you with us this afternoon, sir. Thanks. As I'm sure you know, members of the medical community, including ACOG, of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pushing back here at the idea that there's proven evidence of a link between acetaminophen and autism. There have been, of course, decades worth of studies here. Can you talk to me about the science behind this latest claim from the White House today? Well, first of all, you're always going to find some naysayer out there, but if we are looking objectively at the data and the Harvard study that was done in conjunction with Mount Sinai, reviewing the entire body of scientific evidence, it was published four weeks ago, shows 27 studies showing an association between prenatal acetaminophen, that is in pregnancy, and autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, and four studies showing no association.

1:02:58And because much of the acetaminophen given for low-grade fevers and just given routinely, mindlessly, without even thinking why, we're giving patients the option to not take it. Much of that, I think people deserve to have the information to know that there are some doctors with concerns, including the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, who made a very clear statement that there is a causal relationship. I'm reading now from the statement of the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health. There is a causal relationship between prenatal acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

1:03:36We felt an obligation to get this information out to everyday docs and patients. So that August analysis of some 46 studies found a correlation, but not an actual cause. And there was a range of prenatal and early life environmental factors, as well as other potential contributions to consider. There was also this 2024 study of some 2 million children in Sweden, which found no increased risk of autism with acetaminophen use during pregnancy. And we also have the president today saying that women should stay away from it and even just tough it out if they had a fever. The damage that that could do to not only a woman, but also to the baby that she is carrying to tough it out in a fever, especially in the first trimester.

1:04:18Does that concern you at all? Well, first of all, he did say that there were exceptions. And second of all, any association between fevers and adverse outcomes in the fetus are attributed to the underlying infection. that is the source of the fever, not the fever itself. And you did cite the 2024 study from overseas that did not find an association. That was one of the four studies that was not favorable. 27 studies did find an association. So I would say this, when you have an epidemic of autism exploding in our living generation, it was rare a generation ago. It's now 1 in 12 boys in California, and we have no known cause.

1:04:56and you have this overwhelming body of evidence pointing to an association, why would we take a risk with our nation's kids? So we have seen an incredible rise. That is true. We've also seen the definition expanded in terms of, and that's why we talk about autism spectrum disorder. It is tested for more often, so we know about it more often. Secretary Kennedy pushed back on the fact that there is more testing and therefore we will know more and there will be more cases. Do you share that skepticism with him? Look, Erica, I think there is some increased diagnoses. But when you talk about severe autism, that is a relatively new disorder seen in our generation.

1:05:35You just didn't see people a generation ago with these repetitive tics, people who were completely nonverbal and would engage in self-harm. You don't see that in people over age 60 today. You just don't see those severe autism symptoms. We are seeing a generation now with those severe symptoms that is growing, and we've got to stop and ask what's going on. We also have a very good news story, and that is we have a treatment that the FDA is going to approve for people with cerebral folate deficiency, known to be one of the mechanisms that may cause autism. And I think that's a big story for hundreds of thousands of American kids.

1:06:13So in terms of that specifically, the FDA, as I understand it, has asked the drug maker of that so that the label is lucavorin to include an indication for a rare disorder called cerebral folate deficiency, if I pronounce that correctly. Is there enough long term safety data to support to support this use? There is, Erica. This is a vitamin, essentially, that's been around for nearly a century, and it's sort of a supplemental form. And this is something that makes all the sense in the world, because in about 20 to 50 percent of kids with autism spectrum disorder, the receptor for folate in the brain is blocked by an antibody.

1:06:57And some doctors test kids with autism for the presence of that antibody to the folate receptor. the medication we're about to approve called lucavorin bypasses that receptor pathway delivering critical b9 vitamin directly to the brain cells and we know that's an important vitamin in neural development. FDA Commissioner Marty McCary we are out of time but we appreciate joining us this afternoon. Thanks so much Erica. Also with me this hour Dr. James McPartner who's the director of the Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health and also professor of child psychiatry and psychology. It's good to have you with us this afternoon.

1:07:34A lot of reaction, first of all, to what we heard out of the White House this afternoon. And as you just heard from the FDA commissioner there, he stands by the fact that the White House says there is this actual causal relationship, not just an association. Is he right? The most important thing that was said during that conference today is that autism is complex with a multifactorial etiology. And that is the truth. What that means is that autism is complicated and there's not one cause. There's not one cause that is Tylenol. There's not one cause that is related to folate. It's extremely complicated.

1:08:14Given that it is so complicated, what do you make of this current guidance and what this means for not only those who are expecting children, but also even parents of children with autism? Well, practically speaking, the guidance isn't very different from existing guidance. Existing guidance suggested to use Tylenol and any drug during pregnancy as sparingly as possible. So what was discussed today is actually very, very much in alignment with what's existed for a long time. Pregnant women should be consulting with their obstetricians to determine what's appropriate for them, given the risk factors that are associated with being ill during pregnancy.

1:08:54As you just heard from Dr. McCary, he talked about as well what he said was a significant rise in the number of severe cases of autism, talking about people on the autism spectrum who are nonverbal, saying that this doesn't exist in Americans who are over the age of 60. Is that true? That's not correct. There are many people with autism of all forms, including severe or profound autism of all ages. In fact, when we look at how diagnostic trends have changed over time, that's the segment that's been most stable. It's the people who have higher cognitive ability and more language that have been more included in the spectrum in recent years.

1:09:35So when you talk about, we talk about that, what exists, what we do know, right, in terms of the data, and also the fact that this guidance, in your view, is not that much different from what we know, what should the takeaway then be for people today? I mean, I spoke with an OBGYN earlier tonight who said her guidance will not change at all for her patients, but she is deeply concerned about how they will take this information. Exactly, that people should be talking with their OBGYNs, understanding how their specific medical situation is relevant in this context. There are risks to not treating a fever in a pregnant woman.

1:10:15The president made a number of claims. Among them, he said that there was no autism whatsoever within the Amish community. Is that accurate? That's not correct. There is autism in the Amish community. In fact, because there's more genetic overlap among Amish people, there are specific studies that have focused on autism in the Amish community to learn more about genes. Dr. James Van Partland, really appreciate you joining us and appreciate your expertise, your insight. Thank you. Thank you for having me. We'll be right back. This is great news, not just for the millions of American youth who use TikTok.

1:10:54Their data will be safe and secure with this new deal. They'll continue to use this very fun app. We begin the tech lead tonight with the White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt today, confirming President Trump plans to sign a deal with China, who will license the TikTok algorithm to a group of American investors later this week. Joining us now are a panel of CNN reporters and analysts. And I want to begin with CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Seltzer. So Brian, In terms of this group, who exactly is going to manage TikTok's algorithm here in the U.S.? Well, we know Oracle Chief Larry Ellison has been involved from the get-go.

1:11:30Oracle also already deeply tied into TikTok in the U.S. Over the weekend, President Trump revealed that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are also in talks to have Fox Corporation be a part of that American investor consortium. So it is increasingly clear that Trump-friendly, Trump-adjacent media moguls and tech executives will be controlling TikTok in the U.S., assuming, and this is still a big assumption, that China signs off on the deal. You know, the Atlantic writer, excuse me, the former Atlantic writer, Derek Thompson, recently coined a phrase, flattery economics, to describe so much of what President Trump is doing and so much of what is happening as companies try to appease and appeal to the Trump administration.

1:12:05And that's what we're seeing with TikTok as well. Moguls, executives who are close and cozy to the president, they're benefiting from this TikTok deal, or at least they stand to benefit. It seems like an example of flattery economics. Yeah, it is quite the turn of phrase. I may have to borrow that as well. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt was asked a little bit more about specifics in terms of the deal. I want to play some of that. All U.S. user data will be stored on servers operated by Oracle in the United States, protected from surveillance or interference by foreign adversaries.

1:12:38And the algorithm, I know this is a question many of you have had, will be secured, retrained, and operated in the United States outside of ByteDance's control. Okay, so the data is going to be here. It's going to be protected in the U.S. Practically speaking, how comfortable should U.S. users be with that? What changes for them? Well, so U.S. user data was already being stored in the U.S. in Oracle servers. The really key piece here is what's happening to the algorithm. And that's always been a big question surrounding this deal because the algorithm determines what users see on their feed. It's part of the reason the app is so popular, but it also was at the root of some of these U.S.

1:13:15national security concerns. So now what we're going to have if this deal does go through, ByteDance will be transferring a copy of the algorithm to this new majority American-owned joint venture in the U.S. They'll be reviewing it, retraining it, as Caroline Levitt said, on U.S. user data. And then Oracle will be constantly monitoring how it's serving up content to users. And I do think it's going to be interesting to see how U.S. users respond to this idea of this sort of Trump-friendly group of companies controlling what they're going to be seeing on this platform. It also means if they care or not, right?

1:13:46But when it comes down to it, all of this started because there were national security concerns. And John Miller, I'm old enough to remember, when President Trump was one of the people who was voicing these concerns, because of the way that the company was structured. Does this mean those national security concerns are now gone? Well, I would never say gone. You know, they're going to be somewhat blunted on the idea that the servers are here, they're controlled by Oracle, and that's where the data lives. But, you know, you have to take the wider aperture on China's history when it comes to cyber and hacking.

1:14:18You know, going back to People's Army Unit 61398, you know, That was their original hacking team that spent all day and all night, hundreds and hundreds of people hacking into U.S. entities, government, corporations. There's an operation that you've heard a lot about in the news, Bolt Typhoon, where they target hacking into infrastructure in case China decides one day to try and shut down water and power and telephonics here. And there's another called Salt Typhoon, where they just spy on people in real time and extract data from telecommunications. The point is they're very busy day and night trying to extract data.

1:14:59So while this is a big step forward, putting 170 million American TikTok users' data in a more secure place where they're not vacuuming up personal information on everybody, including videos and voices and tools to do deepfakes if necessary. But the other question is they've hacked into so much of the American infrastructure. will they still have some kind of backdoor access that we don't know about? Yeah, I mean, it is a legitimate question. There's also a massive price tag on this, Claire. When we look at this involvement and the investment, what does it actually mean? If these investors, right, and these companies are ponying up this money, they want to be a part of this, what are they getting out of it?

1:15:42Well, I think it's a really good question. I mean, part of what they're getting out of it is access to these 170 million American users, their eyeballs, their time, the ability to serve them ads. But I do think, you know, the point about this question about whether U.S. users stay on this platform is really important because if users decide to leave because they're concerned about this new ownership group, that could potentially undermine the business opportunity that all of these companies are excited to get in on here. It is interesting, though, because when we look at all of us, and Brian, you and I talked about this so much when we were on the air, I remember when all of a sudden there were some changes right before the inauguration, right, Brian?

1:16:15And when there's the discussion of whether people will stay, there were also questions among users back then when it was a national security concern and a law had been passed to get rid of it. Americans weren't that upset. They weren't that concerned when they were interviewed, which was fascinating. In terms of these companies. Sorry, Brian, go ahead. In fact, some people said, hey, I actually would like TikTok to be turned off because I'm too addicted to it. That's the thing about the app. It is an addictive substance. And if it does stay on in the U.S., we all have to reckon with that reality, Erica.

1:16:47There's also so when we look at, let's say let's say it's here to stay. When we look at these companies, you were just talking about the flattery economy. What does this mean for some of these for some of these companies? Well, learning today about the H-1B visas and seeing how some of these tech CEOs are reacting to the idea of a one hundred thousand dollar price tag on these visas. and video CEO, OpenAI CEO, have been out on the airwaves touting this and thanking President Trump. And that all goes back to the flattery. In fact, listen to these two soundbites. We want all the brightest minds to come to the United States.

1:17:24And remember, immigration is the foundation of the American dream. And we represent the American dream. And so I think immigration is really important to our company and it's really important to our nation's future. And I'm glad to see President Trump making the moves he's making. We need to get the smartest people in the country and streamline that process and also sort of aligning financial incentives seems good to me. As they say, Erica, flattery can get you anywhere or almost anywhere. And these companies continue to try to one up each other with giant multi-billion dollar price tags promising the world and beyond to President Trump.

1:18:00And we will see how that all plays out. Thanks to all of you. Appreciate it. Still ahead here, the airport emergency after a series of drone sightings today. Plus, the team fine against one of the most storied football programs.

1:18:17Our last leads start in the world lead. Moments ago, the main airport in Copenhagen reopened after a series of drone sightings led authorities to close it down. Police said two to three large drones were spotted flying near the active runways. Authorities immediately closed down the airport and grounded planes. At least 20 flights were canceled, delayed, or rerouted to other airports. International lead in Florida. An update after a man died last week after riding a roller coaster at Universal Orlando. Today, investigators say their initial findings align with that of the theme park's leaders who had said the ride was working correctly.

1:18:50The medical examiner says the man died from blunt force trauma and has ruled the death an accident. The roller coaster remains closed while that investigation continues. In our sports lead, Talk about a flag on the play. Syracuse University's football team now facing a$25 ,000 fine for violating a newly established NCAA rule, faking injuries to secure a free timeout. That's what happened during the fourth quarter in Saturday's win over Clemson. The ACC says the actions of two players and a coach were a clear attempt to stop the game to secure an injury timeout. You can now follow the show on X at The Lead CNN.

1:19:27And if you ever miss an episode, you can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts. Stay tuned. Erin Burnett Out Front starts right now.