Trump's Bombshell Autism Announcement, Kimmel Is Already Back, Kamala Book Backlash: AM Update 9/23

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0:32Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, and this is your AM update. Taking Tylenol is not good. We have also identified an exciting therapy. President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy announcing a potential cause of autism and a new treatment for children on the spectrum. She's going to have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly. Former Vice President Kamala Harris's new book is out and fellow Dems are not happy. In a major reversal, Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to ABC tonight. And Ryan Ruth on trial for allegedly attempting to assassinate President Trump on a golf course in Florida, resting his defense after just one day and three witnesses.

1:19All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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2:09President Trump and HHS officials yesterday announcing a potential major scientific breakthrough, a possible cause of autism, pointing to Tylenol use during pregnancy. Effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen, which is basically commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism. So taking Tylenol is not good. I'll say it. It's not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary. That's, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever.

2:57In the early 90s, according to the Associated Press, one in 10 ,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Today, that's one in 31. In April, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling autism an epidemic, promising by September to begin delivering answers on the cause for the alarming increase. With yesterday's announcement, the FDA will issue notice to physicians on the findings and begin label changes on Tylenol packaging, Secretary Kennedy noting that there is no alternative fever reducer for pregnant women, saying the FDA will encourage doctors to only prescribe the lowest possible dose for fevers in pregnant women when it is absolutely necessary.

3:39Kenview, a manufacturer of Tylenol, releasing a statement to CNN, The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism. We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree. We will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children. The administration citing research released by Harvard University in August. Harvard's Dean of the School of Public Health, Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, releasing a statement, quote, we found evidence of an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

4:29Secretary RFKJ and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty McCary also announcing a new FDA-approved treatment for children with autism. We have also identified an exciting therapy that may benefit large numbers of children who suffer from autism. E-reviewed literature has documented that up to 60 % of folate-deficient children with ASD can improve verbal communications if given leukovorin. We expect this to be the first of many announcements over the coming years that deliver actionable information to parents on underlying cause of autism and the potential paths for prevention and reversal. One study found that with kids with autism and chronic folate deficiency, two-thirds of kids with autism symptoms had improvement, and some marked improvement.

5:20Leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, is the first FDA-recognized therapeutic for children with autism. Some in the media saying there's little evidence the treatment is effective. However, the Washington Post, of all places, reporting the drug has shown real hope in some small clinical trials. For a select group of autistic individuals, lucavorin may boost communication and cognition in ways once thought impossible. Researchers believe some with autism have difficulty transporting an essential nutrient for neurodevelopment called folate to the brain. Scientists believe the medication may help deliver folate more effectively, alleviating some autism symptoms.

6:00As far as vaccines and a potential link to autism, President Trump appearing to get ahead of any planned announcements. Other things that we recommend, or certainly I do anyway, on the vaccines, it would be good instead of one visit where they pump the baby loaded up with stuff. You'll do it over a period of four times or five times. The MMR, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel, the mumps, measles. and the three should be taken separately. And it seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. So there's no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it's better, so let it be separate.

6:45Hepatitis B is sexually transmitted. There's no reason to give a baby that's almost just born hepatitis B. So I would say wait till the baby is 12 years old and formed. While HHS may not be ready to make any formal announcements on vaccines and autism, Secretary Kennedy is saying HHS will leave no stone unturned in continuing to identify causes. One area that we are closely examining, as the president mentioned, is vaccines. Some 40 to 70 percent of mothers who have children with autism believe that their child was injured by a vaccine. President Trump believes that we should be listening to these mothers instead of gaslighting and marginalizing them like prior administrations.

7:39Some of our friends like to say we should believe all women. Some of these same people have been silencing and demonizing these mothers for three decades because research on the potential link between autism and vaccines has been actively suppressed in the past. It will take time for an honest look at this topic by scientists. But I want to reassure the people in the autism community that we will be uncompromising and relentless in our search for answers. Jimmy Kimmel Live, set to return to ABC tonight, because when you're a leftist, you don't really get canceled, unlike those on the right who are getting canceled and even killed.

8:23Less than one week after Kimmel's show was suspended, he's back, following false and inflammatory comments he made suggesting Charlie Kirk's alleged killer was a Trump supporter last Monday. Nextar, the nation's largest owner of ABC affiliate broadcast stations, announcing plans last Wednesday to preempt the show. Sinclair, another large affiliate owner, following suit. Reports indicating Kimmel was planning to double down on his incendiary comments on that night's show, that he was going to attack MAGA and blame them for twisting his remarks. And that's when network executives decided to shelf production.

9:02Yesterday evening, the Walt Disney Company releasing a statement, quote, we have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday. CNBC reporting Kimmel will address the matter on his show set to be taped today. Executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, Andrew Colvitt, posting to X, Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it's their mistake to make. Nextar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice. And indeed, yesterday evening, Sinclair announcing that it will be preempting Kimmel across its 38 affiliate stations.

9:42It is unclear if Nextar will do the same. Coming up, Kamala Harris's memoir, 107 Days, is out and Democrats are not happy. But we are. And accused would-be Trump assassin Ryan Ruth rests his defense in just one day.

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11:06Former Vice President Kamala Harris's memoir, 107 Days, officially hitting shelves today. The memoirs roll out offering a glimpse of a looser, more unguarded Kamala Harris, one eager to point in any direction but the mirror, while seeking to explain the spectacular collapse of her short-lived campaign. Despite growing questions about President Biden's mental and physical fitness, Harris writing that she could not have voiced concerns because as vice president, any doubts she raised would come off as self-serving. Concluding, however, that it was reckless to leave the choice to, quote, an individual's ego, an individual's ambition.

11:43It should have been more than a personal decision. According to Axios, Team Biden reacted with, quote, rage to this passage, responding, quote, Vice President Harris was simply not good at the job. She had basically zero substantive role in any of the administration's key work streams and instead would just dive bomb in for stilted photo ops that exposed how out of depth she was. President Biden, not the only fellow Democrat to catch heat in the 320-page memoir, Ms. Harris describing her vice presidential vetting process, saying she ruled out top contender Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro despite representing a critical swing state, in part because he was too ambitious, accusing him of being more focused on perks of the office, like decorating the residence, than in doing the job.

12:32Ms. Harris writing that she worried, quote, he would be unable to settle for a role as number two and that it would wear on our partnership. Governor Shapiro, considered by many to be a likely 2028 presidential contender, returning the attack on Stephen A. Smith's podcast late last week. I mean, look, I haven't read the former vice president's book And she's going to have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly. I can tell you that I wasn't in the room. But when I was confronted with engagement with the former president, in looking at it simply from the perspective of how's he doing in Pennsylvania?

13:14Could he win Pennsylvania? And I was very vocal with him privately and extremely vocal with his staff about my concerns about his fitness to be able to run for another term. I believe in talking directly to the individuals, not running around and talking to the media. For what it's worth, Mr. Shapiro did run around talking to the media after that disastrous Trump-Biden debate. This is what he sounded like then. I acknowledge he had a bad night in the debate last night. It doesn't change the fact that Donald Trump was a bad president. And certainly we need to be crisper in delivering that message.

13:51Well, I would just say, Democrats, stop worrying and start working. We all have a responsibility here to do our part. Ms. Harris also revealing former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was her top choice as a running mate. But she decided it was too much of a risk to pick a gay man. Harris writing, quote, Buttigieg would have been an ideal partner if I were a straight white man, but we were already asking a lot of America to accept a woman, a black woman, a black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, screw it, let's just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.

14:26And I think Pete also knew that to our mutual sadness. However, it appears Secretary Buttigieg may not have actually known that. Politico capturing his reaction. I was surprised when I read that. I just believe in giving Americans more credit than that. My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you're going to do for their lives, not on categories. Early reviews for the book are not exactly raving. From The Guardian, quote, I don't know if Harris found writing 107 days cathartic, but reading it certainly wasn't. It seems likely to alienate her critics further and provides no closure or hope for her supporters.

15:10From Semaphore, quote, after 107 days, Kamala Harris doesn't know how to win. Democrat insiders are not pleased either. Political strategist David Axelrod telling Politico, quote, if there's a political strategy here, it's a bad one. There's an awful lot of grievances and finger pointing that doesn't really serve a political agenda. Despite Democrat displeasure with the revelations from 107 days, the Megyn Kelly Show team is thrilled Vice President Harris will be back to making the media rounds. She officially kicked off her book tour on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC program last night, and she is set to appear on The View later today.

15:46We will watch so you don't have to. The man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump resting his defense on Monday in a Florida federal courtroom. Ryan Ruth, representing himself despite no legal training, calling three witnesses to the stand, then resting without testifying himself. The first witness, Michael McClay, a former Marine sniper instructor. McClay testifying he fired two shots from Ruth's rifle as a test prior to the trial. Ruth also calling two character witnesses, each witness saying Ruth is a peaceful man, however, on cross, both saying they had not seen him in years.

16:25The prosecution resting its case last Friday, the Fed's calling 38 witnesses over nearly two weeks of testimony with hundreds of exhibits. The final witness on Friday, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Kimberly McGreevy, tying all the pieces together. McGreevy walking the jury through evidence showing Ruth lived at a Palm Beach County gas station for at least a month in the lead-up to the alleged assassination attempt, conducting surveillance on Mr. Trump. Data from six phones allegedly belonging to Ruth containing searches for Mr. Trump's campaign events, golf courses, and plane tracking websites.

17:01Agent McGreevy testified, quote, he was living at that truck stop conducting physical and electronic surveillance and stalking the former president. On September 15th of last year, a Secret Service agent spotting the barrel of the rifle poking out of some bushes ahead of President Trump's arrival for an afternoon of golf. Agents then opening fire, Ruth apprehended about an hour later on a nearby highway. Prosecutors say Ruth texted his three children less than an hour before his planned assassination of President Trump, Ruth allegedly writing to his daughter Sarah, quote, love you so much. You are the best daughter.

17:38Sarah sitting in court each day in support of her father, speaking to local outlet WPBF last week. I mean, like he's never wronged anybody. He's always been devoted to helping other people and he doesn't understand why there's not more support. out there. Well, I mean, he is on trial for allegedly attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, which most people would say is not a good, kind, or gentle thing. Yeah, no comment on that. Ruth facing five total charges, including the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

18:19Faces up to life in prison, closing arguments expected to begin today. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for The Megan Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash megankelly, and on all podcast platforms.

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