McConnell opposes using government pressure to remove Jimmy Kimmel \u2014 6:24 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
The former Senate majority leader echoed concerns first raised by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that some government officials may violate First Amendment principles by coercing private individuals and companies to remove speech some find distasteful.\u201c<\/p>\n
As a First Amendment guy, myself, I think he\u2019s probably got it right,\u201d\u00a0McConnell wrote on X. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to like what somebody says on TV to agree that the government shouldn\u2019t be getting involved here.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump and multiple senior officials in his administration have called on Disney, which owns the ABC network, to remove late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel from the airwaves and said the federal government may use its leverage to force a change. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said that comments Kimmel made in the aftermath of Kirk\u2019s killing may prompt retaliatory action from the telecommunications regulator.\u201c<\/p>\n
We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,\u201d<\/p>\n
Carr denied on Monday that he threatened to revoke ABC\u2019s local station licenses because of Kimmel\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n
Former Trump lawyer becomes top federal prosecutor for Eastern District of Virginia \u2014 6:23 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
Lindsey Halligan was sworn as interim US attorney for the prestigious prosecutors\u2019 office that\u2019s overseeing separate criminal investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.<\/p>\n
She replaces Erik Siebert, a longtime prosecutor who resigned Friday amid pressure from administration officials to indict James.<\/p>\n
Halligan will immediately face intense scrutiny given Trump\u2019s public calls on the Justice Department to move forward with prosecutions against the president\u2019s perceived political foes.<\/p>\n
Halligan has been part of Trump\u2019s legal orbit for the last several years, including serving as one of his attorneys in the early days of the FBI\u2019s investigation into his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.<\/p>\n
![\"Lindsey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AK32NSGM5VMEZPBCT22BE6ZOOE.jpg\")
Lindsey Halligan, shown at the White House this year, was named interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia on Monday.Jabin Botsford\/The Washington PostFDA begins process to approve an old generic drug for certain patients with autism \u2014 6:16 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
The Food and Drug Administration is taking the first steps to try and approve a decades-old generic drug for a new group of patients, including some who may have autism.<\/p>\n
The agency said it will seek approval of leucovorin for patients believed to have low levels of folate, one form of vitamin B, in the brain. That may include some people with autism.<\/p>\n
The agency\u2019s highly unusual move is based on a review of small studies performed between 2009 and 2024.<\/p>\n
Several studies have recently suggested the drug may help with autism symptoms when given to certain children. But autism experts say much larger, more rigorous studies are needed to confirm any benefit.<\/p>\n
The discontinued drug, previously marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, was sold in tablets to treat side effects of chemotherapy. It\u2019s currently available in other forms.<\/p>\n
Trump wraps up autism announcement, prepares to depart for New York \u2014 6:05 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
Trump is flying to New York to give a speech Tuesday to the UN General Assembly.<\/p>\n
His departure from the White House has been delayed by about a half an hour because the autism announcement started nearly an hour behind schedule.<\/p>\n
NIH director says millions will be spent to study autism \u2014 6:04 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
As part of the president\u2019s announcement, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said his agency has launched the Autism Data Science Initiative to \u201cturbocharge\u201d autism research. He said millions of dollars will be spent to collect the data.<\/p>\n
The NIH and other research institutes have studied autism for decades.<\/p>\n
The link between genes and autism\u00a0dates back to studies\u00a0of twins decades ago. Some are rare genetic variants passed from parent to child, even if the parent shows no signs of autism.<\/p>\n
![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/F3577FWZPCYWT4KHOFO4EKUPAA.jpg\")
President Trump listens as Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Washington. Mark Schiefelbein\/Associated PressTrump administration raises unfounded concerns about autism-vaccine link \u2014 5:48 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
Besides warning people about taking Tylenol during pregnancy, the Trump administration on Monday raised unfounded concerns about vaccines contributing to rising rates of autism, which affects\u00a01 in 31 US children\u00a0today, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n
Any concern that measles vaccine \u2014 or other vaccines \u2014\u00a0could be linked to autism\u00a0has been long debunked, stress scientists and leading\u00a0advocacy groups\u00a0for people with autism.<\/p>\n
Medical experts say fevers can cause big problems in pregnancy \u2014 5:47 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
While Trump insists there\u2019s no downside to not treating a fever during pregnancy, obstetricians disagree.<\/p>\n
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine says untreated fevers in pregnancy, particularly the first trimester, increase the risk for miscarriages, preterm birth and other problems.<\/p>\n
Tylenol maker pushes back on Trump announcement as company shares plunge \u2014 5:31 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
The manufacturer of Tylenol, the best-selling form of acetaminophen, says it \u201cstrongly disagrees\u201d with the suggestion that its drug may cause autism.<\/p>\n
Kenvue said in a statement that \u201csound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.\u201d The company pointed to scientific reviews by multiple government regulators worldwide, including those previously published by the FDA.<\/p>\n
Shares of Kenvue Inc. fell 7.5 percent in trading Monday, reducing the company\u2019s market value by about $2.6 billion.<\/p>\n
Tylenol\u2019s original manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, spun off the best-selling brand in 2023.<\/p>\n
In addition to Tylenol, acetaminophen is used in hundreds of other over-the-counter cold and flu formulas.<\/p>\n
OB-GYN group leader calls Trump administration warnings on Tylenol \u2018irresponsible\u2019 \u2014 5:28 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
The president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said that suggestions that Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism are \u201cirresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement by HHS is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children,\u201d Dr. Steven Fleischman said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maternal-fetal medicine group says it\u2019s safe to use Tylenol in pregnancy \u2014 5:04 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
Tylenol is \u201can appropriate medication to treat pain and fever during pregnancy,\u201d the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said ahead of an expected announcement from the White House.<\/p>\n
The Washington Post reported Monday that the Trump administration plans to link autism to the use of the painkiller Tylenol, or acetaminophen, in pregnancy.<\/p>\n
The expert group says untreated fever during pregnancy carries significant risks to moms and babies, such as miscarriage and birth defects.<\/p>\n
There has been research on a potential link between Tylenol during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children, but it \u201cdoes not establish a causal relationship,\u201d the society said in its statement. It said the studies have significant limitations.<\/p>\n
Trump announces FDA recommendations on Tylenol use \u2014 5:03 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
The president said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration will be notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen \u201ccan be associated\u201d with an increased risk of autism.<\/p>\n
Trump, several minutes into the announcement, has not offered medical evidence for the FDA\u2019s new recommendation.<\/p>\n
Still, Trump said the FDA will strongly recommend that pregnant women not take Tylenol unless \u201cmedically necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIdeally you don\u2019t take it at all,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has long recommended acetaminophen as a safe pain reliever option during pregnancy.<\/p>\n
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has long recommended acetaminophen as a safe pain reliever option during pregnancy.Trump\u2019s autism announcement is underway \u2014 4:45 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
The president has started his remarks on the issue.<\/p>\n
He is speaking from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and other administration officials who focus on health.<\/p>\n
Mass. governor says RFK Jr. \u2018should resign\u2019 \u2014 4:02 p.m.<\/p>\n
By Samantha J. Gross, Globe Staff<\/p>\n
Ahead of the Trump administration\u2019s expected announcement linking Tylenol to autism<\/a>, Governor Maura Healey called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.<\/p>\n Kennedy, who made autism a major focus of his \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d policy agenda, also regularly draws lines between autism and vaccines, even though the theory has been thoroughly debunked<\/a>. Healey and other governors have renewed a focus on vaccines and Kennedy\u2019s stance on them in recent weeks, coordinating immunization policies via the newly formed Northeast Public Health Collaborative<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Healey wrote \u201cRFK Jr. should resign. Until he does, we\u2019re going to make sure that everyone in Massachusetts can get the vaccines they want and need, covered by insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, Healey pledged<\/a> that Massachusetts families would still be able to get childhood vaccinations, and her administration issued more detailed guidance on COVID-19 vaccines that will make the shots available to all residents six months and older.<\/p>\n RFK Jr. should resign.<\/p>\n Until he does, we\u2019re going to make sure that everyone in Massachusetts can get the vaccines they want and need, covered by insurance. pic.twitter.com\/ZqR9YVDXqA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Maura Healey (@maura_healey) September 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s suspension and his show will return Tuesday \u2014 3:53 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s late night show in the wake of criticism\u00a0over his comments\u00a0about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,\u201d said a statement from the network.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Supreme Court will weigh expanding Trump\u2019s power to shape agencies by overturning 90-year-old ruling \u2014 3:20 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n The Supreme Court\u00a0said it will consider expanding President Donald Trump\u2019s power to shape independent agencies by overturning a nearly century-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members.<\/p>\n The justices have allowed the Republican president to carry out some high-profile firings while lawsuits play out, signaling the conservative majority is poised to overturn or narrow a 1935 Supreme Court decision that found commissioners can only be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty.<\/p>\n The high court agreed to take up the case of\u00a0Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of\u00a0the Federal Trade Commission\u00a0who was reinstated by lower courts under a 90-year-old ruling known as\u00a0Humphrey\u2019s Executor. In that case, the court sided with another FTC commissioner who was fired by Franklin D. Roosevelt as the president worked to implement the New Deal. The justices unanimously found commissioners can be removed only for misconduct or neglect of duty.<\/p>\n Russian offer of an extension of nuclear weapons treaty \u2018sounds pretty good,\u2019 White House says \u2014 2:57 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Leavitt said Trump \u201cis aware\u201d of an offer by Russian President Vladimir Putin to extend by a year an arms control treaty limiting both sides\u2019 nuclear capabilities.<\/p>\n She said, \u201cI think it sounds pretty good\u201d but that Trump \u201cwants to make some comments about it himself\u201d and that she\u2019d \u201clet him do that\u201d when the president speaks to reporters in the Oval Office during an unrelated announcement on autism coming up later Monday.<\/p>\n White House says it has seen letter from Venezuela\u2019s president \u2014 2:21 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Leavitt said the White House had gotten a letter from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but would not detail its contents.<\/p>\n Venezuela said over the weekend that Maduro wrote to Trump, rejecting implications his government was involved in drug trafficking.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there were a lot of lies that were repeated by Maduro in that letter,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n She added, \u201cWe view the Maduro regime as illegitimate\u201d and that Trump \u201chas clearly shown that he\u2019s willing to use any and all means necessary to stop the illegal trafficking of deadly drugs from the Venezuelan regime.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump previously announced fetal US strikes on alleged drug smuggling vessels associated with Venezuela, and the president said Friday that a\u00a0third strike\u00a0took out another vessel, without providing location details.<\/p>\n White House restates Trump\u2019s opposition to recognizing a Palestinian state \u2014 2:02 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Several US allies, including Canada, Australia and Britain, have announced support for a Palestinian state, putting them at odds with Trump.<\/p>\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Trump feels such recognition won\u2019t do anything to secure release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, nor will it end the war between Israel and Hamas.He also believes such recognition rewards the militant group operating in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cSo he believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies,\u201d Leavitt said, adding that Trump would address the issue in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.<\/p>\n White House press secretary denies that Trump is trying to weaponize Justice Department \u2014 2:01 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is denying that President Trump is attempting to weaponize the Justice Department by urging his attorney general to go after his perceived political foes.<\/p>\n Leavitt was asked at a White House briefing Monday about a social media post over the weekend that Trump directed at Attorney General Pam Bondi in which he demanded action on investigations related to public officials including former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.<\/p>\n His post came one day after the top federal prosecutor in charge of the Eastern District of Virginia resigned his position amid pressure to bring charges against James in a mortgage fraud investigation.<\/p>\n Leavitt told reporters at the White House that Trump was merely trying to demand accountability. She denied that he had weaponized the Justice Department and instead blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for having done that.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s top diplomat Rubio meets Syrian president who\u2019s in New York in a first for Syria\u2019s leader in almost six decades \u2014 1:41 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa who is in New York this week as the first Syrian leader to attend the United Nations General Assembly in nearly 60 years.<\/p>\n Neither man spoke as they posed for photos ahead of their US-hosted meeting at Rubio\u2019s midtown Manhattan hotel.<\/p>\n The last time a Syrian head of state attended the General Assembly was in 1967. That was before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty, which came to an end in December when then-President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa. Assad\u2019s fall also brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil war.<\/p>\n Since then, al-Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West, where officials were initially wary of his past ties with the al-Qaida militant group. The rebel group he formerly led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was previously designated by the United States as a terrorist group.<\/p>\n The State Department waived Assad-era visa restrictions on Syria for al-Sharaa and his delegation for them to participate in the general assembly\u2019s high-level week, which kicks off on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Trump schedule at UN General Assembly includes speech, world leaders meetings and a reception \u2014 1:24 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Trump flies to New York City later Monday to be in place for what White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said will be a \u201cmajor speech\u201d to the world body on Tuesday on the \u201crenewal of American strength around the world\u201d under his leadership.<\/p>\n Leavitt said Trump will also hold one-on-one meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina and the European Union.<\/p>\n Trump on Tuesday will also hold a group meeting with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll return to Washington after hosting a reception Tuesday night with more than 100 world leaders.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n The Trump administration is appealing an appellate court panel\u2019s ruling that it cannot use an 18th century wartime law to speed deportations of people it says belong to a Venezuelan gang.<\/p>\n The administration appealed the 2-1 ruling from the panel on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals \u2014 one of the most conservative in the nation \u2014 to the entire circuit. In doing so, the administration opted against an immediate appeal to the US Supreme Court.<\/p>\n The administration argues the majority of the panel erred in second-guessing President Trump\u2019s determination that the gang constitutes an \u201cinvasion\u201d or \u201cpredatory incursion\u201d under the Alien Enemies Act.<\/p>\n 4 takeaways from the Charlie Kirk memorial \u2014 1:20 p.m.<\/p>\n By The New York Times<\/p>\n The memorial service for Charlie Kirk on Sunday began with somber remembrances and anecdotes from friends before turning more explicitly to politics and vows to crush enemies of Kirk\u2019s conservative movement.<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of mourners packed a football stadium near Phoenix \u2014 and spilled into an overflow arena nearby \u2014 for the event, during which President Donald Trump and many members of his administration eulogized Kirk. Some vowed that his death would only strengthen his efforts to bring young people to the political right.<\/p>\n The service took place nearly two weeks after Kirk, 31, was assassinated while holding an event on a college campus in Utah. A 22-year-old man who prosecutors said had decried Kirk\u2019s \u201chatred\u201d has been charged in his death.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/7YBLLXSSAJFHFIEGUV6KFTVKJE.jpg\")
A general view of the El Capitan Entertainment Centre where the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show is performed in Hollywood on Sept. 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Mario Tama\/Getty<\/p>\n![\"White](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PRDLGJSFXBGBX4SLY4AWWBX5DQ.jpg\")
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. Mark Schiefelbein\/Associated PressTrump administration appeals case aimed at speeding deportations of people alleged to be in Venezuelan gang \u2014 1:23 p.m.<\/p>\n
![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/TMKBQPSZQAQLT77AGA37SAGWIQ.jpg\")
Ben Carson speaks to reporters after touring the Plymouth Place senior housing facility in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/BQSQJ43SLNCZ2MKAF6CSMNI5GQ.jpg\")
President Trump speaks at a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"Attorney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/XLRMETJIQNOF236IXC56YEMCKY.jpg\")
Attorney General Pam Bondi, center, speaks as President Trump listens during a White House news conference on crime in Washington.Eric Lee\/For The Washington Post<\/p>\n