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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Admin Links Autism To Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy; Trump Urges Attorney General Bondi To Prosecute His Political Enemies; France Joins 145-Plus Countries Recognizing Palestinian State; Oracle To Oversee TikTok's Algorithm In U.S. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 22, 2025 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Thanks 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 Capitol this hour, President Trump's message to Pam Bondi. 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 A.G. 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. This was the president just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: 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 head just 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.

CNN'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. KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: 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'll 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. And, 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, Karoline Leavitt, that they were looking through -- 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.

But 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. It 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've 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. They 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've answers on autism by September. It is now September. But big questions are, did the data change? What do they -- what were they looking at that seemed 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. This 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 pregnancy, particularly if you needed it.

[18:05:02]

HILL: Yes. There has been a significant amount of study, as you point out.

Kristen at the White House, I really appreciate it. Thank you.

I'll also just 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. At Charlie Kirk's Memorial on Sunday, Trump taking a much different approach than that of Kirk's widow, Erica Kirk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIKA KIRK, CHARLIE KIRK'S WIDOW: 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.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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, Erika.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: 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 directed at Bondi, Trump 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. It'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, Karoline Leavitt, was asked about this repeatedly today as to specifically whether the president is weaponizing the Justice Department. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: 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. It 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: 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 fair and accurate to say that Biden and only Biden weaponized the DOJ?

BILL BRENNAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: 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. And, you know, the old saying comes to mind you campaign and 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. Prosecutor gets a case, goes before a grand jury between, you know, number of people that decide whether indict or not.

But, you know, the other side, if to take it back -- not to duck your question, but to take it back to the other administration, when General James, Letitia James ran her whole campaign, and you can look at, you can 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. 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. I 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.

HILL: Maya, do you trust the system? Is this business as usual?

MAYA WILEY, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: This is very, very, very far from business as usual. I mean, and 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 this sitting president might like. That's dangerous. We've seen the same in the FBI. 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 U.S. attorney in Virginia who said, I don't have enough evidence.

[18:10:05]

In a sense, what 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 seem 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.

HILL: On the heels of what happened in Virginia, my colleague, Kristen Holmes, actually asked Karoline Leavitt earlier today whether 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? Karoline Leavitt really dodged the question. She didn't answer it.

But, Bill, 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?

BRENNAN: Here's why I don't have, 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. But even if she didn't, there's a process. And the process is the case is, but there's two ways you can charge. And the main way is by indictment. And that process is grand jurors are impeded. 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, there'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 ran, 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 (INAUDIBLE) every opportunity you could to try to bring some charges against President Trump. And General James ran on a campaign.

HILL: Bill, I'm going to have to cut you off there. You've cut -- you've also cut into Maya's last word time. So, Maya, sorry.

BRENNAN: I'm sorry, Maya. WILEY: Well, I'm just saying, Bill, you're a great defense -- you're a great defense attorney, Bill, and we are 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. I just want to say that.

HILL: Maya Wiley, Bill Brennan, I appreciate you both joining us. Bill, I got to cut you off.

BRENNAN: Thank you.

HILL: 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. Of 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 to 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.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

HILL: In 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 Randi Kaye has been following this trial, which is frankly a bit of a bizarre trial. Ryan Routh doesn't have a defense attorney. He was representing himself, Randi. How did all this play out today?

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 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. The judge asked him, did you have enough time to decide? And his response was a year, because it was one year ago that Ryan Routh was arrested. He did call three witnesses to the stand. One was a former Marine sniper who testified that he did 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.

We had a chance to speak 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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH ROUTH, RYAN ROUTH'S DAUGHTER: I feel like he really didn't have another choice after seeing how rigged it is. Why would he put himself at that -- in that position, you know? That would be stupid. It's obviously all rigged and it's all bullshit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, Randi, what happens next at this point?

KAYE: 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. Those start at 9:00 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 Routh is facing life in prison. Erica?

HILL: All right. Randi, I appreciate it. Thank you.

So, this was the first day on the job for Mike Waltz in his new gig is 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?

[18:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: A 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 and 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, calling NATO jets to scramble.

It was also notably the first day on the job for Mike Waltz in his new role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. You'll recall, of course, he was ousted as Trump's national security adviser after that Signal group chat scandal.

Joining me now, Congressman Gregory Meeks up New York, he's the top Democrat on the House of 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.

[18:25:00]

I spoke just a short time ago with Israel's ambassador to the U.N. and he was commenting on, instead of what we heard from President Macron today, he said -- Macron said he feels this isolates Hamas, right, that this isn't, in his view, sort of giving the Palestinian people a voice. Ambassador Danon said that this is really support for terrorism, in his view. It does not support for peace, and that President Macron doesn't know the facts. How would you assess what we're seeing in this moment?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): 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 your 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 in 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.

And I've 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.

HILL: Is the recognition of Palestinian statehood, the first step to those negotiations, in your view?

MEEKS: 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. I think that's the goal. And I think everyone should be saying that there should be a Palestinian state, but 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. 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 are, 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.

HILL: I 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 is during the emergency meeting today about Russia being in Estonia's airspace. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: 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.

KAJA KALLAS, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE E.U. FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY: It cannot be that Russia accidentally violates three times in two weeks European airspace. And if it was accidentally was a mistake, there has been plenty of time for Russian Federation to apologize. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Questions 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?

MEEKS: 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 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 through 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, let 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 Zelenskyy 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 and now what has taken place in Estonia.

HILL: President Zelenskyy, of course, said to be here this week. I believe he has said to meet with the president as well.

[18:30:00]

We'll see what, if anything, comes out of that.

Congressman, I appreciate taking the time to come to the studio today.

MEEKS: Thank you.

HILL: Thank you.

MEEKS: I'll be meeting with him also.

HILL: Well, we look forward to you following up and letting me know how that meeting went.

MEEKS: Very good.

HILL: Thank you so much.

MEEKS: Thank you.

HILL: 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, 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.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There'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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The breaking news in our Health Lead, 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.

Joining me now is the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary.

[18:35:00]

It's good to have you with us this afternoon, sir.

DR. MARTY MAKARY, FDA COMMISSIONER: Thanks.

HILL: As I'm sure you know, members of the medical community, including ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pushing back here at the idea that 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?

MAKARY: 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.

And 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. We felt an obligation to get this information out to everyday docs and patients. HILL: So, that August analysis of some 46 studies, it found a correlation, but not an actual cause, and noted 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 could do to not only a woman, but also to the baby that she's carrying, to tough it out in a fever, especially in the first trimester. Does that concern you at all?

MAKARY: 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 and 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. And you have this overwhelming body of evidence pointing to an association. Why would we take a risk with our nation's kids?

HILL: So, do you -- we have seen an incredible rise. That is true. We've also seen, right, the definition expanded in terms of, and that's why we talk about autism spectrum disorder, it is tested for it 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?

MAKARY: 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. You just didn't see people a generation ago with these repetitive ticks, people who were completely non-verbal 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.

HILL: So, in terms of that, specifically, the FDA, as I understand it, has asked the drug maker of that, so that -- the label is Leucovorin, to include an indication for a rare disorder called cerebral folate deficiency, if I pronounced that correctly. Is there enough long-term safety data to support to support this use? MAKARY: There is Erica. This is a vitamin essentially that's been around for nearly a century and in its 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. And some doctors test kids with autism for the presence of that antibody to the folate receptor.

The medication we're about to approve, called Leucovorin, bypasses that receptor pathway delivering critical B9 vitamin directly to the brain cells.

[18:40:04]

And we know that's an important vitamin in neural development.

HILL: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, we are out of time, but we appreciate you joining us this afternoon. Thank you.

MAKARY: Thanks so much, Erica.

HILL: Also with me this hour, Dr. James McPartland, 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.

A 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?

DR. JAMES MCPARTLAND, DIRECTOR, YALE CENTER FOR BRAIN AND MIND HEALTH: 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.

HILL: Given 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?

MCPARTLAND: Well, practically speaking, the guidance is very, 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 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.

HILL: As you just heard from Dr. Makary, 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? MCPARTLAND: 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.

HILL: So, 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.

MCPARTLAND: 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.

HILL: The president made a number of claims. Among them, he said that there was no autism whatsoever within the Amish community. Is that accurate?

MCPARTLAND: 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.

HILL: Dr. James McPartland, I really appreciate you joining us and appreciate your expertise, your insight. Thank you.

MCPARTLAND: Thank you for having me.

HILL: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:47:20]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is great news, not just for the millions of American youth who use TikTok. Their data will be safe and secure with this new deal. They'll continue to use this very fun app.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: We begin the tech lead tonight with the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt 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, our panel of CNN reporters and analysts.

I want to begin with CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter. So, Brian, in terms of this group, who exactly is going to manage

TikTok's algorithm here in the U.S.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, we know Oracle Chief Larry Ellison has been involved from the get-go. Oracle 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 the 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. And 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.

HILL: Yeah, it is quite the turn of phrase. I may have to borrow that as well. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked a little bit more about specifics in terms of the deal. I want to play some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAVITT: 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. And the algorithm. I know this is a question many of you have had will be secured, retrained, retrained and operated in the United States outside of Bytedance's control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: 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?

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH REPORTER: 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. national 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 Karoline Leavitt said, on U.S. user data. [18:50:02]

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 --

HILL: Yeah.

DUFFY: -- to this idea of this sort of Trump friendly group of companies controlling what they're going to be seeing on this platform.

HILL: If they care or not, right? But 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 this was a because of the way that the company was structured. Does this mean those national security concerns are now gone?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: 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. You know, going back to the 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. Volt Typhoon, where they target hacking into infrastructure in case China decides one day to try and shut down water and power in telephonics here.

And there's another called Salt Typhoon, where they just spy on people in real time and extract data from telecom.

The point is, they're very busy day and night, trying to extract data. So, 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 deep fakes 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?

HILL: Yeah. I mean, it is a legitimate question.

There's also a -- there's a massive price tag on this, Clare, when we look at this involvement and the investment, what does it actually mean if they -- 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? DUFFY: Well, 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.

HILL: It is interesting, though, because when we -- when we look at all this and, Brian, you and I talked about this so much and we were on the air. I remember when -- when all of a sudden, there were some changes, right, before the inauguration, right, Brian?

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 at, which was -- which was fascinating.

In terms of these companies -- sorry, Brian. Go ahead.

STELTER: In fact, some people said, hey, I actually would like TikTok to be turned off because I'm too addicted to it. Thats 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.

HILL: There's also some -- 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?

STELTER: Well, learning today about the H-1B visas and seeing how some of these tech CEOs are reacting to the idea of a $100,000 price tag on these visas, Nvidia 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 sound bites.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENSEN HUANG, NVIDIA CEO: We want all the brightest minds to come to the United States and to 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.

SAM ALTMAN, OPENAI CEO: We need to get the smartest people in the country and streamlining that process, and also sort of aligning financial incentives seems good to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: 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.

HILL: And 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.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:58:57]

HILL: Our 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.

In our national 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 parks leaders who had said the ride was working correctly. The 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 league, talk about a flag on the play. Syracuse University's football team is now facing a $25,000 fine for violating a newly established NCAA rule, faking injuries to secure a free time out. 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 time out.

You can now follow the show on X @TheLeadCNN. And if you ever miss an episode, you can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts.

Stay tuned. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.