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Disney Announces ABC To Air "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Tuesday; New Push For Palestinian Statehood As Gaza War Ramps Up; Kremlin Denies Russian Jets Entered Estonian Airspace; Trump Links Tylenol With Autism; Italians Stage Strikes & Mass Protests In Support Of Gaza; White House Official: U.S. TikTok Algorithm To Be Overseen By Oracle. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired September 23, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:33]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the suspension is over. Jimmy Kimmel is returning to his late-night talk show on Tuesday. So why did Disney reverse its decision? And what does it mean for free speech? We'll discuss.

Plus, the U.N. General Assembly is causing a diplomatic stir as more countries move to recognize a Palestinian state. But will it help the people of Gaza?

And President Trump tells women to, quote, "toughen up" during pregnancy, as the administration advises against using what's considered to be a safe fever and pain reducing medication.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.

A week after being suspended, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will return to air on Tuesday. The suspension issued by Disney owned ABC followed a threat from the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC chairman criticized Kimmel for comments he made in the wake of political activist Charlie Kirk's death, remarks that sparked a national debate over free speech.

Disney released a statement saying in part, "It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill timed and thus insensitive. After conversations with Jimmy, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday."

But while "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will return to ABC, not everyone will be able to see it. Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which previously vowed to preempt Kimmel's show, says it will air news programing instead. No word yet from Nexstar Media Group, which also planned to preempt Kimmel.

Crowds have gathered to protest Disney's original decision over the weekend at company offices in New York and California. More than 400 artists, including Hollywood A-listers, signed a letter organized by the ACLU in support of free speech.

For more on Kimmel's return to air, I'm joined by CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter.

Great to have you with us. So to be a fly on the wall during those conversations between ABC executives and Jimmy Kimmel, the network described them as thoughtful but didn't say much more. What can you tell us about those internal talks and the decision to reinstate him?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Well, on one level, this is a very personal situation between Kimmel and top ABC executives. These folks are basically like friends, old friends. They really respect each other. Kimmel has had a long history with ABC. He's one of the most important faces of the network. So there's a lot of personal connection here, and that helps explain why ABC wanted to get Kimmel back on the air.

But beyond the personal, this was also incredibly political. It's very polarizing. And even the decision to bring him back on the air is very -- very controversial in the U.S., with many Trump voters, MAGA loyalists, already speaking out against it.

I think ABC was having to weigh all the feedback of the past week, all of the business calculations. Yes, the concern about government pressure going forward, but also the ethical and moral questions that have been raised by free speech and free expression groups and many Hollywood actors and producers and showrunners.

The pressure mounting on ABC was really intense from employees, from others in the Hollywood community, frankly, even from friends and family of these ABC executives. And I don't think any of them, deep down inside, wanted to look like they were giving in and caving to the American president. So here we are, Kimmel returning to the air, although not all across the United States. There are some stations that are refusing to air him still.

KINKADE: And just to remind our viewers, the backlash against the suspension came after a threat by the FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENDAN CARR, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION: Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action frankly on Kimmel or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: And of course, what followed was criticism of that crackdown on free speech from unexpected places, even from Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Look, look, I like Brendan Carr. But what he said there is dangerous as hell.

[00:05:03]

He says, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CRUZ: And I got to say, that's right out of "Goodfellas." That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, nice bar you have here. It'd be a shame if something happened to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: So what does it say, that the right-wing of the Republican Party was defending a late-night host who is often critical of them?

STELTER: Right. This really created a schism on the right with some MAGA media influencers cheering for Kimmel's suspension and others saying this is a worrisome precedent, and they are not going to like these so-called rules when they are reversed and used against conservatives.

So, in other words, folks like Cruz, Rand Paul and others taking more of a principled position, understanding that the free speech rights apply to everyone and that you don't want a government that happens to be controlled by one party, to then have everything reversed later.

Listen, I think, though, for a lot of Trump voters, for a lot of, you know, diehard Republicans, they are -- they are in this moment. They are not thinking five or 10 years ahead. They are in this moment wanting to settle scores, wanting what they consider revenge. And Kimmel is a very juicy target. And that's not changing just because he's back on the air on Tuesday night. He's going to remain very much under scrutiny and very much a target of President Trump's going forward, I think.

KINKADE: And so what can we expect Tuesday night? Do you think he'll tackle this head on or will it be business as usual?

STELTER: You know, the indication is that he will address this controversy. And frankly, how could he not? He is outspoken in his criticism of both the president and the administration, and that's what his viewers expect. You know, in a sharply divided country where the president has about a 40 percent approval rating, that means about six in 10 Americans do not approve of President Trump. They certainly don't approve of infringements on free speech.

So Kimmel has a big possible audience that wants to hear from him. You know, in some ways, the declining linear ratings for late-night hide the true power of the shows. The true power of these shows is in the social clips they generate, in the YouTube presence and all of that. And in some ways, this is going to make Kimmel bigger than ever. You know, his contract is coming up next spring. ABC will have a decision to make next spring about whether to keep him or not. I think in the short term, this controversy might make Kimmel bigger than ever. KINKADE: Yes, there'll be plenty of people tuning in Tuesday night for

this show, but I have to wonder about the ABC affiliates because Sinclair said they wouldn't air his show even when the suspension was lifted. So could this become a bigger issue for the ABC?

STELTER: Yes, it is. And that's why this controversy is not going away. That's why the free speech concerns are not going away. What we're seeing is an ongoing, every day in different ways in America, an ongoing fracture between red and blue, between left and right. And in this case, Sinclair, a conservative media company with right-wing, Trump-donating owners with stations in largely red Republican markets, it's refusing to air the show going forward.

Sinclair's representative told me they're in talks with ABC looking for a path forward. But at least for now, Kimmel is not going to be airing in some of those more Republican ruby-red markets across the U.S. To me, this is a sign of something very bleak about American life and society, where even broadcast TV is no longer quite so broad that even the same shows are not appearing depending on what city you happen to live in.

KINKADE: Brian Stelter, as always, great to get your analysis. Thanks so much thanks.

The U.S. president is preparing to speak at the U.N. General Assembly, which gets underway in the coming day. He'll be meeting on the sidelines with the presidents of Ukraine and the European Commission. Donald Trump will also host the leaders of Arab and Muslim nations, including Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They're expected to discuss the war in Gaza and will likely urge him to pressure Israel to end the war.

It comes amid a groundswell of support for a two-state solution. The U.N. secretary general says it is the only way out of this nightmare.

Well, France and several other Western nations are the latest to formally declare their recognition of a Palestinian state. They join about 150 U.N. members that have already done so. The French president says Palestinian statehood is the only way to let -- to allow Israel to live in peace and claims that it would be a defeat for Hamas. But the Israeli prime minister says it would, quote, "constitute an absurd prize for terrorism."

The prime minister of Luxembourg, which newly supports a two-state solution, says its decision does not mean it's against Israel, but rather against the actions of Prime Minister Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUC FRIEDEN, PRIME MINISTER OF LUXEMBOURG: We have always been friends of Israel and we remain friends of Israel. We want an immediate release of the hostages, but at the same time, we need to give the Palestinians hope for the future and also make sure that the Israelis can live in peace.

[00:10:05] And the only way forward is to make sure that now these two states solution gets, I would say, new energy, a second chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: CNN's Melissa Bell has a close look at the growing push for Palestinian statehood.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: France has become one of several countries to recognize the state of Palestine. It was a move announced several months ago by the French and the Saudis, attempts to bring together a conference that would aim to put back at the heart of Middle Eastern politics and peace efforts, the idea of a two-state solution. As one senior source here in Paris explained it, that very idea had become radical as a result of not just what's happened in Gaza over the last couple of years, but also what's been happening in the West Bank.

The aim of the French to place it back in a central position. This is what the French president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The time has come. This is why true to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today France recognizes the state of Palestine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: The aim, explained the French president, not simply the recognition of Palestine, but the fact that there could be no peace without recognition between one side and the other, and that this then was now a prerequisite for what should follow, which was a peace plan adopted earlier this month by the U.N., which would see things like an international force deployed to Gaza in place of the IDF to try and secure peace.

The first aim, he said, would be to bring peace to that region, with a second phase aimed at reconstructing Gaza and figuring out how a post- peace Palestinian state might function. There has been a lot of speculation about what exactly this might mean, and what difference it will make on the ground, given the rejection of the idea both by the United States and by Israel.

What allies around France and those who backed this proposal and followed France's lead hope is that this will increase the isolation of the United States and Israel, and potentially bring more pressure to bear on the possibility that talks can once again start on hopes for peace in the Middle East.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

KINKADE: Well, the main airports in the capitals of Denmark and Norway are back up and running after an unidentified drone sightings forced flight cancellations and delays. Officials closed the airspace over Copenhagen airport for several hours Monday night after spotting two to three large unidentified drones. And early Tuesday morning, the airspace over Oslo International Airport was also closed due to another drone sighting.

Radar shows planes diverting away from the airports. It's not clear where the drones came from, but there's no indication that they're related to the recent incursions into European airspace by Russian aircraft.

NATO's political decision-making body is set to meet Tuesday to discuss those Russian incursions into Estonian airspace. Estonia requested NATO Article Four consultation after three Russian jets entered its airspace without permission. On Monday the U.N. held an emergency Security Council session where Estonia and its allies condemned Russia for what they call reckless behavior and deliberate provocation. Russia denies that its jets entered Estonian airspace.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen brings us the reaction from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Kremlin-controlled TV ripping into the U.S.'s NATO allies after NATO said Russian jets violated member state Estonia's airspace late last week.

"This time it wasn't drones, but Russian aerospace forces aircraft that caused the panic," the anchor says. "Three of our MiG-31 fighter jets allegedly flew into Estonian airspace and remained there for 12 minutes." While the Russian military denies its planes crossed into NATO territory, analysts here warning of escalation.

"There has to be some way out of this crisis," he says, "and the symptoms indicate that some form of military conflict will be inevitable."

The MiG-31 fighters involved in the incident are some of the fastest in the world, and able to carry Russia's hypersonic, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the Kinzhal. It's the latest in a string of events' increasing tensions between NATO and Russia, coming just days after Poland said it had to scramble jets to shoot down more than a dozen Russian drones that violated its airspace. Still, the Kremlin, accusing America's allies of stirring up confrontation.

"We consider such claims to be empty," the Kremlin spokesman said. "Unfounded and part of a completely reckless campaign to escalate tensions and provoke a confrontational atmosphere."

[00:15:08]

But 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.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, President Putin says he is willing to extend that key nuclear arms treaty if the U.S. does the same. The current treaty, known as New START, governs arsenals of long range nuclear weapons as well as intercontinental missiles. It's set to expire in February. And speaking to the Russian Security Council, Putin accused Western governments of undermining dialogue between nuclear armed states.

He says Russia needs to respond to threats, but says he has, quote, "no interest in further escalating tensions."

Here's how the White House is responding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is aware of this offer extended by President Putin, and I'll let him comment on it later. I think it sounds pretty good, but he wants to make some comments on that himself, and I will let him do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The U.S. president stuns medical experts by linking autism with a common painkiller.

Still ahead, CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta lays out the studies that contradict Donald Trump's claim.

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[00:21:20]

KINKADE: Hong Kong is preparing for the arrival of a powerful typhoon. The approach of Typhoon Ragasa is prompting authorities to shut down schools and businesses as it heads towards landfall in mainland China. Ragasa is bringing winds of up to 220 kilometers an hour. Heavy rain could cause significant storm surge as the typhoon passes south of Hong Kong. Authorities are expected to raise the typhoon signal in the city to level eight by midday. Most passenger flights in and out of the area have been delayed until early Thursday. The storm swept through the northern part of the Philippines on Monday.

Medical experts are criticizing the U.S. president's announcement linking the use of Tylenol with -- during pregnancy with autism. Donald Trump made the announcement despite decades of evidence that the common painkiller, also known as paracetamol, is safe. Tylenol is the main brand name and it is the only safe over-the-counter option for pregnant people. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta lays out the

science behind it.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, understandable if people are confused by what they heard coming out of the White House regarding Tylenol and autism. This is something, first of all, that is not new. There have been a lot of studies looking into this over the last couple of decades, many of which we've reported on.

There has never been a cause and effect relationship established between Tylenol or acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient, and autism. Just to make that clear. In fact, if you look at the specific language from the FDA that came out after that press conference, even there, they're not suggesting that people stop taking Tylenol, especially for fevers during pregnancy, because I think that's probably the most important point.

Keep in mind, when something is very ubiquitous, very common, you can associate it with just about anything. That's the paradox of ubiquity. As one of the researchers said, in hot weather months, ice cream use goes up and violent crime goes up. Are those things cause and effect? No, but they might be considered associated. In fact, if you look at Tylenol use over the last couple of decades for pregnant women, its usage has come down a bit, even as autism rates have gone up.

Something to keep in mind. Yet there have been these signals of concerns about potential associations between Tylenol and autism, and that's why a particularly big study was done came out of Sweden. It was over 25 years. They looked at two million children. About 10 percent of the moms had taken Tylenol during pregnancy. They had babies. They had siblings as well, in which they had not taken Tylenol during pregnancy.

And the bottom line is, when they put all of that data together, they did not find any link between Tylenol and autism. That's why you do those sorts of big studies. One thing again that came out was this idea that if a woman has a fever during pregnancy, how big a problem is that in and of itself? That gets back to this association problem. Why was the woman taking Tylenol in the first place? Was it to treat a fever? Did that fever get caused by an infection? Could the infection or the fever be really what's driving a potential association with autism?

Again, these are complicated studies. That's why you have to do them. Not treating a fever during pregnancy is a problem. It can be associated with birth defects, it can be associated with early labor. It can be associated with a miscarriage and neurodevelopmental problems in and of itself. So the guidance has long been to women who have fevers during pregnancy or need to take something for pain, take the smallest dose for the shortest amount of time.

[00:25:06]

And I don't think that guidance is likely to change based on what we heard.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, President Trump brushed off the experts, saying, quote, "We understood a lot more than a lot of the people who studied it."

Well, Italy's government is under mounting public pressure. Coming up, the latest on a nationwide strike and the mass protests calling for more action to end the war in Gaza.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

[00:30:20]

The suspension is over. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" set to return to air on Tuesday.

Disney and ABC pulled the late-night comedy show after Kimmel addressed the death of political activist Charlie Kirk, but they reversed that decision after debates on free speech and protests at Disney offices. Some stations will preempt the show.

A prominent Egyptian activist is free following a presidential pardon, according to Egyptian state media. The 42-year-old dual Egyptian- British citizen, Alaa Abd El-Fattah, is seen here reuniting with his family members.

The activist was most recently sentenced in 2021 for charges that human rights organizations say were politically motivated.

Calls for a two-state solution in the Middle East are growing louder just hours before the U.N. General Assembly. The U.N. chief says Palestinian statehood is a right, not a reward, and without it, there will be no peace in the region.

The French president said it's the only way Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security.

Italians are showing their support for the Palestinians in Gaza, staging a nationwide strike and mass protests across the country. Demonstrators are calling on the government to join other western nations in recognizing a Palestinian state.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Rome with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in central Rome, where there is a demonstration of tens of thousands of people protesting against the war in Gaza and demanding the Italian government take a stronger stand against the war.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The Italian government has, by and large, been passive over the last two years. But what we're seeing, this -- this march, this protest is just one of more than 80 -- WEDEMAN: -- in Italian towns and cities that are accompanied by strikes. Strikes by teachers, strikes by government workers, even strikes by the fire department and the people who monitor seismic activity in Italy.

What we're seeing is that ordinary Italians, as opposed to their government, are increasingly opposed to the war in Gaza, increasingly mobilized against s government they feel has been largely supportive of Israel.

So, what we're seeing here is perhaps a microcosm of opinion across Europe, where increasingly they want their governments to do more, to stop the war in Gaza or to stop support for Israel as it continues this war that is now approaching its second anniversary.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The Trump administration is offering emergency financial help to its political ally, the president of Argentina.

Javier Milei famously promised to take a chainsaw to government spending, and his programs have dramatically reduced Argentina's inflation rate.

But his austerity measures have caused deep economic pain and weakened him politically ahead of key elections next month.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. is ready to provide a large and forceful program of financial intervention for Argentina.

Milei is expected to meet with President Trump on Tuesday to discuss the plan.

Still to come, new information from the White House on who may end up controlling TikTok in the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.

The Trump administration has been looking for investors to take over TikTok in the U.S. because of national security concerns. CNN's Clare Duffy has details on what that new ownership might look like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: What happens to the TikTok algorithm had been one of the major, outstanding questions surrounding this deal, because --

DUFFY (voice-over): -- the TikTok algorithm is one of the major reasons the app is so popular.

But it had also been at the root of some of these concerns that the app poses a national security risk, with U.S. officials worrying that the Chinese government could force parent company ByteDance to manipulate the algorithm and influence Americans.

So, if this deal goes through, ByteDance --

DUFFY: -- will provide a copy of the algorithm to this new majority- American-owned joint venture in the United States. That group will review the algorithm. They'll retrain it on American user data.

DUFFY (voice-over): And then the tech company Oracle will continually monitor how the algorithm is serving up content to American users.

Now, the White House says the list of investors who are participating in this TikTok deal has not yet been finalized, but we do expect that Oracle will be involved, along with private equity firm Silver Lake.

And President Trump said over the weekend that tech CEO Michael Dell and both Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch may also be involved.

Now, a source tells CNN that it's actually FOX Corp, rather than the Murdochs individually, who are likely to invest in the company.

But stepping back a bit --

DUFFY (voice-over): -- I do think that, of course, U.S. users will be happy to hear that their access to the app has been preserved, but I think it's going to be interesting to watch the reaction --

DUFFY: -- to this idea that this new ownership group, which is going to include at least some Trump allies, is going to be controlling what they see on the app.

[00:40:13]

That is something I'll be watching closely as this deal moves forward.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Thanks to Clare Duffy.

Well, NASA just took one giant leap towards its bold plans to the Moon and Mars.

The U.S. space agency has announced its 2025 astronaut candidate class on Monday. NASA's ten new astronauts were chosen from a pool of more than 8000 applicants from across the U.S.

The group includes six women and four men who will spend the next two years in an intensive training program before becoming eligible for flight assignments.

NASA is gearing up its race to return to the Moon before attempting an unprecedented crewed mission to Mars.

How exciting!

Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with us. WORLD SPORT is next, and I'll be back at the top of the hour with much more news.

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