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The Situation Room

Study Finds Tylenol During Pregnancy Not Linked to Autism; Interview With California Gubernatorial Candidate Xavier Becerra; Will Iran Cease-Fire Be Extended?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 15, 2026 - 11:30   ET

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

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: So, bottom line, to answer the question, I think there's a 65 percent chance we see some kind of a continuation of the cease-fire and some shape of a deal probably in the next two to three weeks.

[11:30:08]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Let me get Brett back into this conversation.

"The Financial Times" published an investigation today, claiming Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps acquired a Chinese satellite to help its forces target U.S. military bases all across the Middle East.

Also this morning, President Trump said China is happy with the U.S. naval blockade and will not supply weapons to Iran. Can China, do you believe, be trusted as an uninvolved party in this conflict?

BRETT MCGURK, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, I hope the president's right, because that would be a huge problem.

We talk about the CRINK, Wolf. We have talked about it here in different contexts, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea. But just take China, Russia, and Iran. They cooperate. The Iranian drone and missile program is under international sanctions through the U.N. It is an international menace.

They proliferate this stuff to proxies around the region, to Russia. Those Shahed drones are allowing Russia to prosecute its war in Ukraine. This is one basis why this military campaign, if you degrade Iran's drone and missile capacity for a significant period of years, is actually so strategically important to try to break that connection between those powers.

But it is very important for president of the United States to tell Xi Jinping and Putin zero cooperation militarily with Iran when it comes to the protection of our troops. So I hope the president's right there.

I have to say, when I was doing this job not too long ago, the Russians and the Chinese were very careful in terms of what they actually provided the Iranians. So I hope that report is not true. That would be very... BLITZER: It would be serious, indeed.

Admiral Stavridis, an Israeli source is telling CNN that, in less than two hours from now, the Israeli Security Cabinet will discuss a possible cease-fire with Lebanon, this discussion taking place just one day after the first direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in some 40 years.

How much U.S. pressure has there been on the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to scale back the strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon?

STAVRIDIS: I will answer that momentarily.

I want to add to something Brett said. We ought to be very concerned about cooperation in the cyber lane. What if Russia and China provide cyber tools to the Iranians? They may feel they could do that more covertly. I know the NSA is watching that closely. It's another concern.

To Lebanon, good news that there are some level of direct talks. I think the Israelis see this as a second -- very much almost a western front in the war. They're going to do everything they can to try and pull Hezbollah body and soul out of Lebanon. That's the real challenge.

I think Lebanon, by itself, could become a reasonable partner for Israel, the way Egypt and Jordan did after the peace accords, but not until Hezbollah goes. And the key to that is going to be continuing to pull the Iranians, who provide the support to Hezbollah.

Final thought, since we're talking about proxies and western fronts, I'd take a look at the Bab-el-Mandeb, the strait at the bottom of the Red Sea. Boy, if the Iranians coerced or supplied the Houthis the capability to close that, you have got in some ways a more significant problem even than the Strait of Hormuz. So watch that strait as well.

BLITZER: We will be watching it all.

Admiral James Stavridis, Brett McGurk, to both of you, thank you very much for joining us -- Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: All right, up next here in THE SITUATION ROOM: growing pressure.

CNN's new reporting on the push from Democrats for California Governor Gavin Newsom to intervene in the scrambled race for his successor after Congressman Eric Swalwell ended his campaign.

Candidate Xavier Becerra will join me live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:38:26]

BROWN: New this morning, California Governor Gavin Newsom faces growing pressure to intervene in the state's governor's race.

Four people tell CNN that Newsom is still trying to make sense of where the race stands amid fallout from now former Congressman Eric Swalwell's sexual misconduct, allegations he denies. According to these sources, he's trying to sort out whether the Swalwell collapse increases the chances of two Republican candidates in the June primary.

On Tuesday, another woman came forward accusing Swalwell of rape. It is now being investigated. Her attorney declined to share detailed corroboration of her claims, and CNN could not independently verify the allegations.

A lawyer for Swalwell said in a statement -- quote -- "Swalwell categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been levied against him."

So with us now is former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat running for California governor.

Good morning to you.

First, I want to get to that CNN reporting that there's pressure on Newsom to get more involved in the governor's race to make sure two Republicans don't win in the primary. Do you think he should get more involved?

XAVIER BECERRA (D), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, anyone has the right to get involved. The governor certainly would have a big voice. And it's the governors decision.

I don't think I'm going to worry about that. And the voters are beginning to move in a particular direction. So, look, if the governor wants to get in, we welcome him. If he doesn't, we respect it. This race is going to shape itself over the next few weeks. I feel pretty confident that the voters are going to start making a decision.

[11:40:00]

BROWN: Have you heard from Newsom in all of this or talked to him? Because you worked under him as the state's attorney general from 2017 to 2021?

BECERRA: No, not recently, not after the fallout with Congressman Swalwell, no.

BROWN: So, last hour, Democratic Congressman Sam Liccardo of California said this about the Swalwell allegations. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. SAM LICCARDO (D-CA): I first heard about the rumors when Swalwell announced his run for governor in November and knew political consultants who talk about what we call oppo files, these opposition records that political consultants compile, talking about Swalwell's sexual misconduct. At that time, nobody was talking about rape, as we're hearing now. It

was not sexual assault, but clearly sexual misconduct, abuse of his position. And there's no question, I think, as Senator Gallego said, rumors about that were going on for many, many years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: What had you heard, Secretary?

BECERRA: I think many of us had heard the rumors as well. Never seen any corroboration. But, certainly, I think that the word had gone out.

Look, these are public servants. They should know they're going to be held accountable. So, one way or the other, the facts are going to come forward. And they should. There are a lot of survivors who have now come forward. They deserve the truth.

BROWN: You had just heard there of the mention of Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat and longtime friend of Swalwell.

He said this about his colleague yesterday:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): We all heard rumors in Washington, D.C., about Eric Swalwell for many years. And my family, again, was with him all the time, with his wife, with his kids. And we saw a different side of Eric.

I was lied to. And it clouded my judgment. Our friendship clouded our judgment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Is his explanation defendable, in your view? And do you think there's just been too much leniency for inappropriate behavior in Congress overall?

BECERRA: Well, Pamela, first, I'm not going to try to put myself in Senator Gallego's shoes, but I will tell you this.

There has not been enough accountability. That's a fact. And we're going to have to see accountability go all the way through. The fact that Congressman Swalwell has left the race for governor, the fact that he's resigned his position as a member of Congress, those are all, I believe, the right moves.

But that doesn't mean that accountability is done. The business of accountability means getting to the truth for these survivors.

BROWN: And you just heard him say there the rumors had been around for years. We just interviewed Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who raised questions about why Democratic leadership didn't do more. What do you think?

Should Democratic leadership have done more, rather than CNN and "The San Francisco Chronicle" doing this reporting, corroborating the accounts and then putting it out publicly that led to Swalwell's resignation?

BECERRA: Wait a minute. Time out. A Republican is complaining that another elected official on the Democratic side has not done more to bring out the facts?

Excuse me? There's an occupant in the White House who has any number of allegations by a number of credible women. And there's a Republican complaining that Democrats haven't come forward?

Look, this is -- it's not just good for one goose and not for the other.

BROWN: And we did ask her about that as well, by the way, just to note that for our viewers. We did ask her about that.

BECERRA: Well, OK, so...

BROWN: But what about -- but, right now, we're focused on Democratic leadership. Should they have done more on this front, given the fact that now everyone's coming out and saying, oh, the rumors have been around for years?

BECERRA: We all have an obligation, as I said. If you're in public service, we all have an obligation to make sure we're accountable.

If we know certain facts, we should bring them forward. I don't know how much people knew. Again, people talk about rumors. That's one thing. Having facts is something else. I'm not sure if these women had gone and spoken to others, but, certainly, now that they have, the truth should come forward.

But, by the way, this is not a partisan issue. And so I hope Republicans stand up themselves and take on those within their own party who are saying and doing things that are against the law, who violated the rights of women. And let's all get to this together, because there are victims, there are survivors who are out there who have spoken their truth and are courageously coming forward.

BROWN: Just to quickly follow up with you on the race in California, how are you hoping to win over Swalwell supporters at this point in the race?

BECERRA: Well, it's interesting. The race was turned upside down. And, actually, for us, it's been right side up now, as we have gained tremendously within social media, within following, within the community that's out there listening.

And I think what's happening is voters are paying attention because they're seeing how important this race will be. And they just saw one of the candidates fall. Look, we're going to move forward. I hope that the voters in California will pay attention.

And, if they do, I think they will trust experience. And I do have -- I think I have another experience to show them that this is a way to go when it comes to who should be the next governor.

[11:45:04]

BROWN: All right, Secretary Xavier Becerra, thank you so much.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: New this morning, a newly published study shows there is no link between women who took Tylenol during pregnancy and autism in their children.

The Danish study looked at 1.5 million children born over more than two decades, and researchers found a higher percentage of children who had not been exposed to the drug in utero who were later diagnosed with autism.

This new study comes after the Trump administration's mixed messages over the safety of taking Tylenol's active ingredient, acetaminophen, during pregnancy. CNN reported earlier this month that those comments were having real-life ripple effects.

[11:50:07]

Early analysis of hospitals' prescriptions since September 2025, when the Trump administration first made those comments, suggests fewer pregnant patients in emergency rooms were taking the drug Tylenol.

Here with us now is board-certified OB-GYN and fertility physician Dr. Natalie Crawford. She also is the author of "The Fertility Formula: Take Control of Your Reproductive Future."

Dr. Crawford, congrats on your book. It's just out.

DR. NATALIE CRAWFORD, FERTILITY PHYSICIAN: Thank you.

BROWN: I highly recommend it. I have read it.

So I just want to start with this news about Tylenol. What are you seeing within your own patient base? Is there more hesitation because of the announcement from the administration?

CRAWFORD: There's a lot of hesitation and fear among pregnant women about what is safe to take.

There's misinformation online. There was the announcement in the fall. And so it's really important that they have valid sources of health information that they can rely on, because Tylenol has not been proven to be harmful when taken during pregnancy. And, in fact, it's the safest thing to take if you have pain or fever.

BROWN: And what are you seeing in terms of how patients are making sense of the mixed messages, what the government says? And then you have new studies out like the one I just pointed out, this Danish study saying that there is no link. CRAWFORD: We're seeing hesitancy to believe new studies after we have

had prior news come out from the government, the administration telling them something else.

So it really is going to take health care professionals and doctors really telling their patients and helping to explain that this is a really strong study and that that can help women feel more comfortable taking medications that they may need in pregnancy.

BROWN: So, I want to turn to another story we're following that you know all about, the dropping fertility rate here in the United States.

There's this new data that was released by the CDC and it shows the fertility rate dropped 23 percent from its peak in 2007. Now, some of that is being driven by a drop in teen pregnancy, which fell 7 percent from 2024 to 2025. But what other factors do you think are contributing to this, based on the research you did for your book "The Fertility Formula"?

CRAWFORD: We did see a drop in teen pregnancy. We also saw an increase in pregnancy in women age 40 and older.

But the really overall drop in fertility rate is twofold. One, we do see women waiting longer to start their family and therefore having less children. We also see an increase in infertility across the board. More women and men are having a harder time getting pregnant, largely due to a lot of the inflammation and exposures in our environment and our day-to-day life and how that impacts our overall health and our egg quality and our sperm quality.

BROWN: Yes, because, in your book, you actually say that inflammation is even worse than aging on a woman's eggs. Tell us more about that.

CRAWFORD: Yes, as we get older, we run out of eggs. And that's what most women think is the primary factor for why age impacts fertility.

But it's actually the change in egg quality which matters most. And inflammation directly impacts this. Most people get less healthy and they have more inflammation as they get older. But inflammation interferes with the brain and the ovary communication, interferes with the ability to ovulate, egg quality, and the ability to get and stay pregnant.

But there's factors that we control that we can modify within our environment that can help decrease our inflammatory exposures.

BROWN: Yes, and you lay a lot of that out in this book. A lot of people still think fertility is just luck, but you lay out the different lifestyle changes people can make in this world filled with chemicals, toxins and processed foods.

Like, tell us some of those.

CRAWFORD: Exactly.

When we want to think about the world around us, we want to decrease endocrine-disrupting chemicals, a lot of these coming from plastic or fragrances in our bath and beauty products. And I encourage people not to be afraid of everything, but to really look at where you spend most of your time in your home, so in the kitchen and in your bathroom.

We want to be eating more anti-inflammatory foods. This is foods high in fiber, antioxidants, fruits and vegetables. We want to have healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, but avoid those ultra-processed foods and avoiding adding sugar and fried foods, which we know just cause inflammation without having any added health benefits.

BROWN: Yes.

And we talk so much about infertility with women, but it's also an issue with men. There are different causes. There's Klinefelter's.

CRAWFORD: Yes.

BROWN: A lot of men don't even know they have it until they're older. But this all pertains to men too, right?

CRAWFORD: Fifty percent of infertility is male factor. And so we have to bring men into the discussion.

The good news for men is that, unlike women, who are born with all their eggs, they absorb the wear and tear of our world, men create brand-new sperm every single second. And there's a 90-day lifespan for sperm. So we can start to focus on changes right now to decrease inflammation, decrease smoking cigarettes, cannabis use, alcohol use, decrease heat exposure to the testes.

And we can see completely different sperm three months from now.

BROWN: That's -- they have an advantage on that front. That's for sure.

CRAWFORD: They do.

BROWN: Very quickly, I just want to ask you, for our viewers who may have a daughter or who are interested in IVF, I have gotten a lot of questions of, if I'm single in my 30s or I'm not yet married, should I just go ahead and get IVF to be safe and preserve those eggs?

What do you say?

CRAWFORD: If having a child is a life goal, you should at least go get an evaluation. This doesn't mean you have to freeze your eggs or do IVF.

[11:55:01]

But you should know what your egg count is. You should learn about the process, because there are certain women, especially those with other medical conditions, like endometriosis or autoimmune disease, that are predisposed to have infertility and run out of eggs early who might make a different decision than a woman who doesn't have that.

So we can't make decisions on data we don't know, and scheduling a consult just gets you information about your body.

BROWN: It certainly doesn't hurt.

All right, Dr. Natalie Crawford, here for our Women's Health Watch with her new book "The Fertility Formula," thank you so much. We appreciate it.

BLITZER: And, Doctor, thanks so much for writing this excellent, excellent book.

CRAWFORD: Thank you so much.

BLITZER: Men should be reading it as well, not just women.

BROWN: Yes, absolutely.

BLITZER: And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts after a short break.