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Hurricane Gabrielle Strengthens; Trump Targets Political Enemies; Autism Debate; Trump to Address United Nations. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired September 22, 2025 - 13:00   ET

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

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Global leaders together as parts of the world are torn apart. High-level talks are about to get under way at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It's a big stage for these leaders, and the big question, what part President Trump wants to play.

Plus: What causes autism? The White House set to announce its findings just hours from now, but doctors are skeptical.

And putting...

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: On the American dream, a new report says it costs millions of dollars.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: A few hours from now, President Trump traveling to New York before his address to the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow.

World leaders have been gathering there all day for high-level diplomatic talks and the president's arrival coming at an inflection point for the U.N., the ongoing war in Ukraine, Israel's new offensive in Gaza City and the growing push to recognize a Palestinian state just a few of the urgent issues that leaders will be discussing.

CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House for us.

Betsy, a lot of questions for the White House as the president prepares to head to the U.N. What can you tell us?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, President Trump expected to depart the White House a little bit later today. And before that, moments from now, we are going to hear from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a briefing just any time now.

And it really comes at a very consequential moment for both domestic and foreign affairs, as the president is expected to go to New York. We still don't know what world leaders he is planning to meet with. We also do not know what he intends to say in that speech tomorrow. It's going to be very, very closely watched.

And it comes, as you mentioned, as many other countries are building momentum toward a two-state solution to end this conflict between Israel and Hamas. That is something that, obviously, Israel, neither -- nor the United States has signed on to at this stage.

And a lot of questions for how the Trump administration is going to respond to that. I asked the president if he was still confident that there could be a diplomatic solution to this conflict yesterday. And he said, yes, he believes there could be, but obviously noting all of the history there.

And then moving to more domestic questions Leavitt is expected to field today, over the weekend, we heard from the president going after Attorney General Pamela Bondi, telling her to target his political enemies more aggressively. He pointed to Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James, as well as former FBI Director James Comey.

Questions now about how the president plans to move forward on some of these cases against his perceived political enemies, particularly after the dismissal under pressure, resignation of the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Separately, in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, the president has vowed to go after left-wing groups, has even said he will designate some of those groups as terrorist organizations. Questions about what other left-wing groups the president plans to investigate, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you for that -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: In just a few hours, President Trump is set to reveal what he's characterizing as an answer to autism. The president is expected to link the development of autism to the using of Tylenol during pregnancy, an assertion that medical experts say is not so cut and dry.

There are questions about the data behind this announcement, which could also point to folate deficiency as a potential driver. Remember, back in April, Trump's health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., vowed to find the cause of the autism epidemic by this month.

CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell joins us now.

Meg, what more are we anticipating the president is going to say?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, this is an issue that has really been looked at for more than a decade, and scientists say the science, as you noted, is anything but settled on this.

And so, as you pointed out, we are expecting the president potentially to say there is a link between use of Tylenol during pregnancy and autism, and that the administration may warn against using Tylenol in pregnancy, except for possibly cases of things like high fever.

Separately, they may also suggest an old drug called leucovorin as a potential treatment for autism. Now, on the Tylenol question, this is a widely used drug, including during pregnancy. More than half of pregnant women report using Tylenol during pregnancy worldwide.

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And one of the reasons it's so widely used is there are a few other options that are thought to be safe for use during pregnancy to cut down on fever or pain. That can be dangerous to not treat fever and pain during pregnancy as well. So this is a drug that is depended on.

Now, this has been looked at a number of times and scientists largely say that the data don't point to a causative association between Tylenol and autism. There was one major study that looked at 46 previous studies that essentially concluded that they do think that there is an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and offspring with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, although they said observational limitations preclude definitive causation.

So, again, just because these things are linked, it doesn't mean one thing causes the other. Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, also, we should say, says -- quote -- "Independent sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism."

So we're listening to hear exactly what the tenor of this is going to be Boris, but you have folks like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists saying, if they say this is truly a cause of autism, they call that potentially reckless based on where the data stand now.

SANCHEZ: And we will be watching that announcement very closely this afternoon. Meg Tirrell from New York, thank you so much for the reporting.

Coming up: the pressure to prosecute, President Trump asking his attorney general to go after some of his political enemies. We're following the latest there.

And a California crackdown. The state's governor just signed legislation to ban federal immigration agents from wearing masks. The White House pushing back on that.

Plus, Hurricane Gabrielle getting stronger, and fast, and it could soon have company. We have got your forecast in just moments.

Stay with CNN. We will be right back.

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[13:11:17] KEILAR: President Trump ramping up his retribution campaign as he lashes out at his adversaries. At Charlie Kirk's memorial on Sunday, he praised what he characterized as the conservative activist's desire to engage and respect his political opponents.

But Trump made clear it's not an example he will follow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them.

That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: And I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry. I am sorry, Erika. But now Erika can talk to me and the whole group, and maybe they can convince me that that's not right. But I can't stand my opponent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Ahead of the memorial, Trump also ripped into his attorney general, Pam Bondi, for not prosecuting some of his political opponents.

The president writing on social media -- 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 now."

Trump later expressed confidence in Bondi, saying that she's doing a great job.

Let's discuss with Michael Smerconish. He's a CNN political commentator and host of the CNN show "SMERCONISH."

Michael, great to see you, as always.

First, what did you make of Trump drawing this contrast between himself and Charlie Kirk, saying that where he disagreed with Charlie was that he hates his opponents?

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I wish he hadn't said it. And as I watched it in real time, I was thinking that that was one of those moments where he deviated from the script to sort of appease the crowd, give him a little bit of red meat.

You can just see the way that he delivered it. And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it's almost as if the wheels sometimes spin in his head as he's addressing a live audience. And when he thinks that things have become too stoic, too quiet, then he goes off-script, sometimes gets him in trouble. But it's also what generates a crowd reaction. Look, I thought that it was a pretty special event, magnificent

actually. And as an old advance man for vice President George Herbert Walker Bush, papa Bush, I marvel at the ability to get something like that done inside of a week with all those moving parts and security concerns and keeping all those people on schedule.

But here's my note. Here's my critique. This is my criticism. Any time the word they was used, I take umbrage, because it turned this into -- as far as we know, there's a lone gunman who assassinated Charlie Kirk and he apparently did it for a political reason, as per the etchings on the bullet. But there's no conspiracy here. There's no they. There's no us. There's no them.

And every time that the word they was used, and it was used by several of them, I just thought all this is doing is stirring the pot at a moment when the nation needs to come together and not be driven further into its respective corners.

KEILAR: What were the parts of the memorial service that gave you hope, Michael, at this divisive time?

SMERCONISH: I don't know that I could do it, but Erika Kirk -- I wrestle -- as a person of faith, I wrestle with this whole idea of forgiveness.

And, Brianna, the lawyer in me wonders, what does that mean practically? I mean, it's not her say, but oftentimes prosecutors pay deference to victim family members. If you're forgiving the assassin, does that have any impact on pursuit of a death penalty in this case? I mean, I have questions in that regard.

But I thought that she was a -- I thought that she was really someone who rose to the occasion under enormous emotional stress and said a lot of very valuable things.

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SANCHEZ: Notably, she had been asked in a previous interview about potentially pursuing the death penalty against her husband's killer, and she said that she would leave it to the state. She said that she didn't want the killer's blood -- the suspect's blood on her ledger.

Michael, there was a lot of talk this weekend about something that you frequently highlight on your program, and that is the crisis that young men in this country are facing. There was a lot of discussion about that, and specifically from Erika as well, who said that Charlie wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life.

You -- I wonder what you made of it.

SMERCONISH: I'm so glad that you raised that, Boris, because that was another part that I thought was so appropriate.

And look at the last several of these assassins or would-be assassins. Look at the guy who in Butler, Pennsylvania, shot President Trump. There's a pattern, right? It's young 20-somethings who haven't found their place in the world. And while we have a problem with young men in this country, not necessarily prone toward violence, finally, there's a conversation that I think needs to be had, because if it were any other constituent group, any other group among us, any other demographic group, I think there'd be more attention being paid to it.

And so it might be politically incorrect for some, but I think we need to talk about the problems that are affecting young men. And you're right. I did a whole show on it on CNN on Saturday. I had Scott Galloway. I had Rahm Emanuel. I had Richard Reeves. And we were going to do that show before the Charlie Kirk assassination, and we decided all the more appropriate now to continue on with it.

KEILAR: Yes, and a lot of people raising boys. In my family, we are. We have questions, right? How do you do it? How do you make sure you're doing it the right way and that you're giving them all the resources they need?

On the radio this morning, Michael, you also said that the memorial offered insight into what you said was the religious fervor of our most senior leaders. Talk about that.

SMERCONISH: Right.

So, look, it was -- although it was public and people could go, it was not a government event. And yet, Brianna, you had all -- the entire senior ranks of our government there. I found it very interesting that they were very comfortable in wearing religion on their sleeve. And in this setting, I have no problem with that, although it's interesting to note, because if you should see signs of religion playing a role that would be violative of the Establishment Clause, that would be grounds for concern in my book.

But it was really -- I mean, I'm thinking of J.D. Vance, and he made the statement, Vice President Vance, about how he's not been comfortable discussing religion in the past, and yet he's talked about it more in the last two weeks than he has at any point in his public life. I thought that Secretary Rubio speaking so openly about his faith, it was really an interesting moment.

Again, I don't have a problem with it. It was essentially a religious service. The first speaker was the pastor for Charlie Kirk, but we're not used to seeing, I think, so much of a -- what's the word I'm looking for? So much of an admission of faith, whatever that faith may be, by so many government leaders.

SANCHEZ: And before we go, Michael, just your reaction to these tweets from President Trump or social media posts, I should say, where he is demanding that his attorney general take action on some of his political rivals.

SMERCONISH: Well, I don't like it. It's retributive. And you can't look at it in a singular sense. You have got to put it in the category of Brendan Carr saying we can do it the easy way or we can do it the hard way.

You have got to put it in the category of investigating the left. We heard some of that talk yesterday. I don't like that talk. We have to put it in the category of press covering the Pentagon perhaps being asked to sign some kind of a pledge that they're not going to report on things that are not yet authorized.

I mean, put it all together and it's very heavy-handed as a means of stifling dissent. That's not who we are. It's certainly not who we should be.

SANCHEZ: Michael Smerconish, thanks so much for joining us.

SMERCONISH: Thank you. Appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead: A Category 3 hurricane is churning in the Atlantic. It may not be alone for long. A quick look at your forecast when we come back.

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KEILAR: Right now, Hurricane Gabrielle is growing stronger in the Atlantic. And forecasters warn the storm could continue intensifying today.

CNN's Derek Van Dam is tracking the storm for us.

Derek, tell us what you're seeing.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right, so we started off with a very sluggish start to the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. But now things are really starting to wake up.

Boy, that escalated quickly because what was a weak Category 1 hurricane earlier this morning, that was on live TV. We watched this thing just explode in intensity to a Category 3, so now a major Hurricane Gabrielle, and you could see the center of the storm. That's the eye clearing out that pinhole eye, a distinctive characteristic of a developing and strengthening hurricane.

That's what we have got. Fortunately, it's going to be fish food for the Central Atlantic. It will stay east, about 180 miles east of Bermuda, certainly some indirect impacts in the form of some large waves and swells. The storm could increase to a Category 4 before it will quickly transition into a weaker hurricane as it moves across the North Atlantic.

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But there's a lot of swell, a lot of wave energy that will be kicked up, especially impacting Bermuda, but also the National Hurricane Center talking about large swells impacting the coastal areas of the Eastern Seaboard from the North Carolina coast all the way through upstate Maine.

So here's the current risk for today. Anywhere you see that shading of red beet, be very careful if you're still perhaps meandering at the beaches. And this is just a sign of a very active stretch that we believe is coming. Look at what we have got on our radar here, Brianna.

KEILAR: OK, so an active stretch is coming because we still have, what, more than two months left of official hurricane season.

VAN DAM: Yes.

KEILAR: What could that look like?

VAN DAM: Yes, that's right. So we still have about two months, just like you said, so about 35 percent of the hurricane season to remain. And we have seen this before. Sometimes, the bookend of these hurricane seasons are the ones that cause the most trouble.

So here's the two waves that we're monitoring right now. This one has a high likelihood of development. You can see kind of the projected future path, maybe a recurve. But, really, there's a lot of atmosphere conditions. We're going to be paying very close attention to. One computer model shows the storm starting to form and take shape, and then that recurve.

Another computer model, I won't mention which one, shows more development off the Southeast coastline by the weekend and into early parts of next week. We still have to monitor that very closely. But this is the area right on target where we would expect that type of tropical development within the month of September, so, really, climatologically speaking, right where it should be.

And as a reminder, this white line right here, that's where we are today. The peak of the hurricane season was September 11, and we're going downhill from there. But this is still 35 percent of the Atlantic hurricane season to go. That doesn't mean we can't have a major hurricane impacting the U.S.

So we will keep all eyes and ears to the weather models and hopefully the meteorologists -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, it is a good reminder. Derek, thank you so much for that.

And coming up: President Trump will join more than 100 other world leaders in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, as a growing number of key U.S. allies recognize a Palestinian state.

Stay with us.

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