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Questions on Acetaminophen and Autism; Todd Lyons is interviewed about the Shooting at an ICE Facility; Multiple People Inured at ICE Facility; Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) is Interviewed about Ukraine. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired September 24, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:58]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This week, President Trump made a long promised and built-up announcement on his administration's supposed investigation into the cause of autism. And he linked it, as we well know and have discussed, to the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy. That is despite decades of evidence saying that the medicine is safe. The president's advice was, don't take it and, quote, "tough it out."

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is back this week to answer your questions about all of this, as it has stirred many, many, many questions.

Sanjay, let's jump into it.

Devin asks this about the announcement. "Do you believe the conversation should have been more targeted at pregnant women who may be accustomed to overusing Tylenol?"

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a really -- that's a really good question. A really good point.

I think whenever you're putting a medication into your body, whether you are pregnant or not, you got to be thoughtful about it. You always got to balance the risks and rewards of anything that you're putting into your body. And that's especially true when you're pregnant. And I think a lot of the discussion, obviously, around Tylenol. So, it can be really helpful, useful, necessary even, but you've got to be thoughtful about it.

To put a little bit more context there. There was another study -- we've been talking about these studies regarding Tylenol. There was a study that came out in Norway, which I thought was really interesting. A large study. And they basically found children exposed to acetaminophen, or Tylenol in this case, during pregnancy, more than about a month, greater than 29 days, had an associated increased risk of an ADHD diagnosis. Again, an association, not cause and effect. But still, that's interesting.

If you dug into that story a little bit more, you found that women who use Tylenol for just up to seven days during pregnancy actually had a lower risk of having a child subsequently diagnosed with ADHD.

Point being that you got to be thoughtful about it. It can be really, really helpful, useful, protective even. But if you overdo it, just like with anything, it could potentially be problematic.

BOLDUAN: Sanjay, also, you have Bill with a question -- with this question. He wants to know, "what steps can be taken to minimize the risk of fever while pregnant?"

GUPTA: Yes. So, this gets back at this -- this point that we're talking about the association of Tylenol and autism. But a lot of people take Tylenol for a fever, which may be caused by an infection. Could that be one of the underlying problems here? So, avoiding the infection in the first place.

So, here's a list of the most common infections that people have during pregnancy. Ear infection, food poisoning, stomach virus, urinary tract infection, respiratory viruses. Avoiding those in the first place is probably going to be your best bet. Avoiding the infection, avoiding the subsequent fever, and avoiding the need to take Tylenol for that fever.

So, you know, it's the same basic supply to avoiding infections, but particularly true when it comes to -- to women who are pregnant.

You know, when you are pregnant, your body is essentially immune compromised for a period of time. That's how you're able to carry a baby. That immune compromise, though, could make you more susceptible to infections. So, you really have to avoid -- avoid them in the first place.

BOLDUAN: And then there -- this has probably -- been a big part of the conversation as well is, and Megan kind of encapsulates this is, just what are -- what risks do fevers pose during pregnancy?

GUPTA: Well, so fevers, in particular high fevers, there's been a lot of data on this. Untreated fevers can be associated with all sorts of things. Birth defects, for example. Some of them significant birth defects. Also, cleft lip and palate, congenital heart defects and early labor or miscarriage associated with fever.

In medical terms, we often define a fever as 101.5 or greater. But in this case, these studies were often done on fevers of 103 degrees. So, certainly making sure you treat that, especially if the fever starts to get that high.

[08:35:00]

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

Sanjay, as always, we are thankful for you, especially when it is something that really is as confusing as what we saw this week.

GUPTA: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Thank you so much. John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, there is some breaking news this morning. We're hearing reports of a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas. We happen to have with us the acting director of ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons.

Director, thank you for being here.

I want to say, you were coming in. We were talking to you anyway. Obviously, this event has sort of subsumed what we were going to discuss.

What can you tell us about this incident in Dallas?

TODD LYONS, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: Yes, literally, as I was coming here, we were notified that there were shots fired at our Dallas field office. Right now, preliminary information is a possible sniper. We have three individuals that are down at this time. We're not sure on their condition. They've been taken to the hospital.

We're hearing some reports that the shooter may be down from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The scene is secure. You know, obviously right now my hearts and prayers are going out to my officers and agents. That's my biggest concern. And as well as everyone in that area. But this just shows the violence that's being increased against ICE officers and agents.

This is the second time now we've had a shooting at one of our facilities in the Dallas area. And really it's -- it's -- it's-- it's just a sad time that we have to worry about violence against law enforcement.

BERMAN: So, you're hearing -- the reports you're hearing at this point are coming from inside your -- your offices in Dallas at ICE? You're hearing directly from them?

LYONS: Yes, we're hearing directly from the leadership on the ground there. The building is on lockdown. The building's secure. Initial reports are that our, you know, our officers are accounted for, but there are three individuals that are shot.

BERMAN: Are they -- are the three individuals ICE employees?

LYONS: We're still working on that right now. Obviously, it's really chaotic. The Dallas Police Department has been great. They're on scene. It's a large police presence there right now. You know, it could be employees. It could be civilians that were visiting the facility. It could be detainees. At this point, we're still working through that.

We do know that three have definitely been shot. They're in route to the hospital right now. We had great support from locals on the ground that are helping us look for the active shooter. And like I said, right before I just walked on set, I got word that the shooter is down from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

BERMAN: OK, so it may not be an active shooter situation anymore. You said a possible sniper. Did this individual get inside the facility or were all the shots outside?

LYONS: From preliminary reports, it looks like shots came from outside.

BERMAN: And the victim --

LYONS: Into our secure facility.

BERMAN: And the victims were also outside, or were the victims inside?

LYONS: Inside our sally port (ph) area where we have our secure detainee location, inside that location. But again, it's -- everything's still coming in so fast. It's just been a morning.

BERMAN: I -- look, and I appreciate you giving us the details you have. It's an unusual situation here. We're getting preliminary reports that we had not yet been able to confirm. We have the acting director of ICE here telling us that you are getting these reports directly. And you mentioned the threats that you feel are being directed toward your agents. Talk to me about that. And what's the environment in general?

LYONS: You know, I've never seen anything like this in my law enforcement career. I've never seen threats on law enforcement, specifically ICE, increased the way it is. You know, we're up over 1,000 percent assaults on officers right now. And really just a lot of the -- the talk that's out there, a lot of the rhetoric is just the violence directed towards law enforcement officers just trying to do their job. And it just keeps -- just keep seeing an increase step by step.

You know, we had -- we -- like I said, we had that shooting at the El Dorado facility, which is right outside Dallas, July 4th, where they ambushed officers in military tactical gear under the guise of fireworks. And now we have this. And it just seems like it keeps getting worse and worse, and it has to stop.

BERMAN: You are -- you've launched a large recruitment effort. There are ads airing in a lot of different places. To what extent have you found that the atmosphere is affecting your recruitment efforts?

LYONS: You know, you would think that it would affect it, but it hasn't. We've had over 157,000 applicants. It just keeps going up. There's really excitement for people that want to serve, not just necessarily in ICE, but want to serve in a federal law enforcement capacity, especially at a time when assaults and attack on law enforcement are increasing. We are seeing a great uptick in our recruitment. So, people definitely want to do the job. But again it's just -- it's a sad moment in time when we have to worry about the safety of law enforcement officers just out there doing their mission.

BERMAN: One of the things -- the Denver police chief, your ad -- a lot of the advertisements are in cities that -- that you call sanctuary cities here. The Denver police chief said to "Axios" of the ads, and the recruitment effort, "I think it's a terrible job for terrible pay."

LYONS: That's his opinion. I can tell you that it's a noble profession. It's a great organization. We do a great public safety mission, and I'm proud of the work the men and women of ICE do.

BERMAN: And I've heard you talk about some of the violence in the rhetoric. Particularly you've mentioned what you call sanctuary cities. But again, this is Texas. This is Dallas right now.

LYONS: Right.

BERMAN: Which, to my knowledge, isn't what you would call a sanctuary city. And there is still allegedly -- or now you're confirming violence there.

LYONS: Right. Yes, it's just -- it's a sad state for law enforcement, but it's not going to deter our mission. And again, my main focus today is just making sure the men and women of ICE in Dallas are safe and making sure that all across the country we're taking precautions to keep our staff safe, you know.

[08:40:03]

BERMAN: OK. Well, Acting Director Todd Lyons, like I said, we had anticipated a much different discussion. But given the ongoing situation, we'll let you get back on the phone and handle this and talk to your people. Obviously, let us know when you get more details. But to confirm the details you have, three people shot, on the way to the hospital. The shooter, you believe, down --

LYONS: Is down.

BERMAN: From a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

LYONS: Yes. That's what we have now.

BERMAN: All right. Director Todd Lyons, thank you for your time this morning. We appreciate it.

LYONS: Thank you. Appreciate it.

BERMAN: Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thank you, John.

For more on this breaking news at this hour, let's go to Priscilla Alvarez, who covers immigration very thoroughly.

What more are you learning? Are you learning anything more about what is happening there in Dallas?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, we are similarly trying to gather more information. As you heard there from the acting director, who shared some of the preliminary reports you see there on your screen, the response to this facility in Dallas.

Now, remember that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has facilities across the country, and in these facilities they often do hold detainees. So, it's still unclear, including from the acting director, who the victims are here. He said at least three people had been shot. They were taken to a hospital. From what he said, people were inside. So that means that it could be multiple people who could have been victims here. For example, employees are in the building, ICE employees. You also have civilians. There are people who come and visit detainees. And then you also have the detainees. So, we're trying to gather more information here as to who exactly was transported to the hospital.

But another point that the Department of Homeland Security and the acting ICE director have been making is that they are seeing an increase in assaults, as well as violence toward ICE agents and offices.

Now, I have been covering this for a long time. Similarly, this has happened in recent years, including during the first Trump administration. And there have been concerns about this for some time. The Department of Homeland Security saying there has been an uptick.

But what we don't know is what the motive is of this shooter, who, according to the acting ICE director, is down from a self-inflicted wound. So, again, there are still so many questions here. As we can see there, the response is large at this ICE facility. But what you also heard from the acting ICE director is that there are heightened concerns that violence is -- that there has been a violent -- an uptick in violence, and we will be trying to get more information from our sources.

But again, Sara, it's worth repeating that we know that at least three people have been shot. We do not know who they are. We don't know if they're agents, detainees or civilians. But that the shooter is down from a self-inflicted wound. All of this according to the acting ICE director, who we just heard from.

SIDNER: Priscilla, stick with us. We also want to go to the former deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, and CNN analyst.

Thank you so much for being here.

We have scant details, but you can see the scene there. You see a plethora of law enforcement, the lights, you know, going off there near this ICE facility. What would you be looking for as you're trying to figure all of this out, because we don't know if the shooter was inside, if there are multiple people, or outside of this facility. We have no details on who may have been shot as well. When you look at a scene like this, what are you looking for?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Sara, it's -- the scene really shows you -- it gives you an insight into the chaos of a critical incident. And this is common to all critical incidents, mass shootings. As hard as it is for us from this, you know, faraway perspective to really sort through and understand the details, yet it is that hard for people on the ground. So, the -- the commanders, the on scene commanders, the people who are in charge of this response are trying to figure out those exact things. First of all, where are their people and are any of them hurt? You know, first, obviously, do you have -- do we have an ongoing threat? It sounds like they probably don't, since the -- they keep referring to "the shooter" in singular terms, and that person is apparently already dead. So now you want to know where your people are and where any other potential victims are and rush, of course, medical attention to those folks.

But this is so volatile because you have a law enforcement facility here that is a detention center. So, any -- any sort of violence or unrest that occurs at or near that facility could lead to more violence inside the facility. So, while they're worried, I'm sure, about what's happening outside, it sounds like the shooting is predominantly outside towards the entrance and entrance they refer to as the sally port (ph), that's like a -- it's essentially like a garage you drive into, and then the door comes down behind you, and then you can release the detainees out of the vehicle that you've just picked them up in.

[08:45:12]

It's a way to try to do that safely and in a contained space.

So, in addition to being worried about that scene, they have to be worried about all the people who are inside that facility, to see if there's any sort of reaction or response or riot. We don't have any information that that's happening so far. I want to be very clear about that. But I'm sure that's something that's top of mind for the people who are responsible for that location.

SIDNER: Yes, I mean, give us some sense -- how much security is generally around some of these facilities, or in some of these facilities, especially given the temperature that has been turned way up the way in which ICE has been going out and finding itself confronted by people in many different places as it tries to detain -- detain immigrants. What do you -- what can you tell us about what you know about just, in general, the amount of security that exists in a place like this?

MCCABE: Yes. So, that's a great question. And, unfortunately, it's not one that we can answer with -- with terrific clarity at this point. It's been a huge issue for elected representatives and others to understand the details of how these facilities are being run, what sort of conditions people are being subjected to. There's all kinds of information, maybe rumor, maybe true, we don't really know, about similar -- I'm not speaking about this facility in particular, but about immigration detention facilities that have really been kind of spun up suddenly to respond to and process these -- this massive amount of people who have been arrested, unprecedented numbers in the history of our country. And there's been little to no oversight or effective oversight into a lot of these facilities.

The Department of Homeland Security has been very, very closed in terms of sharing the details of what's happening, how many people are in each place, how these locations may have been modified or -- or constructed or -- or remodeled to be able to handle this type of function. What sort of, you know, conditions detainees are being subjected to. And everything from, where are they sleeping? What are they giving when they come in? What kind of meals are they being fed? And overseers, Congressional oversight, local elected officials who have tried to enter these facilities to conduct that -- those sort of reviews have largely been rebuffed. We've seen several of them get involved in like protest activity to draw attention to this, or some have actually been arrested. So, it's very hard to say exactly what that looks like on the inside right now.

My personal experience as an FBI agent was really not in facilities like this, it's with federal detention facilities. So, federal prisons and metropolitan detention centers and things like that. And those are, of course, very secure, hard places to be, no doubt, but they have well established processes and -- and holding cells and places where inmates are and places where inmates are not. Things like that. All of that is a little bit foggy, quite frankly, when it comes to how immigrants are being processed now.

SIDNER: Yes. I do want to mention, because from our affiliate WFAA, we're seeing some new images from just moments ago, a SWAT vehicle has, you know, sort of arrived moments ago as well. And they also have put out what the address of this place is. And I just went online just to see an image of it from -- from Google. And as you look at it, it looks like it is an office building that is brick and has kind of big, you know, glass windows that are throughout and around outside the building.

Can you give us just some sense, because you mentioned, like, this doesn't look like or appear to be, a, you know, really high security building, like a federal prison or a federal ICE detention building. And so in order to try and get to the details of this, we're also getting some new information from our affiliate, WFAA, saying that there is a search for a possible sniper or multiple shooters. That is pretty typical, is it not, when you have something like this where no one knows exactly what has happened and where this potential shooter is?

MCCABE: That's absolutely right. So, typically, when you have a critical incident, you're -- you're -- the only information you have at first is like witness testimony, witnesses' statements.

[08:50:07]

And that is very frequently inaccurate. Witnesses hear things and they attribute that they -- that they sometimes attribute to multiple shooters. And -- and most of the time that's not the case.

Nevertheless, even if you knew there was only one shooter, you would still, after that shooter was resolved, either taken into custody or killed, you would still conduct an extensive clear just to make sure there wasn't another threat. So, you're still going to see a massive response here. They're going to bring in tactical teams, SWAT teams, things like that, just to go through the entire area, make sure they don't have a lingering threat. SIDNER: All right, Andrew McCabe, it is a pleasure. Thank you for

jumping on really quickly with us because this all happening right now as we speak.

And just again, we're looking at some pictures -- it is 7:50 in the morning there in Dallas -- of the traffic on one side. And then if we can go back to that picture of just all of the police vehicles and law enforcement that is surrounding this particular building where there has been a shooting reported, three people critically wounded. And we are learning more details as we speak. The breaking news will continue in just a bit.

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[08:55:24]

BOLDUAN: All right, we all -- are continuing to follow breaking news out of Dallas. We're going to continue bringing updates after this shooting is reported at an ICE facility in the Dallas, Texas, area. We just had the acting ICE director on to confirm that. We're going to continue to watch this very closely and bring you updates as more details are coming in as we speak.

We are also watching the U.N. very closely this morning as next hour Ukrainian President Zelenskyy set to speak to the United Nations General Assembly. He'll do so with some unexpected new support from President Trump. The president making an extraordinary 180 on Russia and Ukraine. The president saying this, and here's how he explains it. "I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form." The president also adds that the war was making Russia look like a, quote/unquote, "paper tiger."

Now, that paper tiger comment at least clearly not sitting well with the Kremlin. Just this morning they pushed back with this statement. "Russia is not a tiger after all. Russia is associated with a bear. There are no paper bears. Russia is a real bear." That from the Kremlin.

Joining us right now is Democratic Congressman John Garamendi of California. He's' a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, thanks for being in.

This extraordinary 180 from the president on Russia and Ukraine, do you -- are you applauding the president this morning? What do you see in it?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Well -- well, I am this morning. He clearly changed what his position was over the last several months and even the last couple of days. And that's good. And it is a message to Russia. Whether they're a bear or a tiger, they clearly have a very powerful military that has been successful, in part because the United States has not been willing to go all in providing the necessary money and ammunition -- munitions and equipment that Ukraine needs. This is all good.

Now, how long will it last? We have a president that could wake up tomorrow morning and go in the exact opposite direction. And so, it's that uncertainty as to how long and which direction he'll be going. But right now, it's very, very good. Let's stay with it. Let's get the American equipment, the military supplies, munitions and the rest, let's get those into Ukraine and let's continue to work with NATO. There's a lot of NATO issues. The Estonia situation with overflights by Russia, all of those have to be dealt with very, very firmly.

BOLDUAN: And on that exact issue, what do you make of also President Trump suggesting yesterday that he believes that NATO members, like Estonia, should start -- like -- and Poland especially, I know that they've been talking about, should start shooting down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace?

GARAMENDI: Let's be very, very careful here. First of all, we have to push back on those Russian incursions, whether they are fighter jets or whether they are drones. Either way, we have to make it clear to Russia. If it's a drone, shoot it down. If it's a fighter jet, let's be very careful. Let's send up our own fighter jets and let's escort Russia out very, very quickly with multiple planes in place. To shoot down an aircraft is a very significant escalation. May come to that. But I don't believe we're there yet.

Russia is clearly testing. Testing the will of -- of the NATO countries and, more importantly, the will of the United States. So, talk, as the president did. That's OK. But let's be very, very careful before we fire those rockets.

BOLDUAN: On the president's immigration crackdown, I know it's something that you've been speaking out a lot about in California. My colleague Kyung Lah has a new -- some new reporting about how there -- more and more children are being left alone and left behind and stranded after their parents are deported. The young children that Kyung met are American citizens, a six and nine year old. Their older brother is 14 years old, undocumented, and was self-deporting during her reporting. Their father died during the pandemic and their mother was just picked up and sent back to Honduras. A family friend now forced to care for them.

Let me play for you just a little bit of Kyung's report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What happened to mommy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ICE took him.

LAH: Did you guys get to say goodbye?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those two did. LAH: Did mommy say something?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:59:56]

BOLDUAN: Now, DHS gave CNN a statement saying that any claims by this mother -- that any claims this mother was improperly separated, that DHS improperly separated her from her kids is patently false.