On Monday afternoon, September 22, 2025, President Donald Trump stood at the White House alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to deliver an announcement that immediately sent shockwaves through the medical community, the pharmaceutical industry, and the broader public. The administration declared that labels for Tylenol, the ubiquitous over-the-counter pain reliever, would soon be updated to state that acetaminophen “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.” The move followed days of anticipation after Trump himself teased the announcement, calling it “one of the most important things that we will do.”
This development, reported by multiple outlets including Nexstar Media and The Hill, marks a dramatic policy shift in the White House’s approach to autism and maternal health. According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration’s new report urges pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen unless they have a fever, citing concerns over a possible link to childhood autism. The announcement is part of Secretary Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which has made autism a central focus.
“We’re going to have an announcement on autism on Monday … I think it’s going to be a very important announcement. I think it’s going to be one of the most important things that we will do,” Trump stated over the weekend, as quoted by The Hill. The administration wasted no time in rolling out the policy, with Secretary Kennedy standing firm in his longstanding belief in a connection between certain environmental exposures and rising autism rates, a view that has drawn sharp criticism from much of the scientific and medical establishment. Notably, Kennedy has also previously claimed a link between autism and vaccines, despite a lack of supporting research, as highlighted by The Washington Post.
The new warning label for Tylenol is expected to be controversial, especially given the lack of consensus in the scientific community about any direct causative link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have historically maintained that acetaminophen, when used as directed, is safe for most people, including those who are pregnant. Nevertheless, the Trump administration’s move is expected to ignite intense debate among healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocacy groups.
Monday’s announcement was just the first in a series of high-profile events for the White House this week. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt previewed a packed schedule: Trump is set to address the United Nations on Tuesday morning, welcome Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Washington on Thursday, and attend the Ryder Cup golf tournament on Friday. Each event is expected to draw considerable media attention, but the Tylenol-autism announcement has already dominated headlines and public discourse.
Meanwhile, the political world was still reeling from the massive memorial for Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist whose death has galvanized the right and prompted a wave of official and public mourning. Tens of thousands gathered in an Arizona arena on September 22, 2025, with a guest list that included the upper echelons of government. According to The Hill, President Trump used the occasion not only to eulogize Kirk but also to send pointed messages to his political opponents and the alleged shooter. Erika Kirk, the widow, offered words of forgiveness, telling The New York Times, “I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger.” Trump, however, struck a different tone, remarking, “He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry.”
The memorial also served as a platform for other administration figures. Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller blamed the left for inciting violence, declaring, “They cannot imagine what they have awakened. We stand for what is good, what is virtuous and what is noble. And to those trying to incite violence against us? … What do you have? You have nothing. You are nothing. You are wickedness. You are jealousy. You are envy. You are hatred. You are nothing.” The event was widely covered on television and social media, with White House staff, lawmakers, and even media personalities like Tucker Carlson in attendance.
Elsewhere in Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth found himself at the center of controversy after suspending or investigating at least eight military personnel who celebrated or mocked Kirk’s death online. According to The Hill, critics warned that the crackdown risked undermining the traditionally apolitical stance of the military and could have a chilling effect on free speech. Legal experts described the effort as a “witch hunt,” raising alarms about the implications for military culture and civil liberties.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, introduced new restrictions on reporters covering the Defense Department, requiring journalists to pledge not to publish any unauthorized information, even if it is unclassified. This policy, unveiled on Friday, September 19, 2025, has been met with fierce backlash from media organizations and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Republican Rep. Don Bacon called the move “so dumb that I have a hard time believing it is true,” while Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy labeled it “unreal.” The Pentagon also announced that large areas of its building would now be off-limits to reporters unless they were escorted by officials, a move seen as part of a broader effort to clamp down on leaks and control the narrative.
President Trump himself appeared to distance from the Pentagon’s new restrictions, telling The Hill’s Brett Samuels, “No, I don’t think so. Nothing stops reporters. You know that,” though it remained unclear whether he was fully aware of the policy’s details.
Amid all this, Congress is barreling toward a potential government shutdown. With eight days of funding left as of September 22, 2025, both the House and Senate are out of session, and negotiations to keep the government open remain at a standstill. The House passed a funding extension before leaving town, but the Senate rejected it, leaving the two chambers locked in a standoff. The Senate is not expected to return until September 29, and the House is set to be out until October, raising the stakes as the September 30 deadline looms. As The Hill put it, “Congress is cruising at a steady clip toward a government shutdown at the end of the month, with both parties — and both chambers — pointing fingers at the other while refusing to blink.”
In other news, the San Francisco Bay Area was rattled by a magnitude 4.3 earthquake on the morning of September 22, 2025, though no serious injuries or damage were immediately reported. And in a lighter vein, Jimmy Kimmel is set to return to ABC’s airwaves on Tuesday after being sidelined by Disney for comments made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
It’s been a whirlwind week in Washington, with policy shifts, political drama, and cultural flashpoints all converging. As the nation digests the implications of the White House’s new stance on Tylenol and autism, and with a government shutdown on the horizon, the coming days promise even more headlines and hard choices for America’s leaders and citizens alike.
