Donald Trump signs order designating leftwing movement Antifa as a domestic terror organization
Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating ‘Antifa’ as a domestic terrorist organization. The news follows Trump’s announcement Thursday that he was planning such an order following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascists”, is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning activist groups and is not a single entity.
“All relevant executive departments and agencies shall utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist actions — conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa, or for which Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa provided material support, including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations,” the order reads.
Key events
After concluding his Tylenol press conference, Donald Trump is en route to New York City for the UN General Assembly, where he is scheduled to give a speech tomorrow on the “renewal of American strength around the world”, per press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Ahead of the president’s arrival, secretary of state Marco Rubio met with Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa’s appearance in New York City marks the first time a Syrian leader has attended the UN General Assembly since 1967. The State Department waived visa restrictions on Syria to allow al-Sharaa and his team to attend the gathering.
Trump is walking back his claims about vaccines slightly, emphasizing the success of his Operation Warp Speed project to rapidly develop a Covid-19 vaccine during the pandemic.
Trump interrupted a CNN reporter trying to ask a question, saying “you’re fake news,” and then took a question from a different reporter.
Mehmet Oz and Donald Trump are answering questions from reporters, including about cuts to Medicaid and Chip under the president’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, which cut $1tn from the programs. They said the cuts to those programs targeted fraud, waste and abuse and will not impact children’s ability to access healthcare.
About half of American children are insured through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Donald Trump has responded to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists statement on Tylenol announcement, following a reporter’s question.
“That’s the establishment. They’re funded by lots of different groups. And you know what, maybe they’re right,” he said. “But here’s the thing, there’s no downside to doing this.”
Trump has returned to the podium, sharing a range of stories and his opinions on vaccines and medications.
“Don’t take Tylenol,” he said emphatically. “There’s no downside.”
According to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine untreated fever during pregnancy does carry significant risks to moms and babies, such as miscarriage and birth defects.
Tylenol maker rejects Trump’s announcement
The manufacturer of Tylenol, Kenvue Inc, has released a statement in response to the president’s announcement, saying it “strongly disagrees” with the suggestion that the medication may cause autism.
“Sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” the statement says.
Top US medical group calls Tylenol guidance ‘irresponsible’ and ‘not backed by full body of scientific evidence’
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nation’s leading organization for obstetricians and gynecologists, says Donald Trump’s announcement regarding Tylenol use in pregnancy is “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.”
“Today’s announcement by HHS is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children,” the organization’s president, Dr. Steven Fleischman, said in a statement.
“It is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data.”
Ahead of the president’s announcement, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said Tylenol is “an appropriate medication to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.” It added that untreated fever during pregnancy carries significant risks to moms and babies, such as miscarriage and birth defects.
The two mothers speaking at Donald Trump’s press conference have shared the experiences of their two children, both of whom have autism, and expressed gratitude to the Trump administration for prioritizing research into autism.
Dorothy Fink, who served as acting health secretary pending Robert F Kennedy Jr’s confirmation and is now currently the acting assistant secretary for health, has introduced two mothers, introduced only as Jackie and Amanda.
Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says more than half of children in the United States, who are insured under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip), will be able to access leucovorin due to the FDA’s label change. He said he hopes private insurers will follow suit.
He said the agency will also collect data on the effectiveness of leucovorin.
Makary has also announced the FDA’s decision to make leucovorin available as a treatment for autism.
“Hundreds of thousands of kids will benefit,” he said.
“Today the FDA is taking action to update the label on acetaminophen,” says FDA commissioner Marty Makary. He added his agency is sending a letter to all physicians explaining the update.
Makary has also cited medical research on the link between Tylenol and autism.
Here’s a helpful guide to that research from my colleagues:
The National Institutes of Health has launched an Autism Data Science Initiative, says agency director Jay Bhattacharya.
The initiative directs $50m to the study of autism, and will fund 13 research projects.
“The NIH has invested a lot of money to study autism over the years, but the research has not produced the answers that families and parents of autistic children, and autistic children themselves deserve,” he said. “For too long it’s been taboo to ask some questions for fear the scientific work might reveal a politically incorrect answer.”
Kennedy says FDA has announced leucovorin as new autism treatment
Kennedy says that the FDA has announced a new treatment for autism: leucovorin, a form of folic acid.
The FDA published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the treatment, it cited “patient-level data on over 40 patients, including both adults and pediatric patients” to support the finding that the drug can improve symptoms from cerebral folate deficiency, which it says has been reported in some patients.
Health and Human Services will announce a nationwide public service campaign to spread knowledge about the agency’s Tylenol announcement, Kennedy said.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is speaking now at the president’s White House press conference. He’s begun by describing changes at US health agencies.
“We are now replacing the institutional culture of politicized science and corruption with evidence-based medicine,” Kennedy said. “NIH research teams are now testing multiple hypotheses with no area off limits.”
Trump has also announced that the National Institutes of Health will be announcing 13 major grant awards from the autism data science initiatives.
“Nothing bad can happen, only good can happen,” he said.
