President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are expected to speak shortly about autism.

Trump has previewed this as a "very important" and "amazing" announcement.

We're ending our live coverage on this page, but you can catch up with all of the important updates from the Trump administration's announcement here.

Madeline Halpert
US Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Tackling the causes of autism has been one of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s primary missions since taking over the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In April, he pledged to determine the cause of autism - a complex neurological disorder - in just five months.

Kennedy has previously offered several debunked theories about the causes of autism, blaming vaccines despite a lack of evidence.

His tenure as health secretary has angered several public health experts, who accuse Kennedy of promoting conspiracy theories about vaccines and limiting their availability in the US.

Last week, a panel chosen by Kennedy voted against recommending the Covid-19 vaccine to all adults, leaving the decision up to individuals. The group also changed a recommendation for the combined measles, mumps, rubella varicella vaccine, recommending separate shots for children instead of a combined vaccine that has been proven safe and effective.

Jim Reed
Senior Health Reporter

The number of children diagnosed with autism has risen sharply in many countries.

Figures from the US show that 1 in 31 children were identified with autism in 2022, up from 1 in 149 in 2000.

The rate for eight-year-old boys was significantly higher than for girls.

Comparing autism rates across countries is difficult. The way the figures are collected tends to change based on diagnostic practices, awareness levels, access to healthcare and cultural differences.

A scientific paper , externalpublished in 2022 looked at 71 studies and found an average prevalence of about 1% with the numbers ranging from 0.075% in Bangladesh to 3.9% in Australia

Jim Reed
Senior Health Reporter

Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and disability - covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act in the US - that affects how people experience and interact with the world.

It is now understood to be a spectrum, meaning it encompasses a wide range of characteristics that will vary from person to person.

It can include those with high support needs who are non-speaking, and those with above-average intelligence who might struggle with social interaction or communication.

Some autistic people may have intense interests, prefer order and routine, and use repeated movements or actions to calm themselves or express joy.

Autism is not a learning disability or a mental health condition, although the UK National Autistic Society says around a third of autistic people also have a learning disability, and rates of mental health problems are also higher.

And that's that.

Leavitt ends the briefing and says "see you all at 16:00" - referring to President Trump's expected health announcement on autism later today.

Leavitt takes a question on the co-ordinated move by the UK, Canada and Australia on Sunday to officially recognise Palestine's statehood ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

"As for all of these Western nations that are recognising a Palestinian state, the president has been very clear - the president disagrees with this decision," Leavitt answers.

"He spoke about that in the UK standing right next to his friend, Prime Minister Starmer.

"He feels this does not do anything to free the hostages - which is the primary goal in Gaza - does nothing to end this conflict and bring this war to a close and frankly he believes it is a reward for Hamas. He believes these decisions are more talk and not enough action from our allies."

You can follow BBC's live coverage of the UN here.

Leavitt just made several rapid-fire points on an upcoming TikTok deal. Here's what she said:

• Trump will be signing the deal sometime this week
• All American user data will be stored on the servers of Oracle - an American software company
• Americans will still be able to view videos made in other countries
• But the algorithm will be "re-trained" "outside of ByteDance's control"
• TikTok in the US will be owned by majority American investors and controlled by a board of directors with cybersecurity experience

Check out more about this potential deal here: TikTok algorithm to be retrained on US user data under Trump deal

A journalist asks Leavitt about President Trump's comment that he "hates" his opponents, contrasting it to Charlie Kirk's wife Erika's statement that she "forgives" her husband's killer. Leavitt is asked how the president's comment help bring down the political temperature in the country?

The press secretary responds that the president is "authentically himself" which is why she says the American public loves him, and was there for Erika Kirk to lean on after her husband's death.

Leavitt is asked about an investigation into Trump's border czar Tom Homan, who was accused of taking a bribe of about $50,000.

She tells the reporter "to get her facts straight" and that Homan "never took any money".

Leavitt claims FBI officials went undercover to try and trap Homan; she says FBI boss Kash Patel found "zero illegal activity and criminal wrongdoing".

"The president stands by Tom Homan, 100%, because he did absolutely nothing wrong and he is a brave public servant who has done a phenomenal job in helping the president shut down the border," Leavitt says.

Image source, Reuters

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is talking about an upcoming announcement on autism.

A reporter says there are "reams of research" saying Tylenol is safe during pregnancy. He asks if the administration's new expected guidelines on the drug will confuse women.

"I think women for many years have been confused by the rapid increase in autism," she says, describing it as a "plague".

She says the media should listen to Trump's announcement later today with "open ears" and "tone down the judgement".

For context: At an Oval Office event later today, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, only to relieve high fevers.

On Sunday, Trump said he had an "amazing" announcement coming on autism, saying it was "out of control", but they might now have a reason why.

Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and inconclusive. Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.

Read more: Trump will reportedly link pain reliever Tylenol to autism - but many experts are sceptical

Leavitt takes a question on whether President Trump is reneging on a promise to not weaponise the Department of Justice (DoJ) against his political opponents.

She says this isn't the case - saying it shows "accountability".

"We are not going to tolerate gaslighting from anyone in the media or from anyone from the other side who are trying to say it is the president trying to weaponise the DoJ - it was Joe Biden and his Attorney General," Leavitt says.

Leavitt has been talking about President Trump's upcoming speech at the United Nations, the state of the economy, and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's death. She claims Democratic lawmakers are not condemning Kirk's death and says the left wants to dehumanise their opponents.

Leavitt goes through a list of what she calls "left-wing" political violence committed in recent years. She does not mention any instances of violence committed by right wing actors.

Read more: What do studies on political violence in the US show?

Leavitt says the Trump administration could designate Antifa as a terrorist group as soon as this afternoon.

"The president intends to sign that executive order very soon - as soon as it's drafted, as soon as today, later this afternoon," she says.

For context: Antifa - a decentralised, leftist movement that opposes far-right, racist and fascist groups - has long attracted Trump's ire.

But experts have been quick to question how the president will actually target the group, which lacks a distinct leader, membership list or structure. In 2020, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress that Antifa was better defined as an ideology than as a formal organisation.

Read more: What is Antifa and why is President Trump targeting it?

Image source, The White House

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has just arrived at the podium.

Stay with us as we bring you what she has to say, and you can follow along by clicking watch live above.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of another busy day in US politics.

We will be tuning in shortly to a briefing at the White House, where Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt are expected to talk about a host of topics, including the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk who was memorialised in Arizona over the weekend, the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, as well as the potential for an announcement by US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr later about autism.

Trump officials are reportedly expected to announce that taking common pain reliever Tylenol during pregnancy is a risk factor for autism, though most experts say there is no evidence of a causal relationship.

Stick with us - we'll bring you all the top lines here and you'll also be able to watch live above.