AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EDT

“Don't take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women around a dozen times during the unwieldy White House news conference, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen. He also fueled long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccines or timing shots close together could contribute to rising rates of autism in the U.S., without providing any medical evidence.

The rambling announcement, which appeared to rely on existing studies rather than significant new research, comes as the Make America Healthy Again movement has been pushing for answers on the causes of autism. The diverse coalition of supporters of Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. includes several anti-vaccine activists who have long spread debunked claims that immunizations are responsible.

The announcement also sheds light on Trump’s own long-held fascination with autism and his trepidation about the childhood vaccine schedule, even as the president has taken pride in his work to disseminate COVID-19 vaccines during his first term.

Medical experts said Trump's remarks were irresponsible. New York University bioethicist Art Caplan said it was “the saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumors, recycling old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous advice I have ever witnessed by anyone in authority.”

What we know about autism's causes and any potential link to Tylenol

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many doctors and scientists were reeling Monday after President Donald Trump went on TV to insist that pregnant women should never take Tylenol and revive debunked theories about vaccines and autism.

Trump went beyond his own Food and Drug Administration's more modest advice that doctors “should consider minimizing” the painkiller acetaminophen's use in pregnancy — amid inconclusive evidence about whether too much could be linked to autism. His comments came as the administration also moved to make more available a possible but unproven autism treatment — and also announced more research into the disorder.

Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, worried that the Tylenol claims would terrify mothers-to-be and parents of children with autism.

“I don't want you going back and looking and saying to yourself, ‘I shouldn’t have done this, I shouldn't have done that.' It's nothing you did. It really is not,” he said. “Not treating the fever probably has more adverse effects that you need to worry about than taking the medication.”

As for vaccines, “studies have repeatedly found no credible link between life-saving childhood vaccines and autism," said American Academy of Pediatrics president Dr. Susan Kressly. ”Any effort to misrepresent sound, strong science poses a threat to the health of children."

France recognizes Palestinian statehood at UN meeting to revive peace efforts

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — As the Gaza war rages on, France recognized Palestinian statehood on Monday at the start of a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict. More nations are expected to follow, in defiance of Israel and the United States.

French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement in the U.N. General Assembly hall received loud applause from the more than 140 leaders in attendance. The Palestinian delegation, including its U.N. ambassador, Riyad Mansour, could be seen standing and applauding as the declaration was made.

“True to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine,” Macron said.

Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco also announced or confirmed their recognition of a Palestinian state, a day after the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal did. Germany, Italy and Japan took part in the conference but did not recognize such a state.

The meeting and expanded recognition of Palestinian statehood are expected to have little if any actual impact on the ground, where Israel is waging another major offensive in the Gaza Strip and expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank.

ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and his show will return Tuesday

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show in the wake of criticism over his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Monday.

"We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” ABC said a statement.

ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely on Wednesday after comments he made about Kirk, who was killed Sept. 10, in a monologue. Kimmel said “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk” and that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Kimmel has hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC since 2003 and has been a fixture in television and comedy for even longer. He is also well known as a presenter, having hosted the Academy Awards four times.

Backlash to Kimmel’s comments was swift. Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, said they would be pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from their stations. Others, including several fellow comedians, came to his defense.

Supreme Court will weigh expanding Trump’s power to shape agencies by overturning 90-year-old ruling

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider expanding President Donald Trump's power to shape independent agencies by overturning a nearly century-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members.

In a 6-3 decision, the high court also allowed the Republican president to carry out the firing of Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, while the case plays out.

It's the latest high-profile firing the court has allowed in recent months, signaling the conservative majority could be poised to overturn or narrow a 1935 Supreme Court decision that found commissioners can only be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty. The majority has previously indicated that the president likely has the power to remove board members at will, with some exceptions, because those agencies exercise executive power.

They have suggested the Federal Reserve might be different, however, a prospect expected to be tested by the case of fired Fed Governor Lisa Cook.

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the decision allowing Slaughter’s firing. It comes after similar decisions affecting three other independent agencies.

Some admirers of Charlie Kirk hope response to his death signals start of a religious revival

With Vice President JD Vance calling Charlie Kirk “a martyr for Christianity,” and a Catholic cardinal calling him “a modern-day St. Paul,” some Kirk admirers suggest his assassination will galvanize throngs of people — notably young conservatives — to become more engaged in evangelical and Catholic churches.

Evocations of Kirk-inspired religious fervor surfaced almost immediately after his death on Sept. 10, and continued to swell as much of Sunday's VIP-studded memorial service for the conservative activist resembled a massive megachurch service. There have been widespread reports of attendance surging at some evangelical churches.

“Charlie had big plans, but God had even bigger plans,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the service in Arizona. “Charlie started a political movement but unleashed a spiritual revival.”

The Rev. Robert Jeffress, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump who leads a Southern Baptist megachurch in Dallas, said via email, “The short-term impact of Kirk’s murder is astounding.”

“The outpouring of emotion rivals that of September 11 and President Kennedy’s assassination,” Jeffress added. “Whether this genuine emotion translates into long-term change is yet to be determined, but I pray that it does.”

Putin says Russia is willing to abide by nuclear arms deal with the US for 1 year after it expires

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared his readiness to adhere to nuclear arms limits for one more year under the last remaining nuclear pact with the United States that expires in February, and he urged Washington to follow suit.

Putin said allowing the New START agreement signed in 2010 to expire would be destabilizing and could fuel proliferation of nuclear weapons. His televised remarks came at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the West, and with concerns rising that fighting in Ukraine could spread beyond its borders.

“To avoid provoking a further strategic arms race and to ensure an acceptable level of predictability and restraint, we believe it is justified to try to maintain the status quo established by the New START Treaty during the current, rather turbulent period,” Putin said while speaking from the Kremlin. He said Russia is prepared to stick by the treaty's limits for one more year after it expires on Feb. 5, 2026.

Arms control advocates long have voiced concern about the treaty’s looming expiration and the lack of dialogue to secure a successor deal, warning about the possibility of a new nuclear arms race and increased risk of a nuclear conflict.

Putin said maintaining limits on nuclear weapons could also be an important step in “creating an atmosphere conducive to substantive strategic dialogue with the U.S.”

TikTok's algorithm to be licensed to US joint venture led by Oracle and Silver Lake

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tech giant Oracle will spearhead U.S. oversight of the algorithm and security underlying TikTok's video popular platform under the terms of a deal laid out Monday by President Donald Trump's administration.

All the final details still need to be nailed down among several joint venture partners that will include Oracle, investment firm Silver Lake Partners and possibly two billionaires — media mogul Rupert Murdoch and personal computer pioneer Michael Dell. The U.S. administration would not have a stake in the joint venture nor be part of its board, according to a senior White House official.

President Trump is expected to issue an executive order later this week that declares that the terms of the deal meet the security concerns laid out by the law, the senior White House official said. China still needs to sign off on the framework proposal, and any final deal would still require regulatory approval.

The proposal is aimed at resolving a long-running effort to wrest TikTok's U.S. operations from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, because of national security concerns. TikTok has become a high-profile topic during conversations between Trump and China President Xi Jinping as they continue to spar in a trade war that's roiled the global economy for much of the year.

For now, the two sides are progressing on a framework deal that calls for a consortium of investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake, to take over the U.S. operations of TikTok in a process that might not be completed until early next year under a timeline laid out Monday by the Trump administration. That could mean TikTok's divestment might not be completed until a year after it was supposed to be banned under a law that had bipartisan support but was repeatedly bypassed by Trump.

Residents of San Francisco Bay Area jolted awake by 4.3 magnitude earthquake

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Residents across the San Francisco Bay Area were jolted awake early Monday by a moderate earthquake that was felt widely across the region.

The 4.3 magnitude quake hit shortly before 3 a.m. just east-southeast of Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS.

No injuries or major damage was reported, but some businesses said windows were broken and merchandise tumbled from shelves.

“Things were shaking in our newsroom,” posted Dave Clark, a news anchor for KTVU-TV. “It caught everyone off guard.”

Bay Area Rapid Transit trains ran with delays for several hours as crews made safety inspections of the tracks systemwide. BART said trains returned to regular service around midday.

Bruce Pearl, winningest men's basketball coach in Auburn history, announces retirement

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement Monday less than six months after finishing the Tigers' best season in program history with another trip to the Final Four.

Pearl's 38-year-old son Steven Pearl, who has been on his father's coaching staff for all 11 seasons at Auburn, will take over as coach.

"I just feel when I can’t give 100% it’s time to pass the torch,” Bruce Pearl said in a 14-minute video posted on social media.

Pearl, 65, is the school’s winningest men’s coach and took the Tigers to their only two Final Four appearances. He will move into an ambassador role as an assistant to Auburn's athletic director, and isn't going into politics after rumors had circulated about a potential senate run.

“Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate, maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama," said Pearl, who was a college head coach for over 30 seasons with four schools. "That would have required leaving Auburn, and instead the university has given me the opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator. I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be."