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Health

Tylenol during pregnancy has no link to autism, large study finds

In this stock image, an open bottle of Tylenol Extra Strength pain reliever is shown. (STOCK IMAGE/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Taking acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, during pregnancy had no effect on children developing autism, according to a study of over 1.5 million children in Denmark published this week. 

The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics. 

Researchers analyzed 1.5 million children born between 1997 and 2022. About 1.8% of those who were exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy developed autism compared to 3.0% of those who were not exposed to Tylenol.

A prior study out of Sweden looked at siblings, finding no causal link between autism and Tylenol exposure during pregnancy. There are genetic associations and environmental triggers that are likely involved, but neither Tylenol nor vaccines has been shown to be the cause of autism.  

The new study out this week comes after President Donald Trump and his administration had previously urged pregnant mothers to avoid Tylenol, without substantive evidence for the claims. 

“With Tylenol, don’t take it. Don’t take it,” Trump said during a press event at the White House in September. “If you can’t live, if your fever is so bad, you have to take one, because there’s no alternative to that.” 

The FDA then initiated a process to update the safety label on acetaminophen to suggest that its use during pregnancy and autism were linked. 

At the time, Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, wrote in part of a statement, “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”

At the time, medical organizations, like the American College of Obstetrician & Gynecologists, immediately pushed back, noting that Tylenol was one of the few options for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can be harmful when left untreated.

It is generally not recommended for pregnant women to take ibuprofen, Advil, during pregnancy due to the risk of complications.

Nevertheless, the claims made by the administration have led to confusion. A prior study found that Tylenol use in emergency departments dipped 16% immediately following the announcement by the administration.

ABC News reached out to Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, for a statement but did not immediately hear back. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Health

Growing number of trauma, brain injuries linked to e-bikes and e-scooters at 1 hospital: Study

Stock photo of people commuting on e-bikes and scooters. (Maskot/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — E-bikes and e-scooters led to a growing number of trauma injuries at one New York City hospital, according to a new study published Wednesday.

About 7% of all trauma visits between 2018 and 2023 at Bellevue Hospital Center were due to micromobility injuries. Micromobility is the use of small, lightweight and low-speed modes of transportation such as bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters.

The study showed a growing share of patients who sustained these injuries had accidents linked to e-bikes or e-scooters.

Hospital data showed that, by 2023, over half of all trauma cases related to bikes or scooters involved an e-bike or e-scooter, an increase from just 8% in 2018, according to the study, published in the journal Neurosurgery. 

The most common type of mechanism involved a collision with a motor vehicle followed by falls from the bike or scooter. 

Bellevue is a Level 1 Trauma center in a large metropolitan city, designed to treat the worst kinds of injuries. Over the study period, about 30% of patients suffered a traumatic brain injury, 26% had injury to the skull or face and 50% required surgery.

“Our study shows that micromobility injuries are producing serious brain and spinal trauma that demands neurosurgical care at a scale we haven’t seen before,” corresponding study author Dr. Hannah Weiss, a resident in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a press release. “In a busy urban setting, we are seeing more and more of these injuries firsthand.”

Most patients seen for these injuries, nearly 69%, needed to be admitted to the hospital and nearly a third needed intensive care.

The majority of patients stayed at least three days in the hospital. Pedestrians who were struck had higher rates of traumatic brain injuries and were more likely to be admitted for intensive care. 

“The data point to actionable solutions — helmet use, safer bike lane design and enforcement — that could prevent many of these injuries and better protect both riders and pedestrians, who in our study often sustained even more severe brain injuries than the riders themselves,” Weiss said. 

About 20% of patients were intoxicated with alcohol, only 31% were using a helmet and injuries were more likely to occur in the evening hours, according to the study. 

“Our findings make clear that urban infrastructure must continue to improve to keep pace with the rapid rise of electric bikes and scooters,” Dr. Paul P. Huang, an associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and chief of neurosurgery at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, said in a press release. 

“Future studies should track these injuries across multiple cities and measure whether protected bike lanes, helmet programs, and speed enforcement actually reduce the number of brain and spine surgeries we perform,” Huang added,

Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, is a practicing physician, board-certified in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, and is a fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

4 rescued, including child, after hunting party gets stuck on ice floe in Alaska: Coast Guard

A still from a U.S. Coast Guard video showing the rescue of four people who became trapped on an ice floe during a seal hunting expedition naer Chefornak, Alaska, on April 12, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard)

(ALASKA) — Four people, including a child, who got trapped on an ice floe during a seal hunting expedition in Alaska were safely rescued, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, calling it one of the most “challenging missions” the helicopter crew has ever flown.

The daring rescue occurred early Sunday, approximately 10 miles west of Chefornak, a remote village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region in southwestern Alaska.

Alaska State Troopers reported to the Coast Guard at 4:24 p.m. on Saturday that a “group of four people on a subsistence seal hunting expedition required assistance after being trapped on the ice for over 24 hours,” the Coast Guard said in a press release.

The group managed to free the 18-foot vessel overnight, but moving ice prevented it from reaching the shore, the Coast Guard said.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak reached the scene at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, and all four people — three adults and one child — were safely hoisted aboard, according to the Coast Guard, which released video footage of the rescue.

The conditions at the time included 28-degree air temperature and 29 mph winds, the Coast Guard said.

The individuals were transported back to Chefornak with no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said.

“Our entire crew agreed this was one of the most challenging missions any of us had ever flown,” Lt. Cmdr. Alexis Chavarria-Aguilar, pilot-in-command for the helicopter, said in a statement. “We battled nearly every Alaska-centric aviation weather hazard imaginable, such as flying over 800 miles in near-zero visibility through mountainous terrain, blowing snow and icing conditions.” 

“It was a long, difficult night, but I’m so proud of everyone involved who worked seamlessly together to bring four people home safely,” he added.

The Coast Guard noted that the hunting party had three forms of communication on their vessel — including satellite-based — which “greatly enhanced” the aircrew’s ability to find and rescue them.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Entertainment

Nikki Glaser, Noah Wyle among entertainers on ‘Time’100 list of most influential people of 2026

Nikki Glaser attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar party hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

TIME has revealed its 2026 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Nikki Glaser represents the entertainment community as she graces one of the four worldwide covers of this year’s Time100 issue of the magazine.

Other entertainers to make the list are Noah Wyle, Sterling K. Brown, Alan Cumming, Claire Danes, Benicio Del Toro, Jonathan Groff, Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson, Dakota Johnson, Wagner Moura, Keke Palmer, Jafar Panahi, Zoe Saldaña, Rhea Seehorn and Ben Stiller.

Chris Rock penned the tribute to Glaser, writing that one of the things he loves about her is that “she has the decency to be scared” because of how hard she works.

“Lorne Michaels used to say to me, ‘You can’t make an entrance if you never leave.’ I hope Nikki takes her time and explores all aspects of her gift,” Rock wrote. “I hope she realizes she has the potential to be not just a great comedian, but a great artist who uses the power that comes with this moment to approach her career like Madonna or Leonardo DiCaprio and work with only the best. I hope this is just the beginning of an incredible, multifaceted, Steve Martin–esque career.”

LeVar Burton wrote Wyle’s tribute, sharing that The Pitt actor is one of those people you’d love to hate, “except you can’t because he’s such a great guy.”

“He wears his compassionate nature as effortlessly as he does his easy sense of humor,” Burton continued. “When he says, ‘Let me know if there’s anything I can do,’ he genuinely means it. Countless are the times I have considered myself fortunate to call him my friend.”

The world’s most influential people will gather in New York City at the 2026 Time100 Summit on April 22 and the Time100 Gala on April 23.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Entertainment

Bradley Cooper to direct, star in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ prequel with Margot Robbie

Bradley Cooper and Margot Robbie during the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on April 13, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)

Bradley Cooper is set to write, direct and star in a prequel to Ocean’s Eleven.

Warner Bros. Pictures will release the upcoming film in theaters on June 25, 2027. Margot Robbie will star alongside Cooper, who will also produce the film along with Robbie’s banner LuckyChap.

Twisters director Lee Isaac Chung was previously attached to direct the film but recently stepped away from the project due to creative differences.

Warner Bros. launched this current Ocean’s franchise with Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 film Ocean’s Eleven. It became a trilogy that starred George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Matt Damon. Ocean’s Eleven was a remake of the studio’s 1961 film Ocean’s 11, which starred Frank Sinatra.

Warner Bros. Pictures has also dated several other of its upcoming films for release.

The horror films The Revenge of La Llorona, Evil Dead Wrath and Final Destination 7 have received release dates of April 9, 2027, April 7, 2028, and May 12, 2028, respectively.

Additionally, a currently untitled film directed by Baz Luhrmann will be released in theaters on Nov. 22, 2028.

ABC Audio has learned that the film will follow the story of Joan of Arc. Luhrmann wrote the movie with Ava Pickett, and Isla Johnston is set to star in it.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Business

S&P 500 hits record high as US-Iran ceasefire enters second week

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The S&P 500 hit a record high on Wednesday as the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran entered its second week, appearing to boost hopes of a resolution to the Middle East conflict.

The uptick in markets came hours after President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to wind down the conflict, saying the war is “very close to over” in a portion of an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that aired on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% on Wednesday, registering at 7,005.78 points. The index reached a previous high of 7,002.28 points on Jan. 28.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 125 points, or 0.2%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq increased 1.1%.

Markets have swung dramatically over the weeks following the start of the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, as investors weathered a historic global oil shock and digested mixed signals from Trump.

Stocks moved higher on a largely consistent basis in April, however, in response to an apparent willingness on the part of both sides to end fighting and negotiate a temporary truce.

The U.S. continues to mount a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, exerting pressure on Tehran by choking off a key source of revenue.

On Wednesday, the commander of the Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran’s armed forces said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is a “violation of the ceasefire,” in a statement published by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

The war prompted Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of the global supply of oil and natural gas.

The disruption amounted to the “most severe oil supply shock in history,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report on Tuesday. Oil and gasoline prices soared, prompting some economists to warn of a possible recession.

U.S. oil prices have fallen from a recent peak achieved in the early days of the war, but costs remain nearly 40% higher than pre-war levels.

U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan over the weekend failed to secure a peace deal. Trump said that Iran’s alleged unwillingness to abandon its nuclear program was the key sticking point, and that the U.S. would respond with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which began Monday.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued ground operations and intense strikes in Lebanon, where it is engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.

ABC News’ David Brennan, Meredith Deliso, and Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Entertainment

‘Anora’ director Sean Baker to helm ‘Ti Amo!’ for new label Warner Bros. Clockwork

Sean Baker during the opening ceremony of the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin on Feb. 12, 2026, in Berlin, Germany. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Anora filmmaker Sean Baker has set up his next film.

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that it will distribute Baker’s Ti Amo! through its brand-new specialty film label, Warner Bros. Clockwork. The studio has global distribution rights for the movie, excluding in France, and will release it in theaters globally in 2027.

Ti Amo! marks Baker’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Academy Award-winning and Palme d’Or-winning film Anora. Baker himself won the awards for best picture, best director, best writer and best editing, while its star Mikey Madison won best actress.

Baker will write, direct, edit, cast and produce Ti Amo!, as he also reteams with Anora producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan.

The new label Warner Bros. Clockwork will be led by film executive Christian Parkes. It will be “a home for singular filmmakers that powerfully connect with audiences theatrically across the world,” according to a press release, and build on “Warner Bros.’ longstanding legacy of producing socially relevant, provocative, and culturally resonant cinema for audiences globally.”

“Sean Baker is an artist who embodies everything we believe in at Clockwork, and Ti Amo! will be another gift to cinema,” Parkes said. “Plus, his poster game is on point.”

The official Warner Bros. Clockwork Instagram shared a photo of Baker holding a video camera circa 2002 to announce the news. The director collaborated on the post, which is captioned, “TI AMO! The new film from Sean Baker. In theaters worldwide 2027.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

SantaCon organizer charged for allegedly spending charity money on personal expenses

People dressed as Santa Claus take part in the annual SantaCon celebration in New York City, December 13, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors arrested the organizer of New York City’s controversial SantaCon bar crawl Wednesday after they say he allegedly kept a lot of the holiday joy for himself.

Stefan Pildes, 50, is facing federal wire fraud charges that accuse him of siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable funds for his own use, including for concert tickets and vacations.

SantaCon is an event held annually in December in which thousands of attendees dress as Santa Claus and other holiday characters and travel to bars and restaurants throughout the day.

The event is billed as “a charitable, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention that happens once a year to spread absurdist joy” that charges attendees tickets that cost between $10 and $20, the indictment said.

“When one Attendee, for example, asked what she would receive for purchasing a ticket, the SantaCon Email responded, in part, ‘your donation goes to charity and it is only a few bucks and that good feeling will warm your heart faster than whiskey and gingerbread,'” the indictment said.

But of nearly $3 million Pildes raised since 2019, he allegedly diverted more than half to an entity he used as a slush fund, according to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.

Prosecutors allege Pildes used the money for personal expenses, including $365,000 to renovate a lakefront property in New Jersey, $124,000 toward the lease of a “luxury Manhattan apartment,” a “$100,000 investment in a boutique resort in Costa Rica founded by a personal friend,” and a nearly $3,000 birthday dinner, the indictment said.

Pildes was expected to appear in court later Wednesday, and it was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer.

He is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

The bar crawl has become a controversial event in Manhattan with complaints from local leaders and residents accusing some intoxicated Santa-dressed revelers of causing disturbances during the day

The NYPD has issued several summonses and made some arrests at past SantaCons.

-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

National

DHS employee killed while walking her dog in Atlanta shooting spree

The seal of the Department of Homeland Security (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

(ATLANTA) — A Department of Homeland Security employee was “brutally shot and stabbed to death,” Monday, according to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, in a shooting spree across the Atlanta area, in which one other person was killed and a third is in critical condition.

Lauren Bullis was walking her dog on Monday, when she was randomly attacked, allegedly stabbed and shot by Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old born in the United Kingdom who was naturalized in 2022, Mullin said.

“He possesses a prior criminal record that includes convictions for sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, and assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and now stands accused of murdering @DHSgov employee Lauren Bullis by shooting and stabbing her while she walked her dog,” Mullin wrote on X.

Mullin said Abel was arrested for reportedly shooting a woman to death outside a restaurant before “randomly shooting a homeless man multiple times” outside a supermarket. ABC affiliate WSB reported that man is in critical condition.

Police said Abel, 26, shot and stabbed Burris about four hours later, according to WSB.

Police raided a home that the suspect rented near where Burris was attacked and arrested Abel, WSB reported, who faces at least six charges, including murder, aggravated assault and possession of a gun as a convicted felon.

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