President Donald Trump is among those who will speak Sunday at the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Cook, who was assassinated last week.
On his way out of the White House Sunday morning, Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi for doing a "great job" after appearing to criticize her the day before over the lack of prosecutions against his political opponents.
On Friday, Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi about a variety of topics, including trade and the TikTok deal.
White House promises ‘historic’ announcement on autism
The White House said Sunday that Trump will make an announcement on Monday that will make “historic progress” on addressing “America’s rising rate of autism.”
“President Trump pledged to address America’s rising rate of autism, and to do so with Gold Standard Science,” a White House official said. “Tomorrow’s announcement will make historic progress on both commitments.”
President Donald Trump departs the White House en route to Glendale, Arizona, to attend a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, in Washington, September 21, 2025.
Kent Nishimura/Reuters
Speaking Saturday at a dinner held by the American Cornerstone Institute, Trump appeared to claim that his administration has found the cause of autism.
“And I think we have the answer, and I think it's going to be very strongly given, and we're going to do it on Monday,” Trump said.
Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to find the cause of autism by September.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Sep 21, 2025, 3:53 PM EDT
Schumer won’t say if he’ll vote against funding plan
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is painting the looming government shutdown as a “Trump shutdown” if the president does not meet with Democrats.
“We're ready to meet with him any time and place to negotiate and avoid the Trump shutdown. Right now, it's a Trump shutdown because he won't even talk to us,” Schumer said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “He won't even consider what the American people want is lowering costs. They don't like his tariffs, they don't like the health care stuff. And when you don't, when you sit down and say it's my way or the highway, you're creating a shutdown.
Pressed multiple times if he would vote no on a short-term measure to fund the government into November, Schumer did not directly say if he would.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks with reporters just outside the chamber, at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 10, 2025.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Also appearing on CNN, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said he agrees with his party in trying to restore Medicaid funds and extend Obamacare subsidies, his disagrees that forcing a shutdown is the way to achieve that.
“I condemned it when the Republicans threatened to do that thing, and it's entirely wrong for us to do the same thing now,” Fetterman said.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul said he won’t vote for either party’s plan because they don’t address the deficit.
“The Republican plan would add $2 trillion to the deficit. The Democrat plan was going to add $3 trillion to the deficit, he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We have a $37 trillion debt, a trillion dollars in interest, and it's because both parties are terrible. So, I'm not going to vote the Republican plan or the Democrat plan. I think eventually they come together.”
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Sep 21, 2025, 1:45 PM EDT
Trump won’t confirm reported letter from Venezuela’s Maduro
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn as he left for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, Trump was asked if he received a letter from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro asking to negotiate. Trump did not share whether he received the letter.
“Well, I don't want to say but we'll see what happens with Venezuela. I don't want to say, but yeah,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One to depart for Glendale, Arizona, to attend a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, at the White House in Washington, Sept. 21, 2025.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Reuters reported on Saturday that Maduro offered to engage in direct talks with the Trump administration days after the first U.S. strike on a boat from the South American country that Trump says was carrying drug traffickers.
In the letter to Trump that was reviewed by Reuters, Maduro pushed back against U.S .claims that Venezuela plays a heavy role in drug trafficking.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Sep 21, 2025, 12:59 PM EDT
Trump defends Bondi after pressuring her to prosecute opponents
After publicly putting pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi to carry out prosecutions targeting his political opponents, Trump said she’s doing a “great job.”
Asked by ABC News if he would fire Bondi if New York Attorney General Letitia James is not indicted, Trump said, “No, she’s doing a great job – Pam Bondi is doing a great job. I think Pam Bondi is going to go down as one of the best attorney generals of the ages.”
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One to depart for Glendale, Arizona, to attend a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, at the White House in Washington, Sept. 21, 2025.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
This comes after Trump forced out the U.S. Attorney General for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office failed to find incriminating evidence against James.
Asked he had threatened to fire anyone in DOJ leadership if they don’t prosecute James or former FBI Director James Comey, Trump responded, “No, I don’t do that. I don’t do that. I mean, I look at the facts like everybody else. You read the facts, and to me, she looks terrible, she looks like she’s very guilty, but that’s going to be up to the DOJ.”
