The Megyn Kelly Show - July 16, 2026


Blanche’s Fiery Hearing, Trump Reverses ICE Vehicle Rule, Daylight Saving Time Vote： AM Update 7⧸16


Episode Stats


Length

20 minutes

Words per minute

163.3

Word count

3,388

Sentence count

173

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche clashes with Democratic senators at a contentious confirmation hearing, as one undecided Republican could determine whether President Trump s nominee advances. President Trump abruptly reverses DHS restrictions on vehicle stops, a former Democratic Party official is arrested after allegedly confronting an ex-partner with a knife and black tape, and the House votes to end daylight saving time.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.400 All right, full-time thoughts. Craig, who stood out?
00:00:02.880 Brazil's lime cheesecakes started bright, didn't let up.
00:00:05.400 Nah, for me, Italian cappuccino was the standout in the box.
00:00:08.480 But if we're talking decadent performance, that's all France.
00:00:11.300 Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.
00:00:13.680 Canadian fireworks really showed up big too.
00:00:15.700 And Mexico's caramel churro ice cap.
00:00:18.060 Gave me chills.
00:00:19.200 We are, of course, talking about Tim's taste of the globe lineup.
00:00:22.080 New globally inspired Timbits and ice cap flavors,
00:00:24.640 available at Tim Hortons for a limited time.
00:00:26.460 Pick some up today, and while you're at it, check out Footy Prime Daily.
00:00:30.000 Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinski, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up
00:00:37.060 Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Thursday, July 16th, 2026, and this is your AM Update.
00:00:43.880 What happened to the prosecutor who said that there wouldn't be a whiff of
00:00:46.660 political partisanship and then prosecutes the president's enemies over seashells?
00:00:51.080 Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche clashing with Democrat senators at a contentious
00:00:55.460 confirmation hearing, as one undecided Republican could determine whether President Trump's nominee
00:01:00.440 advances. So it becomes a lot safer to do it that way versus going into a house,
00:01:07.260 knocking on the door, not knowing who's in that house. President Trump abruptly reversing DHS
00:01:12.980 restrictions on ICE vehicle stops. A former Arizona Democrat Party official arrested after
00:01:18.760 allegedly confronting an ex-partner with a knife and black tape. And the House voting to end the
00:01:24.480 twice-yearly clock change, advancing President Trump's push to make daylight saving time
00:01:29.520 permanent. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
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00:02:44.580 a licensed insurance agency. President Trump's nominee for attorney general clashing with
00:02:51.460 Democrat senators yesterday while facing potentially decisive questions from a key
00:02:56.200 Republican. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending his leadership of the DOJ
00:03:01.400 during a largely contentious Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing. Blanche's
00:03:06.420 nomination now facing an exceptionally narrow path through the committee. Republican Senator
00:03:11.860 Lindsey Graham's sudden death over the weekend, leaving Republicans with just one vote to lose,
00:03:17.540 as every Democrat is expected to oppose the nomination.
00:03:21.660 GOP Senator John Cornyn of Texas emerging as the pivotal undecided vote.
00:03:26.880 More on that in a minute.
00:03:28.320 Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii opening with a familiar, yet still bizarre, line of questioning.
00:03:35.380 Since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors
00:03:40.880 or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?
00:03:47.180 No, Senator.
00:03:48.140 Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement relating to this kind of conduct?
00:03:53.380 No, Senator.
00:03:54.880 Among Blanche's sharper exchanges, a clash with Democrat Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey
00:03:59.920 over his attendance at a dinner hosted by Paramount CEO David Ellison.
00:04:04.420 Senator Booker noting the dinner took place the same day Paramount shareholders
00:04:08.640 approved a merger still under Justice Department review,
00:04:12.340 pressing Blanche on whether this attendance crossed ethical lines.
00:04:15.640 The Justice Department ethics rules are very clear about avoiding the appearance of impropriety.
00:04:24.560 In a case like this, I don't think that's appearance of impropriety.
00:04:28.520 I think that's improper, that the connected and the powerful are getting a chance to rub shoulders.
00:04:36.580 It would seem appropriate that you avoid those kind of appearances and dinners like that.
00:04:41.300 every appearance or dinner or speech that i give are cleared by ethics officials so you your
00:04:47.160 attendance at that dinner was cleared by ethics officials everything that i do i didn't ask you
00:04:52.020 everything you do was your appearance at that dinner you can ask the questions but you cannot
00:04:56.540 control my answers i'm under oath and i can answer the questions i choose to answer them
00:05:00.520 blanche delivering another forceful response after democrat senator sheldon whitehouse of
00:05:05.440 Rhode Island launched a series of personal attacks against FBI Director Kash Patel.
00:05:10.640 How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character? Are you good with his airplane
00:05:15.940 jaunts? Are you confident he's not drinking on the job? Are you sure none of his travel is a
00:05:20.140 pretext for vacation activities like snorkeling Olympics and visiting girlfriends? Are you sure
00:05:25.620 he knows what he's doing? Do you vouch for him? Are you willing to look at whether he lied to
00:05:30.360 this committee? That's an extraordinarily obnoxious question, Senator, and I have full
00:05:36.140 faith in Director Patel and the work that he's doing every day. Democrat Senator Adam Schiff
00:05:41.900 of California taking the questioning in an especially personal direction. Senator Schiff
00:05:47.260 himself censored by the House and blocked from returning to the Intelligence Committee over his
00:05:52.560 conduct during the Trump-Russia investigations, and now facing allegations of mortgage fraud that
00:05:57.920 he denies, nevertheless accusing Blanche of compromising his principles. What happened to
00:06:03.860 the prosecutor who said that there wouldn't be a whiff of political partisanship and then
00:06:07.860 prosecutes the president's enemies over seashells, cases over making a video stating the plain law
00:06:14.020 and constitution? What happened to you, Todd Blanche? It is a sad story that we have seen
00:06:19.960 from Trump appointee after appointee after appointee. We have seen people compromise
00:06:25.920 themselves little by little and then a lot by a lot
00:06:29.480 until they're sitting before this committee and trying to justify the
00:06:33.700 unjustifiable. You asked me what happened to Todd Blanche.
00:06:37.620 I am still here. I am the same exact person I was
00:06:41.460 when I was a federal prosecutor in the SDNY, which is do the right thing
00:06:45.480 and do everything you can to keep communities safe. So when I was a
00:06:49.560 line prosecutor, when I was a supervisor, when I was the head of a division,
00:06:53.440 My motivation and my goal was the same thing with the people who worked with me and worked for me, which is do the right thing, enforce the laws, and put bad guys in jail.
00:07:05.080 Blanche, who was President Trump's personal attorney before joining the administration, confirming during Senator Schiff's questioning that he has recused himself from any remaining DOJ work connected to the three now-concluded criminal cases against the president.
00:07:19.480 The New York Business Records prosecution, the January 6th investigation, and the classified
00:07:24.540 documents case at Mar-a-Lago.
00:07:27.040 The hearing taking a potentially more consequential turn with questions from Republican Senator
00:07:31.600 John Cornyn of Texas, who lost his re-election bid, to Republican primary challenger Ken
00:07:37.040 Paxton and is now the pivotal undecided vote on Blanche's nomination.
00:07:42.540 Senator Cornyn pressing Blanche over the now-abandoned Anti-Weaponization Fund, a nearly $1.8
00:07:48.040 billion-dollar pool created through the settlement of President Trump's lawsuit over the leaking of
00:07:52.800 his tax records intended to compensate people who claimed they had been unfairly targeted by the
00:07:58.400 justice system. The proposal drawing bipartisan resistance over concerns it could steer taxpayer
00:08:04.640 monies to political allies through a process controlled by the administration. Cornyn probing
00:08:10.360 whether the administration had fully closed the door on the fund. First of all, I believe you
00:08:16.160 have said that the weaponization fund is a moot issue is that your position yes it is a moot issue
00:08:24.320 meaning there is no weaponization fund the weaponization fund is dead it's not moving forward
00:08:29.460 i've talked extensively with with you and other colleagues about potentially codifying so there's
00:08:36.700 no weaponization fund which is certainly something that could be done but just to be clear the
00:08:41.100 President of the United States, who was a plaintiff in this lawsuit, has not agreed in
00:08:46.420 writing to delete the weaponization fund, and there's no guarantee that he or one of
00:08:52.380 the other plaintiffs might raise that issue by way of a lawsuit, a breach of contract
00:08:58.560 lawsuit in the future.
00:08:59.860 Well, Senator, the plaintiffs have no power over the fund.
00:09:03.420 The fund was administered solely by the five commissioners and through the Department of
00:09:08.280 Justice.
00:09:08.480 So, no, they don't have any power with respect to the fund at all.
00:09:11.520 I suppose they could bring a lawsuit and then we would litigate it.
00:09:15.560 But even if we were litigating it, there's no fund.
00:09:18.860 Senator Cornyn declining to say which way he is leaning after the hearing, telling reporters he does not have to make a decision yet, but adding he thought Blanche did a, quote, pretty good job.
00:09:28.380 Republican Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina also expressing concerns about whether the fund had been permanently eliminated, but signaling he is leaning towards supporting Blanche.
00:09:39.180 A separate hearing scheduled for later this morning, with Democrat and Republican witnesses expected to testify on Blanche's nomination.
00:09:45.940 President Trump reversing a short-lived restriction on ICE vehicle stops yesterday,
00:09:52.740 directing immigration officers to resume using what he called one of the agency's most effective
00:09:57.620 enforcement tools. The reversal coming one day after the Department of Homeland Security ordered
00:10:02.700 ICE officers to halt most vehicle stops nationwide following two fatal shootings during immigration
00:10:09.020 operations in less than one week. DHS imposing the temporary restriction Tuesday after the deadly
00:10:15.740 encounters in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine. Neither man killed was the target agents
00:10:21.100 had initially set out to arrest, though federal officials allege both weaponized their vehicles
00:10:26.020 against authorities. Another deadly encounter unfolding in Florida on Tuesday morning.
00:10:31.440 Authorities say a 28-year-old Mexican national ran from immigration authorities at a gas station
00:10:36.440 near St. Augustine, crossing a busy road when he was struck and killed by a semi.
00:10:42.260 Later on Tuesday, DHS ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to
00:10:46.700 suspend most vehicle stops while carrying out operations across the country.
00:10:52.260 A memo obtained by Fox News and sent to ICE field office directors declaring, quote,
00:10:56.680 Effective immediately, all enforcement and removal operations initiated enforcement vehicle stops
00:11:02.520 are suspended until further notice.
00:11:05.280 The memo allowing an exception when officers were executing a criminal warrant against a target inside a vehicle.
00:11:11.540 though ICE personnel were instructed to work with a partner agency to initiate the stop.
00:11:16.580 Less than 24 hours after DHS imposed the pause,
00:11:20.060 President Trump abruptly overruling the department early yesterday morning.
00:11:24.060 Mr. Trump, writing on True Social, quote,
00:11:25.940 We cannot give up one of ICE's most important and effective crime-fighting tools, the traffic stop.
00:11:32.340 Once we do, we are playing right into the criminals' hands.
00:11:35.920 The radical-left Democrats would like to see this done, but it won't happen on my watch.
00:11:40.020 ICE, be judicious, fair, and smart, and go back and do your very important job.
00:11:45.940 DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen, who entered the job promising to get ICE out of the headlines
00:11:50.720 after the fatal shootings of anti-ICE protesters Renee Good and Alex Preddy in January,
00:11:56.160 fueled weeks of protests and clashes, backing the president's reversal.
00:12:00.440 Secretary Mullen posting in response, quote,
00:12:02.760 Our number one goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals off our streets.
00:12:07.000 Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are.
00:12:10.020 We spoke with former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf about the rapid policy reversal. 0.99
00:12:15.960 I think you can do both. I think you can look at the training, you can look at the procedures,
00:12:20.740 you can do a variety of things while those vehicle stops continue as well. So, you know,
00:12:25.880 the two aren't mutually exclusive. Wolf explains how ICE typically carries out a vehicle stop
00:12:31.320 and why agents often prefer them to arrests at homes or workplaces.
00:12:35.520 It's almost always targeted. So, you know, a nice a group of ICE agents and officers will likely surveil an individual, whether they're at their house, their employment, whatever it might be.
00:12:50.080 And then they'll watch him or her, the target, get in a vehicle, get to a sort of a, I'm not going to say a safe space, but a place where there's not a lot of people around.
00:13:01.360 And then they'll make the targeted stop, the targeted vehicle stop in that case.
00:13:05.520 Um, and they do that because largely they've got, they should have a lot of information
00:13:10.020 because they can start running license plates.
00:13:11.860 They can see who the car is registered to and then determine whether or not the person
00:13:16.200 driving it is the registered vehicle owner and see who else is in the car.
00:13:20.820 And so it becomes a lot safer to do it that way versus going into a house, knocking on
00:13:27.220 a door, not know really who knowing who's in that house, if there are weapons in that
00:13:30.840 house.
00:13:31.200 coming up a former arizona democrat party official accused of forcing his way into an
00:13:38.020 ex-partner's home with a knife and black tape before offering police an explanation almost
00:13:43.520 too bizarre to believe and the twice a year clock change could finally be running out of time
00:13:49.120 after a major vote in congress
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00:15:17.940 A former Arizona Democrat Party official and so-called transgender activist facing felony
00:15:23.660 charges after police say he forced his way into an ex-partner's home carrying a knife and black
00:15:28.960 tape. 41-year-old Brianna Westbrook, a man living as a woman, arrested Friday and charged with
00:15:35.480 burglary and aggravated assault. Following an alleged role-playing confrontation, his former
00:15:40.900 partner insists she never agreed to. Westbrook later offering investigators an extraordinary
00:15:46.700 explanation, claiming he believed the encounter was a consensual bondage scene arranged through
00:15:53.020 a subliminal message on Instagram. Westbrook previously serving as a vice chair of the Arizona
00:15:59.280 Democrat Party and chairing the party's LGBTQ caucus. He also previously held leadership
00:16:05.200 positions with the Democratic Socialists of America, including serving as an officer in
00:16:10.160 the group's Phoenix chapter and working with its national immigrant rights organization.
00:16:15.260 Westbrook unsuccessfully seeking elected office several times as a Democrat,
00:16:19.140 running for Congress in 2018 in an election ultimately won by Republican Congresswoman
00:16:24.240 Debbie Lesko. In 2022, Westbrook losing the Democratic primary race for Arizona's fifth
00:16:30.100 legislative district. Westbrook coming out as transgender in his late 20s and documenting
00:16:35.780 his transition on a YouTube channel that reportedly attracted thousands of subscribers
00:16:39.840 before it was deleted. Westbrook making his transgender identity a central theme of his
00:16:45.180 2018 campaign. The most powerful gift that I could give someone that's coming out is the courage to
00:16:50.740 do it. The most powerful gift that I could give someone that is listening to someone coming out
00:16:55.540 is unconditional love. Love to love that person regardless of who they love or who they are
00:17:03.760 becoming. Phoenix police responding shortly after six o'clock Friday evening to the home of a woman
00:17:09.020 who identified Westbrook as her former partner. The woman reportedly telling officers she heard a
00:17:14.320 knock and open the door believing her son had arrived, according to the Phoenix New Times.
00:17:19.840 Instead, she would find Westbrook outside, holding a knife in one hand and black tape in the other.
00:17:26.460 Police say Westbrook pushed his way into the residence and began wrestling with his former
00:17:31.320 partner before forcing her onto a couch and ordering her not to move. The woman screaming
00:17:37.500 for help, causing her sister to rush into the living room. Police detaining Westbrook at his
00:17:42.760 downtown Phoenix home after he walked outside and reportedly began describing the incident as a
00:17:48.380 quote, big misunderstanding. Westbrook admitting he went to his former partner's home carrying tape
00:17:53.840 and what he claimed was a fake knife, telling investigators the two had previously participated
00:17:58.320 in BDSM and had agreed to recreate a frightening scene to help the woman confront childhood trauma.
00:18:05.440 Westbrook's former partner rejecting that explanation, telling officers she never agreed
00:18:10.340 to a BDSM encounter or any form of reenactment.
00:18:14.020 Police later recovered a knife, tape, and gloves
00:18:16.700 while searching Westbrook's residence,
00:18:18.520 according to the Phoenix New Times.
00:18:20.780 Westbrook charged with third-degree burglary
00:18:22.760 and aggravated assault using a simulated deadly weapon,
00:18:26.340 both felonies.
00:18:27.580 He's also facing a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.
00:18:32.200 Termanent daylight saving time now one step closer to reality.
00:18:36.360 The House passing the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act
00:18:40.120 Tuesday by a vote of 308 to 117, advancing President Trump's push to end the twice-yearly
00:18:48.220 clock change. The bill would keep most of the country on daylight saving time year-round,
00:18:53.620 meaning Americans would spring forward in March and never fall back again in November.
00:18:58.500 Summer evenings would remain unchanged, while winter mornings would stay darker an hour longer
00:19:03.200 and sunsets would arrive an hour later. Supporters argued the extra evening sunlight
00:19:08.100 would encourage outdoor activity and boost businesses,
00:19:11.560 while opponents warned some children and commuters
00:19:13.920 could begin winter mornings in total darkness.
00:19:17.440 The measure now heading to the Senate,
00:19:19.160 where its prospects remain uncertain,
00:19:21.400 despite the chamber passing a similar proposal in 2022.
00:19:25.200 President Trump promising to work, quote,
00:19:27.180 very hard to get the bill signed into law.
00:19:29.780 Writing on True Social, it will be, quote,
00:19:31.620 a very nice win for the Republican Party.
00:19:34.120 Take it.
00:19:34.480 We are going with a far more popular alternative,
00:19:37.420 saving daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter day.
00:19:40.120 And who can be against that?
00:19:41.380 This is an easy one.
00:19:43.240 This could prove to be one of the stranger major fights
00:19:46.020 President Trump has ahead in his second term,
00:19:48.600 as opinions vary widely and strongly to the measure.
00:19:54.800 That'll do it for your AM update.
00:19:56.560 I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party.
00:19:58.600 Go and check out more at afterpartyemily.com.
00:20:01.060 Catch The Megyn Kelly Show later today,
00:20:03.260 live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east,
00:20:06.500 on youtube.com slash megankelley and all podcast platforms.
00:20:15.740 All right, full-time thoughts. Craig, who stood out?
00:20:18.260 Brazil's lime cheesecake started bright, didn't let up.
00:20:20.800 Nah, for me, Italian cappuccino was the standout in the box.
00:20:23.860 But if we're talking decadent performance, that's all France.
00:20:26.700 Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.
00:20:29.080 Canadian fireworks really showed up big too.
00:20:31.080 And Mexico's caramel churro ice cap gave me chills.
00:20:34.340 We are, of course, talking about Tim's taste of the globe lineup.
00:20:37.460 New globally-inspired Timbits and Ice Cat flavors available at Tim Hortons for a limited time.
00:20:41.980 Pick some up today, and while you're at it, check out Footy Prime Daily.