The Megyn Kelly Show - February 26, 2026


Docs Explore Allergy Surge, Bill Gates Addresses Epstein Ties, Crockett Surges in TX： AM Update 2⧸26


Episode Stats

Length

21 minutes

Words per Minute

150.76288

Word Count

3,241

Sentence Count

204


Summary


Transcript

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00:00:30.000 Good morning, everyone.
00:00:34.240 I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party
00:00:36.540 and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM channel 111.
00:00:40.260 It's Thursday, February 26th, 2026.
00:00:43.440 And this is your AM update.
00:00:45.520 We made a terrible, tragic mistake as a medical profession.
00:00:49.260 Giving parents the wrong recommendation
00:00:51.540 to avoid peanut and other allergens
00:00:54.640 until a child turns three years of age.
00:00:57.180 FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty McCary
00:00:59.480 bringing together leading researchers and physicians
00:01:01.940 to examine what's driving the surge in food allergies
00:01:05.220 and how to stop it.
00:01:06.940 We are now the most chronically ill,
00:01:08.940 high-income nation in the world.
00:01:10.620 This public health crisis is touching every American family.
00:01:14.740 Dr. Casey Means facing senators in her confirmation hearing
00:01:17.640 to become the next Surgeon General.
00:01:20.080 Bill Gates acknowledging his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
00:01:22.620 were a huge mistake
00:01:24.260 while saying he never witnessed anything illegal.
00:01:27.240 And new poll numbers show Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
00:01:31.000 surging in the race for the Democrat Senate nomination in Texas.
00:01:34.920 All that and more coming up in just a moment
00:01:36.940 on your AM update.
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00:02:49.420 The Trump administration directing resources
00:02:51.720 toward uncovering the root causes
00:02:53.560 of chronic health problems
00:02:54.940 affecting millions of Americans,
00:02:56.880 including the sharp rise in food allergies
00:02:59.340 now impacting millions of families nationwide.
00:03:02.980 Food allergies today
00:03:03.760 affecting roughly one in 10 adults
00:03:05.780 and one in 13 children,
00:03:08.180 reshaping daily life for parents,
00:03:09.960 schools, and communities
00:03:11.040 from allergen-free classrooms
00:03:12.820 to the growing financial burden
00:03:14.380 of life-saving medications like EpiPens.
00:03:17.920 Yesterday, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty McCary
00:03:20.340 convening a high-level expert panel
00:03:22.780 on food allergies,
00:03:24.360 bringing together leading researchers
00:03:25.760 and physicians to examine
00:03:27.420 what's driving the surge
00:03:28.820 and how to stop it.
00:03:30.140 If you haven't noticed,
00:03:31.980 society over the last 25 years
00:03:33.900 has transformed.
00:03:36.220 Kids with a peanut or food allergy
00:03:37.880 now sit at their own table
00:03:40.300 or they can or cannot go into certain rooms
00:03:43.620 or participate in certain activities in society.
00:03:47.260 Food and peanut allergies are real.
00:03:49.960 They need to be taken seriously.
00:03:51.340 What happened?
00:03:53.500 When we were kids,
00:03:54.920 hardly anyone had a peanut or food allergy.
00:03:57.920 Something happened.
00:03:59.700 And look at the result.
00:04:01.660 Kids can't go out for ice cream
00:04:04.060 their entire childhood
00:04:05.100 for fear that the scooper
00:04:06.880 has been cross-contaminated
00:04:08.520 and not rinsed appropriately
00:04:10.500 after being used in a nut-based flavor.
00:04:13.900 Schools and families
00:04:15.320 have been burdened
00:04:16.800 by the cost of having
00:04:18.060 an EpiPen
00:04:20.340 at all times
00:04:21.740 everywhere they go.
00:04:23.180 Peanut allergies in particular
00:04:24.420 becoming the scourge
00:04:25.760 of many elementary schools,
00:04:27.260 with Dr. McCary
00:04:28.220 pointing to past medical guidance
00:04:29.980 that made the problem worse.
00:04:31.460 We made a terrible,
00:04:33.080 tragic mistake
00:04:33.880 as a medical profession.
00:04:36.160 Giving parents
00:04:36.960 the wrong recommendation
00:04:38.280 to avoid peanut
00:04:40.420 and other allergens
00:04:41.360 until a child turns
00:04:42.500 three years of age.
00:04:44.440 Ignoring a basic principle
00:04:45.900 in immunology
00:04:46.840 known as oral tolerance.
00:04:49.420 Whereby the body's
00:04:50.780 developing immune system
00:04:52.480 benefits from exposures
00:04:54.260 to allergens
00:04:54.940 as early as
00:04:55.780 five, six, seven months of age.
00:04:59.060 And we now know
00:04:59.840 from good research
00:05:00.760 published by some of the experts here
00:05:02.540 that that helps
00:05:03.740 significantly reduce
00:05:05.920 peanut allergies
00:05:07.020 and other food allergies
00:05:08.120 later in life.
00:05:09.600 Our job today
00:05:10.820 is not to look back.
00:05:12.320 It's to look ahead.
00:05:13.800 To talk about prevention,
00:05:15.040 best practices,
00:05:16.680 the latest science,
00:05:18.100 and new therapeutics
00:05:19.120 that can help
00:05:19.740 the kids suffering
00:05:21.060 from these allergies.
00:05:22.800 Dr. Gideon Lack
00:05:23.880 and Dr. Ruchi Gupta,
00:05:25.940 two of the nation's
00:05:26.860 leading allergy experts,
00:05:28.200 noting today's medical guidance,
00:05:29.660 returns to an earlier principle,
00:05:31.920 introducing potential allergens
00:05:33.460 early
00:05:34.020 rather than avoiding them.
00:05:35.920 Babies require
00:05:37.020 early exposure
00:05:38.240 through the gastrointestinal tract
00:05:40.320 to achieve tolerance.
00:05:42.780 And throughout history
00:05:44.500 and throughout millennia,
00:05:46.060 that's what parents
00:05:46.900 did with their children.
00:05:48.240 They gave them the foods
00:05:49.280 that they ate.
00:05:51.580 For decades now,
00:05:53.100 we've been managing
00:05:54.640 prevention
00:05:55.440 and treatment
00:05:57.560 with avoidance.
00:05:59.340 And I would just like
00:06:01.040 to point out
00:06:01.560 that the pediolum
00:06:02.720 has shifted now
00:06:03.900 where we are exposing
00:06:05.440 early
00:06:06.080 to prevent
00:06:07.280 and diagnose early
00:06:09.760 and treat early.
00:06:11.460 It is challenging
00:06:13.140 for parents
00:06:14.280 to introduce
00:06:15.360 multiple foods
00:06:16.960 and we want to be careful
00:06:18.300 about medicalizing
00:06:19.820 food allergy
00:06:21.020 in early infants
00:06:22.500 when life is already
00:06:23.260 so complicated,
00:06:24.760 raising a baby.
00:06:25.900 So I think
00:06:26.820 currently,
00:06:28.340 the best way
00:06:28.840 to put it
00:06:29.420 is
00:06:29.800 if your family
00:06:31.320 is eating a food
00:06:32.440 in their diet,
00:06:33.420 it's part of your family
00:06:34.860 food,
00:06:36.320 then introduce it
00:06:38.160 to your baby.
00:06:39.420 We spoke to
00:06:39.980 Commissioner McCary
00:06:40.740 about the expert panel.
00:06:42.480 He tells us
00:06:42.960 a diet filled
00:06:43.820 with ultra-processed foods
00:06:45.440 is just one piece
00:06:46.380 of the puzzle
00:06:46.940 when it comes to
00:06:47.840 reducing the rate
00:06:48.760 of food allergies.
00:06:50.120 We're fairly certain
00:06:51.380 that there is a link
00:06:52.660 between
00:06:53.360 what a child consumes
00:06:55.040 and these many diseases
00:06:56.800 that have expanded
00:06:57.820 in the last 20 years.
00:06:59.780 And if you look
00:07:00.400 at one common thread,
00:07:02.060 it's the fact
00:07:02.860 that the diet
00:07:03.860 of children
00:07:04.380 starting in our generation
00:07:05.980 has become
00:07:07.140 highly ultra-processed
00:07:09.160 with new chemicals
00:07:10.340 and exposures
00:07:11.280 that were never seen
00:07:12.160 before in human history.
00:07:14.120 And so this is
00:07:15.140 where we need
00:07:15.760 to put research dollars.
00:07:17.380 So we want
00:07:18.100 to increase education.
00:07:20.000 We want people
00:07:20.620 to be more aware.
00:07:21.900 We want them
00:07:22.380 to know best practices.
00:07:24.120 We want them
00:07:24.780 to know where
00:07:25.240 the data is solid
00:07:26.260 and where we are
00:07:27.160 just winging it
00:07:28.620 as a medical profession.
00:07:30.400 And we want
00:07:31.380 there to be
00:07:31.820 new therapeutics
00:07:32.960 in this field
00:07:33.500 to help those
00:07:34.320 who are suffering
00:07:35.040 right now
00:07:35.660 with the consequences
00:07:37.120 of peanut
00:07:37.680 and food allergies.
00:07:39.140 Dr. McCary tells us
00:07:40.060 the long-standing
00:07:40.880 medical consensus
00:07:41.720 that urged families
00:07:42.780 to avoid allergens,
00:07:44.460 guidance many now believe
00:07:45.740 did more harm than good,
00:07:47.380 is an example
00:07:47.980 of a broader pattern
00:07:49.180 in medicine.
00:07:50.600 It's a hazard
00:07:51.940 of groupthink.
00:07:53.060 And we've seen it
00:07:53.780 not just with peanut
00:07:54.860 allergy recommendations
00:07:56.320 being wrong,
00:07:57.220 but also with the dogma
00:07:59.180 that opioids
00:07:59.980 were not addictive.
00:08:00.960 We got that wrong
00:08:01.660 for 20 years.
00:08:03.300 The dogma
00:08:03.860 that saturated fat
00:08:05.240 is what kills you
00:08:06.200 and causes heart disease.
00:08:07.520 We got that wrong
00:08:08.340 for 50 years.
00:08:09.480 It was the basis
00:08:10.120 of the old food pyramid
00:08:11.460 that we just recently
00:08:12.780 rewrote
00:08:13.820 in this administration.
00:08:16.000 And there have been
00:08:17.260 other dogmas.
00:08:18.060 You saw it
00:08:18.500 during the COVID pandemic
00:08:19.640 that a kid
00:08:20.840 had to avoid school
00:08:21.920 for nearly two years
00:08:23.020 or wear a cloth mask
00:08:24.360 at the age of two years
00:08:25.420 of age for years.
00:08:28.060 COVID boosters
00:08:28.760 in young, healthy children.
00:08:30.900 So we have to be aware
00:08:32.980 that we are prone
00:08:35.660 to medical groupthink today
00:08:37.140 just as we had been
00:08:38.440 in the past.
00:08:39.780 Dr. McCary describing
00:08:40.880 how the Trump administration
00:08:41.960 is attempting
00:08:42.680 to break that pattern.
00:08:44.720 We're changing the funding
00:08:45.960 at the National Institutes
00:08:47.320 of Health.
00:08:48.080 We're changing it
00:08:49.220 from the traditional
00:08:50.240 treatment-only focus
00:08:53.000 to also studying
00:08:54.100 the root causes.
00:08:55.600 It's been kind of
00:08:56.520 an open secret
00:08:57.300 that as we've transformed
00:08:58.820 the U.S. food supply
00:09:00.040 to be high in junk food
00:09:02.140 and chemicalized foods
00:09:03.560 that we've also ushered in
00:09:05.600 an epidemic
00:09:06.280 of chronic diseases.
00:09:07.960 So this is where
00:09:09.000 we can get a lot of bang
00:09:10.660 for our buck
00:09:11.220 in investing
00:09:12.140 in research ideas.
00:09:13.440 And I personally
00:09:14.320 like the ideas
00:09:15.960 that are sometimes
00:09:17.160 not very popular.
00:09:18.620 The ideas that only get
00:09:19.980 one vote
00:09:21.200 in the Scientific Selection
00:09:23.160 Committee,
00:09:24.020 the grants that come through,
00:09:25.920 and the old guard establishment
00:09:27.540 thinks it's not a good idea,
00:09:29.780 but one or two researchers
00:09:31.840 on the team,
00:09:32.920 maybe younger scientists,
00:09:34.680 think there may be
00:09:35.380 something there.
00:09:36.480 We need fresh new ideas
00:09:38.600 when it comes to research
00:09:39.940 because we've got to try
00:09:41.380 new approaches.
00:09:43.000 And in fact,
00:09:43.520 most great scientific discoveries
00:09:45.260 have come from big ideas
00:09:47.560 from a fresh perspective.
00:09:49.160 Meanwhile,
00:09:51.820 Dr. Casey Means
00:09:52.600 facing senators yesterday
00:09:54.120 in her confirmation hearing
00:09:55.540 before the Senate Health,
00:09:56.920 Education, Labor,
00:09:57.920 and Pensions Committee
00:09:58.920 to become the next
00:10:00.120 Surgeon General.
00:10:01.620 The hearing originally
00:10:02.520 scheduled for October,
00:10:04.300 but postponed
00:10:04.960 after Means
00:10:05.940 went into labor
00:10:07.040 the morning she was
00:10:08.240 set to testify.
00:10:09.760 Means is the sister
00:10:10.740 of top RFK junior advisor
00:10:12.460 Callie Means.
00:10:13.740 A 2009 graduate
00:10:15.160 of Stanford University,
00:10:16.760 Means later earning her MD
00:10:18.180 from Stanford University
00:10:19.520 School of Medicine,
00:10:20.900 on track to become
00:10:21.760 a highly specialized surgeon
00:10:23.180 before leaving her residency
00:10:24.640 in her fifth year.
00:10:26.740 Means since rededicating
00:10:28.320 her career around combating
00:10:29.860 the nation's chronic
00:10:30.860 disease epidemic,
00:10:32.440 arguing the medical
00:10:33.320 establishment focuses
00:10:34.360 too heavily on treatment
00:10:35.900 and not enough
00:10:37.060 on root causes.
00:10:38.700 Means here delivering
00:10:40.280 her opening statement.
00:10:41.620 We are now the most
00:10:42.560 chronically ill,
00:10:43.680 high-income nation
00:10:44.380 in the world.
00:10:44.840 We live shorter,
00:10:46.860 sicker lives
00:10:47.720 than peer,
00:10:49.140 high-income nations.
00:10:50.900 We spend trillions
00:10:51.920 annually on reactive
00:10:53.140 sick care.
00:10:54.600 Nearly 150 million
00:10:55.800 Americans are on
00:10:56.860 federal healthcare programs
00:10:58.060 and we spend
00:10:58.640 $50 billion
00:10:59.520 per year
00:11:00.420 on research.
00:11:01.980 Yet outcomes
00:11:02.700 are worsening
00:11:03.440 and disparities
00:11:04.540 are widening.
00:11:05.880 This public health
00:11:06.760 crisis is touching
00:11:08.240 every American family.
00:11:10.320 It is robbing
00:11:11.000 our children
00:11:11.380 of possibility,
00:11:12.600 our workforce
00:11:13.100 of productivity,
00:11:13.820 and our nation
00:11:15.040 of security.
00:11:16.720 Public health
00:11:17.420 leaders must address
00:11:18.760 the evidence-based,
00:11:20.440 modifiable drivers
00:11:21.440 of chronic diseases,
00:11:22.840 which include
00:11:23.320 ultra-processed foods,
00:11:24.920 industrial chemical
00:11:25.860 exposure,
00:11:27.140 lack of physical activity,
00:11:28.560 chronic stress
00:11:29.280 and loneliness,
00:11:30.260 and over-medicalization.
00:11:31.980 Democrat Senator
00:11:32.800 Patty Murray
00:11:33.460 of Washington
00:11:34.180 questioning means
00:11:35.600 on past comments
00:11:36.620 made about birth control.
00:11:38.400 You called
00:11:39.360 birth control pills,
00:11:40.580 and I'm going to quote,
00:11:41.540 a disrespect of life,
00:11:43.160 and you said
00:11:44.240 Americans, quote,
00:11:45.300 use birth control
00:11:46.320 pills like candy.
00:11:48.060 Should women
00:11:48.600 trust the FDA,
00:11:50.000 which approved
00:11:50.700 all 18 methods
00:11:52.140 of birth control,
00:11:53.420 or should they
00:11:54.400 trust your statement
00:11:55.540 that there are
00:11:56.320 horrifying health risks
00:11:57.980 to birth control?
00:11:58.960 I absolutely believe
00:12:00.340 these medications
00:12:00.980 should be accessible
00:12:02.320 to all women,
00:12:03.740 and also,
00:12:05.080 all medications
00:12:05.780 have risks and benefits,
00:12:07.100 and some of the
00:12:08.220 horrifying side effects
00:12:09.620 of birth control
00:12:10.580 that I have mentioned
00:12:11.800 include blood clots
00:12:13.180 and stroke risk
00:12:14.040 in women
00:12:14.840 who have clotting disorders,
00:12:16.340 who are smokers.
00:12:17.360 I'm very careful
00:12:18.760 with my words,
00:12:19.360 and when I say
00:12:19.800 those comments,
00:12:20.400 which are taken
00:12:20.780 out of context,
00:12:22.620 I'm speaking about
00:12:23.560 particular women
00:12:24.600 that can be heard
00:12:25.560 if there is not
00:12:26.480 informed consent
00:12:27.180 about their medical history.
00:12:28.760 I want those women,
00:12:30.040 and I know you do too,
00:12:31.640 to be able to have
00:12:32.140 a thorough conversation
00:12:33.060 with their doctor
00:12:33.680 and know whether
00:12:34.520 they are at higher risk
00:12:35.620 for side effects.
00:12:36.940 Senator Bill Cassidy
00:12:38.360 of Louisiana,
00:12:39.320 a Republican
00:12:39.820 and medical doctor,
00:12:41.160 asking means
00:12:41.820 about her beliefs
00:12:42.600 on the potential link
00:12:43.700 between vaccines
00:12:44.860 and autism.
00:12:45.760 Do you believe
00:12:46.980 that vaccines,
00:12:47.920 whether individually
00:12:48.600 or collectively,
00:12:50.500 contribute to autism?
00:12:52.600 The reality is
00:12:53.420 that we have
00:12:53.820 an autism crisis
00:12:54.740 that's increasing,
00:12:56.440 and this is devastating
00:12:58.760 to many families,
00:12:59.920 and we do not know
00:13:01.520 as a medical community
00:13:03.060 what causes autism.
00:13:05.000 The administration
00:13:05.960 has just committed
00:13:07.180 a huge amount of funding
00:13:08.080 to look at the exposome
00:13:09.560 of all environmental factors
00:13:11.040 that could be contributing
00:13:11.860 to autism,
00:13:12.940 and until we have
00:13:14.160 a clear understanding
00:13:14.860 of why kids
00:13:15.440 are developing this
00:13:16.780 at higher rates,
00:13:17.660 I think we should not
00:13:19.560 leave any stones unturned.
00:13:21.220 There's been a lot
00:13:21.680 of evidence showing
00:13:22.740 that they're not implicated.
00:13:24.260 Do you not accept
00:13:25.040 that evidence?
00:13:25.720 I do accept that evidence.
00:13:27.320 I also think that
00:13:28.200 science is never settled.
00:13:30.120 FDA Commissioner
00:13:30.920 Dr. Marty McCary
00:13:31.940 tells us Casey Means
00:13:33.280 is exactly the kind
00:13:34.360 of thinker
00:13:34.780 this administration needs.
00:13:36.720 She's one who can speak
00:13:37.960 both as a surgical
00:13:39.160 subspecialist
00:13:40.220 and as a holistic
00:13:42.180 primary care physician
00:13:43.840 who talks about food
00:13:46.000 and the importance
00:13:46.940 of natural sunlight
00:13:48.420 and the types of grains
00:13:50.140 that we eat.
00:13:51.220 This is the type
00:13:52.280 of expertise
00:13:53.040 that is badly lacking
00:13:55.400 in modern education.
00:13:57.320 People who are
00:13:58.460 in the medical field
00:13:59.140 often have to seek it out
00:14:00.400 on their own,
00:14:01.220 and she is one
00:14:02.100 of the great role models
00:14:03.480 of physicians
00:14:05.640 who has sought out
00:14:06.740 that information,
00:14:08.160 become an expert
00:14:09.100 in much of it,
00:14:10.440 and is leading the charge
00:14:11.580 on the importance
00:14:12.260 of food and healthy living.
00:14:15.900 Coming up,
00:14:16.920 Bill Gates apologizing
00:14:18.160 for his ties
00:14:18.920 to Jeffrey Epstein,
00:14:20.200 calling the relationship
00:14:21.040 a huge mistake.
00:14:22.880 New polling indicates
00:14:23.800 Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
00:14:25.420 surging in the Democrat primary
00:14:27.180 for U.S. Senate in Texas.
00:14:33.500 Our sponsor,
00:14:34.740 the Electronic Payments Coalition,
00:14:36.160 says Washington politicians
00:14:37.620 are always getting
00:14:38.400 in your wallet
00:14:38.980 and now they're messing
00:14:40.140 with your credit card.
00:14:41.340 They say your credit card
00:14:42.280 and the security offers
00:14:43.460 are under attack
00:14:44.780 and that Senators
00:14:45.760 Dick Durbin
00:14:46.320 and Roger Marshall
00:14:47.120 want to change
00:14:48.000 the nation's payment system
00:14:49.340 to benefit corporate
00:14:50.560 megastores like Walmart
00:14:51.660 and Target
00:14:52.360 at the expense
00:14:53.340 of everyday Americans.
00:14:55.000 Credit cards
00:14:55.420 can keep your payments
00:14:56.220 secure
00:14:56.600 and provide rewards
00:14:57.840 that families use
00:14:58.880 to help make
00:14:59.400 everyday purchases
00:15:00.200 more affordable.
00:15:01.360 The Electronic Payments
00:15:02.400 Coalition says
00:15:03.140 the Durbin-Marshall
00:15:03.960 mandates
00:15:04.400 would let corporate
00:15:05.380 megastores cut corners
00:15:06.500 on credit card processing,
00:15:08.200 routing transactions
00:15:09.020 over cheaper,
00:15:10.060 untested networks
00:15:11.000 with weaker security
00:15:12.300 and fewer protections.
00:15:13.920 Find out more
00:15:14.500 at guardyourcard.com
00:15:16.440 and consider telling Congress
00:15:17.880 to guard your card.
00:15:19.360 Bill Gates apologizing
00:15:22.920 to staff
00:15:23.520 at the Gates Foundation
00:15:24.660 on Tuesday
00:15:25.260 for what he called
00:15:26.180 a quote
00:15:26.680 huge mistake
00:15:27.820 in associating
00:15:29.100 with convicted
00:15:29.840 sex offender
00:15:30.500 Jeffrey Epstein,
00:15:31.740 acknowledging that
00:15:32.440 the relationship
00:15:33.000 cast a cloud
00:15:33.960 over the foundation,
00:15:35.360 according to
00:15:35.780 The Wall Street Journal's
00:15:36.640 exclusive reporting.
00:15:38.300 Speaking at a town hall,
00:15:39.580 Gates admitted
00:15:40.060 to meeting Epstein
00:15:40.860 multiple times
00:15:41.740 between 2011
00:15:42.560 and 2014,
00:15:44.200 years after Epstein
00:15:45.280 was convicted
00:15:45.940 of sex crimes
00:15:46.820 involving a minor.
00:15:47.860 Gates saying
00:15:49.060 he was aware
00:15:49.760 Epstein faced
00:15:50.480 legal trouble,
00:15:51.240 including some
00:15:51.900 quote
00:15:52.240 18-month thing
00:15:53.580 limiting Epstein's travel,
00:15:55.600 but did not properly
00:15:56.540 investigate his background
00:15:57.680 and continued
00:15:58.760 associating with him
00:15:59.800 even after
00:16:00.480 then-wife
00:16:01.080 Melinda French-Gates
00:16:02.160 in 2013
00:16:02.840 raised concerns.
00:16:05.060 From Gates,
00:16:05.740 quote,
00:16:06.360 knowing what I know now
00:16:07.420 makes it,
00:16:07.940 you know,
00:16:08.300 a hundred times worse
00:16:09.340 in terms of not only
00:16:10.220 his crimes in the past,
00:16:11.660 but now it's clear
00:16:12.400 there was ongoing
00:16:13.200 bad behavior.
00:16:14.720 Gates confirming
00:16:15.420 he flew with Epstein
00:16:16.440 on a private jet
00:16:17.360 to multiple locations,
00:16:19.060 though saying
00:16:19.520 he never stayed overnight
00:16:20.520 and he never visited
00:16:21.860 Epstein's island.
00:16:23.340 The renewed scrutiny
00:16:24.100 coming as newly released
00:16:25.400 DOJ documents
00:16:26.300 include emails
00:16:27.120 showing Epstein
00:16:27.840 referencing Gates's
00:16:28.880 alleged extramarital affairs
00:16:30.840 and suggesting
00:16:31.740 he could expose them
00:16:33.180 in a dispute
00:16:34.180 involving one of
00:16:35.160 Gates's former
00:16:35.940 science advisors.
00:16:37.760 Gates acknowledging
00:16:38.400 during the town hall
00:16:39.300 that he had two affairs
00:16:40.440 with Russian women,
00:16:41.940 one a bridge player
00:16:42.720 he met around 2010,
00:16:43.740 the other a nuclear physicist
00:16:45.980 linked to one of his companies,
00:16:48.240 but insisting,
00:16:49.080 quote,
00:16:49.660 I did nothing illicit,
00:16:50.820 I saw nothing illicit.
00:16:52.660 Gates saying photos
00:16:53.500 in the Epstein files
00:16:54.500 showing him
00:16:55.080 with redacted women
00:16:56.320 were of Epstein's
00:16:57.540 assistance after meetings
00:16:58.940 taken at Epstein's request.
00:17:01.220 The Microsoft founder
00:17:02.180 insisting,
00:17:02.860 quote,
00:17:03.300 to be clear,
00:17:03.980 I never spent any time
00:17:05.140 with victims,
00:17:06.000 the women around him.
00:17:07.600 Gates spokesperson
00:17:08.160 previously denying
00:17:09.280 other allegations
00:17:10.400 stemming from
00:17:11.220 the newly released files,
00:17:12.500 including claims
00:17:13.600 that Gates requested
00:17:14.500 help from Epstein
00:17:15.320 in secretly slipping
00:17:16.880 wife Melinda
00:17:17.920 STI medication,
00:17:19.920 quote,
00:17:20.600 absurd and completely false.
00:17:23.880 With the Democrat primary
00:17:25.260 for U.S. Senate
00:17:26.020 in Texas
00:17:26.500 just five days away,
00:17:28.320 a new poll
00:17:28.820 shows Congresswoman
00:17:29.720 Jasmine Crockett
00:17:30.660 holding a double-digit lead
00:17:32.380 over state representative
00:17:33.520 James Tallarico.
00:17:35.640 Crockett,
00:17:36.260 known for her combative style
00:17:37.620 and vibrant clashes
00:17:38.740 on Capitol Hill.
00:17:40.040 If someone
00:17:40.700 on this committee
00:17:41.720 then starts talking
00:17:43.340 about somebody's
00:17:44.700 bleached,
00:17:45.100 blonde,
00:17:45.500 bad-built,
00:17:46.240 butch body,
00:17:47.020 that would not be
00:17:48.040 engaging in personalities,
00:17:49.300 correct?
00:17:50.100 She's facing off
00:17:50.860 against Tallarico,
00:17:52.260 leaning into what he calls,
00:17:53.320 quote,
00:17:53.580 joyful politics,
00:17:55.060 often invoking his background
00:17:56.400 as a Presbyterian minister
00:17:57.800 in training.
00:17:59.100 Being a Christian
00:17:59.700 is about loving
00:18:00.500 thy neighbor,
00:18:01.460 not bullying
00:18:02.220 LGBTQ people.
00:18:04.420 According to
00:18:04.880 the University of Texas'
00:18:06.160 Texas Politics Project
00:18:07.600 survey,
00:18:08.480 conducted among
00:18:09.000 likely Democrat
00:18:09.980 primary voters,
00:18:11.260 Crockett leads
00:18:11.780 56% to
00:18:12.960 Tallarico's
00:18:13.620 44%.
00:18:14.760 The poll fielded
00:18:16.080 just before early voting
00:18:17.320 began last week.
00:18:19.060 Turnouts so far
00:18:19.780 reportedly surging
00:18:20.820 compared to past
00:18:21.720 Texas Democrat primaries.
00:18:23.680 But the top line
00:18:24.340 only telling part
00:18:25.240 of the story,
00:18:26.280 in the crosstabs,
00:18:27.460 Tallarico performing
00:18:28.320 far better with
00:18:29.040 independents who say
00:18:30.340 they plan to vote
00:18:31.040 in the Democrat primary,
00:18:32.700 leading Crockett
00:18:33.420 by 20 points,
00:18:34.820 60 to 40.
00:18:36.560 Within the core
00:18:37.260 Democratic electorate,
00:18:38.500 however,
00:18:38.700 Crockett maintains
00:18:39.700 the advantage,
00:18:40.720 57% to 43%.
00:18:42.940 Crockett's strongest
00:18:44.100 support coming
00:18:44.720 from Black voters,
00:18:46.080 where she leads
00:18:46.680 by an overwhelming
00:18:47.460 margin,
00:18:48.100 87% to 12%.
00:18:50.340 Tallarico doing
00:18:51.360 slightly better
00:18:52.060 among whites,
00:18:53.040 edging out Crockett
00:18:53.840 53 to 47.
00:18:56.340 CNN speaking
00:18:57.140 to one white
00:18:58.100 early voter
00:18:58.740 who explained
00:18:59.580 her decision
00:19:00.040 to back Tallarico.
00:19:01.640 So yes,
00:19:02.080 we need a fighter.
00:19:03.560 And I was
00:19:04.400 so ready
00:19:05.540 to vote
00:19:06.120 for Jasmine Crockett
00:19:07.600 because I love
00:19:08.480 her.
00:19:09.900 But I
00:19:10.540 voted for Tallarico
00:19:12.800 because we need
00:19:14.060 somebody who can win.
00:19:15.300 That clip
00:19:16.140 quickly going viral
00:19:17.460 online,
00:19:18.440 with critics
00:19:18.980 arguing it reveals
00:19:19.800 uncomfortable tension
00:19:21.220 among Democrats
00:19:22.240 about their views
00:19:23.040 on race
00:19:23.680 and electability.
00:19:25.140 Back at the crosstabs,
00:19:26.620 Crockett leading
00:19:27.340 among women
00:19:27.940 by 20 points,
00:19:29.040 60 to 40.
00:19:30.440 Among men,
00:19:31.380 the race is
00:19:31.880 essentially even,
00:19:33.240 51 Crockett
00:19:34.180 to Tallarico's
00:19:35.060 49.
00:19:36.140 Tallarico dominating
00:19:37.420 among younger
00:19:38.200 voters,
00:19:38.940 winning 73%
00:19:40.420 of 18 to 29-year-olds
00:19:42.020 compared to Crockett's
00:19:43.080 27%.
00:19:44.080 In the real clear
00:19:45.060 polling average,
00:19:46.200 Crockett now leading
00:19:46.940 by three points,
00:19:48.140 with the last three
00:19:49.100 surveys all showing
00:19:50.380 momentum
00:19:50.980 in her direction.
00:19:52.960 On the Republican
00:19:53.560 side in the same
00:19:54.420 University of Texas
00:19:55.460 poll among likely
00:19:56.660 GOP primary voters,
00:19:58.160 the race is far
00:19:58.920 tighter.
00:19:59.980 Attorney General
00:20:00.560 Ken Paxton
00:20:01.220 holding a narrow
00:20:02.260 lead at 36%.
00:20:04.180 Incumbent Senator
00:20:05.300 John Cornyn
00:20:05.940 close behind
00:20:06.600 at 34%,
00:20:07.720 Congressman Wesley
00:20:08.600 Hunt at 26%.
00:20:10.260 Among independents
00:20:11.120 who say they
00:20:11.560 plan to vote
00:20:12.240 in the Republican
00:20:12.900 primary,
00:20:13.980 Paxton expanding
00:20:14.960 his advantage,
00:20:16.120 pulling 44%
00:20:17.420 support compared
00:20:18.500 to Cornyn's
00:20:19.040 27% and Hunt's
00:20:20.460 20%.
00:20:21.580 In the real clear
00:20:22.200 polling average,
00:20:23.140 Paxton leading
00:20:23.660 by 2.7 points,
00:20:25.400 coming out ahead
00:20:26.240 in the last four
00:20:27.120 surveys,
00:20:27.960 including one that
00:20:28.600 had him ahead
00:20:29.520 by seven.
00:20:30.860 Election day
00:20:31.440 set for March
00:20:32.200 3rd.
00:20:32.980 If a candidate
00:20:33.500 fails to secure
00:20:34.300 at least 50%
00:20:35.200 of the vote,
00:20:36.040 the top two
00:20:36.500 candidates go on
00:20:37.500 to a runoff
00:20:38.200 election set
00:20:38.960 for May 26th.
00:20:42.720 That'll do it
00:20:43.440 for your AM update.
00:20:44.460 I'm Emily Jashinsky,
00:20:45.340 host of After Party.
00:20:46.800 Catch the
00:20:47.140 Megyn Kelly show
00:20:47.820 live on SiriusXM's
00:20:49.380 The Megyn Kelly
00:20:50.060 Channel 111
00:20:51.060 at noon east
00:20:52.040 on youtube.com
00:20:53.240 slash megynkelly
00:20:54.120 and on all
00:20:55.120 podcast platforms.
00:20:56.300 Martha listens to
00:21:02.700 her favorite band
00:21:03.400 all the time.
00:21:04.620 In the car,
00:21:06.460 gym,
00:21:07.140 even sleeping.
00:21:09.760 So when they
00:21:10.500 finally went on
00:21:11.200 tour,
00:21:11.720 Martha bundled
00:21:12.260 her flight and
00:21:12.800 hotel on Expedia
00:21:13.800 to see them live.
00:21:14.900 She saved so much
00:21:15.820 she got her seat
00:21:16.460 close enough to
00:21:17.120 actually see and
00:21:18.040 hear them.
00:21:19.820 Sort of.
00:21:21.080 You were made
00:21:21.660 to scream from
00:21:22.400 the front row.
00:21:23.400 We were made
00:21:23.900 to quietly save you
00:21:25.020 more Expedia made
00:21:26.820 to travel.
00:21:28.120 Savings vary and
00:21:28.960 subject to
00:21:29.480 availability.