The Megyn Kelly Show - January 20, 2026


DOJ Puts Don Lemon On Notice, 2028 Dem Contenders Go Quiet, Arctic Blast Incoming： AM Update 1⧸20


Episode Stats


Length

19 minutes

Words per minute

159.49127

Word count

3,039

Sentence count

182

Harmful content

Misogyny

9

sentences flagged

Hate speech

10

sentences flagged


Summary

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

DOJ officials are investigating Don Lemon and a group of agitators for the planned disruption of a Christian religious service. Democrats heading into 2028 are facing a growing problem: their inability to answer a simple question. 60 Minutes finally airs its much-discussed prison story and stirs up new controversy. And bundle up, much of the country is set to experience an Arctic blast this weekend. All that and more coming up in a moment on Your AM Update.

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 .
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00:00:30.000 Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly.
00:00:34.940 It's Tuesday, January 20th, 2026, and this is your AM Update.
00:00:39.520 Nobody should think in the United States that they're going to be able to get away with this.
00:00:42.840 Trump DOJ officials investigating Don Lemon and a group of agitators
00:00:47.040 for the planned disruption of a Christian religious service.
00:00:51.560 Democrats heading into 2028 facing a growing problem,
00:00:54.740 their inability to answer a simple question.
00:00:57.720 60 Minutes finally airs its much-discussed Seacott prison story
00:01:02.560 and stirs up new controversy.
00:01:04.780 And bundle up, much of the country is set to experience an Arctic blast this weekend.
00:01:09.580 All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
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00:02:04.000 Previously semi-famous TV host Don Lemon now lashing out at Christians
00:02:11.660 after accompanying an anti-ice mob that deliberately disrupted a Sunday service
00:02:17.240 at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, confronting a Baptist preacher mid-worship
00:02:22.780 and turning the sanctuary into a political ambush.
00:02:26.940 Lemon now styling himself as an independent journalist, joining agitators who said
00:02:32.620 they were there to hold parishioners accountable for refusing to endorse the disruptors' anti-ice cause,
00:02:40.340 a move now drawing scrutiny from DOJ officials probing possible criminal charges.
00:02:45.780 Yesterday, Lemon running to the left's favorite new podcast lady, 1.00
00:02:49.540 the very angry Jennifer Welsh, casting himself as the real victim here.
00:02:54.620 I think people who are, you know, in religious groups like that,
00:02:58.480 it's not the type of Christianity that I practice, but I think that they're entitled 0.96
00:03:02.160 and that that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a white supremacy.
00:03:06.660 And they think that this country was built for them, that it is a Christian country,
00:03:09.860 when actually we left England because we wanted religious freedom.
00:03:13.020 It's religious freedom, but only if you're a Christian and only if you're a white male, pretty much. 0.63
00:03:17.440 And so, yeah, absolutely 100%, but it's an intimidation tactic.
00:03:21.100 And, you know, I said, I don't understand how I've become the face of it when I was a journalist.
00:03:25.760 I do understand that. I'm the biggest name there.
00:03:28.300 And I'm also, as I was on with my producers this morning, I said, how did I become the face of this?
00:03:33.060 And my producer said, Don, you're a gay black man in America.
00:03:36.080 Within hours of the disgusting church harassment going viral,
00:03:39.120 U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dillon,
00:03:42.540 announcing an investigation into potential violations of the FACE Act,
00:03:46.640 a federal law making it illegal to use force, threats, or intimidation to interfere
00:03:51.840 with individuals exercising their right to worship inside a church.
00:03:56.000 Yesterday on The Benny Johnson Show, Dillon outlining a range of additional federal charges under review
00:04:01.000 that may also cover Lemon's involvement as a quote-unquote journalist.
00:04:05.980 The FACE Act is just the start.
00:04:08.380 Like I said, you have material support for disruptive activities.
00:04:11.840 You have conspiracy to violate civil rights.
00:04:14.480 You have potentially the use of other instrumentalities to commit crimes.
00:04:19.480 And so some of these folks who did this have self-identified.
00:04:23.700 Don Lemon himself has come out and said he knew exactly what was going to happen inside that facility.
00:04:28.820 He went into the facility and then he began, quote-unquote, committing journalism.
00:04:34.480 And as if that's sort of a shield from being a part, an embedded part of a criminal conspiracy, it isn't.
00:04:42.980 And so, you know, we're getting our ducks in a row.
00:04:45.780 We're putting the facts together.
00:04:47.320 And this is a very serious matter.
00:04:49.640 Come next Sunday, nobody should think in the United States that they're going to be able to get away with this.
00:04:54.200 Everyone in the protest community needs to know that the fullest force of the federal government
00:04:59.900 is going to come down and prevent this from happening and put people away for a long, long time.
00:05:04.980 Dillon explaining another potential tool at the DOJ's disposal to enact justice, the Ku Klux Klan Act.
00:05:11.600 The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes. 0.54
00:05:15.360 And it goes back to the time when President Lincoln emancipated the slaves.
00:05:19.860 And yet the southern states, Dixiecrats mainly, were refusing to give them equal rights.
00:05:25.200 And in fact, you had sheriffs and you had law enforcement harassing the newly freed slaves.
00:05:30.940 So the Klan Act is a law that makes it illegal to terrorize citizens to violate their civil rights,
00:05:38.500 to get together and conspire to violate the civil rights.
00:05:41.820 What the Biden administration did is if three grandmas got together to pray outside an abortion clinic, 1.00
00:05:48.120 they would say, oh, that's not just a violation of the Klan Act.
00:05:51.000 That's a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of women going in there to get abortions. 1.00
00:05:56.240 And so we're going to add additional charges and punish that more and make it from a misdemeanor
00:06:01.240 under the FACE Act to a felony under the Klan Act.
00:06:05.600 Lemon continuously defending his role in the intimidation, releasing a statement to Fox News,
00:06:10.920 quote,
00:06:11.100 It's notable that I've been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist,
00:06:16.640 especially since I wasn't the only reporter there.
00:06:19.820 That framing is telling.
00:06:22.340 Gee, I wonder what he's referring to.
00:06:24.840 Deputy AG Todd Blanche yesterday on Fox saying Lemon crossed the line.
00:06:29.460 Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas.
00:06:31.920 It does not extend to somebody just trespassing and being embedded with a group of rioters
00:06:36.660 and being part of the group that storms inside of a church.
00:06:39.600 So as our assistant attorney general said yesterday, we are absolutely investigating that conduct.
00:06:46.380 And the fact that that man, that Mr. Lemon, thought that that was a good idea to do that
00:06:51.140 and then to race away from it saying it was freedom of the press.
00:06:54.240 Well, we'll see. We'll see.
00:06:56.280 Minnesota leadership remaining remarkably quiet on the targeting of Christian worshipers.
00:07:01.880 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry saying nothing.
00:07:04.860 Governor Tim Walz too. Crickets.
00:07:06.700 However, through a spokesperson, the governor releasing one tepid statement, quote,
00:07:12.280 The governor has repeatedly and unequivocally urged protesters to do so peacefully.
00:07:17.660 While people have a right to speak out, he in no way supports interrupting a place of worship.
00:07:23.000 Can you spare it?
00:07:24.360 Deputy AG Blanche reacting to that statement yesterday on Fox.
00:07:28.040 Today, the governor just throws his hands up and says, oh, I've always said you should peacefully
00:07:32.280 protest. That is just completely made up.
00:07:35.260 You can listen to what that man has been saying for the past three weeks.
00:07:38.620 He has not been encouraging people to peacefully protest.
00:07:41.180 He's been encouraging people to do exactly what they did.
00:07:44.000 And what happened yesterday is a consequence of the governor's words, period.
00:07:48.500 Even more remarkably, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
00:07:52.560 This is the state's top law enforcement officer appearing on Lemon's podcast endorsing the riotous behavior.
00:07:59.700 The protest is fundamental to American society.
00:08:03.940 This country started in a protest.
00:08:06.360 And, you know, it's freedom of expression.
00:08:09.320 People have a right to lift up their voices and make their peace.
00:08:12.880 And none of us are immune from the voice of the of the public.
00:08:17.560 Pro tip, Keith, there is absolutely not a right to enter a church, which is private property,
00:08:23.740 uninvited, and to harass and intimidate churchgoers even after you've been told to leave.
00:08:29.720 We'll have more on this later today on The Megyn Kelly Show.
00:08:32.260 As the 2026 midterm season approaches, Democrats with presidential ambitions will begin jockeying
00:08:39.540 for a position, backing midterm candidates, building alliances, and laying the groundwork
00:08:44.460 for a presidential run.
00:08:46.120 But one vulnerability Dems still struggle to navigate, questions about basic biological realities
00:08:52.060 from women's sports to medical interventions for minors.
00:08:56.080 It was a defining issue in President Trump's 2024 victory, repeatedly used to hammer Democrat
00:09:01.140 candidate Kamala Harris with this viral line.
00:09:04.000 Kamala is for they, them. 1.00
00:09:05.840 President Trump is for you.
00:09:07.900 I'm Donald J. Trump, and I approve this message.
00:09:10.680 Even as public opinion moves away from progressive gender ideology, many Democrats eyeing 2028 still
00:09:16.720 appear unwilling to engage.
00:09:19.040 A March New York Times poll finding 79% of Americans believe male athletes should not be allowed to
00:09:24.820 compete in women's sports.
00:09:26.180 Among Democrats, 67% support sex-segregated sports.
00:09:32.960 Axios asking about 20 potential Democrat contenders three very simple questions.
00:09:38.300 Should, quote, transgender girls—translation, folks, that means boys—be allowed to compete
00:09:43.620 in girls' sports? 0.97
00:09:45.140 Do you believe transgender youths under 18 should be able to be placed on puberty blockers and 1.00
00:09:50.320 hormones?
00:09:51.040 And what is your response to the question, can a man become a woman?
00:09:54.720 Eight high-profile Democrats declining to answer, including former Vice President Kamala Harris,
00:10:00.400 Congresswoman AOC from New York, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Senator from New Jersey,
00:10:04.940 Cory Booker, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, Congressman
00:10:09.480 from California, Ro Khanna, and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
00:10:14.480 Cat got your tongue? 0.97
00:10:16.020 Just three going on the record.
00:10:17.960 Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former
00:10:22.580 Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
00:10:24.920 Shapiro's office pointing Axios to past remarks suggesting decisions about transgender athletes
00:10:29.680 should be left to local sports officials, while also backing a lawsuit aimed at protecting
00:10:34.800 access to permanent disfiguring medical procedures for minors.
00:10:39.540 Buttigieg's spokesperson emphasizing compassion, saying sports decisions should be handled by leagues
00:10:45.120 rather than politicians.
00:10:46.480 And Rahm Emanuel, the only one with courage of the bunch, offering no such ambiguity, reiterating
00:10:54.000 his position has not changed since this July appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show.
00:10:58.720 Do you believe boys should be able to play in girls' sports?
00:11:01.640 Should we be putting men in female prisons? 1.00
00:11:04.840 Men claiming they're women? 0.80
00:11:06.340 No.
00:11:07.760 And, all right, here's my last one for you.
00:11:10.340 Can a man become a woman? 1.00
00:11:11.340 Can a man become a woman? 1.00
00:11:15.340 Uh, not, no.
00:11:16.940 It's really not so hard.
00:11:19.120 Axios reporting Democrats looking to avoid clarity on the issue altogether, pointing to
00:11:23.580 newly inaugurated Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger as the model.
00:11:27.360 In her campaign last year, Spanberger deflecting questions about her personal views, framing her
00:11:32.820 support for boys competing in girls' sports as an effort to get politics out of the schools.
00:11:39.140 Democrats' 2028 motto, don't tell voters how you really feel.
00:11:43.080 For the love of God, hide it.
00:11:45.320 A new YouGov poll showing Democrat frontrunner Gavin Newsom slipping from 23% support in September
00:11:51.760 down to 17, which drops him into second place behind Kamala Harris, who ticked up
00:11:57.280 slightly from 19 to 20%.
00:11:59.040 Go, Kamala, go! 1.00
00:12:01.000 Every other potential Democrat contender trailing well behind in the single digits.
00:12:06.520 Coming up, after weeks of controversy, 60 Minutes finally airs its shelved report on
00:12:12.920 El Salvador's Cicot prison, revealing not much has changed at all about the original report.
00:12:18.760 And the nation gears up for an Arctic blast heading this way.
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00:13:32.700 CBS News finally airing its delayed report on El Salvador's Cicot prison.
00:13:38.320 The segment focusing on the Trump administration's decision to transfer certain deported illegals,
00:13:42.820 many accused of gang ties, into the Terrorism Confinement Center, Cicot,
00:13:48.100 in El Salvador, as part of a broader effort to dismantle violent transnational gangs like
00:13:53.320 Tren de Aragua.
00:13:54.920 Back in December, CBS editor-in-chief Barry Weiss abruptly pulling the piece just hours before
00:14:00.020 broadcast, triggering a reported newsroom revolt and accusations of censorship.
00:14:05.420 Weiss, who took over editorial leadership of CBS News last year, defending the decision at the time,
00:14:10.360 finding the report not ready for air, citing alleged concerns over editorial balance,
00:14:15.680 and lack of an on-camera response from the Trump administration, which CBS staffers found an odd
00:14:21.680 reason to spike a 60 Minutes piece because it effectively gives a subject veto rights over a
00:14:27.860 story, allowing the government to avoid a tough piece by never giving an on-camera response.
00:14:33.640 Correspondent Sharon Alfonsi, who reported the piece, sending an internal memo challenging the
00:14:38.440 decision, writing, quote,
00:14:39.440 The public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship.
00:14:43.700 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley accusing Weiss, who has no television-producing experience,
00:14:49.260 of spiking the piece without having bothered to attend any one of the five previous screenings of it.
00:14:55.340 The controversy landing as Weiss herself struggles to establish credibility among her new staffers,
00:15:00.920 with critics viewing her appointment, a promotion from the small, politically moderate,
00:15:04.660 online outlet, the free press, as an attempt to signal political moderation, and also as a move
00:15:10.360 meant to placate President Trump by choosing an editorial chief who is non-woke, at least sort of,
00:15:17.160 ahead of a Skydance acquisition of CBS, which needed government approval.
00:15:22.380 Since taking over, Weiss facing pressure with experimental town halls, including one she hosted,
00:15:28.140 which failed in the ratings, and overseeing the relaunch of CBS Evening News with Tony Dokopoul,
00:15:33.800 whose nightly program's ratings are already headed in the wrong direction.
00:15:38.200 Fast forward to this week.
00:15:39.920 After all that hullabaloo, CBS finally airing its much-debated Seacott piece,
00:15:45.240 zeroing in on two illegals deported to the El Salvadoran prison.
00:15:49.980 The big changes?
00:15:51.300 An odd, nearly three-minute anchor tag quoting bits and pieces of Trump administration-written
00:15:57.080 statements, but still not featuring an on-camera comment.
00:16:00.380 Alphonsi, remaining clearly skeptical of the administration's framing that these two illegals
00:16:05.920 were Venezuelan gang members, Alphonsi questioning whether a swastika tattoo on one of the men
00:16:11.720 suggests gang involvement, and quoting gang experts who say the symbol is irrelevant
00:16:16.740 to the Trenda Aragua gang.
00:16:19.400 Kay.
00:16:20.200 In other words, the big delay and ugly internal fight was all ultimately just to add a long tag
00:16:26.700 that did more attempted undermining of the administration's arguments.
00:16:30.800 Welcome to the new CBS.
00:16:32.640 Same as the old one.
00:16:35.400 Brace yourself for plummeting temperatures this weekend as winter tightens its grip on
00:16:40.040 much of the country.
00:16:41.680 Meteorologist Ryan Shoptaw of 3 News in Corpus Christi, Texas, reporting confidence is growing
00:16:47.420 that a powerful blast of Arctic air is set to engulf much of the nation, with multiple forecast
00:16:53.340 models now in agreement.
00:16:54.700 The northern plains and Midwest already experiencing bitter cold, set to remain locked in Arctic
00:17:00.840 temperatures through next week.
00:17:02.960 Wintry conditions already leading to an over 100-vehicle pileup in Michigan.
00:17:08.080 Miraculously, local officials reporting no fatalities.
00:17:12.560 Rescue crews there requiring snowmobiles to access stranded passengers from the lengthy crash site.
00:17:18.600 Beginning Friday, the cold front is forecast to push farther south, arriving in Kansas,
00:17:23.140 Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, before racing into Texas, Louisiana, and the
00:17:29.000 southeast by Friday night.
00:17:30.880 That surge of frigid air bringing strong winds in what could be the coldest temperatures many
00:17:36.080 southern states have seen so far this season.
00:17:38.780 Shoptaw also saying some parts of the south, particularly from north Texas into Oklahoma and
00:17:43.980 eastward, could see snow, depending on the track of the storm system.
00:17:48.420 NBC reporting parts of the northeast by Sunday could experience wind chills as cold as 30 below
00:17:53.840 zero, with areas as cold as 50 below zero.
00:17:58.640 50, I say.
00:18:00.740 Along with the potential for ice and snow, hazardous travel conditions could impact millions of Americans
00:18:06.360 this weekend.
00:18:07.020 Bundle up and stay safe out there.
00:18:09.760 And don't forget to make arrangements for your elderly relatives, just in case the power
00:18:14.320 goes out.
00:18:17.480 That'll do it for your AM update.
00:18:19.180 I'm Megan Kelly.
00:18:20.120 Join me back here for the MK Show, live on SiriusXM's The Megan Kelly Channel, 111 at
00:18:24.520 noon east, on youtube.com slash megankelly, and on all podcast platforms.
00:18:28.880 At MedCan, we know that life's greatest moments are built on a foundation of good health, from
00:18:38.160 the big milestones to the quiet winds.
00:18:40.980 That's why our annual health assessment offers a physician-led, full-body checkup that provides
00:18:46.340 a clear picture of your health today, and may uncover early signs of conditions like heart
00:18:51.320 disease and cancer.
00:18:52.740 A healthier you means more moments to cherish.
00:18:55.220 Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today.
00:18:57.580 MedCan, live well, for life. 0.98
00:19:00.700 Visit medcan.com slash moments to get started.