The Megyn Kelly Show - Elon's Email Drama, Trump vs. Maine Governor, and a German Election Surprise： AM Update for 2⧸24

00:00:00.000 Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, February 24th, 2025. This is your AM

00:00:09.180 Update. Another example of total chaos, all caused by unelected Doge guy, Elon Musk.

00:00:15.280 D.C. elites rankled by a Doge email sent to federal employees asking,

00:00:20.040 what did you do last week? And the possible beginnings of a power struggle between the

00:00:24.360 Doge team and cabinet-level officials. You better do it because you're not going to get

00:00:28.780 any federal funding at all if you don't. President Trump challenges the governor of Maine

00:00:32.840 for flouting his executive order, banning men from competing in women's sports. And then his

00:00:38.320 education department's civil rights office makes it official. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says

00:00:44.080 peace in Ukraine could come as early as this week, as President Zelensky suggests his resignation as

00:00:50.660 a potential offering. And a surprise result in the German elections. All that and more coming up in

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00:02:01.620 The email heard around the world. On Saturday, every single federal employee received an email

00:02:07.720 with the subject line, what did you do last week? Employees are asked to respond with bullet points

00:02:13.340 outlining five accomplishments from the previous week. On an ex post, Elon Musk said failure to respond

00:02:19.620 will be considered a letter of resignation. Notably, the body of the email sent to employees

00:02:25.660 did not include that ultimatum. The move prompting massive outcry from politicians and media alike.

00:02:32.420 Here's a little taste of what the Sunday shows sounded like, starting with Republican Senator

00:02:36.700 John Curtis of Utah. He followed Mitt Romney in that seat on Face the Nation.

00:02:42.840 If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are

00:02:49.060 real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have

00:02:54.780 to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well. We can do both.

00:02:57.960 They're finding other ways to get people to either resign or create a pretext for them to be fired.

00:03:04.300 Elon Musk has zero legal authority to fire government employees or force their resignations.

00:03:09.100 Again, another example of total chaos, all caused by unelected Doge guy, Elon Musk.

00:03:15.060 Elon Musk defending the move on X, writing, quote,

00:03:17.500 a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government

00:03:20.680 are doing so little work that they're not checking their email at all.

00:03:25.320 Mr. Musk says there is outright fraud in the system. The Doge team believes non-existent people

00:03:30.780 or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks.

00:03:35.080 Reaction among Trump department heads is mixed. Sam Stein of The Bulwark, an anti-Trump media outlet,

00:03:42.600 reporting on Saturday, basically every federal employee I've talked to tonight has said their

00:03:46.640 agency head has encouraged them not to respond to the Musk email until they get more guidance.

00:03:52.440 New FBI Director Kash Patel sent an email to his employees telling them not to comply with the

00:03:58.040 request. The Department of Defense, too, sent out a similar letter to its employees. HHS,

00:04:03.940 headed by Bobby Kennedy, sent an email on Sunday morning verifying the legitimacy of the email,

00:04:09.980 urging employees to reply. But NIH, which is under HHS, writing to staff an hour later saying,

00:04:16.900 do not comply. The federal government employs about 2.1 million civilians.

00:04:21.660 The deadline for response is set for 11.59 p.m. tonight.

00:04:25.360 President Trump clashing with Maine Governor Janet Mills at a session held by the National

00:04:32.760 Association of Governors on Friday. As part of his remarks to state leaders, Mr. Trump called out

00:04:38.540 Governor Mills for her state's lack of compliance with his executive order banning males from competing

00:04:44.660 in female sports.

00:04:46.120 Are you not going to comply with it?

00:04:48.460 I'm complying with state and federal laws.

00:04:50.700 Well, we are the federal law. Well, you better do it. You better do it because you're not going to

00:04:55.600 get any federal funding at all if you don't. And by the way, your population, even though it's

00:04:59.540 somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn't want men playing in women's

00:05:05.180 sports. So you better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding.

00:05:10.620 Every state. Good. I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.

00:05:17.140 And enjoy your life after governor because I don't think you'll be in elected politics.

00:05:21.460 On February 6th, President Trump signed the executive order titled Keeping Men Out of Women's

00:05:26.940 Sports. The order requires federal funds to be rescinded from schools and educational programs

00:05:32.600 that fail to provide fair, female-only sporting opportunities. It means no boys on the girls' field

00:05:38.980 and no boys in the girls' locker room. The day after the order was signed, the head of the Maine

00:05:44.480 Principals Association, Mike Burnham, told a local Maine outlet, quote, the executive order and our

00:05:50.760 Maine State Human Rights Act are in conflict and the Maine Principals Association will continue to follow

00:05:56.380 state law as it pertains to gender identity. The Maine State Human Rights Act provides protection based

00:06:03.160 on gender identity, which means men who are pretending to be women and vice versa. The Maine Principals

00:06:09.860 Association is the governing body overseeing student sports in the state. After the testy exchange at the

00:06:15.460 White House, the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to the Maine Department

00:06:20.280 of Education informing them of an investigation into potential violations. Craig Trainor, acting assistant

00:06:27.280 secretary for civil rights, releasing a statement that reads in part, quote, let me be clear, if Maine

00:06:32.980 wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Education Department, it has to follow Title IX. The

00:06:39.140 Office of Civil Rights will do everything in its power to ensure taxpayers are not funding blatant civil

00:06:44.740 rights violators. Governor Mills responding, quote, the state of Maine will not be intimidated by the

00:06:50.020 president's threats. Maine received $250 million in federal funding this year. Ultimately, the courts will

00:06:57.680 have the final say.

00:07:02.040 President Trump bucking tradition, replacing the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General C.Q. Brown with Air Force

00:07:08.640 Lieutenant General Dan Raisin Cain. Five other admirals and generals are also set up for a replacement,

00:07:15.160 including Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the Navy.

00:07:20.800 The announcement posted to Truth Social this past Friday evening. President Trump writing,

00:07:25.580 I want to thank General Charles C.Q. Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country.

00:07:30.340 He's a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.

00:07:35.460 General Brown replaced General Mark Milley as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September

00:07:39.680 2023. His removal prompted swift backlash in the media. The Trump Pentagon does not welcome

00:07:47.960 black people. They're discouraging black people from joining. The optics here don't look great.

00:07:55.480 C.Q. Brown was only the second black man to ever hold that position. Brown has become a target for the

00:08:01.820 Trump administration as they seek to rid the government and the military of leaders who support

00:08:07.760 diversity and equity efforts. Prior to serving as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Brown served

00:08:12.860 as chief of staff to the Air Force. President Trump nominated him to that position in March 2020.

00:08:19.800 Upon confirmation later that year, the general became the first African-American to lead a branch

00:08:24.240 of the armed forces thanks to Mr. Trump. Under President Biden, General Brown became the chairman of

00:08:30.120 the Joint Chiefs, a post with a four-year term that would typically carry through a subsequent

00:08:35.520 administration. However, the chairman does serve at the pleasure of the president, who can dismiss the

00:08:40.960 chair if he so chooses. Vice President J.D. Vance pointing out on X, President Harry Truman fired

00:08:47.340 General Douglas MacArthur. Mr. Obama fired General Stanley McChrystal. The second Trump administration

00:08:53.860 is laser-focused on rooting out diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from all facets of the

00:08:59.360 federal government, but especially the military. In a 2020 address to the Chicago Council on Global

00:09:05.240 Affairs, General Brown stated, quote, I hire for diversity because they all bring a different

00:09:11.420 perspective. That same year, he made public remarks about difficulties he faced as a black man in the

00:09:17.240 military. I'm thinking about a history of racial issues and my own experiences that didn't always sing

00:09:22.420 of liberty and equality. I'm thinking about my Air Force career, where I was often the only African-American

00:09:28.620 in my squadron, or as a senior officer, the only African-American in the room. I'm thinking about

00:09:35.040 wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers, and they may be questioned

00:09:40.120 by another military member, are you a pilot? Upon taking office, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

00:09:46.520 announced a task force focused on promoting merit-based, colorblind policies. Retired Lieutenant

00:09:52.920 General Dan Raisin Cain, President Trump's nominee to replace General Brown, first met the president

00:09:58.220 in Iraq. The general captured President Trump's attention by telling him the U.S. could defeat ISIS

00:10:03.920 in a week, far sooner than the two years predicted by other generals, a story Mr. Trump recounted

00:10:10.360 on the Joe Rogan podcast. But I defeated ISIS with the greatest generals. I had a guy who was so great.

00:10:17.940 But I flew to Iraq, and I met the real generals, not these idiots that we deal with. And we knocked

00:10:27.600 out, you know, I defeated 100% of the ISIS caliphate. They said it would take five years. I did it in a

00:10:33.240 matter of a few, literally a few weeks. And we hit them hard. And he said, so we're going to hit him

00:10:40.160 here, we're going to hit him there, we're going to hit him here, there. And I said, this guy's great. I like

00:10:44.900 this guy. Raisin Cain entered the military in 1990. He served as an F-16 fighter pilot. On 9-11,

00:10:52.240 he protected D.C. airspace. In addition to his service in Iraq, General Cain was also a senior

00:10:57.220 military officer at the CIA. CNN reports General Cain is well-respected and seen among his peers as

00:11:04.280 nonpartisan. General Cain will need a waiver for confirmation since he has not held roles senior

00:11:10.660 enough under the law. And a stunner out of the FBI. President Trump announcing on True Social last

00:11:17.360 night that Dan Bongino, former Secret Service agent and former NYPD officer turned popular

00:11:23.920 podcaster, has been named as deputy director of the FBI under director Kash Patel. The president calling

00:11:31.180 this great news for law enforcement and American justice. Coming up, potential for peace in Ukraine

00:11:39.800 as early as this week and the surprise result in the German elections. We continue to face uncertainty

00:11:46.880 when it comes to the economy with a perfect storm brewing as Social Security and Medicare hit a

00:11:51.940 breaking point as the largest generation is hitting retirement. A smaller workforce means a smaller tax

00:11:57.680 base. You pair that with our growing national debt and rising cost of living and we could have a big

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00:12:49.720 President Zelensky with an unexpected answer at a conference in Ukraine. Asked about his

00:12:54.760 willingness to resign, the Ukrainian leader responding, quote, if you really want me to

00:12:58.980 leave my post, I'm ready. Alternatively, I can trade this for NATO membership if such conditions

00:13:05.140 exist immediately so we don't have lengthy discussions. He went on to say he does not

00:13:09.820 intend to stay in power for decades. This comes on the heels of criticism from President Trump

00:13:14.700 about the suspension of Ukrainian elections earlier last year. The U.S. and Ukrainian president spent much

00:13:20.980 of the last week trading barbs about the negotiation process with Russia. President Trump visibly growing

00:13:26.220 more and more frustrated with the public complaints of President Zelensky as the U.S. works toward a

00:13:31.140 peaceful resolution. NATO membership is a non-starter for the Trump administration in the approach to

00:13:36.800 peace talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees the expansion of NATO to Russian borders as an

00:13:42.240 existential threat. Hungary, Germany, and more have also expressed concerns over admitting Ukraine into

00:13:48.580 NATO. According to Article 5 of the treaty, an attack on one member is an attack on all.

00:13:54.260 admittance into NATO requires unanimous approval from all member states. On Saturday evening,

00:14:00.760 Press Secretary Caroline Levitt delivered an update on negotiations from outside the White House.

00:14:05.420 Right now, the president and his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both

00:14:10.440 sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this

00:14:15.580 week. As European leaders discuss sending their own troops as a post-war security guarantee,

00:14:20.860 the U.S. is taking a different approach. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined some of the

00:14:26.780 details on Fox Business' mornings with Maria yesterday. What it does not include is a military

00:14:32.720 guarantee. But what it does include is an implicit guarantee that if the United States of America is

00:14:39.360 heavily invested in the economic future, you know, I call it an economic security guarantee.

00:14:44.740 The more assets that U.S. companies have on the ground, the bigger interest that the U.S. has in

00:14:52.700 the future of Ukrainian economy doing well, the more security it creates for the Ukrainian people,

00:14:59.240 and the higher the return for the U.S. taxpayer.

00:15:03.380 And economic security assurance rather than U.S. boots on the ground.

00:15:06.660 The results of the German parliamentary elections yesterday marking a significant shift to the

00:15:14.400 political right, but not all the way right. The center-right Christian Democratic Union slash

00:15:20.880 Christian Social Union, a united coalition of two parties, winning about 29 percent of the vote,

00:15:27.620 wresting control from the Social Democratic Party, which won only 16 percent, a historic low.

00:15:33.460 They want to cut taxes and red tape. They would advocate for stricter immigration laws and faster

00:15:39.200 asylum processing. They aim to abolish a law that seeks to get rid of fossil fuel-based heating

00:15:43.980 systems in German homes, a very moderate right-wing, similar to establishment Republican types in the

00:15:50.440 U.S. In second place, the AFD, Alternative for Germany, earning just over 20 percent of the vote.

00:15:57.960 The rise of the party formed in 2013 is of great concern to many on the left and in the media.

00:16:03.460 People here feel deeply uncomfortable about allowing the far right to return to power.

00:16:08.880 The nation's domestic intelligence agency is investigating the AFD as a suspected extremist

00:16:13.740 organization. Elon Musk endorsed the party, calling it the last vestige of hope for Germany.

00:16:19.700 The AFD is similar to the MAGA movement in America in some ways. Originally formed to oppose European

00:16:25.400 financial bailouts, the party really began to rally its staunch opposition to Germany's open-door

00:16:30.740 refugee policy established by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015. Despite the fact that the center-right

00:16:37.620 party and the AFD now together control a combined 49 percent of the electorate, they are not likely

00:16:43.660 to work together. In Germany, the moderate right and the left typically work together and refuse to

00:16:49.640 cooperate with what they call the far right, a fact for which Vice President J.D. Vance slammed them

00:16:55.320 on their home turf just over a week ago.

00:16:57.700 What no democracy, American, German, or European will survive is telling millions of voters that

00:17:04.600 their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief are invalid or unworthy of even

00:17:11.940 being considered. Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters.

00:17:19.140 There's no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don't.

00:17:26.880 What will this result mean for Ukraine and Russia and America? We'll stay on it and bring you the

00:17:31.320 latest. And that will do it for today's AM Update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the Megan

00:17:38.260 Kelly Show later today, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash

00:17:44.200 Megan Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.

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The Megyn Kelly Show - February 24, 2025

Elon's Email Drama, Trump vs. Maine Governor, and a German Election Surprise： AM Update for 2⧸24

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