Millions Spent on Crucial Special Elections, New Columbia Tension, Trump Warns Putin： AM Update 3⧸31
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Summary
Trump administration officials stand united against calls to fire National Security Advisor Mike Walsh for inadvertently adding a reporter to a private group chat. Columbia University gets a new president. Iran rejects calls for direct nuclear negotiations as the Trump administration promises a wave of bombs, not to mention tariffs, if they don t come to the table. The White House Correspondents Association cancels its featured entertainer for the planned annual dinner. What was the dealbreaker?
Transcript
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Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, March 31st, 2025. And this is your
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AM update. If you think you're going to force the president of the United States to fire
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anybody, you've got another thing coming. Trump administration officials stand united
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against calls to fire National Security Advisor Mike Walsh for inadvertently adding a reporter
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to a private group chat. We're on the third Columbia University president. And this one,
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let's be honest, Maria, is not going to last as well. Columbia University gets a new interim
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president, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, casting doubt on the latest's ability to crack down on
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illegal campus protesting. President Trump warning Russian President Vladimir Putin if Russia is
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responsible for delaying a Ukraine peace agreement, there will be repercussions. The Iranian regime
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rejecting calls for direct nuclear negotiations as the Trump administration promises a wave of bombs,
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not to mention tariffs, if they don't come to the table. The White House Correspondents Association
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canceling its featured entertainer for the planned annual dinner. What was the deal breaker? All that
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and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. You know how much my family and I love our
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After a week of intense pressure from Democrats and the media, President Trump is standing by
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National Security Advisor Mike Walls, despite seemingly inadvertently adding a reporter to
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a private group chat outlining attack plans on Houthi rebels. Axios reporting Trump insiders saying,
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quote, President Trump seriously considered firing National Security Advisor Mike Walls,
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but cooled down and talked himself out of it, partly to deny his critics the satisfaction.
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President Trump telling NBC News in an off-camera interview, quote,
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I don't fire people because of fake news and because of witch hunts. Vice President J.D.
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Vance on Friday from Greenland also lending support to the team.
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And now the same American media that covered for the Biden administration after the untimely death
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and the unnecessary death of 13 brave Americans is really, really interested in forcing the President
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of the United States to fire someone because of a signal chat, because of a signal chat. That is
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not honest behavior from the American media. And if you think you're going to force the President
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of the United States to fire anybody, you've got another thing coming. President Trump has said it
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on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday. And I'm the Vice President saying it here on Friday.
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We are standing behind our entire national security team.
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Mr. Walls vacated his congressional seat to take a job with the Trump administration.
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The special election will be held tomorrow in Florida's 6th District. The current balance of power
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in the House is 218 to 213, giving Republicans a very slight edge. In tomorrow's election,
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Republican Randy Fine is facing off against Democrat Josh Weill, the media portraying the
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Republicans are right now worried about a special election in the deep red Florida congressional
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district once held by Trump national security advisor Michael Waltz.
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Republican anxiety mounts over special elections for two deep red congressional seats in
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Florida, which are more competitive than they should be.
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Republicans are sweating the margins in special elections in two Florida districts.
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Democrat fundraisers pouring millions into the race. Mr. Fine raising just shy of one million
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compared to Mr. Weill's nine million dollars. President Trump in November winning this district
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by 30 points. Despite a recent poll showing both candidates neck and neck, analysts say a Republican
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victory is likely. The New York Times reporting the 6th District is home to twice as many registered
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Republicans as Democrats. NBC political correspondent Steve Kornacki previewing a likely Democrat talking
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point if this race is anywhere closer than President Trump's 30 point margin of victory.
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Why would Republicans, you know, be a little concerned? Is it about losing the district? That might be a
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stretch. There's nobody in the House. There's no Democrat in the House who has won in a district like this
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recently. But would they be embarrassed by a smaller, a significantly smaller margin? That's certainly
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possible. Another special election Tuesday in Florida's first district to replace former Republican
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Congressman Matt Gaetz. Republican Jimmy Patronis is reporting that his opponent, Democrat Gay Valemont,
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is out raising him seven to one. Mr. Gaetz beat Ms. Valemont in November by 32 points before resigning his
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seat in hopes of securing the post of Attorney General. Another big race on Tuesday, the Wisconsin
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Supreme Court. Voters there will determine if the court will maintain a four to three liberal majority
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or flip to conservative. Liberal Judge Susan Crawford is taking on conservative attorney Brad Schimmel.
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At stake, control over congressional district mapping in a critical swing state. Republicans currently hold
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six of Wisconsin's eight congressional seats, despite the state's closely divided electorate.
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If liberals maintain their majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the current GOP-drawn maps could be
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thrown out, shifting the balance of power in the House of Representatives, potentially costing
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Republicans two congressional seats. We will have more on this story in the days ahead.
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On Friday night, Columbia University's embattled interim President Katrina Armstrong, resigning from
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her post. Columbia already facing $400 million in frozen federal funding, with the threat of more cuts
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to come, agreeing to implement measures allowing authorities to crack down on illegal protesting,
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as well as some academic reforms. Columbia became the epicenter of nationwide anti-Israel and anti-Semitic
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protests in the wake of Israel's war on the Hamas terrorist organization. Many Jewish students at
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Columbia reporting incidents of harassment on campus, which is unlawful under federal law,
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saying faculty and staff have done little to nothing to support them. Crimes like vandalism,
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trespassing, and others were also committed by the protesters. Ms. Armstrong caught between mounting
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pressure from the Trump administration and intense pushback from her own faculty and staff.
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Columbia professors, in the weeks leading up to President Armstrong's resignation,
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raging against her decision to cooperate with the Trump administration.
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We know that this has nothing to do with opposing anti-Semitism. We know that this is about control.
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Making these changes would allow an overbearing government to bully our university.
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Trump's cuts kill teaching and learning. They kill research. They kill knowledge. They kill truth.
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And they kill people. The Wall Street Journal reporting Ms. Armstrong publicly insisted to the
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Trump administration that Columbia is cracking down on illegal protesting while privately downplaying
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the new measures to her staffers. The Department of Education releasing a statement in response to
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The action taken by Columbia's trustees today, especially in light of this week's concerning
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revelations, is an important step toward advancing negotiations between the university and the
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task force to combat anti-Semitism. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Sunday laying out the
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Well, the president's made it incredibly clear that he expects that students who are going to
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universities can go to a safe campus without discrimination. What we saw across Columbia and other
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universities was that the universities were not living up to that. I mean, when you see students
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barricaded in the library, people pounding on the glass saying, death to USA, death to Israel.
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And I've talked to students at Columbia, Jewish students who told me that they were afraid to
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go across campus. And a lot of the Jewish interaction on campus has been driven underground.
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And that's just not the way our education should be.
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The new interim president announced Friday, Claire Shipman, is a former CNN White House
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correspondent who was once married to Obama administration press secretary Jay Carney.
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An October House report on college campus anti-Semitism revealing a 2023 text message
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from Ms. Shipman to then-Columbia president Manu Shafiq. Ms. Shipman then referring to the
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House anti-Semitism on college campus hearings as, quote, Capitol Hill nonsense.
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Republican Congresswoman from New York, Elise Stefanik, on Sunday responding to Ms. Shipman's
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We're on the third Columbia University president. And this one, let's be honest, Maria, is not going
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to last as well. It's already come out that she has criticized and belittled the House investigation
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and the accountability measures and has failed to protect Jewish students. So again, this is strong
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leadership from President Trump. And I think it is only going to be a matter of weeks before she is
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forced to step down as well. They still don't get it. The faculty doesn't get it. These radical far-left
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Former President Shafiq resigned from her post in August 2024. Six federal agencies are currently
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investigating Columbia University. Billions in federal funding are on the line.
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Coming up, President Trump issuing a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin. If he finds Russia
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at fault for holding up a peace deal in Ukraine, there will be consequences. And the White House
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Correspondents Association pulls the plug on its headliner, what the comedian said that led to the
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President Trump issuing a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin. If he finds Russia at fault for
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holding up a peace deal in Ukraine, tariffs are coming. President Trump telling NBC News, quote,
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I am going to put secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia. If you buy oil from Russia,
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you cannot do business in the United States. The president's comments spurred by recent televised
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remarks from President Putin. Mr. Putin suggesting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lacks
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legitimacy to sign a peace deal. President Zelensky last year suspending elections in Ukraine,
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citing martial law. The Russian leader going on to say the U.N. could set up a temporary government
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in Ukraine. Any change in leadership will inevitably delay a lasting ceasefire agreement,
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Mr. Trump setting a one-month deadline for getting a full ceasefire deal before punitive measures kick
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in. Last week, Russia and Ukraine agreeing to a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea and against
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energy infrastructure. Prior to Mr. Putin's remarks on Friday, President Trump had indicated that
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negotiations were progressing well in a cabinet meeting. Ukraine wants to see it settled. I think
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they have to have it settled. And Russia wants to see it settled. Marco's doing a great job. And
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Steve Whitcoff has been incredible. Michael Waltz. We have a great group of people working on it.
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President Trump telling NBC his anger with Mr. Putin will, quote,
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dissipate quickly if he does the right thing. The two leaders scheduled to speak again later this week.
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On Sunday, the Iranian regime rejecting President Trump's offer to begin direct nuclear negotiations
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with the U.S. Iranian President Mazoud Pazeshkian, leaving the possibility of indirect talks open,
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delivering the reply through Amman. This response just days after President Trump addressed Iranian
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nuclear ambitions from the Oval. Iran is very high on my list of things to watch. And as you probably
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know, I sent them a letter just recently. And I said, you're going to have to make a decision one way or the
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other. And we're going to either have to talk and talk it out or very bad things are going to happen
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to Iran. And I don't want that to happen. My big preference is we work it out with Iran. But if we
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don't work it out, bad, bad things are going to happen to Iran. President Trump now promising a wave
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of bombings and additional tariffs targeted at Iran if its leaders do not come to the negotiating table.
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In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, a nuclear agreement with Iran negotiated under the
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Obama administration. President Trump calling the deal, quote, a horribly one-sided deal that should
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never, ever have been made. Instead, President Trump opting for a campaign of, quote, maximum pressure
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to force Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, imposing sanctions on key Iranian industries like
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banking and oil, designating their military as a foreign terrorist organization, issuing secondary
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sanctions against countries working with Iran and isolating the Iranians diplomatically. Iran,
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though economically weakened, did not return to the table under the first Trump administration
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or the Biden administration, which aggressively sought to revive the joint agreement. A February
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UN Atomic Agency report revealing the Iranian regime has enriched enough uranium to manufacture six
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nuclear weapons and now just lacks a delivery system. In response to Trump administration warnings,
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Iranian leaders firing back with threats of their own. Iran's parliament speaker saying, quote,
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if the Americans violate Iran's sovereignty, it will be like a spark in a gunpowder depot,
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setting the entire region ablaze. In such a scenario, their bases and their allies will not be safe.
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In 2024, Tehran launching two direct missile attacks on Israel, firing hundreds of rockets in both
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instances. Israel's missile defense systems intercepting the vast majority, limiting the damage.
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The White House Correspondents Association canceling comedian Amber Ruffin's remarks at its upcoming
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annual dinner, scheduled for April 26th. In a tradition dating back to 2003, the dinner features
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a comedian roasting the president and the press covering him. Under the first Trump administration,
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the president declining to attend as the comedians turned what was supposed to be a light roast of the
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administration into scorched earth, nasty attacks. And I am truly honored to be here, even though all
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all of Hollywood pulled out now that King Joffrey is president. It feels like the red wedding in here.
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We got to address the elephant that's not in the room. Trump isn't here. If you haven't noticed,
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he's not here. And I know I know I would drag him here myself. But it turns out the president of the
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United States is the one pussy you're not allowed to grab. Ms. Ruffin promising late last week on the
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Daily Beast podcast that her approach would be no different. I'm not 100 percent interested in being
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like, ha, you're here. Look at your stupid head. You're burned. I care. Like, you're kind of a bunch
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of murderers. I mean, so like they were like, you need to be, you know, equal and make sure that the
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that you give it to both sides and blah, blah, blah. I was like, there's no way I'm going to be
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freaking doing that, dude. But it may want that false equivalency that the media does. They want
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that. It feels great. It makes them feel like human beings. But they shouldn't get to feel that way
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because they're not. The White House and many Trump supporters recoiling at the remarks. Within
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48 hours, the White House Correspondents Association announcing her appearance had
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been canceled. President Eugene Daniels writing in a statement, quote, at this consequential moment
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for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division, but entirely on
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awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the
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next generation of journalists. The tone marking a sharp departure from Daniels' enthusiasm during a
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joint MSNBC appearance in February with Ms. Ruffin, when he proudly announced her selection as the
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evening's entertainer. And you say you have invited President Trump and the First Lady to attend. In his
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first term, he never did. He didn't. He didn't. He had four shots. Four shots. He missed them all.
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Do you hope to see him there? No. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich responding on X,
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quote, It's an indictment on how broken and useless this organization has become. So sad that such a
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storied and consequential group has been so quickly driven into irrelevancy. Oh, well, good riddance.
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Tensions rising between the White House Correspondents Association and the Trump White House in recent
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weeks. The conflict beginning when the Associated Press refused to use the newly renamed Gulf of America
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moniker, prompting the Trump administration to bar the outlet from participating in the White House press
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pool. The Correspondents Association condemned the White House publicly in response. Shortly
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thereafter, Press Secretary Caroline Levitt announcing her office would be taking control of press pool
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assignments, a task historically managed by the White House Correspondents Association. The pool is a
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smaller group of reporters granted access to more exclusive spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One.
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Axios reporting on Sunday, some members of the Correspondents Association want to
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de-escalate the conflict. This, as Ms. Levitt says, she will be taking control of the briefing room's
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seating chart as well. For decades, establishment media was in control of who sits where in the
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briefing room, ensuring the so-called mainstream outlets access and a seat in front of the cameras.
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A senior White House official telling Axios the new arrangement will provide more favorable access
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to online influencers and newer outlets. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me
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back here for The Megan Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east, on youtube.com
00:19:20.040
slash megankelly, and on all podcast platforms.
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