New Details About Cause of Helicopter-Plane Crash, Trump and Zelensky Face-To-Face： AM Update 4⧸28
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Summary
New reporting on January s crash between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airliner reveals a chain of failures that led to disaster. No jokes, no president, no fun of any kind. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
Transcript
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Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, April 28th, 2025. And this is your
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AM Update. New reporting on January's crash between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial
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airliner reveals a chain of failures that led to disaster.
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Human existence does not end in the tomb, but in our father's house, in a life of happiness
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that will know no end. Thousands of mourners gather in Rome to celebrate the funeral of the late Pope
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Francis. The last thing you want to do is give one of the two sides an excuse to walk away from this
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effort. Secretary Rubio says Ukraine and Russia are closer to peace than ever before following a
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face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky in Rome. At this
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year's White House Correspondents' Dinner, no jokes, no president, no fun of any kind. All that
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and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
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The New York Times with a massive investigative story over the weekend on the fatal January 29th
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crash at Ronald Reagan National Airport involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines
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regional jet, resulting in the deaths of 67 people. The report, based on government documents,
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audio recordings of the air traffic controllers in the moments leading up to the crash,
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and expert interviews outlines a series of missteps leading to the tragedy. We are learning for the
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first time that the helicopter's mission that night was conducting an annual evaluation of Captain
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Rebecca Lobach, who joined the Army in 2019. Her assignment, simulating an emergency evacuation of
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senior government officials from Washington after an attack. The Times report marks the first public
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confirmation that Captain Lobach was at the controls of the Black Hawk at the time of the crash.
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While Captain Lobach was the highest-ranking soldier on board, her instructor, Chief Warrant Officer
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Andrew Lloyd Eaves, had logged more than twice as many flight hours. The report describes a series of
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factors leading up to the crash, including an air traffic control operator potentially stretched too thin,
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the use of night vision goggles potentially distorting the pilot's depth perception at critical moments,
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and the activation of a rarely used runway. The Times also reporting the Black Hawk was flying above
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its authorized altitude. Quote, as the helicopter approached the key bridge from which it would
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fly south along the river, Warrant Officer Eaves stated that it was at 300 feet and descending to
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200 feet, necessary because the maximum height for this route, closer to the airport, had dropped to
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200 feet. But even as it reached that juncture, Warrant Officer Eaves evidently felt obliged to repeat
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his instruction. The Black Hawk was at 300 feet, he said, and needed to descend. Captain Lobach said she
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would, but two and a half minutes later, the Black Hawk still was above 200 feet, a dangerously high
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level. The report also indicating a breakdown in radio communication. As the controller attempted to
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guide them, cockpit recordings suggest key instructions to reroute were cut off. The Black Hawk crew again
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confirming they had the passenger jet in sight, and for the second time requested visual separation.
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When they asked the first time, they had received approval, meaning they on the helicopter would take
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responsibility for avoiding the jet. From the report, quote, the Black Hawk was 15 seconds away from
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crossing paths with the jet. Warrant Officer Eaves then turned his attention to Captain Lobach. He told her
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he believed that air traffic control wanted them to turn left toward the East River Bank. Turning left
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would have opened up more space between the helicopter and flight 5342, which was heading for runway 33 at
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an altitude of roughly 300 feet. She did not turn left. The Black Hawk collided with American Airlines flight
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5342 as it was moments away from landing at Reagan National Airport. In the wake of the crash, the FAA banned
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most helicopter flights near this airport. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in March
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saying the tragedy must serve as a lesson. We're going to make sure we've learned from this air
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disaster, and we're going to pay it forward so there's not other families that have to go through
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the pain and anguish of losing a loved one like these families had to go through. The National
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Transportation Safety Board is expected to release its final report on the crash by early 2026.
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On Friday, the FBI arresting Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, charging her with
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obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. According to the criminal
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complaint, six ICE task force agents arrived dressed in plain clothes at the courthouse on April 18th.
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They were armed with an active warrant for 30-year-old Eduardo Flores Ruiz, who was appearing that morning
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on three domestic abuse charges. Upon learning the task force was in the building, Judge Dugan became
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visibly angry, initially ordering the agents to leave, then directing them to go and speak with the chief
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judge. One member of the task force, a DEA agent not initially recognized as part of the group, remained
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stationed outside of the courtroom while the others were directed to the chief judge's office. Another agent
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returned to the hallway shortly thereafter. While most of the agents were in discussion with court
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leadership, the complaint alleges Judge Dugan personally escorted Mr. Flores Ruiz and his attorney out of the
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courtroom through a secured jury door leading into a restricted area. Mr. Flores Ruiz and his attorney then made
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their way to a different elevator farther from the courtroom and exited the building. Two DEA agents not occupied by the
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chief judge spotted Mr. Flores Ruiz moving through the hallway and alerted the rest of the team. Agents then
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scrambled to locate Mr. Flores Ruiz outside the courthouse, and when law enforcement identified
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themselves, he ran. Agents apprehending Mr. Flores Ruiz after a short chase. Judge Dugan's arrest one week
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later, sending shockwaves through the media, though I don't know why, Rachel Maddow, Lester Holt, and Chris Hayes
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sounding the alarm. But if this feels like an insane and reckless escalation from the Trump
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administration arresting a judge, I will tell you, you are not alone. Her arrest also marking a new
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flashpoint in the administration's verbal attacks on judges who have ruled against parts of the Trump
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immigration agenda. Much of what this is about, which became almost immediately clear, is making an
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example out of her for other judges around the country. CNN legal analyst Ellie Honig taking a more
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measured approach, you know, the legal one. Looking at the complaint, let's strip the politics out of
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it. This is a crime. If they can prove what happened here, it is a crime. This judge, let's
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strip the Trump of it all out. Let's strip the immigration of it all out. Let's say law enforcement
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shows up at a building with an arrest warrant. They're looking for person A. Person B then says,
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hey, there's a secret escape door out back. I'm going to show you the way and then ushers that person
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out the back door. That is textbook obstruction. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday sending a
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warning. The Trump administration will not tolerate anyone getting in the way of lawful deportation
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efforts. They're deranged is all I can think of. I cannot believe I think some of these judges think
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they are beyond and above the law and they are not. And we're sending a very strong message today.
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If you are harboring a fugitive, we don't care who you are. If you are helping hide one,
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we will come after you and we will prosecute you. We will find you.
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On Saturday, more than 250,000 mourners flocking to the Vatican, paying respects to the late Pope
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Francis. The pontiff passing away one week ago at 88 from stroke and heart failure. Foreign delegations
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from 164 countries attending the funeral held in St. Peter's Square, including President Trump and
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First Lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prince William, and Ukrainian
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President Volodymyr Zelensky. The pontiff lying in state for three days in a simple wooden coffin
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resting at floor level, emphasizing Pope Francis's view of himself as a humble shepherd. Public viewing
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of the Pope's body ending on Friday evening with church officials led by the acting head of the church,
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Cardinal Camerlengo, Kevin Farrell, performing the traditional ceiling of the coffin, a ritual formally
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closing the period of mourning and preparing the body for burial. The funeral mass celebrated by
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Cardinal Giovanni Battista Ray, the dean of the College of Cardinals, reflecting Pope Francis's
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lifelong commitment to humility marked by simple rituals, solemn prayers, and a stripped-down ceremony
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by Vatican standards. We are gathered with sad hearts in prayer around his mortal remains, yet we are
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sustained by the certainty of faith which assures us that human existence does not end in the tomb,
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but in our Father's house, in a life of happiness that will know no end.
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The funeral procession departing St. Peter's Square, winding through the streets of Rome,
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tens of thousands of mourners lining the route, many cheering and waving at the sight of the
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Popemobile carrying the late pontiff, others overcome with tears, a mix of celebration and deep sorrow.
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The nearly four-mile procession ending at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of Pope Francis's
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most beloved places of prayer. Breaking with tradition, Pope Francis choosing to be laid to rest there
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rather than beneath St. Peter's Basilica, like most of his predecessors. Now the Vatican turning its
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focus to the conclave that will elect the next Pope. The highly secretive deliberations among
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cardinals, the senior leadership of the Catholic Church set to begin within 15 to 20 days of the
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Pope's death, though the timeline could move faster if all eligible cardinals arrive in Rome and agree
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to proceed. The only glimpse into the deliberations comes through smoke signals issued twice a day from the
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Sistine Chapel. Black smoke signaling, no decision. White smoke signaling, we have a new Pope.
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Cardinals meeting this morning in Rome to set the official start date for the conclave.
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Coming up, President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky meet face-to-face at Pope Francis's funeral
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as the administration enters a critical week for peace talks with Russia. And the corporate media
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President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky on Saturday meeting face-to-face in St. Peter's
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Basilica ahead of Pope Francis's funeral. The two presidents seated practically knee-to-knee in chairs
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set out by church officials specifically for their private conversation. Earlier in the day,
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President Trump posting on Truth Social, quote,
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The two sides should now meet at very high levels to finish it off. Most of the major points are agreed
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to. Stop the bloodshed. Now. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the end to this cruel
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and senseless war. The backdrop to Saturday's meeting last week, Ukraine rejecting a U.S.-backed
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peace proposal, criticizing it as too biased toward Russia. In response, Russian President
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Vladimir Putin launching a wave of missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets.
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Shortly after the conversation with President Zelensky, President Trump again posting to Truth
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Social, writing, quote, There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas,
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cities, and towns over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war.
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He's just tapping me along and has to be dealt with differently through banking or secondary
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sanctions. Too many people are dying. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday telling NBC the U.S.-led
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peace effort between Ukraine and Russia has made real progress, but warning that the coming week
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will be critical. This is not an issue of trust. It's an issue of building in these sorts of things,
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verification, security guarantees, things that have been discussed in the past. All these things are
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being talked about here. All of these things. The last thing you want to do is give some side,
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one of the two sides, an excuse to walk away from this effort. We're just trying to achieve peace.
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At the end of the day, let me remind everybody, what we are trying to do is end a war that has cost a
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lot of money to us, to our allies, cost a lot of lives, destroyed a lot of lives, forced people by the
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millions to leave their country, millions of Ukrainians that no longer live in the country
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and have not been able to come back. We just want all this to stop. Instead of rooting against
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President Trump, everyone should be hopeful that President Trump can bring this war to an end
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because it truly, at this point, is not good for anybody. The secretary adding that while both sides
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are closer to a deal than at any time in the past three years, the final steps remain the hardest.
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Mr. Rubio making clear the U.S. cannot continue pouring time and resources into the negotiations
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indefinitely and will reassess its involvement if real progress is not made in the days ahead.
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On Saturday in Washington, D.C., the White House Correspondents Association holding
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its annual fundraising dinner, striking a noticeably more somber tone this year.
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Per tradition, the evening usually features remarks from the president and a comedian
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roasting both the administration and the press. But this year, comedian Amber Ruffin's set was
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canceled after backlash over comments she made referring to members of the Trump administration
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as murderers. President Trump and White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt both declining their
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invitations, just as President Trump did in his first term. Also notably absent, the usual roster
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of A-list celebrities, a sharp contrast from years past when personalities like Bradley Cooper and
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Scarlett Johansson filled the room. President of the association, Eugene Daniels, choosing to deliver the
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We journalists are a lot of things. We are competitive and pushy. We are impatient. And sometimes we think
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we know everything. But we're also human. We miss our families and significant life moments in
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service to this job. We care deeply about accuracy and take seriously the heavy responsibility of being
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stewards of the public's trust. What we are not is the opposition. What we are not is the enemy of the
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people. And what we are not is the enemy of the state. Daniels recently left Politico to co-host a weekend
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show on left-wing cable news network MSNBC, a network devoted to criticizing and demonizing President
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Trump. Media summarizing the event about themselves as follows. The Washington Post writing, quote,
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without comedy or the president, correspondence dinner presses on. From the New York Times, quote,
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Washington's besieged journalists raise a cocktail glass darkly. ABC News writing, quote,
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there was no president. There was no comedian. What remained at the White House Correspondents
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Association's annual dinner on Saturday night were the journalists and the First Amendment.
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NBC anchor Kristen Welker presenting an award for overall excellence in White House coverage
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to reporter Alex Thompson of Axios. In accepting the award, Mr. Thompson acknowledging the media's
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failures and delivering a blunt message about the responsibility journalists owe the public.
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President Biden's decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every
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White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception. But being truth-tellers also means
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telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story.
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And some people trust us less because of it. We bear some responsibility for faith in the media
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being at such lows. I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust. And being defensive about them
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further erodes it. We should have done better. Yeah, except we, Alex, didn't really miss the Biden
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story at all. The entire corporate media intentionally ignored or actively buried or downplayed it. So
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it's not really a matter of acknowledging errors. How about we start with, quote, what's true there?
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And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for The Megan Kelly Show,
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live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at Unist, on YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.
00:18:56.400
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