The Megyn Kelly Show - Record-Breaking Texas Early Voting, Netflix Shake-Up, Indiana Dem on Drunken Rant： AM Update 10⧸21

00:00:00.000 Every child deserves the chance to belong, to learn to swim, to go to camp, to discover what

00:00:06.400 they're capable of. But for some families, the cost can put them out of reach. That's why the

00:00:11.740 YMCA exists as a charity. Your donation helps more children access programs that help them

00:00:17.620 build confidence, make friends, and be a part of something bigger. Because belonging shouldn't

00:00:23.420 have a price tag. Donate to the YMCA today at ymcagta.org.

00:00:30.000 good morning everyone i'm megan kelly it's wednesday october 21st 2026 and this is your

00:00:38.500 am update elon musk is trying to buy this senate seat in texas i'm going to fight so that every

00:00:46.140 texan can buy a home raise a family and live a healthy life record-breaking early voting in

00:00:52.140 texas as republican ken paxton and democrat james tallarico find themselves in a dead heat in the

00:00:58.500 race for U.S. Senate. A major shakeup at Netflix as the streaming giant overhauls its leadership

00:01:04.160 amid declining viewer engagement and growing criticism of its programming. A new investigation

00:01:09.940 revealing the FBI pursued bribery allegations involving late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham

00:01:15.800 and Democrat Congressman James Clyburn. I was nervous, okay? I get it. I thought I was going

00:01:21.660 and an indiana democrat running for county council admits she was boozing before a now

00:01:29.700 viral anti-republican rant but does she regret any of it all that and more coming up in just

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00:02:29.220 Texas voters turning out in record numbers as the early voting gets underway in one of the country's most closely watched Senate races.

00:02:36.040 as Democrats hope to win their first statewide election in more than three decades.

00:02:41.640 Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democrat State Representative James Tallarico

00:02:46.000 locked in a surprisingly competitive contest. President Trump carried the state by nearly

00:02:51.100 14 points just two years ago. The latest CBS News YouGov poll showing Tallarico leading Paxton

00:02:58.080 51 to 49 percent, a statistical tie within the survey's margin of error.

00:03:03.800 The RealClearPolitics average has Tallarico up two points as well.

00:03:08.600 Voter enthusiasm already reaching historic levels.

00:03:11.700 Several major Texas counties reporting record-breaking turnout on the first day of early voting Monday.

00:03:17.840 WFAA political reporter Natalie Haddad breaking down the surge across North Texas.

00:03:24.420 In Tarrant County, more than 50,000 votes compared to the 29,000 in the 2022 midterm election.

00:03:32.040 over in Dallas County, reports 76,079 ballots cast on day one. That's more than double the

00:03:39.620 nearly 33,000 ballots on the first day of early voting, also in the 2022 midterm election.

00:03:45.540 And Collin County, you guessed it, they saw a similar surge. 34,500 people voted yesterday

00:03:52.200 compared to just 19,000 on day one in 2022. Meantime, in Houston's Harris County,

00:03:59.520 another Democratic stronghold, more than 104,000 voters casting ballots Monday setting a new

00:04:05.760 first-day record. Republican-leaning Denton County, near Dallas, also seeing record numbers,

00:04:12.140 underscoring strong voter participation in both Democratic and Republican strongholds.

00:04:17.320 Both candidates now crisscrossing the state in a final push to mobilize supporters

00:04:21.260 ahead of November 3rd. Tallarico launching his 21-city Clear Eyes, Full Hearts tour Sunday,

00:04:27.680 focusing his closing argument on the influence of wealthy political donors,

00:04:32.440 particularly Elon Musk.

00:04:34.040 The billionaire pouring $158 million into the Senate GOP's main super PAC last month,

00:04:41.100 money subsequently transferred to a Texas political action committee

00:04:44.400 financing a massive advertising campaign supporting Paxton.

00:04:48.860 Tallarico accusing Musk of attempting to buy the Senate seat.

00:04:52.680 Elon Musk is trying to buy this Senate seat in Texas.

00:04:57.680 We just found out that the richest man in the world is bankrolling this effort to install

00:05:04.440 Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate and stop this movement that we built in our state.

00:05:10.160 In all likelihood, if you've seen an attack ad on your TV, that was Elon.

00:05:15.740 If you've gotten lies in your mailbox, that was Elon.

00:05:19.920 If you've received a text message saying scary things about me, that was Elon too.

00:05:25.720 Musk weighing in yesterday on X, writing, quote,

00:05:28.180 the fate of Texas and America is at stake.

00:05:31.360 Vote for Ken Paxton today.

00:05:33.880 Paxton launching his own statewide bus tour Saturday,

00:05:37.080 planning more than 30 stops ahead of Election Day.

00:05:39.840 The Republican Attorney General, Monday in Fort Worth,

00:05:42.940 emphasizing affordability and his economic agenda.

00:05:46.460 My agenda is very simple.

00:05:48.740 I'm going to fight so that every Texan can buy a home, raise a family,

00:05:52.340 and live a healthy life without struggling to make ends meet.

00:05:56.220 And that's why I've unveiled my Protecting the Texas Promise plan,

00:06:01.680 which is an economic vision to put thousands of dollars

00:06:04.440 back into the pockets of hardworking Texans.

00:06:07.180 The race attracting national political heavyweights

00:06:09.880 as both parties work to energize voters in the final stretch.

00:06:13.620 Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders

00:06:15.680 headlining a rally in El Paso Monday

00:06:17.880 alongside former Democrat Congressman Beto O'Rourke

00:06:21.420 and several Democrat lawmakers. Tallarico notably absent from the event, instead holding

00:06:27.140 campaign stops hundreds of miles away in Denton and Fort Worth. On the Republican side, President

00:06:32.940 Trump planning a trip to Waco on Tuesday to boost Paxton. The Senate race, not the only closely

00:06:38.800 contested statewide election in Texas, where Republican Governor Greg Abbott is facing an

00:06:43.720 unexpectedly competitive challenge from Democrat State Representative Gina Hinojosa. The governor

00:06:49.920 seeking a fourth term after winning re-election by 11 points in 2022. The Real Clear Politics

00:06:56.260 average has Abbott up just two points. Democrats looking for their first victory in a Texas

00:07:01.880 gubernatorial election since Anne Richards won the state in 1990. Netflix making sweeping changes

00:07:10.100 to its leadership amid mounting concerns over declining viewer engagement and a shortage of

00:07:15.480 blockbuster hits. The company announcing the departure of chief content officer Bella Bajaria

00:07:21.280 last Thursday, just one day after eliminating roughly 1,000 jobs representing 6% of its

00:07:27.780 workforce. Bajaria, spending nearly a decade at Netflix, overseeing the company's expansion into

00:07:34.160 international productions, reality TV, live sports, and other entertainment. Her dismissal was

00:07:40.000 followed Monday by the departure of Netflix's film chief, Dan Lin, the Hollywood producer behind

00:07:45.500 The Lego Movie and many others who joined the company in 2024. Sharon Waxman, editor-in-chief

00:07:51.740 of entertainment news outlet The Wrap, describing the leadership changes as a major shift in the

00:07:57.160 company's priorities on her site's YouTube channel. So Bella came from television. She came out of CBS

00:08:03.180 And she was very focused on broadening the number of products that Netflix had, whether that was podcasting, whether that was live sports.

00:08:13.620 She did a lot of big deals in live sports.

00:08:15.900 She was really pushing international production as far as I'm concerned.

00:08:18.580 She was popping all over the globe.

00:08:20.400 But in the meantime, the main content on Netflix has basically gotten super crappy, very mediocre.

00:08:27.640 When we did a straw poll in our pro meeting yesterday and I asked how many people in the meeting had not logged into Netflix for weeks at a time, most of the people raised their hands.

00:08:37.340 The shakeup coming as Netflix execs reportedly grow increasingly frustrated with the quality of its programming and the company's apparent inability to keep American audiences watching.

00:08:48.200 According to The Wall Street Journal, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos spending months privately

00:08:54.140 expressing concerns over declining viewing time among U.S. subscribers. Sarandos pushing for

00:09:00.140 renewed attention to the company's core business of producing movies and television shows after

00:09:05.360 years of expanding into everything from video games to far-left podcasts. Now, Netflix appointing

00:09:12.140 veteran Hollywood executive Peter Rice, a former Fox and Disney executive, to oversee its roughly

00:09:17.720 $20 billion global content budget. The leadership overhaul follows years of criticism over Netflix's

00:09:24.500 programming, including a string of controversial productions accused of promoting overtly woke

00:09:30.100 political and social agendas, the company's children's programming drawing particular

00:09:35.120 scrutiny, the animated series Cocoa Melon featuring an episode in which a young boy

00:09:40.620 dresses in a tutu and tiara, encouraged by his two fathers to explore different activities

00:09:46.560 and interests. Another animated series directed toward children, Dead End Paranormal Park,

00:09:53.440 featuring a gender-confused teenage protagonist who discusses his gender identity with another

00:09:58.820 character. The show, rated appropriate for children ages seven and older, becoming the

00:10:04.860 focus of a major boycott campaign last year. According to the Wall Street Journal research

00:10:09.440 firm Antenna, finding Netflix has failed to register a net increase in U.S. subscribers

00:10:14.660 during any month this year, although Netflix disputes the firm's methodology.

00:10:20.220 The company's stock falling more than 40 percent over the past year as investors question its

00:10:25.080 growth prospects following an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery Studios

00:10:29.920 and HBO Max. The company attempting to attract audiences by offering more types of entertainment

00:10:35.940 with decidedly mixed results. Live sports proving relatively successful, while Netflix's efforts to

00:10:42.700 expand into video games falling short. Despite the turbulence, Netflix maintaining the lowest

00:10:48.160 cancellation rate among major U.S. streaming services, just 2.1 percent in September,

00:10:53.420 according to the Journal. Netflix releasing its latest earnings report yesterday, showing profits

00:10:58.480 jumping more than 40 percent from a year ago, even as revenue growth slows. The company bringing in

00:11:04.920 nearly $13 billion over the past three months, boosted in part by higher subscription prices.

00:11:10.920 However, Netflix lowering its revenue forecast for the year, falling short of Wall Street's

00:11:15.900 expectations, and sending shares tumbling roughly 6% in after-hours trading last night.

00:11:23.140 Coming up, a new ProPublica report detailing bribery allegations against Lindsey Graham

00:11:28.780 and James Clyburn and the convicted fraudster behind them.

00:11:32.420 And an Indiana Democrat admits she was boozing it up before a now-viral anti-Republican rant.

00:11:39.420 We're shocked. Shocked.

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00:12:55.880 A ProPublica investigation revealing details about how the FBI pursued bribery allegations

00:13:01.200 involving several prominent members of Congress and a convicted fraudster at the center of it all.

00:13:07.180 The allegations coming from Martin Cow, the former CEO of Hawaiian defense contractor

00:13:13.320 Navatek, who accused late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Democrat Congressman James

00:13:18.820 Clyburn, and Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, all of South Carolina, of trading government

00:13:24.600 funding for campaign contributions. The accusations stemming from Navitech's efforts to expand its

00:13:30.940 federal contracting business beginning in 2019 when the company partnered with the University

00:13:35.780 of South Carolina to pursue millions of dollars in Navy research funding. Cao and his associates

00:13:42.360 lobbying the state's congressional delegation for support, ultimately securing an initial

00:13:47.480 $9.5 million in federal funding that December. ProPublica acknowledging that Congress approved

00:13:54.160 the funding before Cao and his associates made their first reported campaign contributions

00:13:59.220 to any of the three lawmakers. The following year, Navitech seeking tens of millions of dollars

00:14:05.100 in additional funding, as Cao arranged private meetings with the lawmakers and made further

00:14:10.800 political contributions. The most detailed allegation involving a dinner with Graham in

00:14:15.960 March 2020, where Cao claims the senator requested $100,000 in campaign contributions

00:14:21.640 in exchange for helping secure government contracts.

00:14:25.640 However, Michael Tongor, a South Carolina lobbyist

00:14:28.760 who attended the dinner, disputes Cow's account.

00:14:31.820 Tongor confirms the meeting took place

00:14:33.520 and that campaign checks were delivered,

00:14:35.920 but denies any agreement to exchange contributions

00:14:38.880 for government contracts, telling ProPublica,

00:14:41.760 I would remember that forever.

00:14:44.480 Federal authorities arresting Cow in September 2020

00:14:47.140 on loan fraud charges, with additional charges

00:14:49.920 involving illegal campaign contributions following. After pleading guilty in 2022,

00:14:55.240 Cow began cooperating with federal investigators, claiming his company's success in Washington

00:15:00.040 was built on bribing public officials. Investigators examining hundreds of thousands

00:15:05.920 of company records, including internal emails and spreadsheets documenting Navitech's lobbying

00:15:11.460 efforts and communications with congressional staff about Navy research funding. The FBI also

00:15:17.780 interviewing Cow extensively about his dealings with lawmakers, including a September 2024

00:15:23.040 interview examining his allegations against Senator Graham and Congressman Clyburn. By December 2024,

00:15:30.940 the FBI expanding its examination of the alleged bribery scheme, identifying two former Navatech

00:15:36.880 executives and their new company as formal subjects of the investigation. Agents also

00:15:42.760 scrutinizing the dealings of Graham, Clyburn, and Wilson, although none of the three lawmakers

00:15:47.720 was formally designated a subject. The investigation then encountering major disruptions

00:15:53.640 following President Trump's return to the White House in January 2025. The new admin stripping

00:15:59.780 the DOJ's public integrity section of its authority to initiate new cases as FBI Director

00:16:05.680 Kash Patel began removing personnel from the Bureau's Washington anti-corruption unit.

00:16:10.380 The two FBI agents who pursued Cal's allegations subsequently leaving the bureau.

00:16:16.500 The DOJ prosecutor assigned to the case also resigning.

00:16:20.060 The investigation ultimately producing no criminal charges against either of the former

00:16:24.520 Novitek executives or any of the lawmakers.

00:16:28.280 Cal himself receiving no sentencing leniency for cooperating with investigators, with a

00:16:33.540 federal judge sentencing him to 87 months in prison in 2025.

00:16:38.440 The FBI disputing ProPublica's characterization of Cowes' allegations.

00:16:42.840 Spokesman Ben Williamson describing the claims as, quote, half-baked and misleading.

00:16:48.340 The offices of all three lawmakers also rejecting Cowes' allegations.

00:16:52.520 A spokesperson for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham calling the accusations the, quote,

00:16:57.200 ravings of a convicted felon.

00:17:00.320 An Indiana Democrat admitting she drank three beers before a now-viral television interview

00:17:06.540 and doubling down on her bizarre anti-Republican rant.

00:17:10.800 Fayette County Council candidate Jamie West,

00:17:13.940 facing widespread ridicule over her now viral October 9th appearance

00:17:17.720 on Connorsville TV, hear a portion.

00:17:21.840 Repeat that again.

00:17:22.680 What is the one decision that I would make that might not be popular?

00:17:25.420 Right, that may be unpopular with some voters,

00:17:28.660 but is in the best interest of the county.

00:17:32.180 Firing all Republicans.

00:17:34.280 I wouldn't let them.

00:17:35.540 I mean, I don't even talk to them.

00:17:37.600 I don't like them.

00:17:38.880 I mean, they voted against our own state representative

00:17:42.980 voted against her own party.

00:17:46.500 I mean, what do you want me to say?

00:17:48.800 I don't like being around them.

00:17:50.080 This ice coming into our communities, stealing people's jobs.

00:17:56.060 I mean, you know, the sheriff's nephew threatened to blow my head off.

00:18:03.380 But, you know, what are you going to do?

00:18:05.980 Well, that brings us to your opportunity to say just a few last words to the voters.

00:18:14.520 We have guns, too.

00:18:16.960 All right.

00:18:18.080 As far as West's accusation that the sheriff's nephew threatened to shoot her, Fayette County Sheriff Zach Jones telling Fox 59 he has no nephews and does not know West.

00:18:29.260 West addressing the moment during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

00:18:33.380 A lot of people assumed you might have had a drink before you did that interview, did you?

00:18:40.280 I had a Coors Light, I had a beer.

00:18:43.460 One beer?

00:18:44.600 I mean, maybe a couple.

00:18:47.380 How many beers did you have?

00:18:48.960 I was nervous, OK?

00:18:51.080 I get it.

00:18:51.480 I was going to win with the full Republicans.

00:18:54.380 How many beers did you have?

00:18:56.660 All right, three.

00:18:58.700 Three beers.

00:18:59.820 OK, well, it's trebled in the last 30 seconds.

00:19:03.380 What do you mean to say, man? I had three beers, okay?

00:19:06.180 Okay, so is there anything you said whilst under the influence of your beers

00:19:09.760 that you now, with the benefit of hindsight, maybe wish you hadn't said?

00:19:14.040 No. I say it all the time.

00:19:17.000 I'm not friends with them. I don't like them.

00:19:20.240 They voted for all of this that's happening to our country.

00:19:25.180 We have a constitutional crisis.

00:19:27.720 We have an illegal war going on.

00:19:30.480 For the record, West insisting she did not have anything to drink prior to the Piers Morgan

00:19:35.580 interview either. Nothing at all. Maybe a Coors Light. A beer. One. All right, three. No,

00:19:42.740 she's denying any drinks before the Piers interview. West facing Republican Gary R.

00:19:47.760 Keener Jr. in the November 3rd election in a county where President Trump won more than

00:19:52.360 77% of the vote in 24, defeating Kamala Harris by roughly 56 points.

00:19:59.720 and that'll do it for your am update i'm megan kelly join me back here for the mk show

00:20:05.520 pierce actually joins me today live on sirius xm's the megan kelly channel 111 at noon east

00:20:10.780 on youtube.com slash megan kelly and on all podcast platforms

00:20:14.900 every child deserves the chance to belong to learn to swim to go to camp to discover what

00:20:23.460 they're capable of but for some families the cost can put them out of reach that's why the

00:20:28.800 YMCA exists as a charity.

00:20:31.320 Your donation helps more children access programs that help them build confidence,

00:20:36.100 make friends, and be a part of something bigger.

00:20:39.040 Because belonging shouldn't have a price tag.

00:20:41.400 Donate to the YMCA today at ymcagta.org.

The Megyn Kelly Show - October 21, 2026

Record-Breaking Texas Early Voting, Netflix Shake-Up, Indiana Dem on Drunken Rant： AM Update 10⧸21

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