Schumer Caves in Budget Battle, Putin Playing Hardball, Michelle Obama Podcast Flop： AM Update 3⧸14
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Summary
Allowing Donald Trump to take even more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer caved in the budget battle, announcing he will vote to allow the government funding bill to go forward, averting a shutdown. Michelle Obama s podcast debut does little to squash swirling divorce rumors. All that and more coming up in a moment on your AM Update.
Transcript
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Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Friday, March 14th, 2025, and this is your
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Allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer caving in the budget battle, announcing he will vote
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to allow the government funding bill to go forward, averting a shutdown.
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Our position is based on the assumption that the ceasefire would lead to a long-term peace.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin signals tentative acceptance of a ceasefire deal, but says he
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has some concerns he would like to speak to President Trump about. President Trump inviting
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul to the White House, trying to pressure her into reversing
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New York's Green New Deal fanaticism. And Michelle Obama's podcast debut does little to
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squash-swirling divorce rumors. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
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donewithdebt.com. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer caving on the budget battle, a complete reversal
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from his position just hours earlier, announcing on the Senate floor Thursday night he will not let
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the government shut down. While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences
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for America that are much, much worse. For sure, the Republican bill is a terrible option. But I believe
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allowing Donald Trump to take even more, even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse
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option. Despite Senator Schumer's early assertions of unity, the Democrat Party remaining deeply divided
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on their spending bill strategy. Some fearing a shutdown would be worse politically than passing
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the Republican CR. Punchbowl News reporting New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand could be heard
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yelling loudly through the doors of the Senate Dems' lunch, arguing against shuttering the
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government. Eight Democrats are needed to advance the bill in a procedural vote. They will not be
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required to vote on the actual bill itself, which only requires a simple majority, which the Republicans
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have. With Senator Schumer's support of the procedural move, the bill is likely to pass later today,
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just in the nick of time. The European Union announcing a 50 percent tariff on select U.S.
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imports, namely whiskey, in direct response to Wednesday's U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel.
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President Trump immediately responding on Truth Social, writing, quote,
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if this tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200 percent tariff
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on all wines, champagnes and alcoholic products coming out of France and other EU-represented
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countries. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Bloomberg, admonishing the European Union and
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Canada for not appreciating the gravity of the president's tariff strategy.
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We need to have steel and aluminum domestically in America. In national security, you need metals
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to make bullets, you need metals to make munitions, you need metals to make everything. And Donald
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Trump is very focused on, let's make sure the key ingredients that are necessary to defend America
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are made here in America. Secretary Lutnick saying retaliatory tariffs on items such as sports equipment
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and alcohol are not serious policy measures, only serving to frustrate the president further,
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escalating tensions even more. A key plank in President Trump's economic vision,
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bringing back aluminum and steel manufacturing, shoring up national security, and creating
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American jobs he believes we never should have lost. U.S. steel and aluminum production began
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declining in the 1970s as foreign competitors, like Japan, modernized and ramped up production.
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The decline accelerated in the 1990s with the rise of China and the passage of NAFTA. Foreign producers
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operate under different labor laws and environmental regulations. They're able to manufacture metals more
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cheaply, often selling them below market value, making it tough for U.S. manufacturers to compete.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting in June 1979, manufacturing employment reached an all-time
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peak of 19.6 million. Today, the number's around 13 million. President Trump summing up his views on U.S.
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The U.S. doesn't have free trade. We have stupid trade. The entire world is ripping us off.
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Markets still spooked by the uncertainty of the tariff wars. The Wall Street Journal reporting the
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S&P 500 losing about $5.3 trillion from its mid-February peak. The Nasdaq down 14 percent from its
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December high. And the Dow dropping 9 percent from its record level. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson on CNBC
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reassuring investors. I'm not concerned about the a little bit of volatility over three weeks,
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because if you look over the long term, the reason stocks are a safe and great investment is because
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you're looking over the long term. I can't tell you that the market is going to go up today, tomorrow,
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next week. But I can tell you that if we put proper policies in place, it's going to lay the groundwork
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for a both real income gains and job gains and asset continued asset gains. Secretary Besson saying
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markets will stabilize if Congress can work together to pass tax cuts for individuals and businesses.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing at a Thursday news conference some reservations about
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the ceasefire proposal agreed to by the Ukrainians. Mr. Putin saying the Russians agree with the ceasefire
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in theory, but they have additional concerns. And he would like to speak to President Trump before
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agreeing to anything. We agree with the proposals for the ceasefire, but our position is based on the
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assumption that the ceasefire would lead to a long term peace, something that would remove the initial
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reasons for the crisis. Mr. Putin initially justified his invasion based on a number of reasons.
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The first on the list, Ukraine's push to join NATO. Mr. Trump is recently as Thursday reiterating
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that will not happen. Mr. Putin also claimed the invasion was intended to de-Nazify Ukraine.
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The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish. Prior to the war, Ukraine was home to one
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of the largest Jewish populations in Europe. Mr. Putin also asserted without evidence the Ukrainian
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government was preparing a military offensive against Russian-backed separatists in the Donbass region.
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This region borders Russia and its home to primarily Russian speakers. The Russian military
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currently occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine, including the Donbass region, its fate subject to
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further peace negotiations. Despite media reporting suggesting Mr. Putin's statement is an indication
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he will refuse this deal. President Trump responding with cautious optimism from the Oval.
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I hope Russia is going to make the deal too. If President Putin agrees and does a ceasefire,
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I think we're going to be in very good shape to get it done. We want to get it over with. That's why
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it was very important what I instructed everybody, including Steve, what we're looking for,
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to discuss concepts of land, concepts of power plants, because it's complicated.
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The power plant in question, Zaporiza nuclear power plant, is the largest in Europe. It's been
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under Russian control since 2022 and is not currently operational. In peacetime, the plant provides about
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20 percent of Ukrainian energy. It is a key bargaining chip in Russian possession. On CNBC, Treasury Secretary
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Scott Besson warning the president is prepared to fully ratchet up pressure on the Russians in order
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to get a deal done. If we just take kind of a scale zero to 10, that I think the Biden administration
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sanctions on Russia were probably a three. On the way out the door, they took them to a six. And I can tell
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you, we wouldn't hesitate to take them up to 10. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff is in Moscow. Long days of
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intense negotiations on all sides to come. Coming up, President Trump invites New York Governor Kathy
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Hochul to the White House, pressuring her into reversing New York's Green New Deal fanaticism.
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And Michelle Obama's podcast does little to squelch divorce rumors.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul meeting President Trump at the White House this morning to discuss
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a pipeline project hinging on New York's approval. The Constitution pipeline, previously killed by New
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York in 2020, would run 124 miles bringing gas from Pennsylvania to New York, where it could then
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be moved across New England. President Trump telling reporters from the Oval the project is an easy win
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to reduce energy costs. Well, we're working on one project. It should be very easy. It's a pipeline
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going through a small section of New York. Families in New York and Connecticut and New England are going
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to save $5,000 a family. Think of that. Because right now they have the highest energy prices, maybe in
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the world, they say. New England is a disaster. So we're working on that. The president writing on Truth
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Social that if New York does not give final approval, then they will use other authorities
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to get the project through. Governor Hochul embracing radical green energy policies. She aims
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to stifle and ultimately phase out natural gas in the Empire State. In 2023, New York became the first
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state to begin eliminating natural gas hookups in most new buildings. Barron's reporting the pipeline's
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builder is Williams Companies. Its CEO, Alan Armstrong, says he will not build this thing without the
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governor's buy-in, even if he does get federal approval. Mr. Armstrong saying, quote, we are not
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going to go putting our neck out until they invite us with the red carpet rolled out. Williams Companies
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says Mr. Armstrong lost hundreds of millions of dollars trying to build two failed pipelines in the
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Northeast over the past decade. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, noticeably absent from the public eye
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since last year, finally found launching a podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson. The podcast, IMO in my
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opinion, premiering on Wednesday to a lukewarm reception and low viewership. The podcast produced by Higher
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Ground Productions and Obama Company will feature Mrs. Obama and Mr. Robinson sharing life lessons and
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conversations with their elitist friends. A lot of people have questions they want to know, especially when
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they see somebody of note with a platform who, you know, by every measure looks successful. The
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people, you know, they want to hear some honest kind of conversation about how people are working it
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through. The first episode premiered to 42,000 views after 24 hours and the second featuring actress
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Issa Rae lagging even further, just 13,000. The show's YouTube numbers appearing to receive a slight
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boost following reports highlighting how bad the audience engagement was. Newsweek running cover
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for the less than stellar performance reporting. It's also important to note that this new podcast
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from Obama is very much in its infancy. The Michelle Obama podcast was released in 2020 and was the most
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successful original in Spotify history. Well, that podcast launched in July of 2020, the height of George
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Floyd rioting and COVID shutdowns. Her latest podcast was promoted by virtually everyone. Lately, the biggest
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buzz surrounding Mrs. Obama, however, is not about where she is. It's about where she is not. A recent
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slate of solo appearances from her husband, Barack Obama, sparking divorce rumors. In January, President
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Obama attended President Jimmy Carter's funeral and then President Trump's inauguration without his wife.
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Last week, Mr. Obama went to dinner with his daughters and then an L.A. Clippers game without his wife
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again. On Valentine's Day, the couple sharing coordinated messages on social media with the
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exact same photo posted, but staying silent, of course, on swirling divorce rumors. Mrs. Obama using
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her new platform instead to offer some less than flattering words about her husband of three decades.
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When a girlfriend comes to visit, it's usually like, you've got to stay for two days because it's
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going to take us two days to check up. Now, Barack has come in, he's come out, and he's like,
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y'all still talking? He'll sit down for five minutes and be like, how are the boys? Because he golfs.
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It takes five hours to golf. He'll golf with his buddies, come back and be like, how's X? He's good.
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It's like, what'd y'all talk about? Nothing. On Thursday, Mrs. Obama was seen in public for the
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first time this year for a live taping of her podcast at the South by Southwest Festival in
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Austin, Texas. No reporting of Mr. Obama anywhere in sight. And that'll do it for your AM update.
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I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here today for our last installment of our special series,
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Megan Kelly investigates on the disappearance of baby Lisa Irwin and a shocking conclusion.
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A 10-month-old girl who disappeared from her crib in the dark of night. It will air on SiriusXM
00:15:47.380
Triumph channel 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms