The Megyn Kelly Show - May 14, 2026


Trump Begins High Stakes China Summit, CIA Whistleblower on COVID, AOC Tops '28 Poll： AM Update 5⧸14

Topics
CIA lab leak investigation
Hosted by
Megyn Kelly
Mentioned
Emmanuel Macron Donald Trump Jr. Anthony Fauci Atlas Intel Ron Paul Megan Kelly Sam Harris Gavin Newsom JD Vance James Erdman III Goldshift Farahani Pete Buttigieg Florian Tardif Ron DeSantis Marco Rubio COVID-19 Craig Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Leonardo DiCaprio Armra Cholestrum and 15 more
CA Mayor Admits To Being Chinese Foreign Agent, Patel Clashes with Dems, MA Shooting： AM Update 5⧸13 Colbert's Hissy Fit Farewell Tour, Xi's Ominous Comment, and Murdaugh's New Trial, with Glenn Greenwald ｜ Ep. 1318

Episode Stats


Length

20 minutes

Words per minute

149.05

Word count

2,993

Sentence count

173

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

3

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Today, President Trump arrives in China for a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit marks the first trip by a U.S. President to China in nearly a decade, with trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and the war with Iran all expected to be on the agenda.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00 All right, full-time thoughts. Craig, who stood out?
00:00:02 Brazil's lime cheesecakes started bright, didn't let up.
00:00:05 Nah, for me, Italian cappuccino was the standout in the box.
00:00:08 But if we're talking decadent performance, that's all France.
00:00:11 Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.
00:00:13 Canadian fireworks really showed up big too.
00:00:15 And Mexico's caramel churro ice cap.
00:00:18 Gave me chills.
00:00:19 We are, of course, talking about Tim's taste of the globe lineup.
00:00:22 New globally inspired Timbits and ice cap flavors,
00:00:24 available at Tim Hortons for a limited time.
00:00:26 Pick some up today, and while you're at it, check out Footy Prime Daily.
00:00:30 Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Drashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up
00:00:37 Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Thursday, May 14th, 2026. And this is your AM Update.
00:00:44 I think this is a very important trip. Obviously, it's historic, but we have a lot of problems with
00:00:49 China. President Trump in China for a high-stakes summit with President Xi as both leaders face
00:00:54 mounting pressure at home. The IC's actions resulted in cover-up, wasted resources,
00:01:01 and a failure to properly inform policymakers. A CIA officer testifies in front of Congress,
00:01:07 accusing intelligence officials of downplaying evidence that COVID may have started in a Wuhan
00:01:13 lab, and accusing Dr. Fauci of improperly influencing the government's review. A shocking
00:01:19 new 2028 poll from one of the most accurate firms of the last presidential election, showing two
00:01:25 unlikely names leading the early primary fields, and a new book raising fresh questions about the
00:01:32 viral moment when cameras appeared to catch France's first lady shoving President Emmanuel
00:01:37 Macron in the face. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.
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00:02:34 President Trump arriving in Beijing for a high-stakes two-day summit with Chinese
00:02:39 President Xi Jinping. Mr. Trump and a delegation of American business leaders, including Elon Musk,
00:02:45 landing Wednesday night, Beijing time.
00:02:54 Air Force One greeted on the tarmac by a formal welcome ceremony with hundreds of Chinese children
00:03:00 waving American and Chinese flags, a military honor guard, and a military band. The visit
00:03:06 marking the first trip by a U.S. president to China in nearly a decade, with trade, Taiwan,
00:03:12 artificial intelligence, and the war with Iran all expected to be on the agenda. The major diplomatic
00:03:17 meetings beginning Thursday morning in Beijing, with President Trump arriving at the Great Hall
00:03:22 of the People just before 10 a.m. local time, greeting President Xi, and then sitting down
00:03:27 for a bilateral meeting. President Trump also expected to take part in a bilateral tea before
00:03:33 attending a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People Thursday evening.
00:03:38 The summit coming at a politically and economically delicate moment for both leaders, President
00:03:44 Trump arriving as his sweeping tariff agenda faces legal setbacks at home while the ongoing
00:03:49 war with Iran continues to drive up energy prices and test public patience, President
00:03:55 Xi facing pressure of his own, especially as the U.S. conflict with Iran disrupts oil
00:04:00 shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up energy costs for China's manufacturing-heavy
00:04:05 economy. An expected focus of discussions, establishing new economic channels between
00:04:11 Beijing and Washington with a U.S.-China Board of Trade and a U.S.-China Board of Investment.
00:04:17 House Oversight Chairman James Comer yesterday on Fox laying out the balancing act for President
00:04:22 Trump. I think this is a very important trip. Obviously, it's historic, but we have a lot of
00:04:28 problems with China. They steal our intellectual property. They manipulate their currency. They 1.00
00:04:32 don't abide by any environmental laws. They're funding our greatest enemy right now, Iran. 1.00
00:04:39 But having said that, we really need to have a trade agreement, a fair trade agreement with
00:04:45 China. We need China to buy more agriculture goods from the United States. We need China to
00:04:50 import American energy. China has already received the message that the United States is serious with
00:04:56 all the tariffs that have been slapped on China. And if I were President Xi, I would worry if this
00:05:01 is an unsuccessful summit after two days, that China could be faced with even more tariffs from
00:05:08 the United States. A CIA officer testifying yesterday under subpoena, alleging intelligence
00:05:15 officials downplayed the possibility that COVID-19 began in a Wuhan China lab and accusing Dr. Anthony
00:05:22 Fauci of improperly influencing the government's review of the virus's origins. Special Operations
00:05:29 Officer James Erdman III appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
00:05:34 Committee, chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Senator Paul opening the hearing
00:05:40 by arguing the COVID origins debate was shaped by a small circle of government officials,
00:05:45 scientists, intelligence advisors, and outside experts, who he says were presented to the public
00:05:51 as independent voices, despite overlapping relationships and potential conflicts of
00:05:56 interest. The senator pointing to the biological sciences experts group known as BSAG as one
00:06:02 example, arguing some of the scientists involved in advising the government had also worked in
00:06:08 fields directly tied to the research at the center of the COVID origins fight.
00:06:12 For example, Dr. Ralph Baric collaborated with Dr. Zhengli Shi in Wuhan to create
00:06:18 gain-of-function coronaviruses. But Dr. Barrick was also part of BSEG and an active consultant
00:06:25 to intelligence agencies on the origins of COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, Peter Daszak received
00:06:32 hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. government and worked with Dr. Xi also on these
00:06:37 gain-of-function experiments. Daszak was even sent to China with the WHO to investigate the origins
00:06:44 of COVID. So the very scientists that were commissioned to investigate COVID were, in some
00:06:51 cases, the very scientists who were complicit in the origins of the gain-of-function experiments
00:06:57 that may well have created COVID. Senator Paul singling out former director of the National
00:07:03 Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, arguing Fauci was not merely
00:07:09 involved in public health messaging during COVID, but had long-standing ties to national security
00:07:14 discussions on biological threats, dangerous pathogens, classified research, pandemic
00:07:20 preparedness, and COVID origins. How can Anthony Fauci objectively comment on a discussion of
00:07:26 COVID origins when he approved the very funding that may have caused the pandemic virus? He
00:07:33 referred to the idea that the pandemic originating in the lab was a conspiracy, that it was a
00:07:38 conspiracy theory. Dr. Fauci convened the now infamous February 1st, 2020 call. Some scientists
00:07:46 on that call privately raised serious concerns about a laboratory origin. Yet ironically,
00:07:51 those same scientists later co-authored the Proximal Origin paper, which publicly dismissed
00:07:57 the lab leak hypothesis. One author received a $9 million grant from Dr. Fauci's own agency
00:08:04 after he changed his opinion from lab leak on the private phone call to natural origin in public.
00:08:11 Erdman, who has worked for the CIA since 2013,
00:08:15 spending more than a year reviewing the intelligence community's handling of the COVID origins probe
00:08:20 as part of D&I Tulsi Gabbard's Director's Initiatives Group, or DIG.
00:08:25 Erdman telling lawmakers, intelligence leaders, and senior analysts
00:08:28 downplayed the possibility that COVID-19 began with a lab incident,
00:08:33 shaping not just the government's intelligence assessment, but the public debate over emergency
00:08:38 pandemic policies that followed. Intentional or not, the IC's actions resulted in a cover-up,
00:08:46 wasted resources, and a failure to properly inform policymakers. Public health policy
00:08:53 would have been very different had the American public been made aware that a virus from a lab 0.86
00:09:01 in China was going to serve as the foundation for an emergency use authorization mRNA products
00:09:08 being mandated by the former administration. According to Erdman, Dr. Fauci inserted himself
00:09:14 into intelligence community discussions twice, once in February 2020 and again in June 2021,
00:09:22 allegedly pushing officials toward a natural origin explanation. Here, an exchange between
00:09:27 Erdman and Senator Paul. Your conclusion is that changing from the scientific consensus of it being
00:09:35 from a lab to a neutral position by the CIA was significantly influenced by Anthony Fauci?
00:09:41 It was significantly influenced by Anthony Fauci's injecting himself into the IC,
00:09:46 particularly during the 90-day study. We have documentation that shows that as of August 12th,
00:09:53 The CIA was considering calling this a lab leak, August 12th of 2021.
00:09:58 And then that changed on August 17th of 2021.
00:10:03 And unfortunately, because the CIA would not provide us documentation that we asked for, we have no idea why that changed.
00:10:10 The CIA pushing back sharply, saying Paul's committee acted in bad faith by subpoenaing Erdman despite already receiving closed-door testimony from him
00:10:19 and calling the hearing, quote, dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional
00:10:24 hearing. The agency noting it has already assessed COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak.
00:10:31 Senator Ron Johnson, Republican from Wisconsin, reading the statement toward the end of the
00:10:35 hearing, then firing back. I'm calling on CIA Director Radcliffe and this person to apologize
00:10:41 to Chairman Paul and this committee. This is not political theater. I have years and years and
00:10:48 years of built-up frustration of agencies like the CAA, Department of Justice, the FBI, HHS,
00:10:57 snubbing our oversight, giving us the big middle finger.
00:11:02 Coming up, a new 2028 poll from one of the most accurate firms of the last presidential election,
00:11:08 putting two unexpected names at the top of the early primary fields. And a new book claims to
00:11:13 reveal what was really behind the viral moment when cameras appear to catch France's first lady
00:11:18 shoving President Emmanuel Macron's face.
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00:12:27 That's A-R-M-R-A dot com slash M-E-G-Y-N. A new 2028 poll scrambling the early presidential
00:12:37 primary picture, showing two surprise names at the top who are not even close to the lead of
00:12:42 most national averages. The survey from Atlas Intel finding Secretary of State Marco Rubio
00:12:47 leading the Republican field by nearly 16 points ahead of Vice President J.D. Vance. On the
00:12:53 Democrat side, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York narrowly leading the
00:12:58 Democratic field over former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and California Governor
00:13:03 Gavin Newsom. Those numbers a major break from the broader polling landscape, where Vice President
00:13:08 Vance dominates nearly every GOP survey, and former Vice President Kamala Harris leads in
00:13:14 most Democratic polls. The results of the survey standing out because of Atlas Intel's track
00:13:19 record in 2024, when the firm ranked among the most accurate pollsters of the presidential election
00:13:25 and correctly called the winner in every swing state. In this poll, Secretary Rubio dominating
00:13:31 the field, with 45.4% support. Mr. Vance in second with 29.6%, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in
00:13:39 third at 11.2%. That result sharply contrasting the RealClearPolitics polling average, currently
00:13:46 showing VP Vance leading with 40.5%, more than 20 points ahead of Rubio, who sits at 20.3%.
00:13:53 Donald Trump Jr. is third in the RCP average at 11.2%, followed by Governor DeSantis at 8.2%.
00:14:01 Until this latest Atlas survey, Vance topping every 2028 Republican primary poll included
00:14:07 in the RealClearPolitics average dating back to November, leading all but one of them by
00:14:12 double digits.
00:14:13 The split in the early polling coming as President Trump is now openly floating both
00:14:17 Vance and Rubio as the party's possible next ticket.
00:14:22 President Trump, Monday night at a Rose Garden Club dinner party.
00:14:26 Who's it going to be?
00:14:27 Is it going to be JD?
00:14:28 Is it going to be somebody else?
00:14:29 I don't know.
00:14:30 who does anybody have okay let's go you ready who likes jd vance
00:14:35 who likes marco rubio all right sounds like a good ticket jd it's a perfect that was a perfect
00:14:49 ticket by the way i do believe that's a dream team but these are minor details
00:14:53 That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstance.
00:14:59 I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate.
00:15:04 On the Democrat side, Atlas Intel showing AOC narrowly leading the field with 26 percent support among Democratic primary voters.
00:15:12 Secretary Buttigieg following at 22.4 percent, with Governor Newsom close behind at 21.2 percent.
00:15:18 Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who leads most early Democratic polling, coming in a distant fourth in the Atlas survey at 12.9%.
00:15:27 That result also breaking sharply from the broader RealClearPolitics average, where Harris leads the Democratic field at 25% support.
00:15:36 Governor Newsom is second in the RCP average at 18.8%, followed by Buttigieg at 13.1%, and Ocasio-Cortez at 11.3%.
00:15:45 Before this latest Atlas survey, AOC had not topped any 2028 Democratic primary poll included in the RealClearPolitics average dating back to November, with VP Harris leading in the nine polls prior to the Atlas result.
00:16:00 AOC asked directly about her presidential ambitions during an appearance last week at the University of Chicago.
00:16:06 They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat.
00:16:12 And my ambition is way bigger than that.
00:16:16 My ambition is to change this country.
00:16:22 Presidents come and go.
00:16:25 Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go.
00:16:30 But single-payer health care is forever.
00:16:33 A living wage is forever.
00:16:35 But I make decisions by waking up in the morning, looking out the window and observing the conditions of this country and saying, what move or what decision can I make today that is going to get us closer to that future, stronger, faster, better than yesterday?
00:16:54 Just weeks before the one-year anniversary of the viral moment when cameras appear to catch France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, shoving President Emmanuel Macron's face, a new book is revealing more about what may have happened behind the scenes.
00:17:10 The Macrons had just landed for a stop on a tour of Southeast Asia.
00:17:15 As the couple prepared to disembark the plane in Vietnam,
00:17:18 Mrs. Macron seen placing both hands on the president's face 0.98
00:17:21 with enough force to push him slightly sideways.
00:17:25 President Macron, looking briefly startled,
00:17:28 recovered quickly, smiling and waving to the crowd below.
00:17:32 Mr. Macron later explaining the moment to reporters in remarks
00:17:35 translated from French, quote,
00:17:37 There's a video showing me joking and teasing my wife, and somehow that becomes a sort of
00:17:41 geoplanetary catastrophe, with people even coming up with theories to explain it.
00:17:46 We are horsing around.
00:17:48 Political journalist Florian Tardif's new book, An Almost Perfect Couple,
00:17:53 reporting the First Lady was angered by a text message sent by her husband
00:17:58 to an exiled Iranian actress now living in France.
00:18:02 Gulshifta Farahani, one of Iran's most famous actresses, was a major star there before becoming
00:18:07 internationally known in Body of Lies opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, the role making her a target
00:18:14 of the Islamic regime after she appeared without a hijab, eventually forcing her into exile.
00:18:19 Macron reportedly sending Farahani a text stating, quote,
00:18:23 I find you quite pretty. Tardif alleging the message fueled Mrs. Macron's fear that her husband
00:18:29 could leave her for the actress. A source close to the first lady telling French newspaper
00:18:34 Les Parijans that Mrs. Macron, quote, categorically denied to Tardif that the plane incident had
00:18:41 anything to do with a text message, insisting she never looks through her husband's phone.
00:18:46 According to Tardif, who interviewed the first lady for the book, Mrs. Macron gave a different
00:18:51 explanation of the incident, describing herself as exhausted after a turbulent flight, unable to
00:18:57 and reluctant to get off the plane, saying she pushed her husband away as he tried to make her
00:19:02 laugh and hand her water. Farhani also denying rumors of an affair with Macron, telling Gala
00:19:07 Magazine last year, quote, rumors, you have to let them go, fair or unfair, they're only rumors.
00:19:16 That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Drashinsky, host of After Party.
00:19:21 Catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel,
00:19:24 1-11 at Noon East on
00:19:26 youtube.com slash Megan Kelly and
00:19:28 all podcast platforms.
00:19:35 Alright, full-time
00:19:36 thoughts. Craig, who stood out? Brazil's
00:19:38 lime cheesecake started great, didn't let up.
00:19:40 Nah, for me, Italian cappuccino was the
00:19:42 standout in the box. But if we're talking
00:19:44 decadent performance, that's all France.
00:19:46 Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.
00:19:49 Canadian fireworks really showed up big too.
00:19:50 And Mexico's caramel churro ice
00:19:53 cap gave me chills we are of course talking about tim's taste of the globe lineup new globally
00:19:57 inspired timbits and ice cap flavors available at tim horton's for a limited time pick some up today
00:20:02 and while you're at it check out footy prime daily