The Megyn Kelly Show - Trump Reverses Course on DNI Pick, Shock California LGBT Contract Bias Reporting： AM Update 6⧸18

00:00:00.400 All right, full-time thoughts. Craig, who stood out?

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00:00:11.300 Chocolate creme brulee had the richest finishes.

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00:00:30.000 Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinski, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up

00:00:36.720 Show on Sirius XM Channel 111. It's Thursday, June 18th, 2026. And this is your AM Update.

00:00:43.340 All of a sudden, it was like a rush act by the Democrats. And they said they were going to

00:00:48.080 approve Pfizer. President Trump pulling the plug on his own nominee. For now, keeping housing

00:00:53.900 official Bill Pulte in line to take over as acting director of national intelligence tomorrow.

00:00:58.580 So we're definitely looking into what can be done about it by the Department of Justice.

00:01:02.760 It's nonsense and it needs to stop and it's illegal. 0.99

00:01:05.160 California reportedly giving LGBT-owned businesses special access to utility contracts 0.97

00:01:10.980 for those who can prove they're actually gay.

00:01:13.600 A Colorado teacher fired after students accused her of making girls kiss during classroom skits.

00:01:20.320 And younger brother of NFL star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman

00:01:23.860 sentenced after using his car to firebomb a California post office.

00:01:29.000 All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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00:02:35.640 That's A-R-M-R-A dot com slash Megan. President Trump unexpectedly calling off yesterday's

00:02:43.900 confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, his nominee to permanently lead the nation's intelligence

00:02:48.320 community. The move keeping Bill Pulte, the 38-year-old housing official with no intelligence

00:02:53.500 background, in line to take over as Acting Director of National Intelligence, or DNI,

00:02:58.580 tomorrow. Mr. Trump tapping Pulte to temporarily replace outgoing Director of National Intelligence

00:03:04.340 Tulsi Gabbard, placing him atop the U.S. intelligence structure, where the DNI coordinates

00:03:09.020 work across 18 agencies. According to the New York Times, the president wants Pulte to continue

00:03:14.500 shrinking the DNI's office, following major cuts already carried out under Gabbard. The selection

00:03:19.740 drawing resistance from Democrats and some Republicans, citing Pulte's lack of national

00:03:24.160 security experience. Democrats then refusing to support an extension of Section 702 of the

00:03:29.800 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as long as Pulte was set to take over, increasing pressure

00:03:34.740 on the president to name a permanent director. Mr. Trump announcing Clayton only hours before

00:03:39.960 the surveillance authority expired. Too late for Congress to act with the House already away on

00:03:44.460 recess. Senate Republicans then racing to move Clayton through confirmation, scheduling his

00:03:49.580 hearing within days and preparing for a committee vote as soon as today. Mr. Trump announcing the

00:03:54.860 decision to postpone Clayton's nomination in a lengthy Truth Social post early yesterday morning

00:03:59.260 while attending the G7 summit in France. The president arguing Republicans moved too quickly

00:04:04.560 on Clayton's nomination, putting Pulte on track to leave before Democrats were required to deliver

00:04:09.340 their votes, renewing FISA. Mr. Trump writing, quote, now the Democrats are saying they will

00:04:15.200 vote against FISA. So the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Democrats

00:04:20.400 broke the deal. The president now insisting Clayton remain in his current position as U.S.

00:04:26.000 Attorney for the Southern District of New York until the Senate confirms his proposed replacement.

00:04:30.780 President Trump expressing concern that nominee Jamie McDonald could be blocked under the Senate's

00:04:35.800 blue-slip tradition, which allows home state senators to object to certain U.S. attorney

00:04:40.100 and judicial nominees. The president then upping the ante, quote, to add a slight bit of intrigue,

00:04:45.820 but for the good of the nation and the people of our country, I will not approve FISA without the

00:04:50.840 Save America Act going along with it. The overnight announcement catching Senate Republicans off guard.

00:04:56.500 Senator Tom Cotton, the Arkansas Republican, who chairs the Intelligence Committee, responding,

00:05:00.980 quote, it's regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his

00:05:05.520 confirmation hearing today. Senate Majority Leader John Thune telling CBS News he had not

00:05:10.340 received any clarity from the White House. Thune later telling reporters, quote, I can only do what

00:05:15.080 I can do here. President Trump yesterday defending Pulte and the decision to halt Clayton's

00:05:19.860 confirmation. How long do you expect Bill Pulte to be acting DNI? Well, as long as it takes to

00:05:26.800 get everybody else approved. I mean, they were doing a rush act and we didn't get anything for

00:05:31.540 look he's a very legitimate guy he's very smart he's a brilliant guy so we put him there but all

00:05:37.160 of a sudden it was like a rush act by the Democrats and they said they were going to

00:05:41.680 approve Pfizer and I said but we want Pfizer approved but we want to save America act approved

00:05:47.720 voter ID proof of citizenship no mail-in ballots with exceptions like for the military sick you're 1.00

00:05:54.960 sick, you're traveling, disabled. We also want no men playing in women's sports, and we want 1.00

00:06:02.400 no transgender mutilization of our children. None. Those are five things that are 99 percent 1.00

00:06:10.280 to, I mean, that's all we want. It's not a lot. The Save America Act,

00:06:15.700 and that can be passed any way they want to pass it, but I'm not going to sign Pfizer. 0.87

00:06:20.260 California reportedly offering special access to utility contracts for gay-owned businesses

00:06:28.060 for those who can prove they are actually gay. According to City Journal, the program operating

00:06:33.780 through the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPOC, which regulates privately

00:06:38.580 owned utilities across the state. Those companies spending more than $43 billion on contractors in

00:06:44.520 2024, hiring fuel suppliers, engineers, surveyors, and other businesses involved in delivering

00:06:50.080 water, gas, electricity, and internet service to nearly 40 million Californians. The Supplier

00:06:55.760 Diversity Program, dating back to the 1980s, originally designed to increase contracting

00:07:00.740 with businesses owned by women and racial minorities. A series of Democratic governors

00:07:05.660 later broadening the program to include gay-owned businesses. Governor Gavin Newsom expanding the

00:07:10.720 initiative again in 2019, encouraging other companies in the energy industry to award

00:07:15.480 contracts to gay-owned firms. By 2022, CPAC setting specific targets for utilities with

00:07:21.960 annual revenues above $25 million to purchase from, quote, state-certified LGBT businesses.

00:07:29.360 City Journal calculating that large utilities would have directed roughly $633 million to LGBT-owned

00:07:36.480 businesses in 2024 if every company met the commission's target. So how exactly does a

00:07:43.020 business prove it is gay? Bureaucracy, of course. The supplier clearinghouse, which certifies 0.99

00:07:49.260 businesses for the commission's program, providing applicants with several options.

00:07:53.980 A business owner can submit a letter from an LGBT organization attesting to his or her sexual

00:07:59.180 orientation. A newspaper article identifying the owner as LGBT also qualifies. So do three letters

00:08:05.120 from personal contacts. Applicants can also seek certification through the National LGBTQ Plus and

00:08:11.420 Allied Chamber of Commerce. That organization accepting other forms of documentation,

00:08:17.120 including human resources complaints or police records involving alleged LGBT discrimination.

00:08:23.720 California utilities even producing training materials to help employees find these officially

00:08:29.580 approved companies. A 2022 video for San Diego Gas and Electric featuring an animated character

00:08:35.620 known as the ambassador for excellence. I can show you exactly how to source diverse vendors

00:08:42.480 using my handy dandy tablet. Let's go to the supplier clearinghouse.com. This is the perfect

00:08:50.540 place to find every classification of diverse vendors that you can imagine. Let's take a look.

00:08:57.020 Diverse businesses are easy to search for and engage. Now to the rather important question,

00:09:03.240 Is any of this legal? City Journal arguing the program conflicts with the spirit of California

00:09:09.340 law. Voters approving Proposition 209 in 1996, banning the state from granting preferential

00:09:15.180 treatment based on race, sex, or ethnicity in public employment, education, and contracting.

00:09:20.300 Californians rejecting an effort to repeal that ban in 2020. City Journal arguing the commission

00:09:25.860 skirts the spirit of those restrictions by labeling its contracting targets for minority women,

00:09:30.740 disabled veteran, and LGBT-owned businesses as voluntary goals rather than quotas.

00:09:36.020 Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon yesterday on Glenn Beck's program

00:09:40.060 reacting to the report. I agree that it's illegal. It's actually a much bigger problem than what you

00:09:45.700 just described. Everyone's kind of lampooning. You have to get three friends to sign up and agree

00:09:50.440 that you're gay, and then you get certified as gay. But actually, this is part of a broader

00:09:54.620 DEI initiative where they have minority set-asides based on race, based on gender,

00:10:00.960 based on other factors. And we're definitely looking into what can be done about it by the

00:10:04.780 Department of Justice. But the other people who could do something about it, in some instances,

00:10:09.080 can be private parties who weren't picked for a contract because they don't have the correct

00:10:14.740 boxes checked. I don't know how who somebody sleeps with is relevant to their provision

00:10:19.600 of utility-related support services.

00:10:22.720 I don't know either.

00:10:23.180 That's rhetorical.

00:10:24.060 I think we know it isn't.

00:10:25.140 It's nonsense and it needs to stop and it's illegal.

00:10:29.040 Coming up, a Colorado teacher fired

00:10:31.080 after students accused her of pressuring girls

00:10:33.300 to kiss during classroom skits.

00:10:35.840 And the younger brother of NFL star

00:10:37.520 turned Army soldier Pat Tillman

00:10:39.100 sentenced to five years in federal prison

00:10:41.140 after firebombing a post office.

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00:12:19.100 A Colorado public high school teacher fired last month

00:12:22.260 after female students accused her of pressuring them to kiss one another during classroom skits.

00:12:28.200 The Denver Public Schools board voted unanimously to dismiss Jennifer Honka,

00:12:32.660 a French teacher who spent eight years at Northeast Early College.

00:12:36.340 That moment here. I move that the board hereby accepts both the evidentiary and ultimate findings

00:12:44.180 of fact of the hearing officer, the recommendation of the hearing officer that Ms. Jennifer Honka

00:12:49.980 be dismissed on the grounds of incompetence and neglect of duty, and that the board enter its

00:12:56.420 written order as required by TACTA that Ms. Honka be dismissed with immediate effect.

00:13:03.220 CBS Colorado reporting the firing followed student complaints dating back to the 2023-2024 school year.

00:13:09.920 Denver Public Schools launching an investigation into those allegations.

00:13:13.880 During that investigation, the school's principal collecting statements from three students and filing a report with Denver police, though no criminal charges resulted.

00:13:22.640 At the conclusion of its investigation, the district recommending that Honka be fired, Honka appealing that recommendation,

00:13:29.220 sending the case to Colorado administrative law judge Keith Kerchubel for an independent review.

00:13:35.700 According to the independent review obtained by CBS Colorado, one student testified that

00:13:40.140 Honka regularly selected girls to perform the French-language skits, despite the class being

00:13:45.820 divided nearly evenly between boys and girls, several of the scripts requiring the characters

00:13:50.560 to kiss. The review recounting how another student told a chemistry teacher she felt deeply

00:13:55.580 uncomfortable, but kissed a female classmate at Honka's direction anyway. One student describing

00:14:00.560 a rule posted in Honka's classroom, reading, quote, the answer is always yes, which the student

00:14:06.100 says the teacher invoked, while encouraging participation in the skits. The review also

00:14:10.820 finding that Honka openly discussed being a lesbian and her involvement in LGBTQ advocacy

00:14:15.600 with her students, Honka attributing the outcry over the skits to the students' strong Christian

00:14:20.740 backgrounds. The judge responded, quote, for all of her asserted interest in a diverse and

00:14:26.080 accepting environment at school, it was Honka who attributed the outcry by the students to

00:14:30.760 their strong Christian backgrounds. That statement had its own discriminatory ring.

00:14:35.360 Honka denies forcing anyone to kiss, testifying that uncomfortable students could pretend,

00:14:39.540 blow a kiss, or substitute a fist bump. The review noting that no staff member witnessed

00:14:44.180 the alleged kissing. Kerchubel, ultimately siding with the district, concluding that even if Honka

00:14:49.420 allegedly offered alternatives to kissing, the assignment still placed students in an

00:14:53.280 inappropriate position. The school board voting 7-0 on May 20th to accept the findings and fire

00:14:59.820 Honka immediately. The younger brother of late NFL star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman heading to

00:15:06.860 federal prison for firebombing a post office in San Jose, California. Richard Tillman sentenced

00:15:12.060 Monday to five years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. A judge also

00:15:17.640 ordering the 45-year-old to pay more than $2.3 million in restitution to the U.S. Postal Service,

00:15:22.880 according to NBC Bay Area. Tillman pleading guilty in February to malicious destruction

00:15:27.860 of government property by fire. Federal prosecutors say Tillman purchased fire logs

00:15:32.460 and lighter fluid before driving to the post office last July. Tillman then crashing his

00:15:37.320 car through the building's front entrance, pouring lighter fluid throughout the vehicle,

00:15:41.320 setting it on fire, and running away. The fire quickly spreading through the lobby around 3 a.m.,

00:15:46.400 destroying the retail area and post office boxes inside.

00:15:49.640 Federal officials revealing Tillman carried out the attack

00:15:51.880 to, quote, make a point to the United States government.

00:15:55.120 ABC7 previously reporting that Tillman's

00:15:57.140 since-deleted YouTube channel featured videos

00:15:59.320 describing what he portrayed as a mission

00:16:01.420 to dismantle the government.

00:16:03.040 In one video posted five days before the attack,

00:16:05.560 Tillman declaring that he planned to, quote,

00:16:07.480 take down the whole system, including the U.S.,

00:16:10.180 and what he called the world government.

00:16:12.220 Tillman immediately taken into custody

00:16:13.820 following Monday's sentencing.

00:16:15.560 Richard is the youngest brother of Pat Tillman, who walked away from his NFL career following

00:16:19.580 the September 11th terrorist attacks to enlist in the Army.

00:16:23.460 Pat completing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before he was killed by friendly fire in April

00:16:28.280 2004 at the age of 27.

00:16:31.200 He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

00:16:34.440 Richard Tillman, then 23 years old, drawing national attention during his brother's memorial

00:16:38.660 service, taking the stage in a plain white t-shirt with a beer in his hand, bluntly

00:16:43.360 rejecting the religious messages offered by some of the speakers. He's not with God. He's fucking

00:16:48.060 dead. He's not religious. So thanks for your thoughts, but he's fucking dead. Following last 1.00

00:16:53.720 year's attack, the Tillman family expressing relief that no one was physically injured,

00:16:57.740 while revealing Richard had struggled with severe mental health problems for years.

00:17:04.420 That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party. Catch the

00:17:08.720 Megyn Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM's

00:17:10.620 the Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon

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The Megyn Kelly Show - June 18, 2026

Trump Reverses Course on DNI Pick, Shock California LGBT Contract Bias Reporting： AM Update 6⧸18

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