The Megyn Kelly Show - Dem Texas Senate Race Too Close, Noem Confronted by GOP Senators, Iran Conflict Widen: AM Update 3/4

Episode Date: March 4, 2026

The Texas Democratic Senate primary between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett is too close to call after a chaotic night of court rulings and polling site confusion in Dallas County. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem facing sharp questioning on Capitol Hill, including rare Republican criticism during a tense Senate Judiciary hearing. The conflict with Iran widening across the region as retaliatory strikes continue, and new polling shows most Americans are still unclear on the administration’s objectives. A brutal bus stop stabbing in Virginia igniting a standoff between the state’s Democratic governor and federal immigration officials over deporting the suspect.   Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com   SelectQuote: Compare top‑rated life insurance options. Visit https://SelectQuote.com/megynto get the right coverage at the right price. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Wednesday, March 4th, 2026, and this is your AM update. Texas voters casting their ballots in the U.S. Senate primary on both sides of the aisle. Who carried the night? We'll have the details. We expect exceptional leadership, and you've demonstrated anything but that. Secretary Kristi Noem faces friendly fire in a contentious Senate judiciary hearing. Let me explain to you guys this in simple English, okay? Iran is right. run by lunatics, religious fanatic lunatics. The conflict with Iran intensifies as new polling finds most Americans still do not understand our objectives. And Virginia's Democrat governor

refusing to cooperate with ICE in removing an illegal immigrant arrested for allegedly stabbing a woman to death after more than 30 prior arrests. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. Our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, says Washington politicians are always getting in your wallet. And now they're messing with your credit card. They say your credit card and the security it offers are under attack and that senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall want to change the nation's payment system to benefit corporate megastores like Walmart and Target at the expense of everyday Americans. Credit cards can keep your payments secure and provide rewards that families use to help make everyday purchases more affordable.

The Electronic Payments Coalition says the Durbin Marshall mandates would let corporate megastores cut corners on credit card processing, routing transactions over cheaper, untested networks, with weaker security and fewer protections. Find out more at guard your card.com and consider telling Congress to guard your card. Texas voters heading to the polls yesterday in a closely watched Senate primary, a race many see as a bellwether for the 26 midterms, one that became the most expensive on record anywhere in the country, with more than 125 million, spent on advertising. On the Democrat side, a sharp contrast in style and energy. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett leaning hard into identity politics and red meat messaging aimed at energizing the

core Democrat base. State Representative James Talariko opting for softer rhetoric, but with progressive policies underneath. Crocket risking her safe, albeit drastically changed due to redistricting House seat, to run statewide. Tala Rico surging in the final week. weeks of the campaign coming to election day with a 10-point lead according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. The night ending with the race too close to call, confusion in Dallas County over polling sites leading a judge to extend voting by two hours only for the Texas Supreme Court to then block that order, Jasmine Crockett addressing supporters last night. There was a lot of confusion today. We were able to keep the polls open, but I can tell

you now that people have been disenfranchised. The reason that we knew that there were problems is because we were receiving the phone calls and the emails. The polls were supposed to stay open until 9, according to a court order. The Supreme Court, just a few minutes ago, just said, shut it down. The Supreme Court also said that they are to separate any votes out that came in after 7 p.m. What this means is that we will not know what votes are to be tallied from Election Day out of Dallas County. For sure, we won't know that tonight. Knowing that Dallas County is a big dump of votes, we, in my opinion, will not know the election results overall tonight. We may have the early vote soon. If it comes in and I'm losing Dallas County, then we'll

we know kind of where this thing is going. NBC News's Steve Kornacki saying on his live stream earlier in the evening, even if the rest of the vote in Dallas County came in, she would still be well short in Dallas of that margin that Tala Rico has built. As that mess is sorted out, no Democrat Victor is yet declared. Tala Rico speaking to his supporters last night. Tonight, our campaign is shocking the nation. We are still waiting for an official call, but we are confident in this movement we've built together.

Every vote must be counted. Every voice must be heard. The voter suppression in my home county and in Congresswoman Crockett's home county underscores the gravity of this moment. This movement is about whether the people will hold the power in this state and in this country. Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope. And a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing. I want to thank you for being here. Thank you for being in this fight.

God bless you all. On the Republican side, a bitter showdown between incumbent Senator John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt. Cornyn first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, facing the most serious primary challenge of his career. Paxton entering Election Day leading in several recent polls, Hunt holding steady a distant third. Senator Cornyn outspending his top competitor, Ken Paxton, 69 million to four million, reports the New York Times. And what did it get him? A runoff. With no candidate securing. 50% plus one vote, Cornyn and Paxton now headed to a runoff contest.

Paxton here speaking to supporters. Together with your support, we just sent a message loud and clear to Washington. We are not going to go quietly and we are not going to let you by the seat. Now let's talk about what happened. It was confirmed today that he received the most ad support for an incumbent in a single primary in U.S. history. But we prove something they'll never understand in Washington. Texas is not for sale.

The people of Texas made your voices heard. After all the personal attacks, which there were many, and after all the lies, you listened to what John Cornyn was selling and you weren't buying it. Senator Cornyn with this message. I want to thank everybody who voted for me, and we now head into a 12-week primary runoff. Elections are about choices. And the choice in the Republican race for the U.S. Senate is crystal clear.

I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered, and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we've worked so hard to build over these many years. There is simply too much at stake in this midterm election for our state and for our country. The final two years of presidents, President Trump's agenda hangs in the balance. That runoff election set for May 26th, and it is expected to be brutal. Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, taking heat from both sides of the aisle. Democrats largely focused on Secretary Noem's role in Operation Metro Surge, the federal government's immigration enforcement operation,

in Minnesota's twin cities deploying thousands of agents to target illegal immigrants. The operation drawing intense public backlash with highly organized activists tracking federal agents through the city, confronting officers during enforcement activities and blowing whistles to harass the officers and warn potential targets of the Fed's presence. They helped a lot of child molesters, cool. Some of those confrontations turning deadly. Two agitators, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, shot and killed by four. federal officers in separate incidents earlier this year after inserting themselves into ongoing

law enforcement operations. In the immediate aftermath, Secretary Nome publicly describing both incidents as acts of domestic terrorism. During yesterday's hearing, Democrats repeatedly pressing the secretary on that characterization. Here, Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Peter Welsh of Vermont, and Adam Schiff of California. Do you retract these statements identifying these individuals as domestic terrorists. We're relying on reports from the ground and from agents that are there and working to be transparent. Do you have anything you want to say to Alex Prattie's parents?

We were relying in the hours after that incident that was so horrific on information we were getting from the ground from our agents. One question. Do you want to apologize for that characterization that they were domestic terrorists? I will continue every day to get up and to work hard to give. everybody factual information and do all that I can to portray it. How do you imagine you're going to gain the trust of American people if you're pushing out false information about the shooting of American citizens?

I work every day to get factual information to the American people. Well, you didn't on that day. You didn't on the day that Alex Pretti was shot, and you certainly didn't on the day Renee Good was shot. You weren't getting out good information. You were making a spurious claim that that has caused. endless injury to the victim's families. Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana pressing the secretary on reports of behind-the-scenes tension

inside the administration following those deadly encounters. In January, Axios reporting that a blame game had erupted inside Team Trump over the early public messaging, specifically DHS's initial claim that Predi had been seeking to massacre law enforcement. The report quoting Secretary Nome telling a source, quote, everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen Miller. What got my attention was that you blame those statements on Mr. Stephen Miller at the White House. Did you not? No, sir, I did not. And in fact, where you're seeing that is in a news

article of anonymous sources. And anonymous sources say a lot of things. But it is, I've never said that at all. Well, here's what you said on the record. I'm going to read your words, quote, everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen. Sir, where did you see me say that at? You read that in a news article with no sources affiliated to it. You set it on the record on January 27th of 2006. Did you, did I read your words accurate? I enjoy working with the president and with Stephen Miller. And that day, we were working to get as much information. to the American people as possible. That is what will continue to do.

And as that happens, we'll go forward. Do you think it was fair to blame Mr. Miller? Sir, I did not do that. One of the more tense moments from the hearing coming from another Republican, Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina, who brought up the story of Nome's puppy, Cricket from her book.

So why am I disappointed with Secretary Nome? We're beginning to get the American people to think that deporting people is wrong. It's the exact opposite. The way you're going about deporting them is wrong. Now, Secretary, I read your book last week. Some of it distresses me. The passage where you talk about killing a dog that was 14 months old,

you should know that if you're going out to a hunting lodge and you're putting pheasants out and you're putting dogs out, you don't take a puppy out there. You decided to kill that dog because you had not invested the appropriate time and training, and then you have the audacity to go into a book and say it's a leadership lesson about tough choices. Those are bad decisions made in the heat of the moment, not unlike what happened up in Minneapolis. I expect we're an exceptional nation.

And one of the reasons we're exceptional is we expect exceptional leadership. And you've demonstrated anything but that. Senator Tillis, who did not give Secretary Nome the chance to answer, is retired. at the end of his term in 2027. Coming up, the conflict with Iran expands across the region, as new polling indicates most Americans are not satisfied with the Trump administration's explanations as to what we're doing there.

And after that brutal bus stop killing, we told you about yesterday on AM Update, a standoff between Virginia's governor and federal immigration officials. You will not believe what Abigail is doing now. Are you numb to it yet? This wild ride of life we've lived lately. AI coming for our jobs, geopolitical changes, reshaping alliances, and the market bouncing around like a yo-yo.

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The State Department now urging Americans in more than a dozen Middle East countries to depart ASAP. Any U.S. citizens in Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen urged to leave, quote, due to serious safety risks. Retaliatory attacks from Iran hitting several U.S. targets, including a strike yesterday on the U.S. consulate in Dubai. Officials saying no one was injured and the fire was quickly contained. On Monday, Iranian drones striking the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia, other civilian targets

in Saudi Arabia also struck by the Iranian military. Fox News reporting, Saudi Arabia is getting, quote, very close to allowing its own Air Force to strike inside Iran in response. Sources inside Iran reporting at least 787 have been killed so far in the ongoing operation, though some say those numbers go much higher, the Pentagon releasing the names of the first four U.S. soldiers killed in action. Captain Cody A. Cork, age 35 of Winterhaven, Florida. Sergeant First Class Noah L. Teigen's, age 42 of Bellevue, Nebraska.

Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amore, age 39 of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and Sergeant Declan J. Cody, 20 of West Des Moines, Iowa. Two other service members killed in the strike, their names set to be released 24 hours after their families are notified. More than four days after the start of the conflict, new polling suggesting many Americans are still unclear on the administration's objectives. A CBS survey released yesterday, finding 62 percent say the Trump is, administration has not clearly explained its goals, while 38% say it has. After days of muddled messaging, a visibly frustrated Secretary Rubio yesterday spelling it out to reporters on the hill. Let me explain to you guys this in simple English, okay? Iran is run by lunatics, religious fanatic lunatics. They have an ambition to have nuclear weapons. They intend to develop those nuclear

weapons behind a program of missiles and drones and terrorism that the world will not be able to touch them for fear of those things. And this is the weakest they've ever been. Now is the time to go after them. The president made the decision to go after them, take away their missiles, take away their navy, take away their drones, take away their ability to make those things so that they can never have a nuclear weapon. That's why the president made this decision. It was the right decision. And the world will be a safer place when these radical clerics, no law of them have access to these weapons. Secretary Rubio clearly on the defensive after his statement the day before, admitting the reason we attacked Iran was because of Israel.

Here's the Secretary on Monday, stating why we attacked. It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond and respond against the United States. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks,

we would suffer higher casualties. There absolutely was an imminent threat. and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believe they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us. A reporter then asked the obvious follow-up. Are you saying the U.S. was forced to strike because of an amending Israeli action? Secretary Rubio first says that no matter what, quote, ultimately, this operation had to happen. He then says, quote, obviously we were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would

mean for us. The remarks blew up, with lawmakers and the press all taking the words for their clear meaning. We did it because Israel was going to attack with or without us. We anticipated a retaliatory response by the Iranians against us, and we preferred to hit them first. Left unsaid was why we didn't just tell the Israelis, don't. By Tuesday, Mr. Rubio was suggesting he'd been taken out of context. I was asked a very specific question. So you guys can be misrepresenter, but I was asked a very specific question yesterday.

bottom line is this. The president determined we were not going to get hit first. It's that simple, guys. We are not going to put Americans troops in harm's way. If you tell the president of the United States that if we don't go first, we're going to have more people killed and more people injured, the president's going to go first. So when he said on Monday that we knew there was going to be Israeli action, which would precipitate an attack against American forces so we felt we had to act. What he really meant was we knew there was going to be Israeli action, which would precipitate and attack against American forces, so we felt we had to act. Yesterday, Israel expanding its military campaign,

sending ground troops into southern Lebanon as it exchanges strikes with the Iranian-backed militant group, Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks from across the Lebanese border. Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, seeing the expansion of the war as an opportunity for more U.S. involvement. One thing to President Trump, in case you're watching, In 1983, Ronald Reagan sent Marines and sailors to try to police and deal with the Lebanese Civil War. They were at the end of the runway.

Hezbollah attacked the Marine barracks, killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and wounded 100 others. So I'm calling on President Trump today. Join Israel to attack Hezbollah, avenge the Marines. President Trump come up with a new operation called Sempley. fly with Israel and go after Hezbollah, who has American blood on its hands, not only take the mothership of Iran down, also take the proxy of Hezbollah, settle the score, even the account. Democrat Virginia Governor Abigail Spamberger, Abigail, refusing to honor an ICE detainer in the case of that illegal immigrant we told you about yesterday, accused of fatally stabbing 41-year-old

bus passenger, Stephanie Minter. Abdul Jallo, who police say exited a bus with Minter shortly before she was found stabbed to death at a Fairfax County bus stop, arrested more than 30 times since illegally entering the U.S. from Sierra Leone in 2012. His raphthy, including charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, and larceny, with prosecutors dropping many of the cases. That would be bad enough, but this guy is also an illegal immigrant. An immigration judge issuing a final order of removal for Jallo in 2020,

yet protected by sanctuary city laws in Fairfax County, Jallo remained mostly free until his arrest in Minter's death, only serving time for one incident. Jallow now in custody without bail, his next hearing set for mid-May. ICE now requesting notification before Jallow is released again from custody, a standard process in which federal agents take custody of a standard process in which federal agents take custody of an arrested illegal from a jail,

rather than allowing release back into the community after the criminal case concludes or once they bail out. Sanctuary jurisdictions like Fairfax County bar that kind of cooperation with the feds. Governor Spanberger's office releasing a statement reading in part, quote, Governor Spanberger firmly believes that violent criminals who are in the United States illegally should be deported by immigration enforcement.

DHS should request a signed judicial warrant to ensure this violent criminal is deported. But ICE needs only an administrative warrant issued by DHS to arrest a detainee and to request custody transfers from local jails. That's because immigration enforcement happens under Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution within the executive branch. This new requirement that ICE would also have to go to a federal district court and get a federal arrest warrant from an Article III judge is made up by those trying to hassle ICE, like Abigail. Governor Spamberger's position would require federal officials to clear that added legal threshold

before taking custody of a criminal illegal alien. The Trump administration sharply criticizing the governor's response. Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller posting to X, quote, federal judicial warrants are for arresting and charging people to stand trial for specific federal crimes before a judge and a jury. They have nothing to do with deportation. Thousands of criminals are removed every week through this system. In sanctuary cities and states, criminal aliens are simply set free to maim and murder. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show.

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