The Megyn Kelly Show - Elon's Email Drama, Trump vs. Maine Governor, and a German Election Surprise: AM Update for 2/24

Episode Date: February 24, 2025

AM Update for 2/24: Elon Musk demands all federal employees report their weekly accomplishments, but some Trump cabinet secretaries are pushing back. President Trump warns Maine’s governor to enforce his executive order on women's sports or lose federal funding. President Zelensky hints at resignation in exchange for NATO membership. And Germany’s election results mark a shift to the right, with a catch.Home Title Lock: Sign up at https://www.hometitlelock.com/MegynKelly and use promo code MEGYN250 for a FREE title history report AND access to your Personal Title Expert —a $250 value! Check out the Million Dollar TripleLock Protection details when you get there! Exclusions apply. For details visit https://www.hometitlelock.com/warrantyBirch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, February 24th, 2025. This is your AM Update. Another example of total chaos, all caused by unelected Doge guy, Elon Musk. D.C. elites rankled by a Doge email sent to federal employees asking, what did you do last week? And the possible beginnings of a power struggle between the Doge team and cabinet-level officials. You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't. President Trump challenges the governor of Maine for flouting his executive order banning men from competing in women's sports. And then his education department's civil rights office makes it official. Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt says peace in Ukraine could come as early

as this week, as President Zelensky suggests his resignation as a potential offering. And a surprise result in the German elections. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. There is a real and growing threat to your home and your equity, and it's called title fraud. Here's how it works. Criminals can forge a single document, file it with a recorder, and just like that, your home's title is stolen. They take out loans against your property, draining your equity, and you wouldn't even know that it had happened until it was too late. Here's the really scary part. Credit monitoring will not protect you from this problem. But I do want to tell you

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with the subject line, what did you do last week? Employees are asked to respond with bullet points outlining five accomplishments from the previous week. On an ex-post, Elon Musk said failure to respond will be considered a letter of resignation. Notably, the body of the email sent to employees did not include that ultimatum. The move prompting massive outcry from politicians and media alike. Here's a little taste of what the Sunday shows sounded like, starting with Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah. He followed Mitt Romney in that seat on Face the Nation. If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it's like, please put a dose of compassion in this. These are real people. These are real lives. These

are mortgages. It's a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well. We can do both. They're finding other ways to get people to either resign or create a pretext for them to be fired. Elon Musk has zero legal authority to fire government employees or force their resignations. Again, another example of total chaos, all caused by unelected Doge guy Elon Musk. Elon Musk defending the move on X, writing, quote, a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they're not checking their email at all. Mr. Musk says there is outright fraud in the system. The Doge team believes non-existent

people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks. Reaction among Trump department heads is mixed. Sam Stein of the Bulwark, an anti-Trump media outlet, reporting on Saturday, basically every federal employee I've talked to tonight has said their agency head has encouraged them not to respond to the Musk email until they get more guidance. New FBI Director Kash Patel sent an email to his employees telling them not to comply with the request. The Department of Defense, too, sent out a similar letter to its employees. HHS, headed by Bobby Kennedy, sent an email on Sunday morning verifying the legitimacy of the email, urging employees to reply. But NIH,

which is under HHS, writing to staff an hour later saying, do not comply. The federal government employs about 2.1 million civilians. The deadline for response is set for 11.59 p.m. tonight. President Trump clashing with Maine Governor Janet Mills at a session held by the National Association of Governors on Friday. As part of his remarks to state leaders, Mr. Trump called out Governor Mills for her state's lack of compliance with his executive order banning males from competing in female sports. Are you not going to comply with it? I'm complying with state and federal laws.

Well, we are the federal law. Well, you better do it. You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't. And by the way, your population, even though it's somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn't want men playing in women's sports. So you better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding. Every state, good, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor because I don't think you'll be in elected politics.

On February 6th, President Trump signed the executive order titled Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports. The order requires federal funds to be rescinded from schools and educational programs that fail to provide fair, female-only sporting opportunities. It means no boys on the girls' field and no boys in the girls' locker room. The day after the order was signed, the head of the Maine Principals Association, Mike Burnham, told a local Maine outlet, quote, the executive order and our Maine State Human Rights Act are in conflict, and the Maine Principals Association will continue to follow state law as it pertains to gender identity. The Maine State Human Rights Act provides protection based on gender identity,

which means men who are pretending to be women and vice versa. The Maine State Human Rights Act provides protection based on gender identity, which means men who are pretending to be women and vice versa. The Maine Principals Association is the governing body overseeing student sports in the state. After the testy exchange at the White House, the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education informing them of an investigation into potential violations. Craig Treanor, acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, releasing a statement that reads in part, quote, let me be clear, if Maine wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Education Department, it has to follow Title IX. The Office of Civil Rights will do everything in its power to ensure taxpayers are not funding blatant civil rights violators. Governor Mills responding, quote, the state of Maine will not be intimidated by the president's threats. Maine received $250 million in federal funding this year. Ultimately, the courts

will have the final say. President Trump bucking tradition, replacing the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General C.Q. Brown with Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Raisin-Kane. Five other admirals and generals are also set up for replacement, including Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the Navy. The announcement posted to Truth Social this past Friday evening. President Trump writing, I want to thank General Charles C.Q. Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country. He's a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family. General Brown replaced General Mark Milley as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September

2023. His removal prompted swift backlash in the media. The Trump Pentagon does not welcome Black people. They're discouraging Black people from joining. The optics here don't look great. C.Q. Brown was only the second Black man to ever hold that position. Brown has become a target for the Trump administration as they seek to rid the government and the military of leaders who support diversity and equity efforts. Prior to serving as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Brown served as chief of staff to the Air Force. President Trump nominated him to that position in March 2020. Upon confirmation later that year, the general became the first African-American to lead a branch of the armed forces, thanks to Mr. Trump. Under President Biden, General Brown became the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, opposed with a four-year term that would typically carry through a subsequent

administration. However, the chairman does serve at the pleasure of the president, who can dismiss the chair if he so chooses. Vice President J.D. Vance pointing out on X, President Harry Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur, Mr. Obama fired General Stanley McChrystal. The second Trump administration is laser-focused on rooting out diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from all facets of the federal government, but especially the military. In a 2020 address to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, General Brown stated, quote, I hire for diversity because they all bring a different perspective. That same year, he made public remarks about difficulties he faced as a Black man in the

military. I'm thinking about a history of racial issues and my own experiences that didn't always sing of liberty and equality. I'm thinking about my Air Force career, where I was often the only African American in my squadron, or as a senior officer, the only African American in the room. I'm thinking about wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers, and they may be questioned by another military member, are you a pilot? Upon taking office, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a task force focused on promoting merit-based, colorblind policies. Retired Lieutenant General Dan Raisin-Kane, President Trump's nominee to replace General

Brown, first met the president in Iraq. The general captured President Trump's attention by telling him the U.S. could defeat ISIS in a week, far sooner than the two years predicted by other generals, a story Mr. Trump recounted on the Joe Rogan podcast. But I defeated ISIS with the greatest generals. I had a guy who was so great. I flew to Iraq and I met the real generals, not these idiots that we deal with. And we knocked out, you know, I defeated 100% of the ISIS caliphate. They said it would take five years. I did it in a matter of a few, literally a few weeks. And we hit them hard. And he said, so we're going to hit them here. We're going to hit them there. We're going to hit him here, there. And I said, this guy's great. I like this guy. Raisin Kane entered the military in 1990. He served as an F-16 fighter

pilot. On 9-11, he protected D.C. airspace. In addition to his service in Iraq, General Kane was also a senior military officer at the CIA. CNN reports General Kane is well-respected and seen among his peers as nonpartisan. General Cain will need a waiver for confirmation since he has not held roles senior enough under the law. And a stunner out of the FBI. agent and former NYPD officer turned popular podcaster, has been named as deputy director of the FBI under Director Kash Patel, the president calling this great news for law enforcement and American justice. Coming up, potential for peace in Ukraine as early as this week and the surprise result in the German elections.

We continue to face uncertainty when it comes to the economy, with a perfect storm brewing as Social Security and Medicare hit a breaking point, as the largest generation is hitting retirement. A smaller workforce means a smaller tax base. You pair that with our growing national debt and rising cost of living, and we could have a big problem. So what are you doing now to protect your family for the future? Gold can be a safe haven in hard economic times, and Birch Gold makes it easy to diversify a portion of your savings into physical gold. Birch Gold will help you transition an existing IRA or 401k into an IRA in gold, and it does not cost you one cent out of pocket. Protect your future today. Text MK to 989898, get your free info kit on gold, and get a copy of the ultimate guide for gold in the Trump

era. With a foreword by Donald Trump Jr., there's no obligation, just information. Birch Gold has earned the trust of countless Americans looking to safeguard their savings. Just text my initials, to the number 989898 today. President Zelensky with an unexpected answer at a conference in Ukraine. Asked about his willingness to resign, the Ukrainian leader responding, quote, if you really want me to leave my post, I'm ready. Alternatively, I can trade this for NATO membership if such conditions exist immediately so we don't have lengthy discussions. He went on to say he does not intend to stay in power for decades. This comes on the heels of criticism from President Trump about the suspension of

Ukrainian elections earlier last year. The U.S. and Ukrainian president spent much of the last week trading barbs about the negotiation process with Russia. President Trump visibly growing more and more frustrated with the public complaints of President Zelensky as the U.S. works toward a peaceful resolution. NATO membership is a non-starter for the Trump administration in the approach to peace talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees the expansion of NATO to Russian borders as an existential threat. Hungary, Germany and more have also expressed concerns over admitting Ukraine into NATO. According to Article 5 of the treaty, an attack on one member is an attack on all. Admittance into NATO requires unanimous approval from all member states. On Saturday evening, Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt delivered

an update on negotiations from outside the White House. Right now, the president and his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict. And the president is very confident we can get it done this week. As European leaders discuss sending their own troops as a post-war security guarantee, the U.S. is taking a different approach. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson outlined some of the details on Fox Business' Mornings with Maria yesterday. What it does not include is a military guarantee, but what it does include is an implicit guarantee that if the United States of America is heavily invested in the economic future, you know, I call it an economic security guarantee. The more assets that U.S. companies have on the ground, the bigger interest that the U.S. has in the future of Ukrainian economy doing well, the more security it creates for the Ukrainian people

and the higher the return for the U.S. taxpayer. An economic security assurance rather than U.S. boots on the ground. The results of the German parliamentary elections yesterday marking a significant shift to the political right, but not all the way right. The center-right Christian Democratic Union slash Christian Social Union, a united coalition of two parties, winning about 29% of the vote, wresting control from the Social Democratic Party, which won only 16%, a historic low. They want to cut taxes and red tape. They would advocate for stricter immigration laws and faster asylum processing. They aim to abolish a law that seeks to get rid of fossil fuel-based

heating systems in German homes, a very moderate right wing, similar to establishment Republican types in the U.S. In second place, the AFD, Alternative for Germany, earning just over 20 percent of the vote. The rise of the party formed in 2013 is of great concern to many on the left and in the media. People here feel deeply uncomfortable about allowing the far right to return to power. The nation's domestic intelligence agency is investigating the AFD as a suspected extremist organization. Elon Musk endorsed the party, calling it the last vestige of hope for Germany. The AFD is similar to the MAGA movement in America in some ways.

Originally formed to oppose European financial bailouts, the party really began to rally its staunch opposition to Germany's open door refugee policy established by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015. Despite the fact that the center-right party and the AFD now together control a combined 49% of the electorate, they are not likely to work together. In Germany, the moderate right and the left typically work together and refuse to cooperate with what they call the far right, a fact for which Vice President J.D. Vance slammed them on their home turf just over a week ago. What no democracy, American, German, or European, will survive is telling

millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief are invalid or unworthy of even being considered. Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There's no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don't. What will this result mean for Ukraine and Russia and America? We'll stay on it and bring you the latest. And that will do it for today's AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly.

Join me back here for The Megyn Kelly Show later today, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.