The Megyn Kelly Show - Inside Deadly LGA Crash, Alarming Scientist Deaths, Quadruple Amputee Murder Case: AM Update 3/25

Episode Date: March 25, 2026

Markwayne Mullin is sworn in as DHS Secretary amid a 39-day funding standoff, as ICE agents step in to relieve unpaid TSA workers at overwhelmed airports. Investigators reveal multiple system failures, communication breakdowns, and last-second pilot actions in the deadly Air Canada runway collision at LaGuardia. Congressman Tim Burchett raises concerns about a possible pattern after a missing Air Force general, a vanished rocket scientist, and several scientist deaths draw renewed scrutiny. A quadruple amputee cornhole champion is charged with murder after allegedly shooting a car passenger during an argument and fleeing the scene.   Firecracker Farm: Visit https://firecracker.FARM & enter code MK at checkout for a special discount!   Cozy Earth: Visit https://www.CozyEarth.com/MEGYN & Use code MEGYN for up to 20% off 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 25th, 2026, and this is your AM update. We have to rain in ice and stop the violence. We need reform. Now former Senator Mark Wayne Mullen officially sworn in as Homeland Security Secretary, jumping right into massive headaches at airports and in D.C. As DX did not generate an alert due to the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging, near the runway. New details emerging about multiple breakdowns leading to the deadly air Canada collision with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport earlier this week. A bizarre series of deaths among scientists working on UFO research and technology has one U.S. congressman asking questions

about a possible connection and a wild story about a quadruple amputee athlete now accused of murder. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. Let's talk hot salt. Firecracker farm, hot salt, to be exact, the gold standard for its flavor, quality, and heart. This is not just a great gift, which it is. It's the secret to making everyday meals special and, quite frankly, delicious. If you are worried about it being too hot, look for vanilla heat. It's a wonderful mild blend created by the founder Alex and his daughter focused on gentle flavor over brute force. Alex and his family make every small batch on their Farm packaged in their signature precision stainless steel push grinders that feel solid in hand

and are very satisfying to use. Stop settling for generic. Ready to see what you've been missing? Go to firecracker. Farm and use code MK for 10% off your hot salt. Better get to know it now before they run out again. All right. Get to it.

One more time, that's firecracker. Dot Farm. Attorney General Pam Bondi swearing in now former Republican Senator from Oklahoma, Mark Wayne Mullen yesterday as Secretary of the Department of Homeland. Homeland Security, stepping into the role as the agency navigates a partial shutdown. Mr. Mullen tapped to replace former Secretary Kristy Noem, whose tenure unraveled amid a series of controversies, including scrutiny over a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign, backlash tied to her handling of a recent ICE surge in Minnesota and allegations of an affair with colleague

Corey Lewandowski. Now Secretary Mullen inheriting a department under immense strain with critical functions like TSA forced to carry on without pay. Secretary Mullen from the Oval after taking the oath. I have made this very clear that I don't care what color your state is. I don't care if you're red or you're blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be Secretary of Homeland and to protect everybody the same. And we will do that. I'll fight every single day. Today I got the privilege of meeting so many of the employees at DHS. These employees have been there for 30 days without pay. And if you need anything to know their dedication, to show up and still protect the homeland that you and I enjoy and the freedoms that we're experiencing, they're working for

free because of political politics, that's all I need to know. I told him, if you're fighting 365 days, understand I'll be fighting 365 days beside you. DHS funding lapsing in mid-February, Senate Democrats refusing to provide the votes needed to reopen the department without reforms to immigration enforcement, like banning masks on ICE agents in the field and requiring judicial warrants for some arrests. Fox News is Chad Pergram yesterday reporting Senate Republicans working on a deal to fund most of DHS, with the exception of programs under ICE that Democrats find controversial. According to Pergram, the proposal would have funded ICE investigations into groups like cartels, traffickers and child predators, but would have excluded funding for immigration enforcement

and deportations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer yesterday afternoon, throwing cold water on that plan. Look, the bottom line is Democrats, and this is true of just every Democrat in my caucus, has been consistent all along. We have to rain in ice and stop the violence. We need reform. every one of my colleagues, everyone, A, believes that we should be unified, and B, we need reforms of ICE, every single one. And so the impasse continues, today marking the 39th day. Ice agents called in to assist overwhelmed TSA officers at airports yesterday marking day two on the job. Airports around the country seeing some improvements in wait times. Here, reporting from CNN in Atlanta, ABC in Philly and NBC in Phoenix.

And there seems to be more lines open than normal right now with the TSA workers here, breezing people through. And we've also seen those ice agents moving through today. A lot of folks are saying they're very pleasant. We are standing in the middle where travelers come to check in for TSA. Yesterday, this was all the way back to the garage. So good news today, lines aren't too bad. When you see ice agents being deployed, what goes through your mind?

I like it. I mean, I think Trump's on a holiday off. TSA agents set to miss their second full paycheck this weekend if a deal is not made on Capitol Hill. The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, shining light on the final moments before the deadly Sunday night runway collision at LaGuardia Airport. An Air Canada regional jet arriving from Montreal landing just before midnight when it collided with a Port Authority fire truck. crossing the runway to respond to a separate emergency. Video showing the aircraft landing on the runway as the fire truck moves directly into its path. The impact, crushing the nose of the plane, killing both pilots, identified as Captain Antoine Forrest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther.

Miraculously, no firefighters and no passengers on board the aircraft were killed. Six remain hospitalized as of last night. many on board crediting the pilots with preventing an even greater catastrophe, describing an unusually hard landing and aggressive breaking in the final seconds before the collision. At least 41 people were injured, including a flight attendant who, according to the New York Post, was thrown roughly 300 feet from the aircraft, found on the tarmac, still strapped to her jump seat, suffering only a fractured leg. audio from the control tower capturing the stunned reaction in the aftermath of the crash.

That was, I wasn't good to watch. Yeah, I know I was here. I tried to reach out to my stuff. We were dealing with an emergency earlier. No, man, you did the best you could. Investigators now focusing on four key areas that may have contributed to the crash, starting with a critical visibility gap on the ground. NTSB chair Jennifer Homandy, confirming the fire truck that entered the runway, did not have a transponder installed,

meaning controllers could not see its precise location in real time on their equipment. That lack of clarity compounded by a failure of the airport's runway safety system called Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X, or ASDX, described here by Homandy. ASDX is a runway safety system which allows air traffic controllers

to track surface movement of aircraft and vehicles. Their analysis shows that the ASDX system did not alert. ASDX did not generate an alert due to the close proximity of vehicles merging and unmerging near the runway resulting in the inability to create a track of high confidence. What it looks like on a replay are two blobs on taxiway Delta. Hamondi also identifying a possible critical breakdown in radio communications. One minute before the crash, a vehicle at the airport, Hamondi did not make clear which one,

making a radio transmission to the air traffic control tower that was reportedly stepped on, meaning interrupted or blocked by another transmission. The NTSB chair also addressing questions about staffing in the air traffic control tower, confirming two controllers were in the tower at the time, handling multiple roles per standard overnight practice. Hamondi indicating investigators are working through conflicting reports about who was tasked with tracking each movement on the tarmac.

Flight recorder data recovered from the flight, revealing the chaotic final seconds before impact. Within seconds of touching down, Captain Forrest, taking control of the aircraft, breaking hard. FAA licensed commercial pilot Anthony Roman yesterday on Fox, crediting the pilots for saving the lives of their passengers. I believe they sacrificed themselves by remaining in a straight line. They could have veered the aircraft to the right or left in an attempt to miss that truck,

but that would have created a greater problem and probably more passengers, severely injured, and or lost. Coming up, a missing Air Force General, a vanished, rocket scientist and several other high-profile deaths in the American scientific community, leading a U.S. congressman to raise questions about a connection. And a bizarre murder case out of Maryland, a quadruple amputee athlete accused of killing a passenger while driving a car. What does comfort that really carries you from morning to night feel like? For many, it's cozy earth. It starts with their essential socks. They're soft, breathable, and thoughtful

cushioned to support you step by step from the first step out of bed to the end of a long day. With multiple styles, they fit seamlessly into everyday life. And when the day winds down, that same comfort shows up at night with cozy Earth's comforter. It's luxuriously soft, light and naturally temperature regulating, so you stay cool, calm and comfortable all night. No heaviness. No overheating, just deeper rest. That's what sets cozy Earth apart. Every piece is crafted with intention and attention to detail. designed to quietly elevate the every day. They're very good at that. And it is completely risk-free with a 100-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty. So you can sleep on that bad boy for nearly,

well, over three months. If you don't like it, whatever it is, the socks, the comforter, send it back in for a full refund. Discover how care in every detail transforms simple routines into real comfort. Head to cozier.com. Use my code Megan for up to 20% off. That's Megan for up to 20% off. And if you get a post-purchase survey, be sure to mention you heard about cozy Earth right here. Congressman Tim Burchett, Republican from Tennessee, raising concern about a disturbing potential pattern after a string of disappearances and deaths involving high-level scientists and military researchers. 68-year-old retired Air Force Major General William Neal McCasland, long connected to UFO programs, spent years overseeing highly classified research programs.

reported missing in late February after leaving his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. McCaslin's wife telling authorities he left home on foot with only a backpack and a revolver. According to his bio, McCaslin worked on a number of advanced defense and space programs, including serving as commander of the Air Force's $2.2 billion science and technology research lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, a facility where he is believed to have oversteen. seeing the Air Force Space Weapons Program and UFO research, though the military denies it. Post-retirement, McCaslin briefly consulting with musician and co-founder of the band Blink 182, Tom DeLong, as DeLong began investigating how to push for more government transparency on UFOs.

Eight months before McCaslin's disappearance in New Mexico, another rocket scientist vanishing from California, 60-year-old Monica Jacinto Reza reported missing on June 22nd after setting out on a hike in the Angeles National Forest. According to the New York Post, Reza hiking with two companions who say she disappeared during the outing, prompting a month's long search ultimately turning up no trace of her. Reza previously working as a materials scientist at a company called Aerojet Rocketdyne, where she helped invent a new kind of metal, used in advanced propulsion rocket engines, the kind that are crucial for, you know, space travel. That research reportedly funded for years in part by the Air Force Research Laboratory

overseen by General McCasland. Now it remains unclear whether the two ever knew each other. In addition to these two disappearances, though, three more cases involving scientists in the fields of chemical biology, nuclear fusion, and astrophysics, who were recently murdered or found dead, also now drawing attention. In December, 47-year-old MIT physicist Nuno Lerero shot and killed in Massachusetts. You may remember this case. Authorities identified the suspect as the man who also committed the mass shooting at Brown University.

The suspect discovered days later, dead in a storage unit of an apparent suicide. According to the Daily Mail, Lerero had recently. recently been named director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center. In mid-February, 67-year-old astrophysicist Carl Grilmeyer fatally shot outside his Yano, California home in the early morning hours. Police later arresting a man named Freddie Snyder for carjacking and then linking him to the shooting of Grilmeyer. The Daily Mail reporting Grilmeier played a key role in the discovery of water on a faraway

planet, potentially pointing to signs of life 160 light years away from Earth. On March 17th in Massachusetts, the body of 45-year-old pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas found in a lake. People Magazine reporting Thomas had been struggling with the recent deaths of both of his parents who reportedly died within one hour of each other. Thomas, the assistant director of chemical biology at Novartis, reported missing in December of last year. Thomas was reportedly working on using chemistry and biology to create new medicines, including for cancer. Novartis, his employer, has active contracts with the Pentagon. Local police noting there is no evidence of foul play, but not releasing a cause of death

for Thomas. The growing number of disappearances and deaths now prompting questions about whether these cases are isolated or possibly connected. Congressman Burchett, one of the leading voices in Congress pushing for transparency on UFOs, now referred to, as UAP's or unidentified aerial phenomena, telling the Daily Mail the incidents are worth paying attention to. Quote, the numbers seem very high in these certain areas of research. I think we'd better be paying attention, and I don't think we should trust our government. The congressman also criticizing federal agencies, including the FBI, for what he describes as a

lack of transparency on the missing scientists. Mr. Burchett describing General McCaslin's disappearance in February as a national security issue due to the general's past defense work. Congressman Burchett yesterday on the Benny Johnson show saying the timing of these events raises the possibility of a conspiracy. The O.P. suggests there might be a conspiracy play. Well, they ought to start thinking there is because the FBI shows up when the guy's missing. He had some, everybody's thinking his UFO, but he had some nuclear secrets. There's just too many of them disappeared, Benny. I'm just, nothing happens by coincidence in this town or around this town.

something's going on. It was the week after President announced he was going to start releasing some of those files too. So America needs to start paying attention. Some of the UFO files? Yep. Yep. And that may be coincidental, but we had several folks who have left this earth or disappeared that had some close proximity to a lot of that. And that's been going on for a while. That's nothing new. This is the most bizarre story I've ever heard of. except for this next one.

This next headline sounds more like a twisted game of madlibs than news. A quadruple amputee, cornhole champion, now charged with murder, and it only gets stranger from there. According to the Charles County Sheriff's Office in La Plata, Maryland, 27-year-old Dayton James Weber, is accused of fatally shooting a passenger in his own vehicle Sunday night during an argument. Weber, who lost all four limbs as an infant after a severe bacterial infection, led to sepsis, later becoming a competitive cornhole player, because why not? Earning national attention, including a 2023 ESPN profile. I'm thankful for the Lord and giving those surgeons the power that he did that day to be able to make such a miracle happen.

Everybody's got their reasons for being here, but my reason I feel like is to inspire. fire other people just by me doing my daily task. Investigators say Weber, the quadruple amputee, was driving a car when he picked up 27-year-old Bradrick Michael Wells, along with two additional passengers from work on Sunday, with Wells riding in the front seat. At some point, an argument broke out and witnesses say, Weber pulled a gun. How? We don't know. Shooting passenger Wells twice in the head. He then allegedly pulled over the vehicle, asking the other passengers for their help in removing Wells from the front seat. The two witnesses reportedly refused, then exited the vehicle as Weber drove away with Wells still in the front seat. The witnesses then flagging down police reporting

the incident just before 10.30 p.m. About two hours later, a nearby resident calling 911 to report a body located in a yard. Wells pronounced dead at the scene. Weber's car located by the Albemarle County Police Department in Charlottesville, Virginia, about 140 miles away. The suspect found at a nearby hospital where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical issue. There must have been many. He was taken into custody upon release from the hospital, with authorities charging him as a fugitive from justice. Weber now facing first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and additional charges awaiting extradition back to Maryland. The case raising a central question, how did he do this? Authorities have not detailed how

Weber was able to both operate the vehicle and carry out the shooting, you know, without any arms or legs. But social media videos posted by Weber show him to be an extremely capable person, shooting handguns, rifles, even climbing a ladder without assistance. How you might ask, he has no prosthetics, but he does have stumps where his limbs used to be, and he's very good at using them. Charles County Sheriff's Office Media Relations Officer Diane Richardson releasing a statement that reads, quote, it's early in the investigation, but there's no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the shooting and that he acted alone. The defendant has yet to enter a plea, but as of now, we don't expect him to point the finger

at anyone else. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show, live on SiriusXMs, the Megan Kelly Channel 111 at noon east, on YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.