The Megyn Kelly Show - Rob Reiner Stabbed to Death, Brown "Person of Interest" Released, Aussie Terrorism: AM Update 12/15

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

Famed director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death inside their Brentwood home, with police calling it an active death investigation amid unconfirmed reports thei...r son was the culprit. Authorities in Rhode Island release a person of interest detained in the Brown University mass shooting, after investigators say new evidence points in a different direction as the killer remains at large. A father and son carry out a deadly terror attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people in what Australian leaders call a targeted assault on the Jewish community. Two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter are killed in Syria during an ISIS ambush attack by a suspected infiltrator inside local security forces. The University of Michigan’s head football coach is fired and arrested after an alleged affair with a subordinate escalates into felony home invasion and stalking charges. Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com First Liberty Institute: Explore why religious liberty is the first freedom tyrants target—and get your free copy of America’s First Freedom at https://FirstLiberty.org/Megyn. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, December 15th, 2025, and this is your AM update. Famed director Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in the home reportedly stabbed to death. Shortly, we will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today. Authorities in Rhode Island releasing a person of interest who had been detained throughout the day and connection with the Brown University mass shooting. This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community. A father and son opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia in a deadly targeted attack.
Starting point is 00:00:44 Two U.S. soldiers killed in an ISIS ambush in Syria and the University of Michigan's head football coach fired, then arrested in a wild story involving accusations of an affair and breaking and entering. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. As President Trump is settling into his new administration, one of the top Democrats in Congress aiming to undermine the Trump agenda is Senator Dick Durbin. And according to our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, Senator Durbin has a new scheme, a government takeover of your credit card. Today, Americans have thousands of choices in credit cards, but they say,
Starting point is 00:01:27 Senator Durbin's plan will result in less competition and less security, and that means more risk for your credit and identity. Learn more at guard your card.com and consider telling your senators to stop Dick Durbin's government takeover of your credit card before it's too late. Breaking news out of Los Angeles, 78-year-old director Rob Reiner and his 68-year-old wife, Michelle Singer-Riner, reportedly stabbing. to death at the couple's Brentwood Mansion. People magazine reporting the couple was killed by their son, Nick, though deputy chief of the LAPD, Alan Hamilton, declining to confirm that reporting calling it, quote, a death investigation but saying the report about the son, quote,
Starting point is 00:02:15 did not come from us. Nick has previously been open about his struggles with drug abuse and mental illness. LAPD robbery homicide division detectives were assigned to the case, report local outlet NBC4, ABC7 in L.A. reporting that their LAPD sources have told them this is, quote, a murder investigation. Outlets reporting a large police presence around the home on Sunday evening, L.A. paramedics called to the home around 3.30 p.m. yesterday. LAPD officers originally dispatched to the home for a report of a, quote, ambulance death investigation, which is LAPD terminology when officers are called by firefighters to the discovery of a death. ABC 7 reporting actors Billy Crystal and Larry David spotted at the home yesterday afternoon.
Starting point is 00:03:06 Crystal, quote, looked like he was about to cry, according to a neighbor. Another briefing set for this morning. Late last night, authorities in Rhode Island announcing the release of a person of interest taken into custody early Sunday morning in connection with the mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday that left two dead, nine injured. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announcing the decision. Shortly, we will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today, but we want to inform the community that that individual will shortly be released from
Starting point is 00:03:46 Providence Police. Our investigation into this horrific act remains ongoing. It has been ongoing. And I know there's been some frustration from members of the community and others about the language that we've been using about the person of interest and such. And that speaks to directly the fact that this investigation was and continues ongoing. And we will continue to endeavor to not confirm any information that is not yet confirmable. And that is how we can best be transparent with all the members of our community to share the best information that we have. telling the New York Post earlier in the day, the person of interest was found in a hotel
Starting point is 00:04:29 about half an hour away, with a revolver and a small handgun featuring a, quote, unique laser light on the handgun, which sources say helped lead investigators to this person. Authorities not going into specifics about what evidence may or may not have been recovered from the hotel. Instead, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Nerona offering this. Certainly there was some degree of evidence that pointed to this individual, but that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed. And over the last 24 hours leading into just very, very recently, that evidence now points in a different direction. So what that means is that this person of interest needs to be, it should be released. I think what is really unfortunate that this person's name was leaked to the public.
Starting point is 00:05:22 It's hard to put that back in the bottle, okay? So we're going to proceed very carefully here. There is too much at stake for the victims of this horrific crime and their families to take chances with respect to this investigation. We have not yet solved this case, but I'm confident we're going to do that. And I'm confident we're going to do that in the very near future. Providence chief of police, Oscar Perez, saying the tip, pointing to the person of interest, was picked up by detectives and handed to the FBI who ran it down.
Starting point is 00:05:57 Yesterday afternoon, FBI director Cash Patel posting an update on X, saying the FBI established a command post to intake, develop, and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI's cellular analysis survey team to provide critical geolocation capabilities. As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston's Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals and the Coventry, Rhode Island Police Department detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, Rhode Island. Turns out authorities now say that wasn't the guy.
Starting point is 00:06:35 Mayor Smiley saying a new shelter-in-place alert will not be imposed, despite the AG saying a murderer is on the loose. The mayor saying, there's no need for a new shelter-in-place order because no new shootings have taken place since the one on Saturday after night. noon. Authorities saying all video evidence has been examined and more footage is required, asking residents to upload any video that might be helpful to FBI.gov forward slash Brown University shooting. Ag. Neurona saying the building where the shooting took place is old and lacks security cameras. The mass shooting occurring around 4 p.m. Saturday when shots began ringing out
Starting point is 00:07:16 inside the engineering and physics building of Brown University. Teaching assistant John O'Duro yesterday on CNN, describing the moment the shooter dressed in black entered his classroom. I was giving my closing remarks, and then I seen as everybody stood up and started exiting the room. We heard what sounded like gunshots outside the door, and we heard screaming from various students. And then about five seconds later, we seated them into the room, and then we just screamed something and just started. I was standing in the front of the auditorium, and he came through the bag, so we pretty much directly made eye contact, and then as soon as that happened, I looked at my students and signaled them to come to the front, and then I just dug. And was the gunman shooting when he entered the room? No, he came in, pointed the gun, and then screamed something.
Starting point is 00:08:17 I don't know what he said, and none of the other students know what he said. But, yeah, then he just started shooting right after that. Authorities say the shooter carrying a handgun, firing more than 40 rounds during the attack. Brown University President Christina Paxson at a press conference Saturday night, frustrating reporters with a lack of information on the shooting, a theme that would be continued through late Sunday night. President, with all due respect, six hours after this shooting, and you said you don't know what was going on in that classroom? How does that happen? Were they taking
Starting point is 00:08:51 an exam? Were they meeting for a club? I don't know. I don't know. Six hours later, and you're the president, and you don't know. I do not know. Well, that's kind of concerning. Of the injured, a hospital spokesman saying last night, six are in critical condition, but stable, and another is in critical condition. Paxson confirming all of the victims are students, the identity of one of the two who lost their life, released late last night, Ella Cook, Vice President of the College Republicans. The president of the College Republicans of America, releasing a statement, quote, Ella was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates. Brown University has canceled all classes, exams, and remaining schoolwork for
Starting point is 00:09:38 the rest of the semester, which was set to end this Friday. Islamic terrorism in Australia as two gunmen opening fire on hundreds of Jewish revelers gathering on Sydney's iconic Bondi beach in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah in a targeted attack. The death toll rising to 15 as of Monday morning in Australia, with dozens more injured, including five in critical condition. The victims range in age from 10 to 87. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyan. on Sunday evening, declining to release the names of the suspects, but providing additional information on their background.
Starting point is 00:10:18 We are satisfied that there were two offenders involved in yesterday's incident. One is deceased. The second is in critical but stable condition in hospital at the moment. The offenders are a 50-year-old and 24-year-old male who are father and son. The 50-year-old is deceased. The 24-year-old is currently in hospital at the moment. As part of the investigation, we conducted two search warrants last night, one at Bonnie Rig and a second at Campsey. The 50-year-old male is a licensed firearms holder.
Starting point is 00:10:51 He has six firearms licensed to him. We are satisfied that we have six firearms from the scene yesterday, but also as a result of the search warrant at the Campsie address. Ballistics and forensic investigation will determine this morning that those six firearms are the six that were licensed to that man. but also that they were used in the offence yesterday at Bondi. We will continue to investigate this matter thoroughly. Commissioner Lanyon, saying the elder suspect who was killed by police, was previously known to authorities but declining to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation.
Starting point is 00:11:26 The Sydney Morning Herald, among the outlets, identifying the suspects, as 24-year-old Navid Akram and 50-year-old Sajid Akram. Akram's mother telling the herald her son was an unemployed bricklayer, last speaking to the family on Sunday morning. She describes him as not particularly social, though noting he did not appear to spend a lot of time online. Quote, anyone would wish to have a son like my son. He's a good boy.
Starting point is 00:11:52 Authorities also discovering a vehicle containing several improvised explosive devices near the scene of the shooting. At approximately 6.45 p.m. Sunday evening, the father and son pulling up to the beach in a silver hatchback vehicle. The Daily Mail reporting a black ISIS-style flag, was draped over the hood of their car.
Starting point is 00:12:11 The pair reportedly began opening fire upon exiting the vehicle, sending hundreds scattering across the beach. One witness describing the scene to a reporter. Can you tell me what happened? There was two shooters. One on the bridge, one under the bridge, and just started to shoot for 20 minutes.
Starting point is 00:12:28 They shoot, shoot, change the magazine and just shoot. Simple as that. 20 minutes, there was four policemen there. Nobody gave fire back. Nothing like they are froze, like, for his look like 20 minutes, and they shoot, the guy changed magazine. I look at him all the time. I was two of my babies under me, and I look at that, and he's just rifle and a pistol, and just shoot, shoot. The shooter on the bridge is visible
Starting point is 00:12:58 in a video that went viral on X. One can see a figure clad in black shooting over and over, pausing and shooting more for over 10 minutes before return fire begins, eventually hitting the shooter who falls to the ground. Authorities say police were unseen within 10 minutes of the first reports of violence. Among some of the victims, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41 years old, an organizer of the event, and Alex Clytman, a Holocaust survivor who hailed from Ukraine, killed while shielding his wife, Larissa, from the gunman. Viral social media showing one man, later identified as 43-year-old Ahmed al-Ahmad, sneaking up behind one of the shooters, successfully resting a rifle from his hands.
Starting point is 00:13:44 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday morning addressing the attack. This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah, which of course should be a joyous celebration. And the Jewish community are hurting today. Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them and say, we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out anti-Semitism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday accusing Prime Minister Albanese of not doing enough to stop the spread of anti-Semitism in Australia,
Starting point is 00:14:20 which officially recognized a Palestinian state in September. The country rocked by a string of anti-Semitic incidents since the October 7th attacks, including two arson attacks on synagogues. Coming up, two U.S. Army soldiers in Syria killed in an ISIS ambush and the University of Michigan's head football coach arrested in a dramatic story following his firing. You know the holidays are always full of surprises. Here's one.
Starting point is 00:14:53 When it comes to religious freedom, you might be surprised to learn which states rank low on the Religious Liberty in the States Index. The First Liberty Institute, the nation's leading law firm protecting religious freedom, just released this index, and it ranks all 50 states on how well they protect your right to live out your faith. The results? Hmm, full of surprises. If you have not heard of First Liberty, they're different. They've been on the front lines defending religious freedom for nearly 30 years. And when your faith comes under attack, they are first in the fight. And they do it without ever sending their clients a bill. That's right. They do not charge a dime.
Starting point is 00:15:27 have a win rate of over 90% on their cases, including a 9-0 record at the U.S. Supreme Court. This religious liberty in the state's index is an independent, peer-reviewed study that gives you the real picture of religious liberty across America. Want to see where your state ranks or others do? Get your free copy today at firstliberty.org.org slash megan. That's firstliberty.org slash M-E-G-Y-N. Two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter killed Saturday in Palmyra, a city in central Syria, in an attack believed to be carried out by an ISIS infiltrator inside the Syrian security forces. Three more U.S. soldiers and two more members of Syrian security forces also wounded in the attack. The soldiers providing security outside a building where Syrian interior ministry officials from the capital were meeting with local council.
Starting point is 00:16:21 counterparts, according to the New York Times. The lone attacker opening fire with an automatic weapon from a nearby building. Syrian security forces returning fire, killing the gunmen. U.S. helicopters evacuating the wounded for treatment to a military base in southeastern Syria. President Trump reporting yesterday, two of the wounded service members have been released from the hospital. The third is expected to recover. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds confirming the deceased soldiers were part of the Iowa National Guard. Secretary of War Pete Hexeth in a social media statement saying, quote, let it be known, if you target Americans anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly
Starting point is 00:17:06 kill you. President Trump from the White House lawn on Saturday. We mourned the loss of three great patriots in Syria. You know how it happened? There was an ambush. terrible. We also have three wounded. They seem to be doing pretty well. But we mourn the us. These are great, three great people. And it's just a terrible thing. Syria, by the way, was fighting along with us. The president, the new president of Syria is, as they told me, and I'm not surprised, he's devastated by what happened. This was an ISIS attack on us and Syria. and again, we mourn the loss and we pray for them and their parents and their loved ones, very, very sad. Mr. President, I hold the U.S. retaliating against ISIS.
Starting point is 00:17:58 Yeah, we will. We will retaliate. Thank you very much. U.S. and Syrian officials telling the Wall Street Journal the attacker was a member of the Syrian security forces who was about to be fired for holding extremist views. As mentioned, the attacker is believed to be a member of ISIS, who, CBS News reports had infiltrated the local security force, though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. This attack marking the first American casualties since dictator Bashar al-Assad's
Starting point is 00:18:27 regime was toppled last year. U.S. officials have not yet indicated if the attack will prompt any policy changes in the region. What began as an internal personnel matter within the prestigious University of Michigan football program, rapidly exploding into a wild scandal. leading to now former star head coach Sharon Moore's arrest. Last Wednesday, the Michigan Athletic Director firing 39-year-old Moore, terminating his $27.5 million contract, over five years, for cause, thus voiding the deal and nullifying the payment obligations. This, upon learning of a, quote, inappropriate relationship Moore had been having with an employee,
Starting point is 00:19:11 while the university has not publicly named that staffer, several outlets reporting it was his executive assistant, 32-year-old Paige Schiever. University policy stipulates that a supervisor may not initiate or attempt to initiate an intimate relationship with someone over whom they have supervisory authority. The Wall Street Journal reporting the saga began in mid-October when a tipster alerted school officials that Moore was having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The university opening an investigation at the time, but more, who is married with three kids, and the alleged mistress, denied the relationship. The school then hiring an outside law firm to investigate further. Blue and May's review, a Michigan sports-focused outlet,
Starting point is 00:19:56 reporting on Monday amid rumors of the affair, but without substantial proof, university officials advised more not to work directly with Schiver, more than reportedly moving to fire Shiver, rather than relocating her to another department. Not it. Not it, sir. A prosecutor saying Shiver ended the relationship last Monday. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reporting, Schiver contacted the law firm to confirm the relationship from about 22 to 2024, saying she had emails, texts, and phone records to prove it. Later that same day, Moore was let go, reportedly going to Shiver's home, where he then alleged. broke in and threatened her and himself with a knife. Shriver calling 911 telling dispatchers
Starting point is 00:20:45 Moore was attacking her and had been stalking her for months. A prosecutor, later saying Moore, armed with butter knives, told Shiver, quote, I'm going to kill myself. I'm going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You've ruined my life. More than fleeing the home with authorities arresting him a short time later. He was booked into the county jail spending Wednesday and Thursday night in custody before his Friday arraignment. Authorities charging Moore with felony third-degree home invasion and two misdemeanor charges, stalking and breaking and entering, the felony charge carrying up to five years in prison, Moore pleading not guilty to the charges. A magistrate setting bond at $25,000 and setting these conditions for Moore's release.
Starting point is 00:21:30 So you are not to use alcohol, marijuana, or any other controlled substance that is not prescribed to you. You are not to possess or purchase a firearm or any other dangerous weapon. You are not to engage in criminal conduct of any kind whatsoever. You may not leave the state of Michigan without permission of the court. Prior to your release, you will be placed on a GPS tether. You will not be released before that GPS tether is placed upon you. You must continue all mental health treatment as a condition of your bond. The named victim in this case will not be placed on the record.
Starting point is 00:22:11 You may not have contact with that individual. More posting bond on Friday and was shortly thereafter released. The next hearing is set for January 22nd. Biff Pogie will serve as interim coach of the Wolverines. Michigan is set to play in the Citrus Bowl against Texas on New Year's Eve. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show, live on.
Starting point is 00:22:37 on SiriusXM's the Megan Kelly Channel 11 at noon east on YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms.

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