The Megyn Kelly Show - Trump Agrees to Temporary Ceasefire with Iran, DOJ Fraud Crackdown, Ye's UK Setback: AM Update 4/8

Episode Date: April 8, 2026

Less than two hours before a looming military strike deadline, President Trump agrees to a conditional two-week ceasefire with Iran, pulling back from the brink as high-stakes negotiations continue. A...cting Attorney General Todd Blanche unveils a nationwide fraud crackdown while forcefully rejecting claims the Justice Department is being politicized following his appointment. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin escalates the fight with sanctuary cities, suggesting the federal government could strip customs operations from airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement. Kanye "Ye" West’s comeback effort hits a setback as the U.K. bans his entry, prompting organizers to cancel a major London music festival he was set to headline.   Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 to join Birch Gold’s Learn and Earn event by April 30!   Firecracker Farm: Visit https://firecracker.FARM & enter code MK at checkout for a special discount! 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 00:00:02 Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party in the Megan Kelly Wrapup show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Wednesday, April 8, 2026, and this is your AM update. A last-minute deal in the Iran standoff with less than two hours to spare. President Trump pulling back from the brink and agreeing to a conditional ceasefire with Iran. When I see reporting about shock and on at this supposed weaponization of this department, it means nothing to me because it's, It's completely false. Acting AG, Todd Blanch, announcing a new nationwide fraud-fighting unit and forcefully pushing back on media claims, the department is being politicized.
Starting point is 00:00:43 We're asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they're not going to enforce immigration policy. DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen suggests a major escalation against sanctuary cities, potentially stripping customs operations from airports in cities that refuse to work with federal immigration authorities. And Kanye West's comeback effort hits a roadblock as the UK bans him from entering the country. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. When the dollar's convertibility into gold ended in 1971, gold was fixed at $35 an ounce. Fast forward to today and the U.S. dollar has lost more than 85% of its purchasing power.
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Starting point is 00:02:17 You can join it as long as you do it before April 30th. That's MK to the number 9-8-9-8-98 today. With just 88 minutes to spare before President Trump's 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to make a deal or face massive destruction, Mr. Trump announcing a temporary two-week ceasefire. Yesterday, beginning with a stark warning from the president, declaring on truth social, quote, a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. Following that threat, Iran reportedly breaking off direct communications with U.S. negotiators while continuing talks through intermediaries, according to the Wall Street Journal. Then, a public intervention from Pakistan, Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif posting a proposed compromise on acts, urging the U.S. to extend the
Starting point is 00:03:04 deadline by two weeks and calling on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture during that same period. Hours later, President Trump responding on truth social, agreeing to a conditional pause, contingent on Iran reopening the strait of Hormuz. Mr. Trump, writing, quote, I agreed to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double-sided ceasefire. The president writing that the U.S. has already met and exceeded its military objectives, and is now, quote, very far along on what he describes as a definitive agreement toward long-term peace in the Middle East. Mr. Trump, adding, the U.S. has received a 10-point proposal from Iran, now serving as the basis for continued negotiations. The Israelis also
Starting point is 00:03:52 reluctantly agreeing to the ceasefire, according to CNN. The New York Times, reporting Iran accepted the terms of the deal after last-minute prodding from China to show flexibility and diffuse tensions, quote, amid growing concerns about the economic devastation from damages to critical infrastructure. The ceasefire reportedly approved by new Supreme Leader Mashhtaba Khomeini, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Iraqi, releasing a statement, quote, For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordinating with Iran's armed forces. The Wall Street Journal publishing the 10 points in Iran's proposal, outlining sweeping demands.
Starting point is 00:04:32 The plan calling for the U.S. to commit to guaranteeing non-aggression and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region. Iran insisting on maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz and acceptance of a nuclear program involving uranium enrichment. The proposal calling for the removal of all sanctions, both direct and secondary, targeting foreign entities doing business with Iran. Drop site news reporter Ryan Grimm pointing out the 10-point plan has been in circulation for weeks. The New York Times reporting the U.S. and Israel received a copy on Monday. President Trump saying, quote, it's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step.
Starting point is 00:05:13 It is unclear if there are significant changes to the 10-point plan between then and last night. Oil prices dropping drastically on the news. Brent Oil, the international benchmark, dropping from about $110 per barrel, where it hovered most of the day, to about $91. $10. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announcing a new nationwide initiative targeting fraud in his first press conference since taking over the Justice Department from former AG Pam Bondi last week. The Trump administration making fraud enforcement a top priority, swearing in Colin McDonald last week as the first ever assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement.
Starting point is 00:05:54 Here, A.G. Blanche outlining the mission. I'm proud to announce in greater detail the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. Its core mission will be to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal taxpayer dollars and rip off the American people. Our vision is to build a robust fraud-fighting squad capable of investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of fraud against taxpayer dollars. Every U.S. Attorney's Office across the country will also be joining this re-energized fight against fraud. This means in pure numbers that there will be an additional 93 prosecutors in every district across the country devoted to the mission of combating fraud with the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The new division will bring together data and investigators from across the
Starting point is 00:06:45 entire government so that you can track down even the most sophisticated fraudsters and hold them accountable. The rollout, quickly giving way to pointed questions from the press, about Blanche himself and the direction of the Justice Department. Blanche, before joining the administration, served as President Trump's personal attorney, defending him in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, the election interference case, and the New York Business Records case. Reporters pressing him on how that background could shape his leadership at the Justice Department and whether the Trump administration is weaponizing the department. One reporter referencing a recent comment by A.G. Blanche at a political conference where he told the audience that not a single prosecutor who participated in
Starting point is 00:07:28 the Trump prosecutions remains in office today. The reporter asking if that's a sign, the DOJ is firing people for political reasons. Mr. Blanche's response. It's much more simple than that. I mean, look, if you were a prosecutor and you were trying to prosecute your boss, you have ethical duties as a lawyer that I think prevent you from continue to work in that environment. And so in this case, what we saw and what what President Trump went through every single prosecutor in this in this department whether you're an AUSA are working here you have a duty to do the right thing and so in cases where where you had
Starting point is 00:08:08 prosecutors that were absolutely not doing the right thing okay and so none of none of those prosecutors I hope everybody agrees they shouldn't work here if you're not doing the right thing and that's what I meant by that and you know listen it's been talked about a lot but what happened the last four years is something that will never happen again. When questioned about the White House's role in directing fraud investigations, A.G. Blanche, responding forcefully. What if the White House or somebody in the White House says, we want you to investigate this state or this program? I mean, how do you handle that?
Starting point is 00:08:40 Because historically, as you know, since Watergate, there's been a kind of a firewall, if you will, on criminal investigations between the White House and the Justice Department. I mean, that is the most false statement I've ever heard in my life. There is always communication between a president and his priorities and what the Department of Justice should be focused on and not focused on. That is not a new thing in this administration, although I know it sounds fun to say that it is. So as far as whether we would take a referral from the White House or take a referral from you even, yes. I mean, yes, if somebody knows about fraud, please tell us. And so if the president of our United States says, I have heard that there is
Starting point is 00:09:17 ongoing fraud in Minneapolis, Minnesota, like any president beforehand, I hope that the Attorney General would absolutely say, yes, we'll investigate that. Blanche rejecting ongoing claims of, quote, weaponization of the DOJ, and arguing the department is finally being refocused on its core mission. What we're doing and what we've been doing for the past 14 months is changing this department. We're no longer people say the president wants to go after his political enemies. No, the president has said time and time again that he wants justice. And if you look at what happened to him, his family, his administration, the agents that protected him, people that happened or just walked by him on a given day, they got subjected to massive investigations by this department.
Starting point is 00:10:06 So I understand the question, and I understand the pretty constant role of the media that somehow this department is weaponizing itself. But it happens not to be true. We have tens of thousands of prosecutors all over this country putting bad guys in jail. That's something that wasn't happening like it should have been happening for the past four years. That's going to happen tomorrow and it's going to happen in the coming days. Coming up, DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen raising the stakes against sanctuary cities, suggesting airports in non-cooperative areas could lose customs operations in their airports. And Kanye West's comeback derailed overseas, banned from entities.
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Starting point is 00:11:41 Farm. Newly sworn in DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen, speaking. with Fox News on Monday in his first major interview since taking the job in late March, stepping into a department still mired in what is now the longest government shutdown in American history. Funding for DHS expiring mid-February and with lawmakers currently on recess, negotiations remain stalled and complicated. Secretary Mullen, who just left the Senate to take the role, says the impasse is simply political theater. Unfortunately, what you see from a lot of Democrats right now is political theater because what they've done is a defunded Department of Homeland
Starting point is 00:12:21 Security. I mean, that's like defunding the Department of War, right? Department of War takes care of us abroad. Department of Homeland Security, we take care of everything that is in our backyard. Ice agents are simply trying to enforce the policies that Congress passed. Right, I don't get to pick and choose which policies I enforce. I enforce all the policies that Congress put on my plate. If Corey and some of our Democrats want to change it, then let's, have immigration reform. But instead, they're wanting to defund ICE and they're wanting to defund our Custman Border Patrol. So essentially what they're saying is we don't want to deport any of our felonies or felons or the criminals that are here that came underneath the Biden administration.
Starting point is 00:13:00 And they want to open our border completely. And I don't know how we get past that. At the same time, the Trump administration pushing forward on a separate front, its effort to conduct the largest mass deportation effort in history, which Secretary Mullen says has already resulted in nearly 3 million removals since taking office. A major obstacle, sanctuary jurisdictions, where local policies restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The administration ramping up pressure on these jurisdictions, threatening funding cuts, and increasing federal immigration enforcement efforts, with many of those actions facing legal challenges. On Fox, Secretary Mullen suggesting the federal government may revisit whether sanctuary cities should process
Starting point is 00:13:44 international arrivals. Some of these cities have international airports. If they're a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city? Seriously, if they're sanctuary city and they're receiving international flights and we're asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they're not going to enforce immigration policy. Maybe we need to have a really hard look at that because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us. So you're saying that big cities that are sanctuary cities that have a big airport,
Starting point is 00:14:20 they might lose their customs? Well, I'm saying we're going to have to start prioritizing things at some point. Such a move could potentially block those airports from receiving international flights altogether. In August, then Attorney General Pam Bondi officially identifying dozens of jurisdictions accused of obstructing federal immigration enforcement, including cities home to some of the busiest international airports in the country. L.A.X in Los Angeles. S&S. in San Francisco, Chicago O'Hare, Newark, New York, New York's JFK, among others. An attempt to remove customs from any of these ports of entry would certainly result in legal challenges. The next step in Kanye Yei West's attempt to come back hitting a major
Starting point is 00:15:03 setback overseas, after the UK blocks the rapper's entry into the country, where he was set to headline a major music festival. Yay, working to re-enter the public sphere in recent months, releasing a new album in late March and selling out two shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last week, earning about $33 million, according to Bloomberg. The renewed push coming after years of controversy that derailed much of his career, including a series of anti-Semitic remarks beginning in 2022, which led major partners like Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap, and Talent Agency CAA to cut ties. In January, West taking out a full-page ad in the Wall Street, journal apologizing for his past statements and attributing his behavior in part to bipolar disorder,
Starting point is 00:15:50 writing that during manic episodes, quote, you feel like you're seeing the world more clearly, when in reality you're losing your grip entirely. Despite the repeated controversy, his latest album, Bully, performing strongly, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200, marking his 14th top 10 album, according to Variety. Yee aiming to build on that momentum this summer, with plans to headline London's Wireless Festival in July, one of the largest hip-hop festivals in Europe, drawing about 50,000 people per day. That announcement sending corporate sponsors fleeing major brands,
Starting point is 00:16:26 including PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch-InBev, withdrawing their support. Then yesterday, the UK government denying West's travel authorization, determining his presence would not be, quote, conducive to the public good, according to the Wall Street Journal. In response, event organizers canceling the wireless festival entirely, issuing refunds to ticket holders. Yay has yet to publicly respond following the cancellation.
Starting point is 00:16:54 That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of AfterParty. Catch the Megan Kelly Show live on SiriusXM's The Megan Kelly Channel 11 at noon east on YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly and all podcast platforms.

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