The Megyn Kelly Show - Trump Rally in PA, Pilot Reports Iranian Drone Swarm, DOJ’s Record Fraud Bust: AM Update 6/24

Episode Date: June 24, 2026

President Trump returns to Pennsylvania to promote his economic agenda, defend his tariff strategy, and rally support for Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie in a critical midterm battleground. A rescued U.S. fighter pilot’s account of a mysterious coordinated drone formation over Iran raises questions about whether Tehran has developed a dangerous new military capability. The Justice Department charges more than 450 defendants in the largest healthcare fraud takedown in its history, involving $6.5 billion in alleged false claims. Major League Baseball acknowledges it warned Giants players about Bible verses added to Pride Night caps before learning the players had not been informed the caps were optional.     Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get a free America 250 silver round with qualifying purchase   Cozy Earth: Visit https://www.CozyEarth.com & 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, June 24th, 2026, and this is your AM update. We have more factories being built, and I mean car factories, AI factories, factories of every type that we've ever had. President Trump returning to Pennsylvania touting his agenda, promoting economic achievements, and shoring up support for a Republican incumbent ahead of the midterms. The threat like that, it's really hard to defend against that. a U.S. fighter pilots account of a mysterious drone formation over Iran, raising new concerns about the regime's military capabilities. The DOJ announcing a record health care fraud crackdown, charging hundreds of defendants in cases involving $6.5 billion worth of alleged false claims.

And Major League Baseball acknowledging it warned Giants players over viable verses before learning they had not been clearly told the team's pride caps, We're optional. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. Buy gold and put some silver in your pocket too. I know what you're thinking. Everything is so expensive right now. So how am I going to buy gold? Well, let's pull our heads out of the sand. Take a look at the landscape. One thing you can control right now that does not cost you anything out of pocket is diversifying your retirement savings. Birch Gold Group can help you convert an old 401k from a previous employer or an IRA into a physical IRA,

in gold, something that can be a hedge against inflation. And listen to this. Right now, Birch Gold is going to give you a special America 250, one ounce silver round for every $10,000 you purchased by July 10th. Think about this. Ten years ago, an ounce of gold was about $1,200. Today, it's around $4,500. Where will it be 10 years from now? And will you have missed out? text MK to the number 989898 to take advantage of free America 250 silver with qualifying purchase before July 10th. Again, just text MK to the number 989898 today. President Trump heading to Mekungi, Pennsylvania, near Allentown yesterday, his fifth trip to the state since returning to office last year, as Republicans look to build momentum in a critical battleground ahead of the midterms.

Prior to the speech, the president touring a Mack Trucks facility and taking the stage for roughly 90 minutes surrounded by workers in yellow reflective vests. The event marking the president's first rally since signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran. In an unscripted moment toward the start of the event, a member of the crowd shouting, pedophile, before being escorted out.

Making trucks right here in eastern Pennsylvania, building the heavy-duty machinery that keeps our economy rolling, our factories moving. The president ignoring the outburst, the remarks covering a wide range of topics beginning with a familiar America first message. For decades of workers of this Commonwealth watched globalist politicians,

let other countries rip you off and close your factories, rob your jobs, take them away to foreign lands. And then I came along. We stopped it very quickly. They put China first. They put illegal aliens first and everybody else first, but you.

But we put you first. by a lot. But at long last, you finally have a president who is putting workers first, putting Pennsylvania first, and putting America first. The president also making the case for his tariff strategy from the factory floor. Right now, we have more factories being built, and I mean car factories, AI factories, factories of every type than we've ever had in the history of our country by three times. That's because That's because they didn't want to pay the tariff. How don't you pay a tariff?

You build your factory here and you hire American workers. It's quite simple actually. But as you know, I placed a 25% tariff on foreign automobiles and very importantly I posed a 25% tariff on medium and heavy-duty trucks so that Mack truck could do very well with this factory in Pennsylvania. But all American roads will be filled with American trucks very shortly. Mr. Trump pointing to signs of economic stabilization following the Iran agreement, announcing that 19 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday

and describing its impact on the market as a whole. The stock market hit a new high today again. And oil, for the first time in months hit, think of it, $70 a barrel. So we got a 70. That equates to a very low price that oil is going to come charging down. And with oil comes everything else. The average price of gasoline nationwide is down 60 cents a gallon just from a short while ago. President Trump then bringing the economic pitch closer to home,

rattling off a string of new investments and factory expansions, he says, are already delivering for Pennsylvania. And in the last few months alone, we've added 2,600 Pennsylvania manufacturing jobs, and that number is going to go much, much higher as the factories start to open. because right here in Lehigh Valley, Eli Lilly has just announced, great company, by the way, drug company, a $3.5 billion investment in a brand new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility right down the road that's going to create over a thousand jobs, just that one. Nokia is investing $30 million to expand its semiconductor testing and packaging operations,

thousands of jobs. And B. Braun has announced a $20 million expansion. of its medical device manufacturing operation, operation in Allentown. The president later turning to the political stakes of the trip, throwing his support behind incumbent Congressman Ryan McKenzie. Congressman McKenzie now running for a re-election against Democrat Bob Brooks, a firefighter union president in Pennsylvania's closely divided 7th District, a race-the-cook political report currently rates a toss-up.

Mr. Trump inviting McKenzie to the stage in a way only he. can. We got to get Ryan McKenzie elected. We got to get Ryan. I'm not here for them. I'm here for him. We got to get Ryan elected. Run up here, Ryan, fast. Nobody wants to hear you. Come on, just run. Nobody wants to hear you, Ryan. Well, Mr. President, I can't thank you enough for coming here to the Leighi Valley, highlighting the great men and women of Mack trucks, doing all the work that you do in Washington, D.C., for our veterans, our first responders, and everybody across this country to continue to maintain America as the greatest country in the world. You are the president that is fighting for all Americans. Thank you for being here, sir. Wow, that's great. He learned

something from you, David. That's great. A U.S. fighter pilot rescued by special forces after ejecting over Iran, describing an alarming sight in an excurs. exclusive report from CNN, quote, multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air moving as one in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, end quote. The outlet citing four sources familiar with the matter, reporting the pilot shared those details with intel officials in a debriefing that followed his rescue, an account that, if accurate, could point to a significant leap in Iran's drone warfare capabilities. The encounter unfolding on April 3rd, shortly before the pilot and his weapons system officer, were forced to eject from their F-15 over Iran.

The shootdown marking the first time an American aircraft was brought down over Iranian territory during the conflict, triggering an immediate search and rescue operation. The pilot recovered by U.S. forces shortly afterward, while his fellow airmen remained stranded behind enemy lines for more than a day before eventually being rescued. Investigators yet to determine exactly what brought down the fighter jet, CNN, however, reporting initial assessments raise the possibility that the mysterious drone formation may have helped Iranian forces target the aircraft. One source telling the network the pilot described a, quote, minefield of drones in the air. Another recounting the pilot's description

as, quote, multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs, real alien shit. The sources say the technical term for the capability described by the pilot is, quote, one-to-many meshed networking, which generally allows an operator to command several drones at once. The pilot's account reportedly setting off intense debate inside the intel community because previous U.S. assessments had not concluded

that Iran possessed that level of drone technology. Complicating that assessment, the pilot reportedly suffered a concussion in the crash, raising questions among intel officials about how well he could recall the encounter. It remains unclear whether the weapons systems officer who ejected alongside this pilot also witnessed the alleged drone formation. If the pilot's account is accurate, CNN reports, Iran may have developed the capability with help from Russia or China, both of which have previously provided

drone technology to Tehran. Retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Layton describing to CNN the serious challenge that kind of coordinated formation could pose to American pilots and and aircraft defenses. So that's going to be a real challenge for the Air Force and really all flying entities out there because a formation like this, first of all, it was a surprise to the pilot when he saw something like this.

And then the other part of it is that the whole effort behind this is to create something that overwhelms the natural defenses that the pilot has as well as the electronic defenses that the aircraft would have. For example, an aircraft has something known as a radar warning receiver, and it's designed to really take a look at all the radar inputs that are coming, that are possible threats to the aircraft. When you have multiple inputs or no input at all, but a threat like that, it's really hard

to defend against that. So there is going to have to be, you know, probably an integration of artificial intelligence into defensive capabilities. Coming up, hundreds charged in the largest healthcare fraud takedown in DOJ history, with alleged false claims totaling 6.5 billion. And Major League Baseball admits it warned Giants players over Bible verses before learning the team had failed to make clear its pride caps were optional. What does it feel like when your clothes actually feel good? This summer, cozy earth makes a strong case that what you wear at home matters just as much as what you wear out, maybe more.

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amounting to billions in stolen taxpayer funds. This, the latest front in the Trump administration's effort to root out waste fraud and abuse across the federal government. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FBI Director Cash Patel, and other top officials holding a press conference yesterday, detailing the alleged misconduct behind the coordinated crackdown. Mr. Blanche on the scale of the nationwide operation. We've charged 455 defendants across 56 U.S. Attorney's offices and 45 U.S. states and territories. As alleged in the various indictments, these individuals participated in health care fraud schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs. In total, our indictment charges 11 defendants for over $2 billion in fraudulent claims in connection to alleged wound care schemes.

The indictment also alleges that these individuals then used the taxpayer money to bankroll multi-million dollar homes, luxury vehicles like a $135,000 mazzarotti, jewelry like an $865,000, Bligari necklace, and to top it all off, to fund the construction of a $4.6 million hotel at a beach resort in the Philippines. The bust marks the largest health care fraud takedown by number of defendants in DOJ history, with a 6.5 billion in alleged false claims representing the second largest dollar amount ever charged in a single enforcement action. Under the Trump administration secretary RFKJ says HHS adopted a new approach, to identifying and stopping fraud before it happens.

During the Biden administration, my predecessor implemented the so-called pay-and-chae system. We know when billing, when invoices come into my agency, we can tell that some of them are fraudulent or probably fraudulent. And the new system said we're not going to stop those payments. Everybody paid and then we'll claw them back at the end. Of course, we never claw back anything. They said that they were told to focus on enrollment and not fraud. HHS is replacing the old pay and chase system with a detect and prevent a strategy that identifies suspicious claims

before the taxpayer dollars ever leave the treasury. We are deploying advanced artificial intelligence and data analytics to identify fraudulent billing patterns in real-time, stop improper payments before they occur, and strengthen oversight across federal health programs. Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson outlining one particularly grisly scheme. Our nurse practitioner is accused of having bilked Medicaid for almost a billion dollars in skin substitute allographs. But this isn't just filing fake claims and trying to take money out of our pockets. She was performing these skin substitute procedures on vulnerable elderly Americans in

hospices and in nursing homes and then submitting those claims. She was using human beings, American citizens, as living piggy banks, and that she took the money she got from those living piggy banks, and she bought $865,000 necklaces that the department seized. She bought a almost half-million dollar Ferrari that the department also seized. We've heard a lot about the numbers today. We've heard how many records have been broken by the Department of Justice's and HHS's incredible efforts today. but the numbers shouldn't be treated as an abstraction. This doesn't just affect the whole country as taxpayers.

Real human beings, American citizens, are physically maimed because of this fraud. Yesterday's announcement coming just two weeks after the FBI launched its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, modeled on the agency's traditional Most Wanted program, but focused specifically on fugitives accused of major financial crimes. Since then, the FBI announcing the arrest of two individuals on the list, including one man accused of turning TV and internet ads for orthotic braces into a pipeline for medically unnecessary prescriptions and fraudulent Medicare claims. Here, Director Patel. One of those individuals, Herbert Leon Kimball, was apprehended in the Philippines.

He's an American citizen. He had been bilking, allegedly, the system against Medicaid for billions of dollars since 2014, $1.2 billion in telemedicine, specifically alone. That individual was apprehended in the Philippines and transported back. the United States of America where he will now face justice. This is the reach of the United States government. This is the reach of this team, the interagency and state and local partners focused on one mission and one mission alone to combat fraud and make sure the American public's precious taxpayer dollars go where they're supposed to go to the American people that need them the most

and not to these criminals who are stealing from us day in and day out. Those days are over and this should showcase to the world the length that we will go as an interagency and as a task force to apprehend and arrest and bring to justice anyone who steals our dollars that are meant for our most vulnerable citizens. Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred acknowledging in a letter to Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri that the league issued warnings to several San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their team issued rainbow Pride night caps before learning they had not been clearly told the pride caps were optional. The controversy

beginning June 12th, when three Giants pitchers added Bible references beside the Pride emblem on caps issued for the team's annual Pride Night. Starting pitcher Landin Rup writing Genesis 912 through 16, citing the passage describing the rainbow as the sign of God's covenant with Noah. MLB initially warning the players that the additions violated its uniform policy, igniting accusations that the league was selectively punishing Christian expression. The league later clarifying that the warning was not disciplinary and had, quote, absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message, insisting players are prohibited from adding any writing to the team apparel. Oh, but the rainbow emblem is fine? Senator Hawley then demanding answers over what he called

MLB's, quote, apparent pattern of discriminating against Christians while promoting left-wing ideologies. Mr. Hawley following the letter with a media blitz, here an appearance on KCMO talk radio last week. My view is, if the commissioner persists in this and persists in violating these First Amendment rights that belong to the players, I'm going to invite him to come testify before Congress. He can take an oath. He can explain to the entire American public why it is that his league is getting billions of dollars in federal giveaways and yet is using it to persecute people for the basis of their religious faith. On Monday, Senator Hawley sharing the response he received from Commissioner Manfred late last week. Manfred, placing the blame squarely on Giants leadership, arguing the team failed to, to clearly inform its players that they were not required to wear the Pride-themed caps and could instead wear their normal uniforms.

The Commissioner reiterating the League's prohibition on players adding messages to their apparel, regardless of the content. Manfred also outlining how the Pride Night exception came to exist. Since 2003, teams have generally been banned from altering uniforms for club-level theme nights. The League, however, granting the Giants and the L.A. Dodgers' permission to continue wearing pride-themed apparel under a grandfathered exception on the condition that no player or staff member would be required to wear it. According to Manfred, some Giants players did not understand that they had that choice, leading them to add Bible references to the Pride caps they apparently believed were mandatory.

The commissioner conceding MLB issued its oral warning before learning of the team's communication failure and making clear the players were never find or disciplined and never will be. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show, live on SiriusXM's the Megan Kelly channel, 11 at New East, on YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms.