The Megyn Kelly Show - Trump's Ukraine War Negotiations, Adams in Crisis, Pope Francis’ Health Battle: AM Update for 2/19

Episode Date: February 19, 2025

AM Update for 2/19: President Trump responds to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s frustration over being left out of peace negotiations as his administration kicks them off in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Democrats turn on Mayor Eric Adams over his cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration policies—could Governor Kathy Hochul remove him? Plus, Trump’s Labor Secretary nominee faces unexpected GOP opposition today, and Pope Francis is hospitalized with pneumonia.Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get your free info kit on goldHungryroot: Visit https://Hungryroot.com/megyn for 40% off your first box PLUS a free item in every box for life

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Wednesday, February 19th, 2025. This is your AM Update. I hear that, you know, they're upset about not having a seat. Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily. President Trump responds to the Ukrainian president's complaints about being left out of initial peace negotiations. We were able to get in the room and really articulate what are my powers, what are my authorities. New York Democrats revolt over Mayor Eric Adams' immigration cooperation with the Trump administration. And President Trump's labor nominee set to face some friendly fire on the Hill. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. 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.

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Just text my initials MK to the number 989898 today. The first round of peace talks to end the war in Ukraine concluded yesterday in Saudi Arabia. The meeting between the U.S., led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the Russians, led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, lasted approximately four and a half hours. Mr. Rubio telling reporters he was pleased with the initial progress, outlining four points of agreement so far. One, the U.S. and Russia will work to reestablish functionality of respective embassies in Moscow and Washington. Two, high-level teams will be appointed by each side to conduct negotiations, the end goal of which will be enduring and acceptable to all parties engaged. Three, both sides will work to examine areas of potential cooperation, both geopolitically and economically, after the war

has ended. And four, the bulk of the negotiations will be delegated to other people. But the attendees of today's meeting will remain engaged in the process. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's approach to these negotiations, the Ukrainian leader not holding back at the Munich Security Conference. The war is in Europe and America is far from the invasion. And I think that we need to share more details because to my mind, there are a lot of different voices around new American administration.

And I'm not sure that all these voices on our side. In multiple forums, Mr. Zelensky has stated there can be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky was slated to visit Saudi Arabia yesterday as well, though not as part of the negotiations. That trip was rescheduled to a later date. Mr. Zelensky instead visited Turkey, where he suggested future peace talks should take place with Ukrainian participation. The Ukrainian leader does not believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about finding a lasting peace. President Trump addressed Zelensky's concerns last night from Mar-a-Lago. I hear that, you know, they're upset about not having a seat.

Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that. This could have been settled very easily. Just a half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without, I think, without the loss of much land, very little land, without the loss of any lives, and without the loss of cities that are just laying on their side. When they're worried about not being seated, you mean somebody that should have gone in and made a deal a long time ago. President Trump also calling out the Ukrainian

president's declining poll numbers. In Saudi Arabia, Secretary Rubio came away from the meeting believing the Russians are serious about beginning negotiations. I came away today convinced that they are willing to begin to engage in a serious process to determine how and how quickly and through what mechanism can an end be brought to this war. Whether we can ultimately reach that outcome will obviously depend on every side in this conflict's willingness to agree to certain things. When you talk about an enduring and sustainable end of the conflict, it means one that's acceptable to everyone involved in it.

And that obviously includes Ukraine, but also our partners in Europe and, of course, the Russian side as well. National Security Advisor Mike Walsh, also a member of the delegation, maintained that communications between the U.S., European allies, and the Ukrainians are ongoing. President Trump said that he would be fine with European leaders stationing troops in Ukraine as part of a lasting peace deal. If they want to do that, that's great. I'm all for it. If they want to do that, I think that's, that'd be fine. If we have a peace deal, I think having troops over there for, from the standpoint of Europe, we won't have to put any over there because, you know, we're very far away. But having troops over there would be fine. I would not object to it at all. French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both stated they support deploying a European peacekeeping force.

The date for the summit between President Trump and President Putin is not yet determined. The Hamas terror organization tells Israeli officials the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kafir, will be returned later this week. Ariel, aged four, and Kafir, just nine months old, when they were captured on October 7th, 2023. The youngest hostages taken in Hamas's savage attack that left about 1,200 dead. Shiri and her boys with their red hair last seen in a video taken by their captors. Just awful. She was seen wide-eyed and desperately clinging to her sons,

surrounded by Hamas soldiers carrying rifles. Kefir, who would now be two, never celebrated a birthday outside of Hamas custody. Israeli officials have yet to confirm the deaths. Yarden Bibas, the father of the boys, was also captured by Hamas on that day. He was held separately from his wife and children. Earlier this month, he was released alive. Six living hostages remain in Hamas's custody, two of whom have been held in Gaza since 2014 and 2015. They will all be released on Saturday. Three were originally expected to be freed. The reasoning for the accelerated timeline is unclear. Coming up, the fate of New York City Mayor Eric Adams is in Governor Kathy Hochul's hands,

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Go to hungryroot.com slash MK and use the code MK. That's HungryRoot.com slash MK, code MK, to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. HungryRoot.com slash MK, code MK. New York City Mayor Eric Adams fighting to retain his position after the DOJ drops corruption charges against him. Governor Kathy Hochul weighing whether or not to remove the embattled mayor from his post. A quick timeline of events. On February 10th, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emile Beauvais ordered the DOJ to drop charges against Adams. The charges were brought under the Biden administration. Several federal prosecutors resigned over the dismissal, alleging it amounted to a quid pro quo. Mayor Adams is cooperating with the Trump administration's

efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Last Friday, the Democrat mayor sat down with Fox & Friends side-by-side with border czar Tom Homan to discuss their cooperation. If he doesn't come through, I'll be back in New York City and we won't be sitting on the couch. I'll be in his office up his butt saying, where the hell is the agreement we came to? Mayor Adams' decision to cooperate with the Trump administration facing serious blowback from fellow Democrats. On Monday, four deputy mayors resigned from their positions. Governor Hochul spent yesterday in a series of meetings with top officials and influential community leaders. Mayor Adams taking a lot of crossfire from his fellow Democrats. Reverend Al

Sharpton equated the mayor's cooperation with the Trump administration to political blackmail. Rival mayoral candidate, state senator Zellner Myrie saying Eric Adams no longer works for New Yorkers. He works for Donald Trump. The power to oust a mayor has never before been utilized in New York. Hochul released a statement that reads in part, overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly. That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored. The AP reports about two-thirds of New York City voters would approve of Governor Hochul removing Mayor Adams.

President Trump's nominee to head the Labor Department, Lori Chavez-Durimer, will take the hot seat today. Her confirmation hearing held by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is set to begin at 10 a.m. East. Ms. Durimer may face the toughest questions yet from Republicans. A GOP Senate insider telling the New York Post Rand Paul is dead set against her. He is whipping against her right now. He's telling everyone who will listen how much he hates her. Ms. Deremer is a longtime union ally. As a member of Congress, she backed the PRO Act. That act ultimately failed in

the House, but it would have banned right-to-work laws in more than two dozen states. President Trump worked hard to court the union vote. Sean O'Brien became the first president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to speak at the RNC last July. Politico reported in November that O'Brien was pushing behind the scenes for Mr. Reamer to get the nomination. In the ultimate plot twist, Democrats tend to approve of the pick. Senators Tim Kaine, Tammy Baldwin, and Ed Markey have all spoken positively of the nominee. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut telling Punchbowl News Ms. Dreamer was among the best picks Democrats could hope for. Oh boy. Kash Patel cleared another

hurdle in his nomination process to lead the FBI. Despite strong Democrat opposition, Mr. Patel appeared to have the votes to pass. If his timeline mirrors that of Tulsi Gabbard and RFKJ, his final vote will likely be held tomorrow. Pope Francis facing a lengthy hospital stay following a diagnosis of pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday after a week of struggling with bronchitis. The Vatican releasing a statement describing the Pope's condition as, quote, complex. They say the infection has spread to lung air sacs, a potentially dangerous development in elderly people.

This is just the latest in a string of medical episodes suffered by the head of the Catholic Church. About a week and a half ago, Pope Francis only got halfway through his homily before breathlessness forced him to hand it off to an aide. This was not the first time such a thing has happened. The Pope has a long history of lung problems. Part of his right lung was removed when he was just 21 years old. We will closely monitor the Pope's condition and deliver updates as they come. Well, that'll do it for episode one of your AM update. Hope you enjoyed it. I did.

I'm Megyn Kelly, and we'll be back here for The Megyn Kelly Show in just a bit, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east and on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly, as well as all podcast platforms