Bessent Slams NYT, DHS Crackdown in New Orleans, Doc Sentenced in Matthew Perry Case: AM Update 12/4

0:02Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly wrap up show on Sirius XM channel 111. It's Thursday, December 4th, 2025, and this is your AM Update. The New York Times is no longer the paper of record. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant rips into the New York Times at a summit hosted by the New York Times. Democrats on the Oversight Committee released never-before-seen photos of Jeffrey Epstein's island. We're going to take these dangerous criminals off the streets of Louisiana. DHS arrives for an immigration crackdown in New Orleans with the governor's blessing.

0:38and the first of five defendants sentenced in connection with actor Matthew Perry's overdose death. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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2:32quote, shorter days, signs of fatigue. Trump faces realities of aging in office. The Times analyzing the president's schedule, finding, quote, Mr. Trump has fewer public events on his schedule and is traveling domestically much less than he did by this point during his first year in office in 2017, although he is taking more foreign trips. He also keeps a shorter public schedule than he used to. Most of his public appearances fall between noon and 5 p.m. on average. Where was this intrepid reporting when President Biden would go days without any appearances or spent long weekends napping on a beach in Delaware?

3:09Secretary Besant yesterday. The New York Times is no longer the paper of record. I read this article like President Trump is slowing down. It is 100 % fake that he only called me twice at two in the morning last week instead of three times. You're saying he called you. I believe that he called you at two or three That whole narrative, you had what was one of the greatest scandals of all time, that the coverage of the Biden administration, Joe Biden's diminished capacity, and the cover-up. And that's why it's probably fair to raise these questions. Where was the New York Times? We just had a three-hour cabinet meeting yesterday, Andrew.

3:49For 10 months, the Biden administration did not have a cabinet meeting. How are you going to invoke the 25th Amendment if the cabinet secretaries never see the president, which they didn't? I hear from people in the Treasury Building that I see President Trump more in a day than my predecessor saw Joe Biden in half a year. Sorkin pressing Besson on recent reporting that President Trump pushed for Paramount to green light buddy comedy Rush Hour 4 as it attempts to buy Warner Bros. in a deal that would ultimately require regulatory approval. Brett Ratner, who directed a forthcoming documentary about Melania Trump set to debut on Amazon Prime Video, is the director of the Rush Hour movies.

4:35Besant then flipping the script on Sorkin. And people look at this and think that this is an example of that the president is trying to push him and they are trying to placate the president. What do you think of that? Not much. that a transaction of that size would be? But do you think it's appropriate for the president to be asking them to do something like that? I don't know. Is the Obama's contract with Netflix, is that appropriate? My understanding is that came after he was the president of the United States. Okay, so for the first son to have a contract with a Ukraine energy? Well, and Don Jr.

5:15has a relationship. I don't know where Shane is at Polymarket and with Calci. And so it's very complex. I mean, I'm curious how you think about these things. These things are very complicated. And I think if you want to start pulling at every thread, then let's start pulling at every thread of where Chuck Schumer's children work. Let's start pulling at every thread where every one of his former staffers work. Secretary Besson also elaborating more on the administration's vision for the Trump Accounts Program to kickstart savings and economic participation for children. Earlier this week, the Dell family making a historic first contribution, announcing plans to deposit$250 directly into the investment accounts of millions of American kids.

6:0110 % of Americans own 88 % of the equities. And then the balance, if you go down to 50, the other 12%, And that's mostly through 401ks. What we're seeing now, we've seen this asset appreciation in America. You either have assets or you don't. And I think that this is an opportunity for the American people, for everyone, to have a stake in the system. When you see that people have a stake in the system, they don't want to bring the system down. I believe that we are going to see this incredible outpouring into these accounts. And we now have the greatest fortunes in the history of America. And this is the chance that because this had been talked about for a long time and President Trump insisted on it being included in the one big, beautiful bill, that this is the opportunity for philanthropists, for foundations, and for corporates to contribute to all the American children.

7:04The Trump Accounts program is set to activate in July. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday releasing a set of pictures and videos taken of Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island. This release offering a rare look inside the twisted world of the disgraced financier. The oversight committee obtaining the images from the U.S. Virgin Islands DOJ as part of its investigation into the handling of the Epstein case. The images of Little St. James, one of two private islands Epstein owned in the Caribbean, taken in 2020 by U.S. Virgin Island authorities. Most of the images are unremarkable.

7:42Several videos show off the large grounds, a pool with multiple cabanas, a no trespassing sign. One image showing a large library-type room with a blackboard, scribbled on in chalk with the words including power, plots, deception, and political. The creepiest photo, showing what appears to be a dentist's chair in a room with 10 masks depicting various male faces hanging on the walls, with two more masks laying side by side on a countertop. The images are available on megankelly.com. The files released to the committee in response to a November letter from the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General requesting, quote, all documents and communications related to the federal or local investigations into Epstein or co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

8:31Ranking member of the committee, Robert Garcia, issuing a statement, quote, we are releasing these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein's horrific crimes. A Republican spokesperson for the committee telling Axios, it's odd that Democrats are once again releasing selective information as they have done before. The last time Democrats cherry-picked and doctored documents, their attempt to construct yet another hoax against President Trump completely collapsed. These images, coming as a bipartisan group of five lawmakers yesterday, request a briefing from Attorney General Pam Bondi on the status of the DOJ's effort to release the Epstein files.

9:12President Trump signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19th, setting a 30-day deadline for the public release of all unclassified records, documents, materials, etc. in the DOJ and FBI's possession regarding Epstein and those who had ties to him. coming up dhs agents flock to new orleans the latest city in the trump administration's illegal immigration crackdown and a doctor sentenced in connection with friends actor matthew perry's death when customers are walking through the aisles of their local walmart they are not just picking up groceries or supplies they are supporting american businesses and their communities.

9:57The real story is what's behind the label. With over two-thirds of the products Walmart buys made, grown, or assembled right here in the U.S., buying local is not just stocking shelves. It's about strengthening communities. Because of that commitment, Walmart invested 350 billion bucks in U.S. manufacturing, helping American companies like Fisher and Weezer Specialty Foods, that's a local Texas business, expand their operations in Fredericksburg, Texas, to hire more people and bring their Texas-grown peach jam to a national market. Their story is just one example of how Walmart's U.S. manufacturing investment is supporting over 750 ,000 American jobs.

10:36Businesses across the country are empowered to sell more, hire more, and help their communities grow. From farms to factories to final shopping carts, learn how Walmart is fueling the future of U.S. manufacturing at walmart.com slash americaatwork. at work. On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security officially launching its latest immigration crackdown. This one in New Orleans, dubbed Operation Catahoula Crunch. DHS Assistant Secretary Trisha McLaughlin yesterday on CNN describing the nature of the mission. We're first and foremost really focusing on those worst of the worst criminals, those criminals who have previously been locked up by local authorities.

11:17But then, because New Orleans functions as a sanctuary city. Those individuals were not released to ICE. They were instead released back onto New Orleans streets. So we're talking about child pedophiles who are on our list of targets, burglars, gang members, rapists. Those individuals we are highly targeting, and we will continue whether it be 5 ,000 arrests or beyond. In advance of federal agents swooping into the Big Easy, DHS putting out a list highlighting a few examples of the types of offenders previously released back onto the streets by local officials in Louisiana. The list, including Juan Ramon Dubon Argueta, arrested for aggravated assault child endangerment, Kisi Ani Ahmad Albasani, arrested for sexual battery, and Andres Lopez Castillejos, previously deported, four times arrested for domestic abuse child endangerment.

12:12New Orleans residents anticipating the launch of an operation in their community Some businesses closing, others posting anti-ice signs. As in many other cities, local activists rallying against the enforcement effort, passing out whistles to alert others to the presence of ICE officials operating in the area. Mayor-elect Elena Moreno, a Democrat on CNN, accusing the feds of racial profiling. What they're seeing on TV and reports that they're seeing is not that Border Patrol is going after the most violent criminals. You know, it's not, that's not what they're seeing. What they're seeing is what appears to be racial profiling of brown people and then going after these individuals and treating them like they are these significantly violent offenders.

13:03On the flip side, Republican Governor Jeff Landry, Monday on Fox, welcoming federal assistance. New Orleans is a crime-ridden city that we've been trying to keep people safe. It's something that we've been working on since I became governor here in Louisiana. What I don't understand is when fugitive apprehension teams around the country go in and take dangerous criminals off the street, we applaud them. We should be doing the same thing here just because someone is committing crimes and is in the country illegally. They get a pass. That's what Democrats are saying. It's ridiculous. I'm welcoming them to come in.

13:43We're going to take these dangerous criminals off the streets of Louisiana. The governor in September requesting up to 1 ,000 National Guard troops in assistance. President Trump saying on Tuesday, soldiers will soon be deployed. It is unclear how long the operation is expected to last. A doctor who pleaded guilty to supplying Friends actor Matthew Perry with ketamine weeks before his death. sentenced to 30 months in prison, plus two years of unsupervised release, a$5 ,600 fine, and a$400 special assessment. Perry paid Dr. Salvador Plasencia about$57 ,000 for the ketamine, which he sought out after doctors at a local ketamine therapy clinic refused to increase his dosage.

14:28In the Los Angeles courtroom, the New York Times reporting Plasencia saying, quote, there is no excuse, turning to Perry's family to say, quote, I'm just so sorry. Perry overdosed on the drug in October 2023 at age 54. He was found unresponsive in the jacuzzi at his LA home after a lifelong struggle with addiction. The medical examiner ruling the cause of death, acute effects of ketamine. Plasencia, who ran an urgent care center in Southern California, pleading guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic. Prosecutors say he repeatedly supplied Perry with the drug over several weeks.

15:05Plasencia is one of five people charged in connection to Perry's death in the first to face sentencing. According to the DOJ, once Plasencia learned of Perry's interest in obtaining ketamine, he reached out to another doctor, Mark Chavez, who ran a ketamine clinic to obtain the drug. Plasencia, texting Chavez, was also charged in connection to the death, stating, quote, I wonder how much this moron will pay. Let's find out. Plasencia and Chavez both gave up their medical licenses following their convictions. Chavez also set for sentencing this month. He faces up to 10 years in prison. That'll do it for your AM update.

15:45I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party. Catch the Megyn Kelly show live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly and all podcast platforms.