Catastrophic Texas Flooding, Netanyahu Visits the White House, Musk Starts New Party: AM Update 7/7

0:00Hey, Chicagoland, the Wayfair store is in your neighborhood at Eden's Plaza and Wilmette. Finally, you can feel the fabric, sit on the sectionals, and even open the refrigerators. Plus, our in-store designers will help you bring it all together with free one-on-one design support for any project on any budget. Yep, we said free. Oh, and did we mention the cafe? So what are you waiting for? Come see all that's in store. Visit the Wayfair store today at Eden's Plaza and Wilmette. Wayfair, every style, every home. Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, July 7th, 2025, and this is your AM Update.

0:39This happened very quickly over a very short amount of time that could not be predicted. Extreme flooding in central Texas leaving dozens dead and many missing as crews work around the clock on rescue efforts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the White House today, fresh off of the successful military campaign that crippled the Iranian nuclear program. The principles of Doge were very popular. I think if you look at the polling, Elon was not. Elon Musk announcing he will follow through on his promise to form a new political party following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill.

1:12All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

1:19Every dollar you spend is either supporting your values or working against them. In today's economy, where you spend your money matters. Patriot Mobile is leading the way as America's only Christian conservative wireless provider. Switch today without sacrificing quality or service. You'll get exceptional nationwide coverage because unlike most budget wireless providers, Patriot Mobile has access to all three major U.S. networks. You can even add two numbers on two networks on one phone, something the big guys cannot even do. Stay connected with flexible, unlimited data plans to fit your lifestyle.

1:52When you switch to Patriot Mobile, you are supporting faith, family, and freedom. And switching is simple. Keep your number, keep your phone, or upgrade. Patriot Mobile's 100 % U.S.-based team will get you activated in minutes. Right now, go to patriotmobile.com slash Megan or call 972-PATRIOT to get a free month of service with promo code Megan. Make the switch. Defend freedom with every call and text you make. That's patriotmobile.com slash M-E-G-Y-N or just call 972-PATRIOT.

2:24Devastating flooding across central Texas, at least 70 dead so far across five counties, with flood warnings still in effect in multiple counties. 11 campers and one counselor still missing from Camp Mystic, a popular Christian camp located along the shores of the Guadalupe River, which has already seen five of its campers confirmed dead. The New York Post reporting the youngest campers were sleeping in their cabins just over 200 feet from the river's edge when the flash flooding began early July 4th morning. In a matter of a few hours, the river rising from 1 to 34 feet, with enough force to push RVs, lift massive boulders, and rip fully grown trees out of the ground from the root, leaving a trail of destruction across the Texas Hill Country.

3:12Crews working night and day to locate displaced victims across the region, searching for children and adults, so far making more than 850 rescues. Adult camper Brian Eads describing the experience to a local NBC station on Saturday. Woke up about 3.30, 4 o 'clock in the morning, and there was just torrential river coming through the campground. Got my wife up. We tried to make it to my truck. We didn't make it. We were washed away. Got into another truck. He was able to get it started. We made it 20 feet. A fight for survival at that time. Me and my wife got separated. I grabbed a hold of one tree.

3:50I was trying to push something for her to float on. I took a tumble in the river. I came back up and I couldn't see her. I couldn't hear. Mr. Eads' wife did not survive. Amid the devastation, also some miracles. A local CBS station describing a young woman surviving under seemingly impossible odds. And if there's any hope in this story, it's that this 22-year-old woman went into the water in the Ingram, Texas area, which is about 20 miles upstream. She had been in the tree for several hours at that point already because she was swept out of her campground, out of her tent at 4 o 'clock in the morning.

4:35Firefighters, the paramedics checked her vitals. She had a few bumps and bruises, and they said that was amazing because she had gone over four dams and been dropped. She told them the story of fighting refrigerators, dodging recreational vehicles as she traveled down that long 20-mile stretch of being wiped away. President Trump's Sunday morning signing a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, freeing up additional resources for rescue and recovery efforts. Throughout the weekend, questions and accusations swirling about the level of warnings before the natural disaster. Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd saying original forecasts from the National Weather Service did not predict the level of rainfall that was to come.

5:22The original forecast that we received on Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted three to six inches of rain in the Concho Valley and four to eight inches of rain in the hill country. Everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service, right? You all got it. You're all in media. You got that forecast. It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw. Some seizing on those comments to point to the Trump administration's cuts to the National Weather Service earlier this year through DOGE. CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem, who never misses a chance to bash Trump, posting to X, quote, The question we have to ask is whether any ability to notify or warn was impacted by decreases or DOGE.

6:04On weather services, I don't know the answer, and we can't assume it. The camp may have been isolated, but I'd want to know if I were a parent. That narrative quickly taking off online and through legacy media outlets. The New York Times' report on the tragedy headlined, As floods hit, key roles were vacant at weather service offices in Texas, focusing on staffing shortages within the National Weather Service, some of which were doge-related and some of which predated the current Trump administration. However, there's more to the story. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice describing the unusual conditions causing the rapid flooding, for one.

6:41Under normal conditions, if you call it that, you'll hit water in one of those areas. And those two forks will converge into the Guadalupe, which comes through the city of Kerrville. This rain event sat on top of that and dumped more rain than what was forecasted on both of those forks. When we got the report, it was about seven feet or so on the South Fork, and within a matter of minutes, it was up to 29 feet. And all of that converged at the Guadalupe, and that's where we saw those very quick rise and floods. So there's not alarms everywhere on the river. No, sir. Rice saying that local officials remained in constant contact with the National Weather Service, but the speed and scale of the flooding could not have been predicted.

7:23I was running the river trail at 3 a.m. this morning. There was no signs of it. The rain was here on the river trail, which is down below at the water's edge at 3.30 and 4 o 'clock when I left. There was no signs of it rising at that point. This happened very quickly over a very short amount of time that could not be predicted, even with the radar. Our team constantly reviews radar, constantly has NWS, National Weather Service messages. We send them out on a regular basis and we communicate effectively. This is not like a tornado where you can have a siren. This is not like a hurricane where you're planning weeks in advance.

7:55You know, it hit, it hit hard. And things like this happen in a very strategic, very isolated area. And when those two things converged, you had what happened today. So this happened within less than a two-hour span very, very quickly. The Associated Press reporting the National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which is responsible for forecasting that area, actually had extra staff on duty during the storm. The rain began falling around midnight. the NWS issuing its first flash flood warning at 1.14 a.m. local time on Friday. The Texas Tribune reporting all National Weather Service flash flood warnings set off emergency push notifications through cell phone towers.

8:36The service reportedly updating that warning nine times throughout Friday. At 4.03 a.m., the most serious warning, a flash flood emergency, warning of a, quote, extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. The Texas Tribune reporting, quote, the timing of the flood may have been a complicating factor. The alerts came out during the start of the 4th of July weekend, when RV parks, cabins, and homes are filled with tourists who might not be familiar with the flood risks or the habits of the water. An independent meteorologist based out of Houston, Matt Lanza, writing on Substack, quote, we have seen absolutely nothing to suggest that current staffing or budget issues within NOAA or the NWS played any role at all in this event.

9:21Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly telling the AP several years back the county considered a flood warning system along the river that would have functioned like a tornado warning system, but the idea never took off because of the expense. Meteorologist James Spann posting to X, quote, one takeaway is the importance of having a NOAA weather radio at every home, business, and any place where there are large numbers of people gathered, like a camp on a river. I would imagine cell service is spotty along the Guadalupe where the camps were located. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a Saturday briefing saying the Trump administration is committed to upgrading national weather systems.

10:00The National Weather Service over the years at times has done well, and at times we have all wanted more time and more warning and more alerts and more notification. That is something and one One of the reasons that when President Trump took office that he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology and the National Weather Service has indicated that with that and NOAA that we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years. And that is the reforms that are ongoing there. On Sunday from Rome, Pope Leo offering a special blessing for those impacted by this terrible tragedy.

10:35I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were at summer camp in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them. Coming up, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House today as Israeli officials negotiate toward a ceasefire deal with Hamas. And Elon Musk forms a new political party, ruffling many feathers on the right.

11:15It wasn't supposed to get this bad. You know, remember the time when you actually were on top of your bills? Then inflation hit, groceries, gas, everything shot up, prices up 26 % from just a few years ago. It's not necessarily your fault if you have fallen into real debt. Let me share a smarter, faster, far easier way out of it. It's called Done With Debt, and they are not like other debt relief companies. They don't push loans or bankruptcy on you. Done With Debt has legendary negotiators who go head to head with your credit card and loan companies. And they have one goal, to drastically reduce or eliminate your debt altogether.

11:49They move lightning fast. Most clients see more money in their pocket month one. But a word to the wise, hurry, because some of their debt erasing strategies are time sensitive. So consider talking to a done with debt strategist before you make another bill payment. It's free. Visit donewithdebt.com, donewithdebt.com, donewithdebt.com. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting President Trump at the White House today. The meeting in part a victory lap following the successful U.S. military strike on three key Iranian nuclear weapons facilities, as well as Israeli operations against Iran's nuclear program.

12:25This, the third White House visit for the prime minister since the start of the second Trump administration. The two leaders are now focusing on what comes next in the war on Hamas. Ceasefire negotiations with the terrorist group have so far remained unsuccessful. On Sunday, Israeli and Hamas officials meeting in Qatar to restart indirect negotiations. Prior to departing for the White House, Prime Minister Netanyahu telling reporters, We will not allow a situation where there will be more hostages, more murders, more more beheadings, more invasions. This means one thing, the elimination of Hamas's military and governmental capabilities.

13:01Hamas will not be there. President Trump also likely to bring up Syria. The administration is reportedly working to bring Syria into the Abraham Accords, thus normalizing relations between the two countries for the first time since the creation of the modern Jewish state in 1948. In May, President Trump becoming the first U.S. president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader, President Ahmed al-Shara, who in December toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime. Despite al-Shara's militant background and ties to jihadist groups, President Trump extending an olive branch, inviting Syria to a new opportunity to join the global community.

13:41Elon Musk on Saturday announcing the formation of the America Party, resulting from Musk's highly publicized outrage over the projected deficit increases within President Trump's one big beautiful bill signed on July 4th. The CBO predicting the bill will increase the deficit by trillions through fiscal year 2034. The Trump administration arguing the CBO does not properly account for economic growth or tariff revenue, which they say will largely offset the added debt. On Independence Day, Musk posting a poll to X asking users if he should create the America Party, 65.4 percent responding yes versus 34.6 percent responding no.

14:21Several users quickly noting the poll was not restricted to Americans and consists of Musk's followers and others on the platform he owns, X. Musk on Friday outlining a possible strategy for the party, quote, one way to execute on this would be to laser focus on just two or three Senate seats and 8-10 House districts. Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people. Though a full platform has yet to be published on X, Musk signaling the America Party will focus on reducing debt, modernizing the military with AI and robotics, reducing regulation across the board, especially in energy, promoting free speech, and promoting centrist policies.

15:07Many on the right criticizing the move, voicing concerns that a third party will only divide the Republican vote, boosting Democrats. Founder of Early Vote Action, Republican Scott Pressler, posting to X, if Republicans lose the House in 2026, which the creation of a third party is likely to do, there will be no budget for DHS to deport criminal illegal aliens. We will likely lose 2028, and there goes control over the census. The border opens up again, and it was all for naught. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson reacting Sunday on CNN to Musk's new venture. The principles of Doge were very popular.

15:45I think if you looked at the polling, Elon was not. I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone. So I imagine that those board of directors did not like this announcement yesterday and we'll be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for The Megan Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash megankelly, and on all podcast platforms.

16:24Real talent is defined by what people can do, not where they learn to do it. So by stopping at the education section of a resume, you might throw away the perfect hire. Skills First Hiring helps you see talent others miss, like more than 70 million stars, skilled through alternative routes. Let their story unfold and gain a competitive advantage, because hiring managers who start with skills are 60 % more likely to find a successful hire. Hire Skills First. Learn why at tearthepaperceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council.