Charlotte Immigration Crackdown, Trump Eyes Venezuela, Major Update in Comey Case: AM Update 11/18

0:02Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, November 18th, 2025. And this is your AM update. Charlotte's a beautiful city, but in this case, its leadership has absolutely failed it. The Trump administration surging DHS agents to Charlotte, North Carolina, the latest effort to crack down on illegal immigration. We're ruling out U.S. troops on the ground. No, I don't rule out that. I don't rule out anything. President Trump eyeing possible military intervention in Venezuela amid a battle against drug cartels, the DOJ's case against former FBI Director Comey facing a potential setback, and new data suggests AOC could be a serious contender in 2028.

0:43The question is, for what? All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

0:52Do doctors have Black Friday sales? Do they? It's a good question. The doctors at Brickhouse Nutrition do. They just announced their Black Friday 30 % off sale. That's their biggest of the year. The most impressive health and nutrition products in the industry are now 30 % off, like Lean, the doctor-formulated weight loss supplement for people who want to lose meaningful weight without injections, and 30 % off Creatone, creatine designed just for women to help you look leaner in shape and toned without extra dieting or exercise. Even 30 % off Field of Greens, a super fruit and vegetable drink they say was shown in a university study to actually slow aging.

1:37Yes, every BrickHouse product from Better Sleep to Superior Collagen is 30 % off, but hurry because these Black Friday deals go fast. Visit BrickHouseSale.com and save 30%. That's BrickHouseSale.com. One more time, BrickHouseSale.com. Sanctuary City, Charlotte, North Carolina, the latest major urban area in President Trump's immigration crackdown. At least 130 people arrested in the first several days of what DHS dubs Operation Charlotte's Web, headed by Customs and Border Protection. DHS has not provided a timeline for how long the operation is expected to last, but it began over the weekend.

2:21An agency spokesperson telling CNN that criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, hit and run, DUI, DWI, illegal reentry after prior deportation, and more. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin yesterday on Newsmax saying federal agents are targeting Charlotte because local officials refuse to cooperate with ICE. Charlotte's a beautiful city, but in this case, its leadership has absolutely failed it. We know that there is more than 1 ,400 criminal legal aliens who are in their jails and they refuse to turn over those individuals to ICE law enforcement, which really that means a revolving door of justice.

3:04And these criminal legal aliens will go back onto Charlotte streets to re-perpetuate their crimes. We're talking about serial child pedophiles, murderers, rapists, gang members, people who pose real public security threats to the American people. And so, of course, we are surging resources there and we won't stop until Charlotte is safer. Hundreds of community members mobilizing in opposition to the operation marching through the streets. Students at a Charlotte high school staging a walkout on Monday. CNN reports a popular Colombian bakery closing after the owner says agents tackled people outside of his shop.

3:43In one Sunday incident, video posted to X showing the driver of a van, reportedly a U.S. citizen, steering toward federal agents while they were conducting an operation. DHS saying the driver fled the scene, triggering a high-speed chase with agents, recovering firearms from the vehicle upon apprehension. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, on Sunday posting a video message to social media accusing federal agents of stoking fear. My team and I have been in regular contact with state and local law enforcement to ensure that they have the resources that they need to keep you safe. Public safety is our top priority.

4:22On Friday, before Customs and Border Protection came to Charlotte, I encouraged North Killianians to follow the law, remain peaceful, and bear witness to what you're seeing. To the CBP, If you know that we have violent criminals in Charlotte who are undocumented, we want them out, too. Everyone wants to be safe in their communities. But the actions of too many federal agents are doing the exact opposite in Charlotte. We've seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color. This is not making us safer. It's stoking fear and dividing our community.

5:02Despite the governor's statement, Mecklenburg County officers where Charlotte is located do not assist with federal immigration operations, a policy reaffirmed in a joint statement released by Charlotte city and county officials just this past Saturday. It reads in part, quote, CBP operations are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community. We stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives, contributing to our larger community. Yesterday on Fox, CBP senior advisor Ron Vitello defending the operation. I would take umbrage of the mayor's comments. You know, she wants everybody to live peacefully in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

5:43That's not the way this works. If you come across the border illegally, you're in the country illegally and you're subject to arrest. And they are going after the worst of the worst and the data proves it so far. Borders are Tom Homan making clear two months ago, sanctuary cities will come under more scrutiny. not less. We're going to flood the zone. We got 10 ,000 more agents coming on. We're going to flood the zone. So we're going to send the boots on the ground to the places that we know there's a problem. Address the biggest problems first. And that's your biggest cities or sanctuary cities, whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle.

6:20I've said a thousand times. They're going to get exactly what they don't want. More agents in the communities and more works on enforcement because they won't let us arrest a bad guy in the safety and security of a county jail we're safer for the agent safer for the alien certainly safer for the community if they're going to release him back in the community then we got to send a whole team to look for that person which they sent they released a lot of people and sent a lot of teams if we can't find them in the community then we'll find them at the worksite and when we go in the community i want to make this clear the sanctuary treaties again we'll get something they don't want when we find a bad person, and we will, if they're with others that aren't a criminal threat, but in the country illegally, they're coming too.

7:00Charlotte drawing national attention this summer after 23-year-old Irina Zarutska was stabbed to death on public transit. Though the alleged perpetrator of that attack is a U.S. citizen, the brutal slaying committed by a repeat offender highlighting criticisms that state and local leadership is failing to maintain law order. President Trump ramping up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. On Monday, the State Department announcing its intent to designate the Cartel de los Solis, a foreign terrorist organization, effective November 24th. This will allow the U.S. to freeze the group's assets and will make it illegal to support this group in any way.

7:40U.S. officials describing the cartel as a criminal network based inside Venezuela and led by Maduro along with other senior Venezuelan government officials. Maduro denies affiliation with the group. The designation comes amid expanding U.S. military presence in the region. The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arriving Sunday off the coast, meeting at least seven other warships already stationed in the area. Since September, the U.S. carrying out at least 20 deadly strikes, killing at least 80 people on what the administration calls narco-terrorist drug vessels, mostly originating from Venezuela.

8:19Yesterday from the Oval Office, President Trump declining to rule out direct military intervention in Venezuela. Ruling out U.S. troops on the ground. I don't rule out that. I don't rule out anything. We just have to take care of Venezuela. They dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country from prisons. You know, we have a tight border right now. Nobody comes in. But we had millions of people pouring through a year ago. We had millions of people pouring through our border. And many of them came from Venezuela, including Trendy, Aragua, the gang. But they sent them in like we're a dumping ground.

8:51So I'm not in love with the people running Venezuela. I love Venezuela. I love the people of Venezuela. But what they've done to this country, and I really say this, what Biden and the Democrats have done to this country can never, ever be forgotten. Maduro, in power since 2013, is a longtime U.S. adversary, turning the country into a narco state, triggering a wave of U.S.-bound refugees and collaborating with countries like China and Russia. The Biden administration refusing to recognize Maduro as the legitimate ruler of the country following disputed elections. The Trump administration continuing that policy and doubling the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to 50 million bucks.

9:31Over the weekend, Maduro reacting to mounting U.S. pressure on him at a political rally with this bizarre call for peace.

9:50President Trump telling reporters he has, quote, sort of made up his mind on the issue, yesterday adding he is open to speaking with Maduro. Yeah, I probably would talk to him. Yeah, I talk to everybody. Is there anything that he could say that you would be OK if you can stay? It's hard to say that. It's just that, look, he's done tremendous damage to our country. He has not been good to the United States. So we'll see what happens. At a certain period of time, I'll be talking to him. Coming up, the DOJ's case against former FBI director James Comey could be in trouble following a recent ruling.

10:26And AOC's star may be on the rise.

10:33more people today are looking beyond the standard approach when it comes to their health, especially in the fight against cancer. Two medications you've probably heard about, ivermectin and mabendazole, are being researched for their off-label potential to support cancer treatment. Studies suggest they may help inhibit cancer cell growth and make certain therapies more effective. All Family Pharmacy makes access to these trusted medications simple. Every order is reviewed by a licensed doctor for safety and prescriptions are provided when appropriate. It's a pharmacy that believes you should have the right to choose what's best for your health and not be limited by politics or big corporations.

11:12All Family Pharmacy offers ivermectin, mabendazole, and over 200 other essential medications all shipped straight to your door. You want to check with your doctor, of course. Visit allfamilypharmacy.com slash Megan and use code Megan10 to save 10 % on your order. That's allfamilypharmacy.com slash Megan to learn more. The DOJ's case against former FBI Director James Comey in the spotlight. In a sharp ruling issued Monday, Federal Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ordering the government to turn over grand jury transcripts and materials to Comey's legal team. Comey facing obstruction of Congress and false statement charges stemming from his 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee relating to questions about whether he authorized anyone at the FBI to serve as an anonymous source in news articles.

12:02The charges brought by U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan swearing into the position on September 22nd, securing the indictment three days later, just prior to the statute of limitations expiration date. Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick identifying 11 separate issues with the government's handling of the case, citing what he calls, quote, a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, end quote, that he says could have undermined the integrity of the grand jury proceedings. The dispute partly centering on materials seized years ago from Comey's friend and former attorney, Columbia professor Daniel Richman, during a previous leak investigation.

12:43According to the judge, the government exceeded the scope of the original warrants issued in that case and may have failed to properly screen out potentially privileged communications between Comey and Richmond before reusing that material in this new prosecution. The judge also finding that an FBI agent who testified before the grand jury had recently viewed potentially privileged Comey-Richmond communications, calling that, quote, highly irregular and a radical departure from past DOJ practice. The judge criticizing several statements made by Halligan to the grand jury. The specific lines are redacted, but in one example, he says the government misstated the law in a way that implied Comey did not have a Fifth Amendment right not to testify.

13:26The Constitution protects a defendant's right not to testify, and jurors are not permitted to draw negative conclusions from that choice. Judge Fitzpatrick concluding this combination of alleged errors and missteps warrant the rare step of releasing normally highly secret grand jury materials to a defendant. Attorney Mike Davis of the Article 3 Project, posting to X, quote, nonsense. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick, appointed by partisan D.C.-area Democrat judges in 2022, is going out of his way to carry water for James Comey. Fitzpatrick, through his highly irregular ruling, is grasping at straws to make his findings that Lindsay Halligan somehow did something wrong.

14:07She did not. They know the evidence against Comey is damning, so they are doing everything they can to stop Lindsay Halligan. Prosecutors challenging the decision, asking a separate judge to pause the order, quote, the government believes the magistrate judge may have misinterpreted some facts he found when issuing the latest order to release the grand jury materials to the defendant. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Nachmanoff agreeing to issue a stay on the order, alerting the feds to file their objections by the end of business on Wednesday, giving Comey's team until Friday to respond to the government's objections.

14:42If Comey's legal team is ultimately granted access to the grand jury materials, they are likely to use them in support of a motion to dismiss this case entirely. Comey denies any wrongdoing and is pursuing several challenges aimed at getting the charges thrown out before trial, which is currently set for January. Axios reporting on an interesting nugget gleaned from a recent research project conducted by Democrats' super PAC Future Forward. The most effective political ad in California's recent ballot measure asking voters to approve redrawing congressional districts did not come from California governor and obvious presidential hopeful Gavin Newsom, but rather was from U.S.

15:22Congresswoman from New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Several high-profile Dems contributing ads framing California's vote as part of a larger national battle over who controls Congress. AOC's ad right here. California, you know we don't back down from a fight. And this November, the fight belongs to you. Donald Trump is redrawing election maps to force through a Congress that only answers to him, not the people. If he gets away with it, all bets are off. For our healthcare, our paychecks, and our freedoms. With Prop 50, we can stop him. Prop 50 levels the playing field and gives power back to the people.

16:01Fight for democracy in all 50 states. Yes on 50. The group testing responses to 16 different ads in support of Prop 50, which did pass by a large margin. AOC's ad increasing support for Prop 50 by more than five points, outperforming every other message tested, including one from President Obama. Future Forward Head of Data Aaron Strauss saying, quote, Of all the ads on our side, one stands out as the clear winner. AOC's spot that connects the perhaps esoteric issue of redistricting to real-world impacts. Despite cagey answers about future plans, Axios reporting in September, 36-year-old AOC is bringing in more senior staff with the team positioning for a run either in the Senate or perhaps for the top job president.

16:51This latest report signaling AOC could be a serious competitor to Gavin Newsom, who is not hiding his presidential ambitions, at least not very well, among primary voters in his own backyard. Let the inviting begin. 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, 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash megankelly and on all podcast platforms.