DNC '24 Autopsy Drops, AI Exec Order Postponed, US-Bound Flight Diverted Over Ebola Concerns: AM Update 5/22

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0:32Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Friday, May 22nd, 2026, and this is your AM Update. The DNC releases its long-awaited autopsy of the 2024 election, pointing to major Democratic messaging failures while dodging some of the campaign's biggest questions. I think it gets in the way of, you know, we're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that lead. A planned White House AI signing ceremony abruptly called off after President Trump says he feared the proposal could slow America's lead over China.

1:15No wonder Republican senators are running scared, especially after that Trump endorsement of Paxton. Texas is absolutely in play. A last-minute Trump endorsement shakes up the Senate race in Texas. as Republicans fear Ken Paxton could put a once-safe seat in danger. And a U.S.-bound flight diverted before reaching Detroit after officials say a passenger from Ebola-impacted Congo should never have been allowed to board. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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3:06By mid-April, more than a dozen DNC members calling on him to release the findings, while warning that he does not believe the document is, quote, ready for public consumption. Martin telling the outlet the report, quote, does not meet my standards, and it won't meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word. Acknowledging his refusal to release it had become a distraction while apologizing for it. CNN reviewing the document, concluding it does contain some factual inaccuracies, and is, quote, sometimes hard to follow. Martin also distancing himself from the report, with a disclaimer at the top stating the findings do not reflect the views of the DNC, but rather the report's author, Democratic consultant Paul Rivera.

3:53Adding to the unusual rollout, the report also including red annotations from DNC officials pushing back on portions of the review. Those notes flagging alleged errors and at times undercutting the findings. Within the nearly 200-page document, the report faulting the Harris campaign for not reminding voters why they disliked President Trump's first term. According to the autopsy, it was, quote, essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The report finding the evidence was there, but the messaging never made the case.

4:31Instead, the review concludes the Harris campaign appeared to rely on Trump being unacceptable rather than building an affirmative argument for Vice President Harris herself. The report specifically pointing to Harris's struggle to define herself beyond being, quote, quote, not Trump. And beyond the campaign's prosecutor versus felon framing, like in this speech. As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse.

5:05As attorney general of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud on 34 counts. The report also singling out one of the Trump campaign's most memorable attack ads. Kamala is for they, them. President Trump is for you. According to the autopsy, the ad created a political problem Team Harris never solved and that the campaign's pollsters, quote, all recognized as very effective. It continued, quote, if the vice president would not change her position, and she did not, then there was nothing which would have worked as a response.

5:46The autopsy repeatedly criticizing the party's reliance on identity politics, arguing Democrats need to move away from demographic appeals and focus more directly on affordability, cost of living, and middle-class concerns. The report pointing to candidates like U.S. Senator from Arizona, Ruben Gallego, and U.S. Senator from Nevada, Jackie Rosen, saying their, quote, year-round presence, economic messaging, and addressing cost of living concerns resonate more than identity politics. And when it comes to winning back male voters, the report is blunt, urging Democrats to use male messengers and warning them not to assume, quote, identity politics will hold male voters of color.

6:29The report, also arguing the GOP's 2024 win, came down in part to learning more from President Obama's winning playbook than Democrats did. Quote, the GOP's campaign was powered by data, amplified by social media, and enabled by ardent supporters at every level. The report avoiding some of the largest questions surrounding the Harris campaign. It does not evaluate President Biden's decision to run again, the fallout from the war in Gaza inside the Democratic coalition, or Vice President Harris effectively being anointed as the nominee without anything resembling a competitive replacement process.

7:07President Trump yesterday abruptly postponing a White House signing ceremony for a new AI executive order after inviting some of the biggest names in tech to attend. According to the Washington Post, the draft order would have created a new voluntary government review process for powerful AI systems before they are released to the public. The goal, according to the Post, was to give the feds time to test advanced new AI tools for dangerous capabilities, search for vulnerabilities, and prepare defenses before hackers or foreign adversaries could exploit them. The New York Times reporting the push for a formal oversight process grew out of concerns inside the administration that AI could become too powerful and eventually pose a national security risk to the United States.

7:54However, White House officials and tech companies raising concerns about slowing down the rollout of new technology. President Trump addressing the delay yesterday from the Oval Office during an unrelated event. Because I didn't like certain aspects of it. I postponed it. I think it gets in the way of, you know, we're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that lead. We have a very substantial AI. It's causing tremendous good, and it's also bringing in a lot of jobs, tremendous numbers of jobs. Again, we have more people working right now than we've ever had.

8:32I really thought that could have been a blocker, and I want to make sure that it's not. Some of the biggest tech titans in America reportedly invited. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and more. The substance of the order may not have been the only issue. According to the New York Times, several top executives were invited just 24 hours before the scheduled signing, leaving little time for many of them to make travel plans. The Times reporting AI companies were told President Trump was unhappy that many of the invited CEOs could not make it, with some companies instead sending other executives to the White House in their place.

9:14The White House has not said when the signing could be rescheduled, and it remains unclear whether the text of the order will change before then. Coming up, President Trump's endorsement of Ken Paxton could turn a brutal Texas GOP runoff into a general election headache, with Democrats now seeing their best opening in decades. And a Detroit-bound Air France flight is forced to divert to Canada after a passenger from Ebola-impacted Congo is mistakenly allowed to board.

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10:38If you are looking to take back control of your health from the inside out, consider Armra, and they have a special deal for you too. Go to armra.com slash Megan, or enter MEGYN, M-E-G-Y-N, to get 30 % off your first subscription order. You do that when you're checking out. That's A-R-M-R-A dot com slash M-E-G-Y-N or just enter that code MEGYN when you're checking out. Democrats long eyeing Texas as a potential U.S. Senate pickup opportunity, now seeing new polling indicating the Lone Star State may be in play. President Trump endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this week in the Republican Senate runoff, siding with the MAGA-aligned challenger over incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

11:25The endorsement coming late in the race, one day after early voting began, and just one week before Election Day, after months of Senate Republicans urging President Trump to back Senator Cornyn. Paxton entering the race with major political baggage, including ethical scandals and a messy divorce. The winner of next week's runoff will face Democrat James Tallarico, a state representative from Austin, in the November general election. No new public polling is available since President Trump's endorsement, though Paxton's odds of securing the nomination surging to 95 % on Polymarket. A late April to early May poll from the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs finding Paxton at 48%, holding a three-point lead over Cornyn at 45 percent.

12:13But both Republicans may be facing a bigger challenge in the general election. CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, breaks it down. James Tallarico could very well win in Texas. And I want to use a comparison point with 2018, because there was all this talk about better O 'Rourke, right? Oh, could he beat Ted Cruz? He could beat Ted Cruz. The numbers at this point in that campaign, simply put, did not support that conclusion. But the numbers at this point absolutely support the conclusion that James tallarico can win so take a look texas senate polls in may of the election year when you matched up o 'rourke beto o 'rourke versus tec cruz tec cruz was up by seven points he was clearly ahead but look at the polling average now when you max up ken paxton versus james tallarico it's actually tallarico that's ahead by four points and johnny b i was looking back at every single texas senate race that i could find and at this point in the campaign james tallarico is polling better than any Democrat in at least 24 years.

13:07Enten arguing this is not simply a replay of the 2018 cycle, when Democrats poured energy and money into Beto O 'Rourke's challenge against Senator Ted Cruz. At the time, Enten says Cruz was not nearly as vulnerable as the Democrats and media suggested. This year, Enten points to a broader polling picture showing Paxton underwater and Tallarico running ahead in the polls. Ted Cruz's net favorability was actually plus seven points in my average polls. Look what Ken Paxton is, the complete inverse of that. He was seven, he's seven points underwater. So look again, you just look at the numbers. In 2018, Democrats had this dream of turning Texas blue.

13:44The numbers didn't support it in large part because Ted Cruz was actually decently popular. But Ken Paxton is anything but in poll after poll after poll, he is underwater. No wonder Republican senators are running scared, especially after that Trump endorsement of paxton yet back in may 2018 trump's net popularity in texas he was at plus four points he was above water again we're looking at the inverse of that trump is considerably less popular in texas which of course matches what we're seeing nationally which is that donald trump is less popular now than he was at this point in term one you put it all together you look at the general election polls you look at the popularity of the potential republican candidates that'll be running for texas senate you look at donald trump's popularity as well and you go okay texas is absolutely implied.

14:27Politico reporting Trump's endorsement of Paxton setting off panic among Senate Republicans now worried they could lose a Senate seat Democrats have not won since 1988. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska saying, quote, how does that help strengthen the president's hand? I mean, we lose a state like Texas? Puck News reporting the endorsement came after a tense behind-the-scenes clash between President Trump and Senate Majority leader John Thune. According to the outlet, several Republican sources say Trump decided to buck Senate leadership after Thune told him security funding for the president's proposed White House ballroom was in jeopardy and that he would not fire the Senate parliamentarian after she ruled against including that money in an ICE funding bill.

15:12Puck reporting Trump was furious moving forward with the Paxton endorsement despite warnings from Republicans. The latest RealClearPolitics polling average shows Paxton favored by 3.2 points over Cornyn in the Republican runoff. In the general election, RCP shows Tallarico leading Paxton by 1.5 points, 44.3 to 42.8 against Cornyn, RCP showing Tallarico ahead by a narrower half point, 42.8 to 42.3. The Republican runoff is set for Tuesday. A Detroit-bound Air France flight diverted to Canada after U.S. officials say a passenger from Congo was mistakenly allowed to board, despite new Ebola-related travel restrictions.

15:58Ebola is a severe and often deadly virus that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, including blood, vomit, urine, and saliva. Health officials stress it only spreads when a person is showing symptoms, not from simply near someone who appears healthy. An outbreak confirmed on May 15th in Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak now growing to more than 600 suspected cases and more than 139 suspected deaths. Other countries impacted by the outbreak include Uganda and South Sudan. The Washington Post reporting an American doctor who tested positive while working in Congo was taken to Germany for treatment, along with six other Americans considered high-risk contacts.

16:45In response to the outbreak, The CDC on Monday announcing U.S. travel restrictions. Non-U.S. passport holders who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days are restricted from entering the country. And all U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have recently been in those countries must now enter the U.S. through Washington Dulles Airport, where the CDC and DHS will conduct enhanced public health screenings. Which brings us back to the Air France flight. Air France Flight 378, departing from Paris and set to land Wednesday in Detroit, diverting to Montreal, Canada, after U.S.

17:22officials determined a passenger should not have been allowed to board the plane under the restrictions. Canadian health officials say the passenger was evaluated by a quarantine officer, determined to be asymptomatic, and then sent back to Paris, the plane later continuing to Detroit. While the story may be unsettling, health experts say the risk to Americans remains extremely low. Here, Dr. Mark Siegel on Fox News explains. I want people out there to know that this requires very close spread. Most of the cases originate from poor burial practices, actually. You really have to get in touch, very close contact with secretions for this to spread.

18:02It isn't from breathing it. And so that's good news. They're in development for a vaccine for this, and they should have it in about six to nine months. And, Bill, unfortunately, this outbreak is going to last for probably more than a year. But Americans should be reassured that the chances of it coming here or having any kind of sustained spread here is zero. That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Drushinsky, 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.

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