Illegal Immigrant is Alleged Ringleader of UFC Plot, Vance on Deal, Knicks' Parade: AM Update 6/19

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0:38The alleged mastermind behind the White House UFC attack plot identified as an illegal immigrant from Mexico. The Obama deal allowed the accumulation of stockpiled weapons-grade material. Ours is actually leading to the destruction of that stockpile. Vice President J.D. Vance defending the new Iran agreement, confronting critics at home and abroad as negotiations toward a final deal are set to begin. He later recalled reciting a simple prayer, Jesus, Mary, get me there, just get me there. President Trump recognizing three men today, awarding them the nation's highest military honor for their extraordinary acts of valor.

1:18and 2 million Knicks fans flooding lower Manhattan, celebrating a championship win decades in the making. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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2:52Wouldn't it be nice to have a little handholding as you go through this crazy process? Paid for by SuperSure Insurance Agency, LLC, a licensed insurance agency. The alleged ringleader of the explosive drone and sniper plot targeting Sunday's White House UFC event is a 31-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Justice Department charging Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez and four other men earlier this week with plotting a mass casualty attack targeting government officials and thousands of spectators at UFC Freedom 250. According to federal court filings, the plot calling for explosive drones to drive spectators and government officials toward waiting snipers, while a second group allegedly prepared to storm the White House gates.

3:43The group allegedly preparing for months, developing maps, escape routes, and plans for a safe house before the mother of one participant learned of the plot and alerted authorities. DHS telling Fox News Alvarez came to the U.S. as a child, remaining in the country after his visitor visa expired in 2001 and later receiving protection from deportation through the Obama-era DACA program. News Nation reporting his DACA status has been revoked following his arrest, ICE also lodging an immigration detainer against him. The FBI taking Alvarez into custody on the day of the fight at an old church near the town of Western Nebraska, which he allegedly selected as a safe zone for himself and his co-conspirators, reports local outlet WOWT-TV.

4:34Alvarez, with thick, curly, dark hair and a full beard, seen grinning in his mugshot wearing an orange jail uniform. According to the charges filed in Nebraska, the FBI identifying Alvarez as Shepard in the group's encrypted chats, accusing him of planning, organizing, and directing the attack. In one message, Alvarez allegedly instructing members where to position sniper and drone teams, pointing out a long-range location he described as a great shot with an easy escape toward the river. When another participant discussed building drones carrying explosives, Alvarez allegedly responded, quote, as many and as deadly as we can get.

5:16Prosecutors also accused him of telling the group he already had one drone and was working on more. Fox News reporting investigators have identified 23 people within the alleged planning network, though only five arrests have been announced, as federal officials emphasize the investigation is ongoing. The five men arrested so far charged with conspiracy to commit murder, carrying a potential sentence of life in prison and a$250 ,000 fine. The DOJ also bringing conspiracy charges involving violence on White House grounds. That's an offense carrying up to five years. Vice President J.D. Vance taking a turn behind the White House briefing room lectern yesterday, filling in for Press Secretary Caroline Levitt while she's on maternity leave to defend the administration's newly signed agreement with Iran.

6:07The VP opening the briefing by pointing to encouraging progress in the hours since the signing of the agreement. Last night, 12.5 million barrels of oil went through the Strait of Hormuz. That is a high since the beginning of the conflict. Oil prices are down nearly at their level from the pre-war conflict. Gas prices dropped below$4 a gallon today for the first time since the conflict. And importantly, they're gonna keep falling further given how low oil prices are. The vice president pressed on Iran's ballistic missile program after President Trump acknowledged at the G7 that the regime would retain some missiles for self-defense.

6:44That concession angering some of the more fervent war hawks, Mr. Vance responding. So we destroyed a substantial number of their ballistic missiles and their ballistic missile launchers themselves. It's not just the bullets, but it's the actual gun. And that's what we were extremely effective at in destroying during the last three months of the campaign. All the president said yesterday is that, of course, countries don't give up the right of self-defense. Israel doesn't give up the right of self-defense if Hezbollah fires rockets or drones at Israel. The Iranians don't give up the right of self-defense in their country, but we do expect that as part of the final deal, they are not going to be able to build the kind of missiles that can broadly threaten the entire world.

7:27And that's what the President of the United States said yesterday. What we want to see is Iran not funding regional instability, funding regional terrorism, and of course, try to rebuild their nuclear weapons program. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declaring in March that Tehran's ballistic missile production capacity had been, quote, functionally defeated, leaving Iran with some missiles but severely limiting its ability to replace them. Mr. Vance also rejecting the claim that President Trump has simply revived the Obama-era Iran deal under a different name. Number one, the Gulf Coast coalition loves this deal because they think that it makes Iran weaker.

8:05They hated the Obama deal because they thought that it made Iran stronger. They know more about this and they have more to lose than anybody, including the United States of America. So I trust their judgment. Now there are all these substantive differences as well. The Obama nuclear deal allowed enrichment. Ours will not. The Obama deal allowed the accumulation of stockpiled weapons grade material. Ours is actually leading to the destruction of that stockpile of enriched material. So there are many differences. The Obama deal gave them over a billion dollars of American money. This deal gives them zero dollars of American money.

8:38Vice President Vance arguing the MOU is the foundation of what will hopefully lead to a wider peace in the region, but only if all sides, including Hezbollah and Israel, show restraint. We expect Hezbollah is not going to be firing rockets and firing drones at the Israelis. And we also expect that the Israelis are not going to be going wild in Lebanon, right? Both sides have to honor their end of the deal. Now, as you guys know, sometimes these ceasefires are a little messy. The President of the United States said this a couple of weeks ago that a ceasefire in that region of the world just means they're shooting a little bit less at each other than they were before.

9:12What you've seen is radical progress in Lebanon, less shooting, less firing, but you're still going to have these little flare-ups from time to time. And that's just the sort of thing that we're going to have to manage through the diplomatic process. And eventually what we want to see is the Lebanese government, the elected representatives of the people of Lebanon who are able to police southern Lebanon so that Hezbollah has not taken over the country, the Israelis are not threatened, and then consequently the Israelis are not attacking southern Lebanon or Beirut either. Vice President Vance also taking aim at Israeli cabinet members who have been attacking the deal and President Trump.

9:48Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world. And the second message I would give to some of those cabinet members, Bibi, to his credit, has not gone down this path. But to some of these cabinet members in Israel who are attacking the president of the United States, the other thing that I would say is that over the last three months, two thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars.

10:33The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump. And anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in. The VP telling reporters that with the MOU officially signed, the difficult work of negotiating a final deal could begin in Switzerland as soon as this weekend, with his own travel plans depending on when the Iranian delegation can arrive. Coming up, President Trump presenting three American service members medals of honor in a White House ceremony. And the Knicks take over Lower Manhattan celebrating their first NBA title since 1973.

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12:08If you are looking to take back control of your health from the inside out, consider Armra. And they have a special deal for you. Go to armra.com slash Megan or enter Megan to get 30 % off your first subscription order. That's A-R-M-R-A dot com slash Megan. President Trump hosting a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House yesterday, awarding three American service members for extraordinary acts of courage, two in Vietnam, one in Afghanistan. The Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces distinguishing themselves through acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty, risking their own lives in combat against enemy forces.

12:54The first recipient retired Marine Major James Capers Jr., born into a family of sharecroppers before enlisting in the Marine Corps and eventually going on to become one of the most decorated Marines in U.S. history. Capers becoming the first Black enlisted Marine to earn a battlefield commission, rising into the officer ranks while serving in combat, and the first black officer to lead a Marine recon company. Capers deepened Vietnamese jungles in 1967, leading an elite nine-man recon team known as Team Broad-Minded, tasked with locating an enemy base. Over the course of four days, the outnumbered team repeatedly repelling attacks and killing more than 200 enemy fighters.

13:37On the final day of battle, the Marines ambushed. by a claymore mine and a relentless barrage of enemy fire. Capers sent flying into a tree, suffering a massive abdominal injury, a badly broken leg, and shrapnel wounds in 17 places. Despite the extensive injuries and tremendous blood loss, Capers continuing to lead after every Marine under his command had been wounded. President Trump describes what happened next, referring to Capers here as Jim. Jim Rose pushing forward on a leg that shouldn't have been able to carry any of his weight. After a shot of morphine, Jim asserted command of the firefight he took over like nobody's ever seen before.

14:23Barely clinging to consciousness, he called in close air support for an entire hour. Very dangerous. It was sometimes a little bit too close. and it was the only force strong enough to repel the onslaught of a lot of very tough soldiers on the other side. Once an extraction helicopter reached his team, Jim loaded his wounded men first before finally loading himself. When the helicopter groaned under the weight of his entire team, too many people, he attempted to deplane, but his team physically held him back, refusing to leave their leader behind. Major Capers accepting the Medal of Honor in person nearly five decades after retiring from active duty in 1978 following 22 years of service.

15:13The next Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to retired Marine Colonel John W. Ripley. On April 2, 1972, more than 30 ,000 North Vietnamese troops backed by 200 tanks and other heavy equipment preparing to advance into South Vietnam. Their route taking them across a bridge, one that would have carried the invasion deeper into South Vietnam, but for the extraordinary actions of then-captain John Ripley. The only prayer of stopping the assault? Destroying the bridge. South Vietnamese engineers had stockpiled more than 500 pounds of explosives nearby, but only one man had the experience to place them.

15:54Ripley reaching for the first load of explosives. Everyone said, don't do it, John, don't do it. He grabbed the steel girders above his head and hand over hand, he climbed, dangling beneath the bridge and over the rushing water with a lot of very angry people watching him, completely exposed to withering enemy gunfire. John completed not one, not two, but five such trips. He's a strong guy, very strong guy. At one point, John remembers a tank round blasting into the bridge and knocking him temporarily unconscious. For five straight hours, he hauled explosives, placed charges, and ran a primer cord to each one of them.

16:43He later recalled reciting a simple prayer, Jesus, Barry, get me there, just get me there. When John detonated the explosives, the bridge collapsed into the river, crushing the advance and saved the hope of a free Vietnam for Easter morning. Colonel Ripley retiring from active duty in 1992 and passing away in 2008. His sons, grandsons, and daughter-in-law attending the ceremony on his behalf. And finally, Army Major Nicholas Dockery awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on October 2, 2012 in Afghanistan. Then, Second Lieutenant Dockery leading a platoon tasked with guarding a governor's compound when 150 Taliban fighters launched a surprise attack, President Trump recounting the extraordinary series of actions that followed.

17:34Nick did a quick headcount and realized one of his team members was still missing, Sergeant Jack Hansborough. Nick rushed through the compound until he found the sergeant being dragged unconscious through an alleyway by two Taliban fighters with very bad intentions. Nick eliminated both terrorists in close quarters, then pulled Sergeant Hensbro back to cover, but found he was not breathing. So urgently, Nick administered CPR until the sergeant's heart kicked back in. As mortar fire thundered down all around them, Nick covered his incapacitated teammate with his own body, shielding him from further injury.

18:16In his final act of unbelievable valor that day, Nick climbed his way to the open roof where he was again vulnerable to Taliban gunfire at highest levels. He signaled enemy positions with smoke grenades, allowing American gunships to come to the platoon's rescue. Dockery, the last man to depart the battlefield after four hours of relentless fighting. He went on to become an Army Green Beret before retiring earlier this year. Approximately two million New York Knicks fans packing lower Manhattan yesterday morning, decked out in orange and blue, celebrating the team's first NBA championship win since 1973.

19:00The newly crowned champions parading down the Canyon of Heroes with roughly one and a half tons of recycled paper raining down from the high rises above. The Knicks repeatedly battling back from steep deficits throughout their championship run, including game four of the finals, the miracle at MSG, when they slowly chipped away at the San Antonio Spurs 29-point lead to eventually win the game by one point. The team doing it again in game five, erasing a 16-point deficit to clinch the championship on the road 94 to 90. Fans beginning to line up Wednesday night, camping out for hours before the viewing pens opened at 6 a.m.

19:44Those pens filling in less than two hours, according to the NYPD, with the parade still hours away. Jubilant fans speaking to Fox 5 New York yesterday from the parade route. We left at around 5.30, got here at 6.30 a.m. Did you ever think this day would come? No. No, a long time coming. Thank God it happened. And we all deserve it. New York deserves it. What's it like for you to be here tonight? To support the Knicks and congratulate them from winning the NBA championships from 52 years. Let's go Knicks. Let's go Knicks, baby. The celebration not entirely painless. The FDNY reporting at least 26 people taken to hospitals, with another 16 treated at the scene for minor problems, including several cases of heat-related illness.

20:33The parade culminating at City Hall, with Mayor Zoran Mamdani presenting each player with a symbolic key to the city. Nick's point guard and MVP of the NBA Finals, Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 of the 94 total points to win game five, taking the mic. Thank you to my teammates, giving me confidence every single day. The belief we had in each other made this possible. Thank you our coaching staff, our medical staff, everyone that pitched in every single day behind the scenes. Damn, we really did it, dog. somehow some way i knew we were gonna find a way to get this done most importantly thank you to the fans i'm not gonna lie though y 'all y 'all some pretty hard critics but we appreciate it at least i do appreciate it a lot lastly i want to say i want to thank my family truly without them their sacrifice and everything would be possible damn new york we really did it man we really did it.

21:34We wouldn't trade this for a world. Alicia Keys then bringing the celebration home with Empire State of Mind.

21:45The players, arm in arm behind her, sing screaming along to the chorus. The victory tour not over just yet. Knicks owner James Dolan confirming Wednesday on WFAN that the team has accepted an invitation to visit President Trump at the White House. We still have to figure out the details, et cetera. But, you know, yes, of course. I mean, you know, look, I invited the president to come down for the game. Right. He is a friend. I've known him for 30 years, and I'm very proud to bring the team to the White House. You said you were privileged that a sitting president came to the Garden. First time ever for a finals game.

22:22First time ever for any NBA finals. President Trump attending Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, the only game the Knicks lost in the finals, the Knicks set to become the first NBA champs to visit the White House during either of President Trump's terms. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show live on Sirius XM's The Megan Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash Megan Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.

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