Iran's 8pm Deadline, Soleimani Niece Arrest, Artemis II Breaks Space Travel Record: AM Update 4/7

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0:32Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, April 7th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. Every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again. A major deadline looming, President Trump warning Iran of devastating consequences if a deal has not reached tonight. ICE arresting the niece and grandniece of deceased Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, reportedly living lavishly in America for more than a decade. The Supreme Court's ruling today fixes this great injustice. A win for former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, the U.S. Supreme Court clearing the way to dismiss his conviction for defying a congressional subpoena.

1:21And a major milestone in space, the Artemis II astronauts reaching farther into deep space than any humans in history. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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2:18Pure Talk supports veterans every single day and creates American jobs. If you want to give it a shot, dial pound 250 and say Megyn Kelly to switch to Pure Talk. Okay, that's pound 250, pound 250. Say Megyn Kelly, and that will switch you on over to Pure Talk, America's wireless company, Pure Talk. The clock is ticking to a potentially major escalation in the war with Iran. President Trump setting a hard 8 p.m. Eastern deadline tonight with a strong warning. Reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on Iranian power plants and bridges. At a press conference yesterday, the president responding to a question about how far he is willing to go if no deal is struck before the deadline.

3:03Mr. Trump painting a stark picture. Very little is offline. Are there certain kinds of civilian targets though i'm thinking i don't want to tell you that i don't want to tell you that we have we have a plan because of the power of our military where every bridge in iran will be decimated by 12 o 'clock tomorrow night where every power plant in iran will be out of business burning exploding and never to be used again and it'll happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to. We don't want that to happen. We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation. And you know what? If that's the case, the last thing we want to do is start with power plants, which are among the most expensive things, and bridges.

3:51Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No. It will take them a hundred years to rebuild. Over the past several weeks, the administration's cycling through various claims about the state of the operation, frequently claiming we have already, quote, won, and referring to the Iranian regime as, quote, decimated, saying things are ahead of schedule, while also saying more time is needed to finish the job. The president asked about that, too. So which is it? Are you winding this down? I can't tell you. I don't know. I can't tell you. Depends what they do. This is a critical period. They have a period of, well, till tomorrow at eight o 'clock.

4:30I gave them an extension. They They asked for an extension of seven days, right? I said, Steve, give them 10 days. 10 days is up actually today. So I gave him 11, I guess, indirectly. I thought it was inappropriate the day after Easter. I want to be a nice person. They have till tomorrow. Now we'll see what happens. I can tell you they're negotiating. We think in good faith. We're going to find out. We're getting the help of some incredible countries that want this to be ended because it affects them also. A lot of people are affected by this. But we're giving them till tomorrow, 8 o 'clock Eastern Time.

5:11And after that, they're going to have no bridges. They're going to have no power plants. Stone Ages, yeah. Yesterday afternoon, Iranian state media announcing a nationwide campaign aimed at protecting key infrastructure. with Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Ali Reza Rahimi calling on young people to form human chains around power plants across Iran. Rahimi writing on X, quote, We will stand hand in hand to say attacking public infrastructure is a war crime. These human shields, chains, expected to form 13 hours before President Trump's deadline to make a deal. The White House has not yet responded to these developments.

5:54Last Friday in Los Angeles, ICE agents arresting the niece and grandniece of notorious former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who have each been living in the U.S. for more than a decade. An American drone strike killing Soleimani in January 2020, who at the time was widely considered the second most powerful figure in Iran. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoking the green cards or lawful permanent resident status of 47-year-old Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her 25-year-old daughter Serena Sadat Hosseini. Soleimani's niece Afshar, entering the U.S. in 2015 on a tourist visa, according to DHS, then granted asylum in 2019 and in 2021 a green card, allowing her to live and work permanently in the U.S.

6:44Throughout that time, Afshar reportedly maintaining open support for the Iranian regime while also showcasing a lavish lifestyle on social media. Photos showing her sporting designer brands, taking helicopter rides, and posing in luxury vehicles. Despite the highly curated social media accounts depicting a life of luxury, according to the New York Post, Afshar lives in a small accessory dwelling unit, which looks like an air-conditioned shed behind a two-bedroom two-bath homes she reportedly rents to a tenant. According to the State Department, Afshar referred to America on social media as the, quote, great Satan and celebrated attacks on U.S.

7:25soldiers in the Middle East. In July of last year, Afshar applying for naturalization, which would have made her a full U.S. citizen, including the ability to vote and potentially sponsor additional relatives who wanted to move to America. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Afshar traveled back to Iran at least four times since receiving her green card. On X, DHS writing, her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent. Soleimani's grand-niece Hosseini also entering the U.S. in 2015, but on a student visa. In 2019, a judge granting her asylum too, and in 2023, a green card.

8:04Her now-deleted social media accounts showing her dressed in revealing outfits posing provocatively, documenting a jet-setting lifestyle. Many of the behaviors exhibited in these posts, of course, would be illegal in Iran. It is unclear where the funds are from that financed these allegedly extravagant lifestyles, the mother-daughter duo now being held in ICE detention, per Fox News pending removal. Afshar's husband, not named by the State Department, also barred from entering the U.S. Secretary Rubio posting Saturday to X, quote, The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.

8:46Coming up, a major win for former Trump advisor Steve Bannon as the U.S. Supreme Court clears the way to dismiss his contempt of Congress conviction. And a record-breaking journey into deep space. Artemis II astronauts observing parts of the moon never before seen by human eyes.

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9:51Head to SelectQuote.com and a licensed agent will find the right policy for you. Get the right life insurance for you, for less, and save more than 50 % at SelectQuote.com. slash Megan. Save more than 50 % on term life insurance at selectquote.com slash Megan today to get started. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday clearing the way for the DOJ to dismiss former Trump advisor Steve Bannon's conviction for defying a congressional subpoena issued by the now defunct House Select Committee investigating the January 6th riot. The Democrat-led panel, which included just two Republicans, the anti-Trump representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, issuing that subpoena in 2021, demanding both documents and testimony from Bannon.

10:41Bannon refusing to comply, citing executive privilege on the advice of counsel. The then-Democrat-controlled House voting to hold Bannon in contempt, referring the matter to the Biden DOJ, which then charged him with two counts of contempt of Congress. A jury convicting Bannon in 2022. Trump appointed District Judge Carl Nichols, sentencing him to four months in prison and a$6 ,500 fine, with the prison sentence paused pending appeal. Bannon then appealing that conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, arguing his failure to comply was not willful as required by the statute because he was acting on the advice of counsel.

11:19Nineteen months later, in May 2024, a three-judge panel rejecting Bannon's argument and upholding the conviction. The district judge ordered Bannon to then report to prison on July 1, 2024, which he did. Bannon continuing to appeal his case, though, during and after serving his sentence. Nearly one year after leaving prison, Bannon filing a motion requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court hear his case on the merits. In February of this year, the now Bannon-friendly DOJ filing a motion with the Supreme Court in support of Bannon, urging the high court to, quote, remand the case to the district court for further consideration.

11:57The DOJ also filing a motion with the district court to dismiss this indictment altogether. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court in an unsigned order doing just that, vacating the appeals court ruling upholding Bannon's conviction and sending the case back down for consideration of the DOJ's motion to dismiss this case altogether. It is not yet clear when the lower court will act on that motion. Bannon's attorney, Michael Bushbacker, telling CNN, quote, this case should never have been brought. And we're delighted that the decision affirming Mr. Bannon's unlawful conviction has finally been vacated.

12:34We spoke with attorney and founder of the Article 3 project, Mike Davis, who tells us yesterday's decision is an important correction of a fundamentally flawed prosecution. The Supreme Court's ruling today fixes this grave injustice, this grotesque violation of the separation of powers. The Supreme Court is sending this case back to the D.C. District Court, Judge Carl Nichols. and Judge Carl Nichols should dismiss this indictment against Steve Bannon as if no criminal charges were ever brought. This will exonerate Steve Bannon. While Bannon has already served his sentence and will never be able to get that time back, Davis tells us this is far from just a symbolic victory.

13:26This is a crucial victory for Article 2, the Constitution, the separation of powers the presidency because this sends a powerful message in the future that you cannot jail presidential advisors for following constitutional executive privilege going back 250 years to George Washington. This makes it clear that presidents can trust that their advisors will not get called before Congress and have to reveal their confidential candid discussions, the advice they're giving to the president of the United States. We asked Davis for the biggest takeaway from yesterday's order. The bottom line is this. The Supreme Court sends a very powerful message today to the D.C.

14:15Circuit and the D.C. District Court that the Supreme Court is done with these partisan games when it deals with constitutional executive privilege. Unfortunately, Steve Bannon already spent four months in prison. Those who did this to Steve Bannon must be held accountable. The Artemis II crew yesterday making history, officially traveling farther from Earth than any humans ever, surpassing the Apollo 13 record set more than five decades ago, reaching more than 252 ,000 miles from home. Here, that moment captured by astronaut Jeremy Hansen aboard Artemis II. From the cabin of integrity here as we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration.

15:13We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long lived. Well said. Yesterday's lunar flyby lasting about six hours, the Orion capsule carrying four astronauts passing within about 4 ,000 miles of the moon's surface. In that time, the crew getting a direct view of parts of the lunar surface never before seen by human eyes. Throughout the flyby, crew members taking turns at the windows, photographing the surface and annotating what they were seeing.

15:57Around 6.44 p.m. Eastern, the capsule moving into a blackout period, temporarily cut off from all communication with Earth, reestablishing contact about 40 minutes later. Now, with the fun part complete, the Orion slingshotting back to Earth, a four-day journey home. Splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean, just after 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday. Godspeed. 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.

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