Kash Patel Sues The Atlantic, Promising Cancer Treatment, Becerra Surges in CA Race: AM Update 4/21

0:01Welcome to the pod they don't want you to hear. Today's episode, Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken. It sounds innocent, right? But where did this delicious hot chicken come from? Do we even have the technology for such mind-altering flavor? Is it aliens? Are they beaming cravings directly into our brains with 5G? Hey, I'm just asking questions. Be warned. Once you try Hangry Joe's, there's no turning back. Henry Joe's hot chicken and wings. If you know, you Joe. Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, and this is your AM Update. Iran negotiations on the verge of collapse as the ceasefire deadline approaches, while Israel reacts to one of its soldiers seen smashing a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon.

0:50Yes, I will, for defamation. And because you know what, Maria, We have to fight back against the fake news. FBI Director Kash Patel filing a$250 million defamation suit against The Atlantic over allegations of drinking and erratic behavior. Pancreatic cancer is the toughest. So our hope is if we can crack the toughest, hopefully we can learn how to crack the rest. An experimental mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer, delivering early signs of progress in a small trial. and California's governor race shaken up after disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell's exit with a potential dark horse emerging in new polling.

1:30All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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2:16Sign up to get free silver on your next purchase and get even larger incentives as you go. The more you learn, the more you can earn. But you have to act now as this special event only runs through April 30th. Text my initials MK to the number 989898 to join Birch Gold's Learn and Earn Precious Metals event by April 30th. Go now because there's not much time. Text MK to 989898 today. The state of peace negotiations with Iran as precarious as ever. President Trump on Monday telling Bloomberg the ceasefire expires tomorrow evening and it is, quote, highly unlikely that it will be extended without a deal.

2:57The president telling PBS, quote, lots of bombs will start going off in the event a deal is not reached. Mr. Trump has repeatedly used bellicose language in an effort to scare the Iranians into making a deal. Vice President J.D. Vance set to lead the talks, according to White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff also slated to attend the meeting in Islamabad. They are set to depart sometime today, per CNN. The New York Times reporting earlier in the day Monday that chief negotiator for the Iranians, Mohammed Magir Ghalibov, would attend the talks if Vice President Vance was in attendance.

3:34However, late Monday, Ghalibov indicating talks would not take place under current conditions, writing in an ex-post, quote, quote, Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table into a table of surrender. Galibuf writing Iran will not accept negotiations under threats, referring to the U.S. military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which remains in effect. CNN reporting yesterday that just 16 ships passed through the strait on Monday, with U.S. Central Command directing 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port. So will the negotiations take place or won't they?

4:14Time will tell. The Israeli Defense Force is confirming on Sunday the authenticity of a photo showing an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon. In the photo, the statue of Jesus seen upside down at the base of a cross, feet extended in the air, with the soldier smashing a sledgehammer into the statue's face. The photo, which began circulating online Sunday, sparking widespread backlash among many Catholics and Christians. On Sunday afternoon, the IDF confirming in an ex-post that an investigation into the incident is ongoing. The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.

5:00The post going on to promise the statue will be restored to its place. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issuing a statement, quote, I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. It continues, quote, I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender. Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierre-Baptiste Pizzaballa, who was recently stopped by Israel from celebrating Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, releasing a statement describing the act as, quote, a grave affront to the Christian faith.

5:44The Times of Israel reporting the photo was captured in a Christian village of Debal near the Israeli border. The mayor of Debal telling the New York Times the statue was in the garden of a private home in an area where residents were forced to flee about a month ago by Israel's offensive and to which they have not been allowed to return. Israel and Lebanon are currently observing a fragile 10-day ceasefire while working toward a more permanent security agreement amid the conflict involving the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, which is heavily concentrated in Lebanon. The U.S. set to host the next round of talks this Thursday in Washington, D.C.

6:22FBI Director Kash Patel filing a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick over a piece published Friday originally headlined, quote, Kash Patel's erratic behavior could cost him his job. The article, citing more than two dozen anonymous sources and zero on-the-record sources, alleging Director Patel has demonstrated a pattern of unprofessional conduct, at times appearing visibly intoxicated in social settings in D.C. and during trips to Las Vegas. Some sources claiming early morning briefings were occasionally pushed back following late nights by Director Patel.

6:59In one incident, The Atlantic reports, quote, a request for breaching equipment, normally used by SWAT and hostage rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings, was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request. The article also reporting on a viral moment from February, Director Patel captured on video celebrating with the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team after its gold medal win over Canada, seen drinking and spraying beer in a locker room celebration. Two sources telling the outlet the incident resulted in a phone call to the director from President Trump.

7:36However, the administration publicly backing Patel. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt responding to the report, quote, Crime across the country has plummeted to the lowest level in more than 100 years, and many high-profile criminals have been put behind bars. Director Patel remains a critical player on the administration's law and order team. Director Patel addressing the allegations Sunday on Fox News. If the fake news mafia isn't hitting you personally with baseless information in Washington, D.C., then you're not doing your job. And it's louder than ever. This FBI has the most prolific year in crime reduction in the United States history, a 20-point percent reduction in the homicide rate, a 20-point drop in opiate overdose deaths.

8:19We have found and identified 6 ,300 child victims, 6 ,300 kids get to go home to their kids. That's a 30 percent increase. Seizing enough fentanyl to kill 180 million Americans. That's a 31 percent increase. Tomorrow you will be dropping a lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine. Yes. Yes, I will. For defamation. And because you know what, Maria? We have to fight back against the fake news. And if the fake news mafia wants to, you know, ring their drumbeat as loud as they can, They're never going to stop me from completing the mission that President Trump asked me to do, which is safeguarding America.

8:51And we're doing it better than ever before. At some point on the same day of that interview, The Atlantic editing its headline from Patel's erratic behavior could cost him his job to, quote, the FBI director is MIA. So which is it? They don't say. And there's no explanation for the change nor any correction. The lawsuit filed yesterday morning in U.S. District Court in Washington seeking$250 million in damages, accuses the defendants of publishing what Patel describes as knowingly false claims intended to damage his reputation and force him from office. Patel arguing the piece meets the high legal threshold of actual malice, which requires a public figure suing for defamation to prove that a publisher either knew a claim was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity in publishing the story.

9:41From the complaint, quote, defendants published the article with actual malice, despite being expressly warned hours before publication that the central allegations were categorically false, despite having abundant publicly available information contradicting those allegations, despite obvious and fatal defects in their own sourcing, and adding The Atlantic has a, quote, well-documented, long-running editorial animus toward Director Patel. The complaint alleges a request for more time to respond to the questions went without a response from The Atlantic. The Atlantic responding in a statement, we stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.

10:24Coming up, an experimental mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer now showing early, very promising results in a small trial and a post-Swalwell shakeup in California's governor race with new polling revealing a potential dark horse contender.

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12:15Fewer than 13 % of patients survive more than five years after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Without a routine screening test to catch it early, the disease often is not detected until it has already spread, leaving patients with limited treatment options. Only 20 % of cases are operable, per NBC News, and for those patients, an important breakthrough now being tested. A personalized mRNA vaccine built from a patient's tumor to help the immune system target lingering cancer cells and destroy those that may form later. Dr. Vinod Balachandram, who is leading the trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, describing the results to NBC.

12:58Even at six years, you can find the immune cells made by the vaccine circulating in her blood at very high levels. What kind of difference could this make? Pancreatic cancer is the toughest. So our hope is if we can crack the toughest, Just hopefully we can learn how to crack the rest. A small phase one trial involving just 16 patients was recently conducted. Of those, eight responded to the treatment with only two seeing their cancer come back. Experts cautioning the results are still early, based on a limited number of patients, and not yet proof the treatment will work at larger scale. Phase two of the trial now underway, backed by vaccine manufacturers Genentech and BioNTech.

13:43Dr. Balachandran and his team now studying how the vaccine is working within the immune system to fight the disease. New polling since Democrat and former Congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial race last week amid a wave of sexual misconduct allegations, revealing a potential dark horse contender. Prior to Swalwell's career imploding, he had been routinely performing in the top three, along with Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. California's open primary system means the top two candidates on election day advance to the general, regardless of party. Former Biden HHS Secretary Javier Becerra now surging in a slate of new polls.

14:24Political consulting firm Gudalunas Strategies, which backs Becerra, finding the former secretary up 11 points since a similar poll preceding Swalwell's exit. The firm reporting Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton leads at 20 percent. Becerra tied for second with billionaire Tom Steyer, both at 15 percent. Sheriff Chad Bianco in third at 14 percent. And former Congresswoman Katie Porter bringing up the rear of the top tier. I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question? In fourth at 13 percent. The remainder of the field trailing in the single digits. Polling firm Create has Becerra in fourth at 10 percent.

15:03That's up eight points from a month ago. A new poll from Emerson College out late last week finding Hilton leading the pack at 17, followed by Bianco, who, along with Steyer, is in this poll tied for second at 14 percent. Becerra and Katie Porter each tied below that at 10 percent. Outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom yet to endorse any candidates, but The New York Post now reporting the governor's allies are increasingly shifting their attention toward Becerra. CNN on Sunday asking Becerra what he believes is behind the surge. I think folks feel very deceived and voters want to see someone they can trust.

15:42It's a tough time in politics. And I believe voters are looking for someone that they can trust. And I believe one thing that makes them have that trust is experience. And I think if I have something, it's experience. Riveting. Tom Steyer, who made his billions as a founder of a San Francisco-based hedge fund, vastly outspending his opponents, booking more than$115 million in ads, according to the AP, nearly 30 times more than his nearest Democrat opponent. Porter, placing in the middle of the pack in most polling, still fighting as well, with this compelling argument last week on KTLA. I think this is a time for women to lead.

16:21I think this is a time for moms to lead. In October, the New York Post reporting on resurfaced documents from Porter's 2013 divorce, in which she was accused of dumping scalding hot mashed potatoes on her then-husband's head, more like moms beating than leading. Each of the five aforementioned candidates, plus San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, set to take the stage tomorrow night in a debate focusing on the economy, public safety, housing, and the state's future direction. Early voting begins May 5th, with the primary set for June 2nd. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show.

17:01Live on SiriusXM's The Megan Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east. On YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly. And on all podcast platforms.

17:14Welcome to the pod they don't want you to hear. Today's episode, Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken. It sounds innocent, right? But where did this delicious hot chicken come from? Do we even have the technology for such mind-altering flavor? Is it aliens? Are they beaming cravings directly into our brains with 5G? Hey, I'm just asking questions. Be warned. Once you try Hangry Joe's, there's no turning back. Hangry Joe's hot chicken and wings. If you know, you Joe.