Trump Eases Medical Marijuana Rules, Navy Chief Fired, Gallego Scrutiny Intensifies: AM Update 4/24

0:01The wrongs we must right. The fights we must win. The future we must secure together for our nation. This is what's in front of us. This determines what's next for all of us. We are Marines. We were made for this.

0:32Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Friday, April 24th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. We expect the research to significantly increase so that we can understand how to guide patients and doctors in this effort. Medical marijuana reclassified at the federal level, the Trump administration easing restrictions to expand research and access while stopping short of full legalization. He's a heart charger, and he had some conflicts with some other people mostly as to building and buying new ships. Navy Secretary John Phelan abruptly pushed out of the Trump administration a sudden firing tied to internal clashes over the pace of shipbuilding.

1:13Pressure building on Senator Ruben Gallego as new reporting on a late-night outing in the country of Colombia coincides with an ongoing Senate ethics investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. and three political candidates suspended from a major prediction market after betting on their own races in an insider trading crackdown. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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3:05Under DEA guidelines, Schedule 1 drugs, including heroin, ecstasy, and LSD, have, quote, no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 3 drugs, like Tylenol with codeine, testosterone, and ketamine, have, quote, a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. The move does not legalize marijuana at the federal level. That would require an act of Congress. In an ex-post, A.G. Blanche writing, quote, these actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana's safety and efficacy, expanding patients' access to treatments, and empowering doctors to make better informed health care decisions.

3:47Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Heidi Overton, yesterday in the Oval explaining the kind of research this move is expected to unlock. It makes it easy for the researchers to actually study and understand medical marijuana, especially in populations that are using it. We know that one in ten seniors right now used medical marijuana in the past year, and they report that it really helps them, but we don't have the science or the understanding to guide the patients and the doctors. And so both patients and doctors are flying blind without knowing how they interact with other medications because the research has been difficult to do.

4:22And so your promise today says those state licensed medical marijuana products are now in Schedule 3 and we expect the research to significantly increase so that we can understand how to guide patients and doctors in this effort. The DEA set to hold a hearing on June 29th to consider whether all cannabis, not just medical marijuana, should be moved to Schedule 3. 40 states and D.C. currently allow medical use of marijuana. 24 of those states and D.C. allow recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The move drawing mixed reactions. Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald posting to X, quote, the executive order last week on fast-tracking studies of psychedelic drugs and this new one on marijuana are both unadulterated positives, even if they should go further.

5:10Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, releasing a statement reflecting the concerns of many, quote, marijuana today is much more potent than just 10 or 20 years ago, leading to increased psychosis, antisocial behavior, and fatal car crashes. Arkansans don't want more dangerous drugs obtained more easily. A change to marijuana's drug classification is a step in the wrong direction. Navy Secretary John Phelan, the latest high-ranking Trump official to be forced out of the administration. On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell abruptly announcing, quote, Secretary of the Navy John C.

5:48Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately. We wish him well in his future endeavors. Undersecretary Hong Kao now stepping in as acting Navy secretary. The move comes as the Navy enforces a blockade of Iranian ports amid a tenuous ceasefire in the ongoing conflict. Multiple outlets reporting on the source of the internal tension between Phelan and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, largely centering on the pace of shipbuilding efforts, a top priority for the Trump administration as it looks to expand and modernize the Navy. A government accountability report from March 2025, finding the Navy had not increased the number of ships in its fleet over the past 20 years, despite doubling its shipbuilding budget.

6:33In December, President Trump, flanked by Secretary Hegseth and Phelan, announcing plans to build a new kind of battleship dubbed the Trump class. While America has built many new warships over the years, they've tended to be smaller, much smaller, and not conducive to where we are and where we're going and peace through strength. but including we've been building aircraft carriers. We're going to be upping that also. We haven't built a battleship since 1994. These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships. It will be actually the most ever built other than our submarines.

7:15Each one of these will be the largest battleship in the history of our country, the largest battleship in the history of the world ever built. President Trump yesterday from the Oval weighing in on the shakeup. He's a hard charger, and he had some conflicts with some other people, mostly as to building and buying new ships. I'm very aggressive in the new ship building, and somehow he just didn't get along with them. He's an excellent guy. You've got to get along, especially in the military. You've got to get along. And some people liked him, some people didn't. and that's usually the truth about everything, but I found him to be a very good man and I liked him a lot.

7:57President Trump also posting a statement to Truth Social that reads in part, quote, John Phelan is smart, tough, and respected by all. And although he has decided to move on from his position as Secretary of the Navy, I very much appreciate the job that he has done and would certainly like to have him back within the Trump administration sometime in the future. According to CNN, President Trump becoming convinced at a Wednesday meeting with Secretary Hegseth that Phelan needed to be replaced, instructing Hegseth to, quote, take care of it. The war secretary that informing Phelan he could either resign or be fired.

8:30Phelan initially did not believe President Trump was aware of the decision, according to the outlet, making calls to administration officials before heading to the White House in search of answers. The Navy secretary ultimately meeting briefly with the president, who confirmed he was out of a job. The move marking the latest in a series of high-level shakeups inside the Trump administration, Secretary Hegseth recently dismissing three top-ranking army generals from the Pentagon. It also comes amid broader turnover at the cabinet level in recent weeks, with three secretaries forced out or resigning, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Daremer.

9:11Coming up, scrutiny intensifying around Senator Ruben Gallego relating to new reporting about a late-night outing in South America and an ethics probe involving sexual misconduct allegations. And three political candidates suspended from a major prediction market after betting on their own campaigns.

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10:15Sign 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. Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat from Arizona, staying out until 3 a.m. last summer, partying at a club on an official trip to Bogota, Colombia, despite warnings of a credible threat to his life, according to the outlet Notice.

10:58Senator Gallego joining a congressional delegation to, quote, strengthen bilateral relations with Colombia, according to a press release relating to the August 2025 trip. Embassy staff reportedly informing the senator's security detail of the threat, which was relayed while he was at dinner. After some discussion, three sources telling Notice, the senator decided to stay out, walking to the nightclub after dinner. Senator Gallego and his chief of staff reportedly extending an invite to other staffers on the trip, though it is unclear if any joined. Notice reporting there are no allegations of inappropriate behavior between Senator Gallego and any embassy staff members.

11:36The following morning, Senator Gallego's chief of staff reportedly had to get a key to access the senator's room to wake him up for the bus set for the airport. A source close to Gallego telling Notice, it is standard procedure for the chief of staff to conduct a wake-up call involving knocking on the door and retrieving him. A spokesperson for the senator responding in a statement that Gallego, quote, coordinated closely with embassy security throughout the trip, including on the evening in question, and followed all security guidance. The report comes as Senator Gallego faces increasing scrutiny due to his close friendship with now-former Congressman Eric Swalwell, who resigned from the House last week amid sexual misconduct allegations.

12:16Mr. Gallego speaking to reporters shortly before Swalwell's resignation about the nature of their friendship. Eric Swalwell lied to all of us. But to be clear again, I also had no knowledge of predatory behavior, sexual assault, or harassment. Have you ever engaged in any inappropriate sexual misconduct or behavior toward your staff, other staff, other women outside of your marriage? No. In a separate matter, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, last week referring accusations of sexual misconduct regarding an alleged incident involving Senator Gallego and Eric Swalwell to Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

12:55The Congresswoman last Thursday on CBS elaborating on the accusations. Without, I guess, getting too graphic, there is a woman that allegedly is coming forward with attorneys, wants to go on record about an incident that occurred between the two of them at the same time, and the event was sexual in nature, allegedly. But it's not just that. There's also two apparently issues of campaign finance violations. I'm definitely not in the Senate, but I think that Thune should probably take that seriously and look into it, especially given the nature of what's become apparent regarding Eric Swalwell. Earlier this week, Majority Leader Thune confirming the matter had been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee for investigation.

13:37Axios reports Senator Gallego is cooperating with the committee. The senator denies all accusations of wrongdoing. A spokesperson telling Axios, quote, these are right-wing conspiracy theories being parroted by a fringe far-right member of Congress. The secretive investigation process can take months or even years to complete, unless, of course, we see another congressional resignation first. Prediction Market Calci announcing Wednesday it has fined and suspended three political candidates for insider trading after determining they placed bets on their own campaigns. Calci, an exchange overseen by the Federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, allows users to trade on the future outcome of real-world events, spanning everything from election results to oil prices to weather patterns and much more.

14:27The suspension's coming as prediction markets draw heightened scrutiny, with massive well-timed trades raising serious concerns about the use of privileged or insider information to win thousands or more. Yesterday, the DOJ announcing the arrest of a U.S. Special Forces soldier involved in the operation to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of placing roughly$30 ,000 in bets on outcomes tied to Venezuela and Maduro, winning more than$400 ,000. Calci and other prediction markets also facing multiple ongoing lawsuits alleging they are actually unlicensed gambling markets.

15:04A number of states exploring various forms of regulatory action. Against that backdrop, Calci now moving to tighten its rules, flagging what it calls newly released safeguards designed to block political candidates from trading on markets tied directly to their own races. The three candidates penalized include independent U.S. Senate candidate from Virginia, Mark Moran, former Republican congressional candidate Ezequiel Enriquez in Texas, and Democratic Minnesota State Senator Matt Kline, who is currently running for Congress. Kline and Enriquez cooperating with the investigation, agreeing to pay fines and accept five-year bans from the platform.

15:41Klein confirming in a statement on X that he placed a$50 bet on winning his primary, adding he was unaware it violated exchange rules, writing, quote, this was a mistake and I apologize. Klein now a co-author of legislation under consideration in Minnesota that would ban prediction markets altogether. Moran, however, taking a different approach, publicly disputing the allegations in a social media video, saying he placed the bets to expose the dangers of prediction markets. You've heard your attention. Now, earlier today, Kalshi came out and they said that I insider traded on a market about me running for office.

16:18Now, I've been waiting for this. And why is that? It's to call attention to something much larger. How elections can be bought. And our democracy is up for sale. And Kalshi is responsible. I am doing this not to make money. People call me a grifter, they call me many things, but in reality, I've only lost money. I have not made any money. And so it takes someone to be a sacrificial lamb, essentially, to go out there, say the things that need to be said, that our elections can be bought, that the donor class controls. And these prediction markets are only helping to facilitate those with money to continue to buy us off.

17:00In a post accompanying the video, Moran arguing the platform can be manipulated by large donors to influence public perception. claiming market movement itself can sway voters when amplified by media coverage. He also denies engaging in insider trading, telling The Washington Post he had already publicly discussed his plans to run before placing any bets. Moran telling The Washington Post he wagered$77 on entering the race, earning a$424 payout, and placed an additional$105 bet on becoming the Democratic nominee, despite planning to ultimately drop out of the Dem primary and run as an independent.

17:36He says Calci initially proposed a settlement including an$800 fine, a platform ban, and a required public statement, terms he flatly rejected. Moran telling the Wall Street Journal he has no intention of paying the fine. In a statement, Calci indicating serious infractions can be referred to the DOJ or CFTC, but that has not happened in these three cases. It's unclear if Calci will move to collect the fine from Moran. And that'll do it for your AM update. Have a great weekend. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show later today, live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at New East, on YouTube.com slash Megyn Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.

18:21The wrongs we must right. The fights we must win. The future we must secure together for our nation. This is what's in front of us. This determines what's next for all of us. We are Marines. We were made for this.