Trump Spearheads Israel-Hamas Peace Deal, Comey in Court, CA Arson Suspect Arrested: AM Update 10/9

0:02Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Thursday, October 9th, 2025. And this is your AM update. After two years, the Israeli hostages set to be released as President Trump spearheads a peace deal between Israel and Hamas. We have a very serious left-wing terror threat in our country. President Trump hosting a roundtable at the White House offering independent journalists the opportunity to share their experience reporting on far-left militant organization Antifa. Former FBI Director James Comey appearing in court for the first time, pleading not guilty to the two federal charges he's facing.

0:41This team up here feels that we have met beyond a reasonable doubt. Authorities arresting a man believed to be responsible for starting the Pacific Palisades fire in January, a blaze that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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1:46And burning fat helps keep the weight off. If you want to lose meaningful weight at a healthy pace and keep it off, consider adding lean to your diet and exercise lifestyle. Get 20 % off when you enter MK at TakeLean.com. That's code MK at TakeLean.com. After two years of war, a stunning breakthrough in the Middle East, President Trump declaring peace between Hamas and Israel. On Wednesday evening, two years after the October 7th attack in Israel, Mr. Trump announcing a deal to release the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The president posting to Truth Social, quote, I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first phase of our peace plan.

2:35This means that all of the hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a strong, durable and everlasting peace. Last night on Fox News, President Trump explaining the accomplishment. The whole world came together, to be honest. So many countries that you wouldn't have even thought of it. They came together. The world has come together around this deal. And that's something I would say that without that wouldn't happen. You know, many years they talked about peace in the Middle East. This is more than Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East.

3:11And it's an incredible thing. 48 hostages remain in Gaza. 20 are believed to be alive. Israel will release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1 ,700 Palestinians detained by the IDF since October 7th, according to Axios. President Trump telling Sean Hannity the hostages will be returned on Monday. The big thing is hostages are going to be released. It's probably, our time would be probably Monday. And, you know, it's terribly, a terrible situation. They're deep. They're deep in the earth and they're being gotten. And a lot of things are happening right now. As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed.

3:55And we think they'll all be coming back on Monday. That'll include the bodies of the dead. Israeli officials saying the living hostages are expected to be released in one group, though the return of the deceased could take longer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inviting President Trump to address Israeli Parliament. Mr. Netanyahu also posting on social media, quote, This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the state of Israel. From the beginning, I made it clear we will not rest until all our hostages return and all our goals are achieved. Through steadfast resolve, powerful military action, and the great efforts of our great friend and ally, President Trump, we have reached this critical turning point.

4:41Hamas leadership releasing a statement, quote, we call on President Trump, the guarantor countries of the agreement, and all Arab, Islamic, and international parties to compel the occupation government to fully implement the terms of the agreement and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon. The U.S. represented in Egypt during the latest round of negotiations by Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff and Abraham Accords architect and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Several key aspects of the White House's 20-point plan still under negotiation, including the disarmament of Hamas and the post-war governance of Gaza.

5:22Regardless of the remaining work, the release of the hostages marking a major breakthrough, a moment so significant even the establishment media forced to acknowledge its impact. Here, a sampling from ABC and CNN. Make no mistake, it looks like President Trump has actually pulled off something here that many presidents before him have failed to do. It's a momentous day. There's not much good news in the world. This is great news. I am trying to hold it together, honestly. I've worked on this issue a very long time. I just need to underscore what an enormous moment this is for so many people in this region, for the people of Gaza who have endured two years of war, for the families of these 48 remaining hostages who have endured two years of absolute agony.

6:07This is a watershed moment. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt releasing a statement yesterday evening noting the president will visit Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday for an annual checkup and is, quote, considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter. President Trump holding an Antifa roundtable at the White House yesterday afternoon, featuring top cabinet and DOJ officials along with independent journalists who have covered the extremist group. Antifa, which stands for anti-fascist, is a far-left militant activist network notorious for its black-clad rioters who sow chaos in the streets.

6:48Most recently, Antifa groups mobilizing against federal law enforcement in Democrat-run cities like L.A., Portland, and Chicago Rioters pelting agents with rocks, barricading streets In September, President Trump signing an executive order declaring Antifa a domestic terrorist organization Mr. Trump yesterday describing the seemingly well-funded and escalating Antifa activity over the last decade It should be clear to all Americans that we have a very serious left-wing terror threat in our country. The epidemic of left-wing violence and Antifa-inspired terror has been escalating for nearly a decade.

7:26But they have been very threatening to people, but we're going to be very threatening to them. And that includes the people that fund them. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel weighing in on the DOJ's efforts to identify and prosecute the vast web of Antifa networks. Fighting crime is more than just getting the bad guy off the streets. It's breaking down the organization brick by brick, just like we did with cartels. We're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa. We are following the money. Money never lies. And that's what it's going to take to bring down this network of organized criminal thugs, gangbangers, and yes, domestic terrorists, because that's what they are.

8:11Republicans over the years criticizing Democrats who downplay Antifa, like this moment from the September 2020 debate between President Trump and then-candidate Biden after a full summer of Antifa-fueled BLM rioting. Because this is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem. I'm a white supremacist. Antifa's an idea, not an organization. Oh, you got it. Not militia. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday saying, don't be fooled. Antifa is a well-funded, well-oiled machine. This network of Antifa is just as sophisticated as MS-13, as TDA, as ISIS, as Hezbollah, as Hamas, as all of them.

8:53They are just as dangerous. They have an agenda to destroy us, just like the other terrorists we've dealt with for many, many years. And today is the day that we have a president that won't tolerate it and will stand up and fight for the American people. Several of the journalists at the table who say they've been assaulted by Antifa members, accusing members of the establishment media of running cover for the group's violence. Here, independent journalist Cam Higbee and national correspondent for The Blaze, Julio Rosas. When I leave my house to go to work, I am violently assaulted. I've had guns pulled on me.

9:27I've been bear sprayed. I've been beaten down. I've been almost killed. So my question for all of you is how would you feel if every time you showed up to work, masked militants tried to kill you? Because that's how we feel. Antifa is real. It's real. It's a threat. The reason why there's such a big problem is because we have Democrats and a lot of people in the mainstream media refusing to acknowledge that they even exist. Seattle reporter Brandi Cruz saying getting assaulted by Antifa cured her Trump derangement syndrome. I was told by probably a dozen people not to tell you this. I'm going to tell it to you anyway.

10:00I'm living proof that you can recover from TDS. I had strong Trump derangement syndrome for probably eight years. This is one of the reasons I recovered from it. And by the way, it's much better to not have TDS. I'm happier, I'm healthier, more successful. I even think I got a little more attractive. I was a mainstream reporter in Seattle for 10 years. I was a TV reporter on the streets doing my job, and I was still assaulted by Antifa. Coming up, former FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty. We'll get into what's next in the high-profile case. And authorities arresting a man they believe is responsible for igniting the Pacific Palisades fire, which left 12 people dead.

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11:58Former FBI Director James Comey pleading not guilty in an Alexandria, Virginia federal courtroom yesterday morning. Comey's attorney, Pat Fitzgerald, entering the plea on his behalf to two counts, lying to Congress and obstruction tied to Mr. Comey's 2020 congressional testimony about authorizing leaks. Fitzgerald informing Judge Michael Nachmanoff that his client intends to file a motion to dismiss this case, accusing the government of vindictive prosecution and challenging the appointment of U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who brought the charges. Halligan swearing in as U.S. Attorney on September 22nd, just days after her predecessor, Eric Siebert, left his post.

12:38Siebert says he resigned. President Trump says he was fired. Siebert reportedly under pressure to bring charges against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A grand jury indicted Comey on September 25th, shortly before the statute of limitations was set to expire. Judge Natchmanoff saying a motion to challenge Halligan's appointment will be handled by another judge. Comey's attorney also telling the judge they did not yet have the full details on the nature of the charges against the former director. A DOJ official telling the judge the discovery includes a substantial amount of classified information.

13:13The judge saying, quote, I will not slow this case down because of classified information. The trial is set to begin on January 5th. It is expected to last two to three days. A hearing on the defense's motion to dismiss is set for December 9th. Comey was not taken into custody following the proceedings, and there were no conditions on his release. Comey faces up to five years in prison and a$250 ,000 fine on each count if convicted. Federal prosecutors arresting and charging 29-year-old Jonathan Rindernacht with purposefully starting the Pacific Palisades fire, which ripped through Los Angeles in January, killing 12 and destroying more than 6 ,000 structures.

13:58Authorities arresting Rindernacht in Florida, charging him with destruction of property by fire, a felony carrying a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a max of 20 years behind bars. Through months of investigation, officials determining the Palisades fire, which began on January 7th, was actually a holdover fire, a continuation of the Lachman fire set in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. From the criminal complaint, quote, although the Los Angeles City Fire Department quickly suppressed the Lachman fire on January 1, unbeknownst to anyone, the fire continued to smolder and burn underground within the root structure of dense vegetation.

14:38On January 7th, heavy winds caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became the Palisades Fire. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Assaylee describing Rindernack's movements the night the Lachman Fire was set. Late last New Year's Eve, Rindernack returned to Pacific Palisades after working the evening shift as an Uber driver. after dropping off a passenger in Pacific Palisades, Rinderneck parked his car and tried and failed to contact a former friend. He exited the car, walked up a nearby trail, took iPhone videos at a nearby hilltop, and listened to a rap song whose music video including objects being lit on fire.

15:25The defendant had listened to this song and watched its music video repeatedly in the days leading up to the Lachman fire. The criminal complaint describing the rap song as one of despair and bitterness. Rindernacht was familiar with the area. He previously lived about a block away and hiked there many times before. Just after midnight, fire detection cameras first spotting the blaze. Rindernacht allegedly watching the flames grow for more than a minute before attempting to dial 911 multiple times from the scene. Assaley describing what happened next. It took the defendant several tries to contact 911 to report the fire.

16:04He fled the scene in his car, but turned around after passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction to fight the fire. While the Lachman fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters, using his iPhone to take short videos of the scene. The criminal complaint alleging that Rindernacht asked ChatGPT, quote, Are you at fault if a fire is lit because of your cigarettes while attempting to dial 911? From the complaint, which was written by an ATF fire investigator, quote, Based on my training and experience and this investigation, this indicates that Rindernacht wanted to create evidence regarding a more innocent explanation for the cause of the fire.

16:49Phone records showing in July 2024, Rindernecht asked ChatGPT to create, quote, a dystopian painting divided into distinct parts that blend together seamlessly. On the far left, there is a burning forest. Next to it, a crowd of people is running away from the fire, leading to the middle. In the middle, hundreds and thousands of people in poverty are trying to get past a gigantic gate with a big dollar sign on it. On the other side of the gate, and the entire wall, is a conglomerate of the richest people. They are chilling, watching the world burn down, and watching the people struggle. Subtle.

17:25Investigators ruling out other possible causes for the fire. No lightning strikes or fireworks were recorded in the area at the time. Power lines also ruled out. So too was smoking. Authorities originally questioning Rindernacht in January, a few weeks after the fire, recovering a lighter from the glove compartment of his vehicle. Rindernacht appearing in shackles in an Orlando courtroom yesterday afternoon. Fox 9 News reporting Rindernacht acknowledged that he understood the charges against him. He is set to return to court later today. Assele saying more charges could be brought at a later date after grand jury proceedings.

18:03And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for The Megan Kelly Show, live on SiriusXM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash megan kelly and on all podcast platforms