Trump's "Permanent Pause" After DC Attack, Alleged "Second Strike" Under Scrutiny: AM Update 12/1

1 Dec 2025 · 20 min

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Podcast Episode Notes: The Megyn Kelly Show - "Trump's 'Permanent Pause' After DC Attack, Alleged 'Second Strike' Under Scrutiny: AM Update 12/1"

Episode Overview In this episode of *The Megyn Kelly Show*, host Megyn Kelly provides an update on significant political and social events, including President Trump's recent immigration policies following a violent attack in Washington, D.C., alongside developments involving Senator Cory Booker and alleged military orders.

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Key Topics Discussed

  1. Trump's Immigration Policy Changes
  2. Background: Following the ambush of two National Guard soldiers in D.C. by an Afghan national, President Trump announces a "permanent pause" on immigration from third-world countries.
  3. Incident Details:
  4. Afghan national, Ramanola Lachenwal, attacked the soldiers, resulting in one death and another critically injured.
  5. Lachenwal was a U.S. refugee who entered under Operation Allies Welcome.
  6. Immigration Crackdown:
  7. Trump halts asylum application processing and increases troop deployment in D.C.
  8. The emphasis is on prioritizing American safety and scrutinizing migrants from regions deemed unsafe.
  9. Specific focus on the Somali community in Minnesota due to alleged widespread fraud linked to Medicaid and social services.
  1. Somali Fraud Scandals in Minnesota
  2. Allegations emerge regarding a network of fraud by Somali immigrants, reportedly costing the state over a billion dollars.
  3. Governor Tim Walz responds to criticisms, emphasizing that not all Somalis should be demonized for the actions of a few.
  4. The political implications of fraud cases, including reluctance to act due to fears of being labeled racist.
  1. Alleged Military Orders and Controversies
  2. Discussion about a reported "second strike" order linked to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with claims of it being potentially illegal.
  3. Details of a U.S. strike on a drug-running vessel, with accusations that survivors were targeted in violation of military law.
  4. Political Reactions:
  5. Criticism from lawmakers and media scrutiny of military operations under recent orders.
  6. Trump’s defense of the military actions and his distancing from the alleged orders.
  1. Cory Booker's Surprise Wedding
  2. Senator Cory Booker marries Alexis Lewis after a short engagement, generating media attention.
  3. Light-hearted commentary on the nature of the couple’s engagement and the implications for Booker's political future.

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Key Takeaways

  • Political Implications: Trump's immigration policy is a direct response to recent violence and fraud allegations, showcasing a hardline stance that resonates with his support base.
  • Controversy in Military Operations: The discussion about military orders reveals complexities in the legal interpretations of military actions, and the potential for political fallout.
  • Cory Booker's Personal Life: The senator's marriage brings a personal narrative to the forefront amid a backdrop of political challenges, potentially influencing public perception.

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Concluding Remarks Megyn Kelly wraps up the episode with a reminder for listeners to stay tuned for more in-depth discussions on current events in her upcoming shows. The episode highlights the intersection of crime, immigration policy, and personal stories in the political landscape, reflecting the ongoing complexities within American politics.

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*[End of Notes]*

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Transcript

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0:01Neither cough nor cold nor gloom of muscle aches stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed AM update. Forgive the voice. I'm fine. I'm on the mend, at least. Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, December 1st, 2025, and this is your AM update. The president is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third world countries. President Trump announcing a series of immigration restrictions following the ambush of two National Guard soldiers in D.C. by an Afghan national. Multiple Somali fraud scandals rock Minnesota, and President Trump takes action.

0:40They may find out, you know, down the road that they did something that is illegal. It is not fair to them. Just weeks after a group of Democrat lawmakers stirs up controversy about hypothetical illegal military orders, the media suddenly finds a story to match the fake concern. And Senator Cory Booker ties the knot after a very brief and super smiley engagement. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

1:10When customers are walking through the aisles of their local Walmart, they are not just picking up groceries or supplies, they are supporting American businesses and their communities. The real story is what's behind the label. With over two-thirds of the products Walmart buys made, grown, or assembled right here in the U.S., Buying local is not just stocking shelves. It's about strengthening communities. Because of that commitment, Walmart invested$350 billion in U.S. manufacturing, helping American companies like Fisher and Weezer Specialty Foods, that's a local Texas business, expand their operations in Fredericksburg, Texas, to hire more people and bring their Texas-grown peach jam to a national market.

1:51Their story is just one example of how Walmart's U.S. manufacturing investment is supporting over 750 ,000 American jobs. Businesses across the country are empowered to sell more, hire more, and help their communities grow. From farms to factories to final shopping carts, learn how Walmart is fueling the future of U.S. manufacturing at walmart.com slash americaatwork. work. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealing new details about the Afghan National accused of ambushing two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. last week. On Wednesday, 29-year-old suspect Ramanola Lachenwal allegedly shooting 20-year-old specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, both members of the West Virginia National Guard, in what officials described as a targeted attack, just blocks from the White House.

2:44At the time, Beckstrom and Wolf were on patrol as part of President Trump's crime crackdown in the district. Beckstrom died the following day, on Thanksgiving. Wolf still hospitalized in critical condition. Lock and Wall, shot and apprehended by another guard member after the attack, then taken to a hospital, the Daily Wire reporting he is expected to survive. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, on Friday, announcing the suspect's charges upgraded to first-degree murder following Beckstrom's death, in addition to two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Pirro also saying Lock and Wall lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.

3:24Law enforcement carried out a raid on the property. He reportedly drove from Washington state across the country to carry out the attack. Fox News reporting Lock and Wall worked with the CIA and other government entities in Afghanistan before the Biden administration's disastrous August 2021 withdrawal from the country. Lock and wall entering the U.S. the following month under Operation Allies Welcome, an emergency resettlement program bringing thousands of Afghanis to the U.S. who were at risk of Taliban retaliation due to their cooperation with U.S. forces. At the time, many critics, including then-Senate candidate J.D.

4:01Vance, slamming the program, raising serious national security concerns regarding the lack of ability to adequately vet the newcomers. CIA Director John Ratcliffe telling Fox Digital, quote, the individual and so many others should have never been allowed to come here. Reuters reports his asylum application was approved in April of this year. Secretary Noem Sunday on ABC saying investigators are working to determine the motive and sharing new details about the suspect. And now since he's been here, we believe he could have been radicalized in his home community and in his home state. So as we continue to talk to his family and his contacts, more details will be revealed and we'll release those when it's appropriate.

4:45So he came from Afghanistan and was radicalized in America? That's great. Just great. The Associated Press reporting Saturday, Lock and Wall had been struggling for years, quote, unable to hold a job and flipping between long, lightless stretches of isolation and taking sudden, weeks-long cross-country drives. The AP also reporting that a community advocate once contacted a refugee organization due to fears that Lock and Wall was suicidal. President Trump responding to the attack with a series of orders aimed at cracking down on immigration, in addition to the deployment of 500 more troops to D.C.

5:25From Palm Beach, Mr. Trump posting this video Wednesday night. As president of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price. This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation. The last administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world, from places that you don't want even know about. No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival. On Friday, the Trump administration reportedly halting all asylum application processing. Secretary Noem Sunday on NBC asked if President Trump is planning to end all immigration into the U.S.

6:11The president is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third world countries until we can have a thorough opportunity to go through these individuals, know that they're here for their right intentions, and that they even should be in our country to begin with. He's putting Americans first, their safety first. President Trump's immigration crackdown taking specific aim at the Somali community in Minnesota. In November, reporting from the Manhattan Institute's City Journal, alleging that networks within the Minnesota Somali community ripped off state Medicaid and social services programs of more than a billion dollars, with millions reportedly sent back to Somalia via remittances, where the Al-Shabaab terrorist group then takes a cut.

6:58In the wake of that reporting, President Trump announcing the termination of temporary protected status for Somali nationals in Minnesota, a move ultimately only affecting a few hundred out of tens of thousands of Somalis in the U.S. But the president's crackdown escalating sharply in the wake of the attack on two national guardsmen in D.C. Mr. Trump posting on Thanksgiving to Truth Social, I will permanently pause migration from all third world countries and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the U.S. or is incapable of loving our country and all federal benefits and subsidies to non-citizens of our country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk or non-compatible with Western civilization.

7:47Then on Saturday, the New York Times with its own lengthy report with the headline, how fraud swamped Minnesota's social services system on Tim Walz's watch. Way to get scooped by City Journal, Times. The Times detailing federal prosecutors charging dozens of people with felonies for their alleged roles in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which involved COVID-era programs meant to feed hungry children. According to the DOJ, the money instead was used by mostly Somali immigrants to funnel hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into luxury cars, homes, and even overseas investments. Prosecutors so far convicting 59 people across three major schemes, the meals program, a program for individuals at risk for homelessness, and an autism therapy program with losses totaling more than$1 billion.

8:38Of the 86 people charged in connection with these schemes, all but eight members of Minnesota's Somali community. Governor Walz gently asked about the reporting Sunday on NBC, deflecting the criticism. Do you take responsibility for failing to stop this fraud in your state? Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail. Governors don't get to just talk theoretically. We have to solve problems. And I will note, it's not just Somalis. Minnesota is a generous state. Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well-run state where AAA bond rated. But that attracts criminals. Those people are going to jail.

9:14We're doing everything we can. But to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it's lazy. That is totally disconnected with demonizing an entire group of people who came here fleeing civil war and created a vibrant community that makes Minnesota and this country better. But that's Donald Trump. Deflect, demonize, come up with no solutions. He's not going to help fix anything on fraud. My God, there's a big difference between fraud and corruption, and corruption is something he knows about. The White House rapid response account on X pointing out these are all federal cases and the governor's not involved in the prosecutions.

9:50Ignored by NBC's host, the Times reporting that Minnesota's nonpartisan auditor found state officials were reluctant to take forceful action due to fears over litigation and negative media coverage involving racism allegations. In other words, they knew and did nothing because they didn't want to be called mean words. The Times, speaking to a former investigator in the state's attorney general's office, who said, quote, quote, forcefully tackling this issue might cause political backlash among the Somali community, which is a core voting bloc for Democrats. One career prosecutor describing the situation to The Times is, quote, a huge part of the problem.

10:30Allegations of racism can be a reputation or career killer. Last night, President Trump aboard Air Force One, expanding on just how much of a pause Americans should be expecting. We don't want those people. We have enough problems. We don't want those people. Is that a year, two years? No time limit, but it could be a long time. We don't want those people. Do you understand that? What do I mean by those people? Can you clarify? People from different countries that are not friendly to us and countries that are out of control themselves. Countries like Somalia that have virtually no government, no military, no police.

11:05All they do is go around killing each other. Then they come into our country and tell us how to run our country. We don't want them. Coming up, shortly after a group of Democrat lawmakers warns military service members to ignore hypothetical illegal orders, and after two weeks of criticism for their failure to cite even one allegedly illegal order, their buddies in the media do their best to find one. And sorry, ladies and others, Senator Cory Booker is officially off the market.

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12:15Once it is approved, your medication is shipped directly, privately, and securely to your home. The Black Friday event lasts for one week only, and supplies are limited. When it's gone, it's gone. If you value preparation, clarity, and having real choices for your family's health, Consider allfamilypharmacy.com slash Megan before December 2nd and secure your Black Friday. Buy one, get one free deal now. Two weeks after, a group of six Democrat lawmakers stirred up controversy by urging U.S. service members to ignore hypothetical illegal orders from President Trump and on the heels of even left-wing media outlets embarrassing Democrats by asking them to name the illegal orders at issue, only to be met with crickets in response, the Washington Post and CNN now reporting on, aha, a potentially illegal order allegedly given by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

13:08Fortuitous timing. According to the Post, on September 2nd, a U.S. surveillance aircraft struck a suspected drug-running vessel off the coast of Trinidad, leaving two survivors clinging to the wreckage. The Post claiming on orders from Secretary Hegseth to leave no survivors, the special ops commander overseeing the mission ordered a second strike. The Post quoting a former military lawyer and U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, Democrat Seth Moulton, both suggesting the second strike constituted an illegal order because the survivors were incapable of fighting against the U.S. and no longer posed a threat.

13:43Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, the group executing the mission, briefing the White House that the double tap was necessary to fully sink the vessel, clearing a navigational hazard. According to the Post, which reported the commander of the operation determined, quote, survivors were still legitimate targets because they could theoretically call other traffickers to retrieve them and their cargo. According to the Post's unnamed sources, the boat was struck a total of four times, twice to kill everyone and two more times to sink it. Congressman Moulton telling the Post, quote, killing survivors is blatantly illegal.

14:18Mark my words, he continued, it may take some time, but Americans will be prosecuted for this, either as a war crime or outright murder. Secretary Hegseth, defending the mission Friday on social media, quote,

14:43CNN reporting the DOJ produced a legal opinion over the summer, arguing the president is allowed to authorize strikes against certain cartels and criminal organizations in self-defense because of the imminent threat to Americans posed by said groups. Both House and Senate Armed Services Committees, led by Republicans, moving to open inquiries. U.S. Senator from Arizona, Democrat Mark Kelly, who participated in the video urging military members to ignore illegal orders, and also a member of the Armed Services Committee, Sunday on Meet the Press, expressing his concern. Would you refuse that order in real time?

15:19Well, let me start by saying I've sunk two boats, two ships. Never once did I question whether those orders were legal or illegal. People can tell the difference, should be able to tell the difference between something that is unlawful and something that is lawful. And if I was ever given an unlawful order, I would refuse. My concern is with the service members that they're going to we're going to put these individuals in a really, really tough decision in a tough place. And, you know, they may find out, you know, down the road that they did something that is illegal. It is not fair to them. Last night on Air Force One, President Trump pushed back on the reporting in The Post.

15:58If there were a second strike that killed wounded people wounded in the first strike, are you thinking that would be legal? I don't know that that happened. And Pete said he did not want them. He didn't even know what people were talking about. So we'll look into it. But no, I wouldn't have wanted that, not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine. And if there were two people around, but Pete said that didn't happen. I have great confidence. I don't know. I'm going to find out about it. But Pete said he did not order the death of those two men. Amid all the uproar sparked by this story, senior writer at Real Clear Investigations Mark Hemingway urging caution, posting to X, quote, based on what we know so far, a whole lot of people are outraged and energetically pretending to be experts on obscure aspects of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and international law, when the known facts just aren't credible enough to speculate.

16:59U.S. Senator from New Jersey, Democrat Cory Booker, surprising the nation this weekend with news of his wedding. The New York Times exclusively reporting on the 56-year-old's quote, intimate Saturday ceremony in D.C., tying the nut with 38-year-old Alexis Lewis, following a Monday courthouse ceremony in Newark where the couple's parents served as witnesses. They were reportedly engaged just three months ago. Lewis is a director of investments at a real estate investment firm in Los Angeles and former staffer for the Democratic mayor of L.A., Eric Garcetti. The pair met in May of 2024, according to the Times, on a blind date coordinated through a mutual friend.

17:39Senator Booker emailing the Times that, quote, the second date was even more magical, detailing an evening of tapas, followed by tickets to the Broadway show Suffs, a musical based on the women's suffrage movement. Senator Booker popping the question in Hawaii after native Hawaiian musicians played Mariah Carey's Dream Lover. Magical, Broadway, Women's Suffrage, and Mariah Carey. Okay. Lewis telling the performers she had always wanted the song to be played at her wedding, Senator Booker reportedly replying, quote, well, honey, this is the song that's playing at your proposal. That moment captured in images shared by Booker on social media on September 2nd, showing the extremely, extremely happy couple with eyes wide, mouths agape, as in like Publisher's Clearinghouse showed up at your house with an enormous check, mouths agape, in full theatrical excitement.

18:39HBO host Bill Maher describing the scene this way. We congratulate Senator Cory Booker on his recent engagement. He has to explain why his engagement photos look like an ad for prescription drugs. Because these pictures don't make me think, great, now we can run for president without the stigma of being a bachelor. They make me think, don't let moderate to severe ulcerative colitis stand in your way. Ask your doctor about Zylakia. Speaking of presidential runs, the Times going out of its way to include this little detail. The couple's wedding comes eight months after Mr. Booker delivered a 25-hour speech on the Senate floor, opposing the Trump administration's policies in March, setting a record.

19:22His stamina and tenacity drew renewed attention from Democrats, who have largely been sidelined in the Capitol since President Donald J. Trump's inauguration in January. The moment reignited speculation about a potential presidential run. Mr. Booker last sought the nomination in 2020. When Senator Booker dropped out of the 2020 race, he was polling at 2 % nationally, FiveThirtyEight reporting at the time, after the first debate in late June, he didn't surpass 4 % in a single national survey, and he continued to lose steam, failing to qualify for the December and January debates. Preliminary polling ahead of 2028 showing the same story, the RealClearPolitics polling average showing Senator Booker at just 2.5%.

20:06But at least he's totally and authentically happily married now. 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, one 11 at noon East on youtube.com slash Megan Kelly and an all podcast platforms.

From the publisher

President Trump rolls out a "permanent pause" on immigration from Third World countries after an Afghan national allegedly ambushed two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC, killing one and critically injuring the other, as well as mounting Somali fraud scandals in Minnesota. Two weeks after six Democrat lawmakers urged troops to ignore hypothetical illegal orders, the Washington Post and CNN report an alleged "second strike" order tied to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that some say could be illegal. Senator Cory Booker caps off the holiday weekend with a surprise wedding to Alexis Lewis after a short, highly enthusiastic, engagement.


 

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