Two Dead in Grand Canyon Flooding, Pentagon Shakeup, FDA Approves New Cancer Pill: AM Update 9/1

0:00Dave Aronberg:In the U.S., there's a break-in every 26 seconds. But when intruders step near, SimpliSafe Home Security steps up. Stop. This is SimpliSafe. Police are on the way. Using AI alerts, U.S.-based live agents help deter break-ins. SimpliSafe. No long-term contracts. Save 60 % on a new system with professional monitoring during our 20th anniversary sale at SimpliSafe.com slash SXM. Outdoor deterrence requires a SimpliSafe Active Guard outdoor protection plan starting at$49.99 a month. Visit SimpliSafe.com slash licenses for alarm license information. Tennessee 2012. Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly.

0:34Dave Aronberg:It's Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, and this is your AM Update. Reports of pink-clad jurors raising new questions about impartiality in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. There was like a whirlpool in there with all the debris circling around, cabins and other equipment from the maintenance work site. Two dead, more hikers still unaccounted for after flash flooding turns the bottom of the Grand Canyon into a nightmare escape. A wave of new reporting from inside the Pentagon, from concerns over the prolonged Iran operation, to questions about what Pete Hegseth might do next. This drug is different.

1:13First, it's a pill. You take it once a day. And second, it's not a chemotherapy.

1:18Dave Aronberg:A new way to fight one of the deadliest forms of cancer, the FDA approving a first-of-its-kind treatment for pancreatic cancer. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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2:18Dave Aronberg:Head to CozyEarth.com and use my code, MEGANAM for up to 20 % off home and sleepwear. That's code MEGANAM for up to 20 % off on home and sleepwear. And if you see a post-purchase survey, please be sure to mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Jurors headed home yesterday without a verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial after roughly 17 hours of deliberations over three days. Clancy is charged in the January 2023 deaths of her three children at the family's Duxbury, Massachusetts home. She has pleaded not guilty with the defense arguing she lacked criminal responsibility because of severe mental illness.

3:02Dave Aronberg:The jury now set to return this morning to continue weighing a five-week trial that included competing expert assessments of Clancy's mental state along with hundreds of exhibits and extensive medical records. Two female jurors reportedly wearing pink as they deliberated Monday, the same color worn by many of Clancy's supporters waiting outside the courthouse each day. It is unclear if the outfit choice had anything to do with support for Clancy. Judge William Sullivan dismissing the panel yesterday afternoon, again reminding jurors to avoid coverage of the case and not discuss it outside the jury room.

3:39Dave Aronberg:We spoke with the MK True Crime show co-host Dave Ehrenberg, a former prosecutor who says the length of deliberations is not surprising in a case like this. I'm not surprised it's taken this long because it was a lengthy trial. The country is split on this and the jurors reflect the country. And that's why I would have been surprised if it was a quick verdict. But if it was a quick verdict, it would have been not guilty because the prosecution is going to have a hard time proving that top charge of first-degree murder or even second-degree murder. If jurors cannot reach a decision, Ehrenberg says the judge does have steps to take before declaring a mistrial.

4:19The judge will order the jurors to go back in and continue deliberating. And then if they are hopelessly deadlocked, he'll then declare a mistrial. But the judge will twist their arms a little bit and say, you know, there's a certain charge you get, which is keep deliberating, and then eventually they'll give in. But there's still a long way to go.

4:42Dave Aronberg:Ehrenberg arguing that the manslaughter option could give jurors a middle ground between a murder conviction and finding Clancy not criminally responsible. In a case like this, where I think the prosecution overcharged with first-degree murder, this allows jurors to compromise. And even though involuntary manslaughter is not a perfect charge here as far as if she had a severe mental incapacity to know the difference between right and wrong and could not control her behavior, then she should not be found guilty of either of the crimes of either murder or manslaughter. she should just be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

5:27But the jurors are likely going to feel that the crime was so horrific that perhaps there should be something more than a not guilty verdict. And if that's the case, then involuntary manslaughter is a good compromise. And for the prosecutors, even though it's not the charge that they had wanted, it could get Lindsay Clancy up to 60 years in prison.

5:49Dave Aronberg:A mistrial would not necessarily end the case. Ehrenberg says prosecutors would likely assess the jury's split before deciding whether and on which charges to try Clancy again. The prosecutors will look at the vote and they'll say, is it 6-6? Is it 11-1 against us, 11-1 for us? And then make a decision. If the vote comes back 11-1 against the murder counts and 6-6 on the manslaughter counts, then I think they would try it again just on manslaughter. I don't think they want to just enter a losing race the next time around. They want to do something where they think they can win. And in this case, if they just get a hung jury, that is not necessarily the worst verdict in the world for prosecutors who, for, I mean, at least for a couple weeks, seem to be on the wrong side of this, at least on court public opinion.

6:45Because it did seem like the defense lawyer had gotten the best of them until the closing arguments.

6:52Dave Aronberg:As for those reports of jurors wearing pink, Ehrenberg cautions against drawing a firm conclusion from one day's clothing. You're not supposed to be wearing things that show where your mind's at in the trial or try to persuade people by what you're wearing. At the same time, it could just be an innocent explanation, and we'll see what they wear the next time. Jurors are supposed to just follow the evidence of the law, And they're not supposed to talk to people at home or anywhere once they're on a jury about the case. They're not supposed to look at the news on the Internet about this case, but they're human beings.

7:29And it's not unrealistic to think that perhaps there's some pillow talk or kitchen table discussions about the case. And that can influence these jurors.

7:42Dave Aronberg:Two people dead and at least 14 others missing or unaccounted for after catastrophic flash flooding tore through the bottom of the Grand Canyon over the weekend. The National Park Service confirming a second body was recovered Monday after the body of a 46-year-old man was found Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. Flooding beginning around 2.30 Saturday afternoon in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area, a place deep inside the canyon where hikers crossing from rim to rim stop to camp or spend the night. At least 62 people escaped from the area, according to the Park Service, many by helicopter.

8:22Dave Aronberg:The floodwater reportedly carrying boulders, debris, and pieces of damaged infrastructure into the Colorado River. The geography that makes the Grand Canyon so extraordinary also making it a terrifying place to be when the rain came down. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam explaining yesterday how a short burst of heavy rain high above the canyon turned into a violent rush of water far below. Some of these canyon walls, they tower over 4 ,500 feet, especially near Bright Angel and the Phantom Creek areas where the flooding occurred this weekend. So that water, if it actually falls on the rim of the Grand Canyon, that has to go somewhere and it eventually makes its way down towards the Colorado River, and it can flood those rivers and the tributaries very easily, especially when we see around an inch of rain in about a 30-minute period.

9:10That is what really occurred on Saturday. There were four waves of rain that came through across the Grand Canyon, but it was that last fourth and final wave that really was the nail in the coffin because that put the rush of water, picked up the debris flow from a nearby burn scar, and that allowed for all of this debris to just wash downstream. Remember the topography, very steep. And when you are in the Grand Canyon or hiking in these areas, you see debris flows like this. This is when you need to escape to higher ground.

9:38Dave Aronberg:The problem is it's so steep that it's tough to get up those canyon walls. Survivors recounting a desperate escape from the floodwaters, two evacuees, David Gregory to CBS News and Erica Viola to ABC7, describing what they saw as the water tore through the canyon. If the park ranger hadn't ordered everybody to evacuate when they did, what might have happened to that group? I don't think we would have made it out alive if we had fallen into the creek and then we'd gotten carried into the Colorado River. There was like a whirlpool in there with all the debris circling around, cabins and other equipment from the maintenance work site.

10:16I think it would have been game over. We were running through ankle deep, then it got to knee deep, and we just heard people yell, run, run, run, and there's 40 of us running through this knee deep muddy water trying to make it to the bridge. Once we got to the bridge, that's when this 15-foot wall of water came through the campground and Phantom Ranch and just wiped out all the bridges.

10:44Dave Aronberg:The devastation is now making the search harder. Nearly every footbridge across Bright Angel Creek has been destroyed, according to the Park Service, cutting off hiker access through the area. The flood also reportedly destroying about 40 % of the Trans Canyon waterline, the system supplying water to the park. That damage leaving the park with limited reserves and forcing major water conservation measures as search and recovery efforts continue. Coming up, top military leaders reportedly warning the Pentagon about the strain of prolonged operations against Iran as fighting between the U.S. and Iran flares up again.

11:22Dave Aronberg:And a new treatment offering hope against one of the deadliest forms of cancer, the FDA approving a first-of-its-kind drug for pancreatic cancer after promising results in a major clinical trial.

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12:16Dave Aronberg:But listen, lean is not for the casual dieter with only a few pounds to lose. The doctors at Brickhouse Nutrition created lean for frustrated dieters with 10 or more pounds to lose. You could get started with 20 % off and free rush shipping, adding lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit takelean.com and enter MK for your discount. That's promo code MK at takelean.com. A big shakeup at the Pentagon, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reportedly submitting his resignation to President Trump. The Wall Street Journal reporting last night Driscoll is expected to leave the Pentagon in the coming days following months of reported tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the direction of the Army and the removal of several senior officers.

13:05Dave Aronberg:Driscoll had previously been expected to step down sometime this year, with the Journal reporting on clashes between the two men. Driscoll's departure leaving the Army without a Senate-confirmed civilian leader or a Senate-confirmed officer serving as its top uniformed commander. Army Undersecretary Mike Obadal set to become the service's highest-ranking civilian official once Driscoll leaves. The White House praising Secretary Driscoll's tenure, spokesperson Anna Kelly saying he has been, quote, highly effective in advancing the president's agenda, pointing to his leadership during military operations, his focus on readiness, and his involvement in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

13:45Dave Aronberg:The leadership change coming amid several other reports about the controversial inner workings of the Pentagon, including allegedly secretly using social media influencers to advance Secretary Hegseth's agenda. The Washington Post reporting retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness and retired Army Colonel Kurt Schlichter are among the conservative influencers and commentators with active government email addresses, both men serving for decades in uniform before becoming commentators, now with large followings on X. The Post reporting the men were brought in by the Pentagon either as special government employees or, quote, highly qualified experts, specialized positions that can be paid or unpaid.

14:28Dave Aronberg:The paper reporting it could not determine their compensation or exactly when their assignments began. Meantime, another report raising questions about the toll of the prolonged U.S. military operation in Iran. The Washington Post reporting several top military leaders have warned Secretary Hegseth that continuing large-scale operations against Iran at their current levels risks weakening the military's ability to respond to threats elsewhere. The concerns reportedly appearing in an August 14th classified assessment prepared for the Secretary with input from the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

15:03Dave Aronberg:Some American forces sent to the Middle East reportedly directed to remain there through September as other deployments set to stretch into 2027. One person familiar with the assessment describing the overall message from military leaders as, quote, too much for too long. Vice President J.D. Vance asked about the strain on U.S. resources during a stop at Joint Base Andrews yesterday. Are you concerned about global vulnerabilities because of continued operations in Iran, either because of munitions drawdowns or other resources devoted to the region? Well, look, I think that we're in a position in the United States where as strong as we have ever been, we're only going to get stronger under the president's leadership.

15:44We certainly saw under the Biden administration that the military was underinvested in and underresourced. We're fixing that every day. So obviously it's a concern of ours, but it's a concern of ours because of underinvestment in the military for a very long time. It's something the president of the United States has set about fixing.

15:59Dave Aronberg:The concerns come as fighting between the U.S. and Iran heats up again following roughly a month without confirmed American strikes. U.S. forces striking Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after CENTCOM says members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard were observed preparing to launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the critical shipping lane. The U.S. describing the strike as a, quote, limited, precise action, Iran later saying it launched missiles toward U.S. sites in Jordan. President Trump then weighing in with a very kind of imagery, posting a cartoonish video to Truth Social depicting Iran's critical Karg Island oil hub being destroyed and writing that it was being, quote, blown to smithereens.

16:43Dave Aronberg:There is no evidence Karg Island was actually attacked. And finally, from what Secretary Hegseth is dealing with at the Pentagon to speculation about what the secretary might want to do next. NBC News reportedly speaking with two people familiar with private conversations who claim Secretary Hegseth and his wife Jennifer have recently floated the possibility of a presidential run in 2028. The speculation getting another boost after the secretary traveled to the Iowa State Fair earlier this month on behalf of Republican Congressman Zach Nunn. Hegseth denying reports of 2028 ambitions, calling it, quote, 100 % false.

17:20Dave Aronberg:Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell telling NBC, quote, Secretary Hegseth is not running for president and his main priority is leading the War Department. All other speculation is foolish. The FDA approving a first-of-its-kind treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer, a once-daily pill that nearly doubles survival in a major clinical trial for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The agency approving Revolution Medicine's RasenQ, or DiroxinRazib, Wednesday for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer. who have already received at least one other drug treatment, like chemotherapy, or who are not candidates for a combination drug treatment.

18:04Dave Aronberg:Former Republican Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse among the patients who received diroxin-razib before its approval, after revealing in December he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Doctors initially giving Sasse just 3 to 4 months to live, a prognosis he has now outlived by about 4 and a half months. Sass, in a July interview with the right-wing think tank, the Centennial Institute, describing his experience with the experimental drug. I got onto this clinical trial for this drug called daraxin racib. There were about 30 people on it. All those 30 have died now, but they lived more than twice as long as their life expectancy and as the control group for their trial.

18:49Their control group lived almost six months, and the people that went on the drug lived 13.7 months, so more than doubling. Pretty remarkable. It's unbelievable.

19:01Dave Aronberg:The treatment coming with potentially serious side effects. Sass appearing with a severe rash covering most of his face, bloody sores stretching from the bridge of his nose across his cheeks and toward his temples. Sass describing the rash as, quote, nuclear. Rash is among the most common side effects identified by the FDA, along with diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The drug targeting mutations in a gene called KRAS, found in the vast majority of pancreatic cancers. KRAS acting like an on-off switch, controlling cell growth, with mutations essentially leaving that switch stuck in the on position and allowing cancer cells to grow out of control, according to NBC News.

19:45Dave Aronberg:Researchers trying for years to find a way to block that runaway growth. RasenQ now showing promising results. The FDA says patients taking the drug in a 500-person trial, living a median 13.2 months, nearly twice as long as the 6.7 months for patients receiving chemotherapy. Those results significant for a cancer that remains extraordinarily difficult to treat. The American Cancer Society estimating roughly 67 ,500 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and nearly 53 ,000 will die from it. Part of the problem, the disease often goes undetected until it is already spread, leaving patients with relatively few treatment options.

20:30Dr.

20:30Dave Aronberg:Brian Wolpin, who led the trial behind the FDA approval, yesterday on Fox News putting the significance of the breakthrough into perspective. So I think it is a big deal for patients with pancreatic cancer. It's been very hard to find new treatments for patients with this kind of cancer. And it's a very aggressive cancer, so it progresses very fast. We have primarily had chemotherapy to use. IV medicines can have quite a bit of side effects. And that's really what we've had to treat the disease. This drug is different. First, it's a pill. You take it once a day. And second, it's not a chemotherapy.

21:04It really tries to block a specific mutation in the tumor and therefore tends to have less side effects, better quality of life, and as you noted, really has helped people live longer who are on the trial compared to chemotherapy.

21:18Dave Aronberg:Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantis calling Wednesday's approval a, quote, groundbreaking milestone. More than 2 ,000 patients reportedly already receiving RasenQ through an expanded access program Revolution Medicines launched in May. NBC News reports the drug will carry a list price of$39 ,800 for a one-month supply before insurance or other discounts. 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.