Walz Grilled in Minnesota Fraud Hearing, Trump Preps Crucial Texas Senate Endorsement: AM Update 3/5

0:00What's up, sports fans? I'm Rachel Demita, here to tell you about my show, Courtside Club. If you love hoops and hot takes, then you're in the right place. Want to hear about Caitlin Clark's unstoppable rise in the WNBA? How stars like Wemby and Luka Doncic are dominating the NBA? Or maybe you just want the tea on this week's most viral sports moments. Don't worry, we'll keep you updated on all of it. So grab your popcorn and come hang with us. Courtside. You can listen to Courtside Club wherever you get your podcasts.

0:33Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on Sirius XM Channel 111. It's Thursday, March 5th, 2026. This is your AM Update. Is it racist for a government official to identify fraud? No. Lawmakers grill Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and State Attorney General Keith Ellison over allegations of massive fraud in the state's welfare system. Decimated, destroyed, defeated. Pick your adjective. The U.S.-Israel joint operation against Iran continuing, with American forces waging a relentless barrage of strikes. A bitter Senate race in Texas brewing.

1:14Democrats choose their candidate as the Republicans await a key endorsement from President Trump. And Secretary Noem back on the Hill for round two of questioning from lawmakers. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

1:31Think about this. In 2006,$20 ,000 equaled roughly 33 ounces of gold at spot price, okay? $20 ,000 got you 33 ounces. At today's prices, those 33 ounces would be worth about$165 ,000. That would have been a very good investment. And that's why so many smart Americans do diversify a portion of their savings into precious metals. They're thinking about what's going to happen in the next 20 years. And it's also why you should consider buying gold from Birch Gold Group. For thousands of years, gold has been a store of wealth. And today, it is a crucial part of any balance strategy. Even better, Birch Gold can help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax-sheltered retirement account in gold.

2:19All you have to do is text MK to the number 989898, and that will give you a free info kit on gold. There's no obligation. It's just useful information from which you can make a decision. With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers, let Birch Gold help you diversify with gold. Now that's peace of mind. Again, text MK to 989898 today. Minnesota Governor Tim Walls and State Attorney General Keith Ellison facing tough questions before the House Oversight Committee yesterday as lawmakers probe allegations of widespread fraud across Minnesota's taxpayer-funded welfare programs.

3:01The Fed so far prosecuting and convicting dozens, mostly members of Minnesota's Somali community, relating to three major schemes. A meals program for needy children called Feeding Our Future, a program for individuals at risk of homelessness, and an autism therapy program. The scale of the alleged fraud, believed to be at least$9 billion in plundered taxpayer dollars, drawing such immense backlash, Governor Walz in January suspending his re-election campaign. Congressman Pat Fallon of Texas, a Republican, pressing Governor Walz on data surrounding the Somali community's use of state services in Minnesota.

3:42Do you believe the 70 ,000 strong Somali community as a whole has made a positive impact on your state? I do. And do you have any idea what percentage of the native-born Minnesotans, all races, live in poverty in your state right now? I don't have specifically. I'll share it with you. It's 8%. For the Somali community, it's 52%. How about receiving food stamps? I don't have. All right, I'll run it down with you. It's 7 % compared to 54 % in the Somali community. And then one family member, at least, on Medicaid, it's 18 % for Minnesota, 73 % for the Somali community. Governor, do you happen to know what the percentage is of all those who have currently been charged in this staggering social services fraud scheme were native-born Minnesotans?

4:26What percentage? I do not have that. I think it was 85 out of 98, which comes out to 13 % Minnesotan and 87 % Somali Minnesotan. The only way this kind of fraud can reach this scale is if there's people in power that are colluding and collaborating and willfully blinding themselves to the realities around them. Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas, a Republican, pressing Governor Walz on allegations that the fraud ran undetected due to retaliation against whistleblowers, with officials allegedly wary of backlash from Minnesota's politically active Somali voting bloc. Is it racist for a government official to identify fraud?

5:08No. No. Is it Islamophobic? To identify fraud? To identify fraud? No, I don't believe it would be. How come multiple whistleblowers have said that your administration told them not to say anything about widespread fraud across multiple agencies because doing so would be considered racist or Islamophobic? I can't speak to it because it's not anything I would say. And then we heard from Representative Kristen Robbins, quote, we have dozens of credible whistleblower reports saying the exact same thing that people were told not to say anything because they'd be called racist or Islamophobic or it would hurt the state.

5:44Do you think it's racist or Islamophobic to highlight and try to stop fraud? It is not. And I certainly it's not. But that was the message your administration was sending to multiple whistleblowers. whistleblowers. Congresswoman Emily Randall of Washington, a Democrat, tossing Governor Walsh a softball, asking why he thinks the Trump administration has become so, quote, obsessed with alleged fraud in Minnesota. The governor speculates. I think it's been pretty clear the president does not like me personally. I think he continues to tell lies about our electoral system, claiming that he's won all three times when he lost all three times.

6:20I think he has people around him who were trying to find quotas around immigration and they saw a perfect storm, if you will, that included some Somali folks and a whole lot, you know, if we're going to condemn folks, there's no Somali folks in the Epstein files, things like that, we know. But I don't know. It's an obsession. And I come back to it again. I think it's because we are so ideologically opposed to making children go hungry, people go unhoused. We invest in education, we invest in research, and we believe everybody has a place. And so I think it's just personal about how we do business.

6:58Meanwhile, Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana, a Republican, turning his focus to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. So you have the authority to lead your state's effort to respond to this massive fraud at the state level from within the health care realm where government money has been stolen at very, very high levels, unprecedented levels in your state. Are you leading that effort for the state of Minnesota? We are leading the effort to prosecute Medicaid fraud in Minnesota. I'm not talking about Medicaid fraud. Don't hide behind that. You have the authority to prosecute anything criminally that the governor asks you to.

7:44And this thing is big. I'm giving you an opportunity, sir. Are you leading the criminal investigative effort into this massive fraud across the board in the health care spectrum in the state of Minnesota or not? We are following the law. You are not leading. You're not leading. I must say, Mr. Chairman, that the Attorney General of the state of Minnesota should resign. As the U.S.-Israel joint operation against Iran enters its fifth day, U.S. military force is releasing a relentless 24-hour barrage against Iranian military assets. In a joint briefing yesterday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Raisin Cain providing an update on the campaign.

8:31Here, Secretary Hegseth. The Iranian Air Force is no more. Built for 1996. Destroyed in 2026. The Iranian Navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Combat ineffective, decimated, destroyed, defeated. Pick your adjective. In fact, last night, we sunk their prized ship, the Soleimani. Looks like POTUS got him twice. Their Navy, not a factor. Pick your adjective. It is no more. In fact, yesterday in the Indian Ocean, and we'll play it on the screen there, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.

9:19The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. According to the Secretary, more American forces are en route to the region, even as General Cain reports Iranian air defense capabilities are badly damaged, with a significant decrease in retaliatory strikes. U.S. forces striking more than 2 ,000 targets in the first 100 hours of the mission. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt yesterday announcing President Trump will attend the dignified transfer service for the six army soldiers killed in Kuwait amid the strikes. The ceremony will take place at Dover Air Force Base, the families of the fallen invited to attend.

9:58The timing of the transfer has not yet been announced. Coming up, a heated Texas Senate showdown intensifies. Democrats lock in James Tallarico as their nominee, while Republicans brace for a looming Trump endorsement, and Secretary Noem back on Capitol Hill for round two with lawmakers.

10:23everybody's talking about weight loss injections because the results can be so dramatic they work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite but what if you're looking to lose weight but you're not interested in painful weekly injections especially when you hear about some of those intense side effects that's why doctors created a weight loss supplement called lean and the results could be remarkable lean says the studied ingredients in their product have been shown to lower your blood sugar, burn fat by converting it into energy, and curb your appetite and cravings so you are not as hungry.

10:56But 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 to get your discount. That's promo code MK at TakeLeen.com. Texas voters now gearing up for a bitter Republican runoff campaign, setting the stage for a bruising fight ahead of November's general election. On the Democrat side, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett officially conceding the race to state Representative James Tallarico yesterday morning.

11:40Tallarico winning the primary with 52 % of the vote, compared to Crockett's 46. The congresswoman writing on X, quote, Texas is primed to turn blue, and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I'm committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who issued a last-minute robocall endorsement for Crockett, now throwing her support behind Tallarico, calling on Democrats to unite behind the nominee. With Tallarico securing his place on the November ballot, Republicans quickly flooding social media with past videos and resurfaced posts from the Democrat, highlighting his radical progressive ideas.

12:27In a May 2020 thread on Axe, Tallarico writing about Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man from Georgia who was fatally shot while jogging by two white men. Tallarico writing, quote, Ahmaud Arbery is the latest American killed by the virus of racism. White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus, but we spread it wherever we go through our words, our actions and our systems. We don't have to be showing symptoms like a white hood or a Confederate flag to be contagious. Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas also posting a clip from a public education committee hearing in which Tallarico addressed the issue of biological sex.

13:07I want us all to be aware of is that modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six, which honestly, Representative Hefner surprised me too. Surprised me too, because I am not well versed in this issue area. I'm not a scientist. I'm a politician, a lot worse than a scientist. Talarico now poised to face the winner of the Republican runoff between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Senator Cornyn emphasizing his voting record, arguing it aligns with President Trump nearly 100 % of the time, despite past clashes between the two.

13:47Team Cornyn spending millions on ads highlighting Paxton's long list of legal battles and ethical controversies. Paxton spending far less money on the race, focusing instead on his record suing Democrats, while arguing Texas needs new leadership in Washington after Cornyn's more than two decades in the Senate. President Trump weighing in on Truth Social yesterday, writing the race, quote, cannot, for the good of the party and our country itself, be allowed to go on any longer. It must stop now. We have an easy-to-beat radical left opponent, and we must totally focus on putting him away quickly and decisively.

14:25Trump adding he plans to issue an endorsement soon and will ask the candidate he does not back to drop out of the race. The Atlantic reporting Trump is leaning toward Cornyn, as recent Emerson polling shows Cornyn as the stronger candidate against Tallarico. The Republican runoff is scheduled for May 26th, at least for now. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem back on Capitol Hill yesterday for round two, this time appearing before the House Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers breaking largely along partisan lines with their questioning. Ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland using his opening statement to sharply criticize the secretary over a number of issues, including two fatal confrontations between federal agents and protesters in Minnesota, a costly DHS ad campaign prominently featuring Noam, and the department's purchase of private jets.

15:16You're treating the billions of dollars our colleagues showered on your department like a personal slush fund. You budgeted an astonishing$220 million for media consultant contracts so you can star in self-promoting photo shoots and lavish ad campaigns. You're living rent-free in the official waterfront residence reserved for the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. You spent$172 million to buy not one but two luxury jets for your travel, and now you're using taxpayer funds to lease a third jet. Secretary Noem, you're flying high now, maybe even a little bit too close to the sun. But with all these free planes and houses and pilots, you've traveled a long distance from your actual job.

16:03With Democrats offering the secretary few opportunities to respond during lengthy monologues, Republicans offering their own time to allow Secretary Noem to defend herself. Here, Congressman Daryl Issa of California. Is it fair to say that you and your family are at greater risk because of the job you're doing than anyone who's had your job perhaps since 9-11? Yes, sir. I can't speak specific to the threats. And so when the ranking member spends so much time talking about your being in a protective housing, by the way, one that is under your authority and one that the head of the Coast Guard normally would be in, you're simply in the housing that he historically had.

16:46Let me clarify a couple of things. I'm not in the commandant's house. I'm in a Coast Guard house, but not the commandant's house. The commandant is in his house. And I will also tell you that I rent that facility. I rent where I stay and pay personal dollars to do that. Democrats spending much of their time pressing the secretary on Operation Metro Surge, the large-scale immigration enforcement operation targeting Minnesota's Twin Cities, as well as ICE tactics and oversight of federal agents. Are agents trained to break the windows of people whose cars they encounter and drag them out forcibly without asking questions?

17:23Is that their training? This DHS is supposed to be protecting our residents and upholding constitutional protections, but you've turned that on the head. You have actually turned the United States government against its own residents. And I want you to know that Americans will get accountability for the damage that you have done, the lawlessness of aspects of DHS, for killing innocent Americans, for terrorizing children. They will get accountability. Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky, a Republican, using his time to question the secretary about body cameras for federal agents involved in immigration enforcement operations.

18:00I want to ask you for an update on body cameras and your opinion on that. That's something that the Democrats have demanded, but it's something that I think might just be common sense. Yes, we certainly are working to get body cameras on all of our officers. CBP has had them on many of their agents that interact with people for the last several years, but they haven't been many times supported financially for running the systems that run the body cameras. Also, ICE has body cameras deployed, but we're not funded for body cameras right now. So that's one thing I'd like to ask you all to do. I have said that we will deploy every body camera that we have, but clearly we need tens of thousands more.

18:39And I agree with you. Our officers overwhelmingly, they support body cameras because they give you the full context of the interaction. Representative Massey joining me on After Party last night. That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Drashinsky, host of After Party. Catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash megynkelly and on all podcast platforms.

19:13Hey, listeners, I'm Saeed Jones. And I'm Zach Stafford. And we are the hosts of a podcast called Vibe Check, where we make sense of what's going on in news, culture, entertainment, and more. From thoughts on protest strategies to friendship breakups and trying to figure out clothing trends or the economy, we check the vibe of what's going on in the world and how it all feels. It's like you and your besties' text chain come to life. Join us for Akiki every Wednesday and Friday. You can listen to and follow Vibe Check wherever you get your podcasts.