Chief Justice's Rare Statement on Impeachment, Astronauts Back, Gaza Strikes Resume: AM Update 3/19
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Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, and this is your AM Update. That is not something that a district court judge has any authority whatsoever to interfere with. As President Trump endorses efforts to impeach left-wing D.C. judges blocking his agenda, Chief Justice John Roberts makes a rare, unsolicited public statement. I authorized yesterday the renewal of military action against Hamas.

Israel resumes military action in Gaza as President Trump secures a key breakthrough in Ukrainian peace negotiations and a long-awaited promotion for the IRS whistleblowers who were penalized for exposing concerns in the Hunter Biden tax investigation. Yay! All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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The defining story of President Trump's second term, the ongoing incredible battle between his administration and the courts over the limits of executive power.

A wave of court orders blocking executive actions has been met with congressional Republicans now launching impeachment efforts against some of the judges responsible. On Tuesday, Texas Congressman Brandon Gill filing articles of impeachment against D.C. District Court Judge James Boasberg. Judge Boasberg temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport suspected Trenda Aragua gang members.

President Trump lending support to the articles of impeachment, writing on Truth Social, quote, This judge, just like many of the crooked judges I am forced to appear before, should be impeached.

Chief Justice John Roberts wading into the issue with a rare public statement on Tuesday afternoon. The chief justice writing, for more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.

The DOJ is currently locked in the appeals process fighting lawsuits that allege executive overreach. Judge Boasberg drawing prosecutors into a related legal battle, questioning whether they violated his Saturday order, demanding the return of two planes deporting Tren de Aragua members to El Salvador.

The Trump administration, backed by Supreme Court precedent, asserting these courts have no jurisdiction over the president's ability to deport illegal alien invaders. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller making the case in a contentious interview on CNN. The Alien Enemies Act?

which was passed into law by the founding generation of this country, was written explicitly to give the president the authority to repel an alien invasion of the United States. That is not something that a district court judge has any authority whatsoever to interfere with. In a separate case, a different federal judge stepping in to block another key Trump initiative, realigning foreign aid with America First priorities.

On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chung, an Obama appointee, ordering Doge to reinstate access to email and other electronic systems for all U.S. AID employees and contractors, finding that Elon Musk and Doge overstepped their authority as non-confirmed executive operatives.

Judge Chung writing, quote, they deprived the public's elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when and how to close down an agency created by Congress. Judge Chung did not block the mass termination of USAID contracts and employees. And last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the cancellation of 83 percent of USAID programs, with the remainder moved under the State Department.

And yet another leftist judge, Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, last night blocked President Trump's transgender military ban, rejecting the Pentagon's justification that it needs the ban to ensure military readiness by saying military leaders have long used that excuse, quote, to deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving.

Judge Reyes, who previously stated that the idea of two sexes is not, quote, biologically correct—

suggesting she felt that the former Biden chairman of the Joint Chiefs stellar military career was a better military resource for her than the current secretary of defense and his opinions, who she erroneously suggested had, quote, no prior deployments aside from, quote, an early military career prior to his TV stint.

In fact, Pete Hegseth was deployed to Gitmo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The DOJ filing a formal misconduct complaint against Judge Reyes with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. It also says it will appeal her decision on the transgender ban. ♪

On Tuesday evening, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returning to Earth nine months after their planned eight-day mission on the International Space Station began. The return capsule safely splashing down off the coast of Florida, first greeted by a pod of dolphins.

their original mission marking the first manned flight of a Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. The astronauts returned nixed by NASA due to safety concerns over helium leaks and thruster malfunctions on the vessel. In August 2024, NASA officials announcing the Starliner would return to Earth unoccupied and that the astronauts would eventually return home on another vessel.

NASA contracts with Boeing and Elon Musk's SpaceX to ferry crews and supplies to and from the ISS. Mr. Musk telling Joe Rogan he offered SpaceX's services to retrieve the crew, but the Biden administration rejected the proposal. It ended up being like this political football, sort of hotly contested topic. We offered to bring them back early. This offer was rejected by the Biden administration. Why?

For political reasons. That's so crazy. There's no way that they're going to make anyone who's supporting Trump look good. NASA disputing claims the astronauts were left in space for political reasons. They say Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were simply folded into a new crew rotation that arrived on the space station last September for budgetary reasons.

Israel resuming military strikes on the Hamas terrorist organization after two weeks of failed negotiations to secure the remaining hostages in Gaza. Hamas was willing to release all remaining hostages, but only if Israel fully withdraws from Gaza. The Israelis refusing to withdraw unless Hamas is no longer in power. Israel's military strikes on the Hamas terrorist organization

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging Palestinian civilians to move out of harm's way, laying the blame of any civilian casualties squarely on Hamas. In recent weeks, President Trump fully endorsing any measures Israel deems necessary to secure the return of its citizens. An Israeli spokesman outlining their new plan for securing peace and the return of the hostages. The idea of striking Hamas terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip

aiming to achieve the war's objectives, which include the release of all hostilities

our hostages, the dismantling of Hamas military and governmental infrastructure, and the removal of the terrorist threat from Gaza to Israel's security and its citizens. 59 hostages remain in Gaza. The IDF believes only 24 of them are still alive, including American citizen Idan Alexander.

Coming up, President Trump achieves a significant breakthrough on Ukrainian peace negotiations, as well as the broader possibility for peace in the Middle East. And a long-awaited promotion for the IRS whistleblowers who were penalized for exposing concerns in the Hunter Biden tax investigation. All that and more in just a moment on your AM Update.

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President Trump achieving a significant breakthrough in brokering a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. In the second phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Putin agreeing to halt attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days. The two countries are now focusing on brokering a ceasefire in the Black Sea, then ultimately a full ceasefire and permanent peace. That's the hope.

This next phase of negotiations beginning immediately in the Middle East. The White House readout of the call also stating both sides agreeing on potential cooperation in the Middle East. Presidents Trump and Putin reportedly agreeing on the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons in the region, like long range missiles and nukes.

Since resuming office, President Trump telling reporters on multiple occasions he aims to eventually convince all world leaders to reduce strategic weapons stockpiles. It's just bad that everybody has to spend all this money on something that if it's used...

It's probably the end of the world. I'm going to meet with China and I'm going to meet with Russia and we're going to see if we can de-escalate, if we can bring it down military, especially as it pertains to nuclear. President Putin also agreeing the Iranians should never be in a position to destroy Israel, signaling a potential shift in Moscow's position on Iranian military ambitions, though the extent of their commitment remains to be seen.

The IRS whistleblowers who investigated Hunter Biden for tax evasion getting a promotion after facing years of professional retaliation. In the spring of 2023, criminal investigator Joseph Ziegler and supervisory special agent Gary Shapley came forward with allegations the DOJ was working to protect Hunter Biden from a tax fraud investigation.

The agents were removed from the case after reporting the DOJ's obstruction to their bosses at the IRS.

In September 2024, Hunter Biden ultimately pleaded guilty to nine charges of tax evasion. Last month, the Office of Special Counsel found agents Shapley and Ziegler were wrongly retaliated against by the IRS for going public with their allegations. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant telling Fox Business the agents are receiving a long overdue promotion.

I went and decided I would bring them into Treasury, give them a year to investigate

the wrongdoing that's going on at the IRS, and then they will go back in. Mr. Schauffele will serve as the senior deputy for investigations and enforcement. So we'll have them in Treasury. We'll learn what's been going on at the IRS, what's been wrong, how could this Hunter Biden nonsense have happened. And we're going to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone again, whether they're Republicans, Democrats, or independents.

The agent's investigation into Hunter Biden originating in 2018. Mr. Biden's name was found in connection with an FBI investigation into a foreign pornography website. Subsequent digging determining Mr. Biden's habit of failing to file his taxes at all or improperly reporting his income.

Agents Ziegler and Shapley testifying that as Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign gained momentum, their investigation faced increasing interference from their IRS and DOJ supervisors. The agents alleged they were denied access to certain financial records. They were blocked from executing search warrants and prevented from interviewing key witnesses, including Hunter Biden.

Agent Shapley telling congressional investigators they were explicitly ordered not to ask witnesses about the big guy or dad, which they believe to be a direct reference to Joe Biden.

The agent's testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Oversight Committee forcing the investigation into public view, Justice Hunter Biden was preparing to accept a sweetheart plea deal from prosecutors. In July of 2023, Agent Shapley explaining on The Megyn Kelly Show why he and Agent Ziegler felt compelled to go public with their testimony.

The 300 million Americans out there that are paying their taxes today, you know, when they tune in, you know, Democrats said, you know, I don't know why I'm here. You know, we're confused why we're here. Well, those Americans aren't confused why we're here because, you know, there's two IRS agents, you know, standing up and saying this person got preferential treatment. And, you know, you if it was a business owner on the corner, you know,

He wouldn't have gotten he or she wouldn't have gotten that special treatment and we probably would have been in jail already. Their disclosures of DOJ interference derailing the sweetheart deal, leading to further legal scrutiny and ultimately Hunter Biden's guilty plea to multiple tax evasion charges in 2024.

In December, of course, President Joe Biden wiping it all away with an unprecedented pardon for his son Hunter, covering all potential criminal offenses dating back to 2014. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for The Megyn Kelly Show, live on Sirius XM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly and on all podcast platforms.

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