The Megyn Kelly Show - 20250219_trumps-ukraine-war-negotiations-adams-in-crisis-po
Aired: 2025-02-19
Duration: 13:40


=== Zelensky's Peace Negotiation Stance (07:26) ===

[00:00:17]  Good morning, everyone.
[00:00:18]  I'm Megan Kelly.
[00:00:19]  It's Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.
[00:00:22]  This is your AM update.
[00:00:24]  Did I hear that they're upset about not having a seat?
[00:00:27]  Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that.
[00:00:31]  This could have been settled very easily.
[00:00:33]  President Trump responds to the Ukrainian president's complaints about being left out of initial peace negotiations.
[00:00:39]  We were able to get in the room and really articulate what are my powers, what are my authorities.
[00:00:46]  New York Democrats revolt over Mayor Eric Adams' immigration cooperation with the Trump administration.
[00:00:52]  And President Trump's Labor nominees set to face some friendly fire on the Hill.
[00:00:57]  All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.
[00:01:01]  We continue to face uncertainty when it comes to the economy, with a perfect storm brewing as Social Security and Medicare hit a breaking point as the largest generation is hitting retirement.
[00:01:11]  A smaller workforce means a smaller tax base.
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[00:02:06]  The first round of peace talks to end the war in Ukraine concluded yesterday in Saudi Arabia.
[00:02:11]  The meeting between the U.S., led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the Russians, led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, lasted approximately four and a half hours.
[00:02:21]  Mr. Rubio telling reporters he was pleased with the initial progress, outlining four points of agreement so far.
[00:02:28]  One, the U.S. and Russia will work to reestablish functionality of respective embassies in Moscow and Washington.
[00:02:36]  Two, high-level teams will be appointed by each side to conduct negotiations, the end goal of which will be enduring and acceptable to all parties engaged.
[00:02:46]  Three, both sides will work to examine areas of potential cooperation, both geopolitically and economically, after the war has ended.
[00:02:54]  And four, the bulk of the negotiations will be delegated to other people.
[00:02:58]  But the attendees of today's meeting will remain engaged in the process.
[00:03:02]  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's approach to these negotiations.
[00:03:10]  The Ukrainian leader not holding back at the Munich security conference.
[00:03:15]  The war is in Europe, and America is far from the invasion.
[00:03:22]  And I think that we need to share more details because, to my mind, there are a lot of different voices around the new American administration.
[00:03:32]  And I'm not sure that all these voices are on our side.
[00:03:37]  In multiple forums, Mr. Zelensky has stated there can be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.
[00:03:43]  Mr. Zelensky was slated to visit Saudi Arabia yesterday as well, though not as part of the negotiations.
[00:03:49]  That trip was rescheduled to a later date.
[00:03:52]  Mr. Zelensky instead visited Turkey, where he suggested future peace talks should take place with Ukrainian participation.
[00:03:59]  The Ukrainian leader does not believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about finding a lasting peace.
[00:04:06]  President Trump addressed Zelensky's concerns last night from Mar-a-Lago.
[00:04:10]  I hear that they're upset about not having a seat.
[00:04:13]  Well, they've had a seat for three years and a long time before that.
[00:04:17]  This could have been settled very easily.
[00:04:18]  Just a half, a half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without, I think, without the loss of much land, very little land, without the loss of any lives, and without the loss of cities that are just laying on their side.
[00:04:37]  When they're worried about not being seated, you mean somebody that should have gone in and made a deal a long time ago.
[00:04:43]  President Trump also calling out the Ukrainian president's declining poll numbers.
[00:04:47]  In Saudi Arabia, Secretary Rubio came away from the meeting, believing the Russians are serious about beginning negotiations.
[00:04:55]  I came away today convinced that they are willing to begin to engage in a serious process to determine how and how quickly and through what mechanism can an end be brought to this war.
[00:05:06]  Whether we can ultimately reach that outcome will obviously depend on every side in this conflict's willingness to agree to certain things.
[00:05:13]  When you talk about an enduring and sustainable end of the conflict, it means one that's acceptable to everyone involved in it.
[00:05:20]  And that obviously includes Ukraine, but also our partners in Europe, and of course the Russian side as well.
[00:05:26]  National Security Advisor Mike Walsh, also a member of the delegation, maintained that communications between the U.S., European allies, and the Ukrainians are ongoing.
[00:05:36]  President Trump said that he would be fine with European leaders stationing troops in Ukraine as part of a lasting peace deal.
[00:05:43]  If they want to do that, that's great.
[00:05:44]  I'm all for it.
[00:05:45]  If they want to do that, I think that'll be fine.
[00:05:48]  If we have a peace deal, I think having troops over there from the standpoint of Europe, we won't have to put any over there because we're very far away.
[00:05:58]  But having troops over there would be fine.
[00:06:00]  I would not object to it at all.
[00:06:02]  French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer have both stated they support deploying a European peacekeeping force.
[00:06:11]  The date for the summit between President Trump and President Putin is not yet determined.
[00:06:16]  The Hamas terror organization tells Israeli officials the bodies of Shiri Beebas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kafir, will be returned later this week.
[00:06:28]  Arielle, aged four, and Kafir, just nine months old, when they were captured on October 7th, 2023.
[00:06:36]  The youngest hostages taken in Hamas's savage attack that left about 1,200 dead.
[00:06:43]  Shiri and her boys with their red hair, last seen in a video taken by their captors.
[00:06:48]  Just awful.
[00:06:49]  She was seen wide-eyed and desperately clinging to her sons, surrounded by Hamas soldiers carrying rifles.
[00:06:56]  Kafir, who would now be two, never celebrated a birthday outside of Hamas custody.
[00:07:01]  Israeli officials have yet to confirm the deaths.
[00:07:04]  Yardin Bebas, the father of the boys, was also captured by Hamas on that day.
[00:07:10]  He was held separately from his wife and children.
[00:07:12]  Earlier this month, he was released alive.
[00:07:15]  Six living hostages remain in Hamas's custody, two of whom have been held in Gaza since 2014 and 2015.
[00:07:24]  They will all be released on Saturday.
[00:07:26]  Three were originally expected to be freed.
[00:07:29]  The reasoning for the accelerated timeline is unclear.
[00:07:35]  Coming up, the fate of New York City Mayor Eric Adams is in Governor Kathy Hochl's hands, and the latest on the health of the Pope in just a moment.

=== Mayor Adams' Fate in Governor's Hands (05:55) ===

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[00:08:58]  New York City Mayor Eric Adams fighting to retain his position after the DOJ drops corruption charges against him.
[00:09:05]  Governor Kathy Hochul weighing whether or not to remove the embattled mayor from his post.
[00:09:11]  A quick timeline of events.
[00:09:12]  On February 10th, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emile Bove ordered the DOJ to drop charges against Adams.
[00:09:19]  The charges were brought under the Biden administration.
[00:09:22]  Several federal prosecutors resigned over the dismissal, alleging it amounted to a quid pro quo.
[00:09:28]  Mayor Adams is cooperating with the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
[00:09:34]  Last Friday, the Democrat mayor sat down with Fox and Friends side by side with border czar Tom Homan to discuss their cooperation.
[00:09:42]  If he doesn't come through, I'll be back in New York City and we won't be sitting on the couch.
[00:09:46]  I'll be in his office up his butt saying, where the hell is the agreement we came to?
[00:09:51]  Mayor Adams' decision to cooperate with the Trump administration facing serious blowback from fellow Democrats.
[00:09:58]  On Monday, four deputy mayors resigned from their positions.
[00:10:02]  Governor Hochul spent yesterday in a series of meetings with top officials and influential community leaders.
[00:10:07]  Mayor Adams taking a lot of crossfire from his fellow Democrats.
[00:10:12]  Reverend Al Sharpton equated the mayor's cooperation with the Trump administration to political blackmail.
[00:10:19]  Rival mayoral candidate, State Senator Zellner Myri, saying Eric Adams no longer works for New Yorkers.
[00:10:26]  He works for Donald Trump.
[00:10:28]  The power to oust a mayor has never before been utilized in New York.
[00:10:32]  Hochul released a statement that reads in part, overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly.
[00:10:38]  That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.
[00:10:46]  The AP reports about two-thirds of New York City voters would approve of Governor Hochul removing Mayor Adams.
[00:10:57]  President Trump's nominee to head the Labor Department, Laurie Chavez DeReamer, will take the hot seat today.
[00:11:02]  Her confirmation hearing held by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is set to begin at 10 a.m. East.
[00:11:09]  Ms. DeReamer may face the toughest questions yet from Republicans.
[00:11:14]  A GOP Senate insider telling the New York Post Rand Paul is dead set against her.
[00:11:19]  He is whipping against her right now.
[00:11:21]  He's telling everyone who will listen how much he hates her.
[00:11:24]  Ms. DeReamer is a longtime union ally.
[00:11:27]  As a member of Congress, she backed the PRO Act.
[00:11:30]  That act ultimately failed in the House, but it would have banned right-to-work laws in more than two dozen states.
[00:11:36]  President Trump worked hard to court the union vote.
[00:11:39]  Sean O'Brien became the first president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to speak at the RNC last July.
[00:11:46]  Politico reported in November that O'Brien was pushing behind the scenes for Ms. Dreamer to get the nomination.
[00:11:53]  In the ultimate plot twist, Democrats tend to approve of the pick.
[00:11:57]  Senators Tim Kaine, Tammy Baldwin, and Ed Markey have all spoken positively of the nominee.
[00:12:04]  Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut telling Punch Bowl News Ms. Dreamer was among the best picks Democrats could hope for.
[00:12:12]  Oh boy.
[00:12:13]  Kash Patel cleared another hurdle in his nomination process to lead the FBI.
[00:12:18]  Despite strong Democrat opposition, Mr. Patel appeared to have the votes to pass.
[00:12:23]  If his timeline mirrors that of Tulsi Gabbard and RFKJ, his final vote will likely be held tomorrow.
[00:12:33]  Pope Francis facing a lengthy hospital stay following a diagnosis of pneumonia.
[00:12:38]  The 88-year-old pontiff admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday after a week of struggling with bronchitis.
[00:12:45]  The Vatican releasing a statement describing the Pope's condition as, quote, complex.
[00:12:49]  They say the infection has spread to lung air sacs, a potentially dangerous development in elderly people.
[00:12:55]  This is just the latest in a string of medical episodes suffered by the head of the Catholic Church.
[00:13:00]  About a week and a half ago, Pope Francis only got halfway through his homily before breathlessness forced him to hand it off to an aide.
[00:13:08]  This was not the first time such a thing has happened.
[00:13:10]  The Pope has a long history of lung problems.
[00:13:13]  Part of his right lung was removed when he was just 21 years old.
[00:13:17]  We will closely monitor the Pope's condition and deliver updates as they come.
[00:13:24]  Well, that'll do it for episode one of your AM update.
[00:13:27]  Hope you enjoyed it.
[00:13:28]  I did.
[00:13:29]  I'm Megan Kelly, and we'll be back here for the Megan Kelly Show in just a bit, live on Sirius Sex M Triumph Channel 111 at Noon East and on youtube.com/slash Megan Kelly, as well All podcast