Trump Unveils Election Intel, Blanche Meets Epstein Victims, WH Betting Probe: AM Update 7/17

Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on Sirius XM Channel 111. It's Friday, July 17th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. The election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes the hacking, exploitation, and foreign interference. President Trump unveiling newly declassified intelligence he says exposes sweeping vulnerabilities in America's election system. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch meeting with women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein as he works to secure the support of key Republican senators. President Trump's long-time teleprompter operator accused of cashing in on advanced access to the president's speeches. And a damaging new report about Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona alleging affairs with congressional staffers and raising new questions about what else may be out there. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. Everyone's talking about weight loss injections because the results can be so dramatic, too dramatic if you've seen some of these actresses. But in any event, if you moderate it, it can look great on you. They work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite. But what if you want to lose some weight, but you're not interested in potentially painful weekly injections, you're going to get bruised up. You don't have to stick yourself with a needle for weight loss. Feels weird, especially when you hear about some of those intention side effects. This is 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. 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, because when you want to get started, you want to get started. Adding Lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit TakeLean.com, enter code MK for your discount when you check out. That's promo code MK at TakeLean.com. President Trump delivering a primetime address last night, focused on what he describes as serious vulnerabilities across the nation's election systems. The president speaking for nearly half an hour from the White House, outlining several areas, he argues, leave US elections exposed to foreign interference and illegal voting. Mr. Trump, beginning with the announcement that his administration is releasing previously classified intelligence collected by a new White House task force. This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes like levels never thought possible to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference. Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you. The American people are beautiful, are great American people. But that all changes right now. The documents we will release starting tonight have been gathered by the White House government transparency task force. You can see these documents for yourself at WhiteHouse.gov. That's WhiteHouse.gov. Go check it out. The president organizing the newly released intel into what he called, quote, five major areas of concern, beginning with an alleged Chinese breach involving the personal information of hundreds of millions of American voters. Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China's illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files. That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities, which is exactly what was happening. This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare. President Trump adding that raw intelligence obtained by the FBI in 2020 alleged China attempted to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden, while accusing officials inside the intelligence community of suppressing reports about Beijing's activities and withholding them from his presidential briefings. Mr. Trump turning next to a Department of Homeland Security review, he says offers further evidence that weaknesses extend beyond foreign interference. State voter rolls and public records, they identified approximately 278,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in federal elections. Since Democrat states refused to share their voter files, the real number is actually much higher than that. Yet, even this limited analysis found more than a quarter of a million foreigners illegally registered to vote. Put together, these disclosures reveal an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it. It is not defensible. The president then outlining the federal response to the declassified findings. In light of the brand new and irrefutable information I have revealed tonight, my administration is in the process of notifying the states whose election data was compromised by the People's Republic of China and many others. We will be working closely to mitigate any harm and we're taking swift action to ensure that sensitive voter data is better protected so we can never be bought, we can never be hacked, and we can never watch a stolen election again. The president ending his remarks with a call to action. Congress must pass the Save America Act. How easy is that to do unless you want to cheat? The only reason you wouldn't do it is you want to cheat because your policies are so bad and your candidates are so pathetic that you can't get away or can't get elected any other way. This landmark bill requires that all voters must show photo voter ID. These reforms are urgently needed to stop the vulnerabilities that I've mentioned. To all Americans, I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate and demand that they pass the Save America Act without delay. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche meeting yesterday afternoon with women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein after a key Republican senator made the sit-down a condition of supporting Blanche's nomination to permanently lead the DOJ. Several of the women seen arriving at Justice Department headquarters for the private meeting It was not immediately clear whether their attorneys joined them inside. The meeting coming just hours after GOP Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina announced he would not vote to advance Blanche's nomination until the acting Attorney General personally heard from the women or met with them through their counsel. Senator Tillis delivering the ultimatum during yesterday morning's second day of confirmation proceedings as Republican and Democrat witnesses testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr. Blanche said very quickly yesterday that he would meet with the victims, the Epstein victims, today if it could be arranged. I understand the restriction that counsel has to be present. I expect that meeting to occur before I'm willing to vote out of this committee and I'm trying to get to yes, but this is a very important part of getting to yes. There should not be any reason why, based on what Mr. Blanche said yesterday, if he said that he would do it today then he can certainly do it over the next two weeks. Blanche cannot afford to lose Republican support on the committee. Senator Tillis's opposition would leave him without enough votes to advance if every Democrat votes against him as they are expected to do. Blanche facing pressure over the issue during Wednesday's hearing telling Democrat Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois that DOJ ethics rules limited his ability to communicate directly with Epstein victims. Will you meet with these 10 survivors, I'm asking you, on the record? If they have lawyers, as you know, I'm prohibited from meeting directly with them. I have met with counsel for survivors, as has many people in the Department of Justice, over 30, but if they are represented by counsel, we will work with their counsel. If they don't have a lawyer, I will certainly make arrangements to make sure the right people at the Department of Justice meet with them, absolutely. Will you get it done within the next 30 days that each of these survivors... I will get it done today if that's necessary. My point is there's somebody here who can meet with them today, get their information, and arrange to meet with them. The committee is expected to vote on Blanche's nomination at its next meeting in roughly two weeks. Coming up, a White House staffer placed on unpaid leave after allegedly using inside access to President Trump's speeches to make a six-figure profit on prediction markets. And Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego accused of sleeping with congressional staffers during his in the House, as fresh questions about his judgment threatened his 2028 ambitions. We wouldn't be celebrating America 250 if it wasn't for a strong foundation set by the framers. Hamilton built America's financial foundation on the principle of sound, stable money, a principle later embodied by the gold standard. However, we abandoned that discipline in 1971 and have seen inflation erode the dollar's value ever since. What's the foundation of your savings? Is it gold? Is gold even in there? Or is it something that could be shaken, disrupted, devalued? Birch Gold Group has been helping Americans solidify their savings with gold for the past 15 years. They will help you convert in whole or in part an existing IRA or 401k into a tax-sheltered IRA in gold. Learn how gold can fit into your portfolio by texting MK, my initials, to the number 989898. You will receive a free, no-obligation info kit. With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and countless five-star reviews, consider having Birch Gold help build your foundation with gold. Text MK to the number 989898. President Trump's longtime teleprompter operator accused of turning advanced access to the president's speeches into more than $100,000 in prediction market winnings. ABC News reporting Gabriel Perez is negotiating a potential settlement with federal regulators over allegations he used inside knowledge to bet on the words President Trump would mention in more than a dozen speeches. Perez, operating Mr. Trump's teleprompter since his first presidential campaign in 2016 and, according to ABC sources, is often among the final staff members to review the president's prepared remarks and receive his last-minute changes. The wagers taking place on markets where users can bet on whether a public figure will use particular words, phrases, or subjects during an appearance. The New York Times reporting Perez wagered on relatively common material, including country names and economic terms. Investigators reportedly finding Perez sometimes sold his position while a speech was underway. If President Trump skipped a section containing a word Perez had bet would appear. A lawyer representing says its surveillance team identified the suspicious trading and referred it to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, which regulates the platform. Perez is reportedly cooperating with the investigation. White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt, back from maternity leave, addressing the report yesterday. Who is running the teleprompter tonight after this report that the other guy is now under investigation for making money off of reading the president's speech? Obviously, I'm aware of the report. The president is too. I spoke with him about it. He believes it's deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace. The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this. This individual will no longer be here. He'll be on paid administrative leave. I'm sorry, without pay. The administrative leave is unpaid, to be very clear. That was a decision by the president. So I think that speaks for itself. The alleged bet spanning more than a dozen presidential speeches over roughly three months, including February's State of the Union, a December primetime address, Mr. Trump's January appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, and a Medal of Honor ceremony in March, according to ABC. The White House later warning staff in a March 24th email against using their government positions or non-public information to place bets. Perez reportedly acknowledging some of the trades during an interview with regulators in recent months. The CFTC also referring the case to federal prosecutors in Manhattan who declined to open a criminal investigation. Regulators now reportedly discussing a settlement that would require Perez to surrender his profits and agree not to make similar trades in the future. Calgary prohibits users from trading on information obtained through their jobs and began requiring customers to disclose their employers last month. The CFTC declined to comment on the investigation. Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona accused of having consensual sexual relationships with at least two congressional staffers during his decade in the House, according to a new report from the New York Post. Sources telling the Post both women worked for Texas Democrats and the relationships occurred while Gallego represented Phoenix in the House between 2015 and 2025. The outlet reporting Gallego acknowledged both relationships to one source, while another source confirmed one of the alleged relationships, saying both relationships are believed to have occurred while he was unmarried. The senator confronted by an NBC news reporter on Capitol Hill shortly after the story was published. Senator Gallego replying, quote, I'm not going to engage in gossip. One source describing the relationship to the Post as part of a broader, quote, pattern of mistakes and missteps and judgment calls, noting one woman who was in her 20s and much younger than Gallego at the time and asking, quote, what else could there be out there? Gallego divorcing his first wife, Kate, in December 2016 while she was nine months pregnant and marrying his current wife, Sydney, in June 2021. The report arriving less than three weeks after the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint filed by Republican Congresswoman Ana Paulina Luna of Florida alleging campaign finance violations and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. The committee saying it found no evidence that Senator Gallego violated federal law, Senate rules or standards of conduct. An unnamed source telling the Post the committee apparently did not ask about the two reported staffer relationships because investigators were unaware of them and remained focused on the claims Congresswoman Luna submitted. Congresswoman Luna publicly alleging in April that she had heard from four women describing uncomfortable or inappropriate advances, comments or touching by Gallego, allegations the senator has denied. The scrutiny also following the April resignation of Senator Gallego's former best friend in Congress, Democrat Eric Swalwell of California, amid multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment that Swalwell denies. Senator Gallego abandoning his longtime ally after Swalwell's resignation, blaming their friendship for his failure to take years of rumors seriously. The Post reporting some Democrats fear further disclosures could complicate Gallego's future political aspirations as the 46-year-old senator considers a possible run for president in 2028. And of course, depending on what else emerges could jeopardize his current position as well. That'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Emily Jashinski, host of After Party. Go and check out more at afterpartyemily.com. Catch The Megyn Kelly Show later today live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly and all podcast platforms.