Shutdown Showdown, Trump Responds on Musk vs. Rubio Report, Columbia Crackdown: AM Update 3/10

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly.
It's Monday, March 10th, 2025, and this is your AM update. If it shut down, it will be because they want it shut down.
They're controlling everything. Democrats gear up for a shutdown showdown in the Senate as the House's most fiscally conservative members get on board with a continuing resolution.
No clash. I was there.
You're just a troublemaker. President Trump denies a New York Times report suggesting tensions between Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Investigators reveal what likely happened in the mysterious death of actor Gene Hackman and his wife. And President Trump pulls $400 million in funding for Columbia University following rabid anti-Israel protests on campus.

All that and more coming up on your AM Update.

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The deadline, 11.59 p.m. this Friday evening.
Republicans looking to kick the can down the road to September, buying time to negotiate what they hope will be generational entitlement reform. The kind last seen in the 1990s under House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton.
Ultimately, House Republicans are attempting to cut $880 billion out of the budget. Realistically, cuts that large would require reductions to Medicaid funding.
Some Republicans, like Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, point out the program has grown well beyond what was intended. Taxpayers now foot the bill for some 15 million able-bodied adults without children or a job.
Republicans are looking to push this fight to September, where it will be handled through a process known as reconciliation that can be passed without Democrat support. This week, the mission is passing a CR, continuing resolution.
House Speaker Mike Johnson will likely bring the bill to the floor tomorrow. The bill is 99 pages, small in terms of government funding.
It calls for increasing defense spending by about $6 billion, with cuts in non-defense spending of approximately $13 billion. It also contains an increase in ICE funding and maintains a freeze on $20 billion in special IRS funding.
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid all remain the same for now. Many of the cuts will come from canceling earmarks, funds set aside by lawmakers for specific projects.
One example, cutting $17.5 million in funding for improvements to a Kansas museum honoring former Republican President Dwight Eisenhower. On Saturday afternoon, President Trump posting on Truth Social, quote, all Republicans should vote, please, yes, next week.
Great things are coming for America. and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the country's financial house in order.
The president going on to say Democrats will do anything to shut down the government, and Republicans must remain united. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massey has already indicated he will vote against the bill, and that means Republicans can only afford to lose one vote in order to pass the CR.
Typically, the most fiscally conservative members of Congress are the ones who are the hardest to convince to pass a CR. Last year, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz used the prospect of a CR to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
This time around, those fiscal hawks are signaling their support. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Maryland's Andy Harris telling the New York Post if Republicans are forced to gain Democrat support to fund the government, quote, it will cost us tens of billions of dollars.
Democrats in both chambers are against the CR. If there ends up being a government shutdown, it will be because Republicans want a government

shutdown.

It's a blank check to Elon Musk and to President Trump.

And it just it allows them to what I call this is stealing.

If it shut down, it will be because they want to shut down.

They're controlling everything.

They should negotiate with us to both make sure we keep government open, but also that

make sure the administration stops violating the law.

Thank you. down.
They're controlling everything. They should negotiate with us to both make sure we keep government open, but also make sure the administration stops violating the law.
Democrats say the bill creates a slush fund for the Trump administration to pick winners and losers. If House Republicans minus Mr.
Massey remain united, then House Democrats do not have much recourse. On the Senate side, seven Democrats would have to vote with Republicans to keep the lights on.
They are not expected to do that. Speaker Johnson telling Fox News what Democrats are demanding.
About two weeks ago, the Democrats threw into this outrageous requirement, the stipulation, hey, we won't fund the government unless you tie the hands of the executive branch, unless you put in all these stipulations and you take away the authority that they're duly allowed in our system. And we're not going to do that.
They know we're not going to do that. So it looked like they were trying to engineer a shutdown of the government, which is terribly irresponsible.
Speaker Johnson referring to the Doge team's efforts to slash funding across government, reducing its total size. A recent CBS YouGov poll shows 54 percent of Americans believe Elon Musk and Doge should have at least some influence over government spending.
The same poll showing President Trump's approval rating is at 48%, whereas the Democrat leaders are trailing by double digits. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is at 30% approval.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is at 28 percent.

Friday report from The New York Times generating quite a bit of media buzz. The closed-door cabinet meeting yesterday got contentious with Secretary of State Marco Rubio

and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pushing back against billionaire Elon Musk

and his Department of Government Efficiency. Some brand-new reporting in The New York Times today on a confrontation of sorts inside the White House between Elon Musk and several members of Donald Trump's new cabinet.
This is reporting that shows what many would call a dysfunctional White House. The media typically giddy at the prospect of cracks within the Trump administration.
The Times article is based on interviews with five people, quote, with knowledge of the events, end quote, meaning these are not necessarily firsthand sources. The report describes Elon Musk as letting Mr.
Rubio have it. Mr.
Musk allegedly accusing Secretary Rubio of not firing enough people from the State Department. Mr.
Rubio, in turn, reportedly saying Mr. Musk was not being truthful, citing the 1,500 employees who accepted the early retirement buyout.
Eventually, reports the Times, President Trump sided with Secretary Rubio and said everyone just needs to work together. President Trump asked about the report on Friday, responding.
No clash. I was there.
You're just a troublemaker. Elon gets along great with Marco and they're both doing a fantastic job.
There is no clash. Mr.
Trump following up on Truth Social, posting in all caps, Elon and Marco have a great relationship. Any statement other than that is fake news.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce telling the Times, Secretary Rubio considered the meeting an open and productive discussion. Secretary Rubio has yet to publicly comment directly on that report.
Coming up, authorities determine the cause of death in the mysterious case of Gene Hackman and his wife. The feds slashed 400 million bucks from Columbia University for failing to protect Jewish students.
All that and more in just a moment. Four years of crushing interest rates, runaway inflation, and reckless government spending.
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That's donewithdebt.com. The mystery surrounding the deaths of legendary actor Jean Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa appears to be solved.
The husband and wife were found deceased in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26th by maintenance workers. On Friday, authorities revealing the cause of death.
The cause of death for Ms. Betsy Hackman, aged 65 years, is Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
The manner of death is natural. The cause of death for Mr.
Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor. It is reasonable to conclude that Mr.
Hackman probably died around February 18th. Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that Ms.
Hackman passed away first, with February 11th being the last time that she was known to be alive. Hantavirus is contracted through exposure to rodent excrement, likely a deer mouse in this case.
The coroner says it's not transmissible person to person. Mr.
Hackman likely died on February 18th, a week after his wife. Advanced in Alzheimer's disease, authorities say it is likely Mr.
Hackman was not aware of his wife's passing. Their dog Zina, found deceased in a crate near Ms.
Arakawa, likely died ofvation or dehydration. Authorities believe Zina was crated due to a recent medical procedure.
By all accounts, Ms. Arakawa was a loving and devoted caregiver to her husband.
The New York Times reports, There was much about his life that she managed. She set up golf games with his friends.
She policed his diet. Given the heart trouble that had dogged him for decades, she diluted his wine with soda water.
Leslie Ann Allen, Mr. Hackman's daughter from a previous marriage, telling the New York Post, they had a wonderful marriage, and I give credit to his wife Betsy for keeping him alive.
Mr. Hackman is survived by his three children.
The Trump administration cracking down on anti-Semitic discrimination at Columbia University, promising other schools more action is still to come. A federal anti-Semitism task force convened under the Trump administration, slashing $400 million in grants and contracts to the school.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon writing in a statement, quote, since October 7th, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses, only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them. Part of a nationwide trend on college campuses, hundreds of Columbia and Barnard students demonstrated in unruly protests and sit-ins, ultimately building an encampment on the campus.

The protests, mostly organized by students of wealth and privilege, sided with Hamas,

which the U.S. recognizes as a terrorist organization.
Protesters at Barnard College's

Milstein Center disseminated pamphlets from the Hamas Media Office, glorifying the actions of

October 7th, where 1,200 Israelis were murdered in cold blood. Protesters in the camp were

Thank you. the Hamas media office, glorifying the actions of October 7th, where 1,200 Israelis were murdered in cold blood.
Protesters in the camp wore Palestinian kafayas and chanted anti-Semitic slogans. Jewish students reported persistent harassment and discrimination.
Ultimately, the police were called in to dismantle the Gaza Solidarity encampment. More than 100 students were arrested.
Police were called in again after students barricaded themselves inside a campus building. The actions of the students so horrific and the response of the faculty so feckless, Columbia President Manu Shafiq, along with other Ivy League presidents, called in front of Congress to answer for the chaos.
President Shafiq ultimately resigned from her post amid criticism of her handling of the protests. Faculty and staff condemned her use of the police to disband the violent mob.
Jewish students say the harassment persists to this day. I don't think there's a single Jewish student on campus that does feel safe.
You have to understand what they're handing out is flyers and posters that are actively calling for the death of Jews and Israelis. During these protests, things definitely get a little bit scary, especially because public safety workers are doing the best they can to de-escalate the situations, but they haven't been actually stopping these protests from happening.
Interim University President Katrina Armstrong calls the government's concerns about discrimination on her campus legitimate, saying, quote, Columbia can and will continue to take serious action toward combating anti-Semitism on our campus, end quote. The New York Times reports more than a quarter of Columbia's $6.6 billion in annual operating revenue comes from federal sources.
Nine other schools are in the Trump administration's crosshairs for

failure to take action against anti-Semitism on campus. Harvard, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Northwestern UCLA, UC Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Southern California.
In further action on Saturday, ICE officials arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil

just blocks away from campus.

Mr. Khalil was a prominent organizer of the protests last year,

acting as a negotiator between students and faculty.

The AP reporting Mr. Khalil's attorney says not only has his student visa been revoked,

but his green card is now gone as well.

President Trump vowed to deport foreign students involved in illegal protests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia until Wednesday, negotiating with the Ukrainians on a peace plan to end their war with Russia.
NBC News reporting President Trump now wants more than just a minerals deal. Mr.
Trump would reportedly like to see a change in Ukrainian President Zelensky's attitude, a willingness to make concessions. President Trump would also like to see some movement toward elections in Ukraine.
They were supposed to take place last spring, but were suspended under martial law. The Ukrainians will attempt to persuade the U.S.
to resume military support and intelligence sharing, both paused after the disastrous Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky. The Financial Times reporting Kyiv is set to propose a partial ceasefire with Russia for long-range missile strikes and combat operations in the Black Sea.
In recent days, the Russians have intensified attacks on Ukraine, causing significant civilian casualties and at least 22 deaths. Late last week, President Trump posting to Truth Social, quote, I am strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached.
And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly.
Join me back here all

week for our special series, Megan Kelly Investigates on the Disappearance of Baby Lisa Irwin,

a 10-month-old little girl who disappeared from her crib in the middle of the night.

You can watch it here, Sirius XM Triumph Channel 111 at noon east,

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