Hegseth and Trump Talk Strikes, GOP Wins Seat, Dell’s "Trump Accounts" Billions: AM Update 12/3

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Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of Afterparty and the Megan Kelly wrap-up show on SiriusXM Channel 111.
It's Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025, and this is your AM update.

This is called the fog of war. This is what you and the press don't understand.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defending the second strike on a suspected drug vessel at a newsy cabinet meeting.

The results of the crucial special election in Tennessee are in. Look, I think the man's a grossly incompetent man.

Democrat governor of Minnesota Tim Walz under fire following reports of rampant fraud in his state.

And one of America's wealthiest families makes a historic donation set to benefit millions of children. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

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President Trump holding the ninth and final cabinet meeting of the year yesterday, equaling the number of cabinet meetings President Biden held over his entire presidency.

Cameras welcomed in for the two-plus hour gathering, which covered a wide range of topics.

Near the top of the meeting, President Trump commenting on the two National Guard soldiers from West Virginia who were ambushed last week by an Afghan national while on patrol in D.C.

I want to pay my deepest respects to those two incredible people from the National Guard in West Virginia they came from. I spoke to their parents.
Sarah is gone. She passed away.

She's looking down on us now. And we have one young man who's fighting for his life.
He's fighting very hard. I think he's probably doing better than anybody.

They said he didn't have a chance. I'll tell you, the one who said he's going to live is his mother.
He spoke to his mother. Sir, he's going to live.
If he lives, it would be amazing.

A miracle, actually. We're very proud of those two people.
We're very proud of the National Guard. We're very proud of our military and our police and our firemen and women.

24-year-old Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.

But on Monday, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey announcing Wolf gave a thumbs up to the nurse and wiggled his toes, a positive sign.

Yesterday, suspect Romanola Lockenwall appearing virtually in D.C. court, pleading not guilty to all charges.
The judge ordering Lockinwall held without bond.

Elsewhere in the cabinet meeting, Secretary of War Pete Hagseth saying the U.S. military has only just begun striking drug trafficking boats.

Yesterday, Secretary Hagseth providing insight on how the much-debated September operation went down. I wish everybody could be in the room watching our professionals.

The deliberative process, the detail, the rigorous, the intel, the legal, the evidence-based way that we're able to know who's on it, what they're doing, what they're carrying.

All these white bales are not Christmas gifts from Santa. No one's fishing on a submarine.

And I have empowered them to make that call. Now, the first couple of strikes, I said I'm going to be the one to make the call.
That was September 2nd. I watched that first strike live.

So I didn't stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs.

And by the way, Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat. Secretary Hegseth asked if he personally saw any survivors after the first strike.

I did not personally see survivors, survivors, but I stand because the thing was on fire. It was exploded in fire, there was smoke.
You can't see anything. You got digital.

This is called the fog of war. This is what you and the press don't understand.

You sit in your air-conditioned offices or up on Capitol Hill and you nitpick and you plant fake stories in the Washington Post about kill everybody phrases on anonymous sources not based in anything, not based in any truth at all.

And then you want to throw out really irresponsible terms about American heroes.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer yesterday morning calling on the Secretary to release the full unedited tape of the strikes as the House and Senate probe the issue.

While the majority of the suspected boats taken out by the military are believed to have ties to Venezuela, President Trump putting all traffickers, land and sea, on notice.

If they come in through a certain country or any country, or if we think they're building mills for whether it's fentanyl or cocaine,

I hear Colombia, the country of Colombia, is making cocaine. They have cocaine manufacturing plants, okay?

And then they sell us their cocaine. We appreciate that very much.
But yeah,

anybody that's doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack. Not necessarily just Venezuela.
No, not just Venezuela.

The results are in from the final House showdown of 2025, the special election in Tennessee's seventh district to replace Republican Congressman Mark Green, who resigned earlier this year to enter the private sector.

Republican Matt Van Epps, a decorated helicopter pilot and lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard, defeating Democrat Afton Bain, a representative in the state House.

The contest drawing in millions in outside spending, despite the district's deep Republican lien. Democrats aiming for one final momentum boost heading into the 2026 midterm season.

The race ultimately finishing much closer than past election cycles. Heavy hitters for both parties pulling out all the stops.
President Trump on Monday dialing into a Van Epps rally.

Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music.
How the hell can you elect a person like that?

I just want to give my total support, and he's had it right from the beginning, to Matt Van Epps. He's going to be a fantastic fantastic congressman.
He's going to represent you so well.

And we'll keep our agenda going. Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, acknowledging the steep climb in this ad released yesterday afternoon in the final hours of voting.

Tennessee is ready to elect Askin. To run for office in an R plus 22 seat.
takes a very special kind of person.

And it's not just about an ideology, but it is about a character, a kind of person that says, we're not going to do something because it's easy.

We're going to do it because it's the right thing to do.

Sometimes when an everyday person sticks their hand up to say, I just want to stand up and fight for my neighbors, really beautiful things can happen. Miracles can happen.

Van Apps delivering celebratory remarks to a crowd of supporters. Thank you all.
This is just an incredible win. An incredible win.
Tonight, you've sent a message loud and clear.

The people of Middle Tennessee stand with President Donald J. Trump and stood firmly behind our campaign.
I am humbled beyond belief to stand before you tonight as your next representative.

Here, a moment from Bain's concession speech. I know tonight was not with the results we wanted, but nobody in Washington believed we could get even this close.
This was a 22-point race.

They created these districts to be uncompetitive, but they don't understand Tennessee. They don't understand the South.

They don't understand our stubborn hope of people who have been underestimated for decades. But you all understood it.

You carried hope, and because of you, you put them on the run in a district they thought they could buy easy double digits. And we showed them that is not the case.

With this result, the House balance of power will rest at 220 Republicans to 213 Democrats once Van Apps is officially sworn in, which is likely to happen within days.

Coming up, Minnesota under the microscope following widespread reports of fraud on Governor Tim Walz's watch and a generous gift to American children from one of America's wealthiest families.

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Minnesota under more scrutiny this week.

The City Journal reporting on numerous fraud scandals that have come to light since Democrat Governor of Minnesota Tim Walls took office in 2019, perpetrated mostly by members of the Somali community, which has a large politically active presence in the Minneapolis-St.

Paul area.

The Fed's so far prosecuting and convicting dozens related 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 New York Times later reporting total fraud losses surpassing $1 billion.

The Trump administration yesterday ordering ICE to target undocumented Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities. CBS News reporting the operation is expected to begin in the coming days.
U.S.

Congressman from Minnesota, Republican Tom Emmer, yesterday on Fox saying, the breadth of this fraud smacks of more than just negligence.

Al-Shabaab controls all the financial infrastructure in Somalia. That's right.

This money has gone back to Somalia. Ergo common sense would tell you that millions of dollars, taxpayer dollars, from Minnesotans, has gone to terrorists

known as al-Shabaab in Somalia. This is an awful situation.
Tim Wallace should be held accountable.

And somebody in his administration, I'm just going to leave you with this, over a billion dollars, Lawrence, you can't tell me that that's just negligent oversight.

Someone is complicit, and maybe it's the governor because of his being a, he just, he's not a smart man.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besson on Monday posting to X, quote, at my direction, the Treasury Department is investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden administration and Governor Tim Walls, hardworking Minnesotans' tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.

Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we are acting fast to ensure Americans' taxes are not funding acts of global terror.

In addition to the federal probes, chair of the House Oversight Committee, Republican James Comer, announcing the committee will, quote, conduct a thorough investigation into Governor Walls' failure to safeguard taxpayer dollars.

Congressman Comer telling the New York Post Governor Walls was warned about fraud relating to the Feeding Our Future program and failed to do anything about it.

According to the Post, the Minnesota Department of Education initially halted payments in 2020 when it first became aware of fraud reports, but Walsh reactivated the money flow when Feeding Our Future sued, alleging racism.

Earlier this week, Governor Walsh accusing President Trump of demonizing the Somali community and deflecting from his own administration.

Yesterday, the governor posting to X quote, We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime, but pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem.

President Trump asked yesterday if the governor, who is seeking a third term, should resign. Look, I think the man's a grossly incompetent man.

I thought that from the day I watched KD destroy him in a debate.

But when I watch what is happening in Minnesota, Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars, billions, every year, Billions of dollars. And they contribute nothing.

The welfare is like 88%.

They contribute nothing. I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you, okay? Somebody would say, oh, that's not politically correct.
I don't care. They complain.

And from where they came from, they got nothing.

You know, they came from paradise and they said, this isn't paradise. But when they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don't want them in our country.

Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, along with his wife Susan, on Tuesday, announcing a massive donation totaling $6,250,000,000

to millions of American children via the Trump Accounts program, signed into law as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the bill creating new tax-advantaged investment accounts for children under 18 through the Treasury Department.

Up to $5,000 per year can be contributed to the accounts, which the child can access at age 18 to pay for college, buy a home, or start a business.

If the child decides not to withdraw the money at that time, it then functions as a retirement account.

Eligible children born from 2025 to 2028 will receive $1,000 in seed money from the Treasury to kickstart their investments.

President Trump inviting the Dells to the White House to announce their contribution. Michael and Susan Dell are committing to one of the largest private donations in American history.

In honor of America's 250th anniversary, the Dells are announcing today that they are giving 25 million American children $250 each to save and to invest in their personal Trump account.

Now that's the equivalent of $6.25 billion. These gifts will be available to the first 25 million children aged 10 and under the sign, the zip codes, where their median income is $150,000 or less.

This will give millions of dollars, millions of children, middle-class families, a stake in American prosperity, a benefit from the rising stock market, and a better shot at the American dream.

It really gives them a shot at the American dream.

The Dell is then speaking about their contribution, which will apply specifically to children who do not qualify for the $1,000 seed money.

We believe the smartest investment that we can make is an investment in children. Susan and I are super excited to announce our $6.25 billion gift to 25 million American children,

10 and under, and our gift will cover most of the children that are 10 and under, that are not part of the federal program.

We believe that when children have a future that they can see is worth saving for,

then that will help build hope and opportunity and prosperity for generations to come. So we're so excited to be doing this and hope to have many people join in our efforts.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besson encouraging more philanthropists and companies to follow the Dells in donating to American children.

Americans are the most generous people in the history of the world, and the Trump accounts will provide a vehicle for philanthropists such as Michael and Susan and many more to contribute.

It can be tailored, it can be to employees, it could be a philanthropist could

adopt a state, they can adopt a school, they could adopt a zip code, they can adopt a street. So we will constantly see these accounts be topped up.

Michael and Susan have led the way, but I think that there's a chance that every Tuesday can become Giving Tuesday as more and more philanthropists see the power of this, of giving to American families, giving to American children, and giving everyone a stake in our great economy.

That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of Afterparty.

Catch the Megan Kelly Show live on SirisXM's, the Megan Kelly Channel 111 at noon East on youtube.com/slash Megan Kelly and all podcast platforms.

Love the night? Reach for Zen after dark, a limited cocktail-inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down.

Try Zinn's Mojito, spiced cider, and espresso martini nicotine pouches. Find them at select retailers, available while supplies last.
Zinn After Dark. Bring on the night.

Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.