Berlin Islamic Terror Suspect Killed, Troy Jackson’s Abortion Shift, Trump Does WHCD: AM Update 7/27

Summary

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The Megyn Kelly Show – AM Update 7/27/26

Main Theme:
A fast-paced rundown of the day’s major news: a deadly terror attack near Berlin’s Pride celebration, Maine’s dramatic Senate race shake-up and Troy Jackson’s evolving abortion stance, the controversy over transgender dolls for children in Minnesota, and President Trump’s return to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Berlin Islamic Terror Attack (02:45 – 08:44)

• Incident Recap:
  The Berlin Pride festivities were marred by an attack Saturday night. Megyn details how Abdul Balut, a 21-year-old German of Lebanese descent, used a rental van and machete to kill 1 and injure 29 in Tiergarten Park, outside the main parade area.
• Timeline:
  • Attack occurred as Pride Parade ended, near Brandenburg Gate.
  • Victims included parade-goers and others in the sprawling park.
• Manhunt & Suspect Profile:
  • The day-long search ended Sunday when Balut charged officers with a bladed weapon and was shot dead.
  • Balut’s extremist ties: He’d previously been detained in Lebanon trying to join ISIS, was under German police surveillance, received a juvenile court conviction but only a suspended sentence, and had his apartment searched weeks prior.
• Pattern of Attacks:
  • International terrorism expert Raphael Basang (07:27) contextualizes:

    “This is about the eighth or ninth attack of this kind in Europe… unfortunately, this kind of… vehicle ramming is something that has been a successful strategy ever since the attack in Nice many, many years ago.”

• Political & Community Response:
  • Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener (00:39, 04:51):

    “We will not allow our way of life and our way of living together to be taken from us.”

  • CSD Berlin, Pride organizers (08:25), warn against scapegoating the Muslim or immigrant communities:

    “We do not want this deed to be instrumentalized for political ends. We don’t want any groups to be placed under suspicion for this…”

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2. Maine Senate Race: Troy Jackson’s Abortion Record (08:44 – 13:31)

• Democratic Shake-Up:
  Former state Senate president Troy Jackson replaces Graham Platner, who withdrew amid sexual assault allegations.

• Jackson’s Stump Speech Excerpt (09:21):

  “This is the absolute honor of my life to accept the Democratic nomination for the US Senate. There is a place in this campaign for all of you… and today we begin the work of defeating Susan Collins in November.”

• Platform:
  Jackson runs as a progressive:

  • Medicare for All
  • Housing affordability
  • Protecting Social Security & Medicare
  • Union rights
  • Abortion rights
  • Standing “shoulder to shoulder with LGBTQ Mainers… stand up to Donald Trump and ICE” (10:14)

• Abortion Stance Evolution:

  • CNN reports Jackson previously held strong anti-abortion positions as late as 2010, opposing all exceptions, and supporting informed consent/ultrasound laws.
  • By 2017, his positions had shifted, including cosponsoring one of the country’s broadest state abortion laws.
  • A past political ad resurfaces, questioning his trustworthiness on abortion (13:04):

    “Troy Jackson... earned a 100% rating from Maine Right to Life… extremely wrong for Maine.”

  • Jackson defends his “sterling abortion rights record” for the past decade, but skepticism persists over sincerity and timing.

• 2026 Race Status:
  Early polls show a slight lead for Jackson (49% vs. Collins at 46%).
  Senator Susan Collins’s own record is noted: “abortion rights supporter, backing bipartisan efforts to codify Roe, and calling the decision overturning it, ‘ill considered’.”

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3. Minnesota’s “My Gender Dolls” Controversy (15:47 – 18:50)

• Details:
  Minnesota educators and clinicians will soon have access to “transgender paper dolls featuring interchangeable genitalia” for use with children as young as 4.
• Purpose and Development:
  • Created at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Health after 6 years of research.
  • Marketed as “making gender fun” and used for talking about gender and bodies.
• Content:
  • Dolls have gender-neutral names, removable internal and external genitalia, and over 100 changeable accessories.
  • No clear policy yet on parental notification or opt-out options.
• University & State Ties:
  Project led by psychologist Diane Berg, university receives $15 million/year in state funds; the state institute is funded by $1.4 million/year.
• Lack of Official Comment:
  Democratic Governor Tim Walz has not commented, but is suggested to be supportive based on previous positions (refuge state for gender-affirming care).

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4. Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (18:50 – 20:47)

• Event Context:
  • Trump’s first in-person attendance as president, following the postponement of April’s event after an armed attack attempt (no injuries, suspect in custody on assassination charges).
• Tone:
  • Trump references the attempted attack, mocks the press, and riffs on security.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Humor about safety (19:13):

    “After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, ‘Get down. Get down.’ Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking... She's the only one that really understood what that meant.”

  • On political violence:

    “Tonight we come back together to answer that heinous attack with unwavering resolve… in America, we do not yield to political violence. We don’t, we can’t do that.”

  • Self-deprecating humor at his administration’s expense (19:59):

    “I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins... Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here, personally ran over the cow in his car. And he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight. So it’s very fresh… But he is a very different kind of a person. I will tell you.”

• Closing:
  Trump vows to return next year “…unless the press spends the coming months being, quote, really, really nasty.” (20:47)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Berlin incident eyewitness, Eric Mueller (04:06):

  “I was shocked. So we hear everything… so many information and we don’t know what is right, what is wrong. So it was a really, really crazy time.”

• CSD Berlin representative re: using attack for scapegoating (08:25):

  “We do not want this deed to be instrumentalized for political ends.”

• Jackson on campaign launch (09:21):

  “There is a place in this campaign for all of you… and today we begin the work of defeating Susan Collins in November.”

• Trump at the WHCD – twerking joke & on resilience (19:13):

  “Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking… she’s the only one that really understood what that meant… in America, we do not yield to political violence.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Berlin Terror Attack Main Details: 02:45 – 08:44
• Eyewitness & Analysis: 04:06 (Eric Mueller), 07:27 (Raphael Basang)
• Maine Senate Shake-Up & Jackson’s Abortion Past: 08:44 – 13:31
• Jackson’s Platform & Speech: 09:21
• Abortion Ad Excerpt: 13:04
• Minnesota Gender Dolls: 15:47 – 18:50
• Trump at WHCD—Jokes and Themes: 19:13 – 20:47

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Overall Tone & Flow

Megyn Kelly’s episode is brisk and densely packed, moving quickly between major domestic and international headlines. The tone is direct, occasionally skeptical, and highlights cultural and political flashpoints from a critical perspective, especially on issues involving political correctness, progressive education, and the Democratic party’s internal contradictions.

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Transcript

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[Megyn Kelly]

good morning everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, July 27, 2026 and this is your AM update.

[Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener]

We will not allow our way of life and our way of living together to be taken from us.

[Megyn Kelly]

A known Islamist accused of carrying out a deadly attack near Berlin's Pride celebration Despite already being on authority's radar, Mainers

[Political Advertiser (Maine Right to Life PAC)]

just can't trust Troy Jackson on a board ship. He earned a 100% R.A. maine right to life.

[Megyn Kelly]

Maine Democrats replacing Graham Platner with longtime party insider Troy Jackson as the new nominee's own abortion record threatens to complicate this campaign against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Paper dolls with interchangeable genitalia reportedly coming this fall to Minnesota educators and clinicians working with very young children and President Trump returning for a do over White House Correspondents dinner after an armed attack forced the original event to be called off. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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[Megyn Kelly]

The suspected Islamist behind Saturday night's deadly Attack near Berlin's Pride celebration. Shot and killed by police Sunday evening, ending a nearly 24 hour manhunt across the German capital. 21 year old Abdul Balut, a German born citizen of Lebanese descent, accused of using a rental van and machete to kill one person and injure 29 others in Berlin's Tiergarten Park. The attack unfolding shortly before 10pm Saturday as the city's Pride Parade and festival known as Christopher Street Day, was wrapping up near the historic Brandenburg Gate. Authorities emphasizing the attack did not occur inside the festival along the parade route or at its closing party, instead taking place several hundred yards away on a path through the sprawling park. Police say the white van plowed through a group believed to include both Pride Parade attendees and other people visiting the park before smashing into a tree. Some of the victims also suffering wounds from what investigators describe as a, quote, bladed weapon. Raising questions about whether Ballute carried out the attack alone or had help from others who fled after the van crashed. Witness Eric Mueller describing to Sky News the fear and confusion spreading through the nearby crowds as conflicting accounts raced across the festival grounds.

[Witness Eric Mueller]

We go to the main station, directly to the main station, and then we saw a big crowd of people come towards us. And at first we didn't know what happened. We thought maybe the main stage is closed. We saw many faces, sad faces, crying faces. Saw those people crying, running away. I was shocked. So we hear everything. We hear there are two cars, there are three person there, knife with a man. And we hear so many information and we don't know what is right, what is wrong. So it was a really, really crazy time.

[Megyn Kelly]

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener addressing the city amid early suspicions of an Islamist terror attack.

[Berlin Mayor Kai Wegener]

We will not allow our way of life and our way of living together to be taken from us.

[Megyn Kelly]

Reuters reporting more than 2,200 officers were deployed across Berlin to protect the Pride festivities. A BBC journalist describing the response at the scene.

[BBC Journalist]

So this is a massive police response. They have shut down basically the entire park area where this happened happened in central Berlin known as the Tiergarten. This is a huge park similar to Central park in New York or Hyde park in London. It's just right outside the medieval walls of the old Berlin, the former hunting grounds of the Kaiser. This is a very, a very large area right near the Brandenburg Gate for people who know Berlin. So, you know, this is a very intense police response. Nobody is getting in or out at the moment.

[Megyn Kelly]

The manhunt ending around 6pm Sunday evening. Authorities locating Balut in a community garden area in western Berlin, police say Balut charged towards officers carrying a bladed weapon, prompting them to open fire emergency crews attempting to revive him before declaring him dead at the scene. The German born citizen of Lebanese descent previously traveling to Lebanon in 2025 while allegedly attempting to reach Syria and join ISIS. Prosecutors say balut made contact with people he believed were members of the terror organization before Lebanese authorities arrested him and a military court sentenced him to three months behind bars. German authorities arresting him again after his return to Berlin in November 2025, eventually charging him with preparing a serious act of subversive violence and distributing ISIS propaganda online. Balut convicted in a juvenile court in May, given a suspended sentence of one year and ten months after a court concluded he appeared to have distanced himself from the terror group. According to the Associated Press, CBS News reporting, police searched his Berlin apartment on July 3rd over a possible weapons violation, leaving after finding only a toy gun and closing the case. The attack renewing scrutiny of Germany's ability to contain known extremists following a string of deadly vehicle attacks across the country. International terrorism expert Raphael Basang, speaking to German outlet DW News, saying these attacks are part of a familiar pattern.

[Raphael Basang (International Terrorism Expert)]

I mean, this is about the eighth or ninth attack of this kind in Europe also, more broadly, unfortunately, this kind of, kind of improvised method of vehicle rammings is something that has, well, been a successful strategy ever since the attack in Nice many, many years ago and also 10 years ago, I mean 2013 and 2016 then in Berlin. I don't want to sound cynical here, but thank goodness this was only a sort of normal car and not like a large lorry as we had 10 years ago. And the Islamic State early on always asked its followers to take any measure possible improvised attacks, nice cars, anything they can get their hands on.

[Megyn Kelly]

Despite members of the gay community apparently being targeted in an Islamic terror attack, organizers warning yesterday against using the violence to fuel a broader backlash against Muslims or immigrants.

[CSD Berlin Representative]

We do not want this deed to be instrumentalized for political ends. We don't want any groups to be placed under suspicion for this. People are trying to divide our society and set some people against others. As a CSD in Berlin, we will not allow this.

[Megyn Kelly]

Maine Democrats officially selecting former state Senate President Troy Jackson as their new candidate to challenge Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins in November. Jackson winning the Senate nomination by a vote of 566 to 5 Saturday at a hastily organized party convention. The longtime state lawmaker and fifth generation logger replacing Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race after facing multiple, multiple sexual assault allegations, allegations he denies. Jackson now trying to win over the grassroots activists who had rallied behind Platner's lightning rod campaign.

[Troy Jackson]

This is the absolute honor of my life to accept the Democratic nomination for the US Senate. There is a place in this campaign for all of you, there is work for you in this movement. And I will spend every day now through November earning not trust. Because today we turn the page. Today this becomes a general election campaign. And today we begin the work of defeating Susan Collins in November.

[Megyn Kelly]

The main Democrat party expected to submit Jackson's nomination to Secretary of State Shenna Bellows when her office opens today. Jackson will then formally be running in one of the country's most closely watched Senate contests, with Democrats viewing Collins's seat as critical to their chances of regaining the majority. In his Saturday acceptance speech, Jackson outlining his platform.

[Troy Jackson]

I am running to pass Medicare for all to take on corporate price gouging and build housing that folks in the state can actually afford. And I'm running to protect Social Security and Medicare. They are not going to touch that. And give every worker the freedom to organize a union without intimidation or retaliation. And I will fight to restore abortion rights nationwide. I'm going to stand shoulder to shoulder with our LGBTQ manners and stand up to Donald Trump and ICE when they attack our workers, terrorize our neighbors and threaten the freedoms generations of us fought to secure.

[Megyn Kelly]

Jackson now campaigning on a conventional progressive platform despite facing years of criticism from the left over positions he held earlier in his political career. CNN uncovering candidate questionnaires from 2004 and 2010 showing Jackson once took a sweeping anti abortion position. Jackson reportedly responding to a 2010 survey at the time he was 42 years old that abortion should never be legal, declining to select exceptions involving rape, incest, fetal disability or to protect the mother's health. The questionnaire also recording Jackson's support for requiring women seeking abortions to receive information about the procedure's risks, available alternatives, fetal development and fetal pain, along with viewing a fetal monitor or ultrasound before proceeding. Jackson's position shifting substantially over the following decade, eventually supporting the creation of a federal right to abortion and earning perfect ratings from Planned parenthood beginning in 2017 when he was 49. By the time he was main Senate president in 2023 at age 55, Jackson was co sponsoring one of the most extreme abortion laws in the country, allowing the procedure after fetal viability whenever a physician determines it necessary. Questions about the sincerity and timing of his evolution surfacing earlier this year during Jackson's unsuccessful campaign for the Democrat nomination for governor. A profile published as recently as 2022 in local outlet Maine Public reporting that Jackson had come fully around on same sex marriage, but pointing out he quote admits to struggling with Abortion 314 Action Fund, a Democrat PAC supporting his then primary opponent, later using that admission to attack Troy Jackson Mainers just can't trust

[Political Advertiser (Maine Right to Life PAC)]

Troy Jackson on abortion. He earned a 100% rating from Maine Right to Life voted for legislation that could ban abortions. Jackson said abortions should be illegal even when the life of the mother is at risk. He even stuck to his pro life position after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Troy Jackson Check the record Extremely wrong for Maine.

[Megyn Kelly]

Jackson denouncing the ad as false at the time, pointing to what he called his quote, sterling abortion rights record over the previous decade. CNN noting Jackson's positions during his first decade in office, however, were substantially more restrictive than even Senator Collins stated views. The long term Republican senator identifying as an abortion rights supporter, backing bipartisan efforts to codify Roe and calling the decision overturning it, quote, ill considered the election now just 99 days away. A University of New Hampshire poll last week finding Jackson with a slight lead at 49% compared to Senator Collins, 46. Coming up dolls with removable interchangeable genitalia reportedly coming to Minnesota professionals working with children as young as 4 and President Trump roasting the press and members of his own cabinet during his first uninterrupted appearance as president at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

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[Megyn Kelly]

so called transgender paper dolls featuring interchangeable genitalia expected to become available to some Minnesota educators and clinicians this fall, including professionals working with children as young as 4. The New York Post first reporting the My Gender dolls were designed using six years of research, including, quote, trans and gender diverse children and their parents to interact with the dolls and quote, talk about gender and bodies in groups. They are set to be made available in some Minnesota classrooms this fall for children ages 4 to 10 years old. According to the Post, the dolls reportedly feature gender neutral names like Sam, Rory, Avery and Parker, along with removable internal and external genitalia and more than 100 interchangeable outfits, hairstyles and accessories. The company promising to, quote, make gender fun while marketing the dolls to mental health providers, pediatricians, school counselors and educators on its website. The project reportedly originating inside the University of Minnesota Medical School's Institute for Sexual and Gender Health. Two medical school professors later turning the research project into a commercial venture, including Associate Professor Diane Berg, a licensed psychologist and co founder of the My Gender Dolls. Berg defending the project in a now deleted article published by the University of Minnesota Foundation's Discovery magazine, quote, it's really important to address the belief I'm not a real boy because I don't have these private parts versus I am a real boy, whatever my anatomy looks like, the Post reporting the university's medical school receives $15 million a year from the state to expand its research capacity, while its Institute for Sexual and Gender Health reportedly operates with a roughly $1.4 million research budget. It remains unclear whether parents will be notified or allowed to keep their children from participating when the dolls are used in schools. Democrat Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz has yet to comment on the program, but there's little doubt he's likely in favor given he was the one to declare Minnesota a refuge for so called trans kids from other states seeking gender surgery over their parents objections. President Trump appearing at the White House Correspondents association dinner on Friday night after skipping the event throughout both of his terms until this year. The gathering serving as a scaled down replacement for the April dinner, which was postponed after an armed man charged toward the venue opening fire before being taken into custody. 31 year old Cole Thomas Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, among other charges, and faces up to life in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty. Mr. Trump spending roughly an hour at the lectern Friday, repeatedly acknowledging the muted response from a ballroom dominated by reporters and media executives deeply hostile to him. The president on several occasions referencing the security breach that derailed the original dinner, including a joke about members of the press refusing bulletproof vests because they would rather die than look 20 pounds heavier. Mr. Trump also working rapper, turned ally Nicki Minaj into his retelling of the panic that followed the gunfire.

[Donald Trump]

But after hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, get down. Get down. Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. Do you believe get down. She's the only one that really understood what that meant. It's quite an evening, but tonight we come back together to answer that heinous attack with unwavering resolve. And every one of us here this evening to show that in America, we do not yield to political violence. We don't, we can't do that. Can't do it.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mr. Trump also taking aim at members of his own administration.

[Donald Trump]

I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who's right here, personally ran over the cow in his car. And he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight. So it's very fresh. And Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of mill raccoon roadkill. But we drew the line at that, Cheryl. We said, no, we're not going to do that. We're not doing that. We love Bobby. I'll tell you, he's a piece of work. You think it's, it is fun. But he is a very different kind of a person. I will tell you.

[Megyn Kelly]

The president closing by saying he plans to return next year, unless, that is, the press spends the coming months being, quote, really, really nasty. More on this later today on the MK show. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the Megyn Kelly show live on SiriusXM's the Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com Megyn Kelly and on all podcast platform,

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