Chemicals and Cancer Case at SCOTUS, WHCD Suspect In Court, Royal Visit to the U.S.: AM Update 4/28

Summary

The Megyn Kelly Show – AM Update 4/28: Chemicals and Cancer Case at SCOTUS, WHCD Suspect in Court, Royal Visit to the U.S.

Air Date: April 28, 2026
Host: Megyn Kelly
Summary compiled by podcast summarizer AI

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Episode Overview

This AM Update dives into three major stories: the Supreme Court case considering whether companies can be sued for not warning about cancer risks from chemicals (specifically Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate), the latest on the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla in the United States for a high-profile state visit. The topics are covered with Megyn Kelly's trademark directness and occasionally sardonic style, featuring legal analysis, protest voices, and political commentary.

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1. Supreme Court Hears Major Roundup Cancer Liability Case (02:36–12:49)

Background

• What’s at Stake: The Supreme Court is considering whether Bayer (which owns Monsanto, maker of Roundup weed killer) can be sued under state law for not warning consumers about potential cancer risks, even though federal regulators have determined the product does not require a cancer warning.
• Key Question: Does federal law preempt state-level warning requirements when the EPA has approved a product's label?

Case Details

• Federal Approval History (02:36–03:42):
  • Glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup) repeatedly deemed safe by the EPA.
  • WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified it as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015.
  • Lawsuits allege Bayer (Monsanto) failed to warn users like Missouri man John Durnel, who used Roundup for 20 years and developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
  • Jury sided with Durnel; verdict upheld on appeal; now at SCOTUS.

Arguments Before the Court

• Bayer’s Position (by Attorney Paul Clement, 05:07):

  "The EPA regulation and the government’s brief here makes crystal clear that a registrant cannot change the safety warnings on a pesticide label without approval of the agency. ... Congress plainly wanted uniformity ... Ignoring Congress's clear direction here would open the door for crippling liability and undermine the interests of farmers who depend on Federally registered pesticides for their livelihood."
  (05:07–05:54)

• Government’s Position:

  • DOJ’s Sarah Harris warns that state lawsuits would create a patchwork of conflicting label requirements (05:54–06:33).
  • Chief Justice Roberts raises the uniformity issue, wary of different states imposing different labels (06:44–06:59):

    "If you had 50 different states that are just like jumping the gun, ... it completely undermines the uniformity of the labeling."

• Plaintiff’s Position (by Attorney Ashley Keller, 07:40):

  "Uniformity in law. ... The law of Missouri and the law of the United States have to be the same. ... It does not require fact finders to find the facts the same way. The law ... could be the same. One jury could say, Monsanto didn’t do it. ... That's not a preemption question. ... A different jury could come out the way Mr. Durnel’s jury did."
  (07:40–08:17)

Inside and Outside the Court

• Divided Justices: Both conservative (Kavanaugh) and liberal (Kagan) justices express concern about the potential for conflicting state and federal rules (07:12–07:40).

• MAHA Protests (Make America Healthy Again) (08:37–12:49):

  • Protesters rally outside, chanting “People over poison.”

    "People over poison. People over poison. People over poison." (08:37–08:42)

  • Activist Vani Hari (“the Food Babe”) criticizes the Trump administration for prioritizing corporate interests over public health:

    “When President Trump signed the executive order to make glyphosate a national defense priority, it really frustrated us ... we thought we were going to end corporate capture.” (09:17–10:20)
    “They cannot tell us to eat real food and then protect the companies spraying poison on it. And that’s what’s weird to us and what’s inconsistent. It makes us disillusioned about politics.” (11:44–12:49)

• Political Stakes: Hari frames glyphosate as a 2026 mid-term election issue (11:44–12:49):

  “This administration has made glyphosate an election issue for 2026 because this court case is going to be decided ... in June and then the glyphosate review is going to happen in October.”

⏰ TIMESTAMP HIGHLIGHTS:

• 05:07 – Paul Clement’s Supreme Court argument
• 07:40 – Ashley Keller’s response on “uniformity in law”
• 09:17, 10:45, 11:44 – Vani Hari’s activist commentary

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2. White House Correspondents’ Dinner Attempted Assassination (14:06–16:39)

Incident Recap

• Suspect: Cole Thomas Allen, 31, charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
• What Happened:
  • Allen traveled from LA to DC, armed with a shotgun and pistol.
  • Apprehended after charging a security checkpoint, making it about 60 feet past before being subdued.

Legal Proceedings

• Justice Department Statement:
  Acting AG Todd Blanch details the charges at a press conference:

  “The first count is attempted assassination of the President ... punishable by up to life in prison. The second ... is interstate transportation of a firearm ... up to 10 years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence ... mandatory minimum of 10 years, maximum of life.” (14:50–15:29)

• Further Details: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro explains importance of weapons purchased in California and contents of Allen’s manifesto:

  “It is relevant because he crossed interstate lines with those firearms …I am targeting the administration officials. They are my targets and I’m prioritizing from the top down, the highest ranking from the lowest, and I will not hesitate to get involved in any kind of encounter with anyone who blocks me from the president." (15:47–16:39)

⏰ TIMESTAMP HIGHLIGHTS:

• 14:50 – AG Todd Blanch on charges
• 15:47 – U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on manifesto details

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3. King Charles & Queen Camilla’s U.S. State Visit (16:39–19:13)

Arrival & Schedule

• Historic Visit:

  • King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive for a four-day visit – Charles’ first US trip as King.
  • Symbolic timing: 250 years after America’s founding.

• In Washington:

  • Greeted by President Trump and the First Lady at the White House, including “a brief greeting for the cameras before heading inside for a private tea.”
  • Tour of “the new White House shaped beehive on the South Lawn.”
  • Security is tight following the weekend's assassination attempt. All events proceed as planned.

• Key Events:

  • Today: Formal military welcome at the White House, troop review, Oval Office bilateral meeting.
  • Congressional address: Charles becomes only the second British monarch to speak to Congress.
  • State dinner at the White House tonight.

• Coming Up:

  • NYC to honor 9/11 victims, Virginia and Bermuda visits.
  • Notable family absence: No meeting expected between King Charles and Prince Harry/Meghan Markle.
  • Megyn Kelly offers her characteristic commentary:

    "If only we could avoid the Sussexes so easily. Sure, come over here and then go back to England and leave us with the Duke and Duchess of Duplicity. Enjoy your tea ..." (19:03)

⏰ TIMESTAMP HIGHLIGHTS:

• 16:39 – King Charles & Queen Camilla’s arrival
• 19:03 – Megyn Kelly on Harry and Meghan (“Duke and Duchess of Duplicity”)

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Memorable Quotes

• On Roundup case:
  “Congress plainly wanted uniformity when it came to the safety warnings on a pesticides label. Ignoring Congress's clear direction here would open the door for crippling liability.” – Paul Clement, 05:28

• On political contradictions:
  “They cannot tell us to eat real food and then protect the companies spraying poison on it. And that’s what’s weird to us and what’s inconsistent.” – Vani Hari, 12:34

• On Sussexes:
  "If only we could avoid the Sussexes so easily ... the Duke and Duchess of Duplicity." – Megyn Kelly, 19:03

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Key Takeaways

• The Supreme Court case over Roundup is a high-stakes legal and political battle with implications for corporate accountability, state vs. federal regulatory power, and the 2026 mid-term elections.
• The attempted White House assassination underscores current security concerns in Washington and could have further political ramifications.
• The state visit by King Charles combines diplomatic tradition with the underlying drama of continuing royal family tensions.

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Useful for:
Listeners interested in the intersection of law, politics, health advocacy, and current events—summed up with Megyn Kelly’s sharp, unsparing commentary and a mix of direct soundbites from legal players, activists, and political figures.

Transcript

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[Megyn Kelly]

Good morning everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Tuesday, April 28, 2026, and this is your AM update.

[Legal Analyst]

It might have been good if they had an opportunity to do something to call this danger to the attention of the people.

[Megyn Kelly]

The Supreme Court hearing a high stakes case over Roundup weed killer and whether companies can be held liable for not warning about potential cancer risk

[Maha Activist Vani Hari]

been a fundamental shift in the policies that have been coming out of the Trump administration in regards to pesticides.

[Megyn Kelly]

And outside the court, Maha protesters taking aim at the Trump administration accusing it of protecting chemical companies over consumers, the man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner, appearing in federal court and King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving in the US For a four day state visit with a packed schedule and one notable absence. And more coming up in just a moment. On your AM Update, Everybody's talking about

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[Megyn Kelly]

the US Supreme Court yesterday hearing arguments in a case that could determine the future of thousands of plaintiffs suing the pharmaceutical company Bayer, claiming its popular weed killer Roundup causes cancer. Roundup, invented by agrochemical company Monsanto, Bayer acquiring Monsanto in 2018 at the center of the dispute whether companies can be sued under state law for failing to warn about cancer risks when federal regulators have already approved the product's label. The EPA first reviewing Roundup's active ingredient glyphosate in 1974, repeatedly deeming it safe in federal reviews. The agency also consistently signing off on labels that do not include a cancer warning. But in 2015, the World Health Organization's cancer research arm classifying glyphosate as probably carcinogenic, citing evidence in animals and limited data in humans. That finding helping to fuel a wave of lawsuits from users diagnosed with non Hodgkin lymphoma. Claiming Monsanto later Bayer failed to warn of potential risks. The EPA still maintaining that glyphosate does not pose a cancer risk in humans amid the high volume of lawsuits. Bayer in 2023 discontinuing glyphosate from its residential Roundup products. Missouri man John Durnel suing Monsanto, now Bayer at the state level in 2019 after developing non Hodgkin lymphoma, alleging the company failed to warn about cancer risks. Durnel working in his community as a spray guy for 20 years, treating weeds with Roundup at local parks with no protective equipment. Bayer arguing lawsuits like Durnel's are barred under a federal law which prohibits states from imposing labeling requirements that are, quote, different from or in addition to federal standards, noting the EPA never required a cancer warning on Roundup. But a jury siding with Durnel on the failure to warn claim awarding 1.25 million in damages. And in 2025, the Missouri Appeals court upholding the verdict. Bayer then appealing to the Supreme Court. The justices appearing divided yesterday during oral arguments which ran just over one hour. Attorney Paul Clement arguing for Bayer that lawsuits like Durnel's should not be allowed because companies cannot be held liable for failing to add warnings they weren't allowed to include under federal law.

[Attorney Paul Clement]

The EPA regulation and the government's brief here makes crystal clear that a registrant cannot change the safety warnings on a pesticide label without approval of the agency. Thus, Missouri law here requires something that not only is not required by federal law, but that federal law doesn't even allow. Either way you come to it, either via express preemption or impossibility preemption. The result here is clear. Congress plainly wanted uniformity when it came to the safety warnings on a pesticides label. Ignoring Congress's clear direction here would open the door for crippling liability and undermine the interest of farmers who depend on Federally registered pesticides for their livelihood.

[Megyn Kelly]

The Trump administration joining with Bayer in this case. President Trump in February signing an executive order declaring glyphosate a critical element in, quote, maintaining America's agricultural advantage. Maha moms dubbing this a betrayal. More on that in a minute. DOJ lawyer Sarah Harris arguing for the administration warning that allowing state lawsuits would create conflicting rules across the country with different states imposing different warnings on the same product. Chief Justice John Roberts questioning the implications of that, asking whether states would be blocked from warning the public about a product if new risks come to light

[Legal Analyst]

throughout that long process. In response to information that suggests there is a risk that's not on the label, the states cannot do anything.

[Supreme Court Justice John Roberts]

If you had 50 different states that are just like jumping the gun, Iowa says, maybe this causes cancer. California says, absolutely causes cancer. Some other state says this doesn't cause cancer at all. So put that on your label, too. It completely undermines the uniformity of the labeling.

[Legal Analyst]

If it turns out that they were right, it might have been good if they had an opportunity to do something to call this danger to the attention of the people. While the federal government was going through its process.

[Megyn Kelly]

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh and liberal Justice Elena Kagan seeming to favor the government's argument, both raising concerns about a potential patchwork of conflicting rules with different warning label requirements from state to state. Here, Justice Kagan questioning attorney Ashley Keller, who represents Durnell.

[Justice Elena Kagan]

Mr. Keller, you have a preemption provision that's clearly designed to achieve uniformity in labeling. And what uniformity would your regime achieve?

[Attorney Ashley Keller]

Uniformity in law. So I believe that the express preemption clause is requiring uniformity in law. The law of Missouri and the law of the United States have to be the same. They can't be in addition to or different from each other. So it is truly requiring parallel law. It does not require fact finders to find the facts the same way. So the law of the United States and the law of Missouri could be the same. One jury could say, Monsanto didn't do it. There's nothing wrong with this pesticide. Glyphosate is totally safe. There's no breach of duty. That's not a preemption question. That's a question of breach of duty. And a different jury could come out the way Mr. Durnel's jury did.

[Megyn Kelly]

A decision on this case expected by late June. As oral arguments played out inside the high court yesterday, a coalition of Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA advocates rallying outside, expressing deep frustrations with the Trump administration's. Embrace of glyphosate.

[Maha Protester]

People over poison. People over poison. People over poison.

[Megyn Kelly]

The event, dubbed the People versus Poison, focusing not just on the case before the court, but on what organizers describe as a broader effort by Bayer to limit legal and regulatory challenges to glyphosate through courts, Congress and state houses across the country. Among the speakers, Maha activist Vani Hari, known as the food babe who helped organize the rally. She sat right by your humble correspondent at the confirmation hearing for rfkj. Hari telling us that frustration with the direction of the Trump administration was a driving force behind yesterday's rally.

[Maha Activist Vani Hari]

The reason I wanted to organize the People vs Poison rally is because there has been a fundamental shift in the policies that have been coming out of the Trump administration in regards to pesticides, and they are in direct contradiction to the Make America Healthy Again movement. For example, they want us to eat real food, but at the same time they want to protect Bear Monsanto from lawsuits that they are experiencing across the country and give them corporate immunity. When President Trump signed the executive order to make Glyphosate a national defense priority, it really frustrated us and we became very alarmed at the fact that this administration is captured by this company and we thought we were going to end corporate capture.

[Megyn Kelly]

The Trump administration framing Glyphosate as essential to national security, warning that disruptions to its supply and that of a related chemical could cripple US Agricultural production and hamper our ability to produce certain battlefield tools needed for our defense. Hari accuses Bayer of mounting a multi pronged effort to influence policy in a way she says will harm the American people.

[Maha Activist Vani Hari]

They've infiltrated every branch of government, the White House with the executive order and the Department of Justice with the amicus brief. Somebody from the Department of Justice today was arguing on Monsanto's behalf inside the Supreme Court. The farm bill in Congress has been infiltrated by this language. Pesticide liability shield language that would give immunity to people and corporations that sell pesticides. And then also at the state level, there's 21 different states right now being organized under this organization called Modern Ag alliance that is being funded by Bayer to make it look like farmers want this, but it's truly these chemical corporations.

[Megyn Kelly]

Hari warning the Trump administration's embrace of glyphosate could become a major political liability as midterms approach.

[Maha Activist Vani Hari]

People keep asking me, you know, Vonnie, what's going to happen at the midterms and what's going to happen with people voting for this administration? And I keep saying that this administration has made glyphosate an election issue for 2026 because this court case is going to be decided sometime in end of June and then the glyphosate review is going to happen in October. And we are looking for the Trump administration and the people in Congress to side with the American farmer, the American people, American families versus corporations. The American people deserve to have consistent policies coming out of our government. They cannot tell us to eat real food and then protect the companies spraying poison on it. And that's what's weird to us and what's inconsistent. It makes us disillusioned about politics.

[Megyn Kelly]

Coming up, the White House Correspondent's Dinner attempted assassin making his first appearance in court. And King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in the US For a four day state visit beginning with a trip to the White House.

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[Megyn Kelly]

31 year old Cole Thomas Allen, the alleged gunman at Saturday's White House Correspondents dinner in Washington, D.C. making his first appearance in federal court yesterday afternoon. Allen, who allegedly booked a room at the Washington Hilton expecting that President Trump and other Cabinet officials would be in attendance, captured on security camera charging a security checkpoint. Allen only making it about 60ft past the checkpoint. Law enforcement quickly subduing Allen before he could make it down a stairwell into the ballroom where President Trump and Cabinet members were located. The arrest affidavit indicating Allen sustaining only minor injuries during the incident. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch at a press conference yesterday announcing the charges and their penalties.

[Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch]

Today, the Department of Justice filed three federal charges in United States District Court against Cole Thomas Allen. The first count is attempted assassination of the President of the United States. This count is punishable by up to life in prison. The second count is interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony. This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum of life, and the 10 years is consecutive to any other sentence imposed,

[Megyn Kelly]

according to the affidavit. Allen traveling from Los Angeles to D.C. by train and found in possession of a 12 gauge pump action shotgun and a.38 semiautomatic pistol at the time of his arrest. U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro with more details on the case.

[U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro]

We will prove when he purchased these guns. They were purchased in California. Why is that relevant? It is relevant because he crossed interstate lines with those firearms and those are the firearms that he used on the night of the 25th or attempted to use at the very least. Now, the manifesto also makes clear about his expected rules of engagement. You know, you can look at it and read it and it may seem kind of la la la, but at the end, make no mistake, he says, I am targeting the administration officials. They are my targets and I'm prioritizing from the top down, the highest ranking from the lowest, and I will not hesitate to get involved in any kind of encounter with anyone who blocks me from the president.

[Megyn Kelly]

Pirro adding that additional charges will likely be brought as the investigation continues. Allen not entering a plea yesterday. His next hearing set for Thursday. Until then, he remains in custody. King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving in the US Yesterday for a four day state visit, the first official trip since Charles became king in 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The visit landing in a symbolic year 250 years after America's founding, which came during the reign of Charles's great great great great grandfather King George iii, whom our forefathers really didn't much care for. But no hard feelings. Charles the royals beginning their stay in Washington, welcomed at the White House yesterday afternoon by President Trump and the First Lady. A brief greeting for the cameras before heading inside for a private tea. The first couple then escorting the King and Queen on a tour of the new White House shaped beehive on the South Lawn. The trip moving forward despite new security concerns after Saturday's shooting outside the White House Correspondents dinner with officials on both sides of the Atlantic deciding to proceed as planned today, a formal military welcome at the White House, including a large scale troop review featuring hundreds of service members from all six branches of the military. The President and King Charles also expected to sit for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office later. The King will address Congress, only the second British monarch to do so more than three decades after his mom, Queen Elizabeth ii, spoke to lawmakers. And tonight, a state dinner at the White House, capping the Washington portion of the trip. From there, the royals moving to New York where they are expected to honor victims of the September 11 attacks, Charles and Camilla then heading to Virginia, followed by a stop in Bermuda and one notable absence. The king is not expected to see his son Prince Harry or his non princess wife Meghan Markle during the trip. Despite Harry living in America, the relationship still strained with only brief, limited contact between the two in recent years. If only we could avoid the Sussexes so easily. Sure, come over here and then go back to England and leave us with the Duke and Duchess of Duplicity. Enjoy your tea and that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show live on Sirius XM's the Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com megankelley and on all podcast platforms.

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