Immigration Crackdown Coming to Chicago, Trump Backs RFK, CBS Changes Editing Policy: AM Update 9/8

Summary

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The Megyn Kelly Show: “Immigration Crackdown Coming to Chicago, Trump Backs RFK, CBS Changes Editing Policy: AM Update 9/8”

Date: September 8, 2025
Guest Host: Emily Jaszynski (filling in for Megyn Kelly)
Produced by: SiriusXM

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Overview

The September 8, 2025 AM Update episode delivers a brisk roundup of this week's most dramatic national news stories, focusing heavily on immigration policy controversy in Chicago, President Trump's provocative online rhetoric and executive actions, the firestorm surrounding HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and CBS News’ changes to its interview editing policy. Emily Jaszynski offers energetic, direct coverage in Megyn Kelly’s stead, breaking down the week’s biggest headlines, the heated political exchanges that followed, and the fallout for policymakers and media.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immigration Crackdown & Federal Push in Chicago

• Trump’s “Apocalypse Now” Meme:

  • Over the weekend, President Trump posted an AI-generated image referencing the film “Apocalypse Now” with himself as Robert Duvall, standing before a burning Chicago skyline (#02:25).
  • Caption: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of War.”
  • This coincides with Trump signing an executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, signaling a rhetorical escalation.

• Federal Enforcement Surge:

  • Internal DHS memo (NYT) reveals a planned 30-day federal immigration enforcement surge in Chicago (#03:12).
  • Trump’s public feud with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker intensifies, apparently pressuring him to request National Guard assistance.

• Political & Legal Response:

  • Governor JB Pritzker: On X (formerly Twitter), slams Trump:

    “The president of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strong man. He’s a scared man.” (#03:54)

  • Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL):

    “Let's make it clear, the president...just declared war on a major city in his own nation. This is not normal, Margaret. This is not acceptable behavior.” (#04:12)

  • National Guard deployment would require state request; a federal judge ruled the Guard cannot engage in domestic law enforcement absent state invitation.
  • Vice President J.D. Vance: No plans to deploy the Guard without state cooperation, but emphasizes Trump’s broad legal authority (#05:24).

• Trump’s Clarification to White House Press:

  • Pressed by NBC's Yamiche Alcindor:

    “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities so they don’t kill five people every weekend. That’s not war. That’s common sense.” — Donald Trump (#04:36)

Key Statistic:

Chicago maintains the unfortunate distinction of highest annual homicides for over a decade; 573 in 2024, with 278 so far in 2025 (#04:52).

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2. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Under Fire

• Senate Finance Committee Hearing:

  • RFK Jr. faces bipartisan criticism over vaccine and public health policies (#06:12).

  • Heated exchange:

    “You have had this job for eight months and you don’t know the data about whether the vaccine… That’s the problem…they didn’t have the data. I never promised…to recommend products for which there is no indication.” — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (#06:20)

  • Background:

    • RFK Jr. dismissed the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in June.
    • Ended $500 million in mRNA vaccine research in August.
    • Revoked emergency use authorization for Covid boosters.
    • Fired CDC head after one month over vaccine dispute.
    • Every Democrat on the committee demands his resignation; some Republicans are critical but haven’t called on him to resign.

• Sen. Cory Booker on NBC:

  “I believe frankly that all of [Trump’s] cabinet should be taking a moral position…all of them should be stepping down.” (#07:44)

  • Explicitly says “yes” when pressed if Kennedy should resign (#08:13).

• RFK Jr. Defends Himself on Fox News:

  “They don’t want to hear the answers to the questions that they asked me. They want to make a little speech and then shut me down. The CDC is a broken agency. We did worse in Covid than any country in the world...It was because we forgot about science. What we’re going to do…is return gold standard science and make this agency a lead agency for public health in the world once again.” (#08:18)

• Trump’s Comments:

  • Reiterates his support for RFK Jr.:

    “He’s a different kind of guy. He’s got a lot of good ideas… We’re coming up with the answers for autism. You watch… He’s got a lot of ideas and so do I.” — Donald Trump (#09:20)

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3. CBS News Editing Controversy & Policy Change

• Incident:

  • DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claims CBS deceptively edited her 16-minute interview, omitting her complete statement on detaining and prosecuting Kilmar Abrego Garcia (MS-13 suspect and accused human trafficker) (#11:22).
  • Noem posts her full answer to X, harshly detailing the suspect’s alleged crimes (#12:35).

    “He was so sick in what he was doing...He needs to never be in the United States of America and our administration is making sure we're doing all that we can to bring him to justice.” — Kristi Noem (#12:35)

• CBS Response:

  • Initial defense: Edited for time; full interview and transcript online.
  • New policy days later after audience feedback:

    “Face the Nation will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews, subject to national security or legal restrictions… audience will see the full unedited interview on CBS… transcripts and full video online.” (paraphrased from #13:03)

  • Policy shift comes months after CBS parent company Paramount paid Trump $16 million over a separate interview-editing lawsuit and weeks after new ownership took over the network.

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia Case:

  • Accused MS-13 member facing trial on human trafficking in Tennessee.
  • ICE struggles to deport him: El Salvador rejected due to fear of harm; attempted deportation to Uganda was contested; latest removal notice designates Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) (#14:00).
  • Federal judge blocks removal pending October 6 hearing.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tammy Duckworth (Sen. D-IL), On CBS:

  “The president…just declared war on a major city in his own nation. This is not normal…this is not acceptable behavior.” (#04:12)

• Donald Trump, Responding to Press:

  “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities… That’s not war. That’s common sense.” (#04:36)

• Cory Booker (Sen. D-NJ) on HHS Secretary’s Fate:

  “I believe…all of his cabinet should…be stepping down.” (#07:44)

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On CDC Overhaul:

  “The CDC is a broken agency…we literally are, we’re the worst team in the league…my job is to shake up the organization…” (#08:18)

• CBS Policy Statement:

  “Face the Nation will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews…audience will see the full unedited interview.” (#13:03)

• Kristi Noem, On Abrego Garcia:

  “…he was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick...He needs to never be in the United States of America…” (#12:35)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s “Apocalypse Now” Meme & Immigration Crackdown: 02:25
• Feud with IL Gov. Pritzker & National Guard Debate: 03:54 - 05:44
• Senate Hearings & HHS Secretary Kennedy Under Fire: 06:12 - 09:47
• CBS News Interview Editing Scandal & Policy Change: 11:22 - 13:03
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deportation Saga: 13:03 - 14:50

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Tone & Style

• Direct, urgent, and often combative political language, reflecting the tensions of the 2025 news cycle.
• Pervasive skepticism towards mainstream media and establishment practices.
• Frequent use of potent, vivid imagery (e.g., “Apocalypse Now” meme, “war with an American city”).

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For New Listeners

This episode offers an unvarnished, sometimes provocative narrative of evolving federal-state clashes over immigration, deepening political divides over pandemic policy, a spotlight on media credibility, and the stakes for high-profile criminal justice cases. The detailed breakdown of both substance and spin provides a clear roadmap for understanding this week’s most contentious developments.

Transcript

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[Emily Jaszynski]

Good morning everyone. I'm Emily Jaszynski, host of After Party, filling in today for Megyn Kelly. It's Monday, September 8, 2025, and this is your AM update.

[Tammy Duckworth]

President of the United States essentially just declared war on a major city in his own nation.

[Emily Jaszynski]

President Trump posts a meme and the left melts down as crime and illegal immigration in major US Cities take center stage again this week.

[Donald Trump]

Well, he's a different kind of a guy. He's got a lot of ideas and so do I.

[Emily Jaszynski]

President Trump, stand by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After a fiery hearing on Capitol Hill. And CBS announces a change in policy after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accuses the network of deceptive editing and brings the receipts. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update.

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[Emily Jaszynski]

Democrats melting down over a meme shared by President Trump over the weekend. On Saturday, the president posting what appeared to be an AI Image of himself styled as Robert Duvall's character from the classic movie Apocalypse now, standing in front of a flaming Chicago skyline with the caption chi, Apocalypse Now. President Trump adding his own caption, quote, I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of War. On Friday, the president signing an executive order renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War. Border czar. Tom Holman Sunday on cnn saying the feds are planning to ramp up immigration enforcement this week.

[Interviewer or Reporter]

Should we expect action in Chicago this week?

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Absolutely. You can expect action in most sanctuary cities across the country.

[Emily Jaszynski]

The New York Times obtaining an internal DHS memo indicating federal officials are planning a 30 day surge in Chicago. The meme posted as President Trump publicly feuds with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker as he intensifies the apparent pressure campaign to push the governor into requesting National Guard assistance in Chicago over the issue of violent crime. State governors can request help from the National Guard amid civil unrest or major emergencies without an invitation. The National Guard can't partake in domestic law enforcement operations. A federal judge ruled last week in a case about Trump's deployment to Los Angeles over Governor Gavin Newsom's objections. Governor Pritzker responding to Mr. Trump on X, quote, the president of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn't a strong man. He's a scared man. Illinois won't be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. U.S. senator from Illinois, Democrat Tammy Duckworth, Sunday on CBS.

[Tammy Duckworth]

Let's make it clear the president of the United States essentially just declared war on a major city in his own nation. This is not normal, Margaret. This is not acceptable behavior.

[Emily Jaszynski]

NBC White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor on Sunday asking President Trump if the US is going to war with Chicago. Mr. Trump's response.

[Donald Trump]

Well, why would you.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Department of Defense.

[Donald Trump]

Listen. Be quiet. Listen. You don't listen. You never listen. That's why you're second grade. We're not going to war. We're going to clean up our cities. We're going to clean them up so they don't kill five people every weekend. That's not war. That's common sense.

[Emily Jaszynski]

For the last 13 years, Chicago holds the record for the most homicides per year of any US city with 573 people murdered in 2024, according to the Chicago Tribune. 278 killed so far this year, a decrease from this time last year, but still a shockingly high number as of Sunday afternoon, a local CBS station reporting five dead and 10 wounded in weekend shootings across the Windy City. On Friday, Vice President J.D. vance telling reporters there are no immediate plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago.

[Interviewer or Reporter]

There are no immediate plans, but the president has said he has the legal authority to protect American citizens, whether that's in Chicago or Washington, D.C. obviously, as the president has said, we want the governor to be a partner here. We would love it, Democrat or Republican, if we had governors who were willing to actually be partners in cutting down crime. And our country, unfortunately, looks like that's not what we have.

[Emily Jaszynski]

And J.B. pritzker, a U.S. official confirming to ABC in August that the Pentagon is drawing up plans for a deployment. Any action without state permission is likely to face a swift legal challenge. HHS secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. Facing mounting calls to resign following a fiery hearing before the Senate Finance Committee late last week on Capitol Hill. Some highlights here. The MRNA technology is about continuing the research to be ready.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

I'm happy to have a detailed discussion with you about it. You're so wrong on your facts.

[Emily Jaszynski]

You're interrupting me. And sir, you're a charlatan.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

You have had this job for eight months and you don't know the data about whether the vaccine. That's the problem is that they didn't have the data. I never promised that I was going to recommend products for which there is no indication.

[Emily Jaszynski]

When you said, and I know you've.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

Taken $855,000 from pharmaceutical companies. Senator.

[Emily Jaszynski]

RFKJ ruffling feathers, including some in the GOP, with changes regarding vaccines. In June, RFKJ dismissing the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group that develops and sets vaccine guidance for the nation. In August, announcing an end to $500 million in funding for MRNA vaccine research. Kennedy also ending the emergency use authorization for Covid boosters, meaning they are no longer authorized for mass use. And recently firing the head of the CDC after just about one month on the job over a vaccine policy dispute. Every Democrat on the Finance Committee calling on Kennedy to resign. While some Republicans were openly critical, so far none have asked the secretary to step down. Democrat Senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker, not on that committee. Sunday on NBC echoing those calls and saying even more Cabinet officials should be resigning.

[Megan (After Party Host or Advertiser)]

As you know, a number of Democrats.

[Emily Jaszynski]

Have called for him to resign.

[Kristi Noem]

Do you, Senator, think that Secretary Kennedy should resign Now?

[Cory Booker]

I'm one of these big believers that when I see Justice Department officials and State Department officials and many other people resigning because the President of the United States is doing things that are immoral and dangerous. I believe frankly that all of his cabinet should be taking a moral position, especially those that are parts of agencies like Health and Human Services or the Justice Department. When you have a president that is acting in the way that he should, that all of them should be stepping down.

[Megan (After Party Host or Advertiser)]

So you're saying yes, he should step down.

[Cory Booker]

Yes.

[Emily Jaszynski]

RFKJ joining Fox News on Sunday defending his work.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]

They don't want to hear the answers to the questions that they asked me. They want to make a little speech and then shut me down. The CDC has broken Oregon agency. We did worse in Covid than any country in the world. We have 4.2% of the world's population. We have 20% of the world's COVID deaths. We usually, we literally are, we're the worst team in the league. I've been brought in as a new manager and you know, my job is to shake up the organization to fire the people who are responsible. We literally did worse than any country in the world. And it was because we forgot about science. And what we're going to do, what the Trump administration is going to do, is to return gold standard science and make this agency a lead agency for public health in the world once again.

[Emily Jaszynski]

President Trump, who recently expressed support for some vaccines Sunday from the White House backing rfkj.

[Donald Trump]

Well, he's a different kind of a guy. He's got a lot of good ideas, but he's got a lot of ideas. You know, normally they don't have any ideas. And that's why we have problems with autism and so many other things, because we're coming up with the answers for autism. You watch, we're coming up with the answers for other things that normal people, regular people, easy to get along with people wouldn't be able to do. He's got a lot of ideas and so do I. And we're going to say that.

[Emily Jaszynski]

Coming up after DHS secretary Kristi Noem accuses CBS News of deceptive editing, the network announces a major change in its editorial policy. And where in the world is the DOJ planning to send so called Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

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[Emily Jaszynski]

CBS News announcing a major editorial policy change after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accuses the network of deceptively editing her interview. Last week, DHS releasing a statement saying nearly four minutes of the 16 minute and 20 second interview were cut. Most significantly, an answer regarding the fate of so called Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is actually of course a Salvadoran national, credibly accused of Ms. 13 membership and various crimes. Abrego Garcia is currently held in an ICE detention facility in Farmville, Virginia as he awaits trial on human trafficking charges in Tennessee after being returned to the US In June. In a separate effort, the Trump administration is battling with the courts to deport Abrego Garcia to a country other than El Salvador in compliance with the court order. More on that in a moment on cbs. Last week, guest host Ed o' Keefe pressing Secretary Noem, shouldn't Abrego Garcia face trial on his charges before being deported Again? The network ending the secretary's answer here.

[Kristi Noem]

And the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn't walk free in the United States of America.

[Emily Jaszynski]

Secretary Noem later posting the rest of her answer to X, which included the.

[Kristi Noem]

Following this individual was a known human smuggler, Ms. 13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater and someone who was so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children. So he needs to never be in the United States of America and our administration is making sure we're doing all that we can to bring him to justice.

[Emily Jaszynski]

Initially, CBS defending the move in a statement to the Hill, quote, the interview was edited for time and met all CBS News standards. The entire interview is publicly available on YouTube, and the full transcript was posted early Sunday [e-mail] Five days later, the network releasing a new statement in response to audience feedback. Face the Nation will now only broadcast live or live to tape interviews subject to national security or legal restrictions. This extra measure means the television audience will see the full unedited interview on cbs, and we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online, end quote. The change comes just months after CBS parent company Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit with President Trump over a 60 Minutes interview he says was deceptively edited to favor then Vice President Harris ahead of the 2024 election. And it also comes just weeks after new owners took over Paramount and signaled changes to the direction of the Legacy News Network in 2019. Abrego Garcia receiving a withholding of removal order barring his deportation to El Salvador on the grounds that he faced a credible threat of harm if he returned home. Now that Abrego Garcia is back on American soil, still under final order of removal, the feds are seeking to deport him to a third country where there is no credible fear of persecution or torture. On Friday, Fox News obtaining a letter sent to Abrego Garcia's lawyers from ice reading as follows, quote, Currently you are designated to be removed to Uganda. Your attorney has informed us, however, that you fear persecution or torture in Uganda. That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed through your attorneys that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries. We hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa. Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a landlocked country in southern Africa. It gained independence from the British in 1968 and is ruled by an absolute monarchy. So good luck to him. Amid all of this, Abrego Garcia is reapplying for asylum in the U.S. maryland Judge Paula Zinnis, overseeing that case, has ordered the government cannot remove him before a hearing set for October 6th. That'll do it. For your AM update, I'm Emily Jaszynski, host of Afterparty. Megan is back tomorrow. Catch the Megyn Kelly show today live on SiriusXM triumph channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com Megyn Kelly and on all podcast platforms.

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