Podcast Summary: The Megyn Kelly Show

Episode 1166: "Left Falsely Blames Right For House Fire, and Data Privacy Issues"
Air Date: October 7, 2025
Host: Megyn Kelly
Guests: Rich Lowry (National Review), Charles C.W. Cooke (National Review), Erik Prince (Unplugged), Joe Weil (Unplugged)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Megyn Kelly — joined by prominent conservative commentators Rich Lowry and Charles C.W. Cooke, as well as tech innovators Erik Prince and Joe Weil — tackles three major topics:

1. The media and left-wing politicians blaming the political right for a South Carolina judge’s house fire, despite lack of evidence.
2. Broader issues of political violence, media bias, and double standards.
3. Privacy concerns surrounding big tech and smartphone data collection, and potential solutions for consumers.

The discussion is lively and direct, reflecting the show’s reputation for plain talk, skepticism of mainstream narratives, and open criticism of progressive activism.

Breakdown of Key Topics & Insights

1. The South Carolina Judge’s House Fire: Narrative vs. Facts

Segment Begins: [03:19]

• Story Recap:

  • Judge Diane Goodstein’s home caught fire. She had ruled against Trump in a minor case and received threats.
  • Left-wing figures (notably Rep. Dan Goldman) immediately linked the fire to right-wing political violence — without evidence.

• Megyn Kelly on the Reaction:

  • "You could feel... the excitement on their part that they thought they finally had one." [10:33]
  • Criticizes Goldman’s “libelous madness” — highlighting his unfounded declaration of right-wing arson.

• Official Response:

  • Law enforcement found no evidence of arson or intentional explosion.
  • Dan Goldman did not retract or apologize for his tweets; neither did others, including Neera Tanden.

• Media’s Role:

  • Outlets like People and Newsweek irresponsibly emphasized the judge’s ruling against Trump and implied motive, despite no evidence.
  • Megyn: “This is just irresponsible journalism. You don’t do that. House fires... happen for all sorts of reasons.” [24:07]

Notable Quote:

• Charles C.W. Cooke:

  "Figures such as Neera Tanden live in this little bubble... they may never actually see the correction. So it’s not just that Neera Tanden has a false impression... she’s primed to see this as violence." [13:54]

2. Political Violence, Media Double Standards & “Both Sides”-ism

Segment Begins: [10:33], woven throughout the first hour

• Conservative Outrage:

  • The right is frustrated by the automatic blame for violence and the lack of media correction when facts don’t support the narrative.

• Examples of Double Standards:

  • Media and Democrats continue to amplify the notion of “stochastic terrorism” (suggesting conservative speech incites violence), while ignoring or downplaying violence and assassination attempts against prominent right-wing figures (e.g., Charlie Kirk, Trump) or from left-wing activists.
  • Van Jones, post-Charlie Kirk’s assassination, is critiqued for his “grace” narrative that still subtly puts down Kirk and avoids responsibility for prior smears.

Notable Quote:

• Rich Lowry:

  “There’s kind of a low-level insurgency against federal law enforcement... but one side is wearing blinders and then is hypersensitive to try to find any counter-examples so they can say ‘Both sides are doing it.’” [21:46]

• Megyn Kelly on Van Jones:

  “Van Jones... has really been cowardly. He got. He called Charlie [Kirk] a racist based on nothing... He should apologize... Instead, he wanted credit for outing Charlie for doing a nice thing...” [36:50]

3. Jay Jones’ Violent Texts & Lack of Accountability

Segment Begins: [41:29]

• Who is Jay Jones?

  • Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General, exposed for texts wishing violence upon political opponents, including fantasies of killing their children and police officers.

• Demonstrated Pattern & Non-Apology:

  • New information revealed he referenced such views in multiple forums; his apology described the revelations as a smear.
  • No major national Democrat called for him to drop out; some, like Neera Tanden, minimized the issue by calling it “private conversation.”

Notable Quote:

• Charles C.W. Cooke:

  “This seems to be the product of a considered worldview... you really should not be the top law enforcement official in the state of Virginia if that is your view.” [43:11]

• Megyn Kelly:

  “This guy, he’s a reckless driver. He’s a liar. He wants cops dead, Republicans dead, and Republican children dead.” [47:02]

4. Conversion Therapy Laws & Free Speech (Colorado Case)

Segment Begins: [57:07]

• Legal Background:
  • U.S. Supreme Court hears a challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy,” which is being broadly interpreted to restrict therapists from questioning a child’s claimed gender identity.
  • Justices Alito and Kagan express skepticism about the law’s constitutionality, suggesting viewpoint discrimination.

Notable Quotes:

• Justice Kagan [in audio]:

  “If one of those is permissible and the other is not, that seems like viewpoint discrimination.” [58:34]

• Charles C.W. Cooke:

  “For a state to go from all of human history to ‘you are not allowed to question this as a doctor’ is ridiculous... you cannot intervene as Colorado has said and put your finger on the scale in the direction of the innovation.” [62:14]

5. FBI/DOJ Surveillance of Lawmakers’ Phone Data Around January 6

Segment Begins: [66:26]

• Breaking News:
  • DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed phone records for multiple Republican Senators and one House member during Jan. 4–7, 2021.
  • Raises serious separation-of-powers concerns.

Notable Quotes:

• Rich Lowry:

  “That should be a real red line... Jack Smith just lost his mind over this matter.” [70:07]

• Charles C.W. Cooke:

  “...For those of us who are staunch critics of January 6th... I don’t think that gave the government carte blanche to do anything it wanted. And... I also don’t think that it is an all purpose excuse to oppose anything right of center… What you had at January 6th was a... repudiation of American constitutional norms. And what you have had in response... is a repudiation of American constitutional norms.” [72:45]

6. Michelle Obama’s Complaints about Fame

Segment Begins: [76:22]

• Summary:
  • Michelle Obama laments the loss of anonymity and privacy in her post-White House life on her podcast, which Megyn and Charles C.W. Cooke mock as tone-deaf and ungrateful, noting the privileges and choices involved.

Noteworthy Comment:

• Charles C.W. Cooke:

  “She just seems wildly ungrateful that she has lived this extraordinary American life that most people would never get to experience... it is generally a good problem to have.” [79:29]

7. Zach Bryan’s Anti-Police, Anti-ICE Song

Segment Begins: [83:17]

• Context:
  • Country star Zach Bryan previews a song with lyrics critical of police and ICE, sparking right-wing backlash and sparking debate about the politicization of music.

Notable Quote:

• Charles C.W. Cooke:

  “There is almost no piece of music that has ever been written that was improved by bringing day to day politics… [His song is] the resistance piece du jour that he’s put in there. And it just annoys people... So why do it?” [85:25]

8. Smartphones, Surveillance Capitalism, and the “Unplugged” Up Phone

Segment Begins: [91:47]

• Featured Guests: Erik Prince (former Blackwater CEO), Joe Weil (ex-Apple, now Unplugged CEO).

• Key Points:

  • Most smartphones serve as surveillance devices, constantly collecting and exporting location, usage, and even audio data to big tech firms and data brokers.
  • Even “Ask App Not to Track” on Apple devices doesn’t prevent apps from collecting and sending data.
  • The government routinely purchases massive datasets from data brokers, bypassing the Fourth Amendment.

• The Up Phone Solution:

  • Custom smartphone with privacy-first features: hardware kill switches for battery, mic, camera, and GPS; blocks tracking, no advertising ID, all user cloud data is encrypted—even the company cannot access it.
  • New "Pond" SIM card deletes location records after 24 hours.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Weil:

  “All the apps on your phone are spewing information constantly to advertising databases that are able to learn everything about you and the people in your life... The most important thing is your location. Because when you have everyone's locations, you have a three-dimensional topographical map of the relationships in our country." [98:25]

• Erik Prince:

  "The entire industry really exploded after 9/11... Everything was built around surveillance capitalism." [96:10]
  “We take digital privacy very seriously... That’s why this phone exists, to protect individual data sovereignty.” [107:11]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:19] Judge Goodstein house fire & instant media narrative
• [10:33] Rich Lowry & Charles C.W. Cooke on media narratives, left-wing elation
• [13:54] Tanden/Media bubble; double standards
• [41:29] Jay Jones/Violent texts; political accountability
• [57:07] Supreme Court argument: conversion therapy law and free speech
• [66:26] FBI/DOJ subpoenas of lawmakers’ cell data
• [76:22] Michelle Obama and fame
• [83:17] Zach Bryan’s anti-police song and right-wing music backlash
• [91:47] Data privacy, tech surveillance, and the Unplugged phone solution

Memorable Moments & Speaker Quotes

• Kelly on Left’s Eagerness:
  "You could feel... the excitement on their part that they thought they finally had one." [10:33]

• Lowry on Double Standards:
  "One side is wearing blinders and then is hypersensitive to try to find any counter-examples..." [21:46]

• Cooke on Media Bias:
  "Figures such as Neera Tanden live in this little bubble... They may never actually see the correction..." [13:54]

• Kelly on Jay Jones:
  “This guy... wants cops dead, Republicans dead, and Republican children dead.” [47:02]

• Cooke on Colorado Conversion Therapy Law:
  "For a state to go from all of human history to you are not allowed to question this as a doctor is ridiculous..." [62:14]

• Prince on Surveillance:
  "Everything was built around surveillance capitalism. All about... your habits, where you go, what you buy, who you call, what you browse..." [96:10]

Summary Takeaway

This episode serves as a pointed critique of media bias and double standards in political violence narratives, a warning on the dangers of surveillance capitalism and shrinking data privacy, and a ringing endorsement for active skepticism, privacy innovations, and defending constitutional norms regardless of partisan convenience. The guest commentators and tech experts provide both compelling analysis and practical solutions.

For further reading and episode resources:

• National Review articles by Rich Lowry & Charles C.W. Cooke
• Unplugged.com for the privacy-centric UPPhone

This summary provides a detailed guide to the episode's main topics and arguments. For specific details, consult timestamps above.