The Megyn Kelly Show - AM Update (October 30, 2025)

Episode: Shocking Jack Smith Doc Dump as Scandal Grows, CBS News Shakeup, Missing Monkeys
Host: Megyn Kelly
Guests & Contributors: Sean Davis (CEO of The Federalist)

Overview

This episode of The Megyn Kelly Show delivers a sharp and provocative rundown of headline topics: a major document release exposing an alleged political investigation scandal targeting Republicans, sweeping layoffs and restructuring at CBS News, a Federal Reserve rate cut, and a bizarre story of escaped research monkeys in Mississippi. The tone is assertive, focused, and unapologetically skeptical of media and government motives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jack Smith’s “Arctic Frost” Doc Dump: Explosive Political Scandal

• Major Releases: Thousands of pages from House & Senate Judiciary Committees expose FBI/DOJ investigations under the Biden administration.
• The Allegations: Republicans claim the documents reveal the “biggest scandal in Washington history”—the use of federal power to target not just Trump, but broad swathes of the conservative movement.

Scope of Investigation

• The House documents reveal that the FBI, via the "Arctic Frost" probe, surveilled and subpoenaed hundreds of Republican figures.
• The Senate drop includes 197 subpoenas targeting at least 430 Republican individuals/entities—including media companies (Fox, Newsmax), conservative PACs, legal organizations, and even sitting Senators.
  • Sean Davis:

    "They were trying to find and target and burrow into and learn every single possible thing about what every major figure in Republican politics was doing in the country." [06:03]

Comparisons to Watergate

• Both Kelly and Davis drive home that this dwarfs previous political scandals.
  • Sean Davis:

    “It is bigger than Watergate in the same way that the Pacific Ocean is bigger than your bathtub.” [07:07]
    “Arctic Frost is Joe Biden's Watergate. Merrick Garland was a fundamentally corrupt Attorney General. Jack Smith was a fundamentally corrupt president prosecutor.” [04:23]

Implications for Democracy

• The subpoenas are depicted as a tool for “legal terrorizing” of opposition.
  • Sean Davis:

    “They wanted to use that as a basis to effectively legally terrorize their opposition.” [05:53]

• Kelly underscores how Supreme Court intervention on presidential immunity rendered much of the probe “moot”—but raises potential damage already done.

What’s Next? Calls for Accountability

• Davis insists that there must be consequences or the behavior will repeat:
  • Sean Davis:

    “You cannot have this type of behavior go unpunished. ... You cannot have a country where one party is allowed to do this over and over and over again and nothing ever happens to them.” [09:12]

2. CBS News & Paramount: Major Shakeup

• Layoffs: 2,000 layoffs across Paramount, including 100 at CBS News following a merger with Skydance Media. Notably, restructuring overlaps with the hiring of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief.
• Key Moves: Eliminating several positions and closing the CBS South Africa bureau. Disbanding of “race and culture” units in the wake of George Floyd, paralleling a similar move by NBC.
• Editorial Shifts: Longstanding anchors like Bill Whitaker and Scott Pelley rumored to be on the chopping block as the network shifts back toward “hard-nosed journalism”.
  • Megyn Kelly, critiquing soft interviews:

    “Not exactly Mike Wallace is he.” [12:53]

Recent Journalism Critiques

• Bill Whitaker criticized for gentle handling of Vice President Harris interview before the 2024 election.
• Scott Pelley accused of dismissing parental concerns over sexual content in school books—a Supreme Court decision later affirmed those concerns were valid.
  • Snippet from Moms for Liberty discussion highlighting parental outrage and Pelley’s skepticism [13:36–14:36].

3. Federal Reserve Cuts Rates

• Economic News: Fed lowers the benchmark interest rate by a quarter point, its second cut this year.
• Powell’s Position: Fed Chair Jerome Powell says further cuts aren't guaranteed.
• Trump’s Critique: Trump criticizes Powell, calling him “Jerome Too Late.” [16:35]
  • Trump (impersonated):

    “Despite having an incompetent head of the Fed. I call him too late. He’s always too late. He’s too late in lowering interest rates.” [16:35]

4. Monkeys on the Loose in Mississippi

• Incident Summary: Truck transporting research monkeys overturns; several monkeys escape, prompting a hunt.
• Public Warning: Authorities ask people not to approach monkeys and to call 911 if seen.
  • Parallels drawn with the film “Outbreak”, introducing an element of dark humor and cultural reference.
  • Emergency dispatcher's incredulous response:

    “Do you need some assistance? Is he saying monkeys?” [17:20]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sean Davis, on ‘Arctic Frost’ revelations:

  “So it was a massive, massive release that is starting to make clear the full breadth and insanity of this fishing expedition by Jack Smith and the Biden doj.” [06:03]

• Sean Davis, amplifying the scandal:

  “This was a political enemies list from the beginning.” [04:23]

• Megyn Kelly, regarding CBS’s shifting tone:

  “The race and culture unit formed in the 2020 aftermath of George Floyd’s death was closed down as well two weeks after NBC closed its same department. It was BS window dressing all along.” [11:56]

• Bill Whitaker’s questioned journalism:

  “You have accused Donald Trump of using racist tropes.” [12:48]

• Scott Pelley’s disputed reporting accuracy regarding school books:

  “In a tactic of outrage politics, Moms for Liberty takes a kernel of truth and concludes these examples are not rare mistakes, but a plot to sexualize children.” [14:10]

• Powell on inflation concerns:

  “Inflation is still very much making people quite unhappy.” [16:18]

Important Timestamps

• 00:32: Megyn Kelly introduces the major scandals and headlines for the update.
• 03:00–06:59: Deep dive into the Jack Smith “Arctic Frost” document dump with Sean Davis.
• 07:07–09:32: Comparisons to Watergate and calls for repercussions.
• 10:00–15:00: Breakdown of CBS News layoffs, editorial changes, and critique of recent coverage.
• 16:02–16:47: Federal Reserve rate cut, Trump’s critique of Powell.
• 17:02–18:44: Mississippi monkey escape incident.

Tone & Style

The episode is fast-paced, pointed, and refuses to mince words. Megyn Kelly and guests adopt a skeptical, combative stance toward perceived media and government excesses and failings, with regular quips and cultural references (“Not exactly Mike Wallace...”, Outbreak movie callback). Davis and Kelly offer thorough explanations but remain firmly on-message regarding alleged partisan overreach and media bias.

Summary

For listeners seeking a brisk, opinionated, and unfiltered take on the day’s most contentious headlines, this AM Update pulls no punches. The Jack Smith scandal is presented as epoch-defining, with direct parallels to—and stark contrasts from—Watergate. CBS faces seismic changes as it retools its newsroom, while economic and cultural oddities (like runaway monkeys) round out a wide-ranging and characteristically charged installment of The Megyn Kelly Show.