The Megyn Kelly Show — AM Update (12/8/2025): Somali Fraud Probe, Infant Hep B Vaccine Guidance, Netflix-Warner Bros Mega-Deal

Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Megyn Kelly
Summary prepared for: Listeners who want a detailed, content-rich recap of this episode.

Episode Overview

Megyn Kelly delivers a brisk and provocative AM Update focused on several major stories:

• Widening federal investigations into alleged widespread fraud involving Minnesota’s Somali community and Medicaid programs.
• The federal vaccine advisory panel’s decision to revise infant hepatitis B vaccine guidance, igniting heated debate.
• Netflix’s blockbuster deal to purchase Warner Bros., signaling a seismic shift in the entertainment industry.
• President Trump’s feud with Democrat Henry Cuellar, whom he recently pardoned.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Somali-Linked Fraud Probe in Minnesota

[02:11]

• Findings: Dr. Mehmet Oz, new CMS Administrator, flagged 14 additional Minnesota Medicaid services as having "high risk indicators of fraud" after the discovery of $1+ billion in welfare fraud, predominantly involving Minnesota’s Somali community.
• Details:
  • Fraud concentrated in programs for meals, housing, and autism therapy.
  • 86 people charged; all but eight are Somali.
  • Multiple federal agencies, including a congressional committee, are investigating.
• Political Impact:
  • Dr. Oz accuses Gov. Tim Walz of avoiding action for fear of political backlash:

    "Minnesota politicians get elected with Somali votes and keep the money flowing. This isn't just fraud. It's political patronage at public expense." — Megyn Kelly relaying Dr. Oz [03:40]

• Potential National Security Link:
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen is probing whether the stolen money reached Somalia’s Al Shabaab terror group via informal money networks (hawalas).
  • Local defenders, notably Rep. Ilhan Omar, reject claims of terror financing:

    "If there was... the money that they had stolen going to terrorism, then that is a failure of the FBI and our court system..." — Rep. Ilhan Omar [04:55]

  • Omar further argues Somalis are victims:

    "We are also taxpayers in Minnesota... so it's been really frustrating...we're also, as Minnesotans, as taxpayers, really upset and angry about the fraud." — Rep. Ilhan Omar [05:45]

• Ongoing Investigation:
  • Bessen cautions "absence of proof today does not mean investigators will not find wrongdoing tomorrow." [06:20]

Hepatitis B Vaccine Guidance Change

[06:56]

• What Changed: The CDC vaccine advisory panel voted 8-3 to end the blanket recommendation that every newborn receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
• New Guidelines:
  • Mothers testing negative for hepatitis B now have more discretion, possibly delaying the shot until the child is at least two months old.
  • If a mother is hepatitis B positive or status is unknown, the earlier schedule still applies.
• Medical & Parental Debates:
  • Critics (Democrats and legacy media) argue the change threatens public health:

    "It's a really sad day for science and vaccines and immunology." — Dr. Dimitri Daskalakis [10:32] "These recommendations represent a broken promise to American families." — Health Advocate [10:47]

  • Voices supporting the change point to lack of robust safety data and outdated rationales:

    "The US is an outlier...data used to approve hepatitis B vaccines for infants were based on studies...with very short term follow up and no control group..." — Dr. Tracy Beth Hogue [11:42] "I think that there's a reason that peer nations...do not recommend this vaccine routinely at birth." — Dr. Hogue [12:23]

• Political Angle:
  • Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) opposes the change and warns of rising cases.
  • President Trump responds by ordering an HHS review to align US vaccine schedules with other developed countries:

    "...so it is finally rooted in the gold standard of science and common sense." — President Trump, per Megyn Kelly [13:10]

Netflix-Warner Bros. Mega-Deal: Impact and Concerns

[14:45]

• Major Acquisition: Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and TV studios (including HBO/HBO Max) for $82.7 billion.
• Industry Concerns:
  • Theaters may be further marginalized.

    "Netflix views any time spent watching a movie in a theater as time not spent on their platform. They have no incentive to support theatrical exhibition." — Anonymous Hollywood producers letter [15:50]

  • Culture writers like Sasha Stone caution the streaming model bypasses traditional creative and commercial gatekeeping, ignoring the “silent majority.”

    "With streaming there is no free market pressure, no quality control...You can ignore the silent majority that has tuned you out long ago." — Sasha Stone, echoed by Megyn Kelly [16:35]

• Commentary from Christian Toto (Hollywood in Toto Podcast):
  • Netflix has proven willing to stand by controversial creators (e.g., keeping Dave Chappelle's special despite backlash):

    "...Netflix realized...there's money to be made by reaching out to a whole different group of audiences...a bigger tent means more money for them." — Christian Toto [17:55]

  • Toto notes the possible "loss of the theatergoing experience" would be culturally significant:

    "There is something about being in the presence of other people that...we're losing that a bit... some things are inevitable. This may be inevitable, but I don't think we should lose it or push it away lightly." — Christian Toto [20:00]

• Steven Spielberg weighs in on the theater experience:

  "We hear the laughs and feel the tears and we share emotion. That doesn't happen when you're just a half dozen people watching something on a 50 inch screen." — Steven Spielberg [19:20]

President Trump Feuds with Pardoned Democrat Henry Cuellar

[20:45]

• Background: Trump recently pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife, who faced bribery and money laundering charges.
• Trump's Reaction:
  • After Cuellar announces plans to seek re-election as a Democrat, Trump blasts him for "lack of loyalty":

    "...such a lack of loyalty, something that Texas voters and Henry's daughters will not like. Oh well, next time, no more Mr. Nice Guy." — President Trump, paraphrased by Megyn Kelly [22:55]

• Cuellar’s Response:
  • On Fox, Cuellar takes a conciliatory tone:

    "I prayed for the president. I prayed for his family, and I prayed for the presidency because if the president succeeds, the country succeeds...I am a conservative Democrat, but I will work with the president." — Rep. Cuellar [23:09]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On political patronage in Minnesota fraud probes:

  "Minnesota politicians get elected with Somali votes and keep the money flowing. This isn't just fraud. It's political patronage at public expense."
  — Megyn Kelly relating Dr. Oz [03:40]

• On vaccine schedule humility and lack of strong data:

  "We have established that it does cause anaphylaxis, rarely fever reactogenicity... I agree with Retsef that we need to be humble...we have very limited confidence in what we say when we say these vaccines are safe."
  — Dr. Tracy Beth Hogue [11:42]

• On the cultural loss endangered by streaming dominance:

  "There is something about being in the presence of other people that it's, it seems crazy to say, but we're losing that a bit...I don't think we should lose it or push it away lightly."
  — Christian Toto [20:00]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Overview and Headlines: [00:32]
• Minnesota Somali-Linked Fraud Probe: [02:11]–[06:56]
• Hepatitis B Vaccine Guidance Debate: [06:56]–[13:23]
• Netflix's Warner Bros. Deal & Industry Fallout: [14:45]–[20:45]
• Trump vs. Cuellar Post-Pardon: [20:45]–[23:53]

Tone and Style

Megyn Kelly maintains her signature direct, skeptical, and sometimes sardonic approach throughout, punctuating her analysis with pointed remarks about government, media narratives, and cultural norms. Guests and audio clips provide a variety of perspectives, but the tone remains combative and unflinching on controversial topics.

This summary encapsulates the substantive news, arguments, and soundbites in this packed AM update, providing a comprehensive recap for those who didn’t catch the episode.