Spain Migrant "Attack," Reflecting Pool Vandal Battle, Guthrie "Ransom Notes" Update: AM Update 8/3

Summary

The Megyn Kelly Show – AM Update 8/3/2026

Spain Migrant "Attack," Reflecting Pool Vandal Battle, Guthrie "Ransom Notes" Update
Host: Megyn Kelly (SiriusXM)
Date: August 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this morning's AM Update, Megyn Kelly covers four major stories dominating international and domestic news:

• The mass migrant crossing into the Spanish city of Ceuta, Spain’s reaction and implications for EU immigration policy.
• The dropped felony vandalism charges in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case and fallout within the Trump administration.
• New details in the ongoing Nancy Guthrie abduction case, including the release of ransom notes and law enforcement appeals for public help.
• President Trump's eleventh-hour decision to halt strikes on Iran amidst regional pressure and possible diplomatic openings.

Kelly intersperses direct quotes and reactions from principal figures, offering a rapid, high-stakes rundown in her signature candid tone.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Spain’s Migrant Crisis in Ceuta: Social Media, Policy Tensions, and International Fallout

[00:39–06:39]

• Incident Recap:
  Tens of thousands of mostly young Moroccan migrants crossed into the Spanish city of Ceuta from Morocco last week, with at least 72 lives lost in attempted crossings.

• Cause:
  Spanish and European officials blame social media disinformation, with false posts promising easy entry into Europe.

  • Migrant interviewee [03:49]:

    “To be honest, I don't even know why I've come. I'm heading back now. It's that simple. Let God's will be done.”
    “No, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday... I haven't slept yet.” [04:01]

• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Response [00:39, 04:23]:

  • Sanchez labels the mass crossing “an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity,” denounces human trafficking networks, and vows rapid processing and repatriation.

    “What happened yesterday deserves our strongest reproach and our firmest condemnation.” [04:23]

• EU Political Reactions & Measures:

  • Sanchez criticizes Italy and PM Meloni for politicizing the incident.
  • Meloni calls for strengthened EU borders, coordinated returns, and elimination of so-called “pull factors” attracting migrants.
  • Spain to deploy a floating sea barrier (NYT).
  • U.S. raises travel advisory for Ceuta to Level 3 (“unpredictable and dangerous conditions”).

• U.S. Reaction (Donald Trump) [06:39]:
  Trump calls the incident a “catastrophe and an invasion,” warning the U.S. could face worse without Republican leadership.

  “If we're not in office, our country will be invaded at levels that made Spain look small... they don't know what to do.” [06:39]

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2. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Vandalism Case: Dropped Charges and Within-Admin Dispute

[07:28–10:06]

• Case Summary:
  Felony vandalism charges against David Hearn (former Olympic canoeist) for alleged damage to the reflecting pool are dropped after new evidence points to contractor error rather than criminal action.

• Trump vs. Pirro:
  Trump blasts U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro (his ally) over dropping charges:

  “I disagree 100% with Pirro's decision... To me it was a pure case of vandalism.” [07:28]

  • Pirro cites evidence of flawed installation, not vandalism; Interior Department blamed for withholding documents.

• Legal Analysis (Ellie Hoenig, CNN) [09:15]:

  “This is how not to prosecute 101... Do your work first, do your investigation first... You don't charge a person with a felony until you know what you're talking about.”

• DOJ’s Stance:
  Moves to dismiss additional cases; apologizes for “abuse of government power” (according to Hearn’s attorney); Interior Secretary Doug Burgum maintains vandalism occurred, citing camera evidence, but this does not apply to Hearn’s case.

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3. Nancy Guthrie Abduction Case: Ransom Notes, Video Evidence, Frustrations with FBI

[10:06–15:44]

• Investigation Update:
  Six months after the abduction of Nancy Guthrie (mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie), Pima County Sheriff's Department releases new surveillance footage and two ransom notes.

• Video Details:
  Nest doorbell videos could have been from two separate days, show perpetrator “preparing for the event.”
  One clip shows the suspect without a backpack and gun.

• Ransom Notes:

  • First Note (Feb 2): Sets ransom deadlines (Feb 5 & 9); references smartwatch and a destroyed floodlight.
  • Second Note (Feb 6): Sender apologizes, claims Nancy “perished shortly after she was taken,” and is “buried in nature now.”

• Sheriff Chris Nanos: Appeals to the Public
  On releasing notes:

  “There’s a number of pieces of information in these notes that... might jar someone... the wording, the style of the writing might jog somebody to kind of think about who would have written this.” [14:42] On need for tips:
  “A lot of people have called us with information, but we also know a lot of people are hesitant... Someone knows who this person is, someone knows something. We need that phone call.” [15:21]

• Interagency Tensions:
  Wall Street Journal documents friction between local authorities and the FBI. FBI Director Patel suggests earlier contact could have preserved critical video evidence. Nanos disputes there’s any real feud, saying he and Patel have never spoken.

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4. Iran: Trump Halts Strikes Amid Regional Pressure, Talks of an Emerging Deal

[15:44–19:18]

• Context:
  President Trump aborts planned U.S. strikes on Iran late Saturday, citing “progress toward a deal” to end months-long conflict.

• Geopolitical Dynamics:
  Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan urge de-escalation over fears of regional war after previous US escalations provoked Iranian attacks on Gulf states.

• Trump’s Account [18:12]:

  “We were all set to go...but when the allies ask to call it off, you got to sort of say, well, let's see. And the reason they asked is I think there's a deal, there's a deal on Hormuz and then there will be a deal... I call it the denuclearization of Iran.”

  • Trump claims Iran requested negotiations “very strongly,” though he doubts their sincerity.

    “Obviously they don't want to be attacked and they knew...the extent of the attack because they saw it forming.” [18:49]

• Current Status:
  Mediation efforts ongoing; Iran claims military readiness despite U.S. pause. Kelly notes this is the latest episode of last-minute de-escalation in an otherwise volatile regional dynamic.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pedro Sanchez (Spanish PM) [00:39, 04:23]:

  “Ceuta is a Spanish city and what happened yesterday deserves our strongest reproach and our firmest condemnation... What lies behind this is the self-interested interpretation that the criminal networks trafficking human beings have made of a Supreme Court ruling...”

• Italian PM Giorgia Meloni (paraphrased by Kelly) [05:24]:

  “This is the Sanchez model the Italian left wing likes so much... to strengthen external borders, combat irregular immigration, fight human traffickers...”

• Donald Trump on Migrant Surge [06:39]:

  “If we're not in office, our country will be invaded at levels that made Spain look small...they don't know what to do.”

• Ellie Hoenig on DOJ missteps [09:15]:

  “This is how not to prosecute 101.”

• Nancy Guthrie Case, Sheriff Nanos [14:42, 15:21]:

  “There’s a number of pieces of information in these notes that... might jar someone...” “Someone knows who this person is... We want that person to call us.”

• Trump on Iran De-escalation [18:12]:

  “We were all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you got to sort of say, well, let's see... There’s a deal on Hormuz and... the denuclearization of Iran.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Spain Migrant Crisis:
  [00:39–06:39] – Coverage, government responses, social media blame, EU and US reaction.
• Reflecting Pool Vandal Battle:
  [07:28–10:06] – Trump vs. Pirro, legal analysis, fallout.
• Nancy Guthrie Update:
  [10:06–15:44] – Surveillance footage, ransom notes, appeals to the public.
• Iran Strike Hold:
  [15:44–19:18] – Trump’s rationale, regional pressure, ongoing negotiations.

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Episode Takeaway

Megyn Kelly’s AM Update offers rapid analysis of fast-developing international and U.S. legal stories with little filter, giving listeners a sense of urgency and drama. Through headline events—Spain’s border, D.C. law enforcement embarrassment, a harrowing kidnapping, and possible Mideast de-escalation—Kelly foregrounds both political friction and human impact, staying true to her promise of “no BS, no agenda, and no fear.”

Transcript

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[Megyn Kelly]

Good morning everyone, I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Monday, August 3, 2026 and this is your AM update to describe what

[Pedro Sanchez]

happened yesterday as an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. Ceuta is a Spanish city and what happened yesterday deserves our strongest reproach and our firmest condemnation.

[Megyn Kelly]

Thousands of migrants heading back home after they stormed the beaches of a Spanish city in Northern Africa. Officials putting the blame on social media. A clash within the Trump administration in the case over alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

[Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos]

If you have information, someone knows who this person is. Someone knows something. We want that person to call us. We need that phone call.

[Megyn Kelly]

Six months after Nancy Guthrie was abducted from her home. Investigators revealing new details about the case but caution it's still far from solved. And President Trump pulling back again from a major attack on Iran after hearing from some Gulf allies. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. When you sign your insurance policy for some brokers, that's the finish line. Handshake commission done. Then you may not hear from them again until it's time for renewal. But your business runs all year and so do the gaps and the risk. Which is why I want to tell you about Super Sure. If your company has more than 25 employees, whether you're the owner, CFO or HR manager, it can be too complex to just buy a policy online. Super sure is the super agency built for you, licensed in every state for your business, insurance and employee benefits with year round support for you and your team. At super sure.com, you can access tools like Fine Print Facts, which translates your current policy into plain English so you see what's covered and what's not, plus a business value calculator so you can estimate what your business is worth and know what actually needs protecting. Go to super sure.com Megan one super agency, one powerful platform. All your policies in one place go to supersure.com Megan paid for by Super Sure Insurance Agency LLC, a licensed insurance agency. Authorities in Spain saying many of the tens of thousands of migrants who crossed into the Spanish city of Ceuta late last week have been escorted back to Morocco. The tiny city, which is part of Spain, is located on the African continent, across the Strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain. At least 72 people died attempting the crossing, their bodies recovered from the sea. Officials are investigating what triggered the sudden surge. Many migrants, most of whom are young Moroccan men, reportedly acting on social media posts falsely promising easy entry into Europe, according to the BBC. Multiple accounts, the BBC reports, show young people in wetsuits and flippers or filming themselves already swimming, mixed with pictures from inside Spain. Some of those accounts have only been active for weeks, while several have tens of thousands of likes. While many of the migrants appear to have been attracted by these posts, some seemingly have no idea why they came at all. Here's what one of them told Reuters.

[Migrant Interviewee]

To be honest, I don't even know why I've come. I'm heading back now. It's that simple. Let God's will be done. You spent the evening away.

[Megyn Kelly]

Did you eat, have dinner?

[Migrant Interviewee]

No, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. Although I did bring some money with me, just for taxis and stuff. And that's it. That's all I can tell you. I haven't slept yet.

[Megyn Kelly]

The surge of Moroccan migrants into Spain reigniting the immigration discussion across Europe. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he considers the migrant surge an attack on

[Pedro Sanchez]

his nation, to describe what happened yesterday as an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. Ceuta is a Spanish city and what happened yesterday deserves our strongest reproach and our firmest condemnation. What lies behind this is the self interested interpretation that the criminal networks trafficking human beings have made of a Supreme Court ruling which upholds an earlier ruling by the High Court of Justice of Andalusia stating that the repatriation at the border of people who enter our territory by swimming has no legal basis. What we are doing is speeding up everything related to the processing of cases and the repatriation of migrants who have entered irregularly mainly since yesterday. As you can see, many of these migrants are already leaving. Cooperate, cooperate with the Moroccan authorities whose willingness and cooperation I also appreciate, so that these repatriations can be carried out as soon as possible and therefore so that the migrants who arrived irregularly mainly yesterday can leave.

[Megyn Kelly]

The Spanish Prime Minister criticizing some EU partners for their reaction to the crisis while singling out Italy, saying the Leaders of that country politicized the incident instead of offering support. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posting pictures of the Suta incident with the caption, quote, this is the Sanchez model the Italian left wing likes so much. Meloni calling for joint action from other EU countries, quote, to strengthen external borders, combat irregular immigration, fight human traffickers, make returns more effective and eliminate any factor that could incentivize new illegal entries. The Italian prime minister's call to eliminate policies that are, quote, pull factors to Europe signed by almost two dozen EU heads of state over the weekends. Bain saying it will be deploying a floating barrier off the coast of Ceuta, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, the US State Department raising its travel warning for the Spanish enclave, urging Americans to reconsider going there after the massive migrant surge. The new Level 3 advisory highlighting, quote, unpredictable and dangerous conditions. President Trump last week describing the scenes as a catastrophe and an invasion, warning it could preview challenges for America.

[Donald Trump]

That same thing's going to happen to us if the Republicans don't get elected. Except worse, much bigger, much easier to get into, despite the fact that we have built thousands of miles of wall, which I said we were going to do, but we didn't have that. Forget it. We have the safest border in the world. If we're not in office, our country will be invaded at levels that made Spain look small. God. Because when you look at what happened to Spain, they don't know what to do. And it's happening again today. They're coming in by the tens of thousands. They're just invading the country. And what that is is weak law, bad management, but very liberal law.

[Megyn Kelly]

President Trump blasting his own U.S. attorney for D.C. jeanine Pirro, one of his top allies, after her office abruptly dropped felony vandalism charges on Friday against a man accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro saying the damage was caused by contractors, not vandals. In a pair of truth social posts Saturday, Mr. Trump saying he, quote, disagrees 100% with Pirro's decision. Continuing, quote, I don't know what she was thinking. To me it was a pure case of vandalism. Look for yourselves at the vandalism that took place at the Reflecting Pool. The material is being cut with a knife or a box cutter for all to see. But in a 20 page motion filed by U.S. attorney Pirro's office, Pirro writing the damage appears to have been caused by a flawed installation by the contractor Atlantic Industrial Coating, and not by the defendant, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. Hearn indicted last month on claims that he had, quote, forcefully and violently torn the bottom liner of the reflecting pool. On June 19, the Justice Department now with an about face saying, quote, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt, end quote, dropping all charges against Mr. Hearn. DOJ blaming the Interior Department for the error, saying Interior failed to make documents available to justice prior to the indictment, writing, quote, had the Interior Department been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment. TV legal analysts quick to criticize the U.S. attorney's office hear former federal prosecutor Ellie Hoenig of CNN.

[Ellie Hoenig]

This is how not to prosecute 101. First of all, do not hold a press conference for a nothing little case. Second of all, do not overstate your evidence. And third of all, to the point that Caitlin just made, do your work first, do your investigation first. It's ridiculous now that the U.S. attorney's office is saying, well, it's Interior's fault, well, it's this person's fault. Where it's that fault. We didn't know this. They didn't tell us that. That's your job as a prosecutor. You don't charge a person with a felony, which could have locked him up. The max here would have been 10 years had he been convicted. You don't charge a person with a felony until you know what you're talking about. And if Jeannie Pirro thinks that it's somehow taking blame off her office to say, well, there's all these other things out there that we weren't told, she's wrong. She's actually putting the blame on herself because they didn't know this stuff they didn't figure out before they indicted. That's how they should have done it.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mr. Hearn's attorney, Norm Ison, demanding an apology by the government to Mr. Hearn, adding the DOJ's, quote, dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum backing Mr. Trump's claim that vandals were responsible. The secretary writing on X, quote, the evidence is clear. Vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the reflecting pool. Some of these acts were even caught on camera. Intentional damage done to the reflecting pool is no different than defacing any one of our other national monuments. We won't back down to deranged people who want to destroy, deface or degrade our monuments, which is meaningless. As to Mr. Hearn specifically, who appears to have been exonerated, Piro's office saying it is also moving to dismiss at least one other of the three misdemeanor cases against those the DOJ is accusing of vandalizing the pool. Coming up, the Pima County Sheriff Department officially releasing the text of two so called ransom notes and other evidence as well in the Nancy Guthrie case as officials turn to the public for help and President Trump again halts new strikes on Iran. As the back and forth in the region continues, Our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, says Washington politicians are always getting into your wallet and that now they're messing with your credit card. They say your credit card and the security it offers are under attack and that Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall want to change the nation's payment system to benefit corporate megastores like Walmart and Target at the expense of everyday Americans. Credit cards can keep your payments secure and provide rewards that families use to help make everyday purchases more affordable. The Electronic Payments Coalition says the Durbin Marshall mandates would let corporate megastores cut corners on credit card processing, credit card processing, routing transactions over cheaper, untested networks with weaker security and fewer protections. Find out [e-mail] and consider telling Congress to guard your card The Pima County Sheriff Department in Arizona, the lead law enforcement agency investigating Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, revealing more about the investigation over the weekend than it had for months, although also making it clear the case is not close to being solved. On Friday, six months after Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen, the Sheriff's Department posting to X about the state of the case. The statement addressing the Nest doorbell camera video and photos released by the FBI in the early days of the investigation showing a man on the porch of Guthrie's home in more detail than previously made available publicly, the statement describing the man on the porch as, quote, an unidentified male who knows what happened to Nancy and also noting the videos, quote, may be from two separate days. The statement going on to say of the videos, quote, they indicate he took steps to prepare for the event on the night of January 31st to February 1st. There has been wide speculation that the videos and images may have been from multiple days because in one image the man could be seen without a backpack and gun visible. The department also finally releasing what they describe as two ransom notes, which have previously been reported on in near full detail by multiple media outlets, including word for word by Brianna Whitney, who works for the Crime Junkie podcast Now but previously was employed by Arizona family whose sister station in Tucson received both notes. In one, which was received February 2, the sender making a clear ransom demand due by the 5th and also by the 9th of February, the sender ending the note writing verbatim, quote, she had a white smart watch on the floor of the foot of her bed and the white floodlight in the backyard was destroyed. The second Note coming on February 6, before the second ransom deadline, in which the sender apologizes and writes that Nancy had, quote, perished shortly after she was taken and that she is, quote, buried in nature now. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaking to a few media outlets over the weekend, as well as releasing a brief video on the department's YouTube channel. In that video, Nanos addressing why he put the notes out.

[Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos]

Now, investigators felt like there's a number of pieces of information in these notes that someone might, it just might jar someone to say, you know, I've heard that, or the wording, the style of the writing might jog somebody to kind of think about who would have written this, how was this done? I think anybody who reads them, my investigators, we look at it and clearly there's things in there that are very concerning to our investigative team.

[Megyn Kelly]

Nana is going on to ask the community for more help in solving this case.

[Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos]

A lot of people have called us with information, but we also know a lot of people are hesitant to do so. And so I hope that by constantly reminding the public, we're here, we're not going anywhere. If you have information, someone knows who this person is, someone knows something. We want that person to call us. We need that phone call.

[Megyn Kelly]

A lengthy Wall Street Journal deep dive yesterday on the case, delving into the divide between local authorities and the FBI. The FBI, far from taking ownership of the case last week directed us to the Pima County Sheriff's Department for any comment on the case. This after Director Kash Patel told Sean Hannity last week that that had Sheriff Nanos contacted the FBI earlier than he did, additional Nest camera footage might possibly have been recovered instead of deleted. Nanos trying to squash any perceived issues between local and federal law enforcement, telling the Journal that if FBI Director Patel, quote, really believes that we tried to block them or keep them out of this or not share things, I 100% want him to call me because that's the furthest from the truth. The Journal reporting Nanos says he and Patel have never spoken during the entire six months of this investigation. In the latest Groundhog Day episode of the Iran war, President Trump ordering us forces to hit pause on new strikes in Iran late Saturday night, citing progress toward a deal to end the several month long conflict in the Middle east. This after reports Mr. Trump was just hours from taking more serious action. In a truth social post Saturday, Mr. Trump announcing allies in the Middle east reached the outlines of an agreement to potentially end the war. Mr. Trump writing the deal, quote, would include the immediate, complete and total opening of the Hormuz Strait and an end to Iran's nuclear threat. The President promising the U.S. remains quote, locked and loaded, but was calling off the planned attack, quote for the future benefit of the world and likewise the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran. Mr. Trump's apparent de escalation coming after days of threatening new attacks before a reported phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier on Saturday, the Saudi leader expressing concern over US Plans for massive new strikes against Iran. According to Axios, the outlet reporting other major powers in the region, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Pakistan also pushing for a de escalation in the war for fear of a wider regional conflict. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have all come under attack by Iran after previous US Escalations in Iran. President Trump addressing the decision on Air Force One last night I was asked

[Donald Trump]

to by Saudi Arabia, by uae, by Qatar and by Iran. We were all set to go about at this time right now and it would have been a massive attack. We're all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you got to sort of say, well, let's see. And the reason they asked is I think there's a deal, there's a deal on Hormuz and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the d Nuclear denuclearization of Iran. I call it the denuclearization of Iran.

[Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos]

What should we expect?

[Donald Trump]

We're holding it, we'll just see. We can do it anytime we want. But we were asked by the three primary groups. We were also asked by Iran very strongly actually. They said we'd like to make a deal now. You know, I don't know what they say because a lot of times they'll say that to me and then they'll go out and say we don't know what he's talking about. Obviously they don't want to be attacked and they knew. They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mediation efforts are currently underway, a regional official tells the AP in a post on X, Iran's defense minister writing that the country remains on alert despite the announcement. Of course, President Trump has signaled major strikes are imminent and then put them on pause in favor of last minute negotiations many times since the war began at the end of February. So we'll see. That'll do it. For your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show live on SiriusXM's the Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com megankelly and on all podcast platforms. In the US there's a break in every 26 seconds. But when intruders step near Simplisafe, home security steps up.

[Migrant Interviewee]

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[Donald Trump]

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[Ellie Hoenig]

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