Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon Questions, "Terrifying" New AI, Missing Mom in Bahamas: AM Update 4/9

Summary

The Megyn Kelly Show — AM Update: Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon Questions, "Terrifying" New AI, Missing Mom in Bahamas
Date: April 9, 2026
Host: Megyn Kelly (SiriusXM)

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Episode Overview

This AM Update from The Megyn Kelly Show dives into three major morning stories:

• The precarious ceasefire negotiations between the US, Israel, and Iran — with particular disputes around the inclusion of Lebanon and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Serious concerns raised by the development of Anthropic’s advanced new AI, Claude Mythos, and the security risks it may pose.
• Breaking developments in the case of a missing American woman in the Bahamas, highlighting family suspicions of foul play.

The episode features insights from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, White House officials, AI analysts, direct statements from those involved in the governor’s race scandal, and family members connected to the Bahamas case.

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1. Middle East Ceasefire: Conflicting Claims and the Question of Lebanon

[02:47 - 06:48]

Key Discussion Points

• Ceasefire Fragility:
  The ceasefire involving the US, Israel, and Iran is "already under strain," largely due to a major disagreement over whether Lebanon and Hezbollah are included in the terms.

• Dueling Positions:

  • US and Israel: Insist Lebanon is not part of the deal; Israel continues airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
  • Iran: Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi declares via X that "the Iran US Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit. The US Must choose ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both. The ball is in the US court and the world is watching..." [03:35]
  • Pakistan: As broker, says Lebanon was part of the agreement.

• Vice President J.D. Vance Remarks:
  Vance maintains the US never promised Lebanon’s inclusion:

  "I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn't. We never made that promise… That's ultimately their choice." [04:02]

• Israeli Stance:
  Offers to "check themselves a little bit in Lebanon" to help negotiations succeed.

Memorable Quote:

"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them … that's ultimately their choice."
— VP J.D. Vance [04:38]

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2. The Strait of Hormuz: Is It Open or Closed?

[04:55 - 06:48]

Key Discussion Points

• Iranian Claims vs. On-the-Ground Reality:

  • Iranian state media claims the strait is closed as retaliation for Israeli attacks.
  • White House says reports are untrue.

    “We have seen an uptick of traffic in the strait today … these reports publicly are false.”
    — Press Secretary Caroline Levitt [05:12]

• Shipping Data Disputes:

  • Only 11 vessels reportedly passed through, with all required to coordinate with Iran and pay new tolls to avoid attack.
  • Vice President Vance reiterates:

    "If we don’t see [the Strait] reopening, the President is not going to abide by our terms if the Iranians are not abiding by theirs." [06:36]

• Upcoming Negotiations:

  • Vance, Jared Kushner, and envoy Steve Witkoff are to travel to Pakistan for direct talks with Iran, though Vance's attendance is in doubt due to security concerns.

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3. "Terrifying" New AI: Anthropic’s Claude Mythos

[06:48 - 10:47]

Key Discussion Points

• Breakthrough Model with Unintended Consequences:
  Claude Mythos, intended as the next-gen Claude, became adept at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities — capabilities never trained for hacking but acquired as a byproduct of its expertise.

• AI Analyst Reaction:

  "Think of this as the next generation of Claude … being really good at code made it really good at breaking code. … It's like training someone to be the world’s best locksmith … now they easily could go break into almost any house."
  — Nate Herc, AI automation expert [07:47]

• Security Risks:
  Mythos uncovered a decades-old bug in OpenBSD that could allow remote crashes and can chain minor bugs into major breaches, posing a threat to infrastructure worldwide.

• Restrictive Release:
  Rather than a public launch, Anthropic is partnering with 12 industry leaders (Amazon, Apple, Google, etc.) to help them find and fix vulnerabilities.

• Collaboration with Government:
  Anthropic says they are in active talks with US Government officials about the technology’s risks.

• Company Statement:

  “Mythos is very powerful and should feel terrifying. I am proud of our approach to responsibly preview it with Cyber Defenders.”
  — Boris Czerny, Claude creator [10:47]

• Positive Potential:

  "For a developer ... a model that can help them discover vulnerabilities … before they can be exploited, that is an insane, valuable tool."
  — Anthropic Representative [10:19]

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4. California Governor’s Race: Eric Swalwell Sexual Misconduct Allegations

[12:40 - 15:16]

Key Discussion Points

• Allegations Surface:
  Democratic frontrunner Eric Swalwell faces online accusations of predatory behavior and misconduct towards women, allegedly corroborated by ex-staffer texts and Democratic activist Cheyenn Hunt.

• Political Commentary:

  "...has a known history of being predatory towards women. ... Having this conversation or publicly acknowledging it may feel like aligning with Trump, but ... it is aligning with women."
  — Political Commentator [13:38]

• Swalwell Response:

  • Campaign spokesperson calls it a "false, outrageous rumor" spread by rivals with 27 days to the election [14:13].
  • Swalwell denies all accusations on local TV:

    Q: "Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers?"
    A: "No. … It’s false. ... There's never been an allegation and there’s never been a settlement."
    — Eric Swalwell [14:51]

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5. Missing Woman in the Bahamas: New Developments and Family Suspicion

[15:16 - 19:20]

Key Discussion Points

• Incident Summary:
  Lynette Hooker, a Michigan native, reportedly fell overboard during a short dinghy trip with her husband Brian Hooker amidst rough conditions. Brian claims he was unable to save her after losing engine power.

• Social Media & Publicity:
  Couple known for sharing their adventures online as “The Sailing Hookers”.

• Daughter Suspicious:
  Carly Aylesworth (Lynette’s daughter) doubts the official account, citing a “volatile” relationship and alleging a history of domestic violence.

  “There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there’s more to the story.”
  — Carly Aylesworth [17:37]

• Questioning the Details:

  • Why was Lynette holding dinghy keys ("She never drives the boat … it just doesn’t add up." [18:54])?
  • Flotation device thrown to Lynette but rarely used.

• Arrest & Investigation:

  • Police arrested Brian Hooker for further questioning:

    "We took him into custody ... for additional questioning. Based on some probable cause we have, he's been taken into custody as a suspect. He has been arrested."
    — Royal Bahamas police spokesperson [19:20]

  • The US Coast Guard has launched a criminal investigation.

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Memorable Quotes

• "Mythos is very powerful and should feel terrifying. I am proud of our approach to responsibly preview it with Cyber Defenders." — Boris Czerny, Anthropic founder [10:47]
• "There’s history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard..." — Carly Aylesworth, stepdaughter of missing Lynette Hooker [17:37]
• "Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers? No." — Eric Swalwell [14:51]

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Notable Timestamps

• 02:47 — Start of the ceasefire/Lebanon segment
• 04:02 — Vice President Vance details US position
• 06:48 — Strait of Hormuz and upcoming negotiations
• 07:47 — Nate Herc explains the AI Claude Mythos breakthrough
• 10:47 — “Should feel terrifying”—Boris Czerny statement
• 12:40 — Allegations against Eric Swalwell and campaign response
• 15:16 — Case of the missing American woman in the Bahamas
• 17:37 — Daughter details domestic violence history
• 19:20 — Husband's arrest announced

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Tone & Style

Direct, urgent, and fact-focused, in keeping with Megyn Kelly’s no-nonsense approach to news and analysis. Quotations are presented in the words of the original speakers for authenticity.

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This episode of The Megyn Kelly Show provided a comprehensive update on high-stakes international diplomacy, urgent technological disruption, and breaking crime news — all with on-the-record comments from newsmakers and firsthand witness accounts.

Transcript

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[Megyn Kelly]

Good morning everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Thursday, April 9, 2026 and this is your AM update.

[Vice President J.D. Vance]

The President's been very clear. The deal is a ceasefire, a negotiation. That's what we give. And what they give is the straits are going to be reopened.

[Megyn Kelly]

Amid conflicting claims about conditions on the ground, US Negotiators prepare for in person talks with the Iranians as a fragile ceasefire hangs in the bal. A powerful new AI tool raising serious security concerns.

[Political Commentator]

The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor's race has a known history of being predatory towards women.

[Megyn Kelly]

With unverified allegations about sexual misconduct swirling online, Democrat candidate for governor of California, Eric Swalwell is speaking out. And an American woman missing in the Bahamas. Her husband says she fell overboard. Her daughter doubts his story. Late last night, a big break in the case. All that and more coming in just a moment on your AM update.

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[Megyn Kelly]

The fragile Ceasefire between the us, Israel and Iran holding for now, but already under strain, raising serious doubts about whether it will last. One major sticking point, whether Lebanon is part of the deal. The US and Israel say it's not. Israel continuing strikes tied to its campaign against Hezbollah insisting Lebanon was never included, a position backed by the US Yesterday, Israel launching a wave of airstrikes hitting more than 100 Hezbollah command centers. Reports the BBC. Iran insisting Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire. And was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi posting to X the Iran US Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit. The US Must choose ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both. The ball is in the US court and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments. Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, also says Lebanon was to be a part of the deal and said so from the first moment its prime minister announced the deal quite publicly Tuesday evening. Vice President J.D. vance addressing the disagreement yesterday before departing a diplomatic trip to Hungary.

[Vice President J.D. Vance]

I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn't. We never made that promise. We never indicated that was going to be the case. What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran and the cease fire would be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf Arab states. Now, that said, the Israelis, as I understand it, again, I'm supposed to get a fuller report when I get on the plane, have actually offered to be, frankly, to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful. That's not, because that is part of the ceasefire. But look, if Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice.

[Megyn Kelly]

Meanwhile, another critical question, whether the Strait of Hormuz is actually open. Early yesterday, Iranian state media announcing the strait was closing once again due to those Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt yesterday from the White House on that reporting.

[White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt]

Well, with respect to the first reporting out of Iranian state media, the President was made aware of those reports before I came to the podium. That is completely unacceptable. And again, this is a case of what they're saying publicly is different. Privately. We have seen an uptick of traffic in the strait today. And I will reiterate the President's expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately, quickly and safely. That is his expectation. It has been Relayed to him privately that that is what's taking place. And these reports publicly are false.

[Megyn Kelly]

Reality on the ground, less certain available shipping data shows traffic remains extremely limited. According to the AP, citing data from shipping intelligence company Windward, just 11 vessels passing through the strait yesterday, roughly the same as recent days before the ceasefire. Windward reporting that all ships are required to coordinate passage with Iran, who is charging tolls of up to $1 per barrel of oil shipped. Otherwise the carriers risk attack. Vice President Vance yesterday making it clear the ceasefire hinges on the strait remaining open for business.

[Vice President J.D. Vance]

Well, we've already seen an increase in traffic today. Hopefully we'll see an increase in traffic tomorrow. We actually think that we are seeing signs that the STR is starting to reopen. I think you guys have probably seen oil prices have come down. So I think the oil markets, the gas markets are seeing the same thing. But the President's been very clear. The deal is a ceasefire, a negotiation. That's what we give. And what they give is the straits are going to be reopened. If we don't see that happening, the President is not going to abide by our terms. If the Iranians are not abiding by their terms.

[Megyn Kelly]

Mr. Vance, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son in law Jared Kushner, set to travel to Pakistan this weekend for talks with Iran. Those discussions set for Saturday morning local time, at least for now. Vice President Vance was originally slated to go as well, but President Trump suggesting he might not, allegedly due to security concerns. AI company Anthropic, the company behind the popular program Claude, developing a new internal system called Claude Mythos that they say is so advanced at writing computer code, it has inadvertently become an expert at hacking, meaning it could pose a cybersecurity risk if it falls into the wrong hands. Anthropic is so concerned about what the company has built, it is choosing not to release the software publicly, warning it could be weaponized by bad actors. AI automation expert and content creator Nate Herc breaking it down in plain terms on his YouTube channel.

[Nate Herc]

So what is Claude Mythos? It's a new model that Anthropic has been developing internally. A lot of us heard about this during that Claude code leak. But think of this as the next generation of Claude, their most capable model yet. And the thing that really caught my attention is they didn't train it to be a hacker. They trained it to just be really, really good at writing code. And being really good at code made it really good at breaking code. And that happened all on its own. It's like training someone to be the world's best locksmith. You don't teach them to break into houses, but now that they understand locks so well, they easily could go break into almost any house. And that skill came free in just

[Megyn Kelly]

a matter of weeks. Mythos discovering more software bugs than many human programmers find in an entire career. Among the examples, it identified a flaw in OpenBSD, a highly secure operating system often used to protect firewalls and critical infrastructure. A bug that could allow someone to crash a system remotely just by connecting to it. Missed for nearly three decades. Mythos showing it can combine multiple small bugs inside the core software that powers much of the Internet, effectively linking them together to move the user from basic access to full control of a machine. These examples just scratching the surface of what Mythos reportedly can do. It can find and potentially exploit software weaknesses across the systems that power billions of devices worldwide, according to the company anthropic, partnering with 12 companies rather than releasing it publicly, allowing them to utilize Claude Mythos to identify bugs within their own systems in order to strengthen their own security. That list, including companies like Amazon Web Services, Apple, Cisco, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia, major tech and security companies that power connect, speed up and protect the Internet. Anthropic also says it is in ongoing discussions with the US Government about Claude Mythos capabilities. Oh great. Anthropic explaining the goal of the project in a video on its YouTube channel.

[Anthropic Representative]

We partner with a number of the organizations that power some of the world's most critical code to put the model into their hands, to allow them to look at how they can use models like this to bring down risk and protect everyone. And by giving these software developers advanced tools before anyone else, it gives all of us a collective head start.

[Eric Swalwell]

It allows us to find things that we couldn't find before, and it helps us fix these things much more quickly.

[Anthropic Representative]

For a developer who tirelessly maintains software, a model that can help them discover vulnerabilities in their own code and fix them before they can be exploited, that is an insane, valuable tool. We've spoken to officials across the US Government, and we've offered to work with them and collaborate to assess the risks of these models and to help defend against the risks of these models. Everything that we do in our lives now depends on software.

[Megyn Kelly]

Claude creator Boris Czerny releasing a statement quote, Mythos is very powerful and should feel terrifying. I am proud of our approach to responsibly preview it with Cyber Defenders. Huh? Coming up. U.S. congress there's been Eric Swalwell pushing back on a growing online rumor about accusations of sexual misconduct. And an American woman goes missing in the Bahamas. The husband says she fell overboard. His stepdaughter has some doubts. Late last night, a new development.

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[Megyn Kelly]

Democrat Congressman and candidate for governor of California Eric Swalwell responding to unverified but rapidly spreading allegations of sexual misconduct as the gubernatorial primary is now just months away. The claims first gaining traction online, pushed by Democratic activist and former Capitol Hill staffer Cheyenn Hunt, who alleges Swalwell has a pattern of making inappropriate advances toward young women, including staff and interns. Hunt posting a video last week speaking to the camera in front of a superimposed background containing a screenshot of a text message she says is from someone who used to work for the congressman. The text message reading, quote, you know Eric Swalwell has slept with many of his interns and makes them all sign NDAs so they don't speak up right. And when I was 19, he tried hitting on me and sliding into my DMs. And I have so many other friends that have similar experiences with him. Hunt says there's more where that comes from.

[Political Commentator]

The Democratic candidate currently leading in the California governor's race has a known history of being predatory towards women. And while it may be seen as politically expedient to sweep this under the rug, it is the wrong thing to do and we know it. This message that I received yesterday is not unique. I have received others and there are many women who have reached out to other political commentators and to reporters with their stories. This particular message follows the same pattern as the other allegations currently circulating. Having this conversation or publicly acknowledging it may feel like aligning with Trump, but that is not the truth. It is aligning with women.

[Megyn Kelly]

Swalwell spokesperson Mika Beasley telling Politico, quote, this false, outrageous rumor is being spread 27 days before an election begins by flailing opponents who have sadly teamed up with MAGA conspiracy theorists because they know Eric Swalwell is the frontrunner in this race. Beasley adding that in more than a decade in office, no staffer has ever been asked to sign an NDA and not a single ethics complaint has ever been filed. Swalwell himself now addressing the claims head on, flatly denying any inappropriate behavior Tuesday on local outlet kcra.

[Interviewer]

Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers?

[Eric Swalwell]

No.

[Megyn Kelly]

No.

[Eric Swalwell]

It's false. And also, you know, some of the allegations I've seen, which is that we've had NDAs in the office, never, there's never been an allegation and there's never been a settlement. And you know, I will also just take stock that, look, we're, we're 27 days before an election starts.

[Interviewer]

Why address it? If there are Internet rumors, why even come out and address this?

[Eric Swalwell]

Yeah, I don't want there to be any question.

[Megyn Kelly]

Elsewhere in the California governor's race, President Trump officially endorsing Republican Steve Hilton on Monday, writing on X, he is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great state has gone to hell. Gavin Newscomb and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job. Steve can turn it around before it is too late. An American woman missing in the Bahamas. Her husband says she fell overboard. Her daughter suspects foul play. 55 year old Lynette Hooker, originally from Michigan, reported missing by her husband, 58 year old Brian Hooker early Sunday morning. The couple had been documenting their sailing life for years, posting videos under the name the Sailing Hookers on social media. Their most recent upload Friday showing rough conditions in the bahamas. Captioned quote 30 knot gusts. Hold on everyone. Brian telling authorities the couple left Hopetown for Elbow cay, typically a 10 to 15 minute trip around 7:30pm Saturday night. Traveling in an eight foot dinghy, heading back to their yacht. According to Brian, Lynette fell overboard while holding the keys to the dinghy, causing the engine to turn off. Strong currents then carrying her out to sea, he said as he lost sight of her with no engine power. Brian telling authorities he paddled for hours, arriving at a Boatyard around 4am Sunday where he reported his wife missing to someone at the yard, according to CBS News. That person then alerting authorities, prompting the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and Hopetown fire officials to begin search and rescue. Now, nearly a week later, that effort has shifted from rescue to recovery. Bryan posting on Facebook that he is, quote, heartbroken, describing, quote, unpredictable seas and high winds and insisting he made desperate attempts to reach his wife as currents pulled them apart. But Lynette's daughter, Brian's stepdaughter, now raising serious questions about that account. Carly Aylesworth telling multiple outlets this story does not add up, pointing to what she describes as a history of domestic violence in the relationship. Aylesworth describing the relationship to NBC as volatile, saying they have, quote, a history of not getting along, especially when they drink. Tuesday on Fox. Carly elaborating further.

[Carly Aylesworth]

There's history of him choking her out and threatening to throw her overboard. So the fact that this is actually happening makes me believe there's more to the story. I've known him all my life. My mom's been with him since I was about 4. So he just kind of replaced my dad really quick. So I but I was too young to really even know what was going on. He's always been basically the one to make the rules of the house. All my groundings. He's very I believe he has a bunch of anger he hasn't processed. I've seen him choke out one of his daughters before, and we had to go to court for that and I was only in third grade, so he's just repeating patterns.

[Megyn Kelly]

Aylesworth also says a flotation device believed to have been thrown to her mother was recovered, noting that while life vests were on board, the couple did not typically wear them. She also questions key details in Brian's account, including why Lynette would have been holding the boat's keys at all.

[Interviewer]

Does it strike you as unusual that Lynette would go into the water with the keys to the dinghy?

[Carly Aylesworth]

Yeah, that seems a little weird. Doesn't really make sense why she would have them. She never drives the boat. It's always Brian driving the boat. And he's like a pretty big guy, so he's like in front of the key basically, so she would have to reach over him and it just doesn't add up.

[Interviewer]

So do you suspect foul play in this incident?

[Carly Aylesworth]

A little bit at the moment.

[Megyn Kelly]

And late last night, Bahamian authorities arresting Brian Hooker, the US Coast Guard launching a criminal investigation. A spokesperson for the Royal Bahamas police telling Reuters quote, we took him into custody around 7:30pm this evening in Abaco for additional questioning. Based on some probable cause we have, he's been taken into custody as a suspect. He has been arrested. Charges have not yet been filed. And that'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show live on SiriusXM's the Megyn Kelly Channel 111 at noon east on YouTube.com Megyn Kelly and on all podcast platforms.

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