Transcript

Charlotte Immigration Crackdown, Trump Eyes Venezuela, Major Update in Comey Case: AM Update 11/18

From Megyn Kelly · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 17 min · 2,790 words · 31 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Charlotte Immigration Crackdown, Trump Eyes Venezuela, Major Update in Comey Case: AM Update 11/18", an episode of Megyn Kelly published November 18, 2025 (17 min, about 2,790 words). It mentions 48 people, works and ideas, including Venezuela, North Carolina, Customs and Border Protection, New York, New York, William Fitzpatrick.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: North Carolina, Brick House Nutrition, Creatone, Customs and Border Protection
  2. – 6:00: Customs and Border Protection, North Carolina, Ron Vitello, Tom Hman
  3. – 9:00: Venezuela, Arena Zerutska, Chicago, Los Angeles
  4. – 12:00: All Family Pharmacy, All Family Pharmacy, Russia, Senate Judiciary Committee
  5. – 15:00: Article 3 Project, Daniel Richmond, Eastern District of Virginia, Fifth Amendment
  6. – 17:24: Future Forward, Gavin Newsome, Aaron Strauss, New York, New York

Notable quotes from "Charlotte Immigration Crackdown, Trump Eyes Venezuela, Major Update in Comey Case: AM Update 11/18"

  • Anything. President Trump eyeing possible military intervention in Venezuela amid a battle against drug cartels. The DOJ's case against former FBI Director Comey facing a…
    about Venezuela · at
  • First several days of what DHS dubbs Operation Charlotte's Web, headed by Customs and Border Protection. DHS has not provided a timeline for how long the operation is expected…
    about Customs and Border Protection · at
  • Problem. Address the biggest problems first. And that's your biggest cities are sanctuary cities. Whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, I've said it a…
    about New York, New York · at
  • Charlotte drawing national attention this summer after 23-year-old Arena Zerutska was stabbed to death on public transit. Though the alleged perpetrator of that attack is a US citizen, the brutal slaying committed by a repeat.
    about Arena Zerutska · at
  • Expanding US military presence in the region. The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford arriving Sunday off the coast, meeting at least seven other warships…
    about USS Gerald R. Ford · at
  • People pouring through our border. And many of them came from Venezuela, including Trend Ara, the gang. They sent them like we're a dumping ground. So, I'm not in love with the…
    about Trend Ara · at
  • In a sharp ruling issued Monday, federal magistrate judge William Fitzpatrick ordering the government to turn over grand jury transcripts and materials to Comey's legal team. Comey facing obstruction of Congress and false.
    about William Fitzpatrick · at
  • Axios reporting on an interesting nugget gleaned from a recent research project conducted by Democrats super PAC Future Forward. The most effective political ad in California's…
    about Future Forward · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • William Fitzpatrick — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Gavin Newsome — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    Congressional districts did not come from California Governor and obvious presidential hopeful Gavin Newsome, but rather was from US Congresswoman from New York Alexandria Okasiocortez.
  • Trisha McLaclin — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And run, DUI, DWI, illegal re-entry after prior deportation, and more. DHS assistant secretary Trisha McLaclin yesterday on Newsmax saying federal agents are targeting Charlotte because local officials refused to cooperate with ICE.
  • Ron Vitello — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Yesterday on Fox, CBP's senior adviser Ron Vitello defending the operation. I would take umbrage of the mayor's comments. she wants everybody to live peacefully in Charlotte Meckllinburgg. That's not the.
  • Tom Hman — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Borders are Tom Hman making clear two months ago sanctuary cities will come under more scrutiny, not less.
  • Arena Zerutska — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Nicholas Maduro — Person · 1 mention · first at
    President Trump ramping up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. On Monday, the State Department announcing its intent to designate the cartel Dillos Soliss, a foreign terrorist organization, effective November 24th.
  • Daniel Richmond — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Centering on materials seized years ago from Comey's friend and former attorney, Colombia Professor Daniel Richmond during a previous leak investigation.
  • Mike Davis — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Attorney Mike Davis of the Article 3 Project posting to X quote nonsense magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick appointed by partisan DC area Democrat judges in 2022 is going out of his way.
  • Michael Nakmanov — Person · 1 mention · first at
    US District Court Judge Michael Nakmanov agreeing to issue a stay on the order, alerting the feds to file their objections by the end of business on Wednesday, giving Comey's team until.
  • Aaron Strauss — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Outperforming every other message tested, including one from President Obama. Future Forward head of data Aaron Strauss saying, quote, Of all the ads on our side, one stands…

Companies & orgs

  • Customs and Border Protection — Company · 2 mentions · first at
  • Future Forward — Company · 2 mentions · first at
  • Brick House Nutrition — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Newsmax — Company · 1 mention · first at
    After prior deportation, and more. DHS assistant secretary Trisha McLaclin yesterday on Newsmax saying federal agents are targeting Charlotte because local officials refused to cooperate with ICE.
  • State Department — Company · 1 mention · first at
    President Trump ramping up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. On Monday, the State Department announcing its intent to designate the cartel Dillos Soliss, a foreign terrorist organization, effective November 24th.
  • Trend Ara — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • All Family Pharmacy — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Studies suggest they may help inhibit cancer cell growth and make certain therapies more effective. All Family Pharmacy makes access to these trusted medications simple. Every…
  • Senate Judiciary Committee — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Obstruction of Congress and false statement charges stemming from his 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee relating to questions about whether he authorized…
  • Article 3 Project — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Attorney Mike Davis of the Article 3 Project posting to X quote nonsense magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick appointed by partisan DC area Democrat judges in 2022 is going out of his way.
  • SiriusXM — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Podcast platforms — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Axios — Company · 1 mention
  • Cartel de los Soles — Company · 1 mention
  • DHS — Company · 1 mention
  • Fox — Company · 1 mention
  • ICE — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

Concepts & topics

  • Operation Charlotte's Web — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    At least 130 people arrested in the first several days of what DHS dubbs Operation Charlotte's Web, headed by Customs and Border Protection. DHS has not provided a timeline for…
  • Fifth Amendment — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    He says the government misstated the law in a way that implied Comey did not have a fifth amendment right not to testify.
  • Lean — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • Venezuela — Place · 5 mentions · first at
  • North Carolina — Place · 3 mentions · first at
    The Trump administration surging DHS agents to Charlotte, North Carolina. The latest effort to crack down on illegal immigration.
  • New York, New York — Place · 2 mentions · first at
  • Chicago — Place · 1 mention · first at
    First. And that's your biggest cities are sanctuary cities. Whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, I've said it a thousand times, they're going to get…
  • Los Angeles — Place · 1 mention · first at
    First. And that's your biggest cities are sanctuary cities. Whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, I've said it a thousand times, they're going to get…
  • Portland — Place · 1 mention · first at
    First. And that's your biggest cities are sanctuary cities. Whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, I've said it a thousand times, they're going to get…
  • Seattle — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Are sanctuary cities. Whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, I've said it a thousand times, they're going to get exactly what they don't want. More…
  • Russia — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Narco state, triggering a wave of USbound refugees and collaborating with countries like China and Russia. The Biden administration refusing to recognize Maduro as the…
  • Eastern District of Virginia — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Articles. The charges brought by US attorney Lindseay Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia. Hallagan swearing into the position on September 22nd, securing the…
  • China — Place · 1 mention
  • Mecklenburg County — Place · 1 mention

Sponsors

Full transcript with timestamps

Good morning everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, and this is your AM update.

Charlotte's a beautiful city, but in this case, its leadership has absolutely failed it.

The Trump administration surging DHS agents to Charlotte, North Carolina. The latest effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

Pulling out US troops on the ground. I don't rule on that. I don't rule on anything. President Trump eyeing possible military intervention in Venezuela amid a battle against drug cartels. The DOJ's case against former FBI Director Comey facing a potential setback. And new data suggests AOC could be a serious contender in 2028. The question is for what? All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. Do doctors have Black Friday sales? Do they? It's a good question. The doctors at Brick House Nutrition do. They just announced their Black Friday 30% off sale. That's their biggest of the year.

The most impressive health and nutrition products in the industry are now 30% off. Like Lean, the doctor formulated weight loss supplement for people who want to lose meaningful weight without injections. And 30% off creatone. Creatine designed just for women to help you look leaner in shape and toned without extra dieting or exercise. Even 30% off Field of Greens, a super fruit and vegetable drink they say was shown in a university study to actually slow aging. Yes, every Brick House product from better sleep to superior collagen is 30% off. But hurry because these Black Friday deals go fast. Visit brick houseale.com and save 30%. That's brickousale.com.

One more time, brick houseale.com. Sanctuary City, Charlotte, North Carolina. The latest major urban area in President Trump's immigration crackdown. At least 130 people arrested in the first several days of what DHS dubbs Operation Charlotte's Web, headed by Customs and Border Protection. DHS has not provided a timeline for how long the operation is expected to last, but it began over the weekend. An agency spokesperson telling CNN that criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, hit and run, DUI, DWI, illegal re-entry after prior deportation, and more. DHS assistant secretary Trisha McLaclin yesterday on Newsmax saying federal agents are targeting Charlotte because local officials refused to cooperate with ICE.

Charlotte's a beautiful city, but in this case, its leadership has absolutely failed it. We know that there is more than 1,400 criminal legal aliens who are in their jails and they refuse to turn over those individuals to ICE law enforcement. Um, which really that means a revolving door of justice and these criminal legal aliens will go back onto Charlotte's streets to reperpetuate their crimes. We're talking about serial child pedophiles murderers rapists gang members, people who pose real public security threats uh to the American people. And so, of course, we are surging resources there. And we won't stop until uh Charlotte is safer.

Hundreds of community members mobilizing in opposition to the operation marching through the streets. Students at a Charlotte high school staging a walk out on Monday. CNN reports a popular Colombian bakery closing after the owner says agents tackled people outside of his shop. In one Sunday incident, video posted to X showing the driver of a van, reportedly a US citizen, steering toward federal agents while they were conducting an operation. DHS saying the driver fled the scene, triggering a high-speed chase with agents recovering firearms from the vehicle upon apprehension. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, on Sunday posting a video message to social media, accusing federal agents of stoking fear.

My team and I have been in regular contact with state and local law enforcement to ensure that they have the resources that they need to keep you safe. Public safety is our top priority. On Friday, before Customs and Border Protection came to Charlotte, I encouraged North Killians to follow the law, remain peaceful, and bear witness to what you're seeing. To the CBP, if you know that we have violent criminals in Charlotte who are undocumented, we want them out, too. Everyone wants to be safe in their communities. But the actions of too many federal agents are doing the exact opposite in Charlotte.

We've seen masked, heavily armed agents and paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars targeting American citizens based on their skin color. This is not making us safer. It's stoking fear and dividing our community.

Despite the governor's statement, Meckllinburgg County officers where Charlotte is located do not assist with federal immigration operations. A policy reaffirmed in a joint statement released by Charlotte city and county officials just this past Saturday. It reads in part, quote, "CBP operations are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community. We stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives, contributing to our larger community." Yesterday on Fox, CBP's senior adviser Ron Vitello defending the operation. I

I would take umbrage of the of the mayor's comments. You know, she wants everybody to to live peacefully in Charlotte Meckllinburgg. That's not the way this works. If you come across the border illegally, you're in the country illegally and you're subject to arrest. Uh and they are going after the worst of the worst and the data proves it so far.

Borders are Tom Hman making clear two months ago sanctuary cities will come under more scrutiny, not less.

We're going to flood the zone. We got 10,000 more agents coming on. We're going to flood the zone. So, we're going to send the the the boots on the ground to the places that we know there's a problem. Address the biggest problems first. And that's your biggest cities are sanctuary cities. Whether it's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, I've said it a thousand times, they're going to get exactly what they don't want. More agents in the communities, and more works on enforcement. If they won't let us arrest a bad guy in the safety and security of a county jail where safer for the agent, safer for the alien, certainly safer for the community. If they're going to release him back in the community, then we got to send a whole team to look for that person, which they sent they released a lot of people. want to send a lot of teams. If we can't find them in the community, then we'll find them at

the work site. And when we go in the community, I want to make this clear. The sanction treaties, again, we'll get something they don't want. When we find a bad person, and we will, if they're with others that aren't a criminal threat, but in the country illegally, they're coming too.

Charlotte drawing national attention this summer after 23-year-old Arena Zerutska was stabbed to death on public transit. Though the alleged perpetrator of that attack is a US citizen, the brutal slaying committed by a repeat offender highlighting criticisms that state and local leadership is failing to maintain law and order. President Trump ramping up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. On Monday, the State Department announcing its intent to designate the cartel Dillos Soliss, a foreign terrorist organization, effective November 24th.

This will allow the US to freeze the group's assets and will make it illegal to support this group in any way. US officials describing the cartel as a criminal network based inside Venezuela and led by Maduro along with other senior Venezuelan government officials. Maduro denies affiliation with the group. The designation comes amid expanding US military presence in the region. The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford arriving Sunday off the coast, meeting at least seven other warships already stationed in the area. Since September, the US carrying out at least 20 deadly strikes, killing at least 80 people on what the administration calls narot terrorist drug vessels, mostly originating from Venezuela. Yesterday, from the Oval Office, President Trump declining to rule out direct military intervention in Venezuela.

When are you ruling out US troops on the ground? No, I don't rule out that. I don't rule on anything. We just have to take care of Venezuela. They dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country from prisons. You know, we have a tight border right now. Nobody comes in. But we had millions of people pouring through. A year ago, we had millions of people pouring through our border. And many of them came from Venezuela, including Trend Ara, the gang. They sent them like we're a dumping ground. So, uh, I'm not in love with the people running Venezuela. I love Venezuela. I love the people of Venezuela, but what they've done to this country, and I really say this, what Biden and the Democrats have done to this country can never ever be forgotten.

Maduro in power since 2013 is a longtime US adversary, turning the country into a narco state, triggering a wave of USbound refugees and collaborating with countries like China and Russia. The Biden administration refusing to recognize Maduro as the legitimate ruler of the country following disputed elections. The Trump administration continuing that policy and doubling the reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to 50 million bucks. Over the weekend, Maduro reacting to mounting US pressure on him at a political rally with this bizarre call for peace. Peace. Peace. Peace.

and us people. President Trump telling reporters he has quote sort of made up his mind on the issue yesterday adding he is open to speaking with Maduro.

Yeah, I probably would talk to him. Yeah, I talked to everybody. Is there anything that he could say that you would be okay if you can stay?

It's hard to say that. It's just that look, he's done tremendous damage to our country. He uh has not been good to the United States. So, we'll see what happens. In a certain period of time, I'll be talking to him.

Coming up, the DOJ's case against former FBI director James Comey could be in trouble following a recent ruling. And AOC's star may be on the rise. More people today are looking beyond the standard approach when it comes to their health, especially in the fight against cancer. Two medications you've probably heard about, Ivormectin and Meabendazol, are being researched for their off label potential to support cancer treatment. Studies suggest they may help inhibit cancer cell growth and make certain therapies more effective. All Family Pharmacy makes access to these trusted medications simple. Every order is reviewed by a licensed doctor for safety, and prescriptions are provided when appropriate. It's a pharmacy that believes you should have the right to choose what's best for your health and not be limited by politics or big corporations. All Family Pharmacy offers ivormectin, mabendol, and over 200 other

essential medications, all shipped straight to your door. You want to check with your doctor, of course. Visit allfamilyfar pharmacy.com/megan and use code Megan 10 to save 10% on your order. That's allfamilyfar pharmacy.com/megan to learn more. The DOJ's case against former FBI Director James Comey in the spotlight. In a sharp ruling issued Monday, federal magistrate judge William Fitzpatrick ordering the government to turn over grand jury transcripts and materials to Comey's legal team. Comey facing obstruction of Congress and false statement charges stemming from his 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee relating to questions about whether he authorized anyone at the FBI to serve as an anonymous source in news articles. The charges brought by US attorney Lindseay Halligan in the Eastern District of Virginia. Hallagan swearing into the position on September 22nd, securing the indictment 3 days

later, just prior to the statute of limitations expiration date. Magistrate Judge Fitzpatrick identifying 11 separate issues with the government's handling of the case, citing what he calls quote a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps and quote that he says could have undermined the integrity of the grand jury proceedings. The dispute partly centering on materials seized years ago from Comey's friend and former attorney, Colombia Professor Daniel Richmond during a previous leak investigation. According to the judge, the government exceeded the scope of the original warrants issued in that case and may have failed to properly screen out potentially privileged communications between Comey and Richmond before reusing that material in this new prosecution. The judge also finding that an FBI agent who testified before the grand jury had recently viewed potentially privileged Comey Richmond

communications, calling that quote highly irregular and a radical departure from past DOJ practice. The judge criticizing several statements made by Halagan to the grand jury. The specific lines are redacted, but in one example, he says the government misstated the law in a way that implied Comey did not have a fifth amendment right not to testify. The Constitution protects a defendant's right not to testify, and jurors are not permitted to draw negative conclusions from that choice. Judge Fitzpatrick concluding this combination of alleged errors and missteps warrant the rare step of releasing normally highly secret grand jury materials to a defendant.

Attorney Mike Davis of the Article 3 Project posting to X quote nonsense magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick appointed by partisan DC area Democrat judges in 2022 is going out of his way to carry water for James Comey. Fitzpatrick, through his highly irregular ruling, is grasping at straws to make his findings that Lindseay Halligan somehow did something wrong. She did not. They know the evidence against Comey is damning, so they are doing everything they can to stop Lindsay Hallagan. Prosecutors challenging the decision, asking a separate judge to pause the order.

Quote, "The government believes the magistrate judge may have misinterpreted some facts he found when issuing the latest order to release the grand jury materials to the defendant. US District Court Judge Michael Nakmanov agreeing to issue a stay on the order, alerting the feds to file their objections by the end of business on Wednesday, giving Comey's team until Friday to respond to the government's objections. If Comey's legal team is ultimately granted access to the grand jury materials, they are likely to use them in support of a motion to dismiss this case entirely. Comey denies any wrongdoing and is pursuing several challenges aimed at getting the charges thrown out before trial, which is currently set for January.

Axios reporting on an interesting nugget gleaned from a recent research project conducted by Democrats super PAC Future Forward. The most effective political ad in California's recent ballot measure asking voters to approve redrawing congressional districts did not come from California Governor and obvious presidential hopeful Gavin Newsome, but rather was from US Congresswoman from New York Alexandria Okasiocortez. Several high-profile Dems contributing ads framing California's vote as part of a larger national battle over who controls Congress. AOCC's ad right here.

California, you know we don't back down from a fight. And this November, the fight belongs to you. Donald Trump is redrawing election maps to force through a Congress that only answers to him, not the people. If he gets away with it, all bets are off for our healthcare, our paychecks, and our freedoms. With Prop 50, we can stop him. Prop 50 levels the playing field and gives power back to the people. Fight for democracy in all 50 states. Yes, on 50. The group testing responses to 16 different ads in support of Prop 50, which did pass by a large margin. AOCC's ad increasing support for Prop 50 by more than five points, outperforming every other message tested, including one from President Obama. Future Forward head of data Aaron Strauss saying, quote, "Of all the ads on our side, one stands out as the clear winner. AOCC's spot that connects the perhaps esoteric issue of redistricting to realworld impacts. Despite KG answers

about future plans, Axios reporting in September, 36-year-old AOC is bringing in more senior staff with the team positioning for a run either in the Senate or perhaps for the top job, president. This latest report signaling AOC could be a serious competitor to Gavin Newsome, who is not hiding his presidential ambitions, at least not very well, among primary voters in his own backyard. Let the inviting begin. 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 Megan Kelly channel, 111 at noon east, on youtube.com/megan Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Charlotte Immigration Crackdown, Trump Eyes Venezuela, Major Update in Comey Case: AM Update 11/18"?

In order: 0:00 North Carolina, Brick House Nutrition, Creatone, Customs and Border Protection; 3:00 Customs and Border Protection, North Carolina, Ron Vitello, Tom Hman; 6:00 Venezuela, Arena Zerutska, Chicago, Los Angeles; 9:00 All Family Pharmacy, All Family Pharmacy, Russia, Senate Judiciary Committee; 12:00 Article 3 Project, Daniel Richmond, Eastern District of Virginia, Fifth Amendment; 15:00 Future Forward, Gavin Newsome, Aaron Strauss, New York, New York.

What is mentioned in this Megyn Kelly episode?

48 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Venezuela, North Carolina, Customs and Border Protection, New York, New York, William Fitzpatrick, Future Forward. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Charlotte Immigration Crackdown, Trump Eyes Venezuela, Major Update in Comey Case: AM Update 11/18"?

The episode runs 17 min; the transcript is about 2,790 words in 31 timestamped sections.

More from Megyn Kelly

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated November 19, 2025.