Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, October 19, 2026, and this is your AM update. The advantage of this decision does fall here for Democrats is nine points. New polling reveals major warning signs for Republicans just ahead of the midterms. We all tonight feel angry. We feel shame as well, seeing the disasters that have unfolded in our streets. France confronting widespread looting after violent riots leave historic landmarks in ruins and thousands under arrest. An Air Force service member killed in a repelling accident before a college football game in Texas. And new details about the deadly school shooting in Oregon, including the heroic actions of a father and two teachers who fought to save children from the gunmen. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. 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New polling showing Republicans facing serious headwinds in the final stretch before the midterm elections has Democrats expand their advantage in polls for the battle to control Congress. A new Washington Post ABC News Ipsos poll finds President Trump's approval rating has fallen to just 33%. That is the lowest of either of his terms in office. Democrats now holding an eight point lead on the generic congressional ballot up from just three points in July. The economy emerging as a major vulnerability for Republicans with only 28% of Americans approving of the president's handling of it. A separate NBC News decision desk poll revealing similar warning signs, Chief Data Analyst Steve Karnaki explains. The big picture question here. Trump's approval rating our decision desk poll again. This is registered voters here. Bit of a wide net and then you see in other polls out there right now, but 39% here. The approval rating and again this continues to be the story asking. The approval Trump on inflation here only 31% 34% in the run also seeing this the generic ballot here. Which party would you like to see control Congress? The advantage in this decision desk poll here for Democrats is nine points there. Getting toward the high side for Democrats, very alarming for Republicans. And again, what's driving this? You're asking folks your financial situation. Compare it to a year ago. How is it 44% saying worse now than a year ago? By the way, among independence, outright majority 53% say worse now than a year ago. Democrats also enjoying an enthusiasm advantage leading by 12 points among voters who say they will definitely cast a ballot in November. Despite those numbers, House Speaker Mike Johnson yesterday on Fox News, insisting Republicans can defy historical trends and retain control of Congress. I'm going to the swing districts. I'm going to the places that the pundits and the pollsters say we're going to lose. They are wrong. We have incredible turnout. And our voters just need to ignore all the noise and go vote. Do your civic duty. That's why the enthusiasm is picked up right now. The understanding is a contrast election between common sense and crazy and American people are not signing up for crazy. That's why we're going to win. The Speaker's optimism coming as Republicans look to avoid the losses that have traditionally plagued the president's party during midterm elections. CNN's Harry Antony yesterday offering a more encouraging assessment for Republicans, pointing to previous elections when the party outperformed its polling numbers. So let's just say in fact, we get this average error rate and it goes and the Republicans outperformed their polls. Yet again, the 2026 Senate map, if in fact Republicans outperform the averages by 3.75 points. Look at this. Republicans would get 52 seats. Democrats would get 48. Republicans would easily maintain control of the U.S. House. They'd win up here in Maine. They'd win in Michigan. They'd win down here in Texas. They'd win in Kansas. They'd win in Iowa. And they'd also win. They'd win in Alaska as well. So the bottom line is this. We have a few weeks to go left in this campaign. The polling has been tight. It's Democrats are able to get the polls to match results. Hey, they get a majority. But I think we've seen this story a little bit before. And that is why this Senate map is still way too close to call Republicans very much in the Balkan. Michigan, among the most contentious battlegrounds where Republican Mike Rogers is facing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim, in a race that could help determine control of the Senate. A moment going viral over the weekend when an audience member asked El-Sayed about the Muslim Brotherhood during a campaign event in a heavily Republican part of the state. The confrontation comes amid growing scrutiny of El-Sayed's alleged family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. An Islamist movement founded in Egypt whose offshoots include extremist organizations. According to the Washington Post, resurfaced social media posts from El-Sayed's half-sister claim that their biological mother was involved in the organization during the 1970s and suggest a broader family history with the group. El-Sayed has denied any personal involvement or knowledge of those alleged connections accusing Republicans of targeting his Muslim faith. His Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, argues the concerns go beyond religion questioning El-Sayed's ideology and alleging financial ties to organizations that support the Muslim Brotherhood. Here's Rogers yesterday on CNN. He didn't disavow it. He goes on this word salad trying to get around the same thing. He said he can't do it. He said sure again. No, that's not true. Dana, listen. I don't know why the debate with him. It's so eager to protect this guy. Congressman, I just want to say that it's an ideology. My argument is is that ideology something we should worry about? I think it is. Why? It's an ideology. He can't get away from it. His money comes from a group called CARE, the Council for American Islamic Relations that supports the Muslim Brotherhood. He has money coming from these groups and if you listen to that, that's not it. He didn't say no. According to prediction market Calche, El-Sayed still holding onto a 69% chance of winning, compared with just 31% for Rogers as of last night. There was a time in August where Rogers pulled to within 11% of El-Sayed, but traders driving El-Sayed's chances back up in more recent weeks. Our sponsor Calche reflects what traders actually believe. It's real-time odds on the midterm elections. Give it a try by using code Megan Kelley or click the link in our description. New users get 25 bucks free when they trade 25 bucks. France confronting some of its worst civil unrest in years as widespread rioting leaves historic landmarks in ruins and cities facing enormous destruction. More than half a million people taking to the streets Saturday, according to the Interior Ministry, as demonstrations across the country erupted into violence. Masked rioters setting cars and buildings on fire, smashing storefronts, looting businesses, and attacking police officers in scenes reminiscent of the George Floyd riots in 2020 here in the U.S. By Sunday authorities reporting more than 2,000 arrests and injuries to more than 600 officers. One demonstrator dying after suffering a cardiac arrest during the unrest in Paris, according to Reuters. Roughly 1,500 businesses reportedly damaged or looted across France as officials began tallying the cost of the destruction. Among the most devastating scenes, the destruction of a 143-year-old town hall in the city of Limoges. Reuters setting the historic building on fire Saturday, flames tearing through its roof and leaving much of the landmark in ruins. In Marseille, masked demonstrators forcing their way into city hall, vandalizing the building and toppling a bust of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic. The scene's leaving residents stunned, while local in Paris speaking yesterday to France 24. As I was arriving home, the people that used mostly teenagers were still inside the shops, taking what was left, if anything, fires on the streets were still ongoing. People were in shock. I was in shock. Some people were in tears. People were trying to protect their own shops, but there was not much they could do. It was really, really devastating. The French government
now blaming organized far-left groups for the violence, Prime Minister Sebastien Lichornew addressing the destruction Saturday. All day long, fellow citizens faced a violent far-left, a highly organized network that sought to attack property, people and institutions of Republic. Clearly, the centers of power and power were targeted. It is a palace, metignon, and the National Assembly. So, this is clearly a political maneuver that accepts violence, and as I said earlier, and I'll say it again, we will not be intimidated. The unrest beginning last month when high school students took to the streets over deteriorating school conditions and teacher shortages. The movement expanding throughout October, drawing labor unions, farmers, and other groups protesting rising living costs and President Emanuel Macron's government. The demonstrations attracting a more radical element as well, including far-left political organizations accused of exploiting the growing unrest. Investigative journalist Azra Nomani earlier this month on Fox News revealing the extent of those groups' involvement. What was actually happening on the streets was that 15 of the groups, like you mentioned, are only student groups and youth groups, but then the rest of these 50 groups that I identified behind the protests are adult groups, and most of them are communist, socialist, and far-left groups. Of that 52 of them are really strong Islamist groups. So, you have this nexus of the red, which is the far-left and the socialist and communist with the green, which is the Muslim and Islamist groups. President Trump posting to Truth Social Sunday, quote, "France is burning. The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that one's great country. Close your borders and take control before it is too late." President Emmanuel Macron addressing his nation last night, condemning the destruction and demanding accountability for those responsible. "We all tonight feel angry. We feel shame as well, seeing the disasters that have unfolded in our streets." We have undying support for our law enforcement agencies because they did their utmost to "stay off the worst." Those people who looted need it to pay back for their crimes, those people who attack to government buildings need to pay for their crimes. Coming up, a deadly accident ahead of a college football game in Texas during a pre-game military demonstration, and a school shooting in Oregon leaving four people dead as new accounts reveal how a father and two teachers risk their lives to protect students. Everyone's talking about weight loss injections because the results can be so dramatic. They work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite. But what if you're looking to lose weight but are not interested in painful weekly injections, especially when you hear about some of those intense side effects? That's why doctors created a weight loss supplement called lean. And the results could be remarkable. Lean says the studied ingredients in their product have been shown to lower your blood sugar, burn fat by converting it into energy, and to curb your appetite and cravings so you are not as hungry. But listen, lean is not for the casual dieter with only a few pounds to lose. The doctors at Brickhouse Nutrition created lean for frustrated dieters with ten or more pounds to lose. You could get started with 20% off and free rush shipping. Adding lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit takelean.com and enter mk for your discount. That's promo code
[email protected]. An Air Force service member has died after a horrifying repelling accident at a college football game in San Antonio, Texas. The Air Force confirming the Airman died at a local hospital Saturday night after falling from the rafters of the Alamo Dome during a pre-game military demonstration ahead of the University of Texas at San Antonio's match-up against Navy. The event was part of UTSA's annual salute to armed forces and veterans game, four military service members scheduled to repel from the stadium ceiling onto the football field. Video circulating on social media showing one of the Airman descending the rope at an extraordinary rate of speed appearing unable to slow himself before slamming feet first into the turf near midfield. Emergency personnel rushing onto the field, treating the Airman for several minutes before carrying him away on a stretcher and transporting him to a nearby hospital. According to a statement from Nellis Air Force Base located in Nevada, the service member was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron Detachment 2, a unit responsible for training specialized airmen who coordinate air strikes and artillery support alongside army and marine forces. Their training includes repelling and descending from helicopters into combat environments. The Air Force has not released the Airman's identity as of last night and says an investigation into the fatal accident is underway. The man hailed as a hero for stopping a deadly elementary school shooting in Oregon, identified as 36-year-old Caleb Gianmanco, a local carpenter and father of two daughters who attend the school. According to Bend Police Chief, Mike Kranz, the violence began shortly before 1 pm Thursday when a passing driver spotted a teenager throwing a shotgun over a fence before climbing onto the grounds of silver rail elementary school in Bend. The driver confronting the teenager who opened fire on his truck, striking it at least three times. The witness escaped unharmed and called 911. Gianmanco observed the confrontation, pulling into the school parking lot as the teenager fired through the glass doors to gain entry. The father grabbing his 40-caliber handgun from his vehicle, then following the shooter into the building. Inside the gunman entering a special education classroom, opening fire on the students and teachers. One teacher attempting to stop the attack by throwing her cell phone at the gunman, then tackling him and fighting for control of the shotgun. As the two struggled, Gianmanco entered the classroom firing several shots, killing the attacker. The teacher who confronted the gunman surviving without injury. Police credit both her intervention and Gianmanco's actions with preventing further bloodshed. Gianmanco's mother, Kenda Freeman, speaking Saturday to CBS News Sacramento, about the emotional phone call she received from her son, Moments Leader. He said, Mom, I just shot and killed somebody. I said, Caleb, tell me about it. And he said, a man went into my daughter's school and shot kids. And he said, and I looked at him point blank and I shot and killed him, Mom. Kenda says today, Caleb is traumatized. I told him he saved a lot of lives and he said, Mom, I couldn't save them all. He's having a hard time with it. Again, you know, the idea of not being able to save them all, right? So when he closes his eyes and the things that he thinks about, what could I have done differently? How could I have done it better? President Trump on Friday reacting to Gianmanco's heroism. I was. I was. Well, I'm telling you what, there was a great hero and it could have been as bad as it was. We had a great hero that went in and did the business. He took care of business. And thank God we had him. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been much worse. It's a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it. The attack claiming the lives of three boys, ages five, eight and 11. The youngest identified as Rome's summer, while the families of the other two boys have asked that their names remain private. 25-year-old Megan Lambert also killed a first-year teacher whose family says working at Silver Rail was her dream job. In a statement released through police, her family remembering her as compassionate, fiercely protective of children with special needs and someone who always stood up for the underdog. Two others were also wounded, including seven-year-old sailor Graham, who uses a wheelchair. According to the New York Times, special-ed teacher Becky Drury threw herself over the little girl to shield her from the gunfire. Both were struck, Graham suffering a gunshot wound to her face, and Drury suffering injuries to her arm in hand. Graham was airlifted to a children's hospital in Portland where she was listed in Sirius, but stable condition. The 54-year-old teacher survived. Her injuries described by police as Sirius, but not life-threatening. Police say the 16-year-old shooter previously attended Silver Rail Elementary, including special ed classes, although he was no longer enrolled in the district at the time of the attack. His mother, speaking briefly to CNN Friday, saying her son had been a good boy and she had seen no warning signs of violence. We'll see. Asked whether she had a message for the families of the victims the mother expressed regret that she had not been able to prevent the tragedy. According to CNN, a senior law enforcement official confirmed that the weapon, a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun had been purchased by the shooter's mother. Local investigators and the FBI now examining the teenager's electronic devices, searching for evidence that could help establish a motive. Pope Leo the 14th returning to the Vatican yesterday after thoracic surgery six days ago to address a diagnosis of lung cancer in the lower lobe of his right leg.
lung. The Holy Father expressing gratitude to the hospital staff, promising to get back to his regular activities, and soon. The operation was successful. The doctors still assessing whether additional treatment will be necessary. The Pope reflecting on the day's gospel and offering a blessing. Meanwhile, stateside, Pope Leo's big brother, Lewis Prevost of Florida, joining Fox News yesterday to talk about his famous brother, saying he's having a fast recovery. Peter Ducey ending things on a light note. I know that around the time your brother became the Pope. You talked about how you would always treat him like your little brother. Now that he has been the Pope for more than a year, does it still feel like he is your little brother? Yes. That'll never change. When we get on the phone or talk, we give each other crap. You know, it's just, we tell jokes, summer off color, but how do you give the Pope crap? Well, you tell him he's being stupid. You just, you just talk to him, you know, yeah, there you go. Well, I know that this has been a tough, we just have fun. Well, and that's great to hear. I know this has been a tough time for the family. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show live on Sirius XM's The Megan Kelly Channel 111 Net News, on youtube.com/megankelly and on all podcast platforms.
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