Longtime Virginia Dem Indictment, Politico's Wiles Correction, Possible Iran Strike: AM Update 10/23

Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on Sirius XM Channel 111. It's Friday, October 23rd, 2026, and this is your AM Update. Senator Lucas has been charged and indicted with five counts. One of Virginia's most powerful Democrats facing federal racketeering and drug trafficking charges as prosecutors accuse her of using her political influence to build a multi-million dollar marijuana operation. Politico correcting its reporting on White House Chief of Staff Stusie Wiles following threats of legal action from the Trump administration. Most people seem to think it's after the election and we're going to see what happens. New reports suggesting the U.S. and Israel are preparing to launch fresh attacks on Iran with major questions about the timeline. And Inez Cantor-Freedom clashing with WNBA officials after being denied entry to a finals game. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. 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The indictment also naming six alleged co-conspirators, including Lucas's two daughters, her grandson, and three business associates, all of whom were taken into federal custody yesterday. A.G. Blanch detailing the charges. Senator Lucas has been, in fact, charged and indicted with five counts. Racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. The other counts listed in the indictment that she's not charged in include possession of a firearm, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and wire fraud. All seven defendants are charged for their various roles they allegedly played in the Lucas enterprise. The indictment alleges that Senator Lucas approved and directed criminal activities and other activities to benefit the affairs of the Lucas enterprise, that she arranged for the acquisition and distribution of marijuana, that she supervised the laundering of marijuana proceeds, and that she used her political influence to demand and accept a bribe and attempted to influence Virginia legislation for the benefit of herself and her family. According to the federal indictment, Lucas and her associates allegedly distributing more than 100 kilograms of marijuana through several businesses, including the Cannabis Outlet, a store she co-owns in Portsmouth, Virginia. Lucas previously maintaining that her store sells legal hemp and CBD products rather than marijuana containing illegal levels of THC. While marijuana possession is legal for adults in Virginia, recreational retail sales remain prohibited, although a new licensing system is scheduled to take effect next July. Federal prosecutors, now alleging undercover investigators, purchased marijuana from the Cannabis Outlet in July, and laboratory testing confirmed the products contained marijuana. Prosecutors accusing Lucas of using her position as chairwoman of the powerful State Senate Finance Committee to influence marijuana legislation and secure lucrative business opportunities for herself and her family. The indictment detailing a series of intercepted phone calls, including one in February when Lucas allegedly discussed the possibility of securing a marijuana license and sharing the profits. During that conversation, Lucas allegedly declaring, quote, Federal investigators also alleging Lucas paid $750,000 to acquire a stake in a company expecting to receive a marijuana license, then failed to disclose that interest on required financial forms. The investigation dating back years, FBI agents searching Lucas's Portsmouth office and cannabis business in May, recovering marijuana. and firearms from two of the stores. Lucas, a longtime critic of President Trump, accusing the administration of using federal law enforcement to silence her. In a statement yesterday, the Democrat declaring she will not be intimidated or bullied, pointing to her experience growing up under Jim Crow and her decades of political activism. Her attorneys expressing surprise at the indictment and the charges against members of her family. The prosecution drawing criticism from Democrat Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who argues the timing of the indictment, less than two weeks before the midterm elections, undermines public trust in the Justice Department. Blanche addressing questions about the timing of the charges yesterday. We cannot bring a charge if our purpose is improper, and there's nothing improper about this purpose. And so there's a lot of commentary about the 60 day rule. I think it's something that we in leadership at the Department of Justice think about and take very seriously. The center is not up for reelection. This is a long running case as alleged in the indictment. It's a RICO conspiracy case. It's a narcotics case. And and so while the timing of an indictment is something that we have always thought about at the Department of Justice, the expected complaints about the timing of this indictment are not consistent with the Justice Manual or consistent with what we're doing is very consistent with with past practices. Lucas appearing in federal court in Norfolk Thursday afternoon, where a judge released her without requiring bail. The 22 year old now scheduled for arraignment November 16th in Newport News, Virginia, where she is expected to enter a plea. Politico correcting one of three disputed stories about White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following a legal threat from the Trump administration. The news outlet acknowledging it misrepresented Wiles involvement in a TV interview that preceded the abrupt departure of White House Press Secretary Katie Zachariah. But standing by its other reporting as the White House demands further corrections and a public apology. The dispute beginning last Thursday, when Politico reported that President Trump was privately considering replacing Wiles, citing conversations with people familiar with his thinking. A follow up report the next day claiming the story triggered turmoil inside the White House and that Trump erupted in anger over its publication. The president rejecting those accounts, telling reporters last Friday that he has complete confidence in his chief of staff. Are you shopping around for a new chief of staff? No, that's a false report that was written by. Politico, it's fake news. I could not be more happy with Susie. She's done a great job from day one. That story in Politico, I guess it was, is a total fake story. And we told them before they wrote it. So they put my disclaimer in there. They said, oh, you know, I disagree. But I said that story is false. Don't write that story. But they put it in anyway because they're fake news. That is a totally false story. Politico also publishing a separate article. Friday suggesting Wiles helped arrange a contentious interview between Zachariah and Fox News host Sean Hannity the night before Zachariah losing her job just hours after the appearance. As Politico cited, anonymous sources who suggested the interview was deliberately arranged to undermine the embattled press secretary. The White House disputing that account, saying it provided Politico with text messages showing Zachariah herself sought the interview rather than Wiles arranging it. By Monday, White House counsel Will Sharf sending a. Formal letter to Politico's editor in chief, accusing the publication of knowingly running false stories despite receiving evidence contradicting its claims. Sharf demanding the outlet retract or correct all three articles, remove the disputed reporting from its Web site and publicly apologize to Trump and Wiles. Sharf also giving Politico 48 hours to respond, warning that the administration could reconsider its relationship with the outlet and pursue legal action. Politico responding yesterday, rejecting the White House's accusations of. Deliberately misleading readers, but acknowledging that further reporting uncovered a problem with its account of the Hannity interview. The outlet now clarifying that Wiles merely offered Zachariah encouragement ahead of her television appearance and had no direct role in arranging it. Politico also replacing a social media post that inaccurately described Wiles involvement while declining to retract its other two reports or issue the requested apology. In response obtained by Fox News Digital, Politico's attorneys defending the correction as. Evidence of responsible journalism and accusing the White House of attempting to intimidate reporters over unfavorable. coverage. White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez pushing back, telling Fox News that Politico ignored evidence contradicting its claims and should be embarrassed by its reporting. The confrontation adding to an existing legal dispute over White House press access after the administration barred Politico and several other outlets from certain presidential events. A federal judge ordering the restoration of their White House access earlier this month, a decision the Trump administration is appealing. Coming up, the U.S. reportedly moving troops out of harm's way across the Middle East as new reports point to another possible round of attacks on Iran. And former NBA player Inez Cantor-Freedom turned away from a WNBA finals game as his fight to protect women's sports sparks another controversy. Our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, says Washington politicians are always getting in 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, routing transactions over cheaper, untested networks with weaker security. The U.S. has been working with the U.S. to make sure that the U.S. has more security and fewer protections. Find out more for yourself at GuardYourCard.com and consider telling Congress to guard your card. The U.S. and Israel may be preparing for a possible new round of attacks on Iran as conflicting reports raise questions about whether military action could begin before or after next month's midterm elections. NPR reporting yesterday, American and Israeli officials are making plans for potential strikes in early November, citing a source briefed on the military process. According to that source, Israel initially wanted to launch an attack in mid-October, ahead of its own elections next Tuesday, but President Trump objected. The U.S. now building up its military presence in the region, although the source acknowledges the preparations could also be intended to pressure Iran into reaching a diplomatic agreement. However, a separate report from Dropsite News suggests the timeline could be much sooner. The outlet citing a senior Iranian official who says Tehran's intelligence services believe a major bombing campaign could begin before Israel's elections on October 27. An American official also telling Dropsite that U.S. military forces are rapidly preparing for renewed combat operations, although that official expresses skepticism about an attack happening before the Israeli vote. The White House pushing back on the speculation, telling Dropsite that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the November midterms. President Trump addressing the possibility of renewed military action while speaking to reporters Wednesday night, suggesting a resolution to the conflict is approaching, one way or another. We are going to have something one way or the other that will happen fairly soon. Most people seem to be in a position to give up. I think we're not negotiating with them. Most people seem to be in a position to give up.