Tense Testimony at Russell Brand Trial, Trump Cancels Ft. Hood Execution Livestream: AM Update 10/16

Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Friday, October 16th, 2026. This is your AM Update. As soon as the cross-examination began, Russell Brand looked straight ahead through the glass of the dock. Tense moments inside a London courtroom as a woman accusing Russell Brand of rape takes the stand and faces questions from his defense attorney. That decision to stay home for a week sent my opponent and his conspiracy theorist spiraling. James Tallarico back on the campaign trail in Texas, bolstered by a record-breaking fundraising effort. President Trump reversing course on plans to live-stream the execution of the Fort Hood mass shooter, following overwhelming public opposition to the broadcast. And new details emerging about the man mauled to death by a tiger at a wildlife park in England, including revelations about his mental health. and the circumstances leading up to the deadly attack. 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Brand pleading not guilty to all charges, maintaining that he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity. Prosecutors opening their case Wednesday by portraying Brand as a ruthless and manipulative sexual predator who used his growing fame to exploit women. Yesterday's testimony focusing on a woman who alleges Brand raped her in a hotel room in 1999 after they met at a political conference. According to the BBC's courtroom reporting, the woman telling jurors she initially believed Brand was gay, describing him as friendly, soft-spoken, and effeminate. She said, She said she felt comfortable spending time alone with him until his behavior suddenly changed inside her hotel room. The woman recalling that Brand emerged from the bathroom wearing only his underwear began dancing around the room and demanded that she take photographs of him without a shirt. Those photographs later shone to the jury. The woman describing Brand as frightening and aggressive, telling jurors he went from friendly to, quote, monster-like before allegedly raping her. Jurors also watching a police interview recorded in 2023 in which the woman said, The woman described the alleged assault and her confusion afterward. Brand watching the recording from the defendant's area of the courtroom, remaining largely motionless as the woman recounted her experience. The woman telling jurors she cried after Brand left and feared she might be pregnant. She said she blamed herself for what happened and initially stayed silent because she feared the allegations would damage her career. Under cross-examination yesterday, Brand's defense attorney, Ian Winter, challenging the woman's account, questioning whether she had welcomed Brand's romantic attachment, and why she agreed to be alone with him. The woman repeatedly rejecting the suggestion that she had been attracted to Brand, insisting she had felt safe in his company but never consented to sex. The questioning growing increasingly contentious, as Channel 4 News journalist, Sachelle Conner, described in her account of the proceedings. This afternoon was so intense, I cannot stress it enough. But as soon as the cross-examination began, Russell Brand looked straight ahead through the glass of the dock. So he sat very still, looking straight ahead. And Woman A was asked twice if Russell Brand was being flirty to her, to which she replied, You're putting words into my mouth. I just saw him as someone that I wanted to speak to. So tensions were rising. There was a back and forth between the defense and Woman A, who was in the witness stand at the time. The defense attorney also pressing the woman on why she had not attempted to escape when Brand removed his clothes. She responded by questioning where she could have gone, explaining that she had no phone, did not know her surroundings, and feared Brand might follow her. The woman put, pushed back against questions about why she had not reported the alleged rape to police in 1999, explaining she was ashamed and believed no one would take her seriously. The allegations against Brand first attracting widespread attention following a 2023 documentary investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct. All six women involved in the current prosecution came forward following that investigation, although the women featured in the documentary are not among the complainants in this trial. The trial is expected to continue for approximately six weeks. A record-breaking fundraising haul in the closely watched U.S. Senate race in Texas. Democrat State Representative James Tallarico raising $64 million during the third quarter, more than any Senate candidate has ever raised during that period, according to his campaign. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton raising $18 million during the most recent quarter. The announcement bringing Tallarico's total fundraising to more than $130 million since entering the race last year, compared to about $30 million for Paxton. Paxton, last week on Fox News, questioning where much of Tallarico's money is coming from. But his actual record of boys and girls sports, you know, transitioning kids, state income tax, voting against every border bill that we had to secure the border, putting money into defunding the police in Austin. I mean, his views are very radical for Texas, but he doesn't talk about those views now. More than $500 million already spent on advertising in the Texas Senate race, including outside groups, according to Ad Impact, as the latest polls show a close contest between the two candidates. The RealClear polling average, showing Tallarico holding a narrow lead, 48.1 to 45.5%. Tallarico returning to the national spotlight Wednesday night during a CNN town hall in Fort Worth, following a highly publicized absence from the campaign trail that he attributed to a severe case of the flu. The Democrat addressing the rumors that circulated about his whereabouts, including the unsubstantiated claim that he had been receiving psychiatric treatment in Ohio. I opened up social media and learned that I apparently had dropped out of the race, had flown to a mental hospital in Ohio, that I had died. This is crazy. I mean, these false claims got millions of views online. And this is an example of what I call the rage economy. Tallarico also facing questions about his past statements on religion and gender, including his 2021 declaration that God is non-binary. I think what I, what I was saying is actually not controversial theologically. The idea that we can't define God using human categories. Not only did I say that, but the late Charlie Kirk said that. The late Pope Benedict said that. And so, yes, I was doing it maybe in an annoying way. I can admit that. I think we have to be careful using modern cultural terms when talking about God. Sure. I think that is very fair criticism. Tallarico referencing his frequently criticized remarks from 2020. 2021 where he declared that God is non-binary and invoked scripture to express his support for transgender children. God is non-binary in Genesis 1:26. God speaks of God's self in the plural saying, let us make human beings in our image to be like us. That's the infinite multitude of God, the masculine, the feminine and everything in between. Trans children are God's children made in God's own image. There's nothing wrong with them. Nothing at all. They are perfect. They are beautiful and they are sacred. President Trump offering his own assessment of the Texas Senate race yesterday. The guy in Texas is a con man, total con man. The guy gets lost for 12, 14 days. He says that he's got the flu. I never heard of a flu. I never heard of a flu that lasted that long. But maybe he had a different kind of flu that we don't know about. and he said bad things, talked badly about Jesus, talked badly about many things. Now he says, oh, well, I was only kidding or something. And we have a good guy. Look, Ken Paxton's a guy that, whether you like Ken or not, honestly, I mean, I understand some people are controversial, et cetera. I don't happen to be a controversial person, so I'm very happy. But Ken is a little bit controversial. And he was the best attorney general in the history of Texas. Coming up, President Trump's scrapping plans for a public broadcast of the Fort Hood shooter's execution, and new revelations about the man killed in a tiger attack at a wildlife park in England. Feeling sluggish, bloated, not quite like yourself? Life constantly bombards us with silent threats, processed foods, artificial light, nonstop stress, all of which can disrupt gut health, drain energy, and weaken immune health. When that happens, we're going to have to think about what we're going to do next. And we're going to have to think about what we're going to do next. When that happens, it's not that your body is broken. It's that it might be missing the right inputs. That's why I want to tell you about Armra Cholestrum. It's packed with more than 400 bioactive nutrients that they say can work at a foundational level to fortify gut health, support immune health, fuel recovery, and promote whole body vitality. Strong gut integrity can support metabolism, skin and hair health, and even performance and recovery, which is why Cholestrum has long been valued by some elite athletes as well. If you are looking to take back control of your health from the inside out, consider Armra. And they have a special deal for you right now. You go to armra.com, A-R-M-R-A dot com slash Megan, or enter my name, Megan, to get 30% off your first subscription order. That's A-R-M-R-A dot com slash Megan. Check it out. President Trump calling off plans to live stream the execution of convicted Fort Hood mass shooter Nadal Hassan, reversing an announcement made by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth just one week ago. Hegseth announcing last Thursday that Hassan would be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood and that the public would be able to watch. No brainer. Execution by firing squad. Army major betrays his country. Radical Islamist kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood. Of course, we're going to do it at Fort Hood. We're going to do it on a Thursday. We're going to do it at one o'clock, which is when he did it. And it's going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad. And we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that this is a serious consequence for these types of things. The former army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 terrorist attack at the Texas military base. Among those killed was a pregnant soldier whose unborn son also died in the attack. President Trump approving Hassan's execution by firing squad earlier this month. The execution scheduled for December 3rd. Vice President J.D. Vance expressing skepticism about the live stream during an exchange with reporters last week. Whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don't forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people. Now, that said, I mean, look, if it's ultimately live stream, I'm not going to be watching it. The debate reaching the White House, where the president was privately reconsidering whether to allow the execution to be broadcast. According to CNN, Mr. Trump was unaware that Hegseth planned to announce a public live stream and initially expressed uncertainty about the decision. The president also telling advisers he had not realized Hassan was paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair, an injury he sustained when authorities shot him during the 2009 attack. A new Washington Post ABC News Ipsos poll released yesterday morning, finding 80% of Americans opposed to live streaming Hassan's execution. A narrow majority of 53% supporting his execution by firing squad, highlighting a significant distinction between support for the punishment itself and allowing all Americans to watch it. Opposition to the live stream extending across party lines, including among 64% of Republicans, 83% of independents, and 91% of Democrats. Just hours after the poll's release, President Trump announcing on Truth Social that he was canceling the live stream. The president describing Hassan as an evil man and arguing that broadcasting his execution could have served as a powerful deterrent to terrorists around the world. Mr. Trump adding, quote, he will die as scheduled by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed. That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims if they so choose. Hassan's December 3rd execution set to become the first carried out by the U.S. military since 1961 and its first execution by firing squad since World War II. New details emerging about the deadly tiger attack at a wildlife park in England. Authorities identifying the man earlier this week as 24-year-old William Chapman, a former child actor who was mauled to death Saturday at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in northern England. During a coroner's hearing yesterday, officials revealing Chapman climbed over two fences before approaching a five-year-old Siberian tiger named Altai. The tiger attacked Chapman, causing extensive injuries that killed him within minutes. Emergency responders pronouncing him dead at the scene. According to the BBC, an initial autopsy determining Chapman died from multiple traumatic injuries, although authorities are awaiting a more detailed report. The hearing also revealing Chapman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered previous episodes of psychosis. Despite his diagnosis, Chapman was described during the hearing as highly independent and capable of living without additional care, although he remained under surveillance. The hearing also revealed that Chapman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia under supervision of local mental health services. Chapman's family now raising concerns about the treatment he received in the months leading up to his death. The Guardian reporting the regional health care provider has launched its own investigation into his care. Witnesses previously described Chapman walking around the park wearing headphones and dancing before asking other visitors to photograph him near the tiger enclosure. The coroner's investigation is scheduled to resume March 18th of next year as local authorities continue a wildlife park reopening today for the first time since the deadly attack, including the tiger exhibit. Park officials also confirming outside will not be euthanized and remains under the care of the park's animal staff. Updating a report from yesterday, federal prison officials denying reports Sean Diddy Combs suffered a head injury during a fight with another inmate at Fort Dix last weekend. The Bureau of Prisons telling TMZ the alleged altercation never happened, but declining to say whether Combs was injured or explain his previously reported trip to the hospital. That'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party. Go and check out more at AfterPartyEmily.com. Catch The Megyn Kelly Show later today. Live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at Noon East, on YouTube.com slash Megyn Kelly and all podcast platforms.