Trump Headlines GOP Midterm Convention, Lewandowski Investigation, 9/11 Hero Honored: AM Update 9/9

Good morning, everyone. I'm Megyn Kelly. It's Wednesday, September 9th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. This is a once-of-a-lifetime-type election season, and listen, I think we're on the cusp of defying history. President Trump taking center stage at the GOP's first-ever midterm convention as Republicans look to rebuild momentum and defy history. Former top Kristi Noem advisor Corey Lewandowski accused of trying to turn his influence at DHS into personal profit, as investigators consider a potential criminal referral. CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman now dropped from a former colleague's lawsuit. He willingly made all of these trips up and down, up and down, up and down, over and over again, saving life after life. And the man in the red bandana receiving the nation's highest civilian honor. Nearly 25 years after giving his life to save others on September 11th, 2001. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. 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President Trump's set to deliver the opening night keynote address at the Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention tonight in Dallas, as the GOP tries to build momentum less than eight weeks before Election Day. The president now scheduled to address the convention both nights, delivering tonight's keynote before returning tomorrow to speak after Vice President J.D. Vance. Reuters reporting the president's opening night appearance was added just last week, expanding what was originally expected to be a single closing night address. The two-day event at the American Airlines Center featuring more than 100 speakers and presentations, including members of the president's cabinet, congressional leaders and Republican candidates competing in some of the country's closest House and Senate races. Among those scheduled to appear are Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., AG Todd Blanche, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, and former White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt. Secretary of State Marco Rubio notably absent from the current speaker lineup, although the party has not said he will be entirely absent from the convention. CBS News reporting additional speakers could still be added while surprise guests are expected. The gathering marking a first for Republicans, national party conventions normally reserved for presidential election years, when delegates formally nominate a ticket and approve a party platform. No such official business taking place. Democrats holding several similar midterm conferences during the 1970s and 80s, but the idea never becoming a regular feature of American politics. The AP describing this week's event as part convention and part Trump rally, complete with entertainment and a balloon drop. The unusual gathering coming as Republicans confront the longstanding midterm disadvantage facing the party controlling the White House, while also trying to turn out voters who strongly support President Trump, but have historically been less reliable when he is not personally on the ballot. The president recently urging supporters to vote in November as though his name were appearing alongside the Republican candidates. That effort taking on added urgency as the president struggles beyond the Republican base. AP polling published in June finding his support among independents dropping 17 points since the 2024 campaign from 43% to 26. Republican support remaining more stagnant. A more stable, though dropping since last year, falling from 95% when he first took office to 83% in January, down to 78% today, according to Pew. A more recent Reuters Ipsos survey placing the president's overall approval rating at 33%. That's the lowest point of his second term. Republican officials insisting the convention offers a chance to move the focus back toward the administration's record on taxes, border security, manufacturing, and prescription drug prices. Organizers first opening a public lottery for free tickets, with some winners promised front row seats and other VIP treatment. Reuters reporting some Republican insiders have privately questioned whether the party can attract enough officials, donors, and activists to fill the venue, while organizers publicly maintain the arena will be packed. The party expecting more than 20,000 people to attend. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters Monday on Real America's Voice arguing the convention can help Republicans overcome the historical odds. This is a once of a lifetime type election season. And listen, I think we're on the cusp of defying history. You know, only four times in 150 years, the incumbent party has been able to win these midterms. But we have everything we need to do just that. And it's going to start this week in Dallas on the 9th and 10th. It's going to be absolutely amazing. We have 109 different speakers. President Trump anchoring both nights. We have the vice president is going to be there. A lot of our candidates and some of these battleground races. But it's really going to give us a chance to tell the story to the American people directly on the message of everything that the president has done well. And that, you know, in terms of, you know, growing the economy, it means securing the border. It means all these incredible things versus the contrast that we're going to show against the Democrats. The Dallas stage also giving Republicans an opportunity to promote Senate nominee in Texas, Ken Paxton, one of the candidates. President Trump has said the convention will help elect Paxton now locked in a far closer than usual Senate contest against Democrat state representative James Tallarico. The current RealClearPolitics polling average placing Tallarico at 47.3 percent and Paxton at 44.9 percent. A Democratic advantage of 2.4 points in a state where no Democrat has won a Senate election since 1988. RealClearPolitics currently rates the race. Toss-up. Longtime advisor to President Trump, Corey Lewandowski, facing allegations he attempted to use his influence inside the Department of Homeland Security to secure private work from foreign governments, while also reportedly exerting enormous control over billions of dollars in federal contracts. A new Wall Street Journal investigation reporting Lewandowski approached senior officials from Qatar while serving as then DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's most powerful advisor. Lewandowski working at the time as a special government employee, a status allowing him to maintain outside business interests while temporarily working for the government. He was also Secretary Noem's top advisor and exercised extensive authority within the department, despite never holding a position requiring Senate confirmation. Lewandowski and Noem reportedly linked romantically as well for years, an allegation both have denied but which is considered an open secret in Washington. The Journal reporting. Lewandowski offering to work for the Qatari government on the side, telling officials he could help the country navigate matters falling under DHS, including visa issues. Lewandowski reportedly making a similar proposal to representatives of the United Arab Emirates. Officials from both countries reportedly rejecting his offers, with some questioning why they would need to pay Lewandowski when their governments already had established relationships with senior members of the Trump administration. The alleged pitches coming as. Lewandowski and then Secretary Noem repeatedly traveled to the Middle East, despite White House officials reportedly expecting them to focus on domestic immigration enforcement and negotiations with Latin American governments. The Journal also reporting Lewandowski's influence extended deep into the department's contracting process. Shortly after taking office, Secretary Noem bringing virtually every DHS expenditure exceeding $100,000 under her direct control, a change intended to reduce waste and fraud. But one official's say created an enormous backlog. The Journal highlighting one particularly notable example involving data analysis company Palantir. Executives from the company spending weeks negotiating a $2.7 billion agreement covering immigration enforcement, Secret Service operations, and other work. DHS initially pushing to finalize the deal before the end of the 2025 fiscal year, but the agreement instead sitting unsigned on Secretary Noem's desk for weeks. Lewandowski then reportedly seeking a one-on-one meeting with Palantir CEO Alex Karp. DHS repeatedly requesting the meeting, but providing no agenda. Palantir executives growing uncomfortable and canceling. Lewandowski reportedly telling associates he planned to consolidate the company's DHS work and reduce its funding. A larger meeting involving Lewandowski, Secretary Noem, Karp, and other Palantir officials eventually taking place early this year. The contract then reduced to $1 billion. And signed in February. Palantir tells the Journal it received no explanation for the cut. President Trump removing. Ms. Noem from DHS in March following months of turmoil inside the department, Lewandowski departing at the same time, then seeking another position in the admin but being turned down, per the Journal. Lewandowski now working as a private consultant, Bahrain reportedly hiring him after he left DHS. It is not clear whether that contract had any connection to Lewandowski's earlier government travel or contacts. DHS Inspector General investigators now examining possible improprieties in the department's contracting process, including whether senior officials personally profited from their government roles. Investigators reportedly finding evidence that Lewandowski may have participated in improperly awarding federal contracts. Current DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen and White House officials have been briefed on the inquiry, investigators now considering whether to refer potential criminal conduct to the DOJ. House Democrats also preparing to open a related investigation, if they capture the House majority in November. A White House spokesperson declining to comment, DHS and a spokesperson for Noem not responding to the Journal's questions. Lewandowski responding to the report on X, writing, quote, on the week of the 25th anniversary of 9-11, you would think the Wall Street Journal would be more interested in how our homeland has become secure, as opposed to the innuendo fake news story they published today. He continues, quote, what's more amazing is after five months of working on a story they don't have the time to talk about. Coming up, CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman being removed as a defendant just weeks after a former colleague accused him of workplace misconduct. And a young man who gave his life saving strangers on September 11th now posthumously receiving the nation's highest civilian honor. We are still a couple months out, but the midterms are fast approaching. And make no mistake, if the House flips, it is a big deal for our economy. That uncertainty is one of the many reasons to consider diversifying with gold from Birch Gold Group. In the three months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the price of gold jumped over 12 percent. Why? Because it's a hedge against uncertainty, of course. If you don't own gold, consider talking to Birch Gold. They're going to discuss your goals and explain how precious metals can fit into your savings. They can even help you convert an existing IRA or 401k in whole or in part into an IRA in gold for no additional money out of pocket. Just text the letters MK to the number 989898 and get a free info kit and some solid information. The midterms will be here before you know it. Don't wait. Text MK to 989898. CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman now being dropped from a lawsuit filed by a former ABC. Field producer over her firing and alleged mistreatment at ABC News, including allegations against Gutman dating back to his own years at ABC. Gutman now working at CBS after nearly two decades at the House of Mouse, joining the network in January. The producer Samira Saeed naming Gutman alongside ABC, Disney and former Los Angeles bureau chief David Herndon when she filed the case last month. Saeed's attorneys now asking. A Los Angeles County Superior Court to remove both Gutman and Herndon as defendants, reportedly offering no explanation for the change, according to Deadline. ABC and Disney remaining defendants, with the accounts of Gutman and Herndon's alleged conduct remaining part of the case, according to the L.A. Times. Saeed working at ABC from 2021 until she was fired in March of 2025. One of her accusations centering on an assignment where she was reportedly the only woman working with an otherwise all-male. She alleges Gutman turned the conversation toward another female correspondent and assigned her appearance a numerical score with other members of the crew reportedly offering their own assessments. Saeed claiming the men sought her opinion as well, though she reportedly refused and told them the discussion was inappropriate. Gutman declining to comment to the L.A. Times through a CBS News representative. Saeed also accusing her former employer of wrongfully terminating her after allegedly failing to account. accommodate her mental health needs, resulting from interviewing survivors of the Uvalde school shooting. The former producer reportedly seeking compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorney's fees. A hero of September 11th now receiving the nation's highest civilian honor, nearly 25 years after giving his life to save strangers inside the South Tower. The presentation taking place on the Ellipse outside the White House during the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's Steel Across America event ahead of Friday, when America will mark 25 years since the attacks. A 21-foot steel beam recovered from the South Tower, standing beside the stage, following a months-long journey across the country, honoring the victims and first responders. President Trump yesterday posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Wells Remy Crowther, the 24-year-old volunteer for the Uvalde school shooting. A volunteer firefighter remembered as the man in the red bandana. Crowther working as an equities trader on the 104th floor of the South Tower when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the building below him. As he made his way down, Crowther reaching the shattered 78th floor sky lobby, President Trump recounting the moment Crowther heard cries for help and chose to answer them. A group of people on the 78th floor were trapped with broken bones, charred skin, and eyes, and lungs. A group of people on the 78th floor were trapped with broken bones, charred skin, and eyes, and lungs, filled with black smoke. They were sure they were going to die. Then suddenly a rescue appeared. They call him the man in the red bandana. He found an opening in one of the stairwells and traveled down from the 104th floor to look for those trapped and dying. When he heard cries for help on the 78th floor, he began extinguishing the fires, blocking the exit, directing survivors who could walk, but he willingly, made all of these trips up and down, up and down, up and down, over and over again, saving life after life. Today, in honor of his incredible bravery and all of the other countless unknown acts of heroism that day, it is my privilege to award the very special, the highest honor that we give, highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Survivor accounts crediting Crowther with saving as many as 18 people that morning. He never made it out of the tower. Crowther's remains later found in the South Tower lobby alongside firefighters and other emergency workers, near what authorities believed had become a rescue command post. His family spending months without knowing anything about his final moments. The truth emerging through a 2002 New York Times account as several survivors described the mysterious young man who had led them through the smoke. They did not know his name. They remembered only the red bandana. Crowther's mother, Alison, immediately recognizing her son, who had carried a red bandana since childhood after receiving it from his father. Crowther's mother and sister, Paige, accepting the medal on his behalf. His mother crediting her son's ability to respond so decisively to the firefighter training he began as a teenager. Crowther joining Empire Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 in Upper Nyack at just 16 years old, following in the footsteps of his father, Jefferson. Alison saying Crowther may have gone to work that morning as an equities trader, but when lives were in danger, he answered as a firefighter. This means the world to me, my daughters, Paige and Honor and our entire family. This will be treasured for generations to come. Wells's light still shines brilliantly today. Even after 25 years is testament to his legacy of courage, compassion and love for humanity that continues to inspire. 25 years after September 11, his life continues to remind us of something very simple. In moments when others need us, each of us has the power to choose courage, compassion and service. That's the real meaning of the red bandana. To be courageous. To find the good. To be the good. Wow. That'll do it for your AM Update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MKC show. Live on Sirius XM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at Noon East, on youtube.com/megynkelly and on all podcast platforms.