Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, and this is your AM update. Reports of pink-clad jurors raising new questions about impartiality in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. There was like a whirlpool in there with all the debris circling around cabins and other equipment from the maintenance work site. Two dead, four hikers still unaccounted for after flash flooding turns the bottom of the Grand Canyon into a nightmare escape. A wave of new reporting from inside the Pentagon from concerns over the prolonged Iran operation to questions about what Pete Hegseth might do next. This drug is different. First, it's a pill. You take it once a day. And second, it's not a chemotherapy. A new way to fight one of the deadliest forms of cancer, the FDA approving a first of its kind treatment for pancreatic cancer. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. I have got to talk to you about cozy earths, bamboo, stretch, knit pajamas. 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Jurors headed home yesterday without a verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial after roughly 17 hours of deliberations over 3 days. Clancy has charged in the January 2023 deaths of her 3 children at the family's Duxbury, Massachusetts home. She has pleaded not guilty with the defense arguing she lacked criminal responsibility because of severe mental illness. The jury now set to return this morning to continue weighing a 5 week trial that included competing expert assessments of Clancy's mental state along with hundreds of exhibits and extensive medical records. Two female jurors reportedly wearing pink as they deliberated Monday, the same color worn by many of Clancy's supporters waiting outside the courthouse each day. It is unclear if the outfit choice had anything to do with support for Clancy. Judge William Sullivan dismissing the panel yesterday afternoon again reminding jurors to avoid coverage of the case and not discuss it outside the jury room. We spoke with the MK True Crime show co-host Dave Ehrenberg, a former prosecutor who says the length of deliberations is not surprising in a case like this. I'm not surprised. It's taken this long because it was a lengthy trial. The country is split on this and the jurors reflect the country. And that's why I would have been surprised if it was a quick verdict, but if it wasn't quick verdict, it would have been not guilty because the prosecution is going to have a hard time proving that top charge of first degree murder or even second degree murder. If jurors cannot reach a decision, Ehrenberg says the judge does have steps to take before declaring a mistrial. The judge will order the jurors to go back in and continue deliberating. And then if they are hopelessly deadlock, he'll then declare a mistrial. But the judge will twist arms a little bit and say, you know, there's a certain charge you get, which is keep deliberating and then eventually they'll give in. But there's still a long way to go. Ehrenberg arguing that the manslaughter option could give jurors a middle ground between a murder conviction and finding clancy not criminally responsible. In a case like this where I think the prosecution overcharged with first degree murder, this allows jurors to compromise. And even though involuntary manslaughter is not a perfect charge here as far as if she had a severe mental incapacity to know the difference between right and wrong and could not control her behavior, then she should not be found guilty of either of the crimes of either murder or manslaughter. She should just be found not guilty by reason of insanity. But the jurors are likely going to feel that the crime was so horrific that perhaps there should be something more than a not guilty verdict. And if that's the case, then involuntary manslaughter is a good compromise. And for the prosecutors, even though it's not the charge that they had wanted, it could get Lindsey Clancy up to 60 years in prison. A mistrial would not necessarily end the case. Ehrenberg says prosecutors would likely assess the jury's split before deciding whether and on which charges to try clancy again. The prosecutors will look at the vote and they'll say is it six six is it 11 one against that's 11 one for us and then make a decision if the vote comes back 11 one against the murder accounts and six six on the manslaughter counts, then I think they would try it again just on manslaughter. I don't think they want to just enter a losing race the next time around. They want to do something that where they think they can win. And in this case, if they just get a hung jury, that is not necessarily the worst verdict in the world for prosecutors who for, I mean, at least for a couple of weeks, seem to be on the on the wrong side of this, at least on court, public opinion because it did seem like the defense lawyer had gotten the best of them until the closing arguments. As for those reports of jurors wearing pink, Ehrenberg cautions against drawing a firm conclusion from one day's clothing, you're not supposed to be wearing things that show where your mind's at in the trial or try to persuade people by what you're wearing at the same time, it could just be an innocent explanation and we'll see what they wear at the next time. Jurors are supposed to just follow the evidence of the law and they're not supposed to talk to people at home or anywhere once they're on a jury about the case they should not supposed to look at the news on the internet about this case, but they're human beings and it's not unrealistic to think that perhaps there's some pillow talk or kitchen table discussions about the case and that can influence these jurors. Two people dead and at least 14 others missing or unaccounted for after catastrophic flash flooding tore through the bottom of the Grand Canyon over the weekend. The National Park Service confirming a second body was recovered Monday after the body of a 46 year old man was found Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. Flooding beginning around 2.30 Saturday afternoon in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area, a place deep inside the canyon where hikers crossing from rim to rim stopped a camp or spend the night. At least 62 people escaped from the area according to the park service, many by helicopter. The floodwater reportedly carrying boulders, debris and pieces of damaged infrastructure into the Colorado River. The geography that makes the Grand Canyon so extraordinary, also making it a terrifying place to be when the rain came down. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, explaining yesterday how a short burst of heavy rain high above the canyon turned into a violent rush of water far below. Some of these canyon walls, they tower over 4,500 feet, especially in your Bright Angel and the Phantom Creek areas. Where are the flooding occurred this weekend? So that water, if it actually falls on the rim of the Grand Canyon, that has to go somewhere and it eventually makes its way down towards the Colorado River and it can flood those rivers and the tributaries very easily, especially when we see around an inch of rain in about a 30 minute period. That is what really occurred on Saturday. There were four waves of rain that came through across the Grand Canyon, but it was that last 4th and final wave that really was the nail in the coffin because that put the rush of water picked up the debris flow from a nearby burn scar and that allowed for all of this debris to just wash downstream. Remember the topography very steep and when you are in the Grand Canyon or hiking in these areas, you see debris flows like this. This is when you need to escape to higher ground. The problem is it's so steep that it's tough to get up those canyon walls. Survivors recounting a desperate escape from the floodwaters. Two evacuees David Gregory to CBS News and Erica Viola to ABC 7 describing what they saw as the water tore through the canyon. If the park ranger hadn't ordered everybody to evacuate when they did, what might have happened to that group? I don't think we would have made it out alive if we had fallen into the creek and then we got carried into the Colorado River. It was like a whirlpool in there with all the debris circling around cabins and other equipment from the maintenance work site. I think it would have been game over. We were running through ankle deep then it got to need deep and we just heard people yell run run run and there's 40 of us running through this deep muddy water.
trying to make it to the bridge. Once we got to the bridge, that's when this 15-foot wall of water came through the campground in Phantom Ranch and just wiped out all the bridges. The devastation is now making the search harder. Nearly every footbridge across Bright Angel Creek has been destroyed, according to the Park Service, cutting off hiker access through the area. The flood also reportedly destroying about 40% of the Trans Canyon waterline, the system supplying water to the park. That damage leaving the park with limited reserves and forcing major water conservation measures as search and recovery efforts continue. Coming up, top military leaders reportedly warning the Pentagon about the strain of prolonged operations against Iran as fighting between the U.S. and Iran flares up again, and a new treatment offering hope against one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The FDA approving a first-of-its-kind drug for pancreatic cancer after promising results in a major clinical trial. 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 diet or 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]. A big shake up at the Pentagon Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reportedly submitting his resignation to President Trump. The Wall Street Journal reporting last night Driscoll is expected to leave the Pentagon in the coming days following months of reported tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the direction of the Army and the removal of several senior officers. Driscoll had previously been expected to step down sometime this year with the journal reporting on clashes between the two men. Driscoll's departure leaving the Army without a Senate confirmed civilian leader or a Senate confirmed officer serving as its top uniformed commander. Army Under Secretary Mike Obadal set to become the service's highest ranking civilian official once Driscoll leaves. The White House praising Secretary Driscoll's tenure spokesperson Anna Kelly saying he has been "highly effective" in advancing the president's agenda, pointing to his leadership during military operations, his focus on readiness, and his involvement in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The leadership change coming amid several other reports about the controversial inner workings of the Pentagon, including allegedly secretly using social media influencers to advance Secretary Hegseth's agenda. The Washington Post reporting retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maynes and retired Army Colonel Kurt Schlichter are among the conservative influencers and commentators with active government email addresses, both men serving for decades in uniform before becoming commentators now with large followings on X. The Post reporting the men were brought in by the Pentagon, either as special government employees or "highly qualified experts specialized positions that can be paid or unpaid." The paper reporting it could not determine their compensation or exactly when their assignments began. Meantime, another report raising questions about the toll of the prolonged U.S. military operation in Iran. The Washington Post reporting several top military leaders have warned Secretary Hegseth that continuing large-scale operations against Iran at their current levels risks weakening the military's ability to respond to threats elsewhere. The concerns reportedly appearing in an August 14 classified assessment prepared for the Secretary with input from the heads of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Some American forces sent to the Middle East reportedly directed to remain there through September, as other deployments set to stretch into 2027. One person familiar with the assessment, describing the overall message from military leaders as, quote, "too much for too long." Vice President J.D. Vance asked about the strain on U.S. resources during a stop at Joint Base Andrews yesterday. As strong as we have ever been, we're only going to get stronger under the president's leadership. We certainly saw into the Biden administration that the military was underinvested in and under resource. We're fixing that every day. So obviously it's a concern of ours, but it's a concern of ours because of underinvestment in the military for a very long time. It's something the President of the United States has said about fixing. The concerns come as fighting between the U.S. and Iran heats up again following roughly a month without confirmed American strikes. U.S. forces striking Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, after Senkham says members of Iran's revolutionary guard were observed preparing to launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the critical shipping lane. The U.S. describing the strike as a, quote, "limited precise action," Iran later saying it launched missiles toward U.S. sites in Jordan. President Trump then weighing in with a very different kind of imagery, posting a cartoonish video to true social depicting Iran's critical cargo island oil hub being destroyed and writing that it was being, quote, "blown to smithereens." There is no evidence cargo island was actually attacked. And finally, from what Secretary Hegseth is dealing with at the Pentagon to speculation about what the Secretary might want to do next. NBC News reportedly speaking with two people familiar with private conversations who claim Secretary Hegseth and his wife Jennifer have recently floated the possibility of a presidential run in 2028. The speculation getting another boost after the Secretary traveled to the Iowa State Fair earlier this month, on behalf of Republican Congressman Zach Nunn. Hegseth denying reports of 2028 ambitions, calling it, quote, "100% false," chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell telling NBC, quote, "Secretary Hegseth is not running for president and his main priority is leading the war department. All other speculation is foolish." The FDA approving a first-of-its-kind treatment for a metastatic pancreatic cancer, a once-daily pill that nearly doubles survival in a major clinical trial for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The agency approving Revolution Medicines Rasm Q or Deroxen-Razib Wednesday for patients with metastatic, pancreatic, adenocarcinoma who have already received at least one other drug treatment like chemotherapy or who are not candidates for a combination drug treatment. Former Republican Nebraska Senator Ben Sass among the patients who received Deroxen-Razib before its approval after revealing in December he'd been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Doctors initially giving Sass just three to four months to live, a prognosis he has now outlived by about four-and-a-half months. Sass in a July interview with the right-wing Think Tank, the Centennial Institute, describing his experience with the experimental drug. "I got onto this clinical trial for this drug called Deroxen-Razib. There were about 30 people on it. All those 30 have died now, but they lived more than twice as long as their life expectancy and as the control group for their trial. Their control group lived almost six months and the people that went on the drug lived 13.7 months, so more than doubling. There's very remarkable. It's unbelievable." The treatment coming with potentially serious side effects, Sass appearing with a severe rash covering most of his face, bloody sores stretching from the bridge of his nose across his cheeks and toward his temples. Sass describing the rash as "nuclear". Rache is among the most common side effects identified by the FDA, along with diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The drug targeting mutations in a gene called K-R-A-S found in the vast majority of pancreatic cancers. K-R-A-S acting like an on-off switch controlling cell growth with mutations essentially leaving that switch stuck in the on-position and allowing cancer cells to grow out of control according to NBC News. Researchers trying for years to find a way to block that runaway growth, Razimq now showing promising results. The FDA says patients taking the drug in a 500-person trial, living a median 13.2 months nearly twice as long as the 6.7 months for patients receiving chemotherapy. Those results significant for a cancer that remains extraordinarily difficult to treat. The American Cancer Society estimating roughly 67,500 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and nearly 53,000 will die from it. Part of the problem, the disease often goes undetected until it is already spread, leaving patients with relatively few new treatment options.
Dr. Brian Wolpen, who led the trial behind the FDA approval, yesterday on Fox News putting the significance of the breakthrough into perspective. So I think it is a big deal for patients with pancreatic cancer. It's been very hard to find new treatments for patients with this kind of cancer and it's a very aggressive cancer. So it progresses very fast. We have primarily had chemotherapy to use IV medicines and have quite a bit of side effects. And that's really what we've had to treat the disease. First, it's a pill. You take it once a day and second, it's not a chemotherapy. It really tries to block a specific mutation in the tumor and therefore tends to have less side effects, better quality of life. And as you noted, really has helped people live longer who are on the trial compared to chemotherapy. Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantis, calling Wednesday's approval a quote, groundbreaking milestone. More than 2,000 patients reportedly already receiving resin cue through an expanded access program revolution medicines launched in May. NBC News reports the drug will carry a list price of 39,800 for a one month supply before insurance or other discounts. 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 at New East on youtube.com/megankelly and on all podcast platforms.
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