AI Finds Flaw, Sites Go Dark | Vance: 'Stop Whining' | Omar Breaks Her Silence | 10/22/26
The A.M. UpdateShow Notes
Aaron McIntire covers the AI-assisted discovery of two critical flaws in PHP, the programming language behind a large share of websites, which led European governments and U.S. organizations to take sites offline Wednesday while the FBI and NSA urged immediate updates. He covers Rep. Ilhan Omar breaking her silence with a fundraising appeal after the search of her home, and a court filing listing her as "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar," which some conservatives read as evidence of a false identity though prosecutors have not said so. Aaron also covers the Supreme Court leaving in place an injunction that blocks the Bureau of Prisons from ending so-called "gender-affirming care," with Justices Alito and Thomas dissenting. He plays Vice President JD Vance telling Republicans to stop whining about Vivek Ramaswamy's ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother, which Ramaswamy has taken responsibility for, and Senator John Cornyn's CNBC remarks on low-turnout primary runoffs. Aaron covers Elon Musk's claim that the March Austin bar shooter was fired from Tesla after assaulting a coworker, details that match a lawsuit filed in March, and polling firm Wedgewood's admission that it fabricated its poll data. He closes with his weekly poll results and his midterm outlook.
More from The A.M. Update
Aaron McIntire covers the Trump administration's new $25 million Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, which pays tipsters up to $30,000 for information leading to fraud charges, along with President Trump's comments urging Ukraine to end the war. He covers the Social Security Administration's record cleanup of about 50 million records, a push to expand Trump Accounts to anyone under 40, and Elon Musk's pledge to give every American child a SpaceX share next year. Aaron also covers an ad circulated by supporters of Vivek Ramaswamy featuring Democratic nominee Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar in the Ohio governor's race, with Acton's campaign saying she was abused as a child and National Review reporting that court records confirm key parts of her history. He plays Senator Elissa Slotkin defending her comments about a deterrence message for Trump administration staffers, and retiring Senator Thom Tillis telling Politico he expects Republicans to lose the House. Aaron breaks down record low pending home sales as mortgage rates climbed, the WNBA's letter to Congress saying Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are ineligible because they are men, and a viral Q&A clip on multiculturalism and assimilation.
Aaron McIntire covers Vice President JD Vance's rally message that Democrats are barking up the wrong tree on affordability and gas prices, and President Trump's reaction to the weekend riots in France, where he blamed immigration and urged Macron to close the borders while France's prime minister blamed ultra-left radical groups. He plays House Speaker Mike Johnson telling Larry Kudlow that Republicans will defy the polls, along with pollster Frank Luntz on whether surveys are missing Republican voters ahead of the midterms, now two weeks away. Aaron also covers the Justice Department's Operation Protect the Vote, which charged more than two dozen lawful permanent residents in California with false statements or fraudulent voter registration, and Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet Dhillon's 60 Minutes interview defending the voter roll push. He reacts to Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed comparing scrutiny of his family's Muslim Brotherhood ties to attacks on JFK and Obama, and the news that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots in his legs and lungs. Aaron plays Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying in a Breitbart interview that he doesn't think it's a coincidence that Latin American politics shifted after USAID closed, while acknowledging he can't prove a direct election impact. He closes by arguing the midterms will come down to turnout, including in Iowa, where Trump is scheduled to rally Thursday.
Aaron McIntire covers Vice President JD Vance's CBS News town hall in Michigan, where he blamed Democratic policies for high energy prices and said there's a chance he doesn't run for president in 2028. He covers the Bend, Oregon elementary school shooting that killed three children and a teacher, and the teacher and armed father who stopped the 16-year-old gunman. Aaron also covers Texas Senate nominee James Talarico saying an assault weapons ban remains on the table, Senator Elissa Slotkin's remarks about creating a deterrence message with prosecutions of Trump administration officials, and a Los Angeles Times report on advocates' claim that a surge in ICE raids aims to discourage voter turnout. He plays Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Meet the Press defending the administration's 60-day review of Russia sanctions and tariffs by pointing to Europe's continued purchases of Russian energy. Aaron breaks down the weekend's mass protests across France, where the interior minister counted 550,000 people, police made about 400 arrests, rioters looted luxury stores, a Lyon tourist office was torched and Limoges's 143-year-old city hall burned. He closes with Vance's response to a student's question about his H-1B comments and ICE, in which he said his rhetoric may have been imperfect.
Aaron McIntire covers a CNN town hall where a Catholic voter told Texas Senate nominee James Talarico that the Bible is not silent on abortion, and NBC's Tom Llamas pressing Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed over his half-sister's old tweets about their mother and the Muslim Brotherhood. He covers Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch warning of double jeopardy problems in the repeat prosecution of Mexican national Jesus Herrera-Salazar, and President Trump announcing that the December 3 firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed. Aaron also covers Giants quarterback Jameis Winston's answer about the Jameis Winston experience, in which he says he is called to be the light of the world. In AOTMA, he shares good news on listener Jimmy Moon's Bible project, a Michigan House resolution declaring October Combating Antisemitism Month, his read on the midterm polling, a question about tearing down the high places, and a listener-submitted clip of Ella Langley singing "Jesus Paid It All."
Aaron McIntire covers a new memo from Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley alleging that former special counsel Jack Smith's office and the Biden Justice Department obtained data on at least 639,000 Republican voters and donors in the Arctic Frost probe, including buyers of red MAGA hats. He plays Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling Piers Morgan he feels betrayed by President Trump's diesel deal with Vladimir Putin and his announced energy ceasefire. Aaron also covers a New York Post report that Rep. Ilhan Omar's staff asked Minnesota officials in 2019 to change her listed birth year from 1981 to 1982, a detail that could matter to her citizenship timeline, though the library says its original 1981 entry was undocumented. He covers HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement that CMS ended Obamacare subsidies for 189,000 duplicate or deceased enrollees, and Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald's claim that fraud costs more than several federal departments' budgets combined. Aaron marks what would have been Charlie Kirk's 33rd birthday and highlights about a dozen Camas, Washington high school girls walking off a cross-country race rather than compete against a teammate who had switched from the boys' team. He closes with Jim Nantz's story about the late Mike Ditka's habit of carrying $100 bills.