Clancy Witness Backs Insanity Defense, Fauci Adviser Pleads Guilty, Election Upsets: AM Update 8/20
August 20, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe defense’s star witness in the Lindsey Clancy murder trial told jurors she was suffering from bipolar disorder with postpartum psychosis and could not conform her behavior to the law, while prosecutors worked to undermine that conclusion by pointing to periods when she appeared to function normally. Separately, a longtime advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci pleaded guilty to conspiracy for using a personal Gmail account to hide government communications about COVID-19 research and a Wuhan lab grant. In Florida, Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the Republican primary for governor handily, while a far-left Democrat pulled off a Senate upset. Here is the full breakdown.
Defense Psychologist Testifies Clancy Was in Psychosis
The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy resumed with Dr. Paul Zaisel, a psychologist for the defense, delivering the central argument of her case. Clancy, a Massachusetts mother, has pleaded not guilty to murdering her three children—Cora, Dawson, and Callin—in January 2023. She does not dispute that she killed them before attempting suicide. Her lawyers argue she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of The Megyn Kelly Show
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:33) **Episode Open** - Emily Drishinsky introduces the Thursday, August 20th, 2026 AM Update.
- 2 (03:13) **Lindsey Clancy Murder Trial: Defense Psychologist Testifies** - Dr. Paul Zaisel returns to the stand, arguing Clancy was not criminally responsible due to postpartum psychosis.
- 3 (07:12) **Defense Redirect and Judge's Ruling** - The defense counters the prosecution’s portrayal of Clancy’s hospital behavior, and a proposed witness is blocked.
- 4 (08:31) **Legal Analysis of the Defense Case** - The host provides context on the "money shot" testimony and the strategy of keeping the defendant off the stand.
- 5 (11:35) **Hayden Panettiere Death Investigation** - Police conduct a welfare check at a home linked to her on-again, off-again boyfriend days after her sudden death.
- 6 (14:44) **Fauci Advisor Pleads Guilty** - Dr. David Morens admits to conspiring to hide government communications about COVID-19 research.
- 7 (17:06) **Reaction to Morens Guilty Plea** - Senator Rand Paul responds, calling Morens "one of Fauci's fall guys" and demanding to know who his co-conspirators were.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
A defense psychologist testifies that Lindsay Clancy had postpartum psychosis and could not appreciate the wrongfulness of killing her three children - The MK True Crime Show co-host Phil Holloway weighs in. Police conduct a welfare check at a home connected to Hayden Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend days after the actress’ sudden death. Longtime Fauci adviser David Morens pleads guilty to conspiring to hide government communications about COVID research from public-records requests. Byron Donalds wins Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Angie Nixon pulls off a major Democratic Senate upset, and a Trump-backed candidate loses in Wyoming.
Subscribe now to Emily's "After Party":
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/after-party-with-emily-jashinsky/id1821493726
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0szVa30NjGYsyIzzBoBCtJ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AfterPartyEmily?sub_confirmation=1
Cozy Earth: Visit https://www.CozyEarth.com & Use code MEGYNAM for up to 20% off
ARMRA: go to https://tryarmra.com/MEGYNto get 30% off your first subscription order
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More from this podcast
The Megyn Kelly Show →