Laura Jarrett (3:35)

So no one is telling you that there is any evidence that any of these attacks are connected.

Tom Winter (3:40)

There's no known connection at all. They all appear to be in and of themselves kind of self contained attacks. Even as some of the fact pattern and the hallmarks of them, there might be a lot of consistency, or at least in the first two that we mentioned, a lot of consistency across the board. No connection that anybody was talking to anybody or they have any sort of coordination at all.

Laura Jarrett (4:03)

There used to be a time where a lot of your time as a reporter here at NBC News was dominated by isis.

Commercial Announcer (4:10)

Right.

Laura Jarrett (4:10)

It was constantly in the headlines and then not so much. Right. It really sort of dropped off at least the public's radar.

Tom Winter (4:18)

Right.

Laura Jarrett (4:18)

But in terms of the sources that you're talking to in the law enforcement and intelligence community, it didn't drop off of their radar.

Tom Winter (4:26)

It did not. And it's really important that people understand what happened with isis. ISIS was a caliphate. It was a physical place. They were trying to build a geography, a place for them to be as part of this belief that they would have this area, that they could then spread the Islamic State far beyond the Middle east, worldwide even were some of the aspirations. That was a physical place with fighters in a physical place. And they were generating enormous amounts of propaganda that were calling people to act, hey, if you could come here, come here. But if you can't come here, grab a car, grab a knife, grab a hammer, whatever you can do, conduct an attack wherever you are in our name. Well, now that physical component has largely gone away, as I've referenced, but the propaganda lived on. Now I think this is one of the most dangerous times we've seen in terrorism in the last 20 years, since 9, 11. That propaganda can now be manipulated by artificial intelligence. And the problem is since it can be manipulated and generated, regenerated, recreated by AI, so you don't know, it's much harder to figure out who's producing this propaganda. It goes everywhere. And they've totally retooled their propaganda. The terrorism propaganda is not so much. Hey, believe in the Islamic State, believe in this. They're saying, is your life not worth living? Are you upset with the way society is? They've keyed in. Dr. Sajan Gohel is a great researcher in this field, has keyed in on misogyny as a key term. Are you unable to get a date? Are you unable to get a job? Are women ruining your life? The ISIS inspired attacks that we've seen, for instance, Vienna, Austria, Taylor Swift concert, some of the propaganda that they were viewing there was very anti woman, so there appealing to that crowd. Now you've got 10, seven, so Hamas's attack on Israel, Israel's response, and now you've got the US involved in Iran, which is a whole other component of this. And you're getting a deluge of images, some real, some not, some AI, some historical, that have no bearing on this conflict and people are being inundated with them. And so you're in a situation where you've got tons more propaganda than you ever did. Some of it might be completely false and erroneous and made up, but it can be generated at almost no cost, which is another huge component of this. And by the way, as we saw yesterday, you've got people who were, to your point back in 2014, 15 and 16 when there were a lot of ISIS cases coming up, a lot of material supportive terrorism cases coming up, a lot of those people were convicted and sentenced. And when are their prison sentences coming up? They're coming up now. So they're starting to be released. And some of those individuals may have completely turned around their lives and want nothing to do with ISIS ever again. But it's not all of them. And in case you doubt that, we saw what we saw yesterday at Old Dominion.

Laura Jarrett (7:13)

You mentioned AI and the way technology has changed the threat environment. But you also mentioned the war in Iran. And I remember the day, that was a Saturday when this was all developing. And I remember as we were getting a whole bunch of information and we were trying to figure out whether the supreme leader had been killed as a part of this. You said that's gonna be key to what happens next. As people are looking at all of these sort of lone wolf, if you will, attacks popping up and who know, shows sort of where this is going. How is law enforcement thinking about the war in the Middle east and what challenges it poses to what's happening in

Tom Winter (7:51)

the U.S. well, law enforcement here has to be concerned about several things. When we talk about Iran, they have to be concerned about the irgc. They have to be concerned about Hezbollah and Hamas which are their terror proxies. Now, Hamas has been decimated by Israel's response to their terror attack. Israel's also put a serious hurting on Hezbollah, but it's not a zero. Right. And so they how to act out. US Law enforcement, particularly in New York City, federal and the NYPD has had great success in disrupting several Iranian backed plots, including a plot to kill an Iranian journalist here in New York City, Mahsa Elinejad. They stopped a car loaded with weapons several blocks from her house. They've been keeping a track on the car and those individuals. That was part of a long term investigation. There have been many others. And so this is a persistent threat that they have a deep desire to conduct attacks here in the US they have that structure. How sound that structure is, how well funded it is. Given the current uncertainty of leadership in Iran, given the U.S. s airstrikes, the U.S. s campaign against it along with Israel, that's not so clear. But it doesn't necessarily take a lot to do. A lot. Iran also has a tremendous cyber component. Our colleague Kevin Collier on nbcnews.com wrote up a great piece, very instructive on how it appears that an Iranian backed group may have been responsible for taking out Stryker, which is a US Company. They make a lot of medical products, taking out some large swaths of their IT structure. So they do have the ability to do it. Is it as sophisticated as China, Russia or the U.S. no, but it does exist. And so yeah, you've got a multi pronged threat when you're talking about a state actor, in this case Iran.

Laura Jarrett (9:37)

Tom Winter, thank you. Coming up, as we wait for the outcome of a historic social media addiction trial, a mother Speak South. That's after a very quick break. Stay with us.

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Lori Shot (10:23)

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Laura Jarrett (10:50)

Terms and conditions apply. Visit Blue Apron.com terms for more. Welcome back to here's the scoop from NBC News. After weeks of testimony from addiction experts, tech insiders, and even Facebook founder mark Zuckerberg himself, 12 jurors in Los Angeles must now decide whether social media companies like Meta, the owner of Instagram and Google's YouTube, should be held responsible for addicting children and teens to their platforms and causing the mental health issues they're accused of putting profits over people. And it's a claim that the companies vehemently deny. The case at hand focuses On a now 20 year old woman, but it's also serving as something of a test case as the verdict could create a new precedent for thousands of other similar lawsuits coming right behind it. Those are pending and they include over 350 families and over 250 school districts. Many of those families say their children have been hurt and they've been sitting in the courtroom. And it includes parents like Lori Shot. Her daughter Annalee died by suicide in 2020 after she went down what her family calls a dark spiral fueled by social media. Lori Shot joins me now from Los Angeles. Lori, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

Lori Shot (12:11)

Thank you.

Laura Jarrett (12:12)

Laura, you have described your daughter Analie as a sweet little cowgirl. She loved animals. She loved the rodeo. And like so many teens her age, she was on social media. She used Instagram and TikTok. And in 2020, when your daughter was 18 years old, she died by suicide. And I am so sorry for your loss and I want to talk to you about your daughter. And I want to talk to you about what these companies are accused of. At the core of this trial is the claim that the companies have created platforms that are addictive and they know they're addictive. And you believe that that has been done deliberately. Tell me why you believe social media is to blame for your daughter's death.

Lori Shot (12:57)

You know, it wasn't until we were able to gain access to her cell phone and her platforms to really dig into what happened to my daughter and her mental health. You know, Annalee passed away in 2020. Nine months later, Frances Hogan came forward with the Facebook white papers, and we started to dig in and put the pieces of the puzzle together. And we could see, like, the alignment of what happened to our little girl with the design of these platforms and the content that she was seeing was horrific. You know, as a parent back in 2020, I was the one that was like, we have to have the phone on the counter at night. We want oversight. We want to see your app. And what I was looking at, even on my Facebook or platforms, was not the same as what my daughter was seeing. And analy didn't have just one Instagram account. She had five. So the one that I was seeing on Annalee's was not the Instagram world she was being exposed to.

Laura Jarrett (13:57)

Lori, talk to me. Because I think so many parents are in a position like yours where their kids are on Instagram or other platforms all the time, and they're trying to negotiate the use. They're trying to figure out, okay, how much should we let them do this? You said at one point you had to lock it up because she was using it so compulsively. How do you make that link between sort of just teens being obsessed with watching stuff online to something that is way darker, something that is so unthinkable for so many families?

Lori Shot (14:31)

Well, I think right now, for me, being in Los Angeles and sitting in that courtroom and hearing the design of these platforms and how they design them for engagement and addiction, I think every parent needs to look at this as an opportunity to really educate themselves about what the design and how these companies made the billions of dollars they did. It was for attention. It was for gaining access to our children. And I think that all parents need to look at this as an addiction, because I did not look at it as a physical addiction. But when I sit back and I look at. You have to hide your daughter's. Lock your daughter's phone in the car. You have to try and carry it so she doesn't have access to it. That's a length of addiction that I think that parents just do not realize. And also with the fact that you don't realize how fast these algorithmic content pieces together your child and pushes content at them to keep them engaged. So, like when my daughter was at her darkest point, where she was maybe struggling with friends and engagement of just being a young girl, it was even ramping it up harder to keep her engaged because engagement means money. And to see that even parents need to consider with children and their mental health today that the like button, the impacts of that like button are so extreme. You know, my daughter had her senior pictures taken, and on the way home, she looked at her senior pictures and she started to cry and she said, that can't be me. I'm so pretty. I'm not. And that was basically when we got in her Instagram account, it was telling her she wasn't pretty, she wasn't nice. And Annaleigh continued, even on that same day, that same conversation, to count her likes. She was enthralled with the fact that she was getting 24 likes and 34 likes, and the number just kept elevating for her, which was building a self worth, you know, when we as parents are trying to build up our children's confidence in who they are and what they mean in this world. And these platforms internally took my daughter and twisted it into somebody that she had self comparison and no self worth.

Laura Jarrett (16:45)

Laurie, you've been in the courtroom from the very beginning. You've been there for weeks now, and you've heard what these platforms and the leaders of these tech companies have said in response to that very type of argument.

Lori Shot (16:56)

Right?

Laura Jarrett (16:56)

You've listened to them say, look, the platforms are designed for engagement. The platforms are not addictive. They've disputed that repeatedly. You listened to the Facebook founder himself, Mark Zuckerberg, and you had to sit in that courtroom and look him in his face, look him in the eye. What was that moment like?

Lori Shot (17:19)

It was so painful for me because even more so, seeing the unsealed documents and Mark Zuckerberg's communication with his staff about knowing that 18 out of 18 researchers knew that their platform was harming little girls, mental health, children's mental health, and they did nothing because it would impact their bottom line. And for me, it was like losing my daughter all over again. In this world, what company is not regulated for harm? Let's say somebody dies because of a faulty toy or something like that. You know, it's a stop moment. It's A stop moment to fix it and get it back out on the marketplace to make it better. And these are products that have no oversight. And we're farmers in eastern Colorado. We have more regulatory oversight over our farming operations than these platforms do. And they are touching our children around the world, and they need to have some sort of accountability back to us.

Laura Jarrett (18:16)

Laurie, you didn't get to testify in court, and you may get your day one day. But if you could have said something to Mark Zuckerberg directly, what would you have said?

Lori Shot (18:27)

I'm just thankful that we are here in court. I am thankful that it didn't happen to his child. You know, I would like him to put himself in our place and go through our pain. My daughter should be graduating. She should be getting married. And because of you, Mr. Zuckerberg, there's not only me, there are thousands of children that we've buried that are harmed. And, Mr. Zuckerberg, you have the ability to change. I was sitting in that Senate hearing when you turned around and gave us a. I call a lame excuse for an apology. You didn't mean it, but you saw the faces of those children, and you have to look in the mirror, and I hope you see my daughter's face and Mason's face from Arizona and Coco's face from New York. These children are gone because you had every ability. When you saw with your researchers, with the whistleblowers that came out with all the information on the lack of safety, then you could have changed it, and you didn't. So that's your conscience. Is that what you want your Legacy to be?

Laura Jarrett (19:25)

Mr. Zuckerberg, you have been joined by a group of parents that are fighters, and it's a group that you never wanted to be a part of. It's a group that no parent ever wants to be a part of, but you're a part of the survivor parents. And you have had to be privy to all of these stories. Kids that are just like Annalee, others who have other stories to tell. I have to imagine there is something both overwhelming and comforting in being around parents who have been through exactly what you've been through.

Lori Shot (20:00)

We gain comfort in each other. We were up against something that we had no understanding of or how to parent in this world. And for us to gain strength in each other. And when one of us are down, the other lifts us up to continue to fight. I think that's what this is about. But sadly, Laura, we are gaining families every day, every damn day that have lost their kids. And it's the same storyline. Let's say it's mental health and a child takes their life because they tell them they're not good enough. You know, our kids are just trying to grow up in this world and we need to do as much education and outreach and legislative change. So it's daunting being in all three of those arenas, but we are going to continue to be in those arenas because we don't want this to happen to any other family. There are families here from the East Coast, west coast, rural Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona and around the world. And as long as we keep telling the story and we keep fighting for Congress and we keep fighting in the courtroom, we're going to get change. I just want to be able to see that change in my lifetime. It took big tobacco, what, 20 years of a fight to get change and laws in place. But we're up for that. We're up for that.

Laura Jarrett (21:16)

Thank you so much for your time.

Lori Shot (21:18)

Thank you.

Laura Jarrett (21:19)

If you or somebody you love needs help, you can call or text the National Suicide and Crisis hotline at 988 Hope is available 24 7. We're gonna take a very quick break and when we come back, the US Sled hockey team punched its ticket to the gold medal game. We've got all the highlights from the 2020, 26 Milan Cortina Paralympics. Stay with us for the headlines.

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Lori Shot (22:17)

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Laura Jarrett (22:45)

This week on Meet the Press. All eyes on Iran. We dig into the latest as the conflict escalates throughout the Middle East. Plus, Steve Kornacki with a brand new NBC News poll as we break down the first primaries of the 2026 midterms. This week on Meet the Press. Listen to the full episode now, wherever you get your podcast, podcasts. And we're back with Here's a scoop from NBC News. Let's get to some headlines. Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel has acknowledged he's been engaging in bilateral talks with the US as the country grapples with an economic crisis. His comments confirm public statements from President Trump and other top US officials in recent weeks and come as Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that Cuba is going to, quote, fall. The Trump administration is now temporarily lifting sanctions against Russian oil as Washington tries to rein in oil prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant says countries will be able to buy Russian oil that was already at Sea until April 11. In Russia, Putin's team welcomed the move, but it was criticized by European allies who fear it will help Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Despite the potential influx of more oil in the market, the international benchmark of Brent crude rose again Thursday night to just about $100 a barrel. All six US crew members of a military refueling plane have been confirmed dead after a crash in Iraq. They were all taking part in the Iran war operations. CENTCOM says the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile attacks or friendly fire. 13 U.S. active service personnel have died since the conflict in Iran began. The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games are coming to a close this weekend in Milan, Cortina. And our NBC News correspondent Emily Ikeda is on the ground there with an update on the biggest wins and what to watch for this weekend.

Emily Ikeda (24:43)

Laura, what you're hearing in the background is the excitement of Team USA sled hockey on the ice here in Milan where the men's and women's team brought home gold in the Olympics Just a few weeks ago in ice hockey, I just watched Declan Farmer score another goal marking his 12th goal in these games. That is a record for a single Paralympics. The players described the sport to me as both violent and graceful. It's also been a massive day on the slopes where Americans Noah Elliott and Mike Schultz both made it to the podium representing, representing Team usa and Bio Dap, Schultz's company that builds most of his competitors prosthetics. How cool is that? And I gotta give a shout out to the most decorated winter Paralympian in US History, Oksana Masters, who brought home not one, not two, but three gold medals despite a recent concussion and leg infection. That was in paranormal skiing. She told me gold is just her color. The Paralympic Games will come to a thrilling close on Sunday with closing ceremonies and sled hockeys medal matches. You can bet Lara I will be there.

Laura Jarrett (25:52)

And finally it's Oscars weekend. And while most people are tuning in to see the celebrities in front of the camera vying for best female or male actor, best director, and of course the top dog, best pitcher, there's a new category that movie insiders are really excited about, best casting director. And our senior Hollywood reporter Rebecca Keegan said it might get awkward because the behind the scenes wizards of that amazing chemistry you see on screen, well, they don't like being the center of attention themselves.

Rebecca Keegan (26:21)

One person who I interviewed about it is Francine Meisler, who's the casting director of Sinners. And she told me that it was very awkward for her to suddenly find herself sort of thrust into the spotlight. The career of a casting director is to push actors into the spotlight. And this year, for the first time at the Oscars, we're gonna see a casting director on stage at the Dolby Theater. Everybody who works on a movie knows that casting is crucial to whether it works, that casting directors are the secret weapon of directors, that actors worship the good casting directors. The reason I think that it took so long for us to see is was in some ways the casting directors themselves, they just had not been putting themselves forward. They see their whole role as being to showcase actors.

Laura Jarrett (27:11)

If you want to win more Oscars trivia, make sure you listen to our Oscars special this weekend. Yaz has a whole lot more behind the scenes and in depth reporting from Rebecca and our entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas. And it will be in your feed just in time for the watch party that's going to do it for us at here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Laura Jarrett, filling in for Yasmin Masugian. She'll be back on Monday with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcast. And you can also subscribe to our daily newsletter, the Inside Scoop. It's a deeper dive on the main issues of the day. Comes out every weeknight straight to your inbox. You can sign up for the Inside Scoop as part of our paid subscription@nbcnews.com.

Tom Winter (28:04)

I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers.

Lori Shot (28:05)

Cheers. Cheers.

Tom Winter (28:07)

I've always been a glass half full kind of guy, and now I'm talking

Laura Jarrett (28:11)

to some people who look at the world that way, too.

Lori Shot (28:14)

Some really fascinating folks who share their

Tom Winter (28:16)

defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges.

Laura Jarrett (28:19)

Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come

Lori Shot (28:26)

away with your own glass Half Full.

Laura Jarrett (28:28)

Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin From Today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.