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Brian Chung
Hey everybody, and welcome to here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Brian Chung. Happy Friday, y'. All. We've got a lot to cover on the podcast today. Former FBI Director James Comey is back in the news. Plus, new tariffs just dropped. And then the NFL is hoping for some luck of the Irish this weekend. But first, the United Nations General assembly continues today here in New York with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing the Chamber of Commercial. And it was a pretty dramatic scene. Dozens of UN delegates walking out to a mix of jeers and applause before Netanyahu could even begin his remarks. Please order in hall. And once he was at the podium, Netanyahu defended Israel's actions in Gaza since the October 7 attacks took place roughly two years ago. He was defiant and even delivered the chamber a grim pop quiz during his speech.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Here's the first question. Who shouts death to America? Is it A, Iran, B, Hamas, C, Hezbollah, D, the Houthis or E, all of the above. All of the above. Correct. All of the above. Second question.
Brian Chung
And his appearance comes at a time when several UN Member states, including France and Saudi Arabia, have recently broken with the US And Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood. I'm going to bring in my colleague Matt Bradley, our foreign correspondent based in Tel Aviv, for more on this. Hey, Matt.
Matt Bradley
Hey, how are you?
Brian Chung
So set the stage for us, Matt. What did Netanyahu tell the UN this.
Matt Bradley
Was a speech that was directed just as much at the international community, but probably even more so toward a domestic audience here in Israel. Israel is going to have its next parliamentary elections in a year from now, the first time we've seen elections since the October 7th attacks. And in Many ways, the Prime Minister's message, and I heard this from people who are familiar with conversations in the Prime Minister's office, in many ways, this was a message that was tailor made, both to excuse Israel on the international stage, but also to remind Israelis that it was Prime Minister Netanyahu who delivered those victories that he recounted at the beginning of the speech against Hezbollah in Lebanon, against the Iranians, against the Houthis in Yemen, against the regime of Bashar al Assad and its remnants and its military installations that remain, and against, of course, Hamas is a job that's not quite finished yet.
Benjamin Netanyahu
The final remnants of Hamas are holed up in Gaza City. They vow to repeat the atrocities of October 7th again and again and again, no matter how diminished their forces. That is why Israel must finish the job. That is why we want to do so as fast as possible.
Matt Bradley
So this is very much a speech that he was aiming at the Israeli public, as so many Israelis have been out in the streets protesting against his rule. Now, this is a Prime Minister who has served longer than any other Prime Minister in Israeli history, and he hopes to continue his rule in these upcoming elections. So speeches like this one, where he can present himself to the Israeli public as the guy who stands up for Israel on its biggest stage, as the guy who, despite all of the criticism, manages to extract concessions and favors and gifts from major allies like the United States. This is one of the things that he keeps telling the Israeli public, and it's one of the reasons. Reasons why the Israeli public keeps voting for him.
Brian Chung
In addition to speaking to the Israeli public, he also suggested that he was speaking directly to those in Gaza, saying at one point in the speech that he surrounded Gaza with these massive loudspeakers. Tell us a little more about that and the message he's trying to get to Gaza.
Matt Bradley
Yeah, I mean, this was another interesting little flourish, wasn't it, Brian? And we spoke to some people in Gaza. They said that they hadn't actually heard the speech. This was blasted from speakers on the peripheries and near Israeli military installations inside Gaza. It's unclear whether or not it was translated into Arabic simultaneously as he was speaking. But when he took the stage, the Prime Minister made clear that what he was going to be doing was speaking to the hostages directly. And he did so in Hebrew and in English.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Our brave heroes, this is Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking to you live from the United Nations. We have not forgotten you, not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter and we will not rest until we bring all of you home.
Matt Bradley
This was seen as pretty bizarre. The Israeli main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said that this was megalomaniacal. And he compared Netanyahu to Kim Jong Un of North Korea just for that particular stunt.
Brian Chung
As we wrap up here, Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Trump while he's in the U.S. what do you expect they would talk about?
Matt Bradley
I think that one of the big things that we're going to be hearing is about the day after plan. And that's something that's been very contentious, partly because it doesn't actually exist yet. The Israelis are continuing their fighting in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, taking more territory, pushing their ground incursion into Gaza City, the most populous area. But so far, we have not heard a convincing plan about what the Israelis intend to do with Gaza after they withdraw, after the war presumably ends. That's going to be, I believe, one of the main topics of conversation with President Trump. But the biggest thing, even more than that is going to be how the prime minister intends to react or retaliate against those Western countries, many of them Israeli allies who decided to recognize a Palestinian state. And my sense from speaking to people who have connections with the Israeli leadership is that they are still furious with those countries moves. So that is going to be a major topic. And one of the things that I've heard from people who are familiar with conversations in the prime minister's office is that the prime minister wants to retaliate by some means, but he's going to do it in consultation with President Trump. And that's why this meeting with President Trump on Monday, his third meeting with the president ever since he came into power, this meeting is going to set the tone for how he's going to retaliate. Now, we've heard from President Trump, he's already said that he's going to prevent Netanyahu from annexing the West Bank. That is the nuclear option. And one of the reasons why that would be so destructive is because Gulf countries, many of whom have since natural normalized their relations, their diplomatic relations with Israel, have already publicly threatened that if Netanyahu does annex the west bank, that they will either break with or somehow diminish their diplomatic relations with Israel, threatening the Abraham Accords that were the signature foreign policy achievement of President Trump during his first term.
Brian Chung
Matt Bradley in Tel Aviv, thanks so much.
Matt Bradley
Thank you.
Brian Chung
By the way, during his speech, Netanyahu touted some big Israeli military wins in the past year, including an attack on Iran's nuclear sites. Our NBC Nightly News anchor, Tom Yamas sat down with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian this morning and he asked him about that. Is Iran preparing for more war? We have never started a war. We will never be starting any wars. But whomever attacks us, we will do our utmost most to give them the strongest answer. We will certainly augment our capabilities on a daily basis so as to prevent anyone from attacking us. You can catch more of that interview on nightly news tonight. P.S. we love making this podcast for you and we love it even more if you told us how we're doing. So head to nbcnews.com survey and let us know. Again, that's nbcnews.com survey. We'd love to hear from you. Don't leave us hanging. All right, brb.
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Brian Chung
Hey guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I get together.
Matt Bradley
With one of the biggest stars in.
Brian Chung
The world, Gloria Estefan on the extraordinary life story of a young Cuban exile who became a music icon. You can hear my conversation with Gloria for free wherever you download your podcasts. And we're back with here's the scoop from NBC News. Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a federal grand jury. He's facing two counts, making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding. All of this laid out in a brief two page indictment yesterday. Comey has denied any wrongdoing and took to Instagram last night to push back after charges were announced. My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump. He also said, I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I'm innocent, so let's have a trial. President Trump appeared to celebrate the indictment, posting on Truth Social last night. Justice in America in all caps. He spoke to reporters this morning while departing the White House.
Matt Bradley
They weaponized the Justice Department like nobody in history.
Brian Chung
What they've done is terrible. And so I would, I hope they're.
Matt Bradley
Frank, frankly, I hope there are others because you can't let this happen to a country.
Brian Chung
President Trump's had James Comey in his sights for years, ever since the Comey led FBI launched the Russia probe into Trump's first campaign. Let's break it down with NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett.
Podcast Listener
I'm chomping at the bit to chew over this with you.
Brian Chung
Well, let's start off with the charges. So there's a long history between Trump and Comey, but we should note that these charges are, they have nothing to do with the Russia probe. So what is this actually about?
Podcast Listener
That's part of what so curious about this is that after calling, demanding whatever word we want to put on it for someone to do something about Comey, the thing that the grand jury has actually indicted him on is lying to Congress. But lying to Congress about something that is unrelated, as far as we can tell, to the Russia investigation, to Trump, to the Russiagate hoax, as Trump likes to call it. It's related to, to a Clinton foundation investigation dating back years ago. And without going into too much detail, this is again, around the time of the 2016 campaign. The FBI was trying to figure out how to take care of its image, knowing that it was under a microscope. Someone within the FBI that people might be familiar with because he's also been a target of Trump named Andy McCabe was questioned about whether he had authorized a leak to the press about the Clinton foundation trying to make the FBI look better. McCabe said, Yep, I did it. And I told Comey about it after the fact. Okay, Comey has a completely different version of that story. But Comey is asked about it years later by Congress and Comey says, yeah, I stand by my previous testimony. That's the whole thing. The whole case completely rests with this weird little exchange that's in the entire indictment is about what I'm describing to you.
Brian Chung
Okay, so tell us more about that because we're talking about an Exchange in Congress in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee between Senator Ted Cruz and Comey. Right?
Podcast Listener
Yeah. Do you stand by your previous testimony that you didn't authorize or approve somebody else to leak that you didn't leak? And he says, I stand by my previous testimony.
Brian Chung
I stand by what the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.
Podcast Listener
The question is, what evidence now does the grand jury have that we don't know about that allowed them to indict? Remember, when you indict somebody, you have to have probable cause that a crime was committed. Now, that probable cause is not the same type of evidence that you would need if you were actually gonna prove this case in a court. We don't know and we likely won't know for a while what actually happened in that grand jury room. But my point is the process itself is so different than a trial. I think people might not appreciate how little is required in order to indict.
Brian Chung
And again, as you mentioned, there's not a lot of meat on the bone because it's a. It was a two page indictment. And I guess not until these proceedings begin will we really be able to see what the proof in the point.
Podcast Listener
You can just tell it was slapped together quickly, Brian. Like the fonts don't match. The person who is tasked with leading this sworn into the job this week, not somebody who has ever tried a case as a prosecutor.
Brian Chung
This is not Lindsey Halligan that you're talking about.
Podcast Listener
This is the President's former personal defense attorney, who by all accounts had never been in front of a grand jury as a prosecutor before yesterday. And now she's the one alone giving evidence to the grand jury, then alone going to the judge trying to get it all unsealed. It was also chaotic. Apparently, according to our producer that was there, she actually had, like, the judge presented with documents that showed Comey was not going to get indicted on one of the charges. And the judge is like, what are you giving me? What is this? Why is your name signed to this? And it was like, oh, okay, we made a mistake. Here's the actual document. That just kind of gives you a sense of, like, how quickly this was rushed. And part of the reason it's rushed is they're up against a clock. You can't just indict someone in perpetuity. There's a statute, there's a statute of limitations. And guess when that statute of limitations expires Next Tuesday.
Brian Chung
Can we talk a little bit more about the musical chair? Specifically inside the Eastern District of Virginia? Because as you mentioned, Lindsey Halligan is the person that brought forth this indictment. She's very fresh on this job. She's in an acting role there, and.
Podcast Listener
By all accounts, is the only one that, as far as we can tell, supports it.
Brian Chung
Well, what happened with the person before her?
Podcast Listener
So I think the White House's position would be that he was pushed out. His position would be he quit noisily because he didn't think there was enough evidence. What we have been able to report, though, is that he wasn't alone in his misgivings about the case. Because once Lindsey Halligan comes on the scene, what happens? The career prosecutors in the office give her a memo explaining why they don't think there is sufficient evidence to indict Comey. And it could still mean that James Comey is found guilty, but we just don't know what that evidence is yet. We just don't know what goods do they actually have to support this. I think it's going to be a tough road for the Justice Department.
Brian Chung
So tell us about the public optics of this, because interestingly, the President doesn't really seem to be shying away from being associated with some of this. I mean, the relationship between him and his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has really been in focus.
Podcast Listener
This is playing out on social media, right? He's dear Pam Colon giving explicit instructions of what to do and telling Bondi exactly why he feels frustrated that these things have not been these investigations against Comey and his other. Other people who investigated him, why he feels frustrated that they haven't been moving fast enough.
Brian Chung
So, Laura, what's next from here for Comey?
Podcast Listener
So Comey at this point has been served with a summons requiring him to go into court and appear. And so this is what happens. So someone turns themselves in so that they aren't arrested at that. It's essentially the way to think about it is like your first appearance in court and then you're off to the races. He can. He can demand a jury trial after he's been arraigned within like 70 days. You have two choices. You can either try to drag this out and think that it's not really going anywhere, or you can do another thing. Brian, it'd be interesting to see if they do this. You can say, okay, you think you have a case, let's go to trial. Let's go to trial in 70 days and see if you can actually offer up any goods. Because in some ways it might resolve it in a way that Comey might think is more vindicating and if you notice in his Instagram post, as I noticed last night, he said let's go to trial. And I think it was sort of a signal about where the team's head is at right now.
Brian Chung
Laura Jarrett, thanks so much.
Podcast Listener
Anytime.
Brian Chung
All right, let's break down some headlines now. The tariff talk is back, which could impact the price you pay for drugs as well as the cabinetry you store them in. President Trump says that starting October 1st, that's next week, the US will impose a 100% tariff on branded pharmaceutical products coming from abroad. That is unless the company making it builds a manufacturing plant stateside. So that doesn't appear to apply to so called generic drugs, which by the way, account for nine out of 10 prescriptions filled, according to the FDA. The president is also taking aim at home furnishings, saying he'll slap a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and 30% on upholstered furniture in the interest of, quote, national security and other reasons. As part of a blitz of truth social posts yesterday, the president also announced a 25% tariff on heavy trucks coming from abroad, also set to take effect October 1st. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned hundreds of senior military officers from around the world to Washington next week for an exceptionally rare meeting. With no public explanation of why. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed only that Hegseth will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week, offered no other further details. According to the Washington Post, the order calls for all one star generals and admirals and above, potentially as many as 800 senior officers to report to Marine Corps base Quantico, about 30 miles south of the capital. On Tuesday. The 2025 Ryder cup, that's golf, not soccer, is underway. It's the biennial golf competition pitting teams from Europe against the US and this year America's got home field advantage as some of the best golfers tee off on Bethpage State Black Course. Global number one PGA ranked player Scottie Scheffler will lead the Americans against formidable opponents from Europe like Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. With some VIP guests like President Trump in attendance. Now, keep an eye out for which team begins with the hottest start because historically whichever side of the pond ends the first day on top usually wins the cup. When the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers suit up this Sunday, they won't be in their NFL locker rooms. They'll be trading helmets for shamrocks and going full on Fighting Irish. This weekend, the NFL will host its first regular season game in Dublin, Ireland, where they're expecting around 75,000 people in the stadium. It's one of the seven international games for the NFL this season. From London all the way to Sao Paulo, Brazil, the NFL has taken its dominance in North America to cities around the world. American and Irish fans alike are pretty excited to bring the NFL abroad. This is excited to see how those roots grow more and more.
Matt Bradley
And hopefully it just continues to grow.
Brian Chung
Not only here, but, but just globally. The atmosphere in a city is electric.
Matt Bradley
Honestly, you can't really walk around any.
Brian Chung
Corner in the city while seeing a Steelers flag, an NFL flag, or a Vikings flag. So we sent out our own NBC News Forum correspondent Molly Hunter into the heart of the Irish capital. Hey, Molly.
Molly Hunter
Hey, Brian.
Brian Chung
So, Molly, tell me about the significance of this for the NFL. This is the first regular season NFL game in Dublin. They played plenty in London. Why in Ireland?
Molly Hunter
So it's interesting. We've been talking to the NFL about this all week, and Ireland is a natural fit for a couple of reasons. And it also, it's important which teams are playing first. Is Ireland is a mad sports country. They love their sports. And the stadium that they are playing at is the home of Gaelic football, home of hurling. When the NFL looks for international locations, one of the things that they're really looking for is already kind of like a sports mad population that's going to show up and actually fill the seats. The second reason that Ireland made so much sense and it was a natural fit is because the Steelers were founded and still owned by the Irish American Rooney family, founded in 1933, one of the original teams. And there has been so much history with this country. And Irish Americans feel a lot of ownership over the Steelers. But also the Irish here feel a ton of pride that the Steelers are kind of coming home.
Brian Chung
So, Molly, tell me about how lucrative this is for the NFL, bringing one of these great American traditions to other countries. I mean, what does the NFL get out of it?
Molly Hunter
The NFL wants global domination. They want this to be the number one sport kind of all over the globe. And they don't just want attendance. They don't just want eyes on the actual game. That's just one piece of it. But they want television deals. They want you to be able to watch these games. The NFL has sent flag football kids all around the country in Ireland to try to get kids to play the sport. And that means lifelong fans. That means more people buying merch, more people buying tickets, more people buying subscription services. That also maybe means that there will be other athletes that they could recruit to the NFL. So this global expansion is definitely about building revenue, but it's also about getting the best athletes to these American teams.
Brian Chung
Is the expectation that someday the NFL will have a team based overseas. And what might be the fan reaction to something like that?
Molly Hunter
That is the big question. And I think it really depends on who you ask. So we tried to push the NFL on this. They wouldn't be drawn whether or not kind of they were even thinking about it or planning for it. Peter O'Reilly, who we were speaking with from the NFL, said a day does not go by that they don't get a call from a city, a town, a country who want to sit down with the NFL to have a meeting about a potential game in their hometown. And talking to European fans, we were talking to people from France, from the Netherlands, from Germany. They are so excited about the NFL and it still feels new and exciting. I think the support on this side of the pond would be massive for an NFL team to actually lay claim to a European city.
Brian Chung
Molly Hunter, thanks so much.
Molly Hunter
Absolutely.
Brian Chung
Well, that'll do it for us this week at here's the Scoop from NBC News. We'll be back on Monday. I'm Brian Chung. And hey, if you like what you heard, by the way, do me a favor. Like us back. Subscribe to here's the scoop, wherever you get your podcasts. See ya. Sometimes an identity threat is a ring of professional hackers. And sometimes it's an overworked accountant who forgot to encrypt their connection while sending bank details. I need a coffee. And you need Lifelock. Because your info is in endless places. It only takes one mistake to expose you to identity theft. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at lifelock.com specialoffer terms apply.
Episode Theme:
This episode, hosted by Brian Chung, delivers a fast-paced breakdown of the day's biggest international and political stories, focusing on the dramatic United Nations speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the landmark indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, newly announced U.S. tariffs, and the NFL’s historic game in Dublin, Ireland. NBC reporters and experts unpack political theater, legal drama, global economic ripples, and American sports expansion in sharp, informative segments.
Main Focus: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s combative speech at the UN, international blowback over Palestinian statehood recognition, and domestic political motivations.
Chamber Turmoil and Walkouts:
Netanyahu’s Defiant Stance:
Reporter's Analysis (Matt Bradley, NBC Tel Aviv):
International Impact & U.S. Relations:
Notable Moment:
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called Netanyahu’s live broadcast to Gaza “megalomaniacal,” comparing it to Kim Jong Un [05:29].
Segment Highlight:
NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Yamas interviews Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian regarding Israeli claims of military success.
Main Focus: Legal and political repercussions following Comey’s indictment for making a false statement and obstructing Congress.
Charges Explained:
Legal Process & Unusual Circumstances:
Optics and Political Backdrop:
What’s Next:
Main Focus: New tariffs targeting drugs, furniture, and vehicles, with notable economic and political consequences.
Key Insight:
Main Focus: The NFL hosts its first-ever regular season game in Ireland, expanding America’s football footprint.
NFL in Ireland:
Future of the NFL Abroad:
Informal, quick-moving, and insightful, mixing explainers and direct quotes with behind-the-scenes details from NBC’s national and international correspondents. The hosts balance gravity in legal/political segments with enthusiasm for sports and pop culture, keeping the energy high and the coverage relatable.
For listeners who missed the episode:
This summary captures essential developments from the UN’s contentious Israel-Palestinian debate, the extraordinary indictment shaking U.S. politics, and the sports diplomacy story uniting Ireland and America—offering context, analysis, and memorable moments for each marquee topic.