Hegseth’s Secret Mideast Trip; Artemis II Prepares for Liftoff

Summary

Here's the Scoop (NBC News) — Episode Summary
Episode Title: Hegseth’s Secret Mideast Trip; Artemis II Prepares for Liftoff
Air Date: March 31, 2026
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers breaking news and deep dives on two major stories: the ongoing US-Iran war—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s secret trip to the Middle East—and the upcoming Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon, the first of its kind in over half a century. The show also recaps the Supreme Court’s latest ruling on conversion therapy, Medicaid cuts under the Trump administration, the upcoming royal visit, and the return of Celine Dion to the stage.

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Major Segments

1. The US War with Iran: Secrecy, Scale, and Consequences

Segment Start: [00:00]

Key Discussion Points

• Rising Gas Prices and War Impact:
  US gas prices surge to $4/gallon nationally, surpassing $6 in California, directly tied to “Operation Epic Fury” in Iran. The White House promises relief once the war concludes but with no clear timeline ([00:09]-[00:50]).
• Hegseth’s Secret Visit:
  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth conducts a surprise trip to the region, lauding high troop morale and an increase in US firepower:

  “Just last night, we had 200 dynamic strikes alone.” — Pete Hegseth ([01:09])

• Opaque Military Objectives:
  NBC’s Courtney Kuby voices growing frustration about the lack of concrete information and shifting aims from the Trump administration:

  “Every single time we hear from someone in the Trump administration, there's a different ultimate objective for this war.” — Courtney Kuby ([00:00], [10:40])

• Morale and Veracity of Official Accounts:
  Hegseth recounts an anecdote about an airman requesting “more bombs, sir, and bigger bombs.”

  “We will happily oblige her.” — Pete Hegseth ([03:16]-[03:37])
  Kuby challenges the credibility: “I've never heard someone say that they want more bombs. ... We have absolutely no proof that that actually occurred.” — Courtney Kuby ([04:00])

• Details of Hegseth’s Visit:
  Kuby deduces, via photos, that Hegseth likely visited Jordan for just hours; the Department of Defense provides few specifics, citing “operational security.” ([04:57])
• Lack of Operational Transparency:
  US reports on the war are vague, especially regarding targets and outcomes. While claims have been made about strikes on over 150 Iranian Navy ships and at least two submarines, the status of smaller “Mosquito Fleet” boats remains unknown ([06:47]).
• Threats to Civilian Infrastructure:
  The President has threatened to bomb Iranian power and desalination plants, raising legal and ethical questions:

  “If it is a facility that is...primarily servicing a military apparatus, then it can be considered a military target under international law.” — Courtney Kuby ([08:32])
  But she highlights the unprecedented lack of transparency.

• Strategic Implications of the Information Vacuum:
  Kuby discusses why public accountability matters, especially when war goals keep shifting and the public is left in the dark:

  “There is something to be said about the American people having a right to know what is happening when their men and women, their sons and daughters are, are in harm's way in this war.” ([10:40])

Memorable Quotes

• “We can't go in on the ground and see things for ourselves. There is almost no communication coming out of Iran. ... It's vague and opaque at best.” — Courtney Kuby ([08:50])

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2. Artemis II: A New Era in Space Exploration

Segment Start: [12:52]

Key Discussion Points

• Historic Artemis II Mission:
  NASA’s Artemis II rocket, exceeding the height of the Statue of Liberty and weighing as much as 700 elephants, is poised for liftoff ([13:49]). This is the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
• Crew Diversity and Significance:
  The crew includes a woman, the first person of color, and the first Canadian on a lunar expedition ([13:50]-[14:12]).
• Mission Objectives:
  Science reporter Denise Chow emphasizes the mission is a crucial technology and safety test, not a lunar landing:

  “[It’s] really meant to be a test mission ... testing that all the life support on the rocket and the spacecraft work as intended.” ([15:06])

• Flight Path and Timeline:
  The planned launch is set for Wednesday at 6:24pm ET, with the rocket performing Earth orbit, a close lunar flyby, and a ten-day round trip ([16:14]).
• New Focus & Renewed Space Race:
  Lunar science is high priority, with NASA aiming to access new moon regions (unlike Apollo’s equator landings) and secure water ice for future Mars missions.

  “There's ... a lot of resources on there. There's water ice in these shaded areas of the moon that could be really useful for future missions to Mars and beyond.” — Denise Chow ([18:30]) International competition is intensifying:
  “China has said that they plan to land their own astronauts on the moon by 2030. ... This has kind of become a bit of a competition. ... A lot of people call it the new space race.” — Denise Chow ([19:07])

• Risk Factors for Launch:
  Weather (including potentially stormy cloud cover) and technical concerns such as hydrogen and helium leaks are closely monitored ([16:14], [20:17]).
• Astronaut Preparation:
  On the eve of launch, astronauts are relaxing at the Kennedy Space Center’s beach house with their families ([19:50]).

Memorable Moments

• On seeing the moon from orbit:

  “I've heard it described as if you're sitting inside the Orion capsule, the moon will actually look sort of arm's length, as if it's a basketball.” — Denise Chow ([17:22])

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3. News Headlines — Rapid Fire Updates

Segment Start: [23:00]

Supreme Court Conversion Therapy Ruling ([23:00]-[23:56])

• The Supreme Court strikes down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy, citing free speech concerns, with possible national ramifications.

  "[The ban] censors speech based on viewpoint." — Justice Neil Gorsuch ([23:16])

Medicaid Cuts Under Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

• Projected $1 trillion in federal Medicaid reductions over 10 years may threaten up to 400 hospitals, putting 7 million Americans’ care at risk ([24:00]).

Royal State Visit

• King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit the US in April for America’s 250th anniversary, amid US-UK diplomatic tensions over the Iran conflict ([25:13]).

Military Tightens Base Security

• ICE agents will be stationed outside Marine Corps graduation ceremonies to check IDs as the military boosts security amid the war ([25:43]).

Charlie Kirk Shooting Case

• Defense attorneys for Tyler Robinson request time to review firearm evidence, potentially delaying the trial ([26:10]).

Celine Dion Returns to the Stage

• After battling stiff person syndrome, the singer announces her return to performing in Paris:

  “I'm getting the chance to see you, to perform for you once again in Paris beginning in September this year. I'm so, I'm so happy.” — Celine Dion ([26:51])

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• “Every single time we hear from someone in the Trump administration, there's a different ultimate objective for this war.”
  — Courtney Kuby ([00:00], [10:40])
• “Just last night, we had 200 dynamic strikes alone.”
  — Pete Hegseth ([01:09])
• “We will happily oblige her.”
  — Pete Hegseth ([03:37])
• “I've never heard someone say that they want more bombs. ... We have absolutely no proof that that actually occurred.”
  — Courtney Kuby ([04:00])
• “This has kind of become a bit of a competition. ... A lot of people call it the new space race.”
  — Denise Chow ([19:07])
• “I've heard it described as if you're sitting inside the Orion capsule, the moon will actually look sort of arm's length, as if it's a basketball.”
  — Denise Chow ([17:22])
• “[The ban] censors speech based on viewpoint.”
  — Justice Neil Gorsuch ([23:16])
• “I'm getting the chance to see you, to perform for you once again in Paris beginning in September this year. I'm so, I'm so happy.”
  — Celine Dion ([26:51])

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Timestamps: Key Segments at a Glance

• Opening & War with Iran: [00:00]–[11:23]
• Artemis II Moon Mission: [12:52]–[21:10]
• Headline Roundup: [23:00]–[27:36]

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains NBC’s hallmark: clear, concise reporting paired with candid commentary. Host Yasmin Vossoughian brings warmth and curiosity, while correspondents provide expert context and nuance. The tone is both urgent on security issues and infectious with excitement for the Artemis mission.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Here's the Scoop" brings listeners up to speed on crucial global developments and the inspiring Artemis II mission. With skepticism around government transparency in wartime and excitement for the new era of lunar exploration, the episode balances critical reporting, insightful analysis, and moments of joy—the return of Celine Dion—making it a memorable installment.

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Transcript

[A]

Every single time we hear from someone in the Trump administration, there's a different ultimate objective for this war.

[B]

Hey, everybody, and welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugian. Today on the show, it is the final countdown. NASA's Artemis 2 is on the launch pad and liftoff is set for tomorrow evening. What could make or break the first manned moon mission in more than 50, 50 years? Plus the Supreme Court's ruling on conversion therapy. And it's all coming back to her now, where Celine Dion is returning to the stage. Up first, though, if you are running on empty this week, brace yourself. The average price of gas has hit $4 a gallon for the first time in nearly four years. In parts of California, it's over six. And it's all tied to the war with Iran. The White House says prices are going to drop once Operation Epic Fury ends, but nobody is given a timeline on that, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. At a press conference this morning, he said that American firepower in the region is increasing.

[C]

Just last night, we had 200 dynamic strikes alone.

[B]

Hegseth also revealed he visited some of the troops in the region over the weekend. What, if anything, does his visit signal? And are we any closer to ending this war? For that, I want to bring in NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby. Hey, Court.

[A]

Hi.

[B]

I want to start with a briefing this morning with the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We are now entering week five of the war with Iran. What did he say that stood out to you?

[A]

Not much. I mean, operationally, we learned almost nothing. In fact, the numbers that General Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, gave have all been out there already in some cases, like for 48 hours. The total number of strikes, the number of Iranian ships that the US has hit, the targets that he talked about were all basically the same. He did give a little nugget that There are more B52 flights flying further into the country. But there have been other bombers in recent weeks. So even that wasn't particularly new. Instead, we've fallen into this sort of pattern of where the chairman, but in today, the secretary of defense as well, they told these long stories about men and women who are serving to talk about what it's like for the average service member who's serving in this conflict right now. But it's really hard for us to know because we're not allowed to go and cover them ourselves and talk to them and see them. So we're really just taking their word for it. And unfortunately, we get zero new operational details about what's actually going on in this war.

[B]

So let's expand on that a little bit, Courtney, because the Defense Secretary talked about this secret trip that he made to the Middle East. He mentioned that, in fact, amongst the troops that are stationed there, the morale is quite high, as you said. Told stories about folks, both men and women, that are carrying out Operation Epic Fury. And I want to play this one anecdote that Hegseth shared.

[C]

I met an airman as the sun was going down and a chill was setting on the tarmac, who, when asked

[B]

what they needed, she simply looked up

[C]

at me with a sly smile on her face and said, more bombs, sir, and bigger bombs. We will happily oblige her.

[B]

What do you make court of this story? I mean, you said it right? There's no press with him to verify this story. So we have to just believe what he is telling us. But what do you make of the way in which he told this story, the way he framed the sermon, and also what he communicated in doing it?

[A]

Look, unless they have video, we have no idea of everyone knowing if this is true. All I can do is fall back on the 20 years that I've spent covering conflict. And I've spoken to a lot of troops downrange, and I've never heard someone say that they want more bombs. Now, this is early in this conflict. They're a month in, right? But when I used to talk to people in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Syria, in these places, it was usually things like they wanted better food or they wanted better equipment to work out on if they had a gym or they wanted more leave. It was usually the personal things. I've never encountered someone who has said that. Now he's the Secretary of Defense, and I suspect maybe they speak differently to him than they would to a reporter. But again, without anyone there to actually verify it or video to prove that it occurred, we have absolutely no proof that that actually occurred.

[B]

Do we know where the secretary visited exactly and how long he was there for?

[A]

So, looking at the photos, it appears that he went to Jordan, but we don't know that for sure. They won't talk about it. They're citing operational security reasons. We do know that based off if you kind of bookend what he was supposed to be doing on Friday, and then when he was in public again on Sunday, and just given the time it would take to fly over there and back, he must have been on the ground for a short window, a Matter of hours on Saturday, but we don't know a whole lot more than that.

[B]

There haven't been a lot of these briefings as of late. Early on in this war. Right. The first couple of weeks we were hearing from Hex Seth literally almost every day touting the successes of what was happening on the ground, especially in Iran as they carried out this war. But for the last few weeks, that has dialed back a bit. Right. What are we learning as to the kind of size and scope of what they are carrying out militarily right now?

[A]

We really don't know. I mean, if you look at the operational tempo, the number of US Strikes has remained relatively consistent since the beginning. So it's Generally somewhere around 500 total targets in day in a 24 hour period based off of what CENTCOM is telling us. They don't give us exact numbers. They talk about targets. So remember, one target could be 10 different strikes. It could be one target, could be one compound, or it could be one vehicle that takes one strike. So we have almost no idea about the scale and scope of the actual number of strikes that have occurred or the number of targets that they've taken out. Because remember, they could go after one target, but it doesn't mean they've destroyed it. Oftentimes they'll have to go back a second or even a third time, depending on what it is. You know, the one thing that we do have a little bit of insight into is their navy, their big navy. So we've the CENTCOM has said that they've taken out more than 150 of their Navy ships. We believe that to be primarily the larger ships, and we know at least two submarines as well.

[B]

Cor, talk to me about these smaller boats that Iran is deploying, because they haven't really been a part of the discourse when it comes to US Targets, as far as we can tell, in

[A]

a lot of ways, they're the ones that cause the bigger concern or present the bigger threat, specifically in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf. So these are, some people call them the Mosquito Fleet. They're these small, really fast boats. Sometimes you see them manned by a couple of sailors, often Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or even the Quds Force. They have machine guns mounted on them, by the way. Some of them are unmanned and they're just packed with explosives. They can send them out to a coordinate and they can surround these tankers or these big ships, and then they can present a direct threat to them, whether it is potentially firing on them, forcing a ransom on them. And I just have to say, you know, 25 years ago now, the USS Cole, remember what happened with that? It was a small boat packed with explosives, and terrorists ran directly into it and blew it up and killed U.S. navy sailors. So they are a direct threat. We have no idea how many of these things could exist.

[B]

The President yesterday also threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure, power plants, desalination plants as well, which would essentially cut off water supply to many parts of Iran, who is already in the midst of a water shortage in addition to what is happening with this war. Garrett Haker Colleague actually asked Press Secretary Caroline Levitt about that and asked why the President is threatening to bomb civilian infrastructure that could be feasibly constituted as a, quote, unquote, war crime. And Caroline Levitt said that the US Operates within the quote, unquote confines of the law. What exactly is the law when it comes to bombing civilian infrastructure, like, for instance, water desalination plants?

[A]

If it is a facility that is reasonably primarily servicing a military apparatus, then it can be considered a military target under international law. But you have to prove that that's the case and that it is not causing unreasonable or undue harm to civilians. The concerning or the confusing part, I guess, about this right now is the Trump administration is not making that distinction and there is so little transparency about what is happening here. I've never covered a war like this where we have so little detail about what's happening. We can't go in on the ground and see things for ourself. There is almost no communication coming out of Iran. The information that we're getting out of the milit is vague and opaque at best. We have a commander in chief who's providing statistics that the military can't back up. So we just don't. We know so little about what's actually occurring here.

[B]

Yasmin, what are the consequences, court, to an information vacuum? Right? Because there could be folks listening that say, listen, why would they share their war plans with you? Why would they share where the positioning is happening? What are the consequences of the lack of transparency that you're talking about?

[A]

There is a very real argument to be made for operational security. So not talking about whereif there's going to be U.S. troops on the ground, where they're going to go and when, how many are going to be there. There is an argument to be made, but I will never understand the majority of the arguments for operational security after something has occurred. Why is it that after the US has taken a strike and destroyed a target, they cannot identify what it was. They can't tell us what they use. I can understand it's an ongoing war and it is a war. It's not an excursion. It's a war. So I can understand some operational security. But there also is a need for the public to know why tens of thousands of Americans are forward in a conflict area. Why the US Is expending hundreds of munitions every single day, spending somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion plus dollars per day on this war. Where the outcomes the it is they. Every single time we hear from someone in the Trump administration, there's a different ultimate objective for this war. We heard new ones today from Secretary of Defense. They usually overlap in some way. But there's one that's different. There's one that's left out. There's one new one included. I mean, from the night that President Trump first announced this in the middle of the night on Truth Social, the objectives have changed from that night to where we are right now. So there is something to be said about the American people having a right to know what is happening when their men and women, their sons and daughters are, are in harm's way in this war. And you can do it. You can provide transparency without putting men and women in uniform in danger.

[B]

Courtney Kuby, thank you.

[A]

Thanks.

[B]

All right, we're gonna take a very quick break and when we are back, NASA is launching its first manned moon mission since Apollo 17 over half a century ago. But it's not without challenges. And while you're waiting, could I just ask you to do us a real solid. Subscribe to here's the scoop and then leave us a review and comment. It's going to help us with the algorithm. We'll see you in a minute.

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And we are back with. Here's the scoop from NBC News.

[C]

Three, two, one, Ignition and liftoff.

[A]

Go, Zach.

[B]

Is the sound that NASA is hoping for in just 24 hours from now. NASA's Artemis 2 rocket and crew are in final preparation for a historic moon launch that could send the astronauts deeper into space than ever before. This is the first launch towards the moon in more than 50 years and a pivotal moment for NASA. So while the four person crew is not going to touch down on the surface of the moon, the flight is paving the way for a landing in just the next two years. But NASA has had to forego previous launch opportunities in the last two months. So could Wednesday finally be the moment, the launch that sets the stage for a lunar return? Or are there still challenges before liftoff? For that, I want to go to NBC News science reporter Denise Chow, who is joining us from Kennedy Space center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Hi, Denise.

[C]

Hi. How are you?

[B]

I'm good. It's a very big day ahead of an even bigger day, and that is Wednesday. It's the first launch towards the moon in half a century, in 50 years. The crew members are making history as well. You have a woman, you have the first person of color, the first Canadian on a lunar mission. What is it feeling like down there?

[C]

You know what? The excitement is building for sure. I spent the morning in Titusville, which is one of the cities where a lot of people are going to be gathering tomorrow to view the launch from public areas. A lot of beaches and parks in Titusville, and there were tons of people that were already setting up. This was maybe 9, 30, 10am of the day before. And they were prepared to stake out a spot and camp overnight and get the best views possible for tomorrow.

[B]

So the crew is scheduled to launch Wednesday evening on one of the largest, most powerful rockets that NASA has ever built, the Artemis 2. It's taller than the Statue of Liberty. It weighs as much as 700 elephants. But I think what's interesting, Denise, about this mission is it's changed, right? The kind of objective, the ultimate goal, what they're aiming for, it's shifted a little bit. What is the objective, the goal of this mission and what are they gonna do?

[C]

So this mission is really meant to be a test mission. Actually. We had an uncrewed launch of this same rocket and spacecraft, the Space Launch System and an Orion spacecraft. And that was in 2022, they demonstrated that they could go without a crew, safely come back. And this one now is their very first time that there's going to be humans on board. So it's really meant to be a test mission. They're going to be testing that all the life support on the rocket and the spacecraft work as intended. There's air quality control, there's stuff to protect them from radiation in space. And they're going to be doing demonstrations as well, some docking demonstrations, some just things to prepare them for the upcoming Artemis missions that will eventually go and land on the Moon. But as you mentioned, the program objectives have changed a little bit. This has been a very long and drawn out process and it's been years, decades in the making, and there's been lots of delays, there's been cost overrun. And NASA is really hoping that this mission will jumpstart the return to the moon efforts that they've been working on for so long.

[B]

What is the launch going to look like tomorrow? How do they want it to go? And what is the flight path on this mission?

[C]

So the launch time tomorrow is 6:24pm Eastern, so it's going to be early evening. That means it's going to be a pretty nice show. Whenever it's a night launch, you do see some really beautiful streaks in the sky. You can kind of see almost like a fire trail after the rocket, but this will be a little bit earlier than that. It's a little bit cloudy, cloudy today. That's the thing that they will be monitoring. Weather at this moment is 80% go. It's 80% favorable conditions. But these clouds could present some problems. They tend not to launch into thick cloud cover because there is a chance that the rocket could trigger some lightning and that these clouds could also have storms behind them. So that's the major thing that they're looking at now. But essentially what they're going to be doing is if they do lift off tomorrow, they're going to be spending the first couple of days in orbit around Earth, and then they're going to be firing their engines to put them on a path around the moon. They're going to swing around the moon, do a close lunar flyby, take some pictures, do some awesome observations on some parts of the Moon that actually humans have never seen with their own eyes before, and then they'll be flying back to Earth. And all of that will take place over 10 days.

[B]

How close are they going to get to the moon, do we know?

[C]

I've heard it described as if you're sitting inside the Orion capsule, the moon will actually look sort of arm's length, as if it's a basketball.

[B]

Wow. I mean, that's pretty close. Like, they could feasibly see the surface of the moon, see what's actually on the surface of the moon at that.

[C]

Yeah, they'll be able to see surface features, and they've got very sophisticated cameras on board. They're gonna be taking lots of photos, because, as I said, there's some parts of this expedition that will take them to parts of the moon that we've never seen before. We've only ever seen certain faces of the Moon. And so this is gonna be a really exciting opportunity to do some really new science.

[B]

There seems to be a renewed focus, Denise, on. On the moon. Right. You have this mission that is happening hopefully tomorrow evening in 2028. NASA plans to land astronauts on the moon. And then just last week, NASA chief Jared Isaacman said NASA is going to construct a $20 billion base on the moon over the next seven years. Why is there this renewed focus on the Moon right now? What are scientists seeing that they can learn from further moon exploration?

[C]

Yeah, so I think the answer to that is really twofold. I think there is a lot of lunar science that we simply haven't been able to do, because the Apollo missions all launched and landed in roughly the same area around the equator of the moon. At that time, it was the easiest place to settle a spacecraft. And they were able to do some really great science on those missions. Of course, they gathered samples, they had a lunar rover. But there's so much more to the moon than just that one area. So the moon has become kind of renewed focus for now, NASA, because there's a lot of resources on there. There's water ice in these shaded areas of the moon that could be really useful for future missions to Mars and beyond. And so the other side of that is that there's also been renewed interest in the moon from other countries. And so this has kind of become a bit of a competition. This is a lot of people call it the new space race. China has said that they plan to land their own astronauts on the moon by 2030. It's in NASA's interest, it's in the US interest to kind of get there first, make that no one country is taking all those resources for themselves, planting a flag in and not letting others there. And so I think that's kind of why you're starting to see the Moon become more important in the eyes of policymakers as well as folks at NASA,

[B]

at about 24 hours out, what are the astronauts doing right now to prepare for this launch?

[C]

So they have had months and months and months, years actually, of training. And right now, most of the astronauts are going to be enjoying some quiet time. There's a beach house on the Kennedy Space center property. It's meant to be a place where astronauts and their families can unwind, get a little downtime before they go on this, this big mission. And I think they've well deserved that rest.

[B]

What could scrap this mission tomorrow night? You mentioned weather. What are some other things they're going to be watching?

[C]

Yeah. So anybody who follows space closely or has been to a rocket launch knows that nothing is a definite thing. There are lots of things that can scrub a launch. NASA has said so far that this has been a really clean lead up to this attempt on Wednesday. That means that they're not really tracking any technical issues with the rocket. If you rem, earlier this year, there was issues with hydrogen leaks with the rocket. They had some helium flow issues. Those are all things that could crop up when they're starting to fuel the rocket. The fueling process is multiple hours long. It can take up to five hours for them to put all of that liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the booster. So during that whole process, any number of issues could crop up. But, you know, we're holding out hope that things will go smoothly. NASA said they're not really tracking anything big, but weather is the other big thing. This is Florida. Weather is always an issue here.

[B]

Denise Chow, you guys, the best job in the biz for the next 24 hours. Thank you.

[C]

Thank you so much.

[B]

All right, we're going to take a very quick break, but when we come back, the British are coming. I'm talking about King Charles and Queen Camilla, who are heading across the pond for an official state visit to the US that's ahead in the headlines.

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and we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. Let's get to some headlines. In a blow to LGBTQ rights, the Supreme Court has ruled against Colorado's ban on conversion therapy, saying an 8 to 1 decision that the ban violates the free speech rights of a conservative Christian therapist. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said that Colorado's law goes beyond banning physical interventions and censors speech based on viewpoint. The justices said that the measure is not like other health care regulations that focus on conduct, the case is likely to have national implications. More than 20 states have similar laws. We are learning more about the impact of Medicaid cuts in President Trump's big beautiful bill, which is expected to reduce federal Medicaid funding by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade. Analysis from the progressive watchdog group Public Citizen shows that more than 400 hospitals are at high risk of closing or cutting services because of those funding cuts. NBC News health and medical reporter Berkeley Lovelace Jr. Says that could have a huge ripple effect. Experts told me that the fallout from these cuts could make it harder for almost 7 million people to get care and also put thousands of health care jobs at risk. The report found at least one at risk Hospital in 44 states and Washington, D.C. it's also important to say that hospitals are already announcing that they plan to make cuts. So some of the services that I've heard that are on the chopping block are maternity health, mental health services and emergency care. Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla will make a state visit to the United States in late April, timed the 250th anniversary of American independence. Charles has been here many times, but this will be the first one as a monarch. The trip comes as President Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been butting heads over the US And Israel's war with Iran. The Marine Corps says that ICE agents will be stationed outside of graduation events for the nation's newest Marines to identify whether any of their family members are undocumented. As the US Continues its war with Iran, the Marine Corps says it has boosted protection measures on base, requiring everyone to present real IDs, U.S. passports or U.S. birth certificates to access their sites. These are all forms of identification that undocumented immigrants usually do not have. A spokesperson for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris island said it's going to be the first time that federal law enforcement has supported base access operations at Parris island in this capacity in recent memory. The Department of Homeland Security said any suggestion that ICE would be making arrests at basic training graduation was false. Attorneys for the man accused of fatally shooting the conservative activist Charlie Kirk are pushing for a six month delay to review evidence relating to DNA on the alleged murder weapon. Investigators found a decades old German made bolt action rifle in a wooded area near the scene of the shooting. But Tyler Robinson's legal team says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was, quote, unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to their client and say they are still seeking access to the full ATF report and underlying analysis. The lawyers also said a secondary comparative bullet analysis by the FBI is not yet complete. A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for May. And finally, the legendary singer celine Dion turned 58 years old yesterday and she is celebrating by giving all of us a gift.

[C]

I'm getting the chance to see you, to perform for you once again in Paris beginning in September this year. I'm so, I'm so happy.

[B]

Celine took a break from performing last year after publicly revealing that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome. It's a rare neurological condition that causes muscle stiffness in the torso and in the limbs. But she said in her Instagram post that she's doing great, managing her health, singing and even dancing again, in other words.

[D]

But it's all coming back to me now.

[B]

Welcome back, Celine. That is gonna do it for us at here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugian. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also subscribe to our daily newsletter, the Inside Scoop. It is a deeper dive on the main stories of the day that comes out every weeknight straight to your inbox. You can sign up for the Inside Scoop as part of our paid subscription@NBC news.com we'll see you tomorrow.

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