How Far Can a President Go?; Hostile Takeover: Hollywood Edition

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Here's the Scoop" – Episode: How Far Can a President Go?; Hostile Takeover: Hollywood Edition

Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian (NBC News)

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Overview

This episode tackles two headline issues:

1. The Supreme Court’s examination of the extent of presidential authority—specifically, whether President Trump can fire FTC members without cause.
2. The Hollywood landscape, rocked by Paramount’s hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery amid ongoing consolidation and intense industry rivalry.

Yasmin Vossoughian is joined by NBC’s Senior Legal Correspondent Laura Jarrett and Senior Reporter Daniel Arkin for in-depth analysis, followed by a rapid-fire roundup of the day’s top news stories.

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Major Segment 1: Supreme Court & Presidential Power

(01:04–09:38)

The Case at Hand

• Background: President Trump attempted to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the FTC, without cause. Slaughter sued, arguing the law only allows FTC members to be removed for cause (inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance).
• Lower Courts: Slaughter won at every level until the Supreme Court agreed to review. In the meantime, the Supreme Court allowed her removal—signaling potential leanings.

Laura Jarrett: "Trump tries to fire her Back in March, she sues and she says, you didn't give any reason for firing me. You didn't fire me for cause." (02:25)

Key Discussion Points

• Unitary Executive Theory at Play:
  Jarrett notes the Supreme Court is confronting the boundaries of presidential power—are independent agencies truly shielded from political pressures, or can the President remove officials at will?

• Precedent vs. Change:
  Agencies like the FTC were deliberately designed by Congress nearly a century ago to operate independently and insulate policy from presidential whims.

• Supreme Court Skepticism:
  From oral arguments, the justices appeared skeptical that the president's power to fire is as limited as previous norms suggest.

  Jarrett: "They seem skeptical of the idea that the president does not have the power to fire someone like Slaughter." (03:27)

• Political Fallout:
  The expansion of executive power would outlast any single administration, affecting all future presidents and potentially politicizing independent agencies.

  Vossoughian: "But this decision applies to the next president. And the president after that, and the president after that." (05:53)

• Justice Concerns:
  Justices Jackson and Kagan pressed hardest on what, if any, limits exist on the president’s authority.

  Jarrett: "That was one of the things Justice Jackson was really pressing on at oral argument today, and Kagan too, actually. Like, where's the line?... Are we just saying, like, you can [fire] every forever?" (06:54)

Related Cases

• Tariffs: Trump’s broad use of emergency powers to impose tariffs—lower courts have ruled against him, but the Supreme Court has yet to decide.
• Birthright Citizenship: The Court will address efforts to restrict automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to noncitizens—a foundational constitutional question.

Timeline

• Decision Expected: By the end of the term—late June or early July, 2026.

Jarrett: "I think we will see a decision in this case by the end of this term, which is usually the last week of June or first week of July." (09:28)

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Major Segment 2: Hostile Takeover—Hollywood Edition

(11:18–17:11)

The Story So Far

• Golden Globes Context: Neon leads with 22 nominations; Warner Bros. Discovery nabs 16 nominations, making it an appealing acquisition target.
• Deal Drama: Right after an $83B merger deal between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery was announced, Paramount (Skydance) surged with a hostile $108B bid.

Yasmin Vossoughian: "Now there is this dramatic new twist... Paramount Skydance launching a hostile takeover bid for Warner Brothers Discovery this morning, offering up $108 billion." (11:47)

Key Discussion Points

• What Makes It ‘Hostile’?
  • Paramount bypasses executive negotiations, appealing directly to Warner Bros. shareholders.
  • David Ellison, head of Paramount, was reportedly furious to have lost out and chose to go public with his offer.

Daniel Arkin: "A hostile bid is effectively appealing directly to the shareholders and doing it in public... rather than a bid that's done behind closed doors." (13:17)

• Political Relationships & Influence:
  • Initially, Trump’s connections to the Ellison family seemed to advantage Paramount.
  • However, Trump recently met with Netflix’s CEO, Ted Sarandos, muddying predictions.

Arkin: "President Trump confirmed this morning that he actually met with Ted Sarandos... have kept in touch in recent months." (13:51)

• Trump publicly criticized Paramount’s 60 Minutes broadcast, suggesting "the winds are shifting very rapidly here." (14:24)

• Regulatory and Market Implications:

  • Any merger must secure government approval.
  • Bipartisan skepticism: Fears of monopoly in the streaming space if key platforms (Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+) merge.
  • Big Tech’s role looms; YouTube is now America’s top television platform, highlighting rapid change.

Arkin: "You look at the measurement data from Nielsen, and for the month of October, the number one television viewing platform was YouTube." (15:35)

• Impact on Hollywood:
  • Industry insiders anticipate layoffs and a reduction in buyers for film and TV content.
  • Hollywood is shrinking—from the “Big Six” studios a decade ago, now potentially down to three or four as major players consolidate.

Arkin: "The vibes are pretty bleak because regardless of which one of these companies emerges victorious, there's going to be consolidation and contraction in Hollywood... there could be as few as three over the next decade." (16:15)

• Next Steps:
  • Warner Bros. Discovery’s board will respond to Paramount’s bid within 10 business days.

    Vossoughian: "Warner Brothers Discovery confirmed that it had received Paramount Skydance's bid and was reviewing it." (17:12)

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News Headlines & Notable Moments

(17:28–21:14)

International and Domestic Updates

• Israel-Gaza:

  • Netanyahu to meet Trump regarding the "second phase" of the U.S.-backed ceasefire. New stage focuses on disarming Hamas and international oversight amid an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

• Ukraine War:

  • Trump publicly rebukes Zelensky for not reading his peace proposal, as Western negotiations drag and core issues (territory, security guarantees) stall.

• Louvre Troubles:

  • After an art heist, a burst pipe damages hundreds of works. Conservators are working page by page to save antiquities.

Vossoughian: "The Louvre cannot catch a break after losing eight crown jewels worth $102 million... dealing with water damage to 3 to 400 works." (19:06)

• NFL Playoff Shakeup:

  • Kansas City Chiefs’ postseason odds plummet after a loss, even Taylor Swift couldn’t inspire a win.

• College Football Shock:

  • Notre Dame, long expected in the playoff, is snubbed—sparking outrage and their withdrawal from bowl games.

Quirky Trend: Scarcity of Giant Santas

• Viral Home Depot Santas and oversized holiday decorations have sold out, leading to a “gray market.” The craze is fueled by nostalgia and competitive holiday displays.

Vossoughian: "If your neighbor has a towering Santa this season, it probably cost them a small, small fortune... resist the urge to pop it because that will for sure cause you to end up on the naughty list." (21:03)

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Memorable Quotes

• "Do you want to live in a country that has vast presidential powers, where some would say almost unchecked presidential powers, or do you want to sort of live in a design where we've set up these three branches of government and they all sort of serve as a check on each other?"
  — Laura Jarrett on the stakes of the Supreme Court decision (04:09)

• “It’s a bit like Succession crossed with Game of Thrones.”
  — Daniel Arkin on the Hollywood studio rivalry (12:21)

• "There could be as few as three [studios] over the next decade. This is an industry that used to sit comfortably at the center of American culture, but has found that dominance threatened and somewhat eroded by Big Tech."
  — Daniel Arkin (16:15)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Presidential Power & Supreme Court Analysis: 01:04 – 09:38
• Paramount’s Hostile Bid & Hollywood Shake-up: 11:18 – 17:11
• Headlines and Viral Santa Scarcity: 17:28 – 21:14

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Tone and Delivery

The episode maintains Yasmin Vossoughian’s brisk, clear, and conversational style, balancing legal and industry depth with accessible explanations and timely humor (especially in the Santa decoration closer). Expert guests provide incisive analysis, using vivid analogies and direct quotes to clarify complex issues.

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For Listeners

This episode is a one-stop snapshot: it delivers legal insight into presidential limits, vivid reporting from inside the Hollywood power scramble, and a crisp digest of must-know headlines. It’s the kind of sharp yet approachable news wrap that keeps you in the know for tomorrow’s conversation.

Transcript

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[Yasmin Vesugian]

Welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugian. Today on the show, just when you thought a deal was signed and sealed and delivered, Paramount launched a hostile bid for Warner Brothers Discovery despite losing out to Netflix. Plus, the Louvre museum seems to be down on its luck yet again. And why fewer Santas may be coming to town. Up first, though, it is another major test of presidential power and the Supremes are weighing in. Today, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments over whether President Trump has the authority to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is responsible for consumer protection and antitrust enforcement and should be shielded from political pressure based on a law passed by Congress. A major goal in the second Trump administration has been to dramatically reshape the federal government, with the president slashing agencies and firing thousands of career federal employees, including without cause. So the justices are now weighing just how far reaching the president's power can actually stretch even across independent federal agencies who have long been kept out of presidential reach. I want to bring in NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett to break it all down. Hi, Laura. Hi. Nice to see you.

[Laura Jarrett]

Nice to see you. I'm so ready to nerd out with you on all things a unitary executive.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

So tell us about the origin of the case that was being heard today.

[Laura Jarrett]

Okay, so Rebecca Slaughter is one of the members on the ftc, which, as you said, is supposed to be in charge of regulating competition and making sure that the United States doesn't get get screwed over in trade deals. Trump tries to fire her Back in March, she sues and she says, you didn't give any reason for firing me. You didn't fire me for cause. And the law says you can only fire a member of the FTC for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance. Trump didn't give any of those reasons. He just said, I'm firing you because you're inconsistent with my administration these days.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Right.

[Laura Jarrett]

So she sues, she wins in all the lower courts. Then the administration takes it up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court says, we're going to take a look at this, and in the meantime, you can fire her. That was sort of our first clue at how this case was going to turn out. Now, does that always mean that the Supreme Court is going to rule in Donald Trump's favor in these situations? No. But hers is not the only case where we've seen Trump try to fire someone and the Supreme Court say, we'll take a look at it, but in the meantime, you can fire that person. So the court today heard oral argument, lengthy oral argument, where they were peppering the lawyers on both sides, as they do, but they seem skeptical of the idea that the president does not have the power to fire someone like Slaughter.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

What was it in the hearing today that indicated to you that they were leaning towards siding with the President here?

[Laura Jarrett]

Part of what's happening is there's what's going on in this case for Slaughter, and then just a larger, shall we say, like, reckoning with presidential power that's going on with the Supreme Court. And we've seen this, like, for years now.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

And Trump with the immunity decision as well. Right. And that came up to January 6th.

[Laura Jarrett]

That came up a lot today. The immunity decision where they said the president enjoys almost full immunity even for criminal acts. That decision came up a lot today because it's all sort of in this same vein of like, do you want to live in a country that has vast presidential powers, where some would say almost unchecked presidential powers, or do you want to sort of live in a design where we've set up these three branches of government and they all sort of serve as a check on each other? And the idea of these quasi independent agencies is that they were going to be sort of immune from the political process. A member of the FTC or member of the Federal Reserve or National Relations Boards. These are all sort of creations of Congress. And the idea was they were going to carry out the.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

This was created by Congress. I mean, almost. How many years ago? 80 years ago. Oh, yeah.

[Laura Jarrett]

Very long time ago, over 90 years ago. This case in particular has a, you know, is sort of origins come from like, Congress deciding we're gonna delegate some authority. Now there's a debate about whether that's a good idea or not, but that was sort of the idea is that, like, Congress can't do everything. And so we're gonna let sort of these agencies, filled with people who are experts, do some of the things just to make government run more efficiently. But. But there is a pushback, which is to say, like, there are three branches of government in our Constitution. And so these are like, these agencies are just run amok by people who are not carrying out the President's directives. And the president should be able to fire them at will if he thinks that they're not carrying out his agenda and priorities.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

If, in fact, this decision is made in favor of the president and expansion of executive powers, there's gonna be a lot of Democrats, a lot of progressives that are gonna be up in arms over this Supreme Court decision. But this decision applies to the next president.

[Laura Jarrett]

Exactly.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

And the president after that, and the president after that.

[Laura Jarrett]

Exactly. It's not. It's not a Trump decision, although it will certainly be viewed that way by Trump critics and critics of the Supreme Court who think that they have given too much to this president. But it will apply to the next democratically elected president and will be an expansion of all executive power.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

But it does change the game. You talk about a 90 year precedent that Congress put in place to kind of depoliticize these types of agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. And by making this decision, you are, in fact, politicizing some would argue these agencies.

[Laura Jarrett]

Trump has been on a firing spree in the second term. And so this will inevitably come up again and again. And it's just a question of at what point do they think that there is a limit, if they think there's a limit at all? The Supreme Court may decide, like, he's able to fire anyone he wants at any time. And all of this is just at will. Right. If the President decided he wanted to fire his Attorney general, no one would really bat an eye on that because it's seen as like, core executive functioning.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Yeah.

[Laura Jarrett]

But if he starts firing members of other, again, quasi independent agencies, like, what? What's the limit? And that was one of the things Justice Jackson was really pressing on at oral argument today, and Kagan too, actually. Like, where's the line? Like, are we just saying, like, you can every forever? Like, what are you saying right?

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Or Is there a line?

[Laura Jarrett]

Is there a line? Maybe there is no line.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Yeah. This isn't the only case that's about presidential authority. I know President Trump's tariffs obviously is.

[Laura Jarrett]

I still haven't gotten a decision on that. I had predicted we would have gotten a decision on that when I think going on there, because there's, like, trillion dollars on the line there. And remember. So all of the lower courts that looked at that said that the tariffs were illegal and that the act that he was using just, like, simply didn't support what he wanted to do. He had tried to say this was, like, emergency powers and this was about national security and that it needed to be done, and none of the lower courts bought that. If the Supreme Court decides to uphold those lower courts, it means Trump arguably has to reimburse the companies that have been paying the tariffs, which would be huge for these companies.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Yeah.

[Laura Jarrett]

And there's. I mean, there's, like, a lot. There's a lot of money online here. And so I'm. That's part of the reason I'm surprised we haven't seen anything from the Supreme Court yet on tariffs.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

They've also said they're going to take up the ending of birthright citizenship.

[Laura Jarrett]

Yeah. And that's super interesting because, remember, this is the president's effort to try to ban something that is guaranteed in the Constitution, which is you, if you are born here on American soil, even if your parents are not US Citizens, and even if your parents came here in a way that was undocumented, if you're born here, you're, for all intents and purposes, a US Citizen. Trump, as part of his immigration crackdown, has tried to say, no, no, no, no, no, no. You are not just a US Citizen by virtue of the fact that you were born in New York.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

They're arguing that one of the parents has to be a US Citizen.

[Laura Jarrett]

Precisely. Now that has.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

And. Or a permanent resident, I believe.

[Daniel Arkin]

Right.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Yes.

[Laura Jarrett]

Now, that has never gone into effect ever. Like that birthright citizenship ban we talk about a lot. But it never went into effect because all the courts blocked it.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Yeah.

[Laura Jarrett]

You see the theme of my dissertation here.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

I'm seeing a theme here.

[Laura Jarrett]

So that's never gone into effect. And then they tried to take it up to the Supreme Court, but they took it up on a very narrow, like, slice, and now it's coming back again, as we predicted it would, because the Supreme Court didn't, like, deal with the merits of the issue. Now they're gonna have to deal with the merits of the issue. And they're gonna actually have to look at the constitutionality of what he's done.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

So circling back, when are we gonna get a decision, you think, on this case now with regards to presidential power?

[Laura Jarrett]

I think we will see a decision in this case by the end of this term, which is usually the last week of June or first week of July.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Laura Jarrett, thank you.

[Laura Jarrett]

You're welcome.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

We are going to take a very quick break. When we are back, Paramount has launched a hostile bid to take over Warner Brothers Discovery. What does that mean for their deal with Netflix?

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[Yasmin Vesugian]

And we are back with here's a scoop from NBC News. Golden Globe nominations came out this morning with the indie studio Neon leading the pack with 22 nods. Warner Brothers Discovery was not far behind, racking up 16 nominations across both film and television categories, making it clear why Netflix and others are just so interested in buying the legacy media company. And now there is this dramatic new twist in that story. You have Paramount Skydance launching a hostile takeover bid for Warner Brothers Discovery this morning, offering up $108 billion for the entirety of Warner Brothers. That bid now competing with an existing deal with Netflix, which has its eye on Warner Brothers Entertainment Assets. I want to bring in Daniel Arkin. He's an NBC News senior reporter. For more on this. Hi, Daniel.

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Hi.

[Daniel Arkin]

Thanks for having me.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

So Friday, Daniel, we thought the deal was in hand. $80 billion from Netflix. It was going to be a merger between Netflix and Warner Brothers Discovery. Now there is this bid coming in from Paramount, Skydance, what's going on here?

[Daniel Arkin]

Yeah, it's a bit like succession crossed with Game of Thrones. Let's back up. I give you a quick recap. Warner Brothers Discovery put itself up for sale earlier this year. Three bidders ultimately emerged. Comcast, which is the parent company of NBC News, of course, as well as Netflix and Paramount. On Friday, Netflix announces this $83 billion deal. Hollywood is shocked. Not the end of the story. Over the weekend, there was reporting that David Ellison, who runs Paramount, was determined to launch what's known as a hostile bid. This morning comes out with this bold press release announcing that he will make a play to the shareholders of Warner Brothers Discovery directly, not giving up.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Paramount's made multiple bids already leading up to Friday when it was announced there was a deal between Netflix and Warner Brothers Discovery. But now they're making this hostile bid. Why are they going at it now and what does it mean that it's hostile?

[Daniel Arkin]

A hostile bid is effectively appealing directly to the shareholders and doing it in public rather than a bid that's done behind closed doors and that is usually more of a secretive affair involving executives and company lawyers and people in finance. And hostile is a fitting term because it is, it is done in a hostile manner. There was reporting that David Ellison was pretty upset that Netflix was the winner of the auction and was determined to get back in the ring.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Here, what, what else are some of the differences we're seeing in these two bids?

[Daniel Arkin]

In the run up to this auction, the storyline was that President Donald Trump's relationships with the Ellison family would help the Paramount bid. Larry Ellison, David's father, is a close ally of the president. The president has publicly praised David Ellison. But that narrative, I think, has been complicated a bit in recent days. President Trump confirmed this morning that he actually met with Ted Sarandos. He's the co CEO of Netflix. Bloomberg reported that they bonded over their shared love of entertainment and have kept in touch in recent months. And so the personal relationship dynamic that seemed to favor Paramount in recent weeks, I don't know how much stock to put in that now, but I would want to highlight a truth social post from the president this morning. He took aim at 60 minutes, which is owned by Paramount. Over an interview they ran last night with Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's a new vocal critic of the president, saying that he was disappointed that this interview ran under the current Paramount ownership. It's not what he expected. He's demanding apologies from all parties involved. And so I think the winds are shifting very rapidly here. It's a very fluid situation.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

And that is an important note to bring up, because whether it lands with Netflix or with Paramount, they obviously need to get approval from the administration for this merger to even go through.

[Daniel Arkin]

That's right. Already, lawmakers in both parties have raised concerns that a combination of either Netflix and HBO Max or HBO Max and Paramount plus would create too big of a player in the streaming marketplace and effectively lead to a monopoly. But I think it depends on how the marketplace is being defined, because David Ellison's argument will likely be we're not just competing against Disney and Universal Pictures. We're also competing against these behemoth technology platforms that represent a growing share of where the average person is spending their time day in and day out. I mean, you look at the measurement data from Nielsen, and for the month of October, the number one television viewing platform was YouTube. It was not a channel or a network or a stream or owned by any of these legacy studios. Wow. That is a window into the competitive environment right now where in some respects, Big Tech is eating traditional Hollywood's lunch when it comes to attention and viewer eyeballs.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

How could this merger on either end change the calculus inside Hollywood?

[Daniel Arkin]

Yeah, when you. When you talk to people who work in film and television right now, the vibes are pretty bleak because regardless of which one of these companies emerges victorious, there's going to be consolidation and contraction in Hollywood and that may lead to layoffs, and it will certainly mean that there is one fewer buyer in this industry for television and film content. It's worth noting. Ten years ago, there were six major legacy Hollywood studios. They were known as the big six. Now there are five because Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019. There could be four. There could be as few as three over the next decade. This is an industry that used to sit comfortably at the center of American culture, but has found that dominance threatened and somewhat eroded by Big Tech.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Daniel Arkin, thank you.

[Daniel Arkin]

Thank you for having me.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

And we should know. In a statement this afternoon, Warner Brothers Discovery confirmed that it had received Paramount Skydance's bid and was reviewing it. The board said it would share its recommendation with stockholders within 10 business days.

All right, let's get to some headlines. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he will meet with President Donald Trump later this month to discuss the critical, quote, speaker second phase of the U. S backed Gaza cease fire plan, which he expects to launch very shortly. Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem alongside the German chancellor, Netanyahu signaled that the initial phase, which included the release of hostages both living and dead, is nearly complete. This has paved the way for a more complex stage focused on disarming Hamas, demilitarizing the enclave and establishing an international security force. While describing this next step as, quote, daunting, Netanyahu emphasized its necessity for ending Hamas's rule, noting that the leaders will also discuss broader opportunities for regional peace during their upcoming talks. The PM is currently facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. President Trump publicly expressed disappointment with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend, saying the Ukrainian leader has not read his latest peace proposal to end the war with Russia, a claim Zelensky's office has not directly addressed. The public rebuke came as Zelensky met with European leaders in London to shore up support, with negotiations reportedly still deadlocked over the core sticking points of territorial concessions and security guarantees. Trump's 28 point peace plan includes Ukraine ceding occupied territory and appears to have undergone several revisions after pushback from Kiev and Moscow, though neither side seems ready to budge on demands the that would fundamentally reshape Ukraine's future.

The Louvre cannot catch a break after losing eight crown jewels worth $102 million to thieves in October. The museum is now dealing with water damage to 3 to 400 works after a pipe burst in its Egyptian antiquities library. Conservators are carefully drawing centuries old books page by page. But despite the heists, the floods and the chaos of 2025, the Mona Lisa keeps her half smile like she knows surviving a rough an art form. Kansas City is not done, but it is down to a last gasp. The Kansas City Chiefs playoff hopes took a major hit last night, falling 20 to 10 to the Houston Texans at Arrowhead and sinking their postseason odds with only four games left. Not even Taylor Swift's appearance, usually a lucky charm for Kansas City, could spark the team. This time, the Chiefs trademark magic just was not there. And then in college football shock waves, Notre Dame, a top 10 team all season, was left out of the 12 team college football playoff. The committee handed the final at large spot to Miami, citing the hurricane's early season head to head win. The snub was so stunning the Fighting Irish withdrew from bowl consideration entirely, with their athletic director blasting the decision as an absolute joke.

[Laura Jarrett]

Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus right down Santa Claus lane.

[Yasmin Vesugian]

Santa may be skipping town this year. Not the real Santa, though, just his doppelganger in the form of decorations. Specifically the Home Depot. Depot's giant holiday decorations are disappearing, sparking near panic in a 165,000 member Facebook group as fans hunt for their viral Blow up Santa and the nine foot LED sleigh and reindeer that is sold out nearly everywhere. The scarcity has fueled a booming gray market with some listings hitting seven times. Retail analysts say it's all part of a nostalgia driven push for bigger, bolder holiday displays. So if your neighbor has a towering Santa this season, it probably cost them a small, small fortune. But if you're like me and you actually aren't in love with holiday inflatables, resist the urge to pop it because that will for sure cause you to end up on the naughty list.

And that's going to do it for us at here's this group of NBC News. I'm Yasmin Ven. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you tomorrow.

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