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Tom Winter
Everybody that I talk to in the law enforcement community, I've said it on this podcast several times. This is the worst terrorist environment they've ever seen. It's the worst that I've ever covered. It's not even close.
Yazan Basugin
Hey, everybody. And welcome to Here's a scoop from NBC News. I'm Yazan Basugin. Today on the show, a shooting in California is being investigated as a hate crime. And amidst that, there are reports of rising Islamophobia across the country. Plus, the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm on a new Ebola outbreak. A doctor who was on the front lines of the last Ebola outbreak back in 2014 is joining us to answer the ever important question, should we be worried? But first, we're starting in Southern California. So the Muslim community there is still reeling from the shooting at a Islamic center on Monday. Authorities say two teenage shooters are believed to have killed three people. They were actually found dead on the scene. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wall has said that, quote, hate rhetoric was involved in the shooting. So what do we know about the motive of this shooting and what is law enforcement doing across the country to keep folks safe? So for that, I want to bring in Tom Winter, national law enforcement and intelligence correspondent for NBC News. Hey, Tom.
Tom Winter
Hey, Yaz, how are you?
Yazan Basugin
I'm good. Give me the details on this thing. What do we know about what happened yesterday?
Tom Winter
Yeah. So shortly after 2:30 Eastern time yesterday, San Diego police get a 911 call, reports of shots fired at a mosque. It's the Islamic center of San Diego. They arrive within four minutes and show up to find a security guard and two other people at the mosque dead. Outside the mosque, there's a high level of concern because then you don't know where the shooter or shooters are. And we almost never see an incident where there are two shooters. Yesterday there were two suspected shooters. So they don't know where those individuals are. Then there's reports of shots fired, perhaps shots fired at a landscaper. Then there's an additional shots fired called. They roll up an abandoned car, it appears to be a BMW. And there's these two suspects inside, teenagers as you referenced, dead from self, at least one of them, a self inflicted gunshot wound. And that's where this ends from a standpoint of the timeline of events. But of course, to your point about motive, we have reported that there were anti Islamic writings that were found in the car. That's something that investigators are probing and looking into the nature of that there was something that was written on the gun that Referenced a hate crime. I think the motive is becoming quite clear here. Hopefully we'll continue to get more details as this investigation continues. But it certainly appears that it was targeted at the mosque, that there is a anti Islamic component to it, and that it was deliberately targeted. I think it's gonna be very clear here they didn't choose this site at random.
Yazan Basugin
So I mentioned, as I came to you, about the increased threats against the Muslim community throughout the country.
Brian Chung
What?
Yazan Basugin
One of the people that was killed in the shooting was a guard. Right. So they had security. Now you have New York City Mayor Mamdani saying, in an abundance of caution, essentially, they are increasing security at all mosques across the area and specifically in New York City. Are we seeing this happen for Muslim communities across the country?
Tom Winter
So the warning yesterday initially came from the New York City Police Department that they were stepping up patrols. The nypd, in speaking with them in the past, are acutely aware of the fact that, yes, there's been this enormous rise in antisemitism across the country. We've seen those types of attacks. They're also aware that there is an incredible amount of rhetoric that exists out there as it pertains to what's going on in the Middle east since the US started the war there, what is going on since October 7 and Israel's response to October 7 and the US's backing and all that people perceive as it pertains to US foreign policy. So I think everybody in the law enforcement community is acutely aware that today it's one group, the next day it's another group. And so it could definitely be the Islamic community as a target. A mosque is a target. So I think that's probably a reason why you saw yesterday that response time be so fast, because law enforcement's definitely aware that the threats are to every group right now, and the threats are out there.
Yazan Basugin
So you mentioned that a lot of communities are being targeted, but we're talking about the Islamic community today. According to care, which is the, the Council on American Islamic Relations, in 2025, they reported the highest number of civil rights complaints since it started tracking back in 1996, nearly 9,000 in 2025 alone. So in addition to quick response times, Tom, what are they doing to get ahead of these acts of violence, of these acts of terror?
Tom Winter
Getting ahead of it? I think you saw it yesterday. It wasn't just the nypd, by the way. I mean, you saw police, major police departments all across the country, particularly in cities that have large Islamic populations, immediate. We've got to put Extra patrols. Just so nobody else thinks that this is a good idea, stopping the copycat. They're definitely aware of those threats and they're investigated the same way. Look, this is something that has been. I mean, we saw it with the Christchurch shootings. Two mosques that were targeted, 51 people killed in New Zealand. I think for people that if you weren't paying attention to the threat against the Islamic community and Islamophobia, then that was really a wake up call that people, particularly from certain extremist types of viewpoints, in that case, it was somebody who had extreme right wing views that believed in the white replacement theory that conducted the Christchurch attack. That is something that is treated, that threat is treated the same way that any other threat is treated. I think, to your point, given what is going on in the world, given the fact that there is so much rhetoric against different factions in society and certainly the Islamic community, that you're seeing that escalated threat and everybody's focused on it. It's why yesterday we dropped everything. The second we heard that there were potential shots fired at a mosque in San Diego, all of us here dropped everything because we just know that the threat against the community is so high.
Yazan Basugin
Are we seeing at all a push to rein in homegrown terror, as we have seen in the past?
Tom Winter
So I know that people think that on a national level there's shifted priorities at the FBI or at the federal level, that may or may not be true. I see on the local level a real understanding by everybody that the rhetoric is so high in this country. And so the International association of Chiefs of Police, which is the largest kind of police association in the United States, in this massive group that gets together, people from all over the world actually issued a letter after the Charlie Kirk shooting this fall saying everybody needs to tone down the rhetoric. It's the responsibility of politicians, it's the responsibility of all of us to tone down the extremist rhetoric. Because when you talk about the homegrown extremism threat, Yasmin, as we saw yesterday, it's very real. And the hate crime problem in this country is very real. Everybody that I talk to in the law enforcement community, I've said it on this podcast several times, this is the worst terrorist environment they've ever seen. It's the worst that I've ever covered. It's not even close. And I think everybody needs to understand that there is just a constant targeting of various communities in this country. We've now seen two times in a row. We saw it in Dearborn, Michigan. We saw it yesterday where security guards stopped something from being a whole lot more horrific, horrific. Tragically, yesterday that security guard lost his life. But that's where we are now. That's the society we've chosen to live in that we need armed security guards or security guards at our houses of worship.
Yazan Basugin
Tom Winter, thank you.
Tom Winter
You got it.
Yazan Basugin
All right. We are going to take a very quick break. And when we are back, an American in Central Africa has tested positive for the Ebola virus. Are the safeguards in place to stop the spread? That's coming up. And hey, while you're listening to the ads, why don't you go ahead and push the subscribe button or share this episode with your friends? We would love the support. All right. We'll be right back
Tom Winter
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Yazan Basugin
Hi, it's Kate Snow, NBC News anchor, host of the podcast the Drink. This month, I'm grabbing a matcha latte
Kate Snow
with comedian Taylor Tomlinson. The drink is always about someone's journey
Yazan Basugin
to the top, and Taylor's story is remarkable. She tells us all about her unlikely path from performing in churches all the way to headlining her own Netflix specials like her latest, Prodigal Daughter. And she opens up about her religious upbringing, what drew her to stand up and how she feels when she gets on that stage. Hope you'll listen and follow the Drink wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back with here's the scoop from NBC News. So the director of the World Health Organization said he's, quote, deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the new Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. So far, more than 100 people have died of the virus, and there are 500 more suspected cases. An American doctor has now tested positive in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He and a group of high risk contacts have been transferred to Germany for treatment. So why are global medical experts so concerned? And what are they doing to control the spread? Plus, should we be more worried? We're joined now by Dr. Chris Lee. He's the Director of Epidemic Intelligence at Resolve to Save Lives, and he was part of the Ebola response back in 2014. Hi, Dr. Lee.
Dr. Chris Lee
Thank you. Happy to be here.
Yazan Basugin
So we have been covering the hantavirus outbreak. We are six years past the COVID pandemic, and there are still cases of COVID out there that we are currently dealing with. Now we are talking about Ebola for the first time since really 2014, right? The last major outbreak. Is this the new reality for us? Is there a rise in outbreaks that we are seeing, or is there just a perception of a rise in outbreaks?
Dr. Chris Lee
I think this has always been the reality. There have been Ebola outbreaks dating back for 50 years. I think what's changed now is that some of the mechanisms that were established after that 2014 devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa is that a lot of the systems and the processes that we established to protect the world from those threats have disintegrated over the last year or so. I think as climate change continues to accelerate, we're seeing increased spillover of deadly threats from animals to humans. So I think infectious diseases are with us to stay. What matters is what we do about them and what we do before they occur.
Yazan Basugin
So if I'm hearing you clearly, what you're saying is they've always been around. We just don't necessarily have the protections in place that we have had in the past, Is that what you're saying?
Dr. Chris Lee
I think that a lot was developed over these last 10 years to protect US citizens at home from infectious diseases that have been circulating elsewhere. The reason why this outbreak in particular is so visible is because of how late it was, Detective, and how explosive it appears to be out of the gate. To put this into perspective, when the 2014 outbreak was declared, there were about 40 or 50 cases. When we first learned about this one, there were 236 cases. And that number has more than doubled since this was declared last Thursday. It means that we're starting from a very disadvantaged position.
Yazan Basugin
So how is this strain, the Bundibujo strain of Ebola, how is this different than the zaire strain from 2014.
Dr. Chris Lee
This one is less common. There have only been a few large outbreaks with the Bundibujo strain of Ebola. The biggest practical difference is that the vaccines that were developed in response to the 2014 outbreak and the therapeutics that were developed and supported by the National Institutes of Health don't appear to be effective for this strain. So we are, in very many ways in the same position we were in 2014, but notified much later in the outbreak.
Yazan Basugin
So it's not great news that we're getting on this so late in the game. How is the international community now dealing with this Ebola outbreak, considering the lessons, taking into account the lessons they learned in 2014?
Dr. Chris Lee
Yeah, I think that there are three major lessons, I think, from the Ebola outbreak in 2014. One was the importance of global cooperation. This was an era in which CDC and WHO were working very closely, hand in hand, and that many countries, including the United States, rapidly released funds. More than 3,000 US government staff were deployed to the Ebola outbreak, including myself. That's one important lesson and one area that I think is within reach to strengthen. The second lesson is the importance of trust. A major issue impeding the 2014 Ebola epidemic was this idea of reticence or community resistance to the responses of itself, whether it was because of contradictory information or the perception that Ebola responders themselves were bringing virus to the communities. This led to a lot of distrust. Hiding from contact tracing, not going into isolation, quarantine, and even in the worst case episodes of violence. There was one episode in southeastern guinea that involved villagers killing eight people involved in the response, including health workers and journalists, just because of the mistrust. The third point is about timeliness, how quickly you translate information to action. Time is lives.
Yazan Basugin
You mentioned that the United States has created protections in place over the last 10 years to control outbreaks like this one. But the US is in a much different position, quite honestly, than they were back in 2014. The Trump administration has pulled out of the World Health Organization. They've canceled billions of dollars of contracts to usaid, and there were mass layoffs at the cdc. When you think about that in totality, how do you see that affecting a potential outbreak making its way here stateside to the United States?
Dr. Chris Lee
The investments in global health security made by the US Government were really on this premise of security, that controlling these outbreaks at their source would prevent them from coming into the US and creating economic calamity. Everything you've said is true. CDC has a highly skilled workforce, but There are fewer of them now than there were a year ago. I think that at the same time, there's increased recognition in Africa about the importance of African sovereignty of health. Since the last Ebola outbreak, the Africa CDC was established as a new regional mechanism for cooperation and technical assistance. I think that the US Will always play an important part in financing, coordination and technical assistance to outbreaks. But increasingly, the way this will be delivered is going to be at country level and by organizations like Africa, CDC and who, especially as the United States has stepped away from the who.
Yazan Basugin
So the question that I ask all health care professionals when we talk about some sort of outbreak, whether it be Covid, Hanta, Ebola, you name, the next thing that's going to get created is, should we be worried? Is this thing going to become persistent here in the United States and globally, or can this thing be controlled as well, even though they caught it late?
Dr. Chris Lee
What matters, I think, is what we do now. Of course, in the 2014 Ebola outbreak, we had imported cases to the United States. Actually, we had a couple of secondary infections in the United States which were very limited because of aggressive contact tracing and isolation of these patients. But I think that we do want to avoid this coming to the shores of the United States. And I think what that means now is taking rapid action and increasing the resources that are available for the current outbreak to prevent that from happening altogether. I don't think that the likelihood of this coming into the United States and causing a Covid like emergency is likely to happen, but it will create a lot of disruption if one of these travelers does come to the United States as an infected person. And that's when the local health authorities are going to have a major role in the containment and isolation of these patients.
Yazan Basugin
So definitively, Dr. Ali, should we be worried?
Dr. Chris Lee
I think the world should be worried. As Dr. Tedros said, this is deeply concerning for what's happening in Africa. I think oftentimes we tend to frame things. Obviously, people listening are American citizens, for the most part, that this is going to be a devastating outbreak in the drc. There's a real concern that this could come to the United States. And the CDC will have to be strong, local health authorities will have to be strong to prevent this from being something bigger. For now, I think I can't say definitively, but I think the cost for concern for Americans on US soil is low.
Yazan Basugin
Dr. Lee, thank you.
Dr. Chris Lee
Thank you.
Yazan Basugin
All right, we are going to take a very quick break, and when we are back, as Drake once said, you used to call me on my cell phone. Well, now you can call us on our Trump mobile phone. We're testing out the product. That's next.
Tom Winter
Politics is confusing. Governing is messy. But talking to each other about all this stuff, it should be easier. And that's where we come in. I'm David Green, the host of Left, Right and Center, where we gather each week to talk about what's happening in politics from every angle. Listen to Left, Right and Center from KCRW every Friday. Wherever you get your podcasts,
Yazan Basugin
Stay informed with the NBC News app.
Tom Winter
Breaking news just coming in moments ago.
Yazan Basugin
Watch, read and listen throughout your day. And now unlock even more with a subscription. It's the best of NBC News with fewer ad interruptions, including ad free articles, podcasts, and full NBC News shows, plus deeper access and exclusive content. Let's just take a step back. It's more context and clarity from the reporters you trust. Download the NBC News app now and subscribe for more. Get the best of NBC News with a subscription, fewer ads, deeper access, and exclusive content. And now, during the Xfinity Member celebration, members can get an exclusive 50% off an annual subscription. Head to xfinity.com membership to learn more. Xfinity Imagine that subscription automatically renews each year at $65.99 plus taxes and fees until canceled. Offer ends May 20, 2026. Price is subject to change. Visit nbcnews.comxfinity for full offer terms and details. And we are back with here's a scoop from NBC News. Now, before we go, we're gonna leave you with two quick hits. First up, as we talked about yesterday, there are a bunch of important primaries today. It's basically a mini Super Tuesday. We got Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Pen, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Oregon. Head spinning. There's so many states. So for that, I am bringing in none other than NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki on the races to watch. Steve, what should we be paying attention to tonight?
Steve Kornacki
Biggest race of the night is in Kentucky. It's a congressional race. Now, the most expensive congressional primary in history. The fourth district there, the Cincinnati suburbs. Tom Massie is the incumbent, but Donald Trump wants him out. He recruited into the race a former Navy SEAL named Ed G. Very closely watched race, certainly in light of the success that Donald Trump just had over the weekend in Louisiana, knocking off Senator Bill Cassidy in a primary there. And now a week ahead of that Texas primary, where today Donald Trump went and endorsed Ken Paxton against Senator John Cornyn. Also, big primaries in Georgia tonight for the U.S. senate. Three Republicans running there for the right to face off against Jon Ossoff in the fall, likely to lead to a runoff. But which of those three will make it? Key story could be a runoff in Alabama as well, where there's three candidates running for the Republican nomination there. Tommy Tuberville, who holds, who holds that seat, is running for governor in a couple of House primaries in Pennsylvania, too. And you know, on these primary nights, there's always a surprise somewhere. So be looking for that, too.
Yazan Basugin
Thank you, Steve. By the way, Steve's gonna be joining us tomorrow. The biggest wins, the biggest losers, the surprises. Be sure to join us on a wrap up of a major primary night tomorrow on Here's a Scoop. And finally, I'm gonna bring in business and data correspondent and Brian Chung. This is a moment, Brian, that we have been waiting for for almost a year now. Not to bring you on the show, of course, but for what you are about to reveal to the world.
Brian Chung
Yaz, this has been my white whale. This is the T1 phone from Trump Mobile. And as you point out, we've been waiting for this thing for nine months. The president's sons announced it in this flashy Trump Tower event last June. They said it would be in people's hands by August. They said it was gonna be made in the usa. So here at NBC News, we wanted to really, if that was true, was that really gonna happen? Because all the experts we have been speaking to said that was technically impossible. You just cannot make a phone in the US in that timeframe. Here we are nine months later and this phone is not made in the usa. You won't even see that on the website anymore.
Yazan Basugin
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Where is it made?
Brian Chung
So we are trying to figure out exactly where this is from. In the system settings, it just says this is a T1 phone. But experts that we spoke to at iFixit, which is a teardown website that looks at phones, says that this is likely an HTC U24 Pro. That's a Taiwanese phone. That's because of the shape of it, because of where all the buttons are. But until we tear it open, we won't know for sure. But interestingly, on the box it says proudly assembled in the usa. From an FTC standpoint, you can say that if the parts come from abroad, but you do some of the assembly here domestically. So an interesting thread there.
Yazan Basugin
So is it good? Does it work? Is it getting phone calls?
Brian Chung
I've been texting you so far, Yaz. I was surfing. I was watching NBC News now on it. I mean, it seems to be functioning. I will say it's, it's a, it's a Google Android phone and it does have Truth Social, the president's social media account, pre installed.
Yazan Basugin
Brian Chung breaking the news after nine very long months. Thank you, Brian.
Brian Chung
Yep. Yes.
Yazan Basugin
And that's gonna do it for us. Here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasin Bissugin. 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 Scene. 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@nbcnews.com we'll see you tomorrow.
Kate Snow
Who gets to be a citizen of the United States at birth? When it comes to sports in school, who gets to compete with the girls? And how much, how much power does the president actually have? These are some of the key questions before the U.S. supreme Court this term. And as any good lawyer knows, whether you win or lose in the highest court depends on the facts, the evidence and how you frame your arguments. But that's not the only thing that matters. I'm Laura Jarrett, senior legal correspondent for NBC News. This month, I'm talking to legal experts and lawyers whose past legal victories are now the building blocks for the big cases still left to be decided. I want to know how they convinced the court they were right when the stakes were high, what special sauce locked it in? And what could be different this time around? Join us for here's the Scoop Supreme Court Edition new episodes every Saturday. Wherever you get your podcasts.
Here's the Scoop – NBC News
Episode Date: May 19, 2026
Main Theme: Mosque Shooting Amid Rise in Islamophobia & Ebola Outbreak – What Makes This Outbreak Different?
Host: Yazan Basugin
Notable Guests: Tom Winter (NBC Law Enforcement & Intelligence Correspondent), Dr. Chris Lee (Resolve to Save Lives, Director of Epidemic Intelligence), Steve Kornacki (NBC Chief Data Analyst), Brian Chung (NBC Business & Data Correspondent)
This episode dives deep into two urgent stories affecting the US and the world:
The episode also includes quick segments on Super Tuesday primary races and a lighthearted report on the much-anticipated Trump Mobile Phone.
Incident Recap:
Police and Community Context:
Quote – Severity of Current Threat
“Everybody that I talk to in the law enforcement community, I've said it on this podcast several times. This is the worst terrorist environment they've ever seen. It's the worst that I've ever covered. It's not even close.”
– Tom Winter ([00:00], [06:36])
Broader Threat Environment ([03:17])
Immediate Actions ([03:17])
Civil Rights Complaints
Addressing Homegrown Terror ([06:30])
“That's the society we've chosen to live in that we need armed security guards or security guards at our houses of worship.”
– Tom Winter ([07:35])
Situation Update
Quote – Why the Outbreak Feels Worse
“When the 2014 outbreak was declared, there were about 40 or 50 cases. When we first learned about this one, there were 236 cases. And that number has more than doubled since this was declared last Thursday. It means that we're starting from a very disadvantaged position.”
– Dr. Chris Lee ([12:36])
Vaccine Challenges ([13:20])
Systemic Vulnerabilities
Trust and Cooperation Critical ([14:00])
Should Americans be Worried?
“What matters, I think, is what we do now. … the cost for concern for Americans on US soil is low.”
– Dr. Chris Lee ([18:04])
“Yaz, this has been my white whale. … Here we are nine months later and this phone is not made in the USA.”
– Brian Chung ([22:32])
The episode is brisk, urgent, and factual, blending interviews with on-the-ground reporting to distil broad trends—Islamophobia and hate crimes in America, and global infectious disease threats—down to their real-world impact, with practical advice and the honest limits of current readiness. It also features a touch of wry humor in the tech product review. Throughout, guests point to the importance of community safety, measured response, and global cooperation as the primary defenses against both terror and viral threats.