← Here's the Scoop
Here's the Scoop
President Trump Takes on Davos; Should the Government Take on Marriage (and Divorce)
00:21:36
Loading summary
Transcript71 lines
- [00:03]
A
Hey, everybody, and welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Laura Jarrett, filling in for Yasmin Vazoukian. Coming up on the show today, as marriage rates decline, some conservatives, they're trying something new. They're making a big push to boost the population. But what's the underlying goal? Plus, how the Supreme Court justices reacted to arguments today over the President's attempted firing of the Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook. And the Songwriters hall of Fame has a blank space and it's writing in Taylor Swift's name. We're gonna get to all of that, but first we are headed to Davos, Switzerland, where the President took the stage to address the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. In a roughly 70 minute speech, he railed against Democrats in the United States, European culture and even windmills. Yes, windmills. And he also seemed to back down from his threat to use military force to take over Greenland.
- [01:00]
B
Probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that.
- [01:11]
A
I want to bring in our chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander, who's there on the ground in Davos for us. Peter, the president has been threatening military action against Greenland for weeks now, but then he backs off of it in front of all these world leaders. What do you make of all this?
- [01:29]
B
Well, think about what you heard from the president, Laura, just yesterday when he was in the briefing room there back in Washington, the president saying, when asked, you know, what his plans were as it related to Greenland, he says, you'll find out. That had the world really anxious, bracing for what the president might do amid this aggressive campaign, these threats of potential use of American military troops to take Greenland by force. So I think there was to some degree a collective sigh of relief that the president did come here and say that he is not gonna use for. But to be clear, he also didn't back away from his threats, from his demand that the US Must take control of Greenland. He says it's for national security reasons. I'll note that some of the people I spoke to, including the Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski afterward, was struck by the fact that the President referred to Greenland as a piece of ice. She says, as someone who is from Alaska, that the US Was able to take many years ago from Russia. She said that just doesn't sit well with her, the idea that he's speaking about Greenland in this way without speaking about the Greenlanders themselves, referring to it as property. But I do think what was important here is that despite the President pulling the use of force off the table, he did make it very clear that he wants the European leaders, he wood said he would be appreciative if they acquiesced to the handing over to his desire to take control of Greenland. And he said if they don't quote, we will remember. So it's not like the threats disappear altogether here.
- [02:58]
A
PETER Even before the speech today, some of our closest allies, like Canada, have been pushing back against the President's threats. And in a speech yesterday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that this moment represents a rupture in our geopolitics and called for certain countries, so called middle powers, to ban together, argue the middle.
- [03:18]
B
Powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu.
- [03:23]
A
PETER what does he mean by middle powers and what do you make of this posture, this move away from US Leadership?
- [03:31]
B
I think this back and forth between Mark Carney, of course, the Prime Minister of Canada and the President is something to really take note of right now. Canada, you know, it was reported just this week, has even gone to such lengths as sort of mapping out what preparations, what it would look like if the US were to invade them at some future point. And the President was particularly critical of Carney today. Among other things, he said, and this struck me in the moment, he said Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements. Those words alone about one of America's closest allies, one of our biggest trading partners. Speaking of trading partners, the President was so critical about Europe, saying in effect that he didn't believe that NATO would be there for the United States, you know, if we needed them, even though he knew the US Would be from them. I mean, that's simply not true. We witnessed in the past the only time article five, the collective defense agreement was utilized was after the US came under attack on 9 11. So it's the sort of antagonizing of these allies around the world that really does make a lot of the President's critics, European allies, even members of his own party, as I said with Lisa Murkowski, really upset. And in the words of Gavin Newsom of potential 2028 Democratic candidate for president, I spoke to him here today and he said, among other things, that the President is, in his words, lighting this place on fire. He went so far as to say the President's recklessness is, in his words and incalculable.
- [04:55]
A
But then, but what's the point? Is the point Just to browbeat our allies into sort of bending the knee and showing him the respect that he thinks he deserves. If Canada is now being driven into the arms of doing deals with China, that's a problem for U.S. interests.
- [05:11]
B
Yeah, that's right. And I think that's the sort of bigger picture as you take a step back and think about this right now. You talk about deals between Canada and China. Mark Carney, the prime Minister of Canada, visiting with the Chinese leadership, President Xi, as Chris Coons said to me earlier, he said, this just plays right into the hands, this vacuum, as it were, plays into the hands of Russia's Vladimir Putin, who the president tomorrow is expected to announce formally will be a member of his Board of Peace to deal with the future of Gaza. It plays into the hands of China's President Xi here. And I think this does feel like we're in the middle of a moment, a rejiggering, to put it mildly here, really a realignment where America's allies start to feel like enemies or treated as such. And some of America's enemies and adversaries are really sort of publicly discussed by this president as allies. So that's sort of the lens through which I see all of this. But to the basic point that you asked the question about what is the point here? This is the way the president governs, right? He views himself as sort of the leader. He's a former CEO. He delivers threats. It's effectively a negotiating tool. He did the same with the tariffs initially. It's his vehicle to try to force others where it costs him, in his view, nothing. But it gets something for the US in return. I think the question is that whether, in fact, it's accurate to say that it cost the US nothing. The argument by the president's critics is that there is a real cost to the United States, and certainly there are costs to America's relationships around the world.
- [06:43]
A
Well, speaking of America's relationships around the world, you're in Davos, which is traditionally seen as sort of this key meeting for international business leaders. But you have the backdrop here with all of these questions about the global economy and whether we're on the brink of a trade war and the EU saying it's going to halt work on this trade deal it reached with President Trump last year. Given all of these swirling potential new tariffs, what's the mood? What's the mood on the ground?
- [07:14]
B
Well, there is really a sense of the potential ripple effects, the consequences of this language here. Most notable example was what we saw just yesterday with the Markets dropping what the Dow down 800 plus points. We heard as it relates to affordability on the way over here from Susie Wiles, the President's own chief of staff, saying that the president's likely going to be out on the road almost once each week. Remember, he spent most of his time making news from behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. But moving forward, he's going to be doing a lot more travel, at least domestically, to try to focus on those more kitchen table issues for Americans. But as we talk about that trade deal with the eu, it is that bottom line that is the real concern for a lot of Americans. And the President's gonna have to make his case to Americans that he is doing everything in his power to make their lives better at home in terms of what they pay. We saw a big jump in prices as it relates to food. He says that inflation has come down significantly. Well, inflation is way down from when President Biden saw it at about 9% a few four years ago. But it's about exactly the same as where it was when President Trump took office. So all of those statements need to be sort of assessed in a real time analysis and Americans get to make that analysis for themselves when they walk grocery stores.
- [08:25]
A
Peter Alexander, thank you.
- [08:27]
B
Thank you.
- [08:30]
A
After our conversation with Peter, the President met with the NATO Secretary General and then announced on Truth Social that they'd reached a, quote, framework of a deal on Greenland and the entire Arctic region. Now, the President didn't provide any further details, but in an interview with cnbc, he said it was, quote, pretty much the concept of a deal and that it would last forever. A NATO spokesperson said in part that negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the US Would go forward. President Trump also said he would hold off on those tariffs that he recently threatened on eight European countries which were set to go into effect on February 1. EU leaders were scheduled to hold an emergency summit Thursday to coordinate a response to President Trump's threat. Coming up, we're talking why marriage boot camps might be on the rise. That's after a very quick break.
- [09:25]
B
On the night before Halloween in 1975, 15 year old Martha Moxley was murdered. But police failed to make an arrest until in 2000, her one time neighbor, Michael Skakel was arrested. He was also a cousin of the Kennedys. The Kennedy connection is the reason that most people know about this case. But the deeper I dug, the more I came to question everything I thought I knew. Dead certain the Martha Moxley Murder. All episodes are available now wherever you get your podcasts. Once upon a time in an icy winter world, a wicked woman stole a child. Only the power of love can save him and defeat her. The Snow Queen due to Morrison Mysteries. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.
- [10:17]
A
And we're back with here's the scoop from NBC News. And we're talking about marriage now. The Heritage foundation, the same conservative group behind Project 2025, just released a new report sounding the alarm on America's declining birth rate as the average woman now has fewer than two children. They're calling it a, quote, civilization problem. It's actually a global trend. But their solution is a whole of government approach to get more people married and having babies, including giving some newlyweds a starter nest egg, which they estimate would cost taxpayers around $92 billion over 10 years. It's a lot of money. But the Heritage foundation, the president says he's pretty confident that the Trump administration will be on board with all of this. So what's really driving this push? I want to bring in our senior national politics reporter John Allen, who's been doing some reporting on this. He hey, Laura, let's start with the facts here. The birth rate we know is declining. It reached an all time low in 2024. People are having children later in life. A Congressional budget report said that by 2030, more Americans will die each year than will be born. From that point on, population growth is going to be powered not by having more babies, but by immigration. What is behind the decline that you have found?
- [11:36]
C
There are a lot of things that factor into the decline. And one of the things that is the high quality of living in the United States. Basically, when people are educated and wealthier, they tend to have fewer kids. It's happening all over the world, not just in the United States, but a lot of concern within the United States and among policymakers about declining population.
- [11:57]
A
So Heritage puts out this paper called Saving America by Saving the American Family. Who exactly are they trying to save?
- [12:09]
C
It's a good question. There's certainly a social aspect to this, right, which is to say that they are trying to save the traditional conservative view of the family to put more money into marriage into basically regulating people's personal lives in that way.
- [12:27]
A
The language I think is striking. The report says, quote, it matters how and to whom children are born. It says the traditional family unit is under attack. What do you see as sort of the way they're making their case on that front?
- [12:42]
C
I think it comes from the Heritage foundation, which is very openly conservative. This is their social policy construct mixed with a public Policy, an economic policy argument, but it does lean heavily on that social policy. They want the federal government to discourage online dating. They want the federal government to give money to newlyweds. We know that the Heritage foundation isn't pushing for newlyweds who are two women or two men. And they want more tax incentives for married couples and kids. Those are tax incentives that would perhaps otherwise go to subsidies for traditional welfare programs, for snap, for all the other benefits that we've been seeing cut in recent years by the Trump administration.
- [13:28]
A
One of the things that Heritage is proposing is what's known as a marriage boot camp. What exactly is that?
- [13:35]
C
So that's the thing everybody sort of jumped onto is the marriage boot camp. Don't worry, it's not getting up at five o' clock in the morning with a drill instructor and doing a bunch of burpees or jumping jacks. It's actually basically a set of classes where couples, newlyweds, or people are thinking about getting married, work on their communication skills, work on figuring out how to deal with blended families, working on how to figure out how to deal with their finances. And so the boot camp idea is to give people tools to strengthen their marriages, to try to keep those marriages together, you know, not just in the immediate days after a marriage, but for.
- [14:14]
A
Years to come with the understanding that so many marriages end in divorce. This is supposed to be trying to sort of counsel out some of the issues that could, you know, perhaps cause a fracture in a marriage.
- [14:25]
C
Right. And I mean, I think the question for a lot of people, Laura, is not whether marriage boot camps should be available to you or counseling should be available to you. Plenty of people do that through their churches, their charitable organizations that do that kind of thing. But what the Heritage foundation is suggesting is that the federal government should be heavily involved in it, that it should be run through the Department of Health and Human Services. And of course, like all things where the federal government is involved, there's a cost.
- [14:52]
A
So our tax dollars would be going to these marriage boot camps.
- [14:56]
C
Going to these marriage boot camps. The entire Heritage foundation set of ideas that they put out there where they want the federal government to get invested in building these traditional families is $280 billion over 10 years. You can think of any number of things that the federal government does that cost less than $28 billion a year. And so all of these things are choices, right? If you're a voter, if you are a policymaker, you're deciding, do tax dollars go to program A, program B, or in this case, the ones The Heritage foundation has set up. Do the tax breaks go to expanding child tax credits, which President Trump has done, which President Biden has done, to give parents a little bit more money in their pocket to spend on their kids, or does it go to classes for these newlyweds to stay together? So I think a lot of it boils down to how much you believe the federal government should be involved in determining who should be married to who. And some marriages folks would argue mine is not one of them, but some marriages folks would argue probably are not best. We certainly know that staying in a marriage can be detrimental for one or both partners. And so the idea that all marriages are good and should be kept together is, I think, one that's hard for a lot of Americans to accept, particularly if it means that their tax dollars are being spent on that.
- [16:19]
A
Well, so, you know, you're someone who's well sourced in this administration. Do you get the impression, Jace, based off of conversations that you have with folks, that this is something that the president and his advisors would be supportive of?
- [16:31]
C
Certainly the type of thing that his advisors would be supportive of the president. It's hard to tell from issue to issue what he's actually going to stick to. The price tag would be a lot for them to swallow. We have seen that this administration has been willing to put money into this idea of strengthening families. And I use the tax credits as one example, child tax credit. But you've also seen the Trump baby bonds, the baby accounts that are set up. $1,000 for each baby born is something that his administration has put forward. I've heard very few criticisms of the idea. So, I mean, I think there is some commitment to that within the administration. Whether they're willing to spend $280 billion over 10 years is another question.
- [17:17]
A
This is not something, interestingly, that you hear, really, any pushback from Democrats on.
- [17:22]
C
No, there's not a lot of pushback. I mean, for one reason, some of these ideas are ones that I think cross party lines. Right. If you're talking about the basic idea of whether it's good for couples to have counseling, I think people on both sides say it's a good idea for couples to have counseling. Whether the federal government should pay for it or not is another question. But in terms of big issues that you're gonna fight on, that's certainly not one the Democrats are looking at. There have been these Trump baby accounts, which at one point were Cory Booker's idea, the Booker baby bonds, and then Kamala Harris picked it up, and then Trump picked it up. So these ideas have been floating around for a while and there's a lot of agreement on them. I think where there is disagreement is sort of what the solution is. There are fights over population decline. So as we were talking about before, when I talk to Democrats, I say that the easiest way to address population decline is through greater immigration and that that's what the United States has had for generations. Obviously, the Heritage foundation wants to crack down on illegal immigration, and some of the folks at the Heritage foundation, certainly in conservative circles, want to crack down heavily on legal immigration too. I don't think you can divorce this topic from that fight because it is oftentimes families who come in here having more babies than the than the third, fourth, fifth generation Americans.
- [18:45]
A
John Allen, thank you.
- [18:46]
C
Thank you, Laura.
- [18:49]
A
We're going to take a quick break now. And when we're back, the limits of presidential power that's now being argued at the US Supreme Court. Stay informed with the NBC News app.
- [19:04]
B
Breaking news just coming in moments ago.
- [19:06]
A
Watch, read and listen throughout your day. And now unlock even more with a subscription.
- [19:12]
B
It's the best of NBC News with.
- [19:14]
A
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.
- [19:32]
B
Team USA takes the gold.
- [19:35]
A
Let's go. I wish I could play hockey like that.
- [19:39]
B
That's a big dream, Kyle. But Xfinity can help you chase it.
- [19:42]
A
Wait, you talking to me?
- [19:43]
B
Sure am.
- [19:44]
C
Because your reliable WI Fi keeps you right in the action.
- [19:47]
A
Wow. What else can it do?
- [19:49]
B
It makes sure you can do homework.
- [19:50]
C
Stream and game smoothly, even under pressure.
- [19:53]
A
Kinda like a good coach.
- [19:55]
B
Yes, but with less yelling.
- [19:56]
A
Uh oh. Snowboarding and speed skating are starting.
- [19:59]
C
So fire up MultiView with Xfinity TV.
- [20:02]
B
And stream up to four events at once.
- [20:05]
A
That's awesome. Now I want to hit the ice. Want to come?
- [20:08]
C
Well, with Xfinity Mobile, me, wi fi.
- [20:11]
B
And 5G go where you go.
- [20:13]
A
Cool. You okay? In a pocket. Hey, I love a road game with Xfinity WI Fi. Your technology works together seamlessly. Get one Internet price for five years guaranteed Xfinity. Imagine that. Proud partner of Team usa. Restriction Supply select plans Only Xfinity Mobile requires Xfinity Internet.
- [20:35]
B
This is Olympic figure skating medalist Adam Rippon. Are you wondering who you should root for at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
- [20:41]
A
Well, I'm hosting my new favorite Olympian.
- [20:44]
B
Where I will introduce you to Team USA's brightest stars and the causes they are passionate about. You're gonna have great days.
- [20:50]
C
You're gonna have rock bottom days. I think that that's part of life, being a mom, being an Olympian.
- [20:55]
A
Get ready for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- [20:57]
B
By checking out my new favorite Olympian wherever you listen to your podcast.
- [21:06]
A
Welcome back to here's the scoop from NBC News. All right, let's get to some headlines. The Supreme Court justices seem to be highly skeptical of President Trump's ability to fire Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook. Throughout hours of oral arguments this morning, both conservative and liberal justices alike appeared to side with the idea that Cook should have at least some ability to challenge her dismissal last year. The president has tried to fire her for cause, alleging Cook had committed mortgage fraud years earlier, which she denied. NBC News obtained bank documents that appeared to contradict that fraud claim. The Trump administration has alerted a Maryland judge that members of the Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as doge, may have misused Social Security data. Here's NBC News legal affairs reporter Gary Grumbach with more.
- [21:57]
B
In a court filing, DOJ reveals that Social Security Administration officials found an unnamed political advocacy group contacted two members of the Doge team with a request to analyze state voter rolls that the advocacy.
- [22:10]
A
Group said they'd acquired to find evidence.
- [22:12]
B
Of voter fraud and to overturn election results in certain states. Now, the Department of Justice said it was unclear whether any personal information was actually given to the political group, but one of the Sudoj team members did sign a voter data agreement with that group.
- [22:29]
A
Prince Harry delivered emotional testimony in a London courtroom in the final round of his legal fight against the British tabloids. He leads a group of seven high profile figures, including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, who are accusing the publisher of the Daily Mail of tapping and hacking phones and obtaining private medical and financial records for nearly two decades to get sensational headlines. The publisher, Associated Newspapers limited Has denied the allegations and called them preposterous smears before the hearing began on Monday. And finally, from releasing her 12th studio album and a tour documentary to getting engaged to Travis Kelce, it has been a whirlwind year for Taylor Swift. And today she is adding another milestone to the list as the youngest female inductee into the Songwriters hall of Fame. To be eligible, a songwriter's first commercially released composition has to be at least 20 years old. And if that sounds impossible, just remember that Swift's Tim McGraw came out way back in 2006.
- [23:33]
B
You think Tim McGraw.
- [23:36]
A
I hope you think of me. To highlight her catalog, Swift selected all Too well the 10 minute version, blank Space, Anti Hero Love Story, and the Last Great American Dynasty. And after everything she's done to create that dynasty, this induction may just be another day in. All right, that's going to do it for this episode of here's the scoop from NBC News. This showgirl is now signing off. I'm Laura Jarrett. We'll be right back here tomorrow with whatever the news may bring. And if you like what you heard, why not rate and review us in your favorite podcast app. Thanks so much for listening. We'll see you here tomorrow.
- [24:25]
B
Real talent is defined by what people can do, not where they learn to do it. So by stopping at the education section of a resume, you might throw away the perfect tire. Skills First. Hiring helps you see talent others miss. Like more than 70 million stars skilled through alternative routes let their story unfold and gain a competitive advantage. Because hiring managers who start with skills are 60% more likely to find a successful hire. Hire Skills first. Learn why at tearthepaperceiling.org, brought to you by OpportunityAtWork and the Ad Council.