Yasmin Vesugin (2:03)

So let's talk about Doug McMillan, because it seems as if this was a little bit of a surprise that he was stepping down after a decade.

Christine Romans (2:09)

It certainly came out of the blue and I think a lot of people this morning were kind of surprised when the press release came out from corporate in Bentonville, Arkansas. He's had a very, very good run. He is a lifer there. He started as an hourly associate and the guy who's replacing him also was a lifer there. So it's really kind of a passing of the baton at this really important bellwether of the consumer economy.

Yasmin Vesugin (2:33)

He has kind of transformed the reputation of Walmart since he became CEO when he first started. The reputation of Walmart at the time was more of a budget retail option. But now it has changed significantly amidst obviously the drive for Amazon. And not only has it changed, it has competed with Amazon. Right. It has succeeded amidst kind of the online retailers.

Christine Romans (2:55)

And here's where Doug McMillan had a whole lot of nerve and really took a big risk. And, and he was right. In 2015 he basically told Wall street, look, we're going to be investing a ton in our people in the front end experience here, but also in stuff that you can't see. This e commerce. He knew they were gonna have to take on Amazon. He knew that they had to be a digital, have a digital footprint that was gonna need a lot billions and billions and billions of investment. He took the long view. He was right. And now it is a digital behemoth. It is second to Amazon for how well it is transforming sor e commerce.

Yasmin Vesugin (3:34)

Landscape and competing price wise as well.

Christine Romans (3:36)

Oh, absolutely.

Yasmin Vesugin (3:37)

He's also kind of upped the cool factor.

Christine Romans (3:39)

I know I even look on Instagram or on social media and maybe this says more about my feed than anything else, but there's a lot of look what I found at Walmart. Look what I, you know, clothing, right. And the, and these comparisons. Housewares, for example, and Christmas and holiday decorations and stuff. So they have upped the cool factor. I was actually in a Walmart supercenter last week. I was in the Quad Cities. I had to pick up a prescription for my dad and I hadn't been in one in years. And I walked in and I could not believe just the volume of stuff there. And there were beautiful home decor items, you know, right next to dirt cheap pharmacy items, you know, and cans of green beans for 81 cents.

Yasmin Vesugin (4:18)

Yeah, well, and that speaks to what they have done when it comes to the shoppers because they've upped their share of shoppers who are higher income. Right. Over $100,000 a year and keeping the prices low at the same time. And that wasn't the story a decade ago.

Christine Romans (4:33)

So they used to be a paycheck to paycheck bud. That's who went to Walmart. And now we've seen this year the higher income consumer is going to Walmart for value. They've also got fresh and Organic groceries in many of these, many of these super centers. And that was a big draw. That was also an investment that Doug McMillan made. And this is interesting because when we're seeing in retail a bifurcated retail market where everyone's doing fine except for the bottom two quintiles, as they say, of income, people who are barely making ends meet or not making ends meet, they're, they're essentially living in a recession right now. And then everybody else is still doing well.

Yasmin Vesugin (5:10)

So I wonder though, by upping kind of the shoppers that are coming to Walmart, is it because things are getting more expensive and they're seeing the prices remaining pretty stable at places like Walmart, or is it a reflection of the upping, the ante of the products that are actually on the shelves? Right. The quality of the products on the shelves or is a combination of the two?

Christine Romans (5:27)

It's both of those things. I think it's also just they have been investing in that front end consumer experience and then also investing in sort of its version of Prime, Right. Where you can order online and very, very low prices, especially around the holidays, by the way, for holiday meals. So people who are already comfortable with Amazon prime are think, well, wait a minute, Walmart has something like this. And so they're like going to Walmart and looking at it and then maybe they go into the store once and then they realize, oh wait, this organic groceries are really good. And then, then you've got a new customer.

Yasmin Vesugin (5:56)

When you look at him stepping down and the new head, John Furner, taken over, things are a little challenging. There's different challenges, I would say, right? You got the tariffs, you have the dawn of AI and he's going to have to combat those challenges and continue to grow the company as McMillan did.

Christine Romans (6:14)

Yeah, I mean, it's a whole new landscape today than it was in 2014 when Doug McMillan took over. You've got AI transforming everything. Clearly they will and are making big investments in AI, but that will be a challenge and an opportunity for them. Also the tariff, I mean, Walmart imports a lot of stuff. They always take pains to tell me how much they buy from the United States, but they are so big that they are the biggest importer of everything because they're the biggest seller of everything in the United States. And so those tariffs will mean higher prices somewhere in the pipeline. I mean, earlier this year the company had said that they would be careful and pick and choose where they raise prices. And the president of the United States said, called him out and said, no, no, no, no. China and Walmart, you eat these tariffs. Do not pass them on to the consumers. We're watching. So the White House is definitely watching. And then I think the third thing right is an exhausted American consumer who does not have the brand loyalty to go to their favorite grocery store or super center that they used to. They know if something's cheaper, they will go someplace else.

Yasmin Vesugin (7:17)

Yeah, like my mom always used to go to the Grand Union. That's where she used to go. But now you go where you can find avocados for the cheapest.

Christine Romans (7:24)

Absolutely.

Yasmin Vesugin (7:25)

Yeah. Christine Romans, thank you. All right, we are gonna take a very quick break, and when we are back, the Pope is bringing Hollywood to him.

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Yasmin Vesugin (8:38)

Who's ready for some football?

Today Show Host (8:41)

All season, the Today show takes you inside the game.

Yasmin Vesugin (8:44)

We are gonna get this party started.

Today Show Host (8:46)

Join us every week as we go behind the scenes with your f favorite NFL teams for the biggest stories on and off the field.

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Plus game day recipes that dial up your tailgate.

Yasmin Vesugin (8:57)

Football food soup to nuts.

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From stadium lights to game day bites, the Today show is your home for all things football every morning on NBC.

Yasmin Vesugin (9:11)

Welcome back to Here's a scoop from NBC News. Hollywood has long depicted the Vatican on the silver screen. From The Godfather Part 3.

Christine Romans (9:18)

Just when I thought I was out.

Yasmin Vesugin (9:21)

Pull me back in to last year's release of conclave.

Christine Romans (9:25)

This is a conclave, Aldo. It's not a war.

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Yasmin Vesugin (9:33)

But Pope Leo has now flipped the script. Six months into his papacy, the first American pope is inviting Hollywood stars to a meeting at the Vatican this weekend. Among those who have accepted, Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, and Judd Apatow The Vatican wrote in a statement that the Pope, quote, has expressed his desire to deepen dialogue with the world of cinema as he wants to explore, quote, the possibilities that artistic creativity offers to the mission of the church and the promotion of human values. So I want to bring in our Vatican expert, NBC News correspondent Anne Thompson, who has, in fact, met a pope or two herself. How many have you met?

Anne Thompson (10:09)

Just one. Just Pope Francis.

Yasmin Vesugin (10:11)

Just Pope Francis. So when was that? When did you meet him?

Anne Thompson (10:13)

Oh, I've met him several times. I been on the papal plane five times with him, traveling the world, and I met him twice in private audiences, audiences in Rome.

Yasmin Vesugin (10:24)

What was his aura like? What was his energy like when you did interact with him?

Anne Thompson (10:27)

You know, what's so different? So John Paul II was an actor, interestingly enough, in his early days in Poland, and he very much had that actor's presence. Francis did not. He was a very humble person, but that humility drew you to him. And he was very. I always thought of him as a very warm person. I always loved talking to him and meeting him.

Yasmin Vesugin (10:52)

So let's talk about this new pope. He has now been in this position for six months. How did this event come to be?

Anne Thompson (10:58)

So I think it's all part of reaching out to cultural influencers. If you think about it, what we call influencers, movie stars are big influences in our culture. Movie directors are big influences in our culture. And that's who's going to be gathering at the Vatican on Saturday morning. And it's not just the Americans that you mentioned. It's also a host of actors and directors from around the world. And it is part of the Vatican trying to, as I would say, meet people where they're at, realizing that these people have a talent. And it's something that perhaps the Catholic Church and the artistic world can find common ground throughout history. The Catholic Church has long been a big patron of the arts. And then when you look at what Pope Francis did in the year before he died, he had the world's comedians come over, this wonderful picture of Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock and Stephen Colbert looking at Pope Francis and all trying to get him to laugh.

Yasmin Vesugin (12:02)

Do you know why it was they chose these individuals from Hollywood?

Anne Thompson (12:07)

I don't. I don't know why they chose them. I think it's kind of a fascinating group. Gus Van Zant is part of that group. Chris Pine, Spike Lee, Alison Brie is in that group. It's a real interesting group. But I don't know. I don't know if there are people who've reached out to or have some kind of connection.

Yasmin Vesugin (12:28)

The Vatican released his favorite movies, and in this list, it was It's a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra, the Sound of Music by Ron.

Anne Thompson (12:38)

Not unexpected.

Yasmin Vesugin (12:39)

Yeah, not unexpected at all. Ordinary People, which surprised me.

Anne Thompson (12:44)

I mean, really.

Yasmin Vesugin (12:44)

Oh, why?

Anne Thompson (12:45)

Well, first of all, it's a fabulous movie, but I think it's. I would love to talk to Pope Leo about what it is that makes that movie one of his favorites. It is a tough watch in the. And it's just gut wrenching watching this family deal with grief. I'm very curious about why that film makes that short list.

Yasmin Vesugin (13:06)

Is he an emotional. Do we know? Is he an emotional guy? I mean, what do we know about him and who he is?

Anne Thompson (13:13)

So talking to the people who know him best, I think the thing that stands out, first of all, that he was sort of always destined to be a priest. That was from a very young age. I think the other thing about him that people who know him well say as a leader, he's very pragmatic. So you have sort of these. The spiritual side and the pragmatic side. But there's clearly a fun side, too, because he's very much like us. He loves his sports teams. Okay. And when I was over in Rome and when he was elected, I spent four years working for NBC in Chicago, and I know that the big question in Chicago would be Cubs or socks. And I asked Father Joe Farrell, who runs the Augustinian Order, which is the order that the Pope is from. I said, you know, could you text him and ask him cubs or socks? Because nobody seemed to know. And he had been Pope all of 90 minutes. And he comes probably, you know, half hour, 45 minutes later, and says, I have an answer to it, to your question. He showed me the text and it said, sox socks. And it's very funn. Him in St. Peter's Square, and he rides around in the Popemobile. There is almost always somebody from Chicago there. And the White Sox fans will start the White Sox cheer, and he joins in. So there is that fun side of him. And clearly he's a movie. He likes movies.

Yasmin Vesugin (14:44)

There were some questions when he first became Pope about what he may bring right to the Vatican. Is there any criticism of now Hollywood coming to the Vatican? Some of his more progressive moves that he has made in the last six months.

Anne Thompson (15:00)

When you are Pope, everything you do brings criticism in some corners. If there is criticism, it's muted at this point. I think it depends on what comes out of that meeting. I don't expect there to be any kind of statement or doctrinal change or anything like that. It's a chance to say, look, we're here, we're interested in what you do. We hope you're interested in what we do. And we think the common ground is promoting human values. And that's what I think you'll see.

Yasmin Vesugin (15:35)

And Thompson, thank you. All right, let's get to some headlines. Russia unleashed one of the largest aerial assaults on Kyiv in recent weeks early this morning, utilizing a massive barrage that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported, including approximately 430 drones and 18 missiles across the country. The coordinated attack resulted in at least four killed and 29 injured, including a pregnant woman. The strikes, which Ukrainian officials called a, quote, deliberately calculated attack on civilians, caused widespread damage, smashing into multiple high rise apartment buildings, schools and administrative buildings across nine districts, sparking fires and leading to partial power cuts across the region. Earlier this week, we brought you the news of a lawsuit against an army gynecologist, Dr. Blaine McGraw. The suit accuses McGraw of secretly recording intimate videos of a patient without her knowledge and alleges that there are dozens of other victims of his misconduct. Now, NBC News reports that the commander of Darnell Army Medical center at Fort Hood, where the alleged abuse took place, says investigators are receiving new allegations from McGraw's patients. The commander confirmed in an interview that he had sent letters to more than 1400 of McGraw's patients to inform them of the probe. As many as 85 patients have reached out to investigators, though it's not clear if all of them are victims of misconduct. A lawyer for McGraw said in a statement that he's cooperating with the investigation and accused army special agents of sharing inaccurate and exaggerated information with the public. A new prosecutor has officially taken over the high profile Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and numerous co defendants following the removal of Fulton County DA Fani Willis. The Georgia Court of Appeals mandated Willis disqualification over a, quote, appearance of impropriety created by her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor that she had hired. The case was transferred to the nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, whose executive director, Peter Scandalakis, a Republican, was tasked with finding a replacement prosecutor, but said everyone that he contacted declined the appointment. Since the indictment remains intact, Scandalakis will have the authority to either proceed with the prosecution, which has been stuck in legal limbo for well over a year, or drop the case. Trump's attorney hailed the appointment and the official end of Willis involvement in the case. The famously DayGlo snack aisle is about to look a lot less radioactive. Doritos and Cheetos are going Simply naked on December 1, rolling out a new line that strips out the artificial dyes, providing you can get Flamin Hot flavor without the Flamin hot colored fingers. PepsiCo's cheekily name toned down takes on nacho cheese and Cool Ranch will test fan loyalty in a new way. Your taste buds, not the neon orange fingerprints left on your clothes and on your couch. Road work ahead.

Anne Thompson (18:36)

Yeah, I sure hope it does.

Yasmin Vesugin (18:40)

Look at all those chickens.

Christine Romans (18:44)

And they were roommates. Oh my God, they were roommates.

Yasmin Vesugin (18:49)

If any of that sounded familiar to you, well, we have got some really good news for you. Vine is getting rebooted. That is the six second social video app that was basically the TikTok of the 2010s, even though it was only around for about five years. Vine had this huge cultural impact and I'm not just talking about the memes. It also kickstarted the careers of some big names like singer, songwriter Shawn Mendes and WWE wrestler Logan Paul. It is making its big comeback under a new name, Divine, and a new boss, the former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. The reboot will bring back around 10000 archive videos from the original app and allow users to reclaim their old content. It will also gatekeep the app from any AI generated content, making sure any brain rot videos that you find yourself repeating NonStop will be 100% man made and AI slop free. TikTok could be getting some competition. Well, that's gonna do it for us at here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. If you like what you heard, make sure to hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back Monday with whatever the weekend may bring. We'll see you then.

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