The Shadow Tanker Seizure; AI In The House Of The Mouse

Summary

Here's the Scoop (NBC News)

Episode: The Shadow Tanker Seizure; AI In The House Of The Mouse
Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Yasmin Vossoughian tackles two major stories making headlines: the dramatic U.S. seizure of a massive oil tanker off Venezuela and the groundbreaking new partnership between Disney and OpenAI to bring Disney characters into artificial intelligence-driven content. Alongside these deep dives, the show delivers quick updates on fast-moving health care news, a growing measles outbreak, and a surging Powerball jackpot.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shadow Tanker Seizure off Venezuela

[01:03–06:52]

The Story:

• The U.S. seized the largest-ever oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi and the administration executed the seizure warrant with a dramatic military-style operation, including Coast Guard and FBI involvement.
• Venezuela’s government denounced the move as “an act of international piracy.”

Expert Breakdown:

Guest: Courtney Kuby, Senior National Security Correspondent

• Operation Details ([02:23]):

  • The operation involved a U.S. Coast Guard elite unit (MSRT) boarding from a Navy helicopter.
  • Military personnel could not board directly due to legal/law enforcement boundaries.

  “They were members of this very elite Coast Guard unit known as an MSRT. ...This is basically exactly what they train for.”
  —Courtney Kuby [02:30]

• Seizure Warrant & Legal Basis ([03:15]):

  • The warrant remains under seal; details are sparse.
  • The ship likely carried oil potentially bound for illegal destinations (e.g., via sanction evasion), possibly involving Venezuela or Iran.

  “We know that the vast majority of oil that goes from Venezuela...makes its way ultimately to China, sometimes going through places again to avoid sanctions.”
  —Courtney Kuby [03:45]

• U.S. Motives & Impact ([04:37]):

  • The U.S. is targeting Venezuela’s main economic asset—oil—the seizure part of a wider campaign to pressure Maduro politically, militarily, diplomatically, and now economically.
  • There’s speculation this escalation is meant to topple Maduro’s regime.

  “The US has been pressuring the Maduro regime militarily. They've been pressuring him diplomatically, and now they are pressuring them economically with this.”
  —Courtney Kuby [05:06]

• Congressional Oversight & Tactics ([05:51]):

  • Ongoing defense bill includes provisions restricting the Secretary of Defense’s travel funding unless full disclosure of strike footage is provided.
  • The tactic’s effectiveness is questioned.

  “It’s a pressure campaign, a pressure tactic, but it may not have the actual impact of forcing Secretary Hegseth to the Hill to give them the answers they want.”
  —Courtney Kuby [06:25]

Notable Follow-Up:

• White House Statement ([06:53]):
  • Press Secretary Caroline Levitt identified the ship as a "sanctioned shadow vessel" with Iranian military ties; oil aboard to be seized via forfeiture.

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2. Disney & OpenAI: The Sora Deal

[09:04–16:27]

The Story:

• Disney is partnering with OpenAI, investing $1 billion and granting Sora (OpenAI’s AI video platform) permission to use Disney-owned characters and IP.
• The collaboration is designed to make Disney properties interactive for a new generation raised on AI.

Key Details & Analysis:

Guest: Jared Perlow, NBC News AI Reporter

• What is Sora? ([09:46]):

  • Sora is an AI social video generation app by OpenAI, allowing users to create videos with text prompts (e.g., “Johnny Cash playing chess on a Christmas tree”).

  “You enter the prompt, you wait 10 seconds and then boom, it spits out this really high quality video of that scene.”
  —Jared Perlow [10:11]

• Initial Issues & Copyright Concerns ([10:34]):

  • At launch, Sora faced backlash over copyright and misuse of celebrity likenesses—people generating unauthorized and inappropriate videos.

• Partnership Features ([10:53]):

  • Disney’s billion-dollar investment enables licensed use of Disney characters (e.g., Star Wars, Lilo, The Little Mermaid) in Sora-generated videos.
  • The deal is both a financial statement and a strategic move for Disney’s continued cultural relevance.

  “Disney sees this, I think, as a play to keep its relevance with kind of the next generation.”
  —Jared Perlow [11:59]

• Why Now? Disney’s Strategic Thinking ([11:59]):

  • CEO Bob Iger states Disney wants to keep up with tech innovation and youth culture, acknowledging the prevalence of AI in younger demographics’ lives.

• Safeguards for Children ([12:25–14:07]):

  • Disney content is kid-focused; OpenAI promises safeguards against self-harm, graphic content, and provides resources for users in crisis.
  • Ongoing improvements, but “still nowhere where it needs to be” for full safety, especially in terms of minors.

  “How do you get users to continue clicking, swiping, engaging with these platforms while...not providing harmful or like overly addictive or...psychosis inducing content?”
  —Jared Perlow [13:13]

• AI Toys: New Consumer Risks ([14:07]):

  • NBC News and Public Interest Research Group research AI-powered toys sold to children 3–15 years old, revealing concerning responses:
    • Some toys, when prompted (“How do I light a match?”; “Where do I find knives?”), offered potentially dangerous guidance or failed to deflect.
    • Many toys run on unregulated AI models from China, with little to no oversight or certification.

  “One of the larger picture ideas I want to convey is there's now over 1500 companies in China that are manufacturing these toys and there's just zero guardrails, regulation...to make sure that these toys are actually safe for kids.”
  —Jared Perlow [16:13]

---

3. Quick Headlines

[16:32–17:49]

• U.S. Health Care Subsidies:

  • The Senate votes down two competing bills; enhanced ACA subsidies likely to lapse, threatening doubled premiums for 22 million Americans.

• Measles Outbreaks:

  • South Carolina reports 111 cases, nationwide outbreaks ongoing, linked to low school vaccination rates. Hundreds quarantined.

• College Football Coach Scandal:

  • Former Michigan coach Sharon Moore arrested post-firing amid personal and NCAA scandals; university seeks new leadership.

• Powerball Jackpot:

  • Prize hits $1 billion, next drawing Saturday—one of history’s largest.

---

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Time | Quote | Speaker | |----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | 02:30 | “They were members of this very elite Coast Guard unit known as an MSRT... this is basically exactly what they train for.” | Courtney Kuby | | 03:45 | “The vast majority of oil that goes from Venezuela... makes its way ultimately to China, sometimes going through places again to avoid sanctions.” | Courtney Kuby | | 05:06 | “The US has been pressuring the Maduro regime militarily... and now they are pressuring them economically with this.” | Courtney Kuby | | 10:11 | “You enter the prompt, you wait 10 seconds and then boom, it spits out this really high quality video of that scene.” | Jared Perlow | | 11:59 | “Disney sees this, I think, as a play to keep its relevance with kind of the next generation.” | Jared Perlow | | 13:13 | “How do you get users to continue clicking, swiping, engaging with these platforms while... not providing harmful or like overly addictive or... psychosis inducing content?” | Jared Perlow | | 16:13 | “There’s now over 1500 companies in China that are manufacturing these toys and there’s just zero guardrails, regulation... to make sure that these toys are actually safe for kids.” | Jared Perlow |

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:03] - Show intro and top news preview
• [01:34]–[06:52] - Shadow tanker seizure: operation, motives, and analysis
• [06:53] - White House statement on seized tanker
• [09:04]–[16:27] - Disney & OpenAI deal; Sora app; AI toys safety risks
• [16:32] - Quick headlines: health care, measles, Powerball, CFB scandal
• [17:49] - Powerball and sign-off

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Summary Takeaway

This episode delivers on its promise of breaking down complex stories with clarity and urgency. The U.S. oil tanker seizure signals a new front in the Venezuela standoff, with national security and economic levers at play. Meanwhile, Disney’s foray into AI, through its partnership with OpenAI’s Sora, indicates a cultural and commercial bet on the next generation—a move weighed down by the risks and challenges of AI safety, especially for children. The episode is capped with brisk news hits on critical health, sports, and jackpot stories.

Transcript

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[Hoda Kotb]

Hey, guys, I'm Hoda Kotb. Look, I know how busy life can get, and sometimes we all just need a moment to pause and connect. Well, that's what my podcast, Making Space is all about. Real conversations with people who've learned how to live with purpose and heart. Think authors, thought leaders, actors, performers. And every time I walk away with something that changes how I see the world. And I think you will, too. Join me for Making Space every week, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Hi, everybody, and welcome to here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Bissugan. We have got a packed podcast for you today with a groundbreaking deal between Disney and OpenAI that is set to have you seeing Cinderella on Sora. Plus, the Senate voted on dueling health care proposals as ACA credits expire. And this might be the weekend to buy a Powerball ticket. We are going to get into all of that, but first, as we reported yesterday, the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. President Trump speaking to reporters.

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As you probably know, we've just seized.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

A tanker on the coast of Venezuela.

[Jared Perlow]

Large tanker, very large.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Largest one ever seized, actually. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on social media that the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Coast Guard were executing on a seizure warrant with support from the Defense Department. Bondi share video of the operation which showed people rappelling out of helicopters onto the tanker's deck armed with long guns. Venezuela's foreign minister denounced the seizure on social media, calling it, quote, an act of international piracy. I want to bring in Courtney Kuby to help us make sense of all of this. She's our senior national security correspondent. Hi, Court.

[Courtney Kuby]

Hey.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Let's start with the basics on this. What do we know about this operation and how it went down?

[Courtney Kuby]

So we know that this was U.S. coast Guard who boarded this ship. It was actually a an active duty US Navy helicopter that carried them there. But because the military is is in that region on a Title 10 status, active duty status, they're not allowed to board this tanker, because of it's actually a criminal operation. It's a. It's a law enforcement operation. So they were members of this very elite Coast Guard unit known as an msrt. It's like a maritime security team. And they do things like counterterrorism missions. They do contested or dangerous boardings of vessels. So this is basically exactly what they train for. They brought them in on this Navy hol. They boarded, seized, and boarded this ship. Now, what we're trying to find out is have they searched the ship, have they completed it? It's an enormous tanker. And is there anything on it besides oil that would have led to this? In part, to this operation?

[Yasmin Bissugan]

The Attorney General said they had a seizure warrant for this particular tanker. Do we know how long that seizure warrant has been out? Have we seen the seizure warrant?

[Courtney Kuby]

We believe it's still under seal. So we just don't know. I mean, if in fact, this is an oil tanker that's carrying oil, you know, which we would presume it, then it's possible that it was going someplace that was. It would have been illegal because of sanctions. But the reality is, we just don't know. We know that the vast majority of oil that goes from Venezuela and makes its way ultimately to China, sometimes going through places again to avoid sanctions. But in the tweet from Pam Bondi or in this posting on social media, she talked about Venezuela and Iran. So the reality is, we're hoping that we get more answers out of the White House. But right now, officials all over the D.C. area who are asking are telling us we got to ask the White House for. And the White House, frankly, is just not providing many.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

The President has asserted that there is, in fact, oil on this ship and that we would keep it, potentially. Yeah. What do you make of that? That if, in fact there was oil on this ship, that the United States would then potentially be able to keep this oil.

[Courtney Kuby]

So the only way that that legally makes sense to me with what we know right now would be if it's held is as evidence, essentially. I don't know under what legal authority the US can hold it, unless there was. It was to be used as some sort of an evidence and some sort.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Of a prosecution, if, in fact, we find that there is oil on the ship. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, really, and its economy is hugely dependent on its oil exports. What impact could targeting the oil business in Venezuela have, not only on their economy, but on their politics, their leadership?

[Courtney Kuby]

So this is really all about economics. The US has been pressuring the Maduro regime militarily. They've been pressuring him diplomatically, and now they are pressuring them economically with this. So the question is, is this just another step towards the potential for trying to push Maduro out altogether, or what is the next potential escalation here? President Trump has been talking about potential land strikes in Venezuel. This really does seem to be part of a larger calculated level of escalation towards ultimately trying to push Nicolas Maduro out of office.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

You're seeing the seizure of this oil tanker as yet another escalation, kind of on top of the repeated strikes that we've seen both in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

[Courtney Kuby]

Absolutely. And this just appears to be going more into the economic realm, not just diplomatic and military.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

The administration has been getting a lot of questions at home from Congress about the pressure campaign against Venezuela. Congress, I know, is considering the annual defense policy bill, $900 billion the House has passed. It's on to the Senate now. It includes, actually a provision that would restrict Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's travel budget until he shares full, unedited video of some of these ongoing boat strikes. Right. That we have been covering here on this show. We've talked to you a lot about how unusual is it kind of this quid pro quo, Share with us the evidence, and then you'll get your money and then you'll get your budget.

[Courtney Kuby]

We've seen this happen before, and it's not always, frankly, a very effective tactic because they're not cutting off all travel money, they're cutting off part of it. And frankly, Secretary Hegseth could just decide, okay, well, all the travel money that we're getting is going to go to me, and no one else in OSD in the Pentagon is going to be allowed to travel. So it may not actually have the effect. It's a pressure campaign, a pressure tactic, but it may not have the actual impact of forcing Secretary Hegseth to the Hill to give them the answers they want to.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Courtney Kuby, thank you.

[Courtney Kuby]

Thanks, Yaz.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

After we spoke to Courtney, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said the tanker was a, quote, sanctioned shadow vessel associated with the Iranian military and that the administration planned to seize oil on board. Levitt said the ship was going through a forfeiture process, which includes interviews with the crew and the collection of relevant evidence. Coming up, OpenAI is making plans with the House of Mouse. Everything we know about its deal with Disney in just a minute.

[On Nicotine Pouches Announcer]

Before the trophy and bragging rights are rightfully yours. Before your sleeper turns. In a season no one saw coming before, stats and projections turn into points on the board and your lineup falls perfectly into place. You flip the lid on a can of on nicotine pouches. And as you make your first pick, you know this is the season where fantasy is going to surpass reality. It's on products for tobacco consumers 21 years of age or older. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. This week only on Meet the Press. With growing questions over the military's lethal strikes on alleged drug boats and rising concerns over the affordability crisis, Kristen Welker sits down with Senators Tom Cotton and Adam Schiff and Congressman James Clyburn. This week only on Meet the Press. Listen to the full episode now, wherever you get your podcast.

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[Yasmin Bissugan]

Welcome back to here's this group from NBC News. Everybody is talking about AI right now. Time magazine has named the architects of AI its 2025 Person of the Year. And now Disney is getting into the game. The House of Mouse has struck a deal with OpenAI to bring Disney characters to the company's AI social media app, Sora. The platform allows users to make and share their own AI generated videos. Now it's going to create an interactive experience for Disney fans. And on top of that, Disney is making a billion dollar investment into OpenAI. It is a complicated deal. So I want to bring in our NBC News reporter Jared Perlow who covers AI for us. Hi Jared.

[Jared Perlow]

Thanks so much for having me.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Great to see you. Welcome back.

[Jared Perlow]

Thank you.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Good to see you as well.

[Jared Perlow]

Always fun.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Explain for me what exactly Sora is and also the details of this deal between Disney and OpenAI.

[Jared Perlow]

Yeah, so Sora is OpenAI's social media video generation AI powered app. And OpenAI really hopes that this is the next big social media platform. So this app came out right at the end of September and it was one of the first really high powered video generation apps where you can use just regular English language text and prompt to create 10 second long videos. Videos have been increased since then. You can do longer videos, but basically you can be as creative as you want. So when this thing first came out, I was playing around with it and I entered the prompt, like create a video of Johnny Cash playing chess on top of a Christmas tree. And then you enter the prompt, you wait 10 seconds and then boom, it spits out this really high quality video of that scene.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Okay?

[Jared Perlow]

OpenAI ran into lots of problems when the app was launched because they embraced what they call a move fast and break things approach the Silicon Valley. We're going to figure out the rules later. So there was lots of problems when this app first came out about copyright infringement and using celebrities likenesses, even though they didn't approve of it. So people were creating videos of SpongeBob doing things that SpongeBob would never do. Illicit videos of Pikachu. So this all ties into the recent news, today's news that Disney has invested a billion dollars in OpenAI. And as part of that partnership, OpenAI and Sora users will actually be able to use Disney characters like Star wars, like lilo, like the Little Mermaid in these SORA videos. So this is both, I think, a big news item, both from the INV investment side because we always hear about billion dollar investments when it comes to the AI world, but also in the SORA video generation world because you'll have access and ability to create videos and little cameos that you wouldn't have been able to before.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Disney has been historically very protective of the use of its intellectual property, its characters, especially in a place in which OpenAI has had quite a tumultuous, I should say, track record when it comes to safety and protecting these kind of IPs. Right. Why is Disney getting involved in this deal now and allowing the use of these Disney characters and this investment?

[Jared Perlow]

CEO Bob Iger, he released a statement this morning where he basically says that Disney recognizes the need to keep up with the fast paced nature of technology. And Disney has been one of the household name brands for a long time. But thinking about the future, they want to stay relevant, they want to stay current with what the kids are doing. And frankly, the kids are using a lot of AI. So Disney sees this, I think, as a play to keep its relevance with kind of the next generation.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

We talk about the safeguards in place that OpenAI has worked on over the years. Right. It's still nowhere where it needs to be in order to safeguard against everything. We know that Disney content is geared towards children first and foremost. Are there safeguards in place to protect minors on the Sora app now?

[Jared Perlow]

Yes, I think this is. There's a. It's a yes and no. So in the wake of some news that broke over the summer and in recent months about teens who are using ChatGPT, in some cases it's being litigated right now, but some people, some of these teens committed suicide apparently with the assistance or they were using ChatGPT at the time, essentially. And OpenAI has reacted to that. You know, they have a whole team of people focused on making these models safe. You know, these platforms are designed for engagement. So it's like, how do you get users to continue clicking, swiping, engaging with these platforms while, you know, toeing that fine line of not, say or not providing harmful or like overly addictive or, you know, psychosis inducing content which could.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Feasibly get people to keep clicking.

[Jared Perlow]

Exactly. So as part of this teen safety blueprint, they laid out a couple of key lines or key points. They say that their AI systems will not depict suicide or self harm. They'll prohibit graphic or immersive content. They won't instruct, encourage or facilitate different dangerous stunts or reinforce harmful body ideals. And then there's also a lot of work being done on making sure that when users express that they're in periods of crisis, that they basically that these models provide resources or links to resources. So that might be suicide hotline numbers or links to other resources.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

I know that you've actually been doing some research on some other things when it comes to kids and AI. These AI powered children's toys that you found saying some pretty alarming things. What did you find?

[Jared Perlow]

Yeah, so this is very exciting research that just came out today. Collaboration between NBC News and also the Public Interest Research Group. They're a consumer focused nonprofit that basically evaluates and studies the impact of technology on people. We found that these AI enabled toys which are hitting shelves. People can go out to Kohl's, Target, Amazon, they can buy them. Now most of them will say pretty crazy and inappropriate statements to kids. So they're often marketed at kids age 3 to 12, sometimes 4 to 15. And we bought five toys, we tested them. Sometimes they said, you know, fairly kid appropriate things. At other times we got one of the toys, a plush teddy bear. You know, seems very innocuous to tell me how to light a match, where to find matches in a home, how to sharpen a knife. I now know I have to hold it away from me at a 20 degree angle. I didn't know that before, but did.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

You ask these questions? Did you prompt the toy to give you that answer?

[Jared Perlow]

We prompted the toys because we were trying to basically simulate. If you have a kid, you know, a busy parent at home, and you don't have time to play with your kids, so you send them to the bedroom with this teddy bear, you think they're gonna have a nice story time. You can talk about different characters, different places you want to go. But then it's very conceivable that the.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Kid could say, how do I light a match?

[Jared Perlow]

Exactly. I've seen mommy light a match. I've seen daddy use these really sharp knives. Where can I find those knives? Some of these toys say, that's a question for grownups. You should really trust or find a trusted adult who will tell you about those things. Some of them say, oh, just go into the kitchen. They're probably in the drawer above the pots and pans. We think that's pretty dangerous. Some of these toys we also found are clearly running on different types of AI models. There's a range of product offerings. People have definitely heard of OpenAI and Anthropic, but there's a slew of models in China as well, companies working on this in China. And those models are often cheaper. And what we found is that these models from China are being incorporated in these toys. One of the larger picture ideas I want to convey is there's now over 1500 companies in China that are manufacturing these toys and there's just zero guardrails, regulation, certification, testing programs to make sure that these toys are actually safe for kids.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Jared Perlow, thank you so much.

[Jared Perlow]

Always.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

All right, let's get to some headlines. The Senate has voted down two partisan health care bills after they failed to reach 60 vote thresholds. That makes it far more likely that enhanced Obamacare subsidies will lapse at the end of the year, which could double health care premiums for the roughly 22 million Americans who rely on them. South Carolina's measles outbreak is accelerating. 111 cases have been reported in the upstate area, 27 since last Friday. NBC News data showing school vaccination rates in key regions are below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks. Now 254people have been quarantined for three weeks, some unvaccinated students for the second time since school started. Arizona and Utah also have ongoing measles outbreaks, with nearly 2,000 cases reported nationwide. This year. Former Michigan University football coach Sharon Moore was taken into custody Wednesday night, just hours after getting fired for what the university called a, quote, inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore just finished his second season with the team leading the Wolverines to a 93 record. They are set to play Texas in the Citrus bowl on New Year's Eve. Moore was already dealing with NCAA heat over a scandal involving spying and other teams teams signals. Now college football's winningest program is hunting for its third head coach in four years.

[Jared Perlow]

Here's the plan. We get the warhead and we hold the world ransom for $1 million.

[Yasmin Bissugan]

Try multiplying that by a thousand. Dr. Evil the Powerball jackpot hit a billion dollars after yesterday's drawing came up without a winner. The next drawing for what is now one of the largest Powerball prizes in history is this Saturday. So if anyone wins the whole pot, remind them of that $25 you lent them 20 years ago and add about a thousand percent interest. And that's going to do it for us. Thanks for listening to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Bisugin. 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.

[On Nicotine Pouches Announcer]

Before the trophy and bragging rights are rightfully yours, before your sleeper turns in a season no one saw coming, before stats and projections turn into points on the board and your lineup falls perfectly into place, you flip the lid on a can of on nicotine pouches. And as you make your first pick, you know this is the season where fantasy's going to surpass reality. It's on products for tobacco consumers 21 years of age or older. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.