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A
Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download Today.
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B
Where was she? The disappearance of Carrie Farmer was quite unlike any other beyond diabolical, beyond the macabre, a story straight straight out of left field. I'm Keith Morrison, and this is Something About Carrie, an all new podcast from dateline. Listen for free each week or unlock new episodes early and enjoy ad free listening by subscribing to DATELINE Premium on Apple Podcasts.
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C
Hey, everybody, and welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugian, back in the host chair after a whirlwind trip to Disney World with the kids. I am exhausted and I am penniless, but there is a lot to talk about, including NBC News getting an exclusive interview with Vice President J.D. vance, plus a watchdog report on the secretary of defense's use of signal. And Kiwis are finally getting a chance to check out our favorite Swedish furniture store, slash meatball restaurant. Up first, though, federal authorities are on the ground in the Twin Cities in Minnesota carrying out immigration enforcement operations. This is an area with a large population of Somali immigrants, and the raids come after President Trump has spent several days publicly taking aim at that community on Wednesday in the Oval Office.
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B
And the Somalians should be out of here. They've destroyed our country.
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C
A senior Law Enforcement Administration official telling NBC News that ICE officers are not specifically targeting Somalis, but members of the community telling NBC News they feel they're being targeted.
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D
So anyone who looks like me, that's whose eyes is hunting in Minneapolis.
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C
Hunting.
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D
Hunting.
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C
You feel hunted. We feel hunted. For more on this, I want to bring in NBC News senior Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley. Hi, Julia.
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D
Hi, Yasmin. Thanks for having me.
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C
And welcome back. Thank you. Glad to be back. What's going on in the Twin Cities today?
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D
Well, the first thing to know for people who aren't familiar with the Twin Cities is that that area has the largest diaspora of Somalis anywhere in the world. There are over 80,000 people from Somalia living in the Twin Cities, and most of them got there in the mid-90s because they were fleeing the country's civil war now, what you have is ice, along with some other federal law enforcement agencies, are conducting an operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul. They say to go after people with final orders of removal. That means they've been declared by an immigration judge that they've run out of legal avenues to stay in the United States and they need to leave. But according to ice, these people have violated. Violated that order by staying. But it's different when you talk to people on the ground who say they feel that the Trump administration is targeting the Somali community specifically. They're not just picking this area at random. And they say that because of recent comments from President Trump that have been derogatory toward the Somali community.
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C
It's incredibly cold there right now. How is that impacting operations on the ground?
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D
You know, it's interesting. We have not received the numbers yet that we would typically get at this point in an operation. Usually an operation like this starts in the morning, as it did on Wednesday, and then by around 8pm DHS is boasting about the number of people they've arrested. We still don't have those. I haven't seen anyone report that at this time. And that might mean, if you think about some of the way we've seen especially Border Patrol operate recently is they're going to kind of open air places where people might congregate, where you might have day laborers in a Home Depot parking lot. Well, when it's really cold and everyone's inside, that could slow something like that down. I will say, though, having spent time in that community myself in Minneapolis, there are apartment buildings and neighborhoods that are known to be really the heart of the Somali community. And so that could be an area that they target, really, regardless of the weather.
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C
We've talked about how the president has taken aim specifically at Somalis and the Somali community here in the US can you tell me more about what he said and maybe as to why he's taking aim at this community? Is there any history there that would lend itself to explain why?
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D
So we saw earlier in the week at a very long cabinet meeting, the president talk about the Somali community, and he talked about the fraud they had perpetrated.
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B
Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars. Billions every year, billions of dollars, and they contribute nothing.
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D
What he's drawing that from is a report that came out at the end of September by uscis. That's the agency under DHS that's responsible for vetting people and for doling out immigration benefits. They did basically a recheck of 1000 people in Minneapolis who had received immigration benefits. And they found that in 275 of those cases there had been some kind of fraud committed. They did not say in anything they released that it was specific to the Somali community. There are other immigrants living in Minneapolis and St. Paul, although we know that area does encompass a lot of people from Somalia. They went back, they did in person interviews, they did site visits. They did find that there were cases where people may have claimed a spouse they didn't have, where they were getting benefits that they were not eligible for. But then the way that the Secretary of Homeland Security characterized that report in the same Cabinet meeting was that half of all of the people receiving benefits in Minneapolis had been found to be fraud. Well, 275 is not half of a thousand. So kernels of truth that have found their way into the rhetoric of this administration. And then you have the very stark reality of what's happening on the ground where I says we're just going after people who are immigration violators. It's hard to separate that from the president's rhetoric.
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C
Are folks scared in the Somali community today?
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D
Yeah, absolutely. You know, we have Maggie Vespa on the ground for us.
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In that area right now for NBC, and I know that she's been speaking to a lot of people and we've been in touch with a lot of people who are in the advocacy world. And it's very similar to what we've seen in other cities recently where there have been increase in immigration arrests. I was just in Charlotte recently where you really see a community go underground. It means kids aren't going to school or if they are going to school, sometimes it's someone else who takes them because parents are afraid to leave the house. There can be people in need of medical care. I talked to a man in Charlotte who was on dialysis and he wasn't sure if he should leave the house to get life saving medical care. And so that's similar to what we can see in this community. And there are people who are legally in the country who are still afraid to leave their house because they're afraid they could be profiled or targeted unjustly because we've seen US Citizens and people who are here legally being swept up in previous raids.
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C
I also want to ask you about New Orleans. I know that federal authorities are also launching operations there. What's going on?
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D
Well, Border Patrol is in charge of what's going on in New Orleans. And I know it's really hard for people to understand this distinction. They're all immigration agents they all fall under dhs, but the distinction is important because they're being led by completely different people. Now there's this man named Greg Bovino, and he's moved a group of about 250 Border Patrol agents from Chicago to Charlotte now to New Orleans, all just within the span of the past few weeks. And their plan is to go big and bold quickly, just like we saw in Charlotte, There were over 300 arrests just in the span of about four or five days.
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They are not going after a list of people who they have targets for. The difference here, and we have to see if this actually plays out in reality. I think it's too soon to say at this point is that Border Patrol says that in New Orleans, their priority is going after people who served prison time and then or jail time and then were released back into the community because of New Orleans sanctuary city policies. They weren't handed over to ice. Even though they're in the country illegally and had been charged with crimes, they say that's who they're going after. The question is, will they stop there or will they continue to do large sweeps because of a Supreme Court order this summer? Border Patrol has really leaned into the fact that they now have the authority to stop, question, even arrest anyone, not only because of the way they look and the way they talk, but if they are in an area where there are low wage jobs, if they take those three factors together, that's not considered profiling according to the Supreme Court as of this summer.
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C
Wow.
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D
And so that is the reason why we've been able to see the Border Patrol vastly expand what a federal operation looks like. ICE hasn't taken advantage of that as much as I have seen Border Patrol do. They're really going to areas where they believe they will find immigrants. And even though some of these people might end up being legally in the United States and presenting id, that's not stopping them from. From holding back.
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C
Julie Ainsley, thank you.
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D
Thanks, Jasmine.
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C
All right, we are going to take a very quick break. And when we're back, is the vice president running for president.
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D
Hi there.
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And happy holidays, or as I like.
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F
To say, Holly Yays. It's Craig and Savannah from the Today show inviting you to spend the holiday season with us.
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E
We're spreading holiday cheer with special live performances from Gwen Stefani, Lady A and Brad Paisley. Plus, some of Hollywood's biggest stars stopped by for our annual toy drive.
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F
It's the most wonderful time of the.
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Year, and there's no better way to spend it than with the Today show.
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Family every morning on NBC.
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From our family to yours, happy holidays this season. Find the gifts they'll love with Shop today's Gifts we love gifts to surprise him and delight her. The hot toys for kids and those hard to shop for teens with Shop Today's Gifts We Love. You can shop our top 100 gifts for everyone on your list so you can find everything they really want and.
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C
Maybe even a little treat just for you.
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It's your ultimate holiday gift guide with incredible deals you don't want to miss. For the gifts they're sure to Love, head to today.com GiftsWeLove and start shopping now.
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G
My name is Andrew Goldman. No story I've encountered in my 30 years as a journalist has gripped me by the throat quite like the murder of Martha Moxley and conviction of Michael Skakel. I thought I understood the case. It was a decades long story about the powerful and the privileged seemingly getting away with murder. But I discovered a much darker, more shocking tale than I ever could have guessed.
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They put a sign around my neck that said, hi, my name is Michael Skakel and I'm a murderer.
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He's been talked about a lot, but he's never spoken up until now.
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It was like the worst nightmare ever.
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Dead certain, the Martha Moxley murder. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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C
Welcome back to here's the scoop from NBC News. Our very own NBC News senior national politics reporter Henry Gomez has just made his way from the White house to our D.C. bureau after sitting down with Vice President J.D. vance for an exclusive interview in his West Wing office where he discussed his frustrations with the Ukraine, Russia peace deal, how he handles the speculation about his family life and his political future. Henry is joining us now to share what they talked about. Hi, Henry.
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F
Hey, how are you?
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C
So, Henry, like J.D. vance, you're from Ohio and you've been covering him since he wrote his book Hillbilly Elegy 10 years ago. What is the biggest change that you have seen in him from then till now?
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F
Well, the biggest change is the obvious one, right. That everybody has seen. When he wrote the book and was going around the country in 2016 promoting the book, he had a very anti Trump message to him. He was concerned about Trump's rhetoric. He didn't think he was going to be a good president. He didn't vote for Trump. And as he started to actually become a professional candidate himself in 2021, he was a full Trump guy. But he's talked about how he felt that Trump, Trump proved him wrong and he was Happy to be proven wrong. And so now he's, he's all in. But it, it was a jarring shift for many people, and it played out in real time.
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C
So as we've been watching the developments of, for instance, the Ukraine, Russia war, we've learned that the vice President has been a major part of trying to get that deal across the finish line. How is he feeling that it hasn't gotten there yet?
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F
He expressed frustration about that. You know, I talked to him about what he felt were his biggest disappointments or frustrations in year one as vice president. And that was the thing he mentioned first, that the fact that they've not been able to hammer out a deal between Ukraine and Russia. He expressed optimism that it would get there, but he seemed very frustrated that it's taken as long as it has, that there's been this back and forth for months on it.
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C
And who does he believe is the biggest stonewaller of it?
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F
He didn't, he didn't get into that. But we all remember the blow up in the Oval Office earlier this year. J.D. vance was in that meeting as well and had a little aside with, with Zelensky. The way I remember, he jumped in to defend the President against some of the things that Zelensky was saying.
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And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that's back to you. Far more than a lot of people said they should have.
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G
Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?
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D
No, in this entire meeting you said thank you today.
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F
You know, whether or not Trump liked that or not, I'm not sure. But we've seen a little bit more of a diplomatic approach from Vance since that, that first meeting.
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C
Did he say anything about 2028, considering that the President of the United States can no longer run for reelection?
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F
I've asked him a variation of this question in every interview I've done with him this year, and the answer's always been the same. It's been, well, we're going to do. I'm going to do the best job I can do, and if I do, the politics will sort themselves out. So I tried to get around that this time. I was like, I know that this is how you answer this question, but under any circumstances under which you would not run for President in 2028, he maintains that his focus is not on presidential campaign right now. He did say they want to get through next year's midterm elections. He believes that the midterms will clarify where the party is, where the country is. If it's a disastrous showing, I imagine that factors into his decision making process.
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C
So, Henry, as we talk about what the Vice President is thinking about his own future in the next few years, you've covered him for a long time. Do you think he sees himself as President Trump's successor?
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F
I think if you would have asked him that three years ago, he would have said no. But the fact that he's now vice president, that's what being chosen as vice president essentially makes him. And Trump's been asked this question many times and has basically said, yeah, he thinks Vance could be his heir apparent. He also mentions Marco Ribbea's name. But Vance has smart political people around him. He's obviously a very ambitious person. There's no doubt in my mind, having covered him, being familiar with how he operates, that they are preparing for the option. Of course they want to get through the midterms first because that'll say something about where the country is headed. But from a more practical standpoint, how could you be a 40 year old vice president and not be thinking about your future?
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C
It's always incredible to me to think about how J.D. vance has made such an about face that he was a very vocal, never Trumper and is now President Trump's Vice president and possible successor in 2028. And even when you bring up Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I mean, you think about how he went toe to toe with then candidate Trump back in 2015 and the kind of hateful things that were and forth and now how the president even sees him as a possible successor and has his right hand international man as Secretary of State.
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F
I've heard over and over again the phrase no zealot, like a convert. And Trump appreciates these people that used to be very opposed to him who have come back and said, no, no, no, I was wrong, you're great, you've proven me wrong. Trump gets a kick out of that. I mean, part of it is the like vanquished rival thing. Part of it is the they're making him feel like he's the ultimate salesman because he's converted them, he's turned them around on him. And so there's a lot of that to his relationship with Vance. Like he found Vance's about face to be, you know, flattering to him.
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C
What else stood out to you in this interview?
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F
So one of the other interesting things was we talked about how this has impacted his, his family being vice president. There have been some stories circulating about his wife who should Vance. There's Been, you know, he's talked about how, you know, he hopes that maybe one day she'll convert to Christianity, that there've been, you know, pictures of her in the media of not wearing her wedding ring. And there's this news cycle about this a couple weeks ago. So I asked him about that, of, like, how does the family respond to a story like that? And he laughed. He said that he and Usha think those stories have been kind of funny, comical. They don't really pay them much mind other than to tell, laugh at them and sort of like, brush them off. He. He related a story just the other day. He and Usho were rushing out of their. Their residence. She realized that she had left her wedding band behind and was sort of like, you know, panicking, like, do I need to go back in and, and get it? Because some psycho is going to. Those are his words. Some psycho will go crazy on us over the Internet or social media. And he just told her not. He said he told her not to worry about it.
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C
Henry Gomez, thank you.
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F
Yeah, thank you.
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C
All right, let's get to some headlines, starting with the Department of Defense roundup. The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon over new rules restricting how reporters cover the U.S. military, claiming those rules violate the First Amendment. Reporters, including six at the New York Times and some at NBC News as well, handed in their Pentagon access badges over the policy. The lawsuit filed by the times in the U.S. district Court in Washington says the policy, quote, seeks to restrict journalists ability to do what journalists have always done, ask questions of government employees and gather information to report stories that take the public beyond official pronouncements. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It's previously said that the policy is not an attempt to target any particular news outlet, and it's about, quote, preventing leaks that damage operational security and national security. Meanwhile, a Pentagon watchdog report concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could have endangered American troops earlier this year when he used the encrypted but unsecured messaging app Signal to share sensitive information about an ongoing military operation in Yemen. The report is the product of an eight month investigation into Hegseth's use of Signal, and it concluded that he violated military regulations by using his personal phone for official business. Hegseth has maintained that he didn't share any classified information and that he only included details that would not endanger the mission or the troops conducting it.
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The FBI arrested Brian Cole, a suspect in the pipe bombs planted near the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters. In Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2021, a major breakthrough in a nearly five year investigation. Law enforcement says Cole was last seen on camera at 8:18pm that evening wearing a medical mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt, black gloves and a distinctive pair of Nike Air Max Speed turf shoes, black and gray with a yellow Nike logo. Investigators say the devices were placed outside the RNC and the DNC the night before the January 6th attack on the Capitol and were discovered roughly 15 hours later. The FBI had offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, and according to the bureau, they conducted more than 1,000 interviews and reviewed tens of thousands of video files in the search for the person responsible.
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After a 50 year wait that tested the nation's patience more than any Allen Key ever could, IKEA has finally landed in Auckland, New Zealand, bringing with it the promise of affordable furniture and the looming threat to domestic harmony. Thousands of Kiwis lined up as early as 4:30 in the morning for the grand opening, where the prime minister cut the ribbon and hailed the Swedish giants arrival as a much needed win for a country grappling with a cost of living crisis. And while that's welcome news for wallets, it may be less welcome for relationships with that, couples across New Zealand may want to stretch, hydrate and brace themselves.
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Because furniture fight night is officially back on. Who can resist a $60 bookcase, even if it comes in a thousand pieces and possibly a divorce decree? And just as an FYI, I used a lot of tape the last time I put an IKEA furniture together.
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And that's going to do it for us at here's the script from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring and if you like what you heard, then subscribe. Wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you tomorrow.
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E
If you're looking for new ways to get ahead, then you're our kind of person. We're Udemy and we help learners like you upskill in AI, productivity, leadership and management, and more. Learn at your own pace from real world experts. You can also prep for certifications that show employers what you know upskill for the career you want@udemy.com.
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Now back to your regularly scheduled listening.