Tiktok and tariffs: President Trump’s Call with the Chinese President; “We are all Jimmy Kimmel”: Late night hosts weigh in on Kimmel’s suspension.

Summary

Here's the Scoop – Episode Summary (Sept 19, 2025)
Podcast: Here’s the Scoop (NBC News)
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian
Key Topics: President Trump’s Call with Chinese President Xi on TikTok and Tariffs; Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension and Hollywood Fallout

---

Main Theme

This episode delves into two headline stories:

1. The high-stakes diplomatic call between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the future of TikTok in the U.S. and wider trade tensions.
2. The industry-wide reaction to Jimmy Kimmel’s abrupt suspension from ABC following government and broadcaster pressure, spotlighting issues of free speech and political influence on entertainment.

---

1. Trump-Xi Call: TikTok, Tariffs, and Shifting Power

[00:23–09:30]

Overview

• President Trump held a rare call with President Xi—centered on TikTok’s U.S. future and ongoing U.S.-China tariffs.
• Trump took to Truth Social, calling the call “very productive,” referencing “progress on many very important issues like trade.”
• Despite optimism, there’s no concrete deal yet; TikTok remains at risk of a U.S. ban unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests.

Key Discussion Points

A. Details of the Call

• Both U.S. and Chinese official readouts acknowledged TikTok as a primary agenda item but differed in tone and focus ([02:15]).
• “When you compare the readouts, it often seems like these people were at two different conversations.” – Janice McAfrear, NBC International Correspondent ([02:15])
• Beijing, after long resisting a forced sale, now appears to tacitly approve ByteDance pursuing a deal, marking a quiet milestone ([02:15–03:33]).

B. Shifts in Tone and Global Optics

• The conversation came after Xi’s robust display of military power and international alliances at a summit in Beijing.
• Trump commented on the parade, saying it was “phenomenal and beautiful,” reflecting warming diplomatic rhetoric ([04:45]).
• Janice McAfrear notes: “The Chinese side seems quite intent on taking this moment, to use it, to leverage it, to put U.S.-China relations on a track that’s more comfortable for Beijing.” ([05:20]).

C. Who Holds the Cards Now?

• After years of brinkmanship, China may see TikTok’s U.S. arm as a less valuable bargaining chip:
  “Five years into it, the orb is a little less shiny for Beijing in that TikTok is five years older, technology has advanced.” – Janice McAfrear ([06:52])
• There’s a belief within China that the U.S. is pulling back on the world stage, and that “China as a nation will benefit from that.” ([07:43–09:30])

Notable Quotes

• “President Trump told President Xi that the parade was, quote, ‘phenomenal and beautiful.’” – Janice McAfrear ([04:45])
• “Owning [TikTok] outright is, it seems, from China’s perspective, a little less valuable as a bargaining chip and therefore an easier concession to make.” – Janice McAfrear ([07:22])

---

2. “We Are All Jimmy Kimmel”: Hollywood Reacts to Suspension

[10:38–16:12]

Background

• ABC and Disney indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show after FCC Chair Brendan Carr objected to Kimmel’s comments on Charlie Kirk and the MAGA movement.
• Station groups Nexstar and Sinclair preempted Kimmel’s show, possibly linked to pending regulatory approvals and mergers ([10:38]).
• The move has triggered industry protests, with significant free-speech concerns.

Key Discussion Points

A. Satirical Response on Late Night

• John, host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, quipped:
  “If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive and clearly they’ve never read the children’s book ‘If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel.’” ([11:53])

B. Hollywood Protests and Free Speech

• Protests erupted at Disney’s studio lot, mostly writers/actors holding signs like “Free Speech,” critical of ABC and Disney CEO Bob Iger ([12:48]).
• Some showrunners (e.g. Damon Lindelof, creator of Lost) are refusing to work for ABC:
  “‘I can’t in good cons work for Disney unless the suspension against Kimmel’s lifted.’” – Rebecca Keegan ([13:38])
• However, economic realities may limit widespread protest participation:
  “It’s not a great moment for people to say no to work if Disney and ABC are in a position to offer it to them.” – Rebecca Keegan ([13:38])
• Industry staff are now more cautious about speaking out:
  “That sort of fear is new.” – Rebecca Keegan ([13:38])

C. Inside Disney: The Kimmel Problem

• Kimmel is deeply valued by Disney and ABC, having hosted the Oscars and serving as a “beloved” company figure.
• The suspension came amid failed negotiations between Kimmel and Disney’s TV chief, Dana Walden, over how Kimmel would address the controversy ([14:55]).
• Ongoing talks between Kimmel’s team and Disney aim to find a return path that balances his independence with corporate priorities.

Notable Quotes

• “There have been conversations between leadership at Disney and Kimmel’s team...The goal seems to be to find a way to come back.” – Rebecca Keegan ([14:55])
• “People on both sides seem to want to come back, but how to do that in a way that preserves Kimmel’s independence...seems to be a tricky problem to solve.” – Rebecca Keegan ([15:40])

---

3. Quick Headlines & Other Key Moments

[16:14–20:10]

• Federal Judge Tosses Trump’s $15B Lawsuit v. NY Times: Judge says a complaint “is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a political rally.” ([16:14])
• Charlie Kirk Memorial Announced: To be held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, with heavy security; both President Trump and Vice President Vance to speak ([18:02]).
  • “Federal officials are categorizing the security there with what they call Sear level one— one step below a presidential inauguration or a Super Bowl.” – Morgan Chesky ([18:02])
• CDC Updates MMRV Vaccine Guidance: Now recommends separate shots for children under 4 due to febrile seizure risk ([18:49]).
• Elevated Wildfire Risk: Unusual autumn wildfire warning for the Northeast/New England ([19:30]).
• SNL Season 51 Premiere Announced: Bad Bunny (host) with Doja Cat as musical guest; future episodes feature Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter ([20:10]).

---

Memorable Moments & Speaker Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |-----------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 02:15 | Janice McAfrear | “It often seems like these people were at two different conversations.” | | 04:45 | Janice McAfrear | “Trump told President Xi that the parade was, quote, ‘phenomenal and beautiful.’” | | 07:22 | Janice McAfrear | “Owning it outright is, it seems, from China’s perspective, a little less valuable as a bargaining chip.” | | 11:53 | John (The Daily Show) | “...they’ve never read the children’s book ‘If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel.’” | | 13:38 | Rebecca Keegan | “‘I can’t in good cons work for Disney unless the suspension against Kimmel’s lifted.’” | | 15:40 | Rebecca Keegan | “People on both sides seem to want to come back, but how to do that...seems to be a tricky problem to solve.” | | 18:02 | Morgan Chesky | “Federal officials are categorizing the security there with what they call Sear level one— one step below a presidential inauguration.” |

---

Episode Tone & Takeaways

This episode maintains a brisk, insightful tone—balancing political nuance with enough warmth and humor to keep listeners engaged. Key reporting draws from on-the-ground NBC journalists and industry insiders, providing both context and pointed analysis on stories at the intersection of tech, politics, and culture.

---

Ideal For:
Listeners who want a clear, lively rundown of headline news, with sharp analysis of the political and cultural implications behind major events—served with journalistic credibility and a dash of late-night wit.

---

Transcript

[Thumbtack Advertiser]

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.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Welcome to Here's a scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vezugian. Today on the show, the late night hosts have spoken how they have responded to Jimmy Kimmel suspension. And we'll have the very latest on the fallout at abc, plus a rare wildfire risk in the fall season. Up first, though, will we be able to Keep doom scrolling TikTok at midnight while laying in bed contemplating mortality or just looking at teasers for the summer, I turn pretty just me. All right, moving on. That is, though, the big question today. The president held a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an attempt to shore up a deal to keep the TikTok app operating here in the U.S. later, the president took to Truth Social to say the call was very productive and they made, as he put it, progress on many very important issues like trade. We are still, by the way, smack dab in the middle of that tariff war between the world's two biggest economies. He also pointed to headway on the approval of the TikTok deal, but he stopped just short of declaring victory or announcing a done deal. TikTok has 170 million US users and is still looking at a possible ban. Under a law that Congress passed last last year, its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has to sell off the US arm of the app to American owners or risk getting kicked out of the country altogether. Today, A spokesperson at ByteDance thanked Presidents Trump and Xi for, quote, their efforts to preserve TikTok and said it will work within the laws to keep the app available to American users through TikTok US. So with that, I want to bring in NBC News international correspondent Janice McAfrear, who's on the ground for us in Beijing. Hi, Janice.

[Janice McAfrear]

Hey, Yasmin.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Let's talk about this phone call and what we know so far. What do we understand took place between Xi Jinping and President Trump?

[Janice McAfrear]

Well, we've had comments from President Trump and on the US Side talking about what the call focused on. We had initially a report from Xinhua News Agency on what the Chinese side was saying. And then we had the Official MOFA readout, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When you compare the readouts, it often seems like these people were at two different conversations, because the points that they choose to highlight as the key points are often very different. What they did agree on was that TikTok was one of the main things that they discussed. And from the Chinese perspective, it does appear like after years of pushing back on the idea that Beijing would approve a deal to sell TikTok, they do appear to be saying, we're happy to let this Chinese company, you know, continue to go through the negotiations. We will approve this. So it wasn't the announcement of a deal, but it was the passing of a milestone in that Xi Jinping appeared to be giving his TACIT approval for ByteDance to go ahead and make a deal.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Can we talk, Dennis, a little bit about the relationship between these two men? Historically, we know there were times in which President Trump especially has praised Xi Jinping, but we know as of late, obviously, there has been certainly more tension. Where are they? As of this moment? In this time, the.

[Janice McAfrear]

The overall tone of the call seemed to be positive, and the Chinese side was really leaning into this idea that somehow the relationship could enjoy a reset. It's coming on the heels of what has been a pretty epic month for China's President Xi Jinping. He hosted a summit of world leaders, and then that parade, it was just dripping in optics with having Putin and Kim Jong Un, all of these other leaders behind Xi Jinping standing there on the balcony with this massive show of military force and the entire nuclear arsenal being paraded through Tiananmen Square, sending this message that China has friends, and the friends are here. And President Trump admitted that he was watching the parade. And in the readout that the Ministry of Foreign affairs put out today on this phone call, they made a point of saying that President Trump, Trump told President Xi that the parade was, quote, phenomenal and beautiful. And so what we're seeing, which I think is really interesting, is this kind of shift in the tone toward each other, in that the Chinese side seems quite intent on taking this moment, to use it, to leverage it, to put US China relations on a track that's more comfortable for Beijing.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

That's really interesting. Is there a sense that China feels as if they are in the driver's seat right now, especially after that summit, and seemingly as if the United States feels as if they need China? To a certain extent.

[Janice McAfrear]

What the shift seems to be now is that Beijing had the first Trump administration to understand a little bit better of how President Trump operates in the White House. So they were very prepared for this second administration, prepared for the trade war, prepared for answering tariffs, prepared for a lot of the difficulties that they appear to be facing with technology, export controls, trade, that sort of thing. With all of the talk around the TikTok deal, for example, you know, for the last five years, Beijing has been talking about how they were fiercely opposed to any forced sale of TikTok, that the US was not going to tell a Chinese company what to do. Now, a few years into it, why are they deciding to agree to a deal?

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Now?

[Janice McAfrear]

Even in the readout using the word happy to make a deal, there seems to be this idea that somehow Beijing, in its strategy has seen that five years into it, the orb is a little less shiny for Beijing in that TikTok is five years older, technology has advanced.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Do you mean owning TikTok outright is a little less shiny, is a little less attractive than it was 5 years?

[Janice McAfrear]

Owning it outright is, it seems, from China's perspective, to be a little less valuable as a bargaining chip and therefore an easier concession to make.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

And with that said, we are now nearly eight months into the second Trump presidency. Has there been a shift in the way China looks at the United States?

[Janice McAfrear]

When President Trump was elected for a second term, there was a lot of discussion on social media here and, you know, different catchphrases that were going around that translated roughly to, you know, president Trump will make China great again. There is the belief that China might not have to do much more to advance or reach its ambitions than to watch what they see as an unraveling of a number of things in the US And I think overall, if you look at the sort of videos that people are sharing on Chinese social media, they're taking news events and just amplifying them and creating this impression that America is a place you don't want to send your kids to, to go to university. That resonates here. So there's certainly the tendency to create a lot of impressions and to create a lot of fear. But that's coupled with this idea that US Foreign policy fundamentally changed and in some cases alienating countries that have been loyal to the US There really is the belief that China is there to fill the gap, whether it's at the UN Whether it's in foreign aid. There really is this belief that the US Is pulling back and that China as a nation will. Will benefit from that.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Janice McAfrer, thank you.

[Janice McAfrear]

Thank you.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

When we come back, we're going to Hollywood. And the fallout from Jimmy Kimmel. Suspension.

[DSW Advertiser]

Ah, DSW Earth, place of the humble. Brag here. The shoes are so good, no one would ever know how little you paid if you didn't go telling everyone that is. And with never ending options for every style, mood and occasion, all at really great prices, they'll definitely give you something to brag about. So go ahead, stock up on fresh sneakers from your favorite brands or try those boots you always secretly knew you could pull off. Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores [e-mail] Let us surprise you this.

[Meet the Press Promoter / John (Daily Show Host)]

Week on Meet the Press as the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk sends shockwaves across the nation. Kristen Welker sits down with Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Pete Buttigieg and Senators Mark Kelly and Lindsey Grabb this week on Meet the Press. Listen to the full episode now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

And we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. The fallout over Jimmy Kimmel continues after pressure from FCC chair Brendan Carr. ABC and Disney suspended Kimmel's show indefinitely on Wednesday. Want to give you a quick recap here. So Carr took issue with some of Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk and the MAGA movement. Then nexstar, a big owner of ABC affiliates, also known as those member stations that carry programming from big national networks to smaller markets, they decided they were going to preempt Kimmel's show for the foreseeable future. Nexstar, by the way, is also trying to go through this huge merger soon and they're going to need, guess who, FCC approval for it. Sinclair, another big broadcast group, also pulled the plug. Then Disney and abc, which owns Kimmel's show, they made it official, they suspended the show altogether. So now we are here, Kimmel's off the air. And last night the remaining late night hosts had their chance to weigh in. From Comedy Central, it's the all new.

[Meet the Press Promoter / John (Daily Show Host)]

Government approved Daily show with your patriotically obedient host, John.

[Thumbtack Advertiser]

Well guys, the big story is that.

[John (Daily Show Host)]

Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the fcc, leaving everyone thinking wtf? If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive and clearly they've never read the children's book if you give a mouse a Kimmel.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

So we've all seen the reaction to Kimmel's suspension reverberate across the rest of Hollywood. Protests in California, some people in the industry even saying they're not gonna work with ABC anymore. I wanna bring in my colleague Rebecca Keegan for more on this. She is our NBC News senior Hollywood Reporter and she has been covering the protests on the ground in California for the last 48 hours or so. Hi, Rebecca.

[Janice McAfrear]

Hi.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

I mentioned protests that have been happening. You were actually at the protests at the Disney lot yesterday. Walk me through what you saw, what you heard, who was there and what do they wanna see happen?

[Rebecca Keegan]

Yeah, this was a few hundred people, most of them writers and actors, industry folks, gathered outside the gates of the lot. They were carrying signs that said things like free speech, that criticized ABC and Disney CEO Bob Iger. Some of the people I talked to had actually walked out of their Disney shows that morning, walked out of their writers room to come to that protest. And they were really, really concerned about what the implications of this removal of Kimmel's show means for freedom of speech and for sort of their ability to work creatively in their industry.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Well, and then we're also hearing folks that are saying, we're not even gonna work with ABC anymore. Like the creator of Lost, for instance. How realistic is kind of a protest like that?

[Rebecca Keegan]

Well, it's interesting. There have been some high profile folks, as you said. Damon Lindelof, the creator of Lost, said he, quote, can't in good cons work for Disney unless the suspension against Kimmel's lifted. It's a really tough time for people in the industry to take a stand. They're still kind of reeling from COVID the strikes, business contractions. It's not a great moment for people to say no to work if Disney and ABC are in a position to offer it to them. You know, reporting outside the Disney lot. I had reported on a lot of protests during the sag, AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes. And people were very comfortable going on the record criticizing their companies that they work for. This time they weren't. They would tell me, oh, I work for a Disney show. But they did not want their name appearing in print. That sort of fear is new.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

You know, one of the things that I've heard consistently since this whole thing went down was that Kimmel was a very popular and is a very popular guy at Disney. What has been the conversations from your reporting inside the halls of Disney? Are they having closed door meetings with Kimmel's agents, attorneys, conversations about the possibility of his return, what that return could feasibly look like, especially considering how they have viewed Kimmel up until this point?

[Rebecca Keegan]

Kimmel is a hugely important figure for Disney and abc. He hosted the Oscars for years. He is kind of the official in house emcee and pretty beloved at the company. So this is a major problem. What led to the show being removed from the air was the inability of Kimmel and Disney's television chief, Dana Walden, to come to an agreement on Wednesday as the clock was ticking on how he would address this controversy. He wanted to handle it one way. The feeling at Disney was that what he wanted to say would further inflame the issue. I don't know how you find a sort of elegant solution for that. Certainly there are very, very smart people trying to figure that out. There have been convers between leadership at Disney and Kimmel's team, his attorney, his manager, and the goal seems to be to find a way to come back. People on both sides seem to want to come back, but how to do that in a way that preserves Kimmel's independence and what the studio sees as important to their sort of business survival. This seems to be a tricky problem to solve, and they haven't yet.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Rebecca Keegan, thank you.

[Rebecca Keegan]

Thank you.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

All right, let's get to some headlines. A federal judge has tossed out President Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, but he left the door open for Trump to try again. The judge found that the complaint did not comply with federal civil rules of procedure. Trump and his team have 28 days to refile with the strict 40 page limit. In his ruling, the judge warned that, quote, a complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a political rally. Trump filed a suit in US District Court in Florida against both the Times and Penguin Random House, accusing them of a, quote, decades long pattern of intentional and malicious defamation. The case names the newspaper and four of its journalists as defendants and cites several articles along with a book published in the 2024 Campaign as examples of what he calls false defamatory content. Trump also argued that Times had effectively become a mouthpiece for the radical left Democrat Party. The New York Times dismissed the lawsuit as baseless in an effort to silence its reporting. And Penguin Random House also rejected the case and emphasized its commitment to First Amendment protection. A public memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, titled Building a Legacy, Remembering Charlie Kirk, will be held Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the same venue that is home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. Turning Point USA, the group he co founded, is organizing the event and bracing for a huge turnout. The memorial is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required and security will be heavy given the crowd and the political moment. For many, it'll be both a farewell to Kirk and a rally around the movement that he built. Here's the scoop. Co host Morgan Chesky is on the ground for us.

[Morgan Chesky]

Yeah, guys. Security preparations well underway in Glendale, Arizona, where this massive memorial for Charlie Kirk will be held at 11am Sunday. Federal officials are categorizing the security there with what they call Sear level one. Essentially, what that means is it's one step below a presidential inauguration or a Super bowl. And that's likely because both President Trump and Vice President Vance have confirmed they will be speaking there Sunday alongside Erica Kirk, which just in the last 48 hours has been named CEO of Turning Point USA, that conservative group that Charlie Kirk co founded. The capacity at this stadium, 60,000 with the ability to go to 70,000. And a significant turnout is expected.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

Thank you, Morgan. A closely watched CDC advisory panel has voted to update its guidance on the MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. The panel now recommends that children under the age of four not routinely receive the combined vaccine, citing a slightly higher risk of febrile seizures. Instead, kids in this age group should get two separate shots, one for MMR and one for chickenpox, unless parents or caregivers specifically want the combined dose. The panel also decided to delay a vote on whether to push back the timing of infants first hepatitis B shot. This temporarily eases some fears for both doctors and experts who fear that any change could roll back decades of progress in controlling the disease. The National Weather Service is warning of an elevated wildfire risk across the Northeast and New England Friday afternoon. Gusty winds, low hu humidity and weeks of dry weather mean any spark could spread fast. Wildfires aren't common this time of year, but with extreme drought in parts of the region, conditions are ripe. So if you're out and about this weekend, take it seriously, because as Smokey the Bear has reminded us, only you can prevent wildfires.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

Live from New York, It's Saturday night.

[Yasmin Vezugian]

SNL has announced their hosts and musical guests for season 51, episode one. And I'll give you a hint that is right, Bad Bunny is making his second appearance on SNL with Doja Cat as his musical guest. October 4th, they're going to be live from Studio 8H. The week after, we've got Amy Poehler hosting with Role Model. And the week after that, the lovely Sabrina Carpenter is going to be a host and musical guest as well, a multifaceted icon who knows, by the way, what Lorne Michaels has cooking up. But I'm going to be tuned in every Saturday night to find out. That's going to do it for us at here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. We'll be back Monday with whatever the weekend may bring. And by the way, make sure to follow us wherever you get your favorite podcasts and subscribe. We'll see you Monday.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

Sometimes an identity threat is a ring of professional hackers. And sometimes it's an overworked accountant who forgot to encrypt their connection while sending bank details.

[Janice McAfrear]

I need a coffee.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

And you need Lifelock. Because your info is in endless places. It only takes one mistake to expose you to identity theft. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first [e-mail] specialoffer terms apply.