Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran

Summary

Summary of "Here's the Scoop" Podcast Episode: "Trump Lashes Out at Israel and Iran"

Release Date: June 24, 2025
Host: Morgan Chesky, with contributions from Kier Simmons and Steve Kornacki

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1. President Trump's Comments on Israel and Iran

The episode opens with Morgan Chesky addressing President Donald Trump's recent remarks concerning Israel and Iran. On the White House lawn, Trump criticized both nations for violating a ceasefire, using notably strong language.

• Morgan Chesky [00:25]:

  "President Donald Trump saying both sides violated a ceasefire and not holding back when he spoke on the White House lawn this morning."

• Tom Yamas [00:59]:

  "They don't know what the fuck they're doing here."

2. Impact and Analysis of Trump's Remarks

To provide deeper insight, Morgan introduces NBC News' chief international correspondent, Kier Simmons, who offers an analysis of Trump's statement.

• Kier Simmons [01:13]:

  "Yeah, it certainly got people's attention and I think it was designed to do that. It was a way, I think, of President Trump trying to get one person to listen, specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Chesky probes whether Trump's harsh language signifies a genuine rift or is merely performative. Simmons responds by suggesting it's a combination of both, highlighting Trump's strategic use of strong language to make an impact while acknowledging genuine underlying tensions.

• Kier Simmons [01:42]:

  "I think it's both. I think President Trump knew very well what he was doing when he used that expletive. He knew that that would have an impact."

Simmons further elaborates on the fluctuating relationship between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, noting that this incident could influence broader regional dynamics.

• Kier Simmons [02:29]:

  "Many of the Arab countries where I am now have been looking for an American president to kind of put their foot down with the Israelis. And they didn't get it from President Biden. And now it looks like they got it from President Trump."

3. Operational Challenges in the Middle East

Chesky shifts the conversation to the logistical challenges present in the Middle East, referencing Simmons' presence in Dubai and his recent travel to Iraq amid ongoing conflicts.

• Kier Simmons [02:40]:

  "The journey here is incredibly difficult right now. I flew into Istanbul, took another flight across Turkey to the Syrian border, drove along the Syrian border for five hours, just changed vehicles, crossed the border into Iraq."

Simmons emphasizes the destabilizing effects of prolonged conflicts on regional economies and infrastructure, stressing the urgent need for stability.

• Kier Simmons [03:33]:

  "Imagine you live in a place where you can't fly in and out. That's not going to lend itself to a thriving economy."

4. The Enigma of Fordo's Uranium

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the mysterious disappearance of 880 pounds of enriched uranium from the Fordo site, where the US previously conducted a large-scale bombing.

• Morgan Chesky [03:33]:

  "We've seen satellite imagery with a line of trucks at the Fordo site. Iran claims they moved the uranium out, while US intelligence suspects not all has been relocated."

• Kier Simmons [04:04]:

  "The uranium that Iran has enriched the most, highly enriched, they call it 60%. It's a lot quicker to get from 60 to 90 than it is to get to 60. So that's important stuff."

Simmons discusses the critical nature of the missing uranium, highlighting its potential to escalate nuclear tensions if not accounted for.

• Kier Simmons [04:49]:

  "It's possible that the intelligence agencies, the Israelis, the US are close to establishing where it is or where it was and whether it has been destroyed."

5. Potential Alliances and Geopolitical Shifts

Chesky inquires about the possible alliance between Iran and Russia in the current geopolitical climate.

• Kier Simmons [04:58]:

  "The Russians are going to turn out to be a pretty fickle friend for the Iranians. Their partnership doesn’t compel either to go to each other's aid."

Simmons expresses skepticism about a solidified alliance, noting Russia's intentions to repair ties with Israel and its reluctance to support Iran's nuclear ambitions.

• Kier Simmons [05:48]:

  "I wouldn't underestimate how much the Russians wouldn't want the Iranians to have nuclear weapons either. They don't want to see nuclear weapons in Central Asia or in the Middle East."

6. New York City Mayoral Election

Transitioning from international affairs, Chesky updates listeners on the New York City mayoral primary, highlighting the crowded Democratic field and the significant competition between former Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Representative Zoran Mamdani.

• Morgan Chesky [07:13]:

  "Voters in New York City are heading to the polls today because it is primary day for the mayoral election. While there's only one candidate on the Republican side, the Democratic field is incredibly crowded with 11 hopefuls in the running."

Chesky brings in political correspondent Steve Kornacki to analyze the election's broader implications.

• Steve Kornacki [07:49]:

  "It is an election day and I do have to give you a bit of a confession here. I am a native Texan that currently resides in Los Angeles."

Kornacki discusses the profile of the candidates and the potential national ripple effects of the election outcome, especially regarding the rising influence of progressive voices within the Democratic Party.

• Steve Kornacki [09:59]:

  "This is a story about the Democratic Party here. Cuomo represents the traditional Democratic base, while Mamdani's campaign has been fueled by younger, college-educated, very liberal voters."

7. Key Headlines

The latter part of the episode covers various national headlines:

• Largest Child Rescue Operation:
  The U.S. Marshals conducted "Dragoneye," rescuing 60 missing children in the Tampa Bay area and arresting eight suspects on human trafficking charges.

• Sean "Diddy" Combs' Trial:
  After 29 days of testimony, the prosecution rested. The defense opted not to call witnesses, planning to submit additional evidence before closing arguments.

• Heat Wave Impact:
  A severe heatwave affected approximately 160 million people across the United States, setting numerous record highs and causing health emergencies during outdoor events.

• BlackBerry's Resurgence:
  Highlighting the trend of nostalgia, BlackBerry phones are making a comeback among Gen Z users for their tactile keyboards and focus-friendly features.

  • Tom Yamas [13:12]:

    "New BlackBerry, huh?"

  • Kier Simmons [13:13]:

    "Yeah, me too. How sick is the web browsing?"

  • Morgan Chesky [13:18]:

    "Why Gen Zers say they are snagging up discontinued models because it's all about focus."

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Conclusion

Morgan Chesky wraps up the episode by reflecting on the day's discussions, from high-stakes international tensions to local political shifts and cultural trends. The episode provides listeners with a comprehensive overview of significant events shaping both national and global landscapes.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content segments to focus solely on the substantive discussions and analyses presented in the episode.

Transcript

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[Morgan Chesky]

Hey, friends. Morgan Chesky here. And welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News today. Today on the pod, the prosecution rests in Diddy's trial. It's election Day in New York city and the 2000s tech that's making a comeback one click at a time. But first to Israel and Iran. President Donald Trump saying both sides violated a ceasefire and not holding back when he spoke on the White House lawn this morning. And if there's any parents listening with kids, you might want to tell them earmuffs.

[Kier Simmons]

We basically have two countries that have.

[Morgan Chesky]

Been fighting so long and so hard.

[Tom Yamas]

That they don't know what the fuck they're doing here.

[Morgan Chesky]

To respond to that statement from President Trump, I want to introduce chief international correspondent Kier Simmons. Kier, you're in Iraq. Safe to call this the F bomb heard around the world.

[Kier Simmons]

Yeah, it certainly got people's attention and I think it was designed to do that. It was a way, I think, of President Trump trying to get one person to listen, specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu.

[Morgan Chesky]

We haven't seen maybe any president in U.S. history call out and criticize an Israeli prime minister the way in which President Trump did earlier today. Do you see this forming a rift or is this more performative?

[Kier Simmons]

I think it's both. I think President Trump knew very well what he was doing when he used that expletive. He knew that that would have an impact. I think, though the anger was real. I know from his friends and he says it publicly that he really does want to be kind of the president of peace, whether you think he's doing the right thing to get to that stage. Prime Minister Netanyahu was threatening that. And I think that really got to him. They have a hot and cold relationship anyway. And I think it's interesting, isn't it, because many, many of the Arab countries where I am now have been looking for an American president to kind of put their foot down with the Israelis. And they didn't get it from President Biden. And now it looks like they got it from President Trump.

[Morgan Chesky]

So, Kir, you're based in Dubai but you traveled to Iraq essentially as soon as the missiles started flying. What impact is this that you've seen so far that I have to imagine was pretty tough to get to?

[Kier Simmons]

Yeah, it was. And that's part of the story. It's been destabilizing in a region that wants stability, particularly countries in the Gulf, for example, because they want to get their economies to be doing better. The journey here is incredibly difficult right now. I flew into Istanbul, took another flight across Turkey to the Syrian border, drove along the Syrian border for five hours, just changed vehicles, crossed the border into Iraq. But that took hours to get the visa and then, you know, a few more hours to a bill. Imagine you live in a place where you can't fly in and out. That's not going to lend itself to a thriving economy. And so that's just an example of where this is something that many of the countries in this region will be hoping to put in the rearview mirror.

[Morgan Chesky]

I know you've been digging into the biggest question perhaps of all right now, and that is where is the missing 880 pounds of enriched uranium that was believed to be at that Fordo site in the mountains where the US Dropped those massive bombs? Satellite imagery showed a line of trucks there in the days prior. Iran says they were able to move it out. US Intelligence says perhaps not all of it. And UN inspectors haven't gotten a peek themselves.

[Kier Simmons]

So it's a great question. It is, I think, one of the crucial questions. To state the obvious, the uranium that Iran has enriched the most, highly enriched, they call it 60%. And anyone will tell you that that's a slightly confusing number. You have to get it over 90% for it to be weapons grade uranium. But actually it's a lot quicker to get from 60 to 90 than it is to get to 60. So that's important stuff. And where is it is one of the major questions. I was told that the Israelis thought they knew where it was. As we speak right now, it's possible that the intelligence agencies, the Israelis, the US are close to establishing where it is or where it was and whether it has been destroyed.

[Morgan Chesky]

And Kir, just to add to this saga, how worried should the world be, how worried should the US be about Iran turning to Russia in a time like this?

[Kier Simmons]

I think the Russians are going to turn out to be a pretty fickle friend for the Iranians. They did agree a partnership some months ago. That partnership, though, does not compel either of them to go to each other's aid. And I think also the Russians would very much like to improve what has been a deteriorating relationship with Israel for lots of reasons. So I'm not sure that and this is cynical stuff from President Putin, I'm not sure that despite the Iranians providing drone capability to the Russians for their fight in Ukraine, that necessarily President Putin is going to be rushing in. And I will say this too. I wouldn't underestimate how much the Russians wouldn't don't want the Iranians to have nuclear weapons either. They don't want to see nuclear weapons in Central Asia or in the Middle East. I think as much as anybody here.

[Morgan Chesky]

I have a few colleagues that I'm convinced rarely, if ever, sleep. You are certainly one of those people. Can't thank you enough for making time.

[Kier Simmons]

Oh, bless you.

[Morgan Chesky]

All right, time now for a quick break. But when we're back, we're talking about who could be the next mayor of New York City. Stick around.

[Tom Yamas]

Taking over the helm of NBC nightly news, a 75 year old broadcast. It's a great responsibility. Good evening, I'm Tom Yamas. You have to go out there to bring people home.

[Morgan Chesky]

Closer to the store, wildfires continue to be a threat.

[Tom Yamas]

With that massive hurricane comes the massive response. The best reporters in our business know how to listen. And when you listen, you get the truth.

[Morgan Chesky]

For NBC News, NBC News, NBC News.

[Tom Yamas]

I'm Tom Yamas. That's what we do every night, NBC.

[Morgan Chesky]

Nightly News with Tom Yamas, evenings on NBC.

[Hoda Kotb]

Hey everybody, it's Hoda Kotb. And I would love for you to join me for new episodes of my podcast, Making Space. Each week I'm having conversations with authors, actors, speakers and dear friends of mine, folks who are seeking the truth, compassion and self discovery. I promise you will leave these talks stronger and inspired to make space in your own life for growth and change. To start listening, just search Making Space wherever you get your podcasts and follow for new episodes every Wednesday.

[Morgan Chesky]

Hey guys, Morgan here. And we are back with here's the scoop. Voters in New York City are heading to the polls today because it is primary day for the mayoral election. And while there's only one candidate on the Republican side, the Democratic field is incredibly crowded with 11 hopefuls in the running. But it's largely come down to a race between former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, you'll remember him, and New York State Representative Zoran Mamdani, a political unknown no longer. I'm at 30 Rock this week, so I just had to call up our national political correspondent, Steve Kornacki, who's taking a break from the big board to hang out with us here in the pot studio. Steve, so good to have you.

[Tom Yamas]

It's an election day. Always happy to be here and get to talk about it.

[Morgan Chesky]

It is an election day and I do have to give you a bit of a confession here. I am a native Texan that currently resides in Los Angeles. West coast guy. But right now, of course, visiting 30 Rock for the launch of here's the Scoop. So the city's definitely been abuzz with the news of this primary. This isn't even a general election. So the big question, why should anyone outside New York care?

[Tom Yamas]

Totally fair question. And I mean, we do have a tendency to over inflate the importance of New York stuff in the national media. But I do think there's a couple reasons here. One is just personality. Look, Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York, one of the biggest states in the country, all sorts of controversy going back to Covid, the actions he took as governor, those in some ways had a ripple effect nationally. The circumstances where he left office, sex harassment scandal. So can he stage a political comeback here also? Yeah, New York City, it is the largest city in the country. So in many ways it can be a bit of a bellwether in certain ways at least. But also I think the question here is about this contrast between Andrew Cuomo and then this insurgent, very progressive force that's represented by Zoran Mandani. The question here is, can they get a win, the progressive side here in New York City? And if they do, I think that could have a ripple effect nationally as well.

[Morgan Chesky]

Mamdani polling at around, I think, like 1% not too long ago. Now he's looked at a potential contender. What happened?

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah, I mean, part of this is, look, part of this is the evolution of media. What he's done. A lot of it is through social media. It's through videos on social media that have gotten a lot of attention. I do think there's an element of this where he's a very good public performer, social media performer. And Cuomo, meanwhile, you know, who's nearly 70 years old, who kind of came up in politics in a very different media age. And I think one of the interesting things about this is potentially the power of social media and how this younger candidate is connecting with that in Cuomo, I don't think has.

[Morgan Chesky]

Steve, you're a guy who can look at the entire country and break down an election state by state, county by county to the city. What, through line from this race in New York City, do you see potentially emerging elsewhere in elections.

[Tom Yamas]

I think this is a story about the Democratic Party here. And I think Cuomo represents, and if you look at the polling coming into today's primary, he has appeal, has been sort of to the traditional Democratic Party base, very strong with African Americans, with senior citizens, with blue collar voters, voters who don't have college degrees. When you look in the polling, that's who Cuomo is doing the best with. Mandani's campaign has been fueled by younger voters, by college educated voters, by self described very liberal voters, very ideological voters. And that in many ways is sort of the emerging power of the Democratic Party, certainly in New York City. But we see this happening nationally as well. So there's a longer term question about the future of the Democratic Party. If that Mandani wing can get a win here. I think that'd be a pretty dramatic statement about momentum for that side of the party and some pretty serious questions for sort of that traditional side of the party that Cuomo represents.

[Morgan Chesky]

Hitting the table to make sure that emphasis is loud and clear. Steve Kornacki, always a pleasure to have you here. No creases in the khakis, but no judgment.

[Tom Yamas]

It's, you know, my casual look for the podcast.

[Morgan Chesky]

So, you know, you nailed it, man. Appreciate you. You got it. Polls close at 9pm tonight, but because of New York's ranked choice voting system, we probably won't know the results until sometime next week. But we'll be sure to update you as soon as we get those numbers in. And now let's hit the headlines, starting with what's being called the largest child rescue operation in U.S. history. Over the past two weeks, the U.S. marshals have helped rescue 60 missing children across the Tampa Bay area in Florida. The operation, dubbed Dragoneye, targeted at risk youth between the ages of 9 and 17, many of whom had been missing for years. Authorities arrested eight suspects on charges that include human trafficking. And they tell us those kids are now receiving much needed medical and psychological care. And the trial of Sean Diddy Combs looks like it's wrapping up. After 29 days of testimony, the prosecution rested. And in a surprise move, Combs defense team said it wouldn't call any witnesses of its own, instead telling the judge that they would submit additional evidence. That sets up the court to hear closing arguments this Thursday. Combs faces five criminal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking charges, which he's repeatedly denied. And we're crossing our fingers that many of you have found a place to cool off. With a heat wave now impacting around 160 million people from Texas all the way to Maine, Timpson, NYC and our nation's capital now rivaling California's new Death Valley. And in New Jersey, it got so hot, more than 100 people were treated during outdoor graduation ceremonies. With dozens of record highs already set, everyone's looking forward to a little relief that might not come till Thursday. And hey, speaking of what's hot. Okay, so what's up with Slim Shady? Well, we wanted to give a nod to a trend you've probably noticed. Nostalgia is king. AKA everything old is new again. Everything from low rise jeans to that early aughts music is apparently back in fashion. And now Gen Z setting its sights on the status symbol of its time.

[Tom Yamas]

New BlackBerry, huh?

[Kier Simmons]

Yeah, me too. How sick is the web browsing?

[Morgan Chesky]

Yep, the BlackBerry making a comeback, believe it or not. That iconic clickety clack keyboard suddenly cooler than any sleek touchscreen. Why Gen Z ers say they are snagging up discontinued models because it's all about focus. No endless TikToks, no doom scrolling spirals. Just the pure joy of Texting like it's 2006. Sure, some may chalk it up to nostalgia or a desire to unplug, but let's be real here, a big part of its pull. Something that's as timeless as ever, right? Looking cool in front of your friends. Well, hey, that's going to do it for us today at here's the scoop. I'm Morgan Chesky. Kind of wondering where my CD collection actually ended up. Right now, signing off from a toasty New York City. We'll see you next time.

[Jill Martin]

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