A (3:30)

So through diplomacy, that is the only

B (3:32)

role I could imagine for China. Might they be able to use their lines of communication with Iran to try to reach some kind of an agreement? Possibly. But the Strait of Hormuz is Iran's big piece of leverage at this weakened moment for them, and it seems very, very unlikely that they're going to give it up when without an end to the war.

A (3:52)

Okay, so I want to actually draw on that a little bit, what you just said, because the president had a press conference today, and he talked about, you know, the relationship a little bit that he has with NATO, which we know has been somewhat fraught even since Trump 1.0. Right. He talked a lot about how we give to NATO. They don't give back. And he reiterated that in this press conference today. And then he went on to say this.

B (4:14)

Numerous countries have told me they're on the way. Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some are in some countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren't that enthusiastic.

A (4:34)

Who is he, in fact, talking about?

B (4:38)

So we've seen President Trump over and over again lambasting the United States allies in Western Europe. You know, different levels of intensity aimed at different countries, different times. But for France, Germany, the U.K. spain, Italy, at points, these are countries that lived under the US Security umbrella during the Cold War. And President Trump feels that they have not been contributing enough to their own security since then through NATO. That's a view that's shared in many places in the United States. President Obama, President Biden also felt that the Europeans should be shouldering more of the load. But it's President Trump who has really, really broug enormous pressure to bear on the Europeans and has been prepared to make threats in terms of what the United States will and won't do if the Europeans don't step up.

A (5:35)

What is the overall mood in Europe when it comes to this war? I know that the European foreign ministers were meeting today to discuss this ask from the president and what is happening at the Strait of Formos?

B (5:47)

The mood is unenthusiastic, to put it mildly. The Europeans were not consulted on this. They were kept on the sidelines when the US And Israel launched this attack. Most of the Europeans have diplomatic relations with Iran. That's not to say that they have good relations with Iran. But the relationship is not as confrontational as it is with the United States. In the same way that President Trump is taking a political domestic hit as gas prices go up, European leaders have those same problems, those same issues around inflation, the same issues around getting not just oil, but fertilizer, nitrates, everything else through the Straits of Hormuz. So when you see the president saying that NATO owes it to him to help out with this situation, I think the mood among a lot of Europeans is you started this war, you figure this out.

A (6:41)

You know, in the lead up to this war, as we were talking about the potential for the United States to attack Iran, there was always this idea that attacking Iran, a war with Iran would not just stay within Iran's borders. It would, you know, trickle out to the entire region. This would become a geopolitical conflict. Right. And then you had to deal with Iran's, quote, unquote, allies, that is China, as you talked about Russia as well, on Friday, you had U.S. fighter jets that are that attacked Kharg island, which is off the Iranian coast. That island produces 90% of Iran's oil, nearly all of it getting exported to China. Now the president is pressuring China, as we have already talked about, to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And it's also putting a lot of pressure, a bullseye, I would say, on this upcoming meeting between President Trump and President Xi of China, which they said is not off but could in fact be postponed. How could this affect the relationship between the United States and China? We talked about the relationship between China and Iran, but the United States and China now.

B (7:52)

So it's been interesting watching the Chinese rhetoric over the course of the war. They have said that they are against it, but they haven't condemned it as forcefully as you might expect them to. And the thinking is part of the reason for that and is that you're supposed to have this meeting between President Trump, President Xi at the end of March, early April. Not clear, as you said, whether that is going to go ahead as scheduled. But just reading the Chinese rhetoric, it seems like that meeting is important to them and they didn't want to do anything to derail it ahead of time. Now, if President Trump moves ahead with bombing Kharg island, if it suddenly becomes very difficult for China to get hold of the oil needs for its enormous economy, you know, that might change very, very quickly.

A (8:43)

So just to be clear, raf, the United States did in fact hit Carg Island.

B (8:47)

Yeah, that's right. But it hit the military facilities on Carg Island. President Trump was really specific about this, that they were hitting airfields, missiles, things like that. They didn't touch the oil facilities. But President Trump making an explicit threat that the oil facilities could be next if there isn't some kind of deal on the Strait of Hormuz.

A (9:09)

I also want to talk about deployment. Right, because the United States has a lot of resources now in the region and they are even sending more. You have, I believe, 5,000 now U.S. sailors and Marines that are being deployed to the Middle East. What are you hearing about the possibility of a ground invasion? If in fact that is what the President feels, as if that is what is needed here?

B (9:36)

So this deployment of sailors and Marines who are heading from Japan is this kind of slow moving wildcard. They're getting closer and closer to the Middle east each day. It's likely to take about two weeks in total. And no one knows exactly what it is they're being sent for. Lindsey Graham, hawkish Republican senator, close ally of President Trump, has hinted that they could be used to seize Kharg Island. This is a Marine expeditionary unit which specializes in amphibious landings. So going from sea to land, another, potentially this would be a much bigger endeavour, would be to try to take control of Iran's southern shoreline, to try to push back any drones or missiles that could threaten the Strait. It's really not clear that this would be a large enough military force for that. And another possibility is that they are being sent essentially as a form of leverage that they may not actually, those, those boots may not actually end up on the ground, but the threat of them may compel other actors in the region.

A (10:40)

RAF Sanchez, thank you.

B (10:42)

Thank you.

A (10:44)

By the way, the war with Iran is also sending jet fuel prices through the roof, and travelers are going to be feeling the burn. Some airlines are already bumping up ticket prices and adding fuel surcharges. So summer vacation could be getting more expensive, a lot more expensive. We're gonna take a very quick break, and when we are back, the Senate is taking up the SAVE act, even though it is extremely unlikely to pass. Why? They're going for it anyway. That is next. And hey, while you're waiting, why not go ahead and subscribe to here's the scoop. Wherever you get your podcasts. That way you'll never miss an episode and rate and review us. Five stars. You know you want to.

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C (13:02)

It's a lot earlier in the day. Not our election night special.

A (13:06)

No, it is not. It's just middle of the day talking politics.

C (13:10)

Way less junk food. But I'm really happy to be here.

A (13:12)

So let's talk about the SAVE act, which is now actually the Save America Act. What is in it? And why is the president so hyper focused on it?

C (13:21)

Yeah, Trump. Trump talks a lot of things about this bill, but what's actually in the legislation is proof of citizenship. So the idea that voters need to show and prove that they were born in the United States or they have naturalized as a citizen or have citizenship, they have to bring it to register to vote. So once you're on the books, and then once you're on the books as a voter, a citizen of the United States voter, you'd have to bring photo to the polls. So there's multiple forms of documentation you would need to have before you can cast a ballot in the United States. I don't think we can overstate how big this would be for voters, because a lot of voters don't have this kind of documentation. An estimated 9% of Americans don't have the documents they need to prove their citizenship. Handy. Now, some of these people are either people who just have lost those documents or people who were born at home and maybe didn't get a birth certificate registered. There's a fair amount of black voters who don't were not born in hospitals but are eligible voters in the United States or simply college students whose birth certificate is at home with mom and they're in Arizona and want to register to vote in Arizona.

A (14:28)

So essentially, Democrats are arguing that they could lose a lot of people voting. Right. There could be a lot of people that end up staying home because of these potential restrictions that would be in place.

C (14:37)

Yeah, Democrats are warning about that. But I do think that there's no evidence that it would be one kind of voter or the other who votes for one party or the other. It would just be quite simply a lot of American voters. There would also be a bureaucratic impact. So all these election officials who would have to check people's citizenship at the election offices and also people who are already registered to vote, but if they wanted to change their party, say they might have to fill out that same form and go dig up that paperwork, too, even if they're already registered.

A (15:06)

So a version of this bill has already passed the House.

C (15:08)

Right.

A (15:08)

And now it's gotta go to the Senate. Our understanding is, from all the reporting that NBC News does is this thing is doa, right? Dead on arrival unless they do away with the filibuster. Senator John Cornyn has said he is possibly now in favor of doing away with the filibuster. Right. But he's up for reelection come November. He's got a runoff soon. In a few months, he is looking to get an endorsement from President Trump. And by the way, this is a man who has been vocally against doing away with the filibuster. Are there other Republicans out there right now that are willing to go down the route of doing away with the filibuster.

C (15:51)

Yeah. As I swear, I slack our congressional reporter, like every day, being like, are you sure? What about this? Could this possibly pass? Because the pressure the President is putting on this legislation is unprecedented.

A (16:06)

You know what I mean?

C (16:07)

You see someone like Senator Cornyn, who's sort of old guard Republican, has opposed getting rid of the filibuster, but as you said, he's locked in this runoff race against Ken Paxton, and they largely agree on just about every issue but the SAVE Act. And the getting this passed is sort of a critical fault line, and it's also the President's top priority and the one where Cornyn's rival, Attorney General Ken Paxton is on what Trump would say is his side of this issue. So it can't be overstated how much power the President has in the Republican Party. But the filibuster's been there for a really long time. So so far, it appears it's not gonna pass. But, you know, these are unprecedented times.

A (16:50)

They certainly are. What's interesting to me about all of this, Jane, and the President's priorities is he's wanting to get a federal mandate out there when it comes to voting rights and, for instance, you know, having to bring your ID to the polls as part of the Save America Act. But states, at the end of the day, are actually responsible for voting rights. And many states have already been passing laws that are similar to what we are seeing in the Save America Act. Right?

C (17:19)

Yeah. I mean, one of the things that makes sure that I still have a compelling beat is that election rules are different in every state. Every state gets to set their own. Their own rules and their own parameters. And states have been taking up this mantle. You know what I mean? President Trump has been talking about proof of citizenship, talking about photo ID at the polls for years. And so we're starting to see more states as he makes this a priority step in where the Senate is, in their eyes, dropping the issue. So we know that a dozen states have legislation that they've advanced to do either photo id, voter id, different provisions on that, or proof of citizenship. A few states have passed proof of citizenship bills recently. The most recent one would be Florida, which just passed a very big bill. It will not go into effect before midterms, but it would require election officials to confirm the citizenship of every voter on the books. So looking through the DMV, and many people in Florida have those real IDs where they can, you know, you can board a plane with them and their citizenship has been verified through that process. So for many people, this will not affect them. But for those who don't have a driver's license or who just don't have their citizenship on books with the motor vehicle department in Florida, they'll have to prove their citizenship with a passport, birth certificate and any other documentation they might need. Because when we talk about this stuff, we have to remember that people change their names as the years go on. You get married, you change your name, maybe you get divorced, you get divorced, someone dies, you might get married again. So some people might need five pieces of paper, certified official government documents, just to register to vote. And when you register to vote, that also means changing your party, changing your address. You're going to need to get this documentation out a lot for certain people. So Florida put that on the books. It is certainly going to be challenged in the courts. The League of Women Voters told me they had already lined up representation before it passed last week out of the legislature. We're still waiting to have Governor DeSantis sign it, but he is expected to sign off on that bill.

A (19:25)

You mentioned Florida and you said what has already been put in place in Florida will not go into effect before the midterms in November. What other states are we looking at?

C (19:34)

Utah, South Dakota? Those bills have passed the legislature but are awaiting signatures from their Republican governors, so likely to pass. But there's also bills in Mississippi, in Iowa at various stages of the legislative process. Now, all of these are different. Some of them are photo id, some of them are closing what lawmakers see as a loophole in the process. I think that people don't realize while a lot of voters support photo id, how it actually plays out and how it affects voters is very different. And it's going to beit's going to affect voters differently based on how election officials educate voters about it. You know, changes to the election system happen all the time, but public education campaigns often go with it. So it's going to vary from place to place, often depending on how much money does an election office have to make sure people know what they need to bring to the polls.

A (20:29)

Jane Tam, thank you.

C (20:31)

Thank you.

A (20:33)

Coming up, why Cuba could be opening its economy and get your bracket out. We've got some sleeper tips for March Madness in our headlines after a very quick break. Why have I asked my electrician I found on Angie.com to bury my pet hamster nibbles in our yard for me because I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires.

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bury my sweet Nibbles after his untimely end. Huh? Nibbles gone too soon. May he scurry in peace.

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Learn more at GoToBank.com tax Green bank member FDIC. And we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. Let's get to some headlines. Cuba could be opening up its economy. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Cuba's deputy prime minister says the country would allow foreign investment from the US including from Cubans living abroad and their descendants. The surprise announcement comes as the island is grappling with an economic crisis, an oil crisis, a failing power grid and threats from President Trump that it could, quote, fall if it doesn't make a deal with the US Last week, Cuba's president acknowledged that the two countries had been having economic talks. By the way, overturning the embargo officially would require an act of Congress. There are already special licenses that can be granted by the US Government to allow Americans to invest in Cuba's private sector, and some Cuban exiles currently operate businesses in Cuba, overtly or otherwise. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said that Wiles would begin treatment immediately and would remain in her role. Wiles has served as Trump's chief of staff since the beginning of his second term. She also served as the president's co campaign manager for his 2024 campaign. Yes, March can be a little dreary, but it is also March Madness and the NCAA unveiled the brackets for March Madness on Sunday. On the men's side, you got the teams to beat, which are Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida, each getting a 1 seed in the tournament. Then for the women, you got Connecticut, which is hoping for a repeat of its win last year. You have also got ucla, Texas and South Carolina earning top seeds, but it wouldn't be March Madness without the potential for some Cinderella stories. If you're still filling out your bracket, NBC News sports editor Tim Rohan has a couple of ideas about who could

B (24:07)

pull off and upset a Couple sleeper teams to watch, I would say are Miami, Ohio and VCU. Miami Ohio went undefeated in the regular season 310 before losing in their conference tournament last week. But they're a very dangerous offensive team. They have six players averaging double digits, all of them who could shoot from three. Look for Miami to potentially make a run in the tournament. I'm also looking at VCU. They've won 16 of their last 17 games and just won the A10 conference tournament. They're coached by Phil Martelli Jr. Son of legendary coach Phil Martelli from St. Joe's so also another dangerous offensive team, VCU.

A (24:46)

And finally, so as a podcast, we are obviously into all things audio and so we are keeping an eye on a growing and steamy trend. It is called audio erotica, and everyone from heated rivalry co stars Connor Story and Hudson Williams to influencers like Traders star Robert Rauch, they are getting in on the action as narrators, taking listeners for an intimate ride as if they're the only ones in the room. You're so beautiful.

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Tell me what you want.

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It's happening on apps like Quinn, which are seen as an alternative to visual porn. Basically, it's your Internet boyfriend in your ears, and for that I say let's go. Now that we've pulled it all together, that's gonna do it for us at here's the scoop 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, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also subscribe to our daily newsletter, the Inside Scoop. It is a deeper dive on the main stories of the day that comes out every weeknight straight to your inbox. You can sign up for the Inside Scoop as part of our paid subscription@NBC news.com do we know how much they pay if you want to actually read erotica audio? Why have I asked my H Vac guy I found on angie.com to change my grandpa's trachea tube? Because I was so amazed by how quickly he replaced our air ducts, I knew I could trust him to change Pop Pop's tube while I was on vacation. Make it quick, young man. Aw.

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Pop Pop trusts you.

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I think we should call a doctor. Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years. Angie the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home projects@angie.com.