Two Years Since Oct. 7: A Hostage’s Story; Shutdown Showdown: The 2025 Election Stakes

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Here's the Scoop" – October 7, 2025

Episode Title: Two Years Since Oct. 7: A Hostage’s Story; Shutdown Showdown: The 2025 Election Stakes
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian (NBC News)
Notable Guests: Keith Siegel (former hostage), Richard Engel (NBC News), Steve Kornacki (NBC News)
Air Date: October 7, 2025

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Overview

This episode marks the two-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, spotlighting the impact of the ongoing conflict and the stories of hostages and survivors. The first half features a personal account from Keith Siegel, an American-Israeli recently freed after 484 days in captivity, and analysis of ongoing hostage negotiations. The episode then pivots to U.S. domestic politics, focusing on the seventh day of a government shutdown and its ripple effects on key 2025 state elections, with analysis from NBC’s Steve Kornacki. Updates on Attorney General Pam Bondi, National Guard deployments, and LeBron James’ headline-making announcement round out the episode.

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Segment 1: Two Years Since October 7 — A Hostage's Story

[00:45–10:13]

Key Points & Narration

• Context of October 7, 2023:
  Yasmin Vossoughian recounts the events: a surprise, multi-pronged Hamas attack on Israel during Simchat Torah, yielding 1200+ deaths, hundreds taken hostage, and devastation in southern Israeli communities.
  • "It has been two years since the morning of October 7, 2023…The events of that day ignited a war that continues to reshape the Middle East even today." (Yasmin, 00:54)
• Personal Stories:
  Lester Holt introduces the emotional story of kidnapping survivor Noah; her desperate father’s plea for her safe return is played.
  • "Please don't hurt her. Please. This is a cry from a father. Don't harm her. Send her back in one piece. I beg you, please." (Richard Engel, 02:19)

Interview – Keith Siegel (Freed Hostage)

[03:49–10:04]

The Ordeal

• Separation and Uncertainty:
  Keith recounts how he and his wife, Aviva, were taken from their kibbutz (Kafar Aza), separated, reunited, and then separated again before Aviva’s release.
  • “After 50 days, they separated Aviva and I…they blindfolded me and spun me around before taking me out of the apartment…” (Keith Siegel, 04:16)
• Living Conditions:
  Keith describes being moved 33 times, spending six months in solitary isolation, living in tunnels with little food and air, and being hidden among civilians in Gaza.
  • "I spent six months in isolation... moved around 33 times... in a 130ft deep tunnel with very, very little food, very, very little water, left alone…” (Keith Siegel, 06:01)

Reflections on Release

• Hope and Anxiety:
  Keith discusses the fear his release might be withdrawn at the last minute and the psychological toll of captivity.
  • "Trying to believe this was really happening, worried that at the last minute, maybe something would go wrong and they would not release me.” (Keith Siegel, 06:01)
• Responsibility and Advocacy:
  Keith highlights the need for active international engagement to secure the remaining hostages’ freedom, expressing gratitude to President Trump for facilitating hostage releases.
  • “I want the world to know that it is our responsibility... to encourage our leaders, encourage President Trump…and I want to say once again how grateful I am to President Trump…” (Keith Siegel, 08:09)

Hopes for the Future

• Peace and Coexistence:
  Despite trauma, Keith voices support for peace with Palestinians and wishes for all hostages’ return.
  • “I support peace with the Palestinians. I support peace with all people in the world.” (Keith Siegel, 09:04)

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Segment 2: Hostage Negotiations and Gaza – Analysis with Richard Engel

[10:07–15:06]

Current Negotiations

• Indirect Talks in Egypt:
  Richard Engel explains that negotiations are mediated via Egyptians and Qataris, with key Hamas political figures present, and focus on President Trump’s proposed 20-point plan.
  • “Some of the Hamas officials…targeted by Israel…not only survived…are present in these talks. So these are high level talks...” (Richard Engel, 10:39)
• Top Priority – Hostage Release:
  Both parties view the immediate release of hostages and remains as the essential first step to any progress.
  • “A hostage release…is the most tangible, most urgent and the most visible thing… in order to move all other parts of this peace plan forward.” (Richard Engel, 11:42)

Challenges for Gaza’s Future

• Leadership Vacuum Post-Hamas:
  Despite Hamas signaling it won’t rule Gaza in the future, a plan for new governance is lacking.
  • "Hamas has said… it won't rule Gaza anymore…If you get rid of Hamas, who's coming? And right now there's no answer about that." (Richard Engel, 12:56)
• Reconstruction and Hope:
  Rebuilding is technically possible, but social cohesion and hope are crucial to long-term peace.
  • “It's the broken lives, it's the hope. Are you giving people a future they can believe in? ...if you don't, then…you're still going to have anger and hatred...” (Richard Engel, 14:12)

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Segment 3: Shutdown Showdown — 2025 Election Stakes

[16:47–24:23]

Government Shutdown Impacts

• Widespread delays at airports (Denver, Phoenix, Burbank, Newark).
• Federal workers furloughed or unpaid; many live in election-critical Virginia.

Election Analysis with Steve Kornacki

Key Races Previewed

• Virginia Governor (Abigail Spanberger [D] vs. Winsome Earl Sears [R]):
  Kornacki calls Spanberger the “clear favorite” but notes a scandal involving the Democratic attorney general candidate could impact the race.
  "Democrats are feeling very good about where they stand there... Republicans are hoping [the scandal] does. But again, they need something pretty dramatic to disrupt that gubernatorial race." (Steve Kornacki, 19:50)
• New Jersey Governor (Mikey Sherrill [D] vs. Jack Ciattarelli [R]):
  Polls show a tightening race; outgoing Governor Phil Murphy’s unpopularity (35% approval) could hurt Democrats’ chance at securing a rare third consecutive term. Kornacki calls Sherrill a “slight, slight favorite.”
  "There's been some polling that shows that tightening... [Sherrill] really struggled to formulate an answer... and the [Ciattarelli] folks just took the entire clip...turned it into an ad." (Steve Kornacki, 21:04)
• New York City Mayor (Zohran Mamdani [D], Andrew Cuomo [I], Curtis Sliwa [R]):
  Mamdani holds a “comfortable lead.” Cuomo struggles with popularity, making a win unlikely for challengers.
  "Mamdani... continues to be ahead by double digits over Cuomo." (Steve Kornacki, 23:02)

Political Context

• Shutdowns no longer shock the public as they once did (e.g., Gingrich/Clinton 1990s), raising questions about the impact on voter turnout and party performance.

Kornacki’s Approach

• Admits to being a “numbers guy.”
  "I like looking at spreadsheets… I like looking at math." (Steve Kornacki, 24:18)

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Segment 4: Rapid Headlines

[24:23–26:27]

• Attorney General Pam Bondi: Faces Senate grilling over alleged weaponization of the Justice Department, the Comey indictment, and National Guard deployments to U.S. cities (notably Chicago and Portland court cases).
• LeBron James’ “Decision II”: A viral marketing campaign for Hennessy parodies his infamous basketball free agency special, ending with:
  "In this fall, I'm going to be taking my talents to Hennessy. Vsop." (LeBron, 26:11)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Keith Siegel on hope despite trauma:
  "I support peace with the Palestinians. I support peace with all people in the world. Even after what I experienced... So I hope after this tragic two years, all of the 48 hostages will be released back home..." (09:04)
• Richard Engel on Gaza’s uncertain future:
  "If you get rid of Hamas, who's coming? And right now, there's no answer about that." (12:56)
• Steve Kornacki on campaign strategy:
  "Democrats are feeling very good about where they stand there...They need something pretty dramatic to disrupt that gubernatorial race." (19:50)
• LeBron James' punchline:
  "This fall, I'm going to be taking my talents to Hennessy. Vsop." (26:11)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:45 – Episode intro, context for Oct. 7 anniversary
• 01:37 – Recap of the October 7 Hamas attacks, hostage crisis
• 03:49 – Keith Siegel interview: captivity, release, reflections
• 10:07 – Richard Engel: analysis of hostage negotiations, Gaza future
• 16:47 – Shift to government shutdown and election impact
• 17:58 – Steve Kornacki: shutdown history, polling, race-by-race breakdown
• 24:23 – Rapid-fire headlines: AG Bondi, National Guard, LeBron James

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Tone and Style

The episode balances sober journalism and empathy during the hostage segment, analytical rigor and historic context in the election discussions, and ends with a dash of wit during the LeBron parody and roundup headlines. Speakers maintain a conversational, accessible style while delivering in-depth insight.

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For listeners, this episode delivers a moving look at the enduring personal and political consequences of October 7, a clear-eyed breakdown of unfolding U.S. electoral dynamics amid a government shutdown, and quick-hit headlines to close out the day.

Transcript

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[Lester Holt]

This week on Meet the Press, as President Trump threatens to send troops into US Cities and tensions rise over the government shutdown. Kristen Welker sits down with Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Adam Schiff this week on Meet the Press. Listen to the full episode now. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Welcome to Here's a scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. We have a lot going on today. Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying on the Hill and Lebron's big announcement was not what we were expecting. Also, it is day seven of the government shutdown and tensions are mounting on Capitol Hill. With the new November elections just weeks away, both parties are trying to shape the narrative. Steve Kornacki is here and we're going to dive into that shortly. But first, today marks a solemn anniversary. It has been two years since the morning of October 7, 2023, a day that began with the celebration of Simchat Torah and ended in a massacre that shattered any semblance of safety and peace. That morning, Hamas led militants breached the heavily fortified border with Israel, launching a coordinated attack by air, land and sea.

[Lester Holt]

This is an NBC News special report.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

We have breaking news out of Israel this morning, where Hamas has launched a surprise attack within Israel's borders overnight. At 6:30 in the morning, thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza into southern and central Israel while Hamas fighters infiltrated Israeli territory. By 7am the assault had reached the Supernova Music Festival near Kibbutz Reid. You'll remember the images of the hostages, including a young woman, Noah, who was taken to Gaza on the back of a scooter in the days that followed, her father begging for the safe return of their only child.

[Richard Engel]

Please don't hurt her. Please. This is a cry from a father. Don't harm her. Send her back in one piece. I beg you, please.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Noah was ultimately freed in a special Forces raid in June of 2024. At 7:40 in the morning, the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that militants had entered southern Israel and urged residents to stay indoors.

[Lester Holt]

Israel is preparing for every every Instance including a ground invasion, air invasion, everything. This is our 9 11.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

By 10:47 that morning, the Israeli air force was carrying out strikes on targets in Gaza. Shortly after those strikes, the Prime Minister declared war on Hamas. In the hours and days that followed, the full scope of the attack came into focus. More than 1200 people killed, hundreds taken hostage and entire communities were destroyed. The events of that day ignited a war that continues to reshape the Middle east even today. American Israeli Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva were among those taken hostage from their kibbutz Kafar Aza in southern Israel. Aviva was released after 51 days during a temporary ceasefire. Keith remained held in Gaza for 484 days, released in a prisoner hostage exchange in February. Keith Siegel joins me now from Washington D.C. where he is with other former hostages and their families. So you may hear some noise in the background. Welcome, Heath, how are you doing?

[Keith Siegel]

I am here to speak for my four friends that are still in captivity. Omri Miron, a 48 year old father of two young daughters, aged 4 and 2, that saw him, their daddy, being kidnapped in front of their eyes.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

What happened to you while you were in captivity that you're willing to share?

[Keith Siegel]

I was. After 50 days, they separated Aviva and I for the first time from the 7th of October. They blindfolded me and they spun me around before taking me out of the apartment that Aviva and another woman hostage and I were in. And they took me, they didn't say what was happening. And I found myself for the first time being separated from Aviva, first time out of the 50 days in captivity. And then they took me down the stairs and up the stairs and down the stairs and up the stairs three times, down and up, down and up, down and up, and then shoved me into a car. I was sure they were. Well, I was thinking they were taking me and not knowing if I would ever see Aviva again. And they brought in Aviva, also blindfolded into the car, Just so relieved that to know that we had been reunited. And then they brought in this other woman hostage blindfolded and moved us to a new location, separated us again. And then they came to say that Aviva was going to be released the next day and I would be released the day after Aviva and I parted. We hugged each other. Aviva said to me, I will be strong for you and you will be strong for me. And that's how we said goodbye.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

When you realized you were going to be released on that day, what was going through your mind?

[Keith Siegel]

Trying to believe this was really happening, worried that at the last minute, maybe something would go wrong and they would not release me. The day I was relieved, I was told two days before I was released that I will be released. Throughout our time and my time in captivity, they were telling us, because we are old people, Aviv and I, we will be the first hostages to be released. So after 484 days, in which I spent six months in isolation alone, and I was moved around 33 times, I spent time in tunnels, gasping for our breath in a 130ft deep tunnel with very, very little food, very, very little water left alone in this 130ft deep tunnel where we could hardly breathe, gasping for our breath. I spent time in a school, on the landing of a stairwell for two weeks with three Hamas terrorists amongst hundreds, if not more, Palestinian civilians all around. They only let me go to the toilet twice a day before sunrise and after sunset. They said I could only go down the three flights of stairs and out into the courtyard to the toilet when it's dark, because otherwise people might recognize me or know that I'm a hostage, and that would be a problem.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

You mentioned the four friends of yours that are still in captivity. They were left behind along with many other hostages after your release. There is a possibility now with this peace deal, that they could be returned along with some of the hostages that were killed. What do you want to make sure happens now?

[Keith Siegel]

First of all, just freedom. But beyond that, being able to live in a decent way. I want the world to know that it is our responsibility, all of us, people that are humane, moral people, to be active, to spread the word and to encourage our leaders, encourage President Trump and I want to say once again how grateful I am to President Trump for bringing me alive and many other hostages alive.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Do you believe that Israelis and Palestinians can coexist, that Gaza can be rebuilt and that Israelis can feel safe alongside the border with Gaza?

[Keith Siegel]

I support peace with the Palestinians. I support peace with all people in the world. And I know many, many people in Israel share this desire and this dream to live in peace with our neighbors, even after what I experienced and what I went through, and my wife, Aviva, and many others. So I hope after this tragic two years, all of the 48 hostages will be released back home to their families and the war will come to an end. We won't see any more people getting killed or suffering, and we will hopefully soon have peace.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Kisiko, we wish you the best. Thank you.

[Keith Siegel]

Thank you very much.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

And there is hope tonight as Officials from the US, Israel and Hamas continue to negotiate in Egypt over the return of the remaining hostages and a pot possible end to the fighting in Gaza. I want to bring in NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel for insight into where talks stand right now.

[Richard Engel]

Hi Richard, it's great to be with you. I'm here in Jerusalem. It's good to join you once again on this podcast.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Let's talk about these talks, indirect talks happening. What do we know about what is actually going on in these meetings?

[Richard Engel]

So indirect talks means the Hamas and Israelis are not sitting face to face. In fact, one of the interesting parts of these negotiations which are happening in Egypt, some of the Hamas officials, Hamas members from the political office in Qatar that were targeted by Israel, targeted for death when Israel carried out that military strike in Doha that was so controversial, not only survived that attack, are present in these talks. So these are high level talks between Hamas, Israel, the US With Egyptian and Qatari mediators and they're trying to implement President Trump's 20 point plan. Some parts of the plan are easy or easier to implement and some are still totally, totally vague and need a lot more clarification.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

What are you most optimistic about at this point when it comes to this 20 point plan of it actually being carried out? Which parts of it?

[Richard Engel]

A hostage release. I think that's the most tangible, the most urgent and the most visible thing that Hamas could do, should do, must do in order to move all of the other parts of this peace plan forward. It's also, logistically speaking, not that complicated. You're holding people and you're holding remains. You just got to hand them over. And there are some logistics involved. You've seen what Gaza looks like. It's rubble. There's still ongoing Israeli attacks. So one of the negotiators today said the Israelis must stop the attacks and they must stop bombing Gaza and that they should have stopped bombing when President Trump announced this agreement.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

One thing I found really interesting, I know you did as well, from what we've been hearing from Hamas since the announcement of this potential peace deal, is the fact that they want to be involved in what the future of Gaza looks like. Is this at all a part of the conversation in these peace talks, the possibility of Hamas remaining a part of planning for the future of Gaza?

[Richard Engel]

No, Hamas has, it's all tied up. Now we're getting into the more complicated part, the much harder part is what comes next, what's the future of Gaza? And Hamas has said, Hamas has said quite openly it won't rule Gaza Anymore. And it's, it's been made clear to Hamas that they lost that authority. I think they lost that authority two years ago today when they crossed into Israel, carried out a murderous and kidnapping rampage and kidnapped women and babies. But the question is, and this is a question that isn't just from Hamas, but it's from. Well, I'm asking it. Everybody's asking it. The mediators are asking it as well. So if you get rid of Hamas, who's coming? And right now there's no answer about that.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

You look at the utter devastation and destruction of Gaza, right? 67,000 people have been killed over the last two years. I mean, it's been leveled, it's completely flattened. And part of this 20 point plan is, yes, hand over the hostages. In return, you will get materials for reconstruction. Right. Is that even feasible?

[Steve Kornacki]

Sure.

[Richard Engel]

Hand over the hostages. And they're bulldozers and trucks and they go in and they start clearing debris and rubble and bringing in food. If you have the will, you can do it. It's, it's broken buildings, it's broken glass. You can do it. It's the broken lives, it's the hope. It's what? Are you giving people a future that they can believe in? Are you giving people hope and optimism? Because if you don't, then you can repair all the buildings you want and you're still going to have anger and hatred and people who want to join, if not Hamas, the next group that is probably going to be even more violent and extreme than Hamas. They have to have hope and human dignity. And that also isn't really being talked about. Is there some light at the end of the tunnel or is it only sticks?

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Richard Engel, thank you.

[Richard Engel]

Absolutely. Asmit, good to talk to you.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Good to talk to you. All right, we are going to take a quick break. When we're back, Steve Kornacki is here to talk about the upcoming elections.

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[Dateline Reporter]

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[Yasmin Vesugin]

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[Yasmin Vesugin]

Football food soup to nuts.

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[Yasmin Vesugin]

Welcome back to Here's a scoop from NBC News. It is day seven of the government shutdown and the effects are starting to trickle into everyday life. Thousands of flights were delayed for a second day with staffing shortages at Denver, Phoenix, Burbank, California, and Newark, New Jersey, airports. And federal workers are still furloughed or working without pay. Many of those workers live in Virginia, where the governor and the AG are up for election. So we couldn't help but wonder, will the shutdown affect the November elections? And with big races in New Jersey and New York City, we knew who we had to call. NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki. Hi, Steve.

[Steve Kornacki]

Yasmine, how you doing?

[Yasmin Vesugin]

It's so good to have you in studio here without your big board, though, to say the least.

[Steve Kornacki]

Wouldn't fit inside.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

I think just with your coffee. This is not that small.

[Steve Kornacki]

You know, I remember in Covid, I wanted to fit one in my apartment when everybody was working from home back then, but I definitely couldn't do that.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. All right. So talk us through historically how you've seen shutdowns affecting elections and specifically an election literally just around the corner. Take me back to the fight between speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton.

[Steve Kornacki]

Yeah, I think it's an interesting question because one of the things that I'm trying to figure out here is whether this one is really landing in the way that maybe some of these have in the past, whether this is really going to have any effect at all politically. I say that because you mentioned Gingrich and Gingrich versus Clinton in the 1990s. And when that happened, that was seen in real time as this momentous sort of culmination of this clash of Clinton versus Gingrich. Remember, this was something this setup was something that hadn't been seen in forever in politics. You had a Republican Congress that had hadn't been the case for 40 years with a Democratic president. That clash was like there was no precedent for that in modern Times something.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

We'Re used to now.

[Steve Kornacki]

We're totally used to it. And when that Republican Congress came to power, it came to power with a promise of totally transforming government, really kind of ending the Clinton presidency, all of these things. And so this was the moment when, when that conflict was going to play out. And it wasn't as if we'd had, you know, we had had some technical government shutdowns at periods in the past. But when that happened in that was like really it was like an all consuming cultural event and people weren't quite sure what was going to happen. The stakes seemed that high. Now look, what it actually was to me when you look back at it, that that shut down 30 years ago was it was sort of start, the start of this new era of sort of intense confrontation between the legislative branch often controlled by one party, the presidency often controlled by another party. And we've had a lot of brinksmanship, we've had a lot of clashes. We've had shutdowns since then. And so by the time this all comes around, now 30 later, I just wonder how used to this and accustomed to this people are.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Let's talk through some of these races right come November 4th. Let's talk first about the Virginia governor race. How's that looking Right now the Democrats.

[Steve Kornacki]

Are feeling very good about where they stand there. Abigail Spamberger, the former congresswoman from the the Richmond area against winsome Earl Sears, who's the, the lieutenant governor right now with Glenn Youngkin. There's a new poll out just within the last day or two that has the margin at 10 points. It's, it's pretty consistently been in that double digit low to mid double digit ra. That said, there is a, a pretty big controversy erupting about the Democratic candidate for attorney general there in Virginia, old, some text messages have come to light where it talks kind of cavalierly about, about the assassination of, of political opponents. I think especially in this climate right now where obviously there's a lot of sensitivity to political violence, violence, extra sensitivity to it. There's a question of whether this is going to affect his campaign for attorney general. And I think there's, there's a, there's a decent chance of that. Does it have a spillover effect to the gubernatorial race that's much harder to kind of play out. Republicans are hoping it does. But again, they need something pretty dramatic to disrupt that gubernatorial race.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Right now I want to talk about New Jersey. You have Democrat Mikey Sherrill versus Trump backed Republican Jack Cittarelli in a governor's race. How's that looking?

[Steve Kornacki]

That one is the one that Democrats are much more apprehensive about and Republicans are much more hopeful about. There's been some polling that shows that tightening to within just a couple of Cheryl had. In fact, there was one poll that had it tied last week. Others have Cherylhead by. By a few points right there. The dynamic again. New Jersey has that history that I'm saying Virginia does too, of tending, not always, but tending to elect, you know, go against the White House party in a governor's race. The other piece of history, though, in New Jersey that complicates this for Democrats is Phil Murphy's the governor now. He's a Democrat. He's had the job for two terms and he's not. Popular poll last week put his approval rating at 35%.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

His popularity has slid significant very much.

[Steve Kornacki]

And Democrats control Trenton. You know, it's a blue state government. It's been more than 60 years since New Jersey gave the same party three consecutive terms of control of the governorship. So here's Democrats asking for New Jersey voters to give them that now with a very unpopular Democratic governor with Democrats controlling the legislature. So that's what Republicans and that's what Shitraili's campaign are kind of hoping to tap into. I think there may be some unforced errors here, too. For Mikey Sherrill, you know, one thing you say is, look, she's a. She's won a number of elections to Congress. She hasn't had very competitive races in doing that. She gave an interview about six weeks ago, and she was asked in that interview on television, you know, what is the first thing you would do as governor. And she really struggled to formulate an answer. And she struggled so badly that the Chitterelli folks just took the entire clip of it and turned it into an ad.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Wow.

[Steve Kornacki]

I think that ad. I'm very curious how much penetration that has, but I think that has the potential to be a very effective ad.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

And then the New York City mayor, right. That's going to be a pretty, I think, contentious. And a lot of folks are going to be locked into that, obviously, especially here in New York City. Zorha Mamdani, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Sliwa. How's that looking?

[Steve Kornacki]

Yeah, I mean, Mamdani continues to have a pretty comfortable lead there. You know, Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor who'd been running as an independent, did get out of the race. You know, Andrew Cuomo has been trying to consolidate and become the only alternative To Mamdani, thinking that's his chance. Sliwa, it clearly is not going to get out. So it's going to be Cuomo and Sliwa. Mamdani, you know, continues to be ahead by double digits over Cuomo. And the biggest problem that the Cuomo has and really the biggest problem that the folks looking to stop Mamdani has is that Cuomo is very unpopular.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

So you're doing our, you know, Kentucky Derby, doing the horse betting, you're doing the football, you're doing the elections. If we were betting people, who would you say is winning the Virginia governor race?

[Steve Kornacki]

The, the clear favorite? If we, if we're doing horse racing here, the clear favorite is, is Spamberger, New Jersey governor. If you were making a betting line on that, I think you would make Cheryl a slight, slight favorite right now, but, but not, not at all prohibitive.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

New York City mayor.

[Steve Kornacki]

And there, I think you would make Mandani the clear favorite at this point.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Steve Kornacki, how do you prep? How do you actually prep? Is it just, do you study all day long?

[Steve Kornacki]

I just, I like looking at spreadsheets, I like looking at numbers, and I like looking at math. So there you go.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

Steve Kornacki, thank you. All right, let's get to some headlines. Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a sharply divided Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon. In her first appearance since taking office in February. Democrats accused her of weaponizing the Justice Department to target political opponents, while Republicans praised her focus on violent crime and rolling back the previous administration's policies. Bondi was grilled over the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, filed soon after. President Trump publicly urged his prosecution, as well as the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the National Guard deployment to cities like Chicago. Speaking of the National Guard, a federal judge has cleared the way for troops to deploy to Chicago, this time despite a lawsuit from Illinois and the city. U.S. district Judge April Perry gave the Trump administration until Wednesday night to respond to the suit, which argues the deployment is an unconstitutional overreach. President Trump ordered 300 Illinois Guard members federalized and 400 Texas Guard troops sent to Chicago. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, quote, he fully authorized the mission to protect federal property. This ruling contrasts with a case in Oregon where a judge temporarily halted a similar deployment to Portland. LeBron James has done it again, but this time the second decision was not about basketball, it was about boos. The NBA superstar had fans clutching their pearls after this cryptic post hinted at a possible retirement. Instead, he revealed that it was all a marketing play for Hennessy the slickly produced video parodies his infamous 2010 ESPN special, the Decision, complete with dramatic lighting and faux serious music before LeBron raises a glass. And then he delivers the real punchline.

[Steve Kornacki]

LeBron fans, want to know where you're taking your talents this year. What's your decision in this fall? Man, this is tough. In this fall, I'm going to be taking my talents to Hennessy. Vsop.

[Yasmin Vesugin]

He's not leaving the game. He's entering happy hour. You and me both, buddy. All right, that is going to 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, then like us back. Subscribe to Here's a Scoop wherever you get your podcasts. All right, we'll see you tomorrow.

[Jenna Bush Hager]

Hey everyone, it's Jenna Bush Hager from Today with Jenna and Friends, reminding you to check out my podcast, Open Book with Jenna and this week's episode I sit down with best selling author Tim B. Locke. We talk about her one of a kind audiobook Someday Now Finding Love After Loss and the Power of Storytelling to Heal. You can listen to the full conversation by searching Open Book with Jenna wherever you get your podcast.