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Here's the Scoop
What Progress Means for Iran Talks and Why China is Banking on the Fire Horse
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- [00:03]
A
Hey, everybody. Welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yazm Desugyan. Happy Lunar New Year. Today on the show, why a crying horse has become a symbol of China's economic outlook. Plus, five time Olympic bobsledder Alana Meyers Taylor joins to talk Manobob and motherhood. And we remember civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson up first, though. The US And Iran met in Geneva, Switzerland, today for a second round of nuclear talks. Both sides saying progress was made, but they stopped short of announcing any kind of agreement. That is the official readout. But despite the outward optimism, both sides have been ramping up their military pressure. As these talks started, Iranian state media reported that parts of the Strait of Hormuz were being closed so they can conduct military drills in the crucial commercial shipping lanes. And President Trump has been increasing US Military presence in the region and warning of a potential strike. So where do these negotiations stand? For that, I want to bring in NBC News Digital International editor and reporter Balbach Daron Pichet. Welcome, Balbach.
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B
Thank you.
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A
A U.S. official told NBC News, quote, progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss. When these discussions first began, we were all scratching our heads saying what are they even discussing? What are they negotiating? So what are the points now on the table and what do they have to firm up if they can firm anything up?
- [01:36]
B
Right. Well, I mean, that's the huge thing that's missing out of the conversation or being able to examine these talks right now is like, what exactly are they talking about? Iraq Chi, the foreign minister of Iran also came out and said the talks were serious. The talks were positive, probably even said they'd cited some progress in the talks. But on what exactly? It's not clear. The key issues that are the sticking points are enrichment. The Trump administration and Trump himself has come out and said he wants zero enrichment. The Iranians have said that's a red line. That's not going to happen. The missile program is something that's also been mentioned that's potentially up for negotiation. The Iranians again have said that's not something that they're going to negotiate on.
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A
They're wanting Iran to completely disarm. Essentially, they are.
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B
Should be kept in mind that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin NETanyahu was in D.C. last week. And it seems like from details that have leaked out of what he may have discussed with Trump is that the missiles were one of the key points that he really wanted Trump to push on, that really part of these negotiations need to focus on those ballistic Missiles, because that's what primarily Iran used to attack Israel in the war last June.
- [02:48]
A
What is your sense as to these negotiations? Are these happening in good faith or are they just a precursor to potential war?
- [02:57]
B
That's also hard to say. I mean, from the Iranian side, they feel like they got duped during the last round of negotiations. They were in the middle of negotiations with the US when the Israelis attacked last June. So they're fearing the same, that these talks are basically just a smokescreen, a cover, as the US Military is moving a lot of military assets. There's one warship already in the region, another one, an aircraft carrier headed that way. So they're kind of paranoid about that. You know, they were talking and got attacked. So they're, they're fearing the same thing right now.
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A
Let's talk about military posturing and let's talk about Iran's perspective first. So I mentioned as I came to you, that they are shutting down the Strait of Hormuz temporarily for military exercises, as Iran puts it. They have also gone on to say that they will shut down wholly the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial trading waterway, if in fact they are attacked. What does that signal to you as to where Iran is thinking militarily right now?
- [03:58]
B
It is the highest level of military posturing. Exactly like you said. The Iranians have said repeatedly over the years that if they are attacked in a very serious way where they feel the regime is threatened, they will close the strait of Hormuz. 20% of the world's oil passes through there. So they could seriously disrupt global markets by doing that. We know that President Trump does keep an eye on those kind of things. How steady the US Economy is. If Iran does do that, does disrupt or close the oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, that's definitely going to play a factor in any sort of conflict. And yeah, as you mentioned, the Revolutionary Guards, the most powerful military force in Iran, they carried out military drills yesterday. They also did today. Khamenei also came out and said in a speech today that while wartime, I think the exact quote was, while warships are strong, the weapons that can sink them are even stronger.
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A
I think the posture in which Iran, though, finds itself now versus where they found themselves, you know, eight months ago, is a little bit different in that the world kind of saw what Iran didn't have during the 12 day war with Israel. Right. The defenses that they did not have and the offenses that they did not have.
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B
Definitely.
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A
And they kind of, you know, tried to champion their own military might but they didn't necessarily follow through on that.
- [05:14]
B
There was a lot of tough talk that they didn't follow through on. Yeah, the Israelis essentially dismantled a lot of their abilities to fight back against any sort of aerial attack. It remains to be seen whether they've been able to rebuild that. They do talk tough and say that they can stand up to the US And Israeli military again, but that doesn't seem realistic at this point.
- [05:35]
A
So let's talk US Military posturing. I want to play for you what the president said on Air Force One on Monday about making a potential deal with Iran.
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C
I think they want to make a deal. I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal.
- [05:51]
A
So the president is talking about how he believes Iran wants to make a deal.
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B
Right.
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A
But you mentioned the moving of military assets. Right. He has already got one carrier, I believe, in place, another one headed there as well. Does this look to you like a path of de escalation or escalation or intimidation?
- [06:11]
B
It definitely looks like ramping up the pressure for any sort of negotiations. Does it mean that President Trump wants the negotiations to succeed or whether he ultimately does want just the Iranians to sort of back down and not meet their terms and then that leads into a military attack that would look more justified to the rest of the world? That remains to be seen. But yeah, definitely having two aircraft carriers in the region, I mean, that's sending probably the strongest message the US Military could make in being in the region and carrying that out.
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A
We've been talking about what Iranians want. And by the Iranians, we mean the government so far because they're the ones that are a part of this negotiation. But there are the people and how they feel as well. The president, President Trump has said that he thinks that regime change in Tehran may be the best thing that can happen. What are you hearing from your sources on the ground as to what Iranians on the ground? Civilians.
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B
That is what he said last week. Last Friday, Trump said that that regime change may be the best out outcome, maybe the best choice. And it was.
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A
You know, that doesn't sound to me like de escalatory.
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B
It is not. And you know, definitely for him to come out and say that publicly I think was a bit shocking to hear. And regardless in what context he meant it, maybe he meant it just again, as an additional pressure tool on the Iranians for negotiations or to come to some kind of deal remains to be seen. But yeah, we are. I am hearing from people inside Iran that they do want the US to act ordinary. Iranians don't want to be pulled into another war. There were something like a thousand civilian casualties during the conflict, the 12 day war with Israel last summer, which the US took part in primarily just to hit the nuclear facilities. They don't want war, but at the same time they've got a government that in the recent protests and the crackdown that followed, something around 7,000 people were killed within a very short period of time, within a 48 hour time period. So when they see at least those people who are against the government and want to, to change, when they see that kind of violence being carried out against them, they see a foreign intervention really as the only way to pull themselves out.
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A
What I've been hearing from folks on the ground is anything is better than this.
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B
Essentially, yes.
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A
Because I asked them, what about the day after, what then? And even if the day after feels unknown and scary, they tell me anything is better than this.
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B
Absolutely. Exactly that. You know, what could be worse? What could be worse than what we just went through, that whatever chaos may follow a military attack, that, that is, you know, we're willing to tolerate that, but not more of this killing on the streets.
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A
Baalbek, thank you.
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B
Thank you.
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A
All right. We are going to take a very quick break and when we are back, why China is banking on Lunar New Year to help fire up its economy.
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- [09:49]
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C
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A
And we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. In China, hundreds of millions of people are on the move, visiting loved ones for Lunar New Year. For the uninitiated, this holiday is basically like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all combined with consumers dropping somewhere north of $140 billion on travel, on retail gifts and the like. Chinese officials, they're hoping this spending will boost consumption in an economic slump. So for that, I want to bring in NBC News correspondent Janice McIfrer, who is based for us in Beijing. And she's joining us now. Hi, Janice.
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D
Happy New Year.
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A
Happy New Year. It is the year of the horse, which symbolizes strength, speed and freedom. But a crying horse, it seems, has become an unlikely mascot. What's going on here?
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D
So the Cry Cry Horse was born of a mistake. What happened was there was a store in southern China who ordered these plush toys because every year there's a different animal. And they, you know, they roll out all of these plush toys as mascots for the coming new year. Usually they're smiling, but some guy in a factory mistakenly sewed all of the faces upside down and produced.
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And for those that are listening and not watching, Janice is currently holding up the Cry Cry Horse with a sad.
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D
Face, a very sad face, but a face that went viral. And this horse has become a symbol for this generation of young office workers. The996 crowd, working from nine till nine, six days a week and stagnant pay and feeling like life isn't going anywhere. And so this little horse has become a totem for this generation because of what it says about how people feel right now.
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A
I got to say, I think I got to get my hands on one of those cry Cry horses because it turns out not just Chinese feeling this way, but a lot of Americans are feeling that way as well. But I know that you are kind of alluding to the economic crisis that the Chinese are facing right now. Part of what officials there are hoping is the Chinese New Year is going to kind of spurn the economy, right? Throw some money back into the economy that has been struggling. I know there's been a five year real estate crisis as well. What are the early numbers showing so far when it comes to retail? When it comes to shopping and what are companies doing to help get people out there?
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D
Well, Chinese officials would take exception with using the word crisis. There is an official belief that it just all relies on consumer spending, that consumption needs to be boosted. That, you know, as part of this shift that's underway in China's economy, that it's no longer the manufacturing hub, the factory to the world. It's an AI country, it's a robotics country. And so they want people to buy into that. In terms of having those intentions and those ambitions translate to actual numbers has been proving a lot more difficult. Instead of going out and spending as the government would like people to do, people are saving, they're buying gold, they're trying to prepare for even more uncertainty. They've been burned in the property crisis. Youth unemployment is at a high. There is a rise in unemployment among middle aged professionals, which is something the past generation didn't experience. So there is a lot of anxiety. How that's supposed to play out over the holidays is that the government wants people to spend, they want them to spend on trips. They're saying there's an estimated 9.5 billion trips that are going to happen over this 40 day travel period. All of the platforms are offering specials, they're offering hong bao, you know, the red envelopes with little bits of money to try to incentivize people to buy. There's been this super bowl war of all of these AI models like Deep Seek and others that are advertising to people, trying to get them to sign up, to subscribe. They're offering free bubble tea, they're offering salads, they're offering anything they can to try to get people spending. The government is hoping, hoping that this will be a time that people feel good going into the new year. They're with their families, they're talking about all of these different products, these AI models, that sort of thing and that at the end of it, they're China's economy will benefit from it.
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A
How does the United States play into all of this? Considering the fact of course that there was the US China trade war, which was and is ongoing. Does, does any of this kind of present even greater obstacles to getting China's economy back, back on the tracks?
- [15:56]
D
I think the shift that's been underway with the US over the past couple of years as countries have been de risking from China, which is the term that we've heard used often. China too had been focusing on what they call self reliance. US Export controls have had a bigger impact on China than say tariffs because interesting where China has been able to grow over decades by selling into the US Market. There is the acknowledgment here that that that era is over. But there's still a reliance on things that China wants that it hasn't quite yet been able to perfect, things like advanced semiconductors, AI and robotics, financial system. So there's still a reliance per se on the US in that regard. But in other respects, China has been de risking from the US in the same way that the US has been trying to lessen its reliance on China's supply chain. The risk for China is that the US Will rupture the relationship. So it doesn't need the best relationship, but it needs a lasting relationship.
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A
Right.
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Because it can pose a downside risk to China.
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A
So within that vein, and you're talking about how China is kind of forging new relationships as well, not needing the US as much, we have seen British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visiting China. We have seen Prime Minister Mark Carney from Canada visiting China as well. The year the horse is all about momentum. Could these types of relationships, these types of agreements help turn the economy there around?
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D
The common factor of the revolving door of world leaders that has been coming through here since December because there's been the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Finland, South Korea, Germany coming at the end of the month. These are all US Allies who one year ago were agreeing and saying, yes, we need to de risk our countries from China. And now these are all the same countries that are turning towards China because there's less of a concern about China than there is about relations with the US and it's not that there are huge deals coming out of these visits, but for China, the symbolism of having all of these world leaders, all US Allies coming across the red carpet here, that was the win for China.
- [19:02]
A
Janice Nacky Frere, Happy New Year to you and to Happy New Year. The Crying Horse It's a vibe.
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D
It's a vibe.
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A
Coming up, we hear from six time Olympic medalist Alana Meyers Taylor on coming back to win gold after motherhood. And we remember the legacy of civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson.
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C
Hey, this is Will Arnett, host of Smartless. Smartless is a podcast with myself and Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman where each week one of us reveals a mystery guest to the other two. We dive deep with guests that you love like Bill Hader, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Kristen Stewart and tons more. So join us for a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the smartless mind. Listen to Smartless now on the SiriusXM app. Download it today. Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight, you can set up chores, automate allowance and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications, kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely. And parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Sign up for Greenlight today@Greenlight.com podcast. Imagine relying on a dozen different software programs to run your business, none of which are connected and each one more expensive and more complicated than the last. It can be pretty stressful. Now imagine Odoo. Odoo has all the programs you'll ever need and are all connected on one platform. Doesn't Odoo sound amazing? Let Odoo harmonize your business with simple, efficient software that can handle everything for a fraction of the price. Sign up today@odoo.com that's o-o o.com.
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A
And we're back with here's the scoop from NBC News in Milan. Cortina. The ladies of Team USA are bringing fire to the ice. Five time Olympian bobsledder Alana Myers Taylor won her first ever gold in women's monobob on Monday. Now with six medals in total, she is tied as most decorated American woman in Winter Olympics history. And she's joining me now. Alana, there was a moment that you realized that you had won gold and you actually signed to your sons who were both born deaf. Mommy won. What was that moment like for you?
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E
It was absolutely incredible. And I think the hard thing for them is Mommy hasn't gotten to sign that very much. Especially this season. Mommy hasn't gotten signed it at all. It's been a very difficult season and it's been very difficult coming back after my second son, you know, my oldest son, he doesn't really care as long as he can see Elmo and watch Elmo on his iPad. That's all he cares about. My youngest though, he was super excited because we've been going over the Olympics, we've been going over the races, we've been watching everything we can. We went to women's downhill. So he was super excited. He knew exactly what was going on.
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A
You talked about how this is your first Olympics back after having your 3 year old and there was a lot of rebuilding to do and as we were coming on you said that your body's in a lot of pain after having won this race. How difficult was this journey for you to get here to win gold as a 41 year old mom of two? And what is next?
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E
Oh, it was crazy. So both my sons were born via C section. I had back problems before, but with complications with the epidurals and things like that, it's only made it worse. Even working with one of my physios, Melvin Tan, it's been such a struggle. He had me doing just four kettlebell exercises for months to try and get me back and to try and repair my pelvic floor and my back and everything like that. And to have Chili have accomplished it, it's crazy. And to know everything we've been through and everything my body's been through, it really does amaze me that the power of women not only to create life, but also to be able to do such incredible things with our bodies afterwards.
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A
So what's next?
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E
I don't know. I want more children. I always said I would bobsled till the wheels fall off. It's starting to feel like the wheels are falling off, especially today. I know this won't be the last time in a bobsled, but whether it be my last games or not, time will tell.
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A
And speaking of the ice, the hunt for figure skating gold starts today with the women's short program. Over the next few days, Amber Glenn, Alyssa Liu and Isabeau Levito will be competing to become the first American woman to win gold in Oakland over two decades. All right, let's get to some headlines. Delegations from Moscow and Kiev met in Geneva today for another round of US Brokered peace talks a week before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. With neither side budging on territory or security guarantees and a US Imposed June deadline fast approaching, expectations for a breakthrough from the two day talks are low. Hollywood's messiest takeover saga just got even messier. Warner Brothers discovery rejected Paramount Skydance's $30 a share bid on Tuesday, but gave the studio until February 23rd to return with a best and final offer. Meanwhile, Warner Brothers is still urging shareholders to back a $82.7 billion merger with Netflix ahead of a March 20 vote. And finally, tributes are pouring in for Reverend Jesse Lewis Jackson, the Baptist preacher who rose from the segregated south to become one of America's most prominent civil rights leaders. Two time presidential candidate and lifelong advocate for the poor.
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Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive.
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Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson came of age under Jim Crow after a standout athletic career. He joined the civil rights movement in the mid-1960s. He quickly caught the eye of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Who tapped him to lead Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, which used economic boycotts to pressure white owned businesses into hiring black workers. Jackson was at the Lorraine Motel when King was assassinated in 1968.
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B
Sound like a stick of dynamite or a large firecracker.
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A
Jackson took over the torch in many ways for King, becoming a political force in his own right. He launched Push People United to Save Humanity, which then became his Rainbow Coalition, a groundbreaking alliance of black, Latino, poor, white and LGBTQ voters united around economic justice. In 1984 and 1988, Jackson ran for president, winning primaries and paving the way for other black candidates.
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You must never stop dreaming. Face reality, yes, but don't stop with the way things are. Dream of things as they ought to be. Dream, face pain. But love, hope, faith and dreams will help you rise above the pain.
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A
In a statement on X today, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said that Jackson, quote, created opportunities for generations of African Americans and inspired countless more, including us. The Reverend Jesse Jackson died peacefully this morning, surrounded by family. He was 84 years old. Okay, that is gonna do it for us at here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasim Desugin. 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's 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@nbcnews.com we'll see you tomorrow.
- [27:07]
C
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