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Democratic Divides on Display in This Week’s Primaries; Plus, Paramount’s Ultimatum Aug 12, 2026

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Democrats’ differences were on full display in Tuesday’s primaries. In Wisconsin, the establishment-backed candidate David Crowley defeated democratic socialist Francesca Hong. But in Minnesota’s Senate primary race, progressives celebrated a win. NBC News National Politics Reporter Bridget Bowman explains what these and other races tell us about voters’ focus on electability ahead of November. Plus, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is threatening to move his company out of California if the state doesn’t drop its lawsuit to block the company’s merger with Warner Brothers Discovery. NBC News Senior Hollywood Reporter Rebecca Keegan analyzes how likely Ellison is to follow through and what it would mean for Hollywood if the iconic studio leaves town. Finally, hundreds of thousands of tourists in Spain got to experience today’s solar eclipse, including a very special guest.

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Colombians Mobilize After Major Earthquake; Trump’s Secret Flight Out of Turkey Aug 11, 2026

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Rescue teams in Colombia are frantically searching for survivors trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings, hospitals and schools after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the country Monday morning. More than 180 people have been confirmed dead. Richard Emblin, director of The City Paper Bogotá, describes the initial shock of the earthquake and outlines the ongoing rescue efforts.

Next, President Donald Trump took a secret flight from the NATO summit in Turkey last month amid security concerns posed by the war with Iran. That’s according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the plan. NBC News White House Correspondent Monica Alba tells us about the red flags she noticed while covering the summit, and she details the covert operation to whisk Trump to a separate flight via a catering truck.

Finally, the success of horror hits “Obsession” and “Backrooms” has sent Hollywood racing to find the next creator-made blockbuster. NBC News Entertainment Correspondent Chloe Melas takes us inside the “feeding frenzy.”

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Who Killed Tupac Shakur? And can Democratic Socialists Win in November? Aug 10, 2026

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Jury selection kicked off in Las Vegas in the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, accused of orchestrating the killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur. NBC News senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett explains why the case is in court 30 years after Shakur’s death – and if we could finally learn who killed Shakur.

Plus, Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary is one of the biggest tests yet for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a far-left group dedicated in part to eliminating capitalism. DSA member Francesca Hong is up in the polls, but the Democratic establishment is worried that her policy platform might turn off voters in the general elections. Meanwhile, other DSA-aligned candidates have distanced themselves from the group’s more extreme policies. DSA National co-Chair Megan Romer explains why some voters are picking DSA candidates over establishment candidates and whether her group can appeal to moderate voters.

Finally, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a 6,500-word manifesto on his vision for the future of artificial intelligence. NBC News reporter Jared Perlo helps us read between the lines.

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How a Weapons Shortfall Is Frustrating Trump; Puerto Rico Begins Rationing Water Aug 07, 2026

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As the war with Iran stretches into its sixth month, the U.S. is dealing with a weapons shortfall, and tensions — and tempers — are rising within the Trump administration. NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kube takes us inside her reporting, which indicates that President Donald Trump is “exasperated” with his officials and aides and even threatened to fire a top Defense Department official.

Plus, people in San Juan are going without showers or working toilets as Puerto Rico begins rationing water. Officials say this is because of an ongoing drought, but many residents already had intermittent water access after a major pipeline ruptured. Independent investigative reporter Laura Pérez Sánchez spoke with residents who are growing increasingly frustrated with the government’s inability to provide basic services on the island.

And it’s only been one week since FIFA President Gianni Infantino scrapped his proposal to sell a major stake in the World Cup to private equity. Yet somehow Infantino appears to be back in the good graces of soccer’s governing body. So how is he still the “King of Soccer”? Wall Street Journal sports editor Joshua Robinson explains.

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What’s Fueling the Washington Wildfires; SpaceX’s Wild Ride on Wall Street Aug 06, 2026

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Hundreds of firefighters have been working for days to contain wildfires near Spokane, Washington. The man accused of starting one of those fires is set to be arraigned in court today. NBC News national correspondent Morgan Chesky shares the stories of residents who have lost everything in the fires and explains why they have been so hard to put out. It’s been a record week on Wall Street, driven largely by AI — but Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been struggling since it went public just weeks ago. Today, some investors and employees were able to sell their stock for the first time, adding more than 900 million SpaceX shares to the market. NBC News business reporter Allie Canal explains the state of Musk’s company and the Wall Street bet on artificial intelligence. And in the NBA, Achilles tendon ruptures can mean the end of a season — or even a career. So why is the NBA pushing back on research showing that small increases in playing time could play a role in the injuries? We speak with Dr. Nirav Pandya, a professor and orthopedic surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, and a co-author of the study.

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Can Progressive Candidates Pop in Purple States? How Medical Aid in Dying Will Work in New York Aug 05, 2026

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Progressive candidates have been victorious in Democratic primary races across the country, including in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open Senate seat over Haley Stevens on Tuesday. NBC News correspondent Shaquille Brewster joins us from the purple state on how El-Sayed and other progressive candidates beat establishment candidates – and what their wins could mean for Democrats’ chances to take control of the House and the Senate in November. Then, New York has become the 12th state to legalize a practice known as “medical aid in dying,”, allowing residents who have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses and have less than six months to live to get medical help ending their own lives. David Atkins, whose company, Quiĕtus, will be working with these end-of-life patients, explains what the process will look like for people seeking care. And mortgage rates are at their highest in more than a year. NBC News chief business correspondent Christine Romans explains what that means for buyers and sellers and how she’s tackling kitchen-table business issues on her new show, “Current,” on NBC News Now.

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Will the $1.8 Billion Fund Have a Second Life and How the AI Industry Is Shaping the Midterms Aug 04, 2026

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The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, had been holding up the proceedings, demanding written guarantees from Blanche that he was killing the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. NBC News Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles breaks down how Blanche convinced Tillis and Cornyn to vote yes and why the fund might actually not be dead.

Then, new power players are funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into midterm elections across the country. In our first installment of Midterms Money, NBC News National Politics Reporter Ben Kamisar illustrates how the artificial intelligence industry is getting involved, who is getting money and what policies could be influenced down the line.

Lastly, an unmanned, discarded SpaceX rocket will crash into the moon Wednesday morning. While the crash wasn’t intentional, NBC News Senior Correspondent Tom Costello explains what NASA hopes to learn about what’s underneath the lunar surface and why flying space junk is a reason for concern.

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U.S., Israel and Hamas At Odds Over Disarmament Deal, Nancy Guthrie Notes Aug 03, 2026

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President Trump has been touting an agreement reached by his Board of Peace for Hamas to disarm. But Hamas officials say they won’t do that until Israel withdraws from Gaza. And now Israel says it’s not on board with the deal either. NBC News International Correspondent Matt Bradley breaks down why the president made the announcement without a full endorsement from either party – and how it resembles his politics with Iran. On a separate note, six months after the disappearance of “TODAY” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, local authorities in Arizona just released two notes sent by her alleged kidnappers in the first week of the investigation. NBC News National Law Enforcement & Intelligence Correspondent Tom Winter explains how authorities are hoping the public will be able to help the investigation. Finally, 99-year-old Maybelle Blair threw a ceremonial first pitch at the inaugural weekend of the Women’s Professional Baseball League on Saturday – decades after her own major league career inspired the film “A League of Their Own.” We speak with Kelsie Whitmore, captain of the San Francisco Firebells, about catching Blair’s pitch and her hopes for the future of women’s baseball.

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FBI Warning About Cyberattacks on U.S. Infrastructure; Does Todd Blanche Have a Path to Confirmation? Jul 31, 2026

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The FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency are warning utilities nationwide of more attacks on critical water infrastructure after hackers targeted cyberattacks on municipal water systems in at least seven states, including more than 30 facilities in Minnesota. NBC News National Security and Global Affairs Reporter Dan De Luce explains why law enforcement is pointing the finger at Iranian hackers and why U.S. infrastructure has become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Then, Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are holding up the confirmation of Todd Blanche for attorney general over concerns about a controversial IRS settlement deal that Blanche signed off on. NBC News Chief Justice and National Affairs Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell breaks down how the Trump administration’s resistance to the senators’ demands is derailing the process. Plus, European, North American and Asian soccer organizations are rejecting FIFA’s plan to sell World Cup stakes to private equity — and UEFA is even calling for an all-out boycott. NBC News Digital Sports Reporter Andrew Greif explains FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan and how this could affect upcoming matches and the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

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The Ukraine and Iran Wars Collide in the Caspian Sea; Plus, the Entry-Level Job Slog Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Russia launched a deadly attack on Ukraine overnight that reached all the way into Polish airspace. Beyond Europe, there’s a new battleground emerging in the nearby Caspian Sea, where Ukraine has been accused of attacking an Iranian ship. Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Russian-Iranian relations at Sciences Po, explains whether we could see the wars in Ukraine and Iran converging. Plus, the job market for recent college graduates is looking particularly bleak, with new data showing hiring rates for entry-level jobs down for the fifth year in a row. NBC News data graphics intern Ashley Mowreader breaks down how the economy and AI landscape are making it harder to land early-career opportunities. Finally, the dating app Tinder paused a controversial new feature that was editing users’ pictures without their consent. NBC News trending reporter Angela Yang tells us how users are responding to their unsolicited makeovers — and how it could ultimately push them off the app.

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