AI Hurricane Tracking; Livestreaming an Execution; Michelle Buteau ‘Survives and Thrives’ in Comedy

0:00I mean, people tell me I'm kind of funny. Yeah, you are. Oh. Yeah. Bubbly and funny, which is rare in news. But that doesn't mean necessarily that I should go do stand-up. Not at all. Hi, everybody, and welcome to Here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Basugin. If you didn't recognize her voice, you're going to know it pretty soon. It's Michelle Buteau, who is joining us on the show today. We're going to talk about her comedy, her high school sweetheart, and what went down with him, And also, how her parents react to how raunchy she actually gets in some of her stand-up acts and her shows.

0:34And then we're going to take a turn because we are discussing the outrage after Secretary of Defense B-Tag Seth announced that the man behind the Fort Hood mass shooting is going to be executed publicly by firing squad, and it's going to be live-streamed. How rare is this? Can anybody stop the live stream? And what is the messaging that Hegseth is trying to put out there?

1:04Up first, though, so Hurricane ECES is barreling towards the Gulf Coast. It's already a Category 3 hurricane, and winds are topping 120 miles an hour. Forecasters are warning of life-threatening storm surge conditions and possible tornadoes when it makes landfall overnight. But where exactly is this thing actually headed? You got forecasters at the National Hurricane Center that have looked at two different paths. One, based on their conventional models, and one based on AI models. So we want to know how these AI models actually differ, and what all of these models are actually saying about the outcome of ECES.

1:40And for that, I want to bring in NBC News meteorologist, Bill Karens. Hi, Bill. Yasmin. Hi. Good to have you. Yeah, I'm so happy to be here. It's a busy time, obviously, but this is an important topic. So I want to talk about ECES because it's already a Cat 3 storm, which, by the way, we thought it was going to be CAT 2 when making landfall. So right now it's a CAT 3. National Hurricane Center normally, right, looking at some conventional models. But this time, they are also looking at these AI models. Can you explain for me, Bill, the difference between these conventional models that we're used to seeing and tracking and now these AI models that are also being included?

2:19Yeah, so a lot of our lives, we're always going to remember what it was like before AI and then after AI. And in my field, for decades, we've used math and physics for equations in the atmosphere that we put into supercomputers. And that's how you get your forecast. Like when for the last 50, 70 years, however, since they started doing it. And then all of a sudden the AI computers came on board. And we use some of the most powerful computers our government ever made were used for weather forecasts in the past. So now all of a sudden we have these AI data centers, which make those previous supercomputers look like, you know, a black and white TV.

2:59And so these AI computers are now starting to do weather forecasts. And they started this like roughly about a year ago. It's been kind of experimental, but this is kind of their first real storm test in real time since the general public has all of a sudden been using AI. And it has been a home run for AI. There's no other way to put it. Every meteorologist you talk to in the country right now is just like, wow. Especially the Google DeepMind computer. They have a whole weather product that they put out. And it has accurately predicted not just the path of ECESAS, but also the intensity. You mentioned it's up to a Category 3.

3:40A lot of our traditional physics and math models had it being a Category 1 or a Category 2. but the Google DeepMind gave it about a 70 % chance of getting to a major hurricane. And so now we're just looking at this, and it's just so much better than everything else that we've used in the past. Sure, because if you have more accuracy, then you can predict what's going to be hit, and then people can actually prepare. But correct me if I'm wrong, your kind of conventional traditional models are actually showing a different path than the AI models? For this storm, a lot of our traditional models were more to the west.

4:13They were more in the originally more towards New Orleans, Biloxi, that area, Mississippi. Got it. When all along the Google deep mine model, the AI was more towards the Florida panhandle where it's heading. Now, over time, as it got better data in our math and physics models have moved also towards Florida. It's not still showing New Orleans. So they did adjust. But in that critical like 48 hours, a 72 hour time frame, like that's when everyone has to decide. Are we evacuating? Like, where are we staying? Are we bringing the pets with us? That's when those people have to, you need that decision-making time as far in advance as possible to help people.

4:51And the AI weather forecast nailed it. Now, it's a new product, so we don't completely just trust it 100 % yet. Like, we haven't grown up with it. But they have leaned towards it all along. In the future, we're probably going to do so even more. So, you know, you and I have actually talked about kind of the reshuffling that's happened at the National Weather Service over the last year and a half during the Trump administration. Back in 2025, the administration's Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, cut a significant number of jobs at the National Weather Service. And a lot of those workers were, in fact, rehired later on.

5:27But how has that turnover impacted forecasting it? And is AI filling the void that was left by some of the folks that were let go? It's interesting. I was just reading a post yesterday about how there's like a lot of openings right now that the Weather Service is like rehiring. And a lot of these are all old jobs, too. As you mentioned, some people did get their jobs back. So in the NOAA world, our government, the forecasting, we're considered government critical to society to help. And there's been many studies that are done that say that like meteorologists would getting an accurate forecast, how much money we save the economy, you know, versus the money that you pay the people to do it.

6:11Some people have said it's like 50 times the money you put into it. You know, that's the taxpayer equation. As far as like filling gaps, you know, we've always had models and that's all this AI stuff is. It's just another opinion on what the weather is going to be. We've always had that before. You still need that human to interpret it and to convey the messages to the people in their local areas. These models are global in scale. So, you know, so these is what we're talking about, this AI weather. You know, it doesn't have high resolution down to like, you know, a half mile, quarter mile. It's like, you know, it's roughly about four to five miles.

6:50And so, you know, you can have a couple of different towns within four to five miles in some parts of this country. So you still need that human element. You still need the National Weather Service. it's just another tool in the toolbox and it's a good one. So the other crazy thing about ECS is it's the first hurricane of the season and we're like almost in mid-October. We almost made it. We almost made it. We got through September. September, by the way, is the peak of hurricane season. So September is like when I tell my wife and kids, you may not see me. I don't know where I'm going to be. You have to deal with it.

7:19October is like, OK, like just get through the first two weeks and then we're pretty much in the clear. We were so close this year. And then this thing just, you know, we saw it possibly happening. And then we're like, oh, here we go. Every storm is different. They all have their own little elements to it. We focus on the landfall because that's obviously where you're going to see, like, houses that may be destroyed, you know, roofs that are torn off. And that's going to happen this time. You know, we're really, unfortunately, the Destin area, Fort Walton Beach, looks to be probably, if there's going to be an area that's decimated, that's the leading candidates.

7:52But this storm is going to have a legacy far inland, too. I'm not saying this is going to be Helene. If everyone knows what happened in the mountains of North Carolina and Asheville especially. Sure, it was devastating. Yeah. Really, life-altering for months. And the tornado equation is probably the biggest wild card with this storm. Some of our computer modeling is telling us there's going to be a lot of what we call spin in the atmosphere, sheer. Yeah. And so when thunderstorms spin, they produce tornadoes. It looks like ECSUS is going to produce significant tornadoes, probably for about a 12 to 18-hour period, on and off all day tomorrow in Georgia.

8:31I know our friends from Atlanta southwards are watching that too. So it's not just the landfall. That's going to get the attention, but I have my eyes elsewhere too. Could we be one and done then since this is so late in the hurricane season? I hate to jinx it, but I think odds would highly favor that. There's nothing coming behind it. That's going to put us into the third week of October. You know, we can thank El Nino for that, that we haven't had what we call a typical hurricane season. But El Nino will be probably gone by next summer and everything will probably return to normal. It was a nice break while it lasted.

9:05I mean, this will mark almost two years to the date since we had our last hurricane making landfall in the U.S. And so we end that streak, too. Bill Cairns, thank you. Thank you. All right, coming up, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says a firing squad is going to execute Fort Hood shooter Nadal Hassan, and he wants it to be live streamed to the public. So what do people in the military think about that? That's next.

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10:39And we're back with Here's the Scoop from NBC News. So Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shocked everyone on Thursday. announcing that he's ordering a firing squad execution for Nadal Hassan, the former Army major convicted of a mass shooting at Fort Hood back in 2009. And not only that, he said the Pentagon is going to live stream the execution for the public. Here's what he told the conservative news outlet Real America's Voice. Can you tell us about how that came about and what led to that decision process? No-brainer. Execution by firing squad. Army major betrays his country, radical Islamist, kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood.

11:18Of course, we're going to do it at Fort Hood. We're going to do it on a Thursday. We're going to do it at one o 'clock, which is when he did it. And it's going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad. So let's bring in NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby to break this down. Firing squad, public execution, live streamed. None of this sounds like it's normal. What is your reaction to this court? It doesn't sound like it's legal to me either. Now, the president signed off on Nadal Hassan's execution order. So that, fine, that's legal. The military actually had been preparing, specifically the army, to carry out some executions of the soldiers and former soldiers who are on death row.

12:03There's four of them right now, including Nadal Hassan. They had been looking to take them to the federal facility at Terre Haute in Indiana for lethal injection. In fact, the Army had been planning for that for some time because Hegseth came in saying, look, we got these guys on death row. Let's start carrying out the executions here. And then Hegseth just shocked everyone, including the U.S. Army, and said, we're going to execute him by firing squad, not something they had ever planned for or practiced for, and then saying it was going to be at Fort Hood. Again, not even a location that they had planned for.

12:37So you can tell by the way that Hegseth is addressing it during that interview that he wants the symbolism. You know, he wants it to be the place where Hassan carried out this vicious attack, this exact time that he started shooting. He wants this all to be more symbolic, and it does not appear that they are focused on the law. For those people that are listening and they're like, wait, wait, remind me, Nadal Hassan, what happened at Fort Hood? So this is an ex-U.S. Army officer. It was back in 2009 at Fort Hood. He killed 13 people, wounding 32 others. A military jury convicted him back in 2013, and he was sentenced to death.

13:17This shooting was considered a terrorist attack. Is that, you think, playing a role in Hegseth's decision to not only do this, but do it like he wants to? I'm sure it is. But I mean, look, if you read Pete Hegseth's books, he does not hide the fact that he does not trust Muslims. He pushes it back to his service in Iraq, his service in Afghanistan. He has made some very offensive comments prior to being Secretary of Defense. So is that why he chose Nadal Hassan versus another guy who has actually been on death row longer? So there does seem to be this momentum of trying to emphasize the fact that he is a Muslim, Nadal Hassan, and he said Allah Akbar, allegedly at the beginning of the shooting.

14:07But what no one is talking about here is after this horrific attack, and I covered the attack, it was horrible. They were people, they were all in one big room together, and he just opened fire. They had nowhere to go. They weren't armed. The majority of them were not armed. There were some armed police officers who came in and they shot him. That's why he's now a paraplegic. He was injured in the attack. After, in 2013, Nadal Hassan told a military medical board that he wanted to be killed. He wants to be a martyr. And he expected he would die that day. That he would kill people and he would die a martyr.

14:44So carrying out this execution in some ways— It's like giving him what he wants. Exactly. If you do it in public, then you're putting those photos, the videos out there to become a recruiting tool for ISIS, Al-Qaeda, for whomever. But I mean, and also just to tack on to that, like, who's going to be able to watch this in the United States? Well, that's another question. Who would carry it? Be disseminated across social media when people start clipping it. And then you're seeing it on Snapchat and TikTok and Instagram and YouTube. Yeah. I mean, or are some of the places, will Google, will YouTube, will they restrict it because it's violent content?

15:17I don't know. But even so, I mean, if Hegseth wants it to be live streamed, he has the ability within the Department of Defense to shoot video of it, to air it on their website, on their Pentagon channel, whatever he wants to do, and to disseminate it in that way and then put it on social media. I suspect this will be challenged in the courts because there is a law that says you cannot. One of the reasons that we have journalists who go in and watch these and witnesses is because you're not supposed to have any photos or video. And they're supposed to be there as witness to the fact that it's carried out humanely, that there's a very specific timeline of any kind of an execution.

15:58So it's considered against human rights, a human rights violation. So anybody that could potentially step in here, because, you know, we mentioned that the president has signed off on this, according to the Pentagon. Since this was a court martial, are there any other avenues for reconsideration? I mean, he could he could still appeal it. There's one death row inmate. Hassan could appeal it. He could. Yeah. Yeah. That has happened before. But it doesn't seem like he wants to. I mean, he was asking to be put to death in 2013. So I suspect that the part of this, because the Hegseth has taken this to this public video display, that's what everything is going to focus on now.

16:42Could Congress step in? Could Congress step in to stop the live stream? People are already starting to condemn it in members of Congress. I think there's going to have to be some sort of a legal challenge to this because there is law that says you're not supposed to exploit the video, photo, anything, and you're not supposed to have to document it in that way. So I don't know how they circumvent that law, and I don't know if they think that because it's on a military base, they can somehow circumvent it or they can even maybe Hegseth or President Trump or someone will write some kind of a new policy or law.

17:16I don't know how they're going to do it when everything that we've been told is illegal. Courtney Kuby, thank you. Thanks, Yaz.

17:25Okay, we're going to take a very quick break and a real big turn. When we are back, let's get some comic relief, shall we? As we head into this weekend, we have Michelle Buteau after the break. I'll see you on the other side.

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19:19And we're back with Here's the Scoop from NBC News. All right, let's shake it off because it is time to laugh after a very long week. So earlier this week, I sat down with comedian and actress Michelle Buteau, who is going to deliver exactly what we need. Yes, honey, you are somebody else's type. You don't even know that. Like, I realized way too late in life that I am an achievable Beyonce for government workers. So you know her work from movies like Spa Weekend and also her Netflix show, Survival of the Thickest, which she starred in, she created, and she executive produced, and of course from her set-up comedy, where her confidence just completely shines through.

19:59And that is probably what I love about her most because she acknowledges her past, but she also drives straight towards the future. So with that, let's bring in Michelle. Thank you. Do you have PTSD coming back to a newsroom? Because that's where you started. I mean, yes and no. Like a security guard just recognized me and it was very fun for a minute. Because you were in this building? I was in this building. And did they recognize you because you used to work here? Because you're now Michelle Buteau, comedian extraordinaire. Both. Really? Yeah. Yeah. And I would come in like maybe a little tipsy working for like that drink ticket.

20:34I would do like three or four shows before I came in for my midnight shift. And so, and I would like test jokes out on the security guys here. Really? Yes. So you were like the, you were like the funny girl at the office, right? Like people were telling you that you were funny. I was the clown. I feel like that happens a lot at work. Like people are like, oh, you're, I mean, people tell me I'm kind of funny. Yeah, you are. Oh. Yeah. Bubbly and funny, which is rare in news. But that doesn't mean necessarily that I should go do stand-up. Not at all. So what? Hold on. Maybe I am going to stand-up.

21:06Not at all. So what gave you the confidence to go out and do stand-up literally at the most unfunny time in this country's history? Because you did stand-up like days after 9-11. Yeah. It was your first time at the mic, right? Yeah. It was like a process because I was also going to shows that year. Yeah. because there was so many like free shows and people would just like be like come there's a show and I would go and I'm like these people are not funny and they're comedians and then I was also like why are there no women in comedy and every time there was a woman on stage the very male host would be like we're gonna switch it up now we got a difference of opinion you'll see what I mean I hope you let and I was like what's happening and then he'd be like it's a woman and then she'd come out and be like hey my name is like Jackie it's like yeah I know she's a woman what's all that for so then I was like people keep telling me I'm funny comedy looks a little dreary but I feel like I could do it I'm like let's just do it you know let's just try let's just see you have a lot of like raunch in your comedy yeah you would say that you could say Yes.

22:21And you were raised Catholic. Very. First of all, when I told my parents I want to be a journalist, they were like, I'm sorry, what? Like they thought I was literally going to like go sell my soul even as a journalist. Is that so crazy? Right. Because they're like doctor, lawyer, engineer as like a child of immigrants. Yeah. And if I were to also be like, I'm going to talk about sex all the time. I know. And my body and my body parts and their body parts. Well, I understand so much more now. There is like a lot of rules and it is conservative in a way, but there's also, you know, there's a celebration of our bodies and music and spicy food.

23:01And also it really is like looking out for your neighbor. Yeah. I think what has resonated for me so much about your story is also kind of like the honest telling, the truth telling. Yeah. And you also tell this story about Hakeem, your like first love. Oh my God, you really read the book. And he cheated on you with Dina? Yeah, my best friend with the bubble butt. So then Hakeem and Dina like get back to you recently and they were like, hey, like our lives. Well, Dina's like, your life is great. You're so funny. But then Hakeem's like, my life's not that great. Like, yeah, can I get closure on this?

23:29Dina hit me up after she saw me on TV. She's just like, oh, my God, this is amazing. You're so funny. How are you doing? And I'm like, still trying to trust people. Bye. And yeah, and he reached out to me as well. And he was like, you know, I do believe in karma. I think my life hasn't been the same since this. and it would mean so much to me if you could forgive me. And I made sure that he saw it was read and I didn't answer him. But you know what I loved about that, even though it seems so cruel? Sorry, Hakeem, if you're listening to this. He's not. He don't know his password. He can't do nothing.

24:04He's a mess. It's like, I feel like we all like listen to these self-help things where it's like, you know, live and let love, right? Like whatever that phrase is. and it's like, let it go, like zen it out, namaste, right? Like, I forgive you, Hakim. Like, let's move on. We were kids. But you were like, no. Yeah. Bye. Yeah. I'm wondering, do you feel like there's like a sense of truth that is missing right now? Like of truth telling, like amongst peers and people. Yeah. Like that frankness that we're trying to just like hold everybody's hands and be like more cautious than how we actually feel.

24:39I mean, yes and no. I feel like there's no happy medium. I feel like people are like living in comments and like telling people about themselves without ever meeting them. And then when we're actually face to face, no one can have the conversation. So what I want to do and how I want to live and how I want to like have relationships is with people that can like say the thing and like we don't have to break up or move on. Right. But also like if I am arguing with you, that means that you are worth my time and I love you. I'm not a perfect person. and I have done stuff that is wrong. And, you know, I like to dig deep because accountability to me is so sexy.

25:18So I'm like, how do I get better? How do we get better at another? Why did I do this? Right? But there's also a bit of you are who you are. So if we are fully in love, and granted we are teenagers, but you feel like it's okay to cheat on me with my best friend, that's who you are. Yeah. It did feel good probably when you got those emails and you were like... It still feels good, sis. It still feels good. It feels real good. You're like, look at me now. I know that you said you kind of got like a later start in life, right? With your career. Yeah. Right? Yeah. And I want to get this right. You were the first woman to tape a Netflix comedy special.

25:51Yeah. Just across the street at Radio City Music Hall. Yes. What was that like for you? Like history in the making? Like that full circle moment, right? You were like at the news desk. And then you're at Radio City. Yeah. Shooting a Netflix special. I'm trying to think of like, this is the craziest possible example because I went from not being able to afford a ticket to go see a show at Radio City Music Hall to being the first woman to film a special there. And the wildest comparison is Mandela. Okay. Because, because you're in... Apologies to all of you that are listening. By the way. Because you were in prison.

26:31Yeah. And now you're the president. Yeah. Again, apologies everybody. She's comparing herself to Mandela. I'm not comparing myself to Mandela, but it is the experience. It is the experience. I'm not comparing myself to Mandela. Come on now. Come on now. You know what I mean? But I feel like once you transcribe it, you'd be like, Michelle Buto, you're nuts. But like, it is like that thing of like, you pass by this institution. Yeah. And you're like, I remember feeling so lucky that I even like got to work here. And I got to pass by it and like look at the marquee every day. a marquee that I like saw on a magnet in her kitchen in like Jersey.

27:09You know what I mean? So like even being like in its proximity, I felt lucky. So all this to say, we're looking, it's so fun looking at venues for your Netflix specials. Like it is my Kleinfeld experience. It's just like, who am I going to go with? And I knew Radio City on that list was like the Nina 14-0, whatever it is, the Nina Ricci, whatever the dress is that nobody can afford. They're like, I don't want to. Okay, I'll try it on. You know what I mean? I hope I don't love it. Like the 21st dress that you've tried on. Yes. But like, I have to have it. Yes, look at all these crystal diamonds around my whatever.

27:43And so I walked into the theater and I was like, this is nice. Wow. This is special. This is unique. There's such a beautiful energy there. Yeah. And, you know, when I would rent apartments back in the day, I would always ask the realtor, who died here? Anyone died here? I want to know the history. I don't want it to be too late. I was like, who filmed here? What other female comedians have filmed here? Because that's like, I would love to look at the special and know what it was probably like for them and stuff like that. And they were like, oh, nobody. And I was like, nobody? That's nuts. It's not to say they haven't played there.

28:18Many females have sold out Radio City Music Hall, but hilarious comedians. But I'm like, oh, to film here, this is different. So I always, I always like anything like comedy wise, I always wanted to feel like a New York City night out. Yeah. And I'm like, this is the perfect one. And then you got this tour coming up? I got a tour coming up. European tour. A European tour. And Australia too? And Australia too. Are you bringing no kids? Hell no. And that's the scoop. But I am going to be filming my next Netflix comedy special in Amsterdam. Yeah. Which will be really special because that's the town where I fell in love with my husband.

28:57and you know this special is like a love letter to um really it sounds so corny but like the world to prove that comedy is universal it doesn't have to be like a comedy roast where you feel like you know enraged this is like you want to feel light and full yeah you want to quote this like quote these like sayings to your co-workers you know tomorrow like the next day at work and And also, it's a love letter to, like, tired Americans who are like, where do I go? Michelle Buteau. Thank you. All right. That is going to do it for us. Here's The Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vistugin. We'll be back on Monday with whatever the weekend may bring.

29:38And 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 at NBCNews.com. I'll see you Monday, guys.

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