


16 Oct 2026 · 30m · 19 chapters

The episode covers three threads: (1) the Oregon elementary school shooting in Bend and the gun-control debate it triggered; (2) WNBA finals hype—Atlanta Dream vs Golden State Valkyries—and what it signals about the league’s growth; (3) an interview with Ashley St. Clair about what she says she saw during Elon Musk’s 2024 election involvement and why she’s speaking out.
Liz Kreutz (NBC News correspondent in Bend). Superintendent Stephen Cook (Bend school district leader, quoted). LaChyna Robinson (WNBA Showtime host on NBC/Peacock). Ashley St. Clair (former right-wing influencer; mother of one of Elon Musk’s children; featured in Alex Gibney’s documentary Musk).
Shooter was 16-year-old John J. Griffin III; police arrived in ~3 minutes; he was killed by Good Samaritan Caleb Giammanco, who had a concealed weapon. Debate centers on Oregon’s gun laws and a district ban on concealed carry, yet the shooter obtained the gun from his mother. St. Clair claims Musk texted her about investigations into him and helping Trump win; she says she gave him a “dark MAGA” hat; she alleges a $15M NDA offer and says NDAs were required of mothers for control. Robinson cites defense/toughness, venue expansion (Dream moving to State Farm Arena), and increased visibility from a new media rights deal.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes.
Discusses how team momentum can attract fan interest.
“When you go to the finals, that's the type of momentum that can bring in more fans, right?”
Preview of the WNBA finals and the excitement surrounding the event.
“She is the mother of one of Elon Musk's children.”
Details about the shooting incident at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon.
“A seven-year-old and another teacher are still in the hospital with critical injuries.”
Exploration of the community's response to the shooting incident.
“That is according to three senior law enforcement officials who were briefed on the investigation.”
Discusses the identity of the shooter and details of the ongoing investigation.
“We're sitting about a block away from the school that's covered in crime tape.”
Describes the actions of a Good Samaritan who intervened during the shooting.
“What are we learning about about the motive?”
Examines the implications of the incident on gun control discussions.
“By the time they arrived, the shooter had already been neutralized as a result of a Good Samaritan driving by whose two kids went to the school and getting out of his car, walking into that school.”
Brief preview of an upcoming interview with Ashley St. Clair.
“Yesterday on our flight up to Bend, we met a family who knows one of the victims.”
Ashley discusses her relationship with Elon Musk and her views on his political actions.
“So Elon Musk has been all over the news this week.”
Discussion on the implications of Elon Musk's data analysis in elections.
“And then a month later, when he leaves the election night early, he says, I knew that hours ago about Trump winning.”
Ashley St. Clair discusses being offered an NDA by Musk's fixer.
“You told the Wall Street Journal that in December of 24, Musk's fixer offered you$15 million plus$100 ,000 a month for child support if you agree to sign an NDA.”
Exploration of Musk's desire to control narratives around his children.
“He responded on X saying, quote, she was never offered that and has a history of making false claims.”
Ashley emphasizes the importance of courage in the face of adversity.
“they wanted you to sign this NDA, but it didn't necessarily mean that Elon would say, well, this is not my child.”
Ashley reflects on her past as a MAGA influencer and seeks redemption.
“That was one of the first major conversations I had because I wanted so deeply to make amends and to apologize.”
Discussion on social media's impact on shaping public opinion and behaviors.
“the world, yields across so many sectors from politics to AI, what is something that we do not know about him that is important to know?”
Discussion on the upcoming WNBA finals and the league's growth.
“workspace with gemini at go.gle slash workspace with gemini i've given my blood my sweat my tears to this island what happened here we came here seeking a great treasure we've been out here for 14 years.”
Analysis of team strengths and predictions for the WNBA finals.
“and its fan base is growing at lightning speed, look no further than the WNBA finals, where the Atlanta Dream is taking on the Golden State Valkyries.”
An exploration of the current WNBA season, including team dynamics and fan engagement.
“She has led the WNBA in steals, is a great three-point shooter.”
Discussing the challenges faced by the WNBA and the intersection of criticism regarding gender and diversity.
“How would you define this season, like big picture, considering some of the wins and then some of the kind of the more controversial things that have happened?”

Get the gist, explore an idea or ask about something said.
On Here's the Scoop, what are the key points of this episode?
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.
0:00Ashley St. Clair: When you go to the finals, that's the type of momentum that can bring in more fans, right? All of a sudden, the entire city is like, wait, our team is about to win a championship. Maybe you haven't been paying attention before, but now you're invested. Hi, everybody, and welcome to Here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Basugin. So today on the show, yes, in fact, we are talking about the WNBA finals. They are here. The Atlanta Dream taking on the Golden State Valkyries. And there has been so much excitement about the WNBA, even leading up now to the finals, right? The entire season has been marquee.
0:34Ashley St. Clair: But the demand has gone up so much that they've actually had to change venues. So we're talking about that coming up. I also got to sit down with Ashley St. Clair. She is the mother of one of Elon Musk's children. She talks to me about the politics surrounding Elon Musk, about the non-disclosure agreement that she was asked to sign by the richest man in the world and why it is she's speaking out, plus the documentary that is out now about Elon Musk. Up first, though, families in Bend, Oregon are reeling after a shooting at an elementary school on Thursday that left three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, and one teacher dead.
1:16Ashley St. Clair: A seven-year-old and another teacher are still in the hospital with critical injuries. Here is Superintendent Stephen Cook speaking on Thursday. We are heartbroken. We are horrified. This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places and pray that it never happens here. And it has happened here. The shooter has been identified as 16-year-old John J. Griffin III. That is according to three senior law enforcement officials who were briefed on the investigation. Police arrived just three minutes after Griffin opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School. But by the time they got there, he was already dead, shot by a good Samaritan who saw him enter the school with a gun.
1:58Ashley St. Clair: So I want to bring in NBC News correspondent Liz Croyd. She's on the ground for us in Bend, Oregon. Hi, Liz. Hi, Yasmin. I want to get a sense, Liz, if I can, about how the community is responding right now. What have you been seeing? Oh, it's everything you could imagine. And of course, worse, because nobody ever expects this to happen in their community. And this whole community, the city is absolutely shattered. We're sitting about a block away from the school that's covered in crime tape. It's on lockdown and a growing memorial is now there with people, a steady stream of families, all with little young children coming and dropping flowers.
2:38Ashley St. Clair: We just interviewed one mom who had her little toddler with her bringing flowers, and she didn't have to tell him what happened, but she did have to tell her five - and six-year-old children who are in a nearby elementary school. And it's just a conversation that no parent wants to have to have. It is—it's really awful. And I think part of, you know, the frustration in all of this is the loss of life and then the answers, right? The questions that you have about why someone would do something so horrific, why they would walk into a school and shoot these young kids. What are we learning about the shooter?
3:11Ashley St. Clair: What are we learning about about the motive? Yeah. So according to three law enforcement sources who have been briefed on this investigation, they tell our colleagues, Tom Winter and Jonathan Deans and Andy Blankstein, that this is a 16 year old teenager from Bend, Oregon. We don't have a lot of information about him at this time. We have no sense of a motive from authorities. They are looking into whether he potentially attended this elementary school. And according to two law enforcement sources, he actually obtained this weapon from his mother, who purchased this firearm about a year ago around the time of his birthday.
3:59Ashley St. Clair: But why someone would do this, we don't know. all of that is still part of this ongoing investigation.
4:08Ashley St. Clair: The police arrived within three minutes. By the time they arrived, the shooter had already been neutralized as a result of a Good Samaritan driving by whose two kids went to the school and getting out of his car, walking into that school. You talked to the Good Samaritan's brother. What did you hear? What did you learn? Yeah, we did. You could just tell the whole family is an absolute shock. And the brother identified his brother, the Good Samaritan, as 36-year-old Caleb Giammanco. He said he's a carpenter. He lives just a few blocks from the school, and he does have two girls that go to the elementary school.
4:49Ashley St. Clair: Thankfully, they are safe. But it was just a matter of good timing. He happened to be driving by the school on his lunch break. And apparently he even had some food in his car. He didn't have to go home, but his wife was making tacos. So he just decided to go home. Happened to drive by at exactly the moment where the shooter began entering the school. He heard gunshots. That could be the gunshots. We don't know, but it could be from that first report at 1259. Law enforcement say that they got a report of a man saying that somebody was firing at them inside their vehicle. It could be that. So he heard these gunshots.
5:24Ashley St. Clair: He looked over. He saw the gunman entering the school. And this is somebody, according to his brother, who has a concealed weapon. He had it on him. And I guess without thinking, because all of this happened within a matter of three minutes, he got out. He followed the gunman into the school and he engaged him and ultimately killed him. Oregon has some really strong gun laws, more restrictions on gun ownership than most other states. I know that the Ben Lapine School District has gone even further. They banned concealed carry on its property, closing a legal loophole in the state. Despite that, the shooter was killed by a quote unquote good guy with a gun who was close enough to walk in right behind him.
6:05Ashley St. Clair: Is this going to bring up hard conversations when it comes to gun restrictions? Yeah, it already has. We can tell you already we've been hearing that from people in the community here. Yesterday on our flight up to Bend, we met a family who knows one of the victims. And immediately that's where the conversation went. They said this is somebody who had a gun on a campus when they probably shouldn't have because concealed carry weapons are not allowed on this school. Now, we should point out he wasn't intentionally on the school. He was driving by and then went in. But there are many people here who say, see, this is why we need more good guys with guns.
6:41Ashley St. Clair: There was just a report in a local news outlet here in Bend from the same exact school district about a week ago saying that there was an employee of a local high school here that was let up. They say accidentally had their concealed weapon with them on campus. And that is against their rules. And that employee ended up resigning. and you see people in the comments, you know, sort of bringing up what happened yesterday about this man who did have this concealed weapon and ultimately saved lives. So we're certainly seeing that conversation. But at the flip side, you're also seeing people point out that there's a 16-year-old who was able to obtain this firearm, this deadly weapon.
7:19Ashley St. Clair: And why was that? And how is that? So certainly a local conversation here that we're hearing from parents, but also a national one as well. And I'll just point out, Yasmin, when you called the Good Samaritan a hero, which he is, the Oregon governor said that, it was interesting. His brother told us that he doesn't feel that way right now, that he's having a hard time. And he is just dealing with the fact and processing in his mind that he felt he could have done more to prevent even more loss of lives. So just a really sad situation, obviously tragic here in Bend, Yasmin. Liz Kreutz, thank you.
7:56Ashley St. Clair: Appreciate it. Thank you. All right, coming up. I'm sitting down with Ashley St. Clair. She's a former right-wing influencer and the mother of one of Elon Musk's children. We're going to talk about what she saw and heard from Musk as he got involved in the 2024 election and why she's decided to speak out against him. And while you wait for that, do us a favor. Share this episode with a friend, maybe someone you know, who wants to learn more about the richest man in the world. It's a great way for us to find new listeners. We'll have more after a break.
8:54Ashley St. Clair: Thank you. L-E slash workspace with Gemini. Life is full of surprises. You're cruising along not a care in the world when out of the blue, life hits pause. Maybe it's a lost job or lapse in healthcare coverage. Well, UnitedHealthcare is here with a variety of plans to keep things moving. Everything from healthcare plans that fit where you are in life to supplemental coverage like dental and vision. UnitedHealthcare, your plan for taking the surprise out of life's surprises.
9:33Ashley St. Clair: And we're back with Here's the Scoop from NBC News. So Elon Musk has been all over the news this week. First, the money, right? He's been a major donor in the midterms. Fundraising reports show that Musk has donated roughly a quarter of a billion dollars to Republican groups so far. And there are still a few weeks left to go. He's also still dealing with the last election on Thursday. Musk and his America PAC settled two lawsuits that accused Musk of defrauding voters in multiple swing states with his 2024 million dollar election lottery. Musk and the super PAC have denied the allegations. Plus, he rolled out a flashy new Tesla prototype, a car that can briefly hover in the air using thrusters.
10:14Ashley St. Clair: And all of this is happening with Musk also at the center of a new documentary from director Alex Gibney called, appropriately, Musk. It's an in-depth look at his life and features interviews with family members and with colleagues and some of the many women in his life. That includes former right-wing influencer Asha Sinclair. She started spending time with Musk back in 2023. She was pregnant with his child in 2024 when he publicly endorsed Donald Trump. But then she gave birth, and she says things started going downhill. So I wanted to know more about why that happened and why she started speaking out against Musk now.
10:53Ashley St. Clair: I spoke with Ashley about it all.
10:55Liz Kreutz: Hi, Ashley. Hello. Hello.
10:57Ashley St. Clair: Great to have you.
10:58Liz Kreutz: Thank you.
10:59Ashley St. Clair: I want to talk about your history with Elon a little bit. It would be odd for me not to. I get it. Um, so, um, a few days ago in response to a post about, um, the doc that called you his ex-girlfriend, Elon tweeted, and I'm going to get this right, Ashley St. Clair was not my girlfriend. We only saw each other a few times.
11:25Liz Kreutz: I too have children and share secrets with people I've only met a few times. Um, at no point have I ever said that we were in some exclusive girlfriend-boyfriend relationship, but I think anyone who sees the film understands that there was a level of intimacy, whatever you want to label it, whether an entanglement or a situation. You have a child together. Yes.
11:45Ashley St. Clair: Well, why do you? I mean, you know him a lot better than most people do. Why does he do that? Like, why would he want to distance himself from you in that way?
11:54Liz Kreutz: I don't know that he wants to discount the validity of what I'm saying. Like, oh, I don't know him. However, with...
12:03Ashley St. Clair: To make himself feel more powerful and you less or...
12:06Liz Kreutz: I guess to discredit it. However, the things that I speak about in the documentary are his own words. So if he's upset about the narrative, the author is him.
12:15Ashley St. Clair: Let's talk a little bit about some of the things that you talked about in the documentary. So you were actually pregnant with the son that you share with Elon in 2024 when he publicly endorsed now President Trump. And that was in July, right? you said that you were the one who gave him the dark MAGA hat.
12:35Liz Kreutz: Unfortunately, yeah.
12:36Ashley St. Clair: Which is like essentially this black hat that just says...
12:39Liz Kreutz: Make America great again.
12:40Ashley St. Clair: Make America great again. And he wore it to his first Trump rally back in October, right, of that year. In the documentary, you said that he backed Donald Trump. Basically, you said because Trump could be bought. Yeah. How do you know that?
12:57Liz Kreutz: Because I have eyes. And anyone can see that.
13:00Ashley St. Clair: But like experientially, how do you know that?
13:02Liz Kreutz: Because I read his words where Elon texted me and said, there's about half a dozen investigations of significance into me. And smaller ones, many more smaller ones. And I can't be president, but I can help Trump win and I will. Those were his words in one message.
13:18Ashley St. Clair: You were also with him in November of 2024 when the president won his election. and you said that he wanted to leave the party early because Elon had a degree of certainty about the results before they came in that I had never seen before. He said he'd unleash the anomaly in the matrix and that we quote unquote have 10 ,000 lasers in space.
13:41Liz Kreutz: So those texts were sent to me in October of 2024 where he said, I'm feeling more optimistic about tonight. And then he proceeds to say, I said, you know, why, who, what's this anomaly in the matrix you're unleashing? And he says, I have 10 ,000 lasers in space. I told him I'd ask more, but I don't want to be deposed, to which he said that was wise. And then a month later, when he leaves the election night early, he says, I knew that hours ago about Trump winning. My team has the best real-time data.
14:11Ashley St. Clair: So he knew because the results were coming in and his team could figure it out earlier than the networks were all calling it? Or is it something more sinister, I guess, is what I'm getting at.
14:19Liz Kreutz: That is a question for Elon that should be handled by oversight committees. And that's not something that you want to weigh in on. I think I have weighed in on it. I think I've provided that context and I can't answer the questions that only Elon knows. What I can answer is that I've been involved in politics for a while. The expenditures for America PAC were primarily door knocking and canvassing. Door knocking and canvassing does not give you that type of data, even if you pour more money into it. So the The question is what input produces those outputs that provide you such a degree of certainty.
14:52Liz Kreutz: Elon is someone who has one of the largest behavioral inference models on the planet, on X. Those things deserve inquiry. I can't answer a solid, yes, he did this.
15:02Ashley St. Clair: So you believe it deserves inquiry that they should look into whether or not Elon Musk actually influenced the election in a way that might be outside the law?
15:09Liz Kreutz: I believe there needs to be inquiry into how certain technologies are being used, particularly as it relates to the influence of individuals and voters and voter profiles and what data they're allowed to collect and for what purposes.
15:24Ashley St. Clair: You told the Wall Street Journal that in December of 24, Musk's fixer offered you$15 million plus$100 ,000 a month for child support if you agree to sign an NDA. Obviously, you didn't do it because you're here talking to me, right? That's correct. He responded on X saying, quote, she was never offered that and has a history of making false claims. So you stand by that? Yes. The document is in the film. What's interesting to me, though, is, and I really, like, I think it's fascinating. I want to understand this. So he's kind of very public about wanting this, like, I guess, Roman legion of kids, right?
16:04Ashley St. Clair: Right. If you're listening to this, by the way, and you're not watching, Ashley's face says a lot every time I ask her a question. As a side note, you should not play poker, by the way. It would not be your strong suit. Don't go to Vegas. so he wants this Roman legion of kids right why would he then want to deny that he is the father of your child like how does that if he wants all these children why would he want that to be denied
16:38Liz Kreutz: what most people don't understand is what I was told is that all the mothers signed this agreement so this was not unique to me and I think so often it's conflated like oh he wanted her to shut up and hide this and so this was not unique to me and for whatever reason they do it this way and it's really strange, but I do believe it's about control.
16:59Ashley St. Clair: It's about control. Yes. So you feel as if like to a certain extent they wanted you to sign this NDA, but it didn't necessarily mean that Elon would say, well, this is not my child. I'm not the father. He just wanted to be able to control the narrative. Is that what you're getting at?
17:11Liz Kreutz: Control the being, the person.
17:14Ashley St. Clair: The being like your son.
17:16Liz Kreutz: Me. You. And your child. My children, yes. Because this was to be applicable to my heirs. It's in my heirs, which means both of my children, one of which is not his. And so I have compared him to a butterfly collector. Okay. I've never met a butterfly collector before. He pins the wings to the wall of these women because there's a through line with many of the women in which they have voices. Justine Musk, who's in the film, Justine Wilson, she's an incredible writer with an amazing voice. Claire Grimes is an artist. Justine was his first wife. And so I think there's, for whatever reason, he's drawn to women who are vocal.
17:56Liz Kreutz: And then he likes to silence them.
17:59Ashley St. Clair: Do you worry for the safety of your life and your children? Do you feel like your security is at threat?
18:05Liz Kreutz: Of course.
18:06Ashley St. Clair: Yeah.
18:06Liz Kreutz: Of course. And Elon knows that anytime he posts or tweets about anybody, which is why, you know, I have to watch this as the mother of one of his children and watch the way he's targeting Vivian. his child because he disagrees with Vivian. And every time he tweets about her, he puts a target on her back. And that to me, I just can't imagine as a parent putting such a risk, like a target on my kid's head. So why do you keep going? Like, why do you keep speaking out? Because that's what courage is. And, you know, when you think about setting an example for your kids, what do you want them to be?
18:42Liz Kreutz: You want them to be brave and courageous. You don't want them to be cowards or, you know, just trade being materially comfortable for doing what's right. I want my kids to do the right thing. And to do the right thing, it's really painful to do the right thing. There is risk involved in doing what's right. And to have courage, you have to be afraid. That's part of it. And do it afraid. Do it anyways.
19:05Ashley St. Clair: So you've had a real political shift as of late.
19:07Liz Kreutz: Yes.
19:10Ashley St. Clair: you first made it onto musk's radar as a maga influencer you were posting um right-wing videos you're attacking immigrants yeah you attack transgender people you wrote an anti-trans children's book it seems like you have some regrets many many um and that's why back in
19:32Liz Kreutz: january one of the first conversations i had publicly after being offline for so long was actually with Matt Bernstein on the A Bit Fruity podcast and with a transgender advocate, June. That was one of the first major conversations I had because I wanted so deeply to make amends and to apologize. And I'm still working on making amends. And what does that look like? And there's still so much regret in my heart when I see some of these headlines about what the Trump administration is doing and what the answer is to make that right. Like, how do you make amends for being a part of such harmful rhetoric.
20:09Liz Kreutz: I believe all of this would have happened without me, but I still have to take accountability for my own contribution and my own harm.
20:16Ashley St. Clair: Where did the anti-immigrant, anti-trans, where did that all come from? Like, who were you? How did you become that person?
20:22Liz Kreutz: So I got involved with Turning Point and Young Americans for Liberty when I was 18 on my college campus. So it was... Charlie Kirk's organization. Yes. Yes. And they were looking for young white girls who said whatever they wanted. And at that point, I was a very broken individual. I was homeschooled in high school. And so there's very much, I think they call it pick me-ism, where I just liked that validation from the internet. And as a young girl who's going through college and you're getting all these social media followers and envisioning that, you're like, oh, I have 10 ,000 followers. I have 100 ,000 followers.
20:57Liz Kreutz: It creates this really toxic and destructive feedback loop. And then you get more involved in MAGA and you have people like Charlie Kirk and older influencers saying, you know, you don't need to be in college, drop out. And then you're a full-time MAGA influencer. And so then once you're in it, it's very hard to leave. Leaving is not just changing your opinion, it's blowing up your whole life.
21:19Ashley St. Clair: With the incredible amount of power that Elon Musk, as the wealthiest man in the world, yields across so many sectors from politics to AI, what is something that we do not know about him that is important to know?
21:35Liz Kreutz: I think people need to get off hacks, Twitter. I think people really discount how much that is being used to bastardize our attention. And I often say you don't have to censor speech if you find speech at the prepubescent stage, which is thought. And I think people really discount how much goes into these people who are controlling our algorithms, such as Elon.
21:58Ashley St. Clair: Asha St. Clair.
21:59Liz Kreutz: Thank you for having me.
22:03Ashley St. Clair: So, by the way, NBC reached out to Elon Musk for comment, but I've yet to hear back from him or his team. Previously, Elon Musk has denied that he financially supported Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign to influence investigations into him or his companies. In response to the allegations that Musk knew the 2024 election results early, a lawyer for Musk wrote to the production company behind the Musk documentary, quote, quote, Starlink was not connected to vote tabulation. And quote, the insinuation is false. All right, we're going to take a very quick break. But when we are back, the WNBA finals are set.
22:39Ashley St. Clair: How the matchup proves the league just keeps expanding. That's next.
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23:26Liz Kreutz: After centuries of mystery. You have to hold the proof in your hands. The lifelong quest. Time to go get it.
23:32Ashley St. Clair: Whoa, what the heck?
23:33Liz Kreutz: Has finally paid off. You found that in the money pit. This is what we've spent our entire lives searching for. The Curse of Oak Island. New season. Tuesday at nine. Only on History.
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24:35Ashley St. Clair: And we're back with Here's the Scoop from NBC News. So if you need any more proof that the WNBA and its fan base is growing at lightning speed, look no further than the WNBA finals, where the Atlanta Dream is taking on the Golden State Valkyries. Whoever wins is going to become first-time WNBA champs. And the Valkyries are fighting for the title in their just second season of existence. Yet tickets are so in demand that the league actually had to move the Atlanta games to an NBA-sized arena. So what do we expect from this matchup? And what does this say about the growing future of the WNBA? Well, I spoke to LaChyna Robinson, and WNBA Showtime host on NBC and Peacock to get some of those answers.
25:17Ashley St. Clair: Hi. Hi. Just the fact that your position exists actually speaks to what is happening with WNBA and how it's on fire right now. Yeah, the league is growing so much and we are in the first year of a new media rights deal, which is why NBC is back on the table, which has been incredible. So more visibility, more exposure, more fans and the league is just blowing up. People are showing up. And by the way, so is the money a la Cuba Gooding Jr. from what was that film with Tom Cruise? Oh, Jerry Maguire. Yes. A la Cuba Gooding Jr. from Jerry Maguire. Show me the money. And like the money is now showing up.
25:54Ashley St. Clair: It is. The people are showing up for the WNBA. And I want to talk the action on the court too because we got the Atlanta Dream led by Angel Reese. The Valkyries led by Gabby Williams. Both teams defensive powerhouses, right? Both are fighting for their first WNBA title. So what can we expect from this matchup? You said a very important word is a lot of defense. I mean, these are two teams that know their identity so well. It's toughness, it's defense, it's transition. And when you look at the two organizations, even though they're both going for their first WNBA championship, they have different levels of experience.
26:31Ashley St. Clair: So the Golden State Valkyries are only in their second season of existence as an organization. They're already in the finals, which you got to tip your hat to the work they've done, front office, ownership, head coach Natalie Nekase. On the other end of that, the Atlanta Dream has been to three WNBA finals but never won a finals game. Their last appearance was in 2013. And so those fans are hungry to finally get over the hump. So you have maybe like an early surprising entry, if you will, in Golden State, which is great. And I think for the teams that will be coming into the league in the next few years, they're saying, hmm, we can turn this around pretty quickly.
27:07Ashley St. Clair: You also start to look at the star power of both of these teams. For Atlanta, you've got an Angel Reese who is only in her first year with the organization, came from Chicago. Big name, lots of following. And then on the other end, you've got a player like Gabby Williams, who is in her first season with the Golden State Valkyries, played at UConn, has always been an outstanding player, but has taken her game to the next level. But they recruited her by saying, we're going to get this done soon. Predictions for the finals champion? Do you have one? You willing to make it? Um, am I willing to make it?
27:40Ashley St. Clair: See, this is the thing that people don't understand about the media side of this is the moment you make a prediction, that other team that you didn't pick, you may or may not have shoot around access moving forward. You may or may not be able to get into a practice. Okay, okay, okay. So, but what I will say, a couple of things to keep your eyes on. For Atlanta, I mentioned Angel Reese, but also Ryan Howard, who is having an amazing season for them. She has led the WNBA in steals, is a great three-point shooter. This is a team that's going to turn you over. They're intense. They're fast-paced, like to get up and down the floor.
28:13Ashley St. Clair: And for the Golden State Valkyries, they are just the kind of team that wears you down throughout the course of the game because she plays a lot. Not only Nakase plays a lot of players. Everyone's sold out for defense. They're physical. So I said at the top, this was going to be a defensive matchup. It is, but that means who can score points against the other team's defense will really be the key. We talked about people are showing up, right? Which means now they have to find a bigger arena, which they have essentially found, right? The league has switched to a larger venue in Atlanta for the finals.
28:48Ashley St. Clair: The State Farm Arena, I want to get this right, has more than 17 ,000 seats compared to the 3 ,500-seat arena where the Dream has been playing for the season. That's a huge jump. And this is where the Dream is going to start playing home games next year. Do they have the fan base for that? Like next year, do you think people are going to show up as they have been? Yes, they do have the fan base for it because they played a few games at State Farm this year and they were very well attended. So they've shown that they can fill that place up. And to me, when you go to the finals, that's the type of momentum that can bring in more fans, right?
29:23Ashley St. Clair: All of a sudden, the entire city is like, wait, our team is about to win a championship. Maybe you haven't been paying attention before, but now you're invested. You hope to win the championship. But either way, you get a commitment. From the community. So going into this WNBA season, the expectations were really high, right? You had two new teams for the WNBA. Salary caps for teams increased by the millions, which was a huge win for all the players. There was some, though, controversy, right, with regards to some politics and some protests happening on and off the court. And then the WNBA commissioner, Kathy Engelbert, is retiring as well.
30:00Ashley St. Clair: How would you define this season, like big picture, considering some of the wins and then some of the kind of the more controversial things that have happened? We've had a lot of really good moments for the W, but we've also seen some growing pains, right? Some areas where the league needs to get better, where, you know, there can be more growth. And while I do believe that the WNBA is more highly criticized than a lot of other leagues right now, okay, I'm not saying that NBA, NFL haven't gone through their times, but the bigger you get, and that's where the WNBA is headed, the more eyeballs, the more questions people have, the more critical they become.
30:39Ashley St. Clair: So do you think it's about the fact that they're growing, or do you think it's about the fact that they're women? I think it's about a combination of things, right? They're women. They're women that come from diverse backgrounds. They're women who are part of the LGBTQ plus community. They are women of color. They are, you know, and so with that comes an intersection of a lot of different types of criticism. But I do believe that if people really pay attention to the basketball that's happening on the court, it's phenomenal. And that's where I hope the refocus happens after every season, as we get to revisit what was really great about the W.
31:17Ashley St. Clair: And that is that these women are the best players in the world. And you have an opportunity to watch them. They're accessible. They're in the community. I mean, there's really nothing to not like about this league. But I do think that they have been under a lot of unfair criticism for various reasons, like those that I just mentioned. We're going to be watching, that's for sure. LaChenna Robinson, thank you. Thank you for having me. All right. That is going to do it for us at Here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Basugin. We'll be back on Monday with whatever the weekend may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
31:52Ashley St. Clair: 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 at NBCNews.com. We'll see you Monday.
32:18Liz Kreutz: My name is Annie Elise, a.k.a. your true crime BFF and host of the podcast Seriallessly. Now, I have been a true crime enthusiast forever, but I wished that somebody would break down the cases for me like a friend, giving me all the details, discussing every twist and turn.
32:33Ashley St. Clair: So I decided to create a podcast that does just that. Serial Slee with Annie Elise is topping the charts with over 6 million weekly downloads. I do the deep dives in these cases so you don't have to. Diving into all the raw details, saying what we all are thinking, and doing it in a conversational way, just like you're talking with your best friend. So join me and let's talk all things true crime. Serial Slee with Annie Elise. New episodes every single week. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Families in Bend, Oregon, are reeling after a 16-year old gunman killed three children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday, and critically injured two others. NBC News correspondent Liz Kreutz explains why the shooting has sparked a debate about Oregon’s gun laws. Plus, a new documentary about Elon Musk, including interviews with Musk’s family members, colleagues and some of the women he’s been involved with, opens on Friday. Former right-wing influencer Ashley St. Clair discusses why she didn’t sign an NDA worth millions after she had Musk’s son, and what her time with him revealed about how Musk wields power. Then, the WNBA Finals start this weekend, with the Atlanta Dream taking on the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco. LaChina Robinson, host of “WNBA Showtime” on NBC and Peacock, previews the matchup and how the growing league is capitalizing on this season’s growth.
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