Nvidia CEO’s Affair Could Be a National Security Risk; What to Expect from the Lame-Duck Congress

0:01Dan De Luce: Decades of pain. Decades of pain in that book. Decades of bowel troubles. Believe it or not, it's very, very funny. Like, I kept telling people over the weekend at a book signing, I'm like, it's laugh out loud funny. Hi, everybody, and welcome to Here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Basigat. So today on the show, we are talking to NBC News Entertainment correspondent Chloe Malas and her co-author, Judy Battalion. They are out with a new book tomorrow called The Girl's Guide to Guts, talking about all things gastrointestinal issues, things that have affected both of them, along with advice they have for others that may be at the beginning, middle or end of their journey.

0:41Also, Congress is back in town in Washington, that is. The Democrats that won are there for orientation. Republicans have two months left to get a lot done on their agenda. So we're diving into what's happening on Capitol Hill this week as well.

0:58Up first, though, here's a story that has it all, right? You got romantic entanglements, alleged espionage, and a multi-trillion dollar tech company. AI giant NVIDIA says it's opening an independent investigation into CEO Jensen Wang after Wang admitted to having an affair with a woman that U.S. intelligence officials are calling a Chinese spy. Jensen Wang has been a major player in the AI boom and a trusted ally of the Trump administration. So what are the national security implications? And what could this mean in the AI race between the United States and China? For this, I want to get right to Dan DeLuz.

1:35He's the NBC News national security and global affairs reporter. Hi, Dan. Hi there. This thing broke. The details of it are insane, I will say. And it's literally out of a spy novel. Tell us about the relationship, from what we know, between Jensen Wong and Alice Wong, the person he was having this affair with, who, by the way, has no relation to Jensen. Right. No relation. So she was a tech executive with a company called Megaspeed based in Singapore. And they were involved in the same industry, microchips and so on. and she was seen in public with him. The U.S. intelligence community concluded that she was an asset of the Chinese intelligence service, that she was a spy, and that she was funneling information to them.

2:30And now we heard over the weekend, the CEO, Jensen Huang, apologizing for this affair, admitting to it, saying it was a terrible mistake, and he apologized. And then we had the board of NVIDIA announcing this investigation into him. But they also said they didn't have a reason to believe that national security was put at risk. Well, this is arguably, you can make it, this is the most sensitive company to be spied on in terms of national security, arguably. Yes, there's the obvious defense contractors that build weapons. But right now, as we all know, we're in this intense competition rivalry with China and AI is at the center of it.

3:10You know, who can get the technological edge and as a result the sales of these nvidia chips were restricted to china on the theory that this would help china accelerate their race towards new ai technology and maybe overt overtake the u.s so a tremendously sensitive company and he is uh you know this huge figure who's very friendly with the white house you know his company is at the center also of our own u.s economy and the economic boom that's so much based on the AI boom and AI advances. Do we know when and how they got together? Do we have any idea about that and how long it went on for? We don't.

3:50They've been seen in public now. There are some reports that it was, you know, a period of months, maybe even a year. The New York Times is saying that the U.S. government was aware that she was a Chinese spy as of last year. Those concerns made their way all the way up to Secretary-elect Marco Rubio at that time? That's what the New York Times has. And think about that. Usually, the Secretary of State is not circulating memos having to do with counterintelligence risks. That's the FBI's job. So that raises many questions. Why is the Secretary of State circulating that memo? He's gotten wind that there's this intelligence problem, this espionage problem.

4:32Does he feel that the whole government needs to be warned? Does he feel like it's not being taken seriously enough? So that raises a question about how the administration responded to this, when they knew, and what they did about it. The New York Times and the Financial Times are reporting that Alice Wong, a Singapore-based company, was buying NVIDIA's chips and had been under surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies. So what type of information and access could she potentially have had in this stallions, in this affair with Jensen Wong? I mean, the sky's the limit. He was in close communication with the White House and had many meetings with the president of the United States discussing U.S.

5:14government policy when it comes to technology and national security and the restrictions on Chinese access to certain sensitive technological products. You know, does he have a security clearance? Because Elon Musk and some other tech chiefs do. So, I mean, the list of risks here and potential damage is kind of infinite, really. You mentioned that NVIDIA has launched this independent investigation and said in a statement, and I quote, they have no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised. But the stock did fall more than 6 % when trading opened today. What could this mean for Jensen Wang's future at the top of NVIDIA?

5:57Well, he's in a very sensitive, difficult spot right now. First of all, how does the board know that no national security damage was inflicted? I don't think they made the case at all, and they didn't give evidence or really, you know, receipts for that. This is also sensitive for the economy. Setting aside national security, as we all know, it's only a handful of AI companies that are really the driver behind this kind of AI. boom. And his is at the center of that. And he is inextricably linked with this company. And if he were forced to step down, I think there would be tremendous fallout. You mentioned how Jensen Wang is at the center of this, you know, kind of AI boom.

6:38And he's been very close with President Trump. And he told reporters on Sunday that he would take Wang with him to the China summit, the president, that is, which is, by the way, happening next week. What does this mean for not only this upcoming trip, but for U.S.-China relations and really kind of any potential to regulate the development of AI when kind of one of the chief whisperers was, in fact, is, in fact, Jensen Wang at the center of this thing? We should say China has vehemently denied that they were spying on him in any way. And whenever they're accused of conducting espionage against the U.S.

7:23or industrial espionage, they've denied it. He has been very influential. He's been a really key voice that has persuaded the president so far not to really opt for serious regulation of AI and the AI industry. And so if he is less influential or he has less access or if he's preoccupied with this whole situation, does that mean that the White House becomes a bit more amenable and other voices enter the vacuum? And so then, therefore, does that affect the debate about AI regulation? I was just going to say, politically, the climate has also shifted radically after this election. There was a clear message from voters of tremendous skepticism of data centers and AI generally.

8:08And so there's an appetite now for regulation even before this whole NVIDIA case popped up. I think the most difficult question, though, for the administration is going to be how they've handled this case. Were they on top of this? Were they aggressive about it? Were they somehow slow to get a grip on it? Why is the president talking about taking him to China? Right. And this is this is a potentially counterintelligence disaster, at least on the face of it. You know, maybe maybe the damage was limited. We don't know. But it certainly is potentially really, really, really problematic and really a setback.

8:45And there have been a number many cases lately of Chinese counterintelligence, you know, Chinese espionage being exposed. People have been indicted and charged in court, accused of trying to share secrets with China, trying to share sensitive national security information with China in return for money. Is the U.S. falling down when it comes to counterintelligence and safeguarding secrets from China? And I think a lot of people would say that we are kind of losing that battle. Dan DeLuce, thank you, my friend. Thank you. All right, coming up, we're going to take a very quick break. But lawmakers are back in action after the Democrats' big blue wave last week.

9:26What will the final weeks of Republicans' tenure on Capitol Hill look like? And how are Democrats getting ready to set up shop? And also while you're waiting. Why don't you do us a very huge favor? Leave us a comment or a review. Maybe I'm going to read it on the air. We want to hear from you. I'll see you on the other side.

9:47Hey, everyone. I'm Dylan Dreyer, co-host of the third hour of today and mom to three wild boys. I've learned a lot in my years as a parent, mostly that I don't have it all figured out yet. And I'm not the only one. This is my new podcast, The Parent Chat. Each week I sit down with someone new for honest conversation and real world advice about parenting. I am over here just like winging it. Hey, I'm just trying not to screw my own kids up. I'm not giving you advice on how to screw yours up. Search The Parent Chat on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Here we are. Good morning. Al Roker here.

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10:50And we're back with Here's the Scoop from NBC News. So Congress is in session today for the first time since Democrats won big in last week's elections. But before the Democrats take control in January, Republicans, they still need to tackle a lot of items on their agenda. That includes selecting new party leaders, approving national defense funding and avoiding another government shutdown before a December 11th deadline. So how will both parties navigate this lame duck session? For this, I want to bring in NBC News Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles. Hi, Ryan. Hi, Yaz. Thanks for having me.

11:24Great to have you, as always. Before we kind of get into the nitty-gritty, the agenda items, all that kind of stuff, like, what is the energy like at the Capitol on this Monday after last week's elections? Yeah, a lot of people have been joking that it's like we're back at school because we haven't seen each other for so long. It's like the first day of school. You know, there is absolutely a bounce in the step of the Democrats that we're talking to and kind of a feeling of resignation amongst the Republicans. This day in particular, these next couple of days are a weird dynamic because in addition to all the members that were previously holding office and will hold office until the end of the year, they're all here.

12:01But it's also orientation week. So that means everybody that won on Tuesday is also here. And, you know, like you can always spot a new member because they're kind of wandering around, not exactly sure if this tunnel takes them to what committee room or, you know, because, you know, the Capitol is kind of a confusing and intimidating place if you've never been here before. So it's definitely a weird dynamic. So let's talk about what they both want to accomplish before the Christmas break. This is the last shot Republicans have at control of Congress these last two months. There is a lot they have to get through.

12:37between now and then. There's going to be a major shift in power come January, i.e. the power will be in the hands of the Democrats. What is on both of their lists from now till then? What I'm most interested in is just how much the Democrats want to assert their power immediately, or if they're content to allow some of these issues to kind of punt into the new year and then have a go at it. The most important and pressing thing they have to do is fund the government. And the government will run out of funding in the middle of December. That could mean a government shutdown if they can't come up with some sort of an agreement.

13:13The most likely outcome is that they will pass some sort of extension to the current funding plan that will get us into the new year. And then that gives Democrats the opportunity to kind of craft their own spending plan. The wild card to all of this is that there are some Democrats that would like to use this particular showdown as a way to force the administration to draw down the war with Iran. And they're willing to hold the Pentagon's budget hostage in order to make that happen. It's not clear whether or not that's the prevailing thought in the Democratic Party right now, because I think there are a lot of Democrats that don't think the best way to start off their new hold on power is with a government shutdown, that the optics of that might not be great, especially as they're on the verge of taking power.

13:56And they would likely bear all the brunt and the responsibility of a government shutdown. So my guess is that they work out some sort of an arrangement to punt the spending into the spring, maybe the late winter, and then they have another go at it. And then specifically on the Republican side, what the Republicans desperately want to do is push through as many judicial nominations as possible between now and the end of the year, because come next year, you might be in a situation where no judges get confirmed in the next two years or at the very least the bar of which it's going to take to get a judge or judicial nomination through is going to be much, much higher.

14:36Can we talk about that a little bit? Because when you and I spoke on the show last week, I don't know if you remember this because, you know, as you mentioned, you retired at the time. I don't even, do we talk at all? I don't even remember seeing. You're operating from like tank of zero. But you actually mentioned that a conservative Supreme Court justice could retire this year and the lame duck Congress could potentially try and push through this replacement before January. Is that a real possibility? What could that confirmation process look like? Could it happen? Yeah. So it could happen. I think that with each passing day, the prospect of it happening are less likely.

15:14I think the most ambitious schedule would have meant that that Supreme Court justice announced their retirement the day after the election or later that week. It's such a very short runway in order to pull something like that off, especially when you take into account that Sherrod Brown will be sworn in as the senator from Ohio on December 15th. So that's one less Republican vote. So you'd have to fit it in during that window. And there's no guarantee that the Republicans that are hanging around, many of which were kind of burned by President Trump, are going to be willing to carry his water on a judicial nomination.

15:48So that gets me to my other question, because what are these other YOLO members of Congress actually going to do with the time they have left? I know that Kentucky Representative Thomas Massey reintroduced these articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Are the votes even potentially there to oust Hegseth when you have other YOLA members of Congress and Senate that are not necessarily looking to champion anything that the president wants right now? So I think it's very possible that the impeachment resolution in the House passes. It's definitely going to get a vote. And I think there are enough Republicans who are upset enough with Hegssef to join all of the current Democrats to get over the 218 threshold to impeach him.

16:35The question is impeachment is only symbolic if you can't get a conviction in the Senate. And there's still not enough Senate votes to convict him. I don't think there'll be enough Senate votes to convict him in the new Congress because it requires such an incredibly high threshold. So that's being said, it doesn't look good for a cabinet secretary to be impeached. NBC actually has reporting that President Trump's been asking around about a potential replacement for Hegseth and if that's something he should do, even though publicly he has said that he's got his complete support. So I think that that remains a wild card.

17:08I think that the president would prefer to have something clean and put somebody in there that's easily confirmable than have to go through the rigor moreau of an impeachment and everything like that. But then at the same time, you know, Hegseth's one of his guys. And Stephen Miller being chief of staff, they're very close. Let's talk about Stephen Miller. So Susie Wiles, outgoing chief of staff. Stephen Miller now, the chief of staff for the president of the United States. This all happened late last week. Before the president announced that Stephen Miller was going to be his chief of staff, he had said he was willing to work with Democrats, especially when it comes to immigration, considering what voters said about immigration in that exit polling and what they said really in their votes.

17:46in casting their ballots last Tuesday. And then he appoints Stephen Miller as his chief of staff. What has been the reaction like on Capitol Hill? What is the president saying in this appointment of Stephen Miller, who has been the architect of the administration's hard line on mass deportation? There isn't a sign that that is the kind of move that a White House makes if they want to work with the incoming majority. And Hakeem Jeffries, who's likely to become the next Speaker of the House, basically said as much that Miller is somebody who has never demonstrated a kind of open mind and a willingness to negotiate with Democrats.

18:26He's very much a hardliner. He's very much my way or the highway, especially when it comes to the topic of immigration. So there's every reason to believe that this is going to be more adversarial and not more cooperative. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, Yaz. All right, coming up, millions of Americans deal with digestive issues, but talking about them publicly can be tough. So we're going to have a gutsy conversation with the co-authors of a new book called The Girl's Guide to Guts. That's next.

19:10in their careers. And now as the co-host of Per My Last Email, we're bringing that advice straight to you each week with hot takes and tactics on how to succeed in every area of work. Whether that's figuring out if you're being underpaid or how to stand out in a remote work environment. So join us each week on Per My Last Email on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Over the years, I've met people whose lives were changed forever in a single moment. In my new podcast, Before and After, I explore what happens after that decisive moment. Personal, powerful conversations with Colin Kaepernick, Jeremy Renner, Gabby Giffords, and others.

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20:39And we're back with Here's the Scoop from NBC News. So we want to close today by talking about something that we don't normally talk about, at least not in polite company, and that is your bowels. So gastrointestinal troubles are on the rise. The NIH estimates that the prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease was up 46 % between 2006 and 2021. On top of that, the American Cancer Society reports that colorectal cancer is now the top cause of cancer deaths for people under the age of 50 in the United States. And millions more suffer from similar issues and diseases. But we just don't talk about it.

21:16So NBC News Entertainment correspondent Chloe Malas is trying to change that. She and her co-author, Judy Battalion, have written a book called The Girl's Guide to Guts, and it's out tomorrow. It draws on their combined decades navigating ulcerative colitis. And both Chloe and Judy are joining me now. Hi, guys. Hi. Congratulations on the book, by the way. Here it is. Thank you. And all it's going. It's kind of exciting. It only took three years for us to do. And all like the pain and annoyances and grievances. All into the book. Yeah. Decades of pain.

21:53Dan De Luce: Decades of pain in that book. Decades of bowel trouble. Well, it's very funny. It's very, very funny. Like, I kept telling people over the weekend at a book signing, I'm like, it's laugh out loud funny. Yeah. So because I want to talk about, like, the honesty that comes through in this book. I think, like, oftentimes, let's be honest here, it can be embarrassing, right, to talk about how you're pooping, why you're pooping, why you're pooping so much or not enough and what's happening in your body and all those things. And Khloe, like, you're a public figure. And you, for instance, tell the story of being at the Sundance Film Festival.

22:27And you're wearing, like, this all-white, beautiful outfit. It was so pretty. And you pooped your pants. I did. I mean, I can't even imagine what it was like for you in that moment. Devastating. But then you're like, well, let me share this with the world. I mean, it's something that I kept secret for 15 years. This isn't anything that I talked about with my girlfriends over cocktails. Of course, friends of mine have talked about bloating or traveler's constipation. No one knew that I was getting routine colonoscopies and that I was on all sorts of medication and then medication for the medication's side effects, which was this like vicious cycle.

23:06And that incident at the Sundance Film Festival, I was newly dating my husband, Brian, and I just couldn't believe that this happened. I had bowel urgency, and that's the thing with IBD. You're so inflamed. you get these kind of panic onsets where you feel like you have to race to the bathroom, but you don't have time to wait. You must go. And I looked over and there was a bathroom line and I knew I couldn't wait. And I tried to make it to my hotel and I didn't. And at the time I cried and laid in bed and my husband, or now husband, happy ending. Then boyfriend. Sorry to spoil it. Then boyfriend, Brian, came and laid down next to me and it really put a damper, obviously, on the rest of the trip.

23:48But I share it now with no shame because I want to show women that you can have a chronic illness or bowel disease and still take big swings and go after your dreams and live a big, beautiful life. So Chloe started talking about this, Judy, right? And you saw her story. And you're a writer. And you guys then connected.

24:09Dan De Luce: I saw on social media. I knew Chloe. We'd both written books about World War II. Yeah. Years later. Which, by the way, no idea Chloe Malata had written a book about World War II. World War II. I am rep. A woman of many talents. Hilarious subjects. So we've both written. Years later, I see on social media on Chloe that she was featured in an article about ulcerative colitis. I didn't know Chloe had ulcerative colitis. I've had ulcerative colitis for 37 years. And I never talked about it. And I never saw articles about it. I was so curious. I went to look, Chloe was speaking about her illness with such candor and grace.

24:49Dan De Luce: It really moved me. And I reached out and we connected here at NBC. And we decided if we are able to sit together and speak openly and with humor about such a shameful, isolating illness, we must be able to do this with other people. It was so cathartic to share that with each other so openly. we felt we really want to share that camaraderie with other people and other women out there who suffer from these illnesses. And as I just kind of like talk through some of these statistics, as I was coming to you guys, I think that's what's really interesting is both of you likely felt like you were very alone in this journey that you were dealing with at the time, but turns out a lot of people are dealing with it.

25:29Dan De Luce: Over 50 % of women in America have chronic gut issues. Wow. So these diseases. Do we know why? Well, we don't know what causes these diseases in the first place. So we don't know exactly why they're on the rise or why they're more prevalent among women. But some theories are that hormones may be related to, especially in IBS. And that could be why more women experience these symptoms. And throughout our research, learning that like 90 % of your hormones are produced in your gut, including serotonin. So think about like how with mental health, you know, you're treating your mind, but really like our gut and our microbiome is really so essential and consequential to all of this.

26:09And to Judy's point, 45 million Americans estimated to have IBS, but still a lot of people have IBD. What we have, inflammatory bowel disease, which is a little over 3 million. And honestly, we think that number might even be on the lower side because a lot of people self-diagnose or get misdiagnosed. So, you know, I think what's really cool about this book is it talks, yes, about kind of your experiences, but also it gives you practical information. And especially with Chloe, what you were just speaking to is like advocating for yourself when it comes to finding the right physician, talking to your doctor, but also what to pack when you're traveling, right?

26:48Talk me through some of that stuff and how it is that one advocates for themselves and wanting to provide these practical pointers to people.

26:57Dan De Luce: Well, the book's not prescriptive. We don't think do this or do that. But we provide suggestions based on decades of living with bowel symptoms. I say from fashion to first dates to fertility. So maybe don't wear all white when you're having a flare. I like to live on the edge. Different waistlines. I think about that constantly. Tell me more. I can't wear certain, And if I'm eating and then I'm going to an event, you're saying, I can't wear a low waistline. I have to wear high. I have to. There's pain or cramping around it. Okay. So I really think about what I wear. Yeah. And, you know, things like if you're worried about that business meeting, you're worried about that first date.

27:38It's simple things, which might sound silly, but call the restaurant. Where are the bathrooms? How many are there? Read the menu before you go. Whether or not you have issues. Prepare yourself. Go ahead and prepare yourself. And I talk about different foods that have worked for me and things that I changed in my lifestyle and in my diet. And we also have in there questions to ask your doctor, questions to ask your surgeon. Even for moms and dads out there listening or friends that know someone in their life struggling with these issues, we actually give you a list of things to say to someone with a chronic illness.

28:11And really, it can apply to any chronic illness. and what not to say to someone like, hey, what did you do wrong to cause this? I can't tell you how many times I got asked that. And it might sound like, well, why write all of those very basic things in a book? Let me tell you, if I at 25 had been handed this book by a friend or my mom, it would have been a savior to me. I had no one place for all the information. And we really kind did all the research for the reader. All right. The book is The Girl's Guide to Guts. It's out tomorrow, November 10th. Judy Battalion, Clay Malas. Thank you, guys.

28:47Thank you. All right. That is going to do it for us. Here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Basugin. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe. We're having 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 at NBCNews.com. We'll see you tomorrow.

29:28Monday on NBC. U.S. Marshall! All new Line of Fire. The thrilling new crime drama. The world sees us as heroes, But they don't know what the job really costs. One family of federal agents. It's one thing to put yourself in danger. It's different when it's your family. Balances duty to their country. An assassin is still out there. Stop! And each other. How do you protect the world and the people you love at the same time? Every case hits home on Line of Fire, Monday on NBC.