Trump's Post-Midterm Changes, Lame-Duck Congress, Nvidia Huang Investigation

"President Trump acknowledged his mass deportation policy hurt Republicans in the midterms." "I think it might be too tough. Now he's appointed the architect of that policy, Stephen Miller, as his new chief of staff. What signal does that send?" I'm Layla Faldon, that's Stephen's Keep, and this is up first from NPR News. Republicans who lost in the midterms still have worked to do before leaving Washington. That includes funding the government, passing military funding, and confirming Trump's nominees. But will they get done before Democrats take over? Also, Nvidia is investigating reports that its CEO had an affair with a possible Chinese spy. The company makes artificial intelligence chips that are mostly restricted to China. What do these allegations mean for Nvidia and national security? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day. "President Trump's new chief of staff starts work today." "Yes, Stephen Miller takes over the role after serving as deputy. His elevation is the president's first big personnel move since his party suffered an overwhelming defeat in the midterm elections. Susie Wiles, the previous chief of staff, had been seen as something of a calming influence." "Okay, so what does that change tell us about the second half of Trump's second term? We brought an NPR smart lesson who I think of as a calming influence. Good morning. What has Stephen Miller's role been up to now? Miller was the deputy chief of staff. Now he's the chief of staff. He's a hardliner on a number of issues, primarily mass deportations. He's also behind policies to revoke temporary protected status for immigrants from places like Somalia and Haiti. He believes in unchecked executive power. And I think by choosing Miller, Trump is showing that he is ready for a lot of fights with an opposition congress. Well, yeah, but he also said he was going to look for ways to work with Democrats. Is this signal that nah? Well, I think it signals that he wants to continue a confrontation. Miller has shown no interest in compromise. Tells you that Trump wants to double down on his policies. Miller has called Democrats, quote, "extremists and freaks." He's called the Democratic Party a domestic extremist organization. And you already mentioned one thing when you talked about revoking temporary protected status. Miller has worked the bureaucracy very hard over two terms, really, finding more and more ways to block both legal and illegal immigrants from the United States. And he's had shouting performances on TV. That's his image. That's right. Trump said one of the reasons he chose him is because Miller is, quote, "a fighter and very loyal." And here is Miller talking last year about crime in Memphis, Tennessee. The gangbangers that you deal with, they think that they're ruthless. They have no idea how ruthless we are. They think they're tough. They have no idea how tough we are. They think that they're hardcore. We are so much more hardcore than they are. And we have the entire weight of the United States government behind us. But just last night, Trump said in a 60-minute interview on CBS that his administration's deportation policy may have gone too far. Here he is. And there's a large group of people think that they should be allowed to stay. So you think your deportation policy went too far? It was too tough. I think it might be too tough, yeah. So there's what he says and what he does. One of Trump's close allies, Roger Stone, said when Trump turned to Miller, it's because he wanted to quote, "war time consigliary." And it tells you how Trump is viewing the next two years. Fight, fight, fight. Okay. Speaking of fighting, over the weekend, the president said on social media he'd offered the job of White House Press Secretary to the UFC head. Ultimate fighting championship had Dana White and then said it was only a joke. What's going on? I think the fact that people couldn't tell whether it was a joke or just a troll is the issue here. Trump was clear about one thing. He said he liked White because he's quote, "a violent fighter and warrior." Now on the other hand, Trump could have been serious at first and then changed his tune when he saw the response to White. But here's the thing. Because he's the president, we have to take him both seriously and literally. This is similar to other things he said, like when he said the war with Iran is over, that the U.S. obliterated the Iranian nuclear program or that there's a ceasefire in Ukraine when none of those things were true. And if you can take the statements of the president of the United States at face value, that can be a problem. Now maybe not as significant when it comes to who's going to be the next press secretary as it could be in other situations. And Piers Marlais and thanks for the insights. You're welcome. Okay, suppose you and many of your colleagues were fired. But you're told to keep working for a few more weeks to finish some urgent business. Yeah, that's the situation for many Republican lawmakers who were defeated last week. They're expected back, along with all the rest of the current Congress for a lame duck session. In addition to clearing out their desks, they have to finish whatever business Congress put off until after the election. And Piers Congressional reporter Eric McDaniel is here in Studio 31. Eric, thanks for coming by. Of course. That doesn't sound like fun, at least for the lawmakers who lost. Right. Well, they are still being paid. Okay. So there's that. One of their big assignments makes sure the millions of federal workers keep getting paid to the government runs out of money on December 11th. Still, I kind of think attendance might be a problem. And even a few folks with senioritis could cause a headache. As you know, and I've said it on this program many times, Republicans have just a two-vote majority in the House at the best of times. And if anyone decides to stay home, it could cause a bit of a headache. Wow. And incentives would draw people back to town. Calling naive, but I do believe in Congress. There are a lot of proper public servants left, folks who came to Washington because they believe in the work. So I think some folks will run through the tape on that principle. And then there are, you know, other incentives, housekeeping, Mike Ricci, a Republican strategist who worked for former speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. He told me that these folks have to wind down their offices and, well, job hunt. They all have DC contact lists that eat up a lot of iPhone storage at this point and that could serve them well on that. Then there's the social aspect. For members and their families, they might want to go to things like the White House Christmas Party. All that could put butts and airplane seats to get the work done here. Okay. There's some kind of incentive for the people who are not totally motivated by public service, in case there are a few of those. Now you said they have to fund the government by December 11th. What else is on the list? Well, say goodbye to all the heavy-lift stuff, right? Things like the Protect College Sports Act, which would, among other things, federalize regulation of compensation for college athletes. It's probably on ice until it's inevitably renegotiated in the new Congress. And with apologies to all the energy permitting reform fans, that framework is probably not happening either. What's in, they'll need to figure out some kind of military funding something. That's the National Defense Authorization Act. It's considered a must-pass bill, but the Iran War's immense unpopularity makes it sticky. I'm also watching the potential for a vote to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. That was kicked off before the election by House GOP Potster, Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The measure could come up this week, and Massie insists that it can pass. Okay, some things that really have to pass, and I should note, sometimes a lame duck is really productive. You never know. So what else is on the list? I imagine Senate Republicans want to zip through as many judges and Trump executive branch appointees as they can in the time they have left. Remember, when Democrats take control in January, those confirmations aren't happening without big, big compromises from the White House. Can you mention the Democrats taking control? When do the new lawmakers get here? Well, they get here Sunday, January 3rd. They've got lots of orientation events before then. They're actually already in town. It's also the first time these folks will be all in a room together. That means a lot of time for what future speaker of the House, Kim Jeffries, loves to call family conversations. They'll start sorting out the dynamics of how they will and maybe won't work together over the next two years. And then, like I said, swearing in on Sunday, January 3rd, I'll send you an outlook. Okay. Okay. Thanks for I appreciate that. I feel like this is a kind of family conversation. Isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for coming by. And be our congressional reporter, Eric McDonough. I'm always happy to be here. The most valuable company in the world is investigating its own CEO. In video is a designer of computer chips for AI, and it's looking into its leader, Jensen Wong. The question is whether he left himself open to spying by China. In video produces some of the world's most sophisticated chips leading to constant debate about whether they should be sold to China. NPR tech correspondent John Ruich is here to tell us more. Good morning, John. Good morning. So why did NVIDIA launch this investigation? Yeah, the board was following up on reports not yet confirmed by NPR that CEO Jensen Wong had an affair with a Chinese woman who US intelligence agencies believe was recruited by China's main spy agency to gather information on him and potentially to try to influence US policy. NVIDIA did not mention China in its announcement online of the investigation, but it did say the spark for this was reporting that Huang was, quote, "the target of a foreign intelligence effort." The company also posted a memo that Huang sent to staff at NVIDIA, admitting to having an affair and apologizing for it. In the memo, he said he supports the board's investigation and will fully cooperate. Now, for China's part, they've said that the allegations are unsubstantiated. Now, we don't cover many stories about allegations of corporate espionage. Explain why NVIDIA and Huang are different. Yeah, there's two huge reasons. Number one is that NVIDIA is a linchpin of the US economy. It's one of the biggest companies in the world. And right now, it's at the heart of the AI revolution. It makes the most widely used microchips to train and run AI. The second reason that this is. a big deal is that Jensen Huang has enjoyed extraordinary access to the president of the United States. They talk on the phone. He even traveled to China with President Trump in May aboard Air Force One. Now, according to news reports, Trump was briefed on intelligence about Huang's relationship over a year ago, and yesterday he was asked by a reporter if, in hindsight, he should have acted on it. I don't think so. I think he's an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it. Yeah. You have to hear it. What has Huang's stance been on the AI race with China? Yeah. The U.S. restricts exports of certain kinds of cutting-edge chips to China, including Nvidia's best microchips. And Jensen Huang has made the argument that if we let China buy these chips, they would get hooked. Their own chip making industry will develop more slowly, and that that would be good for America. Samuel Breznik of Georgetown University, though, says the spy allegations just raise a raft of questions about what Huang has said. It calls into question that entire approach. It calls into question, you know, was he acting in the best interests of the United States to a certain degree, right? Has he compromised U.S. national security because of this relationship? And I will note that the Trump administration has loosened some of the chip export controls, and some previously restricted Nvidia chips can now be sold to China. What does this mean for Nvidia as the investigation moves along? The spokesperson said the investigation will not slow Nvidia down, and that Jensen Huang is committed to continuing to lead the company. So he's still in charge. In its statement online, the company said the board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia's secrets were compromised. But this issue does seem to be snowballing. Last week, members of the House of Representatives made a request for Huang to appear for closed or briefing on his interactions with the woman who's at the center of this whole thing. I'm here as John Ruich. Thank you, John. Welcome. This week, on the Sunday story, NPR Congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt and our senior political editor-in-correspondent, Dominican Montenarro, break down the historic midterm election. I think this was a referendum against the president, against his policies. Okay. What happens now? Will the president hear a message? And what will newly elected Democrats do with their power in Congress? We'll look at the blue wave and beyond. To now to the Sunday story from the first podcast on the NPR app. And that's up first for this Monday November 9th. I'm Steve Inski. And I'm Layla Faldon. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Emily Cobb, Muhammad Advertisi and Adam Bearn. It was produced by Ziyad Bunch and Mia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hainas and Patrick Murray. Our technical director is Margaret Luther.