Congress Passes Epstein Files Bill; Nvidia Earnings on Deck

24 snips

Nov 19, 2025

Terry Haynes, the Founder of Pangea Policy, provides keen insights on two major topics. He discusses the unanimous congressional decision to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, pondering its political ramifications and potential impact on the Justice Department's actions. Haynes also analyzes President Trump's designation of Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, framing it within broader geopolitical strategies and its implications for U.S.-Saudi relations in a shifting Middle Eastern landscape.

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INSIGHT

US Deepens Ties With Saudi Arabia

Trump designated Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally amid a White House dinner with MBS and tech figures.
The move includes defense sales and deeper cooperation, while critics say Saudi offered little in return.

ANECDOTE

Musk At The White House Dinner

Elon Musk attended the White House dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
His presence followed a prior public falling out with President Trump over tax and spending policy.

INSIGHT

AI Spending Fuels Market Pullback

Wall Street's recent sell-off was led by big tech after a run-up and profit-taking concerns.
Analysts worry heavy AI spending may slow earnings growth for hyperscalers.

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On today's podcast:
1) President Trump’s firm control of Washington showed signs of weakening Tuesday as Congress voted to compel the Justice Department to release its files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, whose earlier ties to the president have been the subject of intense scrutiny. The legislation overwhelmingly passed the House in a 427 to 1 vote. Within hours, the Senate agreed unanimously that the bill would be passed without further action once it arrives in the Senate. It will then be sent to Trump, who has said he’ll sign it. Trump late Sunday relented on his prior opposition and directed Republicans to vote to release the files. Senate Republicans ignored calls by Speaker Mike Johnson to give the Justice Department additional leeway to withhold documents.
2) President Trump said he would formally designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally in a further strengthening of ties between the two countries, capping a day of dealmaking between the US leader and the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The designation for nations with close strategic relationships with the US provides financing and priority access for purchases of certain military equipment, as well as the ability to participate in joint research efforts. Saudi Arabia will become the 20th ally designated under the status, joining other nations in the Middle East including Egypt, Israel, and Qatar. MBS, as Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader is known, was joined by prominent executives and celebrities including Elon Musk and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo at the Tuesday evening event, with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino also in attendance.
3) Wall Street will get a sense of where the billions of dollars being spent on artificial intelligence are going when Nvidia reports its earnings after the bell on Wednesday. Analysts expect the chip behemoth to show more than 50% growth in both net income and revenue in its fiscal third quarter. The reason is fairly straightforward. Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. — which taken together represent more than 40% of Nvidia’s sales — are projected to increase their combined AI spending by 34% over the next 12 months to $440 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The risk is that these numbers could become unreliable if the big AI spenders, in particular closely held OpenAI, have to pull back on their commitments.

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