Lawmakers ask when Lutnick learned of Huang's contact with suspected Chinese asset

Van Hollen to challenge Schumer for Senate majority leader

Lawmakers from both parties want to know when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick knew that Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was in contact with a suspected Chinese asset, and what he did or didn’t do in response.

NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben said Huang’s resignation may also have consequences for the U.S. government, because the scandal is raising questions for the White House and for Lutnick. The Commerce Department handles imports and exports, and Kurtzleben said one big question is whether the U.S. should have more tightly restricted the chips it exports.

The questions follow Nvidia’s announcement that Huang is stepping down as chief executive after reports of his extramarital affairs, and that chief financial officer Colette Kress has been appointed interim CEO. The company launched an investigation after allegations surfaced that Huang had an affair with one of its clients, who U.S. intelligence officials concluded had been recruited by China’s top spy agency. In an email to Nvidia staff, Huang admitted to cheating on his wife and promised to cooperate with the investigation. Nvidia’s share price fell sharply Wednesday after the news of his second affair with an Nvidia executive came to light. Huang was widely considered an important business leader in the U.S. and had close ties to President Trump.

Huang was the face of Nvidia, but Kress has also played a prominent role, NPR’s John Ruwitch told Up First. She is well-known within the company and among investors and business partners, Ruwitch said. Taking over during a crisis presents immense challenges, especially since Nvidia is a key player in the AI economy and produces the most widely-used chips powering the AI revolution, Ruwitch said. Kress must balance the short-term fallout from Huang’s downfall while navigating Nvidia’s long-term strategy, and strong demand for Nvidia’s products is expected to continue as AI usage rises, Ruwitch said. One remaining question, Ruwitch said, is how much trust and flexibility the board will give Kress in her leadership.

White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent the week working on a new security framework between Russia and Europe and seeking to end the war in Ukraine. The two led peace talks in Abu Dhabi, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then traveled to Ireland to meet with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During their visit with Putin, both sides noted progress on the humanitarian track of negotiations, according to NPR’s Charles Maynes. Kushner sees potential for a new security framework between Russia and Europe to help end the war, but Putin remains unyielding in public comments: he has accused Europe of prolonging the conflict through military support for Ukraine and ruled out European peacekeepers as part of any deal. Despite this, Witkoff said Putin had agreed to include Europeans in future talks, though the Kremlin didn’t confirm it.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland announced that he will challenge New York’s Chuck Schumer for the Senate majority leader position. Following recent midterm victories, Van Hollen said voters desired a “change from the status quo.” Elected to the Senate in 2016 after more than a decade in the House, the 67-year-old progressive gained national attention last year for lobbying for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after his wrongful deportation to a prison in El Salvador. His announcement comes as progressive activists and some Democrats push for the 75-year-old Schumer’s replacement. Schumer has been in the role since 2017 but faced criticism from the Democratic base for failing to confront Trump vigorously during a funding dispute in early 2025.

In NPR’s weekend picks, the film Gentle Monster follows a loving couple who move to a farmhouse and whose peace shatters when the husband is accused of a crime. Léa Seydoux, who plays the wife named Lucy, discussed her first “complex” lead role in English with Morning Edition. The new show Cupertino follows two Silicon Valley lawyers whose new firm represents the underdog, takes on big tech and grapples with the complexities of AI.

Also among the weekend picks: journalist Mona Chalabi spent five years following 10 Americans of different economic standings to uncover what it takes to feel financially secure, and her book Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are delves into the elusive nature of financial security. Rappers Lil Baby, Jack Harlow and SOB x RBE offer three ways to relight a flickering star and chart a path toward creative restoration through their respective albums, released today, Nov. 13. School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play wraps up its Broadway run this week, with paid livestreams on The League of Live Stream Theater’s website; set in a 1986 Ghanaian boarding school, the play humorously tackles themes of girlhood and beauty standards.

The newsletter closed with three things to know. Existing home sales fell to 3.75 million in October, marking an 8.8% drop from last year — the lowest sales in 16 years, according to the National Association of Realtors. For more than 60 years, researchers at the University of Virginia have identified children with past-life memories, and a new study suggests that those who died violently or unexpectedly are reincarnated more quickly than others, via WBUR. The American Cancer Society has recommended routine prostate cancer screenings for the first time, saying that blood tests, especially for high-risk groups like Black men and those with a family history, could save lives.