Podcast Summary: "Here's the Scoop" – November 20, 2025

Episode Title: The Market Mood Swing; ‘Why Won’t You Help Me?’: How Jails Fail Pregnant Women
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian (NBC News)

Episode Overview

This episode of "Here's the Scoop" dives into two major stories:

1. The precarious state of the U.S. economy amidst concerns over AI-driven stock bubbles and unreliable employment data.
2. The release of a documentary exposing the harrowing experiences of pregnant women in jail and the systemic failures they endure.
   The episode also rounds up key headlines on political events, corporate mergers, and tech industry news.

Segment 1: The State of the U.S. Economy – Data Disconnects and AI Bubble Fears

Guests: Caleb Silver (Editor in Chief, Investopedia)

Employment Data Delays and Discrepancies

• Outdated Data: The latest jobs report only includes September figures, which feel "extremely old" by market standards. A full October jobs report is missing due to possible staffing shortages or government decisions.
  • "We're looking at extremely old data. Two months ago seems like almost two years ago, given all the dynamism in our economy." – Caleb Silver [02:37]
• Sector Growth & Worrying Unemployment: While healthcare, social assistance, and warehousing showed job gains (+119,000), the unemployment rate climbed to 4.4%—a two-year high.
• Layoffs and Underreported Losses: Over a million layoffs have occurred in private companies, "a drumbeat higher of they're going to do more with less." Public sector layoffs are also significant but underrepresented in official stats.
  • "What you don't see in this report is what we hear from private companies which have laid off more than a million workers so far this year." – Caleb Silver [02:37]
• Questioning Measurement: Current labor statistics methods (business and household phone surveys) seem "antiquated" in a fast-changing 2025 economy.
  • "Seems like a pretty antiquated way of judging the health of the labor market in 2025." – Caleb Silver [04:27]

The AI Stock Market Boom and Bubble Anxiety

• Nvidia as Poster Child: Nvidia’s stock rose 1,300% since 2022, serving as the emblem of the new AI gold rush.
  • "If you think about how Nvidia alone has risen some 1,300% since November of 2022... that’s not normal." – Caleb Silver [07:04]
• Unprecedented Investment: Tech giants are plowing $380 billion into AI—expected to nearly double in coming years—fueling both optimism and bubble fears.
• Investor Uncertainty: Despite heady earnings, recent market slides hint at a mood swing; "investors are pretty much undecided about how they feel about the future." [08:19]
• Productivity Paradox: AI is upping productivity but also enabling layoffs, creating “uneasy growth.”

K-Shaped Economy: Diverging Fortunes

• Asset Boon vs. Paycheck Struggles: Wealthier Americans—owners of homes and stocks—are thriving, visible in luxury travel and spending, while most Americans are "just trying to get by paycheck to paycheck.”
  • "The rest of the America is just trying to get by paycheck to paycheck and worrying about rising costs going into 2026." – Caleb Silver [09:25]
• Key Takeaway: The stock market and real economy are only “second or third cousins,” often out of sync.
  • "The economy and the stock market are not the same. And they're like second or third cousins..." – Caleb Silver [08:28]

Segment 2: “Why Won’t You Help Me?” – Pregnant Women Failed by U.S. Jails

Focus: NBC News/Bloomberg Law Documentary
Guest: John Shupee (NBC News Staff Writer)

Shocking Stories of Neglect

• Kelsey Love Case:
  • Arrested for DUI while eight months pregnant, detoxing from meth, and labeled a suicide risk, Kelsey was left unsupervised in a Kentucky jail’s observation cell.
  • She gave birth alone on a filthy cell floor after hours of pleading for help; improvised delivery, tied off her own umbilical cord.
  • "She had given birth alone in this dirty cell, tied off the umbilical cord with a condom she found under the bench..." – John Shupee [13:51]
  • Guards expressed shock upon discovery, having previously ignored her pleas.
    • “Oh, she was just sitting on the bench last time.” – Guard [15:14]
  • Franklin County Jail refused to comment to NBC; denied wrongdoing in court.
• Systemic Failings: Many jails do not track or report such incidents. Some states claim babies born in custody are not considered “incarcerated,” so their deaths go uncounted.
  • "There’s no reporting requirement. There are not even any national standards on how women should be treated when they’re pregnant and in jail awaiting trial." – John Shupee [16:06]
• Fragmented Oversight: U.S. jails follow a “patchwork” of rules (if any) on pregnancy care, contributing to undercounting and neglect.
  • "It’s a patchwork at best where some states or some jails locally… in many ways do their own thing the way that they see fit." – John Shupee [16:06]

The Path Forward

• Piecemal Reform: Successful lawsuits have driven some changes, but reform lacks uniformity and teeth.
  • "It’s very piecemeal... the solution is to mandate the types of care required, on a state, local, or federal level." – John Shupee [17:07]
• Resilience of Survivors: The interviewed women, including Kelsey, “do not want to be defined by this one horrific moment” and strive to reclaim their lives.
• Documentary Details:
  • Title: Giving Birth While in Custody
  • Available on NBCNews.com and NBC News YouTube

Memorable Moment

• Yasmin, as a mother, expresses deep shock and empathy, underscoring the emotional gravity of these stories.
  • "As a mom myself, I was just completely thrown by these stories and the strength and resilience of these women." – Yasmin Vossoughian [17:38]

Segment 3: Headlines & Quick Stories

Timestamp: Begins ~ [18:35]

• Dick Cheney’s Funeral: Attended by presidents and vice presidents past and present (except for Trump and Vance, not invited).
  • Bush eulogizes Cheney:
    • "Dick was funny and easygoing in a style that his public image never caught." [19:14]
• Russia-Ukraine Peace Proposal: White House advances a 28-point peace plan focused on bilateral security guarantees.
• Warner Bros. Discovery Bids: Paramount, Comcast, Netflix vie for ownership; could signal massive film studio consolidation.
• Pornhub & Age Verification: Pornhub’s parent urges tech companies to implement device-based age checks, seeking better child protection online.
  • "If you have device based age authentication, the viewer’s age would be verified through their phone or tablet before even getting online." – Yasmin Vossoughian [21:17]
  • "So if you’re a parent worried about your kids learning about the birds and the bees from outside entities, you and Pornhub are on the same team. Bet you never thought I would say that." – Yasmin Vossoughian [21:33]

Notable Quotes

• On Outdated Economic Data:
  • “We’re looking at extremely old data. Two months ago seems like almost two years ago, given all the dynamism in our economy.” – Caleb Silver [02:37]
• On the AI Boom:
  • “If you think about how Nvidia alone has risen some 1,300% since November of 2022… that’s not normal.” – Caleb Silver [07:04]
• On Jail Neglect:
  • “There’s no reporting requirement. There are not even any national standards on how women should be treated when they’re pregnant and in jail awaiting trial.” – John Shupee [16:06]
• Human Resilience:
  • “These are women who do not want to be defined by this one horrific moment in their lives. They almost want to reclaim the narrative about what happened to them in a way that shows that they have some agency and some power over their lives.” – John Shupee [17:49]
• On Social Inequities:
  • “The rest of the America is just trying to get by paycheck to paycheck and worrying about rising costs going into 2026.” – Caleb Silver [09:25]

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• [00:54] – Opening/Main Theme:
  Market instability, jobs data, AI bubble concerns
• [01:56] – Caleb Silver Segment:
  Economic analysis, data questions, AI bubble, market vs. real economy
• [11:28] – Documentary Feature:
  Pregnant women in jails, personal stories, reporting gaps, reform prospects
• [18:35] – Quick Headlines:
  Cheney funeral, Russia-Ukraine peace plan, Hollywood mergers, Pornhub age verification initiative

Tone & Delivery

The episode maintains Yasmin Vossoughian’s straightforward, empathetic style, balancing clear analysis with emotional engagement—especially in the segment about incarcerated pregnant women. The reporting is brisk but pulls no punches on serious issues, offering both the hard facts and a human face to the stories.

For Further Viewing:
Giving Birth While in Custody documentary is now available via NBCNews.com and the NBC News YouTube channel.