Squawk Pod – December 3, 2025

Main Theme:
A wide-ranging exploration of today’s top financial stories, with a focus on cryptocurrency—particularly Bitcoin’s resurgence and the growing case for Solana—plus American Eagle’s retail performance, holiday shopping numbers, political dynamics, and a conversation with science communicator Mark Rober about innovation in education and content creation.

Episode Overview

This episode of CNBC’s Squawk Pod navigates major market movers and cultural touchpoints. The hosts (Becky Quick, Joe Kernen) discuss the rebound in Bitcoin prices, new optimism around Solana with guest Anthony Scaramucci, strong holiday performance for American Eagle, and the evolving world of science education with YouTuber and engineer Mark Rober. Interspersed are lively debates, quick-witted banter, and industry insights.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Crypto Market Rally & Bitcoin’s Resurgence

Timestamps: 02:22 – 03:06, 16:14 – 27:01

• Bitcoin rebounds: Trading close to $93,000, up 2% for the day after hitting lows near $80,000 last week.

  • Joe Kernen: “It’s just crazy that we’re saying, okay, stocks are looking a little better because bitcoin stabilized. It’s just tail wagging.” (03:03)
  • Becky Quick: “Nothing surprises me.”
  • Joe Kernen: “Everything surprises me now.” (02:09)

• Market implications: The stabilization in crypto is credited with improved orderliness in broader markets.

2. American Eagle’s Strong Holiday Forecast

Timestamps: 06:33 – 08:18, 14:00 – 16:07

• Earnings beat: American Eagle beats Q3 expectations, raises full-year guidance, with AerIE and celebrity marketing (Sydney Sweeney, Travis Kelce) as key drivers.

  • Joe Kernen: “American Eagle shares are soaring… that’s four times better than the 2.1% growth that analysts were looking for. Amazing.” (06:33)
  • Becky Quick: “That’s why these specialty retailers can be really volatile.” (07:35)

• Holiday shopping surge:

  • New NRF survey shows a record 203 million U.S. consumers shopped Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, up from last year and the highest since tracking began in 2017 (08:23).

• Macy’s earnings:

  • Courtney Reagan: “Macy’s putting up the strongest total comp sales growth in 13 quarters... CEO Tony Spring said, ‘Our guide is not a ceiling, it’s a guardrail.’” (15:12–15:50)

3. U.S. Political Updates & Market Sentiment

Timestamps: 05:24 – 11:47

• Upcoming Fed chair pick:

  • President Trump teases early 2026 announcement; some White House interviews for the role reportedly canceled.
  • Becky Quick: “Trump said he had decided on who he wants to replace Powell… Which tells you a little bit more about what he was thinking.” (05:24–05:58)

• Tennessee special election:

  • GOP’s Matt Van Epps wins, but with a notably narrower margin than expected.
  • Joe Kernen: “It’s noteworthy in that it was even anywhere near that close... she got 45%. She did Tennessee with saying things that were just beyond the pale…” (09:41)

• Changing norms:

  • Joe Kernen: “By the time I croak, I don’t even know if I’m going to recognize this world.” (11:04)

4. Crypto Deep-Dive: Solana’s Rise – Interview w/ Anthony Scaramucci

Timestamps: 16:14 – 27:01

Scaramucci’s Key Points:

• Case for Solana:
  • Solana is emerging as an industry standard thanks to “very cheap,” “incredibly fast” transactions and growing adoption.
  • Anthony Scaramucci: “This particular token has very unique properties. It’s very cheap to use, incredibly fast.” (17:17)
  • Joe Kernen: “Fractions of a cent, 50,000 transactions.” (18:11)
• Coexistence with other tokens:
  • Solana, Ethereum, Avalanche, etc., can thrive together—likened to multiple cloud vendors.
  • Scaramucci: “I believe they can cohabitate with each other… a little bit like the cloud.” (17:17)
• Technological and regulatory climate:
  • U.S. regulatory environment currently supportive, but future political swings remain a key risk.
  • Scaramucci: “You do have a regulatory regime under Paul Atkins and President Trump that are favoring the technology and are going to allow for this. And I think it’s very transformative.” (19:07)
• Long-term investment frame:
  • Compares Solana’s moment to early internet or Google’s rise post–AOL.
  • Scaramucci: “This is mature enough now where there will be three or four players that emerge in the next five years that are going to be industry standards. I believe Solana is one of those.” (23:11)
• Politics, ethics, and crypto:
  • Scaramucci distances himself from partisanship, advocating visionaries like David Sacks in government.
  • Scaramucci: “I would just submit back to people rhetorically, you want people like David Sachs in the administration, whether it’s a Democratic administration or a Republican administration.” (21:40)

5. Science & Education for a New Generation: Mark Rober Interview

Timestamps: 29:08 – 36:39

Highlights:

• Engagement through entertainment:
  • Over 72 million YouTube subscribers; now successful on Netflix and other platforms.
  • Mark Rober: “If you’re an engineer, you could just will something into existence…” (29:57)
• Netflix and Sesame Street partnerships:
  • Launching new shows and collaborations, including "Mark Rober and Elmo’s Christmas Gift" and a Jimmy Kimmel competition series.
  • Mark Rober: “I even sing a song called Failure is Awesome.” (31:10)
• Crunch Labs business & educational mission:
  • Hands-on monthly projects for kids; launching "Class Crunch Labs"—a free science curriculum for grades 3-8, funded philanthropically.
  • Mark Rober: “We’re basically taking all the tricks I’ve learned on how to hide the vegetables and teach science in an engaging way. And then we're making a full science curriculum third to eighth grade. And then we're going to make it free for all teachers forever.” (27:12, 35:01)
• Business model and innovation:
  • Content is costly to make (“six figures per video”) but customer acquisition via platforms is highly efficient (“your CAC is really low”). (33:49–33:58)
  • “Hiding the vegetables”—making learning fun and stealthy: “You click on the video to watch Ronaldo try and score on my robot, but... you learn about motion capture systems and velocity and momentum.” (34:04)
• Memorable moment:
  • Discussion of “glitter bomb” package videos targeting porch pirates, including wild add-ons like fart spray for extra mischief. (35:36–36:17)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “It’s just crazy that we’re saying, okay, stocks are looking a little better because bitcoin stabilized. It’s just tail wagging.”
  — Joe Kernen, (03:03)
• “This particular token [Solana] has very unique properties… incredibly fast, very cheap.”
  — Anthony Scaramucci, (17:17)
• “Our guide is not a ceiling, it’s a guardrail.”
  — Macy’s CEO Tony Spring (via Courtney Reagan), (15:50)
• “We’re making a full science curriculum third to eighth grade, and then we’re going to make it free for all teachers forever.”
  — Mark Rober, (27:12, 35:01)
• “Everything surprises me now because by the time I croak, I don’t even know if I’m going to recognize this world that I’m living in.”
  — Joe Kernen, (11:04)
• “You click on the video to watch Ronaldo try and score on my robot, but in the process, you learn about motion capture systems and velocity and momentum.”
  — Mark Rober, (34:04)
• “I believe Solana is one of those [industry standards]. The other ones that I mentioned are likely one of those. But I explain in the book why the technical properties associated with Solana I think are quite favorable.”
  — Anthony Scaramucci, (23:11)

Memorable Moments

• Hosts riffing on “Best in Show,” Simpsons, and generational change:
  • Banter about “crazy times,” purple yam donuts, and shifting social norms.
• Mark Rober’s “glitter bomb” stories:
  • Mark Rober: “So then you make a glitter bomb bait package and go after these porch pirates… The fart spray was in there. So to make sure that they threw it out of the house so then we could get the package back.” (35:36–36:26)
• Science “hiding the vegetables”:
  • Rober’s method of teaching kids science by embedding lessons in entertainment.

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Start | End | |---------------------------------------|------------|------------| | Crypto/Market Open | 02:22 | 04:12 | | American Eagle & Macy’s Retail | 06:33 | 16:07 | | US Political Developments | 05:24 | 11:47 | | Solana & Crypto Deep-Dive | 16:14 | 27:01 | | Mark Rober Interview | 29:08 | 36:39 |

Tone & Style

The episode retains the show’s signature blend of financial expertise, friendly rivalry, and accessible, sometimes irreverent humor. The hosts and guests balance serious analysis with lively, genuine debate and fun pop culture asides.

For Listeners and Readers

Even if you missed this episode, you’ll gain a sense of current trends in crypto and retail, get candid perspectives on political uncertainty, and enjoy engaging stories on science communication and entrepreneurship—anchored by direct quotes and clear segment markers.