Sounds from Bob's stuff and the news article like Virgin has downscoped Brightline's "high speed" section from the originally-promoted 125 mph to the minimum speed that can get high speed money from the feds (loans in Brightline's case): 110 mph. That's also the speed that Amtrak runs in spots between Detroit and Chicago, and between Chicago and St. Louis.

If they downscope the desert line to 125 mph, as has been stated elsewhere in the past, it'll match the NE Regionals (not Acela) in the NEC, and be faster than any non-NEC service in the US unless the Texas Express thing manages to get built (Shinkansen-level HSR from Dallas-Houston, sort of). Again, all things being relative, that's "high speed" for the US.