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1 Judge Dismisses Criminal Cases Against Comey And James
A federal judge dismissed criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the appointment of the prosecutor who brought the charges was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictments, making her actions unlawful and ineffective. Trump had called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to act now to prosecute Comey, James, and Rep. Adam Schiff. Comey pleaded not guilty in October to charges of false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding related to his 2020 Senate testimony. James, who successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year and leads multiple lawsuits challenging his administration, pleaded not guilty in October to mortgage fraud charges. The cases were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they could potentially be refiled by a properly appointed U.S. attorney.
2 Defense Department Says It's Opening An Investigation Into Sen. Mark Kelly
The Defense Department announced yesterday that it's opening an investigation into Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, over a video he and other Democrats made urging military and intelligence members not to follow illegal orders from the Trump administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the video despicable, reckless, and false, and said Kelly is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice because he retired from the military rather than just separating. The Pentagon said it's reviewing whether to recall Kelly to active duty for court-martial proceedings or take administrative action. Kelly is the only lawmaker in the group who retired from the military, making him subject to recall for court-martial. If found guilty, Kelly could be demoted, have his separation changed to dishonorable, lose his benefits, and serve jail time.
3 President Zelenskyy Calls Out "Main Problem" In US Peace Proposal
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said yesterday that Russia keeping stolen Ukrainian territory is the main problem with the U.S. peace proposal. He spoke to Sweden's parliament after U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials met over the weekend in Switzerland to discuss Trump's 28-point peace plan. Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin wants legal recognition of what he stole, which would break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the talks very meaningful and said progress was made, but there's still work to do, while Trump called his Thanksgiving deadline flexible and said the plan presented last week isn't his final proposal. The White House said an updated framework was drafted after the Geneva discussions, but Russia said yesterday the revisions haven't been shared with them yet. Putin said Friday the U.S. proposal could work as a basis for peace but warned Russian forces would keep attacking if Ukraine turns it down.