Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

A federal judge yesterday dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both were indicted by a lawyer who was willing to follow President Trump’s demand to pursue criminal charges after other prosecutors found no reason for a case. The judge found that Lindsey Halligan, the top prosecutor, was unlawfully appointed, marking a significant setback to the president’s efforts to go after his perceived political enemies.

• 🎧 Judge Cameron Currie wrote that the actions that came from Halligan’s defective appointment are unlawful exercises of executive power and should be set aside, NPR’s Carrie Johnson tells Up First. The judge dismissed Comey and James’ cases because Halligan was the only prosecutor in the grand jury room for the indictments and the only one who signed them. The Justice Department retains the right to appeal the judge’s decision. Comey says he believes Trump could target him again, but he has faith in the federal court system. Johnson says four times this year, different courts have ruled that U.S. attorneys have not been appointed legally, highlighting that the president’s power to appoint prosecutors has some limits.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to cut all ties with Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts. According to documents reviewed by NPR, Hegseth claims the organization is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to “attack boy-friendly spaces.” In a draft memo to Congress, he criticizes Scouting for being “genderless” and for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The military has supported the Scouts for over 100 years, and formalized their relationship in 1937.

The 28-point peace plan that the U.S. proposed to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine appears to be off the table. Ukraine and Europeans say the plan was a wish list for the Kremlin. Now, European leaders have put their own proposal forth for consideration.

• 🎧 The European proposal closely resembles the one presented in April 2022, NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley says. Though the plan didn’t work out then, Beardsley says the key difference now is the exhaustion and heavy losses felt after four years of conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the European plan is a constructive one that could actually end the war. An adviser to the Kremlin has already rejected the plan, saying it wouldn’t work. Throughout negotiations, Russia has not abandoned any of its maximalist goals.

The Trump administration has designated the Cartel de los Soles, which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro leads, a foreign terrorist organization. This is the latest move in a pressure campaign to prevent drug traffickers from entering the U.S. The Federal Register published the designation yesterday, after months of deadly strikes on boats leaving Venezuela and as Trump weighs whether to take military action against the country.

• 🎧 NPR’s Franco Ordoñez says an increasing number of foreign officials and international experts he speaks with can see the administration potentially gearing up for some type of military strike in Venezuela. There are political implications that Trump must weigh when it comes to military actions against the country, including whether the decision aligns with his America First agenda. The White House says stopping drug boats and saving American lives fits its campaign. However, Ordoñez points out that these actions carry a risk of longer-term responsibilities.

Deep dive

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January.

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

hide caption

toggle caption

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Advertisement

Tech companies are investing billions of dollars in the artificial intelligence industry, as business executives and investors proclaim that an AI boom is underway. To avoid depleting cash reserves too quickly, large Silicon Valley companies such as Meta are tapping into private equity and debt to finance a data center building spree. But financial analysts are concerned that instead of an AI boom, there may be an AI bubble — and it could burst soon.

• ➡️ A growing body of research suggests that AI chatbots are not impacting most tech firms’ bottom lines. Only 3% of people pay for AI, yet companies are heavily investing in it.
• ➡️ Morgan Stanley analysts predict that Big Tech will invest around $3 trillion in AI infrastructure by 2028, with only half of the funding coming from their own cash flows. If AI market growth stabilizes, oversupply could lead to worthless debt and financial losses for institutions.
• ➡️ Some analysts argue that the circular nature of investments, such as when chip giant Nvidia subsidizes one of its largest customers, artificially inflates the actual demand for AI technology.

Picture show

Four African American women seated on steps of building at Atlanta University, Georgia in the 1890s taken by the photographer Thomas E. Askew is one of the hundreds of photos that comprise the book ‘Reflections in Black’, written and edited by scholar and New York University professor Deborah Willis.

Library of Congress

hide caption

Advertisement

toggle caption

Library of Congress

Deborah Willis, the author of Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present, has devoted her career to uncovering, cataloging, and showcasing the work of Black photographers and photographs of Black people. Now, 25 years after its publication, a new edition of Reflections in Black is out, with 130 new images and an accompanying gallery show inspired by the book. In this expanded edition, Willis examines the impact of migration and highlights the importance of images for those who have been forced to leave their homes. Take a look at some photos from the book.

3 things to know before you go

A new study finds that the bowhead whales produce loads of a protein that repairs the DNA in cells before they can become precancerous.

Danny Lawson/PA Images/Getty Images

Advertisement

hide caption

toggle caption

Danny Lawson/PA Images/Getty Images

Advertisement

1. Scientists exploring innovative ways to fight cancer have discovered a promising new lead in bowhead whale DNA, according to findings published in the journal Nature.
2. In 2007, an expensive divorce left Jolena Rothwell short on cash. When she asked her coworker Steven Green if she could borrow $20, he surprised her the next day with $200 and a note saying that she didn’t have to pay it back. Instead, he asked her to pay it forward. Her unsung hero’s action created a chain of kindness.
3. Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican musician and actor who helped bring reggae into the international spotlight, has died at 81. He was known for hits such as “Many Rivers to Cross.”

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

Case 1:25-cr-00272-MSN-WEF Document 213 Filed 11/24/25

Page 5 of 29 PageID#

3073

General Letitia James.7 Mr. Siebert’s resignation came hours after President Trump told reporters

at the White House he “want[ed] [Mr. Siebert] out.’

media:

228

The next day, President Trump posted (and later deleted) the following message on social

Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT⁹
Less than 48 hours after President Trump’s post, on September 22, 2025, the Attorney General issued an order “authorizing Lindsey Halligan to be the Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia during the vacancy in that office” (“September 22 Order”). Att’y Gen. Order No. 6402-2025. The September 22 Order cites only 28 U.S.C. § 546 as the basis for Ms. Halligan’s appointment. Id.

7

Id.; Salvador Rizzo, Perry Stein & Jeremy Roebuck, Top Virginia Prosecutor Resigns Amid Criticism over Letitia James Investigation, Wash. Post (Sept. 20, 2025), https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/19/trump-letitia-james-erik-siebert- virginia/; The Associated Press, U.S. Attorney Resigns Under Pressure From Trump to Charge N.Y. AG Letitia James, NPR (Sept. 20, 2025), https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5547837/us- attorney-virginia-resigns-letitia-james-probe.

8 Thrush et al., supra note 6.

⁹ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Truth Social (Sept. 20, 2025, at 18:44 ET),
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727.

5

Holiday travel is underway, and the weather is already throwing curveballs across the country. A strong system in the South is driving heavy rain and thunderstorms from Texas to Mississippi, with a slight risk of severe weather reaching into the Tennessee Valley.

According to the National Weather Service, flash flooding is possible in the Texas Hill Country, and storms will shift east on Tuesday, bringing rain from Atlanta to New York and likely delays at major hubs.

Farther north, a quick-moving clipper system is spreading 3 to 6 inches of snow across the northern Plains and into the Great Lakes through Wednesday. Blowing snow and gusty winds could make roads slick on I-94 and I-29 and complicate flights in Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit.

In the West, the Pacific Northwest stays stormy, with rounds of lowland rain and mountain snow, while Utah and surrounding areas see seasonable temperatures and only light mountain snow.

Much of the East stays unusually warm ahead of a cold front, with highs from the 60s to the 80s before temperatures drop toward Thanksgiving.

Tracking delays

For travelers concerned about flight status, FlightAware’s “Misery Map” offers a real-time picture of nationwide delays and cancellations. The map color-codes major airports based on on-time performance and weather impacts, giving travelers a quick sense of whether delays are isolated or stacking up across the system.

Bottom line: Plan extra time, check your airline’s app frequently and watch tools like the Misery Map as you head out — especially Monday through Wednesday, when the highest impacts are expected.