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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

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PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

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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

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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

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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.