Up First from NPR
Comey and James Indictments Dismissed, New Ukraine Peace Plan, Pressure On Venezuela
25 Nov 2025
Chapter 1: What legal issues led to the dismissal of Comey and James' indictments?
A federal judge dismissed the indictments President Trump ordered up against two people he didn't like. The judge found the prosecutor was improperly appointed. What does the ruling mean for Trump's campaign of retribution against his critics?
I'm Michelle Martin with Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News. Europeans have offered their own proposal to end the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky said it's a plan that his country could work with. How is it different from President Trump's 28-point proposal?
Also, the Trump administration named Venezuela's president the leader of a terror group. One analyst sees a pretext for a possible attack.
We're definitely closer to military intervention.
Chapter 2: What does the ruling mean for Trump's campaign against his critics?
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President Trump's bid to prosecute his critics ran afoul of the law. A judge threw out the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey.
Chapter 3: How does the new European peace proposal for Ukraine differ from Trump's plan?
She did the same for the indictment of Letitia James, the attorney general of New York State. Both had been indicted by a lawyer who was willing to follow Trump's demand to pursue criminal charges after other prosecutors found no reason for a case. The judge found the lawyer was improperly appointed.
NPR's Carrie Johnson has been following this story. Carrie, good morning. Good morning, Steve. Okay, why was the prosecutor not legitimately in that job?
The judge found the process was invalid, that if the Trump administration wanted to pick a U.S. attorney, it had to go through the right steps. Typically, that would be nomination and confirmation by the Senate. This woman, Lindsay Halligan, has no prior experience as a prosecutor, but she was installed as U.S.
Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, that's one of the most important offices in the country, on orders from President Trump. And she got the job only after the White House forced out a career prosecutor. He expressed doubts about bringing criminal charges against the former FBI Director Jim Comey and New York Attorney General Tish James.
both prominent critics of the president who played a role in investigating him.
Okay, so this isn't really a technicality. It's about the limits of executive power and when does the president have to check in with the Senate. In this case, he should have and didn't, according to the judge. But what are the real-world consequences for the cases?
They're pretty serious. This judge, Cameron Curry, wrote, All actions flowing from Lindsay Halligan's defective appointment are unlawful exercises of executive power. They must be set aside. Halligan was, of course, the only prosecutor in the grand jury room for the indictments of Jim Comey and Tish James. She's the only one who signed those indictments. So now both of those cases are dismissed.
Okay. The Justice Department does have the right to appeal. The White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt says this is a technical ruling in their view. An appeal will be coming soon. And she says the prosecutor was legally appointed and is extremely qualified. But there's a catch here. The statute of limitations in the Comey case expired at the end of September.
And Judge Curry has raised some doubt about whether the DOJ can swing that door back open again.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of the U.S. designating Maduro as a terrorist leader?
Letitia James and Jim Comey have got to be pleased about this.
They are, I think. Jim Comey actually released a video saying the case against him was based on malevolence and incompetence. He also praised the Justice Department lawyers who lost their jobs for refusing to indict him.
The message has to be sent that the President of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies. I don't care what your politics are. You have to see that as fundamentally un-American and a threat to the rule of law that keeps all of us free.
Comey also says he thinks Trump may come after him again, but Comey has faith in the federal courts. And as for Tish James, she says she's heartened and she, quote, remains fearless in the face of these baseless charges.
Chapter 5: How might military action against Venezuela unfold?
Her lawyer says they're going to challenge any new and politically motivated charges that come against her.
And can you underline for us the larger principle here?
Yeah, so often with President Trump, it involves executive power. Four times this year, different courts have ruled U.S. attorneys have not been appointed legally in places like Nevada, California, New Jersey, and now Virginia.
These prosecutors have a lot of power to decide what to investigate, and the president has a lot of power to appoint those prosecutors, but courts are finding that has some limits.
NPR's Carrie Johnson, thanks for your insights, as always.
Happy to do it.
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Chapter 6: What are the potential consequences of U.S. military intervention in Venezuela?
Okay, a much-criticized peace plan for Ukraine appears to be off the table.
The Trump administration started negotiations over a 28-point plan drawn up with input from Russia. Now Europeans have put their own proposal on the table.
NPR's Eleanor Beardsley is following whatever's on the table. Eleanor, hi. Good morning, Steve. Okay, so how is the European proposal different from what we've discussed in recent days?
Well, a Ukrainian member of the negotiating team said the 28-point plan as we knew it no longer exists. So this original draft peace plan was an absolute Kremlin wish list, according to Ukraine and the Europeans, who really came together to present a unified front and to weigh in along with Kyiv.
Chapter 7: How does the current political climate affect U.S. actions in Venezuela?
And, you know, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told President Trump that the entire European continent was at stake in the negotiations, and he said a lasting peace is not going to be quick, so that Thanksgiving deadline is out. French President Emmanuel Macron said, we want peace, but not a peace that's a capitulation. You know, because European security is at stake here.
Now, I've been unable to confirm this, but one media is reporting that the presidents of Italy and Finland are going to meet in the coming days with President Trump. Note, they are both considered Trump whisperers. Finnish President Alexander Stubb plays golf with Trump. But even Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed good progress in Geneva.
He said Ukraine's membership in NATO is still under discussion. And Ukrainians and Europeans say security guarantees to make sure Russia does not reinvade in the future our keys to any lasting peace.
Chapter 8: What are the risks and benefits of regime change in Venezuela?
What does Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, think about all this?
Well, he spoke to his nation last night. He said it's a plan Ukraine can work with, a constructive one that could really end the war. You know, let's note that this is identical to a plan presented in April of 2022, which didn't work out. The difference today is exhaustion and heavy losses after four years of fighting.
Zelensky said he'd be discussing the sensitive points of the peace with President Trump. He's referring to the eastern Ukrainian provinces that are partially occupied by Russia, but Russia hasn't fully taken them. Ukraine is ready to freeze those lines, but rules out ceding this entire territory to Russia and having it internationally recognized, which was in the first plan.
Here is Zelensky speaking last night.
I thank everyone who is from Ukraine and does everything possible
You know, he warned Ukrainians to be very attentive in the days and weeks to come for the air alerts, reminding that Russia will not reduce its pressure. And, Steve, as if on cue, the attacks began. Air raid sirens began to wail in Kiev, which was Russia's largest target last night, with 22 missiles, 400 drones. Six people were killed, according to the mayor of Kiev.
And a few of us slept in our safe room here in Kiev last night.
Well, what kinds of conversations do you hear when you're able to get out on the street or you're crowded in the safe room?
Well, no, we got out, and believe it or not, Ukrainians are kind of used to this whiplash of back-and-forth negotiations. I talked to people going to work. I spoke with architect Anton Melnyk, who's from the big eastern central city of Dnipro. He came to the capital for some training. Here he is.
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