What to know today
- HALLIGAN RULING: A federal judge tossed out the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, finding acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed. The decision is a loss for President Donald Trump, who urged the Justice Department to indict Comey and James.
- KELLY INVESTIGATED: The Defense Department said it is opening an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired Navy captain, related to a video he made with other Democrats encouraging members of the military and the intelligence community not to comply with illegal orders from the Trump administration.
- UKRAINE TALKS: Ukraine and its allies welcomed progress made in high-stakes talks with the United States over a plan to end Russia’s war, which Washington has pressured Kyiv to endorse by Thanksgiving.
GOP Sen. Jim Justice agrees to pay $5 million in back taxes after DOJ lawsuit
Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., today agreed to pay more than $5 million in back taxes after the Justice Department sued him over unpaid funds from more than 15 years ago.
The suit, filed today in the Southern District of West Virginia, said Justice and his wife had been contacted by the Treasury Department and were given notice of their 2009 debt but “have neglected or refused to make full payment of those assessments to the United States.”
The suit asked that the former billionaire and his wife pay the amount owed and any relief the court “deems just and proper.”
A filing later in the day said the Justice Department and the Justices had settled, with the couple agreeing to pay the full amount owed. A judge still needs to sign off on the agreement.
Former Sen. Doug Jones launches Democratic bid for Alabama governor
Former Sen. Doug Jones announced today that he has filed paperwork to run for governor of Alabama, setting the stage for a potential rematch with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
Jones announced his candidacy in a video on social media, saying he would officially kick off his campaign after the Thanksgiving holiday.
“In the meantime, what I know and what we have heard all along is Alabama wants their next governor to be someone who lives here, who works here, who listens to the people of this state, who understands the people of this state,” Jones said in the video.
Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, cannot run again because of term limits.
Trump signs executive order launching AI initiative being compared to the Manhattan Project
Trump signed an executive order this afternoon launching a federal effort to supercharge American artificial intelligence research, development and scientific applications.
Unveiling the “Genesis Mission” to support American efforts on AI, the order charts out a series of steps to expand computational resources, increase access to vast federal datasets and move toward impactful, real-world applications, particularly in scientific fields.
“The Genesis Mission will dramatically accelerate scientific discovery, strengthen national security, secure energy dominance, enhance workforce productivity, and multiply the return on taxpayer investment into research and development,” the order says.
Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the Office for Science and Technology Policy, will lead the effort.
Trump says he will visit China in April and host Xi Jinping later next year
Trump said today that he will travel to Beijing in April and host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit later in the year.
Trump announced the plans after a call today with Xi, which came weeks after a meeting in South Korea at the end of October.
“Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Now we can set our sights on the big picture. To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year.”
The travel plans come after the Trump administration detailed a trade deal framework with China that renewed soybean purchases from China and loosened China’s export restrictions on rare earth minerals, two commitments that are pending full compliance from China.
Republican investor James Fishback enters Florida governor's race
Republican investor James Fishback launched his bid in the Florida governor’s race, in which he will first go up against Trump-backed Rep. Byron Donalds in the GOP primary.
“I’m running to succeed Ron DeSantis as Florida’s next Republican Governor to make life more affordable for you and your family,” Fishback wrote in an X post that accompanied an announcement video, in which he slammed Donalds.
Fishback, 30, formally announced his candidacy today. His entry was expected after Fishback, who has signaled loyalty to DeSantis, said this month that he would run.
"Nowadays, not all Republicans are the same. If a Republican politician supports the H-1b scam that fires our workers, he can't be our next governor. If he goes out and supports the building of AI data centers that threaten our electric bills and our water supply. He can't be our next governor. And if he goes to Congress and does nothing for us but makes millions of dollars trading stocks for himself, he can't be our next governor," Fishback said in his announcement.
“Congressman Byron Donalds can’t be our next governor because he won’t fight for Florida like Ron DeSantis has. I will,” he added.
Fishback, an outsider new to campaign politics who briefly worked with Vivek Ramaswamy as his and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was getting started, has publicly feuded with Trump’s circle in recent months.
DeSantis, who is not close with Donalds, has not endorsed any of the candidates. Questions have circulated about how much, if any, help Fishback is getting from DeSantis and his team.
Poll: Two-thirds of U.S. Hispanics say their situations have worsened in the past year
Sixty-eight percent of Hispanics in America say the situations of Hispanics in this country has gotten worse since one year ago, a new Pew Research Center survey shows.
Only 9% of U.S Hispanics say the situation for Hispanics in America has improved over the past year, with 22% saying it has stayed about the same.
The answers show a dramatically more negative sentiment from Hispanics compared with when the question was asked in 2021 and 2019.
The new report, which includes data from two separate polls of Hispanic voters, found that Hispanic approval of Trump has declined since the start of the year, that they're more worried about deportations than they have been and that 78% say the Trump administration's policies have been harmful to Hispanics (a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning Hispanics also agree).
DOJ asks for Epstein grand jury material from New York to be unsealed
The Justice Department asked a judge in the Southern District of New York to unseal grand jury records related to Jeffrey Epstein, citing the newly signed Epstein Transparency Act.
The request comes days after it made the same request in the Southern District of Florida.
Comey responds to ruling: 'I'm innocent. I am not afraid.'
In a video on Instagram, Comey said that he was "grateful" that a judge dismissed his indictment but that he expected Trump to continue targeting him.
"This case mattered to me personally, obviously, but it matters most because a message has to be sent that the president of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies," he said. "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."
He added: "I know that Donald Trump will probably come after me again, and my attitude is going to be the same. I’m innocent. I am not afraid, and I believe in an independent federal judiciary, the gift from our founders that protects us from a would-be tyrant."
Comey said when he was a kid, his parents would wake him up for school by opening the shades and saying, "Time to rise and shine and show the world what you’re made of."
“Well, it’s that time, America,” Comey said. “It’s time to stand up and show the fools who would frighten us, who would divide us, that we’re made of stronger stuff, that we believe in the rule of law, that we believe in the importance of doing things by the law.”
James celebrates ruling dismissing her criminal case
“I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country. I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day,” she said in a statement.
Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that the judge’s order “acknowledges what’s been clear about this case from the beginning. The President went to extreme measures to substitute one of his allies to bring these baseless charges after career prosecutors refused.”
“We will continue to challenge any further politically motivated charges through every lawful means available,” Lowell said.
U.S. and Ukraine hail progress in talks on ‘refined’ peace plan despite allies’ doubts
Ukraine and its allies welcomed progress in high-stakes talks with the United States over a plan to end Russia’s war, which Washington has pressured Kyiv to endorse by Thanksgiving.
Meetings in Geneva produced an “updated and refined peace framework,” Ukraine and the United States said in a joint statement that described “meaningful progress” from the “highly productive” talks.
