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A federal judge tossed out cases against two of President Trump's prominent foes. That's where we're starting the seven. From the Washington Post, I'm Hannah Jewell. It's Tuesday, November 25th. Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories. Lindsey Halligan was named interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September. She has been overseeing two criminal cases that President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for. One was against former FBI Director James Comey on charges that he lied to Congress. The other was against New York Attorney General Letitia James on allegations of mortgage fraud. Yesterday, a federal judge dismissed both cases. The judge ruled that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed to her role, so the indictments she secured against Comey and James must be thrown out. Comey shared his response to the news in a video.
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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.
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White House press Secretary Caroline Levitt said the Justice Department would appeal. Here she is speaking on Fox News yesterday.
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We believe the attorney in this case, Lindsey Halligan, is not only extremely qualified for this position, but she was in fact legally appointed. And I know the Department of Justice will be appealing this in very short order. So maybe James Comey should pump the brakes on his victory lap.
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The judge who tossed the cases said the Justice Department could seek a new indictment against James under a lawfully appointed prosecutor. But she suggested that they may not be able to do so against Comey. The US And Ukraine moved closer together on a peace plan. That's our second story. I told you yesterday about a controversial 28 point plan to end the war with Russia. President Trump had been pushing for Ukraine to accept it by Thanksgiving, but that plan was seen by Ukraine and some Republican lawmakers as too favorable to Russia. Yesterday, though, Ukrainian and U.S. officials said they had come closer together on a substantially changed plan that's more acceptable to Ukraine, but that may make it less appealing to Russia. And some issues are harder to resolve. Foremost among them is the proposal for Ukraine to hand over territory to Russia. Number three. A mysterious sign appeared and then disappeared from the White House this month. White House visitors saw the writing on the wall just outside the exterior entrance of the Oval Office. In an ornate golden typeface, it read Oval Office. It was printed across several pieces of what appeared to be plain white paper. After a little while and some mockery from late night shows and the Internet, the words disappeared. The White House has not shared any information about whether they will return or be made permanent. However, a spokesman did confirm that the president selected the swoopy font himself. An official said President Trump is making the White House beautiful and giving it the glory it deserves. The sign follows a redecorating spree around the White House. Trump has replaced Oval Office greenery with gilded accents. He has remade the Lincoln bathroom and the Rose Garden, and he completely demolished the East Wing to make way for a ballroom. Number four Palestinians face A dire winter in war ravaged Gaza for months, Israeli authorities have either blocked or partially restricted the entry of key shelter items into Gaza, including tents, poles, tools and tarps. That's despite a US Backed ceasefire that went into effect last month, which requires Israel to allow for the unfettered flow of aid. As a result, more than a million Palestinians are vulnerable to winter weather and disease after two years of Israeli bombardment. The majority of Gaza's population is confined to areas with extreme exposure to climate hazards and no functioning infrastructure. Israel denies limiting humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Number 5 A new study revealed how AI can reinforce human bias in hiring More companies are incorporating artificial intelligence into their recruiting and hiring processes while cutting the jobs of humans who do that work. But a new study reveals a big problem with relying on the robots to inform hiring decisions. It found that humans largely follow the racial biases of AI rather than counteracting them. When picking candidates without input from AI, or when working with AI trained to be neutral, participants in the study chose white and non white applicants at relatively equal rates, but when they teamed up with moderately biased AI, their choices tended to mirror the program's. That is worrying. Previous research has shown that AI powered resume scanning programs overwhelmingly favored white associated names over others. Researchers found a potential link between Parkinson's and sleep apnea. That's number six. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which a person experiences a fully or partially collapsed airway during sleep that causes a lack of oxygen and non restorative rest, and it often leads to loud snoring. In a new study, researchers combed through the health records of more than 11 million US veterans from 1999 to 2022. It found that those with sleep apnea were nearly twice as likely to have developed Parkinson's six years after those diagnoses than those who did not have the sleep disorder. The good news is that sleep apnea can be treated, and the study found that early treatment was associated with significantly reduced case numbers of Parkinson's. And at number seven, we visited grocery stores across the US to calculate the cost of a Thanksgiving meal, many households across the country will probably have a pretty similar looking meal on Thursday. Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie are practically synonymous with the holiday. But the total cost of your Thanksgiving grocery haul will vary a lot depending where you're shopping in the stores Post reporters visited. Carrots priced by the half pound varied widely. At Venture Foods in Kansas, they were 65 cents. In Washington, the cost was almost double. Deals on canned cranberries also varied from four for $5 at a Giant in Washington to $2.19 per can at a Publix in Palm Beach County, Florida. In our newsletter today, you can find receipts to compare prices across the country. Just follow the link in our show notes. Alright, you're all caught up. If you are worried about the cost of Thanksgiving and of the holiday season, which is just around the corner, you're not alone. But there are a lot of ways you can save money and still enjoy the holidays. On the latest episode of Post Reports, financial columnist Michelle Singletary shares hot tips for how to scale back and still have a very merry time. Find Post Reports wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Hannah Jewell. I'll meet you back here tomorrow.