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Judge Dismisses DOJ Cases Against James Comey and Letitia James; Trump Hints at Big Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks; JFK's Granddaughter Reveals Devastating Cancer Diagnosis. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired November 24, 2025 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:30:00]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: OK, back now to our breaking news, the collapse of the federal cases against President Trump's two perceived political enemies. Today, a judge dismissing the prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The judge found the U.S. attorney who brought that case, and that's her, Lindsey Halligan, had, in the judge's words, no lawful authority to bring the cases because her appointment was invalid.

SANCHEZ: It's important to point out the cases were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the judge is leaving the option to refile the cases, though the statute of limitations has appeared to have run out on Comey, who's been accused of making false statements to Congress. James, of course, was facing charges tied to bank fraud. Let's get some perspective from CNN political director David Chalian.

First, David, your reaction to this, given that President Trump has said so much about these cases.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, that's my first reaction, is waiting for him to say more --

DEAN: Yes.

CHALIAN: -- because I assume he's going to have a lot of opinions about this that he's going to share. Listen, you have to go back to when -- how this all got started, right? I mean, he openly communicated to his attorney general that he was very frustrated that these prosecutions were not moving forward.

He was like, it's the same old story. Get on it, Pam Bondi, was basically the instruction. And she did.

[14:35:00]

And I think you have to look at this from the judge's ruling and say, apparently she did it in a bit of a ham-fisted way, because the judge is saying this appointment was totally invalid and therefore these prosecutions can't go forward. And to your point about that statute of limitations, I think one of the reasons why it was rushed is because they saw the statute of limitations on the Comey case fast approaching. DEAN: And look, David, the president and his administration known for kind of tripling down when they get pushback, not letting up. But that being said, I'm curious what you think about how they might be thinking about going after his perceived enemies moving forward.

CHALIAN: Yes, I'm not sure this is going to change that approach.

DEAN: Yes.

CHALIAN: I mean, Donald Trump campaigned for two years on political retribution. That was something he was promising the American people that he was going to deliver on and his supporters.

And it was a critical component to it. He was not shy about it. So I would be very surprised if we see a change in approach.

I do think looking towards the Supreme Court, because this ultimately ends up there, is going to be pretty fascinating. Obviously, it's a 6- 3 conservative majority. You know, during the campaign, the Supreme Court played such a role of sort of removing prosecution of a president in official duties and the like.

But now, so much of this president's agenda, as it relates to constitutional issues and the law, is now in the lap of the Supreme Court. And their rulings are now not going to just dictate how Donald Trump, as a candidate or a former president, is treated, but how presidents from here on out are going to be able to apply the laws they see as.

SANCHEZ: Yes, undoubtedly, a consequential term is shaping up. I wonder what you make of the other promise that we were anticipating would be fulfilled today. This one, almost a decade in the making, an alternative to Obamacare, the concepts of a plan coming together.

They were said to be revealed this afternoon for a health care alternative from President Trump. Postponed.

CHALIAN: I heard that somewhere, concepts of a plan. Yes, now saying that this is postponed. It's unclear exactly why, although I think your point about 10 years points to why, which is that the Republican Party has not been able to coalesce around an alternative to Obamacare, now in place for 15 years, and sell that to the American people successfully.

And so that may have something to do why this is being postponed. I mean, I have to say, when the news over the weekend that Donald Trump was going to unveil a plan as soon as today that might extend these Obamacare subsidies, enhanced subsidies, for two years. OK, so the enhanced subsidies that were from Joe Biden to help people afford Obamacare, something he ran against and wanted to repeal, something he still publicly smarts over.

John McCain's big thumbs down vote, he completely still -- that is still sort of in his vision as a big problem from his first term trying to get rid of Obamacare. The idea that he now was just going to extend with some limitations these enhanced subsidies did seem like that probably needed a bit more public and private conversation just inside the Republican Party about the path forward. And perhaps that's the reason for the postponement.

SANCHEZ: A conversation that needs to happen imminently, given that the midterms are next year.

CHALIAN: And it is a big issue of advantage for the Democrats. That much is clear.

DEAN: Yes.

SANCHEZ: David Chalian, thanks so much.

CHALIAN: Sure. Thanks.

SANCHEZ: So new today, Russia is now rejecting an EU offer as the U.S. pushes to end the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin saying the EU's counterproposal to a U.S. plan is completely unconstructive and doesn't suit us.

DEAN: This comes just a day after the U.S., EU, and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva to discuss a framework for a potential deal. President Trump cheering the talks as, in his words, big progress and suggesting something good may be happening.

And with us now, CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. It's great to see you in person, we were saying, no less. The Secretary of State has said that this is -- these are some of the most productive talks that they have had and meaningful talks that they've had on this so far. But there's a lot of issues here and it remains quite murky exactly where this stands today.

What are you tracking as we sit here?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So, Jessica, there are a lot of things here. It's great to be with you and Boris here. But the the key thing is that there are so many areas of disagreement that are pretty evident right now.

You look at the Russians saying that the European plan is unacceptable to them. The plan that the U.S. touted at first as its own appears to have been basically crafted with the Russians in mind. And that, of course, would be unacceptable not only to the Europeans, but obviously to the Ukrainians.

So that's a really big, big deal and a big nonstarter. They apparently have worked through a lot of that in Geneva, if we can believe the reactions from both Secretary Rubio and the Ukrainians themselves. So what we have now is, you know, what's going to happen next?

The key element here is what do the Russians say next? And it seems as if the Russians are going to say no to the next efforts. I mean, I'd love to be more optimistic.

I'd love to share the optimism -- optimism of the president and the secretary. But I just don't see that happening right now, because what you're seeing is some very diametrically opposed points of view.

[14:40:00]

And you're also seeing really diametrically opposed interests because the Russians, they clearly want to go after Ukrainian territory. They really want to subjugate Ukraine as much as possible.

And they want to have a chance really to, in essence, eliminate Ukraine as an independent entity. And with that, that also opens up things in Europe for potential Russian either invasion or some other kind of activity that they would engage in. They're already doing some of that in a hybrid warfare type scenario.

So it is, right now we're at a place where this is not a done deal. And we should be very careful thinking that we're going to have peace in the next few days or anything like that. That's not going to happen.

SANCHEZ: One of those major sticking points is future membership in NATO for Ukraine. The Russians clearly do not want them in the alliance. What would that mean for Ukraine's future?

Is that a non-negotiable for Kyiv?

LEIGHTON: So in the Ukrainian constitution, it very specifically says that they must aspire to NATO membership. So it would actually be against their constitution to sign on to an agreement that says that they're no longer going to try to get into NATO. The Ukraine could definitely survive on a system of alliances that have Article 5-like guarantees, which is actually what they're talking about, without NATO membership, just in a technical sense, not in a legal sense.

But it's far better if they have the Article 5 guarantees from a NATO member -- that they would get through a NATO membership. And if they were able to get that, that would then do much more to assure Ukraine of its security. That's the kind of thing that Ukraine wants.

Basically, what everybody is looking for is some way to bind themselves to a stronger alliance so that an invasion of Ukraine is not possible in the future. The Russians, of course, want to keep that option open because they want to take over as much of Ukraine as they possibly can.

DEAN: All right. Well, we will see how this evolves. But always good to have you here.

Thank you so much, Colonel Cedric Leighton.

LEIGHTON: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Still to come, the heartbreaking revelation from President Kennedy's granddaughter. At just 35 years old, she reveals she has at most one year to live. Her worries about her health care caused by her cousin, RFK Jr.

[14:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: This just into CNN. Former FBI Director James Comey is reacting to a judge throwing out the indictment against both himself and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The latest setback in President Trump's campaign against his perceived enemies. Here is what the former FBI director posted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: I'm grateful that the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the Department of Justice has become under Donald Trump, which is heartbreaking. But I was also inspired by the example of the career people who refused to be part of this travesty. It cost some of them their jobs, which is painful, but it preserved their integrity, which is beyond price. And I know they will serve again.

I was very lucky that some of the best lawyers in America stepped forward to represent me. I hope they serve as an example to more and more lawyers, especially some of the big firms to participate in protecting our liberty, protecting the rule of law.

And my family and friends were always with me. And luckily for me, include some of those great lawyers. 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.

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. 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.

When I was a kid, my parents would wake us up for school every morning by snapping open the shades and saying, time to rise and shine and show the world what you're made of. Well, it's that time, America. 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.

So stand tall. Shine and keep the faith.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: We are also hearing from the White House now about those dismissed indictments in a statement provided to CNN. They say, "The facts of the indictments against Comey and James have not changed and this will not be the final word on this matter."

We're going to have more on this in the next hour.

One of the granddaughters of the late President John F. Kennedy is opening up about her devastating cancer diagnosis. In a poignant and moving essay in The New Yorker, Tatiana Schlossberg writes she was diagnosed last year with acute myeloid leukemia and even worse, her cancer has a rare mutation known as Inversion 3.

That genetic anomaly is found in less than 2 percent of AML cases. And she says a doctor told her she has less than a year to live. The 35- year-old writing, she regrets adding to her family's history of tragedy.

[14:50:00]

We're joined now by Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN Medical Analyst and Professor of Medicine and Surgery at George Washington University. Dr. Reiner, thanks so much for being here with us. What more can you tell us about these types of cancers and mutations that so many Americans unfortunately have to deal with?

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: First of all, I want to send some love to Ms. Schlossberg. She's fighting a difficult cancer. She's being treated in probably the greatest cancer center in the world. And I wish her all my best.

AML, acute myeloid leukemia, is a cancer of the white blood cells. And white blood cells are obviously necessary for fighting off infection.

And in AML, these blood cells grow in an uncontrolled manner. And those white blood cells don't work so well. So people are more subject to -- or greater risk of infection.

And also as those cells continue to grow, they're produced in the bone marrow. They push out the other cells that are required for, you know, building the other elements of your blood, like red blood cells and platelets. So it can be a devastating leukemia.

About 20 to 40 percent of adults who get AML will survive, but the treatment is arduous. And, you know, I've read that piece in the New Yorker multiple times. It really breaks my heart.

Most patients who survive AML, most adults will require a bone marrow transplant. She's had two. She's been a patient in clinical trials, which is very typical for people fighting diseases with difficult prognoses.

You reach out and you try to get into clinical trials and she's doing that. And it's a very tough fight. I really feel for her.

DEAN: You know, she writes so movingly and bravely about this moment in her life and what this is like. And beginning to already miss her children and her family. Deep down in the essay, she also talks about her cousin, the Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

And she writes that upon his confirmation, the health care system, which I relied on, felt strained and shaky. She notes the fights between the Trump administration and Columbia University, the cuts to funding for medical research. And she really outlines what it's like to be a patient right now in this country in her view.

How has this administration affected the health care system, the medical community in the U.S. at the moment?

REINER: The most important thing for a cancer patient after, you know, finding competent care is hope. Maybe really it's the most important to have hope. And to fight something like leukemia, you have to feel that everything possible that can be made available to you is being made available to you.

And what we're seeing in the United States now is a malignant hollowing out of our once best in the world health care research agency, NIH. NIH has closed dozens, many dozens of clinical trials. We saw this year half a billion dollars of money in the tag for mRNA vaccine research, you know, cut.

We see frank misinformation being posted on CDC websites. And, you know, the net effect is a decrement, a deep, deep hollowing out of our health care system. And patients like Ms. Schlossberg facing existential crises basically see an erosion of hope, an erosion of hope. He is seemingly unqualified for that post. And he's becoming an embarrassment for this president.

DEAN: All right, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thank you for being here with us. We do appreciate it. And we'll be right back.

[14:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: The parents of three children who raised and homeschooled their kids off the grid in an Italian forest are fighting to regain custody. The children were removed by court order because of the family's lifestyle. And now there is a huge petition to reunite the family.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau reports from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: An Italian court has removed three young children from their Anglo-Australian parents who have been living off grid in a forest in the Abruzzo region of central Italy with horses, chickens, and a donkey and without running water or indoor plumbing. They have a six year old twins and an eight year old, none of whom go to traditional school. The family captured authorities' attention when all five were hospitalized with food poisoning from eating wild mushrooms in September 2024.

Since then, they've been under scrutiny for their lifestyle, which includes heating the house with fireplaces, relying on solar panels for power, using an outdoor compost toilet, and avoiding medical care. The parents are fighting to get their kids back, saying that they have the right to choose how they want to live. Many agree with them.

Tens of thousands of people have signed an online petition against the court order and even Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has chimed in, calling the separation alarming. The family's lawyers say that they will be appealing the removal this week.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: 42 year old actor, musician, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, just revealed he suffered a stroke last year. He was performing in Los Angeles over the weekend when he broke that news. He said it all started with the pain ...

END