CNN 5 Things

From CNN, I'm Eryn Mathewson with the Five Things you need to know for Monday, November 24th. We start with the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A federal judgment dismissed both cases without prejudice after she found the appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Virginia was invalid. James said in a statement that she's, quote, heartened by today's victory and remains, quote fearless in the face of these baseless charges. And in a video on Instagram, here's what Comey had to say.

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.

Trump appointed Halligan, a former White House adviser, after increasing pressure to bring forward criminal cases against his political enemies, which included Comey and James. CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

After the break, we give you an update on that NBA poker scandal.

President Donald Trump says he's made big progress on his peace proposal for Ukraine. Several European and NATO leaders agree, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the proposal, quote, the right approach. And he said he'll work with the president on sensitive issues. Meanwhile, Russia is not happy with parts of the plan. And CNN's chief national security analyst, Jim Sciutto says the situation is changing rapidly for everyone involved.

I've heard from European diplomats who say they did make progress this weekend in communicating their core principles, one of which is NATO membership for Ukraine. And not that Ukraine's going to become a member of NATO tomorrow or even five years from now. A military commander told me today, listen, it's better today. But he said we're in a vicious cycle of deja vu. Is that they feel like one day they feel they have America's backing. A week later, it's something completely different. They don't enjoy that back and forth.

Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal order.

'That's Democratic Senator and retired Navy Captain Mark Kelly in a recent video where he and five other Democratic lawmakers reminded service members of their duty to disobey illegal orders. The president called the video seditious and an act of treason, and the Defense Department is investigating Kelly over, quote, serious allegations of misconduct. Unlike the other veterans in the video, Kelly is required to remain available for recall to the military. This means he could be recalled to active duty, where he could face a court-martial. But CNN's Natasha Bertrand says it's unclear whether the case could go to court-marshall.

Mark Kelly, he really does not seem deterred at this point. He's already sending out fundraising emails about this. This, if anything, is likely only to raise his stature.

Meanwhile, Kelly responded to the allegations over X, saying that he will not be silenced or bullied.

'The head coach for the Portland Trailblazers has pleaded not guilty to charges related to a poker scheme that lured unsuspecting gamblers to a mob-run poker game that they didn't know would be fixed. Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups appeared in a Brooklyn court alongside 30 other members of the alleged scheme. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said, Billups was the quote, "face card," of the operation. Meaning he attracted the "fish" to the underground games that took place in New York, Miami, Las Vegas, and the Hamptons. Nocella said the scheme called, "Zen Diagram," by the feds scammed victims out of tens of millions of dollars. And according to the indictments, the money was then laundered by New York crime families.

Coming up, a drug promising to prevent Alzheimer's progression didn't really deliver. That's next.

Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk shared big news today. An oral version of semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in the popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, failed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in closely watched trials. I asked CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht for more details.

'Eryn, there's a lot of interest in what GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide can do for conditions beyond obesity and diabetes. And early studies had raised questions about the impact the drugs could have on dementia. Novo studied more than 3,800 adults receiving the standard care for Alzheimer's. They received a pill form of semaglutide or a placebo. The drug was safe and improved biomarkers related to Alzheimer's, but it didn't delay progression of the disease. The results were a major disappointment. But scientists say there's still more research to do, studying more forms of the drugs and whether they could help prevent dementia.

That's all for now. Our next episode drops tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. Eastern.