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A federal judge on Monday dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, dealing a blow to US President Donald Trump’s efforts to prosecute his political opponents.District Judge Cameron Currie threw out both cases on the grounds that the US attorney handpicked by Trump who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed.Comey, 64, was charged in September with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding in what was widely seen as retribution by the Republican president against a political opponent.James, 67, a Democrat who successfully prosecuted Trump for fraud, was indicted the following month on one count of bank fraud and a second one of making false statements to a financial institution.Both indictments were brought by interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who was described by Currie in her dismissal rulings as “a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience.”Top federal prosecutors are subject to Senate confirmation and Currie said Halligan had been unlawfully appointed because her predecessor was also serving in an acting capacity and US law does not allow two successive interim prosecutors.”All actions flowing from Ms Halligan’s defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr Comey’s indictment, were unlawful exercises of executive power,” the judge said.”And because Ms Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will grant Mr Comey’s motion and dismiss the indictment without prejudice.”She made a similar ruling in James’s case.The Comey and James indictments came after the interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, stepped down after reportedly telling Justice Department leaders there was insufficient evidence to charge them.Attorney General Pam Bondi replaced Siebert with Halligan, and she secured the indictments.Dismissing the indictments without prejudice leaves open the possibility of the charges being filed again, although the statute of limitations in the Comey case may have since expired.Comey and James also sought to have the indictments tossed on the grounds they were a vindictive prosecution. Those arguments were heard by a different judge.- ‘Stand up’ -Comey, in a post on Instagram, welcomed the dismissal of a case that he said was “based on malevolence and incompetence.””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.Comey urged Americans 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.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Justice Department will appeal the rulings “so maybe James Comey should pump the brakes on his victory lap.”James also welcomed the dismissal of the indictment and said she will “remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges.”After Trump left the White House in 2021, James won a civil fraud case against him, alleging he and his real estate company had unlawfully inflated his wealth and manipulated the value of properties to obtain favorable bank loans or insurance terms.Comey was appointed to head the FBI by president Barack Obama in 2013 and was fired by Trump in 2017 amid a probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.The charges against Comey came just days after Trump publicly urged Bondi to take action against the former FBI director and others he sees as enemies — a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free from White House pressure.Since taking office in January, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against perceived enemies, purging government officials he deemed to be disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him and pulling federal funding from universities.Another Trump critic, his former national security advisor John Bolton, has been indicted for allegedly transmitting and retaining classified information.In another development, the Pentagon said Monday that it was considering a court-martial against Democratic senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly for appearing in a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders.

The US military said on Monday it was weighing a court-martial against Democratic senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly for appearing in a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders.The Pentagon’s probe marks an extraordinary escalation in the Trump administration’s backlash against six Democrats with military or intelligence service backgrounds who made the viral video.Kelly — a decorated Navy combat pilot and former astronaut who commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final flight — fired back that he would not be intimidated or “silenced by bullies.”The Pentagon had threatened to recall the Arizona senator back to active duty in order to face a court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.Officials indicated that Kelly may have undermined the “loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces,” citing laws barring interference in military cohesion.It is highly unusual for the Pentagon — long allergic to overt politics until President Donald Trump’s return to power this year — to publicly threaten a sitting member of Congress.The video posted on Friday called on the military to “refuse illegal orders” and featured Kelly alongside Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin and four members of the US House of Representatives.Trump initially accused the group of “seditious behavior, punishable by death.” Over the weekend, he wrote in an all-caps social media rant that the “traitors” who told troops to disobey him “should be in jail.”- ‘Acting like fascists’ -The Democrats did not specify which orders they meant, but Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities — often against local objections — to curb what he calls rampant unrest.Overseas, Trump has ordered strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that killed more than 80 people and which experts say are illegal.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth branded the Democrats the “Seditious Six” and called their video “despicable, reckless, and false.”He accused Kelly of bringing “discredit” on the armed forces, saying his remarks were addressed directly at troops while invoking his rank — giving them an air of authority.But analysts and Kelly’s supporters warned the move could backfire by elevating him ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.Kelly posted a photo of his many military medals, and recapped his Navy and NASA career. “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” he said.”I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”In a blistering, expletive-laced video, fellow Arizona senator Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War veteran, called the Pentagon announcement “insane” and suggested Hegseth and others were “acting like fascists.””Mark Kelly is a patriot. There’s no reason why they’re going after him,” he said. “He was doing his duty and just reminding people about their rights as service members.” 

Venezuela on Monday rejected the US terrorist designation of an alleged drug cartel on its territory as a “ridiculous lie” aimed at paving the way for an “illegitimate” US military intervention.Over the past two months, President Donald Trump has progressively ramped up pressure on his leftist Venezuelan arch-foe, President Nicolas Maduro.The US has deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier and other military forces to waters near Venezuela as part of what it calls a campaign to dismantle Latin American drug trafficking routes.Officials in Caracas suspect that the United States is mounting an operation to topple Maduro, whose re-election last year was widely rejected by the international community as fraudulent.On Monday, Washington’s listing of the Venezuelan “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organization officially took effect, opening the door to new forms of US pressure on Maduro’s administration.”Venezuela categorically, firmly, and absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous lie from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who designates the alleged Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization… to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela,” Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.The Trump administration alleges that the Cartel of the Suns is a drug trafficking syndicate run by Maduro and has issued a $50 million reward for the president’s capture.The Cartel of the Suns is responsible for “terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere,” Rubio said on November 16.But Venezuela and countries that support it insist no such organization even exists. Several Venezuela experts say what Washington calls the Cartel of the Suns refers to the corruption of senior officials by criminal organizations, including drug traffickers.- Flights cancelled -The designation is part of a US campaign against drugs from Latin America.US forces have killed at least 83 people in strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs from Latin America towards the United States since September, according to an AFP tally of publicly released figures. Most of the vessels targeted set out from Venezuela.No evidence has been made public that drugs were on board. With a major military presence now deployed in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier, the FTO designation will give legal cover for more pressure on the Venezuelan authorities.The Trump administration has been vague about how far it is willing to go in Venezuela, but the huge military build-up and regular killings of people in small boats have rattled nerves — and prompted concerns in Washington that the US military may be breaking the law.On Saturday, six airlines announced they were canceling flights to Venezuela due to safety concerns.The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday urged civilian aircraft in Venezuelan airspace to “exercise caution” due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela.”

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty Monday to alleged involvement in Mafia-linked illegal gambling schemes that rocked the NBA, US media reported.Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and  NBA Hall of Famer, was arrested in connection with rigged illegal poker games tied to Mafia crime families.He was targeted along with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in an FBI-led investigation into the scam that allegedly saw players cheated with the use of sophisticated methods including an X-ray table and barcoded card decks.Dozens of other suspects were arrested as part of the FBI probe.Rozier and Billups were placed on indefinite leave by the NBA after being arrested in the gambling investigation.Rozier and a former NBA player and assistant coach, Damon Jones, were among six people arrested in a separate sports betting case.Billups was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, to which he pleaded not guilty Monday, CBS News and USA Today reported.Billups was released on bond after initially appearing in federal court in Portland, Oregon, and was represented by attorney Marc Mukasey at a brief hearing in a Brooklyn court on Monday.Prosecutors say Billups’s celebrity helped lure players to high-stakes games that used “high-tech cheating technology.”That tech included shuffling machines that could read cards, hidden cameras and barcoded decks.NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last month he was “deeply disturbed” by the far-ranging FBI probe into illegal gambling.”My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said in an interview with Amazon Prime.”There’s nothing more important for the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition.”Silver expressed regret that the allegations had taken attention away from the start of the season.”I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with, now, this situation,” Silver said.

The United States on Monday urged the European Union to rethink its approach to digital regulation if it wants a deal to lower painful US tariffs on the bloc’s steel exports.US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met the EU’s 27 trade ministers for the first high-level talks in Brussels since the transatlantic allies struck a tariff deal in July.Aimed at averting all-out trade war, the deal agreed on a 15-percent US levy for most EU exports — but both sides continue to push for more concessions.While the EU wants the US to lower its 50-percent duties on steel and aluminium, Washington is demanding Brussels rolls back green and digital rules it says harm US firms.Lutnick linked the two issues explicitly after the meeting, telling the EU to reconsider its approach on tech regulation in exchange for a deal to cut duties on Europe’s steel and aluminium exports.”Our suggestion is that the European Union and their trade ministers deeply consider trying to analyse their digital rules, try to come away with a balance,” he said alongside Greer and EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic.”If they can come up with that balanced approach, which I think they can, then we will together with them handle the steel and aluminium issues,” Lutnick said. He said such an approach would mean the EU could see “a trillion dollars of investment, and that would add a point and a half to European GDP”.- EU ‘not discriminatory’ -US President Donald Trump and his government have pushed back hard at the EU’s bolstered legal armoury against Big Tech.Trump in September threatened retaliatory tariffs in response to a massive 2.95-billion-euro ($3.4 billion) fine imposed on Google.Pushed afterwards on whether the EU’s digital rules are a red line, Sefcovic refused to comment.”We’ll be looking into the ways, how we can launch this process on the digital matters,” he told reporters.Sefcovic insisted the EU’s rules were “not discriminatory” or “aimed at American companies”.A spokesperson for the EU executive later stressed Europe’s “sovereign right to legislate”.”Our rules apply only within the EU. And they apply equally to all companies, regardless of their country of origin,” the European Commission spokesperson said.- EU steels itself -The top EU and US officials also discussed issues they are both facing including access to rare earths and chips — vital for the tech industry.”We didn’t only discuss bilateral issues, but also some of the challenges we are facing together: the overcapacity… China’s role in the global economy and other issues where we have to join forces,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.The EU in October moved to double tariffs on foreign steel to shield the industry from a flood of cheap Chinese exports.Brussels hoped the proposal would then see the EU team up with Washington to tackle Chinese overcapacity, and Sefcovic had been pushing his US counterparts agree on steel import quotas.The EU wants a broader “metals alliance” with Washington to ring-fence their respective economies from Chinese overcapacity.Industry data shows China was responsible for more than half of the world’s steel production last year.The steel sector employs around 300,000 people in Europe, and nearly 100,000 jobs have been lost in the past 15 years, the industry says.

Pope Leo XIV embarks on his debut overseas trip Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon to promote Christian unity and urge peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.The six-day trip is the first major international test for the US pope, who was elected head of the Catholic Church in May and whose understated style contrasts with that of his charismatic and impulsive predecessor, Francis.In Turkey, Leo will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, where the Creed — a foundational declaration of the Christian faith — was written.While the Chicago-born pontiff’s upcoming visit has so far garnered little attention in the predominantly Muslim country, where Christians represent only 0.2 percent of the 86 million inhabitants, it is eagerly awaited in Lebanon.Lebanon has long been held up as a model of religious coexistence.But since 2019, it has been ravaged by crises, including economic collapse which has caused widespread poverty, a devastating blast at Beirut port in 2020, and the recent war with Israel.”The Lebanese are tired,” said Vincent Gelot, director of the Lebanon and Syria office for l’Oeuvre d’Orient, a Catholic organisation that supports Christians in the Middle East.”They expect a frank word to the Lebanese elite, as well as strong and concrete actions,” he told AFP.- ‘A vicious cycle’ -Preparations are in full swing at the sites the pope will visit, with signs bearing his image and reading “Lebanon wants peace” hung along newly-restored roads.Lebanon’s ambassador to the Holy See, Fadi Assaf, said it was an “exceptional” visit which would “highlight the difficulties facing Lebanon”, which is hoping for a “political and economic breakthrough”.Gelot said the Lebanese are caught in “a vicious cycle of wars and suffering”, “dashed hopes” and “uncertainty about the future”, and they “know full well that (this visit) will not solve all their problems”.It is an opportunity however to highlight the role of private, often religious, organisations in ensuring access to healthcare and education — like the psychiatric hospital run by Franciscan nuns that Leo is set to visit, he said.Trip highlights include a meeting with the country’s youth, an open-air mass expected to draw 100,000 people, and a prayer at the site of the port explosion that killed over 220 people and caused vast damage to the Lebanese capital.Abdo Abou Kassem, the church’s media coordinator for the visit, said the pope also wishes to “reaffirm Lebanon’s role as… a model for both East and West” through an interreligious meeting in downtown Beirut.- Schisms -The visit to Turkey, a strategic crossroad between East and West, is also aimed at promoting the Church’s dialogue with Islam.Leo will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday and visit the Blue Mosque in Istanbul on Saturday.But at the heart of the trip is the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which Leo was invited to attend by Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual head of Orthodox Christianity.Catholics recognise the universal authority of the pope as head of the Church, while Orthodox Christians are organised into churches that appoint their own heads.The 325 A.D. meeting in Nicaea predated the schisms that divided Christianity between East and West and the commemoration is an important moment to promote Christian unity.On the shores of Lake Iznik, the current name for Nicaea, the 70-year-old will join dignitaries from various Orthodox churches on Friday for a prayer which his predecessor, who died in April, had originally been set to attend.There will be one notable absence. With the war in Ukraine deepening a rift between the patriarchates of Moscow and Constantinople, Russian Patriarch Kirill — a supporter of President Vladimir Putin — was not invited.The pope will be careful not to inflame tensions further by irritating Moscow, which fears the Vatican will strengthen Constantinople’s role as a privileged interlocutor and weaken its influence.

Washington and Kyiv said that any eventual deal to halt the war with Russia must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty, after “constructive” talks between US, Ukrainian and European officials in Geneva.After a day of meetings that kicked off based on a US proposal that was criticised as being in Russia’s favour, negotiators have drafted “an updated and refined peace framework”, a US-Ukraine joint statement said on Sunday.US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which began after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.But Kyiv was seeking changes to the draft that accepted a range of Russia’s hardline demands, with the 28-point plan requiring the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.”The talks were constructive, focused, and respectful, underscoring the shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace,” the joint statement said.”They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace,” it said, noting “meaningful progress”.Both sides pledged to keep working on joint proposals “in the coming days.”But even as the White House said in a separate statement that the talks marked “a “significant step forward”, a Russian drone strike on the major Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed four people, its mayor said.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of “tremendous” progress after a day of meetings, while the head of Ukraine’s delegation Andriy Yermak also told reporters the sides had made “very good progress”.The Ukrainian delegation referred to a new version of the US draft plan, which has yet to be published, saying it “already reflects most of Ukraine’s key priorities”.Rubio, whose delegation included Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff, told reporters that the work to narrow the areas of disagreement had advanced “in a very substantial way”. “I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable,” he said, adding: “I honestly believe we’ll get there.”Rubio stressed that any final agreement would “have to be agreed upon by the presidents, and there are a couple issues that we need to continue to work on” before trying to bring onboard the Kremlin, which welcomed the original proposal.”Obviously, the Russians get a vote.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Monday. Turkey has hosted three rounds of talks on ending the war.- ‘Zero gratitude’ claim -His comments came after Trump earlier lashed out at Ukraine.”UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, also accusing European countries of not doing enough to stop the war, but offering no direct condemnation of Moscow.Not long after, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that his country was “grateful to the United States… and personally to President Trump” for the assistance that has been “saving Ukrainian lives”.Announcing a deadly Russian drone strike, Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram Sunday it was “truly horrible” that despite the negotiations, “Russian troops are attacking civilian objects, civilian infrastructure, residential buildings”.At the end of the day, Rubio said he thought Trump was “quite pleased at the reports we’ve given him about the amount of progress that’s been made”.Asked about whether he believed a deal could be reached by Thursday, he said “the deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible”.”I think we made a tremendous amount of progress. I feel very optimistic that we’re going to get there in a very reasonable period of time, very soon.”- European ‘centrality’ -The US plan was drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies, who were scrambling Sunday to make their voices heard and boost Kyiv’s position.EU countries plan to discuss the Ukraine situation on the sidelines of a meeting with African leaders in Angola Monday.”Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, stressing that the “centrality” of the European Union’s role must be “fully reflected” in any peace plan.A number of leaders called Trump Sunday, with Downing Street saying UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the US president had agreed “that we all must work together at this critical moment to bring about a just and lasting peace”.

Americans are expected to spend a record amount over the holiday season, despite lingering worries in the world’s biggest economy about stubborn inflation, tariffs and the knock-on effects of the government shutdown.”Consumers remain pretty concerned about inflation and, there’s no doubt, about where prices are going,” Mark Mathews, chief economist at the National Retail Federation (NRF), told reporters.For Mathews, the last time consumer confidence was so low — apart from the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic — dates back to the early 1980s.But, he added, “over the past few years, we’ve seen consumers spend irrespective of how they’re feeling about things.”The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales — from November 1 to December 31 — to top $1 trillion for the first time, with growth of 3.7-4.2 percent as compared with last year.The record-setting 43-day government shutdown, which left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed and without a paycheck, triggered a decline in demand and in revenue for the private sector, but that situation is expected to quickly be reversed.President Donald Trump’s sweeping on-off tariffs however could affect demand for certain products, although experts say competition should temper the effects of tariffs on consumers’ wallets.”We’re seeing a deliberate and aggressive approach to avoid passing price increases onto the consumers,” said NRF president Matt Shay.Competition, especially in online deals, should help avert a massive hike in prices.For buyers, competitive prices and free delivery are two key factors, Vivek Pandya, an analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, told AFP.The share of sales made online should increase this holiday season to $253.4 billion dollars, up 5.3 percent over last year, according to Adobe Analytics.A record $5 billion is expected to be spent per day over the 10 days that begins on “Black Friday” and runs through “Cyber Week.”- ‘Restraint’ -For Pandya, a 5.3 percent increase in online sales is “actually pretty good” given the variables and challenges in the US economy.He highlighted that sales in fact were up from October, when Amazon holds its major Prime Day sales.But the big day will certainly be Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which is the traditional launch of the holiday shopping season — and also when the best deals are to be had.That is followed by Cyber Monday, when online shopping takes center stage, especially on electronics and other tech.For Stephanie Guichard, a senior economist at the Conference Board business research organization, US consumers are remaining “cautious” and may approach gift purchases with some “restraint” after years of inflation-related belt-tightening.The Conference Board’s annual survey revealed that Americans will spend an average of $990 on holiday-related purchases this year, down 6.9 percent from 2024.When adjusted for inflation, the figures are well under pre-pandemic spending.”Consumers also said they are focused on giving their family and friends items they need this year rather than items they want,” Guichard said in a statement.More and more Americans are also turning to “buy now, pay later” options to spread out the spending over several months. – Shopping, AI style -This year, artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini are gaining traction as a tool for consumers looking for the perfect gift or the best deals.In October, traffic to US retail websites from generative-AI sources spiked 1,200 percent year-on-year, and those web users were 16 percent more likely to buy something, according to Adobe Analytics.”This indicates that with AI tools, shoppers are becoming more informed and able to pinpoint the most relevant retailers for their needs,” Adobe said.Another shopping trend is “social commerce,” or selling products directly to consumers on social media platforms, often via posts made by influencers.”Social commerce is incredibly important” this year, Pandya told AFP.”People are spending a lot of time on their mobile devices, a lot of time on social media apps (…) and these influencers have become very effective at providing really strong discount codes and perks for their audiences to spend.”So what are the hot gift items for 2025? Experts say the new Nintendo Switch 2 game console and Apple’s latest iPhone 17s will be popular, along with household appliances and home renovation items, as economic uncertainty means Americans are less likely to move.

Universal’s musical sequel “Wicked: For Good” stole the box office spotlight in its North America debut this weekend, with a record-setting haul to the tune of $150 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.Variety said the film’s debut was the highest ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, while analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research called it a “sensational, record-breaking opening” for a fantasy adventure sequel.Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo and pop star Ariana Grande return as the magical land of Oz’s most notable witches — the green-skinned, outcast Elphaba and popular pink-wearing Glinda — to wrap up the story-line introduced in last year’s blockbuster part one.The “Wizard of Oz” retelling is based on the long-running Broadway musical, itself adapted from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel.Part two follows Glinda and Elphaba — now dubbed the Wicked Witch of the West — as they struggle against the nefarious mechanizations of The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh).”This is broad-appeal Hollywood filmmaking at its best, a spectacular adventure story told from a female point of view,” said Gross.”Strong word-of-mouth is going to drive business through next week’s 5-day Thanksgiving holiday and into December,” he added.In second place at the US and Canadian box office, according to Exhibitor Relations, was Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” with $9.1 million.The third installment in the crime heist franchise dropped from the top spot a week prior, when it took in over $21 million.The film reunites Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson as Robin Hood-style illusionists targeting dangerous criminals.With $6.3 million, third place went to 20th Century’s “Predator: Badlands,” the latest installment in the decades-old sci-fi horror franchise.Paramount’s “The Running Man” — a new take on Stephen King’s dystopian novel about a murderous game show — fell two spots since its debut last weekend to fourth place, with $5.8 million.Fifth place went to Searchlight’s “Rental Family,” starring Brendan Fraser as a struggling actor who takes on odd stand-in roles in Japan.Gross called the film’s $3.3 million haul a “soft opening for a fall drama,” but said it should get a lift from next week’s long holiday weekend, and that international revenue “should be solid,” given its setting and Fraser’s foreign appeal.Rounding out the top-10 were:”Sisu: Road to Revenge” ($2.6 million)”Regretting You” ($1.5 million)”Nuremberg” ($1.2 million)”Black Phone 2″ ($1.0 million)”Sarah’s Oil” ($770,000)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boasted “tremendous” progress after a day of meetings with Ukrainian and European officials in Geneva on a proposal to halt the Ukraine war, but numerous uncertainties remain. The head of Ukraine’s delegation Andriy Yermak also told reporters earlier that the sides had made “very good progress”, and were “moving forward to the just and lasting peace Ukrainian people deserve”.US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his controversial plan to end the nearly four-year conflict that erupted after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.But Kyiv is seeking changes to a draft that accepts a range of Russia’s hardline demands, with the 28-point plan requiring the invaded country to cede territory, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.Rubio, whose delegation included Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff, told reporters that the work to narrow the areas of disagreement had advanced “in a very substantial way”. “I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable,” he said, adding “I honestly believe we’ll get there.”Rubio stressed that any final agreement would “have to be agreed upon by the presidents, and there are a couple issues that we need to continue to work on” before trying to bring onboard the Kremlin, which welcomed the original proposal.”Obviously, the Russians get a vote.”- ‘Zero gratitude’ claim -His comments came after Trump earlier lashed out at Ukraine as the talks in Geneva were underway.”UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, also accusing European countries of not doing enough to stop the war, but offering no direct condemnation of Moscow.Not long after, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that his country was “grateful to the United States… and personally to President Trump” for the assistance that has been “saving Ukrainian lives”.The Ukrainian delegation meanwhile referred to a new version of the US draft plan, which has yet to be published, saying it “already reflects most of Ukraine’s key priorities”.At the end of the day, Rubio said he thought Trump was “quite pleased at the reports we’ve given him about the amount of progress that’s been made”.Asked about whether he believed a deal could be reached by Thursday, as demanded by the US president, he said “the deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible”.”I think we made a tremendous amount of progress. I feel very optimistic that we’re going to get there in a very reasonable period of time, very soon.”The US delegation in Geneva also included US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and also, surprisingly, Alexus Grynkewich, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.Grynkewich did not attend in his NATO capacity but as a senior US military representative, according to a senior NATO official who did not wish to be named.- European ‘centrality’ -Rubio said that his delegation had met Sunday with “national security advisors from various European countries”.Ukraine’s delegation also met with high-level officials from Britain, France and Germany.The US plan was drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies, who were scrambling Sunday to make their voices heard and boost Kyiv’s position.”Ukraine must have the freedom and sovereign right to choose its own destiny. They have chosen a European destiny,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, stressing that the “centrality” of the European Union’s role must be “fully reflected” in any peace plan.”The task now is to make the 28-point plan presented by the American government a viable document,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meanwhile said at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, adding that he had made a proposal being discussed in Geneva in that direction.European Union countries were planning to meet to discuss the Ukraine situation on the sidelines of a meeting with African leaders in Angola on Monday.And French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke on the phone with Zelensky Sunday, said the 30 countries in the “coalition of the willing” supporting Kyiv would hold a video call on Tuesday.A number of leaders also called Trump Sunday, with Downing Street saying UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the US president had agreed “that we all must work together at this critical moment to bring about a just and lasting peace”.Finnish President Alexander Stubb told AFP that he and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni also called Trump Sunday to discuss his Ukraine proposal.Meloni later told reporters at the G20 that while there were points in the US plan “that certainly need to be discussed”, there was no need for a “complete counterproposal”.