The Morning: Comey’s indictment
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2025-09-26 12:54
Good morning, and happy Friday. Today, we’re covering James Comey’s indictment, an investigation into George Soros’s foundation and a possible government shutdown. Plus, all the other news you need to start your day.
Political interference
The Justice Department is giving President Trump what he wants. Here’s how my colleagues described last night’s news: The clearest way to understand the extraordinary nature of the indictment on Thursday of James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, is to offer up a simple recitation of the facts. An inexperienced prosecutor loyal to President Trump, in the job for less than a week, filed criminal charges against one of her boss’s most-reviled opponents. She did so not only at Mr. Trump’s direct command, but also against the urging of both her own subordinates and her predecessor, who had just been fired for raising concerns that there was insufficient evidence to indict. At the same time, the Justice Department has also ordered prosecutors to investigate George Soros, a billionaire Democratic donor whom Trump has targeted for financing left-wing groups. The moves dispense with the decades-old norm that the agency should be free from political interference. Today’s newsletter breaks down both cases.
James ComeyTrump has detested Comey ever since Comey led an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The inquest ultimately did not prove that Trump’s campaign had colluded with Moscow, and the president claims it was a witch hunt designed to hurt him politically. Yesterday’s indictment was bare-bones — one count of making a false statement and one count of obstructing Congress. The charge sheet says Comey lied during a Senate hearing when he said he hadn’t authorized a news leak about the F.B.I.’s investigations. The lead prosecutor also tried to indict Comey on a second charge of making a false statement. But the grand jury rejected it. To convict Comey, the government must prove not only that his statement was false, but also that he knew so when he testified. Comey faces up to five years in prison if convicted, although many prosecutors believe that the case will be difficult to prove. George SorosThe Justice Department has also ordered more than half a dozen U.S. attorneys’ offices to examine Soros’s grant-making organization, the Open Society Foundations, my colleague Devlin Barrett reports. The agency even suggested possible charges that prosecutors might file against Soros, including arson and terrorism sponsorship. Open Society awards money to groups that promote human rights, democracy and equity. Soros personally donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrats during the last two election cycles. In August, Trump said that Soros should be charged under a racketeering law historically used to prosecute Mafia bosses. Then, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk this month, Trump blamed progressive advocacy groups and donors for left-wing violence; he said Soros “should be put in jail.” Yesterday, Trump signed a memo endorsing such prosecutions. As grounds for investigating Soros, the Justice Department points to a right-wing report stating that the Open Society Foundations “has poured over $80 million into groups tied to terrorism or extremist violence.” (Israel designated one grant recipient, a Palestinian human rights group, as a front for terrorist activity in 2022; Open Society said at the time that there was no evidence for the designation.)
Republicans and Democrats are stuck. Both parties introduced bills to avert a government shutdown next week. Both bills failed. On Wednesday, the White House offered an ultimatum: If Congress doesn’t prevent a government shutdown, it could push another round of mass layoffs across the federal government. Lyna Bentahar explains the negotiations. The stakesSenate Republicans need seven Democratic votes to fund the government before the end of the month. But Democrats won’t agree unless the G.O.P. extends Obamacare subsidies and reverses cuts to Medicaid and other health programs made by the domestic policy bill it passed this summer. The Obamacare subsidies make health insurance cheaper for some Americans. If they expire, the Congressional Budget Office says, around four million people are projected to lose coverage and prices will rise for another 20 million starting next year. (My colleagues Margot Sanger-Katz and Catie Edmondson wrote about how their expiration presents a dilemma for members of both parties.) Republicans want to discuss those subsidies later this year but haven’t made any promises about funding. The talksGridlock in Congress is not new, but these days the parties are barely speaking. Trump has told congressional Republicans not to work with Democrats. For months, they haven’t had to. Instead, Trump has relied on his party’s majority — to pass the domestic policy bill, to claw back billions in spending, to confirm his nominees. But the one-party approach has its limits. Even though they control the Senate, Republicans need 60 votes to bypass the filibuster. That means winning Democratic votes. Democratic leaders say they won’t respond to White House layoff threats. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, called them “an attempt at intimidation.” Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, put it more simply on social media, telling Trump’s budget director, “Get lost.” The parties have until Tuesday night to work something out.
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For years, John Alle complained about homelessness in the Los Angeles neighborhood where he owned and managed properties. He dogged officials. He put huge signs in front of his vacant storefronts: “Santa Monica IS NOT safe.” “Crime. Depravity. Outdoor mental asylum.” “Santa Methica.” In 2023, a homeless man followed him in a park, bashed him on the head, kicked him 17 times and broke his jaw in two places, according to police reports. Alle needed two brain surgeries to save his life. Now, fed up, Alle is trying to make a dent in the problem on his own: He set up a hotline so that any of the county’s 70,000 homeless people can call and ask for help returning home. He buys tickets for about three people a week to different states. One beneficiary, Jason Narron, 38, dialed his mom in North Carolina to tell her he was on his way. “Wonderful,” she said. “And then what?” Read the Times reporter Eli Saslow’s story about the hotline, how Alle decides whom to help and what happens next.
It’s a great time to be Google, which is facing only the meekest of punishments for abusing its monopoly, Julia Angwin argues. Here’s a column by Michelle Goldberg on terrorism and copycat killings. New: The Times family subscription is here. One rate. Four individual logins. Savings for all. Now you and three others can enjoy unlimited access to The Times, while personalizing your own experience. Learn more.
Working Barcelona’s angles: Take our virtual tour of the city’s architecture, with math as your guide to a bullring, a skyscraper and Antoni Gaudí’s sacred curves. “One Battle After Another”: A new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio is “a startling, present-day American epic,” our critic writes. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about an actually supportive bralette. Wordplay master: Mel Taub, who died at 97, created puzzles for The Times that sometimes involved groan-inducing puns. See for yourself.
World Cup: Trump suggested moving games in the 2026 men’s tournament away from some U.S. host cities. He can’t do that by himself, but he could influence FIFA leaders and alter security funding. M.L.B.: Netflix is continuing its foray into live sports and will broadcast the Opening Day 2026 matchup between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants.
As climate change makes city life hotter and hotter, people are finding clever adaptations so that summer remains livable. Here are a few: Reflecting light: Asphalt traps heat. Vienna has painted roads with bright colors, which can lower an area’s temperature by up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. A steady breeze: Some Japanese construction companies give workers fan-equipped jackets. Flipping the script: Kosovo has shifted outdoor work to nighttime to avoid peak heat times. Cool-off zones: Restaurants in Rio de Janeiro put makeshift showers in the street. Planting trees: Vijayapura, in southern India, has planted about 15 million trees in the past decade. They’ve cooled the area off by at least 1 degree. Culture news
Char broccoli and stir-fry it with tofu to make a takeout classic at home. Watch “All of You,” a weepy romance. Tube down one of Nebraska’s lazy rivers. Straighten your hair with an affordable tool. Take our news quiz.
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were grouping and pouring. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Amelia Nierenberg contributed to this newsletter.
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