☕️ James Comey's indictment, explained

Good morning!

The United Nations has concluded its one-day investigation into the mysterious halting of President Trump’s escalator as he arrived at the U.N. General Assembly. The culprit? A White House videographer who most likely tripped a safety mechanism.

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Some headlines from this morning:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he will resign after the war with Russia ends. "If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready not to go (for elections) because it's not my goal, elections," Zelenskyy told reporters. Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia's invasion began, which suspends all elections during wartime. Recent polling shows 59% of Ukrainians still trust Zelenskyy, despite Russia's attempts to undermine his legitimacy as the country's leader.

• President Trump said Thursday he will not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank. "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank... It's not going to happen," Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The announcement comes after Israel closed the border between the West Bank and Jordan this week, trapping two million Palestinians. International pressure has mounted on Israel to end its war in Gaza, following recognition of Palestinian statehood by several major powers last week.

• President Trump has signed an executive order supporting the sale of TikTok to a group of American investors. The deal still requires approval from China, which currently owns the short video app through ByteDance. It marks the latest step in a years-long battle over TikTok, following Congress's order to shut down the platform by January due to national security concerns. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison leads the investment group, which includes other high-net-worth individuals and the Murdoch family.

• A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Argentina. The fossil of a seven metre long predator – who died with the leg of an ancient crocodile in its mouth – was uncovered by researchers with the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology. The dinosaur lived approximately 70 million years ago in what is now central Patagonia and belonged to the Megaraptoridae family, a type of carnivorous dinosaur that roamed South America, Asia, and Australia. It’s been named, ‘Joaquinraptor,’ after the son of Dr. Lucio Ibiricu, the paleontologist who led the discovery team.

I’ve got 1 minute

A federal grand jury has indicted former FBI Director James Comey, after weeks of President Trump pressuring the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring charges.

Comey faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the charges, which consist of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

The indictment marks the first time a political opponent of President Trump has faced formal charges since he first took office in 2015.

Context

The case comes amid long-term tensions between Trump and Comey that began during the 2016 election. Comey led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in that election, which Trump and allies called the "Russia Hoax." Trump fired Comey in 2017 and has repeatedly called for his prosecution since then.

"This is about accountability for those who weaponized our justice system," Trump said at a recent press conference, defending his push for prosecutions.

What happened?

East Virginia Prosecutor Lindsey Halligan presented the charges to a grand jury on Thursday, securing an indictment that day. Halligan was appointed last week after President Trump fired the original prosecutor handling the case, Erik Siebert, following Siebert's statement that there wasn't enough evidence to charge Comey.

The charges relate to comments made by Comey during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The charges claim that Comey knew he was lying when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had not authorised anyone at the FBI to be an anonymous source during a particular investigation.

The indictment does not specify the FBI investigation, but it is widely thought to be about an FBI probe into Hilary Clinton.

Reactions

President Trump celebrated the news, calling it “Justice for America”. Similarly, Attorney General Pam Bondi, who runs the DOJ, said, “No one is above the law.”

Comey’s lawyers said he denies the charges and looks forward to vindicating himself in court. Meanwhile, Comey himself took to Instagram, posting a video saying,

“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump. But we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way. We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”

He also decried the perceived executive interference with the DOJ:

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system.”

I’ve got 2 minutes

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical imports.

In a post to social media, Trump said the tariff would have an exemption for foreign companies that operate manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

The new tax will take effect on 1 October.

Tariffs

A tariff is a tax on imports. It’s applied to foreign-made goods brought into another country and paid for by the importer.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has implemented a suite of tariffs.

In April, he imposed a “baseline” 10% tariff on all countries, including Australia, and levied higher rates on certain countries.

Trump also imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

Announcement

In a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump announced a 100% tariff on “any branded or patented pharmaceutical product” imported into the U.S.

The levy will not apply to companies that already operate manufacturing plants in the U.S, or have facilities “under construction”.

The move is part of a broader package of tariffs, set to take effect on the same day, which Trump says are aimed at protecting America’s manufacturing industries.

Reaction

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries called for "urgent discussions" to prevent patient harm in both the EU and U.S.

"We know this will be concerning for industry, which is why we've been actively engaging with the U.S. and will continue to do so," a UK government spokesperson said.

U.S. businesses have repeatedly warned against additional tariffs, arguing they increase costs for American consumers.

Major pharmaceutical companies are racing to expand American operations ahead of the October deadline. GlaxoSmithKline pledged $30 billion for US research and manufacturing over five years last week, while AstraZeneca announced plans to invest $50 billion in the country by 2030.

Both companies already operate U.S. manufacturing plants, potentially exempting them from the new tariffs.

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