Former FBI Director James Comey faces charges from a grand jury, the FBI releases more information on the Dallas anti-ICE gunman, and California smash-and-grab robberies are making a comeback.
It’s Friday, September 26, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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DOJ Comes For Comey
Topline: A grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday on charges related to his handling of the Trump-Russia investigation. Comey is facing two charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
The alleged false statement originated from a congressional hearing held on September 30, 2020. According to the indictment, the moment that prosecutors zeroed in on took place during an exchange between Comey and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX):
CRUZ: On May 3rd, 2017, in this committee, Chairman Grassley asked you point blank, ‘Have you ever been an anonymous source in news reports about matters relating to the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation?’ You responded under oath, ‘Never.’ He then asked you, ‘Have you ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration?’ You responded again under oath, ‘No.’ Now, as you know, Mr. McCabe, who works for you, has publicly and repeatedly stated that he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal and that you were directly aware of it and that you directly authorized it. Now, what Mr. McCabe is saying and what you testified to this committee cannot both be true. One or the other is false. Who’s telling the truth?
COMEY: I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.
Comey is expected to surrender for arrest on Friday. He is the first former senior administration official to face charges related to the 2016 Russian collusion hoax, which Comey was on Capitol Hill to testify about for that September 2020 hearing.
Why now? The statute of limitations for lying to Congress is five years. In a few days, Comey would have been out of reach for prosecutors for his 2020 testimony.
Comey’s reaction: The former FBI chief released a video statement Thursday night.
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith,” Comey said in part.
Trump’s reaction: After the indictment dropped, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Comey is “One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.” He added that Comey “is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.” Early Friday morning, Trump took to his social media platform again, calling Comey a “bad cop.”
More Details Emerge On ICE Facility Shooter
Topline: We continue to learn more about the shooter who opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas on Wednesday morning.
The gunman: Joshua Jahn, 29, left a trail of notes behind that he hoped law enforcement would find after he shot and killed himself after the attack. Authorities said his plans were months in the making and that he spent the days leading up to the fatal shooting searching for videos of the Charlie Kirk assassination. He also left a note stating, “Yes, it was just me,” indicating that he acted alone.
Authorities say Jahn wrote that he wanted to inflict “terror” on those federal agents and that he did not want to cause any harm to detainees. Still, ironically, he killed one detainee and critically injured two others.
The ICE agents: Federal officials said that the ICE agents were heroically helping to save the detainees who were shot. One ICE official, Marcos Charles, emphasized that the mainstream media and anti-ICE activists are sharing disinformation that encourages such acts of violence.
He also touched on the use of anti-ICE apps to expose agents’ locations, which Jahn used.
“ Anyone who creates or distributes these apps that is designed to spot track and locate ice officers are well aware of the dangers that they’re exposing to law enforcement. It’s a casting call to invite bad actors to attack law enforcement officers,” said Charles. He compared the apps to giving a hitman a target’s location.
California Crime Wave
Topline: A string of violent “smash-and-grab” robbery schemes in California is drawing renewed attention to the state’s crime issues. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is ratcheting up language against federal law enforcement.
One expert says California jewelry stores have been hit by at least 30 robberies of this kind since March. The robbers have racked up millions of dollars worth of merchandise, and often, the suspects involved are juveniles.
Carnage: In the past week, an armed gang of up to 30 people raided a jewelry store outside of San Francisco. They smashed cases with crowbars and pickaxes and stole around $1 million worth of goods. Due to new security measures after a 2023 robbery, the suspects were locked inside – but they used guns and shot their way out of the store.
Authorities have arrested seven suspects so far. They’re all from Oakland and range in age from 17 to 31. Law enforcement believes these are repeat offenders.
Another recent robbery hit a Bay Area shop called Kim Hung Jewelry. A car crashed through the store, and more than a dozen robbers smashed display cases and stole merchandise. The 88-year-old store owner was shoved to the ground, suffered a stroke, and was cut by broken glass. A family friend of the victim told ABC 7, “He is OK; business is not OK. Everyone knows that situation right now. Every business is in danger.”
Newsom’s approach: While President Trump has emphasized the crime problems in some of these Democrat-run cities, Governor Newsom claims that California’s crime is under control and it’s not an issue.
Partly in response to Trump, Newsom has focused on federal immigration authorities. On Tuesday night, Newsom generated criticism for how he described ICE agents during an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s left-wing late-night show: “I mean, if some guy jumped out of an unmarked car in a van with a mask on, tried to grab me, I mean, by definition, you’re gonna push back. … These are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government.”
Over the weekend, Newsom signed a law banning law enforcement, including federal ICE agents, from wearing masks during operations in California. They do this currently to protect their identities, as assaults on ICE agents have jumped 830% compared to a year ago.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the new law “despicable” and “a flagrant attempt to endanger” federal officers.
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