September 26, 2025, delivered a series of explosive headlines, spanning a contentious domestic political climate, escalating global conflict, and a corporate reckoning. The news cycle was dominated by the federal indictment of a former FBI director, a Justice Department probe into a billionaire’s philanthropic organization, and the deepening military crisis in the Middle East.

The Political Weaponization of Justice

In a development widely viewed as politically charged, a federal grand jury indicted former FBI Director James Comey on two criminal charges, including making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The indictment came just days before the statute of limitations on the charges was set to expire. The timing follows President Trump’s recent installation of his personal lawyer, Lindseay Halligan, as the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing a predecessor who resigned under pressure for refusing to bring charges against Comey.

Comey, in a video responding to the indictment, remained defiant: “Fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right, but I’m not afraid.” The legal action extends a pattern of government scrutiny toward his family, as Comey’s son-in-law resigned immediately following the indictment and his daughter was previously fired from her position as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.

Simultaneously, The New York Times reported that the Justice Department is calling on federal prosecutors to investigate the billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. The DOJ’s directive lists a stunning range of possible charges, from arson to material support for terrorism. Soros immediately called out the Trump administration for “politically motivated attacks on civil society.”

Escalation and War Crimes in the Middle East

The conflict in the Middle East saw alarming escalation as Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza City, prompting new evacuation orders. Israeli attacks reportedly killed at least 29 Palestinians, including 11 civilians seeking food, with victims including two children. The violence was given a human face by a Palestinian mother sheltering in a tent after an Israeli bomb flattened her home, killing her nine-year-old son. “My son was martyred in front of my eyes and I could not carry him,” she recounted.

The conflict also expanded, as Israeli strikes bombarded Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, killing at least 8 people and wounding 142. This followed a drone attack on Eilat in southern Israel claimed by the Houthis.

At the United Nations General Assembly, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip as “a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement.” While calling for a peace plan, Abbas maintained that Hamas would have no role in any future government of an independent state of Palestine.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to New York to address the UNGA, but his flight route was diverted over the Mediterranean Sea to avoid overflying a country that would be obliged to arrest him. An International Criminal Court warrant seeks Netanyahu’s arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a weapon of war. Protesters gathered in Times Square, demanding his arrest.

Corporate Accountability and Immigration Crisis

In the corporate sector, Amazon agreed to a massive $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations the company tricked users into paying for Prime membership. The settlement earmarks $1.5 billion to be returned to impacted customers.

The tech world also saw a win for privacy, as Microsoft barred the Israeli military from using technology that was reportedly used to spy on millions of Palestinian civilian phone calls in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, which were stored in Microsoft’s Azure cloud. However, activists called the action insufficient, noting the majority of Microsoft’s tech sales to the Israeli military remain untouched.

On the US immigration front, outrage mounted over a video showing a federal agent in plain clothes shoving and pushing an Ecuadorian mother to the ground as her two young children watched and screamed in panic at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The agent was heard mocking the woman, repeatedly telling her “adios” before ramming her against the wall. The incident sparked protests outside the facility, with New York Assembly member Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas declaring, “we will demand that ICE is out of New York.”

Finally, the Trump administration is negotiating a $20 billion financial bailout for Argentina, a move critics say contradicts the administration’s “America First” policies but offers a lifeline to its embattled far-right ally, President Javier Milei. In another technology decision, President Trump signed an executive order allowing TikTok to keep operating in the US, pending Chinese approval, by enabling a group of investors to buy the app’s American operations. The deal involves Oracle taking over security operations and includes a major stake for a UAE-backed investment firm that had previously invested in the Trump family’s cryptocurrency business.