Comey indicted again, Pentagon reveals $25 billion Iran war cost

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina handed James Comey a second indictment just as the Pentagon disclosed that the war with Iran has already cost taxpayers about $25 billion. The two episodes, one rooted in a social media post and the other in battlefield spending, captured a week in which power, accountability and political theater collided in public view.

The Justice Department said Comey, the former FBI director, was charged with making threats to harm President Donald Trump after posting an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to read “86 47.” Prosecutors treated the image as a threat, and the case revived a legal fight that had already seen an earlier indictment against Comey dismissed. The new charge ensures that a long-running feud between Trump and one of his most prominent law enforcement critics remains tied to the courts rather than the campaign trail.

On Capitol Hill, acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst III told the House Armed Services Committee that the Iran war had cost about $25 billion so far, with most of the money spent on ordnance. The figure surfaced as the conflict approached a roughly 60-day mark, sharpening questions from lawmakers about how long the operation can continue and what it is doing to U.S. stockpiles. The spending disclosure underscored a broader problem in wartime governance: the public is asked to absorb the costs before officials provide a full accounting of them.

The week’s other headlines pointed to a similar strain on institutions. In Hollywood, the Church of Scientology has responded to a TikTok-driven “speed running” trend by removing exterior door handles from some buildings and tightening security after masked groups, sometimes in costume, sprinted through hallways and stairs before being escorted out. The Los Angeles Police Department has been involved, and some incidents have reportedly been reviewed as possible hate crimes and battery after a staffer was knocked to the ground. What began as viral mischief has become a test of security, policing and whether online provocation can spill into physical confrontation.

In Washington, King Charles III addressed a joint session of Congress as part of a state visit tied to America’s 250th anniversary, drawing laughter and standing applause as he leaned on humor and the U.S.-U.K. relationship. And in Texas, the Supreme Court allowed the state’s newest congressional map to stand, a ruling that carries direct weight for redistricting fights and Voting Rights Act claims. Taken together, the stories formed a blunt reminder of what is being elevated as public business now: prosecutions, war costs, constitutional map fights and spectacle, all competing for attention in the same news cycle.