Former FBI Director Comey Charged, $14 Billion TikTok US Valuation

On today's podcast: 1) Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with lying to Congress and obstruction related to testimony he gave in 2020, accelerating President Donald Trump’s push for legal action against his perceived political enemies. The filing of charges capped days of speculation over whether the Justice Department would bring the high-profile case against Comey, who has clashed with the president for years. 2) President Trump announces a fresh round of tariffs on pharmaceuticals, heavy trucks and furniture, including a 100% duty on patented drugs unless the producer is building a manufacturing plant in the US. The pharmaceuticals plan, as described by the president, may allow for wide exemptions for companies with presences within the United States. 3) The $14 billion price tag proposed for TikTok’s US business values it more like a stuffy old energy or food company than a leading global social media company. The rough estimate, cited by Vice President JD Vance on Thursday, is well below previous projections that scaled closer to $40 billion. Vance’s comments came as President Donald Trump pushed forward a plan for American investors to buy the US operation from Chinese internet firm ByteDance Ltd. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.