Astronauts Looking Through Gold-Colored Visors

Money Metals News Service
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Astronauts Looking Through Gold-Colored Visors

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) I’ve got a good story for the knuckleheads who run around claiming “gold is useless.” Yes, people really do say that.

So, you’ve heard of people looking at the world through rose colored glasses?

Well, when astronauts finally walk on the moon again, they’ll be looking through gold-colored visors.

Growing up in the 1970s, I wanted to be an astronaut. In fact, I think most kids in my generation had that dream at some point in their childhood. It was the era of the Apollo missions, and news about space travel and moon trips was ubiquitous. Heck, I drank Tang because that’s what astronauts drank.

I even got to see the last Apollo rocket launch with my own eyes. We lived in Ormond Beach, Florida, at the time. I was only 5, but I still vividly remember how the sky lit up as bright as day when Apollo 17 fired its rocket.

All that to say that the Artemis II mission and all the amazing images beamed back from the moon by the crew have reawakened my childhood fascination with space travel.

Well, the other day, I ran across an article about the spacesuits astronauts will wear when they walk on the moon during the Artemis III mission. As I looked at the photos, it struck me that the gold visors on the helmets look pretty rad. (My daughter would probably say the helmets “slay.”)

Well, that gold coloring isn’t just a cool look. It has a very important function.

The face shields on the spacesuit helmets look gold because the metal is incorporated into their design.

Oakley developed the visor. Yup – the sunglasses company. And when you think about it, it makes sense. If you think the sun is intense here on Earth on a Florida summer day, it’s got nothing on the harshness of the sun in space.

Axiom Space designed the space suits and subcontracted the visor design to Oakley. The company’s chief technology officer, Koichi Wakata, was an astronaut himself. He flew five missions – three aboard the Space Shuttle, one on the Soyuz, and one on the Crew Dragon. He logged over 500 days in space, so he knows what it’s like.

“In space, the sun is really harsh; it feels as if it’s piercing through your eyes. We need an exceptional visor system to protect eyes and [offer] maximum visibility to enable [astronauts] to work in the challenging lunar environment.”

The Oakley website explained it this way:

“In the extreme environment of space, clarity and protection are paramount. Now, we’re bringing decades of innovation in optics, honed in the world’s most demanding sports and adventure settings, to a new arena: the vacuum of space.”

But why gold (besides that it looks super cool)?

Gold filters out infrared and ultraviolet light. As NASA explained it, “The movable sun visor and sun shades protect the astronaut from the sun’s strong rays, while still allowing a clear visual field.”

I’m not a science guy, so ChatGPT helped me with a little research. I learned that gold’s electron structure interacts with UV and IR photons in a way that prevents them from passing through.

In simple terms, gold has a lot of free and loosely bound electrons. When IR light hits the metal, those electrons absorb the energy and begin oscillating. Instead of letting the light pass through, the metal reflects it.

Gold blocks UV light with a similar process. However, because UV light produces higher levels of energy, it causes more intense electron oscillation. Some UV light is reflected, and some is absorbed. However, little gets through to the astronauts’ eyes.

To take advantage of these physical properties, the astronaut visors include a coating of 24-karat gold.

The visor also features a scratch-resistant outer coating that can withstand lunar dust. There’s also a flip-down visor that completely blocks light from the upper portion of the visor during super-harsh conditions. The helmet even has a small foam block inside that astronauts can use to scratch their nose (and close their nasal passages to aid with pressure equalization in the ears).

Oakley’s head of R&D, Vincenzo Spremulli, said they were looking for something specifically oriented for the reflection of infrared light.

“This is what gold is. Gold is a known material. It’s a precious metal, so it doesn’t undergo any transformation. It can reflect IR radiation away from itself. It doesn’t absorb it. It just reflects it away.”

So, how do they get the gold layer thick enough to stop UV and IR light, but thin enough for the astronauts to see through?

They shoot a beam of electrons at the gold, powerful enough to evaporate the metal. It is then sprayed onto the lens, creating the perfect coating for the job.

And did I mention it looks super cool?

Warren Buffett once said, “Gold gets dug out of the ground in Africa or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again, and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.”

I even once heard a commentator on a major financial network claim gold is a “useless rock.”

This is obviously a ridiculous take, as we’ve just seen.

In fact, gold is one of the most useful metals in the world. Due to its utility, coupled with its scarcity, gold is also one of the most valuable metals in the world.

In the first place, gold is strikingly beautiful. It has captured people’s eyes for thousands of years. That’s why people all over the world love to wear gold. About 44 percent of gold demand is for jewelry production. About 1,550 tons of gold were used in jewelry fabrication last year.

But gold isn’t just pretty. As we’ve seen with the space helmet, the metal’s inherent physical and chemical properties make it useful in many industrial and technological applications.

This is why we see gold increasingly used in the tech sector. In fact, gold would probably be used even more if it weren’t so rare and expensive.

Last year, the tech sector used 228 tonnes of gold, mostly in electronics. That’s because gold has excellent electrical conductivity and, unlike silver, doesn’t corrode. It is also malleable, making it excellent for tiny, precise connections.

The point is that gold is far from useless.

But fundamentally, gold is money. And everybody wants to have money — especially real money.

Photo courtesy of Axiom Space

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

Trump Says US Military Will Stay Near Iran and Is Ready for ‘Next Conquest’

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Says US Military Will Stay Near Iran and Is Ready for ‘Next Conquest’

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday night that the US military would remain near Iran, prepared to take action until an agreement is reached, and that it was ready for its “next conquest,” a warning that comes amid a very shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

“All US Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with,” the president said.

Trump added that if the “shooting starts” again, it would be “bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.” He added that “In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!”

The president’s post comes amid uncertainty over the ceasefire as Israel continues to pound Lebanon with airstrikes despite the US initially agreeing that the truce would include an end to the Israeli attacks on the country. At the moment, it does appear that a ceasefire between the US and Iran is holding.

Iranian officials have suggested that if a ceasefire isn’t reached in Lebanon, then Iranian attacks on US bases and interests in the region could restart.

“The US in no way can escape from the consequences of a ceasefire that ends without results favored by Iran and the resistance,” an unnamed Iranian official told Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “Therefore, if the temporary ceasefire terminates due to violations by the other party (the US and Israel) or because Iran and the resistance cannot reach a favorable agreement in an acceptable time frame for us, the US’s interests across the region will surely be set to fire just like the pre-ceasefire days.”

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Says ‘Time Is Running Out’ for the US and Israel To Honor Ceasefire

Headline USA Editor
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Iran’s Parliament Speaker Says ‘Time Is Running Out’ for the US and Israel To Honor Ceasefire

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said in a post on X on Thursday night that “time is running out” for the US and Israel to honor the ceasefire agreement by putting an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

Ghalibaf’s post included the image of text that outlined three parts of Iran’s position regarding Lebanon that warned there would be a response if the Israeli attacks continued:

  1. Lebanon and the entire Resistance Axis, as Iran’s allies, form an inseparable part of the ceasefire.
  2. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly and clearly stressed the Lebanon issue during the Islamabad talks; there is no room for denial or backtracking.
  3. Ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and STRONG responses. Extinguish the fire immediately.

Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to take part in potential talks with US officials this Saturday in Islamabad, though the message from Tehran appears to be that the negotiations won’t happen unless there’s a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Israel’s Tasnim news cited an unnamed Iranian source who denied reports that Iran’s negotiating team had already arrived in Pakistan. “The source at the same time emphasized that as long as the United States does not fulfill its commitment to the ceasefire in Lebanon and the Zionist regime continues its attacks, the negotiations remain in suspension,” the report said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon render negotiations with the US “meaningless” and warned Iran was ready to strike. “Our hands remain on the trigger. Iran will never forsake its Lebanese brothers and sisters,” he wrote on X.

Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead the American side and will be joined by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. Both Vance and Trump have claimed that the ceasefire doesn’t include Lebanon, despite it being included in the initial US-approved statement from Pakistan’s prime minister announcing the ceasefire.

Also on Thursday, President Trump made two posts on Truth Social criticizing Iran’s handling of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian media reported has remained closed besides the transit of a few Iranian-approved ships due to the continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote.

In an earlier post, the US president said that there are “reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!”

Iran has made clear that it will require ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to pay a transit fee, with the funds used for reconstruction. “We will certainly demand compensation for every single damage inflicted, the blood money of the martyrs, and the blood money for the wounded in this war,” Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement on Thursday. “We will also undoubtedly take the management of the Strait of Hormuz to a new stage.”

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com. 

60% of Americans Have an Unfavorable View of Israel

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60% of Americans Have an Unfavorable View of Israel

(Kyle Anzalone, Libertarian Institute) A new poll found that six in ten Americans now have an unfavorable view of Israel. Young Americans have a negative view of Israel. 

The Pew survey released on Tuesday reported that overall, 60% said they have an unfavorable view of Israel. In 2022, only 42% of Americans held negative views of Israel. 

There was a sharp divide between Democrats and Republicans. 41% of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Israel; that number is double with Democrats. There was also a large split between younger and older Americans. 70% of Americans under 50 had an unfavorable view of Israel, including 57% of Republicans. 

The poll was conducted after the US and Israel started an aggressive war with Iran. According to sources speaking with The New York Times, President Donald Trump was convinced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch the war during a meeting in February. 

While the President’s top advisers dismissed Netayahu was proposal as “farcical,” Trump ordered a joint attack with Israel on Iran. 

The Pew survey found Americans do not trust Netanyahu. 59% said that they had little to no confidence that the Israeli leader would do the right thing. Trump’s deference to Netanyahu has led a majority of Americans to assess that the President is not managing the relationship with Tel Aviv effectively. 

On Tuesday, Trump announced a new ceasefire with Iran. Within hours, Israel violated the ceasefire with a massive round of strikes on Lebanon.

This article originally appeared at The Libertarian Institute. 

Inflation May Jump by Most in Nearly Four Years as Gas Prices Spike in Wake of Iran War

Headline USA Editor
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Inflation May Jump by Most in Nearly Four Years as Gas Prices Spike in Wake of Iran War

(Headline USA) Soaring gas prices are expected to produce a spike in inflation when the government reports consumer prices for March on Friday, likely unnerving the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening the political challenges of rising costs for the White House.

Inflation probably rose to 3.4% in March compared with a year ago, economists estimate, which would be a sharp increase from February’s 2.4% increase. On a monthly basis, prices are forecast to have risen 0.9% in March from the previous month, according to a survey of economists by data provider FactSet. That would be largest monthly increase since 2022.

Until now there had been a slight moderating trend in inflation since last fall. A reading of 3.4% would be the highest in nearly two years, and is far above the Fed’s 2% target.

“There is going to be a headline sticker shock here,” said Michael Metcalfe, head of macro strategy at State Street, which produces PriceStats, a measure of inflation culled from millions of online prices. Their data suggests inflation could leap by 1.5% just in March from February.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices are projected to have risen 2.7% in March from a year earlier, up from 2.5% in February. From February to March, core prices are expected to have risen 0.3%, a faster pace than is consistent with the Fed’s target.

Gas prices soared about 20% in March, a move that saps consumers’ ability to spend on other goods and services and as a result could also slow economic growth. At least in the short run, many Americans can only make limited changes to their daily driving habits, which are largely determined by where they live, shop, and work. As a result, most people will pay higher prices for gas, and potentially cut back elsewhere.

Gas prices averaged $4.17 a gallon nationwide Thursday, up 69 cents from a month ago.

The big question for consumers and the economy is whether the surge in oil and gas prices will create a sustained, broader inflation shock, similar to what occurred in the aftermath of the pandemic in 2021-2022. Inflation reached a peak of 9.1% in June 2022, as COVID-19 snarled supply chains and several rounds of stimulus checks pushed up consumer demand. Prices soared for groceries, furniture, restaurant meals and many other goods and services.

This time, economists say the job market and consumer spending are weaker, and there are no large government stimulus checks being issued to spur demand. The unemployment rate is low, at 4.3%, but companies aren’t scrambling to hire the way they were when the economy emerged from the pandemic, which led many firms to offer sharp pay increases to attract and keep workers.

Rapid pay increases and solid income growth helped consumers weather the higher prices that resulted from the pandemic’s supply chain disruptions, and fueled spikes in demand that led many companies to raise prices further.

“That’s where this really differs, is that we aren’t seeing anywhere near the strength of demand,” Alan Detmeister, an economist at UBS, said. In 2021 and 2022, income growth “was increasing really strongly. We aren’t seeing that now,” he added.

Detmeister thinks the better comparison will likely be to 1990-91, when higher oil and gas prices stemming from Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait contributed to a recession, but didn’t lead to a jump in inflation, in part because of weaker consumer spending.

The gas price spike’s impact on inflation is, in some ways, similar to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, in that their effect will depend largely on the size and duration of the increase.

For now, economists expect that in March and April the impact will largely be confined to energy-intensive industries, such as airlines, package delivery services and public transportation. Overall, the U.S. economy is much less dependent on oil and gas than it was in previous decades.

Still, the large jump in inflation — which is almost certain to continue for several months — has already shifted the debate at the Federal Reserve, which began the year expecting to cut its key interest rate at least a couple of times. But a growing number of Fed officials are now willing to consider hiking rates instead if core inflation doesn’t cool noticeably.

Most officials are almost certain to support keeping the Fed’s key interest rate unchanged in the coming months, at about 3.6%, as they evaluate how the economy evolves. Investors now don’t expect the Fed to cut rates until late 2027.

Higher gas prices are tricky for the Fed because they can also slow growth by weighing on consumer spending, potentially causing layoffs. The Fed would typically cut its rate to encourage more spending if unemployment rises, while it raises rates to combat inflation.

More expensive oil and gas will also likely lift grocery prices, creating more pain for consumers who have already absorbed a roughly 25% jump in food costs since the pandemic. Nearly all groceries are shipped by diesel-fueled trucks, and diesel fuel prices have risen even more than those for regular gas. Still, analysts don’t expect food prices to accelerate for another month or two.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

War Powers Resolution Halting Trump’s Iran Ambitions Fails in U.S. House

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War Powers Resolution Halting Trump’s Iran Ambitions Fails in U.S. House

(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) A resolution to halt U.S. military hostilities in Iran failed to advance in the U.S. House pro forma session Thursday.

House Democrats attempted to obtain unanimous consent to pass a War Powers Resolution restricting the Trump administrations’ ability to conduct military operations in Iran without the authorization of Congress.

The Republican presiding refused to acknowledge the resolution and ended the session, marking the second time since the Iran conflict started that a War Powers Resolution failed in the House.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said in a news conference afterward that “things are out of control” in Iran and that President Donld Trump’s “threats of total annihilation were beyond the pale.”

“It’s time for Congress to step in and take control of the wheel,” he said.

Congress never approved the ongoing military hostilities in Iran. A few key members of Congress had received advance notice of the strikes but did not vote to authorize them.

“The only final reconciliation here will be diplomacy,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., told reporters. “The Constitution is very clear that the power to declare war rests with the Congress of the United States. That’s what we tried to do this morning.”

The moot attempt comes after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that Senate Democrats will also reintroduce a War Powers Resolution when they return next week.

Though the U.S. and Iran reached a fragile ceasefire on Tuesday, the two countries remain far from reconciled.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. has eliminated Iran’s comprehensive air defense system, the defense industrial base and the majority of Iran’s Navy.

But actual Iranian regime change, a stated goal of the Trump administration, shows no signs of happening soon. The first joint coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes in February killed Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but one of his sons, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has succeeded him.

When U.S. lawmakers return from recess next week, House Democrats will bring up the War Powers Resolution for an actual vote. They urged Republicans on the fence about the Trump administration’s Iran hostilities to join them.

“This war should never have happened in the first place,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said Thursday. “Congress deserves a say, and the American people deserve a say.”

WATCH: More than $600 Million Stolen from SNAP in 2025

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WATCH: More than $600 Million Stolen from SNAP in 2025

(Andrew Rice, The Center Square) About $607 million was stolen from EBT accounts in 2025, according to a new report.

Propel, an EBT benefits tracking program, found large amounts of benefit theft from cards used as a part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Among people whose benefits were stolen, 56% said they skipped or reduced meals and 43% reported going into further debt.

Jimmy Chen, founder of Propel, told The Center Square most theft occurs when information is stolen from card readers that are installed secretly to steal EBT benefits. He said the theft Propel tracked down is different from the fraud issues the federal government has tracked.

“This is a case that is a little bit distinct from other kinds of national conversations around safety net programs,” Chen said. “It’s actually finding criminals and getting them to stop this.”

EBT cards are one of the last remaining Magstripe cards in the United States. This makes the cards a target for scam card readers where payments are processed.

Over the last year, Propel found 18% of households reported their benefits were stolen, down from 27% in 2025. However, sums of stolen dollars were far larger than previous years. About 64% of households lost more than $250, and 32% lost over $500.

Chen said he has tracked reports of theft at traditional grocery stores, where fraudulent card readers steal EBT benefits from people.

The Trump administration has sought to aggressively pursue fraud across social safety net programs in SNAP. The administration has limited what kinds of food are available to buy as part of SNAP in some states.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, has slammed the SNAP program as being “rife with waste, fraud and abuse.” She has called on states to implement measures to reduce reliance on SNAP benefits and boasted at lower enrollment rates.

Based on data from 28 states, the administration said it has found 186,000 dead people receiving SNAP benefits and 356,000 cases of duplicate enrollments. Rollins boasted of her involvement in the White House Fraud Task Force, led by Vice President JD Vance to tackle issues across SNAP.

“I am eager to work with him to usher in a new era of accountability for taxpayers and for those who truly need this program to survive,” Rollins wrote in an editorial for The Hill.

In 2025, California became the first state to implement chip payments on EBT cards. Propel found the chip feature led to a drop in EBT theft from users across the state. Before implementation, 19% of EBT card users reported theft and 8% reported it after chip payment was added.

“Chip cards are definitely the long-term play to reduce EBT fraud and theft,” Chen said. “California has demonstrated what implementing chip cards can do to reduce EBT theft.

However, Chen said that implementing chip cards can be expensive and take a long time to roll out in certain states. He encouraged state legislatures to implement other security measures to prevent EBT theft, like card locking or blocking out-of-state transactions.

The report found 45% of respondents began to lock their cards when not in use and 39% blocked out-of-state transactions to prevent theft and fraud. Chen said these solutions are not ideal because they still require manual steps.

“We don’t have users of credit cards to have to do that all the time to keep their own money safe so it seems a bit unfair to ask EBT users to do that in perpetuity,” Chen said.

Chen encouraged states to adopt the model of banks and credit card companies to reduce theft of SNAP benefits. He said Propel has been in talks with state governments to build a pilot that tracks suspicious SNAP transactions and classifies them as fraudulent.

“Families do worry about this issue, it’s a big deal,” Chen said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to make it something that people don’t have to worry about.”

Trump Rebukes Carlson, Kelly, Owens and Jones Over Iran Comments

Luis Cornelio
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Trump Rebukes Carlson, Kelly, Owens and Jones Over Iran Comments

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Donald Trump minced no words in a lengthy and fiery rebuke of podcast hosts Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones amid their criticisms over the U.S.’s military operations in Iran. 

“They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too! Look at their past, look at their record. They don’t have what it takes, and they never did!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

His comments come as part of a 482-word takedown that directly accuses Carlson, Kelly, Owens and Jones of seemingly stirring controversy for views engagement. 

“They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some ‘free’ and cheap publicity,” Trump added. 

His comments follow some of these hosts taking issue with Trump’s warning to Iran that a “whole civilization will die tonight” over Easter weekend if the Islamic regime did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Now it’s time to say no, absolutely not, and say it directly to the president, no,” Carlson said, for instance. 

Trump targeted each individual with personalized criticism, saying that Carlson “couldn’t even finish college” and was a “broken man when he got fired from Fox.” 

Trump also targeted Kelly, saying she “nastily asked me the now famous ‘Only Rosie O’Donnell,’” and then slammed Owens as “‘crazy.” 

Trump also referenced the past controversy surrounding Owens’ dubious claims that French First Lady Brigitte Macron is transgender. 

“Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it’s not even close!” Trump continued. 

Trump also criticized Jones, calling him “Bankrupt Alex Jones” and saying he “says some of the dumbest things, and lost his entire fortune, as he should have, for his horrendous attack on the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, ridiculously claiming it was a hoax.” 

“These so-called ‘pundits’ are LOSERS, and they will always be!” Trump said. 

Newsom’s Allies Suddenly Announce Hospice Fraud Charges

Luis Cornelio
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Newsom’s Allies Suddenly Announce Hospice Fraud Charges

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is suddenly touting a major hospice fraud “bust” in Los Angeles County after mounting warnings and accusations that officials allowed the scheme to spiral out of control.

The charges, announced Thursday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Newsom-led Department of Health Care Services, target 21 individuals accused of orchestrating a scheme that cost taxpayers $267 million.

Bonta unveiled the charges as the Trump administration, federal prosecutors and congressional leaders intensify scrutiny of widespread hospice fraud in California, an issue critics say was enabled by the state’s lax oversight.

Reports suggest the fraud dates to at least 2021, when Newsom issued a moratorium blocking new hospice licenses from being issued.

Since then, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Director Mehmet Oz has warned the total fraud could reach as high as $3.5 billion in taxpayer losses.

“If you thought the fraud was out of control in Minnesota, wait until you learn about what’s happening in California,” Oz said in a January video.

The scheme largely involved enrolling Medicare and Medicaid recipients into hospice care without their knowledge or using stolen information to bill the government for services never provided.

Even CBS News, an outlet hardly known for targeting Democrats, aired multiple reports flagging major red flags at hospice centers in Los Angeles County, describing the region as “ground zero” for the fraud.

The growing scandal has drawn the attention of the House Oversight Committee, which is now investigating whether “California officials failed to properly safeguard federal funds.”

Despite the scrutiny, Newsom and Bonta attempted to spin the charges as a success story.

“For years, California has led the charge to protect public programs from fraud and abuse,” Newsom said.

Meanwhile, Bonta stated, “This isn’t a political game for us. This is about protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting the programs that sick and vulnerable Californians rely on, and protecting our state.”

But U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli blasted the effort, arguing federal prosecutors are now being forced to clean up a mess of California’s own making.

“Having my office prosecute fraudsters to whom California blindly handed out millions does not count as ‘fighting fraud,’” Essayli wrote on X. “It’s the federal government cleaning up after you and the Governor’s incompetence. Maybe you should spend more time prosecuting your own fraudsters and filling up your prisons, and less time cooking up political lawsuits against the Trump Administration.”

Bonta’s office did not respond to Headline USA’s request for comment before deadline. Essayli’s office pointed to his public remarks.

Trump’s Total 2027 National Security Spending Will Exceed $2.5 Trillion

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Trump’s Total 2027 National Security Spending Will Exceed $2.5 Trillion

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The true total of US national security spending in 2027 will exceed $2.5 trillion, far beyond the already record-shattering $1.5 trillion military budget President Donald Trump has requested, according to veteran defense analyst Winslow Wheeler.

Wheeler, who spent decades working in Washington for senators and the Government Accountability Office on national security issues, reached the figure by factoring in the Pentagon budget, military-related spending from other US government agencies, the national security share of interest accrued on the US debt, among other factors (full table of his work at the end of the article).

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has said that the $1.5 trillion military budget request for 2027 is a $445 billion, or 42%, increase over this year. The OMB said the $1.5 trillion includes $1.1 trillion in “base discretionary budget authority” for the Pentagon, plus a request for $350 billion in “additional mandatory resources through reconciliation.”

More than $150 billion in supplemental military spending was included in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” which President Trump signed into law last year, to pad the Pentagon budget, and the Trump administration is seeking to secure the $350 billion for the 2027 budget in a similar way.

Trump is also looking for additional military spending to replenish stockpiles of US air defense interceptors and other munitions used in the US-Israeli war against Iran, which is expected to be worth somewhere between $80 billion and $200 billion and would be counted as part of the 2026 spending if it’s pushed through Congress soon.

Wheeler said that he labeled the supplemental spending bills as “slush funds” to “characterize the lack of specificity in congressional legislation for how the funds are to be allocated within the major categories shown here, compared to historic discretionary appropriations.”

At the beginning of his term, Trump suggested he was interested in reducing the military budget, but he went on to dramatically expand US military interventions and seek unprecedented levels of military spending.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.  

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