FBI Raids Home of Warmongering Ex-National Sec. Adviser John Bolton

Ken Silva
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FBI Raids Home of Warmongering Ex-National Sec. Adviser John Bolton

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The FBI is searching the Maryland home and Washington office of John Bolton, who served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as national security adviser, as part of an investigation into the mishandling of classified information.

According to Daily Caller editor Vince Coglianese, the FBI’s probe is related to related to a national security investigation of Bolton that was shut down by the Biden administration for political reasons.

“It involves stealing classified documents and weaponizing them for political purposes,” Coglianese reported Friday, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.

Bolton was not detained, but is “expected” to be charged, according to Coglianese.

After the search at Bolton’s home started, he was spotted Friday morning standing in the lobby of the Washington building where he keeps an office and talking to two people with “FBI” visible on their vests. He left a few minutes later and appeared to have gone upstairs in the building. Agents were seen taking bags into the office building through a back entrance.

The searches appear to be the most significant public step the Justice Department has taken against the deep state. The searches of Bolton’s home and office come as the Trump administration has taken steps to examine the activities of officials who targeted Trump and his supporters over the last eight-plus years, including by authorizing a grand jury investigation into the origins of the Russiagate hoax.

Messages left with a spokesperson for Bolton were not immediately returned, and a lawyer who has represented Bolton had no immediate comment.

The White House did not comment and referred questions about the probe to the FBI. The Justice Department also had no comment, but leaders appeared to cryptically refer to the search of Bolton’s home in a series of social media posts Friday morning.

FBI Director Kash Patel, who in a 2023 book he wrote included Bolton in a list of “members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” posted on X: “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.” Attorney General Pam Bondi shared his post, adding: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”

Aside from his potential crimes, Bolton has been one of the most hawkish national security officials in government—supporting every war the U.S. has been involved with in the 21st century. Bolton has also continuously pushed for regime change in Iran.

Due to purported threats from Iran, Bolton was granted Secret Service protection in December 2021. In August 2022, the Justice Department announced that the FBI had foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Bolton in retaliation for the U.S. killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Qods Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

However, the “hitman” hired to target Bolton was an FBI informant. DOJ charging papers show that the “plot” against Bolton was largely contrived, and that he was never in actual danger.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Thousands of Migrant Kids Released to Complete Strangers under Biden

Jose Nino
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Thousands of Migrant Kids Released to Complete Strangers under Biden

(José Niño, Headline USA)  More than 11,000 migrant children were placed with adults who didn’t undergo background checks, according to new Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) data Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa showcased in a press statement published on Monday.   

Grassley previously sent a letter to HHS inquiring about the status of these child migrants.

HHS data provided in the letter reveals significant gaps in sponsor vetting and home study procedures for migrant children.

Out of more than 100,000 migrant children sent to live with adults who weren’t their parents between 2021 and 2025, thousands of those adults were not properly checked out by the government:

  • In 5,660 cases (about 1 out of every 18 placements), no one bothered to do a fingerprint check or a background check on the adult taking in the child.
  • In 4,661 cases, the sponsor didn’t get a fingerprint check at all.
  •  In 1,083 cases, there was no background check done.
  • Most alarming: in 84 cases, the adult got neither a fingerprint check nor any type of background check.

Looking at the youngest and most vulnerable group—children under 12—the situation is even worse. Out of 86,214 kids in this age group placed with sponsors, only about 8% had their new home checked out in advance. In other words, more than 9 out of 10 kids under 12—specifically, 79,143 children—were sent off to unfamiliar homes without anyone making sure those homes were safe places to live.

Grassley says that when he asked for this information during the Biden administration, his requests were ignored. The Trump administration, however, provided the data and explained what steps they were trying to take to fix the situation in the Unaccompanied Children (UC) program. To address the aforementioned failures, HHS announced it launched a new program in February 2025 to coordinate with other agencies and law enforcement to flag and act on suspected fraud, exploitation, and trafficking.

In his statement, Grassley said, “My oversight continues to expose disturbing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of kids who needed proper supervision and care. It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and wellbeing of children.”

As Headline USA has previously covered, Grassley has been a staunch advocate for stronger protections for migrant children. 

During the previous Congress, Grassley warned that weak checks and poor communication among agencies meant some kids were sent to dangerous homes or simply disappeared from the system. 

A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General backed up Grassley’s concerns, confirming that the Biden administration lost track of hundreds of thousands of migrant children, often placed kids with risky adults, and limited the ability of the government to cooperate with law enforcement. 

It also found that over 65,000 reports involving migrant children, including more than 7,300 human trafficking claims, were ignored or dismissed.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

JD Vance Trolls Reporter Who Asked About DC Approval Ratings

Luis Cornelio
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JD Vance Trolls Reporter Who Asked About DC Approval Ratings

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Vice President JD Vance had a snappy comeback for a reporter who claimed that “polls” showed DC residents opposed the federal takeover of the nation’s capital.

Vance was at Union Station on Wednesday visiting National Guard troops deployed to crack down on lawlessness when he was posed the question.

“Polls show that a majority of DC residents don’t support the Guard here. So what’s your message to the majority of DC residents?” the reporter asked.

Vance fired back: “I’m highly skeptical that a majority of DC residents don’t want their city to have better public safety and more reasonable safety standards within Washington, DC.”

Vance didn’t stop there, adding: “I don’t know what poll you’re talking about maybe it’s the same poll that said that Kamala Harris would win the popular vote by 10 points.”

Vance’s quip appeared to reference the media’s repeated insistence during the 2024 campaign that former Vice President Harris was comfortably ahead of Trump.

For instance, a PBS/NPR/Marist poll claimed Harris led by four points. The FiveThirtyEight polling average had her two points up. The BBC gave her a one-point edge.

Vance’s comments came as Trump deployed federal resources to confront spiraling crime and illegal immigration in Washington, DC.

Trump Reinstates FBI Whistleblowers Punished by Biden, Grants Back Pay

Luis Cornelio
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Trump Reinstates FBI Whistleblowers Punished by Biden, Grants Back Pay

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) FBI Director Kashyap Patel claimed on Thursday that nearly a dozen whistleblowers punished by the Biden administration would be reinstated with back pay.

Patel said that 10 FBI agents would be impacted and added that their security clearances would also be restored.

The move will likely come in the form of settlements with the assistance of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley.

“We greatly appreciate @realDonaldTrump commitment to transparency and accountability,” Patel wrote on X.

While Patel did not specify which agents would benefit, the Biden-era FBI faced countless accusations of bias and weaponization.

Whistleblower testimony exposed how the FBI sought to tie President Donald Trump to the Jan. 6 protests of the 2020 election.

Other testimony revealed that the bureau justified surveillance and other powers by citing distorted data about “domestic violent extremists,” all based on the single events of Jan. 6.

Patel’s move followed Trump’s purge of the FBI and DOJ, removing corrupt and biased officials tied to whistleblower accusations. There has been some debate over whether Patel’s move came later than expected.

Biden’s Top Adviser Only Met Him Twice in Two Years

Luis Cornelio
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Biden’s Top Adviser Only Met Him Twice in Two Years

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) One of Joe Biden’s top spokesmen confessed Thursday that he only interacted with the former president twice in two years of service.

Ian Sams, a special assistant to Biden and senior adviser in the White House Counsel’s Office, made the remarks during a deposition with the House Oversight Committee, according to Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.

“This was a huge interview today, and I think it contradicts everything that the former Biden people are saying with respect to the president’s mental fitness,” Comer told reporters.

Sams’s admission that he only saw Biden face-to-face twice was striking, given that Sams was one of Biden’s most vocal defenders when his mental acuity came under scrutiny from 2023 through 2025.

Sams’s reported admission that he only saw Biden face to face twice was shocking, given that Sams was one of the most staunch defenders of the former president when his mental acuity came under s

His defenses of Biden were frequently quoted, though often criticized, by outlets like Headline USA.

As reported by the New York Post, Comer said Sams also admitted to meeting Biden once virtually and speaking with him once on the phone.

In a lengthy statement, Comer accused Sams of misleading the public during his time at the White House.

“Ian Sams frequently spoke publicly and with apparent authority about President Biden’s mental fitness and state of mind. However, Mr. Sams admitted he had very limited interaction with the President—identifying only two in-person meetings, one virtual meeting, and one phone call. In fact, Special Counsel Robert Hur probably spent more time with President Biden than Mr. Sams did,” Comer wrote.

“Rather than drawing conclusions from firsthand experience, Mr. Sams received much of his direction from the White House Counsel and Biden’s inner circle. Mr. Sams repeatedly made broad public claims about the President’s cognitive condition, but he was not in a position to make these claims based on such limited contact,” he added.

Cops Arrest Man Who Threw Dildo at WNBA Players

Headline USA Editor
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Cops Arrest Man Who Threw Dildo at WNBA Players

(Headline USA) An Ohio man was arrested for the throwing of a sex toy at a WNBA game in New York, police said Thursday.

It’s the latest development in a string of disturbances where similar toys were tossed at WNBA games across the country, resulting in at least three arrests.

Charles Burgess, 32, from Dayton, Ohio, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of assault for allegedly throwing an object at the Dallas Wings vs. New York Liberty game on Aug. 5, hitting a 12-year-old girl, according to New York City police.

Burgess pleaded not guilty after driving from Ohio and voluntarily surrendering himself to New York authorities, his lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday. He was released pending his next court date in December.

D’Emilia said Burgess, an auto body shop owner with six children and no criminal record, intends to “vigorously fight these embellished and exaggerated charges.”

Court documents provided by the prosecutors say surveillance video shows Burgess pulling the sex toy from his pants and hurling it toward the court. But his lawyer says the video doesn’t appear to show anyone actually being struck by the projectile.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Pentagon To Spend $3.5 Billion Replenishing Munitions It Used Defending Israel

Headline USA Editor
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Pentagon To Spend $3.5 Billion Replenishing Munitions It Used Defending Israel

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The Pentagon is planning to spend at least $3.5 billion replenishing weapons it has used defending Israel, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

The report cited budget documents “prepared through mid-May,” meaning the $3.5 billion doesn’t include the cost for the US-Israeli war that was launched against Iran starting on June 13 and lasted 12 days.

The documents say the spending is necessary to make up for costs to the US Central Command amid responses to “the situation in Israel” or other hostile actions emanating from it, as well as US combat operations “executed at the request of or in coordination with Israel for the defense of Israeli territory, personnel or assets during attacks by Iran” or its allies.

The single biggest request is for $1 billion to replenish various models of the Standard Missile interceptor, which are primarily fired by US Navy warships and are produced by Raytheon. The request was mainly for SM-3 IB Threat Upgrade interceptors, which are used to shoot down ballistic missiles and cost between $9 million and $12 million per munition.

US Navy destroyer firing an SM-3 during drills in the Atlantic Ocean on May 20, 2025 (US Navy photo)

The US used SM-3 interceptors in April 2024 when it helped defend Israel from a major Iranian missile and drone attack that was provoked by the Israeli bombing of an Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.

The second-largest request was for $204 million to purchase more Lockheed Martin-made THAAD interceptors, which cost about $13 million apiece.

The US also used a significant number of SM-3 interceptors and a huge number of THAAD missiles during the 12-Day War, meaning more requests are coming. US officials told The Wall Street Journal that the US fired more than 150 THAAD missiles during the war, accounting for about one quarter of the Pentagon’s total stock of the interceptors and costing about $2 billion.

Just adding the cost of THAAD interceptors to the $3.5 billion requested by the Pentagon as of May brings the total US spending on military operations for Israel since October 7, 2023, to $5.5 billion. The number doesn’t include the military aid the US has provided to support the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip and other Israeli operations across the region.

According to Bloomberg, the $3.5 billion request is expected to be pulled from the additional military assistance for Israel that was authorized by Congress in 2024. Besides missiles and other munitions, the report said that the request also includes “a range of mundane tasks including radar upkeep, refurbishing vessels, and transporting munitions.”

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

Report Warns U.S. National Debt Predicted to Pass $53 Trillion by 2035

Headline USA Editor
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Report Warns U.S. National Debt Predicted to Pass $53 Trillion by 2035

(, The Center Square) By fiscal year 2035, the national debt is set to surpass $53 trillion, or 120% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, according to a new estimate by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The updated number – which CRFB reached by assuming that all current trade deals and tariffs remain in effect – is $1 trillion more than projected in the Congressional Budget Office’s January 2025 Budget and Economic Outlook.

Yearly interest payments on the national debt will rise as well, climbing from nearly $1 trillion in 2025 to $1.8 trillion in 2035, a total increase of $14 trillion over the next decade. The national debt recently topped $37 trillion, as reported by The Center Square.

“The nation’s finances have deteriorated since CBO’s January 2025 budget outlook, which already showed a worrisome fiscal outlook,” CRFB stated. “[W]ith debt approaching record levels, lawmakers should proactively pursue trust fund solutions and enact a combination of revenue and spending options that put the nation’s budget on a sustainable path.”

CRFB’s report also estimates the yearly deficits will total $22.7 trillion over the next ten years – $1 trillion higher than CBO’s January estimate – rising from $1.7 trillion in 2025 to $2.6 trillion in 2035, nearly 6% of GDP.

Net government spending during that timeframe will total at least $88 trillion, partially offset by $65 trillion in revenue if current trade policy remains in place. This amounts to a net cost of $23 trillion.

CRFB says the high cost of Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is partially to blame for the alarming numbers. The massive budget reconciliation bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, willcost an estimated net $4.1 trillion over the next decade, mostly due to the permanent extension of most tax cuts in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Those include the boosted maximum standard deduction and cross-bracket tax cuts, the 20% Qualified Business Income deduction, and the $2,000 maximum Child Tax Credit. The bill also implemented costly temporary tax provisions, including a $6,000 deduction for eligible seniors and deductions on tips and overtime pay.

CBO has estimated that the average American household will see their resources increase because of the tax cuts, though the gains vary across income distribution. Another analysis, touted by the White House, estimates that the average taxpayer will receive a $3,752 tax cut in 2026, though the median 2026 tax cut is likely to be much lower than that.

Republicans are reportedly planning to craft a second budget reconciliation bill to implement even more of Trump’s presidential agenda. CBO and CRFB have both urged lawmakers to focus solely on implementing deficit-decreasing measures in future budget bills.

L for Letitia: Appeals Court Overturns $550M Fine Imposed on Trump

Headline USA Editor
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L for Letitia: Appeals Court Overturns $550M Fine Imposed on Trump

(Headline USA) A New York appeals court on Thursday threw out the massive financial penalty a state judge imposed on President Donald Trump, while narrowly upholding a finding that he overinflated his property values to obtain loans—even though Trump repaid those loans and even though the banks never complained.

The ruling spares Trump from a potential half-billion-dollar fine but bans him and his two eldest sons from serving in corporate leadership for a few years. Trump, in a social media post, claimed “total victory.”

“I greatly respect the fact that the Court had the Courage to throw out this unlawful and disgraceful Decision that was hurting Business all throughout New York State,” he wrote.

A sharply divided panel of five judges in New York’s mid-level Appellate Division couldn’t agree on many issues raised in Trump’s appeal, but a majority said the monetary penalty was “excessive.”

After finding Trump flagrantly padded financial statements that went to lenders and insurers, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered him last year to pay $355 million in penalties. With interest, the sum has topped $515 million. Additional penalties levied on some other Trump Organization executives, including Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr. — bring the total to $527 million, with interest.

An ‘excessive’ fine

“While the injunctive relief ordered by the court is well crafted to curb defendants’ business culture, the court’s disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the State of New York, is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” Judges Dianne T. Renwick and Peter H. Moulton wrote in one of three opinions shaping the appeals court’s ruling.

Engoron’s other punishments, upheld by the appeals court, have been on pause during Trump’s appeal, and the president was able to hold off collection of the money by posting a $175 million bond.

The court, which split on the merits of the lawsuit and Engoron’s fraud finding, dismissed the penalty in its entirety while also leaving a pathway for an appeal to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. Trump and his co-defendants, the judges wrote, can seek to extend the pause on any punishments taking effect.

The panel was sharply divided, issuing 323 pages of concurring and dissenting opinions with no majority. Rather, some judges endorsed parts of their colleagues’ findings while denouncing others, enabling the court to rule.

Two judges wrote that they felt New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit against Trump and his companies was justifiable and that she had proven her case but the penalty was too severe. One wrote that James exceeded her legal authority in bringing the suit, saying that if any of Trump’s lenders felt cheated, they could have sued him themselves, and none did. One judge wrote that Engoron erred by ruling before the trial began that the attorney general had proved Trump engaged in fraud.

In his portion of the ruling, Judge David Friedman, who was appointed to the court by Republican Gov. George Pataki, was scathing in his criticism of James for bringing the lawsuit.

“Plainly, her ultimate goal was not ‘market hygiene’ … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business,” Friedman wrote. “The voters have obviously rendered a verdict on his political career. This bench today unanimously derails the effort to destroy his business.”

In a statement, James focused on the part of the case that went her way, saying the court had “affirmed the well-supported finding of the trial court: Donald Trump, his company, and two of his children are liable for fraud.”

The appeals court, the Appellate Division of the state’s trial court, took an unusually long time to rule, weighing Trump’s appeal for nearly 11 months after oral arguments last fall. Normally, appeals are decided in a matter of weeks or a few months.

Claims of politics at play

Trump and his co-defendants denied wrongdoing. At the conclusion of the civil trial in January 2024, Trump said he was “an innocent man” and the case was a “fraud on me.” The Republican has repeatedly maintained the case and the verdict were political moves by James and Engoron, both Democrats.

Trump’s Justice Department has subpoenaed James for records related to the lawsuit, among other documents, as part of an investigation into whether she violated the president’s civil rights. James’ personal attorney Abbe D. Lowell has said investigating the fraud case is “the most blatant and desperate example of this administration carrying out the president’s political retribution campaign.”

Trump and his lawyers said his financial statements weren’t deceptive, since they came with disclaimers noting they weren’t audited. The defense also noted bankers and insurers independently evaluated the numbers, and the loans were repaid.

Trump said the financial statements were, if anything, lowball estimates of his fortune.

During an appellate court hearing last September, Trump’s lawyers argued that many of the case’s allegations were too old and that James had misused a consumer protection law to sue Trump over private business transactions that were satisfactory to those involved.

State attorneys said that while Trump insists no one was harmed by the financial statements, his exaggerations led lenders to make riskier loans and that honest borrowers lose out when others game their net worth numbers.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

UBS Raises Its Gold Price Forecast Projecting New Record Highs

Money Metals News Service
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UBS Raises Its Gold Price Forecast Projecting New Record Highs

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Earlier this month, Citi raised its gold forecast. Another big bank, UBS, has now followed suit.

The Swiss investment bank nudged its Q1 2026 forecast gold price by $100 to $3,600 an ounce. This would mean new record highs over the next six months or so.

Gold hit a record high of $3,500 in April. The yellow metal has since consolidated and has generally traded sideways in the $3,300 range over the last few months.

UBS also raised its Q2 2026 gold forecast by $200 to $3,700 and added a third quarter ’26 target at the same level.

UBS analysts cited several factors influencing their bullish outlook, including U.S. macroeconomic risk, de-dollarization, central bank gold buying, and strong investment demand.

“Despite the dialing back of some trade frictions, we see U.S. macro-related risks, questions over Fed independence, worries about fiscal sustainability, and geopolitics underpinning de-dollarization trends and more central bank buying. In our view, these factors will drive gold prices even higher.”

UBS analysts anticipate a stagflationary environment with “below trend” economic growth and sticky price inflation. Despite the inflation issue, they expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. The analysts said this combination of factors will lead to lower real interest rates, making gold a more attractive option.

UBS analysts are extremely bullish on gold investment demand, especially in the form of ETFs.

Gold inflows into ETFs through the first half of 2025 hit levels not seen since the pandemic, and that trend continued through July.

UBS raised its 2025 ETF demand forecast from 450 to nearly 600 tonnes.

ETFs are a convenient way for investors to play the gold market, but owning ETF shares is not the same as holding physical gold.

Meanwhile, UBS analysts expect central bank buying to continue to support the gold market.

“Central bank purchases should stay strong, albeit slightly below last year’s near-record purchases. We, therefore, now forecast global gold demand to increase by 3 percent to 4,760 tonnes in 2025, which would mark the highest level since 2011.”

As for tariffs, UBS analysts expect rates to settle around 15 percent as more countries enter into trade agreements with the U.S., reducing some of the uncertainty surrounding trade.

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.

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