Good morning.
The weekend opened with missiles in the Middle East, maneuvering in Sacramento, and a tech showdown in Washington.
Operation Epic Fury: Strikes on Iran
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Donald Trump announced that the United States had launched what he called “massive and ongoing” strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Operation Epic Fury began at 1:15 a.m. EST, according to U.S. Central Command. Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. CENTCOM described it as the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation.
Trump, speaking in an eight-minute video posted overnight, framed the action as both defensive and transformative — designed to dismantle Iran’s missile infrastructure, crippling its naval capabilities, and preventing what he described as renewed nuclear ambitions. He warned of possible American casualties but urged the Iranian military to “lay down your weapons,” while addressing the Iranian public directly: “Now you have a president who is giving you what you want.”
The strikes unfolded in coordination with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Operation Lion’s Roar, calling it a joint effort to confront what he called an existential threat. Soon after, Israel reported missiles launched from Iran toward its territory.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry vowed retaliation, declaring the country “more prepared than ever for defense” and warning that aggressors would “regret their criminal act.”
The escalation follows prior action taken by the United States government in 2025, including Operation Midnight Hammer targeting weaponized uranium enrichment sites.
California Democrats Push to Restore Medi-Cal for Illegal Immigrants
While missiles flew abroad, lawmakers in California reignited a fiscal and moral debate at home.
State Sen. María Elena Durazo and Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula introduced Senate Bill 1422 — the Medi-Cal Access Restoration Act — seeking to restore full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to illegal immigrants age 19 and older.
This comes after Gavin Newsom and the Legislature paused new enrollments in 2025 amid ballooning costs. California had become the first state to expand Medicaid-style coverage to all unlawful residents in 2024. But by March 2025, projected spending had surged to $8.4 billion — more than $5 billion above initial estimates — contributing to multibillion-dollar budget deficits.
Under the freeze, those already enrolled retained coverage, while new applicants over 19 were limited to emergency and pregnancy services.
Durazo argues that restricting care only shifts costs downstream. “We pay more when people end up in the emergency room,” she said, insisting that illegal immigrants contribute tens of billions annually in state and local taxes.
Opponents point to persistent deficits — over $10 billion in 2025, with further shortfalls projected — and question whether the state can sustain expanded benefits.
Trump Orders Federal Phase-Out of Anthropic AI
Back in Washington, another confrontation unfolded — this time not with a foreign adversary, but with Silicon Valley.
Trump ordered federal agencies to “immediately cease” use of technology from Anthropic, the artificial intelligence firm behind Claude. The directive follows a dispute between the company and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over access to its AI models for military use.
Anthropic had reportedly resisted granting the Department of War broad access to its systems, citing concerns over “mass domestic surveillance” and “fully autonomous weapons.” CEO Dario Amodei said the company supports national defense but “cannot in good conscience accede” to certain demands.
Trump called the firm “radical left” and accused it of jeopardizing national security. He ordered a six-month phase-out period for agencies currently using its products and warned the company to cooperate during the transition.
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