California
California politicians weigh in on Trump’s conviction, but Garvey remains notably mum
Trump reacts to guilty verdict after jury convicted him on all 34 felony charges
Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Former President Donald Trump’s conviction Thursday spurred an avalanche of reactions from some of California’s leading political figures in the hours following the jury’s historic announcement.
As the most populous state in the nation and a Democratic stronghold, the Golden State has brandished itself a cradle of Democrat-led MAGA opposition ever since the 2016 election. Though the state has a Democratic super-majority, a handful of Republican-held districts are expected to be among the tightest and most consequential races in the bid for House control. Any impacts of Trump’s conviction in these districts are unclear at this point, but a steady trickle of comments from Republican and Democratic party leaders may offer a glimpse into how the verdict will play into in campaign messaging aimed at undecided and moderate voters.
More: Trump guilty, now what? Why the verdict isn’t the most shocking part of the trial
California GOP, Democratic party leaders weigh in on Trump verdict
California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson called the decision a “dark day,” alleging a “politically-motivated case brought by a far-left district attorney” in a statement released a few hours after Trump’s 32-count guilty verdict was read.
“Despite Democrat-led efforts to interfere with the presidential election, Americans will have the final say this November when they re-elect President Trump and send him back to the White House to fix the many failures of the Biden administration and put our nation on a pathway to success,” Patterson said.
Claims popularized by Trump and his allies in the Republican Party of election interference, rigging and other types of fraud have been repeatedly disproven by independent experts and election officials.
More: Don’t be fooled: 5 types of misinformation we expect this election season
The state’s Democratic party chair Rusty Hicks released his own statement on the verdict as well, striking a jubilant tone in stark contrast to Patterson’s “dark day.”
“Today, the People of New York have returned a guilty verdict and rendered Donald Trump a convicted felon,” Hicks said in a statement on X. “In November, the American People will render him a two-time loser for President. And California Democrats are going to do our part to make it so.”
Candidates for California’s U.S. Senate seat Schiff and Garvey
In California’s race to fill the late-Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, Trump’s shadow looms large over Republican candidate Steve Garvey, who has repeatedly refused to clarify his level of support for the former president. While Trump is a potential poison pill for the Republican candidate in deep-blue California, it’s long been a political rallying cry for his opponent.
Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, catapulted onto the national stage for leading the prosecution in Trump’s first impeachment trial. In debates before the March 5 primary, he often brought up Trump’s name, echoing many other leading Democrats in positioning himself as a bulwark against Trump an MAGA Republicanism.
More: Trump found guilty in hush money trial ahead of convention, November election. What’s next?
More: How will Donald Trump’s guilty verdict hit his reelection bid? Is his political fallout here?
Schiff celebrated the Manhattan jury’s decision in a Thursday post on X, formerly Twitter, minutes after the verdict.
“Today, twelve ordinary American citizens found a former president guilty of dozens of felonies,” Schiff said in the Thursday post. “Despite his efforts to distract, delay, and deny — justice arrived for Donald Trump all the same. And the rule of law prevailed.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Garvey has not released public comment on the verdict.
California’s House members take to social media
Republican Tom McClintock, representing the 5th Congressional District in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada Foothills, said the verdict “perverts the rule of law.” In his post on X, he calls the prosecutor “poisonously partisan” and the jury pool “contaminated.”
Republican Doug LaMalfa called it a “miscarriage of justice,” mirroring McClintock and Patterson in claiming the prosecution was partisan. He went one step further, claiming the judge “purposely rigged the entire process” to ensure a guilty verdict.
Democrat Eric Swallwell said on the social media platform Thursday that Trump’s conviction is a win for the rule of law and for “the idea that we all follow the same rules.”
One of California’s two ranking House Democrats, Rep. Ted Lieu, said on X: “In America, no one is above the law: not the rich, not the powerful, and certainly not any former President of the United States.”
Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at kapalmer@gannett.com and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.
California
First look: Space Shuttle Endeavour in ready-to-launch position at California Science Center
LOS ANGELES – This fall, space fans will get to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour like never before in its new permanent home at the California Science Center in the Exposition Park area.
What we know:
The new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center officially opens on November 13.
Also, an introductory film includes footage from Endeavour’s final launch before being retired in 2011.
“We felt from the beginning this is the most impressive way to see the space shuttle and it gives people views that almost no one ever got a chance to see,” said Jeff Rudolph, President & CEO of the California Science Center.
What they’re saying:
Since 2012, Los Angeles has been home to the Space Shuttle Endeavour. It has been on display horizontally at the California Science Center.
But the vision was always to have it on display upright.
“It’s really exciting and everyone who sees it is in awe and that’s really what we were trying to do was create that real sense of emotional high and inspire people to learn more,” said Rudolph.
This is the only display of its kind and it can’t be duplicated. The orange tank attached to the shuttle is the last mission-ready one in existence.
“I think what we’ve done is present something that is going to be a truly life-changing and transformative experience for education,” said Kenneth Phillips, Curator for Aerospace Sciences at the California Science Center.
Visitors will also be able to see inside the space craft that carried astronauts to space 25 times, including Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to go to space and now-Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
When the exhibit opens to the public in November, visitors will be able to ride up an elevator alongside the space shuttle and view it from the top.
“That’s the view that nobody but the crew saw. That was a very special vantage point. Nobody got to do that,” said Phillips.
What’s next:
The California Science Center expects the exhibit to be popular. Tickets will go on sale well before the opening.
California
5.6 earthquake strikes near Ukiah, triggers alerts across Northern California
Redwood Valley, Calif. — A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Northern California on Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was centered 7 miles north of Redwood Valley in Mendocino County, north of Ukiah, and east of Highway 101. It had a depth of 5.0 miles.
A ShakeAlert notification went off on many people’s phones moments before the earthquake hit at 8:10 a.m., initially forecasted as a 6.1 magnitude quake by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and downgraded moments later.
People across Northern California felt the quake. Reports came in from as far away as Eureka, Redding, Sacramento, and the Bay Area. Most people reported light to moderate rolling and shaking.
Since the initial quake, several aftershocks have hit the same area. Three smaller quakes between 2.6-2.7 magnitude were detected in the same area between 8:17 a.m. and 9:06 a.m., and are expected to continue.
So far, there have not been any reports of major damage or injuries.
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California
DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history
Laura Ingraham: Fraudsters beware!
The Department of Justice announces the largest healthcare fraud takedown in U.S. history, charging 455 defendants across 45 states. They allegedly stole $6.5 billion from Medicare and Medicaid through wound care schemes and other fraudulent claims. Some funds were used for luxury homes and vehicles like a $135,000 Maserati.
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Federal authorities on Tuesday charged 10 Southern California defendants in a series of healthcare fraud schemes, including one case involving nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and another that allegedly defrauded Medicare out of approximately $27 million.
The charges were part of the Justice Department’s broader “2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,” which resulted in charges against 455 defendants nationwide in schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the operation as “the greatest combined federal and state effort in combating healthcare fraud in history.”
“Fraudsters can no longer rip off American taxpayers,” Blanche said during a news conference announcing the initiative. “If you seek to harm or cheat Americans, we will find you, seize any assets and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI ADDS 2 FUGITIVES TO ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST AMID HISTORIC $6.5B HEALTHCARE TAKEDOWN: PATEL
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference announcing what federal officials described as the largest healthcare fraud takedown in U.S. history, resulting in charges against 455 defendants nationwide. (Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)
In the Central District of California, federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against 10 defendants accused of defrauding government-funded healthcare programs or abusing their positions as medical professionals to illegally prescribe controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said five individuals were arrested in the greater Los Angeles area for allegedly participating in a scheme that involved submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs.
Among those charged was Christina Mareik, 61, also known as Christina Marie Sanchez Hernandez, of Whittier.
HOSPICE FRAUD USES STOLEN IDENTITIES FOR FAKE PATIENTS
The Justice Department announced charges against 10 Southern California defendants in connection with multiple healthcare fraud schemes. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors allege Mareik helped facilitate fraudulent prescriptions that generated nearly $270 million in claims to Medi-Cal, which ultimately paid out more than $178 million.
According to prosecutors, the claims involved expensive drugs containing low-cost generic ingredients that were either not medically necessary or were never provided to the purported recipients.
Authorities said Mareik also sent thousands of fraudulent prescriptions to a co-conspirator and caused the submission of fraudulent prescriptions under her own name.
LOS ANGELES HOSPICE FRAUD REACHES BILLIONS AS MEDICARE PROVIDERS SCAM FEDERAL SYSTEM WITH FAKE COMPANIES
Federal prosecutors allege Southern California defendants participated in schemes that defrauded Medicare and Medi-Cal of hundreds of millions of dollars. (Department of Justice)
Mareik was arrested June 17 and charged with healthcare fraud.
The charges also include a San Fernando Valley man accused of operating hospice care companies that fraudulently billed Medicare approximately $27 million, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also charged Oren David Shachar, 59, of Van Nuys; Abraham Shin, 66, of Corona; and Jeannie Choi, 57, of Torrance.
The three defendants face a 16-count indictment alleging they conspired to defraud Medicare out of approximately $27 million.
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The charges include conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, aggravated identity theft, monetary transactions involving criminally derived property exceeding $10,000, and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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