Exclusive: Gavin Newsom’s “Empire of Fraud” - $180B STOLEN! (ft. John Ashbrook, Michael Duncan, & Chris Rufo)

In this episode of Will Cain Country, host Will Cain dives into a mix of high-stakes geopolitical speculation and investigative reporting on systemic fraud in California. The episode opens with a dramatic discussion about President Donald Trump's ominous post suggesting a potential military strike on Iran, with guests John Ashbrook and Michael Duncan of The Ruthless Podcast analyzing whether this is a genuine threat or a strategic negotiation tactic. They debate the potential for regime change, the humanitarian cost of bombing civilian infrastructure, and the possibility of a 'zombie leadership' replacing the current mullahs—though they agree the goal is not destabilization but a rational, non-nuclear Iran. The conversation then pivots to a series of controversial stories: the alleged hypocrisy of Iranian relatives living in luxury in Los Angeles while promoting anti-American rhetoric, the claim that Iran's women's soccer team may be composed of men, and the bizarre theory that Instagram likes could reveal rational actors within the regime. The episode's centerpiece is an investigation by Chris Rufo of City Journal into California's $180 billion in alleged fraud under Governor Gavin Newsom, covering Medi-Cal, unemployment insurance, and in-home care scams. Rufo details how the in-home care program—now the most common job in California—has become a massive fraud ring, with experts estimating $5–12 billion in annual theft. The episode also exposes the $114 million 'butterfly bridge' project, criticized for being over budget, over-scheduled, and funded with absurd expenditures on Native American rituals and left-wing activism. Finally, Rufo unpacks San Francisco’s 'Dreamkeeper Initiative,' a racially segregated slush fund that funneled millions into ideologically driven nonprofits, some of which were later found to involve fraud. The episode closes with a broader cultural critique of the 'racial retrograde' in America, arguing that racial attitudes have regressed since 2014 despite the promise of post-racial unity under Obama.