How Much Is the Iran War Really Costing American Taxpayers? (Ep 845)

Just the Truth Podcast with Joey Hudson TRUMP CUTS CAMP DAVID WEEKEND SHORT President Trump returned unexpectedly to the White House after cutting short a weekend at Camp David. The White House did not immediately give a public explanation for the schedule change. But it came during a significant escalation in the Middle East. The United States has warned that renewed hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen could escalate rapidly. A Houthi ballistic missile was launched toward Riyadh, marking a significant expansion of the renewed conflict. The State Department has also issued new warnings to Americans traveling through the region. So we'll look at what happened, what we know about the President's unexpected return and what we should be watching next. 🇺🇦 UKRAINE LAUNCHES MORE THAN 1,000 DRONES AT RUSSIA Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine just saw an extraordinary escalation of its own. Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones toward targets across Russia overnight. Hundreds were directed toward Moscow in what Russian officials described as the largest drone attack ever launched against the capital. The attack came as Russia was completing the third and final day of parliamentary voting. Russian officials reported deaths and injuries, and Moscow's oil refinery was among the facilities damaged. Russia says it intercepted enormous numbers of drones. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil, energy and military infrastructure as it attempts to weaken Moscow's ability to sustain its war effort. We’ll take a closer look at what happened and why the timing of this attack is getting so much attention. 💰 THE IRAN WAR: AT LEAST $43.6 BILLION—AND COUNTING How much is America's war with Iran costing taxpayers? We finally have a better idea. U.S. Central Command has provided Congress with a new estimate putting the military cost at approximately $43.6 billion through September 3. The biggest expense? Weapons. About $28 billion of the estimate is associated with replacing munitions used during the conflict. Billions more have gone toward military operations and equipment that has been lost or damaged. Additional fuel costs reported separately push the overall figure closer to $45 billion. But here's the important part: Even that may not be the final bill. The estimate does not fully account for rebuilding or repairing American military facilities damaged during Iranian attacks. There is also the question of replenishing America's missile and interceptor inventories. And the war is continuing. So $43.6 billion isn't necessarily the price tag for the war. It's closer to a snapshot of the bill through early September. We'll break down where the money has gone and what additional expenses could still be coming. 🏗️ A $3 BILLION “MINOR” DEVELOPMENT? And finally, we come home to Spartanburg County. A legal fight is underway over the massive Valara data center project on South Pine Street. The basic question sounds simple: Is this a major development or a minor development? But the answer has enormous consequences. Residents represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center argue that Spartanburg County improperly treated the project as separate minor developments. Why does that matter? Because under the county's process, a major development receives Planning Commission review and greater public scrutiny. A minor development can be handled administratively without that same process. The residents argue a project of this size and scope should have gone through the major-development process. Spartanburg County and Valara dispute that interpretation and argue the classification depends on the specific language of the county ordinance—not simply the project's price tag or physical size. And there's another development. South Carolina's Department of Environmental Services has now approved an air construction permit allowing Valara to construct and operate 11 simple-cycle combustion turbines. So this debate isn't simply about whether somebody thinks a project “sounds” major. It's about what Spartanburg County's ordinance actually requires and whether the county followed that ordinance. We'll look at what both sides are arguing and why a judge is now being asked to sort it out. 📩 Join our mailing list at JoeyHudson.com 📱 Firmin Ford Text Line: 864-477-JOEY (5639) Your texts are always welcome, and you can also leave a voice message that could be aired on a future podcast. Subscribe for daily political analysis, breaking national and international news, South Carolina news and conversations about the issues affectin